"Provincial Governor Zhou, County Magistrate Wang, there's no need for such formalities!"
Outside Yifang County's city gate, Li Zexuan approached the group of officials and said with a smile, "I came to Lan Province to exterminate locusts. You don't have to worry about me. If you have official business to attend to, go ahead!"
Li Zexuan was a pragmatic person and didn't like to engage in such superficial formalism. However, Zhou Wenfang and the others had come out of the city to welcome them out of good intentions. As the saying goes, don't slap a smiling face, so he had no reason to blame them.
Zhou Wenfang's eyes flashed. He was surprised, but his expression returned to normal after a while. He cupped his hands respectfully and said, "Marquis is a man of noble character and unquestionable integrity. I admire you for your devotion to the public!"
Speaking of this, he turned to the group of officials behind him and said with a serious expression, "Did you all hear that? If you have official business to attend to, go back to the yamen immediately and don't make any mistakes! "
Lan Province's capital was Yifang County, so Zhou Wenfang's words were not only directed to the subordinates of the Provincial Governor's Office, but also to the officials of Yifang County's yamen.
"Yes!"
The thirty-odd officials standing behind couldn't help but look at each other. After a while, they cupped their hands and said in unison.
Zhou Wenfang pointed to the hundreds and thousands of people around him and said to Li Zexuan with a smile, "Haha! Marquis! These people came to welcome you on their own accord after hearing the news. I didn't ask them to come. I can't chase them away! "
Li Zexuan pursed his lips and looked at the people around him who were looking at him with anticipation. Li Zexuan said loudly, "Folks of Lan Province, I'm here, so you don't have to worry about the plague of locusts anymore! The sun is so hot, everyone should go back and eat! This afternoon, the Sky Rooster Brigade will head to the villages to exterminate the locusts! "
Actually, on their way here, they had met quite a number of enthusiastic citizens. Li Zexuan was naturally aware of the pleas of the citizens. It was noon, and the scorching sun was blazing above their heads. It was as if it was going to burn people to death. Therefore, Li Zexuan didn't waste any time. With just a few words, he made the citizens feel completely at ease!
"Thank you, Marquis!"
"Thank you, Marquis!"
Li Zexuan's voice was very loud, and almost all the people around him heard it clearly. Hearing this, they couldn't help but cheer loudly and express their gratitude.
"Let's go back and eat!"
Li Zexuan said kindly.
After receiving the reply they wanted from Li Zexuan, the citizens did not stay any longer and left in satisfaction.
"The Sky Rooster Brigade is finally here! The locusts in our county should be wiped out soon, right? "
"Of course. It's said that the Sky Rooster Brigade only took two days to exterminate the locusts in Qizhou!"
"Good boy! So fast? "
"Hey! We still have to thank Master Han. Do you know why the Sky Rooster Brigade came to Lan directly after exterminating the locusts in Qizhou? "
"Why?"
"Because Master Han is the father-in-law of the Marquis of Yong 'an! Willow Village, Nanping Village, and Kaiyang Village were originally bought by the Marquis of Yong 'an for Master Han! Now that our Lan Province is suffering from a locusts plague, how could the Marquis of Yong 'an not help? "
"Oh! I remember now! It seems like there is such a thing! "
"Speaking of which, the farmers in these three villages are close to the coal mines and iron mines. Just by working in the mines, they can earn a lot of money every month!"
"Who asked the coal mines and iron mines to belong to the Marquis of Yong 'an! The Marquis of Yong 'an is famous for being nice to his subordinates! "
Before this, although Li Zexuan had never been to Lan Province, many citizens in Lan Province had received Li Zexuan's kindness, especially the citizens of Yifang County. This was because Li Zexuan not only owned coal mines, but also iron and aluminum mines. Although mining would pollute the local environment, ever since Han Lizheng came here, he had been using the method that Li Zexuan taught him to treat sewage. Therefore, after half a year, the local environment was not polluted much. Instead, the citizens earned a lot of money working in the mines!
"Marquis! This official has prepared some light wine in the residence. There are no delicacies, only some ordinary home-cooked meals. I hope that Marquis will honor me with your presence! "
Outside the city gates, Li Zexuan and Han Lizheng exchanged a few words. At this moment, Zhou Wenfang stepped forward and cupped his hands.
Actually, this lunch banquet was not just a home-cooked meal. However, after seeing Li Zexuan's actions, Zhou Wenfang guessed that Li Zexuan did not like their extravagance and waste. Therefore, he changed the delicacies into a home-cooked meal!
Li Zexuan nodded and said, "A home-cooked meal is just right! I'll have to trouble Provincial Governor Zhou to prepare some home-cooked meals for the children as well! "
Regarding Zhou Wenfang's character, Li Zexuan had heard from Han Lizheng that he was a smart person who knew how to curry favor with his superiors but would not overly curry favor with them. This kind of person could not simply be defined as a corrupt official, because he was not corrupt. He only knew a little about the way to curry favor with his superiors. Compared to an upright and plainspoken official like Wei Zheng, under normal circumstances, people like Zhou Wenfang who knew how to curry favor with his superiors and knew how to be flexible would do better.
Therefore, Li Zexuan did not have any bad feelings towards Zhou Wenfang, but he also did not have a good impression of him. Moreover, his father-in-law, Han Tianhu, was still in Zhou Wenfang's territory. He did not need to embarrass Zhou Wenfang over such a trivial matter. Therefore, after thinking for a moment, Li Zexuan agreed to Zhou Wenfang's invitation!
… … …
Under Li Zexuan's' exemplary leadership ', the lunch in the Provincial Governor's residence ended very quickly. It only took about half an hour from start to finish. After lunch, Li Zexuan bade farewell and led the group of children out of the county town to kill the locusts!
Uh, of course, Han Lizheng followed behind them.
Along the way, not only did Iron Egg stick to Han Lizheng, the children of the Han Family Manor also liked to surround Han Lizheng and call him 'Lizheng Lizheng' non-stop. Although Han Tianhu was no longer in the Han Family Manor, the children did not treat him as an outsider. Along the way, he left behind a trail of laughter. It was very lively!
Looking at the noisy children around him, Han Tianhu could not help but sigh, "I never thought that these little rascals who only knew how to play with mud and dig out bird nests would become heroes who saved the world after learning the art of controlling chickens from Hu Jing and Hu Guo!"
"Haha! It's not easy for them to be heroes! "
At this moment, Li Zexuan interrupted, "It's only been eight days since the locust plague happened, and these children have already traveled hundreds of miles! Many of the children's backs are peeling from the sun, and they have rashes all over their bodies. They can only sleep on their stomachs at night. I've let these children down, I've made them suffer! "
He was also speaking from his heart. This season was the hottest season of the year, and yet he had brought these children everywhere to help with the disaster. In the eyes of others, they were heroes, but the price of being a hero was too heavy for these children. In just a few days, the children were all tanned by the sun. It was impossible for Li Zexuan not to feel guilty!
"Xiao Xuan, don't say that!"
Han Lizheng said in a low voice, "These children have suffered a little, but what they have seen and learned along the way is enough for them to use for the rest of their lives! To be able to follow you to kill locusts and gain experience is their honor! When they grow up, they will be grateful to you! "
Li Zexuan shook his head and did not reply.
Suddenly, Li Zexuan caught a glimpse of a particularly large pond in front of them. The pond's topography was lower in the south and higher in the north. The most important thing was that its shape was very strange. The part near the north was built with stone dams. Seeing this, Li Zexuan quickly reacted. He pointed at the pond and asked,
"That pond must be the sewage treatment pond Father-in-law had people repair, right?"
When Han Tianhu had complained to Li Zexuan about the serious water pollution near the iron and coal mines, Li Zexuan not only bought the three villages near the iron and coal mines, but also taught Han Tianhu some methods to treat the sewage. One of them was the sewage treatment pond!
Han Tianhu looked in the direction Li Zexuan was pointing at, then nodded and said, "That's right! That's the sewage treatment pond! There are two other ponds like this near the iron mines. After using this thing, the sewage has indeed decreased a lot! It's because of this that no one objected to us mining! "
Li Zexuan nodded and praised, "En! That's right! We can't just bury ourselves in mining and ignore the feelings of the locals. Otherwise, we'll become a rat that everyone wants to beat up! That should be our iron mine, right? "
As he spoke, Li Zexuan pointed to a small hill in front of them. They could vaguely see a lot of people on the hill.
Han Tianhu looked at it and then replied, "Yes! That's right! That's our iron mine. It's also the largest iron mine in the Lan Province! Today, the iron mine is transporting a batch of ore to Lantian County. Fubin couldn't leave, so he didn't come. Xiaoxuan, do you want to go take a look? "
After pondering for a moment, Li Zexuan nodded and said, "En! Of course, I have to go take a look! "
Now, more and more iron was being used in the workshops. Carriages needed iron, bicycles needed iron, and weapons and armor needed iron. Moreover, it was an astronomical number. Now that he was in Yifang County, he could go to the mines to take a look and see if he could increase the mining capacity!
… … …
"Fubin! Come out quickly! Look who's here! "
When they arrived at the mines, Han Li directly shouted towards the inside.
As soon as he finished speaking, a young man with dark skin and a thin figure quickly walked out from the shed.
"Uncle Han? Marquis! Marquis, you're here! "
The young man first greeted Han Tianhu, then when he saw Li Zexuan, he couldn't help but be stunned. He quickly went forward and bowed respectfully, "Marquis, I know you're going to Yifang County at noon, but I couldn't leave at that time, so …
This young man is Fubin! "
Li Zexuan waved his hand and smiled, "No matter! You did the right thing. Business is more important! There are so many people welcoming me. You won't make a difference, right? Hey! You're tanned and thinner than before. Looks like you've suffered a lot here! Do you want me to transfer you back to Lantian County? "
Just by looking at Fubin's tanned and thin appearance, it was obvious that he had suffered a lot here. If he was now fair and fat, Li Zexuan would suspect that this young man had been eating and drinking all the time!
"Marquis! I'm not suffering! I'm not suffering at all! "
Hearing this, Fubin shook his head like a rattle-drum and quickly said.
Han Tianhu laughed, "Hehe! This young man has taken a fancy to Registrar Zhang's daughter. Xiao Xuan, if you ask him to go back now, how would he be willing? I think even if you were to chase him away with a knife, he wouldn't leave! "
Li Zexuan heard this and couldn't help but ask, "Oh? Fubin, you've taken a fancy to Registrar Zhang's daughter? Sure! You young man! Do you want me to help you matchmake? "
Fubin didn't even think and rejected, "No need, Marquis! How could I trouble you with such a small matter? Furthermore, she might not even like me! "
At the end of his sentence, Fubin's face turned red like a monkey PG.
Li Zexuan was also an "experienced person". How could he not see that this couple was about to become a couple? He smiled and said, "Alright! Then I won't interfere! But when the both of you get married, I will be attending the wedding banquet! Oh, if you have time, go back and visit Faubert. He is getting older … "
A trace of shame flashed across Fu Bin's face when he heard that. He nodded and said, "En! After I'm done with my work, I will make a trip back! "
Faubert didn't have any children and had always treated Fubin as his own son. Fubin knew this very well.
Li Zexuan nodded and didn't dwell on this matter. He said seriously, "Xiao Bing, how is the iron mine's production now?"
When it came to serious matters, Fubin's face immediately turned serious. He quickly replied, "Marquis, this iron mine can now mine about five thousand catties of ore a day. Under normal circumstances, we have to send a batch of iron ore out of the warehouse every three days! Oh, last month, I found that the quality of the ore deeper underground is better and there are more of it! I got someone to dig a mine that is four to five feet deep and plan to mine from the bottom! This way, we can mine at least twice as much iron ore! "
The ancient people couldn't dig tens of meters deep into the ground like the modern people. At that time, due to the lack of advanced machinery and technology, most of the ore they mined was near the surface. Fubin could think of using a mine to mine directly from the bottom. This was considered a new approach!
However, this method of his could easily lead to danger!
"What? Mine? "
Li Zexuan's face changed and quickly said, "Where is this mine? Bring me to take a look! "
Fubin saw Li Zexuan's face and had a bad feeling. But he couldn't think of what he did wrong. He could only bite the bullet and said, "Marquis, the mine is over there! Follow me! "
"Ok!"
Under Fubin's lead, Li Zexuan came to a one-meter deep … bottomless pit. Above the pit, there was a rotating device similar to the one above the well. It should be used to pull people or goods.
"Marquis, do you think there is anything wrong with this mine?"
After a while, Fubin asked.
Li Zexuan thought for a while and said, "Xiao Bing, it is good that you can think of this method. But this method is risky!"
… …
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