Chapter 40: Emerging Talent

Ning Hongwu paused in his tapping on the armrest and looked at Liu Shen with a smile. “We all make our living under the roof of the Greensand Gang. If you have any opinions, feel free to share them.”

“It’s just a few humble thoughts of mine…”

Liu Shen rose, cupped his hands to the group in the living room, and then asked, “If I may be so bold, are the two personal wishes the leader mentioned just now truly genuine?”

“Of course they are…”

Ning Hongwu understood that Liu Shen had grown up under the oppression of the Redwater Gang, and had only recently joined the Greensand Gang, not yet familiar with his character or the gang’s code of conduct. Smiling, he reassured him, “The Greensand Gang may be outlaws, but our rules are strict, and we always value chivalry on the rivers and lakes.”

He paused, then continued, “I, Ning Hongwu, may not be a gentleman, but as the leader of the Greensand Gang, I will keep my word as surely as fresh linen!”

“Such nobility from the leader!”

Liu Shen’s heart eased at these words. He cupped his hands again, and said solemnly, “Both wishes the leader mentioned are easily resolved.”

“During the Redwater Gang’s control of the docks, they allowed their men to extort all kinds of unreasonable taxes from the shopkeepers and merchants there, squeezing them every few days.”

“Worse still, the same tax might be collected by one person today, and then by another tomorrow, forcing the shopkeepers and merchants at the docks into utter misery.”

“This so-called tax collection is nothing short of robbery, a method that kills the goose that lays the golden eggs.”

“In the eyes of those dock merchants, there’s no real difference between Greensand and Redwater—both are gangs.”

“Now that our Greensand Gang has taken control of the docks, if the leader wants to clean up its atmosphere, simply gather the shopkeepers, set fixed taxes and amounts in their presence, and restrain our men. Let the dock merchants see the difference between us and the Redwater Gang.”

“In three to five months, their loyalty will be ours!”

Liu Shen pondered a moment, then said, “As for the dock laborers, that’s even simpler.”

“All they worry about is what they’ll eat today, whether there’s any meat, how much pay they’ll get this month, and whether they can go home for a peaceful New Year.”

“I mean no disrespect—after all, I myself worked as a dock porter for five years. I know those laborers are like dogs: treat them too well and they become lazy; treat them too harshly and you’ll have endless complaints and misery.”

“The Redwater Gang forced dock laborers to sign indenture contracts, making them slaves, and openly set the redemption price at thirty taels of silver. Now that the Redwater Gang is gone, those contracts are in the hands of our Greensand Gang. My advice is that the leader shouldn’t simply return those contracts to the laborers.”

“Oh?”

Ning Hongwu raised his brows, half-smiling. “I could return your contract directly to you. Why not do the same for other laborers?”

“It’s not out of selfishness…”

Liu Shen pondered, then sighed. “It’s human nature.”

“To redeem oneself for thirty taels of silver—if a laborer is alone, it would take five or six years of work at the docks, barely scraping by, to buy freedom. If he has a family, it might take ten, twenty, or even thirty years to save up enough. So for most laborers, their indenture contract is something they can never hope to redeem—it’s meaningless.”

If the leader acted kindly and returned those contracts, freeing them from slavery, the laborers might be happy, or they might not appreciate it.

“After all, things gained too easily are never cherished. If everyone regains their citizenship, they won’t remember the weight of that contract, nor the rarity of the opportunity.”

“What everyone possesses is as good as nothing.”

“That’s the darkness of human nature, the root of our flaws.”

Ning Hongwu listened to his theory of human nature, his thick brows furrowing. “So, by your reasoning, should our Greensand Gang continue treating the laborers as the Redwater Gang did?”

“No, no…”

Liu Shen shook his head. “I know the leader is a man of great ambition, and doesn’t want to be criticized by the world. My suggestion is simply to lower the redemption price.”

“Where the Redwater Gang demanded thirty taels, Greensand could ask for fifteen, ten, or even just five taels.”

“First, for those who wish to redeem themselves, five or ten taels is a threshold they can reach after a year or two of saving. Compared to thirty taels, it’s a world apart. They’ll remember this favor clearly.”

“Second, for those uninterested in redemption, they might not care about their status, but they’ll understand the difference between five, ten, and thirty taels…”

“This way, whether they desire freedom or not, all the laborers will instinctively compare us to the Redwater Gang. And once people start comparing, everything changes—that too is human nature.”

Ning Hongwu listened to his ‘theory of human nature’ in silence for a long time. When he came to himself, he clapped his hands in praise. “What a Liu Shen! What a theory of human nature!”

The others in the living room also looked at Liu Shen with new eyes, as if glimpsing something more than just a ‘drunkard’ or ‘roughneck’ in him…

“You flatter me, leader…”

Liu Shen cupped his hands modestly. “Just some humble opinions, nothing worthy of attention. The final decision must rest with the leader.”

“You put into words exactly what I was thinking about the dock merchants,” Ning Hongwu exclaimed. “And your advice regarding the laborers is even more comprehensive and suitable than mine.”

He paused, then smiled and asked, “Any other opinions or suggestions? If it benefits the Greensand Gang, speak freely.”

“Well…”

Liu Shen’s eyes flickered, thinking of the current survival model of the gangs, uncertain whether to speak.

Noticing his hesitation, Ning Hongwu asked, “Is there some difficulty in speaking?”

“Not really…”

Liu Shen pondered, then said, “There are just a few things I can’t figure out. Since our Greensand Gang has full control over the docks in Heyang County, we can influence the prices of many goods in the county.”

“With such ability, why do we only fight for territory and squeeze the poor, instead of learning to do business?”

“Those wealthy merchants, with their ships coming and going, earn fortunes every trip. How much can we make just from dock taxes?”

“Take the Greensand Gang, for example: we have two or three hundred members, guarding the halls—what’s the point of that?”

His words brought silence to the living room…

Ning Hongwu sighed, “Of course I know business is more profitable.”

“But to be frank, most of our brothers are rough men who barely know a handful of characters, how could they do business?”

“Every morning, I wake up thinking about the hundreds of brothers who need to be fed. If they have families, we must look after them too—expenses that can’t be avoided.”

“Business is about profit and loss. We know nothing of commerce, and if we rush in and lose money, how will we keep Greensand running? If the pot runs empty and the brothers go hungry, how can they follow us?”

“As for our brothers guarding the halls, it’s because we collect safety taxes from brothels, gambling dens, and shops—we must ensure their safety.”

Liu Shen could only sigh, “It doesn’t matter if we can’t do business, as long as someone else can.”

Ning Hongwu was taken aback. “What do you mean?”

“It’s simple…”

Liu Shen explained, “Once wealthy gentry accumulate enough assets, they usually train their own managers. They provide money and manpower, then step back as the boss, letting the managers handle the business. As long as the accounts are balanced, all is well.”

“If we want to do business, we can adopt this model. With the docks at our disposal, we can even play some tricks on top of that.”

“For example, the leader could gather the shopkeepers to invest together, or partner with local merchants and gentry, forming a business association. Using the docks, we could manipulate prices, buy low and sell high, binding everyone’s interests together.”

“Simply put, we provide money and support, but don’t interfere with their business. When profits come in, we take our rightful share.”

Ning Hongwu blinked in confusion…