Inside the abandoned earthenware kiln, the light was dim, and the air was filled with fine dust and a faint musty smell. After Afu was ordered to arrange for Zhou Ping to go to Huzhou, a heavy silence temporarily fell within the clay kiln. Shen Ruoxin sat on a relatively clean broken stone mill, unconsciously stroking the secret letter from Huzhou in her hand, her brows furrowed and her mind filled with countless thoughts.
The life-and-death situation in Fengqiao Town is just around the corner, the undercurrents in Pingjiang Prefecture are still surging, and ripples are rising again in Huzhou... One by one, one by one, they were like huge rocks constantly piling up, weighing her down so much that she could hardly breathe. Especially when internal leaks occurred and the important backup line of Zhang Ji Silk Workshop was snatched away by Su Ji, it made her deeply realize the fragility and chaos of the "Dandelion" plan at the execution level.
Those girls are great. They are courageous and willing to do things, but they lack experience, and even more so, systematic training and management. The arbitrariness of information transmission, the weakness of confidentiality awareness, the absence of records... Every link may become a fatal loophole. Just like this time, if it weren't for Su Ji's actions exposing the problem, who knows how long that mole named Xiao Cui would have been lurking and caused such great losses!
"Second Miss, are you worried about the matter in Huzhou?" Uncle Wang's voice broke the silence. He leaned against the corner of the wall lined with hay. His breathing was much calmer than the previous two days, and his eyes regained their usual sharpness.
Shen Ruoxin raised her head and forced a smile, "Sorry to have made Uncle Wang laugh." Just think... There are so many things to do that when you press down one gourd, another pops up. I feel a bit overwhelmed. She didn't directly mention the matter of the leak, but Wang Bohe and other figures had already guessed about 70% to 80% from her furrowed brows and the conversation just arranged about the matters in Huzhou.
Uncle Wang said slowly, "The second young lady is so young. It's really not easy for her to shoulder such a heavy burden." The old servant has been lying down these two days and has also been thinking about some things. If we want to achieve something, it is not enough to rely solely on enthusiasm and a bit of quick wit. When there are more people and the business expands, the comings and goings, as well as the flow of information, need to be carried out in an orderly manner. Otherwise, the more people there are, the more likely it is to get chaotic. The larger the business, the more likely it is to make mistakes.
Shen Ruoxin's heart stirred and she immediately sat up straight: "What does Uncle Wang mean..."
"Old slave thinks," Wang Bo looked at Shen Ruoxin with a hint of solemnity in his eyes, "our business, whether it's the business in the shop or..." The "dandelion" outside, if you want to do it for a long time and steadily, you have to learn... "Keep accounts."
"Keeping accounts?" Shen Ruoxin was slightly taken aback. She naturally knew how to keep accounts. She was well-versed in the accounts of the Splendid Pavilion. But when Wang Bo brought it up at this moment, it was obvious that he had a specific meaning.
"Right, keep the accounts." Uncle Wang nodded. "However, it's not about the accounts of the money, but about..." The account of information.
He stretched out his emaciated but still powerful fingers and gently tapped on the damp ground: "Every piece of information our people spread out, hear, see and bring back is like every income in the shop." The responses we made based on this information, the people we dispatched, and the money we spent were just like every expense in the shop.
In the past, there were fewer people and fewer matters. Miss Two, you have a good memory and know everything in your mind. But what about the future? If dandelions could really bloom everywhere as you expect, wouldn't there be hundreds or even thousands of messages sent back every day? At that time, who will deliver it? When was it delivered? Is it true or false? Which ones are urgent and which ones can be postponed for a while? And according to which piece of news did we send who to do what? How much effort and money was spent? If there is no clear "information account", wouldn't it be a complete mess?
Wang Bo's words were like a sudden enlightenment, instantly awakening Shen Ruoxin!
Yes! Before, she only thought about how to recruit staff, how to convey messages and how to deal with the current crisis, but neglected the organization, filing and analysis of the information itself! This is just like a big shopkeeper who only cares about purchasing and selling goods but doesn't do inventory checks and account verifications. Over time, the warehouse will inevitably be empty, the accounts will be in a mess, and even someone might take advantage of the situation without realizing it!
This time, the leak of information at Zhang Ji Silk Workshop was undoubtedly due to Xiao Cui's betrayal, but wasn't it also because of the chaotic information management that gave the insiders an opportunity to take advantage? If there had been a clear record at that time, who came into contact with this piece of information and who was responsible for transmitting it, perhaps the suspicious point could have been discovered earlier, or the source of the leak could have been quickly identified afterwards!
"Uncle Wang has taught me a lesson!" Shen Ruoxin's face showed sincere admiration and shame. "It was the junior's negligence!" Only thinking about charging forward, but forgetting to lay a solid foundation! How should this "information account" be managed? "Please, Uncle Wang, teach me!"
Seeing that she had a clear understanding, Wang Bo's eyes showed a look of relief. "Old servant has been idle these past two days, lost in thought. There's no talk of teaching. It's just some superficial ideas. Share them with the second young lady."
He paused for a moment, organized his thoughts, and said slowly, "Most of our people are not well-educated. They can't understand or handle the complex account books either." So, this "information account" has to be simple and practical.
In my opinion, two kinds of booklets can be prepared. He continued to gesture on the ground, "One is called 'daily account', and the other is called 'household account'."
A "running account", as the name suggests, is to record all the information received each day in chronological order. Who sent it (using code), what time was it, the general content (key information should use code words), what is the current status of this information (for example: pending verification, under processing, completed), who will take over the handling... Make a brief note of everything. Just like the daily transaction volume of a shop, no matter how big or small it is, just record it first.
The advantage of this "daily account" is that it is clear at a glance and no events of the day will be missed. The drawback is that the information is disordered and not convenient to search for and summarize.
So, a second kind of booklet is needed, the "individual account book". Wang Bo's speaking speed slowed down to ensure Shen Ruoxin could keep up. "This' separate account 'is just like setting up a separate account for each important' customer 'or important' product '."
"For instance," he gave an example, "The 'Su Ji' could set up a separate 'account'." All the information about Su Ji, whether it was what materials they bought, who they met, or any abnormal movements, was all gathered under the account of this "Su Ji". For instance, "The Canal Transport Office", "Zhang Ji in the South of the City", and even... "Everyone can set up an 'account'." "
Besides, the important "dandelions" we sent out ourselves, such as Cuiliu from Huzhou (though now she might...) We can also set up an "account" to record the information she sends back and the instructions we give her.
In this way, there is a "running account" for an overview and a "household account" for detailed classification. If we want to check what messages we received on a certain day, we just look at the "daily account". If you want to know all the information about a certain opponent or a certain subordinate, just look up the corresponding "account breakdown". When the two lines are compared, many things can be seen more clearly and problems can be identified more easily.
"As for the person keeping the accounts," Uncle Wang added, "The 'running account' can be recorded by the person responsible for receiving and summarizing the information, which is relatively simple." The "individual account" requires more meticulous and reliable personnel to regularly transcribe the information from the "daily account" and summarize and organize it. Moreover, these two account books must be kept separately with different code words and marks and must not be placed in the same place!
Uncle Wang explained in a simple and clear way, using the most accessible metaphor for store accounting, but precisely pointed out the core elements of intelligence management: recording, classification, retrieval, and confidentiality.
Shen Ruoxin nodded repeatedly upon hearing this, and her heart suddenly became clear. This method of "running account" plus "individual account" seems simple but is extremely ingenious! It not only ensures the complete recording of information, but also facilitates classification query and analysis. More importantly, it is easy to learn and promote to those "dandelion" members with lower educational levels!
"Uncle Wang is so talented!" Shen Ruoxin sincerely praised, "This method is truly wonderful!" It can not only clarify our current chaotic information flow, but also be beneficial for the future... Lay a solid foundation! If "dandelions" could truly spread all over the place, with information coming in like snowflakes every day, without such an effective "account book" management system, we would probably be completely submerged in the ocean of information, unable to distinguish the true from the false and unable to determine the direction!
It seemed as if she had already seen that in the near future, an invisible net would spread out in all directions with the Splendid Pavilion at its center. Countless pieces of information were gathered through various channels. After being sorted, summarized and analyzed in this "account book", they eventually became the powerful tool in her hands to defeat the enemy and achieve victory!
"Just..." Shen Ruoxin thought of another question, "The code words and marks for the accounting records, as well as the disguise of the account books themselves, all need to be carefully considered." Moreover, the person in charge of accounting is of Paramount importance. They must be absolutely reliable and meticulous...
"All these will require your attention, Miss Two." Uncle Wang smiled slightly, "Old servant is just offering an idea." The specific details still need to be decided by you, the "big boss", yourself.
Shen Ruoxin nodded vigorously, and the gloom in her heart was dispelled by this set of wise management methods. She looked at Uncle Wang, her eyes brimming with gratitude: "Thank you, Uncle Wang, for your guidance!" "Junior has been taught today!"
She knew that what Uncle Wang was teaching her at this moment was not only a set of methods for keeping accounts, but also the cornerstone that would support her grand plans for the future! This is true "empowerment"!
However, just as Shen Ruoxin was about to further discuss the details with Wang Bo, to refine this method as soon as possible and find a way to pass it back to Pingjiang Prefecture, outside the clay kiln, a very faint sound of footsteps suddenly came, but definitely not the sound of the wind!
Swish!
Shen Ruoxin and Wang Bo's eyes instantly became vigilant! Even Sun Dayong, who had been resting with his eyes closed in the corner, suddenly opened his eyes and silently clenched the short stick at his waist!
Who is it? !
Is it Afu who's back? Or... Has the enemy come knocking? !