Madmen don't keep diaries

Chapter 71 The Duke's Methods
The three of them walked back while chatting.

Feng Xiuhu asked, "Shunzi said the workers have to march once a month—do they have so much anger to vent?"

Mao Hetao smiled and asked back, "Outsiders mostly envy workers for being able to work in factories. This kind of work is respectable and the wages are good."

"But do you think workers are really that cool?"

Feng Xiuhu didn't answer, Shunzi responded first: "Isn't it?"

Mao Hetao shook his head: "Of course not."

"To put it bluntly, the environment in the factory is worse than that in Dicheng."

"Hundreds of workers were crammed into the factory, and the stench of sweat, feet, and oil lingered."

"Workers start working as soon as they open their eyes, working all day without a break. When they finish work, it's dark. They go home and fall asleep as soon as they hit their bed. When they wake up, the same routine begins all over again."

"The asylum was originally opened for workers, because anyone who is a human being will eventually give up."

"There were accidents in the factory almost every day. People were fighting, falling ill, dying suddenly, going crazy, getting caught in machinery, being crushed by steel. These were all common occurrences."

"If the string in your head is kept tense for too long, it will eventually break."

“So most of the workers have bad tempers.”

Feng Xiuhu continued, "So they need to use the parade..."

He considered for a moment: "To vent stress?"

Mao Hetao grinned: "That's about right. After every parade, the Duke of Daguo would give them some appeasement silver."

Feng Xiuhu still didn't quite understand: "Why would the Duke of Dajia manipulate the workers' march? Isn't this deliberately causing trouble for the government office?"

"Shh!"

Mao Hetao signaled Feng Xiuhu to lower his voice. He looked around, making sure no one was paying attention, before saying, "You've become a deacon, so how come you still don't understand anything?"

Feng Xiuhu looked at Shunzi, who shook his head: "I don't understand either."

Mao Hetao explained, "Behind the Duke of Daguo is the church, and behind the President is the temple—then what do you think the government office is? Of course, it's the President's whip."

"Although Fancheng is a territory of the Great Duke, this is not ancient times. Cities in the kingdom, big and small, must have officials to manage affairs. No matter how big or small these officials are, they are all nominally officials of the President."

Feng Xiuhu looked at Shunzi again, his tone puzzled: "Didn't you say that the President and the Duke were as close as brothers?"

Shunzi quickly shook his head: "How would I know? Anyway, that's what I heard."

Mao Hetao sneered, "These pants have been torn in two a long time ago. Ever since the Great Duke brought foreigners and industry from the Western Continent, and also introduced the Foreign God Church, he and the President haven't seen each other for many years."

"Hey!"

Feng Xiuhu pointed at him and said, "Frankly, what is the Foreign God Church? I think your attitude is not correct!"

Mao Hetao quickly slapped himself in the face: "That's not what I meant."

"It won't happen next time."

Feng Xiuhu warned him, "I'm a deacon now. Be careful or I'll whip you for the God of Mist—Go on."

Mao Hetao smiled and nodded.

"That's why this job fell on me."

"The workers need to find a way to loosen up their nerves. I just need to give a call, and with a little encouragement from the gang members, I can gather the workers for a parade."

Feng Xiuhu was still puzzled: "Are all the workers stupid? Wouldn't it be more effective to complain directly to the factory instead of to the government office?"

Mao Hetao sneered, "Do they dare? The factory pays them wages, but does the government pay them?"

"The government office still wants their lives."

Feng Xiuhu curled his lips. "They're just worthless lives."

Mao Hetao shook his head. "The workers are willing to take the gamble. If they survive, they get paid and an extra day off. They're not afraid of dying either. Not only will the Duke of Da provide resettlement funds, but work positions will also be given priority to the deceased's family. Besides, the government doesn't always take such drastic action as today."

Feng Xiuhu asked, "Then why did you act so ruthlessly today?"

Mao Hetao pondered for a moment and said, "It might be related to the closure of the mental hospital some time ago. The government office is venting the anger on behalf of the President."

When the mental hospital was mentioned again, Feng Xiuhu's mind suddenly popped up those words for no reason.

Faith is born out of suffering.

The basement is, the lunatic asylum is, and the factory is too.

Hollis Wu told Feng Xiuhu that the President used the asylum to steal faith, so the asylum was filled with portraits of the President.

What about the factory?

In the eyes of the workers, the Duke of Daguo is simply a perfect and kind man.

Feng Xiuhu couldn't help but grin.

Although the President's method was effective, it was a bit crude. In contrast, the Duke's method was much more sophisticated.

……

According to Mao Hetao, not all officials in the government office of Fancheng obey the President. There are also many officials who are the Duke's men. Some are planted there, and some voluntarily surrender to him.

Outsiders may not be able to tell, but Mao Hetao revealed a trick to Feng Xiuhu - look at which officials have vested interests in the factory, they are most likely the Duke's men.

For example, the Director of the Planning Department.

Feng Xiuhu counted on his fingers for a long time.

He is a church man, the director of the Planning Department is a Duke of Daguo’s man, and the Duke of Daguo and the church are one family, so in the end - he and the director of the Planning Department are also one family!

Isn't this a coincidence?

Feng Xiuhu was happy. Since they were a family, there would be less psychological pressure when dismantling the elevator.

Before they knew it, the three of them had walked back to Stranger Street.

Mao Hetao was in a hurry to return to the factory area and said goodbye to Feng Xiuhu at the street corner.

Feng Xiuhu and Shunzi were left alone to stroll around the street of strangers.

After the parade left, Stranger Street returned to its normal state.

Before coming here, Feng Xiuhu thought this would be a dirty and chaotic street, but after seeing it with his own eyes, Feng Xiuhu found that it was more prosperous and orderly than he had imagined.

Shops are lined up on both sides of the street. In terms of size, the shops are big and small. The small ones are clean and tidy, while the large ones are gorgeous and grand. There are hired guards guarding the doors of the shops.

There are also vendors setting up stalls on the streets outside the shops. They either push carts or set up stalls, but they are arranged in an orderly manner and do not occupy the road.

It can be seen that there is someone managing it on weekdays.

It is impossible to see what is going on in the shops, but on the stalls along the road, iron cages are placed next to each other, like goods on the roadside. At the same time, there are stone pillars for tying things up at regular intervals on both sides of the street.

As the name of this street suggests, all kinds of livestock are sold, and people tied up in chains are kept with the livestock.

Some people's faces were filled with fear and despair, but most of the people locked in cages were no different from livestock, with only numbness in their eyes.

After a quick look around, Feng Xiuhu found that most of the stalls were still livestock, and the few "human sacrifices" that could be seen were just ordinary people, not exotic creatures like owl people and fragrant deer.

When he asked, Shunzi explained, "If you want to buy human sacrifices, you have to go into the shop. The shop is where human sacrifices are sold."

PS: Even if the most dishonest business is turned into a legitimate business, no matter how neat and decent it looks, the unpleasant smell cannot be covered up.

(End of this chapter)