Chapter 76 of 100

Chapter 76

13 min read3,274 words

It was only then that Zhang Han understood who the empty seat on the south side was for. The man who had just arrived, named Sun Anle, was the head of the Dongshan Association. Despite his name suggesting a life of ease, he looked like a man who had endured hardships, with many wrinkles on his face, and did not appear to be living a life of comfort. His nephew, Sun Jingtong, had the title of scholar but was helping Sun Anle manage the Dongshan Association, which was looked down upon by the literati of Lingqiu.

Sun Anle frowned, ignoring Li Dayong's smiling face, and strode over to sit down. Sun Jingtong smiled slightly, standing beside his uncle with his hand on his sword, declining Li Dayong's offer to add another seat.

"I have already finished my drink," Han Tong said with a displeased look, putting down his chopsticks and speaking to Zhang Han in a calm tone. "If Dongzhu Zhang wants to engage in this business, I have nothing to say. Just one thing: don't let anyone manipulate you and break the rules of this industry."

With that, he got up and left without saying anything to the others, escorted by his servants, walking away with a proud demeanor.

Seeing that Zhang Xueceng's expression was not good, Li Dayong stopped his steps, intending to see Han Tong off, and explained to Zhang Han and Zhang Xueceng, "Dongzhu Han is the largest boss in this industry. To be honest, Dongzhu Zhang is from Puzhou, and he has smoothed things over here. Otherwise, Dongzhu Han would not be easy to deal with. Last time, a few people from Kaifeng wanted to open an ironworks here, but they didn't succeed in the end."

It seemed that Li Dayong was also quite dissatisfied with Han Tong, but it was hard to resist under his influence. Once Han Tong left, Li Dayong subtly pointed out that Han Tong was not an easy person to deal with. Before this, those with insufficient power had all been squeezed out by him.

At this point, Sun Anle spoke, "He must be thinking why I, this unwelcome person, was invited. No matter how arrogant he is, our Dongshan Association is not afraid of him. Everyone knows the evil deeds of the Han family. If it weren't for our Dongshan Association protecting them, the ironworks in Lingqiu would have been devoured by the Han family long ago. Outsiders wouldn't even be able to come here to buy iron, let alone open an ironworks, and how many people have been harmed by the Han family!"

Zhang Han had been staring at Sun Anle. The heads of associations at that time were mostly formed by powerful officials in the government and local ruffians, and in terms of wrongdoing, these local association heads were even more vicious than the mafia of later times. Most of the lower-class activities in the area were monopolized by these people, and all criminal activities were inseparable from them. However, Zhang Han saw that Sun Anle had a dignified and upright demeanor, which was very different from his impression of association heads. Sun Jingtong, standing behind Sun Anle, had an even more righteous appearance. This uncle and nephew pair did not resemble ordinary association heads at all.

After hearing Sun Anle's words, Zhang Han began to realize that the Dongshan Association was not so simple. It seemed that it might be a self-protection organization formed by local gentry families and Sun Anle, as the Han family was too powerful, and the other families were too weak. The Han family's actions were also too domineering, which led to the other forces uniting to resist. Otherwise, they would have been swallowed up by the Han family long ago.

Li Dayong did not speak, but his attitude was clearly on Sun Anle's side. The other wealthy gentry also supported Sun Anle, but they were restrained by their status and could not speak out openly.

Sun Anle then turned to Zhang Han and said in a solemn voice, "Dongzhu Zhang also has power. Han Tong is a domineering person. If Dongzhu Zhang had no power, he wouldn't have been able to come in. Building the blast furnace is your own business, and we can't help much with that. Finding miners and other miscellaneous tasks, we hope Dongzhu Zhang can cooperate with our Dongshan Association. Our association has more than five thousand people, most of whom are miners and people related to the ironworks. You will need them. We will take what we are entitled to according to the rules. If there is anything that requires the Dongshan Association to step in, we will not stand idly by. We only hope that Dongzhu Zhang has a kind heart and does not follow the Han family's example, using the hard-earned money of our miners to fatten your own pockets... That's all I have to say. I won't eat any more. My brothers eat coarse grains and wild vegetables and do heavy work. If I eat fish and meat here, how can I lead them?"

This man was the head of an association with thousands of people, yet he had such a temperament. No wonder he dressed like a hardworking miner, not at all like a head of an association with thousands of people.

Sun Anle really got up after saying this. He was more polite than Han Tong, bowing before turning to leave.

Sun Jingtong also bowed to everyone, and Zhang Han and the others all stood up to see them off. After the Li family uncle and nephew left, everyone looked at each other, feeling that this meal was particularly strange.

Li Shenming lowered his head and said to Zhang Han, "It seems that the conflict here is already intense. Han Tong's meaning is to make us align with him. I guess the Han family often exploits and abuses the miners. If we don't do the same, it will be difficult for the Han family to recruit people. Sun Anle's meaning is that the Dongshan Association will support us, but we shouldn't go too far and should only use their people. Neither side is easy to deal with, but this small place of Lingqiu, we have weathered many storms. Is it too ridiculous to be overturned in a small ditch?!"

Li Shenming, wherever he went, was treated with great respect by the officials and commanders of the state and county. To this small Lingqiu, a local rich man and association head dared to point fingers, which naturally made Li Shenming quite angry.

Zhang Han smiled and nodded, speaking softly, "Let's go to the location chosen by Cai Jiu first, then we will post notices to recruit people. Cai Jiu already has dozens of experienced hands, all old acquaintances, reliable and trustworthy. We plan to recruit about a thousand people. If we don't, it would be a joke. After this, I need to go to Zhangjiakou and beyond the border. That matter is more important, and I can't stay here for too long."

Li Shenming nodded and said solemnly, "Going beyond the border, is it safe? Those Tartars are not easy to deal with. If anything goes wrong, your safety is the most important."

Zhang Han was deeply moved by Li Shenming's genuine concern. Although their businesses were now intertwined and they shared interests, Li Shenming had indeed shown more genuine concern after they exchanged posts. In this era, Zhang Han only had the Chang family as his relatives, and most others were subordinates. Only Li Shenming was his friend and sworn brother, and the feeling of talking to him was different from others.

"Don't worry, I will have my own way to protect myself."

Zhang Han indeed had plans. Wang Changfu did not come with him because he had an important mission... Zhang Han sent him to Xuanfu and Jizhen to find some old soldiers with experience in firing muskets and good riding skills, preferably those with a solid and honest nature, the more the better, and to bring them to Xinping Fort.

Some of the border troops were military households, and some were recruited soldiers. Although recruited soldiers were not free to come and go, they had more freedom than military households. As long as some methods were used, recruiting some people was possible.

In Xinping Fort, he also planned to recruit some experienced old soldiers and find those with good courage and health from military households and farmers to join the escort team.

There was no need to worry about not being able to recruit people. If Zhang Han was willing, recruiting several thousand people within a month was not a problem. Compared to the treatment of escorts, even old soldiers who had fought on the battlefield, if they were not selected as household servants, only received one tael of silver and a few dou of grain per month, and the silver was often insufficient and of poor quality, and was not always paid monthly. Due to unpaid salaries, there were several mutinies from the Jiajing era to the Wanli era. The court's financial difficulties were a chronic problem, and no one had solved it well. The border troops were so impoverished that they could not support their families, and it was inevitable that they would wander and become bandits. During the Chongzhen era, the border troops, who were not paid for a long time, joined the bandits, becoming the main force of the bandits, giving them the ability to fight the government troops... The border troops who joined the bandits were numerous, and Zhang Han, recruiting for a merchant escort, was not rebelling, so he did not have to worry about not finding people.

Zhang Han finally laughed, "I'm afraid there will be too many people to handle."

Handling too many people was one aspect, but Zhang Han did not want to recruit too many old soldiers. Having some old soldiers as role models and to form combat power in the short term was enough. The escort team would grow larger, and Zhang Han hoped that more new recruits would be trained, which would increase loyalty. Moreover, if they were locals, they would be easier to control and would not dare to disobey.

Li Shenming frowned, "General Ma initially suggested that you join the army and then find an opportunity to report you in a battle report against the northern barbarians, making it easy to become a commander. This would put his mind at ease, and you would have a better reason to do these things. But you refused. Now, if someone reports you, it could be a big trouble."

The escort business had existed for a long time, but doing it on such a large scale and absorbing a large number of border troops was indeed a bit taboo. Zhang Han understood this... He had been worrying about the issue of legitimacy recently.

Joining the army, let alone Zhang Han himself, the Chang family and Puzhou would not be willing. Even if he became a commander, he would still be considered a lower class in the eyes of the literati. Even a hereditary commander was inferior to a gentry family with a scholar or a literatus. Zhang Han would never seriously consider becoming an official. Donating a supervisor's degree was a good path, and then taking a practical position in the local government would make things much easier. Unfortunately, Zhang Han was too young, and donating a supervisor's degree was a way for wealthy scholars who had failed the exams to have a future, to prevent them from harboring resentment and causing trouble. There were differences between the Ming and Qing dynasties. The Qing dynasty widely accepted donations, integrating merchants and local forces, and when trouble arose, these people formed local militias, extending the life of the Qing dynasty for several decades... Even if Zhang Han wanted to spend money, the court would not approve.

"I will hang this matter under a commander's name," Zhang Han smiled. "Other things, we will discuss after I return from beyond the border."

Li Shenming nodded and gave Zhang Han a look. The two of them stood up together and bowed to Li Dayong and the others to say goodbye.

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