“What’s really going on with Chief Administrator Shen recommending Fan Dahei?”
Walking out of Qiuhu Mountain Villa, Li Zhigao asked Zhou Yuan with a gloomy expression.
“The toad from the Han family wants to eat swan meat from Director Zhang’s household. Director Zhang—no matter how reluctant—still can’t marry his daughter to a household guard, can he? Seeing that Sir Shen also quite appreciated the man, he persuaded Sir Shen to recommend him. Who could have thought this one surnamed Han wouldn’t show the slightest gratitude and would actually resent us for it? Could it be that Director Zhang’s daughter would disgrace his household guard?” Zhou Yuan said mockingly.
“Are you all afraid things aren’t chaotic enough?” Li Zhigao stamped his feet anxiously. But he could guess that Zhou Yuan acting this way was mostly at his father’s instruction, so he had no way to speak too harshly.
Li Zhigao had come to find Han Qian before noon mainly hoping the workshop could expand its employment scale, and also that the workshop could rotate hiring garrison households as workers.
Apart from the previous “Epidemic Water Memorial” and establishing the Secret Bureau’s Left Office, Han Qian’s greatest contribution to the Dragon Sparrow Army was establishing the workshop.
Besides manufacturing some specialized weapons and armor equipment for the Left Office, the workshop mainly consisted of the coal yard, brick kiln, and lime kiln. Currently, besides supplying the garrison military headquarters in bulk with large quantities of inexpensive coal, lime, green bricks, and other materials, it also employed over a thousand able-bodied men and women from the garrison military headquarters.
Although the workshop’s daily wage for hired laborers was three sheng of polished rice—not particularly high—for these laborers, being able to obtain this extra income beyond farming greatly improved their survival conditions compared to other garrison households still struggling to survive.
At least these thousand-plus garrison households could have their basic food and clothing needs met.
Li Zhigao had wanted to discuss this matter last night, but after hearing Shen Yang say he wanted to recommend Fan Dahei, Han Qian had excused himself saying he was too tired and left early. Li Zhigao hadn’t thought much of it at the time. This morning, he specifically brought Zhou Yuan to find Han Qian, originally hoping Han Qian would agree to have the workshop rotate hiring garrison households as workers, actually hoping to allow more garrison households to enjoy this benefit.
Just as Han Qian said, if the garrison couldn’t resolve matters of hunger and cold, how could they speak of military morale and loyalty?
Who could have expected that what Zhou Yuan and the others did would触怒 Han Qian’s底线? Li Zhigao also didn’t think there was any room to raise this matter for the time being.
“What the Vice Commander wants to accomplish is also easy to arrange. Either directly ask Sir Shen Yang to speak with Han Qian about it, or just directly conscript the batch of garrison households working at the workshop,” Zhou Yuan said, knowing Li Zhigao’s distress and offering a suggestion.
The people employed to work at the workshop were all garrison households of the military headquarters. Previously, to ensure the supply of various materials, when garrison troops underwent rotation training, this group of people had not been conscripted.
By rights, not only could Li Zhigao’s side conscript these people for rotation training, Zhou Yuan could also conscript them to participate in city construction and other engineering projects, which would necessarily force Han Qian to hire other garrison households to ensure the workshop wouldn’t lack workers.
“Don’t create any more complications,” Li Zhigao warned Zhou Yuan.
Things were already a complete mess. His father and His Highness were preparing to strive for leading the Dragon Sparrow Army on campaign before winter. Many matters required Han Qian’s cooperation and assistance. He didn’t want Zhou Yuan doing anything superfluous.
“Just because there’s some connection with our side, instead of trying to win people over, he kicks them far away. This fellow is also a master of ingratitude and thin loyalty!” Zhou Yuan curled his lip and asked Zhang Qian with a smile, “Director Zhang, what do you think?”
“What I think is useless, but I don’t know—when those belonging to the Left Office learn of this matter, what will they feel in their hearts?” Zhang Qian said with a smile.
Li Zhigao glanced at Zhang Qian and Zhou Yuan, feeling anxious inwardly. He sensed he should have a good talk with his father—letting someone like Zhou Yuan continue stirring up wind and waves might not necessarily be a good thing!
……
……
Though Li Zhigao warned him thus, Zhou Yuan wouldn’t necessarily obey him.
That evening, when Han Qian was still at the villa sorting through workshop matters, Zhou Yuan sent someone to the door, wanting to conscript two hundred craftsmen from the workshop to make up for the shortage of workers for digging ditches and constructing fortifications during autumn and winter.
When garrison soldier-households were idle from farming or resting from training, they were also official corvée workers. The Works Section that Zhou Yuan presided over had the authority to conscript laborers from resting soldier-households for engineering projects.
Moreover, Zhou Yuan was only drawing twenty percent of the workshop’s personnel this time. Han Qian had no way to complain to the Third Prince about it.
Han Qian took the conscription document sent by Zhou Yuan’s messenger and casually set it in a corner of his desk. Waving his hand to send out the minor official Zhou Yuan had sent to relay the matter, he said: “I understand. If Director Zhou needs people, I have no reason to hold onto them—the various garrison settlements can notify people directly. There’s no need to tell me anything…”
Seeing Han Qian’s gloomy expression, Zhao Ting’er asked: “Should we transfer Ji Xiyao back from Xuzhou?”
Initially, the workshop had been managed by Fan Xicheng. After Fan Xicheng went to Xuzhou, Han Qian handed it over to Fan Dahei to manage concurrently.
Although barely adequate, Fan Dahei had after all conscientiously maintained the workshop, and following Han Qian’s arrangements, had also newly established the coal yard and Shitang River warehouse. Various matters had been handled fairly properly.
Now that Han Qian had suddenly dispatched both Fan Dahei and Lin Haizheng out of Jinling, Tian Cheng and Gao Shao could take over investigation office and Military Section affairs, but the workshop had more numerous and complicated matters. With Zhou Yuan determined to create obstacles, Zhao Ting’er suggested Han Qian transfer Ji Xiyao back from Xuzhou to oversee the workshop.
“…” Han Qian slowly shook his head, supporting himself at the window and watching the setting sun about to be swallowed by the mountain forests at the distant peak. He said, “They’re making such a commotion—how could I still transfer Ji Xiyao back?”
Zhao Ting’er was somewhat confused, but Xi Ren laughed derisively.
“Have someone summon those several head craftsmen from the workshop,” Han Qian sat back down behind his desk and instructed Zhao Ting’er.
The workshop was less than one li below the villa. Within the time it took to drink a cup of tea, including the head craftsman of the coal yard, everyone came running to await orders.
The coal yard was twelve or thirteen li away in the back mountain. The head craftsman normally had to watch over the site. Seeing these people arrive upon summons, Han Qian knew his sudden replacement of Fan Dahei had caused no small disturbance. Or perhaps they also already knew about the Works Section Adjutant drawing people from the workshop.
Han Qian’s heart was cold as iron. He sensed darkly that with Wanhong Pavilion and the Xinchang Marquis manor making such commotion, not only could he not transfer Ji Xiyao back, he even needed to dispatch the young craftsmen with real cultivation potential to Xuzhou, step by step supporting the operation there.
As for the many plans he originally intended to execute on the Jinling side, at this point it seemed unnecessary to expend too much effort on them.
“Reporting to Young Master, Director Song just came to the workshop to say that the workers for constructing the South Settlement must report early tomorrow morning. Should matters like dam construction and building the water mill be postponed for now?” With Fan Dahei gone, the workshop had no one in charge. Several head craftsmen pushed forward an old craftsman around fifty named Zheng Tong to represent them and speak with Han Qian.
Zheng Tong was the same type of person as Ji Fu—both came from master craftsman backgrounds, even their names were similarly styled. His family had contracted the plague and he was forced to wander the rivers and lakes until being incorporated into the garrison military headquarters, finally having a place to stay. But craftsman households had lowly status in this era, and Zheng Tong had developed a cautious, timid nature from his bones, not daring to take responsibility.
In their eyes, the minor official beside Zhou Yuan was a “great person” they dared not defy.
Before Han Qian left Jinling, he had designated Zheng Tong to be responsible for brick kiln matters. Zheng Tong had been anxious for a long time before finally being forced to rise to the occasion, not daring to disobey Han Qian’s orders, and took on this responsibility.
People like Zheng Tong and Ji Fu could follow rules and regulations well enough, and also didn’t dare be the slightest bit careless in their work—they probably worried even in their sleep about things going wrong. But their usual lack of daring to overstep was also the greatest problem.
Han Qian also clearly knew that this type of person had the lowest sense of identification with him. In these people’s eyes, he was an outsider, a vortex that could only bring unknown dangers, unable to give them the sense of stability they more expected. It was only his “brutality” that temporarily intimidated these people from daring to resist.
Fan Dahei and Lin Haizheng were actually also this type of person, which was why they were so easily seduced.
Thinking of this, Han Qian’s expression grew even gloomier. Staring at the several head craftsmen standing on the veranda, he said in a deep voice: “The workshop belongs to the Left Office. As long as I control the Left Office for one day, you all must address me as ‘My Lord.’ And you must all remember—besides His Highness the Third Prince, no one can point fingers at the Left Office. From now on, whether it’s Adjutant Zhou or Vice Commander Li, if the little cats and dogs around them dare run to the workshop, dare run to the Left Office pretending to be ‘great persons,’ drive them all away with clubs.”
Kneeling behind Han Qian, even Xi Ren could feel the killing intent emanating from him. She glanced at Zhao Ting’er, thinking that Han Qian wasn’t merely reorganizing the workshop—he was reorganizing the entire Left Office.
“Yes, Young… my… My Lord,” Zheng Tong and the others stammered in response.
“The arrangements that have already been made must not stop, and you must not be the slightest bit negligent,” Han Qian continued.
“To make up the shortage of workers, besides recruiting all Left Office children who are thirteen years or older, for those craftsmen conscripted by the Works Section this time, if they’re willing to send their children to work at the workshop—as long as they’re thirteen years or older—they can also each recommend one person to enter…”
“Going and coming this way, the numbers will probably exceed by a lot,” Zheng Tong said quite anxiously, his speech still somewhat halting.
The craftsmen being conscripted naturally wouldn’t miss the opportunity to recommend their children to work at the workshop. This would roughly make up the labor shortage, but additionally recruiting all Left Office children—wouldn’t this add three to four hundred people all at once?
Han Qian had no intention of putting on a humble attitude of treating worthy men with courtesy to pacify people’s hearts. He said with autocratic authority:
“I’m aware of this matter. Besides these, all sites must henceforth provide one midday meal for craftsmen. Also, children belonging to the Left Office between thirteen and sixteen years old can all reside together at the watchtower compounds. These can concentrate time at night to study some books, and their food and lodging will all be managed uniformly by the workshop…”
The five watchtower compounds built around the outer perimeter of Qiuhu Mountain Villa were intended to control the valley passes entering and exiting the villa, and currently temporarily belonged to the Left Office.
At this time, the contradictions with Anning Palace and the Crown Prince’s faction hadn’t yet become sharply opposed. Each watchtower compound merely stationed two or three people on watch. But actually, each watchtower compound was fifty to sixty paces square—a small fortified outpost. Inside, barracks would subsequently be built to ensure that when the situation became tense, they could accommodate at most three to four hundred elite troops for garrison duty.
Han Qian secretly estimated that this time they should be able to recruit five hundred-plus young workers. He thought he might as well first concentrate that portion who were children of Left Office scouts, investigators, and craftsmen to provide them with food and lodging. They would work during the day, and morning and evening time could be extracted to teach literacy, mathematics, craftsmanship, as well as blade, archery, and horsemanship.
Even if before the greatest crisis arrived, he might not be left sufficient time to cultivate echelon direct forces in batches within the garrison military headquarters, at the very least he needed to prioritize ensuring that the loyalty of those belonging to the Left Office wouldn’t be easily shaken by others.
Zheng Tong and the other head craftsmen didn’t dare make a sound. After all, they themselves also benefited considerably. They acknowledged the orders and withdrew first.