Chapter Thirty-Two Opportunity Arrives
Wu Ji's gaze was far-reaching, seeing exceptionally far. He knew that although the Thunderbolt shell was a good thing, it wasn't omnipotent. If he wanted to sell weapons to the military, he couldn't just rely on the Thunderbolt shell alone; he needed to produce multiple types and varieties.
Only in this way can Wu's military industry be truly worthy of its name and become a real arms company.
In this era, it is impossible to get rid of swords and guns, relying solely on thunderbolt shells. Therefore, as soon as the production of thunderbolt shells was on the right track, Wu Ji aimed at new weapons, that is, crossbows, swords and guns.
Wu Ji studied the bows, crossbows and swords of the Song Dynasty and came to the conclusion that he could do better. Although the bows, crossbows and swords were not as profitable as the Thunderbolt Bombs, they had a large market and if done well, their income was quite substantial and would not be less than that of the Thunderbolt Bombs.
However, there is a problem, that the production of swords, guns, bows and crossbows is controlled by the government. If Wu Ji wants to produce them now, it would be against the law of the Song Dynasty. In this era, the small leg cannot twist the big leg, even if Wu Ji has the heart not to follow the law of the Song Dynasty, he cannot do so, and must abide by it.
As for the thunderbolt shells, they were new things, and the Song Dynasty didn't even know that such a powerful weapon existed, so it wasn't on the list of prohibited productions. Therefore, Wu Jie could produce them with an easy mind.
Even if the Song Dynasty intervened, they couldn't do anything to Wu Ji, and might even greatly reward him, that's innovation!
Knives, guns, bows and crossbows are different, they must follow the laws of the Song Dynasty, Wu Ji thought about producing them, but he couldn't.
To solve this problem, Wu Qi needs to put the Wu family's military industry under the name of the army and use the army's name to produce it. This is the advantage of the Song Dynasty army's unique "Hui Yi".
Wu Ji is now unrecognizable to the military, and it's still a bit difficult to get his name on the military roster. However, this difficulty doesn't deter Wu Ji, who plans to get close to the Song army officers stationed in Guishen County, test the waters, and then make a decision.
If it can be hung under the name of the military, some benefits must be given. There are no benefits to doing things that won't make people do them, and Wu Ji is still willing to do them if he can bear them.
As for this matter, Wu Ji had long been determined to do so, but the strong strength of Qi Yun Society was revealed, and all the Thunderbolt Bullets produced by Wu's military industry were swallowed up by Qi Yun Society, which was far from enough. For the time being, Wu Ji could not sell Thunderbolt Bullets to the army.
Although there were no extra thunderbolt arrows to sell, Wu Zetian was still making preparations and started manufacturing a small number of hand crossbows.
XXXXXX
County government office, main bookkeeper's room, Wu Ji was settling accounts with Huang Fu, while Niu Qi and Yang Yuan could only do their old jobs, serving tea, delivering water, tidying up account books and other miscellaneous tasks. Huang Fu held the account book, constantly reporting numbers.
Wu Ji held an abacus, constantly moving the beads with a crisp "click-clack" sound that was much clearer than before. With this period of use, Wu Ji became more and more skilled at calculations, to the point where he had become an expert in using the abacus, and when it came to calculating accounts, he was no worse than a modern-day accountant.
"Mr. Wu, are you settling accounts?" Just then, Zheng's voice rang out, and he saw Zheng wearing a official robe, walking quickly in, taking a glance around the room, and directly approaching Wu Ji.
"Nice to meet you, sir!" Wu Ji stood up and bowed to Zheng Ta.
Huang Fu and Niu Yang were also busy with their greetings. Zheng Tai waved her hand and said, "No need! No need!"
Zheng stretched out his hand and handed the account book to Zheng Tai, pointing to a place on the book with his finger: "Calculated up to here!" Then he walked away.
Every time Zheng Tai arrives, he takes on the role of reporting numbers. He and Wu Ji have cooperated many times before, so they start reporting numbers as soon as they take over.
Zheng Tai was very skilled, and the numbers came out in strings. Wu Ji, however, calculated even faster, and before long, the account was settled.
Huang Fu Su hastily handed over an account book, Zheng Tai took it in her hand, but instead of reading it, she looked at Huang Fu Su and Niu Yang, saying: "I have something to discuss with Lord Wu, you two withdraw for now."
Huang Fu and others responded with a busy voice, quickly stepped out of the house and left. Zheng Tai came to the main book room, eight or nine out of ten were rushing to Wu Ji's place, he discussed things with Wu Ji, and it was not unexpected that the three people would step out of the house and wait in the courtyard.
"Are adults supposed to learn the way of abacus?" Zheng Taiyi came to the main book room whenever he had time, mainly to seek Wu Ji's guidance on the way of abacus. If he asked for advice, Wu Ji couldn't refuse to tell him.
As for the abacus, Wu Ji didn't think much of it and didn't have any secret techniques to cherish. Whenever Zheng Ta asked him about it, he would explain it in detail. As a result, after such a long period of time had passed, Zheng Ta's progress with the abacus was extremely rapid.
"Abacus? No, I'm not here to ask you about that today." Zheng Ta shook her head and said: "The way of abacus, you've taught me so much already, I should be content. If you were to go to the Imperial Academy to teach, it would certainly cause a stir, and the accountants of the Song Dynasty would have much less trouble. Unfortunately, you're not willing to go! Everyone has their own aspirations, can't force it, and I also can't persuade you."
Zheng Tai repeatedly suggested recommending Wu Ji to the Imperial Academy to teach the way of abacus, but Wu Ji delayed with various excuses. As time went on, Zheng Tai, being intelligent, would naturally understand that Wu Ji's ambition was not in this area.
"Today, I want to discuss a major matter with you. This matter, I don't have much of a clue about it, that's why I'm discussing it with you." Zheng said straightforwardly.
"Wu Ji was quite surprised at this..."
Wu Ji was just a small main bookkeeper, managing money and grain was Wu Ji's duty, the county's big affairs had nothing to do with him.
"Liufeng thief, you know about it, don't you?" Zheng Tai stared at Wu Ji and asked.
"Wind Bandit?"
Wu Ji suddenly remembered that day when he returned from the county, the whole Wu family village was in chaos because of Wu Liang's lie. He couldn't help but nod and say: "I know a bit about it. They were a gang of cruel bandits who killed people, set fires, looted, and did all sorts of evil things. The common people hated them to the bone. But there was no official army that could eliminate them, so they continued to wreak havoc day by day."
Magistrate Zheng listened to Wu Ji's words, nodded slightly and said: "That's right! This group of bandits is too rampant, the crimes they have committed are countless, and they deserve to die. The official has decided to send troops to exterminate them! However, this group of bandits is too cunning, and the military strength of the officials is not good, whether it can be successful or not, the official has no bottom line. The official knows that you have not participated in major events in the county, but you have your own judgment, so I discussed with you. You say, if the official sends troops, can they succeed?"
His words revealed deep concern. The Flowing Wind Bandits were not ordinary robbers, originally they were government soldiers, later they rebelled and went up the mountain to form a gang of thieves, committing murder and arson without restraint. This group of bandits was very cunning, over the years, the authorities had sent troops to suppress them many times but had never succeeded.
This helped to fuel its arrogance, and it became more and more lawless, killing people and stealing goods, the more it did, the more the people hated it to the bone, just mentioning it made them dare not sleep, but they were helpless against it!
If it can be eradicated, this is indeed a very good thing. The problem is that if it's not successful, there will be retaliation and the people who have surrendered will suffer greatly.
The Song army of Guishen County, how is their combat power? Wu Ji has already seen it with his own eyes. Twenty officials and soldiers not only failed to hunt down a bear, but also got injured by the bear. What's more, Luo Yuanxing even had the audacity to kill the civilians of Wujiazhuang to achieve military merit. If Wu Ji hadn't come up with a plan to retreat, Wujiazhuang would have definitely suffered disaster.
With such an army, going to suppress bandits is no different from dreaming. It's not that Zheng Ta doesn't worry, but it's also not possible for him not to worry. However, the Song Dynasty implemented a system of separating civil and military administration, and even if Zheng Ta wanted to discipline the troops, he didn't have the authority to do so, and could only stand by and watch.
"This matter is a bit big, let me think about it." Wu Ji did not rush to answer, but instead began to ponder.
"With the current military strength of the Song army, it's unlikely that they can eliminate the bandits. But if I were to lend my assistance and use my Thunderbolt Arrows, their military strength would greatly increase, and eliminating the bandits wouldn't be impossible. Ah, what an opportunity! Wu Jue thought to himself, his eyes shining brighter: "The army needs weapons to eliminate bandits, and now is the perfect time for me to sell my Thunderbolt Arrows. I'll definitely be welcomed with open arms. This way, I can establish a relationship with the military and openly manufacture bows, crossbows, knives, and guns!"
