"Andrew Bolton has nothing to do with our business." John Bennett finally broke the silence. "He’s now been promoted to Prefect of Qi Commandery, in charge of twelve counties in the Henan Circuit as the chief officer for arrest and suppression, overseeing the promotion of officials in Henan. We’re far away in Mayi, and our paths don’t cross at all. Besides, we’re not horse bandits anymore—we’ve switched to horse trading. He should actually be encouraging us."

Everyone gave a few dry laughs, but no one found it funny.

Adam Carter broke the awkwardness. "Since we’re trading horses, the supply and distribution obviously need to be sorted out. I think, with war raging everywhere, distribution isn’t a problem; what we need to consider is the source of the horses."

John Bennett slapped his thigh, full of joy. "Adam is truly clever—he’s hit the nail on the head. Over these past few months, we’ve discovered that Adam actually has a talent for raising horses. With this, we’ve solved a huge problem..."

Everyone nodded in agreement. Horse trading sounds simple, but in practice, there are plenty of difficulties. The first is horse diseases—if you don’t know how to treat them, you could lose your entire investment.

After Adam Carter’s serious illness, all the horses in the stronghold became lively and energetic, as if Adam Carter had fallen ill in their place.

Of course, they didn’t know that the person possessing Adam Carter wasn’t particularly skilled at anything else, but when it came to riding, taming, raising, and selecting horses, he was absolutely top-notch.

Peter Carter and John Bennett had given up all other businesses and focused solely on horse trading, partly for long-term considerations, but it was Adam Carter’s abilities that gave them a mysterious confidence!

Section Seven: A Bright Future

Looking at everyone’s expectant gazes, Adam Carter knew he had to show some real skill. Otherwise, not only would the younger generation be unconvinced, but even people like Paul Grant and Mark Stone would harbor resentment in the future.

No matter what you do, unity is most important. Otherwise, internal friction will wear you out.

Fortunately, conquering the world might be a challenge for him, but raising horses was the easiest thing in the world.

"As for the source of horses, it’s obvious," Adam Carter said. "The horses from the grasslands are strong and rare. The dozen or so warhorses we seized yesterday may not look impressive, but they’re already a cut above what we have in the stronghold. Now, we just need to go to the grasslands to seek out good breeds. If we can get excellent breeding stock, this no-man’s-land is vast and open—we can find a valley to raise horses, breed them ourselves, and have a steady supply. That’s the long-term solution."

"Can’t we do it in the stronghold?" John Bennett asked.

"No." Adam Carter shook his head. "This place is easy to retreat from, but hard to defend. Raising horses is a long-term endeavor—we need to hold a place securely and not let outsiders come easily."

Seeing everyone looking at each other in confusion, Adam Carter was puzzled. "What, did I say something wrong?"

John Bennett sighed. "You’re not wrong, but you’re thinking much further ahead than we are. Your father and I were just thinking of making some connections with the Turkic tribes and then buying horses to sell in the Central Plains. But your plan seems even better."

Seeing the somewhat admiring looks from everyone, Adam Carter couldn’t help but find it amusing. He was a horseman, but his knowledge was broad, and he had a deep love for horses, humanity’s best friend. All of this was second nature to him, and he hadn’t really considered it from a business perspective.

"Buying horses takes money, but raising horses only needs experience and grass," John Bennett said, getting more and more excited. "Doing it Adam’s way—using what’s at hand and raising our own horses—is clearly better."

"But raising horses ourselves requires at least three years of preparation," Adam Carter reminded them. "From a mare’s pregnancy to a foal that can go to war, it takes at least three years. But we can use a staggered breeding method, so after three years, we’ll have a steady stream of warhorses. So, for the long term, we should definitely choose a suitable place to raise horses and focus on our own development. But in the short term, if we want to open up the market and build a brand..."

"What do you mean by 'open up the market'?" Frank Reed couldn’t help but ask. "And, young master, what does 'brand' mean?"

Everyone was listening intently to Adam Carter’s analysis, thinking it made a lot of sense. This young master wasn’t just good at banditry—he seemed to have a knack for horse breeding and business too.

When he mentioned 'market' and 'brand,' everyone was actually a bit confused, trying to figure out what he meant. Only Frank Reed and Brian Cooper, who had been with Adam Carter for a long time, knew that ever since the young master’s serious illness, it was as if he’d been enlightened by a dream—he’d occasionally come up with new and puzzling terms. So Frank Reed, not ashamed to ask, didn’t bother thinking too much and just asked directly.

Only then did Adam Carter realize that he’d unconsciously used marketing terms from his own era. There might be markets here, similar to the concept of a marketplace, but the extended meaning was quite different. As for 'brand,' that was even more confusing for them. He’d been in the Sui Dynasty for several months now and had basically integrated into this society—his way of speaking and daily habits were gradually adapting—but his way of thinking was deeply ingrained. So when he got excited, he would sometimes slip into the language of his own time.

Fortunately, Peter Carter only cared about his son. No matter what nonsense his son spouted, he treated him with tolerance, which gave him a chance to adapt.