Transmigrating to the Song Dynasty: Water Margin Business Management

On the bustling streets of the capital, Zhao Tianming's restaurant was thriving and bustling with activity. Wu Dalang's steamed buns, with their unique flavor and exquisite craftsmanship, attracted numerous diners. Whether they were high-ranking officials in magnificent robes or peddlers in coarse linen clothes, they all flocked to Zhao Tianming's restaurant to buy these delicious steamed buns.

The restaurant was bustling with customers, and the waiters were working tirelessly. Zhao Tianming looked at the thriving business with a joyful smile on his face. However, he was unaware that a conspiracy was quietly approaching.

Upon learning that Zhao Tianming's restaurant business was booming again, Wang Zhiqiang's jealousy burned fiercely. He quickly decided to use all sorts of despicable means to deal with Zhao Tianming.

First, Wang Zhiqiang, along with his cronies Gao Ke and Yin Tianxi, spread rumors outside the restaurant, claiming that Wu Dalang's pancakes were made with inferior ingredients and would cause illness if eaten. Once this rumor spread, some uninformed people began to have concerns, and the restaurant's business was somewhat affected.

But Wang Zhiqiang wasn't satisfied with that. He knew that to completely bring down Zhao Tianming, he had to start from the root. So, he bribed some local thugs to deliberately cause trouble and create chaos in the restaurant. These thugs made a lot of noise, deliberately bumped into other customers, and even overturned tables, scaring the customers away.

Not only that, Wang Zhiqiang also set his sights on the land that Zhao Tianming had acquired. He approached local government officials, secretly bribing them to falsely accuse Zhao Tianming of using improper methods in acquiring the land, and demanded that the government reclaim it. Under the pressure and bribery from Wang Zhiqiang, the government began investigating Zhao Tianming.

Ximen Qing, following Wang Zhiqiang's orders, had Wu Dalang beaten up. That day, Wu Dalang was walking down the street as usual, carrying his steamed buns, when suddenly a group of masked thugs rushed out and surrounded him. Without a word, they began punching and kicking him. Wu Dalang was short and powerless to resist, and could only endure the beating. After the beating, the thugs viciously warned Wu Dalang, "Don't you dare make steamed buns for Zhao Tianming's restaurant again, or next time we'll kill you!"

Wu Dalang was beaten black and blue, and his pancake stand was smashed to pieces. He struggled back to the restaurant, and Zhao Tianming, seeing his miserable state, was furious.

"This must have been done by Wang Zhiqiang!" Zhao Tianming said through gritted teeth.

Faced with Wang Zhiqiang's numerous misdeeds, Zhao Tianming decided to no longer tolerate it. He began collecting evidence, preparing for a fierce confrontation with Wang Zhiqiang...

Seeing his brother Wu Dalang beaten to such a terrible state, Zhao Tianming was extremely anxious and hurriedly asked Wu Dalang, "Brother, who could have done such a thing?" Wu Dalang weakly shook his head and said with a pained expression, "I don't know either. These people were all masked. They came out of the alley and started beating me without saying a word."

Li Kui, who was standing nearby, was also furious and said to Wu Song, "Brother Wu Song, who else could have done this? It must be Manager Zhao's competitor."

Upon hearing this, Wu Song's eyes widened, burning with rage. His hands clenched into fists, knuckles white, and he gritted his teeth, saying, "Could it be that Wang Zhiqiang sent someone to do this? That scoundrel, he's always been treacherous and wicked. Now he dares to commit such a heinous act! I, Wu Song, will never forgive him!"

His tall and imposing body trembled slightly with rage, like a volcano about to erupt. "I'll go and break his bones right now, so he'll know what happens when he bullies my brother Wu Erlang!" Wu Song roared, his voice like thunder, making the ears of those around him ring.

As he spoke, Wu Song raised his leg to rush out, but Zhao Tianming quickly stopped him, saying, "Brother Wu Song, don't be impulsive. This matter needs to be discussed carefully."

Wu Song wouldn't listen to any of that. He flung Zhao Tianming's hand away and shouted, "What's the point of discussing this further? My brother has been beaten like this, are we just going to let it go? That villain Wang Zhiqiang, if we don't teach him a lesson, he'll think we're easy to bully!"

Zhao Tianming hurriedly said, "Brother Wu Song, I know you are angry, but Wang Zhiqiang is treacherous and cunning. If we go there rashly, we may fall into his trap."

Wu Song was panting heavily, his chest heaving violently. "So what if it's a trap? I, Wu Song, am a man of integrity. Am I afraid of him? I want to see what tricks he can pull!"

Li Kui also chimed in, "Brother Wu Song, Manager Zhao is right. We can't act impulsively. We need to figure out the situation first before figuring out how to deal with him."

Wu Song stopped in his tracks, glaring fiercely into the distance as if Wang Zhiqiang were right in front of him. "Fine, let's find out the truth first, but I'll settle this score with Wang Zhiqiang sooner or later!"

At this moment, Wu Song's anger had reached its peak. He paced back and forth in the room, his furious appearance chilling to the bone. "Brother, don't worry, I will definitely get justice for you!" Wu Song looked at Wu Dalang again, his eyes filled with determination and resolve.

Zhao Tianming looked at Wu Song, feeling both moved and worried. He knew Wu Song's character; once he made up his mind, nothing could change it. But facing an opponent like Wang Zhiqiang, he had to be careful, otherwise he might not only fail to avenge himself but also fall into an even greater crisis.

At this moment, Shi Qian came up with an idea and said to Wu Song, "Brother Wu, I have a way to help you get revenge." Upon hearing this, Wu Song immediately patted Shi Qian on the shoulder and said eagerly, "Brother, tell me!"

A sly glint flashed in Shi Qian's eyes as he slowly said, "Second Brother, why don't I continue the pancake business? I'm agile; these scoundrels won't get close to me so easily. When they come looking for trouble again, I'll deliberately hawk my wares on the street to lure them out. I've already observed their escape route; my second brother, just lead your men and hide in the shadows. When they rush over, we'll catch them red-handed. Then we'll ask Captain Lei Dutou and Captain Lei Hengzhu to be witnesses, so we can send them to the authorities to be brought to justice and receive the punishment they deserve."

Upon hearing this, Wu Song frowned slightly, pondered for a moment, and then said, "This plan is feasible, but you must be very careful not to hurt yourself."

Shi Qian patted his chest and assured him, "Second brother, don't worry, I know what I'm doing. I don't even care about those scoundrels."

Song Jiang, who was standing to the side, nodded and said, "Brother Shi Qian's plan is excellent, but we must be extremely careful in the process and not make the slightest mistake."

Wuyong chimed in, "Yes, if we can bring Wang Zhiqiang's men to justice, we can finally vent our anger."

Everyone agreed with Shi Qian's plan.

In the days that followed, Shi Qian continued to sell his steamed buns on the street, seemingly as usual, but in reality, he was constantly on guard for any movement around him. Meanwhile, Wu Song and a few of his brothers hid in a corner not far away, quietly waiting for those people to appear.

Several days passed, and those scoundrels still hadn't shown up. The crowd couldn't help but feel anxious, but Shi Qian remained calm.

Finally, on a bustling market day, a group of masked men rushed menacingly towards Shi Qian. Seeing this, Shi Qian quickly fled along his pre-planned route. The men pursued relentlessly, shouting insults as they went.

Shi Qian led them by turning left and right, until they reached the place where Wu Song and his men were lying in ambush. Seeing that the time was right, Wu Song gave a command and led his men out, surrounding the ruffians.

"You bunch of villains, let's see where you run to today!" Wu Song roared.

Those ruffians panicked when they realized they had been ambushed. Some tried to turn and run away, but Wu Song and his men held them firmly.

At this moment, the two constables, Lei Heng and Zhu Tong, also arrived in time.

"Take all these people to the government office!"

Lei Heng said loudly.

Thanks to everyone's efforts, these scoundrels were successfully captured and will face legal punishment.

Wang Zhiqiang was furious to see that the hooligans he had sent had been arrested. He urgently discussed countermeasures with Gao Ke, Lu Qian, and Yin Tianxi in his study.

"Hmph, I didn't expect that kid Zhao Tianming had this trick up his sleeve!" Wang Zhiqiang said through gritted teeth, his face dark.

Gao Ke squinted, pondered for a moment, and then said, "Brother Wang, we can start with his cash flow. We can arrange for someone to spread false information, saying that his restaurant has a huge financial hole and is about to go bankrupt, causing his creditors to panic and come to his door to collect their debts."

Wang Zhiqiang's eyes lit up, and he nodded, saying, "That's a good idea, but it's not ruthless enough."

Lu Qian leaned forward and lowered his voice, saying, "Why don't we bribe some officials to shut down his restaurant on trumped-up charges? Even if it's just for a short time, it will still severely damage his business."

Wang Zhiqiang nodded slightly and said, "That's right, but that would easily leave us with something to hold against us."

Yin Tianxi's eyes darted around, and he said with a sinister smile, "Manager Wang, we can use public opinion to deliver a fatal blow to him. We can hire a group of writers to write articles that slander his restaurant for its poor hygiene and bad service, causing the people to lose trust in it."

Wang Zhiqiang slapped his thigh and exclaimed, "That's a brilliant idea! We'll arrange for some people to create some 'accidents' near his restaurant, like fires or fights, to scare away the customers."

Gao Ke continued, "We can also tamper with his supply, bribe the transporters, deliberately damage the goods, or delay the transport time so that he has nothing to sell."

Wang Zhiqiang's lips curled up into a sinister smile: "Very good. Not only that, send people to his partners to sow discord, making them think that Zhao Tianming wants to monopolize the profits and ruin their cooperative relationship."

Lu Qian added, "Shopkeeper, we can also use the people around him. We can bribe his confidants and make them betray him at a crucial moment, leaking important business secrets."

Wang Zhiqiang laughed loudly: "Haha, that's the plan! I'll make sure Zhao Tianming never has a chance to recover!"

Thus, an even more insidious and sophisticated conspiracy swept over Zhao Tianming.