Da Ming: Father, step aside, I'll be the prime minister!

Chapter 174 This young master is going to smash the market!

Seeing Zhao Shizhen in such a state of disarray.

Zhang Yunxiu seemed unfazed. He stepped forward, patted the other person on the shoulder, and said comfortingly.

"Work hard, Xiao Zhao. You young people need to work harder. In the future, no matter what you do, I will always support you!"

Zhao Shizhen found the other person's tone very strange, but he was still moved and spoke.

"I could not repay even a fraction of your kindness, sir, though I risk my life nine times over!"

After saying this, he clasped his hands and knelt down.

At this moment, I am completely convinced.

Seeing the other party's attitude, Zhang Yunxiu couldn't help but feel a little emotional.

The ancients were so simple and honest...

When Zhang Man climbed out of the cave, he briefly explained the situation inside.

The workers and officers of the Imperial Guards who had been summoned all had expressions of excitement on their faces.

I thought that Xishan was going to collapse due to mismanagement, just as the outside world had said.

The theory of Xishan's collapse has caused widespread panic among the residents of Xishan.

But as soon as the "dragon sucks water" appeared, all the gloomy mood was swept away!

What could be more convincing than witnessing a "miracle" firsthand?

Amid the celebrations, Zhang Yunxiu noticed someone in the corner.

At this moment, Zhang Siwei was kneeling on the ground.

His mouth was still gagged with a white cloth, and his eyes looked somewhat vacant.

He stared intently into the cave dwelling, his mind unable to calm down for a long time.

Zhang Yunxiu slowly walked forward, pulled the white cloth out of the other person's mouth, and asked leisurely.

"Zhang Ziwei, what do you think of my 'dragon sucking water' technique? Do you still think the Shanxi merchants have a sure win?"

Zhang Siwei seemed to have his soul ripped out; his body was hunched over, and his gray hair was draped over his shoulders.

Suddenly, he abruptly turned to look at Zhang Yunxiu and uttered a question from his throat.

"What is 'investigating things to acquire knowledge'? This is the principle of investigating things to acquire knowledge?"

Zhang Yunxiu smiled and shook his head, saying, "You court officials praise Yangming to the skies all day long, yet you know nothing about his 'investigation of things to extend knowledge,' which is truly laughable."

"Investigate things to acquire knowledge~ Investigate things to acquire knowledge~"

Zhang Siwei's eyes widened, as if he had suddenly realized something, or as if he was trapped in a quagmire of thought, unable to extricate himself for a long time.

Zhang Yunxiu stopped paying attention to this person.

The reason they placed him in the Xishan workshop was to play the long game, or perhaps to gain information about the Shanxi merchants' power through Zhang Siwei's breakthrough.

Looking back now, it wasn't necessary. The Xishan workshop alone was enough to make them restless.

After all, for these businessmen, even the slightest loss was intolerable.

The first experiment was a success, but obviously we can't rest easy yet.

Over the next few hours, Zhang Yunxiu led Zhao Shizhen and others through several cave dwellings, carrying out pumping operations under different environmental and terrain conditions.

The main purpose is to identify problems, and then Zhang Yunxiu can provide some improvement solutions.

After draining all the water from the cave dwellings in Xishan that were most severely flooded, it was almost 3 AM.

But the "village elder" Zhang Sishu was not sleepy at all. He stroked his beard and even joked.

"At midnight, we will use this dragon to draw out all the accumulated water."

I wonder how the workers will react when they see the cave dwellings completely empty tomorrow.

The workers following behind let out a hearty laugh.

After leaving the mine, Zhang Yunxiu did not send them back to the "workers' dormitory," but instead headed towards the Qianhu Office.

Just as Zhang Sishu was pondering this, he was summoned to Zhang Yunxiu's side.

Even though he was mentally prepared, Zhang Sishu was still a little uneasy.

Upon seeing Zhang Yunxiu seated in the hall, he bowed respectfully and said...

"This humble subject, Zhang Sishu, pays his respects to Your Excellency, the Assistant Magistrate!"

Zhang Yunxiu sized up the other person and said with a slight smile.

Do you know why I called you here?

Zhang Si hesitated for a moment before answering.

"I suppose it's because of the pumping operations at the mine?"

"He is indeed a smart person."

Zhang Yunxiu invited the old man to sit down in front of him and poured him a cup of hot tea.

"This is too much of an honor for me."

Zhang Sishu declined repeatedly, but eventually accepted the cup of hot tea. After taking a sip, his fingers trembled with excitement.

But Zhang Yunxiu continued speaking.

"Let's be frank, the problem of water seepage in Xishan has existed since ancient times. Coal mining can proceed smoothly at the beginning, but as the water accumulates, the mine can only be abandoned."

Our Xishan workshop, using special methods, can mine more and better than the ancients, but we still cannot avoid this situation.

These are all situations that have been analyzed from the outside, and now they have finally been confirmed by Zhang Yunxiu.

Zhang Sishu raised an eyebrow and said, "Is this why the Assistant Magistrate invented the 'dragon sucking water' technique?"

"While the 'water-absorbing' device is effective, it can only temporarily alleviate the water accumulation in mines, along with railcars, winches, and other tools, but it cannot solve the problem."

Zhang Yunxiu squinted and said.

"We've delayed the flooding, but that's only a temporary fix. Those merchants outside are just waiting for Xishan to collapse so they can come up and take advantage of us!"

Zhang Yunxiu then got to the point, sighing as he spoke.

"If you want to solve this problem, having a dragon to suck up water won't be enough. You also need someone to do it. You have fifty workers under your command, including the Imperial Guards. They can be divided into ten teams to carry out the pumping operation together."

It seems that the flooding problem in Xishan will be resolved within half a month.

However."

Zhang Sishu was a smart man, and he quickly grasped the key point.

"My lord, I do not want this matter to spread too early. There are many people in Xishan who are easily distracted. If we pump out the water in a big way, it will surely alert outsiders."

"clever!"

Zhang Yunxiu offered his praise, his tone shifting from polite to authoritative.

"For the next ten days or so, none of you may leave the garrison, nor may you have any contact with the outside world. Rest during the day and travel at night."

He studied the expression on the other person's face and continued to add.

“It’s not that I don’t trust you. Whether you’re a member of the Embroidered Uniform Guard or a worker, you’ve all been chosen from the most loyal people. But this matter is of great importance and cannot be compromised in the slightest.”

Information is very important. The "dragon sucking water" can't be kept secret forever, but as long as the Shanxi merchants know less about it for even one day, the chances of winning will increase.

In reality, Zhang Yunxiu was overthinking things.

People like Zhang Sishu are used to being used by big shots, so even being informed by someone like Zhang Yunxiu seems rare and precious.

Zhang Sishu had no other complaints, and he quickly bowed and said.

"Sir, what are you saying? We soldiers share the same fate as Xishan, and we would never dare to complain."

To be honest, being nocturnal is nothing special; it only lasts for a few days.

"it is good!"

Zhang Yunxiu slammed his hand on the table and simultaneously announced his price.

Even the emperor doesn't starve his soldiers.

Ten days! It is estimated that ten teams can largely resolve the predicament in Xishan within ten days.

Once production capacity catches up, more workers will be able to use this "dragon sucker".

Furthermore, I will give each of you an initial allowance of fifty taels of silver, and upon completion of the task, I will give you another fifty taels to help you settle down!

On such a matter of principle, Zhang Yunxiu showed no sign of being careless.

After all, compared to the tens of thousands of taels of silver invested by the Shanxi merchants, these few thousand taels of silver were just a drop in the ocean.

Zhang Sishu was completely confused, as he didn't quite understand terms like "production capacity."

But there was one word he heard very clearly.

Fifty taels of silver!
After the deed is done, there will be another fifty taels of silver!

This round trip cost a full one hundred taels of silver!

That was a sum of money that these rural folks could never save up in a lifetime, enough for them to go back to their hometown, buy land, and live a peaceful life for decades!

At this, Zhang Sishu's beard trembled slightly, tears welled up in his eyes, and he knelt down in front of Zhang Yunxiu with a thud, saying loudly.

"With your words, sir, we soldiers are ready to go through fire and water without hesitation!"

He couldn't imagine how enthusiastic the men below would be when they heard the news.

The phrase he used to always say, "I want to get married," now seems to be a reality.

After seeing Zhang Sishu off, Zhang Yunxiu sat alone in the hall, lost in thought, and couldn't help but feel a little sentimental.

It has to be ordinary people.

All you need to do is show them sincerity and treat them as real people, and these people will truly be willing to risk their lives for you.

At this moment, there was a knock on the door. After Zhang Yunxiu gave his approval, a Jinyiwei officer hurriedly stepped forward to report.

"Zhang Tongzhi, that old man is making a scene again. He says he wants to see some of Wang Yangming's 'Instructions for Practical Living,' and if we don't let him see it, he'll kill himself by banging his head against his wall in his room."

Zhang Yunxiu paused for a moment.

It seems that this person isn't completely clueless, is it?

Adhering to the principle of helping whenever possible, Zhang Yunxiu thought for a moment and then said.

"Then let's find him a copy. Don't bother looking in the market. Don't we have the 'Record of Transmitting Learning' that I personally annotated in Xishan?"
Give him a book; he can read it or not, it's up to him.

The Imperial Guard hesitated for a moment, then nodded in agreement.

"Yes."

After thinking for a moment, Zhang Yunxiu then gave further instructions.

"Where is Manager Yu of 'Xinming Bookstore'? Has he come to Xishan?"

The Imperial Guard reported, "I have sent someone to inform them. It's getting late. Even if they want to arrest him, we will!"

Zhang Yunxiu didn't object and nodded in agreement.

"ASAP."

Only two incense sticks' worth of time had passed.

A commotion then erupted from the Thousand Household Office.

"What are you doing? You can't treat me like this!"

"In broad daylight, under the clear sky, can the Embroidered Uniform Guard arrest people at will?"

"What crime have I committed that you treat me like this?"

Yu Xiangdou, looking very uncooperative, stumbled and was thrown onto the main hall of the Thousand Household Office.

Zhang Yunxiu glanced at the left and right captains and gave them his orders.

"You may all leave. I want to speak with Manager Yu alone."

After the captain withdrew and the doors and windows were closed, Zhang Yunxiu slowly walked up to Yu Xiangdou.

"grown ups."

Upon seeing Zhang Yunxiu, Yu Xiangdou seemed like a completely different person, displaying a respectful expression and appearing somewhat excited.

"kindness."

Zhang Yunxiu nodded.

Since founding the Wanli Xinbao, Yu Xiangdou has almost bound himself to this ship. He has removed too many "treasonous" things, so there is no possibility of him betraying it.

Even this kid invested tens of thousands of taels of silver in the Xishan workshop.

Zhang Yunxiu lowered his voice and said.

"What about the millions of kilograms of briquettes you stockpiled? Are they still intact?"

Yu Xiangdou understood immediately and quickly replied.

"Some are stored in the warehouse in the western suburbs, and some are also stored on the cargo ships on the canal. I often go to take inventory, and I always ask reliable people to do so. The items are stored in different locations, so even if someone notices something, it is impossible to predict."

He narrowed his eyes.

"Sir, what is this?"

His voice was trembling slightly as he spoke.

"Correct."

Zhang Yunxiu nodded.

"It's time. We've let these people run rampant for half a month. It's time for us to fight back."

Remember, don't sell off those millions of kilograms of briquettes all at once. Sell them off slowly, don't let the Shanxi merchants get ahead of you!

"I'm going to smash the stock!"

...

(End of this chapter)