Zhutian: Starting from the Space-Time Merchant

Chapter 101 Time Travel: Without some prior knowledge, you might embarrass yourself at any moment.

"Master Lang."

Wang Meng came to report on his work: "The Guanzhong region has been initially pacified, and the news has spread to all parts of the country."

"Having heard that the Lord was going to distribute land and fields, many wild men who had run out of the Qinling Mountains returned."

"It is said that there are nearly 100,000 people."

"These savages have no food, clothing, shelter, or transportation. We request that you provide them with supplies."

Upon hearing this, Lin Dao couldn't help but ask, "What about the inventory? Don't tell me the inventory is all used up."

"All stockpiled supplies have a designated place; they should not be moved lightly."

Wang Meng was somewhat worried, "It's not just the Qinling Mountains."

"Now that the world is at peace, many wild men are returning to their homes in various mountains, forests, lakes, and even islands."

"The quantity is greater than imagined."

"If we divide the land, there are plenty of unclaimed lands, and if all else fails, we can reclaim wasteland."

"But the cost of feeding these savages kept increasing before the harvest."

"Our current inventory is insufficient to cover our expenses, so we implore Your Highness for your generous assistance."

When the world is in chaos, many people will flee to mountains, forests, lakes, and islands.

Once the world is at peace, they will gradually emerge.

In particular, Lin Dao sent people to various places to spread the word that land would be distributed, which led to a large influx of refugees.

Before the first harvest, their expenses were covered by the Beggars' Army.

If it were someone else, like Shi Hu, they would probably have killed the savages for entertainment.

In the case of wealthy and powerful families, they would select people to serve as serfs on various estates, and the rest would either be beheaded or expelled, left to fend for themselves.

The only one willing to raise these wild men was Lin Dao.

The world's population has already been slaughtered far too many times; every single person who remains is precious.

Lin Dao also thought about using a population war to conquer the world.

He has to support these people.

"Oh~~~"

Lin Dao closed his eyes and leaned back. "Even the richest family doesn't have surplus grain~~~"

In the modern world, even goods have to be purchased with money.

It's fine when there are fewer people.

But nowadays, the units of measurement are often in the tens of thousands.

If one person eats one pound of feed a day, then ten thousand people would eat ten thousand pounds of feed a day.

At this time, the number of people living off the charity of this beggar general was well over a million.

This expense is simply too high.

The precious metals, jewelry, and medicinal herbs that they acquired.

Although some money was made from the sale, it was far from enough to support millions of people.

"Master Lang."

Wang Meng took the initiative to suggest that "if Liangzhou submits, we can send envoys to the Western Regions to reopen the Silk Road."

Due to years of natural and man-made disasters, Yonghe Time and Space's commerce and economy have long since collapsed.

Without trade routes, it's not easy for Lin Dao to acquire anything of value.

"Hmm~"

Wang Meng's words enlightened Lin Dao.

He can now travel to the second dimension.

During the Chongzhen era, the commercial economy of Jiangnan was very developed.

Those gentry were all incredibly wealthy; this was a new path.

"I know this."

Lin Dao said calmly, "You try your best to make ends meet first, and I will try to get the things as soon as possible."

After Wang Meng left, Lin Dao instructed Xie Daoyun and the others, "You all sleep by yourselves tonight. I'm going into seclusion."

When the Beggar King goes into seclusion, he usually doesn't appear for several days.

Xie Daoyun and her colleagues had experienced this many times before, and it had become commonplace for them.

"Master Lang."

Jinlian, who was in charge of managing the palace, asked in a low voice, "Princess Anding and the others have arrived. What should we do with them?"

Compared to lecherous men like Shi Hu, who conscripted all the young women in the country to fill the palace, Lin Dao was definitely a moral exemplar when it came to beauty.

As a beggar general who basically ruled the world, he could count the beauties around him on one hand.

It should be noted that even ordinary sons from wealthy and powerful families typically have at least a dozen women around them.

This doesn't even include the maids who served the servants, or the songstresses who were treated as gifts.

Besides the three women around him, Lin Dao also had Princess Anding and Zheng Yingtao.

Both of them were Shi Hu's empresses.

"Look at the arrangements."

Lin Dao waved his hand, "You manage the palace, you don't need to ask me about such trivial matters."

In the Chongzhen era, in a small alley along the Qinhuai River.

Lin Dao, now dressed in Ming Dynasty attire, stepped out of the alleyway.

The scene before me is no different from when I came here a few days ago.

It remains a place of romance, bustling prosperity, and tranquility.

Unfortunately, in a few years, wild boar hides will move south, and everything here will become spoils of wild boar hides.

"Never mind that." Lin Dao's gaze swept over the shops lining the street. "I'll get back to my own business."

"Nanjing City, the place where the wealth of the Ming Dynasty is most concentrated."

"Let's reap the rewards first."

Just a few steps down the street was a fabric shop, so I went inside.

Upon seeing him enter, the shop assistant hurriedly stepped forward to greet him, "Sir, are you here to buy cloth?"

The shop assistant was very enthusiastic: "Our shop sells fine cotton cloth from Songjiang, all of which are brand new stock that just arrived this year."

"There are also various silk brocades available for printing and dyeing."

Lin Dao looked at the various samples in the shop and nodded slightly.

"Your fabrics are really nice," he said with a smile. "Can you take some fabrics?"

"Are you selling cloth, sir?"

The shop assistant looked slightly disappointed. "Please wait a moment, sir. The matter of selling the cloth needs to be discussed with the manager."

Before long, the innkeeper, a man with a goatee, came forward. "May I ask, sir, do you have any calligraphy in running script?"

"Huh?" Lin Dao asked in surprise, "Running script?"

Seeing his reaction, the shopkeeper knew this was a fledgling, and a smile appeared in his eyes. "It's an official document issued by the government."

"If the calligraphy is not in running script, our shop will not accept the goods."

"I see." Lin Dao nodded, indicating that he understood.

He then asked, "May I ask for your advice?"

Seeing his imposing presence and impeccable attire, the shopkeeper invited him to sit down and ordered a waiter to serve tea.

In Yonghe Time and Space, Lin Dao usually sits cross-legged.

Now that I'm sitting in a chair, I feel a bit sentimental.

"If you don't have some knowledge to back you up when traveling through time, you might embarrass yourself at any moment."

The waiter brought tea; I took a sip to get through the introduction before getting to the main topic.

"May I ask your name, sir?"

Faced with the questioning, Lin Dao took a breath and produced the prepared explanation.

"My name is Lin Dao, courtesy name Zihou. I mainly do maritime trade."

The shopkeeper's expression shifted, and he lowered his voice, "The Sea Lord?"

The term "sea lord" originally referred to pirates.

Similar to the mountain bandits who gathered in the mountains, they were called mountain lords.

"Don't misunderstand." Lin Dao waved his hand with a smile. "I am an innocent person."

Judging from Lin Dao's complexion, he doesn't seem like someone who spends a lot of time at the sea.

The shopkeeper was relieved. "Young Master Lin, are you a traveling merchant or a stationary merchant?"

"May I ask?" Lin Dao cupped his hands in greeting. "What's the difference?"

“If we are traveling merchants, we need a travel permit issued by the government and to pay taxes according to the goods before we can receive the goods.”

The shopkeeper wore a gentle smile. "If you're a stationary merchant, that's someone like me who opens a shop to sell goods. You need a broker's license and you need to join a brokerage firm."

"Whatever business you do, that's the kind of dental profession you should enter."

"If it's about selling cloth, then it's a cloth shop."

"If it's selling grain, then it's a grain shop."

"Once you enter the brokerage business, you must abide by its rules."

"Do not sell goods at low prices indiscriminately, thereby disrupting market prices."

"You can't just open a shop anywhere; you have to open it where there are no competitors."

The shopkeeper took a sip of tea. "Of course, there are advantages to joining the brokerage business."

"When there is a shortage of goods, they can be transferred among peers."

"If business encounters problems, the brokerage firm will step in to mediate."

Lin Dao smiled.

This may be the difference between chaotic times and prosperous commercial areas.

In chaotic times, one can do business however one pleases, and almost no one will collect taxes.

But when you do business in a bustling place, all sorts of rules come into play.

The government wants to collect taxes, the industry wants to set rules, local hooligans want to collect protection money, and even beggars come to ask for lucky money.

"Been taught a lesson."

Lin Dao stood up, cupped his hands in thanks, and said, "Thank you."

After leaving the fabric shop, Lin Dao looked at the various shops lining the street.

As expected, no competitor has two branches.

"Don't rush, take your time."

He walked slowly along the riverside road, saying, "This is not Yonghe Time and Space. I don't have hundreds of thousands of Beggar Army soldiers backing me up here."

"Don't be stubborn and push forward. Let's find out the details first."

“For a business to operate from scratch, it is subject to industry regulations, which makes things quite complicated.”

“If you are a traveling merchant, you will inevitably suffer losses if you sell goods to shops without a background or identity.”

"It seems that doing business in Jinling City is not as simple as I thought."

Lin Dao knew something about opening a shop.

Once the door is opened, all sorts of people will rush in.

If we don't handle things properly, we'll suffer huge losses before the business even opens.

Moreover, Jinling City is so prosperous, with all kinds of industries, that the brokerage firms can't expand their businesses much under their pressure.

Simply selling goods seems easy and convenient, but the problem is that it lacks a solid foundation.

In the modern world, manufacturers don't usually settle accounts and receive payment immediately after shipping goods, let alone in the Chongzhen era.

Lin Dao has no connections. He sells his goods, but the customers refuse to pay or even maliciously default on their debts. What should he do?
Hundreds of thousands of Beggars' Army soldiers can't come over to help him collect debts with armed force.
The kind of overnight riches depicted in novels, where rare items like glass are brought out and countless people wave their silver notes in a frenzy, doesn't exist in reality.

More likely, the local bullies will use various means to swallow them up, along with their goods!
Lin Dao had previously researched materials from the late Ming Dynasty.

He knew he couldn't overestimate the moral standards of officials, gentry, and merchants in this era.

It could even be said that the vast majority of these people lack morality.

When Lin Dao takes out rare items, it inevitably attracts the attention of countless people.

What will we do then? Throw Molotov cocktails at the city, or demolish Nanjing with excavators?

"It's really troublesome."

"I really want to raise a large army." Lin Dao walked with his head down, muttering to himself, "To do business by clearing the way with swords and spears."

"Anyone who dares to default on a debt will be immediately subjected to armed collection."

A hand reached out and pushed against Lin Dao's shoulder.

Lin Dao's reflexes, honed through years of military service, were quick enough to grab the hand, twist and pry, ready to snap it off in the next moment!

"Wait a minute, do it!"

A shout made Lin Dao stop what he was doing.

It was only then that Lin Dao realized that he had been walking and thinking about things, and had blocked the way of someone's sedan chair.

The servant, whose arm was being twisted, screamed incessantly.

The person in the sedan chair got out, looked at Lin Dao and frowned slightly, "Let's talk things out, don't resort to violence."

Lin Dao was too lazy to argue; it was your servant who struck first.

Lin Dao casually pushed the servant aside and looked at the newcomer, asking, "Who are you?"

"I am Qian Muzhai."

(End of this chapter)