With the arrival of Li Xun's fief, Zhang Zhong's final post was also announced. He would only be a Secondary Grade 3 official. This was what Zhang Xiaobao thought. Shuzhou was too small. His official post was bigger than Lu Zhou's original post, but there were fewer avenues for development. Shuzhou was an upper province.
Among the several counties under its jurisdiction, only one was a middle county. The rest were all upper counties. If one wanted to make money in such a place, the simplest word was' greed '.
However, this word was impossible for the Zhang family. Zhang Zhong was determined to be a good official, and Li Xun was also prepared to let the people under his administration live a better life.
Zhang Xiaobao felt a lot of pressure from the merchants in Shuzhou. The collusion between officials and merchants would always happen. Zhang Xiaobao wanted to tell the merchants there, "Come and collude with me. I'll integrate you and make a fortune together."
However, he could imagine that when his father arrived there, no merchant would take out money to bribe him. It was not that they did not want to, but they could not afford it.
They were not fools. How much would it cost to bribe Zhang Zhong? If they took out 10,000 strings of coins, they would blush. If it was 100,000 strings of coins, Zhang Zhong might look up and give it to Zhang Zhong. The Zhang family could throw a mansion worth a few strings of coins to the new Provincial Governor of Lu Zhou, so why would they care about money?
"Xiao Bao, you're in trouble, aren't you? The people in Shuzhou are not like the people in Lu Zhou. If you give them some benefits, they will be grateful and go to the upper counties one after another. "
Wang Juan was also in a dilemma. The previous methods did not seem to be applicable in this new place. A real beggar would kowtow if you gave him a dime. A professional beggar would scold you if you gave him a dime.
The people in Shuzhou lived a good life. What help could they give? The thoughts of the rich were also different from those of the poor.
Zhang Xiaobao also knew what he was going to face, so he said, "Yes, it's difficult. Fortunately, this is the Tang Dynasty. If it were our time, people would be smart, and it would be too difficult to win over anyone. Don't expect a gentleman to die for his bosom friend. Since material things can't be satisfied, then let's start from the spiritual side."
*****
"Xiao Bao, Cuckoo, hurry up and show me the map. I have a place now. When I go there, you two must take care of me."
Li Xun arrived Between the Clouds and the Water with a transparent lantern in his hand before the 20th day of the first lunar month. It seemed that the person who helped him board the boat must be very tired.
"Commandery Prince Li, what are you talking about? You are now a Secondary Grade One official. My father is just a Secondary Grade Three official. If we want to talk about taking care of you, it should be you who takes care of us."
Zhang Xiaobao said to Li Xun meaningfully. Wang Juan also echoed, "Yes, we should call you Your Highness in the future. A commandery prince is also a prince. If Your Highness has something in the future, you can send someone to inform us. Why do you have to come in person?"
Li Xun was stunned. It seemed that he did not know Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan. After a while, he recovered and looked at Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan carefully.
"How can you do this? I know that you once said that the most ruthless Imperial Family is the Imperial Family, but I am not. I can't reach that position. Other than you, I don't have any friends. I would rather not be a Secondary Grade One Commandery Prince. "
Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan originally wanted to test Li Xun and see if he had changed. That way, they could change their strategy. At this time, when they saw that Li Xun was about to cry, the two of them could not bear to continue.
The person who should have died was still alive because of their appearance. It could be said that they had created a new Commandery Prince.
Wang Juan had always treated Li Xun as a child. Since Li Xun was like this, she could not bear to hurt him. She looked at Zhang Xiaobao.
Zhang Xiaobao was also relieved. He immediately said, "Young Master Li, you can't say that. You will be a Commandery Prince when you arrive. If you want to show your status, you need to practice now. Shuzhou is a rich place, and Tong 'an County is especially rich. When you arrive, you don't know what you will face. You need to learn some skills.
I have already planned for you. When you arrive, you will first build a pear garden. It will be the same as the ones in the capital and Huayuan County. However, the content will be different. You can no longer wear cotton clothes. You must wear silk. It is not far from Chuzhou, so you can use the cloth there. "
No matter how smart Li Xun was, he was not as smart as Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan. He lacked experience. Wang Juan was a descendant of an aristocratic family. She had been in contact with all kinds of people since she was young. Zhang Xiaobao was even more so. He had seen all kinds of people and encountered all kinds of things.
When he heard the two of them say this, he was finally relieved. He was actually very lonely. Although many people came to flatter him just because he said something, he did not need this kind of so-called help. He wanted true friendship.
Counting with his fingers, he only had Zhang Xiaobao, Wang Juan, Liu 'er, Xin Er, and Weiwei. The others either avoided him because of his status or deliberately approached him. If he lost his only friends, he really did not know what to do.
"Then shouldn't I find more people who can play musical instruments? Why don't I get them from Huayuan County? Anyway, the people there will listen to you. "
Li Xun was not stupid. He understood Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan's meaning in one sentence. They were following in the footsteps of Wang Juan.
"You don't need to find others. You can train them when you arrive. I have already thought of several ways for you to perform. The first one is Cuckoo."
Zhang Xiaobao could now carry out his plan, which was to live a spiritual life.
Wang Juan cooperated and lowered her voice. She tried to sing in a man's voice, "The birds on the tree are in pairs ~ ~ Ay!"
"The green water and green hills ~ ~ With a smile ~ ~ Ay! You and I are like mandarin ducks … "Zhang Xiaobao played along.
"Mandarin ducks …"
"You … What are you singing? It's so nice and interesting. Will I use this when I arrive? " Li Xun understood. This was a new thing. He figured he would have to learn from the Imperial Uncle's Pear Garden when the time came.
The man insisted on singing a woman's voice while the woman sang a man's voice. This was something he had never seen before. When Li Xun saw Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan singing and gesturing, he suddenly felt envious.
"Is this what you mean by 'riding a bamboo horse' and circling the bed to play with green plums'? I'm about to get married, but I don't know what kind of woman I'll marry. I don't have the final say. You two are the best. You've been together since you were young, and you'll be together when you grow up. Send me more cement. I'm going to build cement roads in Tong 'an County.
Yes, just give it to me. Don't worry about the others. They're of the same generation as me, so they can't afford to offend me. If anyone tries to make things difficult for your family, I'll help you hold them back. "
Li Xun made a promise to Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan. Indeed, he thought the same. When he was in Lu Zhou, he had often shared the burden of Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan.
The people of the same generation in the Imperial family hated him, including the Crown Prince. Everyone knew that the Zhang family could make a lot of money. No one dared to touch them, but how could the Imperial family let them go so easily? However, whenever they wanted to make a move, they would be stopped by Li Xun. There was nothing they could do.
Li Xun was the son of Prince Si Ning, and he was adopted. In fact, he had two fathers. One gave birth to him, and the other was counting on him to continue the family line. Not to mention that he was very obedient, even if he tried to rebel and failed, he would not be killed. If Li Longji wanted to kill him, he would have to face two brothers at the same time.
There were so many marquises, but they could not interfere in the lucrative business. It could be said that they both loved and hated Li Xun. Li Xun would give them many precious things every year, and they were unwilling to reject him. However, they always stood in front of Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan.
If it was not Li Xun, but any other son of an official, these people from the Imperial family would dare to look for trouble. However, Li Xun was different. He could directly write a letter to Li Longji.
They had never seen someone like him. Even if there was a trivial matter, he would write a letter to Li Longji and chat with his father. He also talked a lot about how he dealt with the Shen family last time.
As long as he did something secretly, the descendants of the Imperial family did not have to worry at all. Even if he threatened a small family, the small family would have to stand firm unless there was an official in the imperial court who could protect them.
The Zhang family had also been threatened before. In the end, not only did the Zhang family not compromise, but the Zhang family retaliated. Moreover, Li Xun kept snitching on them. The descendants of the Imperial family were very depressed.
Zhang Xiaobao understood the meaning behind Li Xun's words. He nodded and did not say anything about this matter. He knew that this was not only because of Li Xun, but also because of Li Longji.
His family had given Li Longji many benefits over the past few years. Apart from inventing new things for Li Longji, they had also secretly given him shares. Moreover, all the things they gave out were for the benefit of the country and the people. As long as Li Longji was not stupid, he would not do anything to the Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan.
"Xiao Bao, Cuckoo, what do you think will be the most valuable thing we can plant when we get there?" After Li Xun dealt with the matter of the pear orchard, he thought of the development plan for Lu Zhou.
"We'll plant what the locals used to plant. I haven't told you this before, but it's not too difficult to increase the production of food, especially under such circumstances. "
Zhang Xiaobao hesitated for a moment before he finally decided to tell Lu Zhou about the Mai Fan Stone. This thing was indeed very important. Although it was only a small amount of elements, it had a great effect on plants and animals. Otherwise, Kashin-Beck disease would not have developed due to the influence of water quality.
Even drinking a ton of hard water would not have any effect on the body. The main thing was that it had a long-term effect on the human body. The Mai Fan Stone had a slightly faster effect on plants. The reason why Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan did not use the Mai Fan Stone to plant plants was not because it was ineffective, but because it was not worth it.
It was just like how oil was not refined. Instead, it was smeared on firewood in its original form to light a fire for a big brick bed in a village. If one smeared more oil, even the ashes of the brick bed would be pushed out. However, that was not the true value of oil.
For the current generation, the Mai Fan Stone was not very useful. It was used for bathing, soaking rice, and purifying water. No matter how the Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan used it, they did not need too much of it. Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan were not stupid enough to sell purified water and mineral water.
*****
With Zhang Xiaobao's explanation, Li Xun finally learned the methods to increase the production of food. The first method was the selection of seeds, the second was the disinfection, and the third was the comprehensive use of fertilizers. The fourth was the Mai Fan Stone, and the last was the casting of seedlings. The last method was the pesticides used to plant cotton, such as lime water and indigo.
"Why didn't you tell me about these methods earlier? That way, it would have been more convenient for the Sinongsi to research new seeds. "
Li Xun was dumbfounded. It turned out that the Zhang family knew more things, but they had been doing it secretly. No wonder their food production was so high.
"Young Master Li has played poker before, right? The more people know about your trump cards, the less safe it will be. If you did not have to go to a new place and make achievements in a prosperous place, this secret might not be known to others until a few years later. "
Zhang Xiaobao was not lying to Li Xun this time. He was indeed paving the way for Li Xun. It was good to be a County King. He did not need to pay the rent tax, and no one else would. If Li Xun paid the tax, then … he would also gain a lot of benefits while offending people. He was very capable.
Moreover, Li Xun had an advantage, and that was, he was rich. If others paid the rent tax casually, it might make others think more, but not Li Xun. He had paid 100,000 strings of strings to help build the canal. Zhang Xiaobao had also paid 110,000 strings of strings of strings of strings of strings of cash. It was the safest for Li Xun to put the money on the table.
*****
Shuzhou was much closer to Sanshui County than Lu Zhou. The transportation was relatively more convenient. One could enter the canal from the Yangtze River, and it would be easier to get to the canal.
When the Zhang Family and the Wang Family were preparing to move, Old Man Pi was also ready. He had now formed a habit. He could only enjoy life with the Zhang Family. Moreover, he could also see the development of the Zhang Family in a certain place.
In order to help the Zhang Family, he also asked for a few sets of furniture from the Zhang Family, the most luxurious kind. Even the crocodile leather cushions were included. They were all gifts.
Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan were very touched by the old man's actions. Although it was free gifts, both of them knew that there were many people who did not want to give whatever they wanted. With Old Man Pi around, they did not have to worry about this.
On the 27th day of the first lunar month, the fleet of the Zhang Family and the Wang Family set off. Yes, it was a fleet. They sprinkled salt on the ice that had not melted and used manual labor to dredge it. They dredged the small river from Sanshui County to the capital.
At this moment, the capability of the Zhang Family was truly displayed. Many people used to describe the Zhang Family as a city of ice in summer and cold flowing water in winter. What they thought was impossible was possible for the Zhang Family.
When the Zhang Family and the Wang Family set off, the water of the Yellow River had not completely melted yet.
Many officials and aristocratic families were watching to see what the Zhang Family would do.
Zhang Xiaobao knew that at this moment, they had to cross the river by water. The method of travel involved too many things. Whether the local officials in Shuzhou would be convinced or whether the people who wanted to deal with the Zhang Family would be deterred, they had to do it before the water of the Yellow River melted.
Ten tons of salt were sprinkled from the capital to the place where the canal connected. The large fleet of the Zhang Family moved. Unlike before, the ships of the fleet this time were modified before the Zhang Family set off from Sanshui County.
An inch-thick iron plate was installed at the bow of the ship, and a half-inch-thick iron plate was installed at the place where the ship could touch the water. The ship did not carry more goods or people, and a lot of stones were installed at the stern of the ship to weigh the ship down.
Even the left and right wheels of the ship were also wrapped in iron sheets. The speed was slow, but when the Zhang Family's fleet moved forward against the layer of ice that had been melted by the salt, everyone who was prepared to see the Zhang Family and the Wang Family make a fool of themselves was speechless.
Strong, too strong. They understood that the Zhang Family did not have to travel on the river. It would be the same if they traveled by land. However, they chose the river. This was not a question of whether the ship could cross the river. It represented the attitude of the Zhang Family and the Wang Family.
When the fleet broke through the ice and moved forward, the smart people understood that it was not the ship that was tough, but the Zhang Family and the Wang Family that was tough. They used this method to tell those who wanted to scheme against them to weigh their own weight and see if they could touch the proud bones of the Zhang Family and the Wang Family.
Looking at the fleet that was slowly breaking through the ice, everyone who was watching was moved.
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