As a native of Hunan, Ceng Guofan could eat spicy food. Prince Gong Yi? When he invited Ceng Guofan to his mansion for dinner, he specially provided Ceng Guofan with a plate of chilli. The chilli was green in color and looked crispy, which was very pleasing. Ceng Guofan was a person who valued self-restraint, especially at banquets, he appeared to be very calm. He would eat a little of every dish, but not too much.
He picked up a chilli and bit into it. It felt crisp in his mouth. Then the spicy, sour, salty, and fragrant taste burst out on his taste buds. Ceng Guofan was slightly shocked, but in the blink of an eye, he recovered his calmness. He continued to eat the whole chilli.
Prince Gong Yi's food was naturally not bad. It was a great success to be able to move the diners. Prince Gong Yi? He was quite satisfied when he saw Ceng Guofan seemingly inadvertently pick up another chilli.
"Reisheng, I don't know what to do about the teacher." After three rounds of drinking, Wang Yixin kissed Wang Yixin. After three rounds of wine, Prince Gong Yi?
Originally, Prince Gong Yi? Wanted to let the Eight Banners see the ability of the Xiang Army during the drill, and then let Ceng Guofan lead thousands of Xiang Army elites to be the instructors of the Eight Banners. The result of the drill was very different from the original beautiful idea, and the two sides had a fierce conflict. Under the strong pressure of the Eight Banners, the Xiang Army was forced to cut off the heads of several soldiers to apologize. Things had come to this point, there was no need to think about the instructors anymore. But with the current level of training of the Eight Banners, Prince Gong Yi? Didn't dare to send these troops to the battlefield.
Ceng Guofan swallowed the food in his mouth first, and then said calmly, "Prince, why don't the Eight Banners send officers to watch the drill of the Xiang Army?"
"Okay!" Wang Yixin Prince Gong Yi was immediately happy. He couldn't help but admire Ceng Guofan's ability. The Manchu Qing side believed that the war depended on the command of the officers. If the level of the officers of the Eight Banners could be improved, the level of the army would naturally be improved accordingly. Ceng Guofan undoubtedly grasped this point. This made Prince Gong Yi This made Prince Gong Yi feel that Empress Dowager Ci 'an's evaluation of Ceng Guofan's "loyal subject" was correct.
If he wasn't a loyal official, Ceng Guofan wouldn't have cared about the imperial court after suffering such a great injustice. After hearing the problem, he immediately came up with a solution. This couldn't be because Ceng Guofan was quick-witted, but because Ceng Guofan had already considered this problem and made a decision. Such a loyal minister was indeed moving. Dear Prince Yi? Thinking back to those Han officials who fled the capital for the sake of their lives, those people's moral standards are worse than pigs and dogs compared to Ceng Guofan.
"Shisheng, let's have a toast." Wang Yixin kissed Wang Yixin. He toasted Ceng Guofan. He saw that after Ceng Guofan drank the wine, he picked up a Chao Tian Chilli, and he also quickly served Ceng Guofan food.
"There's one more thing. The imperial court bought a batch of firearms from the foreigners. They'll be delivered in a few days. Please send someone to inspect the goods with us." Prince Gong Yi? He made a new request. The Xiang Army had purchased a large number of foreign firearms, Ceng Guofan was an expert in this field.
Ceng Guofan replied, "Wangye, I can personally inspect the goods."
Ceng Guofan personally led the team to greet Wang Yixin. He was even more relieved. If the Xiang Army didn't hold a grudge against the Eight Banners Army, Prince Gong Yi? Would never believe it. Ceng Guofan, a loyal minister, personally leading the team was more reassuring than anything else.
Before leaving, Prince Gong Yi? Ordered people to take out more than 20 glass bottles. Glass in this era was not completely rare in Beijing, at least in the eyes of Wangye. The glass bottles were sealed with a waxed cork. Inside was a clear soup with a large number of Chao Tian Chilli soaked in the soup.
"Shisheng, Hunan people like to eat spicy food. I don't know if the chili here is to your liking." Prince Gong Yi? He took out the delicacies he bought from the foreign devil's ship. "Not only chili, but also some yellow peaches and pineapples. Shisheng, try them. I'll send them to your residence in a few days. "
It was already September. Peaches and other fruits had long disappeared. It was not an ordinary luxury to be able to eat fruits at this time. But according to the housekeeper who bought these luxuries, the foreign devils at sea didn't understand the price. The price of these glass bottles of fruit was' very cheap '. Not to mention the fruit in the glass bottles, the glass bottles themselves were also worth some money. But these two bottles were only sold for one tael of silver, which was cheaper than the snacks offered to the royal family.
Ceng Guofan thanked Prince Gong Yi? And took his leave. According to etiquette, Prince Gong Yi? Sent his men to send these things to Ceng Guofan's residence in the capital.
A few days later, the maritime trade fleet of the Liberation Army welcomed the 'purchasing group' of Manchu Qing. The person in charge originally thought that with the situation of the two sides fighting to the death, the business with Manchu Qing might not be able to be big. He didn't expect that the business would become bigger and bigger. There were actually more and more types of business. Food, weapons, these were easy to deal with. But the goods such as canned fruit, ham, bacon, candy, and other goods that Vézé personally ordered to bring were all sold out. They were cosmetics, skin care products, toothbrushes, toothpaste, soap, and scented soap. These things also sold very well. Luxury goods such as incense were also bought by Manchu Qing's purchasers.
The conclusion of the Party Committee meeting was that 'the extravagant nature of the upper class of Manchu Qing will not change'! But when everyone said these words, they inevitably felt a little guilty. Their comrades all came from poor backgrounds and had never enjoyed life since childhood. It was already a great life to be able to eat their fill and not starve. Since following Vézé, everyone developed the habit of bathing and brushing their teeth under the pressure of discipline. With the production of daily cosmetics and other products on the right track, everyone used these 'daily necessities'. In fact, not to mention the Manchu Qing nobles, the people in the new government system gradually became inseparable from these things.
The Party Committee was responsible for ideological issues. The Party Committee Secretary addressed everyone's doubts and put forward his opinion. "Here, can't ordinary people afford it? Here in Manchu Qing, can ordinary people afford these things? "
With this question, everyone recovered from their state of guilt. Indeed, ordinary people in the city could afford these goods. The people in charge of sales were all from the Ministry of Commerce. When everyone visited the factory, they all knew how these goods were produced on a large scale. The cost was very low. Glass bottles used to be a rare commodity, but with the improvement of industrial and mining standards, and the recycling of broken glass, glass had become a very cheap commodity. Canned yellow peaches in the liberated areas sold for 1.5 yuan at most, which was 150 copper coins. When transported to Manchu Qing, it could immediately be sold for 500 copper coins. If it wasn't for the fact that the purpose of this trip was to extract as much money as possible from Manchu Qing. Even if the price was higher, it would still be acceptable.
The final result of the discussion was very positive. Under the rule of the new government, the daily living standards of the people in the liberated areas had caught up with the daily life of the Manchu Qing nobles. The morale of the whole army could be said to be greatly boosted. Everyone sincerely praised Vézé.
Of course, the army didn't just sell, they had to sell. One of the most important commodities was wood from the northeast region. The liberated areas vigorously promoted the use of coal as fuel. With the replacement of vegetation as fuel, afforestation began in areas with convenient transportation. China had 500 million people to feed, and the demand for fuel was huge. The south was densely populated, and the felling of trees was even more intense. Now those big trees were long gone.
The keel ribs of the current warships were already made of steel, but the iron armor needed to be installed on the wooden base, and these wooden bases needed to be processed by big trees. The Liberation Army's first afforestation area was only seven years ago, after the area of Guangzhou received a supply of high-quality anthracite from the Hongji Coal Mine. Trees took ten years to grow. After seven years, the planted trees hadn't grown up yet. Therefore, the Liberation Army set its target on the northeast. The northeast was the private land of the Manchus, but the Manchu Qing didn't know how to farm. Since the end of the Ming Dynasty killed all the Han people in the northeast, the place was basically abandoned. Because there were few people, there were many big trees.
The Liberation Army didn't lack contacts. Many Han officials had escaped from Beijing, and many of them knew officials in the northeast. There was never a lack of people who wanted to "make up for their crimes". Since the former Manchu Qing officials fought for their families, the Liberation Army actually didn't expect that it would really have any effect. But the big roots of trees in the northeast began to be sold by sea to the fleets of the Liberation Army. The sales volume increased.
A shadow of a sail appeared on the mast? Through the binoculars of the lookouts, a few steam boats soon sailed past. When the north wind blew, the goods from the north began to be transported south in large quantities. It was the same now. After the big trees in the northeast were cut down, they floated along the river to the seaside. They made large rafts by the seaside, put up sails on them, and then began to sail south.
Half a day later, the steam boat that went to check returned to the fleet, and the person in charge of checking reported to the fleet headquarters. "More than 2,000 big trees have been shipped here. They're real big trees! "
More than 2,000 big trees? The headquarters was overjoyed. This was completely beyond everyone's imagination. Everyone felt that it would be amazing to have 1,000 trees.
This joy didn't last long. The comrade, whose face was full of joy, continued, "They said that there are still thousands of books to come!"
Seventy to eighty li away on the sea, Tairan Hai sat on a wooden raft and touched the tree trunks with his hands. If he had to describe his current mood, it was probably the same as the feelings of an old Han farmer when he looked at the wheat that was growing delightfully. Last summer, the flag master said that someone was collecting the wood and ordered his men to cut down the trees. Of course, the flag master told everyone that the money earned from selling the trees would be split 40: 60. Of course, the flag master would get 60%, and the participating flag masters would get 40%.
Last year, they really made money by shipping the wood to the sea. The silver made Tairan Hai feel that his days were really like that of a deity. Everyone was skeptical last year and only cut down the trees that weren't that thick. At most, it would take two people to wrap their arms around it. The foreign devils said that compared to the trees last year, the trees that couldn't take three or four people to wrap their arms around it could be sold for two to three times the price.
This year, everyone continued to cut down trees. The flag master led everyone to pick the trees that couldn't take three or four people to wrap their arms around it and cut them down for half a year. It took a lot of effort to float these trees and transport them to the sea. Fortunately, the foreign merchants who brought a large number of Han sailors last year had provided a large number of thick ropes to the flag master, allowing the trees to be successfully tied together.
Tairan Hai couldn't close his mouth when he thought of the profits he was about to receive. The flag master stood straight at the front of the wooden raft and stared at it, as if he wanted to find the mountain of silver in his dreams. Tairan Hai looked at the flag master with a trace of worry in his heart. Outside the Great Qing Dynasty was the land of prosperity, and in order to protect the Fengshui of Great Qing, those huge trees weren't allowed to be cut down. However, the flag master didn't care at all and continued to cut down the trees wantonly. If the big masters in the capital knew about this, would they blame them? Tairan Hai didn't know what to do. It was one thing to punish them, but if the big masters in the capital confiscated the money, it would be terrible!
Some smoke appeared in the sky, and the smoke got closer and closer. A ship without sails appeared in everyone's eyes from the south to the north. This was the foreign devil's ship that they saw last year. Tairan Hai stood up and cheered. At this moment, everyone on the ship stood up and jumped excitedly, cheering at the top of their lungs.
Money! It's finally here!
"This is too much money!" The fleet's party secretary stuttered. If the price of the wood they received was in the south, it would probably be 15 to 20 times the price of the fleet's expenditure. Moreover, many of the trees couldn't be bought at all. He had already sent a fast ship back to the port in Zhejiang and asked the navy to send people over as soon as possible. Tens of thousands of huge pieces of wood had completely exceeded the fleet's ability to transport.
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