Chapter Fifty-two: Proceeding to Yangzhou

  On a peripheral official road overgrown with wild grass, a team of people was walking. This team was somewhat unusual, as it included soldiers wearing large red mandarin duck jackets and civilians wearing civilian clothes. These soldiers were full of spirit, although they were fully armed, but their pace was neat and orderly during the march.

  Pang Gang rode his red warhorse at the front of the troops, with Kong Lin by his side. The seven companions brought by Kong Lin walked in the middle, while the soldiers from Wang Hai Fortress formed a protective formation in front and behind them.

  Kong Lin sat on the horseback and looked around, seeing that seven or eight companions carrying red goods were surrounded by soldiers, he felt an unprecedented sense of security in his heart. He let out a long sigh and said to Pang Gang beside him: "Sir, this time I've been out for more than half a month, it's the first time I don't have to worry about my life, thanks to you, sir."

  Pang Gang burst out laughing: "Don't worry, Kong Shao Dong, this is still the territory of Ling Shan Wei. You don't have to worry about your safety, all the scoundrels here have been eliminated by the government troops."

  Pang Gang's words were not exaggerated, after the battle of Wangjiatun and Gouyashan, the two largest bandit groups near Lingshanwei had been defeated, and the nearby bandits had become like startled birds, fleeing to other places. Although Lingshanwei was still not safe enough to be called a place where "the streets are clean and the doors are closed at night", compared to before, the security situation had indeed improved a lot.

  In response to Kong Lin's request and also considering Yinzi's share, Pang Gang urgently mobilized 120 soldiers to escort Kong Lin back to Yangzhou. Along with the soldiers were 100 young men whose task was to transport grain on their way back.

  Although Kong Lin did not know what other tricks the Sun family in Yangzhou had to deal with him, he could be sure that at least before returning to Yangzhou, no one could do anything to him.

  It seemed as if he felt the ease in Kong Lin's heart, Pang Gang took a look at Kong Lin and asked with a smile: "Kong Shao, don't you think of doing some other business after returning to Yangzhou this time? Although the jewelry industry makes money, it's not easy to do business in these troubled times."

  "Who says it's not?! Hearing Pang Gang say this, Kong Lin also let out a sigh of frustration. "As the saying goes, 'antiques in times of prosperity are like gold in times of chaos.' Now, with the Tartars invading Liaodong and bandits causing trouble within, many people can't even afford to eat their fill, where would they get the spare cash to buy jewelry? If it weren't for the fact that Jibaozhai is an ancestral business, I'd have closed up shop long ago."

  "Hmm!" Pang Gang thought for a moment and said: "Kong Shaodong's family, you don't need to close the pawnshop either, but you should learn to walk on two legs. For example, you can start trying to do grain business."

  "Does the grown-up mean for the little one to be a grain merchant?" Kong Lin asked with some doubt.

  Pang Gang nodded slightly: "That's right, in recent years due to the war, the price of grain has been rising year by year. Let's just say that during the first year of Chongzhen's reign, a stone of grain was sold for less than two taels of silver. But now? If you can buy it with two taels of silver, you'd be laughing all the way home. So, whoever has grain in their hands is the master."

  "Great wisdom!" Kong Lin flattered with a calm tone, then asked in an offhand manner: "Sir, yesterday I saw refugees constantly pouring into Wang Hai Fortress. Your food supplies must be very tight, right?"

  Pang Gang heard the words and looked at Kong Lin deeply, calmly admitting: "Yes, although Wang Hai Fortress just harvested a few thousand stones of grain last month, but now there are nearly 6,000 refugees pouring into Wang Hai Fortress. Since they have entered the military register of my Wang Hai Fortress, they are also the children of this official. This official can't just watch them starve, can he?"

  "What a benevolent lord!" Kong Lin flattered, but his mind was racing. This hundred-household lord had gathered so many vagrants and wasted food on them, yet the people didn't complain. There were only two possible reasons: either he was a truly kind-hearted gentleman who cared about the country and its people, or this lord's ambitions were not small, and his wild heart was extremely large.

  However, according to Kong Lin's judgment, the latter is more likely. As for the first situation... haha, in this day and age, such fools are either starved to death or killed by others.

  Thinking of this, Kong Lin asked tentatively: "Sir, you want me to change my profession and do the grain business. Could it be that you want me to help you purchase grains in Yangzhou?"

  "No!" Pang Gang shook his head, "The grain and fodder problem is only temporary. I believe that as long as we wait until after the spring plowing to cultivate all the tens of thousands of acres of wasteland around Wanghai Castle, at that time I will no longer have to worry about grain and fodder. What I lack now are two things: one is silver, and two is people. Without silver, my workshops and farms cannot be built, without people, the wasteland around Wanghai Castle can only be abandoned. If we can't produce grain, I won't be able to achieve any political achievements, and if I don't have any political achievements, I won't be able to get promoted, do you understand?"

  "Ugh......" Kong Lin felt a toothache after hearing Pang Gang's words, which were too direct, too damn direct. Kong Lin wasn't unfamiliar with officials, but those who usually put "decorative words" in their mouths, who dared to say something so nakedly, "I want to be promoted! I want silver!"

  But this Mr. Pang was bold enough to say so, which made Kong Lin admire his straightforwardness in addition to being surprised.

  Dazed for a moment, Kong Lin finally said: "What does the commoner's grain business have to do with you?"

  Pang Gang helplessly rubbed his temples and said in a tone of "hating iron for not becoming steel": "You, your brain is really not open-minded. Our Qingzhou Prefecture has always had fewer people, while Yangzhou is just the opposite, with less land and more people. After you go back, what you need to do is help the local officials gather the refugees and move them all to Wanghai Fortress."

  "As long as there are enough laborers, I can continue to expand the cultivated land next year. By autumn harvest time, won't we have plenty of grain? At that time, you just need to take the grain from me and sell it in various places, and won't the silver coins be pouring into your pockets?"

  "The common people understand!" Kong Lin, who can become a junior partner of the treasure hall, is naturally not a fool. The meaning between Pang Gang's words has already been very clear, that is, let Kong Linzi smash silver in Wanghai Building now, and Wanghai Building will use next autumn's grain harvest as a return to him for operation. Thinking of this, Kong Lin fell silent.

  Looking at Kong Lin who was deep in thought, Pang Gang did not show any anxious expression, at least on the surface.

  Get Mr. Kong Lin, the wealthy businessman, to invest his silver in Wanghai Castle, this is what Pang Gang has been considering for the past two days. Wanghai Castle needs silver to continue developing and expanding, this is an iron fact, and as Wanghai Castle develops, more and more places need silver, at a time when the cement plant and mine in Wanghai Castle have not yet generated real profits, Wanghai Castle will need constant blood transfusions from outside sources.

  It's not easy to meet a wealthy man from Yangzhou, so how could Pang Gang let him go? Although this big shot is not very old, he handles things steadily. Pang Gang has made several attempts to sound him out, but Kong Lin still hasn't made his position clear. However, Pang Gang isn't in a hurry, there are still seven or eight days left, and he can slowly drag it out with him.

  Thinking of this, Pang Gang strengthened his spirit, clenching the horse's belly with both legs, and the red warhorse whinnied loudly as it galloped forward.

  Sorry about that, I accidentally resent the chapter again, it's been fixed now, apologies for the inconvenience.