Chapter 947: Pear Garden Ahead
The Wanli Sunshine ceased its pursuit and returned to the dock.
Its recent performance had been witnessed clearly not only by Wang Gongbi on the shore, but also by all the merchant ships and fishing boats on the river, who were left stunned by the formidable combat power of this grand vessel.
It wasn't until it slowly began to approach the pier that cheers erupted, echoing from the shore and across the water.
As the ship settled securely at the dock, Shi Kefa was the first to leap ashore.
Wang Gongbi immediately stepped forward to greet him.
Both men quickly assessed the other's official attire, instantly deciphering their identities.
"Your humble subordinate, Shi Kefa, by His Majesty's grace, has come to this place to serve as Right Counselor and supervise the Jiangbei army."
"This old official is Wang Gongbi, Right Administrative Commissioner of Southern Zhili! Master Shi, your arrival couldn't be more welcome. Witnessing your performance just now, my heart is greatly reassured. With you here, the bandits of this region are sure to be swept away."
Shi Kefa felt a touch of awkwardness, thinking, *That's too much praise. I don't possess such capabilities.*
Tie Niaofei once again trotted out the false excuse about it being an `Huangshang` vessel and a royal secret that couldn't be pried into, successfully baffling Wang Gongbi.
Wang Gongbi listened, then nodded, "So it's a royal treasure ship, no wonder, no wonder..."
After saying this, he began to worry, "A royal merchant ship will surely depart soon. What then shall we do about these Huangmei water bandits?"
"Don't worry," Tie Niaofei replied. "We won't be leaving anytime soon. We'll be imposing on you here for a while."
Wang Gongbi was delighted. "Excellent! Since Master Shi has arrived, this old official will be relying entirely on you for the military preparations in Jiangbei."
Shi Kefa's gaze swept over the sparse garrison soldiers scattered across the pier, and he couldn't help but shake his head. *These Weisuo soldiers, I fear, will be incredibly difficult to reform*, he thought. *For centuries, the hereditary centurions and chiliarchs of these garrisons have been drawing ghost payrolls and languishing in idleness. How arduous would it be to straighten them out now? No, I must emulate the Heavenly Lord's approach: directly train new militia. Relying on a people's militia to combat bandits will be far more dependable than attempting to salvage these rotten apples of the regular army.*
Anyway, these days, it wasn't uncommon for civil officials to spend their own money to raise personal guards. Hong Chengchou had his Hong Army, Lu Xiangheng commanded three thousand `Tianxiong Army` soldiers...
*I, Shi Kefa, can also raise my own army, after all. It's just that this army will be nominally raised by me, but in reality, by the Heavenly Lord.*
Shi Kefa was quite clear about his own abilities. He knew he couldn't cultivate an army as organized, disciplined, and principled as `Gao Family Village`'s. Professional matters were best left to `Gao Family Village`'s specialized system.
As for himself, he would simply perform his designated duties.
First, he would settle his own residence, letting Tie Niaofei and Jiang Cheng temporarily stay there. Next, he would establish a `labor reform camp` to house all the captured pirates and water bandits. He also needed to resettle the group of rescued women.
Then, he could begin to plan for grander things...
---
Suzhou!
Zhu Piaoling was happily strolling through Suzhou City.
The golden-thread Heavenly Lord embroidered on his chest, a direct link to Li Daoxuan, accompanied him, also seemingly delighting in the sights of Suzhou.
The reason Li Daoxuan had allowed Zhu Piaoling aboard the `Wanli Sunshine` was because Zhu Piaoling's destination was Jiangnan, and he even planned to visit the Qinhuai River.
No exaggerations, no sugarcoating – if you had a chance to travel to the late Ming Dynasty, wouldn't you want to visit the Qinhuai River?
And so, Li Daoxuan had permitted this profligate prince to board the `Wanli Sunshine`.
At this moment, Zhu Piaoling was Li Daoxuan's eyes; wherever Zhu Piaoling went, Li Daoxuan saw.
"Jiangnan truly is a wonderful place," Zhu Piaoling chuckled. "So many people."
At this time, Jiangnan was incredibly prosperous, far beyond what Shaanxi could compare to. Here in Jiangnan, an oil vendor in a bustling county town could earn more than four taels of silver a month. Even casual laborers could easily earn more than four catties of rice a day. Anyone earning less than four catties of rice a day was considered "poor."
The income of people here already surpassed the standard of three catties of wheat flour per day that the Heavenly Lord provided to the common folk in the northwest and central plains.
As Zhu Piaoling walked through the streets, inquiring about local customs and traditions, he couldn't help but exclaim in wonder, "Jiangnan hasn't suffered from drought, and its people are wealthy. It's truly different from our Shaanxi."
The golden-thread Heavenly Lord on his chest spoke, "Indeed! The situation in Jiangnan is vastly different from the northwest and central plains. The economy here is extremely developed, and the rudiments of capitalism have already begun to emerge... In terms of commerce, it is far ahead of the west. Zhu Cunji, if you truly want to make `railways` a success, you could actually try doing it here in Jiangnan."
Zhu Piaoling didn't understand "rudiments of capitalism," but he understood other things. "Heavenly Lord, please don't use my real name; it would be troublesome if others heard it. Just call me Zhu Piaoling. *Cough, cough*... Does the Heavenly Lord mean that because there are more people here and the common folk are richer, train tickets will sell better?"
"Yes!" Li Daoxuan said no more on the subject, only telling him that it would be very profitable. There was no need to tell him that it would also benefit the populace; he would see if Zhu Piaoling could figure that out himself.
Zhu Cunji pondered for a moment, then let out a laugh. "You're right, it does seem easier to make money here; selling train tickets would definitely be simpler. And I've thought of another point: with trains, transporting goods becomes more convenient. In a place like Jiangnan, where commerce is already so developed, wouldn't it be even more useful? More goods would flow, and faster, making the economy even more prosperous, and even more people would buy tickets. Wouldn't that lead to an upward spiral of success?"
Li Daoxuan chuckled inwardly. *Oh, this fellow figured it out.*
Upon closer thought, it wasn't surprising at all!
When common folk considered problems, they often only thought of themselves and their immediate surroundings. But Zhu Cunji was a prince, not common folk; he often viewed problems from a higher perspective, and his understanding was indeed different.
"That you could think of this is excellent," Li Daoxuan declared. "Accelerating the movement of people not only boosts the economy but also fosters the exchange of culture and ideas. When everyone's culture and thoughts become more aligned, they will become more united, and the nation will become more stable."
Zhu Piaoling seemed to grasp something. "Is this why the Yuan Dynasty, after conquering the Central Plains, slowly became more and more like the Han people?"
Li Daoxuan was secretly amused. *Chatting with this person is actually quite interesting.*
Just then, an attendant approached, "My lord, your subordinate has inquired, and the most famous brothel nearby, called the `Pear Garden`, is not far ahead."
Zhu Piaoling was overjoyed. "Let's go see it at once!"
The golden-thread Heavenly Lord cast a sideways glance.
Zhu Piaoling quickly explained, "Just to look, I promise I won't do anything wrong. I still remember the Heavenly Lord's teachings: `courtesans` are mostly unfortunate souls; being sold into a brothel is already tragic enough. We should not bully them; we should save them."
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