This explains why Mrs. Right suddenly became a little squeamish.
Between husband and wife, it is normal to have quarrels and fights, as long as they understand each other afterwards.
Feng Duhu understood Mrs. Right's current mood very well.
Madam You is not an ordinary woman, so she naturally understands the responsibilities Feng Duhu shoulders, even though Feng Duhu himself is already prepared to enjoy his old age.
So Feng Duhu finally headed north.
After all, Mrs. Right is now less than three months pregnant and has more than half a year to give birth, which is enough for Feng Duhu to inspect the Northland.
If you walk fast, I might be able to make it back by the end of the year.
However, considering that after entering October, it may snow in the Northland, the roads will be difficult to travel, and there is even a certain probability that the roads will be closed.
So I might go back to Chang'an after the Chinese New Year.
But Mrs. Right’s due date is from the end of February to early March next year, so there should be plenty of time.
The Wuyuan Ironmaking Workshop is under construction, and Pingcheng is the fiefdom of the Feng family, so logically speaking, we should go and take a look.
In the plan of the Zhongduhufu, these two places were not only the forward bases for civilizing the barbarians in the grasslands and preventing the trouble caused by the barbarians moving south.
At the same time, it is also an important guarantee for the upgrading of weapons in the Han army, which is related to the struggle with Wei in Hebei and even the Central Plains in the next few years.
Although the current Han army is already stronger than the Wei army.
But who would refuse to become stronger?
More importantly, with the establishment of the Hedong Dudufu and Wei Yan taking office, the re-division of Yongzhou was also put on the agenda.
Beidi County was first established in the Qin Dynasty. It was one of the thirty-six counties established by the Qin Dynasty to unify the world. The county was governed in Yiqu (the northwest of Ningxian County in Gansu Province in later generations), which was originally located in the northwest of Anding County.
Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty opened up territory and expanded the territory, and Beidi County continued to expand to the northwest. It was precisely between stability and Wuwei.
The three counties are like the same character.
During the reign of Emperor Guangwu of the Later Han Dynasty, although Beidi County shrank, most of its territory remained.
But in the middle of the Later Han Dynasty, due to the continuous southward movement of the barbarians from the northern grasslands and the influence of the Qiang and Hu rebellions in Liangzhou, the territory of Beidi County was also shrinking.
In the last years of his life, there was no land left and he had to be sent to Guanzhong.
After Wei usurped the Han Dynasty, he simply cut off part of Feng Yi County, one of the three auxiliaries, and moved Beidi County to the north of Chang'an.
It has been nearly forty years since the establishment of Beidi County was transferred to the state.
Moreover, throughout the Later Han Dynasty, the administration of Beidi County continued to change, and it was difficult to find the original traces, and it was impossible to restore them to their previous appearance according to the map.
Ji Han's main job now is how to pacify the world, rather than getting entangled in these trivial matters.
Therefore, when re-dividing counties, it is natural to try to make changes based on the existing ones.
Feng Duhu's first stop on his way north this time was Beidi County, north of Chang'an.
The main purpose of inspecting Beidi County is to check how the Qiaoshan Mountains, the last barrier to the north of Guanzhong, can be reasonably included in the scope of Beidi County.
Let Qiaoshan's defense be under the complete control of Chang'an. Only in this way can Ji Han's central defense system be further strengthened.
Different from going to Lantian, this time I went out with two concubines, and it was the turn of the left and right wives to guard the house.
The great Hanzhong Protector and the right hussar general came forward in person, and no one dared to deny face.
Not to mention that somewhere in an unknown valley in Qiao Mountain, there are tens of thousands of barbarian skeletons that Feng Duhu personally burned.
So no one is so ignorant and doesn't give face.
The division of Qiaoshan went very smoothly.
Feng Duhu, who stayed in Beidi County for several days, also went to the Yellow Emperor's Mausoleum to pay homage.
Finally, we followed Qinzhidao, crossed Qiaoshan, and entered Shangjun in Bingzhou.
Only halfway through, they saw Xu Xun, the guard of the Jiuyuan Governor's Mansion, who had come to greet them after hearing the news. He was also accompanied by Li Tong and his wife.
"You haven't returned to Gaoque yet? Why are you here in Shangjun?"
When Feng Duhu saw them, he was a little surprised.
"Aren't the workshops in Wuyuan County cutting wood and burning charcoal? So I stayed a little longer."
I don't know if it was because he stayed in the border area for a long time, but Xu Xun's face became a little rough, and he not only grew a beard, but also some sideburns.
He is no longer the jealous young man in Jincheng.
He and Feng Duhu rode side by side, only controlling the horse underneath him, and half of the horse's body fell.
"I heard that my brother was coming to inspect, so I wasn't in a hurry to go back. I just went along the straight road to meet my brother."
As he spoke, he gestured behind him:
"Actually, I sent Congmei here by the way, because she wanted to check out the soil and water conditions in Shangjun."
Although Shangjun belongs to Bingzhou, its geographical location is more inclined to the original Shuofang County, or it is more closely connected with Guanzhong.
However, the original boundary with Bingzhou was separated by the river and Luliang Mountain.
In addition, the governor of the Jiuyuan Governor's Mansion was Huo Yi, a person whom Adou had great trust in.
Therefore, Shangjun north of Qiaoshan was also placed under the jurisdiction of Jiuyuan Dudufu.
When Xu Xun, a guard of the Governor's Mansion, came to Shangjun, it was not considered crossing the line.
"Oh?" Feng Duhu also turned to look at Li Tong and his wife who were behind him, and motioned for them to follow.
"Your cutting and planting rotation plan is very well written. Without your help, the ironmaking workshop would probably still be looking for coal."
Feng Duhu first praised Li Xu.
Li Xu has traveled all over the world over the years and has seen a lot of things in the world. Especially after spending a long time in Longyou, Liangzhou and other places, he has long been accustomed to riding horses.
She was wearing a tight-fitting dress with narrow sleeves and a pair of short boots made of special fabric, which were breathable. She looked quite dashing and heroic while sitting on the horse.
It's just that although his reputation is not small, he is even called "Master Xu".
But facing Feng Duhu, she never dared to tell him:
"What I have learned has been greatly aided by the support of the Central Protector. How dare I not try my best to do something that the Central Protector cares about?"
Feng Duhu smiled and looked at Li Tong.
Li Tong's eyes flickered and he did not dare to look at Feng Duhu.
Although so many years had passed and he was considered his brother-in-law, he still subconsciously did not want to get too close to Feng Duhu in front of Feng Duhu.
"You and your wife have worked hard these past few years. Once the matter in the north is over, you can go back to Chang'an and settle down."
"The child is getting older and it's time to go to school. Spend more time with the child."
"Your sister is in the car behind you. You haven't seen each other for so long. You should go see her first."
This sentence was said to Li Tong.
When Li Tong heard this, he quickly saluted as if he had heard of the amnesty, then turned his horse's head and headed back.
Feng Duhu turned to Li Xu again:
"Over the years, you have brought out many students. If you have anything to do in the future, let them do it. You don't need to do everything yourself anymore."
"And I promised you to write a book. You should also be prepared to compile your experience over the years into a volume."
Although she had already received the promise from the Central Protector, Li Xu was still surprised and happy when she heard the Central Protector remind her again:
"I understand. This time I came to Shangjun to see the road conditions on Qinzhidao."
"How to maintain the official road is a matter for the government. I don't understand this. But I think that in order to prevent the sandy land in the west of Shangjun from moving eastward and threatening the Qinzhi Road, it is best to follow the old example of Guan Se and plant a protective forest to the east of the straight road.
.”
Feng Duhu nodded:
"Your suggestion is very good. When you go back, write down the details and send them to your house. I will let others pay attention to it."
Li Xu nodded quickly:
"I understand. I will stay in Shangjun these days to check the situation around the straight road and see how to plan appropriately."
Qin Zhidao is the lifeline connecting Guanzhong and Jiuyuan Governor's Mansion. How to protect this lifeline is crucial to controlling Jiuyuan.
Therefore, Feng Duhu naturally praised Li Xu's approach.
After leaving Shangjun, Xu Xun was the only one traveling with him.
When there was no one else around, Xu Xun secretly mentioned something to Feng Duhu in private:
"Brother, for the past two years, we have been looking for coal mines in Yinshan Mountain. Although we have been entrusted by brother, we unexpectedly found another treasure."
Seeing Xu Xun's face full of excitement and his eyes shining, Feng Duhu couldn't help but be curious:
"What did you find?"
Probably because he had been holding it back these days, Xu Xun actually said: "Brother, guess what?"
"It can't be that we found a gold or silver mine?"
"Hold on!"
Xu Xun slapped his thigh and shouted loudly, then he was so frightened that he quickly looked around before lowering his voice again.
This time, with a tone of extreme admiration:
"Brother, you really have expected it, right? Otherwise, how could you have said it so accurately?"
"Have you really found a gold mine?" This time, it was Feng Duhu's turn to be surprised, "Where is it?"
It was said at first that there might be gold and silver mines in Yinshan, but that was all a lie.
Because there was only one gold mine that Feng Duhu knew about, and that was Hanzhong where he learned AD cartography in his previous life.
But in this era, as long as an iron smelting workshop can be opened, what is the difference between it and a gold and silver mine?
Unexpectedly, these guys were actually found in Yinshan Mountain?
"It's not a gold mine, it's a silver mine!"
Xu Xun chuckled and said mysteriously, "But it's all the same."
The current exchange ratio of gold and silver is roughly between one:10 and one:12.
But in fact, silver is more popular than gold.
the reason is simple.
There are very few silver mines in China, at least much less than gold mines.
During the Pre-Han Dynasty, the exchange ratio of gold and silver was one to three.
Many Hu merchants traveled thousands of miles from the Silk Road to trade with the Central Plains. In addition to goods, they often also exchanged silver for gold.
Then they would transport the gold back to their country to exchange for silver and earn the price difference.
As the gold in the Central Plains continued to decrease, the inflow of silver continued to increase.
In addition, the former Han Dynasty liked to use gold for burials and consumed a lot of gold, which led to the continuous expansion of the gold-silver exchange ratio.
This is why the books in the Han Dynasty say that the gold is real gold (unless it specifically says red gold, then it may be brass).
But in the Sui and Tang Dynasties, the gold mentioned in the book turned into copper.
It is because the gold in the Central Plains is constantly decreasing.
Therefore, given the current status of silver, the discovery of a silver mine is indeed a big surprise.
But after hearing the news, Feng Duhu's expression changed, but he had an ulterior motive:
"Langshan? Isn't that near Gaoque? It's okay if there is no movement about this matter. If there is any movement, I'm afraid it won't be hidden from Governor Huo."
"So brothers, aren't you just waiting for me to think of a solution for you, brother?"
Xu Xun rubbed his hands and said, "Brother, if you can think of a way to get a few more mining quotas for us in the guild, then the brothers won't have to worry about it in this life."
When Feng Duhu heard this, he couldn't help laughing "ha":
"You no longer have to worry about this life, right?"
Then he thought for a moment and shook his head, "Even if I can get a few more mine quotas, so what?"
"As soon as the goods are shipped, the news will be leaked as soon as possible, and then the court..."
With that said, Feng Duhu pointed to the sky again, "And the palace, don't you know that we have tricked you?"
He glanced at Xu Xun with a half-smile:
"If it gets to that point, I'm afraid you and I, as well as the brothers who are involved in this matter, really don't have to worry about this life, because we can think about the next life."
Starting from Guan Zhong, China began to implement "official mountains and seas" (that is, mountains, forests, rivers and swamps are owned by the state).
In the Qianhan Dynasty, salt and iron monopoly was added.
Even in the industrial age, this kind of thinking has never wavered, and there are more and more specialties.
Do you want to hide the truth, deceive the imperial court, hide the silver mines, and create a fait accompli?
The coal mine that was promised was opened and turned into a silver mine. Who would do it?
Do you really think the court is a fool?
This is challenging the bottom line of the court.
Not to mention that Feng Duhu had never thought about such a thing.
If there was only one Adou in charge in the palace, with Feng Duhu's current power, it is unlikely that it would still be able to function.
But at most, it can only protect your own wealth and honor during your lifetime, but you are afraid that it will cause harm to future generations.
Not to mention that there is a queen in the palace now.
How many years can you enjoy doing this kind of thing under the Queen's nose and getting such hot money?
I am afraid that within a few years, my home will be confiscated and my property will be confiscated.
Feng Duhu inspected the Northern Territory. Although it was necessary, he may not have wanted to stay in Chang'an and conflict with the queen.
Hearing what his brother said and seeing his expression like this, Xu Xun was a little embarrassed.
Over the years, my elder brother has been considered omnipotent in the minds of many brothers.
And that’s a silver mine!
Huge profits blind one's reason, and people can't help but want to take risks. This is the most normal thing.
"Is this the only way to hand it over to the country?"
Xu Xun was still a little unwilling.
"It's definitely not possible to hand it over in vain."
Feng Duhu smiled slightly, "Brothers in the guild are all over the mountains and plains, and they have worked hard to find things. Even if they don't have credit, they still have hard work, right?"
"Besides, the imperial court also wants to save face, so why are you so embarrassed to take advantage of it for nothing?"
Even if he really wants to get it for free, is his meeting leader just a decoration?
I don't know what he thought of, but Feng Duhu's eyes flashed brightly, and he seemed to feel a little relaxed.
"It reminds me of something..."
"What's up?"
"For something that has been bothering me for a long time, it should be a good deal to exchange it for silver mines."
Xu Xun didn't know why.
Feng Duhu didn't explain too much and waved his hand:
"The exchange involved in this matter involves a lot. Let me consider it carefully first, but I must not let the brothers in the association suffer."
Xu Xun was just thinking about this matter just in case, but now that his brother was unwilling, he could only sigh.
Unlike Xu Xun who looked dejected, Feng Duhu had a deep look in his eyes and the corners of his mouth were slightly raised.