There is a hot spring seven miles southwest of Chicheng Castle.

Zhang Cheng called his bride Ji Xuanzhu several times, and every time there was a burst of laughter like silver bells, but she was not around him, making him feel anxious, as if a few kittens were scratching her.

Ji Xuanzhu has a tall figure, and her skin is as crystal clear as snow, as if it were condensed fat. At this moment, she is even more exquisite and graceful, with graceful curves. She is looming in the steam rising from the spring, just like a fairy in the sky.

The two little girls Yu Rui and Xiu Yue are also extremely beautiful beauties. They have been serving Miss Ji Xuanzhu since they were young, and they have already become sisters.

This time they came with Ji Xuanzhu as a dowry, which actually meant that they would fill Zhang Cheng's house in the future. Even when Zhang Cheng and Ji Xuanzhu had sex, they did not shy away from it, and there was no need to avoid it now.

Through the steaming heat, Zhang Cheng looked eager to see more. He called Ji Xuanzhu but he didn't come. Out of boredom, he couldn't help but pick up a paper box on the stone platform next to him, took out a cigarette from it, and then took the

When the fire is lit, it starts to smoke.

He casually put the carton back on the stone platform, and saw that the small carton was slightly rectangular in shape, and what was engraved on it was Sheshen Cliff in the north of Yunzhou Fort. There were also five big characters on it: "Yunzhou Brand Cigarettes"

”.

…………

Yes, it is the "Yunzhou brand" cigarettes produced by Yunzhou Cigarette Factory!

As the saying goes, tobacco and alcohol do not separate families. With Zhang Cheng's character of a good drinker, how could he not like cigarettes? When he first arrived in the Ming Dynasty, he couldn't find cigarettes everywhere, so he used dry cigarettes instead, and he choked every time.

The cough doesn't stop.

It's just that I have never had the time and energy to develop cigarettes. In fact, making cigarettes is not difficult in today's Ming Dynasty, but no one has thought of it.

In fact, tobacco was introduced to the Ming Dynasty from Luzon as early as the Wanli Period. At that time, it was mostly called Luzon Tobacco. It was already cultivated in places south of the Yangtze River, especially Guangdong and Guangxi. During the Tianqi Period, tobacco also began to be grown in the north.

The smoking utensils at that time were mostly snuff bottles or dry pipes, and there were occasional pipes, but they were rare. In the late Ming Dynasty, there were many tobacco smokers in the army on various frontiers, and the imperial court banned it repeatedly.

After Zhang Cheng's Yunzhou craftsman camp stabilized, he began to study the manufacture of pencils. This item was already used by many craftsmen at that time, but it was different from the pencils of later generations. The pencils at that time did not have wooden shafts, but were wrapped in paper or coarse cloth.

Lead bars are mostly used by craftsmen for drawing work.

Under the guidance of Zhang Cheng, the craftsmen in the craft camp quickly invented a method of wrapping thin lead strips around wooden poles, but the resulting pencils were only as long as later generations of cigarettes.

It was precisely because of this that Zhang Cheng thought of cigarettes, so after several improvements, he finally used a simple machine for making pencils to make cigarettes.

After the machine for preparing cigarettes was developed, Zhang Cheng immediately finalized three types of cigarettes.

One is the "Yunzhou Brand" that Zhang Cheng just lit. Its front image is She Shen Cliff. Its tobacco is finer and has added spices. In addition to having a good smell, it also has the advantage of not choking.

It's just that the price is more expensive and they are high-end cigarettes.

Secondly, Zhang Cheng named it "Beizhaguan Pai", and the pattern on the front is Beizhaguan. This cut tobacco is in the shape of fragments and has a spicy taste. Zhang Cheng positioned it as a military product and basically only supplied it to the soldiers of his battalions.

, are also often distributed as rewards.

Third, it is named "Dading Brand", and the pattern on the front is the "Dading Gate" of the south gate of Chi Castle. This tobacco is ordinary and the cheapest compared to the other two. Zhang Cheng positions it as a civilian brand.

, together with "Yunzhou Brand", serve as the main revenue-generating brand.

Although compared with later generations of cigarettes in terms of craftsmanship, although the distribution of shredded tobacco in this Yunzhou brand cigarette is not uniform, and it is semi-manual, the output is not high, but Zhang Cheng now has no shortage of workers and has hired more workers.

, the output can be guaranteed.

But if you want to add a filter, you can't do it. Today's Ming Dynasty does not have the technology and materials, and this cigarette is already very valuable. Once it was launched, it became very popular.

The number of cigarette making workshops has increased from the original one to three, barely ensuring adequate supply, especially for "Beizhaguan" cigarettes.

It was originally positioned as a military product, but unexpectedly, this spicy cigarette became very popular among the northern soldiers. They even bought it at a high price from the soldiers who had the goods.

How could Zhang Cheng let go of such a business opportunity? It was better to make money from the Mongolian Tatars than to make money from the soldiers and civilians under his rule. Therefore, he ordered a workshop to specialize in making "Beizhaguan brand" cigarettes to supply the Beizhaguan brand.

needs.

…………

"It's snowing all over the sky, and there will be a good harvest next year." Zhang Cheng mused as he looked at the flying snowflakes outside the window.

This folk proverb has three meanings. First, if it snows during the light snow season, the rain in the coming year will be even, and there will be no danger of drought or flood; second, after snow falls, some germs and pests can be frozen to death, reducing the occurrence of farmland diseases and insect pests in the coming year;

The snow has a warming effect, which is conducive to the decomposition of organic matter in the soil and enhances soil fertility.

Ji Xuanzhu moved to Zhang Cheng's side and asked softly: "General, are you really not planning to bring the Liu sisters to Chicheng?"

Zhang Cheng was stunned. He didn't understand why Ji Xuanzhu asked such a question. He smiled slightly and said, "Although they were gifted by the traitor Wu Youlu and were from the Jiaofang Division, they were also miserable people. They even served me."

, just leave the two of them to be cared for in the house."

Ji Xuanzhu said nothing, just looked at the falling snowflakes outside the window. After a long time, he said quietly: "It's wrong for the general to be like this!"

Zhang Cheng looked blankly at the beauty in front of him, only to hear her lips curl up, and continued: "Since I know that they are hard-working people, and they have served the general with all their heart, but now they abandon them on a stone, wouldn't the general be able to do this?"

Kill the heartless person!"

Ji Xuanzhu ignored Zhang Cheng's reaction and continued: "And the Liu sisters served the general before me. Now I have ignored them as soon as I entered the door. What I know is that the general loves Xuanzhu.

But those who don't know have not arranged Xuanzhu like a jealous wife, not allowing other women to serve the general. What's more, her sisters are also in their prime. If they are left alone for a long time, they will inevitably get into trouble.

Wouldn’t it be more difficult to deal with it then?”

Zhang Cheng was rendered speechless by Ji Xuanzhu's words, so he had to ask: "What should I do according to Madam's wishes?"

Ji Xuanzhu turned around at this moment, she met Zhang Cheng's eyes and said: "As long as the general has me in his heart, how can Xuanzhu not tolerate the Liu sisters.

The two of them had already had a physical relationship with the general, and they were his people. It was not good for them to be left out in the cold. On the contrary, it would make people think that the general was a heartless prodigal.

Otherwise, arrange a time to bring her sisters to Chicheng and serve them beside the old lady. After they have given birth to children for the general, then give them their due status, how wonderful!"
Chapter completed!