The invasion of the abyss begins with the Laughing at the Ming Dynasty

Chapter 96: I want the horse not to eat grass

At the end of August, the fiery red sun hung high in the sky, emitting light and heat wantonly. The whole city of Fuzhou was like a steamer, with heat waves rolling.

The annoying cicadas' chirping sounds continued, and the towering trees that were once lush and green were now wilted, just like Prefect Cai at this moment.

"My dear heroes, please spare my life. I have parents and children to take care of. I have worked diligently in Fuzhou for so many years and have never done anything bad!"

"All the bad things were done by Master Zhao. Every wrong has its perpetrator, every debt has its creditor, so don't look for me!"

The black hat on his head had been knocked off to who knows where, and his green official uniform was now wrinkled. The chubby Prefect Cai looked like an eggplant hit by frost, wilted.

In such hot weather, Governor Cai ate hot pot, drank iced sour plum soup, and drank aged girl's red wine. His life was so comfortable.

Just as he was about to sing a song or recite a few lines from an opera, the Iron Guards, clad in bright silver armor and carrying goose-feather swords, suddenly rushed into the Fuzhou government office and were unstoppable.

"My lord, we meet again, hello!"

A familiar voice was heard, and Lin Zhennan, dressed in black and holding a blood-stained sword, walked out of the crowd and greeted with a smile.

"Lin Zhennan? Brother Lin?"

"We are brothers and close friends, please let me go!"

When he suddenly saw Lin Zhennan, Governor Cai was shocked. He crawled to Lin Zhennan, grabbed his sleeve, and said miserably.

Thirty years in the east, thirty years in the west. It has not even been ten days and the positions of the two sides have been reversed again. Fate is truly unpredictable.

"Brother Lin, I also want to let you go, but unfortunately, our friendship is not deep."

After saying that, Lin Zhennan threw down a copper coin, and the long sword in his hand instantly pierced through the neck of Governor Cai, killing him with one blow, and blood oozed out with tears.

"Master Zhao, where are you escaping to?"

Glancing at Master Zhao who was about to take the opportunity to slip away in the corner, Lin Zhennan said with a frosty face, and at the same time, he circulated his internal strength, and the long sword in his hand pierced through his chest like an arrow with a "swoosh".

He killed several people in succession, all of whom were officials and legal advisors in the prefectural government. This was Lin Zhennan's second token of allegiance to Shen Yuanliang, completely cutting off his own retreat.

Chief Escort Lin Zhennan is quite capable, as he was able to develop the Fuwei Escort Agency. He is not a complete fool. He was just blinded by Shengshi in the past.

……

Under the azure blue sky, hundreds of large Fu ships sailed against the wind, with white waves rolling and swirling close to the waterline.

Flocks of white seagulls circled in the sky, and their crisp chirping dispelled the heat.

"Master, we have made a great harvest this time, comparable to the last battle of Jingbian Fort. Fuzhou Prefecture is indeed one of the richest places in Fujian Province."

"A total of 900,000 taels of gold and silver, 300,000 dan of iron, 100,000 bolts of fine silk, and 800,000 dan of grain..."

On the wide deck, Dongmei, wearing a deep blue double-breasted silk dress and a gold hairpin on her head, fiddled with the abacus in her hand and said with a smile.

With the help of three thousand iron guards, the entire Fuzhou Prefecture was firmly under the control of Shen Yuanliang. It took three whole days until all the assets of the Chen and Lin families were loaded onto ships before he left.

Taking advantage of this period of time, Dongmei rushed around, leading the well-trained Iron Guards to empty the treasury of Fuzhou Prefecture and the collection of Governor Cai, leaving nothing behind.

In order to move the spoils onto the ship as quickly as possible, Shen Yuanliang hired the people of the entire city as reward, using the 200,000 dan of grain that could not be loaded onto the ship. It took them two days and two nights to move the spoils.

Today, the Fuzhou government warehouse is so empty that even mice would cry when they see it. "Where are the craftsmen?"

With his hands on the side of the boat, facing the gorgeous morning glow, Shen Yuanliang, wearing a moon-white round-necked robe and a wooden hairpin in his hair, asked solemnly.

In order to recruit as many craftsmen and master chefs as possible, Shen Yuanliang did not use gentle means, but instead used a forceful approach, packing them up and sending them directly to the ship.

"There are a total of 900 shipbuilders and blacksmiths, nearly 5,000 people, including the master who cast the red cannon."

"With them, we can build ships and forge guns and cannons, and we won't be controlled by others."

Dongmei smoothed her hair that was messed up by the sea breeze and smiled happily. Her cheeks were as red as a ripe red apple. This was the joy of the harvest.

"We had no choice but to force all the craftsmen and masters to move to the Liaodong Peninsula. Now that they are on board, we must settle them down and bring them home as soon as possible."

"Prepare sufficient food and clothing for them, and explain clearly to them the treatment of the craftsmen, and use the benefits to speak for them."

Under the huge sail, Shen Yuanliang gave instructions one by one.

In order to fight against the growing power of the Later Jin Dynasty, Shen Yuanliang wanted to cast a red cannon, but there was no master craftsman who was good at casting red cannon in the entire Liaodong Peninsula.

Now with the refined iron and the addition of the master chef, the Red Cannon is no longer a problem for Shen Yuanliang.

"Master, in the Ming Dynasty, those craftsmen are all poor people at the bottom of society. They have no food or clothing, and they have to work day and night."

"In our Shen family, they can eat well, wear warm clothes, make money with their own skills, and get paid by piece. As long as they stay in Huya Mountain for a month, I believe no one will leave."

Putting down the abacus in her hand, Dongmei said with certainty.

According to the ancestral system established by Ming Taizu Zhu Yuanzhang, all people were divided into civilian households, military households and artisan households, each with their own duties, and their descendants had to do so from generation to generation.

Among them, the artisans lived a very miserable life. Not only were their salaries often withheld by their superiors, but sometimes they had to buy materials out of their own pockets to make weapons for the government. If they were not careful, they could be beheaded.

“How can we exert our subjective initiative if we want the horse to run but we don’t want the horse to eat grass?”

"Rewards and punishments should be clearly defined. The amount of work done should be clearly defined. Don't make empty promises. You may worry that the craftsmen won't try their best!"

Speaking of this, Shen Yuanliang recalled the days when he was a slave in his previous life. Although he was a national expert in traditional Chinese medicine, before he became famous, he was also one of the ordinary people.

They get up early and go to bed late, and are busy all day long. They never have a moment to rest, and their bosses find all kinds of reasons to deduct their wages. They work themselves to death, and at the end of a month, they can only barely make ends meet.

When you have worked so hard like a slave to the end, you can either lie down, be optimistic and accept your fate, take life lightly and try to reduce your desires; or you can work harder and work hard enough to move yourself.

Now that he has a new life, Shen Yuanliang doesn't want to become the person he hated the most in his previous life.

"Master, this is the cooked sour plum soup. Quickly use your icy true energy to freeze it. In such hot weather, it is great to drink a sip of iced sour plum soup."

Just then, Qiu Ju, wearing a goose yellow double-breasted silk dress, came over with three bowls of amber sour plum soup and said with a smile.

"All you know is drinking sour plum soup. Have you hidden the 100,000 copies of the "Evil-Defeating Sword Manual"?"

Shen Yuanliang said unhappily, and at the same time used his icy energy to freeze the sour plum soup in front of him. Qiuju, who was smiling happily, shuddered instantly.

(End of this chapter)