The Three Spirit Stones

Eat sugarcane on the beginning of winter!

The open space around the Hangzhou Linping Sugar Factory is filled with mountains of sugarcane. Workers are busy cleaning them and then pulling them into the sugar-making area on carts. Ma Sheng, Di Shicheng and several craftsmen are inspecting the production line inside.

The factory building in the inner area is more than ten times larger than before, and the number of production lines has increased to more than 50.

This year, the sugarcane production is too high and they are all piled up in the open air. If they are stored for too long, they will become moldy.

Now it is the Beginning of Winter, and we have to race against time to produce and try to transport the first batch of sugar to Bian Jing before the New Year. This is because the New Year is the peak period for making all kinds of cakes, and sugar with such a high cost-effectiveness will surely sell well.

Therefore, Cheng Yu made early arrangements in Linping and expanded the factory buildings and equipment by more than ten times to cope with the sudden increase in production tasks.

As for workers, Boss Cai would contact the local village chiefs in the outside areas to recruit villagers, regardless of gender. The village chief would pay a ten-cent introduction fee for each villager he introduced.

When the village heads met Cheng Yu, they were very impressed with him. They knew that his sugar factory was looking for people and would receive ten cents for recommending someone. Who wouldn't be enthusiastic about such a good thing? So the outer area of ​​the sugar factory was quickly filled with people.

There is another advantage of asking the village chiefs to introduce people, that is, there will always be a few dishonest people in every place. When you encounter such people, you can notify their village chiefs to take them away. Usually these village chiefs will be very cooperative, and those people dare not disobey their own village chiefs.

The workers in the sugar production area were all serfs bought from Zhang Shihao in Yangzhou.

When these slaves were first sold here, they thought they were just jumping from one fire pit to another, but when they arrived they found out that it was actually jumping from a fire pit to heaven.

Here we have food, drink and shelter, we don't have to be exposed to the wind and sun, we don't have to be beaten or scolded, and we get paid. It's simply too happy!

When some workers found out that the factory was hiring, they introduced their fellow villagers to the factory, so the inner area was quickly filled with people.

Soon, this small wilderness village called Tangqi became a densely populated and prosperous place.

As the number of people increased, vendors of all kinds came to the factory, so it wasn't long before a market was formed spontaneously near the factory.

Cheng Yu had anticipated this situation, and he instructed Ma Sheng to build some shops on site for rent as soon as it occurred, and the rent would be split 60% to Renhe County Government and Linping Town Government.

However, this market is crowded only when the sugar factory is in operation. During the off-season for sugar production, it is used as a trading place for sweet potatoes, peppers or other agricultural products.

Magistrate Li and Mayor Wang received money every month, so they naturally gave the green light to all the needs of the sugar factory. As a close confidant of Lord Cheng, Ma Sheng instantly became their guest of honor.

Ma Sheng is no longer the sloppy soldier he used to be. He wears a brocade robe and his hair is combed neatly and shiny. He has a sturdy figure and a straight back. Everyone who sees him has to call him "Master Ma".

However, this Master Ma is also a reliable person, and he will not become arrogant because of everyone's flattery. He always knows that everything today is given by the Marquis, and doing things well for the Marquis is the most important thing. This is also the reason why Cheng Yu chose him to garrison Linping!

The first batch of sugar was wrapped in oil paper bags and put into sacks, then stacked one by one on the iron cart, and then wrapped tightly with a large straw raincoat to protect it from rain.

Those vehicles used to transport goods were all made of iron frames and iron wheels. They were not as heavy as wooden carts, but their load-bearing capacity was much greater than that of wooden carts.

And the wheels. In the past, all the wheels were made of wood, which were easily bumped and damaged. Iron wheels are much stronger and more durable than wood.

Zhang Fugui, the former second in command of the bandits and now the general agent of Shunfeng Freight, is directing his men to load the cargo.

He is now a real Master Zhang. Although he was the second in command in the past, he was always suppressed by the one-eyed wolf. He was hungry and full, and was always worried, afraid that the government soldiers would capture the bandits, and afraid that he would accidentally anger the one-eyed wolf and lose his life.

Now that I am with Lord Cheng, it is different. I have enough food and clothes to eat and can interact with people openly. I sleep at night with peace of mind.

Moreover, the Marquis was extremely kind to them, giving them five thousand taels of silver at once. In addition to providing them with sweet potatoes and crops, he would also send people to deliver daily necessities to them from time to time. All they had to do was repair the roads to facilitate the transportation of goods.

In addition to supplies, the Marquis also sent a large number of hoes, pickaxes and shovels for road construction and land reclamation.

These tools are sharp and durable. Most of them used to be farmers, so they know whether a tool is good or not once they use it. After trying it once, they all love it!

The Marquis also wrote to tell them that in addition to helping him transport goods, he asked them to make full use of these vehicles and help merchants on both sides transport goods to earn money in their spare time. He also sent people to build foot inns on the road. In addition to providing accommodation for guests, these foot inns also sold tea, wine and food, thus providing another source of income.

He also sent someone to provide them with on-the-job training, taught them how to understand marketing and promotion, and printed a stack of advertising leaflets for them to distribute to some merchants in Hangzhou.

This trick is really effective. Soon, merchants came to our door to transport goods, and the prices were quite generous.

After successfully completing their first order, these freight forwarders gained confidence.

This is much better than being a bandit!

Being able to earn money honestly without having to worry, the general agents immediately sent their subordinates back to the countryside to recruit people to expand their teams.

Gradually, merchants from both sides discovered that in addition to water transportation, land transportation was also quite safe.

Although land transportation is more difficult than water transportation, it is faster. For the same distance, the water transportation requires waiting for a favorable wind, and the ship cannot move during the dry season, so the time is very uncertain.

But the land route is different. You can calculate how many days it will take to travel a certain distance. The most important thing is that there are no more bandits now, but there are many new mule carts.

In addition to transporting goods, these mule carts can also transport people. Now the potholes on the road have been filled, and the iron wheels of the mule carts are covered with straw mats, so sitting on them is not too bumpy and is even more comfortable than a horse carriage.

There are also many foot shops on the road, where you can travel during the day and rest at night. The prices are reasonable. A few people can just charter a mule cart and travel without having to wait for the boat schedule like by water.

The agents have freight to transport but no freight personnel, so they have an additional source of income!

……

……

This was the first batch of goods transported for the Marquis. Zhang Fugui had already arrived at the sugar factory with his motorcade and was waiting there. He planned to follow the motorcade all the way to Bian Jing, one reason being to supervise the entire journey, and the other being to personally kowtow to the Marquis and pay his respects.

After all the goods were loaded, checked and signed, and after saying goodbye to Ma Sheng and his team, the Shunfeng freight team set off in a mighty manner.

The total distance is 1,200 miles, with each freight forwarder responsible for three to four hundred miles.

After ten days of walking, we arrived at the second Zhongtong Freight Company. The general agent of this company was named Li Sanleng, a burly man with a fierce look on his face.

He used to be a butcher. Because his wife was beautiful, the local gentry took a fancy to her. They framed him for collusion with bandits and put him in jail. When he returned home after spending all his wealth, he found out that his wife had already drowned herself in the river with her young son in her arms, unable to bear the humiliation.

The happy family of three was broken up in an instant. Li Sanleng, who learned the truth, sneaked into the enemy's house in the middle of the night and killed the local squire. Then he fled to the mountains and became a bandit. Later, because he could not bear the previous bandit leader's killing of innocent people, he killed him and became the leader himself.

Although he was a bandit, he only robbed people of their money and did not kill them unless the other party resisted strongly.

When Zhang Fugui brought Cheng Yu to see him, he only said "get lost" to Cheng Yu, and then Cheng Yu beat him into submission in a few strokes. This is how the current Zhongtong Freight was established.

Cheng Yu got to know a little about Li Sanleng's character through Zhang Fugui. He felt that he still had a conscience and some courage, otherwise he would have ended up like the One-Eyed Wolf.

At first, Li Sanleng was only verbally convinced by Cheng Yu's beating but not truly convinced. He felt that Cheng Yu was just a cat who treated him and the other bandits as mice to play with.

Until the five thousand taels of silver he gave were withdrawn from the bank, until he sent batch after batch of daily necessities, until the sweet potatoes and peppers from the mountains were harvested basket after basket, and until foot shops were built one after another along the road...

Only then did he realize that this marquis was different from all the dignitaries he had ever met. He was truly dedicated to the common people and did not even despise these notorious bandits.

This time, Li Sanleng was convinced wholeheartedly!

This was the first batch of goods transported for the Marquis. He had been waiting at the intersection early with his men and mules. When he saw the convoy from afar, he went to greet them. Both sides bowed to each other and after checking the goods and completing the handover procedures, Li Sanleng's men replaced Zhang Fugui's men and the convoy was back on the road.

Like Zhang Fugui, he planned to escort the goods to Bian Jing personally and kowtow to the Marquis!

They walked for another ten days before arriving at their third stop, Yunda Freight. The general agent of Yunda Freight was named Zhao Zhuangzi, who was tall and thin. He used to be a tenant farmer. His hometown suffered from floods and droughts, and he was the only one left in his family of seven. Later, he became a refugee and then followed others into the mountains to become a bandit.

When Zhang Fugui brought Cheng Yu up the mountain, their bandit leader saw that he looked like a nobleman and pretended to agree on the surface, but secretly wanted to catch him.

The bandit leader Liu Mazi first calmed them down with words and even treated them to a meal, then he wanted to catch them when they let their guard down.

Zhao Zhuangzi and Zhang Fugui knew each other, and despite the danger, he secretly informed them to be careful.

But what they didn't expect was that this Lord Cheng looked gentle and kind, but when he got angry, he was like a hellish Shura.

The first bandit who rushed forward was grabbed by him and slammed his head against the rock. His brains and blood dyed the stone red and white, it was so disgusting!

Then, he killed more than a dozen people at lightning speed.

These people died in a horrible way!

Some had their heads chopped off in half, some had their necks broken but were still standing, and some were split in half. The bandit leader Liu Mazi was so frightened that his scalp went numb and he wanted to escape, but Cheng Yu chopped off both his legs and arms from mid-air.

When he held up the sword dripping with blood and looked at the other bandits, the bandits finally reacted and wanted to flee in all directions out of fear, but it was too late. He killed them all with lightning speed.

The scene was filled with blood, and various human limbs and organs were mixed with the mud on the ground. The scene was extremely bloody, and even the guards who were veterans felt horrified!

Most of these bandits were farmers before. They had only seen group fights over water in the village. The guys who rushed forward with hoes and sticks had never seen killing people like chopping melons and vegetables before. They were all scared to the point of pale faces and trembling all over.

After Cheng Yu vented his anger, he had his men gather together the remaining bandits who were so frightened that their legs were weak and they could not run. Then he said to Zhao Zhuangzi, whose legs were also weak, "You will be the general agent of Yunda Freight in the future. Now pick out the people who can be used, and I will help you kill the ones who are not useful."

As soon as these words came out, all the bandits looked at Zhao Zhuanzi in unison, all of them showing a look of longing to survive.

When Zhao Zhuangzi said tremblingly that he wanted to use them all, Cheng Yu asked him indifferently, "Really?"

He was so scared that he immediately knelt on the ground and cried, saying that they were all peasants who were forced to go to the mountains to steal because they had no other way to make a living. If you only spared their lives, they would do whatever you asked them to do in the future!

Seeing this, the other bandits all knelt down and begged for mercy!

After Cheng Yu showed off his power, he showed kindness by giving the same thing to Zhao Zhuangzi.

The general agent of Yunda didn't dare to believe it at first, but later he gradually discovered that although this evil star would kill people if he disagreed with something, he was a man of his promises and generous. He was much more trustworthy than those hypocrites who talked about benevolence and morality.

Since they surrendered, their lives have been getting better and better. They have food to eat, clothes to wear and money to earn. This is much better than being bandits!

Everyone started to work wholeheartedly for Cheng Yu!