Chapter 26: The Miserable Craftsman

  May 27, 1645

  Wang Zhi followed Pang Gang's order and went to Ling Shan Wei Suo, Qiu Hong Bao and Qian Ri Bao to recruit some masons to come and discuss the matter of rebuilding the castle.

  Things went unexpectedly smoothly, and the next day Wang Zhi brought a large group of craftsmen to Wanghai Castle, with so many people that Pang Gang was surprised and almost shocked.

  Looking at the people in front of him, who were already dark and thin, almost without clothes to cover their bodies, Pang Gang was speechless again. Can they still be considered a group of people? Even the originally destitute military households were ten times better off than them!

  Most of these people were barefoot, wearing clothes that had lost their color, and their faces were so dark they looked like they had been lacquered. Their hair was a mess, enough to make a bird's nest. Seeing this scene, Pang Gang could only think of one phrase to describe it: "Pitiful, damn pitiful!"

  Pang Gang was so excited that he unknowingly called out Wang Zhi's nickname, "Dog... Dog Leftover, are these people really craftsmen? Or aren't they just beggars you've invited?"

  Wang Zhi looked at Pang Gang and sighed: "Sir, they are just craftsmen, absolutely no deception!"

  "How could it be? Even a beggar is much stronger than them!" Pang Gang shook his head in disbelief.

  "Adults, it's true! They are indeed the artisans I recruited from the Wei family's workshop. Those artisans and us are different, we..."

  Under Wang Zhi's explanation, Pang Gang only then came to realize that in the Great Ming, there was actually a group of people who were more miserable than the military households. They were the artisan households. Generally speaking, the military households were already a very miserable group of people in the Ming dynasty. They were not allowed to change their household registration for generations and could not participate in the imperial examination, which means that once you entered the military household's household registration, you would never be able to take the path of being an official or engage in any other career. Your sons and grandsons would forever only be military households and could only serve as soldiers.

  However, compared to the military households, the artisan households were even more miserable. The military households had their own tuntian (land allocated by the government) in the thousand-household units, and the court would also provide them with land for farming, at least allowing them to cultivate the land, pay taxes, and make a living. In contrast, the artisan households did not have their own tuntian and were treated as official slaves, required to take turns serving in the government's workshops and factories, and being dispatched to various thousand-household units. They had to follow the lead of the top artisan households in each unit, equivalent to the logistics department of a modern army, but with an even lower status. They were not allowed to farm, fish, or engage in any other activities; their only option was to do tasks assigned by the government, such as blacksmithing if they were ironworkers, or woodworking if they were carpenters. As a result, their lives can be said to have been even more wretched than those of the military households.

  Looking at the group of people in front of him, whose eyes were the only visible white part, what could Pang Gang say after listening to Wang Zhi's explanation? He had no choice but to wave his hand and let go of these over 300 big-bellied kings. However, he specially called over the servant woman responsible for cooking meals and ordered that for the next three days, they were only allowed to eat thin porridge and could not be fed too full, otherwise their long-empty stomachs would absolutely not be able to take it!

  In a sentence of thousands of thanks and gratitude, the crowd followed Wang Zhi and several maidservants to settle down.

  He let out a soft sigh and muttered to himself: "I never thought the life of a craftsman would be so miserable, it's really pitiful!"

  "Alas, there are so many pitiful and lamentable things in this world. What can we do about it?" As he spoke, Hua Yan somehow appeared beside Pang Gang.

  At this time, Hua Yan's face still had a hint of sympathy. He slowly walked to the side of Pang Gang, with his hands clasped behind his back, and said in a melancholy tone: "The rules set by Emperor Taizu in the past have blocked the path of advancement for countless talented scholars, leaving many ambitious individuals with no way to serve their country!"

  "So this unfair system must be thoroughly changed!"

  "Hmm... Sir, what do you mean by that?" Huayuan asked in surprise, with a hint of confusion in his tone.

  "Oh, nothing, I was just talking to myself." As soon as Hua Yan's words came out, Pang Gang, who had come back to his senses, couldn't help but break out in a cold sweat. If someone with malicious intentions had heard what he said earlier, it would have caused a huge stir. It seems that from now on, he should be more mindful of the occasion and measure his words carefully. The saying "disaster comes from the mouth" is indeed a universal truth, whether now or in the future!

  Pang Gang deliberately changed the subject, pointing to the city wall of Wanghai Castle and saying: "Hua Juan, didn't you introduce some friends to me a few days ago? When are they coming? Our city wall is about to start construction. According to the imperial court's regulations, our Wanghai Castle should have one official, two Hua Juans. Now all things rely on you alone, this won't do, your body can't hold up in the long run."

  Huayan bowed his head, somewhat moved, and said: "Thank you for your concern, sir. I have already sent a letter to my good friend a few days ago, and I estimate that they will arrive in a few more days. I guarantee that it won't delay your affairs."

  "That's good, let's go back first." Pang Gang said as he walked towards the inner city.

  The next day, Pang Gang and the craftsmen who came to Wang Haibao with their families negotiated the terms. In addition to daily food and accommodation, they also agreed to give them one silver coin per day to build the city wall for themselves, and also promised to let their family members join in the construction of canals or help with some logistical work within the fortress.

  This move was extremely welcomed by the craftsmen, and as a result they now have a secure livelihood for this year.

  These people are all hereditary craftsmen, and they or their ancestors have participated in the construction of many castles. Now, planning to build Wanghai Castle is actually a familiar task for them. After turning around the periphery of Wanghai Castle for a few days, they quickly came up with a renovation plan for the castle, including design drawings, street divisions, well locations, temple locations, and house locations. They also considered future defensive facilities such as city walls, gates, and battlements, which are much more thorough than Pang Gang's rough ideas.

  After the design drawings are completed, the remaining key issue is the cost of building city walls and some buildings.

  According to the convention of the Great Ming at that time, the silver needed to build a city wall with a circumference of about one mile like Xiangwanghai Fortress was around 900 taels.

  This made the silver in Pang Gang's purse even thinner, and this matter also made Pang Gang more anxious.

  However, the bitterness is still there, but things must be done. Under Pang Gang's command, all the residents of Wanghai Building, except for children, all men and women went into action together. Everyone had to work hard to build their own home.

  At that time, the men and women of Wanghai Castle, young and old, all took shovels, carried baskets and hampers to dig and carry soil around the castle. This was necessary for the cultivation layer required for building city walls. After the mud was built inside the city wall, it would be wrapped with bluestone or giant stones outside. This was also a common practice in this era. Of course, it's not impossible to build the entire city wall with giant stones or bluestones, but that would require a vast amount of silver, tens of thousands of taels of silver might not even be enough.

  To build the city wall, Pang Gang even went to Ling Shan Wei for help, but the result was very disappointing. Ling Shan Wei is now not only short of giant stones and green bricks, but also lacks wood.

  Under duress, Pang Gang sent Li Xian to Qingzhou Prefecture, where he begged Qingzhou Governor Wei Tongnian to sell him some green bricks, boulders and lumber at a low price, but still spent over 200 taels of silver.

  June 12, 1645

  The inner city wall of Wanghai Fortress has been built, and the remaining outer city wall is being constructed. At the same time, the first well in Wanghai Fortress was successfully dug. The well is about 22 zhang deep, with relatively shallow water and good water quality. The bottom of the well is paved with fine sand, and the well wall is made of bluestone. When the first bucket of water was pulled up, the surrounding soldiers cheered loudly. After tasting it, the well water was found to be clear, sweet, and truly a rare treasure.

  Days passed one by one, and the work of Wang Hai Bao also slowly entered the right track. Everything was developing steadily according to Pang Gang's planned blueprint.