Chapter 55: A Blend of Grace and Severity

The craftsmen and the guards who tested the firearms received their rewards, and Jiang Yi promised that their bonuses would be distributed together at the end of the month. The craftsmen became even more motivated; working for Jiang Yi certainly paid very well.

Jiang Yi told them that as long as they worked hard, their future wages would only go up, never down.

"What you are doing here must not be told to outsiders. If I find out that you have, do not blame me for being merciless."

Jiang Yi held a flintlock pistol, pulled the trigger, and hit a wooden target not far away. This was a warning to them not to speak of matters here to outsiders, and certainly not to think of secretly informing the local government for personal gain. A number of guards remained here to monitor the craftsmen while also ensuring their safety.

"Your monthly wages are high now, ensuring your families live in comfort and have enough to eat and wear. During festivals and holidays, I will send people to deliver food and meat to your families."

The craftsmen felt that Jiang Yi was somewhat formidable, as their families might well be under his surveillance.

"I promise you that I will not harm your families without cause. But you must also follow the rules, and I will never treat you unfairly."

By combining benevolence with stern discipline, Jiang Yi dispelled any thoughts the craftsmen might have had of going to the authorities to report him.

Jiang Yi had the guards bring over the prepared mutton and cooked a pot of mutton soup right in front of everyone. Each person was given two boiled eggs and a white wheat flour flatbread. Looking at the large, thick flatbreads and several baskets of boiled eggs, the craftsmen and guards swallowed hard, amazed by such a fine meal for lunch. They knew that mutton was expensive; some of them had never tasted it from childhood to the present day. They had heard that mutton was delicious and tender, something only high-ranking officials and wealthy families could afford to eat.

Ordinarily, the craftsmen and guards ate wild boar meat or regular pork every day, occasionally getting wild rabbit or pheasant. In the past, managing to eat pork once every three months would have been considered fortunate. Ever since they started working for Jiang Yi, however, they had meat at every single meal.

The mutton was washed, chopped into chunks, placed in a pot to boil, and simmered with a selection of fragrant spices once the water came to a rolling boil. When the mutton soup was fully cooked, its rich aroma filled the air. Two eggs were distributed to each person, and the white flour flatbreads were available in unlimited quantities. Sipping the savory mutton soup with several generous pieces of meat in their bowls, they felt truly blessed. Working for Jiang Yi not only earned them high wages, but allowed them to eat meat every day.

Though they had been startled by Jiang Yi's warning earlier, upon second thought, he truly treated them very well. Whether working for the government or for wealthy households, they had never experienced such generous treatment before. They guessed that Jiang Yi was planning to undertake a momentous and dangerous enterprise. Some even dared to harbor a bold speculation: was Jiang Yi planning to lead a rebellion? If he succeeded, these craftsmen and guards might attain high official posts and hereditary noble titles in the future. If he failed, they and their families would inevitably be implicated.

Jiang Yi drank the mutton soup together with everyone else, chatting and laughing freely. After eating and drinking their fill, everyone returned to their respective tasks.

Zhao Yong brought a few blueprints to show Jiang Yi. The items drawn on the sheets were born from a sudden flash of inspiration he had a few days ago.

"Master, what do you think of this kind of firearm?"

Jiang Yi looked at the firearm sketched on the blueprints and concluded that Zhao Yong was truly a talented individual. The drawing closely resembled a revolver, with barrels of varying lengths.

"Your idea is quite good; you can try to build a prototype. The main challenge to resolve is gas leakage. When a firearm is fired, if gas leaks, it cannot shoot far, and its power will be greatly diminished."

A flintlock revolver was worth considering for manufacture and testing, though a long-barreled flintlock revolver felt somewhat impractical. Still, Jiang Yi did not wish to discourage them; having creative and wild ideas was a good thing after all.

"You may first attempt to build it, and then test the weapon. If the results satisfy me, I will grant you a generous reward."

The craftsmen were thrilled upon hearing this. As long as it could be built and successfully tested, they would receive a large sum of money—enough to send home to build a brick-and-tile house, ensuring their wives, children, and parents would never have to worry about food and warmth again.

"Do not be afraid of failure. As long as you try a few more times, there will eventually be a time of success." Jiang Yi encouraged them, urging them to engage in active creation. Although these young craftsmen were youthful, they possessed brilliant flashes of inspiration in their respective fields of expertise.

"Master, we will try to build this gun in a couple of days, and it will definitely not delay the production of the standard flintlock rifles," Zhao Yong assured Jiang Yi.

"We can study the firearm on the blueprint later. First, focus on successfully building the artillery piece. From next month onward, all craftsmen and guards working here will adopt a five-day work week with two days off."

Jiang Yi decided that starting today, the working hours of the craftsmen would be shortened from the previous five shichen to four shichen, giving them ample time to rest through a rotating shift system.

"Master, does taking a break mean our wages will be reduced?"

The craftsmen would rather skip the rest days if it meant earning a bit more money to support their families.

"Your wages will not be reduced by a single cash during your days off. I am giving you this time to rest properly and reunite with your families."

Hearing that their wages would not be docked during their days off made the craftsmen and guards even happier.

"Starting today, your working hours are four shichen. The other craftsmen will take turns covering shifts, and your pay will remain unchanged."

Their previous working hours had been too long, and the craftsmen were inevitably exhausted. Hearing Jiang Yi announce this news, everyone was profoundly moved. The working hours had been shortened, yet the wages had not decreased. In the past, working in the city meant no holidays and laboring for six shichen a day. The monthly earnings were far lower than what they made now, and those shopkeepers and bosses would always find all sorts of excuses to deduct their pay. Not only did Jiang Yi never invent reasons to dock their wages, but according to their performance, he even distributed varying amounts of extra copper coins.

By the afternoon, around the time of the eighth hour, Jiang Yi and Pang Xiong left NiuTou Mountain. Instead of returning straight home, he went to inspect the workshop.

"Husband, you've arrived. There is a matter waiting for you to handle."

Shen Rong had brought people to the workshop this morning to arrange the work, and the guards patrolling near the workshop reported this to her: last night, four suspicious individuals had been caught and interrogated.

The four captured men insisted they were merely passing by the workshop and demanded the guards release them.

"They came here to commit sabotage. Recently, the village has enforced a curfew, and only the guards patrol around the workshop."

Jiang Yi guessed that they were people hired and paid by competitors; once the workshop suffered severe damage, the losses would be immense. It would increase the workers' workload and disrupt delivery schedules. Jiang Yi immediately suspected Li Dongyang of paying people to sabotage the workshop so that manufacturing could not continue.

"Fortunately, no losses were incurred. The guards captured the thieves in the nick of time last night. They have been locked up, waiting for you to deal with them."

Shen Rong had also deduced that Li Dongyang was the most likely suspect, especially since his family's business had been dwindling lately. Someone must have given Li Dongyang such a malicious idea to crush his competitors using this method.

"Since they refuse to confess, I'd like to see how tough their mouths really are."

Jiang Yi instructed the guards to bring over the captured men and had them prepare various instruments of interrogation. After a short while, the guards escorted the four men before Jiang Yi.

The four men showed no fear at all; as long as they adamantly refused to confess, Jiang Yi could not simply do as he pleased with them and would eventually have to let them go.

"You were acting suspiciously around the workshop last night. Did someone instigate you to attempt sabotage?" Jiang Yi asked.

"We were just passing by, and they grabbed us and locked us up. We are wronged!"

"Hmph! Wronged? Are you unaware that there is a curfew at night?"

This was an official decree issued by the Hanyang prefectural government to stabilize local security. Notices had long since been posted in every village, and the village heads and ward elders had already assembled the villagers to make announcements. These individuals wanted to sabotage the workshop, but finding it difficult to strike during the day, they had chosen the cover of night.

Although the four claimed they were wronged, everyone else present clearly disbelieved them. The guards brought out various instruments of torture—some common, others never seen before. Kneeling on the ground, the four men looked at the array of implements, feeling a rising chill in their hearts.