Chapter 23

Dian Wei was not hard to find. Although he was a fugitive, his life was not difficult. He had killed for a friend, displaying great loyalty and a fierce demeanor, and with his exceptional skills, hundreds of people dared not pursue him. This made Dian Wei’s reputation soar. His friend and a group of admiring knights often helped him, and apart from not being able to show himself too openly, his life was even more comfortable.

Since Dian Wei was still a fugitive, when Zhang Hao and his group were looking for him, they initially encountered some trouble. The knights were worried that Zhang Hao and his group were government officials and tried to stop them. Zhang Hao explained several times, but they did not believe him. In the end, Huang Zhong directly took action and drove away these knights.

Later, they went directly to Dian Wei’s friend’s house to wait, which finally brought Dian Wei out.

“What a fierce and imposing man!” Seeing Dian Wei appear, Zhang Hao couldn’t help but exclaim.

Dian Wei was tall and robust, almost excessively so, with a fierce and ugly face, exuding a terrifying aura. Seeing him, Zhang Hao understood why he later earned the title of “Erlai” (a term for a fierce and brutal person).

Although there was some initial misunderstanding, Dian Wei’s friend had some discernment and knew that Zhang Hao and his group were not there to turn Dian Wei over to the authorities. So, although Dian Wei was somewhat dissatisfied, Zhang Hao’s gentle attitude and sincere apology made the straightforward and fierce man let it go.

Especially after sparring with Huang Zhong and Taishi Ci, Dian Wei felt extremely satisfied and treated them as honored guests, serving them with fine wine and food.

The white wine that Zhang Hao brought delighted Dian Wei and his group.

Not wanting to linger, Zhang Hao found an opportunity to chat with Dian Wei and expressed his intention to recruit him. Seeing that Dian Wei was not particularly moved, Zhang Hao used his ultimate weapon, directly displaying his supernatural abilities. He showed Dian Wei the time portal, had him attack the invincible portal, and then took him through time and space, explaining the same story he had told Huang Zhong.

Despite Dian Wei’s rough appearance, he was extremely respectful of ghosts and gods. Moreover, he was not satisfied with his current life. Being a fugitive made life very inconvenient. His initial hesitation was because he felt that following Zhang Hao had no future.

But after Zhang Hao displayed his supernatural abilities, Dian Wei did not hesitate. What future could be more promising than following a celestial being?

He immediately agreed to follow Zhang Hao. This formidable bodyguard was successfully recruited.

Two days later, when Zhang Hao and his group left, they had gained over a dozen more people. Dian Wei had a high reputation in the area, and upon hearing that he was leaving, over a dozen knights with no ties to the area volunteered to follow.

The group headed directly to the Yellow River. Zhang Hao had already arranged for boats when he left Luoyang. Although the group had grown, it was not a problem.

Following the Yellow River eastward, they entered Donglai Commandery and met the people Zhang Hao had sent ahead.

The situation was relatively good. Although the Han navy was in decline and most shipyards were barely functioning, Donglai Commandery had a solid foundation. Through the people sent by Zhang Rang, they directly contacted the navy and shipyards in Donglai. Xie Yang purchased five large sea-going ships.

Although these so-called large ships could only carry a few hundred people, they were quite good for this era. There were also some smaller warships.

Most of these ships were purchased directly from the navy, with two being from the shipyard’s inventory. The condition of the ships was average, and Xie Yang had already arranged for them to be thoroughly inspected and cleaned.

Zhang Hao generously thanked the people sent by Zhang Rang, as without their help, buying navy warships would have been a dream.

Without rushing to see the ships that now belonged to him, Zhang Hao went directly to Taishi Ci’s home with Taishi Ci and personally met his mother, showing his respect for Taishi Ci.

Over the next ten days, Zhang Hao and his group were busy in Donglai Commandery, purchasing grain and recruiting a large number of shipwrights and experienced sailors. Xie Yang and others had already been working on these tasks, and Zhang Hao welcomed other craftsmen and refugees as well.

More importantly, through the people sent by Zhang Rang, Zhang Hao contacted members of the Donglai navy, hoping to recruit some sailors and officers.

Without other means, he used large amounts of gold and silver. The results were quite good, and he recruited a mid-level naval officer named Cheng Yuan. Cheng Yuan was in his thirties and had been dismissed from his post two years ago, living a somewhat impoverished life.

With Cheng Yuan’s help, recruiting sailors became much smoother.

In half a month, the fleet of over a dozen sea-going ships set sail south. Zhang Hao was relatively satisfied with the results in Donglai, although the amount of grain purchased was less than he had hoped. In this era, grain was the most valuable commodity.

The number of shipwrights and other craftsmen was also small, and he would have to find and train more in the future.

What delighted Zhang Hao was that Taishi Ci also joined him, bringing his only relative, his mother, clearly indicating his complete commitment to Zhang Hao.

Sailing was not a comfortable experience, especially with the limited technology of the era. Zhang Hao brought a large amount of seasickness medication from the modern era, which helped prevent any major issues.

On the ship, Zhang Hao did not waste time. He gathered a few leading shipwrights and showed them the diagrams of the Fuchuan (a type of ship) and other ships he had brought from the modern era, asking them to study and reference them. Although the number of other craftsmen was small, Zhang Hao also provided them with some diagrams.

He intended to fully utilize his advantages to upgrade the Han industry.

Zhang Hao’s luck held, and they did not encounter any severe weather. The fleet smoothly arrived at Linshui County in Wu Commandery.

This was the place Zhang Hao had chosen based on various intelligence.

The servants sent ahead had already purchased an estate and land. Zhang Hao had plenty of money and was willing to spend it, so these tasks were completed quickly.

The current Jiangnan was not the Jiangnan of later times. The land was not fully developed, and it lacked the prosperity of the later era. In the eyes of the people from the Central Plains, it was a remote and sparsely populated area. Therefore, purchasing land and property was simple.

The estate purchased by the servants was in the form of a wubao (a fortified manor). Because of the unstable times, most wealthy families’ estates outside the city were built this way. Zhang Hao did not mind this. In the early stages of development, aesthetics were not a priority; comfort was sufficient.

Madam Huang, along with Xi Zhicai and Tian Feng, had arrived a few days earlier. Seeing them, Zhang Hao felt relieved. He had been worried about any accidents befalling them. In this era, there were no convenient communication methods, and the only thing he could do was pray.

After visiting Madam Huang, Xi Zhicai, and Tian Feng, Zhang Hao still had many things to handle.

He needed to settle the large number of people who had come with the ships. He entrusted this task to Huang Zhong and Tian Feng’s steward.

Although Linshui County was by the sea, it did not have a large dock or shipyard. Building a large shipyard and dock was Zhang Hao’s top priority.

For now, he needed to find a suitable place to dock the ships. Under the guidance of the servants who had been sent ahead, Zhang Hao led a group to an official large shipyard, paid a fee, and temporarily docked the ships there.

Upon returning, he instructed the servants to continue purchasing nearby estates and land, as Zhang Hao needed to recruit a large number of people.

These tasks were directly assigned. On the second day of settling in, Zhang Hao, along with Dian Wei and some guards, went to Wuxian to visit the governor of Wu Commandery and the officials of Linshui County.

Besides using treasures to pave the way, he also inquired about the officials’ reputations and then presented the documents prepared by Zhang Rang.

This was a way of leveraging authority. The reason for inquiring about the officials’ reputations first was to avoid any backfiring. After all, eunuchs had a bad reputation, and many so-called gentlemen despised them. Zhang Hao did not want to be implicated.

Fortunately, the officials in Wu Commandery were not so puritanical.

With both approaches, the officials of Wu Commandery and Linshui County immediately welcomed Zhang Hao. The issue of using the official shipyard to dock the ships was not a problem. After this, Zhang Hao could focus on the subsequent planning and development.

First, he needed to build a shipyard and dock, recruit craftsmen, and purchase various processed shipbuilding materials. With sufficient money and grain, these tasks were not difficult, and soon a large number of laborers, guided by experienced craftsmen, began the construction.

Next, Zhang Hao began planning various factories. He knew how to utilize his advantages. Since he had planned to engage in business to accumulate money and grain, he needed to start preparing now. He couldn’t rely on goods from the modern era forever.

He also needed to recruit more people. Wu Commandery had a small population, and because it was relatively stable, there were few refugees. For now, he could only recruit some poor people. To get a large number of people, he would need to go to more densely populated areas.

Zhang Hao sent a steward with some people to Quxian in Donghai Commandery, the location of the wealthy Mi family.

In the past, the Mi family was known for their wealth and beauty, or rather, for their support of Liu Bei with money, grain, and women.

In Luoyang, Zhang Hao had already contacted the steward of the Mi family’s shop in Luoyang, and they had agreed to cooperate.

This time, sending people to Quxian was to seek help. With the Mi family’s assistance, recruiting refugees from Xuzhou, various craftsmen, and purchasing grain would be much easier. Zhang Hao was not shy about sharing the profits, as he wanted to facilitate his own development.

Slightly regretful was that, having just established himself in Wu Commandery, the various tasks kept Zhang Hao extremely busy. Otherwise, he would have liked to visit the Mi family himself, to see, well, the future Lady Mi...

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