Chapter 538: They Need Their Strategist
After touring the steel factory, Qiu Qianfan felt his mind reeling: "You treat your workers remarkably well."
He couldn't help but exclaim, "How can you feed your workers so generously? How do you have enough grain?"
Gao Yiye smiled. "We have Celestial Fertilizer, which boosts grain yields. Master Qiu is already aware of this."
Qiu Qianfan nodded. "But the meat just now... all that meat..."
Gao Yiye smiled. "Meat is still slightly scarce, which is why the cook was shaking her ladle just now. That was due to the slight shortage of meat."
Qiu Qianfan said, "Even with the ladle-shaking, you still had an absurd amount of meat. How exactly do you manage this?"
Gao Yiye replied, "Then I must invite Master Qiu to visit our chicken and pig farms. However, those places are quite dirty and smelly, and I worry Master Qiu might find them unpleasant."
Qiu Qianfan declared, "If a distinguished lady like yourself can adapt to it, then there's nothing I, your humble official, cannot adapt to."
Gao Yiye responded, "You said it, so we shall visit the chicken and pig farms this afternoon."
About two *li* from the ferry town, a brand new settlement appeared. Before they even stepped inside, a gust of wind carried a strange odor to Qiu Qianfan—it seemed to be the stench of chicken droppings, making him feel quite nauseated.
A civil official like Qiu Qianfan could hardly tolerate such a smell; he promptly covered his nose.
He was tempted to retreat, but he had boasted too confidently earlier. To withdraw now would mean a loss of face, so he could only grit his teeth and follow.
Soon, he followed Gao Yiye to the front of the "Yongji Chicken Farm" buildings. Pinching his nose, he stepped inside to look. To his astonishment, the chickens were being raised in cages! Massive wooden and bamboo cages were stacked layer upon layer, with many small compartments on each, and several chickens kept in each.
Qiu Qianfan was utterly bewildered. "These chickens just stay in their cages? They don't go out?"
"That's right!" Gao Yiye said. "This method makes management easier, allows for large-scale breeding, and yields many eggs."
Qiu Qianfan asked, "Then... the pigs aren't raised like this, are they?"
Gao Yiye explained, "Pigs are a bit more troublesome. Pigsties cannot be too small or stacked. That's why we're relatively short on meat. However, once the pig farm operates more efficiently, the meat shortage will be alleviated."
Pinching his nose, Qiu Qianfan took another tour of the pig farm. Inside, there were pigsties of all sizes, housing an unknown number of enormous, fat pigs.
He sighed inwardly. *I've only visited a few factories, and I'm already dumbfounded. And these 'Li family' enterprises also include cement factories, glass factories, textile mills, paper mills...*
Small towns, formed by various diverse factories, surrounded Puzhou City, like a sky full of stars encircling the moon.
Qiu Qianfan was certain that if he were to tour all those other factories, what he saw would be even more astounding, with even more baffling wonders.
Such immense scale!
"Ah, I feel immense pressure," he sighed. "It seems Puzhou is becoming too much for me to manage." He turned to look at his strategist. This was a highly skilled Shaoxing strategist, exceptionally adept at handling miscellaneous tasks.
But as Qiu Qianfan's gaze fell upon him, the Shaoxing strategist showed an embarrassed expression. "Master, Puzhou is now engaged in undertakings too vast, and with my humble abilities, I fear... I fear... Master, you might need to hire two or three more strategists to manage such a sprawling enterprise."
Qiu Qianfan was speechless.
Alright, so he'd need a whole team of strategists now?
The Shaoxing strategist whispered, "My lord, the strategists you seek would ideally come from *them*. These new developments are incomprehensible to ordinary strategists, and even if hired, they wouldn't be able to alleviate your worries, Master."
Qiu Qianfan exclaimed, "Eh? Recruit strategists from *their* side?"
As they were discussing this, a young man suddenly appeared at the entrance of the pig farm. To their surprise, this young man knew Gao Yiye. He smiled and waved, "Oh, Saint... *cough*... Lady Li, what are you doing here?"
Gao Yiye turned, a smile gracing her lips. "Chen Yuanbo, what brings you to Shanxi?"
It turned out that Chen Yuanbo, the first Middle School graduate from Gao Family Village, was now in Shanxi. He was still looking for suitable work and had spent the last two days visiting chicken and pig farms in Shanxi.
He and Gao Yiye had been classmates in school, so of course they recognized each other.
Chen Yuanbo recounted his recent activities, then shrugged, "I haven't figured out what I'm good at yet. Ah, if I had known, I should have tried for that strategist position with the Governor."
Gao Yiye chuckled and shook her head. "I wouldn't advise you to go there. Xi'an's situation is complicated, and your talents wouldn't be utilized in such an old-fashioned environment."
She spoke casually, but her words struck a chord.
Qiu Qianfan's head snapped forward. "This... Mr. Chen, did you just say that Wu Shen and Shi Kefa recommended you for a strategist position under the Shaanxi Governor?"
"Indeed!" Chen Yuanbo replied. "But I didn't go. I felt that everything there was old-fashioned, with nothing I could really do."
Qiu Qianfan's spirits lifted. "I wonder if my humble office might have the honor of enlisting Mr. Chen's assistance."
At his words, Gao Yiye, too, perked up. "Oh?"
Chen Yuanbo couldn't help but let out an "Oh?" as well, then lowered his head in thought. Puzhou was different from Xi'an. Gao Family Village's influence had already extended here. Everywhere in Puzhou, new Gao Family Village factories were being built, filled with the energy of new development. Here, his knowledge could truly be put to use.
Although the Puzhou Prefect's rank was far lower than the Shaanxi Governor's, that wasn't an issue.
Just then, Chen Yuanbo noticed that the embroidered Dao Xuan Tian Zun on his chest seemed to be smiling. The stitched cotton mouth was stretched wide in a grin, looking very pleased.
Chen Yuanbo no longer hesitated. He cupped his fist at Qiu Qianfan and said, "I am willing to accept this position."
Qiu Qianfan was also overjoyed. "Then I am greatly indebted to you, Sir."
Thus, Gao Family Village's first Middle School graduate had brilliantly "infiltrated the enemy ranks."
A single Shaoxing strategist and one Middle School graduate could hardly manage the grand scale of what Gao Family Village had set up. Next, Qiu Qianfan would need even more people, and Chen Yuanbo would naturally arrange for the younger generation of Gao Family Village to continuously arrive and be assigned to the administrative work of Puzhou City.
Puzhou City would also become the first large city under Gao Family Village's "military control," where they would tentatively take step after step in implementing various systems and development plans.
The day's tour could be described as enjoyable for both host and guest.
By the time Qiu Qianfan and his retinue returned to Puzhou City, dusk had fallen.
To maintain his image, Qiu Qianfan hadn't eaten in the factory cafeteria and was now so hungry his stomach felt pressed against his back. Yet, he was the only one in his entourage who was hungry; everyone else was well-fed.
He mused, "Might as well go to the brothel for dinner. While eating, I can listen to that popular courtesan sing. I'm quite fond of her song, 'Carp's Account.'"
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