Chapter 436: Zhao Sheng's Deployment Abroad
Xing Honglang, true to her word, dispatched cavalry to escort the salt artisans back to their village.
Next, Tie Niaofei spent some money to bribe the few soldiers guarding the village entrance. Those soldiers conveniently "dozed off" during the night. When they awoke, they discovered that most of the salt artisans in the salt village had fled with their families; barely two people remained in the entire place.
Artisans, due to their meager wages and harsh lives, were in a constant state of flight throughout the Ming Dynasty. Thus, an entire village of salt artisans escaping was hardly an unusual event.
The Salt Administration Office didn't take it seriously at all. They merely needed to report to their superiors that 'X' number of salt artisan households had fled from 'Y' village, and the matter would be considered closed.
The salt artisans soon fled to the desolate banks of Xiao Lake. There, they rebuilt their thatched huts, ate the grain Xing Honglang had provided, dug out new salt evaporation ponds, channeled the lake water into them, and happily began to dry salt.
If 'Old Zhang Fei' were still active nearby, establishing a new village in the wilderness like this would have been quite dangerous for them; once discovered by bandits, it would have been a dead end. However, 'Old Zhang Fei' had already been killed at Gudu Ferry, and the remaining bandits had fled north to find Bu Zhan Ni's main force. Thus, these salt artisans, hiding by Xiao Lake, were quite safe.
At Gudu Ferry in the early morning, the hardworking common folk were already awake.
The elderly, the weak, women, and children bustled about, stoking fires and preparing meals for everyone, while the able-bodied young men sat by the river, doing nothing.
"Ugh, haven't had work for days now."
"The big cargo ship left days ago; it should be due back soon," a dockworker said. "Once it returns, we'll have porter work again."
The only thing they could hope for now was the big cargo ship to arrive quickly, bringing with it opportunities for them to transport goods.
The working people of this era, once unemployed, would live in dread of not surviving. This was truly a sad state of affairs, and even in modern times, many still retained this simple, fundamental anxiety.
"They're here! They're here!"
A farmer pointed at the northern stretch of the river and shouted, "The cargo ships are here again!"
Sure enough, the large warship arrived, accompanied by three cargo ships.
The common folk on the dock immediately cheered loudly. Many surged to the bank, pressing shoulder to shoulder, frantically waving their hands towards the river.
"Work's here again!"
"At least three more days of carrying; that's nine catties of flour we can earn!"
Amidst everyone's anticipation, the large ship docked. Interestingly, this time, a frail-looking scholar stood at the bow, dressed in a scholar's robe, carrying a small satchel, and even reciting poetry: "Behold the crossing, where sand is sifted, how many souls have crossed this mortal stream?"
Gao Chuwu, Xing Honglang, Zao Ying, Lao Nanfeng, and others went to the riverside to greet him, smiling at the scholar:
"Oh? Isn't that Mr. Zhao? What brings you here?"
The newcomer was none other than Zhao Sheng, "Dian Dengzi." "The Heavenly Lord said I was a courageous scholar, so I've been sent on a mission to Shanxi, tasked with overseeing the construction of Gudu Ferry."
Xing Honglang chuckled, "That's true; this task is only suited for Mr. Zhao. The other scholars in the village are a bit too timid."
Zhao Sheng let out a long sigh. "I didn't *want* to be this courageous; it was forced upon me."
By this time, sailors had already lowered a ladder from the ship's side. Zhao Sheng climbed down, and with that single exertion, he started gasping for breath again. "I... brought... the Heavenly Lord's own... hand-drawn... *huff*... Gudu... *gasp*... Ferry development plan..."
The leaders were startled. "Sir, your health isn't good. Coming all the way to Shanxi must be very difficult for you."
Zhao Sheng caught his breath. "It's fine, I have medicine now, I have... medicine..."
He pulled out a prescription, waved it at them, and chuckled. "The doctor said this is called 'Dingchuan Decoction.' As long as I take it long-term... I'll get better..."
Gao Chuwu, being illiterate, naturally wasn't bothered. But Xing Honglang, Zao Ying, and Lao Nanfeng were all literate. The three of them stared intently at the prescription and were immediately shocked. "What the devil is this written? It's utterly incomprehensible!"
"Let's just look at the Heavenly Lord's ferry design map!"
Everyone took out the ferry development plan to examine it. It truly lived up to its reputation as a drawing bestowed by the Heavenly Lord from the immortal realm: exquisite and detailed, every stroke clear and precise. Following this drawing for construction would certainly ensure no mistakes.
"The Heavenly Lord even drew cement houses," Gao Chuwu pointed at the image and said. "But we don't have cement here in Shanxi."
Zhao Sheng smiled. "There's no need to worry about that. I also brought a few Blue Hats with me to teach the people here how to make cement. The Heavenly Lord said that cement doesn't store or transport well, so wherever our operations extend, we'll build a cement factory there."
Everyone nodded in understanding. "So that's how it is."
Zhao Sheng said, "I just don't know if there's enough manpower at Gudu Ferry to handle all these tasks."
Xing Honglang chuckled, pointing to the crowd of common folk on the riverside, craning their necks and looking over. "Look, those people are so eager for work, they're practically turning into geese from anticipation! Mr. Zhao, the moment you announce the cement factory, countless people will surely flock here to work."
Zhao Sheng smiled. "That makes things easy then. I'll go over and talk to them."
He tugged at the hem of his scholar's robe and prepared to run over.
Everyone exchanged exasperated glances. They quickly urged, "Don't run! Don't you know your own physical condition? Walk slowly!"
Zhao Sheng said, "But I'm in a hurry!"
Everyone was speechless.
Someone with asthma, yet such an impatient personality — how could he possibly endure that?
Xing Honglang shot a meaningful look. Two Blue Hat technical workers, specifically brought to teach the Shanxi people how to make cement, immediately jumped down from the ship. The two Blue Hats, one on each side, lifted Zhao Sheng up, as if they were carrying off some culprit to be thrown into a labor reform camp.
Zhao Sheng protested, "Hey, hey, hey? Isn't this a bit improper? Put me down!"
The two Blue Hats, swift as the wind, carried Zhao Sheng and quickly ran over to the common folk...
Soon, the common folk erupted in cheers: "We have work to do!"
"Count me in for the cement factory workers!"
"I'll go dig for limestone right away!"
"I know where there's clay, we'll go dig it!"
"Is it also three catties of flour a day?"
"What? If we learn to make cement, our wages will be raised to artisan standard? Artisan standard is higher than a porter's wages? Wow, I want to learn that!"
Before long, Gudu Ferry transformed into the "Gao Family Village model," with massive construction efforts and a furious pace of building...
After Zhao Sheng had arranged everything, he quietly approached Lao Nanfeng and whispered, "The Heavenly Lord already knows about your great achievements and wishes to reward you. He said you seem to be very fond of the 'Flower World.'"
Lao Nanfeng nodded vigorously. "After years guarding the borders, now I just enjoy the bustle of human life."
Zhao Sheng beckoned him over. "Come with me, there's a special reward just for you in the warship's cabin, personally placed there by the Heavenly Lord."
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