CHAPTER 105: CHAPTER 99 RECRUITING (EXTRA CHAPTER FOR 1,000 MONTHLY TICKETS)

Ji Yuan wrapped the glass bottle in a piece of clothing and happily took it back to find Zhao Hanzhang, while Fu Tinghan leisurely followed behind.

Zhao Hanzhang rode back on her horse with an impressive and energetic demeanor, clearly having just gone out for military exercises.

Since there was no shortage of grain in the estate, she loved to run and jump around. Since coming of age, Fu Tinghan had rarely seen Zhao Hanzhang so lively and energetic.

Watching her now, it felt like she was back in her high school days.

It seemed her vision had truly restrained her.

Zhao Hanzhang jumped off her horse and cheerfully greeted Fu Tinghan behind Ji Yuan before turning to Ji Yuan’s embrace, "Mr. Ji, what are you holding?"

Ji Yuan mysteriously pulled Zhao Hanzhang inside, and only after entering the study did he carefully put down the bottle from his arms, revealing it from the clothing, "Third Lady, take a look."

Zhao Hanzhang was shocked, "What an ugly bottle!"

Fu Tinghan: "I blew it."

Zhao Hanzhang immediately changed her tone, "Quite creative. Is there any meaning behind this bottle?"

Fu Tinghan asked, "What does Teacher Zhao think?"

Zhao Hanzhang tried to retrieve her high school reading comprehension attitude, racking her brains: "A beauty bending bottle? No, it’s a beauty saluting bottle?"

Fu Tinghan held back a laugh and said, "It’s my first time blowing glass, not very skillful, so it came out badly."

Zhao Hanzhang silently looked at him.

Fu Tinghan finally couldn’t hold back and laughed, explaining, "Originally, I intended to smash it, but Mr. Ji didn’t want to."

"Why break it? This bottle is quite good," Zhao Hanzhang stepped forward, picked up the bottle, and scrutinized it earnestly, "This style of bottle is unique in the world, and if you look closely, isn’t it quite artistic?"

Fu Tinghan glanced at it but then looked away; he only found it vexing to his eyes and did not feel it was artistic.

Yet Zhao Hanzhang liked it more the longer she looked, "You said it, it’s really artistic and meaningful. This is Professor Fu’s first blown bottle, and under such scientific conditions, it’s extremely significant."

Ji Yuan, standing aside, couldn’t help but cough heavily, finally breaking the atmosphere between them and adding himself in, "Third Lady, although the craftsmen are still inexperienced and can’t produce good glassware, I think given time, these won’t be an issue. We should think about how to conduct this business."

"How else can we do it?" Zhao Hanzhang casually said, "The gentry of Shangcai County, the wealthy gentry of Ru Nan County, they can all be our customers."

"But I see today’s melted water didn’t cost much, surely the production will increase in the future, such a big business we..."

"I’ve already found a customer, Seventh Ancestor, things go out through his hands," Zhao Hanzhang said, "Furthermore, the craftsmen came from Fifth Uncle’s side, we’ve always taken advantage of Fifth Uncle since returning to Shangcai, this time we should repay a bit."

Ji Yuan instantly understood, and exchanged glances with Zhao Hanzhang, "With Zhao’s Fortress backing us, even if the business evokes jealousy, they have to weigh their actions."

Zhao Hanzhang nodded, "However, this is a public strategy, it can prevent those wealthy merchants and gentry, but not bandits and raiders. The workshop set in the estate needs to be careful, and we need to train our troops. In case bandits and raiders target the workshop, we’ll have ways to deal with it."

We can’t rely entirely on Zhao’s Fortress, as that would make us too restricted.

Ji Yuan expressed understanding, "Shall I have Zhao Qianli select some more young men from the estate for the troops?"

Zhao Hanzhang said, "Promote Zhao Qianli to Standard Bearer."

Ji Yuan: ...He was thinking about recruiting more troops, but didn’t say to expand this massively, a standard at least a thousand people.

Currently, their troops number less than two hundred, so Zhao Qianli was just a team leader. Now, she wants a five-fold increase?

Ji Yuan gently reminded, "Third Lady, there are altogether only about eighteen hundred people in the estate."

That counting includes the former tenant farmers and laborers here, as well as the refugees recruited over time.

Zhao Hanzhang waved generously, "If it’s not enough, we can recruit more. We have glass now, and it’s just after the summer harvest. Are we afraid we can’t support them?"

"But..." Ji Yuan still didn’t fully understand, "Why are you recruiting so many people?"

It sounded quite terrifying, with Zhao’s Fortress having so many clansmen, they only supported under a thousand troops.

A thousand, even the county’s military and government officials don’t have that many.

Zhao Hanzhang said, "Of course, to build the estate. Mr. Ji, my land now is largely wasted, and the average arable land per person is too much; they’re all farmed extensively, with extremely low yields. I think the problem we face now is a lack of people."

"Extensive farming?" Ji Yuan repeated twice and understood the meaning, though still puzzled, "Third Lady, I calculated, the current labor just suits the existing land, if more, it’s difficult to use these fields to sustain themselves."

"Then the land isn’t enough," Zhao Hanzhang stroked her chin, "This isn’t hard, we can buy more. Now, everywhere there’s abandoned land, we can find time to send a note to the County Magistrate, and I’ll buy land from him."

Ji Yuan caught onto it, Zhao Hanzhang wasn’t truly recruiting people for farming abandoned lands but purely expanding her influence, recruiting if they have none, buying land if they lack it, after buying land recruit more, and recruiting more then buying land...

And so it cycles...

Ji Yuan deeply looked at Zhao Hanzhang once before turning to Fu Tinghan, only to see him leaning on the low table resting with eyes closed, seemingly about to sleep.

Ji Yuan: ...

He couldn’t resist stepping forward and nudging Fu Tinghan.

Fu Tinghan opened his eyes, "Mr. Ji?"

Ji Yuan smiled slightly, "What does Mr. Fu think of Third Lady’s idea?"

"Quite good," he looked up and said to Zhao Hanzhang, "I forgot to mention, blowing glass is difficult, so I’m thinking of making molds, using steel, I’ll try refining some soon."

"Is the kiln temperature sufficient?"

"That’s the biggest issue, to not affect glass making efficiency, I plan to clear a piece of land outside the workshop to build a kiln, testing bit by bit, if successful, how about making gun heads with steel?"

Zhao Hanzhang’s eyes sparkled, nodding vigorously, "Good!"

Fu Tinghan reached out to her, "So you need to prepare iron concentrate for me."

This isn’t a common item, not available for purchase outside, Zhao Hanzhang’s first thought was still Fifth Uncle.

But after thinking, she shook her head, "This matter cannot be told to Zhao’s Fortress, we must figure it out ourselves."

She looked at Ji Yuan, "Mr. Ji, the weapons and farm tools from the fortress..."

"Bought by the master."

"There’s no source of iron concentrate?"

Ji Yuan: "...There is."

Zhao Hanzhang looked pleadingly at him.

Ji Yuan helplessly said, "I’ll try to contact them, the master just left, there might still be some leniency, but to maintain relations in the long run, just relying on Third Lady’s name isn’t enough, unless Zhao’s Fortress is willing to step up."

"No," Zhao Hanzhang shook her head, "We need to carve our own path."