Chapter 1 Hearing "Interested"

Hearing Ye Tao say "interested," Said was overjoyed. He originally hadn't expected to receive any positive response from Ye Tao at all. Instead, he had thought of opening the northern route as something that would require a long period of persuasion and time to accomplish with Ye Tao. Unexpectedly, Ye Tao gave a very positive answer so quickly. "Interested"... this answer was quite broad. The present Yun Province could be said to be undergoing a period of recovery and prosperity. When Yun Province became rich and strong under Ye Tao's leadership, and when Yun Province had the strength to expand, Ye Tao would definitely think of this route. Moreover, because Ye Tao had a reputation for achieving quick results in recent years, whether it was in developing technology, building an army, or managing government affairs, presumably it wouldn't be too long before this route could be opened. The Samir family also needed time from when they started discussing and preparing to establish a country to when they could actually launch and expand their sphere of influence. If the two could cooperate, it might be a good situation.

Said hardened his heart and told Ye Tao some of the family's plans: "Lord Ye, there is something I need to report to you. The Kazan Kingdom to the northwest of the Xi Ling's Zhenbei Army Command is supported by our Samir family. Even the Desert Storm bandit group sandwiched between the Kazan Kingdom and the Chani Khanate is also supported by us. Because the Xi Ling Zhenbei Army Command is quite strong, it still maintains considerable strength in the west, even after the Yun Province campaign led by you. The Kazan Kingdom and the bandit group are too far away from the Samir family's base, so we are somewhat out of reach and have no ability to make further progress. If you intend to open the northern route in the future, as long as you occupy the Zhenbei Army Command, or at the very least control the line of Jiameng Pass, Qiajin Town, and Jumu Fortress, then, in reality, it will only be about seven hundred *li* from Chechi State southwest of the Kazan Kingdom to connect the northern route. Although this route is a little more difficult than the original route, it is much shorter. When you take down the Zhenbei Army Command, my Samir family is willing to offer the Kazan Kingdom and the Desert Storm bandit group as a reward!"

Said's words almost made Feng Zi, Chi Lei, and others who were listening in fall to the ground. Using a country and a powerful army as a reward was not something that ordinary people could do. From this, one could also see how courageous and strategic the Samir family's overall plan was. The Kazan Kingdom and the Desert Storm bandit group were originally idle pieces laid out by several ambitious members of the Samir family's previous generation. If the Samir family focused on business and was committed to opening the northern route, this step would be extremely clever. But when the Samir family's goal turned to establishing a country, when the northern route became a guarantee rather than a resource that could be monopolized, this idle piece had the suspicion of dispersing power. Instead of being too busy to take care of it at that time and having the Kazan Kingdom and the Desert Storm bandit group being monitored and vigilant by Ye Tao, it would be better to be generous. As long as the northern route could be opened and large-scale trade could be conducted by both land and sea, the Samir family could afford such a price.

After listening to Said's words, Ye Tao just smiled faintly and said, "Very good." He pondered slightly, then added, "Before I attack the Zhenbei Army Command, I want the military command of the Desert Storm bandit group and the Kazan Kingdom. Otherwise, after I take down the Zhenbei Army Command, these two will actually be a trouble rather than a benefit to me."

To Ye Tao's straightforward request, Said agreed readily: "As you wish. Now the two places are separated by mountains and rivers, but I think it shouldn't be a problem to have the people in charge of both sides report to you and start accepting your remote command from now on, right?"

"There's no need to be so anxious. The armies of Yun Province haven't been fully established yet. If these guys who are used to being wild come now, I won't have anything to show them to keep them in line. It would be bad if good things turned into bad things," Ye Tao said with a smile.

After this issue was settled, Said cautiously asked, "Lord Ye, I represent the Samir family in thanking you for your generosity. What can we do to repay you?"

Ye Tao raised his eyebrows as if he was seriously considering this question. Agreeing to the Samir family's conditions was not a sacrifice for him or for Yun Province, but a win-win situation. Of course, he would have to pay some necessary price for the things he promised, but compared to the expected benefits, these payments were completely worth it. Especially once the northern trade route was opened, the various products of Yun Province would not have to be transported to Yicheng and other ports before they could be exported, but would have a much shorter route.

"Yun Province is now in a state of recovery and development, and I need a lot of funds. See how much the Samir family is willing to invest in Yun Province. Part of the money will be considered a loan from you, and I need you to waive the interest for three years. In addition, you are allowed to invest in and participate in all industries. I will gradually come up with a series of technologies and products to cooperate with various businesses. You are not restricted in any of these industries, as long as they are not related to military affairs. Also, I hope you can send me a batch of glass craftsmen and alchemists of various types as soon as possible," Ye Tao said after carefully considering.

Said had no objections to the other conditions, but... glass? The glass industry was already the most profitable of all the industries that the Samir family controlled, especially the various glass utensils shipped from the sea to Chunnan and Dongping, which were exchanged for an average profit of about twelve times. Said really found it a little difficult to accept Ye Tao's condition of asking for glass manufacturing technology.

"You don't have to worry, I'm not interested in those glass utensils. If you really value the profits from this part, I can sign an agreement with you not to enter the manufacture of glass utensils for ten years. My goals are different from yours, what I urgently need are flat glass and optical glass," Ye Tao then added, "Optical glass is something that can be used to replace the current colorless crystal to make telescopes."

Said was stunned. The Samir family could now be said to be world leaders in the field of glass manufacturing, but their workshops only knew from experience that mixing different sands could produce colorless and transparent glass, or at least reduce the faint green color to the point where it would not be noticed. But they had never thought that this kind of glass could be used to make precision telescopes, especially telescopes that could be compared to those produced by the Bosch Tool Company under the Ye family's workshop. The reason was very simple. This so-called colorless glass had very serious chromatic aberration when used to make lenses. The things made could only be used for very rough observations at most. Now, only some watchtowers and lighthouses in ports were equipped with such crude things. The binocular zoom telescopes that Bosch Tool Company had been gradually promoting in recent years were even more unbelievable. Although the price of one of those things was equivalent to a smaller cargo ship, the effect was much better than a monocular telescope. According to the manual, the field of view was much larger. Contained in the binocular zoom telescope were the Ye family's workshop's unique precision manufacturing technology, grinding technology, and optical geometry theory. Ye Tao had even begun to develop the grinding technology for aspherical lenses.

"...Lord Ye, the glass industry is the pillar of our Samir family. I will send a letter back to the council of elders as soon as possible to discuss this matter. I can't agree to you here. But I believe the council of elders will definitely repay your generosity. But is it really possible to make lenses with glass, and the flat glass you mentioned? The Samir family's workshops are also involved in this area. Although we can't reach your level in the field of light, our craftsmen can only produce glass sheets that are two *chi* square to this day," Said actually chatted with Ye Tao about technology with great interest.

"Oh? You have already mastered the blown sheet method?" Ye Tao's eyes lit up. He immediately asked a workshop apprentice to summon Qian Shun, and asked Qian Shun to retrieve a piece of glass made by the casting method from the confidential data section of the Yun Province branch of the Ye family's workshop after continuous experimentation. This piece of glass still had a hint of green because the raw material ratio had not been completely resolved, but it was only one-fifth of an inch thick, three *chi* long and two *chi* wide, which was much better than the quality of flat glass that the Samir family could produce, as described by Said.

Said was taken aback and blurted out without thinking, "Lord, you have already mastered glass manufacturing technology, what do you need our family's craftsmen for?"

Ye Tao said helplessly, "Technology is a system. There are less than ten people in the Ye family's workshop who understand glass technology. It really took us a lot of effort to make such a thing. What I need is not just the production process of one or two products, but a whole technical team that can ask questions, analyze problems, and solve problems. Your glass craftsmen have been in this industry for many years, and they are much more familiar with the process, the various properties of raw materials and finished products than the people in the Ye family's workshop. Without the help of your craftsmen, I'm afraid I won't be able to get all my ideas out even when my hair turns white... By the way, flat glass is really not suitable for transportation. Given that you already have a considerable level of production, I will add our current casting technology as a condition for negotiation."

Said immediately fell into a dilemma. He knew that although he was not qualified to fully agree to it now, it was undoubtedly very worthwhile to agree to Ye Tao's conditions.

As if seeing Said's hesitation, Ye Tao said with a smile, "Let me add another technology for you, how about the surface engraving technology of glass utensils? Our Ye family's workshop has already produced processing equipment with sufficient precision and efficiency, including diamond grinding wheels."

Said hurriedly agreed, "As you wish, I will write a letter to inform my family and let the craftsmen board the ship to Yun Province as soon as possible." Then Said suddenly asked for more, "Then, can our Samir family also participate in your glass industry, Lord?"

"We'll talk about this after you get the craftsmen here. Then we'll talk about investing money. You should know something about my style. Technology development will continue to invest money in it, and it probably won't be as profitable as you imagine. Moreover, you can only account for up to 20% of the shares," Ye Tao said with a smile. He could accept, even be quite satisfied with this result.