The Soldier of the Red Mansion

Chapter 248 Separation
The weather is getting colder and colder.

Zhenlu City was gradually completed.

Those disaster victims who slacked off or were deemed unfit only received their wages.

The selected disaster victims signed contracts with the merchant firm and quickly obtained pastureland, as well as loan agreements, and acquired cattle, sheep, and horses.

Although the military is not responsible for day-to-day management, it still needs to understand the situation, especially since it holds a 20% stake.

Wang Xin had no spare talent around him, so he could only use Zheng Hao and Xue Ke like cattle and horses, even though Xue Ke was only fifteen years old.

Xue Ke was also responsible for keeping track of the progress of Juzhongchang.

"The amount of grass a horse eats each year is equivalent to that of six sheep. In order to save costs and reduce risks, the merchants require the disaster victims they select to have families and to be jointly guaranteed. They will not select people of unknown origin."

Xue Ke has changed from a pretty boy to a more mature and capable young man.

Wang Xin looked at the charter of the firearms workshop on Niuxin Mountain while listening to Xue Ke's words.

"Try to maintain a family size of five. Borrow eighty sheep, twenty cows, and ten horses. You need to pay 30% of the amount to the merchant every year. The sheep will be delivered starting next year, and the cows and horses will have to wait for two more years."

Xue Ke's expression was complicated, showing some reluctance, yet he maintained a calm tone, trying his best to appear composed.

"According to the rules of the trading company, the principal and interest must be paid off in full for fifteen consecutive years. After that, the transactions will proceed as usual."

Thirty percent must be handed over each year.

In other words, the interest paid over fifteen years is nearly four times the principal.

Businessmen pursue profit.

This is still due to my own existence.

I know very well how Shanxi merchants operated during the Qing Dynasty.

With the support of the Qing Dynasty rulers, the entire Mongolian region worked for the Shanxi merchants. The annual output of the grasslands was just enough to pay the interest of the Shanxi merchants, a cycle that continued for generations.

Not counting the southern part of the desert.

The entire Mongolian region owed Shanxi merchants tens of millions of taels of silver. With an annual interest rate of 36%, that's over ten million taels, and it was interest on top of interest.

Putting emotions aside.

In reality, the Qing Dynasty's rule over Mongolia was truly driven by commercial interests, rather than by so-called marriage alliances or anything else.

Only interests are eternal.

Wang Xin said calmly, "Fifteen years is indeed a long time, but for disaster victims who have nothing and live hand to mouth, if they can struggle for fifteen years, still have enough to eat and drink, and then acquire a fortune worth several hundred taels of silver, I believe many people would be willing to do so."

For the disaster victims right now, what they need is food.

In addition to providing food, they were given a readily available and real hope.

Merchants profited, the people were able to eat their fill, and both sides gained an increase in income. The only one who lost was Taiji.

As for Taiji's dissatisfaction.

Dissatisfaction is dissatisfaction.

Wang Xin didn't care much; reforms always bring growing pains.

My own pain is less than someone else's.

Xue Ke was somewhat surprised by the general's attitude.

Although I had met the general before, he was an outsider, and there was always a distance between us.

Now that I'm under the general's command, the atmosphere in the military camp is indeed different from the outside world.

Compared to his previous indifferent observation, Xue Ke now felt more like one of his own, and with these thoughts in mind, he smiled easily.

"I always thought the general was benevolent and righteous. I originally thought the general would stand up for the people and personally go to Juzhongchang to object and ask Juzhongchang to lower the interest rate."

"Business matters are also important; you can't just make decisions on a whim. Everything requires careful consideration."

Wang Xin shook his head.

Now is the time to race against time.

August and September are the peak season for the southward migration of the Hu people, but as a result, the border of the entire Datong military town has not been disturbed for the past six months.

There has been no news of Ou Yanhu to this day.

What does it say?
The opponent did not fail. If they had failed, their remaining troops would have retreated to Dabansheng. Since they did not fail and Sheng Hu has disappeared, the only remaining possibility is that Ou Yanhu is making good progress.

Scholars flocked to become officials, driven by self-interest rather than by concern for the nation and its people.

The same is true.

Merchants rushed to do business, not for the sake of people's livelihood and development, but simply for profit.

Nearly two thousand herding households would need cattle, sheep and horses worth about 700,000 taels of silver, but that's the price for transporting them back to the mainland.

Based on prices outside the pass, it would only cost less than 300,000 taels.

However, if you were to plunder, you would only need to replenish the army's supplies and gunpowder. For example, for a force of a thousand men, each soldier would be paid ten taels of silver, plus ten taels of silver worth of supplies, and an additional ten taels of silver for any extra losses.

No matter how you calculate it, this amount only amounts to 30,000 taels of silver.

Ten times the profit.

In reality, mobilizing two thousand cavalrymen would likely only cost 40,000 taels of silver over two months, averaging 20,000 taels per month.

Two hundred and forty thousand taels of silver a year to support two thousand cavalrymen.

No imperial court could afford this price.

But Juzhongchang is willing.

In reality, Zhou Shiming and his group had even bigger appetites.

"General, it's time to take action against Dabansheng before the end of the year. If we act sooner, we can start building the city at the beginning of next year. The second half of the year is when the pasture is at its best, which is perfect for dividing the pasture."

Zhou Shiming advised.

"Eh." Wang Xin waved his hand. "I promised the Hu people."

When Wang Xin broke his promise to the Hu people, many people ridiculed him.

Now the merchants are getting anxious, and Wang Xin is using what people have said about him in the past as his reason.

Although everyone knew that Wang Xin would not refuse, and that he was retaliating against them, no one exposed him.

They were indeed in the wrong.

The bad reputation behind the scenes.

Are the Hu people considered human?

"Aren't the children of the Hu people and the children of the Zhou people the same? That's what Master Zhang said." Wang Xin asked with a sidelong glance.

Zhang Hui stiffened his neck.

"That's not true. The Hu people are not human."

"Since they are not human, they don't need to care about loyalty and integrity."

Merchants value integrity and trustworthiness.

This is the funniest thing ever said.

Businessmen make huge profits.

Because one uses integrity for personal gain, but can immediately abandon it when personal gain is needed.

Wang Xin was not surprised by Zhang Hui's words, and said no more, "You can go to Zhang Can about the matter of Zhenlu City. You don't need to come to me."

"Why?"

"The matter of the deputy commander is still unresolved. With the year-end approaching in less than two months, there's likely to be some setbacks," Wang Xin said frankly.

The merchants' money has already been invested.

Where is the money?

Loyalty lies therein.

They themselves might have to leave Datong, which didn't bother them, but the merchants couldn't rest easy knowing that the situation outside Datong was so dire.

Huge profits come with enormous risks.

Everyone needs to contribute.

Zhou Shiming and the others frowned.

They had already received word of what was happening in the imperial court.

Zhang Jifu did make a promise to Wang Xin, so Wang Xin was not lying.

However, Wang Xin was not Zhang Jifu's confidant, nor was he even considered one of Zhang Jifu's men. It wouldn't be surprising if Zhang Jifu changed his mind.

Just as Wang Xin just said.

The end of the year is less than two months away.

Each family was preparing tributes to send to the capital. They meticulously planned which ports each family operated in the capital, specifying the amount to be paid at each port. No one dared to shortchange anyone; they could only give more, not less. Previously, tributes were given to nobles and high-ranking officials, but now the ports had long since changed.

As far as they knew, Wang Xin had no intention of currying favor with powerful figures in the capital, and they didn't know how Lin Ruhai had taught him.

Since he refused to pay homage to anyone, naturally no one stepped in to protect Wang Xin.

If things drag on like this, they might fall through at any time.

Zhou Shiming had mixed feelings. He valued Wang Xin's talent, but he didn't want Wang Xin to stay, so he remained indifferent to the matter.

But what if Ou Yanhu comes back after Wang Xin leaves Datong?

Many large households share his views.

He had mixed feelings about Wang Xin.

This person is indeed talented, but he doesn't integrate into the local community of Datong. So, people want to use the benefits he brings to everyone, but they don't want him to get what he wants and become a second Feng Yong.

Seeing the atmosphere in the room gradually fall silent, Wang Xin remained indifferent.

Or perhaps it's a case of high skill and daring?

I really don't care anyway.

Wang Xin smiled and said, "There are no problems with Zhang Can's side."

Seeing that everyone was still hesitant, Wang Xin continued, "Zhang Can's ability to lead troops into battle is not a problem. However, given the current situation outside the pass, with various units leaderless, it is most appropriate to split the cavalry into smaller units for the fastest possible operation, with Zhang Can in charge of command."

Currently, there are not many tribes in Tu Mao Chuan; they are mainly small tribes.

The same applies to the Xiongnu chieftain's side.

As for the Daban Sheng region, apart from the main force left behind by Ou Yanhu, he took away all the able-bodied men from the powerful tribes there.

The Hetao region today is like a vacuum era.

Zhang Can lacks the ability to handle things independently and has a fiery temper, so I arranged for Ma Fan to assist him.

Wang Xin then looked at Zhang Hui and joked, "Didn't Boss Zhang already make the suggestion to Zhang Can?"

Zhang Hui became increasingly restless.

He finally stood up, bowed to Wang Xin, and cupped his hands in greeting, saying, "General Wang, please forgive me. I did something wrong."

Zhou Shiming remained silent.

Li Dexing hesitated, as if he wanted to say something but then stopped.

Wang Xin saw it all, which meant they all knew what Zhang Hui had done.

There's nothing strange about it; it's the same thing Zhang Wenjin did before—poaching talent.

"There's no right or wrong. My goal has never changed. As long as it benefits my goal, I don't care about any other details," Wang Xin said calmly.

Everyone was then moved.

People used to laugh at Zhang Wenjin, thinking he was incompetent.

Now that they've tried to do it themselves, the result is even worse than Zhang Wenjin's; they've all run into obstacles.

Even Zhou Shiming.

Although his family married off a daughter to Tang Ping, Tang Ping's attitude changed whenever Wang Xin was involved; he became completely unyielding.

"General, are you really sending us to find Zhang Can?"

Zhou Shiming asked earnestly.

Wang Xin nodded.

"I will be going to Datong in the next few days to see Lord Zhang. After that, I may return to the capital. So if you need anything, just go find the person you are looking for."

"Is the general going back to the capital to seek an official position?"

Zhou Shiming spoke frankly and openly: "The Zhou family can speak on behalf of the general."

They had tried some methods during this period, but to no avail. On the contrary, Wang Xin was very magnanimous. In order to make up for it, Zhou Shiming thought they should ease the tension with Wang Xin.

Li Dexing and the others looked at Zhou Shiming speechlessly.

He beat the good guy to it.

With Zhou Shiming taking the lead, no one dared to fall behind, and they all pledged to help Wang Xin in the court.

"Thank you in advance."

Wang Xin cupped his hands in a respectful gesture.

The wealthy are still wealthy; they have connections in the imperial court and money in the local areas. Leaving aside external affairs, they certainly have more ways to handle internal matters than they do themselves.

With Wang Xin's personal promise, everyone felt reassured and went to find Zhang Can.

Currently, Zhenlu City mainly consists of over a thousand cavalrymen.

The majority of them were Zhou's troops, and the smaller portion were Hu cavalry, with the Hu cavalry growing at a faster rate.

Wang Xin dispatched most of his cavalry to Zhang Can.

Zhang Can later became the garrison commander of Zhenlu City. This army was no longer directly led by Wang Xin. This was Zhang Can's independent command, mainly because Wang Xin supported him and provided him with the most resources.

The other person is Tang Ping.

Tang Ping acquired the technology, but received fewer resources than Zhang Can.

There is also Zhao Yong of Yanmen Pass.

Datong
The office of the governor and censor.

"The Weiyuan Pass was designated to have 3,500 troops, but in reality, it had less than 1,000."

"The regiment's authorized strength was 2,000, but in reality, it was less than 500."

Wang Xin's regulations did not mention the local militia in Shuozhou, Mayi and other five prefectures and counties. These local county governments recruited young men from the countryside to come to the city and put them under the actual control of the county governments in the form of corvée labor.

There aren't many people available either, because the local population is insufficient, and there aren't enough people even during the busy farming season, so there's no way to find extra manpower.

The real hope lies with the young and strong men sent from Shanxi, Baoding, and other places to the border areas.

The entire Datong military town should have 120,000 soldiers and militia, which was also the number of troops at the beginning of the Great Zhou Dynasty. If Datong had 120,000 troops, there would be no need to worry about the situation outside the pass.

Just like the momentum they had when they pursued and killed the Tatars and Oirats, they eliminated all the hidden dangers that would last for the next twenty or thirty years.

Zhang Wenjin put down the booklet.

"Five thousand soldiers."

Adding the 2,500 battalions at Yanmen Pass and the more than 1,000 militiamen, if he really succeeds, Wang Xin's forces will approach 9,000.

The 2,500 battalions under Wang Xin's command were elite soldiers.

With the addition of over 6,000 militiamen, their fighting strength remains formidable and should not be underestimated.

However, Zhang Wenjin also knew that the accounts couldn't be calculated that way.

Just like Feng Yong back then, even though he was the military governor of Datong and wielded power in Datong for twenty years, and had the right to command the army in wartime, it did not mean that the army was under his control.

Although the soldiers guarding Tuanshan Pass, Weiyuan Pass, and even the forts and passes around Yanmen Pass were his subordinates, it did not mean that they were not under the control of the local authorities or the imperial court.

However, Wang Xin was different from others.

After leaving Datong, Feng Yong personally led the Yongxing Army, which he had led for many years, and easily defeated them one by one, successfully subjugating them.

Because no matter what, the Yongxing Army dared not refuse in the face of the greater good of the imperial court.

But Wang Xin was different.

After Wang Xin left, he made a move against Yanmen Pass, causing Wang Xin to suffer a setback and lose face in the imperial court.

Wang Xin knew what Zhang Wenjin was worried about.

They also knew what Zhang Wenjin wanted.

"With the Yongxing Army and Tiancheng Army combined, and the troops gathered from Datong Garrison, we can muster at least 40,000 to 50,000 troops. Add to that the nearly 10,000 troops of the Western Route Army, and even if we can't completely eliminate Ou Yanhu, we can at least make him dare not offend Datong."

"The Western Route?"

Zhang Wenjin smiled enigmatically, "General Wang is so confident that he can be promoted to brigade commander, he's even thought of a name for himself?"

Generals who actually lead an army have the right to name their troops privately.

It also inherited the atmosphere established by the Ming Dynasty's guards.

For example, the Hundred-Household Offices and Thousand-Household Offices established in the early Ming Dynasty were often located in desolate and uninhabited areas. While cultivating the land, they named the local area after the surnames of the Hundred-Household Office and Thousand-Household Office, such as Lijia Camp or Wangzi Office.

Although the Great Zhou army dared not do this, they would either follow the rank of their superior or the name given to them by their superior.

Yongxing Army was named after Feng Yong's position.

Tiancheng Army, on the other hand, follows the old place name and is the successor to the former Tiancheng Guard of the Ming Dynasty.

(End of this chapter)