Taiheiki

Chapter 163 New Job

"It's good that Lord Wei was prepared!" Kong Gui breathed a sigh of relief. His opinion of Wei Cong had also changed over time, especially after seeing the large amount of salt transported from Xuwen. He realized that Wei Cong was not only good at military affairs, but also a talent for governing the country. If iron and copper mines could be found in this barren land, with the central government of the court weak and powerless, it would be a good thing for the Han Dynasty to have another powerful governor who could suppress the barbarians.

Wei Cong chatted with Kong Gui for a few moments before returning to the camp. As before, his construction plan began with building the fortified camp—ditches, earthen ramparts, water storage tanks for hydraulic machinery, a dock, dormitories, permanent toilets, vegetable gardens, then roads leading to the mines, new iron smelting furnaces, and factory workshops. Having learned from their previous experience, Wei Cong's officers were already adept at the task, and they were changing the camp's appearance every day according to the blueprints.

"I never imagined that the soldiers under Duke Wei were not only skilled in battle, but also so adept at civil engineering and construction!" Kong Gui watched with great interest as the soldiers drove livestock, threw bamboo baskets filled with stones into the water, and built dams to change the river course and construct reservoirs.

“A soldier should be proficient in both spear and pickaxe!” Wei Cong laughed.

"Oh, why do you say that?"

"Think about it, in a battle between two armies, there will always be times when the situation is unfavorable to you. If you have a strong fortified camp, you can retreat into it and hold your ground, waiting for the situation to turn in your favor. This will increase your chances of victory by 50%. Also, when you win a field battle and the enemy retreats into a city, the attacking side must surround the enemy's city with earthen fortifications, cut off internal and external communication, and use tunnels, earthen mounds, watchtowers, and other means to capture the enemy's city. All of these require officers and soldiers to be skilled in construction!"

"Alas!" Upon hearing this, Kong Gui sighed, "If the court had sent you to Jiaozhou earlier, how could things have turned out this way? Don't worry, I will do my best to persuade the court to appoint you as the governor of Jiaozhou!"

"Then thank you very much, Master Kong!" Wei Cong said with a smile.

The day after the reservoir dam was completed, the messenger brought astonishing news. Lu Ping, the head priest of the Celestial Masters sect, sent more than twenty survivors, including Guo Kui, and all their belongings to Yuhan County. Accompanying them were dozens of severed heads and more than a hundred people who had participated in the attack.

According to Lu Ping, she was completely unaware of the attack beforehand; it was entirely the unauthorized action of Jiao He, the Pingnan General among the bandits. To express her apology, she had already executed Jiao He and all his subordinate leaders, and sent all the remaining participants in the attack to be dealt with at their discretion. She hoped that both sides could maintain their original friendly relations, and she also entrusted Yang Zheng to deliver a handwritten letter to Wei Cong.

"General Pingnan?" Wei Cong suddenly felt that this looked familiar. After a moment's recollection, he remembered that this was one of the "cakes" that Lu Ping had used to lure him into joining the Moth Bandits. He never expected that the head of this "General Pingnan" would be sent over, and that the cause of death was related to him. He found it somewhat absurd.

"Did you bring the head of that General Pingnan?"

"It's already here!" The messenger took a wooden box from behind his back and was about to open it when Wei Cong stopped him: "No need, there's nothing to see. By the way, is this General Pingnan very famous? What has he done?"

"Reporting to the captain, Jiao He was originally a famous general in Danyang County. After joining the bandits, he defeated the government army several times. He took over most of the counties in Jiangnan, including Yangzhou. He was a well-known general among the bandits!"

"Chancellor Lu even killed this person, that's quite a lot of face!" Wei Cong sighed, "Give me her letter!"

"Here!" The messenger hurriedly took out the silk scroll from his bosom and presented it with both hands.

Wei Cong took the silk scroll and casually opened it: "I hope you are well, Lord Wei. I bow in gratitude! I am ashamed of what happened on the river. I have now beheaded the bandit and presented him to the emperor. I cannot repay even a fraction of your kindness. I hope you will remember our past friendship and preserve our goodwill for a thousand years to come."

"I reside in Yuzhang and have heard of your illustrious achievements in the conquests of Lingnan. I am overjoyed! I prostrate myself before you, for my humble appearance is unfit to serve you and perform menial tasks. I inquire about your well-being; Lingnan is hot and humid, rife with miasma. I urge you to eat well and take care of yourself, and to select many beautiful young women to serve you, so that your lineage may continue..."

Upon reading this, Wei Cong couldn't help but put down the silk scroll and sigh softly. After apologizing for the attack on Guo Kui and the others, Lu Ping's letter abruptly shifted to inquiring about Wei Cong's well-being in Lingnan. She described the hot, humid weather and malaria-ridden conditions there, urging him to take care of himself and eat even if he had no appetite. She then lamented her own lack of beauty, suggesting he choose more young and beautiful women to keep by his side and have many children to continue the family line. If the first part were removed, it would resemble a virtuous wife advising her husband to take care of himself, take more concubines, and have more children to carry on the ancestral bloodline. This humble approach prevented Wei Cong from venting his anger, especially since he had no intention of interfering in the affairs of Yuzhang in the first place.

"Very well, since Guo Kui is not dead and has even brought the bandit leader's head, let's put it aside for now!" Wei Cong put the silk scroll aside. "As for Lu Ping, we'll give her a way out after she fails in her mission, which will be considered repaying her for the past favors!"

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Jingling in Nanjun, Zhao Yannian's military camp.

As dawn broke, a faint light shimmered on the river's surface with the waves, like a giant mirror that shattered whenever a long pole swept across it. The mirrors then coalesced again as the boats passed. Yesterday, Li He led five hundred men aboard to Chaisang; today it was Wen Sheng's turn, but instead of going to Chaisang, he was heading to Jiangling.

"Be careful on the road, and absolutely do not get into any conflict with anyone!" Zhao Yannian said, "Once we reach the manor, take Lady Ajing, the young master, and the soldiers' families with you, and board the boat to Chaisang. The quieter the better. Once we arrive in Chaisang, everything will be arranged by Young Master Sheng—"

Wen Sheng patted Zhao Yannian on the shoulder: "You've told me this hundreds of times, I've already memorized it. Don't worry, I will definitely escort Madam Ajing and the young master safely to Lingnan! Just be careful while you're left here alone!"

Hearing his comrade's words of advice, even Zhao Yannian, a man of iron, couldn't help but feel a surge of warmth in his heart: "I have thousands of soldiers surrounding me, so what is there to be careful about? After we arrive in Jiaozhou, you must apologize to my lord for me. Tell him that I am burdened with a heavy responsibility and cannot leave to come. Once the matter of the Moth Rebels is settled, I will immediately abandon my post and rush here to serve my lord!" "Hmm!" Wen Sheng sighed. "Li He and I will explain to the young master on your behalf. He's a reasonable man and will definitely understand your difficulties. But let me tell you the truth, don't you know what kind of people the court is? Yes, General Feng promoted you to Lieutenant General, but wasn't it because you could win battles for him? Can that favor compare to how the young master treats us? You haven't forgotten where the capital for winning battles comes from, have you? In my opinion, following the young master is the right path. Not to mention that the young master has just occupied five counties in Jiaozhou and is in need of manpower right now. If you go there, you'll at least be a prefect of a county, right? Even if it's risking your life, risking your life for the young master is a million times better than risking your life for General Feng. After all, who knows what will become of General Feng himself!"

"I've got it!" Zhao Yannian nodded. "Have a safe journey!"

"Yes!" Wen Sheng nodded vigorously. He wiped his slightly moist eyes, grabbed Zhao Yannian's forearm, shook it twice, and then turned to walk towards the boat. Zhao Yannian stood on the shore, gazing at the boat's silhouette until it disappeared into the ripples before turning away.

Back in his tent, Zhao Yannian let out a long sigh and took out a letter from a wooden box on the table. He had received it two days ago, and it was this letter that made him decide to send Wen Sheng and Li He with A Jing and the others to Lingnan immediately, while he stayed behind alone.

After all, in his view, even Feng Kun's trusted advisors had begun to win him over, preparing for his participation in the internal power struggles of the imperial court. Jiangling was no longer a safe place. As a general, fleeing south to Jiaozhou now would be too drastic and would only cause trouble for Wei Cong. It would be better to have Wen Sheng and Li He take their families away first, making it much easier for him to act alone in the future.

"Those who hold high positions and wield great power, yet whose hearts are set on private gain—if this continues, how will the affairs of the world be managed!" Zhao Yannian sighed. "Everyone says that the current state of affairs is the fault of corrupt officials, but how much better are these scholars in their conduct than these corrupt officials? No wonder you, sir, would rather give up a perfectly good official post and go to Yuzhang or Jiaozhou. The Han Dynasty is truly beyond saving!"

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Panyu, a fishing port, the sky was just beginning to lighten.

"Make way, make way, no pushing, no shoving!"

"You stepped on my foot! You bastard, how dare you cut in line!"

"Don't cross this line, or don't blame me for hitting you!"

"Move aside, ouch!"

The shouts and curses of the guards and fishmongers came from behind him, but Qin Ke ignored them. He rubbed his still sleepy eyes, counted the heads, and said to his subordinates, "As soon as the fishing boats arrive, help them carry the baskets ashore, and then start sorting them. Just like I taught you before, put the big fish in one basket, the shellfish in another, and the small fish in yet another. Each has its own purpose, so don't mix them up. Do you all understand?"

"Got it!" a group of women who had just woken up replied. Qin Ke nodded: "Alright, go to the restroom first, you won't have time to use it later when things get busy!"

The women responded and hurried towards the nearby restroom, leaving behind a chorus of chatter. Qin Ke shook his head. He had been surprised to learn that he would be working with a group of women in the future. Having received some Confucian education, he was about to refuse when he heard his superior say in a helpless tone:

"I know women are troublesome, but I can't help it. There's a shortage of manpower everywhere in Panyu City right now. A laborer who doesn't know anything is paid eighteen coins a day. Can you believe that price? Even in Luoyang City, earning eight coins a day is considered very good."

Don't complain about the price; there's even a scramble for it. Those guys with a few servants are going to make a fortune. They can rent out their servants, giving them five coins each, and pocketing thirteen for themselves. That's four hundred coins a month. With four or five servants, they'll be considered respectable families (in the Han Dynasty, a respectable family's wealth was equivalent to 100,000 coins) in a few years. Can you believe it? Anyway, women can sort the fish catch too. You either take them with you or go back to smashing stones!"

Qin Ke still remembers his surprise when he heard about the wages in Panyu City. A laborer who didn't know anything could earn eighteen coins a day? That was three times the wages in his hometown! For the first time, he had the thought that "should I stay after I was released?" He was no less strong than others, and he knew a little about carpentry and masonry. With houses being built and walls being constructed everywhere in Panyu City, earning thirty coins a day wouldn't be unreasonable, right?

After deducting two days off per month, that's 840 coins. Food in Panyu is incredibly cheap right now, and renting a dormitory room is enough. After deducting food, clothing, and lodging, saving 500 or 600 coins a month is easy.
He remembered his superior mentioning that the government was selling residential land in Panyu city for 10,000 coins per half-acre. He could save up for a few years and then hire some craftsmen to build a house. Then he would be a local resident with land under his feet and a house above his head. Compared to the endless labor and taxes he had to pay back in his hometown, being a local resident in Panyu didn't seem so bad.

"The ship is about to dock! Don't just stand there, come and help!"

The rude shouts startled Qin Ke from his thoughts of how long it would take to save enough money to buy a house. He took a few steps back in alarm and saw a large, long, narrow fishing boat with two masts slowly approaching the dock.
With a shout, a sailor on deck tossed a cork ball to the shore, which was then tied to a rope. The ball bounced twice on the ground. Qin Ke quickly picked it up, pulled hard on the rope, and tied it to a stone post on the shore. Once the rope was secured, two gangplanks were lowered. A rough-voiced old sailor stood beside the gangplanks and shouted, "Make way, time to fish!"

With shouts, bamboo baskets filled with seafood were lowered from the gangplank. Without Qin Ke's prompting, the women rushed forward and sorted the seafood from the bamboo baskets according to type and size, throwing it into different baskets. Qin Ke stood behind the women, inspecting them to make sure they hadn't made any mistakes.

Whenever a basket of a certain type of fish filled, he would call out, and someone would naturally carry the basket away. He would then make a cut on a bamboo slip in his hand; this would serve as proof of payment to the fishermen in the future. These sorted fish would then be used for different purposes.
The freshest and most delicious fish would be bought up by the fish market, taverns, and government offices, while most would be sent to processing plants that produce fish floss and fish sauce. The worst and smallest fish would be sent to make "brown soup" and to the military camps outside the city. Most of General Wei's troops were stationed in two camps outside the city, which were probably the most mysterious places in the entire Panyu city. The area within five li outside the camps was a military control zone—this was the statement in Wei Cong's notice. Without permission, unauthorized personnel were prohibited from entering, otherwise they would be punished.

(End of this chapter)