Kaiyuan, that key stronghold, was the command center for Liaodong's northern route and the frontier of barbarian affairs, as well as the core hub of Liao Garrison's border horse trade. An Examination of the Nine Garrisons of the August Ming said, "Neighboring the northern deserts and thirty thousand li of the Liao seas, Shenyang, Tieling, and the four Guards under Kaiyuan are sufficient to choke off its thrust." And at this moment, Kaiyuan Market was about to reach the height of trade after the court bestowed return gifts upon the various tribes for their tribute. Rewards from the Great Emperor, such as silk, would be immediately turned into cash by many Little Chieftains right there in the market, exchanged for cheaper and more practical cloth, salt, meat, wine, and tools, letting the silk circle back into the hands of local trading firms with connections.
Simply put, when the court took out ten taels of silver's worth of cloth and silk as rewards, one tael was shaved off at allocation, three taels were swallowed by transport losses and skimming along the way, and the Garrison Commands in Liaoyang and Kaiyuan swallowed another two taels. The "four-tael return gift" passed once through the hands of the barbarian chieftains, was then priced at "one tael," exchanged for goods from Han lands, and bought back by trading firms with official backing. Through this whole cycle of tribute, the upper ranks of Liao Garrison all got to share the rain and dew, and gained real benefits. Of the ten taels the court spent, eight stayed in Liaodong, counting as a transfusion for Liao Garrison. Though the solid wealth and goods went into the pockets of the upper ranks, didn't the "dripping trickle" that leaked down and remained also count as "enriching the common people"?
So