plumnovel Chapter 72 Building a Reputation
Chapter 72 Building a Reputation
June 16th, the second year of the Tianqi reign (1623), Jinan City.
On this day, the people of Jinan witnessed another miracle.
Ten days ago, the "steel convoy" that rumbled out of the city was seen by everyone as a suicide mission. After all, it was a 300-mile stretch of "gates of hell," teeming with ruthless White Lotus Sect bandits. Gambling dens even offered odds of 1 to 10 on the convoy's complete annihilation within a few days.
However, the convoy returned at noon on June 16.
Not only did they return, but they returned in an almost boastful manner.
"He's back! Scholar Lu is back!"
With a cry of surprise at the city gate, Zhuque Street instantly erupted in excitement. Countless commoners, merchants, and even government officials poured onto the street, eager to witness the spectacle of this legendary procession.
The convoy remained in neat columns. Although the carriages were covered with fresh knife marks and traces of smoke and fire, and the guards' armor was stained with dark red blood, their cold, hard, and steel-like aura was even more captivating than when they left the city.
The most eye-catching vehicle was the large truck at the end of the procession.
Instead of being covered with tarpaulin, the vehicle was piled high with over four hundred grotesque heads preserved in lime. Each head had disheveled hair, a mark of the White Lotus sect members.
"That's...that's Wang Ermazi, the bandit leader from the other side of the border river!"
In the crowd, a merchant who had fled from the south pointed in horror to a human head hanging at the highest point of the cart shaft, "That guy had more than three thousand men under his command! And he's been beheaded?"
"hiss--"
A collective gasp filled the entire street.
Four hundred and fifty men against three thousand, not only did they transport the grain, but they also beheaded four hundred? This is no ordinary grain transport team; they are clearly killing gods even more ruthless than the main force of the government army!
Lu Yan sat calmly on his horse. He ignored the cheers and awe around him, his gaze fixed on the road ahead. In his engineering logic, this was simply a "successful delivery of a high-risk project," nothing more.
……
The second hall of the Jinan Prefectural Government Office.
The atmosphere was almost fawningly enthusiastic than it had been ten days ago.
The Provincial Administration Commissioner, Lord Zhang, personally descended the steps to greet him, and Prefect Wang beamed with joy. In this chaotic world, holding onto an indestructible and untouchable supply line meant holding onto one's official position.
"Training officer Lu! You've worked hard! You've worked so hard!"
Lord Zhang grabbed Lu Yan's hand and shook it vigorously. "The news of victory from the front has arrived! General Yang said that without those three thousand shi of military rations, the camp would have exploded long ago! You deserve the greatest credit! The greatest credit!"
"Thank you, my lord."
Lu Yan bowed slightly and took out the handover receipt bearing Yang Zhaoji's seal, along with a new "business document" from his pocket.
"I have successfully completed my mission. This is the receipt. Also, according to the contract, when will the initial payment of 5,000 salt certificates for the first shipment be received?"
"Exchange! Exchange now!"
Lord Zhang waved his hand and said to the clerk behind him, "Go and bring me the batch of Changlu salt permits that the Ministry of Revenue just approved, and show them to Commander Lu!"
At this critical juncture where lives depend on it, no one dared to renege on Lu Yan's debt.
"Furthermore," Lord Zhang said, rubbing his hands together somewhat embarrassedly, "Commander Lu, General Yang from the front lines has sent another letter. He says... we still need five thousand shi of grain and three thousand jin of gunpowder. Also, the prefect of Yanzhou has sent word that the city is short of salt and cloth and is willing to pay a high price..."
Demand is booming.
This is the benefit of monopoly. Now, in the entire Shandong province, apart from the large contingent of government troops, only Lu Yan dares to take this route.
Lu Yan sat back down in his chair, picked up his teacup, and did not rush to agree.
"Sir, the price for this second trip needs to be changed."
"Is it going to rise again?" Prefect Wang, standing nearby, felt a jolt of fear.
"No price increase, but rules must be set."
Lu Yan took out a pre-prepared "Wartime Transportation Regulations" from his sleeve and gently pushed it onto the table.
"First, from now on, Lu Ji Carriage and Horse Company shall have the exclusive right to transport all official supplies from Jinan Prefecture to the south. The government shall not assign other merchants to interfere, nor shall it arbitrarily requisition my vehicles and personnel."
This is to establish a monopoly. Lu Yan is well aware that if this clause is not explicitly stated, once the situation stabilizes slightly, wealthy merchants with powerful backgrounds (such as those affiliated with the Donglin Party or Shanxi merchants) will swarm in like flies to grab a piece of the pie.
"Secondly, all shipped goods must be packed according to Luk Kee's 'standardized packaging.' I decide how much to load per vehicle, how to pack it, and what kind of boxes to use. Loose, flammable, or difficult-to-secure miscellaneous items will not be shipped."
This is to improve loading efficiency and safety. In my previous life, when I was in the engineering logistics business, the worst thing was for the client to throw in a bunch of random, non-standard parts, which would disrupt the overall scheduling.
Third, payment method.
Lu Yan pointed outside the door, "I can accept the salt permits this time. But next time, I want half in cash and half in kind—such as iron, saltpeter, sulfur, and leather bands. If the government doesn't have the money, they can use scrapped military equipment from the armory as payment."
This is the core point. Lu Yan intends to use the opportunity of transporting grain to openly and legitimately drain the Jinan arsenal to provide raw materials for his own arms factory.
Councilor Zhang frowned as he looked at the agreement, which was full of unfair terms.
"Scholar Lu, isn't this 'exclusive transportation right' a bit excessive? What if someone impeaches me later for competing with the people for profit..."
"grown ups."
Lu Yan interrupted him, his tone calm, "Right now, there are three security escort agencies and two branches of the Grand Canal Gang lining up outside my carriage shop, begging me to give them a hand in business and let me take them on a trip. If I don't agree, in this Shandong region, besides me, who else would dare to risk their lives to deliver goods to the government?"
He leaned forward slightly, his eyes sharp. "I'm not begging you for business, sir. I'm protecting your position. This exclusive right is to ensure my absolute command on the road. If a few rookies infiltrate and cause chaos, it will implicate my brothers."
silence.
After a long silence, Councilor Zhang sighed and picked up his pen.
"Sign. This official signs."
……
That afternoon, Lu Ji Carriage and Horse Shop hung up a new signboard—"Lu Ji Military Supplies Transfer Headquarters of Jinan Prefecture".
The moment this sign was hung up, the entire business community of Jinan was shaken.
Those wealthy merchants who were originally observing the situation now swarmed in like sharks smelling blood.
"Master Lu! I have five hundred bolts of cotton cloth to send to Qufu; the Confucius Mansion needs it urgently! Please name your price for the shipping!"
"Master Lu! I am the steward of the Prince of De's residence. We have a batch of precious artifacts to be sent to the capital. Do you think you can make arrangements?"
"Commander Lu! We're willing to offer three thousand taels of silver if you can let my young master accompany your entourage to Yanzhou to take up his post!"
The lobby of the carriage shop was bustling with noise.
Fan Fu was so busy he barely had time to breathe, his mind racing with calculations.
"Don't push! Line up! Follow the rules!"
Holding the "Shipping Instructions" drafted by Lu Yan, Fan Fu raised his voice three times louder than usual, "First, sign a waiver! No compensation for items lost en route! Second, pay the full amount upfront! Third, all goods must be opened and inspected; any goods found containing prohibited items will be confiscated!"
Such harsh conditions would have normally led to the shop being vandalized. But now, those usually arrogant shopkeepers are all smiling obediently, lining up to pay and sign.
Because they knew that in this chaotic world, Luk Kee wasn't selling transportation, but rather "a sense of security."
In the general office on the second floor, Lu Yan stood by the window, looking at the bustling crowd below, a cold smile curling at the corner of his mouth.
"Master, these salt permits... five thousand permits! At the current black market price, that's worth at least forty thousand taels of silver!"
Holding the thick stack of salt certificates in his hands, Zhao Changying's hands trembled with excitement. "We're rich!"
"This is just revenue, not profit."
Lu Yan turned around, took the map of Jinan Prefecture from the wall, and said, "Money is just dead stuff in your hands. Changying, pass on my orders."
"Sell half of this batch of salt on the black market immediately, in exchange for cash and grain. Use the remaining half to trade with salt merchants for pig iron and tanned hides."
"Furthermore," Lu Yan pointed heavily to the location marked "Western Suburbs Camp" on the map, "post notices that the Lu Family Militia is recruiting. This time, we're expanding to a thousand men."
"Now that we've established a good reputation, it's time to scale up the business."