As expected, Mo Jiazi could not sit still when he heard that the mail-order plan had failed. He personally came to the Eastern Palace to confront Li Chengqian.
"Your Highness, do you really think that I promoted the mail-order plan for the Mo Family's own benefit? The Mo Family already has a mechanical city, which is enough for us to attack or retreat. There's no need for us to do anything unnecessary and promote mail order. I'm doing this for the sake of the small workshops in Chang 'an City. They're small and have little profit to begin with, so it's hard for them to survive. Only by selling goods in the most direct way can they survive. "
Li Chengqian's expression changed. He waved his hand to signal for everyone to leave the hall and close the door. However, the quarrel in the hall could still be heard faintly.
Outside, the people in the Eastern Palace sat upright and still, looking straight ahead. They all thought that the Eastern Palace would be filled with gunpowder. However, inside the Eastern Palace, it was a harmonious scene.
Li Chengqian shouted outside, but lowered his head and said in a low voice, "Just as brother-in-law expected, the aristocratic families have interfered and tried their best to stop the mail-order plan."
Meton also shouted outside, and a trace of pride appeared on his face. "However, they do not know that we have never planned to use the courier station to order goods."
Courier station mail-order goods was the most primitive and least efficient method online. Meton had the experience of later generations and naturally would not take this detour. From the beginning to the end, Meton's suggestion of the mail-order plan was a trap to lure the aristocratic families into the trap.
"Unfortunately, this is the last time we will work together! We will not have much contact in the short term. " Li Chengqian looked at Meton and could not help but feel regretful. This was not only their decision, but also Li Shimin's. As the future Crown Prince, if Li Chengqian openly opposed the aristocratic families, it would not be beneficial to Li Chengqian's future succession. It would also make the aristocratic families desperate. Li Chengqian had to maintain a neutral position, even slightly biased towards the aristocratic families. The mail-order plan was a good show they had put on for the aristocratic families.
"Then let us put on a good show!" Meton stood up and said.
"Creak!"
Meton pushed open the tightly shut palace door and said in a flustered and exasperated manner, "Since the relay station is unwilling to do something that will benefit the world, then let the School of Mo do it. The School of Mo will definitely not let the small and medium workshops close down."
Li Chengqian's displeased voice rang out from the Eastern Palace. "The Mo Family is not the only family that cares for the world. Although the relay station cannot be used for private purposes, you still have the heart to benefit the world."
"Then Minister of Foreign Affairs will wait and see. I hope Your Highness will not disappoint the people of the world!" Meton said with a look of disbelief.
Very quickly, the news of Mo Jiazi and the Crown Prince parting on bad terms spread. The aristocratic families couldn't help but celebrate. The head of the Zheng family was even more pleased. He had killed two birds with one stone. Not only did he drive a wedge between Mo Jiazi and the Crown Prince, but he also nipped the matter of the mail order in the bud, resolving the hidden danger of the aristocratic families.
However, before he could celebrate for too long, another piece of news came. Another piece of news came that made his expression turn ugly once again.
"Head of the Zheng family, ever since Mo Jiazi and the Crown Prince broke off their relationship, he did not give up on the mail order. Instead, he set up his own caravan and appointed Brother Mo Jiazi to deliver the goods. The name of the caravan is Capital City Express." Uncle Zheng hurried over to report.
"What is a delivery?" Zheng Chang was puzzled.
Uncle Zheng said, "Young Master, the so-called delivery is to deliver the goods to the people at the fastest speed. It is very similar to some of the errand runners in Chang 'an, but the School of Mo delivers goods."
"Capital City Express? Mo Jiazi really doesn't give up on his evil intentions! " Zheng Chang frowned. Mo Jiazi really wanted to go against the aristocratic families to the end. He was determined to support the small and medium workshops to oppose the aristocratic families.
"Mo Jiazi is like a snake trying to swallow an elephant. A courier station can only be built with the power of the whole country. Even if Mo Jiazi used all the resources of the Mo Family Village, it would still be difficult to complete ten percent of the courier station." The head of the Zheng family sneered.
Uncle Zheng smiled bitterly and said, "Head of the family is wise. As you expected, Mo Jiazi did not set up the entire Tang dynasty like a courier station. Instead, he chose to build the Capital City Express in Guannei Circuit, one of the ten circuits. With the Mechanical City of the Mo Family in Chang 'an as the center, he set up a stronghold in every county. There are even more courier stations near the capital. Every village has a stronghold of the School of Mo to be responsible for receiving and receiving goods."
"Mo Jiazi is really ambitious!" The head of the Zheng family gasped. He originally thought that Mo Jiazi did not have the ability to build such a large courier station. He did not expect that Mo Jiazi would choose to divide the courier station into ten parts. First, he built a courier station with the Mechanical City of the Mo Family as the stronghold to spread out the entire Guannei Circuit. In this way, the travel time would be greatly reduced and the goods could be sent to the entire Guannei Circuit at the fastest speed.
What was more frightening was that once the Mechanical City of the Mo Family in Luoyang was built, Mo Jiazi could set up the entire Henan Circuit and so on for the other circuits. Like pieces of a puzzle, as the Mechanical City of the Mo Family was built one by one, the Capital City Express in the entire Tang dynasty could be seen clearly.
Uncle Zheng smiled bitterly and said, "And the Capital City Express really lives up to its name. If a commoner clipped the goods of the Mo Family and handed it to the stronghold of the Mo Family, it would be delivered to the Mechanical City of the Mo Family in two days. The Mechanical City of the Mo Family would then deliver the goods. Even the county in the Guannei Circuit that is the furthest away from Chang 'an City would be delivered to the commoner in three days.
Although the courier stations were spread all over the country and the mail-order business was grand at the beginning, the turnover was slow. After the aristocratic families stopped the mail-order business, Mo Jiazi turned to building a courier station. With Chang 'an City as the center and the Mechanical City of the Mo Family as the base, plus the strongholds in the counties of the Guannei Circuit, five days was enough to send the goods to the entire Guannei Circuit.
"Only five days. This is Mo Jiazi's real big move!" The head of the Zheng Family couldn't help but be shocked. Sending a courier in five days was extremely slow in the modern world. But in the slow pace of the Tang dynasty, five days was already super fast.
Uncle Zheng took a deep breath and suppressed the shock in his heart. He said, "This is only the furthest county in five days. In Chang 'an City, the Capital City Express is even faster. The order is placed in the morning, and before sunset, Brother Mo Jiazi will deliver the goods to the commoner. It can be said to be … amazingly fast."
Uncle Zheng racked his brain and finally uttered the words "amazingly fast". Such speed was simply beyond his understanding.
"Arrive in a day!" Zheng Kai said. The Mo Family built a fleet from Chang 'an to Luoyang in a day, and the Capital City Express was the essence of this to the extreme.
"The Capital City Express will not be inferior to the courier station in the future!" Uncle Zheng said solemnly. The courier station mail order and the Capital City Express both had their advantages and disadvantages. The courier station mail order could allow the Mo Family's goods to be spread throughout the Tang dynasty, but the efficiency was extremely slow. It would take at least half a month to travel from Chang 'an City to Lingnan Road. The Capital City Express, on the other hand, would be the center of the ten roads in the world. Although each mechanical city could only take care of one road, it was the fastest and greatly shortened the delivery journey. Five days was enough to deliver the goods. Once Mo Jiazi completed the plan of ten roads and ten cities, coupled with the Capital City Express, it would be a grand layout.
Moreover, in this era, there weren't many merchants scattered all over the Great Tang. Most of them were traveling merchants within the Great Tang. Thus, the Mohist School's use of a single Great Path to establish a courier service for the capital was more in line with the Great Tang's national conditions.
"More importantly, with the Mo Family's mechanical city and the Capital City Express, Mo Jiazi can directly deliver the goods to the people. He no longer needs merchants to transit. The aristocratic families have lost the means to suppress the Mo Family," the head of the Zheng Family said with an embarrassed expression.
He had originally thought that the aristocratic family had taken the initiative to stop as a gift to the son of the Mo family, and the Mo family was secretly rejoicing. However, he had not thought that the mechanical city of the Mo family was not the limit of the son of the Mo family. When the son of the Mo family had brought up the matter of the mail order, he had only taken precautions. His real purpose had been to sow discord between the son of the Mo family and Li Chengqian. However, the appearance of the Capital Express Delivery had truly shocked him. This was simply an unprecedented business model that had left the aristocratic family completely defenseless.
With the appearance of the Capital City Express, the offensive and defensive situations of the Mo Family and the aristocratic families suddenly changed. The Mo Family was no longer passive. Instead, they united a group of small and medium-sized workshops, and their momentum was on par with the aristocratic families.
"Mo Jiazi is determined to go against us!" Zheng Chang said through gritted teeth.
"No one wants to be choked by others, especially someone as proud as Mo Jiazi. Naturally, he will not be willing to be controlled by the aristocratic families. This time, the Old Man has miscalculated," the head of the Zheng Family said with a bitter smile.
Anyone with a discerning eye could see that with the Capital City Express, the Mo Family would lead a group of small and medium-sized workshops to rise rapidly. However, the aristocratic families could do nothing about it. At this point, the three years of business war between the aristocratic families and the Mo Family had finally come to an end.
The Mo Family had won!
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