At the end of December, in the official hall of one hundred households in Wangjiazhuang.
Liu Yan stood in the main hall, brushing off the snow on his body. The flag officer Miao Shao beside him was also shaking his body. The two of them came in the snow and wind early in the morning and arrived at the Baihu Official Hall. By that time, they had turned into two snowmen. Even though they were wearing thick cotton coats and cloaks, they were still shivering.
"This damn weather!"
Miao Shao, the flag officer, rubbed his hands and cursed in a low voice, and then said: "Chief A, why isn't the team leader here yet?"
Liu Yan also frowned slightly. As soon as the two of them arrived at the Baihu Hall, they met Jia Hongyu, the chief flag officer, and followed the servants in. Jia Hongyu volunteered to invite the team leader Wang Wenzhen. It is said that Jia Hongyu has been there for a while, why hasn't the team leader Wang Wenzhen arrived yet?
"Wait a little longer, maybe the captain has something important to do."
With that said, Liu Yan and Miao Shao sat down, took a sip of hot tea, and then felt a hint of warmth.
"Haha, Mr. Liu will be waiting!"
At this moment, Wang Wenzhen's voice came. Liu Yan looked at the door and saw Wang Wenzhen walking in with a smile, followed by Jia Hongyu.
However, Wang Wenzhen's face looked a little haggard and his eyes were bloodshot, and Liu Yan couldn't help but frown slightly.
"I've met the leader of the team."
"Haha, let's not be polite and sit down."
After Wang Wenzhen sat down, he yawned, and then said mockingly: "It's a tough year this year. I have to accompany a group of Shangguan banquets for several days in a row. I just came back from the Qianhu House in front of Xiahe Village last night. I drank. I almost vomited out all my internal organs, it’s really not a human life!”
Although that was what he said, Liu Yan could not help but shake his head slightly when he saw that Wang Wenzhen's face was full of pride, and the haggard look on his face was simply because he had not had a good rest.
"Oh, right."
Wang Wenzhen talked to himself for a while, and then asked: "This morning, Mr. Liu Qi came despite the wind and snow. Is there anything wrong?"
Liu Yan smiled and said, "I really have something to ask for."
Liu Yan then prepared to build a batch of military equipment, but Dapanbao lacked reliable craftsmen and hoped that Wang Wen Town could support some craftsmen.
Liu Yan knew that Wang Wenzhen could not support much military equipment. Although there were some military equipment in the Wangjiazhuang arsenal, the quality was not satisfactory. Even if most of them were given for free, Liu Yan would not take them.
Now that the Dapanbao Armor Supervision and Manufacturing Office is about to be prepared, the manpower problem must be solved as soon as possible. As for the raw materials for building military equipment, Liu Yan is not too worried. Anyway, he has money now and can directly purchase iron and other materials until the opportunity arises in the future. If appropriate, then consider mining and other matters.
Wang Wenzhen nodded when he heard this and said, "I thought it was something. Isn't it just to transfer some craftsmen? Why don't you come here yourself and send someone to report something like this?"
"Haha, isn't it the end of the year? My subordinates are coming over to wish the leader a happy birthday, so we just happened to do it together."
With that said, Miao Shao, the flag officer next to him, respectfully handed a gift list to Wang Wenzhen's hand.
Wang Wenzhen opened it and looked at it. Seeing that the gift list was very heavy, he estimated in his mind that it was worth hundreds of taels of silver, and the smile on his face became even brighter.
"Mr. Liu, you are good at everything, but you are too polite. Why are we doing this? Let's just talk about it if we have anything to do. Haha, it's true."
Liu Yan then said: "This is the New Year, I have also prepared a copy for Brother Jia, and I will send someone to deliver it to the house later."
Jia Hongyu smiled and waved his hands repeatedly, and said: "Oh my good brother, I was still thinking of going to Dapanbao to give you New Year's goods, but why did you come here first? You are so polite."
Wang Wenzhen and Jia Hongyu were in a good mood after seeing the benefits. Liu Yan followed the two of them to chat for a while and then said: "Sir, this matter about the craftsman's household..."
Wang Wenzhen said immediately: "Let General Jia Qi handle this matter in person, and we will do it today. Look at how many craftsmen there are in Baihusuo. As long as General Liu Qi is useful, all of them will be transferred there."
Jia Hongyu immediately accepted the order and took over the matter with patting his chest.
Liu Yan smiled and clasped his fists and said, "I thank you, sir. I have brother Lao Jia."
Wang Wenzhen originally wanted to leave Liu Yan and Miao Shao to have dinner in the Baihu Official Hall, and specifically asked Jia Hongyu to prepare a banquet. However, Liu Yan looked at Wang Wenzhen's face and shook his head. He did not want to drink heavily in such an occasion. I liked it, so I declined on the pretext that there was something to deal with in the castle.
So Liu Yan and Miao Shao followed Jia Hongyu to the department room in the Hundred Household Office. Jia Hongyu asked an official to find the list of craftsmen in Wangjiazhuang. After flipping through a few pages, he handed it to Liu Yan and smiled. Said: "General Liu, you see, the craftsmanship of several craftsmen here is very good, especially the blacksmith named Xu Le, whose skills are second to none in Wangjiazhuang."
Liu Yan looked at the records on the roster and saw that the blacksmith named Xu Le was originally from Hebei and was forty-one years old, but he was the recorded blacksmith in Wangjiazhuang.
So Liu Yan asked: "Brother Jia, what kind of person is this Xu Le?"
If this Xu Le is really the leading craftsman in Wangjiazhuang, even if Jia Hongyu has a good relationship with him, he won't "bear the pain and give up", right?
Therefore, Liu Yan naturally had some doubts in his heart. Jia Hongyu smiled and said in a low voice: "Mr. Liu Qi doesn't know. This Xu Le has a bad temper. Although he is a blacksmith and knows good crafts such as making armor, he is very stubborn. Many people in Wangjiazhuang have been offended, and if Xu Le hadn't had such skills, he would have been driven away long ago."
When Jia Hongyu said this, Liu Yan understood in his heart that this Xu Le was probably an "old scholar" who devoted himself to studying skills. He was proficient in skills but did not understand the ways of the world. He had offended everyone in Wangjiazhuang, so naturally there was nothing he could do. Popularity.
As for Xu Le actually knowing how to make armor, this news was an unexpected surprise for Liu Yan.
Liu Yan said with a smile: "If such a talent is given to me, it won't be difficult for Brother Jia to deal with it, right?"
"Hi!"
Jia Hongyu said: "Then what does Xu Le know? Forge iron to make armor. But does Wangjiazhuang need armor now? No need. The leader of the team will not allocate money to make armor. Besides, who can we fight with so many soldiers? ah?"
After saying that, Jia Hongyu burst out laughing, and Liu Yan naturally laughed too, feeling happy in his heart.
Wang Wenzhen did not have the foresight to be prepared for danger in times of peace. He was familiar with history. In a few months, the Qing army would rush into Shandong. Although judging from the development of history, there would not be a large-scale Qing army rushing towards Lingshan Guard. However, there is no guarantee that a small group of Qing soldiers will not rush over. Dozens or hundreds of troops are still very likely to appear!
Therefore, Liu Yan must race against time to develop his strength. This army expansion must be completed as soon as possible. Talents like Xu Le are exactly what he needs.
So Liu Yan said: "Since this is the case, I will accept Xu Le. In addition, Brother Jia can recommend craftsmen like Xu Le to me. The more the better. Of course, the premise is that it does not affect Brother Jia's affairs. .”
Jia Hongyu agreed with a smile, and then looked through the list of craftsmen, and pointed out seven or eight craftsmen for Liu Yan.
"These craftsmen are basically good at blacksmithing. Each of them has three or two apprentices. If Mr. Liu is willing, all of these apprentices can be transferred to Dapanbao."
Liu Yan naturally agreed and immediately asked Miao Shao, the flag officer, to follow Jia Hongyu to pick up the people, and agreed to meet outside Wangjiazhuang in an hour.
After bidding farewell to Jia Hongyu, Liu Yan rushed to Wanfu Oil Factory. It was approaching New Year's Eve, and Liu Yan came here specifically to visit Wang Jing. After all, this was his future Taishan, and he still had to be polite.
After sitting at Wanfu Oil Shop for a while, Liu Yan came in a hurry and didn't have time to prepare gifts, so he just brought a hundred taels of silver and stayed.
Wang Jing was not polite either. Although Liu Yan was the chief of the banner, he was also his future son-in-law. Giving him money was considered a filial piety.
After doing this for a while, Liu Yan got up and left. Before leaving, Liu Yan specifically asked Wang Jing to prepare and go to Dapanbao together during the Chinese New Year this year. Liu Yan would send someone to pick him up then.
Wang Jing naturally agreed happily, feeling happy in his heart.
Liu Yan met with Miao Shao, the flag officer, and saw Xu Le and other craftsmen. There were a total of twenty-four craftsmen and apprentices. They were all dressed in rags. Some of them were even wearing single clothes. Everyone stood there. He was shivering in the wind and snow, and his face turned purple from the cold.
Liu Yan couldn't help but frown. With these craftsmen's outfits, it was estimated that some of them would freeze to death on the way if they couldn't reach Dapanbao.
So Liu Yan said to Miao Shao: "Immediately take people to Wangjiazhuang to buy cotton-padded clothes and give each of them one."
"Now?"
"Yes, now! I'll take them to Wanfu Oil Factory and wait there. Go quickly!"
"yes!"
In this way, Miao Shao delayed buying cotton-padded clothes for half an hour, and bought more than twenty pieces of cotton-padded clothes at a high price. Liu Yan gave them all to the craftsmen.
While waiting, Wang Jing was very discerning and went to the front to take care of the business. Liu Yan also got to know Xu Le, and Xu Le introduced several craftsmen.
At this time, everyone looked at the thick cotton clothes in their hands. Everyone, including Xu Le, had tears in their eyes and knelt down to Liu Yan involuntarily. Many people cried out.
These craftsmen are actually like slaves on weekdays, being severely exploited by hundreds of households. To put it bluntly, they are just a group of beggars with craftsmanship. How have you ever encountered a superior like Liu Yan, who was handed out clothes by everyone as soon as he came up? Le and others felt warm in their hearts, and there was an excitement that a scholar would die for his confidant.
Liu Yan helped Xu Le up with both hands, then helped everyone up one by one, and said: "From today on, you are my people in Dapanbao. As long as you do your best to build weapons and equipment for me, I will not treat you badly."
Then Liu Yan pointed to the cotton-padded clothes that everyone was holding in their arms and said: "Today I just gave you a cotton-padded coat. No one will bully you anymore in my Dapanbao. Every piece of armor you build, As long as the quality of the weapons is up to standard, I will pay the corresponding amount of money. If the quality is not up to standard, I will also punish you, which is fair!"
"Don't worry, you can ask around Wangjiazhuang about what kind of person I, Liu Yan, am. I am very willing to give money to my subordinates. As long as you have real skills, I can guarantee that within a year, you Everyone can live a life that they never dreamed of before, and each of you can live a life with no worries about food and clothing, and money in your hands!"
After Xu Le and others listened, everyone's originally cloudy eyes suddenly became sparkling, and everyone's eyes had a light called hope.
At this time, Xu Le cupped his fists and said, "After arriving at Dapanbao, I wonder what the commander wants us to build?"
Liu Yan said: "Armor, I want you to build excellent armor for me, no matter the cost!"
