A powerful minister of the Song Dynasty

Chapter 126 Recruiting People (Update )
"Master, I don't have much detailed information yet. Gu Zimo is an official in another place, and now his family of five are renting a house. Do you want to send someone?"

The more Tao Hong spoke, the lower his voice became.

Song Xuan immediately closed his folding fan and pointed at him:
"Hey, we're not villains!"

Song Xuan took Gu Zimo, a potential threat, to heart.

In particular, he is also in charge of taxation, so he can do something about it for bookstores.

Gu Zimo didn't make it difficult for him to apply for the shop, and his breaking off of friendship with Dou Han in public was indeed a bit of a performance.

In this way, he wanted to make himself feel at ease, so that it would be easier for him to do things behind the scenes.

If such a person wants to do something bad secretly, he can still do it.

Especially when we are the people and they are officials, if we go against them, we will naturally be the disadvantaged group.

Hearing Song Xuan's words, Tao Hong couldn't help laughing:

"Hahaha, I forgot, I forgot. We are no longer the top three evils in Lema Town. The young master has long said that we should pay attention to the way we do things when we go to a big city."

"That's right, let's test his limits first." Song Xuan couldn't help but laugh out loud:
"We are all decent people. To uphold justice, we must resolutely fight against other villains."

"Master, how do you judge whether someone is a villain or a decent person?"

Song Xuan opened his folding fan and chuckled:
"Of course, those who oppose decent people like us are villains!"

"Wonderful."

Tao Hong tried his best not to let the corners of his mouth rise too much.

"I heard he's also in charge of water conservancy. If he works hard, then Zhang Tuiguan, with my help, will excel in water conservancy, and Gu Zimo will also share some of the credit. When the time comes, let's make some connections and transfer him."

"There's no need to go all out. I'm a scholar, and I'm usually very polite."

"How can you just casually do something like killing an official? That Dou Chou is just his own fault. It has nothing to do with me."

"Yes, Master is absolutely right."

Tao Hong felt that his young master's reading of this book was not in vain!

His face is getting thicker and thicker, and he can even use the words of saints to justify himself.

……

"Shi Erlang, this is He San's home."

The idler hired by Song Xuan pointed to a shack and told him.

The treatment of the Song Dynasty's wing troops was quite poor.

Starting from Zhao Kuangyin, the number of troops was constantly increased.

Once a famine occurs anywhere in the world, there will be no doubt that we will immediately go and recruit people to join the army.

This was also to avoid unrest. A small amount of money and food was used to control this group of young and middle-aged people, and their entire families were packed up. According to convention, they were generally given ten strings of cash as resettlement fees.

Ten kan of money was roughly the monthly expenses for a middle-class family in Tokyo.

If there are too many victims, we will give them less resettlement allowance.

Who says everything has to follow convention?
When working for the court, we must learn to be flexible and adaptable!
These "new soldiers" recruited by the Northern Song Dynasty would not live in a large dormitory, but each would have a single room.

Because family members need to accompany the troops.

In addition to being a welfare benefit, it also serves as a hostage, so that you don't have the courage to rebel.

Of course, this so-called "single-room dormitory" is built with thatched bamboo boards, is extremely cheap, and can only meet the most basic living conditions.

At least it could block the light rain back then.

As for next year, that is not the government’s business. If your house is damaged, you have to repair it yourself.

The soldiers’ monthly allowance and spring and winter clothes were not given to the soldiers alone, but were shared by the whole family.

But with just this little money, they can't support their entire family.

In addition, the labor intensity is high and the income is low.

The group of soldiers working in Kaifeng Prefecture also made a collective fuss to demand their wages, which made Song Shenzong say aggrievedly that if he paid them according to the market price, he would not have so much money.

In addition, it was common practice for officers to draw salaries without working, and the phenomenon of withholding soldiers' salaries was also very common, which greatly reduced the soldiers' salaries and made their livelihood difficult.

After becoming an official, Zhang Fangping saw this phenomenon and sighed:

"The food allowance he receives is barely enough to cover his own expenses. If he has a wife and children, how can he avoid freezing and starvation?"

By now, the saying that good men do not join the military has long been spread in the Song Dynasty.

The status is really low.

Not only can he not support his family, but he also has a tattoo on his forehead, making him no different from a criminal.

The idle man covered his nose with an apologetic smile on his face:
"Shi Er Lang, this place is indeed a bit difficult to walk. With your noble status, why bother coming here to look for him? Why not ask He San to come and see you?"

Song Xuan said nothing, but asked the idle man to go over and knock on the crumbling wooden board.

Instead, a dirty little girl poked her head out, her hair disheveled and yellowed by the sun due to long-term malnutrition.

"Are your parents home?"

"My father went to the dock, my mother got up early in the morning to collect manure, and my grandmother is at home."

Song Xuan responded, then ducked his head and walked into the door made of a broken wooden board. He then saw a girl wearing only panties and a boy with his butt naked.

"My grandma doesn't have any pants to wear, so it's inconvenient for her to see you in bed."

After hearing what the little girl said, Song Xuan did not enter the dilapidated house. He just asked her to pass on the message that he was following Yao Yuhou's instructions to meet He San and discuss employment matters with him.

After the girl finished delivering the message, the old woman invited Song Xuan in.

The smell in the room was a bit unpleasant. Listening to the old woman's thanks, Song Xuan nodded slightly, glanced at the stove again, and signaled Tao Hong to take out the pancakes and put them on the stove:
"Mrs. He, I came here so hastily to visit you that I didn't bring anything with me. I bought some pancakes and malt sugar for the children. Wait until He Sanlang comes back tonight and tell him to help out in my shop tomorrow."

"I'll discuss the wages with him face to face. If he's not satisfied, I'll reimburse him for his wages at the dock tomorrow."

"Hey, how embarrassing is this."

Song Xuan bowed and walked out, not giving her any chance to refuse.

Anyway, she had no pants to wear, so there was no way she would chase him out just for a few pancakes.

After visiting three families, Song Xuan confirmed that Yao Yunfan had not tricked him by inserting any relatives into the relationship.

These families all have old and young members, and their lives are difficult.

Every family has its own misery, and the reasons are varied.

The military system of the Song Dynasty was a conscription system, and in order to maintain social stability, a large number of soldiers were often recruited at once.

Just spend a little money to tie them down and prevent them from rebelling.

Even He San's family was not considered miserable. Jiang Da had his wife and daughter lean against the city gate and go begging for food in disguise.

Obviously, this is not begging in the traditional sense.

Whose beggar is wearing makeup?
Clearly there was something special going on.

For a man, how difficult would life be to let his wife and daughter do that kind of thing to support the family?
The soldiers are living such a miserable life, don’t the higher-ups really know?

It wasn't an official who reported it, so the Song court obviously knew about it.

However, making life difficult for the soldiers of the Song Dynasty was condoned and even supported by the ruling class.

So Song Xuan's feet crunched the mud on the steps. Tao Hong gave the idle man some money and sent him away.

"Master, is that it?"

"Let's do this for now. If there's any incompatibility, we can change people later. There are definitely more than just these three families in this area who are struggling."

When I got home, I took a shower and reviewed my homework.

Lei Yuanwai just came back and laughed, saying that he had found a channel. After all, there was good news, and his trip was not in vain. Song Xuan immediately expressed his gratitude and asked Tao Hong to connect with the channel.

Mr. Lei drank some cold syrup and waited for Song Xuan's words:

"Mr. Lei, please don't be anxious. My business is quite big this time, and it's really hard to accept it, so as not to clash with other people's channels."

"Hmm?" Lei Yuanwai's eyes showed a strange look:

"Shi Er Lang also found someone else?"

Song Xuan did not hide it from Mr. Lei:
"When the teachers at the academy heard that I was opening a bookstore, they offered to share one-fifth of the profits with them. Naturally, they wanted to help me find channels."

"what?"

Mr. Lei was speechless for a moment, wondering in his mind what kind of business did Song Xuan want to do?
You won’t make much money just by hoarding Chengdu mulberry paper.

But his willingness to share profits with the academy was definitely not without reason. It must be because he could make a lot of money and it was risky.

"Shi Er Lang, tell me the truth. If you need money, just tell me. We have been working together for so many years, and when have I ever owed you money?"

Mr. Lei was sure that this was definitely a profitable business, and he wanted to get involved.

"Mr. Lei, it's precisely because we've been working together for a long time that I can't drag you into this trap."

Song Xuan lowered his voice and said:
"Why should I take the initiative to share some of the profits with the academy in this business? Isn't it just to use it to ward off disasters from the government?"

Song Xuan was known as the chief of the three evils in Lema Town, and Mr. Lei had known this for a long time.

That's why he stopped his daughter from communicating with him too much.

But Song Xuan looks like a decent guy, but he is not only talented, but also has a lot of tricks up his sleeve.

Which father wouldn’t be on guard against such a “bad boy”?
Now I heard that you can make money, but it is risky.

But can this kind of talk stop Mr. Lei?
If he doesn't get on the bus now, and has to wait until there is no risk to get on the bus, can he still make money?

"Hey, my good Twelve Lang, hurry up and take your brother aboard."

"If you can't even take this little risk, how can you make a fortune?"

Mr. Lei would naturally not believe what Song Xuan said.

If it is a risk-free way to make money, would an ordinary person like him have the chance?

It's impossible when you think about it.

It has long been occupied by a group of dignitaries and powerful people.

"Tell me about it, even if you can give me a 10% share of the profits, it's fine. You know how competitive the business in Songcheng is, and I've been working here for so many years."

"Brother, I'm joining the team. If anyone dares to mess with your business in the future, at least I know about it and can provide you with some assistance."

Song Xuan put down the cold paste in his hand and thought for a while:
"My business is very risky. Once it's launched, many people will be interested. If Brother Lei wants to get involved, that's fine. But you can't interfere. You have to listen to me on how to arrange the business."

"Need I say more?" Lei Yuanwai's face was filled with joy:

"When have I ever interfered with your business in Lema Town? I'll leave it to you to decide!"

"It's just a small business."

Hearing Song Xuan's words, Mr. Lei didn't think that the cold paste shop in Lema Town was a small business.

You have been able to build such a large family business in Songcheng with that kind of money. Your daily expenses must be quite high. It's just to scare others.

"I'll give you a thousand strings of cash first."

"Hey, no need." Song Xuan said with a smile:

"First, prepare a shop and a large amount of Chengdu mulberry paper. If you make money, we can quickly open a branch and compete with each other. This way, we can share some of the customers."

"Oh?"

Mr. Lei pointed at Song Xuan and smiled meaningfully.

This is what they have done in Lema Town over the years.

As for the other cold paste shops, they could no longer be run by the two of them working together.

Lema Town is too small to accommodate so many competing stores.

"It has to be Twelve Lang!"

Mr. Lei took a sip of the cold drink and felt very proud.

He wanted to see whether Song Xuan's business in Songcheng this time could surpass that of the cold soup shop.

Early the next morning.

He San, Zhao Si and Jiang Da arrived at the door of Song Xuan's house. Each of them had a pancake to fill their stomachs in the morning.

Song Xuan didn't prepare anything special.

It was just ten pancakes per family, plus a few pieces of malt candy for the children.

The price of malt sugar is relatively low and ordinary people can afford it.

But the Xiang Army was not affiliated with ordinary people.

Three men stood in front of Song Xuan, each of them hunched over and not very strong.

Song Xuan looked at the person in front of him and asked directly:
"Actually, I don't have too many requirements. One is that my hands and feet are quick, one is that they are clean, and the other is that I maintain personal hygiene."

He Sanzi boldly asked:

"The first two are easy to understand, Shi Er Lang, what's the request for the last one?"

"Don't have lice in your hair, and don't have any bad odors. I'll also provide you with two sets of work clothes for daily changes."

Song Xuan signaled Tao Hong to place a coin on each of them:

"This is one month's wages."

He San and the other two opened their eyes wide, looking very incredible.

"Shi Er Lang, are you asking us to do a business that will get us killed?"

For people like them, they have to work for at least a hundred days to earn one yuan.

Song Xuan raised his eyebrows slightly:

"One tael of silver is enough for you to kill someone?"

"Hehehe, just a joke."

Song Xuan was not in a hurry to let them put it away:
"I have something else to say."

"Shi Erlang, just give us your instructions. We will all follow your arrangements." He San responded immediately. He was considered to be quite smart.

"If you follow me and work for me, unless you meet the three requirements mentioned earlier, that is loyalty. I won't say much about the consequences of being a traitor."

"I can pull you out of the mire, and I can also kick you and your entire family back into the mire."

The smiles on He San and the others' faces immediately disappeared.

They naturally knew the story of how Song Shier forced the then Hanlin scholar to death, without losing a single hair himself.

No matter how many versions are passed.

Song Xuan, an ordinary citizen, defeated the Hanlin scholar of the current dynasty.

It is an indisputable fact.

It sounded just like what Song Xuan said about the whole family being kicked into the muddy pond.

It's not like they'll simply fire you.

It seems like in the physical sense, your whole family will be drowned in the pond!

(End of this chapter)