Chapter 367 Aceh, the Tiger's Beard

In the twenty-third year of Great Qian, the first major event after the start of the year for the entire Great Qian Dynasty was the auction for the operating rights of the Zoo and Botanical Garden.

It wasn't that auctions had never been held before; private auction houses frequently held large-scale auctions, but previously, most items auctioned were antiques, paintings, calligraphy, jewelry, and jade.

This was the first time an auction for operating rights was being held, which piqued the interest of many people, who prepared to come and join the excitement.

However, the auction house organizing the event soon issued an announcement declaring a special rule for this auction: a security deposit.

Everyone participating in the auction had to pay a certain amount as a deposit. It was stated that this rule was specifically established to prevent malicious bidding; if the winner failed to pay the balance, the deposit would be forfeited.

This immediately caused many who only intended to watch the spectacle to back down, but in the end, dozens of families still paid the deposit.

This was the first time Great Qian had organized an auction regarding property and operating rights through the imperial court. Therefore, Zhao Xiyao and Gao Yuan took it very seriously. On the day of the auction, the whole family arrived and sat in a private box on the second floor.

Accompanying them were high-ranking court officials such as Gao Yao, Yu Qian, Mu Sheng, Song Yehong, and Zheng Ting.

Soon, a middle-aged man stepped onto the auction stage and announced the start of the auction.

"Before we begin, I shall read some requirements from His Highness Prince of Tang for the winning bidder:"

"First, the winning bidder must guarantee the employment of a certain proportion of disabled veterans. In return, the imperial court will provide appropriate tax reductions and exemptions as a reward;"

"Second, the winning bidder must not raise prices arbitrarily and must ensure that the majority of the common people can afford to visit and enjoy themselves. The imperial court will regularly dispatch personnel to supervise and audit;"

"Alright, with those two requirements settled, the auction for the twenty-year operating rights of the Guangzhou Zoo and Botanical Garden officially begins. The starting price is ten thousand strings of cash, with each bid incrementing by one thousand strings."

Regarding the operating status of the Zoo and Botanical Garden over the past few months, Gao Yuan had long ago sent people to compile a booklet and distribute it to all interested bidders. Thus, everyone had a basic understanding of the 'egg-laying' capacity of this golden-egg-producing hen.

Even without raising prices, as long as this Zoo and Botanical Garden was managed well, it would yield a net profit of several hundred strings of cash per month, and the annual net profit could easily exceed fifty thousand strings.

Even with a discount, the twenty-year operating rights would yield a profit of several hundred thousand strings. How could anyone pass up such a good opportunity? As soon as the host finished speaking, someone raised their placard and shouted,

"Twenty thousand strings!"

Before that placard could even be lowered, someone else immediately raised theirs.

"Twenty-five thousand strings!"

Initially, everyone worried that the ten thousand string starting price set by Gao Yuan was too low and that he would suffer a massive loss. They didn't expect the price to be pushed up to eighty thousand strings in less than fifteen minutes.

Soon, the speed of the bidding slowed down, and the increments became smaller. This caused many to break into a cold sweat for Gao Yuan. Chu Yue, the new bride who had married into the Prince of Tang Mansion during the New Year festival, was so nervous she clung to the window, nearly sticking her small head out.

Gao Yuan continued to drink his tea unhurriedly. He had long noticed that those bidding at the start were all merchants; the representatives of the Powerful Families hadn't exerted their strength yet.

Since these Powerful Families had given up land and population to pivot toward industry, commerce, and maritime trade, the wealth in their hands had grown more and more.

However, in their bones, they still preferred the days of old when they had fields at home and people in the court. Consequently, they were incredibly enthusiastic about acquiring such industrial properties.

Gao Yuan didn't have to wait long. A middle-aged man who had been closing his eyes just moments ago opened them, raised his placard, and shouted his price firmly.

"One hundred thousand strings!"

Everyone in the second-floor box breathed a sigh of relief. They knew the costs had been recouped and Gao Yuan's reputation was preserved.

With the entry of the first Powerful Family, the second climax of the auction arrived. One added five thousand strings, another added ten thousand, and the price soon reached one hundred and eighty thousand strings.

Most families had already withdrawn from the competition. In the end, only three families remained in the final circle, their eyes bloodshot as they continued to bid.

Ultimately, family heritage prevailed. The Zheng family purchased the twenty-year operating rights of the Panyu Zoo and Botanical Garden for the high price of two hundred and twenty-four thousand strings.

The next day, this huge sum was transferred through the Bank to the Ministry of Revenue's account, and then half of it was diverted to the Inner Treasury's account. The Inner Treasury had originally spent fifty thousand strings, and now it had recouped one hundred and twelve thousand strings.

No one expected that Zhao Xiyao's grand sacrificial ceremony would ultimately result in a massive profit for both the imperial court and the Inner Treasury.

As for the Zheng family making a fortune in this area and later establishing similar zoos and botanical gardens in various circuits, eventually transforming into Great Qian's number one tourism family—that was another story entirely.

Two or three years of comfortable and peaceful days passed in the blink of an eye. Although Gao Yuan continued his daily training, he still felt somewhat uneasy all over.

Just as he was about to find an excuse to go out for an inspection tour, a system notification suddenly arrived.

"ss-rank life segment overlords little notebook Exclusive Event: Strait Winds and Clouds triggered;"

"As a vigorous promoter of maritime trade, how can you tolerate acts of piracy by certain countries exploiting their geographical advantage? A heavy blow must be dealt;"

"Event Objective: Advance by sea and land to occupy the Malay Peninsula;"

"Event Reward: One random-rank Civil Official Summoning Card;"

"Failure Penalty: Aceh's acts of piracy will become even more rampant."

Seeing this notification, Gao Yuan slammed the table and stood up. He hadn't expected it—he truly hadn't expected that a tiny Aceh would actually dare to pluck his tiger's whiskers.

However, once Gao Yuan carefully reviewed all the relevant data on Aceh, he realized he had been ill-informed. This Aceh was truly no ordinary player.

While he was conquering Jiangnan and Guanzhong and gradually taking control of half of Great Qian's territory, Aceh was also expanding its own domain, successively wiping out countries like Johor and Malacca.

Now, not only the entire Malay Peninsula but even more than half of Sumatra across the strait was under its control, making it a minor regional overlord.

Soon, news of merchant ships being plundered by pirates in the Strait of Malacca and then being detained and extorted by Aceh reached Panyu. For a time, the entire imperial court was in an uproar.

One must know that most of these merchant ships were the property of these Powerful Families. How could they tolerate such great damage to their interests?

Thus, a miraculous scene occurred during the morning court session. The ministers, who usually spoke of nothing but benevolence and morality, were all filled with righteous indignation. It was as if they would smash their heads against the pillars on the spot if Zhao Xiyao and Gao Yuan did not agree to send troops.

The last bit of resistance to the expedition was gone. Next, Gao Yuan had to consider the choice of commander-in-chief.

This time, the navy would definitely be required for the expedition, and Gao Yuan's plan was to deploy the main force in its entirety. He didn't want to leave any hidden dangers; if possible, he intended to take all of Sumatra in one go.

Among the generals under his command who understood both naval and land warfare, Liu Rengui and Wen Pin were definitely the top two.

Liu Rengui was currently not only in command of the military in Jiangdong Circuit but also bore the heavy responsibility of developing Jiangnan. It was certainly impossible to transfer Liu Rengui to serve as the commander-in-chief.

Therefore, after some thought, Gao Yuan finally made a decision. He slowly rose from his seat, and the noisy hall immediately fell silent as everyone stared at him with burning eyes.

Clearing his throat, Gao Yuan announced the orders.

"Transfer Ma Song to take over as Governor of the Jiangxi Army Corps, and Xian Chong to take over as Governor of the Lingnan Corps. Appoint Wen Pin as the Grand Commander of the Malay Circuit Expeditionary Force, with Jiang Qin and Liao Hua as Deputy Grand Commanders;"

"Deploy the main naval force, the Shenji Camp, the Second Division of the Beiwei Army, and the troops of Annan Circuit to strike Aceh."