Chapter 49 Response to Change

  Li Ze indeed took good care of Du Le, and even had a sense of nurturing him.

  The banquet began, and Li Ze personally brought Du Le into the midst of the guests, treating him like his own nephew, introducing him to some companions.

  Du Le thus got acquainted with many socially prominent figures in Fuyong City, especially the bosses who hold real power in the business circle of Fuyong City.

  Not only that, but some local officials also knew Du Le, such as the first secretary of the municipal government and the deputy director of the police bureau. Knowing people like this doesn't matter in everyday life, but when something happens at a critical moment, it can still avoid a lot of trouble.

  At the banquet, some singers were also invited to perform on the spot. In the warm atmosphere, many people even started talking about business.

  At this banquet, Du Le learned a lot from listening to his seniors talk about business with ease and hidden sharpness.

  At this moment, Du Le's mindset began to transform from a newly graduated college student to a true boss in the business world. He finally realized that his previous self was not mature enough.

  After the banquet, Du Le returned to his own factory under the special car pick-up of Li Shoufu.

  Back in his own room, Du Le sat on the comfortable sofa, looking at the documents in his hand, and for a moment, his mind was a bit confused. This document seemed to be greatly beneficial to him, but he couldn't figure out why Li Ze did this.

  After a while, Du Le finally came to a conclusion. Perhaps Li Ze wanted him to owe someone a favor, so that Du Le would remember his kindness. The two Heart Guard Pills that Du Le had sent were the best proof of this.

  Du Le finally figured it out. Du Le couldn't help but sigh, no wonder Li Ze was able to establish such a large business. Such broad-mindedness is not something ordinary people can learn.

  Du Le finished reading the file and put it away in space, then grabbed the cloth bag tightly and began to transmit.

  After the delicious box instant noodles went on sale and became a hot seller, Du Le's main energy was focused on Fuyong City. He was transported to Jinyang City in a foreign land mainly for material transportation. However, every week, Du Le would require the butler, Yan Fu, and Xiao Duo Cai to report at least once.

  At this time, in a manor of another world, his three subordinates were discussing important matters in the living room.

  Yan Fu's complexion had become even more rosy and radiant in recent days, but at this moment, his face was etched with anxiety.

  The wine house was surrounded by suspicious people, monitoring the inside of the wine house at all times. Moreover, the Jinshan City government had sent someone to ask major merchants to donate a certain amount of grain for disaster relief to refugees. If that's all, it wouldn't be a big deal, our wine house has been taking care of refugees since its opening, following Master's orders. What I'm afraid of is that if we hand over the grain to the government, they won't use it for the refugees. According to what I've learned, His Majesty intends to recruit more soldiers, and these grains are likely to become military rations. And in terms of military rations, the government has at least a year's worth of storage. They want to rob grain from the people! Yan Fu said, his face full of indignation.

  The noodle restaurant was no exception, and Zhao Quan was summoned to the palace again. The palace asked him to offer more noodles. Xiao Duo Cai sneered, "If he wasn't so greedy for power and fame, and didn't exaggerate his own abilities, how would he have encountered such a thing?"

  "It seems that Chu State's situation is not optimistic. We must make good preparations." The housekeeper sighed and said.

  "Unfortunately, Lao Ye would disappear from time to time and we couldn't find him at all. Otherwise, it could have been decided by Lao Ye himself." Xiao Duo Cai shook his head and said.

  "No matter what, the old master has given us a new life, and we must protect his property. Old steward, we need to arm ourselves in order to safeguard this estate." Yan Fu said firmly, "This mountain villa, the wine houses and noodle shops in Jinyang City are not large in scale, with few people, and there are government troops stationed there, making it unfavorable for establishing private soldiers. Only the old master's newly purchased mountain villa can hide private soldiers. Moreover, during this period of time, we have recruited many refugees as tenant farmers, these tenant farmers, selecting the strong ones to serve as household guards, asking those who know martial arts to teach them skills, buying some swords and knives, they can become our bodyguards."

  Yan Fu's words were somewhat rebellious, but in a chaotic world, all the wealthy families did this. The old steward and Xiao Duo Cai didn't think it was anything unusual, and they nodded in agreement soon after.

  "Recruiting private soldiers requires more money and food. When the master arrives, we must inform him and get his approval before proceeding." The steward gazed at Yan Fu for a moment before continuing: "Everything is for the sake of the master; without him, there would be no us. For now, we can start by recruiting some refugees to join the mountain stronghold, as for purchasing arms, let's wait until the master arrives first."

  So when Du Le appeared in the manor, three of his most important subordinates had already been waiting for his arrival.

  As Du Le walked into the living room, he saw that the three people had a serious and solemn look on their faces, which made him feel somewhat puzzled. To be honest, since the launch of instant noodles and various convenient foods, whether it was a noodle shop, a wine house, or a farm, they were either making a big profit or having a bumper harvest. The people following him didn't lack food or drink, and they even had gold coins to spare, so they were always smiling before. But today's atmosphere was somewhat eerie.

  "What's going on?" Du Le asked.

  The three of them looked at each other and it was the housekeeper who spoke up, explaining the situation over the past period of time and also telling them about the countermeasures they had discussed.

  The more Du Le heard, the more his eyebrows furrowed. Unlike in Fuyang City, the feudal society of Chu State did not talk about modern social rights, nor did it emphasize rule of law, but rather imperial power. National law was whatever the emperor said, and if the emperor wanted to take your property or chop off your head, you couldn't resist in the slightest.

  So Du Le didn't expect the government to kindly help him, and in the eyes of the government, Du Le, who ran a noodle restaurant and wine shop, was just a businessman with no status.

  "Now recruiting private soldiers, will it attract the attention of the government and affect business?" Du Le had to consider many factors when deciding on a matter. Especially now, his industries in Jinyang City were making a lot of gold coins every day, and there was also the purchase of five-leaf grass. If he became a troublemaker in the eyes of the government, would it not be a big loss? Unlike Yan Fu and others, Du Le could leave at any time, so his main consideration was the balance between interests. Especially since the cultivation of five-leaf grass was directly related to the operation of the Fuyong City factory, there was no room for even half a mistake.

  "As long as we do it under the guise of recruiting house servants, it shouldn't attract attention. The wealthy families and official households around Jinyang City all do it this way. The only trouble is that if we buy a large quantity of weapons, it's easy to attract attention." Yan Fu replied.

  Du Le thought for a moment and glanced at Yan Fu, thinking that among the three of them, only Yan Fu had a broader perspective. Guan Jia was more suitable for logistics work, while Xiao Duo Cai was a bit too calculating and suited for focusing on details. The opinions put forth by these three people were undoubtedly worth considering. Moreover, their performance over this period of time proved that they were relatively reliable. Adding to that the binding interest, as long as they didn't encounter any major threats, they wouldn't betray Du Le.

  Du Le sat in the chair, thought for a while, and finally made up his mind.

  Here is the translation:

  "The three of you need to further strengthen your division of labor. Based on our previous discussion, I have decided," Du said, glancing at the three of them, "that the steward will continue to be in charge of the estate's affairs and also take responsibility for recruiting house servants and tenant farmers under the guise of hiring able-bodied men from among the refugees to serve as guards. We'll start with 1,000 guards, and their families can also come along. We'll provide them with some rations, and those who are strong can do simple farm work in exchange for more food. Yan Fu, you will continue to run your wine shop, intensify the purchase of five-leaf grass, and try to make connections with officials to understand the government's attitude towards us and get the latest news on the war between the three kingdoms. Xiao Duo Cai, you can recruit some refugees as informants, even buy off some beggars, and pay attention to gathering information from the streets, especially anything related to us. Initially, Yan Fu will be in charge of assembling the personnel. As for finances, they will be centralized under the steward's management and disbursement."

  "The problem of weapons will be solved by me. I'll purchase a batch as soon as possible. Let's focus on knives, we can spend money to hire some knife experts and have them teach the guards later."

  "Any other questions?" Du Le asked after finishing his words in one breath.

  "No problem!" The three stood up and bowed respectfully in front of Du Le.

  But in the instant when Yan Fu lowered his head, a thread of excited eyes flashed by, and was inadvertently caught by Du Le.

  How did this guy have such eyes, could he be more than just a merchant? Du Le didn't understand and didn't want to waste his brain on it. He didn't have that much time and energy to investigate the past of those under him. As long as they served him now and completed the tasks he gave them with all their heart, Du Le wouldn't bother about so much.