Every time he saw this magnificent new "escort bureau", Jiang Wen couldn't help but sigh, because a joke he made at the beginning actually led to such a big business.
From a market perspective, when the currency functions of ticket numbers and banknotes were not yet complete, the market's demand for escort agencies was often amplified.
At that time, bulk and long-distance trade usually used cash. In order to prevent the silver from being robbed by thieves during the transfer to other places, it was often necessary to ask a standard bank to escort the goods, which was similar to insuring the goods and hiring security personnel.
In fact, at this time, the so-called escort agency was not called an escort agency, and the most well-known name should be called Biaoxing.
In Jin Yong's book, escort agencies are all over the world, but until the end of the Yuan Dynasty, people still didn't know what an escort agency was, let alone the Longmen Escort Agency that transported dragon-slaying knives, and the Huju Escort Agency that mocked the Seven Heroes of Wudang. Even in "The Blue Blood Sword" and "The Deer and the Cauldron", which is the late Ming and early Qing dynasties where Jiang Wen is now trapped, the kind of escort agency described by the author has not yet been born.
Until the Qing Dynasty, "standard bureau" and "escort bureau" were often equated, but the form was already very complete.
"The Rise and Fall of Shanxi Merchants" written by Yan Shenxiu during the reign of Guangxu records, "At that time, all provinces bought and sold goods, and all transactions were in cash. During transportation, a few were carried by the merchants themselves, and most were escorted by bodyguards. Therefore, the bodyguard business was very prosperous at that time. , it is also very useful for those who are skilled in boxing.”
"Mr. Lin, head escort, long time no see."
"Jiang Zilu?"
Two calls with different tones sounded one after another.
When Jiang Wen said "Mr. Lin's escort chief", he did so in a joking and well-earned tone, with a sense of the changes in the world.
The dignified middle-aged man walked out and said the words "Jiang Zilu" in a very surprised tone, as if he never expected to meet Jiang Wen today.
Jiang Wen and the middle-aged man looked at each other, slowly put their hands on the table, and looked at the escort martial artist beside him with some hostility.
——Eight well-dressed men, all with straight backs and a heroic spirit, were standing around Jiang Wen, showing caution in their respect.
"I am Jiang Daxia, not Jiangnan Daxia. Mr. Lin, why are you so surprised?"
Jiang Wen laughed, and Lin Zhennan also laughed. He immediately waved away the eight escort martial artists who entered the hall to block him, and sat down with Jiang Wen.
"I heard the head guard come in to report that four people from the Dirty Clothes Sect had come in, and he put down the guard guarding the door with one hand. I was also thinking about how I could come here to cause trouble when I had no conflicts with the Beggar Clan in the past."
Lin Zhennan laughed again, this time with great joy, "If we meet on the first day of the new year, I, Lin, will also suspect that you have joined the beggar gang and brought three little beggars with you."
The disciples on the side saw that Jiang Wen had a special relationship with the chief escort, and quickly brought him a cup of hot tea and a hot towel to help him relax a little.
Jiang Wen picked up the towel unceremoniously and wiped it on his face, leaving a dark mark.
"Brother Lin, I lived a hard life in the Wuyi Mountains, but I didn't have the glory of having your escort bureau spread across seven provinces."
"Thanks to your suggestion!"
Lin Zhennan was wearing an embroidered lion costume, and he reached out to stroke his delicately groomed beard. He didn't care about the dust on Jiang Wen's body, and led him towards the inner hall.
"Although we haven't seen each other for several years, I still want to catch up with you first and then have a good chat!"
The main building of the Fuwei Escort Bureau built in Fuzhou City occupies a large area, with rooms and guest houses located in the southeast, northwest and northwest. Lin Zhennan asked the escort master to take Jiang Wen and his disciples to live in the east wing, which has all the furnishings.
Half an hour later, a few people came to the lobby refreshed, where Lin Zhennan was already waiting here.
"Jiang Wen, when you said you wanted to build a sect in the mountains, I just thought it was a fantasy, but I didn't expect that you actually established a Wuyi sect - I heard from people in the world that you also got involved with the Tiandihui group. thing?"
Jiang Wenyi said sternly: "People in the world have always believed in the wind and rain. That was done by Wuyi hero Qin Duanyu. I was a good Taoist priest in Wuyi Mountain, how could I do this?"
Lin Zhennan gave him a complicated look.
"It was because of your indoctrination that I came to Fuzhou City to establish the Fuwei Escort Agency. Are you not a member of the world? Then should I believe what you say?"
Jiang Wen laughed.
"This has nothing to do with my status as a gangster. You need to know, Chief Bodyguard, that Fuzhou has been an indisputable place for military strategists since ancient times. Geng Jingzhong is a very extravagant man, so I think the business of this bodyguard bureau is bound to prosper!"
There was one more thing Jiang Wen didn't say.
This new type of "escort bureau", which employs force to transport escorts, combines official operations, and operates business routes openly, is a dimensionality reduction attack on the old version of the family-run business.
On the other hand, Jiang Wen's suggestion was to creatively replace "material darts" with "silver darts", so that general equivalents could be withdrawn directly from escort bureaus in various places, and even had some functions of silver accounts.
If you combine armed escort and money exchange like this, even if others want to learn, they won't be able to grasp the key for a while.
Of course, this is not a monopoly business. Therefore, even though Lin Zhennan's Fuwei Escort Agency is becoming more and more prosperous, many new "escort agencies" adapted from martial arts schools have sprung up in various places in recent years, quickly occupying the segmented market.
Jiang Wen was not interested in business and was worried about everything. He first said to Lin Zhennan expectantly, "Is my disciple here at home?"
Fu Ningdie approached Jiang Wen and muttered with an unhappy face: "Master, you actually have other disciples outside!?"
Jiang Wen patted her head: "This is a long story, so I can't keep it short..."
Recruiting people as disciples and giving people names are Jiang Wen's two major hobbies, and he never tires of it.
Probably when Jiang Wen first entered the arena of the Ming and Qing Dynasties and wandered in a strange world, he met a bodyguard who was no longer too young. There was also a small Jiangnan martial arts school passed down from his ancestors at home. Make a living by working in hospitals, transporting goods and picking up people.
With the years of wars and wars that led to the bankruptcy of wealthy households, even if Lin Zhennan had the business acumen to convert this small martial arts hall into a bid business, it would be very difficult to operate it. Seven or eight times out of ten, the bid would be lost.
Jiang Wen also met this young martial artist named Lin Zhennan after he helped him when he saw an injustice.
This man was very strange. He wasn't very interested in martial arts passed down from his family, but he was full of business tips and connections. Jiang Wen took it seriously.
Although the other party has emphasized many times that his hometown is not in Fuzhou, he does not have an old house in Xiangyang Lane, and he does not have a grandfather who does not grow a beard and is very capable, but when Jiang Wen heard his name, he strongly suggested that he should come to Fuzhou. develop.
When he found out that he really had a son, Jiang Wen at that time even enthusiastically expressed that he would accept the son of his son who was still in his hometown as his apprentice, and by the way, he would be given a cousin name in advance as a teacher.
"Xiu'er, come and meet your Master Jiang Wen."
People in the world of martial arts start early, and twelve-year-old Lin Xiu has already tied his hair early.
Upon being called by his father, the Young Chief Escort also walked out of the house with a surprised smile on his face and clasped his fists in salute.
"Master Jiang, long time no see, everything is going well!"
Jiang Wen quickly stepped forward to support him.
"There is no need to be polite. You have grown up a lot. Come and meet these junior brothers and sisters in front of you. They have officially entered the wall in the past two months."
Lin Xiu quickly turned around and continued to salute: "Junior brothers and sisters, senior brother, you are polite!"
Jiang Wen told Lin Zhennan at the beginning that there is a saying in "The Book of Songs: Huang Yi": "If you make a screen, it will be a shade. If you repair it, it will be leveled." Since your son is named Lin Xiu, the corresponding name is: "Ping Zhi".
——Jiang Wen’s meaning is also very clear. Anyway, just call him Pingzhi. Don’t worry about the rest, just call him Pingzhi!
Lin Zhennan couldn't figure out his routine. Where did people in the martial arts usually get their nicknames? The most they could do was give themselves a majestic nickname. Therefore, Lin Zhennan just let Jiang Wen scream and acquiesced to the matter of accepting disciples.
It was a pity that Lin Zhennan cherished his son too much and refused to let Jiang Wen take him away to train him in martial arts, so he only became a registered disciple, which was not considered a formal entry.
"Xiu'er, take a few young heroes out for a walk, visit Fuzhou City's local features, and buy some things for the junior brothers and sisters. Remember to come back in the afternoon."
Lin Pingzhi was gentle and courteous, which was completely different from the three bumpkins brought by Jiang Wen. Although Fu Ningdie also came from a wealthy family, he was a bit more gentle and reserved, but could not compare to the upright and generous people in the world.
After the four disciples left the escort agency, Lin Zhennan sighed while stroking his chin.
"Jiang Wen, there have been a lot of weird and weird things happening in the three mountains and two towers of Fuzhou City in the past few days. The inexplicable things are strange and unknown, and there is a lot of discussion in the streets. You must be careful..."
Jiang Wen frowned and looked at Mr. Lin's head. He didn't pick up the tea to drink or put it away.
"Uh...Brother Lin, why are you telling me this?"
Lin Zhennan also looked surprised.
"Don't you always run around chasing these weird things?"
"Those are all old almanacs."
Jiang Wen slapped his thigh.
"To be honest, I almost met the Buddha two months ago, and I was only one step away from becoming an immortal a month ago. After experiencing this, I have made up my mind not to get involved in such nonsense anymore. Brother Lin, please don't do it either. You told me, a man keeps his word!"
Lin Zhennan was confused when he heard this. He thought Jiang Wen was in danger in something involving the Tiandihui. He was referring to it as a metaphor, so he nodded half-understanding.
This Jiang Wen has always been surrounded by clouds and mist, so all in all he just nodded.
"Dad! Are you there!"
Suddenly, another shout came from the inner hall, and a six or seven-year-old girl with a beautiful face ran out screaming, holding a wooden knife in her hand and swaggering across the street.
"Daughter, there are no rules. We have distinguished guests visiting today."
Lin Zhennan said this with a doting and helpless expression on his face.
Jiang Wen could tell at a glance that his daughter was usually so unruly and that she was not a godfather, and it obviously had nothing to do with her father's doting.
What's even stranger is that Lin Zhennan was clearly teaching his daughter, but he took the time to glare at Jiang Wen, making Jiang Wen feel that he was being taught a lesson just because he accidentally disturbed the family happiness of Lin Zhennan and Little Cotton Jacket.
"Brother Lin, I haven't met your daughter yet."
Jiang Wen said with an awkward smile.
"This is the girl born to Zhuo Jing six years ago. It's a pity that Zhuo Jing passed away due to dystocia and was unable to raise her, so she had to live with the escort agency and never looked like a girl."
Lin Zhennan said slightly melancholy and hugged the little girl into his arms. The little girl looked at Jiang Wen with wide eyes, as if she was curious about this uninvited guest.
"By the way, Jiang Wen, my daughter has a bit of a fate with you. Do you remember what I said about the importance of naming? Any shortcomings in destiny must be filled in with words?"
Lin Zhennan said slowly.
Jiang Wen nodded - he had said too much and he couldn't remember it, so in short, just nod.
"So what is your daughter's maiden name?"
Lin Zhennan stroked his beard and said with a little pride. He was pleased that he had finally earned some face in front of Jiang Wen after studying for several years.
"Fan Chengda has a poem that says, 'May I be like the stars and the moon, and the light shining brightly every night'. Wandering in the world, the most fearful thing is that there will be no reunion and nothing left to gain, so my daughter's small character is 'like the moon'."
Jiang Wen remained silent.
Brother Lin, not only may your son not be able to renew your incest this time, but you may even give up your daughter for nothing...
