Tang Dynasty Xie Lu Lang

Chapter 254 When the State Needs It, Important Matters Must Be Handled Simultaneously

"What brings you here, my lord?"

Nan Jiyun quickly arrived at the newly built hall, his robes still covered in mud. After entering, he clasped his hands in greeting to Zhang Dai.

Zhang Dai rose to greet him, gesturing for Nan Jiyun to sit opposite him. He then smiled and said, "Since we've traveled together, I've witnessed firsthand Nan Ba's warmheartedness and public-spiritedness. You surely know who I am. Now, for all the things I'm doing, I need to invite like-minded people to work with me. I wonder if Nan Ba ​​would be willing to continue to lend me a hand?"

As he said this, he was also filled with trepidation, worried about being rejected and feeling embarrassed. In his heart, besides wanting to recruit Nan Jiyun to his side, he also wanted to gain the other's approval. The two were essentially the same thing, and if he were rejected, it would naturally be a double disappointment for him.

Upon hearing this, a glint of light flashed in Nan Jiyun's eyes, but he quickly lowered his head and said, "Nan Ba ​​is merely a humble commoner, and I truly dare not accept such praise from you, sir. Moreover, I have dozens of companions, and I have no special skills to offer, so I cannot bear to abandon them on their journey..."

"It is not necessary for you to abandon your people. Now, Prefect Li of Caozhou has provided me with more than ten boats to facilitate river transport. The Yizao weaving workshops are distributed in various prefectures, and they urgently need the flow of goods by boat and cart. Now, the laborers sent from Luoyang are about to return home and cannot be used for long. Therefore, we need to recruit more able-bodied men, the more the better. What do you think, Nanba?"

Zhang Dai heard that Nan Jiyun was hesitant because he couldn't bear to abandon his companions, so he immediately expressed his opinion again.

Upon hearing this, Nan Jiyun's expression immediately became excited. He rose from his seat, bowed before Zhang Dai, and said in a deep voice, "Your Excellency's kindness is as vast as the heavens and your generosity is as boundless as the earth. You recently rescued my family in Bianzhou with great enthusiasm, and we are already deeply grateful. Having followed you all the way here, we have witnessed your many acts of kindness and have grown even more in awe of you. If we could follow you, we would be extremely fortunate!"

Zhang Dai was overjoyed upon hearing this. He immediately rose and helped Nan Jiyun up, saying with great satisfaction, "I was born a playboy, and my companions indulge in sensual pleasures and debauchery. I, however, am greedy for fame and reputation, which is why I have done all these things. The fact that I have managed to invite righteous men to join me makes this journey worthwhile. I am not keeping men for my own private gain; when the nation needs us in the future, we will work together on important matters!"

"I am but a humble commoner, ignorant of the greater principles of the state, but I am upright, unyielding, and grateful for kindness! Now that you have taken me in and have done me good deeds, I will obey any command you give me!"

Nan Jiyun bowed deeply again, which made Zhang Dai smile broadly.

He helped Nan Jiyun up and led him to the table. The more he looked at this handsome young man, the more satisfied he became. From now on, he was also a person with a double S card!

As early as when he was at Guanchengyi, Zhang Dai had the idea of ​​forming a logistics team, but he never had a reliable candidate or a clear and feasible plan.

These laborers, who operated boats and carriages, inevitably had to carry loads and loads, so it was essential to select brave and strong soldiers. However, the prefectures and counties they traveled to had different customs and traditions, and water and land transportation resources were very limited within a certain period of time. Therefore, these men also needed to be brave and fierce in order to avoid being oppressed by local bullies.

While Zhang Dai could certainly use the political resources of the Zhang family to provide some official support to this force, the presence of official backing, coupled with their own bravery and belligerence, made the force difficult to control.

Based on the downfall of some high-ranking officials and powerful ministers throughout history, Zhang Dai could even imagine that once this team was formed, it would gradually become arrogant and domineering, and eventually lose control.

Perhaps in the future, they will clash with the official cargo ships transporting the rented goods, affecting the transport of the goods, which will anger the court. Political enemies will seize this opportunity to launch a fierce attack and wipe out Zhang Dai's forces in and out of the court in one fell swoop!
This wasn't Zhang Dai scaring himself; it was a highly probable scenario that would unfold. Unless he could rapidly expand his power, gain absolute control over the court and the country, this event was inevitable, it was only a matter of time!
To avoid such situations as much as possible, it is necessary to emphasize faith and morality from the very beginning of team building. This will not only enhance team cohesion but also strengthen self-discipline, rather than blindly recruiting vagrants and hiding fugitives.

Although Zhang Dai has many capable people around him now, their character and abilities are not entirely trustworthy. Especially when faced with such a complex situation, it would be difficult to properly handle various situations without both wisdom and courage, as well as moral integrity and self-discipline.

Nan Jiyun was undoubtedly a suitable candidate, as he was exceptionally brave and fearless in the face of danger. As for his character, although Zhang Dai had only known him for a short time, he had long admired Nan Jiyun's deeds and achievements, and he was undoubtedly a representative figure of integrity and moral character in this era!

Although Nan Jiyun has not yet been tempered by the passage of time and is still somewhat impulsive in his actions, such as attacking Xu Shen based on rumors from the villagers, Zhang Dai is willing to grow with him and give each other a chance.

Nan Jiyun and his companions numbered only fifty or sixty people, far short of the personnel needed for a substantial logistics team. As for recruiting other members, Zhang Dai targeted the husbands and families of the women and children sheltered and rescued by the weaving workshop.

Although various states have implemented work-for-relief or other forms of relief to varying degrees, these official construction projects are only temporary, and the conscripted laborers will eventually have to return to their hometowns.

However, after the disaster, not everyone can resume normal farming and weaving production. Some families are destined to lose all their wealth, abandon their homes and fields, and even become vagrants or refugees. Zhang Dai's current abilities are limited, and he cannot save everyone. He can only cover those families who have already received relief in the weaving workshops and have deep connections with each other, absorbing the male heads of these families and giving them a job along the canal to make a living.

These people all have wives and children, and they are not the kind of desperate people who only care about themselves. Naturally, they are more careful and measured in their actions, which also prevents them from disregarding the law and instigating disturbances.

On the surface, these people appeared no different from the porters who made their living from the water in the counties and prefectures along the Grand Canal. However, those porters also had to rely on local wealthy merchants and form guilds to accept employment from the government and private individuals.

However, compared to other pack animal caravans and boat fleets, these people were more organized, had a clear program, and were disciplined. Even though they were river porters who traveled from place to place, they were still decent young men from families with children. Although they did not have permanent property, they had a stable livelihood!
Of course, this was Zhang Dai's overall plan. As for the current team, apart from the dozen or so transport ships given by Li Daosui, there were only a few dozen people including Nan Jiyun.

Therefore, Nan Jiyun needs to select qualified boatmen within Caozhou and then accept the employment of the Caozhou government to sail the boats to Weizhou on the north bank of the Yellow River to transport a batch of disaster relief supplies back to Caozhou.

Yuwen Rong is currently the official commander-in-chief of the disaster relief efforts. He is also serving as the governor of Weizhou at the same time, so all the funds and supplies used for disaster relief by the government are collected and distributed in Weizhou.

While Nan Jiyun was recruiting boatmen, Zhang Dai was also making a long-term plan for the weaving workshops and mulberry groves in Caozhou.

Although he wanted to start anew outside of Caozhou Prefecture, he still took on the daily expenses of the weaving workshop that the prefecture had previously established. In return, Li Daosui granted him great privileges within his authority, allocating a large area of ​​marshes and mudflats within Caozhou to the weaving workshop.

Zhang Dai also planned to erect a monument to Consort Hui's merits in the new weaving workshop. Although Li Daosui could not stay in Caozhou for long, as long as the monument remained and Consort Hui was not deposed due to her favor, the land in this area could be transformed at will, which would help the operation of the weaving workshop.

Thanks to the cooperation of Caozhou, nearly half of the money and goods Zhang Dai brought on this trip were invested in Caozhou. Although compared to the overall disaster situation in Caozhou, these tens of thousands of strings of cash and goods could not reverse the overall situation, but they still had a very positive effect.

Although Li Daosui wasn't as despicable as Yuan Fu, he had basically adopted a passive attitude before. He distributed whatever relief supplies the court allocated, and if that wasn't enough, he allowed the people of the prefecture to flee the famine. Apart from that, he had no other plans to implement.

At present, Zhang Dai is building weaving workshops and mulberry forests for Qian Bo, the ambassador of Caozhou. Naturally, he needs to recruit a large number of laborers. This has also caused the escaped people of Caozhou to return quickly. After all, if there is a way to make a living in the countryside, who would be willing to leave their hometown to make a living?

Taking advantage of this influx of people, Zhang Dai also suggested to Li Daosui that the prefectural government should undertake a series of projects such as dredging, dike construction, flood control, and water storage, instead of simply accepting relief supplies and then leaving it at that.

If the state government still lacks funds, it can borrow money from wealthy families within the territory.

However, the situation cannot always be like this. As long as the disaster is alleviated, Caozhou, a core area of ​​the Central Plains, can recover very quickly thanks to its superior agricultural and sericultural foundation. A good harvest in one year can restore order in the countryside, two years can basically restore normalcy, and three years can even achieve some savings.

"If only Zhang Lang had governed Caozhou! Lord Dai is honest, prudent, and frugal, and cannot tolerate complicated affairs. If he had followed Zhang Lang's advice earlier, the disaster would not have been so devastating and difficult!"

Liu Yan has been spending a lot of time at the weaving workshop. Although he is not very old, he has an almost innate keen sense of numerical calculation and the allocation of manpower and materials. Occasionally he may have some whimsical ideas, but with a little guidance, he can apply them to other situations.

Zhang Dai greatly admired and envied Liu Yan's talent. He himself didn't possess any particularly brilliant wisdom; his plans and ideas regarding people and affairs were based on his precognitive abilities and the broader perspectives modern people have when facing problems.

He really wanted to keep Liu Yan by his side, but the boy was too young, only a little over ten years old. Traveling to and from various places was tiring, and with the epidemic raging, his family was not at ease leaving him in Zhang Dai's care. So they could only agree to meet again when they returned to the capital.

Zhang Dai stayed in Caozhou for more than half a month, waiting until everything was in place and leaving behind a few capable assistants before leading his fleet north to Weizhou. He was quite interested to see what Weizhou, under Yuwen Rong's personal rule, looked like now.

(End of this chapter)