bookcurios Chapter 110: Canal Transport Office
Chapter 110: Canal Transport Office
Mr. Zhao and these old masters walked into their workplace.
There are large and small tables placed in different positions inside. On sunny days, the patio above will be opened, which makes it a great place to work.
Xiang Qingxuan's work position is near the backyard gate. He has many tools of different sizes in his hands. The apprentice is carving on a square piece of wood with a clamped rotating wheel.
"What is that for?" Zhao Sheng asked curiously.
"One of his apprentices is carving a groove on Old Man Xiang's wheel. Look over there..."
Master Lu pointed to the other side, and it was obvious that there was also a young man carving something.
"What are they doing over there?" Zhao Sheng continued to ask.
"They're carving gears over there. They're planning on making a few more wheel pistols."
"Yes, it is necessary. The captain of the patrol team at the workshop still doesn't have a gun."
"Just wait and see, it will be made soon."
Blacksmith Lu promised solemnly, and Zhao Sheng did not dare to urge him.
The most important thing at the moment is to make money. The armaments are mainly aimed at Weizhou on the front line. The first thing built there is a blockhouse, which is three meters high and requires a wooden ladder to climb up.
Each blockhouse is topped with a platform on which a large crossbow is installed.
Later, the Eight-Ox Crossbow was developed, which could reach a distance of more than a thousand steps, and its main feature was that the arrow was short, fast and accurate. In other words, the arrow was shorter and thicker than before, and its explosive power was greater.
You can also use the original long arrow with the afro, but its accuracy is much worse than this short and thick arrow.
Due to the shortage of weapons, most of the rifles and grenades were placed on the city walls.
Zhao Sheng plans to build this place like the ancient Roman city, connecting the city walls everywhere to form a huge trading market.
After the people of Weizhou returned to the city, most of them had begun to abandon their farmland. For this reason, Zhao Sheng arranged for people to go to the Xiongnu to dig up some grass roots that cattle and sheep liked to eat and bring them back for planting.
Rice and wheat may not grow well in farmland, but grass grows very fast.
Therefore, local residents were encouraged to participate in construction tasks and receive compensation for their work in the form of food distribution.
At the same time, Weizhou gathered the elderly and children together to work, mainly raising sheep and a small number of chickens.
As mentioned earlier, people have already started building the road. This is also the first expressway connecting Weizhou and Dingzhou. There is no toll on the road from Dingzhou to Guangchang County, but there is a toll on the road from Guangchang County to Weizhou.
It only charges a fee, and the inspection is strict, so the fee is a bit expensive.
However, there is traffic between the two places, with four horse-drawn carriages running every day.
Guangchang County is actually not suitable for farmland cultivation, while Weizhou is relatively more suitable. However, as the back of Weizhou, this county is also an important military town.
Therefore, the road from Weizhou to Guangchang County was the first to be repaired, and cement was paved on it.
As mentioned earlier, the use of traditional cement is actually equivalent to hardening the ground.
The palace finally accepted the recommendation of Kong Xianren submitted by the Ministry of Revenue. At this time, Zhao Hengzhen thought that the Cao Gang was controlled by Zhao Heng, and he wanted to see the ambition of his fifth son.
Little did they know that all this was arranged by Zhao Wei.
After Tang Ming was recruited, he came to Shangjing to serve as a councilor of the Grain Transport Bureau and concurrently as a doctor of the Grain Transport Bureau.
This position is neither painful nor itchy.
Originally, the Caoyunsi should have been under the Ministry of Works, but since Kong Xianren said that money could be received, this department was directly placed under the Ministry of Revenue.
"Is this the newly appointed Lord Tang?"
Just when Tang Ming was in a daze, a man came forward and asked.
Tang Ming saw that the person in front of him looked familiar, but he couldn't remember who he was.
"May I ask who you are...?"
"My name is He Hairen. From now on, we are colleagues and I will serve as the governor of the Canal Transport Bureau."
"He Hairen?" Tang Ming's heart tightened, and he suddenly remembered that this man was the former prefect of Chuzhou.
"I have long heard of your great name. I am Tang Ming, your humble servant. This is my first visit to the capital. I appreciate your guidance."
He Hairen knew Tang Ming's background, and this time he wanted to lure him to the second prince's warship, so the two of them could not have a conflict.
As for whether He Hairen was the Second Prince's man, Zhao Hengzhen didn't know this. He asked the white-faced beardless man in the imperial study:
"Has the Cao Gang's leader arrived in Beijing to report?"
"Your Majesty, I have arrived and am chatting with He Hairen. They seem to be getting along well."
The beardless man spoke in a soft, low voice.
"Who is this He Hairen? How come he was demoted from a fourth-rank official to a fifth-rank official by Old Five?"
"This is He Hairen's fate. It's his destiny."
"Let's see. If Ho Hairen is placed in the position of governor and fails to raise money, he won't be the only one in trouble."
Wuxuren's pupils dilated at this time, as if he had discovered a shocking secret, and he couldn't believe it!
On that day, Tang Ming was not stingy and invited his superior to dinner, and the venue was chosen to be a courtyard in a brothel.
"My lord, is this to your liking?"
He Hairen hugged Tang Ming left and right, looking at him with a sly smile.
"Don't worry, I, the Governor, am watching you. As long as you don't mess things up, you have the final say in this department."
"What do you mean, sir?"
"It's nothing. We are both on the same warship. If the ship capsizes, we will both be trapped inside."
"Understood, sir. Here's a toast to you."
"Okay!" He Hairen pushed the woman on his right away, picked up the wine glass and drank it all.
"Today, you two must accompany this gentleman well. He has money..."
He Hairen grabbed the woman on the right and said with a sly grin.
The woman on the right immediately understood, stood up, picked up the wine glass and walked towards Tang Mingdao: "Sir...this little girl toasts you..."
There are women around Tang Ming, but not many, just one.
The woman said, "Sister, this master is mine. You go serve your own master."
"No, we two will serve this one."
"Yes, yes, Lord Tang, today the two are yours, one is enough for me."
The woman holding the wine glass smiled and said, "Sir, come on..."
……
The spring breeze blows across the green elm branches, and strings of elm seeds hang on them.
The evening rain and morning clouds are all painted in a picture, and the thick shade covering the sun is a poem in itself.
At this time of year, most crops are already lush and green, but in Shigang Village, only the winter wheat and Chinese cabbage appear immature, and the soybeans are already edible.
"It will be ready in about ten days."
After several major mergers and acquisitions, Shigang Village basically belongs to Zhao Sheng alone. In fact, the village was not big at the beginning, but the appearance of Zhao Sheng changed the appearance of the village.
Although the land in the village has been acquired, basically no one has reclaimed the land in these places. The reason why Zhao Sheng acquired the land was mainly to implement a workshop working system for the villagers.
This is in line with the thinking habits of lazy people and vagrants. They will receive their wages when the time comes, and what grows on the land has nothing to do with them.
Of course, each household also retains one acre of private land for growing vegetables.
Zhao Zhen's parents live here and, like the locals, go out to work and earn as much as they work.
But Zhao Shicheng still acted like a master, reading a book every day and then wandering around.
"Hey! Zhao Shicheng, stay away from our compound. You don't work all day. Your wife does all the work alone."
In front of the gate of Zhenzhongyuan, Wang Liushi, who was already seventeen years old, was on duty in front of the courtyard today. When he saw Zhao Shicheng who was idle, he couldn't help but shout.
Zhao Shicheng said with disdain: "I am a scholar. How can I do such vulgar things?"
Wang Liushi laughed and said, "We study every day. If we don't work and rely on others, we are not men."
Zhao Shicheng was anxious when he heard this: "How can you, a rough man, understand the aspirations of a scholar? I want to pass the imperial examinations and bring honor to my family. How can I join you in such lowly tasks?"
Wang Liushi would not let him in anyway. There was a saying in the compound: Zhao Shicheng and dogs are not allowed to enter!