Chapter 65: To Get Rich, Build Roads First

Amidst the cheerful laughter of the crowd, the partnership between Black Wind City and the Wang family officially commenced.

As Black Wind City's commerce gradually flourished and the influx of travelers grew increasingly frequent, Chen Tong keenly perceived that the traffic conditions within the city urgently required improvement.

One day, Chen Tong summoned a group of core members, including Xie Hu, Liu Meng, and Tie Niu, to the council hall to deliberate on countermeasures.

Pointing at a simple map laid out on the table, Chen Tong spoke with a serious expression.

"Everyone, our Black Wind City is developing better and better now, but these roads have truly become a major problem."

"They turn into quagmires on rainy days and kick up clouds of dust when it is sunny. Not only does this inconvenience the residents' travel, but it also hampers our trade exchanges."

"I am thinking of paving the main thoroughfares around the city with cement. What do you all think?"

Scratching his head in confusion, Xie Hu asked, "City Lord Chen, what on earth is this cement? How much better could it possibly be than our current roads?"

Chen Tong patiently explained.

"This cement, once solidified, becomes hard and smooth. Whether it is carriages, horses, or pedestrians traveling upon it, the journey will be effortless."

"Furthermore, it is impervious to wind and rain, and can last for many years."

Liu Meng's eyes lit up as he said excitedly, "That sounds wonderful! It will be much more convenient for us to transport goods in the future, and we will surely earn a great deal more money."

Tie Niu also nodded with an honest, good-natured smile.

"Indeed. This way, everyone won't have to wade through thick mud when they go out."

After some discussion, everyone agreed that it was an excellent idea.

Meanwhile, inside the Huaijiang City county yamen, the magistrate was sitting in his study reviewing official documents.

The magistrate's trusted confidential secretary hurried inside with a slightly nervous expression and whispered into the magistrate's ear, making his report.

"My lord, I have just received news that Black Wind City is preparing to pave the main thoroughfares around their city with a substance called cement."

"It is said that this cement is utterly miraculous; the roads paved with it are hard, smooth, and remarkably durable."

Upon hearing this, the magistrate put down his brush, furrowed his brows deeply, and pondered inwardly.

"This Black Wind City has always kept a low profile and never publicly declared itself a city, yet recently it has made frequent moves. First, they partnered with the Wang family in commerce, and now they are going to pave roads. What kind of scheme is hidden behind all this?"

After a moment of silent contemplation, the magistrate spoke slowly.

"This matter cannot be taken lightly. First, send people to closely monitor the movements of Black Wind City, and report back to me immediately upon any new developments."

Having received his orders, the secretary hurriedly withdrew.

The magistrate sat in his chair, toying with a jade pendant in his hand as he continued to calculate in his heart.

"Paving the main thoroughfares—if this succeeds, it will indeed boost the development of this region, and it can also be counted as my political achievement."

"However, Black Wind City's intentions remain unclear, so it is best to proceed with caution. In any case, they haven't stirred up any trouble for now. I shall observe them for a while longer before making a final decision."

At this thought, the magistrate put down the jade pendant, leaned back against the chair, and a trace of vigilance and scrutiny flickered in his eyes.

On Chen Tong's side, preparations for materials began in full swing.

Paving the main thoroughfares required a massive amount of cement, sand, and gravel, all of which could be redeemed through the system.

[Ding!]

[...]

When Chen Tong opened the system redemption interface and saw the exorbitant number of points required, his expression instantly turned solemn.

"So many points! This represents the family fortune we've painstakingly accumulated over a long period."

Chen Tong muttered to himself, torn with inner conflict.

Every single one of these points had been hard-won, the fruit of the collective efforts of everyone in Black Wind City.

At this thought, Chen Tong's hands trembled slightly, and he almost closed the redemption interface.

However, when he envisioned how, after the roads were paved, the residents of Black Wind City would no longer struggle in their travels, how merchant caravans would move more smoothly, how trade volume would soar, and how much brighter Black Wind City's future would be—

Chen Tong gritted his teeth, his eyes filled with determination.

"For the future of Black Wind City, I'll stake it all!"

Chen Tong decisively clicked the redemption button. Watching the points plummet rapidly, though his heart ached with regret, he knew it was entirely worth it.

With the materials fully prepared, the road-paving project officially commenced.

Chen Tong organized the laborers within the city into different squads, assigning each their respective duties.

However, the construction process did not go entirely smoothly.

One day, just as the workers were in the midst of bustling activity, a band of outlaws suddenly appeared.

Wielding weapons and bearing fierce, ferocious expressions, they shouted loudly, "Everyone stop what you're doing! This territory belongs to us from now on. If you want to pave the road, you'll have to leave behind toll money!"

Startled and bewildered by this sudden turn of events, the workers stopped what they were doing one after another.

At that very moment, Xie Hu received the news and rushed over.

Wielding a broadsword, Xie Hu stood majestically before the bandits, glaring at them with furious eyes.

"You lot of outlaws, don't even look at whose territory this is! How dare you come to Black Wind City to cause trouble? Have you grown tired of living?"

Seeing Xie Hu's imposing and ferocious aura, the bandits felt a twinge of cowardice, but their leader still braced himself and shouted, "Don't think you can scare us off! If you know what's good for you, hand over the money right now, otherwise—"

"Otherwise what?"

Xie Hu let out a thunderous roar and took a fierce step forward, startling the bandit leader into instinctively retreating a step.

"Brothers, arm yourselves!"

At Xie Hu's command, the guards of Black Wind City quickly swarmed forward.

Realizing the situation was turning against them and knowing they could gain nothing today, the bandits turned tail and fled in disgrace.

After driving away the bandits, Xie Hu reassured the workers, "Have no fear, everyone. With me here, no one can cause trouble. Continue with your work!"

The workers cheered and plunged back into the road-paving project with renewed vigor, steadily advancing the construction of Black Wind City's main thoroughfares.

Meanwhile, in the shadows, the informants dispatched by the magistrate were closely watching every single move in Black Wind City.

Upon bringing back the stainless steel products purchased from Black Wind City, the Wang family immediately summoned the finest craftsmen in their estate, shut themselves inside the workshop, and began studying them day and night.

Inside the workshop, the furnace fires burned fiercely, and the craftsmen furrowed their brows, keeping their eyes locked firmly on the stainless steel utensils in their hands.

An elderly, white-haired craftsman holding a delicate tool meticulously scraped off a tiny shaving from the surface of the stainless steel, placing it under a specially crafted instrument for close observation.

"Bizarre. The texture of this iron is so extraordinary, unlike any iron I have ever seen before. What material on earth was used to forge it?"

Another, younger craftsman was attempting to smelt various iron ores in an effort to replicate the properties of stainless steel.

"Could the smelting temperature be wrong? Or is there an issue with the supplementary fluxes?"

With that, the younger craftsman added new materials into the melting furnace.

Simultaneously, in another workshop, the craftsmen studying the cement had also fallen into a predicament.

Although they knew cement was formulated from a mixture of sand, gravel, and other materials, they remained utterly unable to grasp the precise proportions and manufacturing techniques.

"We have already tried over a dozen formulations, but what we produce is either too brittle or solidifies far too slowly. It cannot achieve the effect of Black Wind City's cement at all."

One craftsman said helplessly.

Upon learning that the research had made zero progress, the head of the Wang family fell into deep thought. He knew full well that these technologies possessed by Black Wind City were immensely valuable; if they could master them, the Wang family's commercial status would become unshakeable.

Yet, judging by the current situation, deciphering these technologies in the short term was nearly impossible.

Consequently, the head of the Wang family summoned the steward Wang Fu to his side and spoke with a grave expression.

"Wang Fu, we won't be able to figure out Black Wind City's technology anytime soon. Cooperating with them is our most crucial priority at present."

"Pass along my orders: make sure to closely cooperate with Black Wind City, and under no circumstances should we turn them into enemies."

"In addition, find a way to monopolize their stainless steel business. We can offer them more generous terms; as long as a monopoly can be achieved, everything else is negotiable."