Chapter 20

Seeing the old lady's astonished gaze, Yueyang felt a mix of embarrassment and helplessness. Training troops was not like farming or reclaiming land; you couldn't just find a tenant farmer or an old peasant to do it.

Training troops was a skill under state control, a specialized skill exclusive to the court in any feudal dynasty. Military manuals were usually in the hands of the court or the families of military officers, and ordinary people had no chance to see them. A family like the Yues, who were ordinary landlords, had even less opportunity to come into contact with such things. Moreover, skilled military commanders were as rare as national treasures. As far as Yueyang knew, there were only a handful of experts in troop training in the current Ming Dynasty: Sun Chengzong, Sun Chuanting, Lu Xiangsheng, and Hong Chengchou. However, these talents were out of reach for Yueyang. Since no one could help him train the troops, Yueyang had to do it himself. But for someone who had only participated in a few military training sessions in his life, it was uncertain what kind of shape the militia would be in after his training.

Seeing the awkward expression on Yueyang's face, the old lady understood her grandson's difficulties and couldn't help but smile bitterly. She thought to herself that as long as her grandson liked it, she would let him do as he pleased. After all, these militia were only meant to intimidate the Wangs and the Lins, and at most, they were just for show.

Noticing the awkward atmosphere, Yueyang lowered his head and said to the old lady, "Grandma, since the official document for the militia has been approved, I estimate that Wang Shoucheng and the others will soon come to us demanding the Sanggan River. However, our drilling work has already started, and it doesn't matter if we give them the Sanggan River. Grandma, you will have to make the decision. I plan to go out again in a few days, and I will leave the household matters to you."

The old lady's eyebrows raised. "What? You're going out again? Where are you going? How long will you be gone?"

"Of course, I'm going to prepare armor and weapons!" Yueyang said in surprise. "Since we are recruiting a militia, we can't let the villagers fight in robes and with wooden sticks. We should at least give each of them a Ming Dynasty-style war jacket. Didn't the Wangs give us 1,500 taels of gold yesterday? I plan to buy some armor and weapons."

"You...," the old lady was amused, pointing at Yueyang and scolding him, "You little rascal, do you know how much a good war jacket costs? Although Grandma hasn't bought armor, I know the market. I'll tell you, a war jacket costs at least 25 taels of silver, and with swords, shields, and bows, it costs about 50 taels of silver to equip one soldier."

"Really? How can it be so expensive?"

Yueyang had been here for over a month and had a basic understanding of the prices. Currently, the value of silver in the Ming Dynasty was quite stable. One tael of silver was roughly equivalent to 600 RMB in modern times. The gold-to-silver ratio was about 1:8. So, the 1,500 taels of gold from the Wangs were equivalent to 12,000 taels of silver. If it cost 50 taels of silver to equip one soldier, this amount of silver could only equip 240 soldiers. That was too exaggerated. This was 12,000 taels of silver; were these soldiers made of gold?

Thinking about this, Yueyang was a bit stunned. He had originally thought that with over 1,000 taels of gold, he could equip a thousand people, but now, after the old lady's explanation, he felt a bit overwhelmed. However, Yueyang then thought, "No, I have the support of modern society. There are so many steel mills and workshops in the future, and using modern machinery to make armor should be easy. Why should it be so difficult now?"

With this thought, Yueyang's gaze became more determined. He said firmly, "Grandma, I still want to try. I'll buy as much as I can."

"Are you going to find that Portuguese again?" The old lady looked at Yueyang with a playful expression.

"Yes, for now, I can only find him." Yueyang replied, knowing that the old lady was somewhat suspicious of the mysterious Portuguese he had fabricated, but she was smart enough not to expose him. Having lived so long, the old lady knew that everyone had their secrets, even family members should not pry too deeply, and it was better to leave some space for freedom.

She nodded. "Then go, remember to come back soon. The village is waiting for you to take charge."

"Yes, Grandma, I'll go prepare now!" Yueyang gave the old lady a few more back rubs before bidding her farewell and leaving...

After dinner, Yueyang told the Linglong sisters that he would be gone for a few days. With their reluctant gazes, he left the manor. When it was dark, Yueyang quietly returned to the courtyard on the west side of the manor and, under the cover of night, returned to the modern world...

The next morning, dressed in modern casual clothes, Yueyang drove the used 2.5-ton small truck he had bought to the entrance of Zhongxin Pedestrian Street in Mingzhu City. When he arrived, Zhao Santong, who had dealt with Yueyang before, was already waiting with seven or eight security personnel. When Zhao Santong saw Yueyang effortlessly drag a nearly 100-pound burlap bag out of the driver's seat, even he couldn't help but shake his head and smile bitterly. "Brother Yue, if I didn't know what was inside, I would have thought you were just carrying a bag of scrap iron. You're really... really..."

"Hehe!" Yueyang laughed. "Brother Zhao, you're too focused on the appearance. No matter what I use to carry them, their value won't change. If they are real, they are real, and you won't give me a different price just because I changed the packaging, right?"

"Uh..." Zhao Santong was momentarily stunned, then he raised his thumb and praised, "Brother Yue, you are truly different. I was wrong, ha ha..." He laughed and gestured for the security personnel to lift the heavy burlap bag. He then put his arm around Yueyang's shoulder and they walked down the pedestrian street together.

An hour later, Yueyang was sitting in Zhao Santong's office, holding a bank card with an additional 11 million RMB. Holding the card, Yueyang was thinking about where to go to custom-order armor. At this moment, Zhao Santong said to him, "Brother Yue, I didn't expect you to have such good connections to get so much goods. I'm quite envious. But I understand the rules and won't ask about the source of your goods. However, if you have more gold or antiques to sell in the future, I hope you will consider my business."

Zhao Santong was in the jewelry and antique business, and his business was extensive, requiring a lot of goods. Someone like Yueyang, who could provide a lot of goods, was exactly what he needed, so he was very accommodating.

"Of course, Brother Zhao, you have been so helpful to me. If there's any good news, I won't forget you," Yueyang replied with a smile. He then casually asked Zhao Santong, "Brother Zhao, I have a favor to ask. You have a wide network in Mingzhu. Can you help me find out if there are any small steel foundries for sale? I want to buy one to play around and make some small things."

"Steel foundry?" Zhao Santong was surprised, looking at Yueyang. "Brother Yue, why are you thinking of buying a steel foundry instead of focusing on your gold business? Are you planning to enter the steel industry?"

"Brother Zhao, you're joking. I don't have that capability," Yueyang secretly wiped a sweat. Entering the steel industry was something he, a poor guy, could never afford. The capital involved was in the billions, and without the support of the state, who would dare to do it?

"Brother Zhao, it's like this. My personal hobby is ancient weapons and armor. I want to buy a steel foundry to specialize in making ancient armor and weapons. This way, I can do what I like."

"Oh, I see!" Zhao Santong nodded. He knew that many rich people had peculiar hobbies. Some liked to chase women, some liked adventure, and some liked cars. It seemed this one was a fan of ancient armor and weapons. There was nothing wrong with that; if he liked it, he could do it.

Thinking about this, Zhao Santong smiled. "That's a coincidence. I heard a few days ago that a boss is planning to sell his small steel foundry. The factory is small, with only a few dozen people, so no one has been willing to take it over. If Brother Yue is interested, I can call him right away."

"Thank you, Brother Zhao, that would be great." Yueyang was overjoyed. He had been worried about where to get the weapons and armor, and now, buying such a factory would greatly improve both the secrecy and safety. Moreover, who would pay attention to a small factory that specialized in making ancient armor in the modern police system? His luck was really good.

"Then what are we waiting for? Let's go!" Yueyang couldn't wait to stand up and urged Zhao Santong to take him to see the factory...

PS: Finally, I have some good news. My glucose tolerance test results are out, and I don't have diabetes. I'm relieved, but I still need to check other things, so it will take another two days to be discharged. Please bear with me for a few more days.