"Third brother, what's your brilliant idea? Tell me quickly!"

"Since we can't use our own people directly, and we can't just do small-scale operations, let's go find Wang Mazi!"

Upon hearing this, both Liu Da and Guan Yi were startled.

Liu Da asked doubtfully, "Are you inviting bandits?"

Zhang De said, "I've raised them all these years, feeding and caring for them in Lingshan, and I've never made them do anything. Although Wang Mazi is a bandit, he's loyal and keeps his word. I'll go to him for help myself, and he won't embarrass me."

Guan Yi said, "Third brother, letting the bandits into the city is no small matter!"

Liu Da understood the implication in Zhang De's words, put down his teacup, and said, "Third Brother's method is feasible."

"Big brother?" Guan Yi thought his older brother wouldn't agree, but he didn't expect him to agree so quickly.

"This kind of thing may seem like a disturbance, but it's actually a delicate matter. As long as we plan it out properly, we can ensure that nothing goes wrong."

Liu Da stood up, walked a few steps in the hall, and said, "Third brother, have Wang Mazi send out a small group of people to disguise themselves as workers and mingle among the construction workers at the winery. When Wang Mazi enters the city, these people will take advantage of the chaos to cause trouble, working together from the inside."

"Second brother, these days we need to find a pretext to reduce the number of troops at the north gate, so that when Wang Mazi enters the city, we can put on a show of resistance. It would be best to find a way to get the magistrate to issue this transfer order, so that you can extricate yourself from the situation afterward."

"Understood." Guan Yi nodded, then said worriedly, "But what if Wang Mazi causes trouble after entering the city?"

Liu Da looked at Zhang De.

Zhang De solemnly said, "I trust him, and I will give him a lot of benefits this time."

“The distillery is located in the northwest corner of the county town. There is no bustling area between it and the north gate, and it is close by. Wang Mazi can rush directly to the distillery after entering the town from the north gate without causing too much of a commotion.”

Liu Da abruptly changed the subject, saying sternly, "But we can't just give these bandits treats; we have to use the stick too! Third brother, you tell Wang Mazi frankly that it's rare to ask him for help. If he dares to run rampant after entering the city and can't control his men, then I'll risk my title to ask the court to send troops up the mountain to suppress the bandits! At the very least, I'll send Fan Dao to take his life!"

“I will definitely pass on this message, elder brother!” Zhang De said solemnly.

Clang!

A sound suddenly came from the roof, and Guan Yi immediately ran out and looked up at the roof.

There was nothing under the dark night sky.

Liu Da and Zhang De followed them out.

"Second brother, what's wrong?"

Didn't you hear anything just now?

"I heard you." Liu Da nodded and said, "Second brother, don't panic. There have been a lot of stray cats in the mansion lately. The cats have climbed onto the roof."

As they spoke, Liu Da and Zhang De walked into the house, while Guan Yi continued to look at the roof.

"Third brother, get this done as soon as possible. You'd better go first thing tomorrow morning..."

Liu Da turned around and shouted, "Second brother, stop looking! Fan is a top-notch expert. He's guarding the courtyard. Who could possibly overhear our conversation?"

Guan Yi thought about it and agreed; the guards in his elder brother's mansion were the top experts in Han Nancheng.

That's a top-tier expert!

How could a petty thief who eavesdrops possibly escape Fan Dao's eyes?

Guan Yi was relieved and walked into the main hall.

...

Since they hadn't completely broken off relations, Zhao Cheng and his group continued to stay at Zhang De's restaurant.

With these precautions in place, the people tailing Zhao Cheng at the restaurant couldn't keep an eye on him at all; all they could see were things Zhao Cheng deliberately showed them.

The group discussed matters in Zhao Cheng's room.

"The three brothers Liu, Guan, and Zhang must have made a great decision to give up their cooperation with us and obstruct our factory construction. I estimate that they will not give up."

Zhao Cheng, Xiao Luomu, and Xu An sat on small round stools, while the others stood around them.

Xiao Luomu nodded, agreeing with Zhao Cheng's point, and said, "They can't stop the distillery from starting construction now. If they want to cause trouble again, they'll only do so during construction. As the construction progresses, we'll need more and more workers, and they're very likely to plant people among them to sabotage us."

Xu An said, "How about we transfer workers from Qingdong City? We don't need Chairman Xiao's arrangement; I can handle this myself."

"no."

Zhao Cheng waved his hand and said, "Transferring people from Qingdong City takes too much time and will also affect the employment opportunities of the people in Hannan City, which is likely to cause resistance. We can deal with the local bullies' harassment with swift and decisive measures, but if the people resist us, it will be very troublesome to handle."

Xu An asked, "Then what should we do? Zhang De is a big merchant, and he has countless connections with all sorts of people in Han Nancheng. It would be too easy for him to plant someone in."

Zhao Cheng said, "Therefore, I think we can no longer just react to each move; we must take the initiative and solve the root problem."

Xiao Luomu became interested and asked, "What do you plan to do?"

"First, we need to figure out why Liu Da and his group are obstructing us. Is it because we have touched their vested interests? Or are they also being coerced?"

Zhao Cheng thought for a moment and said, "To be honest, I have a pretty good impression of Guan Yi and Zhang De, especially Guan Yi. As the county magistrate, he has governed Han Nancheng very well, and his words and deeds exude righteousness. I think... why not use Guan Yi as a starting point and go talk to him?"

Xiao Luomu said, "I've already said it before, the three brothers Liu, Guan, and Zhang are a united front. It won't be easy for you to try to sow discord between them."

“I will not sow discord among them, nor will I try to undermine their brotherhood. I will simply reason with them and appeal to their emotions. People live for either profit or pride, and I can accept whatever it may be.”

Xiao Luomu nodded and said, "Your forte is conning people, so give it a try."

"Don't say that. I'm actually quite sincere, and I usually don't lie to people," Zhao Cheng explained.

Everyone in the room turned their faces away.

Zhao Cheng coughed twice and said, "Um... the countermeasures I just mentioned will not affect the normal construction of the winery. You can hire people as needed. Don't worry about Zhang De's people, and don't deliberately guard against anyone. Treat everyone equally. Not only should you pay them enough, but you should also be considerate and caring. The workers are all simple and honest. We should leave a good impression on most of them."

As he spoke, Zhao Cheng looked at Huang Hua.

Huang Hua immediately nodded and said, "Don't worry, boss, I will definitely do a good job!"

The way Zhao Cheng is addressed has changed.

After that day's events, Zhao Cheng began to entrust Huang Hua with some tasks. The winery's core policies were determined by them, and they needed someone to manage them specifically. This period of time also provided an opportunity to assess Huang Hua's abilities.

Just as Huang Zhen had predicted, Huang Hua's personality and temperament underwent a tremendous change after the bird incident, transforming him from a spoiled brat into a studious and ambitious second-generation official.

As long as he is willing to work hard and doesn't have any ulterior motives, Zhao Cheng has no problem with him.

Just then, a 'clang clang' sound suddenly rang out.

The sound didn't come from the door, but from the window.

Upon hearing the sound, Zhao Cheng instinctively knew that the 'Iron Nail Messenger' had arrived.