Chapter 443 The Merchants of the Tang Dynasty: Unparalleled Throughout History!
"Do you all think that road construction can't make money?"
Seeing the merchants start to murmur, Wei Shuyu made a joke.
"Please forgive me, Physician Wei."
An old merchant stepped forward, clasped his hands in greeting, and said, "Forgive our ignorance, but we really can't understand how road construction can make money."
"Have you ever heard a saying...?"
Wei Shuyu glanced at the crowd, grinned, and said, "I planted this tree, I opened this road. If you want to pass, leave your toll!"
Holy crap!
All the merchants were dumbfounded.
Merchants who frequently traveled the country often encountered bandits blocking their way.
If we're talking about who hears this the most, it's definitely them.
"Dr. Wei... Dr. Wei, you're not going to make us pay a toll, are you?" a merchant asked in shock.
"What? Is that not allowed?" Wei Shuyu asked with a smile.
It works, that's fine.
But we're afraid the authorities will wipe us out the next day.
The merchants murmured amongst themselves.
"Please don't be anxious, everyone."
Wei Shuyu smiled and said, "Let me tell you the story slowly..."
As Wei Shuyu finished speaking, the merchants raised their heads and began to listen attentively.
"I know what you are worried about..."
"But as long as the money is collected reasonably, neither the people nor the court will say anything."
With that, Wei Shuyu waved his hand.
Luo Dan understood.
He took out a stack of papers and distributed them to the merchants below the stage.
"Please take a look, everyone. This is the latest road construction policy issued by the Ministry of Commerce."
The merchants eagerly accepted them.
Since there weren't enough sheets of paper, Wei Shuyu stood on the high platform and explained in detail...
"First, the right to build roads. Every road builder needs to report to the Ministry of Commerce and pay a certain fee based on the length of the road to be built."
"Second, the right to charge fees, allowing the collection of fees from heavy goods such as horse-drawn carriages and horses, calculated based on weight. (No fees will be charged to the military or civilians on foot...)"
"Thirdly, the operating rights and the toll collection period is twenty years. Every five years, the imperial court will send officials to inspect the road. If the road is full of potholes and does not meet the most basic road standards, the imperial court has the right to revoke the road toll collection permit!"
"Fourth, the right to renew the lease. As the road builders, you have the priority right to renew the lease. Twenty years later, if you still want to collect road tolls, you only need to pay a certain fee to the court to continue collecting tolls."
"five……"
Holy crap.
All the merchants were shocked.
While others buy houses and fields, in the Tang Dynasty, you could even buy roads!
"Doctor Wei, is the first fee equivalent to a rental fee?" a merchant asked loudly.
"Yes and no."
Wei Shuyu smiled and said, "Under the whole heaven, all land belongs to the king. If you want to make money by relying on the king's land, you will naturally have to pay a certain fee."
"Of course, it also serves a certain protective function..."
"For example, the construction period for this road. It's impossible for you all to buy it and then never build it, right? That would defeat the purpose of building the road."
"And what if the project is abandoned halfway through, leaving a mess for the imperial court to clean up?"
Upon hearing this, the merchant nodded in agreement.
They can understand that.
It's about avoiding people who occupy positions without actually doing their jobs.
They immediately began whispering among themselves, discussing the feasibility of the matter.
"Doctor Wei, does the priority right in this lease renewal mean that as long as we want to renew the lease in the future, no one else can take it away?" a merchant asked again.
"nature."
Wei Shuyu replied with a smile, "The first road was paved by everyone, so everyone naturally has priority."
"As long as you don't give up on renewing the lease and pay the renewal fee on time."
"The right to collect tolls on this road will forever remain in your hands."
Wow.
The merchants were shocked.
According to Wei Shuyu, road construction is simply a money tree with no end in sight.
Moreover, it's a secure job that will ensure your descendants have no worries about food and clothing!
"Dr. Wei..."
Next, the merchants raised their own questions.
Wei Shuyu patiently explained...
"Dr. Wei, should this road be repaired in our own way, or like the one in the square...?"
Upon hearing this, everyone turned to look at Wei Shuyu on the high platform...
Merchants care most about profit.
They had never seen a concrete floor before.
They won't buy it if the price is too high.
"That's a good question!"
Wei Shuyu nodded: "If we're going to repair it, we have to repair it beautifully and make it look good!"
"What kind of soil is this? How much is it worth?" the merchants began to ask one after another.
"This is called cement, and as for the price..."
Wei Shuyu pondered for a moment and replied, "To be honest, the price of cement is indeed slightly higher than that of the previous stone slab roads."
Upon hearing this, the merchants hesitated again.
If the cost is high, then you need to think it through carefully.
You should know...
They are not only responsible for building it, but also for maintaining it for the next twenty years.
"Please let me finish speaking..."
"How many years can you sustain this road that you yourself have paved?"
"One year? Or two years?"
Many merchants were awakened.
What they value is the quality of the cement.
"Could this cement structure last for several more years?" one of the merchants asked in a cooperative manner.
Wei Shuyu held up two fingers: "A road made of cement can last for twenty years!"
Wow.
The merchant already knew the cement was of good quality, but he didn't expect it to be this good!
"and……"
"This cement can be used not only to build roads, but also to build houses."
"I will release the formula at that time."
"Merchants who need it can also make money from this cement!"
After much deliberation, Wei Shuyu decided to publish the formula.
There are too many roads in the Tang Dynasty!
If we want things to flourish everywhere, it's uncertain when the imperial court alone can accomplish this.
Only by pooling the power of the entire world can we complete this task at the fastest speed!
Is this really true?
Many merchants' eyes gleamed.
In ancient times, brick and stone were bonded mainly using mortar and soil paste, but the results were not very satisfactory.
The glutinous rice paste has a good binding effect...
However, the raw material for glutinous rice paste is glutinous rice.
That's grain!
Aside from the wealthy, who could afford it?
If the price of this cement is acceptable, the profit will be extremely high!
"Would I lie to you?"
Wei Shuyu glared at him: "Why don't you try hitting the road with a hammer yourself and see?"
"Of course, remember to pay for it if you break it!"
"Ha ha……"
The merchants burst into laughter.
"It was I who was reckless."
The speaker blushed and clasped his hands in greeting.
"Dr. Wei."
Another merchant stepped forward and said, "If no one uses this road, won't we lose money?"
"..."
Wei Shuyu rolled his eyes: "Before answering this question, I'd like to ask you one first."
"Why haven't you gone bankrupt yet?"
Well……
After being mocked by Wei Shuyu, the merchant blushed so deeply that he wished he could disappear into the ground.
"You are all long-time merchants."
"You don't need me to teach you which roads are profitable and which are deserted, do you?"
The merchants all smiled.
Clever merchants had already figured out where to build the road.
They're already calculating how many people will compete with them for it!
"Dr. Wei, when will this road be repaired? And what about the cement...?"
One of the merchants asked impatiently.
"There's no rush for now."
Wei Shuyu replied loudly, "The Ministry of Commerce will inform you all once it has put together a comprehensive plan in a few days."
"Here I must remind everyone of something."
“Road construction is a highly profitable business that will benefit future generations.”
"I urge everyone not to do anything illegal for petty gains."
"You can never earn enough money!"
"The construction of the Tang Dynasty also depends on your efforts!"
"I dare not say anything else."
"But as long as we work together, it will surely be recorded in history..."
"The merchants of the Tang Dynasty were unparalleled throughout history!"
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