"I need some skilled craftsmen to accompany me to Kucha, and preferably, they should allow me to attract investment within the country," the wicked man explained earnestly.
Merchants have always been like roadside grass, of lowly status. To complete the supporting facilities of a trade market, the participation of large merchants is indispensable.
However, if they were to recruit merchants on a large scale, they would have to inform Ying Zheng first.
There was no way around it; this was a legacy of the times. Without Qin Shi Huang's royal decree, those wealthy families wouldn't have dared to participate so easily. Even if they had, they would have been like tigers with their tendons pulled out, not daring to put their hearts and souls into it.
"That's easy to say. I will order the Mohists to fully cooperate with you. But what about those wealthy merchants?" Ying Zheng agreed without hesitation, but also raised the doubts that had been on his mind.
"Thank you, Your Majesty!" The wicked man bowed, then explained with a sly smile, "A market can't just be a market; supporting facilities are equally essential."
"When a friend comes from afar, you must make him leave all the money in his pocket!"
At this point, the wicked man revealed a wicked smile, as if he were a cunning fox. "By entering the market to buy and sell, my Qin state can only extract a negligible profit from them. Such a profit is ultimately too small."
"My plan is to vigorously develop the distribution market, forming a one-stop service, and suck their money dry from all aspects like a bloodsucking leech!"
Ying Zheng pondered for a moment, then asked, "What do you intend to do?"
Speaking of this, the wicked man became quite animated, "People come from so far away, they must have a place to stay and rest, so an inn is indispensable."
"Everyone needs to eat, so there must be restaurants, and they must be able to cater to the tastes of all kinds of barbarians."
"As the saying goes, when people are well-fed and warm, they think of lust. After eating and drinking their fill and resting enough from their long journey, isn't that... hehe." The wicked husband revealed a smile that every man understands.
Following his line of thought, everyone realized it was indeed true and nodded in agreement.
"This kind of entertainment after drinking and tea is indispensable, and the red-light district will become one of the pillar industries!"
"Food, drink, lodging, and women have all been taken care of, but it's still a bit boring. Therefore, I, the Grand Commandant, would like to add some other types of activities."
"For example: casinos, boxing, etc..."
The wicked man spoke with a swaying head, painting a picture of the extravagance of a glamorous red-light district for everyone.
The audience listened with rapt attention. Although they didn't know what many of the things were, they were filled with longing, as if drawn by some unseen force.
"wonderful!"
The wicked man exclaimed in surprise, startling everyone. "Just talking about it makes my heart burn with excitement, let alone those wild boars who have never eaten fine bran. I guarantee they'll linger there, unwilling to leave."
"With just a little time to settle and spread, Kucha will surely become the little Hong Kong of the Western Regions, the Las Vegas of our China, attracting countless wealthy people to flock there, even if they don't trade, they still want to come and have a look."
He had no doubt that it could be achieved.
As people from later generations, even if we haven't personally experienced the decadent and extravagant dens of debauchery, we've heard countless stories about them or seen them online.
Any one of these projects, if taken out randomly, would surely make the powerful and wealthy of this era unable to extricate themselves from their allure.
"In that case, how can the construction of such a place be entirely undertaken by the imperial court? Even we cannot come up with so much money in such a short time!"
The wicked man sighed, "There's no other way but to involve the wealthy and powerful families in the country..."
"Very good, very good, I am looking forward to it!" Ying Zheng clapped his hands and laughed. He didn't want to see the extravagance and debauchery, but he was thinking about the huge profits it could bring.
Seeing Ying Zheng's faint state, the wicked husband, his heart filled with turmoil, stopped rambling and immediately turned to leave, preparing to go back and do his best to coordinate the matter.
......
At noon that day, Kucha was destroyed. The king decreed that a distribution market be established in Kucha in the Western Regions, inviting large merchants from across the country to participate in its construction.
The news shocked Xianyang and then spread rapidly throughout the country.
......
The envoys sent by the State of Zhao traveled slowly and stopped along the way, finally reaching the three kingdoms and successfully meeting with their rulers.
Coincidentally, the rulers of the three kingdoms also received news of Qin's annihilation of Kucha in the Western Regions, which greatly shocked them, and for a moment they were somewhat unable to understand Qin's strategy.
Having been entangled with the Qin state for so long, they knew the dream of the Qin rulers throughout history: to sweep across the land and unify the world.
Now that we have only destroyed the states of Han and Wei, why are we turning our swords against the foreign tribes of the Western Regions?
After hearing Zhao's words, the three kings unexpectedly rejected Zhao Yan's request for an alliance.
even....
Even their words of refusal were exactly the same.
"Please have the Zhao envoy return and inform your king!"
"Now that Qin is powerful, although Qin did something unethical in this flood, it has not had a significant impact on us. Considering this, starting a war would be making a mountain out of a molehill."
"This matter... is not intolerable, why bother to fuss over it?"
The Zhao envoys were taken aback by the unexpected response from the three kingdoms, which left them speechless and rendered their prepared rhetoric a joke.
The three kings didn't give them a chance to continue talking and directly ordered them to leave, demanding that the envoys of the three kingdoms return to the Zhao kingdom immediately.
Unfortunately, the three envoys barely had time to settle in before they embarked on their return journey.
As for the fact that the three states were unwilling to form an alliance with Zhao, the three envoys also sent scouts on horseback to deliver the message back to Handan ahead of time, so that Zhao Yan could make plans in advance.
A few more days passed.
Upon receiving the news that the wicked husband would be presiding over the investment promotion, wealthy families from all over the country rushed to Xianyang to attend the investment promotion conference to be held early the next morning, which would be personally attended by the Grand Commandant.
A large crowd gathered in front of a mansion in the eastern part of Xianyang, creating a somewhat noisy scene.
"quiet!"
Zhang Erhe walked out of the mansion. "With the Grand Commandant here, you must not be disrespectful." His voice carried an unquestionable authority.
The commotion in the crowd gradually subsided, and although the wealthy families were anxious, they had no choice but to remain patient and wait.
Among them were merchants from afar and local tycoons, all hoping to get a share of the profits at this investment promotion conference.
Zhang Erhe looked around and continued, "The Grand Commandant attaches great importance to this investment promotion conference. He hopes to work hand in hand with everyone to create a brilliant future. The distribution market in Kucha will be an unprecedented business opportunity. It will connect the East and the West and become a hub of trade."
As soon as he finished speaking, a murmur arose from the crowd. Everyone was calculating their own interests and imagining how to gain a foothold in this new world.
"Please enter in turn. The Grand Commandant will personally discuss cooperation matters with you." After saying this, Zhang Erhe turned around and guided the crowd into the mansion in an orderly manner.
As the doors slowly opened, a tense yet excited atmosphere filled the wealthy families. They knew this was not just a simple investment promotion conference, but the prelude to an era, a stage where wealth and power intertwined.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
