The Soldier of the Red Mansion

Chapter 236 Who's More Anxious?

Datong was a military stronghold, and although the population had increased, the scale of roadside stalls and shops was far smaller than that of the capital.

The noodle stall I passed by on the way back is now just an empty space with a lone pole. The flags and signs are gone, and the roadside is much more desolate, with more starving people around.

These starving people should be locals. If they are from other places, they will not be able to stay in their own hometowns and will also go to the interior, such as big cities like Taiyuan. However, if there are many starving people from other places, it means that the famine is widespread and not limited to one place.

Wang Xin rode along on horseback, which Shi Ping found unsurprising; the Beijing garrison had done the same thing before.

Soon after, upon arriving at the governor's office, Wang Xin met Zhang Wenjin, who was now all smiles.

As for why Zhang Wenjin was happy, Wang Xin could guess. Any superior would be happy to have a subordinate like him who dared to step in and take charge. If they lost, it was his responsibility; if they won, it was Zhang Wenjin's credit.

"I've heard that Ou Yanhu's envoy is still in Datong?"

Upon hearing Wang Xin's question, Zhang Wenjin's smile vanished, and she warned, "Why are you asking about them? Don't do anything reckless."

Ouyanhu's envoy was initially arrogant and domineering, appearing very confident. However, when news of the Shanyu tribe arrived, Ouyanhu's envoy lost his confidence. No one expected that the Shanyu tribe would be dealt with so easily.

Even Zhang Wenjin himself hadn't dared to imagine that Wang Xin had so easily destroyed the Shanyu tribe. This was a powerful tribe that had been entrenched for decades, and it was because of its strength that it had become a means for Feng Yong to control the various tribes under Dabansheng.

Even if he sent out the Yongxing Army and the Tiancheng Army, Zhang Wenjin was not confident that he could eliminate the Shanyu tribe. His opponents were not fools who would stay in one place and fight the Zhou army head-on.

I suppose Ou Yanhu thought so too, leaving the Shanyu tribe to hold off the Great Zhou so that he could go on his expedition with peace of mind.

Having thought all this through, Zhang Wenjin's eyes were filled with complex emotions; she didn't know how to deal with Wang Xin. This man was indeed a formidable fighter, though his methods were somewhat underhanded, but even more terrifying—he seemed utterly unconcerned about his reputation. So this wasn't how it was supposed to be.

Wang Xin shook his head. "Ou Yanhu is currently unable to attend to the Shanyu tribe. Taking advantage of the opportunity we have now, I have already discussed with the Zhou family and others about building a city in the Chiershan area."

I've already discussed this with several businesses in Weiyuan Pass, and this morning I also talked with the Zhou family in Datong. I'm afraid Zhang Wenjin will find out about this before evening.

Zhang Wenjin was stunned, unable to react for a moment.

“It’s not just Chiershan. After the situation stabilizes, we’ll build a city on the site of the old Shanyu City.” Wang Xin laughed. “We’ll build all the way up, and finally build Guihua City in Daban.”

The fact that the Great Zhou Dynasty did not have a Guihua City caught Zhang Wenjin off guard by Wang Xin's plan.

“Repairing the city is not that simple, and the imperial court doesn’t have the money.” Zhang Wenjin subconsciously refused.

Zhang Wenjin also had his own plans to repair the city, the difference being that he would repair the border castle.

There's a lot more to this than meets the eye.

This is different from Wang Xin's construction of a city outside the pass.

Moreover, Wang Xin's plan was too risky, and Zhang Wenjin felt that he could not control it. His thoughts gradually became clear, and he did not intend to support Wang Xin.

Zhang Wenjin's decision, while regrettable, was not unexpected.

Officials generally won't do such thankless tasks.

Businessmen are willing to do it because there is profit to be made, not because anyone is more morally superior than anyone else.

Wang Xin was not worried about Zhang Wenjin's attitude and said with a smile, "This matter does not require the court to pay for it, nor does it go through my hands. It is a decision made by the merchants for the purpose of doing business."

There was no clear distinction between merchants, landlords, scholars, and gentry.

The Xue family were both nobles and merchants.

The Zhou family were local gentry, landlords, and merchants.

Anyone can be a businessman.

Because pursuing profit is human nature, once the gentry and landlords of Datong have made their decisions, Zhang Wenjin will be unable to object and will instead cooperate. Everyone has connections in the government, and the gentry and landlords are only acting in their own self-interest. Unless Zhang Wenjin is insane, he would not cause personal grudges over official business.

The outcome was inevitably that the local gentry and landlords would host a banquet for Zhang Wenjin, and everyone would reach an agreement amidst the clinking of glasses.

Wang Xin used to believe in truth, but later he believed even more in his stance.

When it comes to one's stance, truth means nothing.

Therefore, Wang Xin had already foreseen the outcome.

Sure enough, after hearing Wang Xin's explanation, Zhang Wenjin fell silent. She already knew that this matter had nothing to do with Wang Xin. After sorting out her thoughts, Zhang Wenjin couldn't help but look at Wang Xin again.

"Why does Lord Zhang view me that way?"

"What exactly do you want to do?"

Zhang Wenjin couldn't help but ask, "Wang Xin's plan is a bit too ambitious. I had already thought highly of Wang Xin, but today I realized that I had underestimated him. His scheming is truly terrifying."

Wang Xin pondered, "People are fickle and unpredictable; we can't push Zhang Wenjin too far."

"Since the imperial court cannot resolve the problem of the barbarians, in order to prevent the problem from becoming uncontrollable and even repeating the mistakes of the past, such as replacing the Chinese with barbarians, it is not unreasonable to let local powerful families step forward to resolve the problem."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Wenjin's heart stirred.

The term "local tycoon" implies that he himself is a local tycoon.

Although Zhang Wenjin found Wang Xin's words somewhat arrogant, he wasn't particularly offended. However, unable to make a decision, Zhang Wenjin decided to discuss it with several other parties first.

Such a big matter cannot be decided all at once. Wang Xin understood Zhang Wenjin's hesitation, but he didn't care much, because what he had just said was indeed no longer his business.

Problems always need to be solved.

Either solve the problem, or be solved by the problem.

Since the solution to the problem is either the imperial court or the local government, there is no other way. If the imperial court cannot solve the problem, and the local government does, then it will create a new problem.

The problem won't disappear if the imperial court can't solve it itself and won't let the local governments solve it either. In the end, the problem is solved by both the imperial court and the local governments.

Realizing that the imperial court couldn't solve the problem, and not wanting to be solved by it, Wang Xin could only try to push local authorities to address the issue. As for future problems, he could only deal with them later.

A few days passed.

Rabbit Hair River, Red Child Mountain, Hun Riverbank.

Dozens of people huddled together, pointing and whispering from time to time. Everyone from Datong who was known by name had come. Among them, Zhou Shiming excitedly said, "This place has mountains and rivers, and the land is fertile. It wouldn't be a problem to cultivate it into farmland."

"Pfft."

Someone couldn't help but laugh and said, "An acre of land only yields a few coins, not even a tael of silver a year, but a horse can fetch more than ten taels of silver if transported to the interior."

"Well, that's true, but when it comes to grazing, a horse needs more than an acre of land."

Everyone started discussing it.

"General Wang is here!" someone called out, and everyone looked over.

They saw Wang Xin riding a horse, surrounded by a group of guards, heading towards their location. Zhou Shiming took the lead in greeting him. Wang Xin's personal invitation to him in Datong was a great honor for the Zhou family, and Wang Xin's intentions were beneficial to the Zhou family, which was why Zhou Shiming did so.

"Gentlemen, what do you think of this place?" Wang Xin dismounted, and Shi Ping took the reins and led the horse away. The grass here was lush and green, so there was no need to feed the horses any special feed. It was a rare and wonderful place.

The businessmen responded enthusiastically, creating a lively atmosphere.

Having seen and talked, Wang Xin didn't want to waste any more time. In his eyes, the person in front of him had only one identity: a businessman. How could a businessman not value efficiency?

As for other things, Wang Xin didn't care.

He discussed interests with each party; the most stable relationship is one where interests align and people work together.

Someone was even more anxious than Wang Xin and asked, "General Wang, how do you plan to build Zhenlu City?"

The speaker was probably in his thirties. Wang Xin recognized him and laughed, "Master Zhang is joking. This is everyone's business. How to repair Zhenlu City is something you should all consider. Why ask me?"

The crowd looked at each other, unable to follow Wang Xin's train of thought.

If it were up to me to build Zhenlu City and control everything, then I would be the one to stand out. I know the saying "the nail that sticks out gets hammered down." Not to mention the imperial court, even Zhang Wenjin could ruin my plans.

That's why Wang Xin wanted the merchants to raise funds. Once the merchants invested their money, the business would belong to them.

Whether it's to protect investments or for profit, businessmen will be more proactive than you are.

This is the most reliable method. Even if the imperial court is dissatisfied, it is dissatisfied with the merchants. And even if it is dissatisfied, there is nothing it can do. The imperial court can't even collect taxes. So what can it do if it is dissatisfied with the local areas?

Wang Xin took the initiative to calculate the costs and revealed his plan: "Building an earthen city will not cost much, but it will require manpower and resources. However, we cannot leave this earthen city unbuilt, as it is necessary to consolidate our control over this land and ensure your returns."

Everyone listened and nodded.

The desert may lack trees, but it has no shortage of soil.

This place has mountains and water. With water, mud bricks can be made. The Hu people lack tools, so they only need to cut a mud wall to block the Hu cavalry. Therefore, this person's statement is correct.

Wang Xin said confidently, "We attract people from the interior to graze their livestock here. This city is a market where we buy cattle, sheep and horses from the people. In turn, the people buy the supplies they need from you. I don't need to elaborate on the benefits involved; you can all calculate them clearly."

From here back to the interior via Weiyuan Pass, the rest is the business of the individual merchants; I don't need to interfere.

No one was nitpicking for the sake of nitpicking. Zhou Shiming laughed and said, "There is no shortage of people. In recent years, there has been a famine in northern Shaanxi and the harvests in various places have been poor. There are many more disaster victims. As long as we give them food, we can attract a lot of people."

Zhang Hui frowned. If it were to be invested, it wouldn't be a small amount. Zhang Hui worriedly said, "The people are easy to deal with, but how do we solve the problem of the Hu people?"

The Hu people often plundered. They attracted people to graze their livestock here, but the Hu people came to plunder. With the protection of the city walls, Zhenlu City was safe, but what about the people grazing their livestock around it?
Before Wang Xin could speak, another person waved his hand, "They are all starving refugees. If they come, they have a chance to live, and even settle down. If they don't come, they will starve to death anyway. If the barbarians come to rob them, they can just fight back. If they win, they can live their own lives. If they lose, they will just die anyway."

Rough words are not rough.

The Hu people also have only one life. When they plunder, they are also gambling with their lives. It's all about who has the better life.

Anyway, the disaster victims inside the pass are worthless. Using the disaster victims to wear down those bold barbarians might scare them away first. Many people are very shrewd and don't care about the lives of the disaster victims at all.

Some people said with difficulty: "These are minor issues, but the disaster victims have nothing. Where would they get cattle, sheep, and horses?"

The group gathered together to discuss business daily, exploring how to take advantage of the opportunities available there.

Hearing the enthusiastic discussion, Wang Xin became a mere spectator.

“Eliminating bandits is the army’s job,” Wang Xin said proactively. “The threatening Hu tribes should be handled by the army. The army is paid to solve problems, not to deal with parasites.”

Someone's eyes lit up: if the army could solve the merchants' problems by accepting money, then giving that money wasn't out of the question.

Many businessmen had a good impression of Wang Xin because he not only brought them profits, but also solved their problems instead of creating them when he took money, making him hard to dislike.

"There are also petty thefts and lone barbarians robbing people; the people need to be on their own to protect themselves." After analyzing the situation, Wang Xin proposed a solution: "We can sell muskets to the people. If every household has a musket, what are they afraid of from robbers?"

Not every Hu person knows how to draw a bow and shoot arrows, but the arquebus is different.

The musket is not difficult to operate; even a child can use it easily without long-term training.

Wang Xin offered another suggestion: "Use loans to lend cattle, sheep and horses to the people at low interest rates. With cattle, sheep and horses, and taking advantage of the local wealth, the people can purchase the goods that the merchants need every year. At the same time, they can also purchase supplies from the merchants. Each merchant can earn interest, and they can even set up a musket factory, which will be a commodity that every household needs."

One idea after another dazzled the merchants, who, upon careful consideration, found them to be far better than their own original ideas.

What's wrong with this guy's brain?

Zhou Shiming remained silent.

They're all better at business than the rest of us; the way they've managed to scrape the land is truly remarkable.

"After buying the musket, you should buy gunpowder cartridges, right? Gunpowder cartridges are consumables, so this will be another lucrative business."

"Isn't that too harsh?"

Zhang Hui said blankly.

It felt as if following Wang Xin's ideas would drain the people dry.

Wang Xin shook his head.

Many people have a misconception that business profits are fixed, and that if one person takes more, another takes less. In reality, business expands infinitely, and profits can increase infinitely.

Commerce is fundamentally based on resources, and agriculture is fundamentally based on land.

Land has limited output, but resources, if invested more, will produce more.

Since the Song Dynasty reformed rice cultivation, agricultural productivity was dominated by wheat in the north and rice in the south. Before the advent of industrial products such as chemical fertilizers, the bottleneck in agricultural development had been reached. Only the development of industry and commerce could continue to drive social productivity.

Building a new city here, distributing means of production to the people, and forming an economic model that complements trade with the interior is the correct model for industrial and commercial development, and the economy will continue to grow.

However, these are all long-term matters. I have seen them myself, so I have a clear understanding of them. The businessmen in front of me have not seen them, so no matter how reasonable my words are, they cannot imagine them.

"It's not like we're forcing people to buy. People will only buy when they have the demand and the money. When people have money, they can buy more goods, and the profits you all will be higher."

Wang Xin said a few simple words.

Unexpectedly, many people fell silent, unable to help but ponder what Wang Xin had just said.

"Rumor has it that General Wang has the ability to turn stones into gold, and it seems to be true today. I admire him greatly." Someone exclaimed, cupping their hands in admiration. How could someone do smuggling without some kind of background?

Those traveling merchants who took the greatest risks, even those who smuggled a few horses to make a little money, were prominent figures in their hometowns, not to mention the local residents.

Zhou Shiming is a typical example.

Many people know about Wang Xin's background. He is in Hexi Camp, and he runs the Hexi Market with a group of Yangzhou merchants. Even the praise some merchants give him is known to these local bigwigs, who are thousands of miles away.

Wang Xin was not surprised. What was the power of the local bullies in Datong now? Their most powerful period was during the reigns of the Ming Dynasty's Jiajing and Wanli emperors, when they had already entered the cabinet.

Unfortunately, the former Ming Dynasty's Tumu Fortress has already fallen, and the local power in Datong, which had reached its peak, has also been affected, and it is still located halfway up the mountain.

(End of this chapter)