The world of film and television starts from the flow of money

The banquet was held in a magnificent hall. As the lights came on, the smell of burning lamp oil filled the air, interweaving with the fragrance of spices such as pepper, ginger, dogwood, and cassia twigs, creating a unique and rich atmosphere.

Servants brought a variety of delicacies to the table one after another, making it hard to take it all in. The most eye-catching one was the carefully roasted little camel, which was placed on a huge silver plate, exuding an alluring aroma and with a golden and crispy skin.

"This is a Tuotu, which is often found near the desert in the lands of the Xiongnu and Yuezhi."

Wu Shiluo, who was sitting nearby, had a smile on his face and a hint of pride in his eyes. He was afraid that Yi Huawei and others didn't understand, so he introduced the origin of the camel in detail.

Xiao Xizi and Ada stared at this strange roasted camel with wide eyes, full of curiosity. Yi Huawei looked calm, as if he was not surprised by this. He just smiled and talked about the food on the table with Wu Shiluo.

After chatting for a while, the topic turned to what they had seen in the north. Wu Shiluo enthusiastically recounted his experiences in the north, the vast grasslands, the herds of cattle and sheep, and the unique customs and practices, making everyone feel as if they were there.

Yi Huawei coughed lightly and directed the topic to another direction: "Looking at Wu Jun, this official thought of Yidun. Like Wu Jun, he made his fortune by raising livestock..."

"Oh?"

When Wu Shiluo heard this, he immediately became interested, and curiosity flashed in his eyes.

The brothers were originally Rong people. Although they had traveled to foreign lands for many years and had a wide range of knowledge, they had limited knowledge of Chinese culture. Although Yidun, who lived more than 200 years ago, was once extremely wealthy, his wealth and fame had gradually disappeared in the long river of history as time passed. Therefore, Wu Shi did not know this person. Therefore, he could not wait to ask Yi Huawei to tell the story of Yidun in detail.

"Yidun was originally from the State of Lu, which is today's Xue County..."

Yi Huawei said slowly: "He lived in poverty in his early years. He often went hungry while farming and was always attacked by the cold while planting mulberry trees and raising silkworms. His life was very difficult.

But Yidun was not content with a poor life. He had great ambitions and wanted to change his fate. When he heard that Tao Zhugong was doing business in Dingtao, managing his property and accumulating wealth, and had become a millionaire three times in just 19 years with his keen business acumen and excellent management skills, he was extremely envious. So Yidun took the opportunity of Tao Zhugong recruiting retainers and traveled thousands of miles to ask for advice.

Wu Shiluo had naturally heard of the name of Tao Zhugong Fan Li. Tao Zhugong was not only rich, but also the embodiment of business wisdom, and his business philosophy was highly respected by the world. What Wu Shiluo envied the most was that even though the Tao Zhu family enjoyed huge wealth, they were able to maintain their wealth for a long time, and it has lasted for hundreds of years. For businessmen, it may not be difficult to get rich overnight, but it is not easy to maintain wealth for a long time.

Yi Huawei continued, "After Tao Zhugong had a conversation with Yidun, he carefully analyzed the price situation and market demand at the time and gave Yidun a shortcut. He said, 'If you want to get rich quickly, you should raise five females!'"

Males are males, females are females, and cows and mares are domesticated, and they are mated with excellent breeding bulls and stallions. In this way, the offspring born can gradually multiply and grow. As time goes by, the number of livestock increases, and wealth accumulates naturally. This is exactly the experience that Wu Shiluo used to accumulate wealth in his early years. Now, when he heard that Tao Zhugong also taught Yidun in this way, he suddenly felt a sense of confidant.

"I really envy Yidun. He was lucky enough to be taught by a famous teacher, but I can only figure everything out on my own." Wu Shiluo sighed and asked, "I wonder how his business is doing now?"

Yi Huawei put down the wine glass in his hand and continued, "After listening to Tao Zhugong's words, Yidun resolutely left his hometown and traveled thousands of miles to Jin, and finally settled in Yishi County, which was rich in water and grass. There, he began to raise cattle and sheep on a large scale. With his hard work and wisdom, as well as the business methods taught by Tao Zhugong, he became a wealthy man in just ten years. Because he started his career in Yishi, he was called Yidun, and gradually became famous in Jin and Lu."

"But..." Yi Huawei's tone suddenly changed and he paused slightly.

Wu Shiluo was immersed in Yidun's legendary story. When he heard this unfinished meaning, his heart suddenly tightened and he hurriedly asked, "But what?"

Yi Huawei reached out his hand, picked up the salt shaker on the table, and then slowly said: "However, after ten years of animal husbandry, Yidun realized a problem. He believed that merchants could not rely on just one industry to get rich forever. The market is fickle and the risk of operating a single industry is too great. So, in addition to animal husbandry, he began to get involved in another industry - the sale of salt.

When Yidun sold cattle and sheep, he would also use the animals to carry some pond salt and sell it together with the animals. This not only increased the source of income, but also reduced the risks brought by a single industry. It must be said that Yidun did have an extraordinary business vision and keen market insight. "

Yi Huawei continued, "A few years later, Zhao Wuxiu, the head of the Zhao family, planned to destroy the Dai Kingdom and open up the Hu land. The Zhao family then owned a large number of cattle and horses. As a result, Yidun's livestock business suffered a great impact and became difficult to do."

Wu Shiluo listened silently, but thought to himself: "Yidun and I are so much alike..."

The Wu family also started out by raising livestock. Initially, the family members were content with a life of modest wealth. But Wu Shiluo had greater ambitions. He knew that the market was unpredictable. Although business was good now, no one could guarantee what would happen tomorrow. Therefore, he began to try to diversify his business and started the silk and horse trade between the inland and the military. Later, he gradually added the trade of grain, brown sugar, salt and other commodities. In the words of later generations, it was to increase the diversity of commodities to avoid risks.

However, as Qin Shihuang was determined to implement the policy of westward expansion, targeting Wu Shiluo's trading partners, the Xiongnu and Yuezhi, Wu Shiluo knew that his business was about to face huge challenges.

After Qin conquered Hexi, Henan, and Hetao, three huge pastures would be opened up, and a large number of cattle, sheep, and horses would flood into the inland market. As a result, the price of the Wu family's livestock would definitely plummet.

Furthermore, unlike the six states that practiced market economy, the Qin Dynasty followed the planned economy route of a large country and a large government. In the Qin Dynasty, not to mention the major national interests such as salt and iron, even wine, meat, cloth and other items were almost monopolized by the government. The "official mountain and sea" policy proposed by Guan Zhong was implemented most thoroughly in Qin, which was the farthest from Qi.

Therefore, although Wu Shiluo is now in a position comparable to that of a feudal lord, in the eyes of the government, he is just a dog that makes money for them and has no right to interfere in the salt industry in the mainland.

The salt market in the interior was firmly controlled by the government, so Wu Shiluo turned his attention to the outside of the Great Wall. The salt in Beidi County mainly relied on the "Huamachi" (between Yanchi County, Ningxia and Dingbian County, Shaanxi) located 200 miles outside the Great Wall. Huamachi is full of brine, the lake water is bitter, the lake surface is crystal clear like a mirror under the sunlight, and the whole lake is white. A lot of salt can be produced every year. The local Yanrong made a living from this, and the Xiongnu also regarded them as their "salt slaves". Every year, Wu's caravans would be divided into two routes for trade. The western route was to go to Huangzhong, Yuezhi, to exchange various commodities. The eastern route was to first go to the Xiongnu grazing land on the eastern foot of the Helan Mountains, and exchange goods from the Central Plains for cattle and horses. Then, they would drive the cattle and horses east to Huamachi and let the horses and cattle carry the local green salt on their backs. Then, they would go east to Shangjun and then go south to Xianyang. Although Xianyang was not short of salt, Wu Shiluo could dispose of the cattle and horses here, and the remaining horses would pull the salt back to the north, thus making huge profits.

But since I heard that the widow Qing's family was relocated to Xianyang, the original right to develop the Bashu well salt was also taken back by Your Majesty, and the mining of Bashu salt was exclusively owned by the counties.

While gloating over the misfortune, Wu Shiluo couldn't help but feel a sense of grief. Qin Shihuang would definitely send officials to settle directly in Huamachi and implement the court's exclusive franchise.

He could feel that it was different from the time when he conquered the six kingdoms, when Qin Shi Huang needed the financial support of wealthy merchants such as Wu and Ba to support the war. But now that the world was unified and Qin Shi Huang was rich, he no longer needed these wealthy merchants.

The Qin Dynasty's policies were tightening, and the government's control over commerce was becoming increasingly strict. There were fewer and fewer profitable businesses left for wealthy merchants like the Wu family and the Ba family.

This is why Wu Shiluo was willing to spend 20 million yuan to buy the exclusive rights of tea, salt and soy sauce in Sanchuan and Yingchuan counties. For Wu Shiluo, he was not afraid of Zhao Gao's high price, but was only worried that Zhao Gao would not agree to it.

However, although Zhao Gao finally gave in, the franchise license was subject to geographical restrictions and had to be renewed every three years. This made Wu Shiluo secretly curse Zhao Gao for being cunning. This meant that he had to do his best to operate in every three-year cycle to ensure that his business empire would not be affected too much.

In the magnificent hall, the candlelight flickered, illuminating Yi Huawei's slightly solemn face: "In fact, I came here today specifically because I have two big deals that I want to discuss carefully with Mr. Wu."

Yi Huawei smiled slightly, gently put down the exquisite wine glass in his hand, and looked at Wu Shiluo opposite him.

Upon hearing this, Wu Shiluo put down the wine glass in his hand, bowed solemnly to Yi Huawei, and responded:
"Appreciate further details!"

Looking at Yi Huawei, Wu Shiluo couldn't help but feel a little uneasy, wondering what this so-called big deal was all about.

To be fair, although Zhao Gao was cunning and sinister, it is undeniable that he did have certain abilities. Moreover, as the shadow of Qin Shihuang, Wu Shiluo had no room to refuse Zhao Gao at all.

Yi Huawei's mouth corners slightly raised, revealing a meaningful smile, and said: "The business I'm talking about that can bring huge profits, there is a distant one, and a nearby one, I wonder which one Wu Jun wants to hear first?"

Wu Shiluo was slightly stunned, as if he had not expected Yi Huawei to ask such a question, but he quickly came to his senses and answered without hesitation: "Far!"

In this case, Yi Huawei cleared his throat and started from the distant past: "Mr. Wu, over the years, have you never wondered whether the silks sold to the Yuezhi and Xiongnu were kept for their own use or whether they would continue to go west and sell them to the exotic states on the other side of the Flowing Sand at ten times the price?"

After that, Yi Huawei paused for a moment, took off the jade pendant from his waist, gently pushed it in front of Wu Shiluo, and asked, "How much do you think this jade is worth?"

Wu Shiluo carefully held the jade pendant with both hands and looked at it carefully. The jade pendant was warm and translucent, and it shone softly under the candlelight. After a moment, he replied: "This piece of jade is of high quality and finely carved. It is worth at least tens of hundreds of gold!"

Yi Huawei nodded slightly, with a satisfied smile on his face: "Do you know where this jade comes from?"

Wu Shiluo's heart moved, and he instantly understood what Yi Huawei meant. A glimmer of excitement flashed in his eyes, but he quickly regained his composure and asked cautiously: "What does Lord Zhao mean..."

In this era, apart from those ambitious conquerors, merchants are always the pioneers of exploration and discovery.

Just like the Europeans after the Renaissance, they have been eager to bypass the Ottoman Empire and trade directly with India and China, so they have been rushing to the sea to explore unknown routes. In the Central Plains of this era, not only the emperor was full of yearning for the mysterious Kunlun and the Queen Mother of the West, but merchants like Wu Shiluo also wanted to find the origin of jade directly? After all, that means endless wealth and glory.

However, Yi Huawei knew in his heart that he did not have time to do all these things. Moreover, only by setting an example for those merchants could they be fully motivated. Therefore, this important task had to be handed over to the experienced caravan of the Wu family.

"If you want to find Kunshan's jade, you must go west through the grasslands! The Xiongnu don't engage in trade, so they won't deliberately obstruct it. But the Xiongnu like to rob merchants, so the risk is not small."

As he spoke, Wu Shiluo glanced at Yi Huawei and said with a smile: "However, taking this route can also help Your Majesty to find out the strength of the Xiongnu!"

"Mr. Wu is indeed extremely intelligent and clever! No wonder he was able to earn such a huge fortune!"

Yi Huawei smiled gently, his eyes full of admiration. He said slowly: "In the past three hundred years, many wealthy businessmen have emerged in the Central Plains. However, apart from Fan Li, the Duke of Tao Zhu, there is no other one who can be rich for two generations, and even affect his descendants. Why is this? Are the children of those wealthy businessmen stupid and incompetent? In my opinion, this is not the case. It is because although they have a huge fortune, they have made no contribution to the country. In the eyes of the monarch and ministers, they are like lice, a scourge to the country. Under heavy oppression, those sons of wealthy people may become poor overnight."

At this point, Yi Huawei changed the subject and looked at Wu Shiluo again: "And now, Wu Jun has been spying on the military intelligence of the Xiongnu and Yuezhi for our country, which is a great achievement. He has also opened up a new trade route for Daqin, which is an even greater contribution. In this way, Wu Jun can not only obtain a fortune, but also find a great way to preserve the wealth of his family. I think in a few years, Wu Jun will probably really be granted the title of a king and a marquis!" (End of this chapter)