Transmigrating to the Song Dynasty: Water Margin Business Management

Seeing such an opportunity to expand his business and serve the country, Zhao Tianming naturally accepted it gladly.

He smiled and looked at Sun Fu, saying, "Boss Sun, this is a rare opportunity, and I, Zhao Tianming, will definitely seize it."

Standing to the side, He Xiang then spoke up: "Husband, since we've decided to go all out, I've always been thinking about opening a fur shop."

Zhao Tianming looked at He Xiang with affection and said, "Xiang'er, your idea coincides with mine. If we open this fur shop, we're sure to make something of ourselves."

He Xiang frowned slightly and said, "Husband, the choice of location for this shop is crucial. If it is not chosen well, it may affect the business."

Zhao Tianming nodded and said, "Xiang'er is absolutely right. I think we should consult Mr. Wu Yong about this matter. He is extremely intelligent and will surely be able to find an excellent location for us."

After saying this, Zhao Tianming immediately sent someone to invite Wu Yong.

Not long after, Wu Yong hurriedly arrived at the restaurant.

Zhao Tianming quickly stood up to greet him, pulled Wu Yong to sit down, and said urgently, "Mr. Wu Yong, please give me and Xiang'er some advice. We are planning to open a fur shop, but the location is really giving us a headache."

Wu Yong gently waved his feather fan, smiled slightly, and said, “Brother Zhao, don’t be in a hurry, let me think about it. In this capital city, prosperous areas like West Street are bustling with people and have a constant stream of customers, but the rent is quite high and the competition is fierce. East Street is slightly inferior, but it still has a lot of pedestrians, and the rent is relatively reasonable. There is also a corner on South Street, near the wealthy area. If we could open a shop there and sell high-quality furs, it would surely attract those wealthy families.”

He Xiang listened attentively and interjected, "Sir, in your opinion, where should we choose?"

Wu Yong pondered for a moment and said, "I think the place on South Street is quite good. Rich people value quality. If a fur shop can establish itself there and make a name for itself, its business will surely prosper in the future."

Zhao Tianming slapped his thigh and said, "What you say makes sense, sir. It's just that it might be hard to find a shop on South Street."

Wu Yong said confidently, "Brother Zhao, don't worry. I've already sent someone to inquire. There's a shop on South Street whose owner is looking to sell it due to an urgent family matter. We can go there to discuss it as soon as possible."

Zhao Tianming and He Xiang were delighted to hear this.

Zhao Tianming said, "Then let's not delay, let's go take a look."

The three immediately got up and headed to South Street. Upon arriving at the shop, Zhao Tianming carefully examined its location and interior layout, and was quite satisfied.

After some discussion, Zhao Tianming successfully took over the shop.

He Xiang said with great joy, "Husband, now our fur shop is settled."

Zhao Tianming said with a smile, "Xiang'er, we must manage this business well from now on and make it bigger and stronger."

Wu Yong added from the side, "Brother Zhao, sister-in-law, I believe that with your efforts, this fur shop will definitely be a booming business."

Upon learning of Zhao Tianming and his associates' fur business, Gao Ke hatched a plan. He approached Sun Fu and, through a combination of coercion and enticement, persuaded Sun Fu to act as his informant and bait.

Sun Fu was unwilling, but under Gao Ke's threat, he had no choice but to comply.

One day, Sun Fu came to Zhao Tianming's fur shop and said anxiously, "Manager Zhao, something bad has happened! There's been a problem with my supply in Liao Kingdom. We urgently need a batch of high-quality leather, otherwise our business will be ruined."

Zhao Tianming frowned: "Boss Sun, what should we do?"

Sun Fu lowered his voice and said, "Manager Zhao, I've heard some news. There's a mysterious merchant in the Liao Kingdom named Yelü Hong who has a batch of top-quality leather, but the price is a bit high. However, if we can get this batch, we can not only solve our immediate problem but also make a fortune."

Zhao Tianming hesitated: "Is this reliable? Could it be a scam?"

Sun Fu quickly said, "Manager Zhao, this is a rare opportunity. I've already contacted Yelü Hong, and he seems trustworthy. Besides, I can accompany you; there shouldn't be any problems."

He Xiang said from the side, "Husband, why don't we be careful and go take a look?"

Zhao Tianming pondered for a moment and nodded, saying, "Alright, but we need to discuss it with the brothers of Liangshan first."

Zhao Tianming informed the Liangshan heroes of the matter, and Wu Yong found it rather strange, advising everyone to proceed with caution. However, Lu Zhishen dismissed the warning, saying, "What's there to be afraid of! Are we Liangshan heroes afraid of such a small trap?"

Ultimately, persuaded by Sun Fu's clever words, the Liangshan heroes decided to go with Zhao Tianming.

They arrived at the agreed-upon location, a remote valley.

Yelü Hong, accompanied by several attendants and a batch of leather, waited there.

Zhao Tianming stepped forward to inspect the quality of the leather, and it was indeed of superior quality.

Just as they were about to make the deal, a group of ambushers suddenly appeared from all sides and surrounded them.

Lu Zhishen shouted, "Oh no! We've fallen into a trap!"

The Liangshan heroes immediately rose up in resistance, but the enemy was numerous and well-prepared, and the heroes gradually found themselves in a predicament.

Despite their valiant fight, they were unable to break through the enemy's encirclement. Gao Ke stepped out from the crowd, laughing triumphantly, "Haha, Liangshan bandits, today you have no chance of escape!"

Zhao Tianming glared at him angrily: "Gao Ke, you despicable scoundrel!"

However, the heroes' resistance thwarted Gao Ke's plan. At the critical moment, Song Jiang arrived with reinforcements.

Song Jiang shouted, "Brothers, hold on, we're coming!"

A fierce melee ensued between the two sides.

In the end, the Liangshan heroes successfully broke through the encirclement, but Gao Ke took advantage of the chaos to escape, and his conspiracy was not completely thwarted.

The group returned to Liangshan, their expressions solemn.

Song Jiang said, "Although we did not suffer major losses this time, Gao Ke is a cunning man, and we must be even more cautious in our dealings with him."

Wu Yong nodded and said, "Brother is absolutely right. We need to make new plans to prevent Gao Ke from using tricks again."

The Liangshan heroes knew that the road ahead would be even more difficult, and they had to unite as one to deal with Gao Ke's various conspiracies.

Seeing his brother and his comrades suffer a loss, Li Kui's anger flared instantly. Without a word, he picked up his heavy battle axes and went to settle accounts with Sun Fu.

"I'll kill that scoundrel! How dare he frame us Liangshan brothers!" Li Kui roared, his eyes bulging like copper bells.

The other brothers rushed forward to stop them.

"Brother Tie Niu, don't act rashly. Let's discuss this carefully first," Lin Chong advised.

"I don't care, I'm going to chop Sun Fu into mincemeat right now!" Li Kui ignored all advice and broke free from the crowd to rush out.

Lu Zhishen grabbed Li Kui: "Brother, what if you rush in recklessly and fall into the enemy's ambush?"

Li Kui forcefully shook off Lu Zhishen's hand: "I'm not afraid! I want to see what they can do to me!"

Song Jiang then stepped forward and said sternly, "Tie Niu, stop fooling around! This matter needs careful planning."

When Li Kui heard Song Jiang speak, although he was unwilling, he dared not disobey and could only stand aside angrily.

“Brother, Sun Fu is so despicable, we can’t just let him go like this,” Wu Song said.

Song Jiang pondered for a moment: "Sun Fu must have been acting under Gao Ke's orders, and there must be a conspiracy behind it. We need to send someone to find out Sun Fu's whereabouts before making any plans."

"I'm going!" Li Kui jumped out again.

“No, you’re too hasty; you’ll easily ruin things,” Wu Yong said, shaking his head.

Ultimately, it was decided that Dai Zong and Shi Qian would go and gather information.

After investigating, the two returned and reported that Sun Fu was hiding in a mansion in the city, surrounded by many guards.

Upon hearing this, Li Kui could no longer contain himself: "I'll go kill him right now!"

Song Jiang stopped him, saying, "Li Kui, don't be rash! We need to devise a comprehensive plan."

Wu Yong said from the side, "Brother, in my opinion, we can launch a surprise attack at night, take care of the guards first, and then capture Sun Fu."

Everyone nodded in agreement.

As night fell, the Liangshan heroes quietly approached the courtyard where Sun Fu was hiding.

Li Kui couldn't wait any longer and rushed to the front.

"Kill!" With this command, the men charged down the mountain like tigers, quickly eliminating the guards.

Li Kui kicked open the door and saw Sun Fu huddled in a corner, trembling with fear.

"You dog, where do you think you're going!" Li Kui raised his axe, ready to strike.

"Hero, spare my life! Hero, spare my life!" Sun Fu was so frightened that he collapsed to the ground.

Song Jiang walked in: "Sun Fu, why did you frame us?"

Sun Fu said with a mournful face, "Gao Ke forced me to do this. If I didn't comply, he would kill my whole family."

"Hmph, you cowardly coward!" Li Kui cursed.

Song Jiang said, "Sun Fu, if you can reveal all of Gao Ke's conspiracy, perhaps we can spare your life."

Sun Fu nodded hurriedly: "I'll tell you, I'll tell you. Gao Ke is also planning to collude with treacherous officials in the court to frame Liangshan and wipe them out in one fell swoop."

Everyone was shocked to hear this.

"That despicable Gao Ke, we will not let him succeed!" Li Kui gritted his teeth.

Song Jiang said, "Let's take Sun Fu back first, and then make further plans."

The group escorted Sun Fu back to Liangshan.

However, what they didn't know was that all of this was part of Gao Ke's plan. Gao Ke had already laid a trap around Liangshan, just waiting for the Liangshan heroes to walk right into it.

In the dimly lit secret chamber, the flickering candlelight illuminated Gao Ke's sinister face. His hands were clenched tightly, and his eyes gleamed with cunning and ambition.

"These bandits from Liangshan have repeatedly ruined my plans. This time, I'll make sure they never have a chance to rise again!" Gao Ke said through gritted teeth.

He was plotting a grand scheme. He knew the heroes of Liangshan were brave and loyal, and that a direct confrontation would not be enough to defeat them completely. So he decided to undermine them from within.

Gao Ke sent his spies to infiltrate villages near Liangshan and spread rumors that the Liangshan heroes were only after their own wealth and status and cared nothing for the lives of ordinary people. These rumors spread like wildfire, causing some uninformed villagers to develop suspicion and fear towards Liangshan.

At the same time, he bribed some treacherous officials in the court to slander Liangshan to Emperor Huizong, exaggerating the threat posed by Liangshan and claiming that Liangshan harbored rebellious intentions and attempted to overthrow the court. Emperor Huizong was already wary of Liangshan, and after hearing these slanders, he became even more vigilant towards them.

Gao Ke also secretly colluded with other Jianghu (江湖, the martial arts world) forces, offering them large sums of money and power to turn them against Liangshan. Driven by self-interest, these Jianghu forces readily agreed, preparing to launch an attack on Liangshan at a crucial moment.

In addition, he sent men to poison the water source at Liangshan, hoping to weaken the fighting power of the Liangshan heroes. He also arranged for men to cut off Liangshan's food supply, attempting to put them in a difficult situation.

"Hmph, once Liangshan is thrown into chaos, I will launch a full-scale attack and wipe them out!" Gao Ke laughed smugly, as if he could already foresee the destruction of Liangshan.

Meanwhile, Liangshan was unaware of Gao Ke's series of insidious and ruthless plots, and was gradually falling into crisis. The fate of the Liangshan heroes remained uncertain.