Chapter 97: A Man Asking for Trouble

Life is life, work is work. The two must be separated! Enjoying life is for better work! Working hard is for better enjoyment of material life. It sounds a bit convoluted, but in fact, this is just a way to deceive people. In this world, many people have a cheat code. These people are collectively known as "second generation"!

Chen Xie is not one of those "second generation." His life with a cheat code makes him appear tall and imposing. At least Yang Lili and Qiu Lihua see Chen Xie this way, so neither of them has much resistance. They moved into Chen Xie's luxurious villa and quickly entered a working state.

The funds are very abundant. The huge amount of money from the auction house has made the Prospect Company the sole client for dozens of small private enterprises. These small enterprises have a significant feature: they lack technical content. When the economy is good, they can earn some hard-earned money by piggybacking. When the economy is bad, layoffs, reduced production, or even closure are not uncommon.

The integrity of capitalists can be discarded at any time, regardless of their size. So Yang Lili didn't have to work hard to buy rifled steel pipes. If the caliber hadn't reached 18 millimeters, it would have definitely raised suspicion. In fact, even if there were suspicions, no one would report it. A 50% profit is enough to keep every subcontractor's mouth tightly shut.

"17.8 millimeter steel pipes, 30,000 pieces, stored in Warehouse 7. Flatbed wheels... 203 bearings... treadle sewing machines..."

The two women reported calmly, while Chen Xie, the hands-off boss, leaned back in his chair with his feet ungracefully propped up on the table. The two women, sitting upright, showed no contempt or dissatisfaction. It was simple: in the past few months, they had handled procurement funds totaling over 180 million. The majority was for original industrial equipment and various steel materials, which Chen Xie required to be dispersed in poorly located warehouses in different cities.

"Good job. All the goods from the last batch have been sold, and the company has made a profit of about 15 million. You two have done a great job. Take 10% as a bonus and divide it as you see fit." Chen Xie casually threw out the huge bonus, solidifying Qiu Lihua's determination to follow him to the end.

In fact, even if he let her go at this point, she wouldn't want to give up that intense feeling.

"Come, follow me!" Chen Xie led the two women into the basement, which wasn't very large, just enough for two cars. When the lights were turned on, there weren't as many antiques as before. Instead, a few logs lay quietly on the ground.

"Golden-threaded nanmu. Think of a way to sell it, as quietly as possible, and try to make a few detours." Chen Xie's words were clear to the two women. This was a test of their ability to handle things. Many of the connections were set up by Chen Xie beforehand.

"Why don't you ask Qian Siyu?" Yang Lili asked mischievously. Chen Xie gave her a half-smile and answered, "I haven't slept with her yet, so I'm not quite sure about her. Is that answer satisfactory?"

Yang Lili showed a knowing smile and said flirtatiously, "We don't mind you sleeping with her. With your fighting power, having another sister isn't a bad thing. Don't try to make up stories to make me happy; you didn't have your fill today."

Chen Xie hurriedly fled the basement, leaving the two women to exchange a smile. Their eye contact concluded that even if the two of them went at him together, he would still find it a bit challenging. They said in unison, "He's just a beast."

Time passes quickly in modern society. Chen Xie had to leave the two women, who were now completely devoted to him, and return to the Ming Dynasty.

The dock was a restricted area, enclosed by a ten-foot-high wall covering about one square kilometer. The naval forces of Dengzhou, having received their benefits, would not bring ships here. Offending Chen Xie now would mean offending over 80% of the gentry in Dengzhou and a large number of sea merchants who came to Dengzhou for trade.

Of course, there were people who wanted to figure out how these goods were transported to Dengzhou, but unfortunately, the people of the Ming Dynasty could not maintain long-term surveillance. Recently, many people had been put in sacks and thrown into the sea, and their bodies were never found.

The mountains of goods in the dock warehouses no longer aroused much curiosity in Liu Qing. Even seeing the bronze cannons, Liu Qing could remain indifferent. Now, everyone was in the same boat, sharing both prosperity and adversity.

After a brief inspection of the military camp, Chen Xie set off on the road back to Zhangjia Village. Before the spring plowing, a cement road leading to Zhangjia Village had been completed. Most of the villagers had returned to their fields, leaving behind those who had lost their land and were unwilling to become tenant farmers. There were quite a few of these people, numbering in the thousands.

The image of a divine doctor must be radiant. The plan for those who refused to leave was already set. Some would be assigned to farm for the divine doctor, with a 50% land rent, which would make them grateful, even though the land wasn't very fertile and the yield wouldn't be high. However, with cold-resistant, drought-resistant, and high-yield seeds, everything else was insignificant.

Some skilled women went to the clothing workshop. Boys aged 10 to 6 were sent to school to learn to read, with tuition deducted from their parents' wages monthly or after the harvest. Younger children were left alone, as kindness has its limits. The most fortunate were those with skills, who would never lack a place to earn money. These people would be the first to escape hunger on the divine doctor's land, and they would form the main body of those who stayed to work for the divine doctor.

The carriage ran steadily and at a good speed. Chen Xie's face in the carriage was grim. The reason was simple: the political landscape of Dengzhou had changed significantly due to a man asking for trouble.

This man asking for trouble was Yuan Chonghuan. He was called this because of the things he did.

Yuan Chonghuan, who claimed he could pacify Liaodong in five years, did the following after taking office. First, in July of the first year, due to a mutiny by the Ningyuan soldiers, the governor, Bi Zisu, was unable to quell it and committed suicide to avoid punishment. After Yuan Chonghuan quelled the mutiny, he submitted a memorial suggesting that the governor of Liaodong be abolished to avoid too many constraints. Emperor Chongzhen, who had given Yuan Chonghuan full trust, unexpectedly violated the system and agreed to Yuan's request. Second, he requested 800,000 taels of silver. The impoverished Emperor Chongzhen gave Yuan Chonghuan the maximum support, sending 300,000 taels of silver to Liaodong. It's no exaggeration to say that some of this money was saved from his teeth. There is a record that in his 17 years on the throne, Emperor Chongzhen only wore new clothes once, at his coronation. Even if there is a slight error, it's probably close. Third, he requested the dismissal of the governor of Dengzhou and Lai Prefecture, Sun Guozhen (the reason is not detailed, but it seems related to the Ningyuan mutiny: after Bi Zisu's death, Yuan Chonghuan requested the abolition of the governor, and after the dismissal of Sun Guozhen, he requested that the position not be filled. The emperor also agreed. (Ming History, Vol. 259)).

In historical records, one can see the extent of Emperor Chongzhen's trust in Yuan Chonghuan. Let's consider the above events as the second step in Yuan Chonghuan's path to asking for trouble, with the first step being the boasts he made during the platform meeting.

Yuan Chonghuan asking for trouble was not a big deal, but it made life difficult for Chen Xie. The dismissal of Sun Guozhen meant that Chen Xie's investment was wasted. Especially in the operation at Qishan Thousand Households, it was stillborn. It would be difficult to continue pursuing this position, as without a governor, getting the position would require Yuan Chonghuan's approval. At this point, Yuan Chonghuan wouldn't know who Chen Xie was, which frustrated Chen Xie and made him regret not studying the Ming History thoroughly.

Sending silver to Yuan Chonghuan was not impossible, but the problem was that he was going to be executed, a fact Chen Xie knew. Knowing he wouldn't live long and still sending him silver would be a clear sign of mental illness.

Chen Xie could only wait patiently, especially in slowing down the construction of the artillery unit. This undoubtedly made Chen Xie deeply resent Yuan Chonghuan. Why did he have to meddle with Dengzhou and Lai Prefecture?

On the way back, Liu Qing had an idea: "Master, there is a small island nearby. The artillery unit can train there daily by boat." This was a good idea, but the problem was where to find artillery instructors. Chen Xie had no one who knew how to use cannons. There was a simple textbook on how to use the cannons, which Chen Xie had collected from the internet. It was purely theoretical, so relying on it was unrealistic. It could only be combined with live ammunition practice.

"Master, I remember you said that the deputy captain of the militia camp, Weng Zhengqing, is good at arithmetic. Why not let him lead the artillery unit? It shouldn't be difficult to recruit a few gunners from the naval forces of Dengzhou." Wang Qian's suggestion was timely. The main field artillery Chen Xie had was steel rifled cannons, using lead balls as ammunition. With a 95-millimeter caliber and a weight of less than 1,000 pounds, plus the wheels, three people could push it. Of course, the drawback was that it was a front-loading rifled cannon, which could fire quickly against dense infantry formations but was troublesome against enemy artillery, requiring repositioning.

"Let's do it that way. Remember to find a few boats. Let Weng Zhengqing take the team for a trial, and we'll see how it goes." Chen Xie made the decision and required all departments to keep a low profile. Yuan Chonghuan was now too powerful and extremely bold. Even as a fourth-rank official, he dared to appoint a deputy general without permission. Now, as the Minister of War and Commander-in-Chief of the Jizhou and Liaodong regions, his boldness had grown exponentially.

Chen Xie now hoped that Yuan Chonghuan wouldn't notice a small landlord in Dengzhou and would continue down the path of asking for trouble until he destroyed himself. Chen Xie, keeping a low profile, focused on training his troops and temporarily put aside the sale of the thermos inner linings to avoid drawing attention. Of course, starting a bamboo weaving workshop to create outer shells for the inner linings could proceed.