Moma Liangshan

Chapter 187 Agent, Recruiting Heroes

Shijie Village is the village with the least land in the 800-li Liangshan Marsh, with a population of just over 300 men, women, and children. For two-thirds of the year, the villagers live on their boats. They are excellent swimmers, making a living by fishing and lotus root cultivation. In famine years, they also rob passing merchants to supplement their income. The three Ruan brothers are skilled in martial arts and are known for their generosity, but they also plunder passing merchants. However, they share their spoils with their neighbors, thus earning them a high reputation. Of the three Ruan brothers, only Ruan Xiao'er has children; Ruan Xiao'wu and Ruan Xiao'qi are married. Ruan Xiao'er's brother-in-law, Lu Dashou, is also a villager of Shijie Village. A shrewd man, after the three Ruan brothers followed Wang Hao, he managed to establish connections with the Jiaozhou Trading Company's branch in Yuncheng County, purchasing daily necessities such as firewood, rice, oil, salt, pots, and pans from them. He then loaded these items onto his fishing boats and sold them among the villagers.

At this point, one has to admire Chen Song's wisdom. Since Liangshanbo was the hometown of Wang Lun and Wang Hao, Chen Song, as a core member of Jiaozhou, naturally paid close attention to everything happening there. In just over a year, the Jiaozhou Trading Company had grown to fifty-four branches, covering almost all the prefectures and counties of Jingdong East Circuit. Although the Northern Song Dynasty had the largest urban population of any feudal dynasty, as an agricultural country, the vast majority of its people still lived in rural areas. Chen Song had tried opening branches at the township or village level, but the results were dismal, all resulting in losses. Chen Song learned of Lu Dashou's approach by chance, which gave him a sudden inspiration. He began appointing agents in rural areas, leaving other matters untouched. In modern terms, in the vast rural areas, the Jiaozhou Trading Company successfully transformed from a retailer to a wholesaler. This approach allowed the Jiaozhou Trading Company to increase its profits by nearly half without adding any new branches.

While serving under Wang Hao, Ruan Xiaoer had amassed several hundred strings of cash. He then asked Lu Dashou to acquire a sandbar of over two acres, where he built five thatched huts on the highest point. Although the sandbar was over two acres in size, nearly half of it would be submerged during floods. Lu Dashou's cargo, though not worth much to powerful figures, was quite valuable in the countryside. After his business stabilized, Lu Dashou specifically approached his sister, hoping she could build three more thatched huts on the sandbar for his own use. Upon learning this, Ruan Xiaoer said to his wife, "The reason I had him build five huts was to reserve two for him; he can move in if he wants!" Ruan Xiaoer's wife replied, "One for parents, one for son, one for you and me, and if Uncle Wu and Uncle Qi come, one for each of us. As for my elder brother, let him build three more!" Ruan Xiaoer thought for a moment and said, "That's fine!"

When Chao Gai, the three Ruan brothers, and Liu Tang arrived at Shijie Village, they naturally stayed at Ruan Xiao'er's house, bringing with them the 100,000 strings of gold and silver jewelry. As his business flourished, Lu Dashou increasingly realized the immense convenience the three Ruan brothers brought him; otherwise, as a mere peddler, he would have been robbed countless times long ago. Therefore, when the three Ruan brothers all returned home, Lu Dashou went to great lengths, bringing out his family's wine collection to entertain the guests and personally cooking the meal. While Lu Dashou was cooking, Chao Gai asked, "Who was that elder brother just now?" Ruan Xiaoer replied, "My brother-in-law. We three brothers are always away from home, and we rely entirely on him for support." Chao Gai sipped his wine and said, "This is Young Master Wang's Eight Immortals Wine. I think he's just an ordinary person; how could he possibly have a whole jar?" Ruan Xiaoer explained, "Brother, you don't know this, but my brother-in-law is the agent of the Jiaozhou Merchant Guild in Shijie Village, roughly equivalent to a peddler. Young Master Wang is always generous; he rewards his subordinates with gifts during the Lantern Festival, Dragon Boat Festival, and Mid-Autumn Festival, mostly wine and meat. My brother-in-law is always frugal; it's perfectly normal for him to have saved up several jars of Eight Immortals Wine!"

Chao Gai couldn't help but sigh, saying, "Friends in the Jianghu all say that 'Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King' Chao Gai and 'Timely Rain' Song Jiang are righteous and renowned throughout the land, but now it seems that Young Master Wang is truly omnipresent!" Ruan Xiao'er also sincerely admired him, saying, "Brother, did you see that big flag on the boat?" Chao Gai looked closely, nodded, and said, "There seems to be a picture painted on it!" Ruan Xiaoqi said somewhat disdainfully, "That flag was Chen Song's idea. It depicts a large scale, but it was Young Master Wang who came up with it, saying it represents the Jiaozhou Merchants' principle of honesty and fairness." Ruan Xiaoqi sighed and said, "Young Master Wang is clever." "He's exceptionally capable and quite kind, yet he prioritizes making profits in business, while imposing numerous restrictions on us burly heroes. It's truly unbearable." Ruan Xiaowu, agreeing, chimed in, "Young Master Wang gives us generous sums every month, but he forbids gambling and drinking. Tell me, what's the point of this money?" Ruan Xiaoer corrected, "Young Master Wang only forbids drinking while on duty; there's no such rule at other times!" Of the 108 heroes of Liangshan, a small number were officers and generals framed, but the vast majority were outlaws who disregarded rules and even disregarded human life. This is why Wang Hao always maintained a certain distance from these heroes.

Wang Hao and Chao Gai had a very pleasant working relationship, so Chao Gai didn't know how to respond to the Ruan brothers' comments. He simply changed the subject, asking, "Have the three brothers been to Liangshan recently?" The three Ruan brothers all shook their heads. Chao Gai said, "As the saying goes, 'Know yourself and know your enemy, and you will never be defeated.' I think we should send one of us up the mountain to find out the situation there." Ruan Xiaoqi replied, "Leave this to me!" Chao Gai said, "Good!" He then continued, "When recruiting men, we should divide them into 'overt' and 'covert' forces. The 'overt' forces are those who can come up the mountain with us at any time, while the 'covert' forces are those who are loyal to us but stay at home most of the time, only to be called up when we need to fight." Ruan Xiaoer unconsciously said, "Brother, this plan is brilliant! This way, our manpower will be greatly strengthened!" After a moment's hesitation, Chao Gai asked again, "Could Lu Dashou join us?" Ruan Xiaoer replied, "My brother-in-law isn't good at charging into battle, but he's very good at gathering intelligence!" Chao Gai said, "Then let's give him a thousand strings of cash and invite him to join us!" Ruan Xiaoer said, "Inviting him to join us is no problem, but a thousand strings of cash might not be a good thing for him. A hundred strings would be better!" Chao Gai quickly understood Ruan Xiaoer's meaning. After all, Liangshan was not a peaceful place. Having a thousand strings of cash but not enough ability to protect it could easily lead to a situation where "a common man is innocent, but possessing a treasure is a crime."

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