177: Chapter 177 The Far-Sailing Merchant Caravan's Jinhuai Branch

After confirming the person in charge of the Yuanhang Trade Caravan Jinhuai Branch, Pei Qingyun discussed some details with Pei Tianquan.

The Yuanhang Trade Caravan was initiated by Pei Qingyun from the very beginning. Although he was not directly involved in the management, he still had a general understanding of it.

When the Yuanhang Trade Caravan was first established in Wuyang, Pei Qingyun did not use purely commercial methods; he relied more on using his influence to suppress others. Otherwise, the Fuyuan Escort Agency would not have surrendered to the Pei Clan so quickly.

But when the business expanded to the six counties, this method clearly would no longer work.

Even ants can bite an elephant to death if there are enough of them.

Moreover, the escort agencies in various places could hardly be considered ants, and they might even have Great Families behind them.

Even if these Great Families were not as strong as the Pei Clan, it did not mean that the Pei Clan could act recklessly.

Although the Great Families were the privileged class of the Great Jing Dynasty, they still had their own codes of conduct.

On the surface, they still had to abide by the basic laws.

Otherwise, even before these Great Families joined forces, or before they offended the figures behind them, the Pei Clan would be dealt with by the imperial court.

Since he could not use brute force, Pei Qingyun used commercial means to acquire some of the loss-making escort agencies in the various counties, and allowed the personnel of these agencies to join the great ship that was the Yuanhang Trade Caravan.

Through this method, the Yuanhang Trade Caravan quickly broke into the transport market of each county, forming a competitive relationship with other escort agencies.

But how could these escort agencies possibly compete against the great ship that was the Yuanhang Trade Caravan?

In just a few months, those escort agencies in the counties that were unwilling to join the Yuanhang Trade Caravan turned from profit to loss and could only be slowly devoured by the Yuanhang Trade Caravan.

However, the time was simply too short. In the six counties, the market share currently occupied by the Yuanhang Trade Caravan was less than thirty percent.

Firstly, the Great Families themselves had their own trade caravans, and this portion was irreplaceable. In the vast majority of cases, they would not hire the Yuanhang Trade Caravan.

Secondly, there were still some escort agencies that were holding on.

Besides that, there were also some small, self-sufficient households.

If one day the Yuanhang Trade Caravan could occupy fifty percent of the market, that would be considered truly achieving the goal.

Now, opening up the prefecture city market was a different situation. The prefecture city was different from the county city; it had numerous Great Families.

In the prefecture city, any random shop could be traced back to the shadow of a Great Family, not to mention the escort agencies.

Over eighty percent of the escort agencies were related to the Great Families.

It was not impossible to capture the prefecture city market through commercial competition.

However, the time cycle was too long, and it would also infringe upon the interests of other Great Families. In this way, the Wuyang Pei Clan would easily become a target of public criticism.

With the current size of the Wuyang Pei Clan, it could not afford to offend so many Great Families.

Even with Ancestor Yuhuan backing them, they could only manage to protect themselves. If they offended them, the Pei Clan would find it difficult to move an inch in Jinhuai Prefecture.

Moreover, Pei Qingyun did not want to bother Ancestor Yuhuan with everything.

Half a year ago, taking down Deep Water Harbor was already a huge help from Ancestor Yuhuan; otherwise, he might still be at Deep Water Harbor right now.

Just because he could not copy the previous method did not mean Pei Qingyun did not have other ways.

It was just like the joint-stock system from his previous life.

The Yuanhang Trade Caravan was like a company.

Pei Qingyun could make the Yuanhang Trade Caravan Jinhuai Branch a community of shared interests by allowing other Great Families to buy shares.

However, before that, he needed to invite a few heavyweight Great Families to cooperate.

In Jinhuai Prefecture, what could be more heavyweight than the four major second-rate families?

The Qian and Lü families were directly excluded; Pei Qingyun had not sold to the direct lineage of those two families before.

Although the direct lineage could not fully represent the two families, he was unwilling to bear the invisible risks.

Moreover, he had a close relationship with Chen Yuanba.

No matter what, he would prioritize the Chen lineage, and if the He Clan was willing to cooperate, that would also be fine.

Besides that, other third-rate families could also be considered appropriately.

After a brief exchange with Pei Tianquan, Pei Qingyun came to a guest room on the second floor of the Wenxianglai Restaurant.

In order to save an expense for the Family, Pei Qingyun's predecessor had not purchased a dedicated small courtyard in the prefecture city for residence.

After all, he might not even come once in several years.

Although the Wuyang Pei Clan had already far surpassed its former self, Pei Qingyun did not intend to make any changes.

This was perhaps the sequelae brought about by being a "beast of burden" in his previous life.

In ancient times, some emperors would have to build a palace in advance just for one trip.

If Pei Qingyun's current status were placed in the ancient times of his previous life, it would not be inferior to an emperor.

Entering the guest room, Pei Qingyun skillfully opened his attribute panel.

[Name: Pei Qingyun] [Lifespan: 38 years, 8 months] [Cultivation: Six Bowels Realm Middle Stage (19 / 20000)] [Cultivation Technique: Evergreen Art middle volume Perfection (Mysterious Grade Top Quality), Blazing Sun Fire Art Major Achievement (360 / 5800) (Mysterious Grade Top Quality), Yellow Grade Cultivation Techniques Hidden] [Bloodline: Yimu Bloodline 4th Order Middle Stage (20 / 10000), Fire Bloodline 3rd Order Middle Stage (40 / 1000)...] [family luck: 0 (1400) (Note: family luck can be recovered, naturally recovering 70 points every day.)] [Skill: Analysis Technique]

Judging from the current situation, if he wanted to advance to the Six Bowels Realm Late Stage, it would take eighteen years of normal cultivation.

Through the attribute panel, it would also take nearly ten months. However, he still planned to prioritize cultivating the Blazing Sun Fire Art to Perfection first.

In this world, the possibility of accidents could not be ruled out at any time. Given that breaking through to a higher Realm required more time, Pei Qingyun chose to prioritize improving his Cultivation Technique.

A perfected Cultivation Technique could both increase his actual combat power and feed back into his Aptitude.

It was just like a game from his previous life; earning interest worked on the same principle.

In this way, his daily cultivation progress could also be slightly improved.

If calculated in years, he could also save quite a bit of Luck.

For example, when the Yimu Bloodline was at the 4th Order Middle Stage, the cultivation speed was about fifty percent faster than at the 4th Order Early Stage.

If converted into cultivation points, it was an increase of about one point per day.

However, all in all, he still needed one year to break through to the Six Bowels Realm Late Stage.

If the total family luck increased, this time might be advanced even further.

Closing the attribute panel, Pei Qingyun entered the cultivation state again.

Just like that, Pei Qingyun stayed at Wenxianglai for two days. Besides cultivation, he would also walk around the prefecture city.

Meanwhile, Pei Tianquan went to look for a suitable office location.

Since they were going to build the Yuanhang Trade Caravan Jinhuai Branch, they naturally could not do without a base.

After inquiring for two days, Pei Tianquan locked onto a dilapidated large mansion located in the sub-central area of Jinhuai.

Choosing this place, Pei Qingyun naturally had his reasons.

This location could just happen to take care of the business on both sides, and at the same time, the price was not too expensive.

According to Pei Qingyun's plan, after Pei Tianquan bought this dilapidated large courtyard, he would then renovate it.

The renovation period was tentatively set for two months.

Because it was not about building high-rise buildings, as long as there were enough hands, two months was completely enough.

The next day, Pei Tianquan arranged for personnel to demolish the dilapidated large mansion and simultaneously recruited manpower.

The labor prices in Jinhuai Prefecture City were naturally much higher than in Wuyang. If calculated by the month, each person would need about four taels of silver per month.

In addition, the construction Materials were also much more expensive.

Preliminary calculations showed that if the construction period was two months, about three hundred people needed to be recruited.

Labor costs were just a small part; material costs were the main part. In total, the budget reported by Pei Tianquan was about fifteen thousand taels.

For the current Pei Clan, this could no longer be considered a major project.

However, the necessary accounting could not be skipped.

Jinhuai Prefecture City, Mingshui Street. Chen Yuanba's mansion was located here.

As the Evil-Suppressing Commander of the prefecture, the imperial court rewarded him with a mansion for his residence, but Chen Yuanba only had the right to use it. After he stepped down, the imperial court would take it back.

But regardless, this mansion represented status and power.

Not long after, a Dragon Scale Horse carriage slowly drove over from the distance and stopped at the main entrance of the mansion.

At this moment, an old man stepped down from the Dragon Scale Horse carriage.

The old man wore a loose white robe, with a slender figure, yet his back was straight like a pine tree. His silver-white hair, as white as snow, fluttered casually, and a few strands of hair rose with the wind. His gait was light and free as he walked, faintly exuding a transcendent posture.

Especially that pair of sharp and wise eyes, which were even more soul-stirring.

An ordinary person, just by meeting his gaze, would have their mind stirred.

And this old man was none other than Pei Qingyun, who had arrived.

At the same time, a hearty voice rang out in the air.

Chen Yuanba, dressed in a dark robe, walked towards him with long strides, "Brother Pei, please come in."

Pei Qingyun nodded and followed Chen Yuanba into the mansion.

"Brother, how long do you plan to stay in the prefecture city this time?" Chen Yuanba asked while leading the way.

Pei Qingyun explained calmly, "If nothing goes wrong, I should stay until the end of the year, until the Yuanhang Trade Caravan Jinhuai Branch is officially established. By the way, how have you considered the matter of cooperation? Are you interested in buying shares in my Yuanhang Trade Caravan Jinhuai Branch?"

"That is natural. How could I refuse such a good thing? Don't look at me as not being in business; I have seen many kinds of merchants. These merchants from the Great Families basically rely on Family connections to operate, and it's all the same old routine."

"When I first heard about the business model of Brother's Yuanhang Trade Caravan, I was amazed. This thinking is absolutely unconstrained. I really don't know which young talent thought of this model; I am even curious." Chen Yuanba exclaimed.

Looking at Chen Yuanba's exaggerated expression, Pei Qingyun secretly clicked his tongue.

Could he say that this young talent was himself? Could it not be that this old guy thought of it?

Good fellow, he had become younger again without realizing it.

However, Pei Qingyun did not explain. Once Chen Yuanba joined the great ship that was the Yuanhang Trade Caravan, he would naturally know who the business genius was.

Instead, he asked the core question, "Since you have the intention to cooperate, have you thought about how much you will invest? Looking at the current development prospects, if you can put up six hundred thousand taels, I can give you twenty percent of the shares."

A look of difficulty appeared on Chen Yuanba's Face, "Six hundred thousand taels is really too much. I can take out at most three hundred thousand taels at one time."

A flash of surprise crossed Pei Qingyun's eyes. Six hundred thousand taels might be a huge number for a third-rate family, but for the Chen Clan, it was definitely not much.

But upon reflection, he understood the reason.

The Chen Clan was divided into the main lineage, direct lineage, and branch lineages. Although Chen Yuanba was a Six Viscera Grandmaster, he could only represent the direct lineage he belonged to.

Perhaps this three hundred thousand taels was his personal investment. In this way, Chen Yuanba's funds were limited.

Of course, Chen Yuanba might not be unable to come up with six hundred thousand taels. Regardless, he could not empty himself out all at once.

Unlike Pei Qingyun, who was the true sole authority in the Pei Clan. As long as he made a decision, the Pei Clan had to execute it.

Pei Qingyun said, "Brother, if you only have three hundred thousand taels, then I can only give you ten percent of the shares. However, if you want to, you can buy more shares at any time before the Yuanhang Trade Caravan Jinhuai Branch is completed."

Ten percent of the shares for three hundred thousand taels was already a discount Pei Qingyun gave out of respect for the other party. If other Great Families wanted to enter the Yuanhang Trade Caravan, they would need to provide even more.

Chen Yuanba did not have any dispute about this, "Then let's do it as you said, Brother."

After all, he also understood the principle of business is business.

"Then that is settled. When I have time, I will come to your mansion again," Pei Qingyun said.

Subsequently, the two chatted for a while longer, with the general content revolving around the Yuanhang Trade Caravan branch.

Through this exchange, Pei Qingyun could see that Chen Yuanba's interest was even stronger.

If nothing went wrong, Chen Yuanba was going to go raise money.

However, twenty percent of the shares was the limit. Even if Chen Yuanba was willing to pay more silver, Pei Qingyun would not agree.

This was also his restriction on the Great Families buying shares. Otherwise, the leading party would not be the Wuyang Pei Clan.

Not long after, Pei Qingyun left the Evil-Suppressing Commander's Mansion.

Watching the back of Pei Qingyun as he left, Chen Yuanba could not help but sigh.

The gap between people is really huge.

Thinking back, when he was still the director of the Wuyang County Evil Suppression Bureau, the Wuyang Pei Clan was just an ordinary third-rate family on the verge of decline.

Now, less than two years later, the Wuyang Pei Clan already had the aura of a top-tier third-rate family.

Others might not be clear about the development process of the Wuyang Pei Clan, but he had personally experienced it.

Looking at the nineteen provinces of the Great Jing Dynasty, such Great Families were rare. Often, such things only happened in the provincial capitals.

By comparison, how rare it was to have this in a single prefecture.

Such a rapid development speed, even when seen by him, a Grandmaster of a second-rate Family, felt very shocking.

Especially when sensing the heavy aura emanating from Pei Qingyun, even though he had broken through to become a Grandmaster, he was still no match for him.

One must know that he came from an Evil-Suppressing background; even though he had just broken through to the Six Bowels Realm Early Stage, his foundation was deeper than that of an ordinary Six Bowels Realm Early Stage practitioner.

Yet, from Pei Qingyun, who had only broken through to Grandmaster for a year, he felt a gap.

Even, an absurd premonition arose in his mind that this was perhaps not the limit of the Wuyang Pei Clan.

In Pei Qingyun's hands, the Wuyang Pei Clan had a chance to become a second-rate Family.

If this were said out loud and heard by people from other Great Families, they would only think that Chen Yuanba was telling a joke.

In this Jinhuai Prefecture City, how difficult it was for a second-rate Family to be born.

Every thirty or fifty years, perhaps a new top-tier third-rate family could be born.

But for the past two hundred years, no new second-rate Family had emerged.

Comparing the two, one could understand the gap between them.

But he just had such a strong intuition.