Making you a son-in-law is not about making you conquer the world.

"With these two treasures, we can make a lot of money," Xu Jianren said, rubbing his hands together, wishing he could immediately build several large pots and extract all the crude oil at once.

“If these are really the only two treasures, I won’t let you mine.” Lin Ping’s expression became even more mysterious.

The tarpaulin was sold at a loss, and the price of kerosene lamps wasn't too high. Earning a few hundred thousand taels of silver to break even wouldn't be difficult, but earning more silver would be a bit tricky.

"Bring a big rock," Lin Ping instructed patiently.

From the moment he saw the crude oil, he became interested and determined to maximize its value.

Before long, two workers, panting, carried over a large stone and carefully placed it on the ground.

"Smash the stone, the smaller the better."

Next, the two sledgehammers were raised and lowered repeatedly, and within a radius of dozens of meters, only the clanging sound of hammering could be heard.

The two worked very hard and definitely deserved their salary.

After the large rock was smashed, Lin Ping poured asphalt on it and then tamped it down with wooden stakes.

The originally bumpy ground immediately became smooth and flat, and even if water was poured on it continuously, it would not become muddy.

"What if we paved the official road with pebbles and asphalt?" Lin Ping asked with great interest, fully stimulating their imagination.

Zhu Xiaoji jumped on the asphalt road to make sure it wouldn't collapse before boldly saying, "It can be transported even in heavy rain."

"Anything else?" Lin Ping continued to ask.

“The transportation speed can be doubled!” Xu Jianren added.

"Hmm, not bad, keep going." Lin Ping squinted, wanting to hear more of their insights.

"The carriage won't bounce, and the wheels will last longer," Tang Wunao added.

Lin Ping sat up abruptly, giving a thumbs-up and saying, "Quite good, you actually thought of this problem."

In ancient times, transportation was mostly done by using crossbows to pull wooden carts, which inevitably led to several problems. On rainy days, the carts could not travel on muddy roads, and even on sunny days, they would slow down when encountering potholes.

There was an even more serious problem: no matter how good the quality of the carriage, the wheels would break down after a few trips, wasting time and increasing repair costs.

While asphalt roads do not prevent tire wear, they reduce vibration and thus extend tire life.

"Should we open a security escort agency?" Zhu Xiaoji suddenly suggested.

Logistics companies in the Wu Kingdom are highly sought after and generate substantial profits. Owning asphalt roads is tantamount to standing at the top of the food chain, easily surpassing all other escort agencies.

"You want to be a bodyguard?" Lin Ping asked irritably.

The role of a security escort agency is not just to transport heavy goods, but also to transport valuable goods. This inevitably makes them a target for bandits. Without a few skilled martial artists under their command, they would be slaughtered like lambs.

Zhu Xiaoji immediately shut his mouth. He knew his own limitations and it wasn't worth risking his life for a little more money.

"We do transport goods, but not valuable goods. At present, it seems to be mostly salt. Moreover, we only transport our own goods and do not take on outside jobs," Lin Ping explained in general terms.

"Listen up, everyone. From today onwards, we must spare no effort to mine stones and pave asphalt roads, striving to open up the routes from Jiangcheng to Yancheng and from Yancheng to the port in the shortest possible time," Lin Ping solemnly ordered.

At the same time, 200,000 taels of silver were left as start-up capital for the project.

Zhu Xiaoji and the others were stunned. That was their hard-earned money. How could it be used to serve the people?

The asphalt road they laid is accessible to others as well.

Feng Yanhao secretly rejoiced, thankful that he had stayed in Yancheng and hadn't been robbed by Lin Ping.

"Brother Tang, your 100,000 taels of silver hasn't arrived yet. Are you thinking of giving up on this project?" Lin Ping said sarcastically.

Tang Wunao broke out in a cold sweat, hurriedly found a fine horse, and galloped back to Jiangcheng Prefecture to raise money.

With the business model established, the next step is to increase production.

Lin Ping wasn't worried about the mining speed. Under immense pressure, crude oil was bubbling up the surface at an extremely fast pace. He was even worried that production wouldn't be fast enough, leading to waste of crude oil.

Distillation is definitely the biggest problem. Even if they bring in hundreds of large pots, they can't keep pouring cold water onto the bamboo poles. If the water doesn't cool down in time, it will cause a lot of waste.

Since Lin Ping planned to produce oil, he must have thought of a way in advance.

Although it lacks the standard heat exchangers found in chemical plants, as well as various refrigerants for cooling, it has natural river water at a temperature sufficient to cool kerosene.

Next, Lin Ping spent a lot of money to hire a blacksmith to forge copper pipes.

Although the temperature of charcoal is not high enough to melt steel, it is enough to melt brass, giving rise to forging technology, and seamless copper pipes appeared in the sight of the Wu people for the first time.

He laid the entire copper pipe across the river, using one end on the riverbank for fire and the other end for collecting liquid, increasing efficiency several times over.

This miraculous feat astonished everyone, who all revered Lin Ping as a god.

Only a god could turn black, viscous substance into a transparent liquid.

Lin Ping had an even bolder idea in his mind.

Kerosene could not only be used as an oil lamp, but also to smelt steel. Its combustion temperature was far higher than that of charcoal, which could completely melt steel, thus enabling true casting technology.

The iron and steel industry will experience a fundamental leap forward, but Lin Ping doesn't want to say what it will produce yet.

This project was too massive and mentally taxing to be completed by Lin Ping alone. He didn't want to waste too much time; he just wanted to focus on making money.

Lin Ping stayed in the mining area for three days, spending most of his time providing guidance.

Three days later, dozens of large cauldrons stood majestically by the river, and passersby who were unaware of the situation often came here to beg for food.

With so many pots and pans, you must be making delicious food.

Lin Ping was helpless; he couldn't very well give them a piece of asphalt to eat. To be honest, he really couldn't bear to part with it.

Over three days, the workers quarried a large amount of stones, laid them on the official road, and then spread asphalt on top.

Since the official roads were already sturdy, and the Wu Kingdom didn't have large vehicles, there was no need for excessive compaction. If transported by horse-drawn carriages, they wouldn't break down for thirty to fifty years.

It is illegal to openly lay asphalt on the official road; those who do not know the law might think they are vandalizing the road.

Therefore, Lin Ping should thank his father-in-law, whom he had abandoned. If the father-in-law hadn't turned a blind eye, things would have gone so smoothly for them.

These two people appeared to be at odds, but their hearts were as clear as a mirror.

You're above me protecting me, and I'm below making money for you.

Three days later, Lin Ping set off again, taking with him the 100,000 taels of silver that Tang Wunao had just stolen.

Instead of responding directly to Tianfu, he went to the dock east of Yancheng, which was also the territory under the jurisdiction of the city lord of Shancheng.