Chapter 3: Showcasing Wealth

A story was concocted that doubled the price of the yellow eel, and the villagers, who dared not express their anger, all remarked that the village chief was indeed mighty and imposing

The name "Bai Sha Duo Shan" quickly spread.

However, for most "wild" individuals, capture is not easy

This story, upon hearing it, exudes great combat power, and it must be something that only a king above ten thousand can enjoy

For the sake of their homes and wives, the villagers, who dared not express their anger, under the leadership of Li Jie, set the eel traps before sunset and retrieved them after sunrise

However, for the "city dwellers," eels are also a type of aquatic product that can be kept alive for several days and consumed gradually.

The purpose of Village Chief Li's grand display of "Buku" is not to inspire others, nor to entertain onlookers, but rather to attract the greedy to come and stir up trouble

The newly added various "sands" at the Yangtze River estuary are truly of no value to the lords of the Wu state

Whether it is Yun Ting's "Wugeng" or Furong's "Liangren", neither appears in "Baisha"

During the entire peak trading period of the yellow eel, Li Jie managed to acquire a total of over 3,000 bolts of cloth, which amounts to a substantial sum of money

Village Chief Li laughed at that moment: We now have more than 500 people, if each person kills four, won't we be able to eliminate all the people from "Heijiao Sha"?

As a cultured individual who graduated from a textile college, being able to weave an eel trap is both scientific and in accordance with common sense

The price of a kilogram of large yellow eels is 40 yuan, which is quite expensive

The reason why "Baisi" is willing to spend this money is that Li Jie has crafted a story for the giant eel. In order to catch the giant eel, one must wait for the dragon that enjoys feasting on it to leave.

Bai Sha Village has become prosperous, attracting the attention of many people from the surrounding areas. It is said that Bai Sha Village has earned an extraordinary amount of money, to the extent that they had to establish a special storage facility to keep their wealth, which has drawn many curious individuals from the nearby regions to come and take a look

Faced with Li Jie’s question, the villagers found themselves in a difficult position, as they were all illiterate and eager to help, yet unable to do so

The chief steward of the Wu King's palace managed various affairs, and purchasing eels naturally required cash

Then, two of Dan's uncles were invited to serve as "Buku" security. In order to enhance their deterrent effect, the village chief also provided each of them with five arrows made of iron. With the addition of bows and arrows, their combat effectiveness increased directly from 2 to 5

The results of the battle are indeed remarkable, with countless large and massive catches. There are surprisingly fifty to sixty large eels. These eels are placed in bamboo woven cages, stuffed with aquatic plants, and can be transported to Suzhou City using bamboo rafts

Land that cannot be used for growing food is nothing but waste

By the time "Baisha Village" began planting beans in the newly cultivated fields, someone finally took action against "Baisha Village". However, the method employed left Li Jie quite displeased

Bring me my weapon

How are bean seeds obtained? They are traded using fish catches

What is the root? The land is the root

The region inhabited by the "Sanye" people is one that, unless some treasure appears, will not be visited even once in a lifetime

Moreover, compared to eel captured elsewhere, the eels from "Baisha Village" are of exceptionally high quality. For instance, when minor officials from the "Baisi" of the Wu King's palace come to purchase large eels by the pound, "Baisha Village" can easily produce ten of them.

Can goods with a story simply be called goods? What about sentiment? Sentiment must be worth at least one pound and twenty pence

However, most of the time, the people of "Shaye" are like floating duckweeds without roots

Relying on the mountains for sustenance when near them, and on the water when close to it, increasing the catch is of utmost importance. The abundant bamboo growth in Jiangnan has become an excellent tool for fishing

At the same time, Li Jie also gave a warning to the people of "Baisi"; this big yellow eel... it is quite difficult to catch, and it might even result in fatalities

Both referred to as "wild men," the people of the countryside are at least considered "commoners," as they engage in farming and rely on them for sustenance. The "sandy wild" individuals, however, do not qualify as "commoners"; they are merely slightly better than savages. During times of war, when manpower is insufficient, the "sandy wild" are also hired. If the war is victorious, the "sandy wild" individuals have the opportunity to be granted land and subsequently transform into "commoners" of the countryside.

Li Jie was puzzled; no one came to attack "Baisha Village," so what was he "showing off his wealth" for

The illiterate villagers exclaimed: Indeed, the village chief is truly wise

The most skilled weaver in Suzhou can produce only a limited amount of linen in a month. A skilled hand can manage at most three bolts of linen in a month. The income brought to Baisha Village by the "eel fever" is equivalent to what three thousand skilled weavers would earn in a month

The high officials of the Kingdom of Wu would certainly look down upon such a small sum of money, but for those who are also of the "shaye" class, "Baisha Village" now appears to be immensely wealthy and seems quite easy to bully

The leaders in "Shaye" do not believe that Li Jie, the village chief of "Baisha Village," has the means to help the new villagers quickly integrate after the merger of the villages

Eel soup is a delicacy for kings and nobles

Li Jie stated that after receiving the message, the officials of the State of Wu did not even drink a sip of water before hastily retreating

However, taking into account various expenses, including the resettlement of new villagers, the total inventory of cloth is approximately over 1,000 pieces

Thus, Village Chief Li gathered around one hundred men of all ages under the pretext of preparing to engage in a battle against "Black Jiao Sha," intending to train rigorously before confronting "Black Jiao Sha" in a decisive fight

The villagers urged the village chief, stating that "Heijiaosha" is a powerful force, with over 2,000 individuals, all of whom are unruly and capable of committing acts such as crossing the river to rob the Huaiyi. They are utterly insane and insatiably greedy

A large wooden board was made, and for every expenditure and income of five pieces of cloth, a character "正" is drawn.

Goods without a story are merely goods

It is best to gather a crowd to attack them at "Baisha Village"

After the reclamation of "Baisha Village" and before any gains were realized, the ruler of the Wu state came to remind the village chief to maintain a harmonious society and not to cause trouble

It is quite challenging to ensure the survival of common fish and shrimp, but eels and loaches are among the few aquatic species with extremely high tolerance.

However, the metal currency obtained from fishing remains scarce, and the primary medium of exchange is still cloth. Approximately ten coins can be exchanged for a piece of cloth

However, Li Jie is indifferent; the primary issue at hand is ultimately to improve one's quality of life

The shallow ditches and ridges do not require a significant amount of labor each day, yet they are sufficient to ensure the cultivation of a season's worth of beans

Li was greatly enraged. There is a place called "Heijiao Sha," and the leader of that region actually said he wanted to marry Bai Dan

After polishing a large number of stone shovels and stone chisels, digging for earthworms to use as bait has become the daily work of many women. Of course, in addition to digging for earthworms, they also conveniently covered some good rice paddy soil on the land near Baisha Village.

Even if it is a bit cruel, it is about solving the problem of survival, or rather, the problem of food.

The villagers, who dare not express their anger, have no concept of numbers, yet this does not prevent them from resolutely clinging to the village chief's thigh

However, this does not pose a challenge for the village chief, as he is a graduate of the Textile Institute. Therefore, the village chief instructed his younger brother, who is a bit foolish, to bring his friends to assist with the accounting.

However, Li Jie graduated from the College of Textiles, so catching eels is not difficult for him

Why haven't these poor wretches come to rob me, given how wealthy I am? This defies the common sense of human nature! Could it be that they also graduated from a textile institute?

The natural ditches and ponds between each "sand" have all become their battlegrounds

There wasn't even a word of encouragement like "do your best"

The nearest city and town to "Baisha Village" are, one, Yunting, where the elder brother wants to eat loach, and the other, Furong Township, which belongs to Yanling County

However, relying solely on remote weapons is insufficient. Li Jie also crafted two stone spears for his two uncles, which, combined with two large bamboo poles, made it easy to pierce the sand sculpture of his big nephew from three meters away.

"I flaunt my wealth to provoke you, yet you have your sights set on my wife?"

Among them are those who watch the excitement, some who are envious and inspired, and even more who are jealous and greedy, wishing to possess it for themselves

Although the scale of "Baisha Village" is increasing, for the rulers of the Wu state, it merely involved sending a few grassroots officials to take a look, and then... there was nothing that followed

Since the repository has been established, who will take care of it

As long as the village chief does not concern himself with their wives and provides them with a house, everything can be discussed favorably

Even without entering the city, simply selling outside the city, these eels are easily sold out

After all, the previous "Baisha Village" had only about one hundred people in total