Chapter 417: Recruiting craftsmen is difficult, and the search for talents is always difficult

The city wall of Yingtian Prefecture is like a giant that has experienced many vicissitudes of life.

It once resolutely guarded this prosperous city and resisted countless foreign invasions.

However, after the ferocious flood, it now stands there in a dilapidated state, covered with scars.

The sky is always gloomy, and the thick dark clouds press down on the city like lead blocks, as if endless sorrow and suffering will be dumped down again at any time.

The air was filled with a damp smell, mixed with the stench of decay that had not yet dissipated after the disaster, which made people frown when they smelled it.

The originally flat ground at the foot of the city wall is now bumpy.

The water accumulated in low-lying areas, forming turbid puddles.

The reflection of the crumbling city wall makes it look even more desolate.

Zhu Gang stood under the city wall, looking at the dilapidated scene before him, his heart full of worry.

He knew very well that a large amount of funds would be needed to repair the city wall.

But this is not the only problem. The problem of insufficient craftsmen is like a huge rock, weighing heavily on Zhu Gang’s heart.

After the flood, the entire Yingtian Prefecture was in ruins.

The streets and alleys were filled with mud and debris, and ruins could be seen everywhere.

Many craftsmen were killed or injured in the disaster.

In that dark and damp makeshift shed, he endured the pain.

They listened to the howling of wind and rain outside, their hearts filled with confusion about the future.

Or they are displaced, trudging along muddy roads with only a bag on their backs.

Looking at the home flooded by the flood, tears mixed with rain rolled down my cheeks.

As a result, the team of craftsmen originally involved in the construction of the city wall suffered a large number of casualties, as if their foundation had been taken away.

After the news spread, there were some craftsmen from all over the place.

When he heard that Yingtian Prefecture was going to repair its city wall, he decided to apply, thinking that he could earn some money to support his family.

But this thought did not last long, as it was disrupted by various worries.

“Hey, did you hear?

Although the wages for the Yingtian Prefecture city wall restoration project seem reasonable, I heard that funds are very tight.

Don’t let your work go in vain when the time comes and you don’t get paid.”

Another craftsman heard his companion’s words and said with the same worry: “Yes, and that place has just been flooded.

There’s no telling when another natural disaster will strike, and we, with our families, don’t dare take the risk.”

In this way, those craftsmen who originally intended to come to Yingtian Prefecture to participate in the city wall restoration work all backed out.

Zhu Gang knew very well that without enough craftsmen, the city wall restoration project would be impossible.

So he made a prompt decision and decided to issue a recruitment order in Yingtian Prefecture and surrounding areas.

Thinking of this, Zhu Gang instructed his attendant Wang Chengyi, “Come here, go and post notices for me in conspicuous places throughout the city, making sure that passersby can see them.”

As time went by, the notice was posted on the streets and alleys of Yingtian Prefecture.

The streets in the city were deserted, with only a few pedestrians walking by in a hurry, their faces filled with fatigue and sadness.

The notice was posted on the mottled wall, shivering in the cold wind, as if it was also worried about this difficult project.

The importance of the city wall restoration project was clearly stated on the notice.

This city wall concerns the safety of thousands of people in Yingtian Prefecture and the reputation of the Ming Dynasty!

At the same time, the notice also clearly listed the generous treatment provided to the craftsmen.

Not only was the salary 20% higher than usual, but it also included food and lodging. That was not all. After the project was completed, Zhu Gang would give additional rewards to the craftsmen based on their performance.

As soon as this notice was posted, it actually attracted some craftsmen at first.

They came to apply for the job either for the 20% higher wages or to find a stable job in post-disaster Yingtian Prefecture.

But things in this world are often like one wave after another.

As the craftsmen gradually gathered in Yingtian Prefecture, some local ruffians, upon hearing the news, immediately became interested and started to have evil ideas.

These thugs usually have nothing to do and love to engage in extortion.

Now seeing a large number of craftsmen pouring in, they are as excited as a cat that smells blood.

The night in Yingtian Prefecture was shrouded in darkness.

In the narrow streets, there were only a few dim oil lamps swaying in the wind.

It emitted a faint light, barely illuminating the bumpy road beneath one’s feet.

The surrounding houses looked eerie and dilapidated in the darkness, as if hiding countless ghosts.

They often appear when craftsmen are on their way to the construction site or on their way back to their homes after work.

They specifically target craftsmen who are alone or look easy to bully.

One day, several young craftsmen had just received their wages and were happily preparing to return home to send them back home.

But he didn’t expect that he would be stopped by a group of thugs on the way.

The leader, a tall, thin thug with a face full of flesh, said viciously: “Hey, these guys from other places have made a lot of money, right? But they don’t know how to show respect to us brothers!”

One of the young craftsmen responded angrily: “We all earned our hard-earned money through hard work, why should we give it to you?”

“Huh! You’re not going to give it to me, right?
Don’t blame us for being rude!”

The tall and thin thug waved his hand, and a group of thugs behind him rushed forward and wrestled with the craftsmen.

Although there were a large number of craftsmen, they were unarmed.

Normally I only know how to work hard and have never seen such a scene.

In addition, the craftsmen were only interested in keeping their wages, so how could they be a match for these thugs who were always looking for trouble?
After a chaos, several craftsmen not only had their wages robbed, but also suffered varying degrees of injuries.

Once this matter spread, it was like throwing a huge rock into a calm lake, causing a thousand waves.

More and more craftsmen began to worry about their own safety, and many of them did not even bother to pack their luggage and planned to leave Yingtian Prefecture.

When Zhu Gang learned about this, he became furious, his face turned red, and his eyes seemed to be spewing fire.

With a grim face, he said to the patrolling soldiers: “This is outrageous!
How dare these ruffians be so bold!
Not only did they disrupt my project, but they also bullied my craftsmen!

Come here, immediately order the soldiers to step up patrols of the areas where craftsmen live and the roads leading to the construction site.

I want to let these evildoers know that if they dare to act wildly in Yingtian Prefecture, they will never have a good ending!”

With the vigorous efforts of the patrolling soldiers, the arrogance of those ruffians was finally suppressed.

The soldiers patrolled day and night, and would mercilessly capture any trace of hooligans they saw.

In this way, the safety of the craftsmen is finally guaranteed to a certain extent.

But even so, the progress of recruiting craftsmen is still worryingly slow.

The various disturbances that had occurred before seemed to have grown wings and had spread further.

After hearing about these things, most craftsmen in the surrounding areas waited and watched, not daring to come and apply for the job easily.

Seeing that the progress of the project was repeatedly delayed due to the shortage of craftsmen, Zhu Gang paced back and forth in the house anxiously.

Beads of sweat the size of beans on his forehead kept rolling down his cheeks.

(End of this chapter)