Moma Liangshan

Chapter 55: The Craftsman Di Gongkao, with 3 coins.

Wang Hao, not wanting to dwell on the intrigues of emperors, changed the subject, saying, "In your opinion, Prefect, if I were to invite the Di family to set up a shipyard in Jiaozhou, what are the chances of success?" The Prefect replied, "The Di family is a large clan, with six branches in the main line and more than twenty branches in the collaterals. If you, young master, wish to cooperate with the entire Di family, the chances of success are slim; however, if you cooperate with one branch, the odds of success should be somewhat higher." Wang Hao sensed that the Prefect had something more to say, and said, "Please enlighten me, Prefect!" The Prefect said, "Among the six branches of our main line, the fifth son is the most unconventional. Although he has worked at the Di family's shipyard for many years, he has always been unconventional, incompatible with his brothers, and disliked by his uncles." Wang Hao said, "An unconventional person must have something unique about him!" He then looked at the Prefect. The prefect smiled slightly and said, "The fifth son has been fascinated by mechanical devices since childhood and possesses considerable insight. After coming of age, he spent many years studying shipbuilding at the Di family shipyard, and has been a master for eight years now. Before completing his apprenticeship, the fifth son was always the most favored member of the clan due to his exceptional intelligence. However, after completing his apprenticeship, the fifth son became arrogant and repeatedly challenged the plans of his elders. A country has its laws, and a family has its rules; the Mohist school places the utmost importance on rules. The fifth son's talent is evident to all, both within the Di family and throughout Mingzhou, but his audacity and extravagance are also widely known." Wang Hao immediately became interested in this person. He said, "I would like to hear the details!" The prefect continued, "The fifth son is exceptionally talented because before he even completed his apprenticeship, he had already thoroughly studied all the river and sea vessels from the Tang to the Song dynasties over several hundred years. That year, he was twenty-five years old, and the elders of his clan tested his learning. Whenever they asked him questions, he would use both his hands and his mouth, drawing sketches while explaining their functions and principles. The fifth son has a special room in his house that stores dozens of wooden models of river and sea vessels. Each model can be freely disassembled, and its precision and realism are indistinguishable from real ships. These ship models are almost all of the fifth son's possessions."

Wang Hao asked, "Who made these models?" The prefect replied, "The fifth son's family was destitute, so these models were naturally made by his own hands. Three years ago, in the winter, as the New Year approached, every household slaughtered pigs and sheep, preparing for the Spring Festival. The fifth son's wife, seeing that the rice jar was empty, had no choice but to sell the smallest model of the fifth son to the owner of another shipyard, but unexpectedly, she was given five hundred strings of cash." Wang Hao said, "The fifth son cherishes the models so much, he must be furious, right?" The prefect suddenly laughed and said, "Not at all! Ten years of marriage, they know each other too well. The fifth son's wife spent ten strings of cash to buy him a very exquisite set of tools, and also bought him a cartload of..." "Good timber." The fifth son was nearly speechless when he saw the things. He held each tool in his hands, completely captivated. It's said he even slept on that cart of timber one night. Wang Hao became increasingly interested in the fifth son of the Di family and asked, "Didn't he suspect the source of the money?" The prefect replied, "He did! But the fifth son's wife told him that he usually wove and embroidered, and sold the proceeds at the market before the New Year, earning some money." Wang Hao nodded and said, "Even the smallest model can be exchanged for five hundred strings of cash. So, the fifth son, though seemingly poor, is actually very wealthy." The prefect said, "That's true, but the fifth son's family does live a frugal life." Wang Hao asked, "Why?" The prefect continued, " In recent years, the fifth brother was no longer satisfied with making ship models; he wanted to build a real seagoing vessel. A ship with a capacity of three thousand shi (a unit of dry measure) would cost tens of thousands of guan (a unit of currency), and a ship with a capacity of five thousand shi would cost hundreds of thousands of guan. He drew three blueprints and submitted them to the council of elders. After reviewing the blueprints, the elders all acknowledged their brilliance, but disagreements were not uncommon. To build a good ship, every component must be perfectly suited. At the Di family shipyard, a new blueprint could not be implemented unless it received more than 90% support. At that time, almost every elder supported one of the blueprints, but none of them achieved 90% support. Wang Hao nodded and said: "So all of Fifth Prince's blueprints ended up being shelved?" The prefect nodded and said, "Exactly." Wang Hao said, "I would like to meet this extraordinary man. Could you perhaps introduce me, sir?" The prefect said, "To be frank, if you, young master, can agree to fund Fifth Prince's construction of a particular blueprint, he will certainly agree to accompany you to Jiaozhou. If you cannot agree to this condition, it is better not to meet him!" Wang Hao pondered for a moment and said, "Tell your Fifth Prince to come to Jiaozhou with me, and I will grant him 300,000 strings of cash annually to build new-style seagoing vessels." The prefect was surprised and said, "Young master, are you joking? Promising 300,000 strings of cash annually to build new-style seagoing vessels?" The prefect shouted the words "300,000 strings of cash annually" with particular emphasis. Wang Hao said, "Absolutely not a joke. Eunuch Qian can be a witness and can also sign a document." The prefect could not hide his excitement and said, "On behalf of my Fifth Prince, I thank you in advance for your great kindness, young master!"

At this moment, the eunuch said, "Brother, you are indeed an extraordinary man; you cannot be judged by ordinary standards!" Wang Hao replied, "Serving the Emperor requires swift and decisive action; how can we be hesitant and indecisive?" The eunuch, not understanding his meaning, asked, "Brother, are you implying something? Please enlighten me!" Wang Hao leaned closer and whispered, "We are acting on imperial orders, carrying the Emperor's banner. If we are hesitant and indecisive, people will mistakenly believe that the Emperor's attitude is wavering and that he has not fully made up his mind. In that case, some people will inevitably shirk responsibility, and a slight misstep could lead to failure and betray the Emperor's trust!" The eunuch understood Wang Hao's meaning and said, "The matters entrusted by the Emperor, whether we are entirely confident or not, must be handled actively. If successful, the Emperor will see it and reward us; if we fail, the Emperor will also see it, and we will have to acknowledge our efforts." Wang Hao knew that the eunuch's understanding was one-sided, but he did not want to say it outright, so he said, "Brother, you are wise!" The banquet continued for a long time, and the conversation was very pleasant until late at night.

Two days later, at the Sihai Restaurant again, Wang Hao, the prefect, the eunuch, and the fifth son of the Di family gathered. Wang Hao sized up the fifth son of the Di family, noting that he wore a tattered silk robe with patches of the same color on the cuffs and shoulders, of medium build, slightly plump, with shrewd eyes and an undisguised arrogance between his brows. Wang Hao said, "Are you the fifth brother of the Di family?" The fifth son of the Di family replied, "I dare not call myself the fifth brother. I am Di Gongkao. Please address me by my name, sir!" Wang Hao nodded and said, "You will come with me to Jiaozhou. I will grant you 300,000 strings of cash annually to build new-style seagoing vessels, and a monthly salary of 300 strings of cash. Is that acceptable?" Di Gongkao was surprised and said, "I will be fully responsible for building the seagoing vessels?" Wang Hao said, "Of course!" Di Gongkao was even more puzzled and said, "Since that's the case, I can freely dispose of the 300,000 strings of cash. Why bother with an additional 300 strings of cash for my monthly expenses?" Wang Hao said, "This is called dedicated funds!" "The 100,000 strings of cash can only be used for building ships, and every account must be verified. I will specifically assign an accountant to the shipyard to oversee the finances. Every expense you make, sir, must be clearly stated, including the cost of materials and labor, and then reported to the accountant. Only after verification can the funds be released." Di Gongkao frowned slightly and said, "What if the accountant abuses his power for personal gain and deliberately makes things difficult for me?" Wang Hao said, "The accountant is your subordinate, sir, and only has the right to supervise, not to make decisions. If there is a disagreement between you and the accountant, you can report it to me, and I will hire an unrelated person to make a fair judgment." Di Gongkao nodded. "Young Master, your thoughtfulness is admirable!" said Di Gongkao. Wang Hao smiled slightly and said, "The new-style ship is launched; the reputation belongs to you, sir, and the ownership belongs to me." Di Gongkao laughed and said, "What a fine 'reputation belongs to you, sir, and ownership belongs to me'! Young Master, you are upright and honest, always speaking your mind. I am not greedy for money and would never do anything ungrateful!" Wang Hao took out two documents from his robes and handed them to Di Gongkao and the prefect, saying, "The two documents are completely identical. Please check them. If there are no errors, sign and seal them!" After a moment, the three finished reading them. The prefect asked, "Although the fifth son is going to Jiaozhou..." "Why is the contract only for five years?" Wang Hao explained, "Cooperation between two parties should have a time limit! If the cooperation is satisfactory at the end of the contract, both parties can re-sign the contract; if there are serious disagreements, one party can unilaterally refuse to sign. In this way, the employer will not dare to rely on his wealth and act ruthlessly; nor will the subordinate dare to rely on his talent and usurp the master's position." Those present could not help but admire Wang Hao's wisdom. Di Gongkao picked up the document, signed and sealed it, and Wang Hao also signed and sealed it on the spot. Then he looked at the prefect and Eunuch Qian and said, "Could you two gentlemen act as witnesses?" Eunuch Qian said, "To do one's best for my brother is to be loyal to the Emperor!" After saying this, he picked up his pen and sealed it. The prefect did not speak but also signed and sealed it. Wang Hao and Di Gongkao each kept a copy of the document.

At this moment, Di Gongkao said, "Young Master, now that you are the master, there is something I am unsure whether I should speak of!" Wang Hao replied, "Speak freely!" Di Gongkao said, "Young Master, do you know about 'shipyards'?" Wang Hao, unaware of the exact year and month shipbuilding originated in shipyards, said, "I have heard of them; they are places for building ships." Di Gongkao nodded and said, "Young Master, you are very knowledgeable. Shipyards are indeed places for building ships. But more accurately, shipyards are places for building large ships." Wang Hao nodded and said, "That is correct." Di Gongkao continued, "My father-in-law is from the Qin family..." "My father-in-law has been in charge of harbor construction for many years. The two largest harbors in Mingzhou were both designed by him. Last spring, my father-in-law and I designed a dock that could be used to build large ships with a capacity of over five thousand shi (a unit of volume). Since then, we've continuously revised and improved it. Now, more than a year later, everything is ready except for one crucial element!" Wang Hao laughed, saying, "I'm afraid what's lacking isn't the crucial element, but money—a huge sum of money!" Di Gongkao looked slightly embarrassed and said, "Young master, your insight is remarkable!" Wang Hao stopped joking and said, "I need to discuss the dock matter with Mr. Qin in person!"