In the next three years, Zhou Lezhi spent most of his time in Zhaoqing, writing books and receiving education from his husband.
"Kun thief is not a thing in the pond. He only has the ambition to transform into a dragon."
Although Mr. Wang and Zhou Lezhi both suggested that Mr. Zhou should take on a few more disciples, Mr. Zhou said that his energy was limited and he could only try his best to cultivate Zhou Lezhi.
Having said that, he still acquiesced to Zhou Lezhi to take care of a few students - after all, Zhou Lezhi's time was now very precious, and many trivial matters had to be shared with others.
Under Mr. Zhou's suggestion, Wang Yehao acted completely deaf to the thieves and never interfered with their actions in Guangzhou. He accepted bribes from the thieves with peace of mind and opened the door for them in Guangzhou. He just passed the The forces controlled by Liang Cunhou secretly monitored the Kun thief's every move.
If the bandits use swords and weapons, the king's army will be defeated. This is the judgment of the entire Shi Weng group. When he took office, he naturally did not want such a thing to happen.
If Wang Yehao still had the idea of preparing his army and fighting the Kun thieves when he took office, as Yuyuan Society collected more and more information, this idea has gradually disappeared.
Therefore, the past few years can be said to be calm. Although Shi Weng Group has planned some actions one after another, most of them have been small-scale and have not had much impact. If there is anything to gain, it is that one after another He continued to win over a large number of "anti-Kun rebels" and strengthened his strength.
As for money, now is the time when Wang Yehao is least worried. To him, the bribes paid by the thieves every year are no longer worth mentioning. The biggest gain now is when Zizihao issues non-preferred shares. According to Mr. Zhou’s suggestion, He bought shares worth 10,000 taels of silver; secondly, he asked his subordinates to set up a trading house and did business with the thieves, making a lot of money.
With money, Wang Yehao continued to expand his "industrial base" in Dongyang, producing various "gadgets" invented or improved by Mr. Zhou, and also made a lot of money. Of course, this kind of small work is not enough. Mr. Wang's appetite. Following the Australians in various speculations and doing business is his favorite. In the past few years as the governor, although Mr. Wang has been worried about the ambitions of the thief Kun and the future of the Ming Dynasty every day, this does not hinder him. The adults do business with the thieves and make a lot of money every day.
Of course, Mr. Zhou's ambitions didn't stop there. He sent people to Lingao, bought back a lot of books and laboratory equipment, and continued to enrich his studios in Zhaoqing and Dongyang. He just spent a lot of money, but he didn't see much results. .Many people in the small group were very critical. Some people suggested that since Mr. Zhou knows so many tricks of the Kun thieves, it is better to let him run the artillery factory and imitate Kun artillery - Guangdong is famous for its casting and is good at making guns. There are also many cannon craftsmen. With Mr. Zhou's guidance, they will definitely be able to make a weapon comparable to the Kun Thief.
Unexpectedly, my husband refused outright, saying that he was not familiar with the art of forging cannons and that supervising cannon casting would cause trouble. He also said that the cannons of the Kun thieves were essentially different from the Hongyi cannons introduced by the Ming Dynasty. The only difference is that the casting is more sophisticated. As long as you give enough funds, you can build similar artillery.
These words aroused the dissatisfaction of many people in the Shi Weng Group, and Wang Yehao also complained. Zhou Lezhi was also very surprised. With his ability, he could talk about casting cannons, weapons, battleships, and gun carriages.
During the interview, the pros and cons of Chinese and foreign firearms were clearly explained. Why did you refuse this job?
"It's not that I'm greedy for comfort and don't want to host it, it's just that I can't do it well." After hearing Zhou Lezhi's question, Mr. Zhou said with a wry smile.
I have never been involved in cannon casting. Although there is a lot of information on paper, to put it bluntly, it is just information. It is used to guide cannon casting, and there are too many technical details that are not clear. Instead of giving blind instructions by myself, it is better to
Let the old master continue to work according to the old rules - no matter whether the cannon he makes is good or bad, at least it can be used.
"It's just like what Mr. said about the telescope last time..."
"Yes, making cannons sounds simple, but in fact it is not easy - otherwise, why would the red-haired people recruit cannon-smiths from Guangdong to cast cannons in Haojing'ao? Wasn't this Hongyi cannon first sold to him?
Is it from the Ming Dynasty?"
"Industry specializing in surgery."
"That's right. When it comes to the knowledge of firearms, I naturally know more than everyone else, but if you really want to do it, that is another field. After all, I have only a superficial knowledge of metallurgy and casting. I have to do it.
It will only make things worse.”
"Sir is so humble..."
"It's not that I'm being humble, you have to see clearly where your abilities lie." Mr. Zhou was lying on the recliner in a daze while he spoke, eating lychees leisurely, "Besides, this Guangdong Hongyi cannon is originally
It’s done well, and as long as ICBC doesn’t undercut it too much, it’s not difficult to build a few good cannons.”
"If you take charge of it, sir, you will definitely be able to spend less money on making good cannons." Zhou Lezhi said, "I heard that only 30 to 40% of the money used to make cannons is used..."
"I won't survive until next year if you do this." Mr. Zhou said with a bitter smile, "Destroying someone's wealth is like killing their parents. Not to mention me, even Mr. Wang would not dare to do it. Only by living together can we stay safe. Cannons are more expensive.
, It doesn’t matter if we build a few fewer cannons, anyway, a few more cannons can’t deal with the Kun thieves.”
Zhou Lezhi was stunned. He didn't expect that his husband would say such depressing words. He couldn't help but said: "In this case, why are you still running this business here? Why don't you go and join the bandits directly?"
The gentleman's eyes lingered on his face for a long time, and he was a little surprised but also quite pleased. He said: "You are absolutely right." After that, he slowly got up from the bamboo couch, with a very complicated expression on his face.
, "What I do here is probably meaningless, and all I can leave behind is just a few shouts."
These words were too complicated for Zhou Lezhi, but his expression showed that he was speaking from the bottom of his heart.
"Kun was a thief in the Ming Dynasty. Is he strong or weak?" Unexpectedly, the gentleman suddenly asked a question.
Zhou Lezhi thought for a moment and said loudly: "The Ming Dynasty has a vast territory and a large number of people. It pays tens of millions of taxes every year. However, there are Eastern captives outside and rogue bandits inside, and the country's power is declining. The Kun bandits have sophisticated firearms, brave soldiers, and are good at the art of pottery and Zhu. However,
If the land is low and the people are few, it cannot last long. Comparing the two, the strength is between five and five."
Zhou Lezhi nodded lightly and expressed his approval: "What you said might have made sense if it were back in the early years of Wanli. But now, it is too optimistic. In my opinion, if the Kun thieves are determined to compete in the Central Plains, it will be difficult for the Ming Dynasty to resist them.
.”
"The bandits can only occupy a mere Qiongzhou Prefecture..."
"The Donglu who are now a serious nuisance to the imperial court are just Jianzhou's savage Jurchens. Nurhachi was just a soldier of Li Chengliang's subordinates at the beginning." Mr. Zhou's face showed an aggrieved expression that he wanted to say but couldn't. "
What if I say, maybe Donglu can take over the Central Plains?"
"This...is impossible." Zhou Lezhi found it unbelievable. He felt that these words were even more ridiculous than the thieves competing in the Central Plains.
"Is there anything impossible?" Mr. Zhou calmly picked up the tea cup and took a sip to moisten his throat. He frowned and said, "Why does this tea always have a strange smell?"
He continued: "The situation in the Ming Dynasty is now extremely dangerous. Internally trapped bandits and natural disasters, externally trapped Eastern captives... and bandits. It is as if a person was injured in a fight and could not go back to recover, but had to bandage his wounds again.
Fighting - there are still several people fighting. No matter how strong this person is, he will be exhausted sooner or later..."
Zhou Lezhi felt horrified when he thought of what he had seen and heard over the years.
"If the Ming Dynasty dies, the remaining bandits, whether they are Donglu or rogue bandits, will not be able to resist the thieves. Sooner or later, the Senate will dominate the world." Mr. Zhou sighed, "Originally, changing dynasties is not a bad thing. As long as the world is peaceful, it will always be good for the people.
A good thing, just..."
Having said this, he did not speak for a long time: "If the bandits win the country too easily, they will underestimate the heroes of the world. What we are doing now is to let them know that there are capable people, strangers, and heroes in the world.
Even if they win, don’t let them win too easily!”
Zhou Lezhi still didn't quite understand and asked: "In this case, aren't we doing something useless?"
"Yes," the gentleman nodded, "have you read the apprenticeship list?"
“I’ve read both the previous and later chapters.”
"Zhuge Liang's Northern Expedition was just to do his best to see if he could deserve the destiny. The same is true for us now." Mr. Zhou rarely said so many heartfelt words as he did today. Although Zhou Lezhi did not fully understand, he knew this "knowledge"
But the meaning of "do it if it cannot be done" is clear.
"Hey, Mr. Wang is still planning to recruit An Kun."
"Recruitment?" Mr. Zhou laughed dumbly, "When the thieves came to the Ming Dynasty, they came just to aspire for the throne. Even if they were accepted for a while, they would have to rebel sooner or later. But no matter what, if they can be recruited, they can survive for a while."
The recruitment process seemed to be going on in full swing. During this period, Wang Yehao frequently met with various people related to the Kun thief. One of them, Li Luoyou, summoned meetings especially frequently. Zhou Lezhi heard that this man was related to the Kun thief.
The connection was very deep. When the Kun thieves besieged Guangzhou, it was him who persuaded Xiang to finally redeem the city and rescue the siege. Many people said that he made a lot of money doing business with the Kun thieves, and even had a business store in Lingao.
He has been trying to get Kun Thief to teach him the art of firearms.
Mr. Zhou was very interested when he heard Zhou Lezhi talk about this matter. However, his identity was kept secret. Except for people in the Shi Weng Group, outsiders did not know that he existed. So he sent Zhou Lezhi to meet with someone.
Meet Li Luoyou and listen to what the thief Kun has learned. He also suggested to Mr. Wang that he try to bring Li Luoyou into the small group.
"I have thought about this." Wang Yehao frowned slightly after listening to his husband's suggestion, "It's just that this is not an ordinary businessman. Not only is the relationship between the DPRK and China deeply involved, but the big boss behind him is also not an ordinary person. We want to accept him.
, I’m just afraid that the students will be the first assistants.”