novelAbuy Chapter 14 This is a master!
Chapter 14 This is a master!
In less than six months, Tongjifang has undergone tremendous changes:
The adobe houses are still crammed together, but the gaps have been repaired with oddly matched red bricks. The muddy road in front of the house has been paved with smooth bricks and plastered with lime. Drainage ditches have also been dug along the roadside, so it will never turn into a muddy pond again after rain.
The dilapidated tavern has been renovated into a two-story inn, and firecrackers are being set off to announce its grand opening. Taverns, restaurants, and general stores have multiplied like fish laying eggs in the past six months, and the docks have become increasingly busy and crowded. The number of people is more than double that of six months ago.
Zhao Kuangyin stood at the entrance of the market and glanced around briefly before smiling and saying, "I remember this Tongji Ward was originally quite dilapidated; it was a place where laborers, roughnecks, and refugees lived."
It's not just poor and dilapidated, it's also chaotic, teeming with scoundrels and rascals, right, second brother?
"Huh?" Zhao Kuangyi was taken aback for a moment, then said frankly, "How would I know? I've never been here before. Brother, you've never been to a place where such lowly people live?"
"Sigh, how many times have I told you? It's these lower-class people who truly keep Bianliang City running. These are the people who truly represent the hearts and minds of the people."
You always urge me to do great things, to do great things, how could I not know the will of the people? You won't even come here yourself, so how could you possibly know the true will of the people?
"Yes, brother, you're right. I'll take it to heart."
After Chai Rong's death, Zhao Kuangyi, the second son, became much more respectful to his elder brother Zhao Kuangyin, and never talked back to him again, agreeing with whatever he said.
"I'm afraid this is what makes the Wang family father and son so remarkable. They are truly an extraordinary pair. Second brother, go and find out some information. You might as well ask the people in the town what they think of the father and son, as well as Han Tong."
"Okay, I'll go."
Zhao Kuangyi didn't mind the filth and disorder of the place, nor did he care that the common people were considered lowly. Seeing an old woman selling vegetables she had grown herself at a stall not far away, he naturally squatted down in front of her, buying vegetables and chatting with her.
A short while later, Zhao Guangyi returned with a paper bag of carrots. As he ate them, he said to Zhao Kuangyin, "I found out that Tongjifang has undergone a complete transformation in the past six months, and it is indeed all related to that Wang family father and son."
"How so?"
"The workshops of the Wang family father and son mainly employ the families of soldiers from the Imperial Guard, especially the families of the wounded and dead soldiers. They were probably all arranged by Han Tong."
But that Taoist priest arranged dormitories for them within the ward. These military dependents usually ate and slept within the ward, no longer returning to the military headquarters, and their food, clothing, and daily necessities were all covered by money.
"Are most of the workers being done by people arranged by Han Tong?" Zhao Kuangyin took out a carrot from the paper bag, brushed off the dust, and crunched it down. He asked, "Didn't the father and son use any people from the workshop, or did they use very few?"
"It's true that most of the production in the workshop is handled by military families, but besides the Wang family father and son and Han Tong, there is another shareholder in this workshop named Pan Wu. According to the old woman, he was originally the leader of the wandering knights in the workshop."
"Ever since Pan Wu invested in the brick and tile workshop, although he doesn't manage production, all the materials and goods for the workshop are handled through him."
The workers in that workshop were only responsible for firing and glazing the bricks, but the clay and mortar were all brought in from outside, so digging for clay and mortar was all under the management of Pan Wu.
Pan Wu was a local strongman; all the residents of the neighborhood could sell their mud and soil to him, and he never haggled over prices—they were always very fair.
The residents of this neighborhood have made quite a bit of money just by digging soil; I've even heard that people from the neighboring neighborhoods often come to sell their soil here.
Zhao Kuangyin, munching on a carrot, said, "Soil is readily available, but it's extremely labor-intensive. Do you think Pan Wu's price was fair?"
"Yes, the price is very reasonable, but you can't dig within the residential area. You have to go to the riverbank and the source area, because anyone can dig, as long as they have the strength."
Pan Wu even bought many small carts and rented them out to the neighbors at very low prices. As a result, almost everyone in the neighborhood made money from this brick and tile workshop.
"Furthermore, this area used to be full of wandering knights, refugees, rogues, and scoundrels, but now they are all under the unified management of that man named Pan Wu."
They were made to clean the streets daily, maintain order, and patrol the streets day and night. They even vandalized several gambling dens and brothels, and only allowed women to work as prostitutes.
"Originally, the Kaifeng Prefecture rarely managed Tongji Ward, and there were many displaced people, so the public security was not very good. But now, it has been completely transformed."
Even for these people setting up stalls, there are already rules: where they can set up, where they can't, how much protection money to collect each month, and how to collect it—all of these are regulated.
Zhao Kuangyin stroked his chin thoughtfully: "Pan Wu... Pan Wu... Pan Wulang, this must be referring to Pan Da Nao, haha, could he really have such insight and skill?"
"Brother, do you know him?"
"I know him, it should be him. I remember I even treated him to drinks, hahaha."
Zhao Kuangyi couldn't help but think to himself: [How come you, a dignified commander, know everyone? And even offer to drink with them? No wonder you have such a high salary but still can't make ends meet every month, and you're always asking me for money.]
He said, "Brother, you truly have friends all over Kaifeng! Are you implying that this Pan Wu himself has no such vision, and that all of this is the idea of the Wang family father and son? Why would you need to use others to win over the people's hearts?"
Zhao Kuangyin, however, had already figured out the key point and said with a smile, "These two, father and son, are outsiders with no roots. It's naturally not as easy for them to win over the hearts of the people as it is for Pan Da Nao, a local strongman. Besides, they have a reputation, so doesn't that mean Han Tong has a reputation too?"
"It's different with Pan Wu. Pan Wu isn't their subordinate; instead, he's become a shareholder in this workshop. So, who do you think owns this workshop?"
"Isn't it the Wang family father and son?"
"Wrong! The owner of this workshop is Han Tong. Ignoring the relationship between son-in-law and father-in-law, he and his son are actually just Han Tong's managers."
Zhao Kuangyi was taken aback, but he wasn't stupid. He quickly realized what was going on and said, "So, having Pan Wu do these things is to enhance his reputation so that he can compete with Han Tong. In the future, if there are things that don't align with Han Tong's ideas, we can push Pan Wu out as an excuse to shirk responsibility."
"Even a powerful dragon can't suppress a local snake. Han Tong, this powerful dragon, might not give his son-in-law face if he gets angry. But Pan Wu, this local snake, is already a shareholder. If he can grow stronger, he can't be ignored."
We need to think about this. This father and son have huge ambitions. Working for Han Tong, they actually planned to have the final say from the very beginning.
Zhao Kuangyin patted the carrot scraps off his hands, straightened his clothes, and slowly the smile on his face disappeared: "This, this is a true master."
"He's capable, courageous, strategic, and even ambitious. Haha, ambition is good. He's already Han Dengyan's son-in-law. If he didn't have ambition, why would I bother with him? I could just go directly to Han Dengyan."