Moma Liangshan

Chapter 29: Juancheng County issues orders; Dongkou Town recruits heroes.

Yang Zhi bowed in agreement. Wang Hao then asked, "Which county governs the area where the Flower and Stone Tribute sank?" Yang Zhi replied, "Juancheng County." Wang Hao called over Zhang Sangou and said, "I'll write a letter; you deliver it to the Juancheng County government office for me. After that, you stay in Juancheng County and wait for my arrival." Zhang Sangou nodded and said, "Yes, sir!" The next day, Wang Hao deposited 20,000 taels of silver into a money exchange in Dongjing (Kaifeng). Then, he found eleven oxcarts, fully loaded with 55,000 taels of silver, and headed east. Liangshan was east of Dongjing, and Juancheng County was northeast of Liangshan. Therefore, Wang Hao and Yang Zhi led ten martial arts masters to Liangshan first. The group stayed at Liangshan for a day and then immediately headed towards Juancheng County.

The magistrate of Juancheng County was a seventh-rank official, only one rank lower than Wang Hao, a sixth-rank official. However, when the magistrate received Wang Hao's letter, he dared not be the slightest bit negligent. At the south gate of Juancheng County, the magistrate, along with the county constable, clerk, bailiff, head constable, and other clerks and runners, had been waiting for a long time. Looking at the sea of ​​heads, Wang Hao said, "I'm merely handling some private matters; how can I keep everyone from the county office waiting here?" The magistrate quickly replied, "How can what you're doing, Lord Wang, be considered private? We are paid by the emperor, so it's our duty to share his burdens and serve him faithfully! I hope you will give me a chance!" Wang Hao understood the magistrate's intention and said, "This is not the place to talk; please, Magistrate, we will go to the post station." The magistrate said, "Since you have arrived in Juancheng County, as the local official, how can I not extend the hospitality of a host? Please, Lord Wang, give me a chance!" Wang Hao did not refuse and said, "Please, Magistrate, lead the way!" After a short while, Wang Hao and his party arrived at the gate of a courtyard. The magistrate said, "This is my private residence; please do not find it too simple!"

Although the magistrate of Juancheng County's private residence wasn't extravagantly luxurious, its architectural layout was quite elegant. The entire mansion centered around a pond, with covered walkways connecting the main house, side rooms, and annexes. As for the inner quarters, outsiders were forbidden from entering, so their location remained unknown. Wang Hao had no time to appreciate the magistrate's residence and went straight to the study. Understanding the magistrate's intentions, Wang Hao said directly, "I've brought all the money needed for salvaging the Huashi Gang, a full 35,000 taels of silver. You are the magistrate of Juancheng County; how to recruit manpower is surely not a concern for me!" The magistrate glanced at the seven-tael oxcart outside the courtyard and quickly said, "The Huashi Gang sank in Dongkou Town of this county. After the Huashi Gang sank, the imperial court sent people to investigate and prepare for salvage. However, the Yellow River was murky, and there were strong undercurrents. At that time, officials from the Ministry of Works reported to the court a cost of 100,000 strings of cash." The budget was... When the Qingliu faction learned of this, a flood of opposing memorials followed. The Emperor, having no other option, had to temporarily shelve the matter. Wang Hao asked, "According to my budget, 70,000 strings of cash should be enough. Why did the Ministry of Works initially propose a budget of 100,000 strings?" The magistrate chuckled and said, "From the palace to the Juancheng County government office, there are various departments such as the Privy Council, the Three Departments, the Ministry of Revenue, and the Ministry of Works. A mere 30,000 strings of cash in internal expenses isn't much." Wang Hao frowned slightly, but understood that what the magistrate said was true.

Wang Hao looked at the magistrate and said, "Tomorrow, set up a camp on the banks of the Yellow River. Then, inform all the villages and hamlets of the plan to salvage the 'Flower Stone Tribute,' and recruit local villagers to come and serve. The notice should state that the reward is generous!" The magistrate said, "Your Excellency doesn't need to spend too much. I only need to send a team of yamen runners. A little intimidation will suffice, and they won't disobey. Afterwards, Your Excellency can give them some money as a token of your appreciation. This will not only earn you a good reputation but also save you a considerable amount of money." Wang Hao was furious and retorted, "Is the underwater operation truly perilous?" The magistrate replied, "Indeed, it is dangerous." Wang Hao said, "Since the underwater operation involves risking one's life for money, if we arbitrarily deduct their money, how is that any different from treating human life like dirt?" The magistrate only felt that Wang Hao was wealthy and powerful, but dared not disobey him, and said, "Your Excellency is wise and benevolent. I have learned my lesson!" Wang Hao didn't like to argue and said, "According to the records of the Palace Guard, the Flower Stone Tribute is enormous, and the transport..." "None of the ships in the transport department can stably support the cargo. You must quickly post notices in all the nearby shipyards, summoning shipwrights to Juancheng County to serve, with generous compensation." The magistrate, not expecting a large ship to be specially built to transport the tribute of precious stones, said, "When the tribute arrived in Juancheng County, I went to greet it. The ship responsible for loading it was the largest Cao ship. The more than 10,000 catties of tribute weighed down the Cao ship, far exceeding its draft. Moreover, to ensure speed during transport, the Cao ship was not very wide, with the tribute hanging in the air on both sides." Wang Hao understood the situation and said, "Top-heavy and bottom-light, the shipwrights didn't have much room to maneuver, hence the grounding and capsizing." The magistrate replied, "Your Excellency is wise." Wang Hao pondered for a moment and said, "I will give you three days to recruit strongmen and shipwrights. After the matter is accomplished, I will certainly not forget your contribution before the Emperor!" He then opened the folding fan bestowed upon him by Emperor Huizong. The imperial fan was presented before him, and the magistrate felt unprecedented pressure. He hurriedly said, "I will do it immediately!" Wang Hao agreed.

Three days later, on the banks of the Yellow River in Dongkou Town, Juancheng County, Wang Hao arrived at the newly built camp. All the water spirits, strongmen, and craftsmen were present. Wang Hao stood on a high platform in the center of the camp, thirty-five thousand taels of silver exposed before everyone. Facing the crowd, Wang Hao proclaimed, "I, Wang Hao of Liangshan, have invited you heroes and craftsmen here to share in a fortune. There is a giant rock in the Yellow River, and a silver mountain on the platform. If you all help me transport that giant rock to Tokyo, the silver mountain on the platform will be yours to share. As for the specific amount each of you will receive, I have posted it on the gate." At this moment, a short man below the platform asked, "If you all work hard but ultimately fail to transport the giant rock to Tokyo, how will the reward be settled?" Wang Hao replied, "If..." "If we can't transport the boulder to Tokyo, we'll provide plenty of wine and meat every day, but not a single coin of silver," the man said. "So, success is the only option; failure is not an option. If we don't meet your requirements, everyone will have worked for nothing!" Wang Hao replied, "That's my rule. If we succeed, I won't owe you a single coin; if we fail, I won't pay you a single coin. Let's be clear from the start, this is a fair trade. Anyone with objections, please turn around and leave." As soon as he finished speaking, countless people shook their heads, frowned, and sighed. After a short while, only about seventy people remained below the stage. Looking at the people who remained, Wang Hao shouted, "Since everyone is willing to take this gamble, then after the success, you will share the thirty-five thousand taels of silver. Please divide yourselves into three groups: water ghosts, strongmen, and craftsmen." After a few breaths, there were thirteen water ghosts, forty-one strongmen, and eighteen craftsmen. Wang Hao then said, "Please choose three leaders for yourselves." After saying this, he turned and returned to his tent.

An hour later, three leaders arrived to report. Wang Hao asked, "May I ask the names of the three esteemed Khans?" The man on the left spoke first, "My name is Luo Wei, the leader of the Water Ghosts, nicknamed 'The Immortal Mudfish.'" The man in the middle followed, "My name is He Li, the leader of the Strongmen, nicknamed 'The Ox of Nanshan.'" The man on the right said last, "My name is Jia Chuan, the leader of the Craftsmen, known as 'Carpenter Jia.'" Wang Hao laughed, "Carpenter Jia isn't exactly a nickname." The carpenter, embarrassed, said, "I really don't have any other nicknames!" Wang Hao quickly said, "It's alright!" He then continued, "The boulder is in the water, so our first step is for Luo Wei to lead men to locate its exact position. The second step is to secure it with ropes, try to pull it out of the water, and finally move it to..." "On the ship, bound for Tokyo." At this moment, Luo Wei said, "Please tell me the approximate location of the boulder, young master, and I will immediately take men there." Wang Hao nodded and said, "Yang Zhi, you and Luo Wei will first survey the location of the boulder." Then he looked at He Li and Jia Chuan and said, "Do you two have any good ideas on how to retrieve the boulder from underwater?" He Li thought for a moment and said, "Young master, have you ever heard of the iron oxen retrieved from Hezhong Prefecture?" Wang Hao had some impression and said, "I've heard a little about it, but I don't know the specifics." He Li said, "One year, Hezhong Prefecture experienced a great flood, which washed away a pontoon bridge outside the city, and the eight large iron oxen that were securing the pontoon bridge were also swept into the river. After the flood receded, the prefecture rebuilt the pontoon bridge, but the iron oxen were stuck in the river." In the river, when people were at their wits' end, a master named Huaibing arrived. The master found two large boats and joined them side-by-side with hardwood. Then he filled the holds with sand and gravel. After the iron ox underwater was secured to the wooden frame between the two boats with ropes, people began shoveling the sand and gravel from the holds into the river. As the sand and gravel gradually decreased, the boats slowly rose, and the taut ropes gently pulled the iron ox out of the mud and sand. Wang Hao pondered for a moment and said, “The boulder is heavier and larger than the iron ox. The existing boats are probably not up to the task, and we must also consider how to load it onto ships and transport it to Tokyo.” Everyone remained silent. After a short while, He Li said, “In my humble opinion, young master, you could…” Four deep-draft wooden boats were placed in the northwest and four southwest directions. The boats facing each other, east and west, and northwest, were secured with wooden frames. Iron rings were attached to the ropes binding the boulder. First, the ropes were secured to the east and west boats, and the boulder was pulled away from the silt using a method similar to hauling iron oxen. Once the boulder reached a certain height, hardwood was threaded through the iron rings below, and the same method was used to further raise its height. When the boulder was close to the water's surface, a large wooden cage was used to place it inside. If the cage was properly constructed, we should be able to transport it directly to Tokyo.” Wang Hao was extremely satisfied with He Li's suggestion and said, “You are fully responsible for all matters on the water; a generous reward will be given upon completion.”