Chapter 139 Capital Aggression
Wu Mingyi wasn't openly reprimanded by Liu Renguang, but whether he was secretly punished is unknown. Everyone only saw the uncle and nephew, along with Zhang Hao from the artillery brigade, enter the military tent and discuss matters until evening before emerging.
"Old Zhang, I'm afraid you'll have to stay here for a while. Nobody knows if the natives will come back. As for your twelve-pound cannon, I'll ask the prince for it for you."
"Alright, if you give me the first batch of twelve-pound cannons, I'll treat you to drinks at Su Xiang Lou, and I promise I won't go back on my word."
"Old Zhang, all I owe you is one time at a brothel! You still haven't forgotten after all these years, is it really necessary?"
Wu Mingyi followed his two uncles with his head down, thinking that he would have to ask his father about what happened at the brothel that time.
During dinner that evening, Wu Mingyi finally found an opportunity to ask Zhang Hao, "Uncle Zhang, what does your twelve-pound cannon mean?"
“Nephew, to be honest, I don’t know what it means either, but it’s definitely bigger and more exciting than my current six-pound cannon.”
Zhang Hao's eyes lit up at the mention of artillery. This new weaponry, called "Wrath of the Elves," was a legacy left by the old queen, excellent in both sieges and field battles. Now that the prince had mastered its application, its immense power excited all the generals of the army.
“Wu Jiazi, don’t even think about it. The ‘Wrath of the Elves’ won’t be issued to the infantry battalion anytime soon. There aren’t even enough for the ships. His lousy artillery brigade is directly under the Prince’s command, and I can’t even get it under my command.”
Seeing Wu Mingyi's equally bright eyes, Liu Renguang couldn't help but pour cold water on him.
"Oh! Nephew, you're just looking at it with envy. Even if I had it, I wouldn't know how to use it, would I?"
It's true that Zhang Hao is the commander of the artillery brigade, but the technical officers are all young soldiers trained by Qin Mo. They simply can't handle new weaponry like the "Wrath of the Elves."
“The caravan will arrive in a few days. Old Zhang will help you set up the market. It’s crucial for the pacification of Luzon. Don’t act rashly then.” Liu Renguang still reprimanded Wu Mingyi, making him remember this lesson.
"Nephew knows he was wrong and will never do it again."
Governor Liu left Wu Mingyi with several thousand laborers, including Japanese, Koreans, and local natives who had submitted to the regime. A market was to be built outside the northern camp in preparation for future merchant caravans.
Wu Mingyi gets a headache just looking at the group of natives working. The progress of the 1,000-Tu Rao project is not as fast as that of the 300-Fu Sang Rao project. Even if Wu Mingyi improves the food for the Fu Sang Rao people several times over, the natives are not envious. Even being struck by lightning cannot disturb their sleep and rest.
The market was built in the shape of the Chinese character "田" (field), with straight streets inside a simple fence, and shops in the front and warehouses in the back on both sides. With the arrival of the large merchant caravan, it finally became more lively.
Before leaving, Liu Renguang named the northern camp "Jiangbeiding City" to commemorate the largest battle since arriving in Luzon, and the market outside the city was naturally called...Beiding Market.
The Battle of Beiding City resulted in the capture of numerous native prisoners, numbering in the tens of thousands. These prisoners were all used by Liu Renguang and Wu Mingyi for the construction of the road from Beiding City to Luzon.
Wu Mingyi had Qin Mo's "Business Expansion Plan," which detailed the steps of "capital aggression." Hundreds of natives from different tribes were released and brought back with them cloth, grain, sugar, salt, and even ironware.
"Captain, will these natives carry our message back after they go back?" Wu Mingyi's quartermaster looked at the military supplies taken away by the natives with heartache and asked uncertainly.
"If you return to your hometown, which is full of poor people, but you have a lot of wealth, how will those poor people treat you?"
"That must be murder and robbery!" The quartermaster's words left Wu Mingyi speechless. He remembered that the quartermaster was not so violent before.
"No matter what, these prisoners who return will explain the source of the wealth, and they'll inevitably bring up the market. They'll definitely come!"
Wu Mingyi's prediction was correct. Half a month later, groups of local people finally arrived at Beidingji, bringing their local specialties to exchange for things they wanted.
"A piece of wood can be exchanged for an iron pot... a piece..."
Lin Laoqi painstakingly gestured to the locals, showing them how he had been practicing martial arts by breaking off each of his fingers one by one.
Lin Laoqi was quite unwilling to be transferred from a squad leader in Qin Mo's troops to "Manager Lin," but since he had injured his thigh and the prince had kindly arranged this job for him, he dared not complain no matter how awkward he was.
On his opening day, Lin Laoqi immediately put a pot of meat in an iron pot, then set out a large pile of iron pots, shovels, sickles, and even short knives, waiting for customers to come in. Whoever came in was first given a bowl of meat soup, and then he would introduce his ironware business.
The stewed meat with added ingredients attracted a large group of natives. The native helpers hired by Lin Laoqi didn't understand much of the Daxia language, so Lin Laoqi simply had them ask all the natives, "What goods do you have?"
The man shouted in his native tongue to the locals who had come to trade, "What goods do you have?"
The local man dragged over a few pieces of wood, then looked at Lin Laoqi nervously, his eyes glancing frequently at the iron pot stewing meat.
"Stone, go to Old Wu's shop and call Master Lu over. Let him take a look at what kind of wood this is!"
Old Liu doesn't know anything about timber, or at least not about anything other than cutting people. But now every household is looking for a master shopkeeper or master craftsman with various skills. To keep things confidential, they require people to sign long-term contracts. So, skilled craftsmen are in short supply. His shop only has one craftsman who knows about gemstones. When he encounters someone who doesn't know anything, he naturally needs to share his knowledge and make money together.
"Manager Liu, this is teak. It's a great material for making furniture, carved doors and windows, and oars for boats. You don't have to worry about selling it."
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