"Seeing that this small Donglin Temple that came out of a poor ravine is so popular, how can we be convinced that the Donglin Giant Buddha is being built right under our noses at the most conspicuous place on the bank of the Xunyang River?"

Ouyang Rong put down his chopsticks and blinked:

"Its small Donglin Temple can build the Donglin Giant Buddha. I will also build a Xilin Giant Buddha. Why can't I build the Beilin Giant Buddha?"

"At most, it lacks the emperor's writings and the official documents of the Ministry of Rites. It cannot be built higher than the Donglin Buddha, and it cannot occupy the centermost throne on the shore.

“There is no way to compete in terms of height, location, etc.

“But there is no rule that it cannot exceed it in terms of exquisiteness and meticulousness, as well as inscriptions and murals, Yi Que Buddhist niches, tribute incense, etc.

"Well, I was robbed of the limelight because their skills at Donglin Temple are not as good as others. Their Buddhist, Taoist, and Zen methods are not as exquisite and magnificent as our temple's. I can't blame anyone for that.

"There is no way to complain to His Majesty, who worships the Buddha."

Everyone opened their mouths slightly and looked at Ouyang Rong who was smiling slightly and said leisurely:

“Therefore, the Xunyang Grottoes did not simply complete the task of building a Donglin Buddha.

"In addition to the nearest Kuanglu, eminent monks from any temple in the whole Jiangnan and the world can come to us to build the Buddha of our sect. They can also promote Mahayana Buddhism in this Jiangnan Road, which has the most developed water transport passenger flow and is a prominent place in the world!"

He nodded:

"You are all in business. There are some truths that I should not elaborate on. As the scale of this statue increases, the cost of building a single statue will naturally decrease."

Ouyang Rong stopped and leaned back in his chair comfortably. He looked at the smart businessmen with a half-smile:

"Shopkeeper Wang, Shopkeeper Ma... do you still think that building the Xunyang Grottoes is a loss-making business?"

"Wonderful!" Shopkeeper Ma, who had hesitated before, suddenly stood up and exclaimed:

"Why didn't you think that those eminent monks in Kuanglu and those famous temples in the south of the Yangtze River are full of incense, but they don't know how much wealth they have hidden away.

"And these bald donkeys spend the most money on Buddhism. If we cause them to compete with each other and build statues first...

"Then we not only control costs, but we also have a lot of room for operation!"

Shopkeeper Li laughed, twisting his beard and adding:

"Furthermore, once the Xunyang Grottoes are completed, they will gather the sculptures of giant Buddhas from all sects in Jiangnan Province, and even all over the world. Wouldn't it become a spectacle? Since the folk Buddhism in Jiangnan Province is so widespread, how can we worry about the lack of pilgrims in the future?

"In this way, hey, if we dig a new ferry by the Xun River, we can regain a lot of blood."

A group of wealthy businessmen straightened up, their eyes shining.

Some people even stood up and wandered excitedly,

They wished they could immediately put the money of the Kuanglu monks into their own pockets.

Wang Cao looked at Ouyang Rong with a convinced expression and said with emotion:

"Brother-in-law, it turns out that you want to make money from these bald donkeys. You are not competing for profits with the people, but robbing the rich and giving to the poor.

"With such a large construction like the Xunyang Grottoes, and with so much money spent during the construction process, the workers in Xunyang City will definitely be able to work without worries for a period of time, and even because of the shortage of workers, wages will rise.

"There are also those eminent monks and celebrities in Kuanglu Mountain. If Xi falls into this trap, he will probably be manipulated by his brother-in-law later."

Ouyang Rong glanced at Wang Caozhi who was drawing inferences, and shook his head slightly: "These are not the most important."

Wang Caozhi paused and asked doubtfully: "Then what is the most important?"

Ouyang Rong lowered his eyes and whispered:

"Xunyang City has not been expanded for a long time, mainly because the urban area has expanded to the extreme of the current terrain.

"The terrain in Xingzifang in the outermost area is already very low, and it is frequently troubled by flooding in the Xunyang River every summer. Going further out, the terrain outside Xicheng is even lower, and the flooding is more serious, making it difficult to live for a long time.

“These are the main obstacles restricting the expansion of Xunyang City. Either it will not be built or it cannot be built.

“But now, once the double peaks can be excavated and the water in Xunyang can be dredged, the flooding problem around Xunyang City will be completely solved.

"Then abandon the city wall and let Xingzifang gradually expand, even to the point where it can extend all the way to the Xunyang Grottoes at the top of the twin peaks.

"In other words, we can directly follow Xingzifang, re-plan, and build a new square.

"It just so happens that the construction of the Xunyang Grottoes requires a lot of civilian labor to be stationed near the Shuangfeng Peak. The construction work is in full swing day and night, which will definitely attract ordinary people and merchants to set up stalls... In addition, there is also the transportation of materials from all parties, which can make

The surrounding areas prospered rapidly, which in turn promoted the prosperity of Xunyang Ferry and the whole city.

"All of the above can be used as a starting point for the expansion of Xunyang City to the west gate area. This is a time-consuming process, but it is an opportunity for Xunyang City to take off again."

Ouyang Rong nodded calmly:

“Who said that the new ferry in the future cannot gradually replace Xunyang Ferry?

"The century-old plan of Xunyang City started from the Xunyang Grottoes!"

As soon as this statement came out, everyone was shocked.

Wang Caozhi, Shopkeeper Ma, Shopkeeper Li and others were stunned and silent, thinking about it.

The whole place fell into silence.

…

"Are you sure you saw clearly? Is it the handsome Chang Shi?"

"Madam, it is the newly appointed Lord Chang Shi. Yes, I saw his noble face at the banquet where I received the wind and wash away the dust.

"My servant saw that he appeared in the building today in his regular clothes. He was very low-key. He walked into the private room called 'Peony' on the third floor and didn't come out for half an hour."

In a private box on the highest floor of Xunyang Tower, it was quiet for a moment, and then a woman's lazy voice sounded:

"Well, who is this young Master Changshi coming here to see? Do you see clearly?"

"They are some businessmen with unfamiliar faces. I have been following my wife for so long. I have never seen them in Xunyang City. They must be from other places. They are generous and wealthy."

"Are you a wealthy businessman from other places? How did you get connected with this Lord Chang Shi... Okay, you can retreat."

"Yes, ma'am."

In the private box, there is an ancient incense burner emitting curls of green smoke, and gold-inlaid tea sets are placed on the red sandalwood table.

A cup of cloud tea brewed with clear spring water from Gulian Spring emits hot tea mist.

I listened for a while to the melodious sound of pipa playing outside.

The noble lady wearing a purple lotus silk blew lightly on the tea mist and murmured with her red lips:
Chapter completed!