Chapter 0006: The rebel team first needs a clear objective

Su Yonglin has unlocked their spiritual shackles

Su Dingguang and the frugal old man Su Shengren both asked Su Yonglin why he chose to do this, but Su Yonglin merely gave a vague and evasive response

He has no intention of serving the Southern Song Dynasty at all, and he is also quite indifferent to those patriotic poets and lyricists of the pro-war faction. Moreover, even if he wanted to, what kind of talent could he attract with his identity as a private salt merchant

What is the relationship between others and us

Teaching them to read and write is the first step

Su Yonglin successfully united the core team and the group of salt workers through multiple speeches

Teach them to read and recognize characters, organize evening literacy classes, reward those who recognize more characters, and punish those who recognize fewer characters, and so on

In addition to the core team of three hundred and seventeen members, the entire Su family private salt group also includes over seven hundred salt workers from the salt production workshops and their families, as well as two to three thousand peripheral part-time members responsible for the frontline smuggling of salt

During the Southern Song Dynasty, there were many private salt traders who rebelled, and quite a few openly established their own factions in opposition to the government. Every year, news of rebellions could be heard, and the rebellion of Su Yonglin was no exception

He pounded his chest, weeping and wailing.

Some workers write characters on paper and stick them in front of their workstations, recognizing characters while producing salt, and they also encourage their children and wives to learn characters together, demonstrating great diligence

Then, starting from their respective humble and miserable origins, they led them to recall their past of poverty and suffering, when they could not fill their stomachs or obtain salt, and the days when they were so hungry that they felt weak all over, with heavy heads and light feet

Including the core team, as well as the workers, everyone involved in the Su family's salt smuggling, without exception, comes from a background of hardship

So I understand your suffering, I know your pain, I provide you with wages, give you holidays, and offer you various delicious foods, because I empathize with you. I hope that you, like me, can find at least a few things worth being happy about, even if life is hard, isn't it

Those who recognize more characters will be rewarded, while those who recognize fewer characters will be punished. The rewards are very generous, including monetary benefits, vacation time, and perks such as meat, eggs, and fruits

And why must there be a rebellion

The act of selling illicit salt is not contradictory to rebellion

Many people are surprised to learn for the first time that the seemingly glamorous Su Yonglin is actually involved in such activities

Work regularly and in set quantities every day, provide lunch breaks, offer three meals daily, increase wages and benefits during holidays, personally visit the island frequently to distribute benefits, share joy with the people, and demonstrate benevolence.

The second step is to utilize the existing educational resources and practical opportunities of the Su family, a private salt smuggling group, to enable them to acquire military, intelligence, and economic capabilities

As more literate individuals emerged, Su Yonglin established a literacy class in the workshop, utilizing one hour after the daily lunch break to teach workers and their families, including children, how to read and write, even taking on the role of a teacher himself to instruct them in literacy

He did not conceal it either, but brought it up directly

In the military aspect, the main figures are Su Yong, Su Haisheng, and Su Jue.

He successfully shaped a great image of one who is willing to sacrifice dignity for the sake of the ancestral heritage and for this group of unfortunate people—of course, in reality, it is quite similar, but his goals are somewhat more ambitious

He emphasized the humiliation suffered by the Emperors Huizong and Qinzong, along with their wives and daughters, subtly inspiring their contempt and hatred towards Zhao Gou

It is not important that the workers do not understand the reasons; it is essential to announce the reward and punishment regulations

Aren't the present days quite good

Moreover, Su Yonglin also emulated the government by granting workers one day off every ten days

Of course, he himself would not hesitate to shed his precious tears as a man

Punishment can also be quite frustrating, typically involving a reduction in holidays or overtime work

This group of educated individuals consists of three hundred and seventeen people, and they soon all became literate.

Some individuals have a more conventional perspective, engaging with professional literature and developing their own thoughts, while others have diverged into peculiar areas, such as the likes of the "Legend of Zhao Feiyan"...

Since Su Dingguang began to cultivate Su Yonglin as the third-generation leader of the Su family, he started personally teaching more than a dozen trusted confidants around him to read and write

I know that at the beginning, many of you thought I was doing this for money, but if I were doing it for profit, why would I teach you to read and write? The reason is simple: we are all the same; we are all common people, and I am no more noble than you.

It can be said that the private salt traders were the most vigorous group during the Southern Song Dynasty—although they often engaged in brawls, they also gained combat experience

Su Yonglin serves as a teacher, bringing together factory workers and core team members, primarily to discuss the historical period at the transition between the Northern and Southern Song Dynasties

Can't we just sell our own salt so that we have salt to eat?

When my grandfather was still alive, I was once a child of an official family, enjoying a privileged life. However, after my grandfather's passing, I lost almost everything. I held back my tears and knelt before that scoundrel Sun Yuanqi, begging for his mercy, and only then was I able to preserve my ancestral estate

This was indeed unexpected for Su Yonglin

At that time, Su Yonglin began to contemplate how to act in the future

He had the first group of trusted confidants he trained accompany him to teach these "newcomers".

You see me as glamorous and well-off, thinking that I live a comfortable life, but in front of those officials, I ...! ... I am just a dog crawling on my knees?! Do you understand?! I am a dog! Sometimes I am even worse than a dog!

He also has to kneel before the official, pleading and offering gifts in hopes of obtaining a little bit of their assistance

He does not intend to engage in the sale of illicit salt for eternity; what he needs is a rebellion team, a group willing to follow him to turn the entire world upside down.

He realized that in order to take action, it is essential to have a reliable founding team and a solid base.

and emphasize the study of the regulations imposed by the Southern Song government on private salt traders, making them aware that there is no way out for them; a slight misstep could lead to death, thereby instilling a sense of crisis in them

Su Yong, Su Haisheng, Su Changsheng, and a group of more than ten individuals were among the earliest confidants of Su Yonglin. They were also among the first to learn to read and write, and it can even be said that they were the first group to open their eyes to the world.

Because the private salt smuggling gangs often need to resolve market distribution conflicts through violent confrontations, they rarely sit down to discuss matters properly, primarily opting for forceful solutions

One can only cultivate from within, starting from the grassroots level, and abandon the pursuit of a high-end, upper-class approach

How can one establish their own foundation if they are illiterate

The work being done now is simply different; some are involved in bloodshed, while others are merely engaged in salt production. However, their backgrounds are quite similar, as they are all compelled by circumstances, joining the Su family private salt group in order to survive

After Su Dingguang's passing, Su Yonglin took control of the entire private salt trading group

Su Yonglin elaborately recounted her sufferings, narrating the instances where she had to forsake her dignity, vividly painting the picture of her experiences, which brought tears to the eyes of those with softer hearts

Thus, Su Yonglin began his third step—political education

However, what Su Yonglin has always wanted is not a Pirate King crew

The peripheral part-time members are civilians scattered across various regions and do not accept direct influence from Su Yonglin

The narrative primarily recounts the experiences of an individual who, in order to ensure the survival of others, endures the oppression of the Southern Song government and compromises their dignity. It tells the story of how this person humbly submits to the tyranny of Sun Yuanqi, seeking to survive through subservience, thereby evoking empathy among the audience

Therefore, these matters are particularly effective

Without literacy, one cannot accurately understand this world

At this moment, Su Yonglin delivered another speech

Teach them to write and compose step by step, imparting their ability to express and construct sentences, while also sharing historical knowledge with them, informing them about the past and present of this country

Thus, the workers eagerly and anxiously learned to read and write, leaving nothing behind

By doing so, he successfully narrowed the distance between each other, gaining the loyalty of the core team and the salt workers, serving him and accomplishing the "centralized authority" within the private salt group

Only by recognizing characters and acquiring culture can one understand this world, develop self-awareness, and further ascend to the unknown peaks. Moreover, this is also a step towards winning people's hearts

With food, drink, clothing, money, and even holidays, why would one want to rebel in such good times

Su Yonglin also regarded them as an important force in his rise. After the passing of Su Dingguang, Su Yonglin transformed the original exploitative model of the salt production facility and implemented labor reforms

Su Yonglin began by recounting their hardships, then transitioned to the assistance provided by the Su family—leading them onto a path that, although fraught with danger, allowed them to earn a living and enjoy a better life, instilling in them a sense of gratitude

After he cleansed the traitors tempted by Sun Yuanqi, he expanded the scope of his core team, incorporating all those loyal individuals from the era of Su Dingguang and under Su Shengren into his core team, establishing a new ruling group, and then began to consolidate people's hearts through education

In addition to the core team, Su Yonglin can also influence the more than 700 salt workers and their families.

After recognizing the characters, the next step is to give a lecture

However, you were engaged in smuggling salt during the Southern Song Dynasty, yet you went to the Jin state to rebel, and then turned back to the Southern Song Dynasty. What kind of path is this

In terms of the economy, there is a group of elderly individuals engaged in finance within the conglomerate. There are many of them, and not all share the same surname; quite a few have been serving the Su family since the time of Su Dingguang.

The intelligence aspect is primarily led by Su Yin, Su Changsheng, and others.

Over the course of two years, a considerable amount of money was spent on purchasing paper. The literacy campaign was successfully completed within the core team of the Su Family Private Salt Group and the salt production facility, resulting in the emergence of more than 1,000 individuals who are able to read and write.

In the prolonged market competition, Su Yonglin cultivated his first batch of talents in military, intelligence, and economics through the Su family, a private salt smuggling group

He sought to break away from the Southern Song Dynasty, march north to rebel against the Jin state, with the ultimate goal of expelling the Jin people and reclaiming the Central Plains, gaining strength, and then turning back to rescue the impoverished common people of the Southern Song who could not afford salt

Their unique shortsightedness and the mindset of being content with small wealth are evident, which cannot be resolved through basic literacy alone, but requires further education

At the beginning, many people believed that Su Yonglin had issues

They were even permitted to take turns leaving the island to go shopping and leisure in Dinghai County—of course, accompanied by core team members

The first requirement for a rebellion team is a clear objective

Understanding grace and having a sense of crisis makes it easier to view issues from the same perspective as Su Yonglin