Chapter 61 The Wang Family's Backer

Jiang Yi listened as Pang Xiong reported the discovery of a salt mine deep within the mountains, estimating that the reserve was quite substantial.

This was truly magnificent news. Once Hanzhou was under his control, they could begin mining the salt.

"You have brought me a wonderful surprise, and I am very pleased. I shall reward you with another hundred taels of silver."

"To be able to serve my lord is my greatest honor. I can refuse the reward."

Pang Xiong felt deeply grateful to Jiang Yi for previously spending money to treat Pang Yueting's illness and taking in the brother and sister.

During the time he had followed Jiang Yi, aside from his monthly wages, he had received numerous bounties.

Jiang Yi's heavy reliance and trust in him filled him with profound gratitude.

"Take the money since it is given to you; you have earned it. You can save the silver and use it in the future to take a wife and raise children."

Whenever people who worked for him performed well, Jiang Yi was always generous with his rewards.

"You have discovered a salt mine, which is a monumental achievement. When the time is ripe, we will exploit this salt mine."

Before discovering the salt mine, salt had to be transported from other prefectures and counties for sale.

The salt brought in from external places always commanded exorbitantly high prices, which was why the salt trade was truly a super-profitable business.

Jiang Yi considered providing the road builders with a daily meal of game meat to give them more stamina for their labor.

"Take some men and notify the various villages that hunting is strictly prohibited starting tomorrow. Spring has arrived, and it is also the breeding season for wild beasts."

Every year from March to May was the reproductive season for wild beasts, during which hunting was suspended.

This was done to ensure the preservation of wildlife numbers and population reproduction, maintaining a certain ecological balance.

He also arranged for some men to guard the intersection at Niutou Mountain, and instructed the guards stationed on the mountain to halt their hunting as well.

"March is almost upon us, and most wild beasts will be producing offspring. Send someone to explain this clearly to them so they can understand."

Gathering on the mountain was not forbidden, as the local people needed to forage and hunt to make a living.

Jiang Yi now had a considerable amount of money in his hands and could provide them with opportunities to make a profit.

After a short while, Pang Yueting arrived outside the study.

"My lord, Zhao Tuo, the steward of the Zhao family, wishes to see you."

Hoping that Zhao Tuo brought good news, Jiang Yi guessed it might be related to the Wang family.

Jiang Yi entered the living room, and Zhao Tuo stepped forward with a smile to pay his respects.

"Steward Zhao, I apologize for keeping you waiting for so long." Jiang Yi smiled and cupped his hands in return.

"I haven't been here long. Please forgive me for intruding upon your esteemed residence."

"Steward Zhao is too polite. Please speak your mind directly."

Zhao Tuo detailed the matters concerning the Wang family to Jiang Yi, explaining how Zhao Guang first had the Khitan spies and military defense maps delivered to the Hanyang prefectural government.

"Yesterday, the prefect sent men to bring Wang Rengui to the yamen for questioning, and he returned today. Although the prefect shares the same surname as Wang Rengui, they do not share the same ancestral lineage."

Jiang Yi had guessed that Wang Rengui possessed a trump card to save his own life, and Wang Zhun would not dare to convict him lightly.

The crime of treason and colluding with the enemy, unless one had backing at the very top, would result in either the confiscation of property and execution of the entire clan, or exile to the distant frontiers.

"If I am not mistaken, Wang Rengui has a powerful backer behind him. Since the prefect can do nothing against him, Wang Rengui will simply find a scapegoat."

Jiang Yi wanted to eliminate Wang Rengui precisely because he was hand in glove with Cao Zhang.

"You should not be overly disappointed; our Zhao family has already done our utmost. As long as you continue to cooperate with us, the Zhao family can guarantee the safety of you and your wife."

The Zhao family also wished to eradicate the Wang family in order to become the sole dominant power in Hanzhou.

"There is nothing to be disappointed about. I will continue to cooperate with the Zhao family."

With Cao Zhang supporting him from behind, Wang Rengui acted with absolute impunity.

"Government officials are truly unreliable, which is a grave disappointment to me. It is quite possible that Inspector Yang Che and Prefect Wang Zhun are Cao Zhang's men. That would explain why Wang Rengui went unpunished."

Jiang Yi thought to himself that relying on others was definitely a dead end; it was far better to strengthen his own power.

"Our family head has stated that once the government issues the bounty in a couple of days, the Zhao family will split it evenly with you."

"When that time comes, I must trouble you to have the bounty delivered here. As for Wang Rengui, I will find another way to deal with him later. As long as he is not eliminated, I will never have peace of mind."

When Cao Lian previously sent assassins to murder the couple, Wang Rengui must have known about it.

He was determined to firmly rely on Cao Zhang as his mountain of support so that the Wang family could achieve soaring success in the future.

"To be frank with you, our Zhao family also wishes to get rid of the Wang family. After competing openly and fighting in the shadows for so many years, both families have suffered heavy losses."

Both the Zhao and Wang families wanted to become the largest power in Hanzhou, and the two major clans were currently evenly matched.

They had hoped to use the Khitan spies to deal a heavy blow to the Wang family, but never expected the Wang family to emerge completely unscathed.

"If our two families continue to join forces, there will come a day when we can drive the Wang family out of Hanzhou."

Jiang Yi was full of confidence and decided to recruit and train more men.

He intended to become the master of Hanzhou and clear out all the forces within its borders that threatened him.

As for the Zhao family, as long as they did not become his enemies, the two sides would continue their cooperation.

"If you have any needs, let me know first. I will return to inform the family head, and now I must take my leave." Zhao Tuo bowed farewell to Jiang Yi.

"I have no needs for the moment."

Zhao Tuo departed the Jiang residence, and Pang Xiong entered the living room.

"My lord, what news did Zhao Tuo bring?" Pang Xiong asked.

"He said Wang Rengui did not suffer any punishment. I surmise that Wang Rengui will casually find someone to act as a scapegoat and pay off those officials with some money to settle the matter."

"Hmph! Those officials have always been like this. If it were ordinary commoners without backing, their entire families would probably be sentenced to death."

Pang Xiong harbored immense resentment toward those officials who only knew how to bully the weak and fear the strong.

"Since those officials cannot be relied upon, we can only depend on ourselves. I have decided to recruit more men for training."

Jiang Yi resolved to increase the size of the guard unit and subject them to militarized training.

By making the combat effectiveness of his guards superior to the garrison troops of Hanyang, he would be able to secure a voice and influence in Hanyang.

"Go to the other villages in Hanyang and recruit youths aged eighteen to twenty-two. The more men we recruit, the better."

"I think it would be best to recruit able-bodied young men from other prefectures and counties to join our guard unit."

Jiang Yi listened and shook his head slightly. "That method won't work. The various prefectures and counties maintain strict control over the local populace. Without a travel pass, they cannot even leave their own county."

Applying for travel passes was quite troublesome, and for Jiang Yi to leave Hanyang at present was extremely difficult.

"If we recruit locals as guards, they will be bound by ties to their local family and friends, and may not strictly execute orders."

Pang Xiong's worry was not without reason; recruiting able-bodied youths from other regions presented certain difficulties right now.

If the government refused to issue travel passes, those young men would simply not be able to come to Hanyang.

"We will recruit local youths first and consider other matters later."

Jiang Yi had not failed to consider this issue; he would first recruit a batch of young men for training.

He still needed to wait for the right opportunity to capture Hanyang city and subsequently bring the other counties under control one by one.

"Why not send a few men to recruit in other counties and train the guard units locally?"

"Every county has its own local factions; they will not allow outsiders to develop power on their turf."

It was not that Jiang Yi did not want to do this, but rather that current conditions did not permit it.

Pang Xiong felt that Jiang Yi's considerations were entirely correct, leaving them no choice but to develop their strength within Hanyang for now.

"Do not dwell on it too much; just recruit more men right here in Hanyang and carry out the plan step by step."

Jiang Yi had plenty of time, and his current priority was to earn more money.

"Should we recruit more craftsmen and offer some money to the officials of various counties so they will issue the travel passes?"

As long as money was involved, even the most difficult tasks became much easier to handle.

"That idea of yours is viable. Arrange a few reliable men to handle this matter, and reimburse all their travel expenses."

As long as a problem could be solved with money, money was the best tool to get it done.

"You must recruit some reliable craftsmen, have them sign confidentiality agreements, and treat them with generous compensation."

"My lord, rest assured, we will handle this matter properly and recruit craftsmen of unquestionable loyalty and reliability."

Pang Xiong assured Jiang Yi that the task would be successfully executed, noting that they could spend a bit of money to gather information from the locals.