Chapter 77

"Should there be any need for my assistance, please just say the word, Mr. Zhang."

"In a few days, I will also set up a banquet and hope that Mr. Zhang will honor us with your presence."

Amidst the clamor, everyone said their goodbyes. Zhang Han and his group left the wine shop and did not go to the prepared residence, planning to head directly to Dongshan... where the mine was located, and the furnace would certainly be set up on the mountain.

Zhang Xueceng said, "I won't go. I'm a bit tired and will rest first."

Zhang Xueceng, who managed affairs in the city for Zhang Han, felt that the results were not good, and he was quite ashamed. This also indicated that the influence of the Zhang family from Puzhou was waning, which made Zhang Xueceng somewhat melancholy. In his youth, when the Zhang family was still powerful, they were always welcomed wherever they went. Local officials would surely invite the direct descendants of the Zhang family from Puzhou to stay in the official residence or at least organize a decent banquet to let the local gentry know the importance. However, now that he had been here for several days, he had only met the county magistrate once, received a promise, and given a gift, but the magistrate had no intention of hosting a banquet for Zhang Xueceng and Zhang Han, which made Zhang Xueceng feel deeply saddened.

Zhang Han saw through Zhang Xueceng's thoughts and comforted him, "Uncle, take it easy. Setting up the furnace on the mountain is a hard job. You can stay in the city and oversee things."

Zhang Xueceng nodded and added, "In the city, the county magistrate only manages the local taxes, and every household has to give him some benefits. Han Tong has the strongest influence, the darkest heart, and the most resolute means. He is our formidable opponent. Li Dayong and others want to incite Sun Anle and use our strength to challenge the Han family, but they are not good people either. Wenlan, you are used to making decisions on your own, but I just want to remind you to be more careful."

"Uncle, don't worry," Zhang Han said with some emotion, nodding. "I have it in mind and will not let these people ruin our plans."

"Um."

Zhang Xueceng nodded, turned his horse, and returned to the city residence. A servant quickly followed. Zhang Han thought for a moment and ordered Liang Xing to send two more people to assist there, knowing that there would be many challenges ahead, and it was better to be more cautious.

Zhang Han also felt a sense of reflection. The business environment in the Ming Dynasty was indeed very harsh. Apart from some self-made merchants in the southeast, well-known Shanxi merchants undoubtedly had the backing of officials and gentry. Famous Shanxi merchants in the late Qing Dynasty were mostly imperial merchants. True private capital only developed after World War I when the international and domestic environment became more relaxed. In this era, either you were an official-gentry family like the Zhang family from Puzhou, or a pirate-turned-merchant like Zheng Zhilong. It was very difficult for honest merchants to become successful, except in wealthy places like Suzhou and Songjiang. With the background and strength of the Zhang family from Puzhou and Zhang Han, setting up an ironworks was already so difficult, let alone the plight of small and medium-sized merchants.

Dongshan was not far from Lingqiu City. After a few turns on horseback, they had traveled about ten miles and saw a series of undulating mountains. From a distance, they didn't seem so impressive, but up close, most of the mountains were barren, with large pits and holes everywhere. The trees on the mountains had been cut down, and only low shrubs and grass remained, with no greenery. Several winding paths led into the mountains, and there were many donkey carts and mule carts struggling forward. The carts were either loaded with food and daily necessities or coal, being transported into the mountains.

The mountains around Lingqiu were rich in iron ore, which was the foundation for the many ironworks in the area. However, essential items like coal had to be purchased from other coal-producing regions, which was why the roads in Lingqiu were relatively well-maintained. No matter how reluctant the wealthy households were to spend money, they had to contribute silver annually to repair the roads. The government only led the effort, and local matters had to be handled according to actual needs, with the gentry taking the lead.

Going into the mountains was simple; they just had to follow the carts. Zhang Han and his group, dressed in fine clothes and riding fine horses, attracted much attention as they made their way up the mountain, drawing many gazes.

Zhang Han also observed the miners, who mostly had dark faces and iron and coal dust in their hair. Men at the time wore long hair, but these miners had no time to wash or groom it, and they were used to their messy appearance. They mostly wore short brown robes, and few wore long gowns. Everyone had a lean and strong build, with long limbs, indicating they were accustomed to hard labor. With the hot weather, many had taken off their robes and were bare-chested, revealing well-built muscles, the result of years of hard work.

From their gazes, they seemed more lively than the military households and farmers. After all, workers often gathered in large groups, and the exchange of information was much more developed than for farmers who worked in the fields year-round. With more exposure, their eyes had a more vibrant and lively look, much more so than the overly dull farmers. However, from their facial expressions, they were mostly people who endured hard labor, honest and hardworking. Those who were not honest and hardworking could not bear such hardship and had long left the mountains to pursue other livelihoods.

Zhang Han observed for a while and felt a deep sense of reflection. At this moment, Li Shenming also came over and said with a smile, "Wenlan, why don't you recruit some people here as guards instead of elsewhere? Miners make excellent soldiers, and although the border army's treatment is not enough to attract these people to join, your guard service, if you announce recruitment, would probably have a queue of thousands."

In the past, Qi Jiguang also recruited miners from Dongyang and trained them into the famous Qi family army. His military strategy included methods for recruitment and training, which Zhang Han had studied carefully. Qi Jiguang was a born leader, knowledgeable in many areas. Even hundreds of years later, the training methods of Zeng Guofan and other Hunanese generals, including troop selection, camp construction, and warfare, were inspired by Qi Jiguang's military books.

"Indeed, it can be done," Zhang Han said with a smile. "Once the furnace is set up and the workforce is recruited, we can find some brave miners willing to leave their homes and join the guard service."

"It doesn't have to mean leaving their homes from the start," Li Shenming suggested. "Your guards also need to protect the furnace here. At the beginning, you can say you are recruiting guards for the ironworks, which will make it easier to recruit. After training them for a few months and establishing discipline, you can then transfer them wherever you need."

Li Shenming was indeed quite cunning, and Zhang Han smiled and let it go, as this was not an urgent matter and could be discussed later.

"Master has arrived!"

At a bend in the mountain path, at the entrance to a valley, Cai Jiu was leading about thirty to forty people, eagerly awaiting Zhang Han's arrival. Seeing Zhang Han and his group riding up, Cai Jiu led the way, and the others followed, shouting in unison and kneeling down.

Zhang Han stopped his horse, dismounted, and with a smile, helped Cai Jiu and a few middle-aged men beside him to their feet... guessing they were small leaders. Then he said loudly, "Everyone, please stand up. I am just a master, not a county magistrate. Why kneel? I have no airs, only rules. As long as you follow my rules, do your job honestly, and don't cause trouble, you can face me with a clear conscience, and I won't be angry. If you keep causing trouble, even if you bow to me every time, I will still dismiss you. That's all I have to say. Everyone, please stand up!"

Li Xing and others laughed, knowing that Zhang Han was sincere.

The master now had over a thousand subordinates, making him a top-tier merchant. No other merchant had as many subordinates. A typical merchant might have a hundred or so from the shopkeeper to the junior staff, and even a large porterage company would have only two to three hundred people. They did not know that in the same era, Suzhou already had large silk factories with over a thousand workers. In Jiangnan, a master with a thousand subordinates was not considered a major merchant. In northern Shanxi, Zhang Han was already second only to a few super-large merchants, and only some generations of official-gentry families had more tenant farmers than Zhang Han's subordinates.

With so many subordinates, Zhang Han had only added a few guards and bought some maids and servants for his residence, with almost no other changes. He still met people and handled affairs daily, speaking succinctly and clearly, without putting on airs or engaging in empty formalities. Those who had worked under Zhang Han for a long time had developed the habit of addressing the main points first, explaining things in a few sentences, and keeping records of their work, which were then written and archived. The shopkeepers and guard leaders had to learn to make reports, recording daily expenses and personnel changes, and submitting them regularly. Zhang Han would review them daily, pointing out any issues immediately, without scolding but also without giving anyone special treatment. Through this training, the subordinates gradually became more capable, which was Zhang Han's intention in cultivating his subordinates... if it was just about making people bow, what use would a group of bowing insects be?

After the incident with the bandits from Daliang Mountain, the discipline of the guards had also become routine and standardized. Li Xing and others knew what Zhang Han meant by "rules," which involved standardizing everything from eating, drinking, and using the toilet, reporting everything, and following detailed rules. The guards joked that the guard service's rules were stricter than military discipline, except that they were strictly enforced without the threat of execution.

Of course, miners were not like guards, and the rules would not be as strict. Seeing the puzzled expressions on the faces of the miners, Li Xing and others could not help but laugh with a sense of schadenfreude.

Cai Jiu, who understood his master, Zhang Han, got up first, and the other men followed, forming a loose semicircle of about thirty to forty people. They looked at each other, feeling somewhat at a loss. Although Cai Jiu had mentioned beforehand that his master was different from others, such a difference was unexpected.

Zhang Han nodded at Cai Jiu and asked, "Where is the site for the furnace?"

Cai Jiu reached out, took Zhang Han's horse, and said, "Please follow me, Master."

With no empty formalities, they immediately got down to business. The miners Cai Jiu had gathered finally understood that this young master was indeed a decisive and capable person.

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I'm sorry for the delay in posting.

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