Chapter 42: Decision (Seeking Recommendations, Seeking Collections)

  Huayan's meaning has already been understood by Pang Gang, which is to let Pang Gang go to Qingzhou Prefecture to find a backer. Which mountain in Qingzhou Prefecture is the largest? Naturally, it is Wei Tongnian, the prefect of Qingzhou, and Song Xinghe, the commander-in-chief of Qingzhou Prefecture.

  The two of them were the highest military and political officials in Qingzhou Prefecture, and with their support, no one would dare to look for trouble within the borders of Qingzhou.

  "Hmm!" Pang Gang furrowed his brow and thought for a moment before saying: "If that's the case, then we'll have to pay a hefty price!"

  "This price must be paid, otherwise when others smell the smell and come, it will be difficult for us to keep that mine!" Hua Yan's attitude was very firm.

  Li Xian, who was standing beside him, also sighed and said: "If only the master could take up the position of Ling Shan Wei Qian Hu, then at that time, we would have taken over that mine and no one would dare to speak out against us."

  Huayan's words brought a burst of white eyes from the crowd. If Pang Gang was a thousand households, why would he need to be careful and look at others' faces when doing things? The military officers above the rank of thousand households who held power in the Wei dynasty had to be personally appointed by the emperor, and even the commanding officer couldn't casually remove them from their posts. Their power wouldn't be too small. But the problem is that Pang was just promoted to hundred households not long ago, and it's impossible for him to get promoted so quickly.

  Pang Gang hesitated for a moment before saying: "As the current official in charge of the hundred households, my tenure is too short. Without great merit, it's impossible to be promoted again. The only way forward is to seek help from Governor Zhang and Commander Wang. Taking this opportunity, I also plan to set up a cement factory in Wangjiatun."

  "Cement factory?"

  "Hua Yan first asked, 'Sir, what is this cement plant?'"

  Pang Gang smiled slightly and asked, "Hua Juan, may I ask what materials are used to bond the green bricks or giant stones when building houses, making rooms, and even constructing city walls in the folk custom of today?"

  Although Hua Yan did not understand the meaning of Pang Gang's words, he still answered honestly: "When a wealthy family builds a house, they use blue bricks mixed with lime, tung oil, and glutinous rice juice to build it. This method of building houses is not only expensive, so ordinary people generally use rammed earth or compacted soil to build their houses."

  "Hua Juan's ultimate goal is indeed." Pang Gang smiled and said: "Today, I have researched a kind of adhesive that can firmly bond objects such as green bricks and giant stones together. After drying, it becomes extremely hard. The most important thing is that this material is very cheap, even poor families can afford it. What do you think? If we produce this material, won't our wealth be pouring in?"

  "This is indeed what the adults have said!" Everyone was shocked after hearing this.

  "Of course!" Pang Gang said affirmatively: "This thing is made of stones and clay, so it's naturally very cheap. Moreover, its uses are extensive, whether it's building houses, constructing city walls or repairing roads, all can be done with it. Therefore, I'm convinced that once this thing comes out, it will surely bring great benefits to our Wanghai Fortress, and we won't have to worry about not having silver anymore!"

  Everyone in the house was shocked by this news, and it wasn't until a long time later that Hua Yan reacted, "Sir, if you really can make this thing, then this water... cement will inevitably attract prying eyes, we must be careful!"

  "Hmm!" Pang Gang sighed and nodded: "So this trip to Qingzhou Prefecture is unavoidable, and we must prepare for a big loss of blood!"

  "Alas!"

  Everyone let out a collective sigh, whether it was the cement plant or the mine, they were all gold mines. If they didn't give Wei Tongnian and Song Xinghe enough sweet deals, how could they be expected to go all out to protect them?

  Huayan also let out a slight sigh, then forced himself to cheer up and said: "Your Excellency, I have some good news to tell you. The three friends I invited have all arrived at Wanghai Fortress and are waiting for your summons!"

  "Oh?" Pang Gang's spirit was suddenly lifted, "What are you waiting for with the Huazan ceremony? Quickly invite them in."

  "Yes, I'll call them in right away!" Hua Yan said and got up to leave.

  Looking at Hua Yan's figure, Pang Gang let out a soft sigh.

  As Wang Haibao gradually got on the right track, the workload also increased, and Pang Gang felt more and more short-handed, especially lacking in grassroots officials. They are not like those fighting thugs, who can be given a big knife and trained for a few months to go to the battlefield with brute force. The inheritance of culture takes time.

  He finally understood why emperors of all dynasties since ancient times relied so heavily on scholars. The reason is simple: without scholars, the country cannot function! Can you imagine what would happen if a group of illiterate people were to govern a large country? Now, Wanghai Castle is just a small stronghold with only over a thousand people, but if it were to govern a larger area like Qingzhou Prefecture, the number of officials needed would be staggering. After all, this is not an era where "college graduates are worthless and PhDs are everywhere", at this stage, reading is still a privilege reserved for the few.

  Hua Yan soon led three men wearing long gowns to come in, and after seeing Pang Gang, they bowed to him and said in unison, "Later generations humbly pay respects to Hundred Households Lord! We are Meng Qi, Lin Feng, and Zheng Mengcheng!"

  Pang Gang saw that they didn't kneel, but only cupped their hands and saluted, so he knew they were people with official titles. With a smile, he stood up and said: "You don't have to be too polite, you can come to Wang Haibao to help the officials, the officials are overjoyed."

  "I'd be happy to serve you, sir!"

  "Come on, everyone, take a seat!"

  Pang Gang politely asked them to sit down and carefully sized up the few of them. Meng Qing was tall and slender, with a kind smile on his face. Lin Feng, on the other hand, was the exact opposite, his fat figure making his originally short stature appear even more diminutive. However, from those small eyes of his, flashes of sharpness would occasionally flicker through. As for Zheng Mengcheng, he could only be described with two words: "ordinary". He was ordinary to the point where he couldn't be any more ordinary, belonging to the kind of person who would immediately become lost in a crowd.

  Although the long shirts on these people are still relatively clean, they are all somewhat outdated. It's clear that none of them are doing very well in life. However, if they were doing well, they wouldn't have ended up in a place like Wanghai Castle, where not even birds want to land. But Pang Gang doesn't care about this; he doesn't need them to have the talent to govern the country, as long as they can serve as minor officials. If they really do have great abilities, then Pang Gang would be worried that his small temple wouldn't be able to accommodate these several "great Buddhas".

  At the same time that Pang was sizing them up, they were also secretly sizing him up. His tall stature, fair skin and somewhat delicate features really made people associate him with the decisive and ruthless Bai Hu that Hua Yan had described.

  They, who had already obtained the honor of being a Xiucai, were not willing to come to a small fort under the command of a hundred households, but after several years of failing in the imperial examination, they became disheartened and disillusioned. In this year when the landlord's family also had no surplus grain, life was becoming increasingly difficult. Therefore, after receiving a letter from their good friend Hua Yan, they packed up and came over after considering it for only a few days.

  After all, although the official positions of Tong Dian and Si Li are not large, their power is not small. If they do well, they can be considered a real powerful figure in the surrounding areas.

  After sizing up a few people at a glance, Pang Gang, as the host, spoke first...