Everyone in the camp stopped what they were doing and looked at Lin Rui with a curious look: "Master Lin, please tell me quickly."
Lin Rui cleared his throat and continued, "Once upon a time, there were two countries, Country A and Country B. Both were powerful nations with comparable military strength, and both were determined to annex the other's cities. However, due to the limited military strength, they had never gone to war. Country A had a capable man who advised the king of Country A to purchase Country B's specialty raw silk. Clothes made from this silk were incredibly smooth, but its market share was relatively small. If the king issued a decree, or if he and the queen took the lead in wearing silk products made from this silk, Country B's demise would be imminent."
Xu Shaoxuan couldn't help but wonder, "Is there any connection between the two? Why can a piece of raw silk bring down an entire country?"
Lin Rui gave him a calming look and said, "Don't worry, Master Xu. Please listen to me and I will tell you slowly."
Xu Shaoxuan gestured for Lin Rui to continue, "The King of Country A listened to his advice and started a craze for wearing this silk garment. Even the nobles followed suit, leading to a huge demand for this silk product in the country, and the price of silk skyrocketed. The citizens of Country B began planting trees and raising silkworms. The huge profits led them to plant mulberry trees all over the mountains, and every household raised silkworms."
"The following year, Country A launched a war against Country B. Because most of Country B's land was devoted to mulberry cultivation, its grain production couldn't keep up. Country A even blocked every route they could use to transport grain. Country B was utterly defeated and had no choice but to surrender to Country A."
Xing Lie exhaled: "You mean..."
Lin Rui nodded. "That's not entirely true. If we trade with the foreign tribes, they'll have enough food for the winter and won't think of plundering the grain reserves of the people of Huangmo Pass. Furthermore, after cooperating, the interests of the Xing Family Army and the foreign tribes are aligned. Major General, you said that relationships in the world, whether between relatives or between rulers and ministers, are mostly based on mutually beneficial conditions. Feelings can't bind people tightly, but interests can!"
"Clap, clap, clap!" Xing Lie took the lead in applauding. These words really touched his heart. He had been in the army for so many years and had dealt with so many people. When it came to making choices between family ties, he would always lean towards the side of greater interests.
There are countless choices to be made, such as legitimate sons and illegitimate sons, legitimate daughters and illegitimate daughters, mistresses and concubines. Those who can step onto the weights and make choices are never the winners. Only those with the greatest benefits can be left behind.
Lin Pingyu, Xu Shaoxuan and the other three couldn't help but clap their hands: "Brilliant!"
"So what do you think about my hot pot base business?"
Xing Lie's eyes were filled with indescribable excitement. He nodded and began to answer in Lin Rui's language: "Yes! Very well!"
"Master Lin, go for it without hesitation. This is the worst-case scenario. If we can develop this business, it will greatly reduce the burden on Huangmo Pass and provide jobs for more refugees."
The people and disaster victims in Huangmoguan all knew that they could not starve to death as long as they were assigned to wasteland or work. Linjia Village had a Lin's Workshop, which now feeds so many people that it can be said to be the golden signboard of Huangmoguan.
If this workshop or factory is built by the Xing family army, the Xing family army will have more prestige in the eyes of the people of Huangmoguan.
Lin Rui is a man of action. He does what he says and starts to deploy quickly. He is responsible for the whole process of scheduling and factory establishment and distribution. Hot pot base is a product that has been fully automated in modern times, but in the backward ancient times, everything had to be done manually.
If the target audience was the common people, they might still lose money, but their sales target was every prince and foreign noble. As long as the market was opened, they could still keep up with the demand even if they raised the price.
Those nobles and businessmen couldn't wait to let others know that they lived better than others, and they had to express how better through things.
Even though the world is in chaos and warlords are fighting for power, the princes and ethnic groups are currently living in peace in their own corner. When there is no war, they can enjoy the prosperity of the world. If not their money, whose money will they make?
Lin Rui’s goal has always been clear, which is to get money from those people’s pockets.
Once a plan was formulated, its implementation was rapid. Less than two kilometers from Linjia Village, a large number of craftsmen were dispatched to build tall houses. They weren't exactly houses, but rather something resembling granaries.
In their spare time, people from the workshop and the Lin family would watch the situation from afar. Some even approached Lin Changxi secretly and asked, "Manager Lin, what on earth are they doing over there? They're so mysterious."
Lin Changxi smiled calmly, thinking of what his son had told him last night. He said, "I heard from Rui'er that the Xing family army has started to develop commerce to revitalize Huangmoguan. This will improve the lives of the people in Huangmoguan. Whether they are locals or refugees from other places, they will all have a place to live and food to eat. So they plan to build a factory to produce products and recruit disaster victims with quick hands and feet. After passing the assessment, they can start working and earn two or three taels of silver a month!"
"Wow! So high!" This is almost comparable to the wages in Lin's workshop.
Lin's Workshop has become the workshop with the highest wages in the surrounding area. It can be said that the living conditions of anyone who works or does business in Lin's Workshop have undergone a tremendous change and have improved visibly.
Lin Changfa intended to leak this news. In addition, there were many people in the Lin workshop. When he returned home at night, he talked about Xing Jiajun's factory with his family. Soon, the news spread throughout Huangmoguan. People as far away as Baixing Town and Baituo Town knew about the new factory in Huangmoguan.
Honghong's parents died on the way to escape the famine. She had great difficulty bringing her two younger siblings to Huangmoguan to beg for food, but they came at the wrong time and they didn't even know how many batches they were in. The wasteland had been divided up, and they could only squeeze into a straw hut with the other refugees.
The cold wind howled at Huangmo Pass at night, and the straw hut was leaking everywhere. Her teeth chattered with cold every night, and she worried every day whether her thin brother and sister would open their eyes.
"Honghong, come here quickly!" Xiao Cui, who was familiar with her in the straw hut, waved at her excitedly. Although she was also dressed in tattered clothes, she had a smile on her face, completely different from her usual sad look.
Honghong pulled her younger brother and sister-in-law over. This was a habit they developed on the road to escape the famine. No matter what time, the three siblings were always together, even when they had to poop or pee together. They were so used to seeing those children who were left alone and could be captured by bad guys if they were not careful.
"Xiao Cui, what's wrong with you?" Honghong asked.
Xiao Cui happily whispered to Hong Hong, "Let's go out and talk first!"
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