I was a conman in the Ming Dynasty.

Chapter 248 Brainwashing Course

Chapter 248 Brainwashing Course

The Ming Dynasty had 140 prefectures, 193 states, and 1138 counties. After one round of auctions for investment rights, Wang Wenzhou earned a total of 30 million taels of silver.

This was roughly equivalent to the total fiscal revenue of the Ming Dynasty for seven or eight years. Even Wang Wenzhou himself was stunned. He dared not disclose the exact amount of revenue, fearing that Emperor Chongzhen would find out. That penniless Chongzhen would surely slaughter him like a pig if he knew!

Wang Wenzhou finally understood why the nouveau riche felt insecure. Having too much money made them afraid of attracting unwanted attention.

In just half a day yesterday, the flagship store of Hanshan Supermarket earned a total of 100 million taels of silver. It was precisely because of this that nobles spent a lot of money to buy investment rights, and many people bought several cities at once.

Wang Wenzhou explained that yesterday was the opening day, and the large foot traffic was due to effective pre-opening promotions. He added that business wouldn't be as booming after a while. Everyone understood this, but they also understood that as long as Hanshan Supermarket existed in the city, other shops, especially those selling grains, meat, and eggs, would eventually be forced to close.

Even if it's only for a year, as long as the supermarket experiences such a large influx of customers twice, it won't lose money. That's why everyone is eager to buy investment rights.

Of course, Wang Wenzhou also assured everyone that the supermarket would hold promotional events during major holidays to attract customers, such as the Mid-Autumn Festival and the Spring Festival. But wait! What on earth is Double 11? Everyone was completely baffled.

Zhang Shize now held Wang Wenzhou in utter admiration. Although Wang Wenzhou had said they wouldn't charge franchisees rent for the first month, they could secretly earn 10 taels from the one million taels of silver in revenue. The reason was simple: all shops couldn't handle their own payments; the supermarket had to use its dedicated cash registers. And when settling accounts with franchisees, a deduction of 10% would be made. However, the other franchisees had no say in the matter; after all, they had already made a fortune and didn't care about a 10% deduction.

After the auction of investment rights concluded, Wang Wenzhou organized a training course for the investors and the future managers of the supermarket.

Wang Wenzhou asked loudly, "What is our ultimate goal in doing business?"

"To make money!" Everyone was puzzled as to why Wang Wenzhou would ask such a question.

Wang Wenzhou shouted, "Your voice was too soft, I didn't hear you! What's the point of doing business?"

"Make money!" everyone exclaimed.

Wang Wenzhou said, slightly annoyed, "Your voice is still too soft. Can you speak louder? What's the point of doing business anyway?"

"Make money!" everyone shouted in unison.

"That's right!" Wang Wenzhou nodded with satisfaction and said, "That's the kind of momentum I want! Everyone tells me, 'I'm the strongest! I'm going to make money!'"

"I'm the strongest! I want to make money!" everyone echoed in unison.

Wang Wenzhou raised his arms and shouted: "Believe in yourself! I'm the best! Hanshan Supermarket will dominate the whole country!"

"Believe in yourself! I'm the best..." Everyone else, like Wang Wenzhou, raised their arms and shouted.

Zhang Shize lowered his hand, suddenly stunned. What was wrong with him? How had he been fooled by Wang Wenzhou? Now he felt that whatever Wang Wenzhou did was right. Even if Wang Wenzhou asked him to kill someone, he was very likely to do it.

Wang Wenzhou smiled slightly. "I'm a liar. Although I haven't been exposed to pyramid schemes, I still have some experience with their brainwashing techniques!"

"Alright!" Wang Wenzhou said loudly, "Now, let's begin the formal lecture! I want to make it clear that no one is allowed to interrupt me while I'm speaking. Anyone who violates this rule, no matter who they are, will be asked to leave immediately! Do you understand?"

"Understood!" everyone replied.

"The sound is too soft, I can't hear it!" Wang Wenzhou said deliberately.

"Understood!" This time, everyone shouted in unison.

Hahaha! Wang Wenzhou laughed inwardly. Saying he couldn't hear clearly and having the audience answer loudly was a way to cultivate obedience. The more often this kind of obedience suggestion was given, the more willingly the audience would accept the speaker's control.

Wang Wenzhou smiled and said, "When I'm lecturing, if anyone has any questions, please raise your hand. I will call on them to ask. The first thing you need to do before your supermarkets open is to advertise."

At this moment, many people raised their hands.

Wang Wenzhou pointed at someone and asked, "You speak."

The man asked, "Your Highness, may I ask what an advertisement is?"

Wang Wenzhou explained, "Advertising, as the name suggests, is about spreading the word. As the saying goes, even good wine needs advertising. In a city where no one knows what a supermarket is, the first thing to do if you want to open a supermarket is to make the local people understand what a supermarket is."

Wang Wenzhou continued, "The publicity plan has been prepared. Each manager will receive it beforehand when they go to their respective cities. You just need to follow the plan step by step."

"Someone, bring up the map!" Wang Wenzhou ordered.

Soon, several policewomen came out carrying a giant, unfolded map.

Wang Wenzhou pointed to several large cities marked with red circles on the map and said, "In addition to opening Hanshan Supermarket, these cities will also build breeding bases. Don't worry, we will definitely not let you lose money."

"Hahaha..." Everyone laughed. In their eyes, Wang Wenzhou was now a spendthrift.

Wang Wenzhou continued, "Tomorrow, I will take you, those who have investment rights in these cities, to visit the breeding base in Nanjing. Although the breeding base is still under construction, it is already quite large. I will still provide you with all the blueprints and planning schemes, and you can simply follow them."

Wang Wenzhou selected a total of 20 cities to establish breeding bases. Once these 20 bases were established, they could completely cover the entire Ming Dynasty.

Wang Wenzhou had grand ambitions; he wanted to monopolize the daily necessities of the Ming Dynasty. Of course, a complete monopoly was impossible, but he could certainly gain control over pricing.

Wang Wenzhou explained many precautions for supermarkets, and then said, "Let me talk about the investment requirements. Although you have already purchased investment rights, our contract clearly states in black and white that if the investment requirements are not met, the investment rights will be immediately cancelled!"

"Your Highness, rest assured! This business is so profitable, I will sell everything I own to raise the money!"

"That's right!" Everyone believed that opening a supermarket would make a lot of money.

Wang Wenzhou nodded and said, "The minimum investment in a county town is 10 taels, and in a prefecture or county seat, it's 50 taels! Don't think the investment is too large! The Hanshan Supermarket in Nanjing required an investment of 100 million taels. To be honest, it earned 10 taels yesterday. That means that in just one day, one-tenth of the investment has already been recovered."

"Wow..." Everyone was stunned. Many people did not know that Wang Wenzhou had dug such a big pit in the fire.

Wang Wenzhou continued, "Furthermore, everyone should pay attention to maintaining good relationships with local franchisees. The supermarket and its franchisees are interdependent; one prospers, the other suffers. The supermarket only makes money when the franchisees profit. We all make money together, right?"

"Yes! Your Highness is right!"

"I have many thoughts after listening to Your Highness's words!"

Everyone immediately started flattering him.