usatvline Chapter 186 Interview
Chapter 186 Interview
Chapter 186 Interview
The fifty people were vaguely divided into four groups, each with more than ten people, each followed by a leader, all scrutinizing Shao Shuyi with wary eyes.
Shao Shuyi chuckled and said, "Since we're already here, let's eat first."
These words were quite true, and the expressions on the boatmen's faces softened considerably. They all followed the instructions and sat down on the open ground next to the warehouse, waiting for the meal to be served.
Taking the opportunity, Shao Shuyi asked the names of several leaders and learned that two of them were brothers named Zhou San'er and Zhou Chongwu, from Laichun Township. The other two were named Ding Ren and Yan Zhongyi; the former was a local from Huangtian Port, and the latter came from Yunting City in the east of the city.
"How is the canal now?" Shao Shuyi asked, not minding the dirt on the ground, as he sat down on the ground as well.
The Zhou brothers exchanged a glance but remained silent.
Yan Zhongyi gave a wry smile and said, "Why are you being so secretive? We're all out looking for work, what can't we say? I'll be frank, there's not much cargo transport on the river, and even if there is, we have to compete with people from Wuxi. Making a living is getting harder and harder. At the end of January, Wang Laoba got into a fight with someone and his head was smashed. He went home, lay in bed for three days, and then passed away. But that didn't scare the rest of us; we still have to fight for what we can."
Once Yan Zhong spoke, Ding Ren no longer concealed his intentions and said directly, "There's no chance anymore. In previous years, there were always people hauling grain from Taihu Lake to Yangzhou, but now more than half of them are gone, and we can't even find work. Tea seems to be scarce too. I'm starting to wonder if half of the salt merchants in Zhenzhou have died out; why is no one buying their goods?"
Shao Shuyi nodded repeatedly as he listened.
This is the information provided by frontline workers. As towmen, they are very familiar with what goods they are hauling, how much they are, and the trends in these goods.
According to Ding Ren, Zhenzhou, the salt merchant hub of Yangzhou Road, used to be a consumer city that purchased large quantities of grain and tea from the Taihu Lake basin. Now, the quantity has been reduced by half. It is possible that Zhenzhou has found other suppliers, or it is possible that consumer demand has simply decreased.
After Ding and Yan spoke, the Zhou brothers also relaxed and began to talk about the chaotic situation and the difficulty of making a living. Their gazes toward Shao Shuyi became more eager, and their attitude was no longer as wary as before.
"Gentlemen," Shao Shuyi said, standing up after they had finished speaking. He glanced around and said, "Since I've recruited you all here, I won't just abandon you. But let me make this clear: working here is tough, and not just anyone can handle it. Besides the labor, you might also have to practice with the equipment. After all, the water isn't very safe, and without some skills, you'll just get bullied. Therefore—"
At this point, Shao Shuyi paused, taking in everyone's expressions, before continuing, "Those who can't endure this hardship..."
Those who cannot endure this danger may return home as soon as possible; I will provide them with travel expenses.
Upon hearing this, a clamor arose from the crowd.
A moment later, Zhou San'er asked, "May I ask, Cao She, what are you recruiting us to do here? Is it to pull ropes or something else?"
""
"Pulling ropes is inevitable," Shao Shuyi said. "I intend to collect cotton cloth, raw silk, silkworm cocoons, ironware, and livestock from various places in Jiangyin. If we use the canal, we will definitely need to pull ropes. If we transport goods to Wuxi in the south in the future, pulling ropes will be even more unavoidable, so we will need you. If there are no ropes to pull, you can move goods in Huangtian Trading Company or practice operating machinery in preparation for any eventuality."
"So, do you understand now?"
Wednesday nodded slightly, and the other three also secretly breathed a sigh of relief. They would still be doing their familiar old jobs, the only difference being that they would need to practice weapons and learn a few farming tricks. They didn't have many choices now and couldn't be picky anymore, so they basically didn't say anything and were all prepared to agree.
Shao Shuyi was also very satisfied.
In terms of arrangement, these people are not full-time soldiers, but part-time workers who need to work for the trading company. In this way, there will be people to move goods in the future, and there will be no need to recruit on a temporary basis. If Manager Huang's inland waterway transportation business is also brought over, it is even possible to develop further on the canal and expand the business scope of Huangtian Trading Company.
Shao Shuyi then chatted with everyone about many things in a casual manner, gaining a certain understanding of the entire group of canal boatmen and a preliminary understanding of the freight transport ecosystem on the canal.
A moment later, the newly hired cooks from the kitchen brought in steamed rice, salted fish, and vegetable soup. Everyone ate with great relish, beaming with joy, as if they hadn't enjoyed such a feast in a long time.
After the meal, Shao Shuyi personally oversaw the inspection and finally selected about thirty-something men who were suitable in terms of age, physique, and temperament (based on a rough observation)—those who passed the first round.
Of the thirty-odd people, some were unwilling to practice the weapons for fear of causing trouble, while others were unwilling to move to Huangtiangang to live. In short, some were eliminated, leaving twenty people, including the Zhou brothers, Ding Ren, and Yan Zhongyi. The rest were each given two strings of cash and a catty of salted fish as severance pay, so that they would not have made a wasted trip.
Just as Shao Shuyi had finished making his selections, Liu Xing arrived, drunk.
Shao Shuyi glanced at him and noticed that there was a rouge mark on the guy's neck. He immediately snorted coldly and didn't bother to pay any attention to him.
Let him play around, it doesn't affect our important business anyway.
******
When Shao Shuyi finished selecting his men, Ge Daji, a clerk in the Criminal Division of Qianming Guangfu Temple, had just finished inspecting the scene.
Four people died in total. Three of them were monks from the Chong Sheng Temple in Matuosha, and the other was from the Guangfu Zen Temple in Qianming. They were victims of an undeserved disaster.
As always, coroner Zhou Gui never missed a teaching opportunity, having his two apprentices follow closely behind him, stopping whenever and wherever they could to explain what had happened and how they deduced the situation from the smallest clues.
After communicating with the coroner, Ge Daji roughly understood the whole process: Five thieves found a secluded place, climbed over the wall, and went directly to the side hall where the abbot and two others of Chongsheng Temple lived. They then attacked and killed the three abbots on the spot.
The matter wasn't over yet. Another monk came to deliver something, but was lured into a side hall by the murderer, who was cleaning up the battlefield. The murderer attacked him from behind and killed him.
After handling everything, the group of five climbed over the wall and disappeared into the vast crowd.
To be honest, this case wasn't very big, it was just that the methods used were a bit cruel.
After checking for a while, Ge Daji lost interest. He figured he should use that time to deal with other more urgent matters.
For example, when Zhao Yangui saw a salt merchant from Pingjiang Road crossing the border, he immediately attacked him—not a smuggler, but a legitimate salt merchant engaged in commercial distribution.
For example, Wang Zongsan ignored advice and acted arrogantly every day. He was already inquiring about who owned the salted fish shop near the Confucian Temple and Academy and might come to cause trouble at any time.
For example, salt merchants from the Huai region flooded in, attempting to seize the redistribution of interests that was taking place after Zhu Ding's death. They were unscrupulous and even engaged in fierce fighting at key waterways and land routes, which was witnessed by many people and created chaos.
In short, there are still many things to deal with, but none of them are as important or require priority as the killing of a few monks.
So, after wandering around the Qianming Guangfu Zen Temple, Ge Daji decided to go back first, until he saw Yang Jin wearing a sickle hat and disguised as a pilgrim at a certain corner.
"Why are you here?" Ge Daji asked in surprise.
Yang Jin clasped his hands in a respectful greeting and said, "Come and take a look."
"We don't have much to say to each other." Ge Daji avoided Yang Jin as if he were a plague god, saying, "We're going back to the yamen soon, so don't wander around nearby, lest you get arrested and used as a scapegoat. I've seen too many cases like that."
Yang Jin remained unmoved, and leaned closer to whisper, "Sir, this matter must not be investigated. If it is investigated and something goes wrong, you will be the one who suffers."
Ge Daji was taken aback upon hearing this, and seemed to be deep in thought.
To be honest, Jiangyin Prefecture's resources are limited. If they rely solely on constables and archers from various patrol offices, they can catch ordinary bandits, but dealing with slightly more sophisticated ones will be difficult. They would need to do what they did last time with Chen Xianwu: drafting warrants, mobilizing resources from as many places as possible, and combining arrest with intimidation to have even a slight chance of success, and there's no guarantee of victory.
If the capture operation requires a face-to-face, life-or-death struggle with a large group of bandits, the difficulty will be even greater, and it will be impossible without mobilizing the troops of the Han Army's Ten Thousand Household Office.
Yang Jin, observing his expression, saw that he understood, nodded, and prepared to take his leave.
Ge Daji grabbed him and shouted, "Don't hang around in front of me anymore, or I might lose my temper and throw you back in jail. Also, the guy behind you is ruthless; tell him to rein himself in and not go too far. Judge Ma is too busy with other things lately to deal with him. Just sell some smuggled salt secretly; don't jump out and get yourself into trouble."
"Okay," Yang Jin replied immediately.
"Don't cause me any more trouble," Ge Daji repeatedly urged. "Let Jiangyin have a few days of peace and quiet; it'll be good for you, good for me, and good for everyone."
Having said that, he turned and left.
More than ten yamen runners followed closely behind, giving brief reports as they walked.
Yang Jin bowed respectfully from afar.
He was often out and about, so he was naturally able to keenly sense the slow decline in public security in Jiangyin Prefecture.
Judge Ma Yuanchong and even Prefect Zhang Yang were probably not used to this and were annoyed. Therefore, they ordered the criminal investigation department and various patrol offices to increase their patrol efforts and maintain order.
But what good does that do? Just look at whether the number of people dying in the streets has decreased recently.
The prefectural government should gradually adapt to this change. Times have changed; don't keep thinking about going back to the past, that's impossible.
After leaving Qianming Guangfu Zen Temple, Yang Jin quickly returned to Huangtian Trading Company and found an opportunity to report inside.
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