Moma Liangshan

Chapter 156 Fulfilling Commitments and Strictly Controlling Coal and Iron

Wang Hao had an agreement with Cui Zhigong, the Pacification Commissioner of Jingdong East Circuit, that after establishing a foothold in Jiaozhou, his son, Cui Shaogong, would succeed him as the Registrar of Jiaozhou. However, things didn't go as planned. The current Registrar of Jiaozhou, Feng Gu, though a protégé of Cai Jing, was quite astute and shrewd, inadvertently relieving Wang Hao of much trouble. Meanwhile, the County Magistrate, Zhu Heng, remained arrogant and domineering, showing no respect for Wang Hao. Ultimately, Wang Hao decided to retain Feng Gu and remove Zhu Heng from office. Zhu Heng was appointed by the Ministry of Personnel, and Wang Hao, as the County Magistrate, naturally had no power to appoint or dismiss him. However, if Zhu Heng was found guilty of corruption, Wang Hao could legitimately transfer him to the Judicial Commissioner of Jingdong East Circuit. At that point, Zhu Heng's position would be entirely in Cui Zhigong's hands.

Furthermore, as the production scale of the Jiaozhou Ironworks expands, its strategic significance will become increasingly prominent. The craftsmen in the ironworks were all recruited by Li Rongshang of Fanlou in Tokyo, and the operation of the ironworks was also managed by Li Rongshang's personnel. Salt and iron have always been monopolies of the imperial court. According to Wang Hao's plan, the ironworks would bypass the Three Departments and Six Ministries, directly importing iron and coal ore from Pingzhou and Luanzhou in Liao, then smelting and forging them in Jiaozhou, before reselling the finished weapons back to Liao. Therefore, the future operation of the ironworks would have to be kept completely secret. It wasn't that Wang Hao didn't trust Li Rongshang; it was simply that, considering the Li family's perspective, a powerful family that had been passed down for generations was unwilling to completely tie its fate to the chariot of one person. They preferred to be supporters of Wang Hao's group rather than its core members. Therefore, Wang Hao quickly made a decision: "The production and operation of Baxian Wine will be fully managed by Li Rongshang, and Zhu Gui will be transferred back to focus on the Jiaozhou Ironworks!"

In the following days, Wang Hao simultaneously summoned Li Rongshang and Zhu Gui to Jiaozhou for discussions and ordered preparations for their journey south to Fujian. Seven days later, Zhu Gui arrived in Jiaozhou, and two days after that, Li Rongshang arrived. Wang Hao received the two at his residence, with Wang Lun also present. Zhu Gui, a veteran of Liangshan, immediately greeted Wang Lun upon seeing him, saying, "Greetings, brother!" After leaving Liangshan, Wang Lun no longer allowed his former subordinates to address him as "chieftain," so Zhu Gui addressed him as "brother." Wang Lun laughed heartily and said, "We brothers haven't seen each other for a long time; let's drink until we drop!" Zhu Gui looked troubled and glanced at Wang Hao. Wang Lun suddenly understood and said, "You and Master Li should discuss important matters with my son first; we'll renew our brotherly bond tomorrow!" Zhu Gui said, "Thank you, brother!"

Wang Hao cut to the chase, saying, "Currently, the Shili Workshop in Jiaozhou is severely understaffed, so I'd like Zhu Gui to relinquish his work at the winery and come to Jiaozhou to take up a post!" Zhu Gui readily agreed, saying, "I'll do as you command, young master!" Wang Hao nodded and said, "I'd like to entrust all my shares in the Baxian Winery to Master Li for safekeeping. What does Master Li think?" Li Rong was still incredulous, saying, "Young master should know that in this way, I will control 65% of the shares in the Baxian Winery!" Wang Hao shook his head, saying, "The magistrate of Yuncheng County has..." "Thanks to my kindness, I gifted him 80% of the distillery's shares last year, so I still retain 45%," Li Rongshang said. "Even so, I will still control 60%!" Wang Hao smiled and said, "Trust those you employ, and don't employ those you don't trust. As long as the Eight Immortals Distillery thrives, I will always remember Master Li's contributions!" Li Rongshang was pleased and quickly replied, "I will do my utmost and never fail your trust, young master!" Wang Hao then looked at Zhu Gui and said, "We invited Uncle Zhu Gui back because we hope you can take over the Jiaozhou Ironworks completely!"

Although the Eight Immortals Wine Shop maintained rapid growth in scale and profit, it was gradually becoming marginalized compared to the ever-growing economy of Jiaozhou. Zhu Gui was among the first to follow Wang Hao and his son, and his seniority and achievements were unmatched in Liangshan. However, being away from home for so long inevitably led to a sense of loss. Now, with his return to Jiaozhou imminent, he was overjoyed and said, "I will follow your orders, young master!" At this moment, Li Rongshang, seeing that the matter was settled, felt it would be inconvenient to linger any longer and said, "I am old and weary from days of travel. May I take my leave?" Wang Hao did not try to persuade him to stay and said, "I will see Master Li out!" The four of them rose one after another and saw Li Rongshang out.

After seeing Li Rongshang off, Wang Hao completely relaxed and said, "The ironworks are far more important than the winery; they are inextricably linked to the rise and fall of Jiaozhou and even the Song Dynasty!" Zhu Gui was incredulous and asked, "This subordinate is dull-witted; please explain the implications to me, young master!" Wang Hao said, "What do the Khitan and Jurchen need most in a life-or-death battle?" Zhu Gui immediately replied, "Weapons and provisions!" Seeing Wang Hao nod, Zhu Gui suddenly felt something was amiss and said, "The Liao Kingdom is the Song Dynasty's archenemy!" Before Wang Hao could speak, Wang Lun questioned, "Do you suspect my son of aiding the enemy and betraying the country?" Zhu Gui hurriedly said... "Your subordinate wouldn't dare!" Zhu Gui replied. Wang Hao shook his head and said, "If I told you that the Liao Kingdom is doomed, would you believe me?" Zhu Gui was astonished and said, "I have heard that the Liao Kingdom has been defeated by the Jurchens many times." Wang Hao said, "Since the Jurchens rose up, the Liao Kingdom has lost nearly a million soldiers. Of these, a small portion was annihilated, and the majority surrendered. More than half a month ago, a Liao princess visited Jiaozhou and asked me for help. Before she left, I gave her five thousand weapons!" Wang Lun suddenly realized and said, "I only heard that you took in a personal maid, but I didn't know that a Liao princess had come?"

Wang Hao, embarrassed, said, "To avoid suspicion, I concealed my identity as a princess of Liao!" Wang Lun instantly understood and said, "The personal maid you took in is the princess of Shu?" Wang Hao nodded silently. Wang Lun continued to press, "Why would a princess of Liao choose the identity of a personal maid?" Wang Hao was embarrassed and didn't know how to answer. Zhu Gui suddenly said, "It must be that princess of Shu trying to seduce you, young master!" Wang Lun immediately perked up and said, "My son is so handsome and talented. If he can marry a princess of the Song Dynasty, he can certainly marry a princess of Liao!" Wang Hao quickly said, "Father, be careful what you say. If this gets out, it could lead to disaster." He then added, "I have already reached an agreement with the Liao princess. If the Liao emperor allows us to mine coal and iron in Luanzhou and Pingzhou, Jiaozhou will pay Liao a thousand weapons every month as a reward." Zhu Gui said, "Isn't a thousand weapons a month too much?" Wang Hao shook his head and said, "If the weapons are too few, it will be difficult to attract the Liao emperor's attention. Not only will we not get the mineral resources of Pingzhou and Luanzhou, but even our plan to buy warhorses from Liao will be affected."