Zhu Gui's two acts of giving to salt dealers and ordinary people really made these businessmen feel that this young prince was special.
But making money and doing business are two different things.
Businessmen pursue profits, and they do not want to use their own money to help Dai Wang do charity.
The green-shirted Confucian merchant continued to ask: "I wonder why the king wants to build roads?"
Zhu Gui smiled slightly and said: "If a worker wants to do his job well, he must first sharpen his tools. Once the road is repaired, it can speed up the circulation of goods in the house and reduce losses. It is a good thing."
The businessmen began to discuss quietly.
Some people think that what Dai Wang said is right. This is indeed a good deed and a good thing for businessmen like them.
But some people feel that the project of the King is too big and may not be completed within a few years. Moreover, now that the young prince has put his hands on taxes, it is still unknown how long he can stay here.
A golden light appeared in the eyes of the blue-shirted Confucian businessman: "I admire His Highness the King's great ambition, but I don't know where the money for road construction comes from?"
Hearing this, everyone held their breath again. This was a matter of vital interest to them.
This acting king wouldn't want them to bleed, would he?
Zhu Gui smiled lightly and said: "Building roads is a good thing for everyone, everyone agrees, right?"
Seeing everyone nodding, he continued: "The roads in the four states can be fully funded by the Prince's Palace, and the roads in the seven counties can be financed as appropriate."
Everyone was a little unbelievable when they heard that the Dai Wangfu took the initiative to take charge of this matter. What did the Dai Wang want to do when he called them here?
"but."
"I have made it clear in advance that if this road is fully renovated and maintained by the palace on behalf of the prince, then everyone here who wants to borrow the road in the future will have to pay a toll."
Zhu Gui continued.
"Isn't this robbery?"
Someone whispered.
Upon hearing this, the guards on the side immediately stepped forward to find the person who criticized the prince.
However, Zhu Gui waved him off.
"Don't misunderstand me. After this road is repaired, except for Your Majesty, I will have to pay the full amount even if you pass it. This money will be used to maintain and manage the road in the future. Don't you think that once the road is repaired, it can be done once and for all?"
?”
he explained.
Everyone's expressions improved a little.
"Then what if we pay for it too?"
The young Confucian businessman asked.
"If you contribute money, future tolls can be returned to you according to a certain percentage."
Only then did everyone understand Zhu Gui's plan to raise funds to build roads.
Some people think this is a sign that the king has no money but still wants to save face.
However, some people chose to believe in the young prince, and the young Confucian businessman was the first to express his willingness to cooperate with the Dai Wangfu.
As for the remaining small businessmen, most of them chose to wait and see what happens.
They all got the information more or less. This young prince had already been arrested for his involvement in the salt tax.
Now that he is recruiting workers on a tax-free basis, there is no telling how long he can last as a vassal king.
If they invested money today and the young prince was escorted back to Nanjing tomorrow, they would lose everything.
However, although these businessmen chose to wait and see, Prince Dai's road construction plan soon caused a stir in the city.
It turns out that the Dai Wangfu sent money this time to recruit civilians to build roads.
The local officials and gentry families looked down upon this.
In their view, although the young prince had some skills and could produce refined salt and made a lot of money, he was still too young. He not only violated the laws of the Ming Dynasty, but also had other whims.
But for the sake of political achievements, as a vassal king, this Yunzhou is his fiefdom, so naturally he doesn't have to worry about that.
But if we really want to build roads, let alone build all the roads in the four prefectures and seven counties in the prefecture, even the roads in the city of Datong Prefecture cannot be repaired in a short time.
The local forces in Datong Mansion are not optimistic about the road construction plan of Prince Dai's Mansion, but the ordinary people who have benefited are very positive about Prince Dai's affairs this time.
They had never met an official who treated them so well, let alone a prince.
So when the people of the second generation palace issued a call for young men who had registered, everyone responded positively.
On that day, the construction of the road leading from Daiwang Mansion to the four city gates of Datong Mansion started.
Xu Chenglin, a young Confucian businessman, was specifically responsible for the supply of daily meals for the workers.
Yes, in addition to the advance salary, Dai Wangfu also provides two meals a day for all road construction workers, and the standard of the food is also surprisingly high.
One meat and two vegetables plus white steamed buns, this is a meal that ordinary families only have during the New Year and festivals.
The words that came out from Prince Dai's palace, "Only when you are full can you have the strength to work." It is said that it was said by Prince Dai himself.
The sand and gravel for road construction were all transported from a mountain outside the city.
There is a kind of black stone produced on the mountain, and the nearby villagers use it as a kind of fuel. However, it is not popular because it is too dirty and difficult to mine.
This is exactly the coal Zhu Gui has been looking for.
It’s just that the reserves are not known yet, but we can infer something from the reserves of Datong coal in later generations, which can be regarded as an unexpected surprise.
All kinds of gossip spread around Datong Mansion every day.
Today, King Dai invented a wheelbarrow that can be used by one person and is very convenient for transporting sand and gravel.
Tomorrow it was reported that King Dai's Datong Chamber of Commerce sent four caravans again. This time the goods not only included refined salt, but also some grains, fruits and vegetables. The price of grains in Yunzhou has dropped to half of what it was during the same period in previous years.
More and more small chambers of commerce took the initiative to find cooperation with Daiwangfu. The Datong Chamber of Commerce became larger and larger, and its products became more and more abundant.
All kinds of news annoyed the local landlords and gentry, and they began to move around frequently, wanting to know when the imperial edict from Nanjing would reach Datong Prefecture.
As for the content of the imperial edict, they have gone from being skeptical at the beginning to being certain now.
That is, as soon as the imperial edict arrives, Dai Wang will be escorted back to Nanjing to accept the emperor's punishment.
As for this news, it was Liu Jingming who released it.
But at this time, he was like an ant on a hot pot. He urged Hu Shidao of the Salt Gang several times, but the other party remained unmoved.
This gave him a bad feeling.
So on the one hand, he privately contacted the second-in-command of the Salt Gang, One-Eyed Long, and on the other hand, he paid a visit to Zhang Mao, the governor of Datong Prefecture.
He hoped to use the power of the Salt Gang to make the acting king restrain himself.
At the same time, he also hoped to write a letter to impeach the king together with Zhang Mao, and it would be best to transfer him out of here.
So when the road leading to the nearest city gate from Dai Wang's Mansion was halfway through construction, we ran into trouble.
The fifth day of road construction.
A group of people suddenly rushed out and beat up the road construction workers, took away their tools, and even destroyed a section of the road that had been repaired.
When Zhu Gui received the news, he was using the system store to exchange for a flintlock gun.
He has selected ten personal soldiers from the one hundred private soldiers in the palace.
The families of these people were placed near the Daiwang Palace, which can be said to eliminate the possibility of rebellion.
"Interesting, finally someone can't sit still?"
Zhu Gui fiddled with the flintlock gun in his hand.