Chapter 58: Shortage of Manpower
Because the figure of 780,000 taels was exactly what Yuan Chonghuan was going to propose in order to embarrass Chongzhen.

Not only did Chongzhen take the initiative to offer the money, he even calculated the number to the exact penny, which made Yuan Chonghuan alert.

Is there really a spy around me?
It seems that we can no longer underestimate the emperor and do whatever we want as before.

As for Mao Wenlong, since the emperor specifically pointed out that he should not be killed, Yuan Chonghuan naturally did not have the courage to go against the emperor.

"I obey your orders and will follow your majesty's teachings!" Yuan Chonghuan, who was completely shocked by Chongzhen, finally put away his mentality of a heroic general and said with conviction.

Chongzhen was very satisfied. He did not personally escort Yuan Chonghuan out of the palace like he did last time. He just waved his hand and said casually: "Then you can take office. Remember, if you do a good job, I will reward you with a duke. Whether you will be remembered in history or end up in disgrace, everything depends on your decision."

Chongzhen spoke gently, but his tone was quite harsh.

The implication is that if you do a good job, you will be made king or duke, but if you don’t do a good job... there is no need to say what the consequences will be.

Chongzhen had no other intentions, he just wanted to give Yuan Chonghuan a final warning so that he would not act recklessly with the mentality that he was the only one in the world.

However, it was this sentence that made Yuan Chonghuan deeply understand that the talents he was proud of might not be so important in Chongzhen's mind.

Just like Chongzhen proposed Sun Chengzong, if you don’t do a good job, there are people waiting to replace you!
"Yes, I will devote my life to the Ming Dynasty!"

…………

Wang Zhichen returned to Beijing in response to the imperial edict, and the news that Yuan Chonghuan was promoted to the Minister of War and Right Deputy Censor-in-Chief, and was in charge of military affairs in Jiliao, Denglai, Tianjin and other places spread throughout the capital within a day.

Everyone thought that Yuan Chonghuan, who acted rather casually, would be very proud of himself. However, when all the officials congratulated and complimented him, Yuan Chonghuan seemed like a different person, appearing extremely humble and polite.

He even told everyone that he was mediocre in ability, and that the reason he was able to lead the army to Ji and Liao was because of the favor of the Emperor, and that he had received a lot of guidance from the Emperor.

He almost shouted in his words that he had the courage to lead the army to Ji and Liao because of Chongzhen's guidance.

Chongzhen had not been on the throne for long, so it was not entirely clear how capable his officials were, but it was thought that there was no one who could directly direct military affairs in Liaodong or serve as a teacher to Yuan Chonghuan.

So they all began to look down on you in their hearts. They didn't expect that a guy with thick eyebrows and big eyes would learn to flatter the emperor, and flatter him in such a disgusting way. They told you about it every time they met someone, as if they were afraid that the emperor might not hear it.

Where did the original domineering attitude of "comforting the emperor" go?
Could it be that the emperor heard about it, pressed him into the Wenhua Hall and spanked him, and he learned his lesson?
But no matter what, it is an indisputable fact that Yuan Chonghuan seemed to have become a loyal dog of Chongzhen.

While the court was discussing the issue of Yuan Chonghuan as the commander-in-chief of Ji and Liao, Wang An's honeycomb coal field was also put into production in full swing.

A large number of honeycomb coal and honeycomb coal stoves are stacked in layers in a designated area of ​​the cargo yard. A dozen workers holding single-pole coal briquette machines are constantly mixing coal powder with yellow mud and lime to cast honeycomb coal.

Wait for it to dry naturally before stacking it in the designated area.

Then a group of half-grown children hurriedly piled the coal briquettes onto a brand new cart, which was then pulled along the street by a group of newly recruited "sales managers" to sell.

Honeycomb briquettes have just come out, and the people of the capital city still lack understanding of these strange-shaped coal balls, making sales efforts almost impossible.

But the "sales managers" were not discouraged, because Wang An offered a basic salary plus commission system, and considering the current market acceptance of honeycomb briquettes, Wang An's sales basic salary was not low, a full one or two silver coins. All they had to do was pull the cart around the street, and if they were lucky enough to sell briquettes, they would get a commission.

The only regret of the sales managers is probably that they cannot have a free lunch like the yard workers and have to pay for their own food at noon.

As for those kids, they were all children of coal workers, and they followed their fathers to the freight yard to have lunch.

Of course, it was not for nothing, as everyone was sensible and consciously carried the coal briquettes.

Wang An turned a blind eye to this, and even quietly asked the cook to make more.

These days, it’s really not easy to find a place to eat.

"Er Gou, I really don't want to scold you." In the cargo yard, Wang An pointed at the handwriting on the account book that looked like earthworms crawling around and said, "It's okay that the handwriting is embarrassing, but the account is also wrong!"

"How can two hundred and fifty-eight plus thirteen equal two hundred and seventy? Shouldn't it be two hundred and seventy-one?"

Ergou sat on the stool feeling ashamed and nervous, with ink at the corners of his mouth.

That was caused by licking the tip of the pen unconsciously when settling accounts. It looked like he had eaten something indescribable.

"Alas... Is there no one in Doujiafang who can write and do math?" Wang An was a little discouraged.

He could do it himself, but he doesn't know traditional Chinese characters, so the account book he wrote is a bit confusing, and the calligraphy is really awkward to write.

Besides, Wang An has a lot of things to do, and he can't just stay in the small house and settle accounts every day.

The sales market has not yet opened up. If we wait until all the people in the capital know the benefits of honeycomb coal, the workload will be huge and the accounts will need to be calculated every day.

After saying this, Wang An and Er Gou were both dejected.

In order to avoid making himself, the sales general manager who only earned two taels of silver per month, seem useless in Wang An's eyes, Er Gouzi racked his brains and said, "Boss, since we can't find anyone who can read and write in Doujiafang, why don't we look for someone outside?"

Wang An waved his hand. It was not difficult to find a scholar who had no food or clothing these days. Even a scholar who had passed the imperial examination to be an accountant was not difficult. It was just a matter of paying him a little more money.

But Wang An felt that his honeycomb coal would be a success. If he just hired someone to do the accounting, what if the profits and sales volume were leaked out after the business became bigger, causing outsiders to covet it?
After all, honeycomb briquettes are not high-tech, and it is not difficult for others to imitate them if they want to.

Moreover, since ancient times, anyone who does business would definitely choose trustworthy friends and relatives when it comes to money and property. On the one hand, because they have a good relationship with their boss, they will not easily disclose the boss's financial status; on the other hand, knowing the boss's ins and outs can prevent the boss from embezzling or even absconding with donations.

Especially in the chaotic times of ancient times, if someone took the money and ran away to other places, there would be no place to look for it.

Wang An waved his hand and said, "We need to find someone we can trust, someone we know well and can use with confidence."

Upon hearing this, Ergou was silent for a moment, then he slapped his thigh and stood up.

(End of this chapter)