IDWBE -Chapter 470 Negotiation

If Wei Yishan really let him help, the most critical question was how to split the money!

As everyone knew, the Sanhe army conquered cities and lands, and the locals inevitably submitted.

But the main measure of success was “profit”!

Prince He made it clear: after a battle, if you didn’t make money, it was a loss. And the people of Sanhe would never engage in a losing venture!

This was unacceptable!

Every Sanhe expedition had to calculate the expected returns; they couldn’t fight a battle with no gains. A loss meant failure, and failure meant no merit!

No merit meant no reward!

Most soldiers in the Sanhe army were young and ambitious; they could not tolerate the idea of “failure.”

So it created the Sanhe officers and soldiers of today, especially the generals, who were exceptionally money-minded.

However, Sanhe’s military discipline was strict: no slaughtering cities, no plundering civilians. Even if a city was captured and the enemy’s warehouses weren’t empty, the loot could barely cover the army’s expenses. For those rough soldiers skilled only in fighting, “managing finances” was a skill in itself.

But Wang Xiaoshuan excelled at it!

In terms of knowledge, he couldn’t match Liang Yuanzhi. In martial skill, he wasn’t as good as Wei Yishan. In luck, he lost to Yu Xiaoshi and Cui Genren. In talent, he couldn’t compare to the monk or the blind man. But Wang Xiaoshuan wasn’t useless—when it came to business, few could match him, whether in Baiyun City or across Sanhe. Both Han Dongsheng and Liang Yuanzhi had wanted to recruit him for themselves.

But after barely escaping Jiang Tuhu’s den with Wei Yishan, how could he casually jump into another tiger’s mouth? They had answered Prince He’s call: “Better to sleep on the floor than not be a boss,” and enthusiastically started businesses.

Unfortunately, ambition exceeded fortune. Though they had opportunities and the ability to make huge profits, without the protagonist’s luck, they only made a small amount of money.

Later, they heeded Sun Chongde’s advice and joined Yuanma Temple, but there was still no “official luck.”

Though occasionally discouraged, they would never give up!

Any opportunity must be seized!

And this time, they had the army backing them!

“How much do you want to take?”

Wei Yishan asked with a smile.

Wang Xiaoshuan lowered his head, calculating for a long time, then looked up, squinting, slowly raising three fingers at Wei Yishan. Gritting his teeth, he said, “You know my skills. I guarantee no loss! I want this much—isn’t it reasonable?”

Wei Yishan sized him up silently, said nothing, and walked straight to the door.

Wang Xiaoshuan, wide-eyed, waited until he stepped out, then dashed forward, grabbing his arm anxiously. “What are you doing?”

“Do you have the nerve to ask?”

Wei Yishan said irritably, “Of course, I’m going where it’s cooler. I’ll go be a general; you continue being the stablehand.”

Wang Xiaoshuan stomped his feet. “So in the end, you’re just teasing me!”

Wei Yishan snorted coldly. “You teased me first. Thirty percent? I let it slide because we’re brothers. Try asking anyone else that, and I’d split you in two with one swing of a sword—consider yourself lucky.”

“Heh.”

Wang Xiaoshuan knew he’d overstepped, so he laughed awkwardly. “Asking high, settling low—that’s business. You’ve done business, you know the rules.”

“Teacher Xie Zan once said: Three days without reading, and reason doesn’t enter your heart; looking in the mirror, your face becomes ugly; speaking to others, your words lack flavor. Seeing you today, it’s exactly like that. Better go back and study more, don’t make noise here,” Wei Yishan sighed. “I won’t trouble you further. Goodbye for now.”

“No! Don’t take it seriously,” Wang Xiaoshuan pulled him back inside, pressing him into a chair. “Do you think I’m ignorant? If you really give me thirty percent, I’d worry not about having it, but about surviving to spend it. Look, how about this?”

He wiggled two fingers in front of Wei Yishan.

“Hmph,” Wei Yishan slapped his hand away, fuming, “You’re talking nonsense!”

“Then tell me how much, so I have an idea,” Wang Xiaoshuan said eagerly.

“You ask for thirty percent right off the bat—how do you expect me to pay?”

Wei Yishan glared.

Wang Xiaoshuan forced a smile. “You know, I can’t earn all this alone. I’ll need to hire assistants, buy animals—there are expenses everywhere.”

And if anyone got jealous of his profits, he’d have to spend even more to smooth things over.
In business, there’s never truly “net profit”!

Some hidden rules in officialdom angered Prince He, who once wanted to make an example to show corrupt officials that he had eyes everywhere.

But that same night, He Jixiang, Chen Desheng, Gan Mao, and the other senior officials knelt at Prince He’s gate, offering to confess. Because, whether in the army or court, no one was clean.
Just He Jixiang’s embezzled silver alone totaled thirty taels—enough to justify removal under the new Liang laws.

Prince He was helpless!

If he really went after these officials strictly, the state could collapse!

So Prince He could only say angrily: if we killed all corrupt officials, there’d still be innocent victims—skip one, and some would escape.

“I know, of course I know,” Wei Yishan said calmly. “But don’t worry. With me around, they won’t give you too much trouble.”

The principle of “don’t eat, don’t complain, don’t meddle” applied: whether He Jixiang or Prince He, some army affairs were overlooked because the court couldn’t fully fund them.

The army had to support itself.

To pay soldiers and provide supplies, some measures beyond the law were necessary. Prince He called it the “special military supply system during the transition from war to peaceful construction.”

In short: extraordinary measures, extraordinary effort, extraordinary results, extraordinary achievements.

“Sure, I believe you. You pressure people, so they won’t dare oppose me openly. But what about behind my back?”

Wang Xiaoshuan chuckled. “I’d rather spend money to buy safety. Harmony creates wealth. So just tell me how much I can take. The rest, you don’t worry about.”

Wei Yishan hesitated, then smiled. “I can only give you this much.”

Wang Xiaoshuan looked at the single finger Wei Yishan raised and complained, “Ten percent?”

Wei Yishan hissed, “I’ve said enough—do you still not fear death?”

Wang Xiaoshuan was confused. “Then how much is it? Say it clearly!”

“One in a hundred,” Wei Yishan said sternly. “Not a cent more!”

“What? One in a hundred?!”

Wang Xiaoshuan shouted in anger. “Ten thousand taels is only a hundred! Going all the way to Chuanzhou, what am I getting out of this?”

Even if he made 100,000 taels, that’s only 1,000 taels!

That sum wasn’t enough to interest him!

Wei Yishan said calmly, “Do you really want money and no credit?”

“Credit?”

Wang Xiaoshuan’s eyes lit up again.