"Clan head, I think that we should negotiate with that Wang Clan's Chong gongzi. Even if we don't earn any money, we can still hire him to work with us. The reputation of WuZi Steel is currently at its peak. If our Zhang Clan were to successfully obtain WuZi Steel, we would surely be able to suppress the other clans. As for the matter regarding the mine, we don't have to worry about our clan's market share being squeezed out by the Cheng, Huang, and Lu Clans. "
An elder of the Zhang Clan said.
To the prestigious clans, a high-quality mine wasn't as simple as earning money. Rather, it was their lifeline. If they were to lose an advantageous mine, their market share would surely fall.
The other clans wouldn't let go of such an opportunity.
Once their market share fell, it would be difficult for them to recover. The competition between the prestigious swordsmithing clans was for market share! More importantly, this matter would lead to a chain reaction.
Once their market share fell, the swordsmiths in the clan would have nothing to do and would leave the clan to join other clans.
Once such a situation occurred, the clan would truly fall into decline. Even if the clan still had a large amount of money, it would be useless. Money flowed like water, and without sufficient income, the wealth of the clan would dissipate quickly.
The Zhang Clan was the oldest swordsmithing clan, and they had experienced such danger before. Thus, they were extremely familiar with it and fearful of it.
No one wanted to experience such danger once more.
This was also the reason why everyone was gathered here. The danger had already reached an extremely severe level, and it would erupt within three months at the latest!
Before that, they had to think of a solution.
"It's useless! Before the sword sale at the Bluebottle Pavilion, we might still have a chance. But now … You should know that his sword was sold for an astronomical price of three hundred thousand gold taels in the Imperial Army! How could he possibly give up such a huge profit? "
Another rotund elder said.
His words left everyone speechless. WuZi Steel had already become a legend in the Central Plains. Given the market price of a sword, Wang Chong's sword was sold for three hundred thousand gold taels. To these prestigious clans, this was an unimaginable feat.
Just the thought of it made everyone feel immense pressure.
Before selling his swords at the Bluebottle Pavilion, Wang Chong was just a nameless figure to them. Every single one of them here could be his ancestor in the field of smithing.
But now, that fifteen-year-old boy had become an existence that they could only look up to. His WuZi Steel and his swordsmithing skills had become an enigma in the eyes of the public.
"… Actually, it's not entirely impossible!"
Suddenly, a voice sounded. Zhang Jian suddenly opened his mouth, attracting everyone's attention.
"Zhang Jian? What are you trying to say? "
Everyone looked at Zhang Jian. Speaking of the third son of the Wang Clan, Zhang Jian and Zhang Cong were the first to come into contact with him, so they had the most say in this matter.
"Have you forgotten? Up until now, we haven't heard anything about his iron forge, nor have we heard who he's working with. Although his WuZi Steel is sold at a sky-high price, he only produces one every month! "
Zhang Jian said slowly.
"Zhang Jian, just say what you want to say."
The head of the Zhang Clan stared at Zhang Jian in contemplation.
"What I mean is that even though it has been so long, he's still 'fighting alone'. If there's a powerful clan supporting him and sharing the burden on such a huge matter as the WuZi Steel, he would definitely have an easier time. And this is an opportunity for our Zhang Clan! "
Zhang Jian said with a serious expression. He finally spoke his mind.
"No matter how he fights alone, he won't be able to match up to a powerful clan in the field of swordsmithing. He doesn't have any experience in this field, so he needs help in this aspect. Regardless of whether it's a swordsmith, an iron forge, or something else … These are all areas where we can work together. I believe that as long as we show sufficient sincerity, that Chong gongzi will definitely agree to it. "
Zhang Jian's words left everyone stunned, unable to say a word. How could the matter regarding the WuZi Steel be that easy? Who would be willing to part with a business that involved several hundred thousand gold taels?
If it was them, they wouldn't do so either. But at this moment, they didn't have much of a choice. The clan's mine could be emptied at any moment, and news of it could spread out at any moment. In fact, it might have already spread out.
Giving it a try was better than doing nothing at all.
"Zhang Jian, what do you need me to do?"
"I need clan head to give me the authority to do things as I see fit!"
"Alright, I promise you! As long as it doesn't cross the line, you can do whatever you want without asking for my permission! "
The head of the Zhang Clan said solemnly.
"Yes, clan head!"
Zhang Jian was delighted.
…
In the Wang Family Residence, Wang Chong sat in the study with a title deed placed on the table before him. Following Wang Chong's directions, Meng Long led his men to search through the ore veins one by one. At the same time, he excavated underground. After expending a huge amount of manpower, resources, and time, they finally found the large ore vein at the northwest corner of the spirit vein, roughly twenty li away.
After spending a total of eighty thousand gold taels, Wang Chong finally bought over the entire mountain range where the iron mine was located. On top of that, he obtained the title deed from the Court of Judicial Review and marked out the type of iron mine.
Just like that, unknowingly, Wang Chong received yet another huge sum of wealth.
However, amassing wealth wasn't Wang Chong's goal. Wang Chong didn't intend to use this massive iron mine to earn money. War was a huge consumption of both manpower and material resources!
And in all wars, the consumption of war machinery could be considered as a crucial factor!
And this massive iron mine in Wang Chong's plan was to be used to forge war machinery.
In a war, in a situation where both sides were of equal strength, the side with superior equipment would be able to gain a huge advantage.
The Arabs' WuZi Steel sabers and swords were sufficient proof of this problem.
"A man who calculates in his temple before the battle, has to calculate more. A man who calculates less before the battle, has to calculate less. Calculating more wins, and calculating less loses. How can it be better to calculate nothing at all? "This was the content of Sun Tzu's Art of War.
A war had already begun long before it began.
No one knew better than Wang Chong how many wars this world would face in the future. Regardless of whether it was the Hyderabad ores or the massive iron mine, to Wang Chong, everything was for the sake of war.
Only by making preparations now would he be able to better deal with the calamity of the future!
— — Even though no one knew about it other than him.
However, there was a very real problem:
Even though he was sitting on a massive amount of wealth and the massive iron mine, Wang Chong didn't have the ability to develop it, let alone forge it into a massive amount of war machinery in a short period of time!
Wang Chong was able to forge the jaw-dropping WuZi Steel saber, the Abyss of Death, which was worth three hundred thousand gold taels. However, the forging of war machinery required a massive scale and manpower.
This wasn't something that Wang Chong specialized in.
"Perhaps, I should look for those swordsmithing clans!"
Wang Chong thought.
In the capital, there weren't any better swordsmithing clans than the Zhang, Cheng, Huang, and Lu Clans. Regardless of whether it was the scale, manpower, or resources, they weren't something that a lone individual like Wang Chong could match up to.
"Young master, the Zhang Clan's Zhang Cong and Zhang Jian request to meet you!"
Just as Zhang Xuan was deep in thought, a voice suddenly sounded in his ears. Turning around, Shen Hai walked in respectfully with his head lowered.
"Hahaha, great! Speak of the devil and he appears! Bring them in! "
Wang Chong's eyes lit up and he abruptly stood up from his seat.
…
Wang Chong met Zhang Cong and Zhang Jian in his lounge.
After several months, Wang Chong hadn't changed at all. However, before Wang Chong, Zhang Cong and Zhang Jian started to feel a little restrained.
Time had passed, and people had changed.
At this moment, it wasn't Wang Chong who needed them anymore. Instead, it was they who needed Wang Chong!
"Wang gongzi, we are here for the Hyderabad ores. May I know if Wang gongzi is willing to cooperate with us … "
Zhang Jian thought for a moment and decided to get straight to the point, directly stating his purpose for coming here. In Zhang Jian's mind, this trip was fraught with difficulties, and there was a high chance that Wang Chong would reject his offer.
However, the truth was something that Zhang Cong and Zhang Jian couldn't comprehend.
"Sure!"
Wang Chong's reply was just two words. But it was these two words that caused the two of them to shiver. The huge living room suddenly fell into a dead silence.
"Sure?"
Zhang Jian was bewildered. The huge shock left him unable to react.
"Sure!"
Wang Chong indifferently said, repeating his own words.
"Sure?"
Zhang Cong was stunned as well. He couldn't believe his ears. This time, they were shouldering a huge mission, and the glory of the Zhang Clan was at stake.
In the depths of their hearts, they had already prepared themselves for failure. Yet, Wang Chong's reply was so simple:
Sure!
If they hadn't heard it with their own ears, they wouldn't have dared to believe it!
Zhang Cong and Zhang Jian stared at one another, and they could see the shock and joy in the other's eyes. Happiness came so quickly that they were caught off guard.
"Ssss!"
Zhang Jian took in a deep breath and calmed himself down. WuZi Steel was a huge business opportunity, and no one would agree to it easily.
Zhang Jian knew that there was a condition behind Wang Chong's words.
"Then what is gongzi's condition?"
Zhang Jian asked carefully.
Wang Chong shot him a look of admiration. This wasn't the first time they were interacting, and it was indeed convenient to speak with an intelligent person.
"I want to invest in the Zhang Clan!"
Wang Chong spoke of his' intention '.
"Invest?"
Zhang Cong and Zhang Jian frowned as they stared at the young man before them doubtfully. Even though they had lived for more than half their lives, they had never heard of investing in the Zhang Clan.
"What does that mean?"
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