While Ke Tuyu and the other generals were in a bad mood, their soldiers were living a very good life.
During this period of time, they were able to eat good food that they normally couldn't eat. White steamed buns and rice that were very comfortable to bite on. Coupled with the supply of vegetables and meat, they felt that this time, they were not out to fight, but to enjoy life.
Especially at night, when the dew was heavy, the person in charge of the night watch could even get a small cup of wine. It looked a little small, but it was much stronger than the wine they drank before. Just a small cup was enough to warm up their entire body from the inside out.
The soldiers had already fallen in love with this kind of life. The only thing that made them a little unhappy was that the food that followed Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan, as well as the few hundred guards, was not the same as what they were eating.
For example, last night they had one serving of fish, two servings of vegetables, eggplant and cucumber, and a bowl of mutton soup.
However, the people who came with Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan ate eggplant and cabbage. The meat dish was braised pork, and a bowl of egg soup. The braised pork was fine. After all, the fish they ate was called braised fish, although the taste was a little worse.
However, eggplant and cabbage were not vegetarian dishes at all. Whose vegetarian dish was called minced meat and eggplant? Whose vegetarian dish had shredded meat in it?
No matter how envious or jealous they were, they couldn't complain.
"I won't complain." A Khitan soldier who was in charge of the night watch held a cup of warm wine in his hand. He licked it gently with his tongue and said to the person next to him who was also in charge of the night watch, "My life is worth it. I have meat every day and wine when I am in charge of the night watch. Since I was young, I have never drunk such good wine."
Another soldier had the same feeling. He sniffed the wine cup with his nose and said, "It's a pity that someone else will be in charge of the night watch tomorrow. When I discussed it with them, they didn't want to do it. I am willing to do the hard work of night watch.
Right now, I'm just scared. I'm scared that if I follow them all the way and come back victorious, how am I going to live without Governor Zhang and Adjunct Wang? Now I understand why their subordinates are so good at fighting and eat so well. "
"Keep your voice down. Don't let anyone hear you. Otherwise, even if you don't die, you will lose a layer of skin. I really regret that I didn't go to Jili State to be a soldier. If I brought my family with me, oh … I don't dare to think about it, I don't dare to think about it."
The person who spoke earlier lowered his voice and looked around nervously. Seeing that no one was paying attention to them, he heaved a sigh of relief.
The two of them sipped their wine and continued their night watch. The same thing was happening on different ships.
But how could Tuyu not hear any news at all? However, he had no other choice. He couldn't possibly ask his subordinates not to eat the food provided by the Zhang Family and Wang Family. Where would he find food to feed his subordinates then?
His subordinates were used to eating the food of the Zhang Family and Wang Family. When they returned to the Martial Manor in the future, would they have to follow the food of the Zhang Family and Wang Family?
"Pass down the order. Get someone to buy croton as soon as possible. We'll be arriving in Luoyang soon. Hand it over there. Once the croton is obtained, give it to someone to use."
Tuyu had a feeling that time was passing by like a year. He wished he could grow a pair of wings and fly outside to bring back the croton.
The subordinate who had been in charge of waiting on him agreed and carefully left the cabin to make the arrangements. Contacting people outside was a very troublesome matter. When the time came, they still had to send the croton to the various ships. A moment of carelessness could be discovered.
Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan had already helped Tuyu arrange some of the matters. They were also waiting for the right time to come.
Wang Juan lay on the bed, her head leaning on Zhang Xiaobao's shoulder as she whispered, "Xiao Bao, the matter of the bank is now considered stable. Do you have any plans for the next step?"
Zhang Xiaobao knew what Wang Juan was asking about. It was the same problem of interest as when the national debt was issued. Now, the bank didn't have to pay any additional fees for depositing money.
Ever since the bank took this measure, other places that specialized in exchanging money had no choice but to think of other ways to collect funds. No one was willing to deposit money with them.
At the beginning, many shops wanted to support the bank, but as the imperial court bought large amounts of silk, when the time was almost up, they felt the determination and strength of the imperial court.
Seeing that other people were coming to take a large amount of money and transfer it to the bank, they had no choice but to follow the Great Tang Bank's policy of exchanging and storing without any fees. Otherwise, if all the people who deposited money with them came to withdraw money, they simply couldn't afford it.
A lot of money had already been lent out in the form of usury, but it wasn't time yet, so they couldn't collect it.
It was precisely because of this that Zhang Xiaobao hadn't introduced the matter of interest. He was afraid that it would have too great of an impact on other financial industries.
After thinking about it carefully, Zhang Xiaobao said to Wang Juan, "Isn't it a bit too early? You have to know that once interest is paid on deposits, it means that the currency has begun to depreciate. In order to make the people feel that their money hasn't depreciated, we have to increase productivity. Right now, we are researching all kinds of science and technology, but we haven't taken it out yet. "
"Then let's take it out." Wang Juan also understood this situation. If they didn't develop productivity, then the depreciation would be true depreciation. If productivity could keep up, then they would be able to reach a balance between supply and demand. The more productivity developed, the better the people's lives would be.
"Xiao Bao, if we take it out, then the people's lives will be better," Wang Juan added.
"Even if it's better, they won't be satisfied. Have you read history books? I haven't studied it systematically, but I know the thoughts of human life. In the past, it was just liberated, right? At that time, one cent could buy a large piece of fermented bean curd.
What about us at that time? We didn't have a cent or a cent. One piece of fermented bean curd was one dollar, and it was still small. It should be considered a devaluation of the currency, a devaluation of more than a hundred times. But at that time, the money we earned was very little, only a dozen or so dollars a month. At that time, we earned close to ten thousand dollars a month, and that was considered low.
But at that time, the people complained that the price of goods was too high. Because luxury goods were expensive, some people earned more money. What's that saying again? It's called … "
"Don't worry about scarcity, but worry about inequality. Do you mean that in order to let the people live in the happiness of undeveloped productivity forever, you don't want them to transition to an era of inequality where they can eat a lot of food and wear beautiful clothes? I don't agree. "
When Wang Juan heard Zhang Xiaobao's words, she wondered what he was going to do. But she also knew very well that if one wanted to rely on someone's power to interfere with the development of the era, they could only delay it, but they couldn't stop it.
Zhang Xiaobao shook his head. "I don't agree either. What I mean is that if we develop productivity well, others won't appreciate our kindness. Why should we release all the technology at once? Let's do it bit by bit. If we release a little bit, we can earn a lot of money. The investment in scientific research is not small.
In order to have more money to invest in benefiting the people in the future, we need to continue to accumulate a lot of money. We can't burden the imperial court, and we can't exploit the working people. So, the interest matter can wait. It can be considered as helping the financial industry. "
"Okay, why are you looking for excuses? Can't you just say that you want to make money? Why do the words sound so strange when they come out of your mouth? Sure enough, there's no good person in business."
Wang Juan was confused by Zhang Xiaobao's words just now. When Zhang Xiaobao finished speaking, she understood that he was just looking for excuses.
"Right, who's a good person in business? They're all officials. Good people, good officials, right?" Zhang Xiaobao muttered.
"I don't have anything to say to you. Go to sleep. Move over there. Don't take your arm away. It's still a pillow." Wang Juan also muttered. She pulled Zhang Xiaobao's arm and put her head on it.
"It's numb, it's numb. Tomorrow, we have to provoke them and let them be firm in their thoughts. I heard that some girls get married and have children at the age of 13 or 14. We're almost there, right?"
"I heard that eunuchs don't have to worry about this kind of thing for their entire lives. I can help you."
*****
At dawn the next day, Xiaobei and the rest of the little guys started to train their 100 teenage bodyguards again. They did morning exercises on the deck and shouted loudly. It really did look like they were doing something.
The bodyguards brought by Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan, as well as the 1,000 soldiers, were also training in a small area. The other 40,000 people were already immersed in the aroma of the food. It was not inferior to a gentle village at all.
Today's breakfast was meat buns. There were some green onions in the chopped meat filling. Before they could eat it, the fragrance that assailed their nostrils made them drool. With the addition of the meat, pickles, tofu pudding, and chives, it was as if it was the new year.
As expected, when Tuyu found out what they had for breakfast, his expression turned even gloomier. The other generals also felt regret. If they had known earlier, they would not have brought them here personally. This was their own army. If they wanted to win over the hearts of the people when they returned, they would probably have to spend a lot of money.
A small portion of the people were depressed, while a large portion of the people were happy. When the fleet arrived at Luoyang, the small portion of the people were also happy. They were all waiting to get croton from Luoyang.
In Luoyang, the fleet had to stop for a day to rest and reorganize. The main reason was that Empress Wang's two children had to be sent to Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan's home. They could not bring two babies to war.
Seeing that Pan 'er was about to be sent away, Xiaobei reluctantly reached out his hand to touch Pan' er's face. He lowered his head and kissed her. "Good baby, don't be anxious. It won't be long before Big Sister brings the soldiers back victorious. When that time comes, you'll be a little older. I'll bring you to swim. It's very simple."
Pan 'er blinked her eyes and looked at them curiously. In the end, she cried.
It was not because of the separation, but because they were not familiar with the people carrying them. Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan's mother just happened to have nothing to do, and her children were not by her side. Now that the two little guys were sent over, it could be considered as relieving some of the boredom.
After spending a day with Xiaobei and the others, when it was time for the fleet to continue moving, she gave some instructions and left with the two children who were still shy.
When the crying gradually faded away, the fleet embarked on a new journey.
*****
In the cabin, Ke Tuyu looked at the big bags of croton seeds and was very nervous. He asked the person who went to do the work, "Did anyone follow you?"
"No, this little one looked carefully. Besides, this little one used the excuse of buying something else as an excuse. Who would have thought that there would be so much croton seeds in the cargo?"
The person who did the work shook his head and promised. Not to mention that no one else found out, even if they found out, he would not dare to say anything.
Ke Tuyu licked his lips with his tongue, then bit it and said, "Find a way to spread the news to the other ships. Two days later, at night, we will act at the same time. If this matter is leaked, then you …"
"This little one understands. If it is leaked, it will be done by this little one alone. It will have nothing to do with the general. When the time comes, I ask the general to take care of this little one's family."
How could the person who did the work not understand Ke Tuyu's meaning? If there is a problem, he will have to take the blame. Even if he did not want to do this, he did not have the right to choose.
"Go, after this matter is done, there will be no shortage of benefits for you." Ke Tuyu ordered again. He took a few deep breaths and no longer cared about the croton seeds in the cabin. He went outside and looked at the scenery on the river as if nothing had happened.
Because they were going to the desert, they did not have to go through Jiannan Road by land. This made the Zhang siblings feel very regretful. When the time came, they could only think of a way to discuss with Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan to let the two of them go home to have a look, or to pick up their families.
There was no need to go by land, so they walked along the Yellow River. To be precise, they passed by the capital and then entered the Jing River.
At this time, Ke Tuyu was looking at a bridge on the river in shock. The water of the Yellow River surged and hit the side of the ship. Compared to the bridge that spanned the two sides, the surging water did not seem so shocking.
"What is the name of this bridge?" Ke Tuyu looked at the pedestrians on the bridge and asked the soldiers on the side of the bridge.
"Replying to the general, this bridge is called the Third Bridge of the Yellow River. It hasn't been named yet. This humble one has inquired about it. The naming of the bridge is not simple. If someone is willing to pay 1,000 strings of coins, they can name the bridge this year. If they still want to name it next year, they will have to pay again."
The soldier had a lot of communication with other people and knew a lot of things.
"The Third Bridge? So there is also the First Bridge and the Second Bridge? One has to pay 1,000 strings of coins to name it? Is there really someone stupid enough to pay? "
Ke Tuyu did not see the bridge the last time he came, but this time there was. It seemed that there was more than one bridge, which made him feel strange. What was even more strange was that they were willing to spend money to name it.
The soldier said again, "There is. The First Bridge and the Second Bridge have been named. The First Bridge is called the Ten Thousand Zhang Cloth Line, and the Second Bridge is called the Wei River Boat Transport. General, this bridge was built by the Zhang Family and the Wang Family. The Zhang Family and the Wang Family are really capable. They can actually build a bridge on the river. Also, their daily meals are good.
"Good, you eat it. It is not small, it is not small." Ke Tuyu really did not know that the bridge was built by the Zhang Family and the Wang Family. Seeing it with his own eyes today, not only did he not have the heart to applaud Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan, but his mood became heavier. The more capable the two families were, the more difficult his life in the Commander-In-Chief Manor would be.
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