Chapter 94: Inspection

Ever since Xu Wenshan’s speech, the ordinary villagers of Fengshi Village had treated him with extraordinary warmth. Many civilians even invited his soldiers to lodge in their homes. When Xu Wenshan repeatedly emphasized that his troops would rather sleep by the roadside than in private residences, many of the villagers actually sighed with regret.

A look inside these villagers' homes revealed the reason: they possessed no surplus wealth and no beautiful women, so they were naturally at ease allowing soldiers to stay. Nevertheless, to prevent his troops from becoming corrupted, Xu Wenshan stationed them in the old buildings of the White Dragon Hall.

Meanwhile, the original power structure of the White Dragon Hall had been thoroughly dismantled by Xu Wenshan, leaving its remnants with morale at an all-time low. Only one person stood out as an exception.

"Young General, this is our White Dragon Hall's training ground. They relied on this to practice martial arts and then go out to bully the common folk. Aren't you interested in it? Why not tear it down later? And look over here, this is our death row prison, and this is their... well, their tool for internal suppression."

The next day, while Xu Wenshan was inspecting the entirety of Fengshi Village, he hired two guides because he was unfamiliar with the paths. One was a local civilian named Zhang Aniu, and the other was this incessant chatterbox, Qian Dabin.

After Qian Dabin was captured, Xu Wenshan initially thought he was part of the White Dragon Hall’s management and intended to execute him. However, he later discovered that this fellow was so obscure within the gang that few people recognized him, and the villagers didn't know him either; his presence was truly negligible, and he did not appear to be part of the leadership. Upon learning that he was literate and had even sat for the imperial examinations—though he had failed—Xu Wenshan spared his life.

Having stayed in these remote mountain gullies for so long, Xu Wenshan’s standards for talent had lowered to "someone who can read."

Not only was he not killed, but he also actively ingratiated himself with Xu Wenshan, even mimicking Xu Wenshan’s own way of lecturing others.

"Young General, listen to me. This humble one deeply regrets his past actions. From now on, I am willing to follow you, serve in the military for the rest of my life, and bring peace to the world..."

Xu Wenshan found him both annoying and amusing, unable to say much in response. Beside him, Zhang Aniu could no longer bear it and scolded, "You villain, all you do is spout sycophantic nonsense to bewitch people! Young Master Xu is kind-hearted; is he the sort of greedy person you imagine him to be?"

Xu Wenshan interjected, "Enough, stop arguing. Take me to see the granary first."

The granary is a vital structure in the development of any settlement. The size of the granary represents the capacity to withstand disasters.

One must not assume that a granary is merely a building for storing old grain. The site selection and construction standards for a granary must be higher than those for other structures. There is much expertise involved in building a granary with regard to fire prevention, theft deterrence, and protection against rodents and insects.

The most famous granary in ancient Chinese history was the Luokou Granary of the Sui and Tang dynasties. It was because the Wagang Army captured the Luokou Granary that they were able to rise to power and cast the first shovelful of earth onto the grave of the Sui Dynasty.

Due to a long-term shortage of food, Luhe Valley had no granary. However, Fengshi Village provided Xu Wenshan with a great surprise regarding their own.

The location of the Fengshi Village granary was quite excellent; it was near a water source and backed by high mountains, making it impeccable in terms of theft and fire prevention. The layout inside was clean and orderly, with high practical utility.

Xu Wenshan pointed to the granary and asked, "Who oversaw the construction of this granary?"

He had asked without much expectation, but to his surprise, Qian Dabin immediately replied, "It was overseen by Elder Wei, and he built it alongside his sons and some of the villagers."

Xu Wenshan nodded and clapped his hands, instructing Lei Laohu to have the soldiers count and tally the grain inside.

After the calculation, there were over 300 dan of grain in the granary, enough to solve the urgent food shortage currently plaguing Luhe Valley.

After viewing the granary, Xu Wenshan had the guides lead him to the prison.

The screening process had been completed, and the prison held the remnants of the White Dragon Hall—not only thugs but also various laborers, totaling over 120 people.

Fengshi Village, including both civilians and the White Dragon Hall, had only about 300 people—fewer than Luhe Valley (which had 200 households, not 200 people)—yet they had over 300 dan of stored grain, more than ten times the reserves of Luhe Valley.

Xu Wenshan now understood why ancient China generally implemented a state monopoly on salt and iron.

The group continued their inspection. Next, Xu Wenshan visited the salt production facility in Fengshi Village.

The salt in Fengshi Village, like in most places in ancient China, was derived from brine. Fengshi Village was a basin soaked in saline-alkali; it had brine exposed on the surface, and the village’s salt production facility used the method of boiling the brine to extract salt, which was quite fuel-intensive.

Seeing the state of the salt production facility, Xu Wenshan could not help but frown.

Qian Dabin keenly caught this subtle expression and asked, "Young General, what is the matter?"

Xu Wenshan asked, "Who is in charge of salt management here?"

Qian Dabin immediately replied, "The person who controlled the salt workers was eliminated by you, Young General. The actual work of salt production is managed by Master Wei."

"Master Wei? What is his relationship to that Elder Wei you mentioned?"

"Master Wei is Elder Wei’s fourth son."

Xu Wenshan nodded and said, "That’s perfect. Who can help me call Elder Wei and his son over here?"

Soon, someone helped fetch Elder Wei, and in fact, his entire family was brought along.

Elder Wei was a man in his forties or fifties, and he arrived with five or six sons and a daughter in a grand procession.

Xu Wenshan broke into a cold sweat; he had only intended to summon two people, but he hadn't realized his authority had become so effective.

"Elder Wei, I won't waste words. I heard that you were the one who oversaw the construction of that granary?" Xu Wenshan asked directly.

Elder Wei grinned and said, "That was so many years ago... Why, Young Master Xu, does your family want to build a granary?"

Xu Wenshan tilted his head and smiled, "In a way, yes, though the project is a bit larger than a standard granary. By the way, is your son in charge of the salt production process?"

The Fourth Master Wei stepped forward and said, "I am in charge. What of it?"

Perhaps it was Xu Wenshan’s imagination, but he felt that this Fourth Master Wei held a hint of hostility toward him.

"I have heard of a better method for producing salt. I wonder if you might be interested?"

Fourth Master Wei’s eyes darted around, and he studied him suspiciously for a moment before asking, "What method?"