Everyone indulged briefly in discussing how much treasure the noble families had acquired due to the war and then began counting on their fingers to estimate how much they could get this time.

Counting on their fingers, naturally, wouldn’t yield any answers, so when Manbao returned after a round at the medical tent, Governor Duan gathered everyone to divide the spoils of war.

The treasure they unearthed wasn’t left outside but was piled inside a large tent, guarded by heavily armed soldiers under Governor Duan’s orders.

The soldiers had already sorted everything, gold in one pile, silver in another, fabrics placed aside, with jewels and gems stacked together...

Naturally, the quality wasn’t considered, but nobody minded and had no intention of appraising each item one by one. They just roughly counted the quantities, and except for the jewelry that Manbao and his group picked a few personal favorites from, about thirty percent of the rest was roughly set aside.

Then, as previously agreed, they exchanged some of the items difficult to carry for some jewelry.

Then Bai Shan took charge of distributing the goods to their people, with Assistant General Nie taking quite a lot; besides gold and silver, he chose a considerable amount of silk and satin, saying, "When we reach the Western Regions, we can directly sell these fabrics."

Even if these fabrics have some minor flaws and the colors aren’t as vibrant as initially, the prices are still high in the Western Regions.

At that time, exchanging them for gems to bring back to the capital could earn quite a bit in one go.

In contrast, he wasn’t very fond of gold and silver, as the gold and silver he received taken to the Western Regions and brought back to the capital wouldn’t increase, unless he used them to buy gems.

His men thought the same way.

Seeing Governor Duan somewhat disdainful of these fabrics, they intended to haggle the price down to buy the silk and satin with gold and silver, but before they could speak up, Bai Shan stopped them.

He said, "We’ll sell them to you."

Silk and satin aren’t worth much here, especially these poorly maintained ones, and they’re processed in bulk, so the price is certainly not high.

Assistant General Nie was puzzled, "Young Master Bai, aren’t you taking these to the Western Regions?"

Once people reach the Western Regions, so do the goods. No need to sell them to us now, right?

Bai Shan merely smiled and said, "We need cash now."

Assistant General Nie didn’t ask further, and the two discussed the price.

Assistant General Nie wasn’t very familiar with the price of silk and satin. After hesitating a bit, he said, "Master Bai, you decide."

Bai Shan: ...

He wasn’t sure about the exact price either.

But if they didn’t know, the bandits certainly would, so Bai Shan took Assistant General Nie to find some bandits and asked, "How much were you planning to sell those fabrics for?"

The bandits were taken aback when asked, then gave a rough figure. Bai Shan further inquired, "How much did the other merchants offer that you didn’t agree on?"

Indeed, no agreement was reached because the other party was driving the price down incredibly hard. If it weren’t their territory, they wouldn’t have taken the insult, so they brought the fabrics back. 𝕗𝚛𝚎𝚎𝐰𝗲𝗯𝗻𝚘𝚟𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝕞

After finding out the price, Bai Shan told Assistant General Nie, "I’m not taking advantage of you. Just give me the price those merchants quoted."

Assistant General Nie didn’t think much of it and agreed with a smile, then gathered all the gold and silver allocated to his group, recorded the number, and bought the fabrics from Bai Shan and Zhou Man.

However, Bai Shan didn’t hand the money to Manbao and the others but instead turned to Governor Duan, asking, "Is Lord Duan leaving?"

Governor Duan replied, "We are leaving tomorrow. Why, isn’t Young Master Bai coming with us?"

Bai Shan shook his head, "Returning to Liangzhou only to turn around again is unnecessary. We’ll head straight to the Western Regions."

Governor Duan hadn’t expected them to be in such a hurry and felt a bit disappointed, "I thought we could spend more time together, Bai, Lord Zhou."

Bai Shan then smiled, "When we return, we’ll definitely stay in Liangzhou for a couple more days; then we can gather again."

Bai Shan, with concern, added, "Lord Duan, we have some affinity, especially considering the relationship with His Highness the Crown Prince, making us like family."

Governor Duan nodded repeatedly, agreeing with a smile.

Bai Shan continued, "This year, the spices and gems brought from the Western Regions should be quite profitable in the Central Plains, especially spices, as they tend to dwindle with use. Due to the smallpox outbreak in Xiazhou, the steppe was also affected, and while some fearless merchants might head east, their numbers must be significantly reduced."

Governor Duan nodded repeatedly, "Indeed, there are far fewer people traveling either east or west this year."

"With scarcity comes value. Gems don’t perish and are fine, but spices are consumed daily, so it’s best to sell your spices south of Xiazhou before autumn."

Governor Duan, puzzled, asked, "Why?"

Bai Shan smiled, "The smallpox is gone now. After the summer, those who were hesitant will naturally start moving."

Governor Duan nodded, thanking Bai Shan for the advice.

Bai Shan then proposed purchasing the fabric Governor Duan had with gold and silver, suggesting with a smile, "Spices are in short supply in the Central Plains, but silk and satin aren’t. Since we’re heading to the Western Regions, we might as well help you out."

One of the two things Governor Duan was most troubled by was these silk and satin materials.

They couldn’t use them themselves, and the sale price would be heavily suppressed. Liangzhou’s location made it challenging to find suitable merchants to take over.

Hearing Bai Shan’s willingness to purchase, he was eager for it.

Bai Shan mentioned the price these bandits had received when they asked merchants about the fabric initially, saying, "At that time, the fabrics were vibrant, so the merchants offered that price. Now, since they’ve lost some of their luster, I can only offer seventy percent of that. What do you think?"

Governor Duan considered it and realized it was slightly below his expectation, but he wouldn’t have to bother searching for merchants, and even if he did, he might not secure that price, so after a brief thought, he agreed.

Bai Shan promptly purchased all the fabric he had, then began worrying aloud, "Gold and silver are convenient to carry, yet they do take up space, and taking them to the Western Regions isn’t exactly practical."

Governor Duan perked up and suggested exchanging them for jewelry and ornaments.

A single piece of jewelry could be very valuable, while a box of gold and silver might only trade for a box of these items, thus saving space, wouldn’t it?

Bai Shan, however, laughed, "When it comes to gems in Lord Duan’s possession, only that cat’s eye is worth a look; the rest we aren’t lacking."

"They’re still good for selling, though."

Bai Shan shook his head and refused, "The Western Regions are rich in gems; it’s common to bring gems from there, but not to take them from here."

He added, "However, if Lord Duan is willing to part with the cat’s eye, I can trade gold, silver, and other items with you, which would certainly save some space."

Governor Duan indeed wanted to sell the cat’s eye, but...

"Young Master Bai, I fear the gold and silver you have may not be enough?"

"Don’t forget, we also have spices," Bai Shan said. "Hasn’t Lord Duan forgotten that we have a box of styrax?"

He offered Governor Duan a slight smile, questioning, "My Lord, have you considered that while your cat’s eye stone is valuable, can it be sold?"

Governor Duan: ...