Daming: The system rejected my request for salted fish

So it's no surprise that he would be the first to stand up.

"Sir, could you please explain to us why the starting point is 200 miles and the increments are 60 miles?"

Hearing Xiong Hualin's question, Wei Wu looked at him a few more times before explaining:

"According to my plan, a post station needs to be set up every sixty miles along the cement road to provide food and lodging services to travelers."

"Apart from the toll booths along the two hundred-mile route, we can set up three post stations along the way. This is also one of your main ways to make money."

Wei Wu stopped here and gave these people some time to digest what he said.

Then after a while he continued:

"Under normal circumstances, an average person can only walk about 40 miles a day, excluding rest, eating, and sleeping."

"Although the merchants' horse-drawn and ox-drawn carts are faster, they carry large quantities of goods, so they're not much faster."

"It would be most reasonable to set up a post station along every sixty miles. In addition to providing food and lodging, you can also provide other things."

"For example, if the journey is too long, people will get tired. We can provide them with some relaxing services that men like."

As soon as Wei Wu finished speaking, the eyes of several people in the group lit up immediately.

Among them is Boss Zhang, Zhang Houjia, who was previously teased for always liking to go to Qinhuai River.

In fact, many businessmen, like Zhang Houjia, like to linger among flowers and spend lavishly in brothels.

Before joining the Sihai Chamber of Commerce, Zhang Houjia was a businessman who specialized in transporting goods between different places.

It was only after joining the Chamber of Commerce that he focused on the cement workshop, but he did not give up the shipping business.

So he is the one who has the most say in how boring the shipping process is.

Many times he felt extremely depressed on the road, but he had no way to deal with it and could only endure it silently.

But if, as Wei Wu said, brothel-like services were provided in the post station, there would definitely be money to be made.

These traveling merchants are not short of money. If they can spend ten taels in a brothel in the city, they don't mind spending fifteen taels at the post station.

At this moment, he even hoped to get the subcontract quickly, preferably one or several lines.

This way it would be easier to sell the goods in the future. However, just when Zhang Houjia was fantasizing about this.

Boss Wu Xianli, who looked like Maitreya Buddha next to him, suddenly interrupted.

"My Lord, as you said, contracting cement roads is indeed a promising business, but it also has many problems."

"For example, merchants carrying goods don't enter through the toll booths, but instead bypass them from other locations and quietly get onto the cement road."

"Then when we're almost at our destination, we can take a detour. That way, they don't have to pay us tolls!"

"Two hundred miles is too long. We can't monitor it all the time. We can't block both sides along the way!"

The fact that he could think of this was enough to prove that Wu Xianli was really listening attentively and had the idea of ​​taking the contract.

So, after Wu Xianli finished speaking, Wei Wu also came up with a solution.

"What Old Wu said is indeed a problem. There are ways to completely eliminate it, such as setting up fences along the way."

"Or when choosing a site for road construction, choose a location near mountains or water so that others can't get around it, but doing so will increase costs."

"So the best option is to use a relatively simple but effective method that does not increase costs."

Having said that, Wei Wu picked up the teacup and took a sip, then raised a finger and said:

"First, when merchants enter the cement road, the toll booth issues them relevant certificates based on the number of people and carriages."

"Only those who hold the certificate and pass the verification can enter the station to rest and enjoy the convenience and services of the station."

"If anyone can't produce proof, we will stop them and their goods and bring them to the nearest government office for the authorities to handle."

After hearing the solution proposed by Wei Wu, the members of the Chamber of Commerce also felt that this idea was indeed feasible.

After all, the distance between the two post stations is sixty miles, and people and horses must be tired and need to rest after a day of traveling.

However, without the certificate issued by the toll station, you cannot enter the post station, and then you can forget about solving the problem of food and accommodation.

However, at this time, Zhang Houjia, who often traveled around for business, also asked a question.

"My Lord, what if they don't enter the post station and just rest on the cement road, or even on the side of the road?"

Zhang Houjia had extensive experience in trading goods, and he knew best that merchants who were trading goods would always carry a lot of dry food.

In case you encounter trouble on the road and cannot continue moving forward, at least you can fill your stomach.

If the merchants entering the cement road bring their own dry food, then it will be fine even if they don't enter the post station for a few nights.

In fact, there was no need for Zhang Houjia to say anything about this, as Wei Wu had already considered it.

So after Zhang Houjia finished speaking, he raised his second finger and said:

"Then tell the merchants when they get the certificates that in order to ensure the smooth flow of traffic, the cement road is only for traffic."

"No one is allowed to stop overnight on the road. If you want to rest overnight, go to the post station. We will send people to check along the road at any time."

"Once they are found to be blocking traffic on the road overnight, they will not only be driven away but also be required to pay a certain amount of fine."

"You must remember one thing: although we are responsible for road maintenance and toll collection, this road ultimately belongs to the imperial court."

"Once anyone is found to have taken a detour onto the cement road to avoid paying tolls, they will be handed directly over to the court for punishment."

Everyone nodded immediately when they heard this. The Ming Dynasty had only been established for over a decade, and the deterrent power of the court was unquestionable.

These businessmen dared not go against the imperial court.

At this moment, Wei Wu raised his third finger.

"Finally, when you build cement roads, you can first check the surrounding environment to see if there are any obstacles."

"If it's a section of road where horse-drawn carriages can't pass through, such as a forest or a creek, we'll build the road normally, but if it's a flat section."

"Then raise the edges on both sides a little higher, turning them into thresholds, so that carriages can't pass through."

"As I said before, the road belongs to the imperial court. Anyone who dares to destroy the road threshold will not only have to pay compensation but will also be punished by the imperial court once discovered."

Although these measures cannot completely eliminate the problem of toll evasion, they are almost enough.

After all, there will always be people who test the law, and this kind of thing cannot be avoided.

So after Wei Wu finished speaking, all the members of the Chamber of Commerce nodded in agreement, and then looked at Wei Wu again.

Although they didn't say anything, Wei Wu understood what these people were thinking.

As a businessman, the most important thing is of course profit.