The Song Dynasty on the Sand Table

Chapter 108 I'm going to cheat some craftsmen

Yue Wenxuan saw that the two of them had strange expressions and what they were going to say was obviously not something that could be discussed publicly. He guessed a little bit and followed them into the restaurant next door and into a private room.

Master Ye and Bruce Lee were guarding the door outside, while Luo Tuimao and the other four were spread out to prevent anyone from eavesdropping.

Only then did Wu Jialiang lower his voice and say, "Master Yue, it seems you have a good relationship with King Gong's people. When I saw the Zhang family team this time, I realized that the guards in your transport team last time were King Gong's men."

Yue Wenxuan smiled. "Yes, I have a good relationship with them, so I can buy salt, iron, and coal from them. They are worried that the goods will be robbed, so they sent soldiers to escort them. I am just a middleman."

Wu Jialiang whispered, "To be honest, I went to visit Prince Gong a few days ago and saw a lot. I also brought back some goodies. The county magistrate also saw them. Now we both want to get something from Prince Gong, and we'd like to ask Master Yue to help us."

Yue Wenxuan turned to look at Cui Weihua and asked in mock surprise, "County Magistrate Wu is in charge of public security, so dealing with thieves is fine. But why would the County Magistrate have such thoughts?"

Cui Weihua sighed and took out a handkerchief from his arms. Inside the handkerchief was a corn cob that had been eaten clean, leaving only the core.

"This is what County Magistrate Wu brought back for me to see," Cui Weihua said. "A single ear of grain can produce so much grain. How could I resist seeing something like this? County Magistrate Wu also told me that the rebels have magical water that makes weeds grow wildly, which naturally makes crops grow wildly too. They also have the water of the king of hell, which is very effective on pests."

The phrase "seal the throat with blood" almost made Yue Wenxuan laugh, but he had to hold it back.

Yue Wenxuan: "The County Master wants me to help buy some?"

Cui Weihua nodded.

Yue Wenxuan: "It's not difficult to buy it, but after getting it, can the county magistrate promote it quickly?"

Cui Weihua said seriously, "It will certainly be difficult to promote it at first, but I can use this official uniform to force some people to plant it. When the harvest comes, they will know my good intentions, and others will see that they have a good harvest, and they will naturally follow suit next year."

Yue Wenxuan secretly calculated the time in his mind and it was almost May.

In Shandong Province, it is still time to plant corn in early May.

In other words, as long as the corn seeds were delivered quickly enough, and Cui Weihua used his position as county magistrate to force the people to plant them, there would still be time to plant a batch.

Okay, this can be done!
Wu Jialiang suddenly spoke up, "Having seeds without knowing how to plant them will lead to trouble. If the county magistrate forces the farmers to plant, they'll have nothing to harvest, and good governance will turn into bad. Master Yue, you have to find a way to trick the old Taoist priest who teaches people how to grow corn here."

Yue Wenxuan smiled. "No need to lie. I know that old Taoist. He's kind-hearted and wouldn't mind coming to the county town. The key is that the farmers have to listen to what he teaches. If they don't, then all the teachings will be in vain."

Cui Weihua suddenly lost his usual gentle demeanor and said fiercely, "If anyone doesn't listen, I'll have the yamen runners beat him until his butt is bruised."

Yue Wenxuan didn't say much.

Wu Jialiang said, "It's easy to get the county lord's things, but it's a bit difficult to get what I want."

"Oh?" Yue Wenxuan couldn't help but laugh when he saw his strange expression. "What does County Magistrate Wu want?"

Wu Jialiang: "I want a special weapon that Prince Gong has, called a bird gun. Oh, and I also want gunpowder."

Yue Wenxuan pretended to be embarrassed: "As far as I know, Prince Gong himself is also short of these two items and cannot sell them."

Wu Jialiang looked distressed. "But... those two things... oh... I really want them, so I'm begging him to part with them and just sell me a bird gun and a bag of gunpowder." Yue Wenxuan smiled and said, "Then County Magistrate Wu will dismantle it and have the government blacksmith forge it according to the model?"

Wu Jialiang's idea was exposed, but he was not embarrassed. He said seriously: "I do intend to imitate it. Such a magical weapon should be very effective in resisting the Jin bandits' cavalry. If I hadn't seen it, it would be fine. Now that I have seen it, I will definitely make it, and make it in large quantities."

However, as soon as he finished speaking, his expression became awkward.

The county town now has no money and no food. Even the operation of the county government depends on the food donated by Yue Wenxuan. To put it bluntly, if Yue Wenxuan stops sending food to the county town, all the craftsmen in the city will have to stop working or even rebel.

That bird gun looked very expensive, not to mention the gunpowder needed to make it, which required ore! That was even more expensive. Wu Jialiang said that he wanted to make a large number of that thing, which was equivalent to asking Yue Wenxuan to spend more money and work harder.

Isn't this just a trap?

A proper official of the imperial court might be so thick-skinned, but Wu Jialiang was quite thin-skinned, and he felt uneasy even when he said this.

I don’t know how to face Yue Wenxuan.

Yue Wenxuan chuckled inwardly, "County Lieutenant Wu, I've heard about that bird gun as well. Actually, I want one too."

Wu Jialiang was delighted: "Hey? Master Yue wants it too? What are you going to do with it?"

Yue Wenxuan: "Of course it's to protect myself. I don't know when the Jin thieves will come, nor how many people will come. I also want to organize a group of guards and local heroes to protect my property."

Wu Jialiang cheered up: Since Master Yue also wants it, then it will be easy. I can shamelessly ask him for money and food.

He lowered his voice and said, "How about this: you provide the money and the government provides the craftsmen, and we both work together to make the bird guns, and we split the profits fifty-fifty."

Yue Wenxuan laughed: "I am the one who pays the craftsmen's wages. Your distribution is unfair."

Wu Jialiang said awkwardly, "Then you get six, and I get four."

Yue Wenxuan smiled secretly in his heart: In fact, no matter how I divide it, these bird guns will be mine in the end. It just depends on how I get them.

However, I have teased him enough, so let him divide it however he wants, and don’t worry about such trivial matters.

Yue Wenxuan: "We can't just make bird guns, we also need a large number of carpenters to build carts."

Wu Jialiang was surprised: "Building cars? What are they used for?"

Yue Wenxuan: "County Lieutenant Wu, I suggest you go to Dongmiaozi Village again and see the bandits' lair to see General Qi's methods. The combination of the chariot formation and the bird-gun soldiers will be the main method to resist the Jin bandits in the future."

Wu Jialiang took this to heart and said, "Master Yue, we are relying on you for our financial support. You can build whatever you want. After all, chariots are built by carpenters, so it won't affect what blacksmiths can build. Let's build both together."

Yue Wenxuan: "Okay, let's do both at once. You wait in the county town. I'll go to Queen Gong's place and secretly kidnap a few of her craftsmen. I'll trick them into coming to the county town to teach your craftsmen."

Wu Jialiang: "Be careful what you do. Don't let this cause any trouble with Prince Gong."

(End of this chapter)