Chapter 138 Eating Government Food
Although Zhang Han disliked him, he had to admit that thanks to him, they were able to escape danger safely today, so it was not a bad idea to recruit him.
Zhang Han said, "The position of chief guard is still vacant."
Zhao Yuanxi understood that it was not just the position of captain of the guard that was vacant, but Zhang Han believed that Cheng Kuan was capable of being the captain of the guard.
"Are you willing to stay and be the captain of the guard?" Zhao Yuanxi asked Cheng Kuan.
The guards of the mine are equivalent to external personnel, but the chief guard is a real minor official. Although his official position is not high, he is still officially paid by the government.
Cheng Kuan felt his legs weaken at the thought of such a huge pie falling on his head. He stammered, "Yes, I do!"
When he worked for Lord Weiyang, he could hardly get any official position, let alone any salary. But now, under the Queen Mother, he has even been promoted to an official position!
Cheng Kuan was filled with regret and shame, but he couldn't help but feel happy. He knelt on the ground and said, "I am willing to serve the Queen Mother at my whim!"
"Stop! You're not working for me." Zhao Yuanxi pointed at Zhang Han. "Look! He's your superior. I don't care about what's going on here."
Cheng Kuan kowtowed twice to Zhang Han again, "Your subordinate pays homage to the Order of the Iron Cutter!"
"Get up!"
Zhao Yuanxi reminded him, "I made you the captain of the guards not to lead the guards to bully the prisoners, but to maintain order here."
Cheng Kuan hurriedly said, "Don't worry, Queen Mother. I, Cheng Kuan, have turned over a new leaf and will work diligently. I won't let you down."
Cheng Kuan had accumulated great prestige among these prisoners, and with his joining, the work of managing these prisoners became much easier.
That night, the prisoners in the mine finally had their first full meal since arriving here.
"Brother, I heard that the black-faced guard beside the Queen Mother has become the iron mining officer here. Will we be able to eat our fill every day from now on?" The skinny man couldn't help but tear up the corners of his eyes as he ate the bean rice in the bowl.
Cheng Kuan sat on the stone with them and said proudly, "That's right, Zhang Caitie has indeed become the boss here. Not only that, I've also been promoted to guard captain! Once the documents come in, I, Cheng Kuan, will be an official at least!"
Everyone couldn't help but show envy in their eyes. They were originally happy that they would be able to go home in a few days, but now, after comparing, it seems that there is nothing particularly worth being happy about.
"I've long seen that Big Brother is a talented person. Now he's caught the Queen Mother's eye. I think he has a bright future ahead of him."
Cheng Kuan laughed heartily: "That's right! But you don't have to be too envious. We are short of people here. If you are willing to stay and work, you can also get a salary."
Because of the previous iron mining order, this mine has never recruited workers from outside. All the craftsmen are prisoners sent from outside. The purpose is to kill them directly when they are no longer useful and avoid other troubles.
Now that Zhang Han has taken over, it is naturally impossible to continue to use the rules left by the previous iron mining order. If there are not enough people, he has to recruit more, especially now that most of the prisoners will be released, so there will be even fewer people left to work.
Zhang Han had to find a way to recruit more people. These prisoners were all experienced iron smelters, so they were naturally within his consideration.
Cheng Kuan told them about this.
Some are happy, some are sad.
Someone expressed their concerns: "Brother Cheng, it's not that we brothers don't want to work, but you know, this place is too hard. Many of our brothers died before, and we are also afraid. What if the new iron mining order is the same as that bastard official? Then we will be in the same situation as before, right?"
They just want to go home now, they can't stay here any longer.
Cheng Kuan slapped his hands and stood up quickly. "How can you compare Zhang Caitie with that dog official?"
"Do you know how I got in?"
Everyone shook their heads and looked at him curiously.
They had all committed crimes, but they never talked about their past.
When Cheng Kuan first entered the mine, his aura told people that he was not someone to be trifled with, so naturally no one dared to ask him questions.
However, they learned from Cheng Kuan's younger brothers that Cheng Kuan was once a subordinate of a high-ranking official in Xianyang, and was sent here because he offended a bigger figure.
Naturally, no one dares to provoke such a person with powerful backing.
Cheng Kuan pointed at himself and said, "I was sent here because I got into a fight with Zhang Caitie and offended the Queen Mother. But they don't hold a grudge against me and even trust me, letting me be the captain of the guard. How could such a person go back on their word and torture us again?"
"Zhang Caitie is a good person, and the Empress Dowager is an even better person. If we can't trust them, who else can we trust?"
Cheng Kuan said impatiently, "If you don't believe me, forget it. If you want to leave, go ahead. No one will stop you anyway."
"Did Zhang Caitie mention the wages?" someone asked.
"Of course there is wages, and there are full meals every day."
When these people first came here, most of them emptied their family savings in order to reduce their punishment. Even if they returned home, they would have nothing. If this place really paid them and provided them with food, it would seem like a good job.
Three days later, Zhang Han's appointment document arrived, along with the pardon orders for these prisoners.
When everyone heard this, they couldn't help but cheer.
Zhang Han stood at the door with a huge box in front of him. The box was open and full of copper coins.
"Each of you may come and receive ten taels of silver. This is the extra reward the Queen Mother has given you."
The golden copper coins were so dazzling under the sunlight that the people around them were all staring blankly.
"If you want to leave, go left, collect your money and leave directly. If you want to stay, go right and get another work badge."
The crowd became restless and soon divided into teams.
The number of people on the left and right sides is almost equal.
Someone suddenly asked, "If I return home first and want to work here again later, can I still accept the iron mining order?"
"As long as we haven't recruited enough people, it's naturally possible. The same goes for those of you who stayed behind. If you want to go home, just apply in advance and go back and forth on time."
As soon as these words were spoken, the people who were originally standing on the left all gathered to the right.
Zhang Han was very happy and couldn't help but sigh at the Queen Mother's wisdom. If he were these prisoners, he would probably make the same choice.
It was bustling here, but Zhao Yuanxi ran to another deserted place.
Ever since the coal was discovered in the cave, Zhao Yuanxi has been looking for the source of the coal. She learned from Cheng Kuan that there is a place nearby that is rich in stone.
The former iron quarrying officer stole the stone and used it to refine iron tools to sell. Because he did a business with no capital investment, he was not discovered.
The coal mine in front of him was so huge that even Zhao Yuanxi couldn't help but be amazed. There was coal on both sides of the mine, extending all the way inside, which showed how rich its reserves were.
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