Chapter 70: Hidden Hand

"Excellent, excellent."

Over a thousand craftsmen emerged from the ship's holds one after another, gathering on the riverbank.

Wang Ying rubbed his hands in excitement; with this batch of craftsmen, the manpower at the Armory would suddenly be abundant.

Zhao Xu felt more satisfied at this moment than if he had consumed nectar.

Craftsmen have always been a precious resource in ancient times, and in war, they often become objects of contention between enemies.

In contemporary ancient warfare, sometimes foreign tribes raiding a region could even scrape together over a hundred thousand craftsmen.

For example, in the war during the mid-Tang Dynasty when Nanzhao invaded Yizhou, after plundering Yizhou, over a hundred thousand Tang Dynasty craftsmen were carried off by the Nanzhao Kingdom.

And the arrival of these craftsmen further elevated Nanzhao's technical level.

The same thing happened in Da Song; after the Ningjin Dusi of Yanzhou was breached by the Northern Di, tens of thousands of craftsmen invisibly boosted the Northern Di's military capabilities.

And if he had abundant craftsman resources under his command, why worry about not being able to turn the technology in his mind into reality?

"Before you stands His Highness the Yan Wang. As long as you are willing to serve His Highness, His Highness will not treat you unfairly," Wang Yanzhong shouted to the craftsmen at this time.

The many craftsmen looked at one another; the unfamiliar environment still made them very uneasy.

Moreover, they did not yet understand the Yan Wang.

The craftsmen's low spirits were seen by Zhao Xu.

Working at the Armory with such an attitude would not do.

However, this could not be blamed on the craftsmen; after all, he had taken advantage of their plight, buying them during the chaos in Jinzhou.

After thinking for a moment, he felt it necessary to give these craftsmen hope, just as he had given hope to the people of Yan Commandery.

Clearing his throat, he said, "This Prince knows that you sold yourselves and became servants, which is very uncomfortable. However, you are despairing too early. Now, this Prince gives you a promise: during your time at the Armory, you will each receive a monthly salary, and those who perform well can also receive rewards. At the same time, the Armory will also help those of you who are not yet married find wives."

"Hehe..."

After Zhao Xu finished speaking, several people among the craftsmen laughed, and the atmosphere was no longer as deathly silent as before.

Zhao Xu revealed a smile, "Simply put, apart from not being able to leave the Armory without permission, there is no difference between you and ordinary commoners."

Upon hearing this, the craftsmen all perked up.

For them, having a stable place where they could eat their fill was already good enough.

Now, having such generous conditions simply exceeded their expectations.

As for whether they could leave the Armory, it didn't really matter.

Once they left, where could they go?

"Alright, Manager Wang, take them back. Give them the same treatment as the Armory's craftsmen," Zhao Xu said to Wang Ying, seeing that the craftsmen's spirits had lifted.

"Yes, Your Highness." Wang Ying went off happily.

With someone leading the way, the many craftsmen followed Wang Ying toward the Armory.

With only Zhou Yi and Wang Yanzhong left at the Pier, Zhao Xu said, "You have delivered a timely rain this time; this Prince will reward you."

Wang Yanzhong said, "Your Highness treats this lowly one as a human being, so this lowly one will naturally repay Your Highness with his life."

"This lowly one as well," Zhou Yi laughed.

Zhao Xu noticed a shallow bloodstain on Zhou Yi's face at this moment and asked, "What is this about?"

Zhou Yi touched the scar and laughed sheepishly.

Wang Yanzhong took a look and said bluntly, "It was cut by people from another Agency in Jinzhou. Working in this trade is licking blood off a blade; sometimes when encountering chaotic soldiers, it is normal to lose one's life."

Zhou Yi looked at Wang Yanzhong gratefully, "Fortunately, Wang Yanzhong reacted in time, otherwise this lowly one's head would have been gone."

Zhao Xu frowned, his gaze cast toward the boatmen standing on the ship.

These people all carried waist knives; they were all people from Wang Yanzhong's Agency.

It was evident how dangerous this trade was.

After all, in ancient times, merchants transporting goods all needed guards.

Otherwise, the trade of escort agencies would not be so prevalent.

"The accumulation of primitive capital is always bloody," this thought popped into Zhao Xu's mind.

Scouring for population from all over Da Song was indeed a gray business, but he could not help but do so now.

Once this population reached his command, they became the cornerstone for promoting the development of Yan Commandery and would also be treated well.

It was far better than starving to death on the road while fleeing, or falling into the hands of a Rich Clan and never being able to rise again.

Therefore, Wang Yanzhong and Zhou Yi bringing over a thousand craftsmen this time made him feel the need to provide greater support to the two.

"You have worked hard. In the future, I fear you will still have to continue living such days, but this Prince has reserved a position for you at the Government Office. When you achieve success and retire in the future, you may become officials," Zhao Xu said; this was the path he had prepared for the two.

Although the Prince's Mansion had now acquired the Agency, outsiders did not know it on the surface.

They only thought that the Agency and the Prince's Mansion were cooperating.

This was also to prevent anyone from making an issue of this matter at court.

"Thank you, Your Highness. We two will certainly not fail Your Highness's expectations," Zhou Yi and Wang Yanzhong were overjoyed.

This promise made them feel full of drive instantly.

Zhao Xu smiled and nodded, "This time, this Prince will also allocate a large sum of Silver to you. You should recruit more guards, and the Armory will also provide you with swords and Armor; you must make the Agency bigger."

He wanted to let Wang Yanzhong's Agency develop and grow, with guards going from a few dozen to hundreds, then thousands.

With ships going from three or five to thirty or fifty, then three or five hundred.

In this way, Wang Yanzhong and Zhou Yi would be equivalent to becoming another force under the Prince's Mansion.

Moreover, because the Agency only had a trade relationship with the Prince's Mansion on the surface.

When some things were inconvenient, the Agency could be made to act on their behalf.

This way, even if others accused the Prince's Mansion, he could still deny it.

After chatting for a few more sentences at the Pier, Zhao Xu let Wang Yanzhong and Zhou Yi go back to rest.

After all, the two of them had been sleeping in the open and eating in the wind for some time, and were already extremely exhausted.

After seeing the two off, Zhao Xu prepared to return to the Prince's Mansion under the protection of Xu Lie.

Just as he mounted his horse, he suddenly saw a pretty young woman standing in front of the group.

"It's you?" Xu Lie narrowed his eyes.

This person was none other than Huan'er, the maid who had been by Xu E's side at Tianxiang Lou last time.

Huan'er glanced at Xu Lie, the corners of her mouth lifted slightly, and then she bowed to Zhao Xu, "Your Highness, my young lady invites Your Highness to Tianxiang Lou for a chat; I wonder if Your Highness might grace us with your presence."

Zhao Xu frowned.

Since their meeting at Tianxiang Lou last time, there had been almost no movement from Tianxiang Lou during this period.

Now that Tianxiang Lou was suddenly looking for him, there must be some news.

He nodded and said, "Let's go."

Huan'er bowed once more, mounted a horse, and led Zhao Xu toward Tianxiang Lou.

Seeing Huan'er's skillful movements as she mounted the horse, Xu Lie whispered to Zhao Xu, "Your Highness, the women of this Tianxiang Lou are likely all trained; they can sing and dance, and I fear they are also skilled at killing."

Zhao Xu remained silent, feeling a bit envious; he wondered who the owner of Tianxiang Lou was to have organized such excellent intelligence work.

Then, thinking that he had only just woken up a month ago, while they had likely been operating in Great Song for decades, he felt balanced in his heart.

He secretly vowed that once his Flame Guard officially emerged, he would definitely investigate Tianxiang Lou until he got to the bottom of it.