Super Cultivation System of the Three Kingdoms

Chapter 614: Shocking the Business
Liu He was slightly stunned, then smiled and said, "Lü Bu? I didn't deal with him. Could it be that he still thought he had a chance of survival and wanted to make a last stand?"

Cui Jun said: "This man has always been very self-righteous and loves money more than life. What important things can he have? He just saw that everyone in Jizhou had been killed, but he was the only one imprisoned. So he was lucky and wanted to say something nice. He might even want to recognize the lord as his sworn brother or adoptive father."

"Huh... I dare not use a subordinate like him." Liu He couldn't help but get goose bumps all over his body when he thought of this.

"I just forgot about him because I was busy with other things. What use is there for such a shameless person to stay in the world? Go to the prison immediately, order the jailer to tie him up tightly, and have the executioner execute him. Bring the head to me."

"Here!"

The soldier was about to retreat but was stopped by Cui Jun.

"My lord, in my humble opinion, this Lu Bu is still useful."

Liu He frowned and said, "What use is such a rat?"

Cui Jun said with a smile: "Lü Bu is tall and strong. If he is sent to Xincheng to work as a laborer, I'm afraid he can do the work of five or even ten people. Wouldn't that be very useful?"

Liu He heard this and shook his head: "Oh, no, no. This man is considered a top-notch general in the world. How can those guarding soldiers keep him under control?"

"It's easy. My lord, just give the order... Then, no matter how brave they are, they will not be able to escape."

After listening to Cui Jun's method, Liu He became more and more delighted.

"Haha, this is a good idea. It would be worse than death for such a proud and arrogant man like him to suffer such pain. Okay, let's do it."

A few days later, the Anhan Trading Company in Jinyang City was crowded with people. A large number of caravans gathered in front of the counter where transaction information was announced, so much so that many people were squeezed out of the door.

The reason why so many businessmen and travelers were alarmed was not because of other things, but just because of a piece of news.

"The imperial court killed the Xiongnu Zuoxian King several years ago and recovered the Yellow River West Plain. Now we want to establish a county here, named Yunhai County, which will be under the jurisdiction of Bingzhou. There will be five counties in the county: Dinghe, Yunzhan, Anma, Fude, and Dingrong, with Dingrong as the county seat. This decree is specially issued to mobilize skilled craftsmen from all over the world to build the city. The construction period is ten months. On the day of completion, rewards will be given according to merit and titles will be conferred."

Just this piece of news shocked the entire company!
"Giving titles to craftsmen has never been seen since the creation of China. Is the court joking?"

"Craftsmen and merchants like us are all people of the lower nine classes. This title is reserved for scholars. How could we have a share? It's impossible. No matter what, I don't believe it."

"Is it possible that the imperial court wanted to save money on hiring craftsmen and deliberately deceived them?"

"If there is such a good thing, I will sell everything I have and give it all to learn how to build a city. But I am afraid it will be a waste of time."

The vast majority of business travelers were hesitant about this news.

Just as everyone was talking, a middle-aged man came out and bowed to the many businessmen and travelers.

"I have met you all."

When these people saw this man, they all showed respect.

"So it's Shopkeeper Li. You're a great man that we rarely see. How come you have time to meet me today?"

This man is Li Ang, the general manager of Anhan Trading Company. He has been in charge of the company for many years. He acts uprightly and fairly, and has made the company prosperous. Many businessmen and travelers respect him very much.

Li Ang stroked his beard and smiled at everyone: "I am here for no other reason than to recruit craftsmen for the imperial court."

The businessmen's eyes lit up when they heard this. They all knew that the Anhan Trading Company was established with the participation of the current general, and it could be called a half-official trading company of the imperial court. Since Li Ang wanted to say something about this matter, it was naturally equivalent to the attitude of the imperial court. How could they not care?
"Old shopkeeper, please speak quickly. We are waiting for your words."

Li Ang did not speak immediately, but walked to the announcement and said: "You don't have to doubt it, this is absolutely true. It is the imperial decree issued by the general after consulting the emperor. For the design, construction, supervision and other matters, the craftsmen who have made outstanding contributions will be granted different titles of pavilion and township according to their merits. However, this title is only a title, and there is no salary or fiefdom." After hearing this explanation, everyone felt a little relieved.

"I said, the official title is so honorable. Even the generals under the general, such as Guan Yu and Gao Boping, have made great contributions, but none of them have been awarded. How can a mere city builder be so honored? If it is just an honorary title, it would be more reasonable."

"It's still not right. Even if it's just an honorary title, it's too much of a reward. Not to mention no salary, even if I were to invest my entire fortune, this would still be a huge benefit. How can a mere announcement count? If the court regrets it later, wouldn't we lose everything?"

When this person said this, everyone agreed: "Yes, this is a big deal, we need to be cautious and not trust it easily."

Li Ang seemed to have anticipated their reaction. He pointed to a seal on the notice.

"Please look carefully, this seal is not the one that our company usually uses."

"Huh?" Everyone had not paid attention to it before, but after he reminded them, they all leaned over and looked at the seal.

"This is... Mandated by Heaven, Long Live and Prosper... This... Is this the seal of the Emperor's Imperial Seal?"

Li Ang nodded and said, "It is the emperor's seal. This is not an announcement from our company, but an imperial decree. Except for the cloth used and the format of the writing, its authority is no different from that of an imperial decree. In addition, in addition to the branches of our company in various places, it will be posted at the general's mansion, the gate of the emperor's palace, and the gates of all counties in Bingzhou for the public announcement."

"Moreover, the notice clearly states that it is not just the craftsmen themselves. If a merchant asks a craftsman to help, after the task is completed, the owner of the merchant will be rewarded together with the craftsman. Their offspring will be rewarded as if they were born as scholars."

His words were like a stone that caused a thousand ripples.

"Oh, this is incredible, this is incredible. If this is the case, then this is a great opportunity for us to turn things around! If we are born as scholars, then wouldn't our children and grandchildren also be eligible to be recommended for official positions?"

"That's right. We must immediately rush around to hire craftsmen who are proficient in this art. Even if our shoes are worn out and our horses are dead, we must find them!"

"That's right. This is a rare opportunity. If merchants like me want to turn things around, there is no other way. Even if our wealth is exhausted, we must fight for it!"

"Everyone, please be quiet for a moment. I haven't finished speaking yet."

As soon as Li Ang opened his mouth, all the merchants immediately fell silent, pricked up their ears and listened carefully, afraid of missing a single word.

"The court has issued a rule. Once this is done, there will be a special agency responsible for arranging and recording the daily progress of the project. What each craftsman or group of craftsmen have done and what they have contributed will be announced at the end of each month in the five new cities. In the end, these announcements will be compiled and rewarded. The court and the general will act fairly, so you can rest assured."

All the merchants were immediately plunged into ecstasy.

"Then what are you waiting for? Let's go, let's go now and recruit craftsmen!"

"Yes, yes. Under the rule of the general, commercial exchanges have always been valued. As long as the court is stable, there will be opportunities to earn back the money. However, this kind of opportunity is probably unique in the history and must not be missed. This is not only a chance for us to turn things around, but it is also a great honor for us to be able to participate in such a project that will go down in history."

"That's right. This area west of the Yellow River has been occupied by foreign races for hundreds of years since the end of the Qin Dynasty. Now it has finally been recovered. We can participate in the construction of the city and make meritorious contributions. Who knows, there will be a mention of you and me in the history books in the future. Just thinking about it makes me excited."

"For such a huge project, there must be a lot of craftsmen. If everyone contributes a little, everyone will get a share of the reward. We have to hurry up and do this."

"Haha, you are lagging behind. My Xiliang Li family has been engaged in building cities and roads for generations. We can be called masters of this art. This title must belong to my Li family!"

"You are also considered a master? My Taishan Huang family has been focusing on this for five generations..."

"You guys can take your time to compete. My Bohai Lin family is one step ahead and will sign up right away!"

Looking at the caravans that were scrambling to get in and almost breaking down the doors of the trading companies, Li Ang smiled and sighed, "Haha, the general's move is really brilliant. A few empty titles have caused so many merchants to fight for it. In this way, the court only needs a little money and food to build five cities. It's a huge profit. I admire you. It's a pity that I don't have this blessing. Sigh..."

(End of this chapter)