Chapter 987: The Usefulness of Huangpin

Baifeng would have no objections to engaging in the slave trade himself; after all, this was his advantage. Without him, Huaxia could not possibly have such a large population, and the number of slaves he could personally possess was already limited. Baifeng would not push himself further on this matter.

Of course, Baifeng was not just limiting the number of slaves; he was also doing it for Baoxi's sake. While slaves could certainly be traded to exchange for wealth, the first problem Baoxi had to face right now was how to solve the food and housing issues for over ten thousand people.

Slaves are your private property, so Huaxia will not interfere with how you settle them. You can place them on your own fief to reclaim wasteland, or you can hire them out to work for others, but settling over ten thousand people is not an easy task.

And where would they live? It is impossible for Baoxi to settle over ten thousand people in Huaxia City, and Baifeng would not allow him to do so. However, it is clear that Baoxi has not yet thought about this problem, and Baifeng has not spelled it out for him.

When the day comes that the problem arises and Baoxi finds he lacks the ability to support so many slaves, he will only be able to trade them in large quantities to the Ministry of Revenue, exchanging them for grain to support the slaves he keeps. He might even have to send the slaves to New City to participate in labor from the very beginning, at least to provide them with food and shelter. In any case, Baifeng would not let over ten thousand laborers go to waste.

Since Ping is unwilling to work for him and he must learn to oversee the overall situation like Baifeng, a Leader like Huangpin has to suffer. Chengqie used to be sent to do manual labor, but now, in order to prepare for going to Huaxia, Chengqie has completely detached himself from the management level of the Suiren Clan.

Upon hearing that the Leader of the pottery production was not listening to the Tribal Chief, Huangpin immediately felt sweat break out on his back. Such a beginning of disobedience meant division; the Suiren Clan had already split once, and there could not be any more problems.

Thus, Huangpin hurriedly took his men and the Huaxia Artisan to the place where pottery was fired. He had to persuade that Leader no matter what. This is a very sensitive time; the tribe is undergoing a major transformation, yet the Tribal Chief is energetic, physically strong, and prepared to do something big. If anyone tries to play tricks at this time, a major disaster will likely occur.

However, Huangpin's reputation was indeed effective. As soon as he arrived, he was warmly welcomed by the Leader. There was no help for it; firstly, Huangpin's status was there—he was Baoxi's top subordinate—and secondly, he was capable, intelligent, and could get real work done. All these Leaders respected him.

After seeing the Leader, Huangpin frowned and asked, "Pou, what are you trying to do? Why are you not listening to the Tribal Chief's words at all?"

Pou still seemed somewhat indifferent, but his tone was calm and he did not dare to be too tough: "These people who came are from Huaxia. As soon as they arrived, they started demanding we do this and that, and even made us make other things. When asked if he is a potter, he isn't. Since he doesn't understand, how can he come and direct us? Our people don't respect him either, and I don't either."

"I feel that the Tribal Chief has been deceived by them, which is why he is doing these things. Leader, I say, let's just drive these people out of our Suiren Clan."

Huangpin's expression grew increasingly ugly, and he had a strong urge to punch Pou, but he gritted his teeth and said, "Right now, I don't care what you are thinking, but you must do as they say because this is what the Tribal Chief requested. The Tribal Chief wants him to build houses, and these are the people from Huaxia who build houses."

"Anyway, you just follow the instructions. If you can't build it, the responsibility is not yours, and you won't be punished; it will be him. But if you obstruct and refuse to cooperate now, you will be the first to be punished."

"And our tribe is currently not in a very good situation; people have already been punished, and these past two days..."

Huangpin lowered his voice and said quietly, "These past two days, our tribe has to pull out twenty or thirty thousand people to move to Huaxia, and eventually, everyone will move over there. But I don't know what the situation really is. You had better be obedient and listen now; don't make trouble here with the Tribal Chief. If you blow things out of proportion, when the Tribal Chief comes to investigate and punish, will you and your people have it easy?"

Pou's scalp tightened, and he hurriedly lowered his voice: "Leader, do you feel that this is not a good thing? I heard others say that the Tribal Chief has changed a lot recently, is that right? It seems even Chengqie has been restricted by the Tribal Chief."

Huangpin only nodded with a meaningful look in his eyes, and Pou understood immediately. To avoid bringing more trouble upon himself, Pou could only reluctantly accept the task: "Leader, alright then, I will cooperate with these people from Huaxia and let them work. I will listen to him for the time being, no matter what he wants to do. But if something goes wrong and the Tribal Chief wants to punish me, can you help me?"

"As long as you are not deliberately looking for trouble or causing destruction, I will definitely help you. We are brothers, unlike those from Huaxia."

Pou gave an expression indicating he had no problem, and Huangpin was also very satisfied.

Immediately, Huangpin turned to the Artisan and said, "Brother, it's all settled for you here. You can do whatever you want, as long as you don't delay the Tribal Chief's task."

The Artisan was also somewhat surprised; he didn't expect the conflict to be resolved so quickly. Sure enough, it takes a high-ranking official to step in. When a high-ranking official steps in, even the biggest problem is solved for you immediately.

Pou had no smile and said with a very ugly expression: "From now on, do whatever you want here. Our tribesmen will cooperate with you."

The Artisan sensed the bad atmosphere, but he had no choice; as long as he wasn't restricted for the time being, that was enough. He hadn't offended the Minister of Works of Huaxia, just a small Leader of the Suiren Clan. Once their houses were built, what more could these people say?

When they come to Huaxia in the future, this person named Pou should not think about entering the Ministry of Works. He would definitely report this behavior of his; no matter what, he did not want to see him in the Ministry of Works.

The Artisan also immediately stated his position: "Good, then we will proceed as I said: build the Brick Kiln, then make the brick molds, and start firing. Your Tribal Chief uses a large quantity, so it might take one or two kilns to be enough."

"But you can rest assured, I have no interest in your place here, and I have no designs on your place either. As long as all the bricks and tiles are fired, I will not come here again."

"Once your Tribal Chief's house is repaired, I will head straight back to Huaxia. I have no intention of staying here and working with you all. Let us all have some mutual understanding. If it weren't for having no other choice, I wouldn't want to make you build a large Brick Kiln first, and you might not even use it again after it's built. It's all just something that can't be helped, alright?"