Transmigrating to the Song Dynasty: Water Margin Business Management

In Zhao Tianming's shop, everyone was furious because Emperor Huizong had listened to Gao Qiu's slander, released Tong Guan, and even bestowed Lin Chong's house upon them as a training ground.

"That idiot emperor actually listened to Gao Qiu's slander and released that villain Tong Guan, and even gave Instructor Lin's house to them as a training ground!" Li Kui's eyes widened in anger, and he slammed his axe heavily on the table, making the cups and saucers on the table shake violently.

Lu Zhishen clenched his fists, veins bulging on his forehead: "Is there any justice left? Is there no law? Brother Lin has suffered such injustice, I, Lu Zhishen, will definitely demand an explanation!"

Wu Song's face was also full of anger, his eyes flashing with cold light: "If we don't fight against such injustice, how can we stand in this world!"

Lin Chong stood aside, clenching his teeth, his eyes bloodshot, his grief and indignation beyond words.

Song Jiang's expression was solemn. He sighed and said, "Brothers, please calm down. This matter needs to be discussed carefully. Emperor Huizong is incompetent, and Gao Qiu is treacherous. We must not act rashly, lest we fall into the trap of these villains."

Wu Yong gently shook his feather fan, pondered for a moment, and said, "Brother is absolutely right. Now that Emperor Huizong has made this absurd decision, there must be treacherous officials in power in the court. If we act rashly, we may not have a chance of winning."

Lu Junyi said loudly, "But we can't just let it go like this. Are we just going to stand by and watch Brother Lin suffer this humiliation?"

The crowd began to discuss the matter, and the atmosphere inside the shop became extremely tense.

Zhao Tianming stepped forward and said, “Heroes, in my opinion, we should first send someone to find out the whereabouts of Tong Guan and Gao Qiu before making any plans.”

Song Jiang nodded and said, "Brother Zhao is right. We need to plan carefully before we act, and we must not act impulsively."

Li Kui shouted, "I can't stand this! Let's storm into Gao Qiu's mansion right now and take his dog's head!"

Song Jiang shouted, "Brother Li Kui, don't be impulsive! If this leads to the deaths of our brothers,..."

The crowd fell silent. Although they were angry, they also understood that what Song Jiang and Wu Yong said was not without reason.

After a while, Lin Chong slowly spoke: "Thank you all for speaking up for me. I swear I will not rest until I avenge this. But I will leave everything to you, brother."

Looking at everyone, Song Jiang said firmly, "Brothers, rest assured, this matter will not be left unresolved. We will definitely seek justice for Brother Lin!"

At the same time, Zhao Tianming demonstrated extraordinary wisdom and strategy in managing the shop. He knew that in order to have sufficient funds and resources to support Lin Chong in reclaiming the house, the shop's business had to reach new heights.

Zhao Tianming first expanded the shop by renting an adjacent storefront and renovating it to make the space more spacious and bright. He meticulously designed the display layout, categorizing and arranging the goods so that customers could more easily find what they needed.

Regarding the variety of goods, Zhao Tianming tirelessly traveled around, establishing connections with suppliers in various regions and introducing many novel, unique, and high-quality products. These included not only local specialties but also rare items from afar, greatly enriching the shop's product line.

To attract more customers, Zhao Tianming launched a series of promotional activities. He printed attractive flyers and sent people to distribute them throughout the streets and alleys, promoting the store's special offers and new product launches. At the same time, he also implemented a membership system, providing points and discounts for regular customers to increase customer loyalty.

Regarding service, Zhao Tianming requires his staff to be warm and attentive, patiently answering and fulfilling customers' questions and needs. He also trains his staff to master product knowledge, enabling them to provide customers with professional advice and recommendations.

On the other hand, Wang Zhiqiang racked his brains and used every trick in the book to please Gao Qiu and Tong Guan.

Wang Zhiqiang actively offered advice to Gao Qiu and Tong Guan. He suggested that Gao Qiu utilize the resources of the imperial court to win over local officials and form a powerful interest group. At the same time, he also proposed that Tong Guan strengthen military training on the training grounds to create an elite private army for any eventuality.

When Wang Zhiqiang saw that Gao Qiu and Tong Guan had set up a football training ground at Lin Chong's ancestral home, he keenly sensed the business opportunity there.

He first built a luxurious viewing pavilion near the training ground. The pavilion was exquisitely decorated and offered fine tea and snacks, as well as comfortable seating, but it was expensive and only the wealthy could afford it. At the same time, he hired a group of talented singers and dancers to perform for the audience during breaks in the games, increasing its appeal. To attract even more spectators, Wang Zhiqiang also spread rumors that important officials or celebrities would be attending the games, creating a buzz.

He also introduced a so-called "membership system," claiming that by paying high membership fees, one could obtain special privileges such as priority access to watch matches and opportunities to meet players. Furthermore, Wang Zhiqiang colluded with some gambling dens to run betting on football matches, taking a large cut of the profits.

Faced with Wang Zhiqiang's methods, Zhao Tianming chose a completely different strategy.

Zhao Tianming built a simple but tidy open-air spectator area not far from the training field, which he opened to the general public free of charge. He set up many affordable food stalls around the area, selling a variety of delicious and reasonably priced food and drinks.

To make watching the game more enjoyable, Zhao Tianming organized a group of children to perform a football show, demonstrating basic football skills and gameplay, which attracted the attention of many spectators.

He also launched a "fan vote" campaign, allowing viewers to vote for the best player in each match and providing practical prizes for the best player. At the same time, Zhao Tianming collaborated with some artisans to produce football-related trinkets, such as badges and pendants, which he sold to fans at low prices.

In addition, Zhao Tianming is well aware of the fans' love for football, so he set up a message board next to the field so that fans can write down their expectations for the game, suggestions for the team, and encouragement for the players.

In this way, Zhao Tianming engaged in fierce competition with Wang Zhiqiang through his approachable, fun, and highly interactive business methods, attracting more and more fans and customers.

Seeing Zhao Tianming's stall business booming and becoming a stark competitor to his own luxurious viewing pavilion, Wang Zhiqiang was furious.

One day, Wang Zhiqiang gathered his men together and said with a grim face, "That Zhao Tianming dared to go against me and ruined my plans. You all need to think of a way to teach him a lesson!"

The men looked at each other, at a loss for what to do.

At this moment, a weasel-faced fellow stepped forward and said, "Boss, why don't we find some thugs to smash up his stall?"

Wang Zhiqiang glared at him: "Idiot! Doing this is too obvious and will get you into trouble."

Just when everyone was at a loss, Gao Ke appeared.

Wang Zhiqiang hurriedly went up to him, his face full of flattery, and said, "Brother Gao, you have to stand up for me."

Gao Ke glanced at him sideways: "What's the matter that you're in such a panic?"

Wang Zhiqiang embellished his account of Zhao Tianming's competition with him, and finally pleaded, "Sir, could you please give me some advice?"

After a moment's thought, Gao Ke said, "How about this, you go and send some gifts to Jiao Hen Jingchun and his teammates, and let them cause trouble at Zhao Tianming's stall. They're football players, so their antics won't attract too much attention."

Upon hearing this, Wang Zhiqiang's eyes lit up immediately: "Brilliant! I'll have someone take care of it right away."

Wang Zhiqiang prepared generous gifts and found Jiaogen Jingchun and his team members.

"Brother Jingchun, I've come here today to ask you for a favor," Wang Zhiqiang said with a broad smile.

Jiaogen Jingchun was a burly man with a reckless personality. He asked in a gruff voice, "What is it?"

Wang Zhiqiang explained the whole story and then pointed to the gifts he had brought: "As long as you brothers help me with this, all of these are yours."

Jiaogen Jingchun glanced at the gifts, her heart wavering, but she still hesitated and said, "This isn't a good idea, what if we get caught..."

Wang Zhiqiang quickly replied, "Don't worry, no one will find out. There will be a generous reward after it's done."

Tempted by the potential profits, Jiaogen Jingchun finally agreed.

The next day, Jiaogen Jingchun and his team arrived at Zhao Tianming's stall. They deliberately made a lot of noise in front of the stall, shoving the crowd and knocking over tables and chairs.

Seeing this, Zhao Tianming stepped forward to argue: "What are you doing?"

With an arrogant air, Jingchun said, "We've taken a liking to this place, so get out of here!"

Zhao Tianming said angrily, "How can you be so unreasonable!"

The team members rushed forward and started smashing things, and the scene immediately descended into chaos.

The surrounding people condemned the evil deeds of Jiao He Jing Chun and his gang, but they ignored them and continued to cause trouble.

Just then, the sound of horses' hooves came from afar. It turned out that Gao Qiu had arrived with a group of soldiers.

Gao Qiu shouted loudly, "Who is causing trouble here?"

Upon seeing this, Jingchun and his teammates quickly pretended to be innocent.

Zhao Tianming knew this was a conspiracy by Gao Qiu and Wang Zhiqiang, but he had no evidence and could only grit his teeth in silence.

At this time, Gao Qiu had already colluded with Jiao Hen Jingchun and Wang Zhiqiang. When Zhao Tianming came to explain, Gao Qiu did not listen at all, and arrogantly waved his hand, ordering the soldiers to prepare to overturn Zhao Tianming's stall.

Just as the soldiers were about to make their move, Li Kui charged out, axe in hand. His eyes widened, and his roar was thunderous: "Who dares to move!" His imposing aura seemed capable of swallowing people whole. Gao Qiu was startled by this sudden turn of events, but quickly regained his composure, shouting with feigned bravado, "Who are you, daring to obstruct me?"

Li Kui, undaunted, roared back, "I, Li Kui, am a man of principle! You filthy scoundrels, how dare you bully me like this! I will never tolerate it!" The soldiers, intimidated by Li Kui's ferocity, dared not advance. The atmosphere on the scene became extremely tense, and a conflict was imminent.

Gao Qiu, riding arrogantly on his horse, shouted, "You people are simply rebels! You have no regard for the law! Arrest them all!"

Just then, Song Jiang, Wu Yong, Lu Junyi, Yan Qing, Wu Song, Lu Zhishen, Shi Qian, Shi Xiu, Dai Zong, Wang Ying and others appeared one after another.

Song Jiang cupped his hands and said, "Grand Commandant Gao, there must be a misunderstanding in this matter. I hope you will investigate thoroughly."

Gao Qiu sneered, "Song Jiang, you've gathered a crowd to cause trouble, what excuses do you have?"

Wu Yong stepped forward and said, "Grand Commandant Gao, Zhao Tianming is just doing his job honestly, yet he has suffered such injustice. We really can't stand by and watch."

Lu Junyi said loudly, "Grand Commandant Gao, please prioritize fairness and do not listen to the slander of petty people."

Yan Qing followed closely behind: "Grand Commandant Gao, if this matter is not handled properly, I'm afraid it will be difficult to convince the public."

Wu Song glared angrily and roared, "Gao Qiu, you corrupt official, don't even think about arresting people arbitrarily!"

Lu Zhishen brandished his monk's staff: "I think you're just deliberately making things difficult for me!"

Shi Qian and Shi Xiu also said in unison, "Grand Commandant Gao, we must not wrong an innocent person!"

Dai Zong flashed forward and said, "Grand Commandant Gao, this matter needs further consideration."

Wang Ying shouted at the top of his lungs, "You damned Grand Commandant, don't be so arrogant!"

Gao Qiu said arrogantly, "This place was bestowed upon Jiao Hen Jing Chun and the others by His Majesty as their training ground, and I am responsible for maintaining order. Do you dare to disobey His Majesty's decree?"

He rode on his horse, attempting to subdue the people with the emperor's decree.

Just then, Ruan Xiaoqi strode out. His eyes were wide open as he glared at Gao Qiu and shouted, "Gao Qiu, you old bastard, stop trying to intimidate me with the Emperor! I'll poke twenty or thirty holes in you first!" With that, he raised the harpoon in his hand, as if to charge at Gao Qiu.

Upon seeing this, Gao Qiu's face turned deathly pale, and his body involuntarily shrank back. He shouted in a trembling voice, "Rebellion! Rebellion! How dare you lay a hand on me!" But his eyes revealed obvious fear, and his originally straight back bent slightly.

"You treacherous villain, you always act arrogantly and domineeringly, and today you still want to bully others by relying on your power? No way!" Ruan Xiaoqi continued to approach Gao Qiu. The horse under Gao Qiu seemed to sense the threat and paved its hooves uneasily. Gao Qiu desperately pulled on the reins, trying to control the horse. He looked extremely disheveled.

The crowd around Gao Qiu burst into laughter at his timid and disheveled appearance. Gao Qiu was both ashamed and angry, but dared not make a move. He could only pretend to be calm on horseback, but his heart was in turmoil, and he didn't know what to do.