Chapter 367: Reaction

The Kiln District guides were quite experienced with tourists who suddenly fainted. Because the Ming people, living in the rhythm of a medieval pastoral world, were naturally prone to problems when abruptly exposed to all kinds of industrial shocks. In fact, many recruited migrants, upon entering a Steel Plant workshop for the first time, were so terrified they wet their pants, went limp, or fainted — it happened often.

So upon seeing Master Bo unconscious, the guide quickly called for everyone to help carry the old master out of the workshop and lay him in a shaded spot outside the door. The guide's next step was to extend two fingers to Laoye's neck and check; finding his pulse normal, he then gently lifted Laoye's chin to keep his airway clear.

Not long after, with a long sigh of "Ugh...", the old master slowly came to on his own. Opening his eyes and seeing the circle of faces peering down at him, Master Bo shook his head, then with assistance slowly sat up.

"An old ailment of mine acted up," he said in a hoarse voice, then stretched out his arms to Chang Sui and said, "Help me back."

A perfectly good industrial tour thus ended anticlimactically, a grand start and a feeble finish.

A carriage promptly took the old master back to the guesthouse. On the way back, Laoye did not utter a single word. Once at the guesthouse, he instructed the Household Staff: go to the counter and book tickets, return to Fujian. Then early the next morning, Fang Tangjing saw Master Bo and his party off at Chikan Wharf.

Watching the ship recede into the distance, Fang Tangjing, standing by the Taijiang lightly waving his folding fan, ultimately shook his head in helplessness. In truth, every single move of Master Bo's, including the entire series of psychological changes he underwent after arriving here, and why those changes occurred — Fang Tangjing understood it all perfectly.

As an advisor to a gentry household and a certified scholar, Fang Tangjing had seen far too many "hardcore gentry" types like Master Bo.

Although the late Ming was marked by declining morals and fading traditional values, with large numbers of scholars openly talking about money and property, there were still many men of principle who strictly adhered to the Way of Confucius and Mencius, upright and rigid in their conduct — Master Bo was a classic example.

So Fang Tangjing could understand why Master Bo found so much to dislike about this place along the journey. He could even guess seven or eight parts of the reason for Laoye's collapse yesterday — he had simply seen that the Cao Clan had money, grain, armaments, and able-bodied men, and was intimidated, that's all.

Yet understanding was one thing; as for anything else... well, that was that. Setting aside the faint contempt in his own heart, he, Fang Tangjing, a mere scholar, was in no position to concern himself with Master Bo's madness. Now that the old master wished to leave, he could hardly stop him and could only see him off respectfully. It was for the best; he, Scholar Fang, still had affairs to handle, and time was pressing!

As the saying goes, the same rice feeds a hundred kinds of people — this truth was displayed with striking clarity during the industrial tours of the Kiln District.

Whether dull-witted farmers, shrewd merchants, or stubborn gentry like Master Bo, the Transmigrators discovered that as long as these Ming people toured the Kiln District once, they were certain to exhibit some kind of stress response.

Among these aftermath reactions, some, like Master Bo, became even more stubborn and more "anti-Cao." However, far more Ming people were awed by the mighty force of industrialization, and thus became more inclined toward the Crossing Faction, willing to obey, willing to communicate, and hoping to get a share of this industrial might.

Therefore, the Transmigrators had always strongly supported the Kiln District industrial tourism project. This tangible, undeniable shock was far more effective at reforming the Ming people than the agitational power of text or speech.

As for people like Master Bo... to be honest, the Empire's power-holders did not take them to heart at all. Every social transformation creates trendsetters and also produces leftover relics of the old era; this was inevitable. Master Bo's paltry influence was nowhere near enough to warrant the Transmigrators' concern.

Put it this way: if the Chongzhen Emperor and his ministers wanted to tour the Kiln District, the Transmigrators would not only welcome their guests warmly, but after His Majesty finished the tour, they would also respectfully see His Majesty back to court, and absolutely would not play any underhanded tricks.

... A few more years had already passed. This was no longer the era when these Transmigrators had landed on Dayuan Island trembling with fear.

Just like America in the later generations, whose strength crowned the globe in the seventies and eighties, the Transmigration Empire, which already possessed all-around economic, political, technological, and military advantages in this plane, was now brimming with confidence, utterly unafraid of the natives' prying eyes and hostility.

No matter what methods the natives employed, even if the Ming Chongzhen Emperor and the Jian slaves joined forces to send a million-strong army, all of it would be crushed and ground to dust before warships, heavy cannons, breech-loading rifles, fertilizer, and electronic night vision devices.

So Master Bo left, lightly, without taking a single wisp of cloud with him. The bustling Chikan Wharf remained as crowded as ever, the roaring Kiln District continued to spew out colossal wealth, and no one cared what schemes or resentment Master Bo took away with him.

As for Comrade Fang Tangjing... this scholar who had failed the exams, an advisor who relied on his wits and handsome looks to get by in society, still had many tasks assigned by his employer to complete. So this time he would not return to Fujian. Once all his business was done, he would board a passenger ship to Hangzhou and sail directly to his Old Home.

After seeing the old master off, Fang Tangjing, with his Servant in tow, turned around and headed back to the Kiln District.

Unlike Master Bo, Fang Tangjing was merely a failed scholar from a family of modest means. In the first half of his life, he had not felt much of the vast imperial grace, nor enjoyed any privileges — a scholar was like a quasi-official Establishment post; he appeared to be a man of learning, but his core was soft, and he was not actually a member of the ruling class.

Therefore, Fang Tangjing made no effort to hide his interest in the great workshops. He carried no historical baggage; he liked these ingenious machines, and he could sense the immense, society-altering power behind them... Most importantly, not only did he not reject this power, he wanted to gain benefits from it.

Moreover, even if it were purely for work reasons, accepting new things was part of his duty — an advisor needed to stay constantly informed of all kinds of new social information, so as to provide opinions and suggestions when his employer required them.

So for the next several days, Fang Tangjing immersed himself in the Kiln District.

Not only did he visit every factory open to visitors one by one, but he also seized every opportunity to consult with the guides, trying to understand the operating principles of these machines.

Only thirty years old, Fang Tangjing's comprehension was still quite strong. Under the guides' explanations, he now at least grasped some general concepts: all machines consisted of two parts. The part emitting black smoke was the "body," providing power, like a mule or horse; the rest was the "function," responsible for specific operations, like a cart.

Not only that, Fang Tangjing also roughly calculated the output of some factories in the Kiln District. The results, of course, left him speechless: the monthly output of any given component was counted in the thousands or tens of thousands. Even an ordinary Rotary Kiln produced several hundred thousand bricks a month... this already exceeded the combined output of all brick kilns near Hangzhou.

The deeper his understanding went, the more optimistic Fang Tangjing became about the Cao Clan's potential, which in turn drove him to investigate this place even more deeply. Thus, it was not until a week later that Fang Tangjing concluded his investigation of the Kiln District.

During two days of rest and reorganization at the guesthouse, Fang Tangjing took up brush and ink and meticulously recorded the results of his investigation into Dayuan society during this period, along with data and his personal views. This was very important material; upon his return, he would need to discuss and analyze it in detail with his employer.

After his rest and reorganization ended, Fang Tangjing, now with a clear picture in mind, began the final task of his visit to Dayuan: direct contact with the General's Mansion.

The method of contact was very simple, as previously mentioned: Fang Tangjing only needed to walk into the administrative service hall of the Chikan District Government and find the major client window.

And so that was exactly what he did.

The process went very smoothly. Setting aside the official visa handled while accompanying Master Bo, Fang Tangjing himself also represented a gentry household from Hangzhou.

Thus, when he arrived at the window, announced his name and affiliation, and presented his own master's visiting card, he was quickly invited into a meeting room, where clear tea was placed before him.

The male and female Receptionists, dressed in front-buttoned Short Jackets, were Very Enthusiastic. Not only did they bring out some investment-attraction documents printed by the Chikan District Government, but they also explained the clauses in the documents one by one to Fang Tangjing, so that the guest could understand new terms like "Light Industry."

Overall, the Transmigration Nation's current investment-attraction activities had no barriers to entry. That is, as long as a visiting guest had money to invest, the Transmigrators did not care about the other party's political affiliation — even if the counterpart was a reactionary gentry like Master Bo.

This approach to attracting investment had only been reversed at the General Assembly earlier in the year — before that, because the scale was too small and confidence was lacking, the Ministry of Commerce had not dared to open investment channels to the gentry.

Now things were different: as long as the masters dared to come and invest, the Transmigrators dared to sell them shops, residences, farmland, and commodity Agency Rights. If this entanglement continued, when the day of reckoning came, would the masters choose Turning Hostile or not?

If they turned hostile, all prior investments and businesses would be lost; if they didn't, it would simply mean letting down His Majesty Chongzhen. Masters, you decide for yourselves...

Fang Tangjing had no concerns in this regard. In fact, he knew perfectly well what kind of character his own master had. Although he and Master Bo were of the same examination cohort, unlike Master Bo, who had steadfastly upheld the Way of Confucius all his life, what his own master had loved most his entire life was... Brother Square Hole. So when it came to how the master would choose in the face of profit, Fang could guess it with his heel.

Fang Tangjing then spent another two days immersed in the administrative service hall.

During this period, he thoroughly digested the district government's investment-attraction policies, and with the help of the clerks, Fang Tangjing also tried to select several investment channels suitable for his own household.

These several investment routes were all related to Light Industry and required operations on both ends: investing in shops and residences in Chikan on One Side, while acting as an agent in Hangzhou or directly investing in workshops on the other.

At this point, all of Fang Tangjing's business for this trip to Dayuan could be considered complete. The remaining actions would require him to return to Hangzhou, discuss and research with his master, and then decide which projects to invest in.

Having settled everything, Scholar Fang finally followed in Master Bo's footsteps and purchased a boat ticket. Early that morning, he and his Servant arrived at Chikan Wharf.

Lightly waving his folding fan, Fang Tangjing stood on the wharf, gazing one last time with reluctant attachment at this land that had brought boundless hope into his heart. "I will come again in the second half of the year, and then first buy a 'Three-Bedroom-One-Living-Room' unit!" Fang Tangjing thought silently to himself.

However, as the saying goes: there is no coincidence without a story.

Just at the moment Scholar Fang was prepared to turn around and step onto the Jetty, he caught sight of a person sauntering leisurely past on the street.

Greatly startled, Scholar Fang immediately dropped the Gucci deerskin briefcase in his hand, dashed over swiftly, pushed through the crowd, rushed to that person's side, and shouted: "Hey! You damned swindler, your crimes have caught up with you today — don't even think about running!"