Song Ning told Zheng Gaoyi about her idea.
"Lord Zheng, I have observed that there are quite a few boats coming and going on this river. After we build the dock, we can set up a market there. With more passenger boats coming and going, our market will be a good place to make money."
In the future, this place can actually be turned into a wholesale market, with food businesses across the street, making it convenient for people to eat here for breakfast, lunch and dinner.
Later on, it could be used as a place for accommodation, and government-run post stations would certainly be indispensable.
Alternatively, we could encourage the development of private guesthouses; wouldn't that provide work for the people in the county?
As long as people come, they will spend money. When you're traveling, it's not easy to eat well and stay in comfortable accommodations.
Zheng Gaoyi's eyes sparkled the whole time, then he asked again, "What if we build all of this and no one comes?"
Chu Ning smiled and said, "No, those passenger ships are all for business. I asked around in Jiangning County and even met some merchants. It's several cities away from the last port. When they get here, they'll stop and rest if conditions allow."
Besides, we'll have things here that we don't have anywhere else.
The last time a ship passed by here, it broke down and had to stop on the shore to repair itself. Song Ning happened to run into it and asked what was wrong.
There were quite a few people on the ship at the time, and they were a bit surprised to see that people were living there.
They've been running around here for years, but they've never seen anyone here.
Song Ning asked, and those people had been traveling for several days from the previous dock to here, and it would take them several more days to reach the next dock.
There wasn't even a place to resupply along the way, and some people complained.
She was also told to tell the county magistrate to repair the dock as soon as possible, so that their journey would be easier.
"Something that doesn't exist? What is it?"
Song Ning smiled mysteriously and said, "You'll find out when the time comes, Lord Zheng."
“However…” Song Ning hesitated, “The problem now is, where do we get the money?”
"The money is easy to handle; I'll have my family send it later."
The Zheng family is indeed wealthy, but not in such a wasteful way, although Lord Zheng is certainly not particular about spending money.
She had seen it with her own eyes before: one box after another was carried out of the county government office, filled with gleaming silver, and the county magistrate didn't even blink an eye at all.
However, this is not what Song Ning wanted. Could he take this opportunity to attract more people?
"If only someone were willing to invest," Song Ning muttered to himself.
Although commerce in the Jin Dynasty wasn't particularly developed, it was still relatively good. There must have been quite a few merchants in the country. But how could they be attracted to invest?
"There's no need for such trouble; I have enough money at home."
Song Ning shook her head. It wasn't about the money; what she wanted was both money and business opportunities.
In some things, one plus one doesn't necessarily equal two.
"No, that's not it. Our entire county is in dire need of rebuilding right now. We need to think about everything in a connected way. Is there any way to get those businessmen to provide the funding...?"
Zheng Gaoyi didn't understand why they should ask others to pay for things when they clearly didn't lack money.
But he still said, "Merchants are profit-driven; perhaps we can exchange them for some benefit."
Song Ning suddenly looked up. That's right, they have nothing here now, but there will be a dock and their own unique features in the future. As long as people invest money, each person will get a shop. The more they invest, the more they will get.
Alternatively, we can exchange goods from Tianxiang County for them later.
Cotton is something that hasn't been grown in the entire Jin Dynasty yet. When that time comes, people will definitely flock to Tianxiang County.
"Lord Zheng, perhaps I have an idea."
When Song Ning shared his idea, Zheng Gaoyi was immediately dumbfounded. What a brilliant idea!
If things go smoothly, we'll not only have money, but also manpower.
"So, what exactly is this unique feature you mentioned?"
Song Ning whispered something in Zheng Gaoyi's ear, and Zheng Gaoyi's eyes widened in shock.
"You...you're serious?"
Song Ning nodded: "Really, so we need to take action in all aspects now. The underground tunnel should be dug, and the dock is almost ready too."
Zheng Gaoyi's gaze towards Song Ning now held disdain, replaced by disbelief and even a hint of apprehension.
He had always thought that Song Ning was just clever, able to think of things that others couldn't, but now it seemed that he was more than that.
What kind of person is Song Erya?
Zheng Gaoyi chuckled, his tone tinged with regret: "It's a pity you're not a man. If you were, I would definitely recommend you for a position in the Ministry of Works."
What a pity...
Whether or not they hold office, Song Ning doesn't care: "So, Lord Zheng, next, we need to release this news, and we also need to recruit a lot of people."
Zheng Gaoyi nodded, then turned to the carriage: "Did you hear that? You have to help me."
Song Ning was taken aback and looked towards the carriage, where she saw a pair of well-defined hands gently lift the curtain, and a person stepped out of the carriage.
Who else could it be but Xie Linzhou?
Xie Linzhou got out of the car and slowly walked towards them.
This time, there was no joking, but rather a rare seriousness, clearly indicating that Song Ning had taken his words to heart: "Are you sure your method will work?"
This time, Song Ning didn't nod: "I'm not sure."
Xie Linzhou was not surprised that he did not receive a definite answer.
Song Ning continued, "But, given the current situation, does General Xie have a better solution?"
Xie Linzhou's lips curled up slightly. This girl knew how to kill a conversation.
However, what Song Ning just said really stirred up countless waves in his heart.
"No, there isn't."
"What if it fails?"
Song Ning shrugged: "It doesn't matter if we fail, the county magistrate will be there to protect us."
Even if it fails, people will only say it was Lord Zheng's idea, what does it have to do with her?
"Don't you agree, Lord Zheng?"
Zheng Gaoyi smiled helplessly. He knew that this little girl was very wicked.
"Okay, I'll take responsibility for whatever happens. But I still trust you, unlike this person who doubts you."
Xie Linzhou glanced at him, then stood with his hands behind his back and said nothing.
But Song Ning knew that Xie Linzhou also cared about this place.
"Leave the recruitment to me. As for spreading the news, I'll have to trouble you with that." Zheng Gaoyi patted Xie Linzhou on the shoulder.
The imperial court needs to intervene in this matter; otherwise, no one will believe it.
However, once this news is brought back, things will escalate, and if it really doesn't work out, Zheng Gaoyi will likely be ridiculed by the entire court.
After all, this was a place forgotten by the imperial court.
If this weren't the fiefdom of the Rongguo Duke's mansion, and if Zheng Gaoyi hadn't insisted on it so much, no one would have remembered that there was such a place far away from the capital.
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