Merchant of the Land of Fire

Among these people, the scholars and craftsmen threw their lot in with the Grand Governor's Mansion.

Merchants obediently came forward to apply for business licenses and pay their taxes.

The able-bodied young men chose to enlist, joining the New Martial Army.

As for the commoners, Dongfang Mao did not go door-to-door to conduct a census or register them in ledgers.

He simply opened a service window at the entrance of the Governor's Mansion.

Anyone who considered themselves a law-abiding subject under the Governor's rule could voluntarily come to register their identity information and receive a new identification document, thereby becoming eligible for welfare policies.

Such as tax exemptions, medical provisions, and the collection of relief grain.

In this way, all four classes under the Grand Governor's Mansion had those who followed suit.

As for those hiding in their homes in silent protest, Dongfang Mao branded them all as unregistered residents.

At the same time, he strictly ordered all merchants and shops in the city that if a customer failed to present a Governor's Mansion identification card, they were to be charged the prices dictated by the harsh tax laws.

Dongfang Mao wanted to see just how wealthy these people were, and how stubborn their bones truly were.

As for whether someone might try to make purchases on their behalf in secret?

It didn't matter. You had best be able to hide it perfectly; otherwise, if the quantity of goods purchased didn't match up and the Night Patrol Bureau discovered it, all involved would be thrown into the state prison, regardless of the reason.

At the same time, Dongfang Mao had not forgotten the other group within the city.

Foreign merchants, especially those from the Land of Fire.

These were people he absolutely could not afford to offend at the moment.

Setting aside how powerful the Land of Fire behind them was, there was the matter of the current severe drought in the region around Tsukimiura; any attempt at self-sufficiency would be nothing more than a pipe dream.

Once he offended the merchant class of the world's largest and most resource-rich nation, causing them to abandon Tsukimiura, the city would be reduced to a state of total exhaustion of supplies within half a year.

"Mr. Daisuke, Mr. Kaito, I have caused you both much alarm during this time, and I offer my apologies here."

At this moment, looking at the gentle expression on Dongfang Mao's face, Daisuke and Kaito, the two most prominent Land of Fire merchants in Tsukimiura, felt uneasy, not daring to even breathe loudly, and waved their hands repeatedly.

"G-Grand Governor, you are too kind!"

Seeing their flustered and helpless demeanor, Dongfang Mao shook his head, then poured a cup of tea for each of them and pushed it across.

"The two of you need not panic. I said I came here to apologize, but I also wish to purchase the remaining goods held by you and the other Land of Fire merchants."

The two took the teacups with trembling hands, though their shaking fingers still caused tea to splash onto the table.

"If the Grand Governor requires these goods, we should naturally offer them up; how could we dare to accept payment..."

They were joking—after witnessing the shocking and horrific events that had taken place in Tsukimiura over the past few days, they had long since concluded in their hearts that this New Martial Army Grand Governor was a madman.

How could they possibly dare to take Dongfang Mao's money?

"I said, this is a sincere purchase."

Dongfang Mao took a light sip of tea, his expression indifferent.

"I will purchase your goods at a price thirty percent above market value, as compensation for the inconvenience caused to you all during this period."

The two men opposite him were stunned, exchanging a cautious glance.

Daisuke tentatively probed, "The Grand Governor is benevolent, and we are humbled. However, may I ask if the Grand Governor has other instructions?"

Dongfang Mao set his teacup down gently and nodded.

"Indeed. Once the handover of goods is complete, I will send men to escort you out of the city. I hope that after you return to the Land of Fire, you will continue to maintain trade relations with Tsukimiura."

He paused, then continued.

"In the future, whenever your caravans come here, I will purchase your goods at a fixed price ten percent above market value, regardless of how the market fluctuates. What do the two of you think?"

"This..."

Upon hearing this, their expressions immediately became hesitant.

If it were before, they would have accepted whatever Dongfang Mao said without daring to utter a single word of dissent.

Escaping this hellish place and running back to the Land of Fire would have been the only logical path.

But Dongfang Mao's words just now had truly tempted them.

They spent their days rushing about, traveling long distances between the two nations—what was it all for, if not for profit?

Don't let the ten percent premium fool you; one had to realize that their goods were mostly bulk commodities like grain, salt, and cloth.

This ten percent increase in profit was already quite substantial.

They were itching to agree immediately, but the tragic and inhumane scenes from the city just a few days ago were still fresh in their minds, and they felt a lingering sense of apprehension.

"The two of you have surely seen that while my actions have been somewhat radical of late, they have been directed primarily at the powerful clans and wealthy families who exploit the masses, as well as the stubborn reactionaries who refuse to see reason."

"As for merchants like you who conduct legitimate business, I have always shown special favor."

Upon hearing these words from Dongfang Mao, the expressions of the two men immediately turned somewhat peculiar.

It was true that the powerful clans and nobles preyed upon the masses, but how could such words come out of your mouth?

You aren't just preying on the masses; you are outright slaughtering them!

Of course, as long as the two of them didn't want to court death, they would naturally never say such things to Dongfang Mao's face.

At the same time, their hearts stirred slightly, and they had to admit that Dongfang Mao was right.

In these past few days, they had indeed not seen any merchants have their doors kicked in by the damned Night Patrol Bureau, nor had they seen them dragged out with their entire families in tow.

After all, merchants were best at weighing pros and cons and understanding gains and losses; when faced with the threat of death, they would not be like those hot-headed youths, repeatedly dancing on Dongfang Mao's sensitive nerves.

Furthermore, Dongfang Mao had now completely pushed all social classes within the city to the opposite side.

It was impossible for him to offend the merchants, the group that had the least resistance toward him.

He still needed merchants to control commodity prices and carry out his administrative decrees.

Therefore, regarding the already relatively complete commercial laws of this world, Dongfang Mao had not made many changes, merely adding a business license requirement.

This was more conducive to him screening compliant merchants, managing tax revenue, and bringing the merchant group under unified control.

For the local merchants in the city, this was merely a bit of a nuisance, with basically no major impact.

And although Dongfang Mao's decrees had caused their business to fluctuate significantly, the Grand Governor's Mansion currently required a massive procurement of supplies, which could largely compensate for these merchants' losses.

Under the dual influence of tangible benefits and deterrence, the merchants in the city were gradually leaning toward Dongfang Mao's side.

Having figured out the stakes, the expressions of the two men visibly relaxed.

Just at this moment, Dongfang Mao spoke again at the opportune time:

"If you two still have concerns, why not send your family stewards first to test the waters with some small-scale transactions? Once you have experienced my sincerity, it will not be too late to restore your operations to their former scale."

He paused slightly, a sincere smile appearing on his face.

"Of course, if you are truly unwilling to cooperate, I will not force you. Once the delivery of goods is completed, I will still send men to escort you safely out of the city."

Hearing the final sentence, the two men's eyes flickered, and they exchanged a knowing glance.

Daisuke took a deep breath and was the first to cup his hands in salute.

"Since the Grand Governor treats us with such sincerity, how could we dare to be ungrateful? We accept this deal."

Kaito immediately echoed the sentiment, though he still left himself a three-point margin.

"The first batch of goods can be delivered in seven days. We hope the Governor... will keep his word."

Hearing this, a flash of joy crossed Dongfang Mao's eyes. The heavy stone in his heart finally landed, and he could not help but clap his hands and laugh aloud.

"This Governor intends to have a long-term relationship with you all; how could I break my word?"

As he spoke, he picked up the teacup on the table.

"Come, may our cooperation be pleasant and our friendship long-lasting!"

Seeing Dongfang Mao being so frank, the two men could not help but nod inwardly, and the last shred of doubt in their hearts vanished for the most part.

"May our cooperation be pleasant and our friendship long-lasting!"

Three teacups collided with a crisp sound in the air, and then the three of them drank them dry in one gulp!