Moma Liangshan

Chapter 128 A Twist of Fate, Each with Their Own Hidden agendas

After seeing Cai Jing off, Li Shishi emerged from behind the screen and said, "Cai Jing really has a good plan. He not only gained profits from wool fabrics but also pocketed kickbacks from purchasing looms!" Wang Hao, now relieved, said, "Tong Guan, Cai Jing, and Gao Qiu—although these three wield immense power, they'll likely fight amongst themselves sooner or later when faced with such enormous profits. Then, I might just regain my position as the leader of the entire wool fabric industry!" Li Shishi nodded and said, "Given Cai Jing's status, he shouldn't be coveting such a mere few tens of thousands of strings of cash; yet he not only took it, but he did so shamelessly!" Wang Hao smiled slightly and said, "Based on the information from Feng Gu and Zhu Heng, Cai Jing calculated that Jiaozhou could only produce a maximum of one hundred and fifty [units of currency] per month." "Set up the loom. But yesterday I suddenly thought of a method that might more than double the loom's output!" Li Shishi said with great doubt, "The woolen loom is newly created, and there probably aren't many craftsmen in Tokyo who can meet the requirements. It won't be easy for you to increase production in a short period of time!" Wang Hao deliberately asked, "How do you know?" Li Shishi said impatiently, "If it's really as you say, each loom will be composed of dozens of completely different parts, and each part must fit perfectly, otherwise it won't be able to be assembled smoothly. Such complex work, such precise requirements, even the most talented person would find it extremely difficult to become a skilled craftsman without several years of practice!"

Wang Hao laughed heartily and said, "Sister, have you ever considered what would happen if each craftsman only needed to produce one component according to my requirements, and then a specialized craftsman assembled all the components into a complete loom? In this way, the production efficiency of the woolen loom would be significantly improved!" Li Shishi, who was already exceptionally intelligent, said, "If it is truly as you say, brother, that each loom must be completed by dozens of craftsmen working together, then while improving efficiency, the manufacturing method of the woolen loom would also be less likely to be leaked!" Wang Hao was thinking of the assembly line production pioneered by Henry Ford, a production method that became extremely common in later generations, yet greatly improved the production efficiency of craftsmen and even played a very positive role in the budding capitalism in Jiaozhou. Wang Hao's worries of the past few days vanished, and he said, "Tong Guan and Cai Jing think they have completely seized control of the woolen industry by cutting off its supply lines, and even used this to curb the development of Jiaozhou. However, in the near future, they will probably be quite perplexed by the current reality!"

Li Shishi suddenly let out a clever laugh and said, "The way you grit your teeth, little brother, really has the air of a ruthless hero!" Wang Hao shook his head and said, "I wanted to keep to myself, but someone came with ill intentions, so I had no choice but to act!" Li Shishi said, "Over the years, I've seen countless princes, nobles, powerful ministers, and generals, but none possess the same composure and methods as you, little brother!" Wang Hao sighed inwardly, thinking, "If the nation weren't facing imminent disaster, and the entire court were indifferent, why would I need to go through all this trouble?" He said, "I just don't want to become the Qu Yuan of the Song Dynasty one day!" Li Shishi was puzzled and muttered to herself, "Qu Yuan couldn't bear to see the Chu kingdom fall apart, so he sacrificed himself for his country, drowning himself in the Miluo River!" The two remained silent for a long time before Wang Hao finally spoke, "Tomorrow I will return to Jiaozhou!"

Upon learning that Wang Hao was about to return to Jiaozhou, Feng Gu and Zhu Heng felt a wave of fear. They arranged to meet at a restaurant in Jimo City. Inside the elegant room, only Feng Gu and Zhu Heng sat at the large table, which was laden with food and drink. The doors and windows of the room were tightly closed, but bright sunlight streamed in through the window frames, casting dappled patterns of light. Zhu Heng took a swig of wine and said, "I didn't expect that the rewards Grand Tutor Cai and Grand Commandant Gao had just arrived for you and me, and Wang Hao is already coming back!" Feng Gu looked worried and said, "My friends in Tokyo have sent word that woolen cloth is now in high demand there, and it's extremely difficult to find even a foot of it." Zhu Heng laughed wildly and said, "So what if it's in high demand? In the end, isn't it all just a wedding dress made for the big shots?" Feng Gu said, "This time, with Lord Tong, Grand Tutor Cai, and Grand Commandant Gao joining forces, Wang Hao had no choice but to submit. But Wang Hao has suffered such a great loss; it's hard to say whether he'll come after you and me!" Zhu Heng looked confident and said, "Wang Hao is already at a disadvantage, and we..." "He proved his abilities. If Wang Hao really dares to act recklessly, do you think the adults will let him off the hook?" Feng Gu argued, "But no matter what, Wang Hao is still our superior, and Laoshan County is all his men!" Zhu Heng sneered, saying, "What kind of superior is Wang Hao? He's only half a rank higher than you and me. Besides, the waters of Dongjing are not something that arrogant rooster like Wang Hao can stir up at will. Sooner or later, the rooster will drown himself!" Feng Gu cautioned, "Wang Hao came with great momentum; I hope Brother Zhu will not confront him directly!" Zhu Heng, indignant upon hearing this, downed half a bowl of wine in one gulp and said, "With us brothers joining forces, are we afraid of him?"

Feng Gu said, "We brothers are naturally not afraid of him, but since they've already shown him enough face in Tokyo, how dare we disobey the rules?" Zhu Heng sighed and said, "I wonder what the three of you are planning. You've been trying to win over Wang Hao, suppress him, and use him, but you just can't get rid of him!" Feng Gu shook his head inwardly and said, "Brother Zhu, haven't you read the Tokyo gazette?" Zhu Heng said, "I have no interest in reading that stuff!" Feng Gu said, "Grand Tutor Cai personally recommended Wang Hao to the Emperor to concurrently serve as the Director of the Water Conservancy Department of the Ministry of Works, which is a sixth-rank official position!" Zhu Heng was surprised at first, and then asked, "Is this the intention of the three of you?" Feng Gu said, "Brother Zhu, do you think that Grand Tutor Cai can still act arbitrarily at this time?" Zhu Heng nodded and said, "It seems that although Wang Hao lost a battle, his position in the Emperor's heart has not diminished!" Feng Gu said, "That's right, so we must be careful and not give him any leverage!"

Zhu Heng, displeased, grabbed a piece of beef and chewed it heartily. Feng Gu picked up his wine bowl, took a sip, and said, "Brother Zhu, there's no need to be impatient. The port and shipyard in Jiaozhou are almost finished, and will be operational in a few months. At that time, if the Jiaozhou Maritime Trade Office is not making a profit, Wang Hao will lose everything and will have little future. If it's making a fortune, those princes and high officials in Dongjing will surely be envious." Feng Gu left it at that, but Zhu Heng couldn't hold back any longer, saying, "A low-ranking official dares to make high-ranking officials envious? Isn't he courting death?" Feng Gu was increasingly convinced that Zhu Heng was a reckless fool. Although Wang Hao was only a sixth-rank official, he was only twenty years old and the emperor's son-in-law. As long as he didn't commit murder, who could demote him to commoner status?