“That’s right.”

He Lingchuan looked skeptical. “Can the small amount collected in tolls really cover eight hundred thousand taels?”

He Chunhua clicked his tongue. “More than enough!”

“Ever since I retook Heishui City, the Hongya Route’s annual tax revenue steadily increased. By the time I left Qiansong Commandery, the trade route was bringing in 150,000 taels of silver each year. After deducting expenses, there was always a surplus of 40,000–50,000 taels.” He had once governed Qiansong Commandery and knew those accounts better than anyone. “And that was with the season of mad sand still present, making trade impossible for at least eighty days every year. This winter, the mad sand disappeared, and grass has begun growing in the Panlong Desert. If the storms never return, that route will earn even more!”

He Lingchuan looked astonished....