Hong Chengchou, Governor-General of the Three Borders, had finished packing his luggage.
He was heading to the capital to assume the post of Minister of War.
The court was a dangerous place. Far less comfortable than ruling the frontier like a local emperor. He knew very well that once he stepped into the capital, every word would need to be weighed, every expression measured. From now on, he would live carefully, cautiously, as though walking on thin ice.
He could not help feeling a little sentimental.
In recent years, the territories under his jurisdiction, Ningxia, Yinchuan, Yanbian, had been slowly growing prosperous. For reasons he could not quite explain, the Mongols had stopped riding south to burn and plunder. Instead, they had developed a surprising enthusiasm for trade with the Han people.
Several horse markets had sprung up beside the northern border forts. The Mongols brought fine horses and exchanged them for Han goods. Everyone smiled. Men who once hacked at each other until their blades turned red now chatted over prices as if they were distant cousins reunited at New Year.
Hong Chengchou found it all rather baffling.
He had not orchestrated this transformation. In fact, he had barely intervened. And yet somehow, things had simply... turned out this way.
Even more striking, large numbers of Han border settlers had begun raising sheep, cattle, and horses.
In the past, they had not dared. The moment the Mongols rode in, livestock vanished like snow in spring. But now that the northern threat had eased, animal husbandry became simple. The vast grasslands were natural feed. One only had to let the animals graze and wait for wealth to fatten alongside them.
With time, the border folk grew richer. Even the frontier troops could supply much of their own grain, no longer relying so heavily on the interior provinces.
The situation was flourishing. Rising like steam from a freshly opened pot.
And now, just as things were thriving, he had to leave.
It was difficult not to feel reluctant.
Lost in these thoughts, his carriage departed Ningxia and rolled south along the official road toward Yan'an. Before long, a long merchant caravan approached from the opposite direction, carts and horses stretched out in a winding line, loaded with salt, iron, tea, and other goods beloved by the frontier people.
Such caravans were common now. They brought necessities north and carried back wool, sheepskins, ox horns, and other local products. Each side took what it needed. Mutual benefit. Mutual satisfaction.
Hong Chengchou ordered his attendants to halt the caravan.
"Where do you come from?"
The merchants, seeing that it was a high frontier official blocking their path, did not dare show the slightest negligence.
"Reporting to Your Excellency, we come from Hanzhong Prefecture."
"Hanzhong?" Hong Chengchou blinked. "You travel quite far. I assumed you were from Yan'an."
The merchants grinned.
"In the past, yes, it would have been far. But now Hanzhong is not so distant. From Hanzhong to Yan'an, one can take the big train. It goes whooo and arrives before you know it. Only the stretch from Yan'an to Yinchuan is a bit troublesome."
The big train.
Hong Chengchou knew the term train. Several years ago, he had passed through the strange place called Gao Family Village, attended a bizarre hot pot festival hosted in the name of Dao Xuan Tianzun, and even ridden what they called a small train. The memory still left him mentally disheveled.
And now there was a big train?
He nodded slowly.
"In the past, the ones who came here to purchase wool were from a workshop called Warm Enough to Make You Sleepy. Why are Hanzhong merchants entering this trade as well?"
The Hanzhong merchants laughed heartily.
"Why let others make all the profit? We can knit woolen sweaters too. Hanzhong has opened a woolen factory of our own. The brand is called Auspicious Fortune. Our sweaters sell cheaper than Warm Enough to Make You Sleepy, so business is quite good. The common folk are pleased. If they cannot afford the expensive brand, they can still afford ours."
Hong Chengchou felt a stir in his heart.
Shaanxi commerce had developed to such a degree? During his years guarding the frontier, the interior had clearly changed more than he realized.
After parting with the merchants, he continued toward Yan'an.
Along the way, he encountered several more caravans. Goods of every strange variety headed north toward Yinchuan. He also passed horse traders driving magnificent Mongolian steeds southward toward Yan'an.
In his eyes, those were not merely horses.
They were cavalry.
With so many fine warhorses entering the passes, the cavalry strength of the Great Ming would surely rise to a new level.
The thought brought him genuine comfort.
After days of travel, Yan'an Prefecture finally came into view.
The moment he spotted the city walls, Hong Chengchou straightened in his carriage and began adjusting his appearance. He could not let the Yan'an Prefect see him looking road-worn and dusty.
He took out a small comb, dipped it in water, and carefully smoothed his hair until it sat just right. He brushed dust from his robes, patting himself clean until he looked positively radiant and upright. Only then did he step down from the carriage.
The Yan'an Prefect hurried forward.
"Welcome, Governor-General… ah, no, Minister Hong."
Though he had been promoted from Governor-General of the Three Borders to Minister of War, Hong Chengchou did not feel particularly elated. To accompany the sovereign was to accompany a tiger. Distance from the throne had its advantages.
He inclined his head slightly in acknowledgment, then let his gaze drift beyond the city gate.
Outside the walls, a bustling outer district had risen, modeled after Xi'an. Commerce had grown so lively in recent years that shops and market sheds now sprawled outside the gate in neat clusters.
Because it lay beyond the walls, this area was well suited to agricultural trade. Aside from the early days when Dao Xuan Tianzun had dropped a few mischievous "immortal artifacts" here, the place had since become primarily a vegetable market.
Hong Chengchou swept his eyes across the stalls.
Flour. Rice. Fresh vegetables. Potatoes. Corn.
The abundance alone was enough to astonish even a man of his rank.
"Yan'an has become this wealthy?" he sighed. "When this official once served as Governor of Yansui, a dou of rice cost a thousand coins. The people were so poor they sold their children. After I left to take up the Three Borders post, I did not return for years. I never imagined such transformation."
The Prefect smiled.
"It is all thanks to Dao Xuan Tianzun. He captured the Dragon King and forced him to bring rain. He bestowed chemical fertilizer upon us and taught the people how to use it. Prosperity followed."
Hong Chengchou stared at him.
The Prefect seemed to realize that further explanation might only deepen the confusion and tactfully changed the subject.
"Minister Hong, would you care to visit the most famous new establishment in Yan'an? The New Village Bookstore."
"A bookstore?" Hong Chengchou raised a brow. "What is so remarkable about selling books?"
The Prefect hesitated, then laughed.
"The New Village Bookstore is unlike ordinary bookshops. It has become something of a… well, it is difficult to describe. You must see it yourself."
Since the Prefect spoke so mysteriously, how could Hong Chengchou refuse?
Under his guidance, the entourage soon arrived before the most renowned establishment in Yan'an.
Hong Chengchou looked up at the building and nearly recoiled in shock.
It covered an enormous area. Wide and sprawling. Larger than the grand mansions of wealthy landlords. From the outside alone, one could see multiple courtyards, layers upon layers of structures, countless rooms hidden within.
He stared.
"This is a bookstore? An uninformed passerby would think it the residence of a grand chancellor."