Video Editor

The signboard of "Daming Supermarket" is like a tenacious vine, quietly spreading and taking deep root along the canal system and official roads of the Ming Dynasty.

From the heart of the empire, Beijing and Nanjing, to the bustling cities of Suzhou and Hangzhou, from Hankou, a thoroughfare connecting nine provinces, to Guangzhou and Fuzhou, maritime trade hubs, and further into the inland heartland of Xi'an and Chengdu…

Throughout the two capitals and thirteen provinces, in all prefectures, states, and counties, and even in some important towns with convenient transportation and dense populations, one could see the simple yet eye-catching plaque with the four characters "Da Ming Supermarket".

This vast network was not built overnight.

Its expansion follows a carefully designed path by Suning:
The first phase involves seizing the hub.

First, establish large central warehouses and flagship supermarkets in the two capitals of Beijing, the Grand Canal, and major coastal commercial cities.

Leveraging its strong logistics and financial advantages, it quickly seized market share and formed a regional hub.

The second phase involved infiltrating state governments.

Utilizing established hubs, the influence spread to the provincial capitals and important prefectures where the provincial administration offices were located.

During this period, "Daming Supermarket" launched a more dominant "wholesale" (what contemporaries called "bulk goods") model.

Located at a transportation hub, the giant central warehouse stores massive quantities of goods acquired from maritime trade, Jiangnan workshops, and various other places, acting like a powerful heart.

Countless small and medium-sized merchants and itinerant traders who depended on "Daming Supermarket" acted like capillaries extending outwards, wholesaling goods from the central warehouse and then distributing them to markets at the prefectural level and even lower.

The third stage involves extending services to townships and villages.

As the market in the prefecture city became saturated, the expansion strategy was further extended to county towns and even townships.

In this way, "Daming Supermarket" has shown a side that transcends pure commerce.

Township-level "supermarkets" may not be large in scale, but their functions are more complex.

It is not only a shop selling goods, but also a station for purchasing agricultural and sideline products (eggs, mountain products, medicinal herbs, and handmade woven products). With its fair prices and stable demand, it has given farmers a steady stream of cash for the first time, gradually revitalizing the rural economy at the grassroots level.

The bulletin board in front of the gate not only posted information about the goods, but also occasionally displayed simplified government orders, weather warnings, and even simple agricultural guidance.

This "convenience" and "fairness" that penetrates deep into the grassroots has built a level of trust in the hearts of hundreds of millions of ordinary people that far exceeds that of ordinary businesses.

This trust is intangible, yet it is the most solid foundation for the future.

What holds this vast network covering thousands of miles of land together is a highly efficient logistics network based on canal transport, sea transport, and official roads, which Suning continuously optimizes with modern management concepts.

The standardized four-wheeled freight wagons (with improved models provided by industrial space with reinforced bearings and shock absorption already being tested on some key routes), standardized cargo boxes, fixed schedules, and professional escorts enabled the flow and turnover of goods to far exceed that of traditional merchant guilds.

This network not only transports goods, but also subtly reshapes the empire's commercial ecosystem.

With its enormous purchasing power and efficient circulation, "Daming Supermarket" and the supply and marketing cooperative system behind it possessed strong bargaining power and even a certain degree of pricing power over a large number of daily necessities such as grain, cloth, salt and iron (for civilian use), and ceramics.

It acts like a giant voltage stabilizer, smoothing out seasonal and regional price fluctuations, thus alleviating to some extent the vicious cycle of "low grain prices hurting farmers and high rice prices hurting consumers."

……

The capital city, the Forbidden City.

As the Longqing Emperor looked at the Ministry of Revenue's reports on commercial tax revenue, which showed steady growth for many years, and the descriptions in the reports from local governors and prefects of "prosperous markets, stable prices, and peaceful people," he gently tapped his knuckles on the dragon desk.

It wasn't that no censors or officials impeached Su Ning for "competing with the people for profit" and "wielding excessive power over merchants," fearing that his influence would become "too great to control."

However, the emperor's gaze lingered for a long time on words such as "tax revenue," "stability," and "no complaints from the people." Recalling Su Ning's secret memorial, which repeatedly emphasized "benefiting the people's livelihood" and "replenishing the national treasury," he ultimately set aside the impeachment memorials.

In his view, a commercial giant that can reliably provide huge tax revenues, effectively stabilize prices, and whose lifeline (logistics and supply) is to some extent tied to the national lifeline such as the Grand Canal and official roads, and is therefore relatively controllable, is currently more beneficial to stabilizing the country than to those vague "disadvantages".

The secret room of the Yingtian Governor's Office.

Suning was playing with a specially made bronze plaque in his hand. The front read "Daming Supermarket," while the back was engraved with a fine code and the words "General Warehouse Allocation."

This bronze medal can be used to access any resources in the core warehouse of this giant network.

He knew that he had successfully woven a vast industrial and commercial network that covered the body of the Ming Empire and penetrated its capillaries.

This network, on the surface, provided unprecedented convenience to the people, contributed continuously increasing tax revenue to the country, and accumulated immense wealth and intangible yet enormous influence for him. However, this was far from the end.

His gaze has turned to a deeper and more fundamental realm.

Next, he plans to use this ubiquitous network to challenge the "system of in-kind collection and corvée labor," which has been in use for over two hundred years and is now rigid, riddled with problems.

The wave of change has quietly begun to take shape in the commercial sphere and is starting to surge toward the foundational areas of the dynasty, such as taxation and corvée labor.

……

The night was as dark as ink, but the back hall of the Yingtian Governor's Office was brightly lit.

Su Ning dismissed his attendants, leaving only his cousin Zhou Zhengjie.

The flickering candlelight illuminated the huge map of Southern Zhili on the wall, and also reflected the unfathomable thoughts in Su Ning's eyes.

“Anbang, why summon me so late at night? There must be something important to discuss.” Zhou Zhengjie looked at Su Ning’s solemn expression and knew that this was no ordinary matter.

Su Ning didn't answer immediately, but instead walked to the map and pointed precisely to two places: "Cousin, look, Huainan, and here, Dangtu."

Zhou Zhengjie leaned closer for a closer look, his brows furrowing slightly: "Huainan is rich in coal, as everyone knows. This Dangtu... I've heard it has iron ore, but the previous dynasty only mined it sporadically, and this dynasty hasn't paid much attention to it. I suppose the reserves are limited and won't amount to much."

"Limited reserves?" A knowing smile played on Su Ning's lips, a confidence born from possessing information far ahead of its time. "That's because they've only scratched the surface! These two places will be our true foundation, the steel backbone of the Ming Dynasty's rebirth!"

He turned around and stared intently at Zhou Zhengjie: "My mind is made up. You will be in charge of preparing for the establishment of 'Shanxi Coal Industry,' 'Huainan Mining,' and 'Dangtu Ironworks.'"

Upon hearing this, Zhou Zhengjie gasped, his face filled with disbelief: "Anbang! Opening a mine and setting up a factory is a hundred times bigger than opening a supermarket! This is a vital national project, involving the interests of local tyrants, mining supervisors, tax collectors, and military garrisons, and even directly impacting the Ministry of Works and the Imperial Household Department! We are snatching food from a tiger's mouth! The imperial court has its own state-run ironworks in various places; how can it allow private individuals to easily get involved in such a crucial matter?" “That’s precisely why we can’t intervene directly in the name of the governor’s office,” Su Ning interrupted him, his tone calm and firm, his eyes gleaming with shrewd calculation. “We must submit the memorial in the name of your ‘Da Ming Supermarket.’ The memorial should read like this: To stabilize the prices of agricultural tools, iron pots, and other civilian ironware, to ensure the supply of goods in ‘Da Ming Supermarket’ warehouses, to curb inflation, and to benefit the people, we hereby request the opening of mines and the establishment of factories. We can give up most of the profits, and we can even promise that the minerals and steel produced will be supplied to government-run workshops and the arsenal at preferential prices. The key is that we must obtain this ‘right’ to mine and produce! With a legitimate name, our words will be lawful.”

Zhou Zhengjie pondered for a moment, his eyes gradually brightening. He understood his cousin's roundabout strategy: "Brilliant! Using 'convenience for the people' and 'affordable prices' as a pretext, His Majesty and the Ministry of Revenue will face much less resistance, considering the need to stabilize tax revenue and public sentiment. However... the expenses involved in this process will probably be considerable..."

“Money is not a problem.” Su Ning waved his hand. “Da Ming Supermarket is making a fortune every day, and this is the perfect time to use it. Remember, what we want is not short-term gains, but control over this industrial lifeline!”

"I understand!" Zhou Zhengjie bowed deeply, feeling the heavy responsibility on his shoulders.

With the backing of Suning's behind-the-scenes planning and massive financial resources, two fierce but bloodless battles for resources quietly broke out in Southern Zhili and Shanxi.

Zhou Zhengjie, carrying a large sum of money and the noble cause of "Daming Supermarket safeguarding people's livelihoods," personally traveled to Shanxi and Huainan.

Instead of recklessly confronting the deeply entrenched local coal mine owners, he adopted a more sophisticated approach: for small coal mines willing to sell, he acquired them with cash far exceeding market prices, quickly consolidating scattered mining areas; for some medium-sized coal mine owners, he showed them safer and more efficient mining solutions and simple ventilation and drainage equipment blueprints provided by Suning's "Industrial Space," using technology as equity as bait to attract them to cooperate in developing deep coal mines; at the same time, huge sums of "coal tribute" were poured into the Nanjing garrison eunuch, the mining supervisors dispatched by the Ministry of Revenue, and local officials with real power.

In the numerous memorials to the throne, coal mining was meticulously described as a benevolent policy that "benefits the country and the people, stabilizes coal prices, and replenishes the national treasury."

The struggle for the Dangtu iron mine was even more unpredictable.

Because iron ore was a raw material for military equipment manufacturing, the imperial court exercised extremely strict control over it.

Su Ning personally wrote several letters, utilizing the connections left by Xu Jie's former students and associates. In a secret memorial submitted to the Longqing Emperor, he persuasively stated: "...establishing a new-style ironworks in Dangtu, employing secret overseas methods, can significantly increase the iron yield and refine high-quality steel. If successful, then the military equipment, ship repairs, and even agricultural implements for Southern Zhili will no longer need to be sourced from the north, saving a huge amount of treasury annually, greatly benefiting the stability of the country and the well-being of the people..."

……

One day, Zhou Zhengjie returned from outside with a worried look on his face. After dismissing his attendants, he lowered his voice and said to Su Ning, "Anbang, I've been traveling around lately and have heard some rumors... I've heard that His Majesty is now living deep in the palace and is quite fond of Consort Li and others. The expenses for the harem and rewards are increasing day by day, and some people are even saying in private that His Majesty has become somewhat... extravagant and dissolute?"

Upon hearing this, Su Ning's gaze suddenly sharpened, and she raised her hand to stop him: "Cousin, be careful what you say! His Majesty's will is unpredictable, and how can we, as his subjects, presume to discuss matters of the palace?"

Zhou Zhengjie was taken aback, then realized: "Uh... I misspoke."

Su Ning looked at him with a deep gaze and asked, "Who said this to you? And in what context?"

Zhou Zhengjie thought for a moment and replied, "It was a scholar of considerable renown in Dangtu, Ruan Mingyang. At a gathering of literati, he mentioned it to me seemingly unintentionally, and his words were full of concern for the country. He also said... he also said that since you, Anbang, are now favored by the Emperor and bear the heavy responsibility of governor, you should submit a memorial to the throne to advise His Majesty to guard against arrogance and lust and to prioritize the country."

Su Ning snorted coldly, a knowing smile playing on his lips: "Hmph! Someone's getting impatient and wants to use us as pawns, pushing us into the limelight to offend His Majesty. If we really submit this memorial of remonstrance, regardless of success or failure, we'll become pawns in the 'pure stream's' attack on His Majesty. When His Majesty is enraged, we'll be the first to suffer. Do they really think of me, Su Ning, as some pedantic old fool who only knows how to read the classics?"

Zhou Zhengjie broke out in a cold sweat: "So that's how it is! The thoughts of these scholars are truly... Thank you for the reminder, Anbang!"

Despite the challenges and costs involved, Suning ultimately managed to obtain the mining license and factory permits through comprehensive planning.

Next came the awe-inspiring construction phase.

Under Suning's personal guidance, cutting-edge mine planning maps and steel plant design drawings from industrial spaces were secretly produced.

The miners were astonished to find that their new employer had brought steel derricks they had never seen before, and used a magical substance called "explosive" to break rocks and blast through the mountains. With a roar, the efficiency far exceeded that of the pickaxes and shoulder-carrying methods of the past.

Although the mining operations still rely on manpower, the safety and efficiency are now vastly different.

On the banks of the Yangtze River, at the foot of Dangtu Mountain, on a vast construction site, thousands of craftsmen and laborers are working according to a blueprint under the command of a few taciturn and highly skilled (AI robots disguised) "overseas craftsmen".

A towering, giant iron-smelting furnace, combining modern blast furnace principles with Ming Dynasty technological conditions, rose from the ground. Its volume, designed furnace temperature, and blast efficiency far exceeded any official or private iron-smelting furnace in the Ming Dynasty at that time.

The facility is fully equipped with supporting facilities such as a coking kiln (used to refine Huainan coal into coke and increase furnace temperature), a sintering site, and a giant hydraulically driven forging hammer.

When the first batch of molten iron, glowing red-hot, flowed out like lava along the refractory brick grooves, illuminating half the sky, and was finally poured into the huge sand mold, all the craftsmen, laborers, and even the officials who came to observe erupted in deafening cheers. Many were even moved to tears.

What they witnessed was an unprecedented miracle.

Only Su Ning and Zhou Zhengjie, standing side by side, maintained a composure that outsiders could not understand.

They knew that what flowed was not just molten iron, but also the keel of future warships that would sail the seas, the rifling of cannons that would defend the territory, and the skeleton of the machines that would drive the times—a solid foundation upon which a new era would stand.

……

The first batch of steel produced by the Dangtu Ironworks, bearing the "Zhou" emblem, shocked the entire Southern Zhili region with its superior quality and stable output. The news even quickly reached the Ministry of Works in the capital.

This batch of steel is of uniform quality and has excellent toughness. Whether used to make farm tools, knives and scissors, or to be sent to the Ordnance Bureau for experimental forging of armor, it is far superior to the products of the official ironworks.

A portion of the highest quality steel was secretly delivered to Suning's "industrial space" to serve as the basic raw material for the production of high-precision equipment.

Most of the steel was supplied at "affordable prices" to its partner farm implement workshops, shipyards, and even the Nanjing branch of the Royal Arsenal through "Daming Supermarket" and its vast network of supply and marketing cooperatives. This allowed it to quickly capture the market and earn an excellent reputation.

Standing atop the Ma'anshan Ironworks, Zhou Zhengjie gazed down at the towering chimneys, the molten iron flowing beneath him, and the bustling scene of activity. He felt the faint rumble of the earth beneath his feet, and his heart surged with emotion, unable to contain himself.

He turned his head and sighed at Su Ning, who stood beside him with a calm expression:

“Anbang, only now do I truly understand your ambition. You are not merely accumulating wealth, but personally giving this increasingly rigid empire a completely new, steel-like skeleton!”

He paused, a hint of worry in his voice, "However... now that you are the governor, your vigorous promotion of industry and commerce, even personally involved in it, while beneficial to the country and its people, may... may attract criticism from the upright officials in the court, damaging your reputation and hindering your future path to becoming a cabinet minister..."

Su Ning stood with his hands behind his back, his gaze piercing through the noisy construction site and reaching towards the distant horizon. His voice was calm yet carried an undeniable power: "Cousin, to be a husband, one needs a solid foundation. Without strength, even if one holds a high position, one is nothing more than a puppet in the hands of others, drifting with the tide."

"As for criticism?" He smiled slightly, a smile that carried a hint of detachment and determination. "Everyone is drunk but I am sober. Sometimes, we don't need to care too much about what others say. What's important is that we ourselves are clear about what a bright path we are walking on. Let future generations judge our merits and demerits. But right now, we must do it."

Looking at his cousin's resolute profile, Zhou Zhengjie's last doubts vanished.

He nodded vigorously.

Yes! This steel skeleton, capable of bearing a new era, is slowly being conceived from the deep coal seas of Shanxi and Huainan, and the scorching iron torrents of Dangtu, and is about to break through the soil and unleash its world-shaking roar.

...(End of chapter)