GBP Chapter 646 Craftsmen from Across the Country Gather in Tongzhou
Chapter 646 Craftsmen from Across the Country Gather in Tongzhou
When the recruitment order was issued, thousands of soldiers and horses came to meet him.
For the hefty middleman fee, the craftsmen who were already at the Tongzhou Wharf did everything in their power.
Some even wanted to go home and bring their families back, but they were afraid of wasting too much time and delaying their ability to start work and earn money.
After all, Lord Qiu had already begun purchasing a new batch of materials, and the warehouses at the docks were already full, with timber and iron parts piled up like mountains.
The fact that Jiang Wenqing was able to buy so much timber and iron was largely due to his good relationships with local merchants and even better with those in charge of the canal transport.
The two were practically on the verge of becoming sworn brothers. Jiang Wenqing didn't feel any sense of condescension, but believed that making friends should be "inclusive."
His sincerity and easygoing nature were something people had never seen in officials before, so everyone could be considered to have a heart-to-heart relationship with him.
Jiang Wenqing asked everyone for help, and everyone naturally helped if they could.
Qiu Cheng was quite impressed with Magistrate Jiang, realizing that the man was actually quite useful.
Jiang Wenqing didn't know why he was so eager to help, as if he were doing chores for his own family.
Perhaps it's because all his own advisors are here, and he's the only one in the yamen, so he's too bored?
Jiang Wenqing has been so busy lately that he's missed a few fishing days, but the chefs at the dockside canteen are quite happy.
Finally, I don't have to deal with fishy smells every day anymore. How could I not be happy?
Most of the craftsmen who had returned to their hometowns in the south have now come back, and some have even brought their companions with them.
Qiu Cheng wrote with a flourish, and the same applies to the middleman.
For the newly returned craftsmen, this was a windfall.
However, when everyone heard that they could get a middleman fee for writing letters to recruit people, several more pages of mailing address information immediately appeared in the Wangchuan registration book.
They managed to catch the last train; if they manage to recruit enough people, they'll have to choose the best of the best.
The craftsmen in the north actually had a geographical advantage; some wrote letters, and some went back to their hometowns.
This kind of face-to-face lobbying is much more efficient than writing a letter and waiting for a reply.
Some people were even brought to the dock for trial work before they even understood what was going on. If they passed the trial work, they were directly signed an employment contract.
After seeing the food and wages at the dock, none of the people who came to try out the work wanted to leave. They all regretted coming too late and missing the opportunity to build ships last time.
In short, the craftsmen who came to work at Tongzhou Wharf never regretted it.
Just as everyone on and off the dock was busy with shipbuilding, several suspicious-looking people arrived at the dock.
Dressed in short clothes similar to those of artisans, they mingled among the artisans, inquiring about the situation, their eyes occasionally glancing towards the dock warehouse.
Qiu Cheng's men and Jiang Wenqing were looking for fishing spots by the river when they happened to see these people, and they were immediately puzzled.
If you're here to sign up for work, you should register first, instead of wandering around like a headless fly.
Moreover, they're getting closer and closer to the warehouse; there's something fishy about these people!
"Lord Jiang, please find a fishing spot first. I need to go back and inform Lord Qiu, lest he come here to cause trouble."
"Go on, why are you still looking for a fishing spot? Let's skip it today. Recruiting workers and ensuring dock safety are the most important things. Let's pack up and call it a day!"
It was rare for Jiang Wenqing to be so clear-headed. Qiu Cheng's subordinate was taken aback, clasped his hands in a salute, and rushed back to the dock office.
Inside the office, Lord Qiu was going over the accounts with Wangchuan and Master Qian, the abacuses clicking rhythmically.
"My lord, I just saw with Lord Jiang at the dock..."
Qiu Cheng's brows furrowed more and more. He wasn't worried about thieves, but rather about other princes discovering that this was the Second Prince's property.
"Okay, I understand. Take the rest of the men and keep a close watch on them. Make sure they don't cause any trouble at the docks."
"Yes, sir, but we are still limited in manpower. Could we ask Brother A Niu for help? If a conflict eventually breaks out, we can suppress it with force."
"Alright, let Wangchuan and Aniu go. They both have some skills."
Upon hearing his name called, Wangchuan immediately put down his pen and abacus.
He and Ah Niu voluntarily stayed behind on this voyage to Japan.
After all, ten ships were about to be built at the dock, and there was a shortage of manpower.
There will be plenty of opportunities to go to sea in the future. Setting sail with a dozen or so ships together is truly impressive.
Wangchuan left with Aniu and Qiu Cheng's men, leaving only Master Qian and Qiu Cheng in the office.
"Sir, shall we call Old Xing over?"
"Okay, go call them!"
Just when Qiu Cheng thought he had enough manpower, he found himself stretched thin again.
If any unexpected situation arises at this dock, it's best to have someone specifically in charge.
However, the arrangement of official positions is indeed a problem.
Qiu Cheng thought of the young people who were about to be transferred here, but couldn't think of any positions to assign them.
When he was transferred here, it was the Empress who helped him get the official position of Director of Works. However, although this position had a rank, there was no precedent for it in the court.
Although he was called the Director of Production, he did not belong to the Six Ministries. He had no government office or superiors. Even his subordinates were all people he had gradually gathered and recruited.
The subordinates currently only receive salaries without any specific official positions. Fortunately, they are well-paid and none of them are graduates of the imperial examination system, so they don't complain.
He knew that the Second Prince would give everyone official positions in the future, but his subordinates did not.
However, everyone worked diligently because of the substantial salaries.
Qiu Cheng felt that the Second Prince was right about something: when leading a team, if you want people to be completely devoted to you, you either have to give them enough respect or enough money.
None of them? Why would anyone risk their life for you?!
However, the Jiang family members recommended by Lord Jiang were different; they were legitimate graduates of the imperial examinations, and they couldn't be without official rank or status.
Hey~
Jiang Xiaoqi had already considered these concerns of Qiu Cheng and had discussed them with the Second Prince.
The sudden appearance of several officials at a small Tongzhou wharf was bound to be too conspicuous. Jiang Lin and Jiang Yan were Jinshi (successful candidates in the highest imperial examinations) from the previous year, and they had already returned to the capital from various places.
Before returning to the capital, his parents were county magistrates, both holding the seventh rank.
Jiang Hao was the third-ranked scholar in the imperial examination this year. He entered the Hanlin Academy as a seventh-rank editor. Although he passed the imperial examination three years later, he immediately caught up with his cousins.
It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that he surpassed the original.
However, he had only been at the Hanlin Academy for a short time, so Jiang Xiaoqi told him to wait for half a year.
After Jiang Lin and Jiang Yan return to Beijing, they can go directly to Tongzhou Wharf.
However, even faster were the artisans from all over the country, who almost immediately set off upon receiving the letter.
Even though their families thought it was unreliable and wouldn't offer such good working conditions, they still wanted to come and see for themselves.
After all, the reimbursement for round-trip travel expenses and a maximum daily reimbursement of ten coins for food and lodging was too tempting.
Even if the employment was fake, I could still go to the friend who wrote the letter to demand an explanation. In short, I didn't have to spend a single penny of my family's money on this trip.
That's the capital city! Who wouldn't want to visit the capital city in their lifetime?
Although Tongzhou Wharf was located in the outer city, it was still a necessary route to Beijing.
Arriving in Tongzhou is like arriving in the capital!