Zhou Yao's idea

Zhou Yao gave Zhang Fei and Chen Dao a token each. They were marked "cavalry" and "infantry" respectively, representing the heavily armored cavalry and the heavily armored infantry.

Zhou Yao, meanwhile, held two tokens of his own, both bearing the words "Imperial Guard." Of course, there was a difference between the two tokens that only Zhou Yao, Zhang Fei, and Chen Dao knew.

Zhou Yao had told them that, from then on, anyone other than Zhou Yao himself would need a token to mobilize either of their two armies. The two tokens simply had to fit together.

Zhou Yao watched Zhang Fei, Chen Dao, and all the officers present quietly depart.

At that moment, Wuying walked over and said, "Young master, you're amazing! I was worried to death earlier, but I never expected you to win over all those unruly officers with just a few words."

With that, Wuying looked at her young master, Zhou Yao, with admiration.

Zhou Yao asked Wuying, "When are those chief heads of the Brocade Guard from each province not arriving?"

"Young master, those chief heads of the Brocade Guard from each province are on their way. They should arrive in about three days. Some places are a long way off, after all, so they can't get here right away."

"Hmm... I see. That's understandable. We'll discuss everything once they arrive."

"All right, young master."

"Wuying?"

"Yes, young master."

"I have an idea. I want to buy all of Happiness Village and turn it into a camp, a base of our own. We'll call it a private estate to outsiders."

"Or we could turn Happiness Village into a market for buying and selling all kinds of goods. We're not far from the border here, so we could buy plenty of daily necessities from neighboring states, transport them all to Happiness Village to trade, and send them from Happiness Village to every part of the Great Zhou State."

"Once the market in Happiness Village takes off, it can bring us a steady stream of silver and all kinds of supplies. Then we won't have to worry about money or grain."

"Of course, I'm not short of that little bit of money or grain right now, but who would complain about having too much?"

"The purpose of setting up this market is to give the brothers something to do. Those who can do business can do business, and we can also gather intelligence from all quarters while we're at it."

"Don't ever underestimate these merchants. They have considerable influence. They travel north and south, they've seen and learned a great deal, they come into contact with many people, and they have wide sources of information. We can make good use of that."

"Once the market opens, we'll staff it entirely with our own people, or their family members. Gathering news and intelligence will be the main priority, while making money and stockpiling all kinds of supplies will come second."

"Young master, that's a wonderful idea! This way, we can make money and gather all kinds of news and intelligence. It's wonderful."

"There aren't many people in Happiness Village right now, and I can spare that little bit of money. Wuying."

"Yes, young master."

"Find someone to buy up every piece of land in Happiness Village. Compensate each household with a hundred taels of silver and a hundred jin of millet. I think all the villagers in Happiness Village will be happy to sell us every bit of this useless land and all their dilapidated houses."

"Once they have the money, some will go to the county town and buy a few rooms to live in, putting down roots there from then on. Others will buy a few mu of land in other villages, build a few houses, and live there."

"I think once our Happiness Village market is fully built, many of them will come back here looking for work."

"It will be very, very lively here afterward, and dragons and snakes will mingle, so we'll need enough people on hand."

"We'll also need to build inns, gambling houses, and restaurants here."

"In other words, we need a full range of places for eating, drinking, and entertainment. There are also escort agencies and every other business that can make money. We'll do them all and let none slip by."

"Once the market takes off, there will be a great, great many people here. With so many people, there will be demand for everything: eating, drinking, relieving themselves, sleeping, having fun, and gambling."

"These are all ways for us to make money. Those people are all our gods of wealth!"

"Young master, you're truly amazing!" Wuying said admiringly.

"Hurry and carry out these tasks! This is our crucial first step. There mustn't be any mistakes, understand?"

"Yes, young master. Wuying guarantees she'll complete the task."