Chapter 69: The More Artisans, the Better

It would take a month to produce a new carriage, so no matter who wanted to buy one, they had to wait in line. The solution to this order problem was simple: first come, first served. Chen Xie didn't intend to waste words with these people and bluntly said, "The workshop's current capacity allows us to manufacture one of these four-wheeled carriages per month. If you want to buy one, you'll have to wait in line. Those with good luck might wait a few months, and when the workshop's capacity increases, you might get your carriage sooner."

It was very fair, and there was no room for argument. The remaining issue was how the people present would decide the order. That was their business, and Chen Xie didn't care. The first three would be determined by drawing lots, and the rest would also be decided by lot.

No one wanted to wait, so they recommended Qian Buduo to negotiate with the Divine Doctor to see if more artisans could be added. Everyone had some artisans at their disposal, and they were just sitting idle. Chen Xie didn't really mind these people adding more artisans because many of the technologies were beyond the capabilities of Ming Dynasty artisans, even the best ones.

"Bearings aside, this thing is unsolvable, and the same goes for spring steel, crucibles, and even steel itself." So, Qian Buduo dared to speak up, and Chen Xie was very generous in his response: "This can be discussed, but let me be clear: once you enter the Zhang Family Village workshop, don't think about leaving quickly. The shortest contract is ten years. Also, don't think that adding artisans will have an immediate effect. We need to build new workshops and teach them how to do it. It will take at least three months to see results."

Three months wasn't too long. Everyone thought that after waiting three months, they would own the most impressive carriage in Dengzhou City, which didn't seem like an unbearable wait. As for the artisans, were they even considered people? They were like cattle and horses, and giving them to Chen Xie for free was no big deal.

These dozen or so wealthy and unscrupulous gentry each contributed ten to eight artisans, forming a group of over a hundred. And these artisans were the best they had. In the hands of the wealthy, these people were worth only a few copper coins for their labor. From Chen Xie's perspective, these people were a waste of technical resources in the hands of the wealthy and unscrupulous gentry. In Chen Xie's hands, they were treasures.

In the end, the fifteen people each paid 3,000 taels of silver, and the silver went into the Divine Doctor's pocket before they even saw the carriage. No one complained; they all hoped to get their hands on a carriage.

The most outrageous was Qian Buduo. After everyone left, he stayed behind and approached Chen Xie, saying, "Divine Doctor, let's be frank. If I can find you hundreds of the best artisans, can you show me a clear path?"

Chen Xie put away his usual casual look and looked at Qian Buduo seriously, "Old Qian, I just returned from overseas; you can't bully me." Qian Buduo waved his hands, "Old Qian won't go against money. I just want a long-term business. Rest assured, Old Qian is indeed running errands for others, but these people are not in Dengzhou, so they can't do anything to you."

"That painting, is it a genuine work by Shen Shitian?" Chen Xie suddenly changed the topic, and Qian Buduo was taken aback, "Absolutely genuine, no doubt about it. This painting has some history. Do you know Zhang Taoyue? This painting came from his residence and ended up in the hands of a noble in the capital. It has Zhang Taoyue's inscription and seal. I went to great lengths to get this painting from the capital and had it appraised. It is said to be on par with 'The High Mountain of Lushan' and is called 'The Exiled Immortal' (I made this up, don't take it seriously). It depicts Li Taibai looking at the Lushan Waterfall."

Shen Zhou, also known as Qi Nan and Shi Tian, his 'High Mountain of Lushan' is invaluable. Chen Xie, an outsider, only recently learned of Shen Zhou's name. When he opened the scroll, he was almost shocked.

From the Ming Dynasty to the modern era, there have been too many upheavals. Paintings and calligraphy are often destroyed by fire. It's too common for the works of previous generations to be destroyed. Especially during the Ming Dynasty, when rebels moved from Shaanxi to Sichuan and eventually captured Beijing, countless cultural treasures were destroyed by war. When the "Great Qing" came, it was another round of turmoil. During this period, who would carry paintings and calligraphy while fleeing for their lives? Gold in times of chaos, antiques in times of peace.

To put it this way, over two thousand years of history from the pre-Qin period to the modern era, how many cultural treasures have been destroyed by war? In times of chaos, people are worth less than dogs, so why would you care about paintings and calligraphy?

"Old Qian, why do you want me to show you a clear path?" Chen Xie asked with a smile, and Qian Buduo took two steps back, his eyes wary, "Divine Doctor, can you not talk like that? Every time you talk like that, someone ends up being tricked by you and still says you're good. Take this carriage, for example. I only just realized that everyone was tricked by you. Last night, you spent 5,000 taels of silver at Chunxiang Tower, and the cost of one carriage is about the same. Yingniang played the old man and the young girl, and she might even have to pay you a few thousand taels."

The Divine Doctor's eyes immediately turned murderous, and Qian Buduo quickly smiled, "Just a joke, a joke. Don't get angry. Last night, those fools were scolded by you but didn't learn their lesson. Today, you tricked them. In the middle of summer, they went into a steaming room and didn't even need to take a bath when they came out. Before leaving, they had to leave 3,000 taels of silver each, and each household had to contribute ten to eight artisans."

Qian Buduo stopped talking, and Chen Xie put away his murderous look, saying calmly, "Old Qian, if you weren't so smart, we could still work together and make money." Qian Buduo immediately showed a standard honest expression, "Divine Doctor, you know me, right? I'm not keeping a mistress in Dengzhou, and she even gave me a son. I want to leave her some property. Rest assured, once I leave this door, it's as if I never came."

"Old Qian, whether you came or not isn't a big deal to me. I'm sure you understand what I mean. However, seeing the painting by Old Shen Shitian, things can be discussed." Chen Xie was being honest. As long as the American goods couldn't be replicated, they would have to submit to Chen Xie. Qian Buduo understood this very well, so he smiled and said, "I believe you. How about I find you a few more masterpieces by famous predecessors? My wife in Nanjing gave birth to eight daughters, and she won't let me take a concubine. Over the years, she forced two maidservants on me, but they still gave birth to daughters. In recent years, no matter how hard I tried, none of my three wives have had any children. If I hadn't met you in Dengzhou and taken your miraculous medicine to regain my vigor, my mistress might not have given birth to a son."

Chen Xie seriously doubted the color of this guy's hat. Since the two maidservants in his household had only given birth to daughters and had been inactive for years, according to modern scientific theory, the gender of the child is not determined by the woman. The fact that Qian Buduo hadn't had any children for two years indicated poor fertility. Now, his mistress in Dengzhou had given birth to a son, which couldn't help but raise suspicions.

Chen Xie certainly wouldn't educate Qian Buduo; this was the Ming Dynasty, and such a situation could end up with a mother and son being put in a sack and thrown into the sea.

"Alright, since we've talked this far, I'll give you a chance. Did you see that road when you came? It's hard to walk. I plan to build a road using cement. Your job isn't to find money but to go to the capital and find some artisans—blacksmiths, kiln workers, and carpenters. In short, the more, the better. Once the cement kiln is up and running, you'll get a 30% share. How you handle it is your business, but I don't want to see any loose ends. One last reminder: don't underestimate this kiln. I plan to produce cement and glass."

Cement alone wasn't enough to impress Qian Buduo, as it didn't seem to have much value yet. But glass was different. The glass produced in the Ming Dynasty was called 'liuli' because of the high impurities. If he could produce glass, he could make mirrors. The potential profit was enormous, and Qian Buduo's face turned red with excitement, and his breathing became labored.

"Alright, calm down. Go back and give your mistress the good news." Chen Xie waved Qian Buduo off. This guy had finally revealed his background—his home was in Nanjing, and his backers were likely a group of nobles. While the nobles weren't as valuable as before, they had deep roots and significant influence. In the future, when he operated in Jiangnan, he would definitely find a use for them.

Of course, dealing with Qian Buduo was just building a bridge for future opportunities. Chen Xie, while seemingly doing well in Dengzhou, actually had a weak foundation. The Zhang family might be a local power, but in the face of huge profits, those with red eyes from greed wouldn't care about the Zhang family.

The desire for more is insatiable! When some people are driven by desire, they can do anything. Chen Xie had to be cautious, so his future focus would be on the army, which was the top priority.

Chen Xie didn't know how to lead troops, but he did know how to train them. He downloaded materials from the internet, removed some outdated parts, and transformed them into his own text, which he then printed and gave to Wang Qian, his top enforcer, and his brothers.

Books on military strategy and tactics, Chen Xie threw them in the corner to let them mold. Reading too much of that stuff was useless, and in Chen Xie's mind, it was only good for arguing with people.

Chen Xie's idea of a strong army was very simple: strict military discipline, a significant equipment advantage, and appropriate tactics. With these three elements, no matter who came, he would stick to his strategy and fight a positional war.

In summary, it was simple and brutal! One force can overcome ten skills! Whether it was rebels or Tartars, the strategy would be the same: artillery bombardment + firing in ranks!

He wouldn't need heavy-armed pikemen or sword-and-shield soldiers. With the combination of rifled Minie rifles and bayonets, why would he need those?

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End of Chapter 69