Chapter 157: Business Genius

Liu Zheng looked stunned.

"This, this is..."

The Feudatory Kings attending the meeting were all blocking the doorway one by one.

"Prefect Liu has finally returned!"

"Haha, Prefect Liu, we were just passing by; might we trouble you for a cup of water?"

"Prefect Liu displayed such divine might today, might we treat you to a banquet?"

Everyone had their own reasons, and as they looked at one another, their gazes were shifty and filled with hidden malice.

Liu Zheng was caught between laughter and tears; in truth, he had long known what these people had come for. They wanted to buy his weaponry! But this sort of thing was not like a War Horse, which could be divided up and bought by everyone together.

The weaponry and equipment from the Yinzhou Weaponry Workshop were all mutually counteractive.

If a Feudatory King who held a grudge against him knew exactly how many Mo swords or wolf-brush spears he had ordered this year, wouldn't it be easy for them to target him?

That was why they were all desperate to speak with Liu Zheng alone.

Liu Zheng laughed heartily: "Gentlemen, I understand your intentions, but when it comes to weaponry, transactions must indeed be handled with caution. Therefore, there is no need for you to discuss this with me personally!"

The crowd was filled with confusion.

If they didn't talk to him, who were they supposed to talk to?

The Prince of Shu looked grave: "Prefect Liu, this matter must be discussed with you personally; it must never be left to your subordinates!"

The others nodded in succession.

Wasn't a single Account Book from the Baiya Army enough to keep these people trembling with fear?

Liu Zheng said: "I do not mean to offend you, my lords, but I have my own arrangements for this. Please wait a few days while I draft a set of procedures, how about that? In these next few days, I will have someone deliver the price lists for the Weaponry Workshop to you all. You can consider them first, and then we shall talk?"

The crowd knew this could not be accomplished in one stroke.

Weaponry and equipment were things that exposed one's ambitions even more than War Horses!

With that said, the crowd finally dispersed.

Liu Zheng let out a sigh of relief and finally returned to his room, only to find Zheng Yue Ru, Qin Zhangfeng, and Jiang Xuan already waiting inside.

All three of them wanted to speak.

Liu Zheng gave a wry smile and waved his hand: "One at a time."

These past few days, he had truly been overwhelmed, and his brain felt like it wasn't enough.

Zheng Yue Ru spoke first: "Brother Liu mentioned a few days ago that there would be a new method for trading weaponry and equipment. A representative of a Feudatory King has already approached me to discuss this. What do you think?"

Liu Zheng chuckled: "That's right, this is exactly what I have been pondering. The issue of the Account Book in Baiya Prefecture has already caused a huge stir, and the people's hearts are in chaos. At this moment, this Account Book is both a life-saving talisman and a double-edged sword for the Baiya Army."

The three of them nodded in unison.

To put it nicely, the Baiya Army could use this Account Book to threaten those Feudatory Kings.

But to put it bluntly...

It was also easy to drive the Baiya Army into a desperate situation; after all, you are merely an official-bandit, you don't even have an official status—isn't it just a matter of a single word to take you down?

Zheng Yue Ru said: "But the situation in Yinzhou is different..."

Liu Zheng shook his head: "No matter how different the situation is, you must give your customers enough sense of security for business to last! You must tell them that we don't need any Account Book to use as leverage! Only then can we maintain our neutrality in these chaotic times!"

Jiang Xuan shook his head and said: "Young Master, if we say that, who among them will believe it! Things like Account Books have existed since ancient times!"

Zheng Yue Ru and Qin Zhangfeng felt the same way.

Liu Zheng laughed heartily: "If they don't believe it, then we'll find a way to make them believe it!"

"What method?"

The three of them looked on curiously.

Liu Zheng said calmly: "Dark Web trading!"

"What?"

The three of them could not understand.

Liu Zheng chuckled.

This world certainly had no internet. Perhaps even after he died, he might not necessarily catch up to that era... but he believed that this concept could be imitated!

What is the Dark Web?

A deep network, an anonymous network!

All transactions here would leave no traceable tracks.

If one could build such a network in this world, then there would naturally be no need to worry about issues like Account Books or traces.

But how to build this network? How to construct this exchange platform, and how to realize it in this era?

This required deep thought.

The most important technology that the Dark Web of later generations relied on was hiding routing information! What did this mean? It meant that when any user connected to the Dark Web, they did not need to leak their identity to any network server or router they passed through; this was "Onion Routing"!

In fact, when Liu Zheng went to Loulan to open up the Silk Road, this concept had already popped into his mind—a deep Silk Road!

And for this Dark Web Silk Road, he had long since selected the most suitable location, which was Loulan!

Or rather, a certain location between Yinzhou and Loulan.

Because no matter what kind of transaction it was, if it happened within the Longyan Dynasty, it would be discovered; this was beyond doubt, as the Secret Guard of the imperial court were not just sitting around doing nothing.

Only a place that was sufficiently diverse, multinational, and multifaceted, and sufficiently inclusive, could erase all traces of these people. Another consideration was that his Dark Web should lead to the whole world, not just Longyan.

Only then could he maximize his own interests.

"No traces? How is that possible?"

Liu Zheng introduced his concept in a concise manner, and Zheng Yue Ru immediately shook her head: "Brother Liu, this is absolutely impossible!"

"Why?"

Liu Zheng smiled: "The things we produce are sent to Loulan via Yintan City. If those Feudatory Kings want to buy them, they can just go to Loulan to buy them. It has nothing to do with us anymore; what is impossible about that?"

As for the means of transport, that is not something he needs to consider...

The Feudatory King can handle it himself!

In this way, who would know exactly how many wolf-fang clubs and how many long sabers the Feudatory King has bought?

Afraid of being investigated during transport? That is even easier to handle; you can mix them with commercial goods and transport them in batches—this batch by land, that batch by Water Transport—as long as they aren't intercepted, who would pry into your military equipment information?

Moreover, Liu Zheng sits in Yintan City and the Silk Road, and can also provide them with security.

Come to think of it, this isn't strictly a Dark Web, just a neutral trading zone!

Yet it can perfectly avoid many problems.

Zheng Yue Ru shook her head and said, "Brother Liu, even so, there will still be an Account Book!"

Transactions of real gold and silver always leave a trail.

Liu Zheng laughed heartily: "Therefore, we must have a currency of our own!"

"What?"

The three of them were shocked on the spot.

Currency?

This is no small matter!

Jiang Xuan was startled: "Young Master, are you planning to mint private currency? That, that, that is a crime punishable by beheading!"

Liu Zheng rolled his eyes and gave him a flick on the forehead: "This currency is not that currency. This kind of currency can only circulate within our Yinzhou Chamber of Commerce! You can also understand it as a Silver Note!"

The three of them breathed a sigh of relief.

Everyone knows what a Silver Note is...

Many large money shops today have Silver Notes, which facilitate merchants from the north and south.

Hearing this, a flash of inspiration finally struck Zheng Yue Ru's mind: "Brother Liu means..."

Liu Zheng's eyes flickered: "We only handle the issuance of currency and the production of goods; the transactions all take place in Loulan. As for who bought what—whether they bought Perfume or weaponry—it has absolutely nothing to do with us, understand?"

"Unlike traditional Silver Notes, the currency of our Yinzhou Chamber of Commerce can not only be used to deposit and withdraw gold and silver, but can also be used for all consumption occurring within the Yinzhou Chamber of Commerce, and can even be gifted or traded between people!"

"We only recognize the currency, not the person! We don't need to—and I might even say, we are unable to—keep any Account Book! Any peer-to-peer transaction is completed by the participants themselves; they can pass it through one hand, two hands, and then use it again. The degree of freedom is extremely high!"

"You tell me, where would the traces be, where would the Account Book be?"

Liu Zheng smiled faintly.

Cryptocurrency, plus the Dark Web!

Discarding the so-called "public, transparent, and traceable" nature of Blockchain, but retaining its characteristics of "honesty," "fairness," and "credit." And the rich scenarios and methods of this type of transaction can achieve collaboration and consensus between multiple entities!

Liu Zheng believes this.

Although there are no Computers in this era.

But in fact, the principles behind it are all the same. Sometimes, the connection between human brains, their computing power, and the energy produced is not inferior to a calculator!

To put it plainly!

To say so much that is complicated, it is actually very simple; it is just a few words.

Decentralization!

Whether it is Refined Salt or Weaponry and Equipment, it must be like this.

Avoid following the old path of the Baiya Army and inviting unnecessary trouble!

The three people looked at each other in dismay.

An absolutely neutral, highly confidential, non-politically inclined place for transit.

A type of currency that leaves no traces.

A transaction method with such strong customer selectivity, convenience, and secrecy.

And...

In this way, one can imagine that a massive amount of gold and silver will surely rush toward Yinzhou...

My god!

How exactly is this Young Master Liu's brain made?

This matter sounds very simple, but Liu Zheng has utilized many concepts from later generations such as the Dark Web, neutral transit, Blockchain, Cryptocurrency, and so on...

Thinking deeply, at every link, he has perfectly avoided illegal procedures and perfectly avoided the pursuit of traces. If those Feudatory Kings use their brains a little, they can purchase weaponry and equipment without leaving any traces; why wouldn't they do it?

Zheng Yue Ru blinked: "Brother Liu, this currency of ours..."

"Bought with gold, issued with limits on time and quantity! Still the same saying: we only recognize gold, not the person!"

Zheng Yue Ru gave a wry smile.

A commercial genius!

Just at this moment, a knock on the door sounded.