Old Man Pi was not in a hurry at all. He sat there calmly and watched Zhang Xiaobao work. He took a sip of tea and pinched a melon seed. Weiwei used some strength in his hand, and the melon seed opened.
It looked very ordinary, but there was a lot of work involved. Because it was not a melon that specialized in making melon seeds, there were usually not many big ones in a single watermelon. After that, it had to be washed. After washing, it was cooked with different seasonings according to taste. After that, it would be dried in the sun. Then, it would be picked out based on color. After that, it would be soaked in water with other seasonings.
After it was done, it would be brought over. Those that did not have any cracks were also left out. Anyway, it was just a hassle. It sounded very valuable.
Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan usually did not eat it. The two of them would eat the kind that was cooked for the first time. Sometimes, they could even eat the bitter ones. For the two of them, that was real life.
"Not bad." After eating two, Old Man Pi was satisfied. "But this kind of good stuff is not something that ordinary people can enjoy. Not to mention the melon seeds that are worth more than gold, even normal days are not easy. There are people to feed the fish, but who cares about the ordinary people?
Xiao Bao, didn't you say that the fish will not eat the bait when it is cold? Look at the food you made. Why do the fish rush over to eat it when you throw it in? "
"That is because the ingredients are good. Different fish like to eat ingredients that are not moved." Zhang Xiaobao saw that Old Man Pi was not going to give up, so he could only follow suit. He wanted to see what Old Man Pi was going to do.
"Yes, for the fish, the ingredients are different, but for the people, it is different. Especially in the north, where there is a continuous grassland. When it snows heavily, the road cannot be walked. The cows and sheep also freeze to death. There is nothing to earn money, so they all stay in their tents and do not come out.
If there is no north, where would we get so many cows and sheep? Xiao Bao, what do you think we should do? "
Old Man Pi finally understood what he meant.
Zhang Xiaobao thought carefully, then pointed to the north and asked, "Grandpa Bi, are you talking about Yin Zhou?"
"Further north."
"Feng Zhou?" Zhang Xiaobao asked again. That was Inner Mongolia and Mongolia. On the map, below that was Shaanxi, Gansu, and Ningxia, including his own place.
"Yeah, that's right. The people there have it tough," Old Man Pi said sadly.
Zhang Xiaobao was stunned. Wang Juan was also puzzled. She asked, "Grandpa Bi, you're not thinking of sending someone there to be the provincial governor, are you? That won't do. Ordinary people can't stay in that place. If they're not used to the climate, it's easy for them to get into trouble. Besides, there aren't many people there. Why bother with them? "
Wang Juan knew that there were many products there, but it was too far away. Furthermore, the current population of the Tang Dynasty had not reached the point where they could squander as they wished. There were many things that could not be used now, such as rare earths. Otherwise, why would the desert be accompanied by desolation?
She was really worried that Old Man Pi would send Zhang Zhong there to be an official on a whim. It was not that she was afraid, but it was mainly because he would not be able to achieve anything. There was no population. If he really wanted to go there, he might as well go to Xinjiang. At least he could get more wine. With the snow blocking the roads, there would be no contact for a long time.
Old Man Pi narrowed his eyes and thought for a while. He looked at Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan and said, "The imperial court is rich now. They also have the cement to build the city. In addition, they found a piece of land in Shanghai that belongs to the Tang Dynasty. It's not good to always be thinking about land."
"Ah? Don't tell me they want to go to war? Ah ~! After building up Feng Zhou and making it rich, they will lure the Turks to attack them and then find an excuse to send troops over? Even if they conquer it now, they won't be able to occupy it. Isn't it good to have more money to build up the country? Oh, I know. Grandpa Bi, did you see the new weapons and feel that it is easy to deal with cavalry? "
Zhang Xiaobao was not stupid. He guessed what he meant. He was not afraid of war, but it was not cost-effective to fight now. The transportation was not convenient, and after the war, they would not be able to occupy it. Moreover, there were other ethnic groups and countries on the Turks' side. The two continents were connected.
If they fought because they were close to each other, they could fight all the way to the Mediterranean Sea. North America was only separated by a sea, so they could easily cross it. But would that work?
"It's not a war. It snowed heavily this year. Everyone was busy during the New Year, so they did not feel it. In fact, there is a shortage of cattle and sheep. I think it is the same for the Turks. Every time it is at this time, they will come to steal things. The scale is not large, so they have not done much. Moreover, it is not easy for the Turks to find the people of Feng Zhou. Everyone is running around.
War is a means. It is enough as long as we know how to achieve the goal. If we can cross over, we can use food to exchange for some cattle and sheep to slow down the situation in the capital. Force is only a guarantee. There was no way in the past, but now … "
Old Man Pi explained. He did not finish his words, but Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan knew what he meant. He meant that the Zhang family had two experts in charge, and they had already made a lot of good things. They were not lacking in this.
"The next place my father will go must be decided before the spring plowing, and he will go to the same place as Li Xun."
Zhang Xiaobao began to talk about the conditions.
"You have to think about this carefully. This has already happened three times. The top scorer of the Imperial Examination, the County Magistrate of Hua Yuan County, and the Provincial Governor of Lu Zhou … I have been an official since I was 20 years old, and until now, I have never met anyone who is in a situation like yours. You go wherever you want to be an official. The Ministry of Personnel is just a decoration to your family.
The three provinces and six ministries are now revolving around your family. All the impeachment memorials have been suppressed, and all the issues raised by your family have to be discussed together. Many people are not satisfied. If it wasn't for the business relationship, and if it wasn't for the fact that your family is always giving away benefits, then the consequences … "
"There are no ifs. If there is a relationship, then there is a relationship. You take your time to think about it, Grandpa Bi. My family is not in a hurry."
Zhang Xiaobao was not afraid of being scared at all. As long as his family did not rebel, they would not have any excuse to deal with them.
After Zhang Xiaobao finished speaking, he really did let Old Man Pi and Old Man Chang think about it. He and Wang Juan went home to get the blueprint of the snow sled. They had just designed it, and they were going to use it. One was for a single person, and the other was for a snow plow.
Old Man Pi thought that Zhang Xiaobao had gone home to ask the expert, so he was not in a hurry. He changed his direction and threw the pole in to continue fishing.
Half an hour later, Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan returned.
"Xiao Bao, Cuckoo, I thought about it just now. This is a little difficult, but … it's not impossible." Old Man Pi was finally convinced. If the Zhang family had a way, then the imperial court would have to agree.
Zhang Xiaobao took the blueprint out of his pocket and unfolded it for Old Man Pi and Old Man Chang to see.
"That's it. There's a kind of deer in the north that can pull this cart and run quickly on the snow. You can tell from the ink. This map isn't new today, and it's not used to transport goods. It's used to transport troops at key places in the future when there's a war.
The structure is simple, and people can understand it when they see it. They can learn it immediately. It's not my family's business whether it's used in the north or the northeast. If the wind is good, we can use sails to increase the speed. It's wide under the snow, and narrow under the ice. "
Old Man Pi did not know what to say. The Zhang family had such a good thing for a long time, but they were unwilling to take it out. Just like what he told Old Man Chang in Lu Zhou, the Zhang family would only make something new when it was needed.
Old Man Chang sighed in his heart. The Zhang family was like a hundred treasures pouch. There were many good things in it, and it was up to you to take them out.
Old Man Pi held the paper in his hand and hesitated. Just like what Zhang Xiaobao said, when this thing was not made, people would not be able to think of it. However, when they saw it, they could make it immediately.
Should they use it to transport goods or should they keep it to transport soldiers at key times? They had to make a choice. It was a dilemma.
"Xiao Bao, is there any other way? When the time comes, we can choose one to transport the goods. " When Old Man Bi asked this question, even he felt embarrassed. His old face turned red. He had really made things difficult for others.
At this moment, Wang Juan pouted and took out another piece of paper. She stuffed it into Old Man Pi's hand.
"It's just a place to become an official, and you need so many things in exchange. The sleigh is good, but it's a big target. You also need to take care of the deer. This is for a single person. As long as you wear white clothes and a white hat in the snow, you won't be easily discovered.
You don't have to worry about falling in the snow that's a few feet deep. There's also this thing that fits on the skis. It has barbs. Even if you go uphill, you'll be faster than a normal person.
It's suitable for small groups of guerrilla warfare and delaying battles. Use a crossbow, choose the right terrain, attack quickly, attack from a distance, and run after attacking. If you add in our fireworks, it's very effective against other people's logistics. "
The more Wang Juan spoke, the more fluent she became. Zhang Xiaobao felt like he was listening to an advertisement.
Old Man Pi and Old Man Chang didn't think so, especially Old Man Chang. He could draw a picture in his heart according to what Wang Juan said. He knew how effective this thing would be in a place with thick snow. Especially when used together with the hot wine made by the Zhang family, it would really appear and disappear like a ghost.
If he was given a thousand people who were familiar with using it, he would dare to fight against an army of 100,000. As long as he had enough bows and arrows and understood the terrain, even if he couldn't fight them head-on, he would drag them to death.
Old Man Pi slapped his thigh. "Good, good stuff. Then this thing called a sleigh can be used to transport goods."
With his words, it meant that the next time Zhang Zhong became a local official, he would still be able to choose for himself.
Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan sighed in relief at the same time. The two of them actually still had some good stuff that they didn't take out, and that was their eyes. They were specifically used to deal with snow blindness. If they fought in the snow for a long time, they couldn't do without snow glasses. Especially when they encountered people who were also wearing white, their eyes could be blinded.
Since Old Man Pi had agreed, there was no need to take them out. They would wait until they needed them in the future. If they took them out all at once, it wouldn't show how precious they were. Besides, the snow glasses also needed glass, so they were hoping to sell them for more money.
"There's no time to lose. I'll immediately write a letter to ask the people from the Ministry of War and the Ministry of Works to come over. Do you have any good stuff? Take them out together. The sooner we use them, the sooner we can benefit the people. "
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