Chapter 1649: Li Wantang

Since establishing good relations with the Heavenly Kingdom, Huoshan has been so stable it hardly feels like chaotic times.

Even the refugees who fled here have expanded outward from Huoshan, reclaiming all arable land in the surrounding areas to replant some wheat, hoping for at least some harvest.

In fact, Huoshan's food supplies are currently insufficient; even though grain is piled mountain-high within the mountains, claimed to last a year, this does not mean everyone eats their fill. It merely ensures that his soldiers maintain combat effectiveness and the common people do not starve or cause unrest.

With over ten thousand more refugees arriving now, basic survival supplies like food and salt are all needed.

Of course, nowhere can the common people eat their fill these days; even so, compared to elsewhere, the life of Huoshan's people is truly a Heavenly Kingdom...

Fortunately, Wang Yan's escort agency is now genuinely the finest under heaven, and no one dares to trouble the Shunfeng Escort Agency. For whether in Heavenly Kingdom territory, Qing territory, or the domains of other rebel forces or bandit warlords, anyone daring to rob Shunfeng Escort Agency goods will face devastating retaliation.

Such forces, which rely on highway robbery for profit, cannot withstand the strike of over a thousand troops who are professionally militarily trained, organizationally led, and equipped with advanced firearms.

If any force could withstand such a strike, they would not need to engage in something as low-level as highway robbery, since there are faster ways to make money. Such forces should generally cooperate with the Shunfeng Escort Agency; otherwise, they cannot obtain commodities.

Even if someone within these forces is truly brain-addled, relying on power to detain or seize cargo, within a month someone will send their entire family to enjoy bliss together.

Over these past few years, such fools have become rare. For this world never lacks greedy people; wherever one goes to a strange place, there are always various problems. Time and again, friendly exchanges are mistaken for weakness and submission, leading to even greater excesses, until they get what they want. Such incidents need not happen often; one occurrence in a region is sufficient.

And after such incidents happen a few more times, they naturally ferment and spread, causing people to soberly make the correct choices.

Making small fortunes over a long period versus making one huge fortune at once—people understand both clearly...

The Heavenly Kingdom's northern expedition forces fought all the way to Jinmen, where they finally encountered fierce resistance and could advance no further. This was an isolated army operating deep behind enemy lines; the Heavenly Kingdom's follow-up main forces and supplies had not caught up, and even communication with the rear was unblocked. Had they not later learned these troops had reached Jinmen, the Heavenly King and Yang Xiuqing might not have even considered sending rescue.

On the other side, the western expedition forces also made good progress; after ceasing to clash with Huoshan, the Taiping Army quickly captured Hefei, then advanced southwest toward Huangzhou, once again besieging the Wuchang region.

The remaining Heavenly Kingdom forces took Tianjing as their center, expanding their rule over the Liangjiang region and constructing defensive lines to protect Tianjing.

After all, this was the Heavenly Kingdom's capital; having established their old nest, the first matter was naturally to consider how to ensure their own safety, so that no surprise enemy force could rush directly to their faces and threaten the central hub's security, allowing them to hold out for a while while ensuring strategic depth.

In other words, the Heavenly Kingdom was no longer thinking about how to break through or completely strike into the Central Plains, but rather how to secure the fruits of their victory.

Shifting from offense to defense could be described as a change in strategy.

Although the Qing were not faring well either, they ultimately controlled greater forces; this old, worn-out feudal machine also sensed the breath of impending doom and began to struggle. Struggling, of course, generates more power than usual; this was the feudal counterattack.

Thus, the Heavenly Kingdom's attacks were not so smooth; the Xiang Army also began to emerge, engaging the Taiping Army in fierce, back-and-forth battles across the Hunan and Hubei regions.

During this period, Wang Yan received multiple offers of inducement from the Qing court; they even utilized the Shunfeng Escort Agency's connections to deliver an imperial edict to him, regardless of whether he recognized it or not, directly bestowing a title upon him.

In any case, Wang Yan was born with rebellion in the back of his head; as long as he did not join the Taiping Army in outright rebellion, it did not matter.

Moreover, based on their comprehensive understanding of Wang Yan's style of action, he clearly leaned toward sitting back and reaping the benefits while others fought, intending to make a huge war profit from the conflict between the two sides. Therefore, they sent him the imperial edict and spread the news, letting the Heavenly Kingdom know that Wang Yan was unlikely to join the fight.

Even if provoked into joining the rebellion directly, and even though Wang Yan's subordinates were of high quality and possessed greater combat strength, in the end, they numbered only a few thousand.

Indeed, even if Wang Yan similarly coerced the common people into rebellion, the situation could hardly be worse than it already was. After all, the people had already begun eating each other; one more group like Wang Yan's made little difference.

However, these still-arrogant masters did not know just how powerful Wang Yan's organizational and leadership capabilities truly were; it was not simply a matter of increasing the number of rebels.

Nevertheless, Wang Yan indeed did not wish to raise the banner of rebellion just yet, for doing so would require clear demarcations of territorial control, and he would not find it any easier than his current situation.

After all, as things stood, he could still operate escort agencies on both sides, utilizing trade exchanges to earn money from them and thereby develop and strengthen his own forces...

Bang! Bang! Bang! The sound of gunfire rang out.

"All shots on target!" From afar, a soldier shouted the results loudly.

Li Wantang patted the gun in his hand, examining it from left to right, highly satisfied.

"Master, you have truly delivered merit right into my hands."

"Over the past few months, you have sent me many goods, even delivering them all the way to Zhengzhou. Although the escort agency could deliver them itself, there are indeed many places needing manpower right now; you, Li the Millionaire, have saved me considerable effort."

"Master is a man who does great things; with our cooperation going so well, how could I delay Master's affairs? If I have the ability to gather the goods together, naturally I should save Master some effort."

Li Wantang laughed heartily, "Moreover, we also benefit. Master, you may not know that because we piled large quantities of goods in Zhengzhou, we attracted many small merchants; they trade in Zhengzhou, increasing the number of working common people there, and goods there are sold cheaper than elsewhere.

Were it not for the current natural disasters and human calamities causing chaos across Shenzhou, that place would truly be flourishing. Precisely because of this, tax revenue there is quite sufficient, which is no small feat in these times; everyone in Zhengzhou, from top to bottom, has benefited. Furthermore, most officials there belong to Prince Gong's faction; the business we conduct is a win-win for all."

"People say I am domineering and disregard rules, but in truth, what I have always pursued is that you, I, and everyone else all do well."

"Master does not seem surprised by the situation in Zhengzhou?"

Li Wantang did not rush to flatter but keenly noticed the issue.

Understanding a city's situation represents many things: mastery of various information, more advanced analysis, and most importantly, a true comprehension of economic development and social operation; in summary, it represents a person's vision and wisdom.

For all this to occur in someone like Wang Yan, a man of humble origins, naturally gives one a feeling of seeing someone in a new light, a realization that invites deep and terrifying thought.

"Whether it be the Qing or the Heavenly Kingdom, I believe both have planted agents within my ranks. They may not have before, but they certainly do now; planting, bribing, threatening, enticing—you should know, I have always had those brothers in the escort agency gathering all sorts of intelligence."

"Master speaks frankly; indeed, that is so." Li Wantang nodded in agreement, "Therefore, the court now attaches great importance to the Shunfeng Escort Agency, watching our every move. However, what intrigues me is not that Master knows news about Zhengzhou, but rather the situation Master has analyzed; I have never heard that Master has any famous scholars under his command."

"Although your words somewhat look down on me, I will reluctantly provide an answer." Wang Yan lifted his head, his gaze falling upon the gun in Li Wantang's hand, "In these troubled times, a scholar who has studied bitterly for twenty years is not worth as much as a firearm like this. Fame is merely a flowered sedan chair carried by the crowd; it is all mutually hyped up.

Those with fame are the minority; the buried majority are far more numerous. Speaking not of distant examples, take Lü Mocheng, the magistrate of Huoshan County; in my view, regarding administrative ability alone, he is more than capable of governing an entire province. I gave them a chance to step forward, so they naturally strive desperately to demonstrate their value, thereby proving my silver was not spent in vain."

Wang Yan was not exaggerating Lü Mocheng's capabilities, for the court's management structure is vertical from top to bottom; above are the Six Ministries, below are the Six Offices. As the saying goes, a thousand threads above, a single needle below. The affairs of the world do not rest with the Emperor or the central hub, but with these leaders below; governing the country is simply a matter of this.

Being able to balance the situation of a single county and ensure stable order—such capability, when expanded to governing a prefecture or a province, becomes manageable. Of course, this is the ideal scenario.

The practical problem is that one's own life cannot be expanded to that extent. However, the various officials causing trouble below, along with various wealthy gentry and powerful families, are all amplified; outsiders unfamiliar with local unspoken rules cannot navigate and balance within them, naturally leading to chaos. At best, one loses one's official cap; at worst, one loses one's life unjustly.

Li Wantang pondered thoughtfully, then said with a smile, "I can understand Magistrate Lü; his family is in Jinmen while he is in Huoshan, surrounded on all sides by the Taiping Army; it is not easy for him."

"What is easy? Everyone is struggling for their lives."

Wang Yan waved his hand, "I don't have more this time; take away one thousand units."

"I heard last year only six hundred units were sold to the Taiping Army side; this year, in one transaction, there are so many. Is the production side..."

"The raw materials you supplied were sufficient, and you sent me quite a few craftsmen; after such a long time, the problems have finally been resolved. As long as raw materials are sufficient, we can produce over ten thousand units annually from now on."

Li Wantang was shocked, for this production volume on this land at present could simply be described as explosive. Especially considering the brand-new gun he had just used, which had not encountered a single problem.

Moreover, this successful experience is replicable; given the conditions, if Wang Yan simply opens more steel-smelting furnaces and more gun-manufacturing workshops, this output could be raised to an annual production of one hundred thousand or even several hundred thousand units.

Such advanced firearms could truly play a decisive role on this land at present. After all, neither the Qing nor the Heavenly Kingdom has yet achieved one firearm per person!

He steadied his mind and asked in turn, "I wonder if Master has researched cannons?"

"Of course! Finished products already exist; if the day of battle comes, you will see them."

Li Wantang asked cautiously, "Master, if I may be so bold as to ask, what is the production volume of these cannons..."

Wang Yan smiled, "Enough."

Li Wantang subconsciously wondered, just how much is "enough"? Then he recalled the earlier war between Huoshan and the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom; by that time, Wang Yan had certainly already manufactured cannons, yet he hadn't used them at all. This meant that even back then, Wang Yan had been certain of victory, treating the conflict with the Heavenly Kingdom as mere child's play.

This realization, terrifying upon deeper reflection, made the widely experienced Li Wantang break out in a cold sweat.

He noticed the thumb ring Wang Yan wore and laughed: "It seems that from now on, this thumb ring will serve no purpose other than for decoration and one-upmanship."

"Archery also helps exercise the body; whenever I have free time, I shoot a bagful of arrows to loosen up my muscles and bones."

With the matter of the guns thus settled, the two strolled away from the archery range, heading back toward the drill ground.

Clearly, the archery range had to be situated far from the training area so as not to disturb the common people; therefore, it had been arranged within the valley of Tea Mountain.

At this very moment, it was once again the Grain Rain season; the common people were picking tea leaves, while down at the foot of the mountain, others were busy roasting tea.

"Such a scene is truly rare..." Li Wantang sighed with emotion.

"It's useless; tea isn't selling well nowadays. Last year's price was only thirty percent of previous years'; it's all futile labor for Bai Mang." Speaking thus, Wang Yan looked at Li Wantang: "You conduct business with the foreigners; can you sell it?"

"The foreigners are cunning as ghosts; in the current situation, everything is scarce, yet nothing sells. Hard currency consists only of grain, salt, and sugar... As for tea prices, they are only willing to offer forty percent. Sir, you know well that whether dealing with the Great Qing or the Heavenly Kingdom, the foreigners can do business with either side and never lack goods."

"Sell it then; we've worked this long, we can't labor for nothing; we must at least exchange it for some grain."

The best way to maintain order is, of course, to sustain production, maintain exchange, and ensure the supply of basic necessities. Thus, Huoshan, originally a beautiful small county town, had by now lost all connection with beauty; various workshops had opened, giving the common people work to do as they processed all manner of goods transported in from outside.

"Very well; later, send the tea to Zhengzhou, and I will negotiate with the foreigners," Li Wantang agreed readily.

The two walked among the busy tea farmers; Li Wantang had no further words, for he had come to show Wang Yan his attitude. He had discovered that Wang Yan was a ruthless man, and with Su Zixuan acting as intermediary, their half-year of cooperation had been pleasant; moreover, having a channel to visit and inspect the development firsthand would make future cooperation more reassuring.

After walking for a while, Wang Yan suddenly stopped, halting before a tea-roasting master.

"What is your name?"

"Greetings, Sir; this humble one is named Liao Jingfeng, and this is my daughter, Liao Miao Xuan. We fled here from Huizhou; previously in Huizhou, I was a famous tea-roasting master. Just look at this large iron wok of mine; it has been passed down for over a hundred years. The tea roasted in this wok is unlike any other."

The little girl beside him nodded in agreement: "My father speaks true; every year in Huizhou, people sought him out to roast tea."

"Later, send some of your roasted tea to me; you father and daughter will surely be rewarded handsomely."

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