The weak scholar in the end of ancient times

Chapter 106 Not enough manpower?

Pei family.

Pei Jun, the head of the patrol and guard command, began to be busy with affairs after the third day of the Lunar New Year.

Pei Jing took care of most of the social obligations at home.

As for Pei's father, well... he caused trouble as soon as he had the energy, and was "bedridden".

After finishing his household affairs, Pei Jing went for a stroll in Jingxingfang.

I haven't been there for a while, and I'm still not used to it.

Although Jingxingfang was noisy and bustling, he often saw the vulgarity and rudeness of the common people, which he would not have been able to tolerate in the past.

He went to Jingxingfang initially for the models there. Even after the models were finished, he still wanted to go there from time to time to see the rare and vigorous vitality in the chaotic world.

He came to Jingxingfang this time to remind Wengu of something. Wengu came at the end of last year and may not have known some things.

When they arrived at the writing room of Jingqing Mansion, they did not see anyone who had studied.

Cheng Zhi was busy organizing the bookshelves.

Pei Jing knew him.

The bookshelf is filled with letters, manuscripts, and books, arranged according to a certain pattern, but sometimes they are hard to see clearly, and looking at them for a long time can make you feel cluttered and give you a headache.

It's unclear how this clerk surnamed Cheng organized and arranged things, but whenever he needed to review something, Cheng Zhi could always find it precisely.

Perhaps it's some kind of secret message?
He Xiaodi brought Pei Jing a pot of tea, then turned around and went to help Cheng Zhi.

Pei Jing didn't disturb them. He sat and waited for a while, and then he heard Wen Gu's movements outside.

My gaze went through the glass window.

Wen Gu was walking this way when a man named He Da quickly caught up from behind, seemingly wanting to say something.

Wen Gu paused briefly, then continued walking this way, gesturing for He Da to continue speaking.

When the two entered, Pei Jing wanted to leave, but Wen Gu raised his hand to greet them and said, "Please sit here and wait a while."

Pei Jing didn't stand on ceremony. Since Wen Gu said so, he sat down.

The study in Jingqing Mansion has the most glass windows and the brightest light.

Upon closer inspection, there were also glass ornaments, which were exquisite and had a unique artistic quality.

Pei Jing didn't pay attention, but the conversation over there would still come through.

He Da was asking for instructions on some matters at the construction site. Pei Jing noticed that when Wen Gu was speaking, He Da took out a small booklet about the size of his palm and was holding a charcoal pencil, taking notes quickly.

After Wen Gu finished giving his instructions, He Da asked two questions, received answers, and then quickly left for the construction site.

On a freezing cold day, He Da wiped the sweat from his forehead and jogged out of the Jingqing Public Office.

That damn Tao San is like he's on steroids! How could He Da, who's equally ambitious, be willing to fall behind?!
In the scholar's study.

Wen Gu said apologetically to Pei Jing, "Please wait a little longer."

Pei Jing didn't mind: "It's alright, you go ahead and do your thing."

He sat down next to her and watched for a while longer.

Each time Wen Gu says a keyword or makes a gesture, Cheng Zhi can accurately and quickly retrieve the item Wen Gu needs from the bookshelf next to him.

Pei Jing hadn't even finished half of his tea, it was still hot, when the other party had already finished.

Thinking back to the construction site problems He Da brought up, how many were there? One, two, three, four, five, six, seven... anyway, quite a lot.

The well and the resettlement of personnel—it all ended in the blink of an eye.

And on Cheng Zhi's side, with so many documents on the table and shelves, he was quickly going back and forth, page after page, and finished in no time.

Pei Jing: "..."

stunned.

After finishing his official business, Wen Gu came over, sat on another guest chair, and poured himself a cup of tea to soothe his throat.

"Are you done with things at home?" he asked.

Pei Jing snapped out of his reverie: "I'm not busy for now. I came to see you today to say..."

Pause.

What was I trying to say?

I was so shocked by what I just saw that I couldn't remember anything for a moment.

Oh! I remember!

“It’s about the caravan!” Pei Jing said.

There are caravans traveling between the six major clans in the North. Regardless of whether there are spies planted or sensitive information being transmitted, at least for now, all parties tacitly approve of the existence of these caravans.

When some powerful families migrated north, they split into several groups, settling in different spheres of influence. Many private caravans were supported by these families, either for communication or for other purposes. The six major clans also openly and secretly cultivated their own caravans. As for what these caravans did, that was not to be said openly.

After the New Year, before the weather warms up, caravans will definitely arrive in Xinzhou City.

The caravan consisted of a diverse group of people, and Pei Jing wanted to remind Wen Gu to be cautious.

Wen Gu had heard about the caravan from Madam Shen, and Pei Jing also provided some useful information. After discussing the caravan, Wen Gu invited Pei Jing to take a walk around the construction site.

"You are also one of the major investors in Wanfuyuan, so you can learn about the progress here."

Unlike the Shen family, who arranged for supervisors to report on the progress, Pei Jing didn't actually put much effort into Wanfu Garden. His initial goal was simply to get rid of the unused items in the storeroom, saving his troublesome father from wasting them. It was also to maintain good relations with the Shen family.

I never expected that Wanfuyuan would actually succeed!

After Pei Jing left.

Wen Gu returned to his study and told He Xiaodi, "Go and call Zhou Shan and Tao San over. See if your brother is here, and call him over too."

When the others arrived, Wen Gu briefly explained the caravan's activities to them.

Security in Jingxingfang was mainly handled by Zhou Shan. Having served as a county magistrate, he was quite perceptive in this regard.

Zhou Shan could usually tell who had ulterior motives, but he would only observe without taking any action.

Wen Gu arranged new tasks, which the three accepted without complaint.

Only Wen Gu and Cheng Zhi remained in the study.

Cheng Zhi was worried. He analyzed the available manpower and reminded him, "The people in the neighborhood are a mixed bunch. If a caravan comes, the people we have arranged may not be able to keep an eye on them."

Wen Gu smiled and said, "We don't need to use all our people. The escort agency has plenty of people."

Cheng Zhi: ...Huh?

He hesitated: "Although Tiger Might Escort Agency hasn't been here long, it has developed quite rapidly, and it does have a lot of people..."

As the reputation of the escort agency grows, so do its commissions!

Wen Gu said, "Go and call Chief Lin over... Never mind, I'll just go directly." Chief Lin's brain isn't quite up to par.

He put down his teacup and stood up.

Although Lin Wei is the head镖师 (bodyguard/escort) of the Tiger Might Escort Agency, he is not the only one in charge.

Seeing that Wen Gu had already left, Cheng Zhi hurriedly put down what he was doing and chased after him, calculating the cost of hiring a bodyguard in his mind.

Hmm... Even with a discount at the friend's price, it still requires a lot of money and supplies!

Could it be that our neighborhood head made a lot of money for the neighborhood during the Lunar New Year? There have been many rumors circulating lately, some true and some false. Indeed, some people say that Wen Gu made a lot of money from the Zhao family.

Could it be that the neighborhood head is going to use his own private treasury?
Tiger Might Escort Agency.

Wen Gu chatted with Lin, the head镖师 (bodyguard), and Madam Liang about the caravan.

It was further mentioned that before the emergence of escort agencies, merchant caravans performed multiple tasks. Generally speaking, the most important was trading goods, but in addition, there might be escorts, intelligence gathering, etc.

Especially in this chaotic world plagued by plagues, those who dare to go out and trade are ruthless people with martial prowess and powerful backers, and they are also aiming for greater profits.

If a security escort agency wants to develop and gain experience, it should pay more attention to those caravans.

Listen more, observe more, learn more, recognize your own strengths and weaknesses, and formulate better development plans.

"I'm sure you've already heard some news; I'm just offering a suggestion," Wen Gu said gently.

Madam Liang bowed and said, "Thank you for your guidance, Director!"

She paused for a moment, then added, "We will also give the brothers from the escort agency a lot of reminders to prevent any disturbances."

This also tells Wen Gu that their escort agency will not interfere in certain matters, but they will inform Wen Gu if they receive any useful information.

Respond with a sincere smile.

Lin, the head镖师 (bodyguard/escort), also clasped his hands in a salute: "Thank you for your trust, Chief! Our Tiger Might Escort Agency is not like those scoundrels in the streets; we do things according to the rules!"

Wen Gu nodded in agreement: "I can definitely trust Tiger Might Escort Agency to handle things!"

Lin Biao Tou didn't stay long. After Wen Gu left, he thought carefully about what Wen Gu had just said.

Now that they have recruited more people, they are well-informed and know that a caravan will be coming soon. They had already considered this possibility, but reviewing the suggestions they had just heard made their thinking clearer.

"Sister-in-law, what Director Wen said makes sense! Our foundation is still shallow, so we really need to observe more!"

He exclaimed loudly, "Chief Wen is truly a righteous man! Even though his status is different now, he still cares about us!"

Madam Liang gave him a cryptic look.

After hesitating for a moment, she still did not explicitly state her other intention in reviewing the past.

If Chief Escort Lin is too shrewd, it may not be a good thing for the escort agency, and Wen Gu will not allow their escort agency to grow stronger.

Therefore, Madam Liang suppressed the words she was about to say and instead echoed, "Yes, Director Wen really does... always... keep us in mind!"

(End of this chapter)