Moma Liangshan

Chapter 21 The winery enters Yuncheng and recruits manpower.

As evening fell, the banquet began, and Wang Lun and his son took their seats together. At the banquet, Wang Lun sat at the head of the table, Wang Hao to his right, Zhu Gui next to Wang Hao, and Du Qian and Song Wan to his left. After everyone was seated, Wang Lun announced, "Open the Eight Immortals Wine, using celadon vessels." Zhu Gui, having followed Wang Hao for a long time, was accustomed to the variety of fine objects and was no longer surprised. Du Qian and Song Wan, though seated above Zhu Gui, had long resided on Liangshan and had never been to the bustling city of Dongjing. Seeing the gleaming, jade-like vessels filled with clear, flawless wine, they couldn't help but be astonished. Before Wang Hao brewed the wine, Liangshan, though masquerading as a chivalrous place, was actually a place of murder and robbery. Wang Lun, a mere scholar, was not skilled in martial arts, so Du Qian and Song Wan were always the leaders when they went down the mountain. In other words, if Du Qian and Song Wan had joined forces back then, they could have easily restrained Wang Lun. After Wang Hao started brewing wine, Liangshan Marsh no longer relied on robbing others for a living. Most of the stronghold's men were sent to the winery, including many of Du Qian and Song Wan's loyal followers. For several months, neither Du Qian nor Song Wan led their troops down the mountain.

Wang Hao and Wang Lun exchanged a glance, then Wang Hao suddenly said, "This junior would like to offer a toast to Uncle Du and Uncle Song." The two men immediately rose, with Du Qian saying, "This subordinate is ashamed; how could I allow the young chieftain to address me as uncle?" Wang Hao smiled casually and said, "You two uncles have assisted my father for many years, finally bringing Liangshan to its current state. Of course, you deserve it!" Seeing the two continue to decline, Wang Hao stopped them, saying, "I will build another winery in Yuncheng County. The initial plan is one hundred wine cellars and five hundred employees." Song Wan, understanding that Wang Hao had something to say, preemptively said, "Young master, please give any further instructions." Wang Hao nodded and said, "The fame of Eight Immortals Wine has spread throughout the capital, which will surely attract countless people who covet it. I have established a security escort agency in Dongjing City and recruited martial arts masters to handle overt escorts. However, covert precautions are also indispensable." Therefore, I think the negotiations with the outlaws will be handled by one of my two uncles. The other will remain in the stronghold to assist my father. Du Qian thought to himself, “Since the stronghold started brewing wine, Song Wan and I have had almost nothing to do except for guarding and daily training. We receive ten strings of cash a month from Wang Lun, and have almost no other income. Old Xu at the winery also receives ten strings of cash a month, and the first few who followed Wang Hao receive no less than five strings. A man cannot get rich without windfall gains, and a horse cannot get fat without night grazing. It would be great to be able to go out and take charge!” He said, “I am willing to take charge!” Wang Hao looked at Song Wan and asked, “What do you think, Uncle Song?” Song Wan nodded and replied, “Whatever you command, young master.” Wang Hao raised his cup and said, “Thank you, uncles, cheers!” The three of them raised their cups and drank together.

Wang Lun looked at everyone and said, "Now that my son has an official position and the Emperor has bestowed upon him the name 'Xianmeng,' he must not act as recklessly as before when dealing with Liangshan. He must always be mindful of his reputation and not give those with ill intentions any leverage." Everyone agreed. Wang Lun continued, "Wang Hao, Zhu Gui, and others will be in charge of the winery; Du Qian will be in charge of external affairs of the stronghold; and Song Wan will be in charge of internal affairs. Does anyone have any objections?" Everyone exclaimed, "Our Chief is wise!" An hour later, the banquet ended, and everyone returned home. Wang Lun summoned Wang Hao to the room and said, “After years of managing Liangshan, I have accumulated two hundred taels of gold, one thousand one hundred taels of silver, and seven thousand strings of copper coins. I am telling you about our assets, which you can use as needed. The winery in Yuncheng County needs to be built, but the winery on the mountain cannot be shut down. According to Zhu Gui, the cost of a jar of Eight Immortals Wine is about half a string of cash. You can sell it to wealthy merchants in various places for one and a half strings of cash, and then the wealthy merchants can buy it back to the inns for two strings of cash. Is that acceptable?” Wang Hao replied, “That is indeed the case. I consulted Master Chai about the price of the Eight Immortals Wine, and Master Chai suggested one tael of silver per jar. So I set the price at two strings of cash per jar.”

Wang Lun continued, "The distillery has only recently reached a production of 600 jars per month. In other words, you should have about 600 strings of cash saved each month. You've only been brewing for a short time, and your expenses in the capital are enormous, so you probably don't have more than 2,000 strings of cash on hand right now." Wang Hao nodded and said, "Father, you're wise. After deducting necessary reserves, I can freely allocate about 700 strings of cash." Wang Lun said, "When we first built the distillery, it cost 600 strings of cash for ten thatched huts, five tiled houses, and five wine cellars, plus the land on the mountain was free. If you want to build a distillery with 100 wine cellars in Yuncheng County, even with your official position, it would probably cost 10,000 strings of cash. We can't give you all of Liangshan's wealth, so I can only give you 4,000 strings and lend you another 4,000. Is that alright?" Wang Hao was troubled by the issue of the distillery's initial capital. Now that Wang Lun had given him eight thousand strings of cash, his immediate crisis was over, and he quickly said, "Thank you, Father!" Wang Lun asked, "One hundred wine cellars is a massive project. How do you plan to proceed?" Wang Hao replied, "One hundred wine cellars will be built in three phases, taking a year to complete. The first two phases will each have thirty cellars, and the third phase will have forty." Wang Lun thought this was a good idea and said, "Excellent!" He then asked, "How do you plan to recruit staff for the winery?" Wang Hao pondered for a moment and said, "I will select adult men from good families and underage children from those who have suffered hardship." Wang Lun was surprised and pondered for a moment, saying, "Adults with families have responsibilities and are more likely to fulfill their duties. Children are still developing, and having suffered hardship, if you can provide them with food and clothing, they will regard you as their second parent. My son is wise!"

Wang Hao then said, "Liangshan Marsh has a great deal of mudflats, probably nearly ten thousand acres, and irrigation is convenient. In my opinion, Father, you should instruct the villagers to cultivate them. As for the trees on the mountain, to preserve the feng shui of Liangshan, it would be best not to leave them untouched." Wang Lun nodded and said, "This matter can be considered, but we are currently short of funds and provisions, so it will probably have to be postponed for some time." Wang Hao said, "Father's consideration is indeed thorough." As night deepened, Wang Hao returned to his room.

The next day, Wang Hao, dressed in fine clothes and carrying his official seal, went with Zhu Gui to the Yuncheng County government office. Passing by Chao Gai's manor, Wang Hao did not stop but went straight into the city. Outside the county government office, Wang Hao displayed his official seal, and the yamen runners, not daring to be negligent, hurriedly went inside to announce his arrival. A short while later, the county magistrate and several officials came to greet him. Wang Hao noticed one of the men, a dark-skinned, short man, who was none other than Song Jiang. After exchanging pleasantries with the magistrate, Wang Hao said, "It's been a long time since I last saw you, Clerk Song! You're as impressive as ever!" Song Jiang had heard of Wang Hao's exploits in the capital and thought to himself, "Wang Hao is just a young upstart who, through sheer luck, climbed the social ladder and got a position as a court attendant. Meanwhile, my reputation for righteousness and benevolence is known throughout Hebei and Shandong, yet I'm still just a lowly clerk. Heaven is truly unjust!" Despite his many reflections, he dared not be negligent and quickly said, "This humble servant, Song Jiang, greets Lord Wang!" Wang Hao looked at the magistrate and said, "Clerk Song's righteousness is legendary, and my name is widely known. With such a capable assistant, Your Excellency, a promotion is just around the corner." The magistrate, trembling with fear, flattered, "Please, Lord Wang, put in a good word for me before His Majesty." He then walked to Wang Hao's side and slipped him a twenty-tael silver ingot.

Wang Hao smiled knowingly, took out a folding fan from his waist, and handed it to the magistrate, saying, "Please, Your Excellency, admire the Emperor's calligraphy!" The magistrate dared not be negligent, bowed deeply, and received the fan with both hands above his head. After a short while, Wang Hao asked, "What does Your Excellency think of the Emperor's calligraphy?" The magistrate replied, "It has a profound artistic conception and a natural charm." Wang Hao then asked, "What do you think the value of this folding fan is?" The magistrate, unsure, said, "It is undoubtedly priceless." Not wanting to delay any longer, Wang Hao said, "I want to build a winery in Yuncheng County and would like to ask Your Excellency for help in finding a suitable plot of land." The magistrate cautiously asked, "Does Your Excellency wish to build the winery in the city or outside the city?" Wang Hao replied, "Outside the city, but not too far from the county seat." The magistrate thought to himself, "Outside the city would be much easier." At this moment, Song Jiang said from the side... "Dongxi Village, two li outside the city gate, is adjacent to the official road and has abundant water. Chao Baozheng is also an extremely forthright man. What does Your Excellency think?" The magistrate looked at Wang Hao, who thought to himself, "Chao Gai is upright but unrestrained. Although I cannot recruit him, he is still worth befriending as a fellow traveler." He said, "That's acceptable. Today, I will host a small gathering at Xiaofanlou for Your Excellency, Clerk Song, and Chao Baozheng. What do you say?" The magistrate, eager to befriend Wang Hao, readily agreed and said to Song Jiang, "I would appreciate it if Clerk Song could trouble you to invite Chao Baozheng to Xiaofanlou." The magistrate was Song Jiang's superior, so Song Jiang dared not disobey and agreed to depart.

After Song Jiang left, Wang Hao said, "How about we wait at Xiao Fanlou first, Magistrate?" The magistrate replied, "As you wish, sir!" Upon entering Xiao Fanlou, the waiter immediately recognized Wang Hao and rushed forward, saying, "This humble servant greets Young Master Wang!" Wang Hao asked, "Is Boss Han not here?" The waiter replied, "My master is away on business in Tokyo and has not yet returned." Wang Hao said, "Arrange a private room for me; I wish to invite the magistrate for drinks." The waiter said, "Please come upstairs, sir!" Wang Hao sat down and instructed the waiter, "Song Yashi and Chao Baozheng will be here shortly; please serve them downstairs." The waiter served tea and asked, "Should the food and drinks be prepared now, or after everyone is here?" Wang Hao said, "After everyone is here!" The waiter acknowledged the order and waited at the door.

In less than half an hour, Song Jiang and Chao Gai arrived together in an oxcart. Wang Hao asked the magistrate, "Is the Song Dynasty so short of horses? Why are there so few horse-drawn carriages in the capital city?" The magistrate replied, "The horses in the Central Plains mainly come from the Western Regions and beyond the Great Wall. Now, the Hexi Corridor belongs to the Western Xia, and beyond the Great Wall, along with the Sixteen Prefectures of Youyun, all belong to the Liao Dynasty. The Western Xia and the Song Dynasty are constantly at war. Although the Liao Dynasty has been at peace for many years, they are still wary of each other, so very few horses can flow into the Central Plains. The few horses that exist within the Song Dynasty mostly come from Dali and Tibet, but these two places are not the main horse-producing areas, so their numbers are limited." As he spoke, Chao Gai and Song Jiang entered the building.