Chapter 144: The Wild Empire
“It’s like this—look, there are over a hundred people who were exiled with us. After spending so much time together, we’ve built some camaraderie. But most of them have little to no silver left. In this wilderness, just hunting for food isn’t enough. They might not even succeed in hunting. Instead of letting them struggle, why don’t we hire them as long-term workers for our family and have them help with labor?”
“What kind of labor? Are you planning to have them mine coal for us?”
Thinking about their current situation, where there wasn’t much work to do yet—not even farmland to cultivate for another month—Yu Haojie was even more puzzled.
“Mining coal? If people from powerful factions in this wilderness find out about it, they’ll just take it from us! If we are going to mine coal, we need to wait until we have more strength and our own subordinates to secure our foothold here.”
Hearing this, Yu Haojie nodded in agreement. But now, he was even more confused about what his daughter was planning.
“Let’s take the horses later and visit those two government officers to gather more information about the power structures in this wilderness.”
Yu Haojie sighed.
“You’re going to make your father lose sleep, aren’t you? You always leave me hanging halfway through your explanations!”
“Fine, I’ll tell you straight—I want to build my own power in this wilderness! The Bai family, the Liu family, and even the second and third branches of the Yu family—may not be skilled in martial arts, but they are hardworking and resilient. If we hire them as laborers, pay them wages, and establish a supply chain, we can provide necessities to the people living in this wilderness.”
Hearing Yu Luo’s plan, Yu Haojie’s jaw dropped.
“Wait, what?! Xiao Luo, you’re always so practical. Why are you suddenly thinking so wildly now?”
“You were the one who insisted I explain! Now that I did, you’re complaining?”
Seeing her father’s disapproving expression, Yu Luo felt deflated.
“No, no! I’m not dismissing your idea. If there are enough people in this wilderness, then setting up a commercial system makes sense. But first, we need strong people to protect our operations from being destroyed by powerful factions. Second, we need a reliable supply of goods.”
“I have that! My system can provide it!”
Yu Haojie was stunned.
“Your system? I thought it only gave you missions and stored items for you?”
“Did I never tell you that I can unlock a shop feature with my system points? It has everything—food, clothing, daily necessities, you name it.”
Yu Haojie was speechless.
“You didn’t!”
Yu Luo gave an awkward grin. “Well, I’m telling you now. But first, we need to understand the local power dynamics, establish our own forces, and ensure our security before taking further steps.”
Hearing this, Yu Haojie was even more puzzled.
“But what will those people be doing? If we hire them now with no work to do, won’t we be paying them for nothing?”
“Don’t worry about the money, Father. Even if I paid each person one tael of silver per month, I could afford to do so for a thousand years. The thing is, we’ve lived together for months. Once we settle down and prosper, Mother’s kind nature won’t allow us to watch them starve while we thrive.”
“My plan is to hire them to help us clear land, plant crops, and secure territory. They’ll receive wages and then spend that money at our own general store. This way, they’ll earn their own necessities rather than relying on handouts. We won’t turn them into lazy dependents, and they’ll remain united as a group. If trouble arises, they’ll stand together.”
After hearing Yu Luo’s explanation, Yu Haojie finally understood.
“So you mean, instead of selling to outsiders first, we prioritize supplying our own people?”
“Yes—but not entirely. If others have money, they can buy from us too. As long as they don’t try to rob us, we’ll sell to them. The only issue is that people will start wondering where our goods come from.”
“That’s not a problem. Your mother’s pharmacy can store some supplies. If needed, your mother and I can ‘pick up goods’ from outside—so to others, it will look like we’re just middlemen sourcing supplies.”
Yu Luo nodded. “That works. We can even pretend that we have a mysterious supplier who delivers goods to us at night.”
Yu Haojie agreed. “Good idea. Right now, each family only receives about 200 catties of grain. Even if they plant crops, it’ll take at least six months to grow anything. Meanwhile, they can earn wages and help us secure land.”
“As for survival in the short term—Father, I’ve observed the Zhang family men. Setting aside personal feelings, their combat skills alone make them worth hiring.”
“Right now, aside from Yu Zhengqing, I doubt anyone has much silver left. If I offer a decent salary, I can even recruit guards from outside. In this wilderness, there aren’t many job opportunities, so plenty of people would be eager to work for us.”
“That’s perfect! This way, I can finally set up my cement production, brick kiln, lime processing, and even a furniture workshop!”
“We can worry about that later. First, we need to ensure our own security. We can’t let new recruits turn against us. But if we use our system advantage to turn this wilderness into a livable place, then with its strategic location between multiple countries, it will attract more people in the future.”
“Once that happens, our Wild Empire will truly need expanding—and that’s when your red bricks, lime, and cement will become crucial.”
“Wild Empire?!”
Yu Haojie could barely process the conversation anymore. But hearing that phrase, he felt his blood boiling with excitement!
