The new year was coming for Lu Zhou. To be more precise, it was the new year of Great Tang.
The Zhang Family and the Wang Family planned to spend the New Year outside. In a few days, a batch of ships would arrive from the capital. The ships would carry all kinds of goods that might be useful during the New Year, as well as some gifts from merchants who worked with the Zhang Family, the Wang Family, and Li Xun.
The people from the Yellow River Shipping Company were also here. They were not invited by the Jingshui Shipping Company, but by someone who had gathered information. It was said that the people from the Yellow River Shipping Company already knew that there was a movement here, so they followed behind and prepared to carry out the plan.
Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan had already received this information in advance. The two of them felt that it was a little funny, but they also felt a little helpless. People were really crazy about money. No matter what kind of plan they had, they dared to use it. The person who ran away from the Jing Shui Ship Company was actually able to contact the people of the Yellow River Shipping Company.
Today, the two of them wore an extra layer of clothes and stood on the partially repaired pier, enjoying the sea breeze. Li Xun followed behind them, thinking about his own matters.
"Xiao Bao, since the people from the Yellow River Shipping Company are here, shouldn't we teach them a lesson? This time, we've made some profit from their fur scraps. Why don't we help them and let them suffer a big loss? They won't follow the plan, otherwise, the Yellow River will be greatly affected. "
Wang Juan's heart softened a little. Even if she could send her own ship to help those shipwrights after the Yellow River Shipping Company lost money, the handover process would also have some impact on the local economy. She didn't want to cause too much turbulence.
Zhang Xiaobao had also considered such a thing. Any development would always be mixed with something that many people would not think about, and that was the loss in the process. This loss might not affect many people, but the real victims could only bear it themselves.
Back then, he had come up with that plan in order to deceive the people of the Clear Water Boat Company. However, the people of the Clear Water Boat Company were too stupid. They weren't as smart as he had imagined. This had saved him a lot of trouble and had also brought the operation forward by a few days.
Zhang Xiaobao was not the kind of person who would suppress others in the same industry just to make money. He thought for a while and said, "Alright, if the people from the Yellow River Shipping Company have a good attitude, let them suffer a big loss the first time they come here. Let them reformulate their own plans. There is so much wealth in the sea, we don't have to worry about them stealing any business.
If they are sensible, perhaps we can join forces with them and earn more money together. That way, we can use the ships we bought to do other things. "
"What if their attitude isn't good?" Wang Juan understood the most important meaning in Zhang Xiaobao's words.
"Then don't blame us for being merciless," Zhang Xiaobao replied swiftly.
"Is your family going to make a move against the Yellow River Shipping Company?" Li Xun, who was following behind them, heard the conversation between the two people and stepped forward to ask.
"I don't know. It depends on the purpose of the Yellow River Shipping Company's visit. If they just want to seek cooperation, then it's fine. If they want to suppress our family, then we can't just wait for them to do that."
Zhang Xiaobao was afraid that the people from the Yellow River Shipping Company were too greedy. If that was the case, they might maliciously compete with him.
Li Xun didn't know what kind of conflict there would be between the two parties. Anyway, he only knew that the other side would act according to the fake plan provided by the Zhang family. When he thought of that plan, Li Xun asked again.
"Xiao Bao, do you think the fur edges they brought will be useful? If they really stick to the plan and use fish glue and other things, how will it sell? "
"Then they will lose a lot of money. Fish glue and other things can be used to make more money. Do you think it's that easy to make fish glue? It's impossible, but there are follow-up plans. Actually, those things can be somewhat useful. It's true for us, but it's not clear for others. "
When Zhang Xiaobao thought that he would be able to see a ship's worth of fur edges in a few days, he had a new idea.
The three of them strolled around, checked the construction situation here, and then turned back.
At this time, the construction here was almost done. Most of the roads leading to other places where people lived had been repaired, but the roads in places where people didn't live further away still needed to be repaired.
Of the more than 15,000 new people who joined, apart from the 10,000 people who were divided into several counties, the remaining 5,000 people formed their own county. Zhang Zhong had already written a memorial to report to the imperial court and asked for a name. This was a good thing, and he believed that the imperial court wouldn't refuse. In fact, having an additional county meant having an additional area to pay rent and tax, as well as having more tributes.
Because of the disaster this year, various taxes and tributes could be exempted for half a year. From a long-term perspective, it was better to have an additional county. Of course, with more people here, there would be less people in Qinzhou. When Qinzhou started paying rent and tax in the second half of next year, there would be a lot of pressure.
Old Man Pi and Old Man Chang were also discussing this matter. The two of them were now very good at billiards. At least in this nursing home, they were the two leaders. Ordinary people couldn't beat them.
"Old Man Pi, those teachers of yours didn't teach the children immediately after they came here. Is it not good to let them eat and live for free? Also, there are so many people here. Don't the higher-ups care? "
Old Man Chang hit a shot. The ball swayed twice in the very large pocket and stopped. In the end, it didn't go in. He looked at Old Man Pi and saw that there were only two balls left. He was anxious and began to talk about things that could make Old Man Pi worry. He hoped that he could make Old Man Pi miss as well.
Old Man Bi did not care about this matter at all. He was thinking about how he should play the second ball when he heard Old Man Zhang's words. "I don't want them to teach the children now because I'm afraid they will teach the children some of the bad habits they had in the past. Let them stay here and watch, listen, and think. When the time comes, I will personally test them. Those who are compatible with the way of thinking here will stay, and those who are not will be given a program and let them leave.
When teaching and educating people, we can't just look at the knowledge of the teachers. We also have to look at their moral character. Good teachers are fine, but what if a bad teacher leads the children astray? I'd rather not find so many people than to find a random person to teach.
As for the people running to Lu Zhou, there's no need to worry. The Emperor won't say anything. After all, no matter which province they are in, they are all citizens of Tang. I think the Emperor really wants more people to come. It's not like we don't know the ability of the Zhang family. As long as there are more people, they can earn more money.
Even though some of the officials in the imperial court, scholars, and aristocratic families always said that farmers were expensive and merchants were cheap, if they really wanted to do something, they couldn't do without merchants. How many people in aristocratic families didn't do a lot of business outside?
If they stay in Qin Province, do you think Qin Province has the ability to earn so much money like the Zhang family? Not only do they earn money, but they also produce a lot of food, fish, and other things. In addition, the Zhang family can make the people live a better life. The imperial court will be very happy to see this situation. "
As he spoke, Old Man Pi hit his club. A globe fell into the bag. He started to calculate another globe. This time, he didn't use enough strength. When it bounced back, it didn't reach the designated position. It seemed like it wouldn't be easy to hit it.
Old Man Chang was old now, so he could talk to Bi Gou like this. Otherwise, based on his status, he couldn't compare to Bi Gou. Besides, his master didn't have such a high official position. He had experienced a lot, but he didn't know things as well as Bi Gou.
After hearing old man Bi's words, he didn't think about whether or not he could win this round. He thought about it carefully and remembered old man Bi's words. He said, "Old man Bi, you're really capable. That's true. If I had been the steward at Master's place in the past, I would have assigned the more capable ones to him when he went out to do things.
Since the Zhang family is so capable, they should be given more power. Thinking about it, the more than 36,000 people in the Zhang family's hands, they can do more than 100,000 people in other places. Look at the enthusiasm of the people now. Why do you think this is? "
As Old Man Chang spoke, he secretly moved the flower ball on his side to a better position. His eyes were fixed on Old Man Pi, afraid that he would find out. The main reason was that Old Man Pi hit the ball on the second shot just now, so he had hope again.
Old Man Pi couldn't tolerate sand in his eyes. When he saw that Old Man Chang dared to act shamelessly, he immediately said, "Put that ball back. Can you still play? If you don't play this round, you lose. "
"Yes, yes. The wind blew. I just saw it. It moved." Old Man Chang didn't feel embarrassed at all. Maybe it was because he had been trained. He moved the ball back and found a random reason.
After he put the ball back, Old Man Pi said, "It doesn't matter how many people there are. What's important is how to organize them to work. The current Lu Zhou is different from other places. Other places let the people do what they want to do. Do you know why?
It's because those local officials don't have the ability to know if they can do something well in the end. If they can't do it well, they will organize the people to do it. In the end, the people's lives will be worse. They don't have the ability, the courage, and the ability to organize. Naturally, they won't dare to be like the Zhang family and arrange every single person to do something. "
When Old Man Pi said this, his heart was filled with emotions. In fact, this wasn't the first time he had this kind of feeling. The two experts from the Zhang family, who had been missing for a long time, seemed to have a special ability. No matter how many people were ordered to do something, they could do it well.
Old Man Chang was enlightened. He nodded and said, "Yes, yes, yes, that's it. The Zhang family can predict what will happen in the future. Their guesses are very accurate. Also, the Zhang family's command and dispatch are very good. In terms of money, they don't lack a single penny. The arrangement of the people is also able to make use of everyone's strengths.
There are more than 36,000 people, and they actually arranged for everyone. I don't know how they did it. If it were me, I would be confused if there were more than 360 people, let alone 36,000 people. Especially when they can even arrange things for the children. They are really meticulous.
This is the work of the two experts from the Zhang family, who have hidden themselves so that no one can find them, right? It's really like what some people said. They take every conceivable possibility into account. It's a pity that we can't meet them, and we don't dare to force them. Otherwise, if we can't find them and let them leave the Zhang family and go to another country, we will be sinners. "
In fact, Old Man Chang had wanted to meet the two experts from the Zhang family for a long time. He had even mentioned it twice, but they didn't give him the opportunity. He couldn't think of any good ideas. He also didn't dare to use any threatening means. It was easy to get into trouble.
When Old Man Pi heard that he couldn't meet the two experts, he felt annoyed. Recently, he found that the people in charge of coordinating and dispatching were Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan. He didn't expect that the two children were the two experts. However, from Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan's dispatching, he found that the two people seemed to be more powerful than before.
Being able to oversee a region made him look forward to meeting the two experts who taught Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan more and more. After teaching for a few years, the disciples were already so powerful, let alone the masters. It would be best to meet them, have a chat, and learn something from them.
Unfortunately, those two people couldn't be found. Even when everyone hid in the mountains, he sent people to observe them one by one, but they couldn't find out which one was the expert.
With something on his mind, he wasn't as accurate as before. This gave Old Man Chang a chance. Old Man Pi just picked up the ball that was pasted on the table. Old Man Chang seized the opportunity and scored three goals in a row. There were four left on the table. It seemed that there was hope.
With a bang, Old Man Chang scored another goal. He happily continued to look for the next ball. He said to Old Man Pi, "The cement stuff is already out. Put some stones and iron wires inside. I saw it. It's very strong. We don't have to worry about it falling down if we use it to build a house.
If we build a city wall, as long as the people guarding the city aren't tricked into going out to meet the enemy, and as long as there are enough provisions and people in the city, we don't have to worry about it no matter how the enemy attacks. Should we transfer some people over to guard the city? Otherwise, if someone else gets the recipe and uses it to deal with us, it will be troublesome. "
"Transfer people? That's not necessary. Do you really think it's that easy to get? Normal people can't even think about getting the recipe. Just look at the Zhang Family and Wang Family. The people they use to do this are all from the inner courtyard. Moreover, they are not alone. Whether it's going to work or going to work, there will always be people guarding by the side.
Since the Zhang Clan made this thing, they would naturally understand the use of this thing. How could they not value it? In addition, with the trust of the people here towards Zhang Zhong, it would be as difficult as ascending to the heavens for an ordinary person to obtain the recipe. "
Old Man Pi wasn't worried about this. If the people who were transferred over were bribed, it would be the biggest hidden danger. Didn't you see that the Zhang Family didn't even use the Wang Family's guards? They were afraid that someone would know the recipe and be bribed.
The two of them talked and played. As they talked, their minds were no longer on the game.
At this time, Cao Herui and the other two also received a letter from Qinzhou. The letter first talked about some trivial matters. In the end, it pointed out that the three of them should think of a way to get the cement recipe.
"The two of you, Tang: Governor Of Ning has given us a task. He wants the three of us to get the recipe from the Zhang Family. It's the cement for building things. Tell me what to do."
Cao Herui found Fan Jianxi and Jiang Huanshi. The three of them sat in the courtyard and drank. They didn't seem to be very comfortable drinking. The main reason was that this task was too difficult to complete.
The Zhang Family firmly controlled the place where the kiln was burned. They didn't allow outsiders to get close to it. The surrounding area was very empty, making it impossible for people to hide.
Jiang Huanshi drank a mouthful of wine to drown her sorrows. She tapped her chopsticks lightly on the plate and said, "I think we can find out what kind of things they usually bring into the courtyard. As long as we know what it is, it's easy to do. We already know how to make it. Judging from the smoke coming out of the courtyard, they use the burning method to make the cement.
Since we can't get into the courtyard, we can start from their raw materials. With so much cement, how can they not keep buying raw materials from outside? I've already arranged for people to go there and follow the car that they use to transport the cement. As long as we find the place, we will know what they use to make the cement. "
Fan Jianxi heard this and shook her head, "I've also thought about this, but it won't work. Just like their fireworks and firecrackers, we know that they are made of saltpeter, sulfur, and charcoal. But no matter how hard we try, we can't make the things they do. Especially the fireworks, the things inside are actually very small balls.
Tang Governor Of Ning also knows the recipe of the fireworks and is looking for someone to make it. We'll wait and see if he can make it. If he can, we'll tell him about the raw materials that the Zhang family sends back and forth to make the cement. "
The other two also knew that it was not easy to learn other people's things. The key to these raw materials that needed to be made was the recipe.
"Yes, we only know that the raw materials are useless, especially the small balls in the fireworks. We had people take them apart and look at them carefully. They are indeed the three things, but how do we make them into balls? The firecrackers we learned to make will make a puff sound once they are ignited, and there will be nothing but smoke.
No one dares to try to make them into balls. The last time we tried, those things all disappeared with a puff, and we were also injured. We just want to use these things to rub the three things together, and hope that Tang Governor Of Ning can make some progress. The most worrying thing is that when the Zhang family brings in the raw materials that can be used to make cement from outside, they deliberately put in a lot of other things, so that we can't tell what is used to make the cement. "
Cao Herui picked up a piece of fried leek with his chopsticks and put it into his mouth. He said while chewing. Seeing that the other two people were thinking about something, he said, "In fact, the most worrying thing is not whether we can get the recipe. Even if we can't get it, I think that Tang Governor Of Ning will not make things difficult for us. After all, the recipe is not easy to get.
The most worrying thing is that once Zhang Zhong knows that we want to get the recipe, he will not let us off like he is now. He has a good reason, and that is the goods that we don't know where they are now. Even if they have received that batch of goods, they just said that they did not receive it and pushed the blame to us. Do you think that we can still be good? "
When Fan Jianxi and Cao Herui heard this, they remembered that the three of them were still living in fear. If Zhang Zhong really found out, it seemed that they would be in big trouble.
The more they thought about it, the more they felt that this was the case. Jiang Huanshi shivered, stood up, and walked to his yard. At the same time, he said to the other two people, "No, I have to tell the people that I sent to make sure that they don't give us away. If they are caught by Zhang Zhong, what good will it do?"
As he spoke, his figure disappeared from the yard. The other two people did not send people out, so they were not worried. When Jiang Huanshi came back, they sat there and drank.
*****
"Master, shouldn't we ask them to stop and roll those things into balls? What if they accidentally explode?"
In the Ning Mansion in Qinzhou, the housekeeper was talking to Ning Zhongze. The family already knew the recipe of the firecrackers, which were three things. There seemed to be something special in the fireworks, but they still didn't know. In order to make the same thing, the Ning family had started to try again and again. However, those things would burn at the same time as long as they were touched by a little spark, and they burned very quickly.
When Ning Zhongze was about to say that he could also make something that the Zhang family could make, and he knew the recipe, he heard a boom. Judging from the sound, it came from the place where the firecrackers were made. The two people immediately became nervous.
"Let's go. Let's see what happened." Ning Zhongze looked at the rising smoke and walked over. The housekeeper was also shocked. He didn't know what was going on.
After passing through a courtyard gate, the two of them arrived at their destination. As the wind blew, a pungent stench wafted over, causing their hearts to tighten. After walking forward and turning a corner, the two of them saw traces of something being burned by fire.
In addition to this, there were a few people lying there, crying in pain.
"What happened?" Ning Zhongze saw that the people lying on the ground were still in pain. Only then did he feel relieved.
"Master, some of the things used to make the firecrackers were broken. Our people were rolling the balls with all their strength, and we don't know what happened. With a boom, everything was blown up. Fortunately, that person didn't have so much gunpowder with him. Fortunately, only a few people were injured, but no one died."
A person who was lying on the ground stood up and looked at the people around him and the few people who were still lying on the ground.
"Was that thing made? It seems that the Zhang family must have put something that some people weren't proud of in the gunpowder. Okay, we know what happened. Go and recuperate first. Find someone else to do the work here. "
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