"You haven't eaten yet this morning? Let's have something together." After reading the list, Xiao Han pointed to the empty seat opposite him and motioned for Ma Laoliu to sit down together.
Ma Laoliu was a little flattered. After thanking Xiao Han repeatedly, he rested his buttocks on the seat. As for the buns on the table, he didn't even dare to move them.
Seeing his nervous look, Xiao Han smiled and pushed a plate of steamed buns in front of Ma Laoliu, and said jokingly, "Eat it, just be casual. I remember that I didn't see you when I first met you."
You are so restrained, yet you still trick me into drinking!"
When Ma Laoliu heard Xiao Han talk about the time when they first met, his old face couldn't help but blush. He quickly stood up and took the plate of steamed buns with both hands. At the same time, he thought in his heart: Grandpa! How did I know that you were Hou at that time?
Master? Besides, in front of Yangzhou people now, who dares to act casually in front of you?! If others find out about this, he will not be killed by the governor, but he will be scolded to death by hundreds of thousands of Yangzhou people!
"Ahem, at first the villain had eyes but could not see Mount Tai. Now..."
After catching the steamed buns pushed by Xiao Han, Ma Laoliu didn't dare to sit down anymore. He stood there hesitating for a long time without saying a complete sentence. Instead, because of the entanglement, his long face suddenly stretched even longer.
If Xiao Han's little traces were brought over at this time, the two brothers would probably be able to recognize and kiss each other on the spot.
Xiao Han glanced at him, smiled, and stuffed a bun into his mouth.
The Xiao Long Bao stuffed with radish and shrimp, made by the fat chef himself, is full of flavor. If paired with a little minced garlic, the taste will definitely be a treat!
"Okay, if you don't know how to say nice things, don't say them. You look like you're holding back and it's off-putting."
Biting the extremely delicious buns, Xiao Han shook his head and said: "But, what I said is not pleasant to hear. The thing I asked you to do yesterday was actually done well! After all, you are also an expert on the water. Do you think there are such people?
If we drive the boat in front to clear the way, and hire some experienced boat bosses in the back, can we sail all the way to Chang'an?"
"this……"
Hearing Xiao Han finally talk about his own profession, Ma Laoliu was obviously relieved, but he did not dare to talk nonsense like before. Instead, he carefully calculated it in his heart, and after confirming enough, he nodded and said:
"According to the method the Marquis said, there shouldn't be any problem. After all, most of this route is a canal opened by the former Sui Dynasty. The river channel is still new and the water conditions are not complicated. You just need to pay attention to a few dangerous places! And with those familiarity
A warning to those on the route, as long as those following behind are experienced, they will definitely be able to pass safely."
"Well, that's good!" Xiao Han was waiting for this answer. He nodded, handed the list back to Ma Laoliu, then tapped the table and said, "Can you please help me with my business?"
Identity, gather more sand boats! Remember, I want these sand boats to be big! The bigger, the better!
There are also skilled ship bosses, too! As for the money for hiring ships and people, tell those people that I will pay them every penny according to the market price! If you do a good job this time, there will be another reward!"
When Ma Laoliu heard this, his heart suddenly moved.
In fact, last night, he was very curious about why Xiao Han went on patrol incognito and refused to identify himself.
Now that he heard that he wanted to hire ships and personnel as a merchant, his confusion became even more intense.
However, Ma Laoliu was always a smart man. Although he was as curious as a cat scratching his head, he didn't show it on his face.
He waited for Xiao Han to finish speaking, then straightened up quickly and said humbly: "I don't dare to bother you. If you have something to do, just give me your instructions! I just don't know how much food you want to transport, Lord Marquis. I can calculate how much I need."
Boat, how many people."
"How much food should be transported?" Xiao Han scratched his head and said to his mind, the more of this thing, the better!
The price of food in Jiangnan is now very low, and Chang'an has a large population and is experiencing a famine. Even if it is not used as military ration and is simply transported to Chang'an for sale, it is an unforgivable business.
However, he could only say this after thinking about it in his heart. If he really wanted to do this, not to mention whether he could buy so much food, even if he could buy it, he wouldn't have that much money to buy it.
Xiao Han thought anxiously in his heart for a moment, and then slowly said: "This time, I want to test the canal's ability to deliver food. If it transports too little, it will be meaningless, so I will tentatively decide on two hundred
Ten Thousand Stones!”
"Two million stones?" When Ma Laoliu heard this number, the corner of his mouth couldn't help but twitch! It is estimated that he will never see so much food once in his life!
However, when he thought about Xiao Han's identity, he quickly felt relieved.
He is a Marquis, so he naturally does great things. How could he be like a country farmer like me?
Perhaps, two million stones is as common to others as two hundred stones to oneself.
"If the Marquis wants to transport so much food, it will require hundreds of ships. I'm afraid it's not easy to get it together! If you want to get it together, you can only urgently transfer it from other places. How about I go and do it right now?"
After Lao Liu calculated the numbers, he cupped his hands to Xiao Han with some embarrassment and said.
Xiao Han also knew that Ma Laoliu felt uncomfortable here. When he saw this, he smiled and nodded: "That's fine, just go and do your work. Remember to take the buns with you to eat on the way."
Hearing this, Ma Laoliu left the room with a plate of steamed buns in his hands with great gratitude.
Judging from his careful look, it is estimated that this plate of steamed buns will most likely be placed on the altar table instead of entering anyone's stomach.
After seeing off Ma Laoliu, Xiao Han quickly walked out of the room and walked around the inn. Feeling that there was nothing to do, he simply called Xiaodong Ziyi and the others to go to the pier in Runzhou to see the legendary
Sand ship.
Sand boats, also called sand-proof flat-bottomed boats at this time, are a type of special transport ship on inland rivers. Don’t misunderstand them as sand-moving boats.
The advantages of this kind of ship are obvious. It has a shallow draft and a large load capacity. It is perfect for carrying cargo and grain!
The sand ships recorded in history can even carry more than 5,000 kilograms. When converted into current units, it is almost 500,000 kilograms. Even in later generations, it is definitely a terrifying figure.
The place where Xiao Han and the others stayed was not too far from the pier, so a group of about ten of them walked to the pier without riding horses.
As for Li Yifu, who had emerged from grief, he acted as a guide and walked in front of him proudly. His appearance was just like the fox in the elementary school textbook who pretends to be powerful.
The group of people wandered around the city for as long as they could have a cup of tea, and then they saw the huge pier located on the edge of the canal.
The dock was a little deserted in the early morning. In the river, several large ships like ingots were moored close to the shore, and the sails were lowered.
On the ground, several porters basking in the sun, perhaps hearing the voices of Xiao Han and others, stood up and took a look here.
Perhaps they felt that these people would not bring them much work, so they quickly lay down again and continued to bask in the warm sun.
