The three of them sat down. Someone stood behind them.
Li Yi had a casserole pot of mutton and radish in front of him. The main dish was a fried flatbread the size of a plate. It was dry fried without adding any oil.
He realized he had grown taller recently. His nutritional requirements were high, but he did not gain any weight. He had to replenish his body.
He ate mutton for nourishment, but he was worried he would get angry so he added radish.
He ate flatbread because it digested quickly. When he felt full, his body would be digested quickly. Most importantly, the soup was the first to be absorbed.
"I heard you're planning to set up a shipping agency in Lu Zhou? Didn't you go to Provincial Governor Lu? "Li Yi drank some soup to warm his stomach.
"He said it's none of his business. Indeed, he can't do anything unless we rebel." The woman was dressed in women's clothing. She looked quite pretty.
"We don't pay rent. If there's work to be done, we'll see if it's busy. If it's not busy, we'll cooperate with the authorities. We've already paid the tribute to His Majesty. "
The man, Tan Hai, explained Lu Zhou's situation. Provincial Governor Lu Zhou had too little power.
He could not control the mountain people. Although they were mountain people, they were tribes.
The large tribes with the surname Tan could mobilize tens of thousands of people.
If they did not rebel, they would be good citizens. What was the point of paying rent? He did not even have enough to eat.
"Do the locals have anything to trade with barbarians?" Li Yi approved of setting up a shipping agency.
Lu Zhou was by the sea. There were many mountains here, and the rivers were not connected. The roads were too difficult to travel.
How were they going to transport goods if they set up a shipping agency? Were they going to travel by sea from Lu Zhou? What was the difference between that and Guangzhou?
"Yes, we have things to trade as well. If we're allowed to set up a shipping agency, we'll build our own roads," Tan Shida promised.
He knew how difficult it was to transport goods. However, if they could earn money, they could build roads together.
There were very few relay stations now. There was only one for dozens of miles. If something happened, Provincial Governor Lu Zhou would need more than a month to send news to Chang 'an.
If there was a heavy rain, it might take two to three months.
If other places could build roads, they could build roads in their own places. It all depended on whether they had enough money.
Li Yi gestured for them to eat. He spoke as they ate. He could save them if they choked.
"What's this? It's delicious. "The woman was eating shredded pork with garlic sauce.
"Shredded pork with garlic sauce," Li Yi said.
"There's no fish. Is this fish meat?" The woman was puzzled. She picked up the shredded meat with her chopsticks.
"Fish-flavored shredded meat," Li Yi explained.
"There's no smell of fish," the woman said seriously. Her family was in Lu Zhou, and she had eaten many fishes.
"That's because the pickled pepper wasn't made well. Small rice peppers aren't very suitable to be made. Also, you guys eat sea fish. This one usually tastes like river fish."
Li Yi knew the reason. The taste of the ingredients was different from that of other places.
No matter how they prepared the fish-flavored shredded pork, the people of Guangdong and Guangxi did not feel that the fish-flavored taste was right.
The woman seemed to accept this explanation and nodded. "That's delicious too."
Li Yi ate a mouthful of mutton and swallowed it. He said to Tan Shida, "How many people can you organize to repair the road? If you have more than 100,000 people, you'll be able to open up the Department of Shipping. "
Tan Shi frowned, "My tribe has more than twelve thousand people. We can find the other two tribes nearby, which would add up to thirty thousand people. It won't be easy to find more."
He was troubled. They were still far from 100,000 people. He could only mobilize so many people.
Li Yi felt sorry for Provincial Governor Lu Zhou. Just look at how powerful the mountain people were. They could easily mobilize thirty thousand people.
Provincial Governor Lu Zhou would have to coax them. The mountain people in these places were not ordinary.
Back then, even the locals dared to overturn the law enforcement chariots. The local families were powerful, but they did not have thirty thousand people.
"I have a pill that treats malaria. Do you accept the Li Family Zhuangzi's exchange coupons?" Li Yi tried to think of a solution.
If there were fewer people, the speed of repairing the road would be slower. The barbarian merchants were unwilling to trade with Lu Zhou.
If there were more people, they would be able to repair a road in no time.
The road was not a highway, national highway, or provincial highway. It was a walkable road. The surface would not be muddy and would be paved with gravel.
There could be steps and slopes. If it was too steep, they would have to dig up the mountain.
When Tan Shi heard this, he knew Li Yi was helping. He was using the malaria medicine to search for people. At the same time, Li Yi was willing to pay for it.
He hastily said, "I've seen it before, but I've never used it. Give it to us. We'll accept it. We're willing to spend it like it's money."
"What other difficulties do you have?" Li Yi had resolved the matter of gathering people. At the same time, he gave Tan Shi more authority.
Initially, Tan Shi Da could only mobilize thirty thousand people. However, with the Malaria Severance Pill and money, he would have the right to speak.
"Tools for work. We don't have much iron, and we still use wood to plow the land."
The woman did not think she was asking for too much. She was only thinking about how to get to work faster.
Li Yi nodded. "Pick, shovel, drill, hammer, chisel, and thin iron rod. I'll give them to you. Anything else? "
The woman widened her eyes and looked at Li Yi. "You … You're that rich? Aren't you afraid that we'll cheat you? "
"Even if we cheat you, we'll just take them to help you live a better life. Are you going to throw them into the sea?" Li Yi smiled.
What could he cheat them of? He would not repair the road and distribute the tools for them to use.
With the tools, their quality of life would improve. There was no problem.
"Aren't you afraid that we'll turn the tools into weapons and rebel?" A hint of slyness flashed in the woman's eyes.
"After this meal, I'll bring you to see His Majesty's private army, the Winged Knights. I know you're good at fighting in the mountains and forests. Help me evaluate the Winged Knights' fighting in the forests.
If you think they're good enough, I can bring the Winged Knights over to help you if you need anything. "
Li Yi knew the situation on Lu Zhou's side. These three people were considered tall, but they were not more than 1.7 meters tall. They were shorter than him.
Most of them were more than 1.5 meters tall, just like the average height in the Japanese Empire.
Although they were short, their combat strength was not good. During the Ming Dynasty, there were Guangxi's wolf soldiers.
No matter how powerful the wolf soldiers were, could they compare to the special forces?
If the locals really used the tools he provided to turn them into weapons and rebel, he would have to do it himself.
"Are they powerful?" The woman was slightly unconvinced.
"They eat meat every day. They can eat as much as they want," Li Yi said from another perspective.
"That means they're strong, right?" The woman seemed to understand. She liked to eat meat as well, but sometimes, she could not eat it.
Although she was the daughter of the chief, the chief could not ignore others. If he did not catch fish, he would be satisfied with meat soup if he caught something to eat in the forest.
As she spoke, she thought of the Thousand Bull Guards she saw at the bridgehead. They were all tall and strong. They seemed like they could fight.
Hence, she asked, "Can the Winged Knights defeat the Thousand Bull Guards?"
"They might not be able to fight bare-handed. The Sixteen Guards are training hard now. They're still not good at comprehensive combat."
Li Yi thought about it and gave a pertinent answer.
If it were the Sixteen Guards in the past, the Winged Knights would be able to crush them.
The Sixteen Guards knew they had to train. They had a good foundation, especially the Thousand Bull Guards, who were tall and strong.
They had been training seriously for almost two years. They were not on the same level as the shorter Winged Knights.
The Winged Knights were too short. They would not be able to defeat the Thousand Bull Guards in bare-handed combat.
However, when it came to bows and crossbows, those with short statures who could be chosen as Featherwood Flying Cavalry were almost all divine archers.
They did not rely on aiming when they shot arrows. They relied on their instincts.
When it came to guns, their instincts were even stronger. For example, Guo Ziyi was given a sniper rifle.
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