xymnovel Chapter 283 Treatment
Chapter 283 Treatment
Chapter 283 Treatment
Ma Tuo Sha is a small place; there are only two blacksmith shops.
One family was Jiang Xingtuo from Maqiao, and the other was his senior brother, Shi Dali, who lived in Gushan. Neither of them came today.
Jiang Xingtuo had arranged for five sons of seafarers from Taicang to learn blacksmithing under his command. They had been learning for over a year, but at present they could only do some repetitive mechanical work and had not even tried their hand at simple farm tools. They could not be said to have any skills.
Compared to them, Zhou Chun's apprentices, who were craftsmen in the Miscellaneous Crafts Bureau, were much better. They had been blacksmithing for more than five years, but within the Miscellaneous Crafts Bureau, they were still not considered formal craftsmen.
"Now that Master Zhou is here, please settle down and stay," Shao Shuyi said. "I've already had three families found for you in Maqiao. You can go and stay there directly. The families will do your laundry and cook for you. You'll only need to do blacksmithing every day, so you don't need to worry about anything else. As for your wages, you'll be given five ingots of paper money each month. You can decide how to distribute them. Hmm, the wages will also be paid in July."
Upon hearing this, Zhou Chun sighed, "Cao She is so generous, I really don't know what to say."
Shao Shuyi asked curiously, "How much do you earn each month at the Changzhou Miscellaneous Goods Bureau?"
"There's nothing to hide," Zhou Chun said with a wry smile. "Sometimes it's twenty or thirty strings of cash, sometimes more than ten. I can eat three meals a day at the bureau."
"Why are wages changing?" Shao Shuyi was a little puzzled. Could it be that the State Miscellaneous Workshop still uses a piece-rate system instead of a fixed wage?
"It depends on the superior's mood," Zhou Chun shook his head and said, "Perhaps one day the ambassador, deputy ambassador, and the guards will have had too much to drink and can't settle their accounts, so they'll have to find a way to get things done from us powerless craftsmen. As for them," Zhou Chun pointed to his four apprentices and said, "they get two meals a day, and in theory, they should get ten strings of cash, but in reality, they don't. But at least it saves them food for their families, so it's not a bad place for them."
Shao Shuyi nodded slightly.
As a modern person, he didn't understand the concept of "food included" at first, but now he understands it more deeply.
In short, whether meals are included or not makes a world of difference in wages.
For example, when he first started working as a porter for the Zheng family, he could get three meals a day for free, but his wages were only fifteen strings of cash a month.
If meals aren't included, the wages will rise to over twenty strings of cash, and good jobs can even cost over thirty strings of cash.
Eating is a big problem.
Zhou Chun's apprentices were able to make a living at the miscellaneous workshop, even if it was just simple food. This was enough to survive, and for families with heavy burdens, it was a real relief—young people in their late teens and early twenties had quite the appetite.
But that's just enough to support myself.
Thinking of this, Shao Shuyi asked, "Master Zhou..."
"I really don't deserve the title of master craftsman," Zhou Chun said with a wry smile.
Shao Shuyi smiled and asked, "Does Master Zhou have any family?"
The term "Master" was initially used to address monks and Taoist priests in the early Yuan Dynasty. For example, when Shao Shuyi met a monk a few years ago, the shopkeeper called him "Master" when he was invited to have tea. Later, it gradually expanded to the fields of crafts and drama.
His parents are deceased, and he has five wives.
"Are your children all grown up? What kind of work do they do?"
"My eldest daughter is a weaver, already married, and often cries that her hands are full of cracks, yet she still has to weave cloth tirelessly for the government." Zhou Chun's expression was somewhat somber. "My eldest son is rather thin and weak, unable to work as a blacksmith, so he makes war coats at the miscellaneous workshops, struggling to support the family. My third daughter is also married, and she and her husband do some small business, barely making ends meet. My youngest son is only nine years old; I wonder what kind of work he will do in the future."
Shao Shuyi thought about it and realized that life wasn't easy for his whole family.
They were city dwellers, their livelihood depended on their work; if they didn't work, their families would go hungry. When chaos broke out, they suffered the most, because war often struck cities, though artisans might fare slightly better than ordinary people.
Shao Shuyi looked at Yu Yuan and asked, "Have you given him a resettlement allowance?"
Yu Yuan was taken aback, and said embarrassedly, "I didn't expect that."
In his view, the reason Zhou Chun and his apprentice were invited was because Zhang Yang, the prefect of Jiangyin, intervened, and he and Ge Daji went to Zhao Mingyuan, the deputy commissioner of the Miscellaneous Works Bureau, to deliver gifts. Zhou Chun was also sent out to work by Zhao Mingyuan, and that was all.
But now that he heard it, he realized that he had overlooked Zhou Chun and his apprentice's family, which was indeed his oversight. So he immediately said, "I will make a trip to Changzhou right away to send them a settlement allowance."
"The wages were also paid in advance and sent to his family," Shao Shuyi said.
"Yes," Yu Yuan replied.
"Is there anything else we've forgotten?" Shao Shuyi pressed.
Yu Yuan seemed to understand something, so he bowed to Zhou Chun and asked, "May I ask, Master Zhou, when you go out to work, are you required to make offerings?"
Zhou Chun paused for a moment, then said, "Of course we should."
"How much was offered?"
"It depends on the person." Zhou Chun's face showed a hint of anger when he said this. He said, "When we make armor, the iron and tools are always purchased by the Kheshig (imperial guards). After the armor is finished, they also inspect it and sign it before we can get paid. But these people are greedy by nature and often make things difficult for us. If we don't pay them tribute, we can forget about going out to work and supplement our family income."
Shao Shuyi listened from the side, fully aware of the matter.
He had previously heard Zheng Fan talk about the Hangzhou Military Equipment Bureau. The Qie Xue sent there were in charge of the quality of the arrow bamboo used to make arrow shafts in Chuzhou. They repeatedly instructed their foremen and inspectors to make things difficult for the people of Chuzhou. This shows that these people had a relatively tight control over the craftsmen.
The miscellaneous workshops are currently operating below capacity, and the artisans are struggling to make ends meet. It's not uncommon for them to leave to find work elsewhere. The Kheshig (imperial guard) turns a blind eye to this, but you have to pay tribute! If you don't, I'll make sure you're ruined!
Yu Yuan had also thought of this, and immediately said, "Master Zhou, I'll come find you in a bit. Don't worry, my brother will cover the expenses for the offerings for you and your disciples.
Upon hearing this, Zhou Chun's mind was in turmoil. He first bowed to Yu Yuan, then bowed deeply to Shao Shuyi, and said, "Cao She is benevolent and righteous, what more can I say? Do you need the few sets of old armor sent by the Miscellaneous Fabrication Bureau? If so, as long as I have the materials, I will immediately take people to repair them. Don't worry, it won't take long, at most ten days."
Shao Shuyi looked at Jiang Xingtuo.
Jiang Xingtuo looked somewhat unhappy, but still said, "I'll go back and look for it."
Shao Shuyi hummed in agreement and said, "For the next month and a half, you will lead a group to assist Master Zhou in making armor. Don't worry, you'll receive the same benefits as them; you won't be shortchanged. Use the materials from your shop first, and if that's not enough, I'll have someone go to Jiangyin to purchase more."
"Yes." Jiang Xingtuo bowed, his mood seemed to have improved somewhat, but he still had a long face.
Shao Shuyi knew exactly what was going on.
Zhou Chun was originally from the Suzhou Armor Craftsmen's Office, and now he works in the Changzhou Miscellaneous Workshop. He is an official craftsman with a "staff position" and his skills are superb, far superior to Zhou Chun's mediocre skills.
Jiang Xingtuo was also a proud and arrogant person.
"Study hard," Shao Shuyi urged.
After discussing this matter, he asked Wu Mazi to go to his nephew's place to get some pork and mutton to prepare a feast at the inn, as a way to welcome the craftsmen back.
Zhou Chun and his apprentice had never received such treatment before, and they were extremely grateful. After eating and drinking, they couldn't wait to start working that very night.
Shao Shuyi left at dusk.
Before leaving, he stopped Yu Yuan and asked, "Did Ge Daji say anything along the way?"
Yu Yuan knew what Shao Shuyi meant. After thinking for a moment, he said, "He seemed anxious and hesitant. He seemed about to speak several times, but in the end, he just sighed."
"He didn't say anything about these iron armors?"
"To be frank, the iron armor of the Han army must be returned, and it would be best to return the armor from the Changzhou Miscellaneous Workshop as well."
Shao Shuyi smiled wryly and said, "It's already the sixth year of the Zhizheng era, don't think it's two or three years ago. After the Huashan bandit incident, the government has lost all face, and there will be more and more audacious people. We'll see then."
The bottom line is broken little by little.
A year or two ago, if you said you wanted to acquire iron armor, that would have been truly astonishing. But now? It seems, perhaps, maybe it's not so exaggerated anymore, after all, the situation is different now.
Shao Shuyi's approach was to stall, that is, to observe the situation and see the government's attitude before making a decision.
If the attitude is firm and you believe that this is a red line that cannot be crossed, then return it.
If the attitude is not firm, then just keep these armors, at most spend money to bribe and clean up the mess, and get by.
If the attitude is somewhere in between, then return the "active equipment" of the interpreter's Han army, and leave behind the rusty and damaged iron armor from the Changzhou Miscellaneous Workshop.
Of course, he expected that the people of Jiangyin Prefecture would not have a firm stance.
These people are even willing to collect raw silk and brocade for themselves; what kind of bottom line do they have? The problem is, if higher-level officials or censors find out, it could be a significant trouble.
But it doesn't matter, everything has risks.
The chaos caused by the Huashan bandits was perfectly timed, as it will lower the overall standards of the Jiangnan officialdom, leading to a more lenient attitude towards local power brokers.
Appeasement, appeasement, in the end, appeasement is just a bunch of nonsense.
Starting on July 16, Shao Shuyi spent ten consecutive days with his "buddies".
He even increased the amount of money and food, and had a lot of fish and meat brought in for extra meals, changing the five-day exercise to three-day exercise.
Military drills were naturally a priority, but other subjects such as standing archery in armor, shooting straw men while on the move, and teamwork with various weapons were also practiced diligently.
In late June, Jiang Chengtuo and his fellow apprentices, along with the leatherworker introduced by Jiang Guanbao, delivered more than thirty sets of leather armor. Now, each of the five squads of soldiers and the personnel directly under the command headquarters has a set, making them well-equipped.
You can never have too much leather armor, after all, there will be second-line troops in the future who can use the equipment that the main field troops have retired.
This continued until the end of July. There was still no news from Huashan, but a bombshell dropped in Changzhou: Bi Si, a gang of 36 bandits, had killed and robbed boats on the Grand Canal, reaping countless riches. The government troops were dispatched to encircle and suppress them, but suffered a crushing defeat.
Considering that a considerable portion of the troops from the Changzhou Wanhu Prefecture had already been transferred to Huashan, the remaining troops were few and not very capable, so a defeat was inevitable.
Shao Shuyi was speechless after hearing this.
Well, the Huashan bandits haven't been suppressed yet, and now Bi Si's gang has arrived. It's quite a lively scene with one thing after another.
However, their robberies on the Grand Canal have already affected their business.
On the first day of the eighth lunar month, he took a boat to Huangtian Port, preparing to gather further information.
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