Regardless of whether it was true or false, at least these three fellows had settled their old scores in front of Fang Er.
The residential area was still under construction.
Giant foundation pits, with pillars of steel rebar coiled within, awaited concrete pouring.
What luxurious construction methods were these men from the grasslands witnessing?
Yes, to them, building houses with refined steel was luxury!
"My Lord, all this fine refined steel, and you're sealing it into the walls?"
"Indeed, my Lord, your generosity is boundless!"
"Tsk tsk tsk, my Lord, how about this, how much is a house? I'll give you the money, and you can sell me the refined steel inside? I don't even want the house, just the steel."
Fang Er: ...
Wasn't this a real-life version of buying the casket and returning the pearl?
"These steel bars cannot be sold to you! Without these steel bars, the sturdiness of the houses will be greatly reduced."
"If you need steel, we can discuss it after we return."
"Hahahaha, good, my Lord is truly straightforward!"
Hearing Fang Er hint at selling them steel, all of them were overjoyed.
After touring the residences, they moved on to the hospital and school, and finally to the market.
This tour took a full two hours.
Fang Er glanced at his watch; it was already two in the afternoon.
"Alright, everyone, it's getting late. Shall we head back, have some drinks, and chat?"
"As my Lord commands!"
"Yes, we will obey whatever my Lord says!"
The others had no objections.
Upon returning to the mansion, Li Baoju had already prepared the food and drinks.
After a few rounds of drinks, Fang Er stood up and looked at everyone.
"Everyone, I've summoned you here today to discuss a few matters."
"My Lord, please speak!"
Ashina Bo Bi patted his chest, expressing his absolute support before even hearing what it was.
The others were not to be outdone and nodded in agreement.
Seeing this, Fang Er didn't hold back and directly stated the reason for gathering them.
"Firstly, as I promised, I will sell weapons to you."
"Su Feng, bring the samples."
Su Feng, standing at the doorway, turned and left. After a while, he returned with several servants, carrying a pile of items.
Mo Dao, plate armor, horse armor, and flintlock rifles.
As soon as these four items were brought in, the eyes of the grassland fellows lit up.
"My Lord, are these things prepared for us?"
Bale Meng Gan looked incredulous.
Back at Qikou, the Western Region men clad in plate armor had instilled a sense of awe in them, second only to the arquebusiers.
Exquisite plate armor, impervious to blades and spears!
Sharp Mo Dao, capable of cleaving men and horses!
Though it was a contradictory statement, this was how they truly felt!
Yi Nan stood up, walked to Su Feng's side, and picked up a flintlock rifle, examining it closely.
This was the first time he had held such a weapon. He knew its formidable performance on the battlefield and had longed to equip his subordinates with it, never imagining that day would come so suddenly.
"My Lord, how much for this rifle?"
"Yes, yes, my Lord, you set the price!"
Ge Zhi Wo Yang put down his wine cup and looked at Fang Er expectantly.
"Since everyone is so interested, I will speak plainly."
"Mo Dao, plate armor, and horse armor are standard equipment for cavalry."
"Each set costs twenty guan!"
"Flintlock rifles are five guan each, with a hundred rounds of ammunition included.
"Ammunition sold separately at one guan for two hundred rounds."
These prices were more than double what he had charged Li Shimin previously, but Fang Er believed they would accept them.
"Hiss~!"
At the announcement of the prices, there was a collective intake of breath from the attendees.
"Twenty guan for a set of cavalry equipment, so twenty million guan for ten thousand cavalry!"
"My Lord, could the price be...?"
Le Mo looked troubled.
The tribes had already paid dearly when they submitted to the Great Tang.
Although they still had some reserves, at these prices, they couldn't afford much.
"Everyone, the price might seem a bit high at first glance."
"However, these are all crafted from fine refined steel."
"Setting aside other matters, with a set of this equipment, your warriors should be able to fight five against one, shouldn't they?"
"With just two thousand elites from each tribe, you could absolutely sweep through the Western Regions and the Northern Desert!"
Having said this, Fang Er stopped.
Everyone present were seasoned raiders; they knew very well how much profit could be gained from such an investment in equipment.
"Damn it!"
Le Mo slammed the table and stood up.
"My Lord, I'll go first!"
"I want three thousand sets of cavalry equipment, and three thousand flintlock rifles!"
"Su Feng, make a note!"
Fang Er called out to Su Feng.
"Yes, my Lord!"
Upon hearing this, Su Feng took out a pen and small notebook from his pocket and walked to Le Mo's side.
He meticulously wrote: Tian Kui Tribe, three thousand Mo Dao, plate armor, horse armor, and flintlock rifles each.
After writing, he took out a box of ink and had Le Mo press his thumbprint.
Once done, Su Feng took it to Fang Er for his review.
"Hahahaha, Leader Le Mo is truly forthright!"
"These goods will be delivered in two months. At that time, Leader Le Mo can bring his men to Shenyang to collect them."
"Come, Leader Le Mo, I'll toast you!"
Fang Er smiled and raised his cup to Le Mo.
"Thank you, my Lord!"
Le Mo clinked cups with Fang Er and drank it all in one go.
With his example, the others also placed their orders.
Including Yelü Gou Dan who was present, the nine tribes present ordered a total of twenty thousand sets of cavalry equipment and fifteen thousand flintlock rifles.
From this single batch, Fang Er reaped 475,000 guan.
Of course, these fellows couldn't produce the money all at once, so Fang Er generously proposed installment payments.
This made the tribal leaders once again deeply grateful to Fang Er.
Taking IOUs, receiving equipment, and then robbing things to repay the debt – they had never felt so exhilarated in their lives!
They were happy, and Fang Er was also happy!
Providing weapons and armor to let these fellows attack to the west!
He didn't believe that the petty European bastard wouldn't show himself.
As soon as he appeared, hehehe, he could wait to face his big stick!
Moreover, after they plundered goods, they would still have to pay him interest, a truly win-win transaction!
With orders, the craftsmen had work to do.
With work, their technical skills could improve.
Although the equipment introduced this time was not highly technical, it was perfect for the newly recruited craftsmen to practice with.
As for the secrecy of the flintlock rifle, it was no longer that important.
Let alone AK47s or PPSh-41s, even the Yun Er style could completely overwhelm armies equipped with flintlock rifles.
This was the advantage of technological superiority.