In just two years, Wang Dong and his companion had owned five farms. Except for Zhang Xiaozhuang and Gao Laozhuang, the other three farms had not been renovated and had no farm walls.
The main reason is that there is not enough time.
These five villages have one thing in common: most of the land is saline-alkali land or sandy land, and there is very little land available for cultivation.
But Wang Dong didn't come here to farm.
You can't make money by farming.
Developing small businesses is the fastest way to make money.
Wang Dong brought a lot of wealth to the two of them just by relying on the glass workshop and the wine workshop.
Although the wine-making workshop was banned by the imperial court, the glass workshop was still thriving.
Two years ago, the people in these villages were poorly clothed and hungry, and many people starved to death every year.
Since Wang Dong and his partner bought this place, they have opened various workshops and employed many people. In the past six months, they have also opened clothing workshops and grain processing workshops.
All the young and strong men had work to do, and even women could find jobs that suited them.
It can be said that life is getting better day by day.
In addition, Wang Dong paid more attention to the organizational construction of each village from the very beginning. On the basis of the original baojia system, he established grassroots organizations in accordance with the organizational structure of later generations. For big and small matters, he would call together the baojia heads, deputy baojia heads and even the team leaders of each village, hold a meeting to make arrangements, and then these people would return to their respective villages to carry out the arrangements.
Use your arms as you would your body, and use your fingers as you would your arms.
This time, Wang Dong convened a general meeting, and all the people from the five villages who were able to move had to attend.
With almost no mobilization, all the farmers came to the temporary meeting place outside Gao Laozhuang.
Zhang Shixun sat on the high podium, looking out at the huge crowd below, and exclaimed, "I have to admit, your organizational skills are excellent."
Wang Dong raised his chin and said proudly, "This is a leadership talent. Most people can't learn it even if they want to, like you."
"Haha! This has nothing to do with leadership talent. The most important reason you can call the shots in front of these people is that you keep them well-fed, that's all."
Wang Dong pointed at the audience and said, "If it were you, could you provide so many people with clothes to wear and food to eat?"
Zhang Shixun shook his head, "I'm definitely not as good as you."
Wang Dong smiled proudly, "From now on, I will be in charge of the rear, and you will be in charge of the front."
"I have no objection."
"Of course you don't have any objections, and you shouldn't, because it's me who's silently devoting myself to providing you with logistical support. And you, the great general, galloping across the battlefield with your sword in hand, are doing the coolest and most dazzling things."
Zhang Shixun glanced at him and said, "How about we switch and you go show off?"
Wang Dong waved his hand and said, "Forget it. I am a person who works with my mind, not a person who does rough labor."
The two men argued for a while, and when Wang Dong saw that most people had arrived, he announced the start of the meeting.
"Even though it's snowing today, I still gathered everyone here because I have something very important to tell you."
Wang Dong stood in the center of the stage with his hands on his hips, his words echoing over the venue through an invisible loudspeaker.
"The evil Jin soldiers are coming again. This time their force is several times greater than last time, and they are coming with great force."
There was silence in the audience, and tens of thousands of people were looking at Wang Dong on the stage.
"Some people might ask, aren't they heading for the capital? What does it have to do with us?"
Wang Dong glanced at the audience and continued, "If you think so, you're wrong, because one of the Jin soldiers is coming specifically for us, and the man at the end is none other than Guo Yaoshi, who was defeated by us last time and had one hand chopped off and both ears severed by Zhang Tianshi."
“Buzz…!”
The crowd in the audience became agitated and began to whisper to each other.
"This is troublesome. The Jin soldiers are brutal. If they destroy our village, we will be dead."
"Yes, when the Jin soldiers besieged the capital last time, they caused great harm to the people outside the city, and many people died."
"Don't be afraid, we have Zhang Tianshi and thunder. If the Jin soldiers come, we can strike them again."
"Last time they were outnumbered and unprepared, but this time they're well prepared. If they bring catapults, our village walls won't be able to stop them."
…
Wang Dong looked at the noisy crowd below the stage and did not stop them immediately.
After waiting for a moment, he pressed his hands downwards and said, "Quiet!"
The crowd gradually quieted down.
"People say that when water comes, earth is used to block it; when an enemy comes, a general is used to stop it. Although the Jin soldiers are numerous this time, as long as we are united, we still have a way to resist them. As for what method we can use, let Zhang Tianshi tell us. He is an outstanding military commander. He once fought against the Jin soldiers in Shanxi and beat them so hard that they cried out, 'Oh my God!'"
There was a burst of laughter from the audience.
Seeing that he was acting out of line again, Zhang Shixun couldn't help but secretly criticize him.
"Now everyone applaud and welcome Zhang Tianshi to speak to everyone."
There was warm applause from the audience.
Originally, the people of the Song Dynasty did not have the habit of clapping, but since Wang Dong came here, he brought the etiquette of clapping with him.
Zhang Shixun walked to the center of the stage and said with a smile, "I did fight the Jin soldiers in Shanxi. Before going there, I was fully prepared for a fierce battle with them, but once I engaged them, I discovered they weren't as formidable as the legends said. After several battles, I wiped out nearly a thousand of them, and even killed a Meng'an and a Mouke..."
There was warm applause from the audience, and cheers and applause rang out one after another.
"...As Manor Master Wang said just now, the Jin soldiers suffered a loss here last time, and this time, in revenge, they've organized a special force to deal with us... Haha! These idiots, who only care about food and not a fight, actually dare to come and retaliate against us. Come on, I promise to make them bleed."
Zhang Shixun saw Li Shishi, Ding Dusai, and the little Lolita stringing beads in the crowd below.
When the little girl saw him looking in her direction, she raised her little fist.
Zhang Shixun smiled and continued, "Of course, if we want to defeat them, we can't just rely on words. We must also be fully prepared... You must be asking, how should we prepare?"
Everyone in the audience looked at him with wide eyes, waiting for him to continue.
"Master Wang and I came up with a good idea. That is to build a wall to surround our village..."
"ah!"
Everyone was dumbfounded.
Are you kidding me?
What's the point of building a city wall in such a short time?
Although in everyone's eyes, Master Wang and Master Zhang are omnipotent, it is impossible to build a wall around the manor.
Not to mention anything else, just the building materials are not something that can be obtained in the short term, and you can't even get them even if you spend money. For example, bricks for city walls can only be made by the government, and the public is absolutely not allowed to do so.
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