Liver in Water Margin, outlaw madman

Zhang Shan and his men completely took control of Wangjia Village, just as Wang Lun and his men were about to settle scores.

We arrived at the lakeside fish market.

It's not about choosing well, but about choosing cleverly.

He had been pondering how to rebuild the sales network and sell the fish after taking down Wang Heng and monopolizing the fish catch in Liangshan Marsh. Unexpectedly, the fish market came directly to his door, saving him a lot of trouble.

In the open space, a dozen or so fishmongers were gathered in twos and threes, whispering among themselves around their fish baskets. They looked anxious, their eyes glancing at the Liangshan brothers standing to the side from time to time. No one dared to move their feet easily.

Zhang Shan walked over slowly, a gentle smile on his face, raised his hand to signal everyone to be quiet, and began to speak:

"Gentlemen, today's matter is a feud between Liangshan and Wang Heng, and has nothing to do with you. Please do not worry and focus on your business."

Upon hearing this, the fishmongers exchanged glances, but none of them dared to speak, their panic showing no sign of abating.

They had been trading fish in this area for years and had heard many rumors about the Liangshan bandits killing and robbing people. Today, seeing the Liangshan soldiers with their swords and spears, looking menacing, they were terrified, fearing they would be implicated.

Zhang Shan noticed their expressions and couldn't help feeling a little annoyed.

Why do I look like a triad boss in a Hong Kong movie, blocking a merchant and forcing them to make a deal?

Zhang Shan couldn't help but rub his nose, suppressing his helplessness, and maintained his smile. He then changed the subject, getting straight to the point: "Gentlemen, I heard that you buy carp weighing less than three catties from Wang Heng for thirty coins per catty, is that right?"

He knew in his heart that empty words were useless. These fishmongers were all businessmen who were only interested in profit. Only by offering real benefits could he move them.

"From today onwards, the purchase price for carp weighing less than three catties will be reduced to twenty-five coins per catty. How about that?" Zhang Shan's voice was not loud, but it clearly reached the ears of every fishmonger.

Upon hearing this, the fishmongers erupted in a frenzy, all looking up at each other with expressions of disbelief and a hint of surprise in their eyes.

For these merchants, making money is the only thing that matters. Whether they deal with bandits or government officials makes no difference. As long as they can make more money, it doesn't matter who is in power.

After a moment of silence, one of the bolder fishmongers stepped forward, his voice trembling but filled with expectation, and asked, "Your Excellency, are you... are you serious? Carp weighing less than three pounds are really only twenty-five coins a pound?"

He knew perfectly well that the price was five coins cheaper per pound, and each time they came to buy, they would start with at least several hundred pounds, so he could save several coins each time.

Over the course of a year, the profit would be at least several tens of thousands of strings of cash.

Moreover, they transported the fish to places like Yuncheng County and Jeju Prefecture, where the price doubled. By that calculation, they could earn a lot more money, making this a very profitable deal.

Zhang Shan nodded emphatically, his expression solemn: "A gentleman's word is as good as his bond! Your transaction here today is settled; there will be no going back on it!"

The fishmongers were now in a frenzy; their earlier panic and apprehension were instantly replaced by joy.

They huddled together, excitedly discussing and muttering, "Great!" "We can make a lot more money now!" As for Wang Heng and Wangjia Village, they had long since forgotten about them.

In their eyes, whoever controls Liangshan Marsh, whoever has the fish, is the one they will trade with. With Wang Heng's downfall, Liangshan will take over, which will allow them to make more money. It's a good thing.

Zhang Shan nodded in satisfaction at the lively scene, then turned to Ruan Xiaowu and called out, "Wulang, come here."

Ruan Xiaowu quickly stepped forward, bowed, and asked, "Brother, what are your orders?"

"You're in charge of taking stock of the fish caught on site, registering the quantities, and then coordinating the transactions with the fishmongers. Make sure nothing goes wrong." Zhang Shan directly assigned this task to Ruan Xiaowu.

Ruan Xiaowu nodded and readily agreed.

He knew that Liangshan had now monopolized the fish catch in Liangshan Marsh. Although the purchase price had dropped, the quantity was large, so even if it was cheaper, he could still make a lot of money.

He casually asked, "Brother, how much should we pay when we buy them from the fishermen?"

"Twenty-five coins," Zhang Shan replied casually, his tone indifferent.

Ruan Xiaowu was taken aback, thinking she had misheard. She blinked hard, took a step forward, and raised her voice, asking, "Brother, how much did you say? I didn't hear you!"

"I said, the purchase price is twenty-five coins per catty. The fishermen don't make a profit on the difference between the fish and the price, regardless of size," Zhang Shan emphasized, looking at his shocked expression.

"Huh?" Ruan Xiaowu was completely stunned, her eyes wide with disbelief. "Brother, this won't do! Wang Heng used to buy it from the fishermen for only eight coins a catty, but now it's gone up to twenty-five coins, and he's not even making a profit. What are we brothers going to eat and use?"

He remembered that Zhang Shan had said before that taking down Wang Heng and monopolizing the fish catch was to make a lot of money to support the brothers of Liangshan, but now this behavior didn't seem like he was trying to make money at all.

Seeing his bewildered expression, Zhang Shan smiled knowingly, patted him on the shoulder, and asked, "Wulang, do you think the people around here are wealthy?"

Without even thinking, Ruan Xiaowu shook his head vigorously, making his head shake like a rattle drum: "Money? How much money can ordinary people have? They suffer every day, barely making ends meet, and can't even afford to buy a new piece of clothing all year round."

He himself came from a poor fisherman's family and had suffered a lot from childhood to adulthood, so he naturally understood the difficulties of ordinary people.

"Yes, the common people may not have money, but there are many of them." Zhang Shan's smile faded, and his tone slowly became serious. "The government, landlords, and local tyrants become rich by squeezing every little bit out of each common person. This is their usual tactic."

He paused, then continued, "We brothers all come from poor families and know the hardships of ordinary people. I'm doing this for two reasons: first, to allow the fishermen to earn more money and support their families; and second, to make it a little more affordable for ordinary people to eat fish."

Upon hearing this, Ruan Xiaowu's blank expression gradually faded, and he slowly nodded.

He was also a poor man, and he could understand and comprehend what Zhang Shan was saying, but he still had some doubts in his heart.

He scratched his head, still somewhat puzzled, and asked, "Brother, I understand what you mean, but we have so many brothers in Liangshan who need to eat. How are we going to feed so many people?"

"Haha, Wulang, what's the rush?" Zhang Shan couldn't help but laugh, patting his head. "I didn't say I wouldn't make money, I just won't make money from poor people."

He changed the subject, a sly glint in his eyes: "I only said that carp under three pounds are cheap. I didn't say how much the larger or rarer fish cost."

This tactic has been overused in later generations, but it's hard to understand in this day and age.

In today's world, whether it's government officials or landlords and tyrants, they take everything they can get, big or small, and want to squeeze every last drop of blood out of the poor. Who would have thought that there is such a thing as "not making money off the poor"?

Zhang Shan thought to himself: Those people only know how to exploit the poor, but they don't realize that driving the poor to the brink of despair will only backfire on them in the end.

When you eat meat, you have to leave some soup for others. If you don't leave any, you'll eventually run into trouble.

"Oh, right, Wulang," Zhang Shan remembered something and quickly said, "Take some time to sort out what kind of fish the wealthy people in Yuncheng County and Jizhou Prefecture eat on a daily basis, especially the rare and expensive ones. If we control the supply of these fish, the price will increase at least tenfold!"

He had just arrived in this era and was not very clear about the preferences of the local rich. Ruan Xiaowu had been fishing in Liangshan Marsh for many years and often dealt with fishmongers, so he must know better than him. It was the most suitable job to hand it over to Ruan Xiaowu.

Upon hearing this, Ruan Xiaowu's eyes lit up instantly, and the doubt on his face completely disappeared, replaced by excitement.

He's just an ordinary person. He might hesitate if asked to sacrifice himself for the benefit of others, but if asked to make money from the rich and rob the rich to help the poor, he wouldn't feel any pressure at all; on the contrary, he would feel great.

"Brother, just you wait and see!" Ruan Xiaowu patted his chest excitedly, "I'll go and investigate right away, I guarantee I'll figure out exactly what those rich people like, and make them spend even more money!"

Zhang Shan smiled and nodded. He had only offered a general idea; the specific details would need to be refined by Ruan Xiaowu, as it involved subsequent transactions and profits, and could not be taken lightly.

The most important thing right now is to stabilize these fishmongers, get them to trade with Liangshan with peace of mind, and gradually build trust so that the subsequent trade network can be smoothly established.

He had already devised a much bigger plan in his mind.

That is to use the fish catch from Liangshan Marsh as a starting point to attract merchants from the surrounding areas to trade, and gradually build a commercial and trade distribution center.

Monopolizing the fish catch is only the first step. What truly makes big money is this trading hub and the continuous flow of transactions.