bullyxtreme Chapter 242 The Slow Transformation
Chapter 242 The Slow Transformation
Chapter 242 The Slow Transformation
The phrase "chicken rib" appears in both the Book of the Later Han Dynasty and the Records of the Three Kingdoms. It refers to something of little value but difficult to discard, as in the saying "tasteless to eat, but a pity to throw away".
Shen Rong was no ordinary man; upon hearing the words "chicken ribs," he immediately understood their meaning.
The water transport business is naturally divided into different levels.
For the Shen family, what was the most profitable business? It was actually traveling along the Loujiang River between Liujiagang and Suzhou.
This section of the river is easy to navigate, convenient for resupply, and has good public security. It's also quick to get payment for the water transport, making it the most lucrative business.
The trade between Songjiang Prefecture and Yangzhou Road in Jiangbei was slightly less profitable, but still about the same.
The next section involves crossing Taihu Lake. Most of the time, nothing goes wrong, but if something does happen, it's a major incident. This section usually leads to places like Huzhou, Hangzhou, and Guangde.
Overall, the waterborne freight business in these places is much safer than going to Wuhu, Jiangzhou, Anqing, Chizhou and other places, and you can make a lot of money.
Fatty meat versus chicken ribs—everyone knows how to choose. If you only give chicken ribs and not fatty meat, do you think people will be happy?
Shen Rong understood, as did Madam Shen. Mo Bei, Zheng Fan, and others had even had discussions with Shao Shuyi on this matter and understood it even earlier.
That's the gist of the matter. It all depends on whether the Shen family is willing to adjust the distribution of profits to create a balance between the profitable and unprofitable routes. This would allow Shao Shuyi to subsidize the more dangerous and unprofitable routes with relatively safe and lucrative ones, thereby increasing the overall profit level.
Therefore, after exchanging a glance with his sister, Shen Rong said, "Since Xiao Hu has said so, how can I not have something to say?"
How about this? I'll entrust all the freight transportation and trading from Liujiagang to Hangzhou via Taicang, Suzhou, and Jiaxing to you. What do you think?
Originally, the route between Tongzhou and Yangzhou was slightly hampered by Zhenzhou, but it will be handed over to you by the second half of next year at the latest.
Finally, there's the route between Liujiagang and Jiangzhou. Here it is, some sections are good, some are not, so don't be picky.
Upon hearing this, Shao Shuyi was secretly delighted.
The Liujiagang-Hangzhou route is purely profitable, with low risk and high returns.
The cargo from Liujiagang to Tongzhou, Yangzhou, and Zhenzhou all unloaded at ports on the north bank of the Yangtze River, without needing to venture deep into the Huainan hinterland, which was actually quite good.
As for the area between Liujiagang and Jiangzhou, as Shen Rong said, some areas are prosperous and some are not, so it cannot be generalized.
Mo Bei, observing the situation from the side, then gave an introduction.
Through his explanation, Shao Shuyi finally understood that there were many stops along this route, such as Fushan Port in Changshu, Yangshe and Xiapu in Jiangyin, Jingkou in Zhenjiang, Longwan City in Jiangning, and Caishiji on Taiping Road—all the way to Nü'erpu in Jiangzhou.
The first half of the route, up to Caishiji, was relatively safe and had a large cargo volume, making it a sure-fire business. However, Caishiji had recently become somewhat chaotic, but it was the location of the Lianghuai Transport Office's inspection station and a large number of salt merchants lived there. Therefore, although there were repeated reports of bandits killing and robbing, the government had been working hard to eliminate the bandit problem.
West of Caishiji, freight volume decreases, and stops are often made only after long distances, such as in Wuhu, Chizhou, and Anqing.
Hukou and other places are very dangerous, and fierce battles may break out at any time.
Given this situation, it's no wonder that some within the Shen family suggested abandoning some commercial routes and scaling back operations. However, Shen Rong was still reluctant to give up the relatively high profits there, wanting to capitalize on them for a few more years before making further plans.
After careful consideration, Shao Shuyi realized that Shen Rong was quite sincere, and immediately said, "Okay, I'll take the job."
Shen Rong seemed unsurprised, then turned to Wang Lin and said, "I know of your abilities, sir. Although there's much talk outside, it's mostly slander. If you gather your men to escort water transport, they'll surely have a livelihood. If you can take over the freight trade between Liujiagang and Huzhou, Yixing, and Guangde, I'll entrust it to you. What do you say?"
Wang Lin was somewhat grateful and said, "Lord Rongfu thinks so highly of me, alas, what more can I say? The shacks at the East Gate of Suzhou have already been vandalized by some people, and I have no face to fight for anything. From this day forward, I will sell my life to Lord Rongfu. I still have some trustworthy disciples, whom I raised since childhood. Many of them have lost their livelihoods because of me. If I don't bring them back, they might turn to banditry. I will go and call them back in the next couple of days."
Shen Rong nodded and said, "After everyone arrives, they can all receive a monthly wage from my house. For transporting goods on the water, it's considered hiring, and we'll pay them extra for the water transport. You can decide how to distribute it."
Wang Lin stood up, bowed, and then sat down again without saying anything more.
It's clear that he's feeling very conflicted. All the honors he's accumulated in the first half of his life have vanished in an instant, and now he has to start all over again.
However, he is now somewhat confident.
He and his followers possessed solid basic skills, far surpassing those of most bandits. What they lacked was nothing more than combat experience and fighting techniques.
In recent days, he has devised several strategies for group battles, preparing to train with his disciples, determined to avenge his previous defeat and regain his honor.
Shen Rong's decision to have him guard the trade routes leading to Huzhou and other places provided him with this opportunity.
Now Master Wang is carrying a hammer, and he sees everyone as a nail, wanting to smash them all.
Shen Rong looked at Nie Shi one last time.
Nie stood sideways at the doorway, and after meeting gazes, clasped his hands in a salute.
"The servants at home, train them well and don't slack off." After giving his instructions, Shen Rong looked at his sister and smiled, "I won't say much more about your people."
Madam Shen glanced at Nie Shi and said, "When you're practicing, keep a distance from people, and don't let the people from the Records Office see you."
Nie Shi responded.
Listening from the side, Shao Shuyi thought to himself that the Shen family was truly disciplined. Even training their servants to be familiar with weapons like knives, spears, and clubs required them to avoid people; with such a cautious attitude, the outcome was predictable.
Shen Rong then chatted casually with everyone about the current business situation.
In his view, the commercial order in Jiangnan could still be maintained, but not as well as in previous years. As for the vast area between Lianghuai, now only the riverside cities could still conduct business normally. There might be some large cities in the hinterland, but not many, and the Shen family had decided to give up on them.
In short, they now only do business in areas along rivers and streams with convenient transportation.
As for places further away, we'll have to look at them separately.
Henan was completely abandoned, even though there wasn't much business there anyway. The reason for abandoning it was simple: the canal was sometimes open and sometimes closed, and the local area was too chaotic; it could be plundered at any time.
This kind of high-risk, dangerous business should be left to those with more guts.
Jiangxi intends to maintain its current status, as the Yangtze River provides direct access and transportation is convenient; however, it needs to be wary of bandits.
After listening to the whole thing, Shao Shuyi found that it was almost exactly the same as what Zheng Yonghe and others had described about the situation in the north.
When a region is in chaos, all forms of order collapse, which is naturally detrimental to commerce. And the commercial empire that the Shen family abandoned in the Henan-Jiangbei province was precisely the area where the Yuan court was increasingly losing control.
This is not a coincidence, but a concrete reflection of the local situation.
In addition, Shao Shuyi also sensed the difficult transformations these large families were undergoing amidst the changing circumstances.
As the saying goes, a large ship is hard to turn around. Their reactions are always slow, and their changes are always passive. There are many reasons for this, which are difficult to list one by one, but the most important point is that they are beneficiaries of the existing system and always naturally lean towards the court, unwilling to make positive changes.
After the conversation ended, Shen Rong had lunch with everyone and then left in a hurry, seemingly very busy.
Shao Shuyi then requested an audience with Lady Shen.
"Someone told me something earlier," Madam Shen said softly, standing under the eaves and looking at the dim fireball in the sky.
"I suppose he not only told his wife, but also publicized it extensively at the old residence in Suzhou," Shao Shuyi said. "His wife meant well, to prevent me from becoming the target of public criticism."
Shen glanced at him but said nothing.
"In the end, I have failed Madam's expectations." Shao Shuyi clasped his hands and said, "I was too hasty in some matters, which led to this."
Shen remained silent.
Just as Shao Shuyi was pondering whether to take his leave, Madam Shen suddenly asked, "Why are you so eager for quick success in everything you do? Some things can be done slowly."
"Does Madam still think so today?" Shao Shuyi asked in return.
Madam Shen was speechless. After a moment, she shook her head and said, "I spend most of my time at home and rarely go out, so I don't really know much about the outside world. There are some things—perhaps I can't explain them clearly. But you—"
"Is this something that might provoke government crackdown?" Shao Shuyi asked. "Just as Madam can't see what will happen next, I don't really know what the future holds either. I just have a vague feeling that something is wrong, so I'm making preparations in advance. In case something happens in the future, I can still repay Madam."
Shen stood there quietly, only her fingers moving, unconsciously fiddling with her sleeves.
"Of course I want to make money honestly and bring honor to my family," Shao Shuyi said. "But what I see and hear always tells me that a major change is imminent, and if I don't prepare early, it will be too late to regret it. Perhaps, there's no turning back on this path. Thank you."
Shao Shuyi turned around, clasped his hands in a respectful bow to Madam Shen, and said, "Thank you for your past care and corrections, Madam. Without your guidance, I might have made even more mistakes."
Shen glanced at him.
Shao Shuyi stood there, nodded to her, turned and left, his eyes filled with regret and remorse.
After observing for a long time, Shen suddenly felt disgusted by the gossipy people at the old Suzhou residence.
All they do is slander others and seek personal gain, leeching off the Shen family, but they're utterly useless when it comes to real trouble.
If they rely on these people, the future of the Shen family is predictable.
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