Shen Tang noticed his movements and chuckled.
She said: "I'm rude. I didn't know Wen Zhu would be back today. If I had known you would come, I wouldn't have come to the workshop."
Xu Jie: "...No, it's Jie who is disturbing Mr. Shen..."
No matter how many times he heard it, Xu Jie still felt that Shen Jun's words were very strange. This was not something that his lord Wu Xian could say? But when he thought about the "deep love" between his lord Wu Xian and Shen Jun Shen Tang, Xu Jie could only force himself Ignore the uncontrollable complaints.
And quickly changed the topic.
"What did Mr. Shen do just now?"
"Ah? Didn't you see the annotation? I'm beating the bamboo... It's not easy to make this thing soft. Fortunately, it is young bamboo instead of mature bamboo, otherwise it will be even harder..." Shen Tang endured Keep complaining, walking three hundred and sixty is not easy.
The bamboo that has been soaked and degreened in lime water is beaten over and over again. Depending on the heat, it needs to be washed carefully. These are only the first few steps. Even the pulping process has not been completed. After the completion, it needs to be soaked again. Washed again, washed again, soaked again... Oh, why is it so difficult to start a side job?
The difficulty is equivalent to making bread by growing wheat, and knitting sweaters by growing cotton and raising sheep...
Xu Jie: "..."
He naturally knew that Shen Jun was beating the bamboo.
But he was curious as to why Shen Jun was beating this.
Shen Tang did not hide anything and said cheerfully: "Of course it is for making paper. Not just bamboo, I also prepared different woods, reeds and even wheat straw... I want to see which material makes paper more suitable for painting... "
There was papermaking in this era.
However, due to some objective reasons, this technology has not received much attention. In other words, the cost is too high and the quality is too low, making it difficult to preserve. The mainstream is still to use bamboo slips to record documents. Xu Jie is not surprised that Shen Tang wants to make paper. .
In fact, the Xu family also has a papermaking mill under its name.
Specialize in taking the high-end route.
The output is low and the efficiency is meager.
Listening to Shen Tang soaking in the workshop, working hard like a laborer, just to make paper that can be used for drawing, he smiled and said: "Shen Jun wants paper, why go to so much trouble? There is a papermaking workshop in Jie's family, if Shen Jun needs it , you can even out some."
Shen Tang said: "I need too much weight. After thinking about it, I decided to be a self-reliant 'craftsman'."
Xu Jie was extremely disapproving when he heard this.
As the lord of the land, how could Mr. Shen do such menial work?
Jun Shen did what he did, and Qi Yuanliang and the others also did what others did?
Xu Jie said very proudly: "How much does Mr. Shen want?"
He is very confident in his family's financial strength.
Shen Tang calculated silently in his mind. Based on the calculation of 50 copies per album, her minimum circulation of 10,000 copies would be 500,000 copies? Xu Jie was a little dumbfounded when he heard this number. At first he thought he had heard it wrong. , asked again.
"How many?"
"Fifty thousand! That's half a year!"
She wants to release two copies a year! A total of one million copies!
Shen Tang looked at him expectantly: "Are there any annotations?"
Xu Jie said simply: "No!"
If the paper mill has such a high output, will it still be "nearly profitable"? However, Shen Jun wants to use bamboo, reeds, and wheat straw as raw materials, which is very novel. The growth cycle of bamboo is very short, and reeds and wheat straw are not valuable. thing.
If it works, even if the quality of the paper is very low and paper scraps are scattered around, it is still paper, and it is a sure-profit business.
But this must be built on a foundation that can be created.
As for paper that can be used for drawing...
Haha, Xu Jie has no hope at all.
Shen Tang dispersed the stench outside the workshop, took off his "work clothes" to prevent his clothes from getting dirty, and put on decent and neat outer clothes. He followed Xu Jie to the government office, not forgetting business on the way, and completely distracted him. Use it as your own.
"Wen Zhu, is there any news about the high-quality wheat seeds that I troubled you to find earlier?" This is something Shen Tang has been thinking about these past few days, and he was so worried that he couldn't sleep well.
Although this year's corn harvest can be regarded as a small bumper harvest, the common people will not go hungry next year, and the government granaries finally have grain stores. However, once the common people encounter a headache or fever, it is easy for the common people to "return to poverty due to illness" and sell precious grains in order to cure their illnesses.
if--
It would be great if there were more food.
When Shen Tang was working on her side job, she still pinched her fingers, thinking about when Xu Jie would come over. Xu Jie did not live up to her expectations. He smiled easily and said: "Fortunately, I lived up to Shen Jun's trust and barely received a batch of quality products." It’s a good wheat seed. However, there’s one problem: the wheat kernels are not easy to shell and taste bad when eaten, and they require a lot of water to sprout in spring…”
Watering is very difficult.
It is not suitable for planting from any angle.
It is true that the yield of wheat is much higher than that of millet - Xu Jie also guessed that Shen Tang went there for the yield - but weighing the pros and cons of wheat and millet, Xu Jie thinks that millet is better because it is easier to shell. It tastes soft and glutinous. He earnestly advised: "If Lord Shen cannot solve these problems, he will order the people under his rule to stop planting millet and switch to wheat. I am afraid that the harvest next year will be worrying..."
He also saw Shen Tang's hard work over the past year.
I don’t want to fall short because of this.
There isn't much rain in spring here.
Shen Tang said: "As for the issue mentioned in the text, Wuhui and I have discussed it carefully. We plan to choose a site to build a small reservoir, divert water from the Miao River, dredge the river, and build irrigation and drainage facilities to prevent troubles such as drought and floods. …”
From the moment Shen Tang said "build a small reservoir", Xu Jie's expression was numb and dull. He couldn't understand how Shen Jun did it - he downplayed it and said he wanted to do such a big project? Where are the people? Where's the money?
This kind of project cannot be completed in one or two years.
How many people does it take to have a full population in Ha Yin County?
It will take so many people to build reservoirs, dig rivers, and divert water from the Miao River... It will take more than ten years. Who will farm the land in these ten years? Don't the common people have to eat, drink, and defecate???
Xu Jie reluctantly controlled his expression and asked: "Mr. Shen, this matter is of great importance. It cannot be done in a day and it will cost a lot of money... Have you discussed it with several of your staff?"
Haha, I probably haven't told Kang Shi.
If you say it, they will object if they don't have any brains.
In this world, working hard to recruit troops and strengthen yourself is the foundation for establishing yourself. Carrying out such a large project that often involves tens of thousands of people is not only thankless, but also weakens your own strength.
Who knows——
"As I said, we all sat down together and discussed it in a meeting." Shen Tang said that she was not the kind of arbitrary person, and she fully understood and respected the different opinions of her colleagues.
If you have any opinions, speak up and listen to whoever has the right to speak.
Obviously, Shen Tang is more reasonable.
So Gu Chi and others listened to her.
Xu Jie: "..."
He couldn't understand it at all and was greatly shocked.
A rough estimate of the manpower and material resources required for this project was beyond what Heyin County, who had just had a full meal, could bear. He swallowed: "But this expenditure..."
Shen Tang: "You are talking about this. In fact, I was just about to write a letter to Brother Zhaode. Your two families are so close to each other. The repair of the small reservoir will not only benefit the people of Heyin, but also the people of Tianhai and other places. What better way to do it together? Get this done!"
Xu Jie: "..."
No, this proposal will not be accepted by Tianhai.
My lord and Qin Li are not stupid. If they have such money, why don't they recruit soldiers and horses to carry out water conservancy projects?
It’s not that these projects that benefit the people are not good, they are good, but they are really expensive. No one can guarantee that their influence can survive for a long time. Maybe the water conservancy project will not be completed even if the influence is destroyed. This is completely thankless. .
Xu Jie didn't even need to ask his lord.
He knows the final result.
"This, this...I'm afraid it's very difficult..."
Shen Tang blinked: "It's difficult?"
Xu Jie said categorically: "Yes, it's difficult!"
Now the pressure was on Shen Jun. Shen Tang was silent for a long time. Just when Xu Jie thought that he would give up and give up, he heard the following worries, which made Xu Jie confused.
Jun Shen sighed heavily: "Oh - it seems that Brother Zhaode still hid the epidemic from me. He said that Tianhai had little impact and did not damage the foundation, but now he can't even get this little money and food. It can be seen that Are you really encountering difficulties...or is it that the harvest in Tianhai this year is very bad, you and I are as close as brothers, if there is any difficulty, I will definitely help!"
Xu Jie: "???"
Xu Jie asked: "How much money and food is this?"
Shen Tang said a number——
Xu Jie could not have imagined in his wildest dreams that the amount did not match the two projects of building reservoirs and digging river channels.
"About ten thousand shi of corn."
This is still a relatively generous budget.
Xu Jie asked in surprise: "Ten thousand stones? Not hundreds of thousands of stones?"
Shen Tang: “Why so many?”
The two looked at each other for a moment, then realized that they were talking to each other and had misunderstood each other.
Xu Jie seemed to have thought of something.
Question: "How much labor did Mr. Shen need to build these?"
Shen Tang said: "No."
Xu Jie's expression went numb again.
Good guy, he guessed who Shen Tang would ask to build the reservoir. Who else could it be besides the courageous warriors headed by Zhao Dayi? Speaking of which, General Zhao Feng is also miserable. Since he came to Heyin County to repay his kindness, he is serious. We only had two battles to suppress bandits, and we had to complete the work of building houses, farming, and building roads...
Xu Jie let something slip one time.
When his lord Wu Xian found out about Zhao Feng's work in Heyin, he immediately burst into tears. He clutched Xu Jie's sleeves with a distressed expression and cried out that Zhao Feng had been wronged. He was obviously a brave and capable general, and the whole It's hard work.
Even if it's just to repay a favor, I can't be so aggrieved.
Xu Jie very much doubted whether his lord was just imagining that Zhao Feng and Qian Yubu lived a miserable life in which they woke up earlier than chickens, went to bed later than dogs, worked more than donkeys, and ate worse than pigs.
Otherwise, how could one cry so virtuously?
[Then—the lord will recall General Zhao?]
Wu Xian wiped away tears: [Recalling him at this time may damage the friendship between the two families. Alas, Brother Shen, how can he not know how to cherish such a brave general like Dayi! Building houses, farming, building roads... How dare he, I can't bear to let him go. Such injustice to justice, woo woo woo...]
Wu Xian burst into tears.
Xu Jie inexplicably felt that this scene looked familiar, like an old mother's heartache for her daughter who was mistreated by the scumbag of her husband's family after she got married.
[I didn’t hear that General Zhao was aggrieved... And it’s not just General Zhao. The tenth-level left concubine under Mr. Shen, Uncle Gongshu, is also doing the same job. My lord is overly worried. 】
[I know the temperament of Dayi. He is the most loyal and righteous. Brother Shen is his benefactor. No matter how much hardship he suffers, he will swallow it in order to repay his kindness... Wuwuwu, my Dayi is great.]
Xu Jie:【……】
It happened that at this time Mrs. Mi came to deliver something, and my lord changed his face, wiping his tears as if nothing happened.
Xu Jie:【……】
Before leaving, Wu Xian specifically asked Xu Jie to listen to Zhao Feng's story. If Zhao Feng really felt that he had been treated harshly and wronged, he would immediately send Qian Bubu to replace Zhao Feng.
Xu Jie murmured in his heart.
If my lord were to know that Zhao Feng was once again sent to build reservoirs and dig rivers, he would probably cry again.
As expected, Shen Jun said: "There are a few half-steps here, so don't worry about the manpower. A powerful and courageous warrior can split mountains and open seas, no faster than ordinary people digging with hoes? I calculated, at most half a year can do it Okay. The autumn harvest is over and they are free. They can just take over these tasks. They may be able to use the running water of the Miao River next year. The yield of wheat is higher than that of millet, and the cycle is shorter. If the land fertility can keep up, one year I can plant it twice..."
Shen Jun's expression showed a bit of longing for the future.
It’s as if I’m really eating two types of wheat a year.
Xu Jie had auditory hallucinations.
It was as if I heard the lord's whine.
Although Xu Jie and Zhao Feng are not very close, they occasionally have conflicts due to factional positions, and they can't help but feel subtle sympathy for the poor general. It's tragic, it's really tragic! A brave warrior should do this. So cowardly!
Out of a little bit of collegiality, Xu Jie couldn't help but tactfully say a few words for Zhao Feng.
You can't just catch a sheep to collect wool.
He said: "...Although General Zhao and Lieutenant Gongshu are both brave men with martial arts skills, they are still flesh and blood. The Dan Mansion's martial energy capacity is limited, consumes quickly, and recovers slowly. Even if there are thousands of people in the tent, Follow along, but..."
The project is also in a hurry.
Shen Tang said this was not a problem.
"Don't worry Wenzhu, Yuanliang and the other literary scholars will also help." She has no shortage of literary scholars!
Xu Jie: "..."
Xu Jie: "???"
Xu Jie: "!!!"
The carriage wandered to a stop in front of the government office.
Xu Jie still had a blank expression.
When he came to his senses, he was already in the government hall.
He took a deep breath.
Xu Jie's visit to Fugu City this time was not just for sending wheat seeds to Shen Tang, but also for another matter - this matter he also heard about when he was doing business outside, and the source of the information was reliable. He had already sent a letter to Tianhai to remind him. Shen Tang.
Shen Tang saw his serious expression and asked, "What's the matter?"
"Have you ever heard the lyrics of a song by Mr. Shen - a hypocritical woman makes trouble for Beichen, twenty roads of smoke and dust rush into the Purple Palace?"
Shen Tang nodded: "I've heard of it."
Xu Jie: "The people in other areas are having a hard time, and there are more and more rebellions. The royal court headed by Zheng Qiao just suppresses and drives them away. The generals who lead the troops to counter the rebellion have an easier time, driving out those people who rebel because of their livelihood. The two states of Qian and Yan also intend to drive away Kunzhou on the other side of the King of Pigs... With the temperament of the people of the King of Pigs, I am afraid they will not hold back..."
Shen Tang's expression gradually became serious.
She asked: "How many people?"
Xu Jie said: "A rough estimate is more than 200,000!"
Shen Tang gradually tightened his fists.
The destructive power of two hundred thousand people without food is more terrifying than two hundred thousand locusts. But these people are also innocent. The locusts can kill them without mercy, but they kill more than two hundred thousand people. !
bump!
Shen Tang smashed the table with one palm.
"How dare they!"
－－－－－－Digression－－－－－
(???)?
Hey guys, please give me a monthly pass.
Tomorrow the manuscript fee list will come out. If it is more than expected, we will celebrate even more.
This chapter has been completed!