Chapter 1103: The Xuzhou Spinning Machine

No matter what one thought of those local powerhouses currying favor and seeking advantage, since they had expressed such goodwill, the Zhao Camp would not shut them out. As more and more people came asking others to put in a word on their behalf, the Zhao Camp began preparing banquets and feasts, with Wang Zhaojing and Ruhui put in charge.

After explaining all this, Wang Zhaojing's expression turned solemn. "Elder Brother, I will be so bold as to say it once more: I hope you will take Miss Meng as a concubine. This is for the long-term good of our Zhao Camp, and also for the peace of your inner household."

At Wang Zhaojing's words, Zhao Jin's face immediately darkened, but beyond the flash of irritation, his expression was more one of helpless, wry amusement. He looked at Wang Zhaojing, whose gaze was resolute. Before he could speak, Ruhui also said, "Master, Third Master's reasoning is sound. You are in the full bloom of youth, strong and vigorous, while both principal wives are burdened with official duties. Taking a concubine into the household — having someone to attend to you personally — would be a good thing."

Zhao Jin shook his head with a bitter smile. "My family affairs — why are you all putting so much thought into them?"

"Elder Brother, your family affairs are the public business of the Zhao Camp. I have discussed the implications with Mister Cao and Mister Zhou. You absolutely must not treat this lightly," Wang Zhaojing said with the utmost gravity.

Zhao Jin sighed, then rose to his feet. "You and Daxiang, along with the cavalry unit, get things ready. I'm going to the Huaian North District to take a look. You two stay busy — I'm heading to the ironworks and the weaving yard now."

With that, Zhao Jin walked out under the escort of his personal guards. Wang Zhaojing and Ruhui rose to see him off. The two exchanged a glance, both wearing helpless expressions.

Behind Xu Zhenzhen stood the Xu family — or rather, Xu Zhenzhen controlled the Xu family. The enormous quantities of coal and iron consumed by the Zhao Camp were all supplied by the Xu family. Xu Housheng's oversight of the Craftsmen's Office went without saying, and many sons of the Xu family held positions in the various brigades, the agricultural reclamation projects, and the trading operations. However one looked at it, this was a very substantial faction.

Mu Shulan, for her part, had consolidated the remnants of the Incense-Smelling Sect. Many of the core Mu family members from the old Dongchang Prefecture, as well as the backbone of the former Xuzhou branch of the Incense-Smelling Sect, all looked to Mu Shulan as their sect leader. After all, the Xuzhou branch was still under Mu Shulan's control, and it had already swallowed up the remnants of the Shandong Incense-Smelling Sect. Even the White Lotus system of the Tian family of Yizhou was naturally inclined to align with their faction.

Beyond those still active within the sect, former sect members of Incense-Smelling origin who now worked in the Zhao Camp's various brigades, companies, agricultural projects, and trading posts were also very close to Mu Shulan's faction.

If there were a clear hierarchical distinction of wife and concubine between Xu Zhenzhen and Mu Shulan, those around them would have nothing to say. But Xu Zhenzhen and Mu Shulan held equal status, and Zhao Jin had arranged it that way.

Xu Zhenzhen and Mu Shulan addressed each other as sisters and got along very harmoniously, with no conflicts between them. But the absence of conflict between them did not mean everything was fine.

They each represented a faction, and each could command considerable strength from those factions. This naturally bred contradictions — to say nothing of the fact that the question of an heir was also involved.

The Zhao Camp's domain was now large enough. Though still nominally under the laws of the Great Ming, it was already a state within a state. Who would inherit such a vast foundation in the future? Zhao Jin had just turned twenty, but he would grow old one day.

Xu Zhenzhen and Mu Shulan were both young enough, and it looked as though they would bear more children. If Mu Shulan bore only daughters, there would be nothing to discuss. But if she bore a son, then endless disputes would arise. Although the Great Ming adhered to primogeniture, Zhao Jin had never followed Ming conventions in his actions.

People were not being alarmist about these matters; countless precedents lay before them — the imperial houses of successive dynasties, for instance...

Yet everyone also knew that Zhao Jin would not choose between Xu Zhenzhen and Mu Shulan. So a compromise was proposed: that Zhao Jin take Meng Ziqi as a concubine.

Turning two parties into three would make the situation far less volatile. Moreover, the Meng siblings were practically hereditary servants of the Zhao household. Meng Zhiqi was now the deputy commander of the Firearms Battalion, an elite force under Zhao Jin's command. Marrying Meng Ziqi off to someone else would create all sorts of inconveniences for the Zhao Camp.

Once this discussion began, Meng Zhiqi tactfully kept his distance, throwing himself into the Firearms Battalion's drills and minimizing his contact with Zhao Jin. With no battles to fight at the moment, it was passable not to go and request instructions.

When Zhao Jin arrived at the weaving yard, it caused a brief stir inside. The managers wanted all the weavers to come out and kneel in welcome, but Zhao Jin stopped them, signaling that everyone should carry on with their work.

"Originally, many of the old weavers thought that with so many people weaving, the spinning wouldn't be able to keep up. They never imagined the yarn supply could always match the pace. According to those who know the trade, our method is at least several times faster than anyone else's," the yard manager said enthusiastically.

The order had been to carry on as usual, but as Zhao Jin walked among the looms, many weavers' hands trembled, and they frequently mixed up the warp and weft threads. After a few steps, Zhao Jin noticed the problem and left with a rueful smile.

The spinning area was far from the weaving area. Compared to the relatively open weaving workshop, the spinning workshop was heavily guarded. Anyone who had been inside the Zhao Camp's distillery would find the layout of the spinning workshop very familiar. It operated on a completely enclosed basis, with high walls and a moat, only a few fixed entry and exit points, and armed household guards and militia patrols on all sides.

It was from here that cartload after cartload of cotton thread was delivered to the weaving workshop. When Zhao Jin entered, he saw a scene of equal busyness.

But in this workshop, the spinning was not done on the spinning wheels used by peasant households or Jiangnan weavers. The machines here were entirely different spinning machines.

This spinning machine had bobbins wound with roving fitted at the base of a frame, with ten spindles on the frame. Each bobbin was connected to a spindle by a belt. The spindles, passing between two horizontal bars, formed a rod that slid back and forth on the frame. The spinner pulled the rod backward to draw out the roving, then the bars pressed together to clamp the belt tight. At the same time, the rod moved back, turning a wheel, and the wheel turned the spindles. Once the twisting reached a certain point, the rod moved forward again while the spindles turned slowly, winding the yarn on.

With the old spinning wheel, one person turning it could only produce one thread from one spindle at a time. Now, one person turning it drove ten spinning units simultaneously — a full tenfold increase in efficiency.

With this one process in place, the cost of the cotton cloth produced by the Zhao Camp was at least forty percent lower than that of others, to say nothing of the low cost of labor in the Zhao Camp.

When the manager here gave his briefing, his manner was far more cautious. Most of it was whispered into Zhao Jin's ear. And unlike the weaving workshop, the craftsmen and workers here were not brimming with enthusiasm; every one of them was extremely guarded.

The spinning machines did not run entirely smoothly either; they often jammed, and then a carpenter would hurry over to inspect and oil them. But even so, the output was far faster than that of spinning wheels.

"... Six carpenters and spinners have already run off. They've all been given a beating with the plank according to the rules. Next time, it'll be beheading..."

Zhao Jin showed no surprise at this news. He merely smiled and nodded. These carpenters and weavers were just like the craftsmen who had seen the secret brewing methods at the distillery back then. They had never imagined the method could be so simple — just a shift in thinking, and it produced such a Midas-touch effect. Anyone who saw it could grasp it. If they did it themselves, they could surely make a fortune. Even going into partnership with others would bring wealth. Why toil away for someone else?

The Zhao Camp had long since taken precautions against runaways. Anyone harboring such intentions was severely punished. But Zhao Jin knew that the real deterrent would come when the first man was beheaded. Once they saw that bloody lesson, everyone would understand the stakes.

After finishing his inspection and stepping outside the spinning workshop, where there was no longer anyone who could eavesdrop, the manager's voice remained very low. "Master Jin, some craftsmen have already figured out a better method for weaving. I have placed those men under strict watch."

"If there's a good method, report it at once. We will certainly reward it handsomely," Zhao Jin said, nodding.

Back when he had given the carpenters a hint in the workshop, someone had indeed produced a spinning machine that could run ten spindles simultaneously. That man had received a full one thousand taels of silver and was given two choices: bring his whole family to live inside the workshop compound for three years, after which he would be allowed to start his own business; or hand the silver over to his family and live in the compound himself for three years. The craftsman had chosen the former, and now his entire family lived inside the compound.

The reward of a thousand taels of silver and the position of deputy supervisor immediately fired up the other craftsmen. The spinning machine was not, after all, an overly complex mechanism. Craftsmen who had worked with hydraulic machinery all had their own ideas, and the Zhao Camp's workshops provided ample materials and funding for experimentation and trial production. For a time, a flood of inventions and innovations appeared.

Yet the most crucial element was still that one hint Zhao Jin had given back then. But few people would remember that single sentence — it was just a matter of vertical or horizontal placement, and everyone thought it was an offhand remark.

"Don't skimp on food and drink. If you need grain, salt, meat, or fish, just ask. If you want them to work diligently, they must first eat their fill," Zhao Jin instructed before leaving.

Some would go mad for a method to get rich, but more people felt that such security — enough food and clothing — was hard to come by. When the master provided such good conditions, they ought to be grateful and content. The Zhao Camp's food and lodging would make them even more unable to leave.

When Zhao Jin arrived at the ironworks, the atmosphere was somewhat more relaxed than at the spinning and weaving yards, despite the billowing smoke and dust that left the entire workshop looking quite filthy.

Xu Housheng and several supervisors were all busy on site. When Zhao Jin arrived, Xu Housheng came alone to greet him; everyone else remained hard at work at their posts.

Normally, Xu Housheng dressed like a scholar, his whole person immaculately clean. But now he looked like a blacksmith, covered in smudges of black and gray, wearing a filthy short robe, his face smeared with grime. A pair of smoky quartz protective goggles hung against his chest, and his eyes were completely bloodshot. He looked exhausted and overworked.

"If your sister saw you like this, she'd be heartbroken again," Zhao Jin said with a smile. This version of Xu Housheng looked very agreeable to him.

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