Ten million jin of crude iron a year meant five thousand tonnes of crude iron a year. Although this might be the daily production of a small steel mill back in Yan Liqiang’s previous world, this amount was still considered a very large scale iron ore production in the Great Han Empire. To Gan Province or the entire Great Han Empire, this iron mine at Mount Kang was certainly of an impressive scale. Taking out the production cost, it was estimated to generate an annual profit of more than seventy or eighty thousand taels of silver.

The manufacturing bureau and the Yan Clan’s blacksmith workshop was a large consumer of crude irons and iron ores, especially after the invention of the Aquapyro Engine. Yan Liqiang already had plans to buy a suitable iron mine since long ago to sustain the manufacturing bureau’s operations as well as to prepare for the impending chaos. However, there were only a few small iron mines in Pingxi Prefecture and none of them made the cut, so Yan Liqiang had to temporarily put his idea on hold. Yan Liqiang certainly didn’t expect the Zhong Clan to be so generous to give him exactly what he really needed. It would seem like they had really put a lot of thought into their gift for the sake of forming a closer relationship with him.

“Hahaha, you’re being too courteous, Lord Zhong. Truth be told, the iron mine at Mount Kang would indeed be of great use to me. My manufacturing bureau and home business are inseparable from crude iron, so I’ve been planning to buy one or two large mines for myself. Since this is a gift of goodwill from the Zhong Clan, it would be disrespectful of me to refuse!” Yan Liqiang laughed heartily, then reached out to pull the box that Zhong Hongzhang had placed on the tea table toward himself without any hesitation.

Zhong Hongzhang was still smiling. “There are more than a thousand workers at this iron mine. It is still producing iron, so Lord Yan only has to assign someone to take over. The manager and supervisors from the Zhong Clan will cooperate in this matter. After the handover, everything will be in your hands!”

“There’s no need for any handover.” Yan Liqiang smiled generously. “Since the Zhong Clan’s men have done a good job in running this iron mine, there’s no need for me to intervene. The manager and supervisors may carry on as usual. Although Lord Zhong has given me the iron mine as a gift, I’ll only ask for sixty percent of the share — the remaining forty percent will go to the workers at the iron mine. Consider this a joint venture between me and the Zhong Clan. The demand for crude iron in Pingxi Prefecture may increase in the future. It’ll be fine as long as the mine prioritizes in meeting the demands in Pingxi Prefecture. Since the mine will operate independently, the crude iron is to be supplied to Pingxi Prefecture at the standard market price. There’s no need to give any special discounts!”

Yan Liqiang’s remarks instantly caused the three people from the Zhong Clan to see him in a new light. The Zhong Clan had indeed made their offer generously, but Yan Liqiang wasn’t vague about it either. Not only did he return a forty percent profit from the mine to the Zhong Clan, but he also made no changes in the workers employed there. Just by allowing the Zhong Clan to continue managing the mine was a sign of trust he had given to them. This made Zhong Hongzhang feel really good — he secretly praised Yan Liqiang for his wisdom.

To Yan Liqiang, the iron mine might be important, but it wasn’t his top priority right now. Since the ownership was going to be given to him, then whoever was managing it didn’t matter. There was no reason for him to micromanage it. If there was no problem with the iron mine, then it should be allowed to function as usual. Even if there was a problem, Kangcheng Prefecture was adjacent to Pingxi Prefecture so Yan Liqiang would be able to travel there within less than two days. No one would be able to stir up any trouble there. Since it was also impossible for someone to move the entire mine away, Yan Liqiang had nothing to worry about.

“Hahaha, I didn’t expect Lord Yan to be such a straightforward person…” Zhong Hongzhang laughed, as his mood was lifted. To the Zhong Clan, giving away the iron mine at Mount Kang was painful even if it was for the sake of forming a closer relationship with Yan Liqiang. In fact, the elders back home even appeared to be slightly reluctant to give away the mine during the clan discussion. In the end, it was the clan head who held his ground and insisted on giving the mine away. Now that Yan Liqiang had decided to make the mine a joint venture with them, the Zhong Clan would still be getting profits from the mine. This was indeed the best possible outcome which was beyond the Zhong Clan’s expectation.

With the iron mine as a conversation starter, the atmosphere in the drawing room immediately turned lively.

“I’m a very simple man. I rarely intervene in the specific details when it comes to business. What matters to me is the person handling it. Everything will be fine as long as it’s the right person. If it’s the wrong person, then there’s no use worrying about it. After all, people are the source of every problem in the world!”

“Wise words. My brother at home often said that one must learn how to be a man of integrity before anything else!”

“Haha. If time allows in the future, I would love to personally visit the Zhong Clan’s head in Lan Province to seek advice and learn from him!”

“The Zhong Clan will welcome you anytime with open arms. Our humble clan would be honored by your presence, Lord Yan!” Zhong Hongzhang smiled. “Oh yes, if there’s any problem at the iron mine, just look for my niece, Ruolan! The Zhong Clan is planning to start a trading business this year in Pingxi City. Ruolan will be staying for a while as she will be the person-in-charge and the decisionmaker for our businesses in Pingxi Prefecture.”

“How capable for Lady Ruolan to be able to work independently in Pingxi Prefecture for the Zhong Clan! Impressive, impressive!” Yan Liqiang exclaimed while looking at the beautiful lady.

Zhong Ruolan’s eyes glowed as a gentle smile appeared on her face. “I am only a frail girl in the foreign land of Pingxi Prefecture. I have much to learn from you in the future, Lord Yan. I hope I won’t be a bother!”

“Just let me know if you need any assistance, Lady Ruolan. I’ll definitely help to the best of my ability!” Yan Liqiang sipped on his tea, then asked with a smile, “Have you all taken a tour around the town today?”

“Of course we did. Our tour around Yan Fortress was quite an eye-opener. I can tell that a lot of effort has been poured into this place. It’s even more flourished than Qinghe County Town!” Ruolan continued the conversation with a smile. Her beautiful eyes had a strange glow in them. “However, I saw many carriages transporting wool in town and heard that you’ve been collecting useless wool from everywhere. That’s really a head-scratcher!”

Thoughts flashed through Yan Liqiang’s mind before he acted decisively. He was going to rope the Zhong Clan into the wool business. He smiled at the three guests from the Zhong Clan, “Naturally, I have a use for the wool I am collecting and it will bring in a huge fortune. I wonder if the Zhong Clan would like to give it a try…?”

A glint flashed across Zhong Hongzhang’s eyes. With a smile, he asked, “I’m sure it’s going to be a huge business if Lord Yan calls it a ‘huge fortune’, but how huge is huge?”

“If executed properly, this can be on par with the salt business. It’s estimated to easily bring ten million taels of silver a year!” Yan Liqiang replied casually.

A business that could earn ten million taels of silver a year?! Even as the second-in-command of the Zhong Clan, Zhong Hongzhang was shocked by Yan Liqiang’s statement. Although the Zhong Clan was known as the most influential clan in the northwestern region, all the businesses they managed only generated a total of twenty million taels of silver at most. What kind of business could possibly generate half of the Zhong Clan’s total income in just a year?