Chapter 561: What I saw in Nanxiang
“Uncle, uncle, calm down!”
As soon as Zhang Xingyi saw Zhuge Liang's appearance, he knew that he had misunderstood something, and quickly dissuaded him, "Those are not Nanxiang soldiers, but servants of the Nanxiang government, and this is also the rule of Nanxiang."
Zhuge Liang was even more furious when he heard this, "Who made this rule? It's so ridiculous?"
“Well, Master, I heard that this is the rule set by Feng Langjun. The person just now was mainly patrolling the street to see if anyone was defecating in the street and throwing things carelessly on the street.”
Ma Su has been to Nanxiang several times. He still has a rough idea of the rules here, and he immediately explained them.
“Open defecation? No littering?”
Zhuge Liang was startled and then realized that no wonder he felt so weird at first. Now after being reminded, he realized that Nanxiang Street was much cleaner than other places.
"Yes, Nanxiang had this rule from the beginning. Later, more and more people came from other places, so the government ordered special personnel to patrol. I heard that this can reduce the breeding of mosquitoes and flies and prevent the occurrence of diseases."
Zhuge Liang naturally knew this statement, because he had seen the road to Fengzhuang, but Fengzhuang was a small village after all, so how could it be compared to a county like Nanxiang? That's why he didn't react for a while.
It’s just that this method of dissuasion is too different, it’s actually a direct fine.
“For those who are new to the country, doesn’t everyone know this rule? Doesn’t this seem like a deliberate attempt to cause harm?”
Zhuge Liang asked.
"Master, when the students first came here, I asked about it, but according to the Nanxiang County Magistrate, as long as they can be picked up in time or cleaned up, there is actually no need to pay."
“But if you are someone who defecates on the ground, it’s different. If you don’t have money or are unwilling to pay, you have to clean the entire street, and you can’t leave until it’s clean.”
"Then why didn't you just..." Zhuge Liang said this, and then paused. He remembered that the guard had half pulled out the knife, so he coughed and glanced at the guard behind him, "Don't reveal your identity easily in the future."
Then he asked, "The hired servant is only one person. What if he relies on his strength and refuses to obey discipline?"
"Uncle, please look, there are patrolling soldiers there. They are in groups of six. They pass by from time to time every day. There are also fixed resting places. As long as the man just blows his whistle, the soldiers will hear the sound and come. .”
Zhang Xingyi pointed at the soldiers who had just passed by not far away, and saw them walking in a row, each with weapons on their waists, walking through the noisy street.
Just now she directly shouted that she was willing to accept the punishment, but she saw that the servant had already put the whistle in his mouth. If the whistle sounded and the soldiers came with weapons, how could the prime minister's bodyguard be willing to show weakness?
Things will get serious by then.
It’s only thirty dollars, and the young lady of the Zhang family doesn’t even notice it.
“If soldiers cross the street at will, wouldn’t it be suspected of disturbing the people?”
Zhuge Liang frowned.
"Uncle, don't worry, those soldiers have rules. Unless they see someone disturbing the order of Nanxiang, they will not disturb others. Even if they rest, they have a fixed place to rest."
“Also, ordinary people cannot disturb them if they have nothing to do, otherwise they will be suspected of causing trouble. At the very least, they will be sent to the kiln for work and reform.”
Zhang Xingyi said, pointing to the direction above where the black smoke was billowing, "It will take at least ten days of hard work to get it there." He pursed his lips and smiled again, "So, that's where the evil ghost came to the world. , not for nothing.”
Zhuge Liang looked at the soldiers who disappeared on the street, and then looked around, "It's just that there is no one to monitor the hired soldiers, and it is convenient for outsiders to be harmed. There will always be someone who doesn't obey the rules, right?"
"Yes." Zhang Xingyi nodded, "But very few."
“Why?”
"Because the monthly salary paid by Nanxiang servants is not low, one person can support a family of five, and those who have children can choose one of them to be sent to school. If you enter the school, you will have a future, so I don't know how many People want to be a hired servant but can’t get one.”
"But if someone is exposed for not obeying the rules, the lighter case will be sent to a kiln, the worst case will be sent to the mines in the mountains, and the future of the children will be affected."
“Not only will the children have to withdraw from school, but the family members will not be allowed to work in workshops or other places, and they will also be included in the list of delinquent families in Nanxiang. At that time, all recruitment in Nanxiang will be avoided.”
Zhuge Liang listened, pondered for a moment, and then shook his head. He was a little confused and said to himself, "Raise him well and then restrain him with cruel methods. This kind of approach..."
The situation in Nanxiang is very special. In other places, even if workers are not hired, as long as the family has some farmland and a somewhat bad reputation, they can still survive.
But Nanxiang has not been allocated any land from the beginning. If it loses its source of livelihood, it will almost be a dead end.
“Then wouldn’t they have no way out?”
When Zhuge Liang thought of this, he felt that it was a bit much.
"No, they can still work in the brick kilns and coal kilns," Zhang Xingyi said, frowning slightly, "Other than saying that evil ghosts are born there, they don't care where you come from, as long as you are willing to work, I have food to eat, but I’m afraid you won’t be able to continue.”
Over the past year or so, in order to thoroughly understand the property under her name and to uncover the truth behind the legend of Nanxiang, she even went to visit the mines in the mountains.
After seeing the cruel truth, Zhang Xingyi almost vomited on the spot and was unable to eat for several days.
Until then, she didn't know how much ugliness in the world was hidden behind the prosperity of Nanxiang. At the same time, she also understood why a certain country bumpkin would choose Sister Guan.
After all, it is not easy to find a woman who can do such a thing with that cruel guy from the beginning.
According to Zhang Xingyi's estimation, if she had been in her shoes, she would never have been able to pass a knife to someone while she was drinking blood and eating meat like Sister Guan.
Sister Guan has experienced life and death. If she really wants to harden her heart, she will definitely not be able to compete with her.
Zhang Xingyi had something else in mind and fell silent for a while.
Zhuge Liang, on the other hand, walked around with his hands behind his back. Although he felt that Nanxiang's laws were harsh, he looked around and saw prosperity. The people showed a sense of satisfaction with life, but they could not be seen elsewhere. of.
This made Zhuge Liang both surprised and satisfied.
“The reputation of Nanxiang Xinhua Bookstore has spread to Jincheng. I wonder where it is located?”
Zhuge Liang thought he had seen the lives of the people in Nanxiang, so the next step was naturally to visit the place of enlightenment.
“Uncle, please come this way, we have to go forward.”
"you're lying!"
“What did I lie to you about?”
“Last time you said you bought it for me after I got 100 points in the exam...”
Before the group reached the entrance of Xinhua Bookstore, they saw a child crying not far from the entrance of Xinhua Bookstore.
I saw a baby whose wrist was pinched by an adult. He was flopping around, and his body was desperately falling in the opposite direction of the adult. If he hadn't been pulled by his adult, he would have been dragged to the ground.
Judging from the baby's appearance, he wanted to pull the adult towards Xinhua Bookstore, but his adult could carry him back with one hand.
The baby was anxious and shouted, "A gentleman is not a gentleman if he doesn't keep his promise?"
"It's because I didn't keep my promise. I said I would buy it for you then, but I didn't say I would buy it for you now." The adult said angrily, "A son doesn't tell his father's fault. It shows that you didn't pay attention to studying at all. How dare you let me buy it?" "
As he said that, he tried to pick up the baby and hit someone with his hands.
When the child saw the adult acting like this, he knew that he was really serious about it, so he quickly tried hard to get away. However, the other person was weak, so how could he get away?
Just in time to turn around and see Zhang Xingyi and his party, his eyes lit up and he quickly shouted, "Sister Zhang family, save me!"
Romeng was about to slap Luo Xian on the **** when he heard his son yelling like this and sneered, "Don't say it's your Zhang family sister, even God can't save you!"
As he spoke, his eyes casually glanced over there, and he was so frightened that he trembled.
Luo Xian couldn't stand still. There was a "bang" sound and a dog gnawed at the ground. However, he had a strong desire to survive. He rolled over and ran behind Zhang Xingyi to hide.
Romon rubbed his eyes and followed closely with some trembling.
“Sir, if you don’t want to buy it, I won’t buy it. I don’t want it anymore.”
Luo Xian shouted quickly when he saw his master coming.
With the Zhang family's sister, aren't you allowed to choose and read the books in Xinhua Bookstore? Although you can’t buy it, it’s always okay to borrow it. With this level of protection, why would Luo Xian be willing to take a beating from his father?
"you shut up!"
Luo Meng was from Xiangyang, Jingzhou. The reason why he came to Nanxiang to be the county prime minister was because Zhuge Liang personally recommended it to Feng Yong. How could he not recognize the Han prime minister?
As soon as I heard what Ma Su said, I suddenly realized that the county government had not received news that the Prime Minister was coming to Nanxiang. It seemed that the Prime Minister was paying a private visit incognito.
So he quickly saluted and said, "I have seen the elder."
Zhuge Liang nodded and said, "How come Prime Minister Luo is here?"
Romon quickly explained, "Replying to the elder, today is the end of the month and it is a holiday, so Meng took the dog out to have a look. He never thought that the dog was naughty and cried on the street, making the elder laugh."
Hearing this, Zhang Xingyi lowered his head and glanced at Luo Xian, wondering why this guy was so obsessed with biographical novels. Every time he came to Xinhua Bookstore, he would run into him.
Zhuge Liang, on the other hand, glanced down at Luo Xian. Thinking of Huang Yueying's mother and son in Jincheng, he couldn't help feeling a little guilty, so he touched Luo Xian's head and asked, "How old is this child?"
“I met the elder, Xian is ten years old.”
Luo Xian was not afraid of strangers at all. He took the initiative to answer and bowed at the same time.
Seeing this scene, Zhuge Liang remembered that the boy who caused him to be fined also bowed like this, and his heart moved, "But he entered the school?"
"yes."
“Have all the students in the school learned this kind of etiquette?”
“Return to the elder, yes.”
Hearing this, Zhuge Liang had a thoughtful look on his face.
The prime minister of the Han Dynasty met the county magistrate of Nanxiang during a private visit incognito. Naturally, he couldn't keep it a secret. Zhang Xingyi was also happy to hand over the prime minister and his entourage to Luo Meng.
Compared to Luo Meng who had a holiday, Huo Yi was much busier during these days.
After being held accountable by the palace, although the main responsibility did not lie with him, he was required to make up for the mistakes that Jiang Bin had made.
Yuexun is in a hurry. The Purple Lightning Sword must not only make up for the previous gap, but also make at least 500 more swords before the end of the year.
This will cost you your life.
The craftsmanship of this purple electric sword is extremely complicated. Although there is no shortage of fine iron nowadays, it is extremely time-consuming and labor-intensive for craftsmen to hammer it out piece by piece.
Moreover, each one must be inspected to pass the inspection, and there can be no more mistakes before it can be sent to Yuexi.
Time is so tight, where can I get some rest?
Seeing that it was starting to get late, Huo Yiyu carefully inspected the newly made purple electric swords one by one today to make sure that there were no problems. Then he ordered the people below, "Go and notify Dongfeng Express." Let the stewards tell them to come and receive the sword tomorrow."
Today's Dongfeng Express is no better than before. The shortage of horses has been greatly alleviated after the normalization of Yuexi's pastures. Although it still cannot meet the requirements of Feng Yong's network of outlets, the transportation capacity is at Dahan. It's definitely ranked number one.
Dongfeng Express now has five main transportation lines.
The biggest one is naturally from Hanzhong to Jincheng.
As Hanzhong becomes more prosperous, the connection with Jincheng becomes closer, and Dongfeng Express not only makes this connection closer, but also more convenient and faster.
Except for Mao cloth is a must -have for each month. Between Jincheng and the middle of Han, if each of them is specially sent each time, it is too time -consuming.
But it’s different with Dongfeng Express.
The Xinghan Hui is mainly composed of children of powerful people. With their connections, most families are willing to give them a favor at the beginning.
Unexpectedly, after two or three times, everyone discovered, hey, this Dongfeng Express is quite convenient?
So the business began to spread.
The road from Hanzhong to Jincheng is not a smooth road. On the contrary, there are many mountains and rivers to pass through.
There are many mountain people in many places who work as farmers when they pick up farm tools, and part-time as mountain bandits when they put down their farm tools and pick up weapons.
Even if the government sends troops to encircle and suppress people, and they are forced to panic and throw their weapons into the mountains, how can you tell who is the thief and who is the citizen?
This kind of work has been done for several generations in some places. It is considered an ancestral craft. It is extremely experienced and courageous. Take last year as an example, the rioters in the Wuthering Mountain Forest in Guanghan County even dared to rob supplies for the Northern Expedition. Do ordinary people dare to do this?
That must be the courage to be led by an experienced person.
So when ordinary people encounter this kind of thing, they just hope to survive, but they are afraid that they may not even be able to save their lives.
It was not easy to travel long distances in ancient times!
But Dongfeng Express is an anomaly. Not only does it travel in groups, but its escorts are also extraordinary.
Members of the militia who used to engage in shady business, troops sent by various families, veterans who have experienced battles, and the weapons in their hands are the latest to be eliminated from the army. How can ordinary bandits have the courage to touch such a team? ?
Transportation is guaranteed, and the family is a big business. If something is lost, they are also responsible for compensation.
It’s convenient and guaranteed. As long as someone can afford it, who wouldn’t want to trust it for peace of mind?
A small sum of money adds up to a big sum. This business may seem like a piecemeal business, but in fact, when it comes down to it, there is a lot of money.
The journey from Jincheng to Yongan is considered the second transportation line.
This article was pioneered by Xu You and Xu Xun, two nominal cousins.
Although the amount of jaggery and sugar cane harvested from Soochow this year is less than half of what was originally expected, the source has not been cut off.
The Xu family has been in business for more than two years, and now they have finally received substantial returns.
The share of brown sugar alone is much larger than that of others.
Not to mention that with the re-alliance between Dahan and Soochow, the transactions between the two became more and more active, and various material exchanges also increased.
It is impossible to make huge profits, but if the water flows slowly, as long as you don't commit suicide and eat for two or three generations, there is still no problem.
The Xu family has taken advantage of this, and even the brothers in the Xinghan Society are jealous of many people - but they have no way to contact Jiaozhou!
As for the last three transportation lines, they all lead to Nanzhong.
The first half of them is the road from Jincheng to Bodao - including land and water routes.
Then separate from Bo Road, one goes to Yuexun, one takes Nanyi Road to Wei County, and one takes Dongyi Road to Pingyi County.
These three items are currently at a loss, or they are simply serving the people of the Xinghan Association and are not thinking about making money for the time being.
The manor in Nanzhong is expected to produce output by the end of this year. As long as the output of Nanzhong can be transported out, it will not be a loss, but a big profit.
To transport things from Hanzhong to Yuexun, Dongfeng Express is the best choice. The question is who pays.
Yuexun Prefecture privately customized new weapons. Although it received permission from the court, the Han Dynasty's arsenal did not care about this, so the Yuexun Prefecture had to pay for it itself.
Feng Yong didn’t care about this either. Yuexun Prefect’s Mansion asked Dongfeng Express to transport things. Is that what he calls his left hand and his right hand?
Han Zhongye should hurry up and make Laozi's sword as required.
“How are the weapons? Are there any that are unqualified?”
A man was shirtless, with a unkempt beard and a tired look on his face. His body was glistening with sweat. He walked over and asked.
"No."
Huo Yi shook his head, and held the handle of one of the knives with both hands. He picked it up and shook it vigorously. The blade began to fluctuate left and right at a rate visible to the naked eye, which made people frightened.
Then he turned the handle of the knife over, and saw that there was an inscription on the handle: Zidian 212, made by Huo Yijian of Hanzhong Ye, Jiang Bin and Tuesday.
Huo Yi put down the knife, then looked at Jiang Bin. Seeing that the former young master Pian Ping had turned into a complete craftsman, he couldn't help but sigh, "Even if you are held accountable by the superiors, you won't be like this, so why bother? "
Jiang Bin shook his head and smiled bitterly, "It's a mistake if you make a mistake. If you evade responsibility because of a mistake, you are adding mistakes on top of each other. After accountability, I can resign as Prime Minister, but I'm afraid I will have to resign because of the mistake on Tuesday. I will be punished for my mistakes.”
“If I lose my position as the eunuch, I will lose face at best, but if I am relegated to a lowly position on Tuesday, it will be a disaster that will affect my whole family. It is my fault that I have hurt others, so how can I do it?”
As soon as he said these words, Huo Yi couldn't help but show admiration on his face: Although Jiang Langjun's behavior is somewhat unpleasant, he is still an upright person.
(End of this chapter)