Chapter 61

However, everything Li Xian did here naturally aroused a lot of greed; and this time, the recruitment of agents gave some people an opportunity!

A wolf that had been crouching in the southern part of the Great Xia Empire now turned its gaze here! This was Kong Donglai, the governor of Nanyang Commandery. The Kong family of the Great Xia Empire was a very powerful clan, and Kong Donglai's uncle was Kong Xiang, the Grand Tutor Kong Xiang, a first-rank high official, who was on par with Grand Marshal Yuan Yong and Chancellor Ouyang Wubing in the imperial court.

Nanyang Commandery was the second-largest commandery in the Great Xia Empire, a very prosperous and powerful commandery. Moreover, being in the far south, the central government of the Great Xia Empire had limited control over it, and the result was self-evident.

The textiles, engines, bearings, and stainless steel that Li Xian had developed showed Kong Donglai enormous potential—not just commercial potential, but also the potential for war machinery! Kong Donglai, who was a governor and had carved out his own territory, was indeed very capable.

Fortunately, Li Xian's recruitment of agents gave Kong Donglai an opportunity!

Kong Donglai openly sent his son, Kong Yingzhi, while secretly dispatching his younger brother, Kong Donghua, in disguise. Kong Donghua was a Golden Core expert, one of the Kong family's trump cards. Becoming a Golden Core expert before the age of eighty, Kong Donghua was undoubtedly a genius!

After arriving at Qingyun Valley, the Kong family's team did not act immediately but continuously gathered information and made contact with representatives of other clans and local strongmen, achieving some political goals in the process.

After waiting for two days and gathering enough information, Kong Donghua decided to take action.

Kong Yingzhi respectfully said to the "guard" beside him, "Uncle, it has been confirmed that there are no traces of Golden Core experts in Qingyun Valley. The greatest defensive force is just some wounded soldiers. There are no Golden Core experts in Anyang on the surface."

The "guard" pondered for a moment, "Zhi'er, Li Yulong could extend the Great Xia Empire's lifespan by several decades when it was on the brink of collapse. He is not a careless or mediocre person. There must be a Golden Core expert hidden here. Have there been any strange people in Anyang's border or the city in the past few days?"

"No. Based on my judgment, there is friction between Li Xian and his elder brother, Li Liang. Li Xian was originally a military commander, but now he does not manage the military affairs of Anyang City. Instead, Li Liang gave the wounded soldiers to Li Xian. It seems that there is deep-seated conflict and mutual vigilance between the two."

"That's good. Make the arrangements. I will go into Qingyun Valley at dawn tomorrow."

Li Xian could never have imagined that his unintentional actions would have such an effect.

——

In the afternoon, Li Xian formally discussed the bidding with Xu Ren, Fang Shijing, Beichen Yuqing, and others. They also selected some quick-witted people personally by Fang Shijing and Beichen Yuqing. Everyone pooled their ideas, and bit by bit, they clarified the bidding process.

Various high-level officials were also present to listen and learn; Li Xian was already consciously cultivating his own team. Even Xia Qingqing brought two "deadweights"—Zhao Fei and Xie An, two young boys.

First, Li Xian confirmed his strategy: the Great Xia Empire was currently in a state of warlordism, with orders not being followed, and bandits were rampant—some even organized by local strongmen.

In such a situation, the fledgling Brilliant Stars Group would find it difficult to develop normally. Therefore, it would be better to develop "exclusive agents." The Brilliant Stars Group would focus on managing Anyang and the three surrounding commanderies. Developing exclusive agents would also quickly increase sales, revitalize the company, and capture the market.

Second, Li Xian revealed his "fangs." In this bidding, Li Xian clearly proposed the concept of "after-sales service." The Brilliant Stars Group would not handle sales but would focus on the most costly "after-sales service," even planning to set up about ten after-sales service points in each commandery.

But after-sales service was not a simple matter; it was a vast network.

"Let the agents help us expand the market, and we will take over the market through after-sales service, while also building our credibility. When the time is right, the after-sales service points can transform into marketing centers!"

Click... After Li Xian finished speaking, Fang Shijing broke out in a cold sweat. This ruthless and brutal business strategy made Fang Shijing feel both shocked and terrified. The agents were expanding the market, while Li Xian was effortlessly undermining them through a simple "after-sales service"! And everyone welcomed it!

However, Beichen Yuqing's eyes sparkled, "We can add a few more points. We can use the after-sales service points as our local representative offices. We can announce information here, including products, agents, and prices.

Additionally, we can turn the after-sales service points into information and talent collection centers, becoming our tentacles.

The after-sales service points can also serve as communication centers to interact with local authorities.

Furthermore, we can repair and recycle faulty items and give them away for free through a lottery to boost our reputation."

"Let's do it! Mr. Beichen, please take charge of the after-sales service."

"Agreed!" Beichen Yuqing was overjoyed, finally having a place to apply his skills, and not just any place. If the after-sales market was well-managed, it could directly capture the entire market.

Then Li Xian talked about his second plan: domestically, the market would be left to the agents, while the main business direction of the Brilliant Stars Group would focus on neighboring countries, with the primary target being Cai Country to the north.

"Strengthen research and production in shipbuilding, and hire skilled craftsmen at high prices. Move south along the coast to trade with more distant countries. We cannot limit our vision to the domestic market; that would be too narrow.

Additionally, strengthen defenses at night. Anyone who dares to intrude will be killed."

The arrangements were quickly made, and the Brilliant Stars Group continued to work on production at night.

At dawn, Liu Leigang was leading a group of guards on patrol. Although he was a disabled veteran who had lost his left hand, Liu Leigang was still full of vigor. In addition to sturdy cold weapons, Liu Leigang also had a new weapon—guns!

These guns had been made by the armory in recent days, with limited numbers and a rough appearance, but their power was enough to make Liu Leigang tremble. They could penetrate a two-centimeter-thick steel plate from 300 meters away! Although the guns were single-shot, a skilled person could still fire about 20 rounds per minute, thanks to the assistance of cultivation.

Even with one hand, Liu Leigang could fire an average of 12 rounds per minute.

The guns Liu Leigang carried were specially made and had a powerful name—sniper rifles!

The bullets of the sniper rifles were as thick as an adult's thumb and as long as a finger, with almost five times the power of ordinary guns.

Liu Leigang had over a thousand men under his command, including more than 300 extremely brave wounded warriors and over 700 new recruits. All the guards were divided into three shifts, taking turns to rest.

"Keep your eyes wide open! Dawn is when the most thieves appear. Mr. Xu Ren especially warned me that there might be a powerful thief before dawn today.

If you spot any signs of a thief, you get one tael of gold. If you kill a thief, you get ten taels of gold; if you capture a thief alive, you get fifty taels of gold. If the intruder is a Golden Core expert, the reward is ten times higher!"

"Really?!" The soldiers all widened their eyes.

"Hmph!" Liu Leigang snorted, "Do you need me to repeat how generous the young master's rewards are?"

The benefits of Li Xian's system of rewarding merit were evident. The guards' eyes sparkled as they searched everywhere. Don't underestimate these wounded soldiers; the 300 who had passed through multiple rounds of selection were all elite troops. These so-called elite troops were not just skilled in combat but also experienced!

Suddenly, a guard cautiously tugged at Liu Leigang's sleeve, keeping his eyes straight ahead but speaking quietly, "General, look at the shadow of the corner of the smelting factory warehouse at one o'clock to the right. There is a slight curve!"

Liu Leigang's eyes narrowed, and a cold smile appeared on his lips. He raised his left arm, which was only half left, and made a simple signal. The guard who had noticed this also quietly passed the information down.

Fifteen newly made rifles and two sniper rifles were readied.