Chapter 192 Li Zicheng finished the road construction
No chance.
Xujiazhuang is not a Ming Dynasty court with rough management and loopholes everywhere.
Trying to take advantage of Xujiazhuang's control and cause damage is simply a daydream.
And even if by chance the uprising succeeded and a team of troops was gathered, think about the Battle of Taihang Mountains at the end of the fifth year of Chongzhen's reign. The thirty-sixth battalion of their rebel army, with nearly one million troops, was blocked in the Taihang Mountains and beaten with dogs.
The whole army was wiped out, and they had no choice but to jump off the cliff to escape... It was so thrilling that I still miss Yu Ji's battle. Wasn't it Xu Jiazhuang who was planning and driving it behind the scenes?
The reason is simply that Shandong is short of miners and wants to recruit some people to mine.
Li Zicheng and others almost died!
Now they want to incite the road builders to revolt, but in the face of those whistleblowers who are eager to reward them, even if they conspire privately, they can only dare to conspire with less than five people. And even if they create a miracle and raise an army of one million people, they still can't do it.
Is Xujiazhuang a vegetarian? Will he be slow to react? Maybe these miners are needed. It is simply impossible for them to dig out Xujiazhuang's palm.
Take a shower and go to sleep.
Throw away all the unrealistic thoughts in your head and get down to work.
So for the next few days, Li Zicheng and others worked, ate, slept, and occasionally went to the supply and marketing cooperative to buy some things. It could be said that it was three points and one line, very regular.
But they are all old thieves who have been accustomed to using knives to kill people. Their hearts have long been darkened, wild, and hardened. The precious qualities of hard work and hard work that belong to working people have long been gone, and they have long been accustomed to getting something for nothing.
Can they cope with doing such heavy work now, and being subjected to work that is harder than killing someone with a knife? Can they adapt to it?
At first, Li Zicheng felt that he could not adapt to it. Liu Zongmin also suggested quitting the job after working for a few days and moving to another place for development. Gao Yigong and others expressed their support. After all, if they continued to work so honestly, they would forget that they were actually bandits.
But after working for three days, I actually got used to it.
After working for five days, I actually started to get used to it. I even felt more relaxed and didn't seem very tired anymore.
Especially Li Zicheng, when he saw that the loess roadbed that he had compacted was paved with a foot and a half of gravel and fine sand, and then repeatedly rolled with a big stone mill, and finally laid with stone slabs and cemented with cement slurry.
The finally repaired road is not only very smooth, but also very strong and hard. It will not cause any problems no matter it is cold or hot. It is said that it can be used for hundreds of years.
Li Zicheng walked onto a section of the pavement that had been repaired, took off his shoes and walked back and forth on it with bare feet. There was no feeling of any tingling on the feet, and it was slightly frosted, giving the soles of the feet a very comfortable massage feeling.
In addition, it is more than three feet wide and can run ten horses and several four-wheeled vehicles side by side without feeling too big a bump.
"If such a good road is used to deliver official documents, transfer supplies, or open a post station, it will have great potential!"
Business.
Li Zicheng saw huge business opportunities from this highway, and the more he saw, the more excited he became.
Because he used to work at Yinchuan Post Station and had been a postman (properly classified as a civil servant) for more than a year, so he knew the logistics industry very well.
The so-called road for poor families and rich people, as long as it is related to roads, it must contain a lot of business opportunities and wealth. For example, sending letters is very light, but you have to pay at least thirty or fifty yuan for postage, and there are also things that have been transported by road in the past.
Supplies often need to be transferred by inns, and even if they charge five thousandths, it is still very considerable. There are also top-notch accommodations, etc. As long as inns can provide these services, they can make a lot of money.
If you can set up a post station on a busy thoroughfare, you will be able to make a lot of money and your hands will cramp when you count the money.
It's just that Li Zicheng was too young and too honest at that time. He was too active in delivering official documents, exhausted many post horses, and offended the magistrate above. When the imperial court issued an order to streamline the post stations, he became the first to be laid off.
The target of this was the iron rice bowl. Although the imperial court ordered the reduction of inns at that time, it did not completely cancel the inns. In fact, many inns were profitable, and the layoffs were to reduce costs. If Li Zicheng had been smarter at that time, he would not have eliminated the inns.
If you are so sincere, it is actually possible to keep your job.
Now that he saw this road gradually taking shape and being repaired, Li Zicheng's business vision emerged. He temporarily put aside the idea of fighting and killing, and privately called two or three old brothers over to express his thoughts.
This immediately aroused the surprise of Liu Zongmin, Gao Yigong and others.
"Business?"
"Brother, you said you want to go into business?"
"You want to open an inn, do a real job, make money on the road, and never do anything big again in the future?"
Liu Zongmin, Gao Yigong and the others looked at each other in disbelief. They wanted to stop rebelling and go into business. Could there be something wrong with the eldest brother's head?
You must know that businessmen have a low status. No matter how rich and powerful they are, they can bully them whenever they want, slap them in the face whenever they want, but they dare not make any resistance. They are extremely cowardly and have no future at all.
It is even better to continue to be a thief and bandit, which will have a better future.
Brother is trying to go astray.
"Today, if the rebellion wants to succeed, it is as difficult as climbing to the sky, especially with the interference of Xujiazhuang, there is no possibility of success. Once the rebellion occurs, either people will be killed, or they will be reduced to miners and slaves, let alone become a master, their lives will be
There is no guarantee, so don’t make such delusions anymore.”
Li Zicheng said, in fact, such weak words should not be uttered by a leader like him, but there is no other way. He really can't see any other way, so he can only make the most pragmatic choice, and said: "The Yi Station and his party
There is a lot to do, and Xujiazhuang is building a major road to connect all parts of the Ming Dynasty. It will definitely need to build a large number of inns on the roadside. If we can seize the business opportunity in advance and contract a section of the road, we will definitely make a fortune and everyone will become a rich man."
"Brothers, what's wrong with being a businessman now? Isn't Xujiazhuang a businessman? I think the world in the future will definitely be a world of businessmen, and we don't have much hatred against Xujiazhuang, let alone Xujiazhuang's rivals. In this case, it's better to fight with Xujiazhuang
Cooperation, contracting a road section, and opening a post station will not necessarily lead to great wealth, but a small fortune will be safe. If the world is in turmoil in the future, there will still be opportunities to do something, and we will take advantage of the opportunity; if the world is stable, we can still feel at ease.
If you are a rich man, why should you underestimate your ability and act like a mantis trying to block the car?"
After hearing what Li Zicheng said.
Liu Zongmin, Gao Yigong and others had no choice but to nod.
Makes sense.
What the elder brother said is indeed very reasonable, and it is difficult for them to refute it.
Moreover, the example of merchant power in Xujiazhuang is too typical. If they also go into business and reach or be close to the height of Xujiazhuang in the future, that would be very good. It would not be much worse than the success of the rebellion and the creation of feudal princes and prime ministers.
The risk factor is greatly reduced. There is no need to carry a knife to fight and kill someone accidentally.
"Okay, big brother, doing business is also very good."
"You can try it."
"Wealth and honor are not as good as those of others, but it is good to be able to get a word of wealth."
"I don't want to hide around anymore, it's better to settle down."
Li Zicheng's business plan was supported by all the old brothers. Even those who didn't support it would not object and they all agreed to give it a try.
But here comes the problem.
Don’t you need capital to start a business?
Without thousands of taels or tens of thousands of taels of capital, can a well-equipped post station be built?
Don't worry about this issue.
After all, Li Zicheng and others had been engaged in rebellion for several years, destroyed countless wealthy families, and obtained a considerable amount of gold and silver treasures. Although they could not carry them with them, they had recorded the specific burial locations in their minds.
In dozens of places, they even drew rudimentary treasure maps that only they themselves could understand. They could follow the maps to dig out the treasures and bring them back at any time.
That is to say, they already have the first pot of gold, and there is no problem in spending the capital to do business. It is precisely because the money from murder and robbery is so fast that they are addicted to it. Otherwise, they would not be interested in doing business and would only think about it.
They rebelled and now agreed to Li Zicheng's proposal to open a post station because they had no other choice.
After consensus is reached.
Li Zicheng boldly approached the managers of Xujiazhuang and proposed his cooperation request.
"You want to open an inn next to the highway?"
Fu Xianfei, the manager of Xujiazhuang, was very surprised. He did not expect that among so many road construction workers, there would be a person with business vision who saw the bright future of opening an inn.
"Brother Li, thank you very much for having such an outstanding vision, but I'm sorry..."
Fu Xianfei had to shake his head and said: "Some people have already cooperated. As for the 'Luoxi Highway', an important main road connecting Guanzhong and Guandong, with Tongguan as the boundary, General Ai Wannian spent money to buy it out.
In order to build the post station in the western section, Chen Yongfu and Chen Zongbing bought out the qualification to build the post station in the eastern section. Both commanders spent more than 100,000 taels, and the Tongguan General Post Station directly belongs to Xujiazhuang... As for the construction of the post station in other sections
Most of the management rights have also been sold. Brother Li, you have a good vision, but you are still a little late to start."
"This... no chance?"
Li Zicheng was a little downcast, as if he had been poured cold water on him. Originally, he thought he was the first to see the business opportunity, but he didn't expect that someone else would get there first.
Moreover, how could powerful figures like Ai Wannian and Chen Yongfu, who were just thieves, be able to compete?
Alas, he was unwilling to do so, but the world was like this, otherwise he wouldn't have picked up the knife.
"Brother Li, Brother Li."
Fu Xianfei said to him again: "Although it is difficult to win the bid for the post station, you can organize manpower, invest in building a transportation caravan, travel all over the country, and transport goods. Nowadays, Ming Dynasty's logistics business has surged. This is also a promising industry. Why not consider entering a transportation company?
In the field of team... If there is a lack of funds, Tianxiatong Bank will also provide loan services. Even if there are not many assets to guarantee, it will provide support. Brother Li, what do you think about it? "
Fu Xianfei started to love talents. This young man named Li Yecheng did have good business vision and seemed to be quite honest. Why not help him and give him some suggestions, maybe he would achieve great success in the future.
"This transport caravan travels all over the country, often sleeping in the open, and having to fight for its life against thieves and roadblocks. It's not a good job. How can it be so easy to open an inn and just sit and collect money?"
Li Zicheng thought to himself, he had also experienced logistics, and it was indeed very hard work. Compared with opening an inn, it was completely incomparable.
Seeing the concern on his face, Fu Xianfei advised again: "Brother Li, the logistics industry in the future will be completely different from the past. Look at this big highway, is it much easier to walk than the dirt road?
Have you heard of the tire-type four-wheeled carriages produced in Xujiazhuang? Not only do they run faster, but they can also carry more goods. One vehicle can carry five or ten vehicles of goods, and it can also arrive faster. The average gross profit
It is even more than 5%, that is, if you transport goods worth 100,000 taels, you can get a commission of more than 5,000 taels. There is no need to be afraid of thieves and road bandits. The officers and soldiers will quickly move along the highway to sweep them and kill them.
As long as you think about it, Brother Li, the transport caravan really has a lot to do!"
"Thank you, Manager Fu. I'll think about it and get back to you in two days!"
Li Zicheng was already moved, but he couldn't build a transport caravan on his own. He had to recruit all his old brothers into the transport caravan to make it possible.
…
soon.
Or discuss it privately with three or four people.
Or gather to discuss in a public place.
Li Zicheng, Liu Zongmin, Gao Yigong, Tian Jianxiu, Liu Fangliang and others finally reached an agreement.
After the work on the road construction site in the 'Western Section of Gong County' is completed, they will approach Xujiazhuang to propose cooperation and recruit more people to form a transport caravan.
From now on, I will enter the field of logistics and transportation, traveling all over the country to transport goods. Not only can I see the scenery in various parts of the Ming Dynasty, but I can also broaden my horizons and learn more about new things. I can also make a little money to support my wife and children.
Of course, the main purpose is to keep their eyes and ears open to see if they can find excellent opportunities so that they can continue to stir up trouble - which shows that they have not given up yet.
Li Zicheng's dream of business development is about to be realized. Although he is still a delivery boy in the express delivery field, no, he should be an express delivery boss. For him who is only 28 years old this year, this is already very good and worth looking forward to.