In this three-acre area of Jiangnan, there are basically no secrets.
Marriage, trade, alliances and other relationships between various noble families are intricately linked. In just a few days, the news that Fang Jun will build a new salt farm in Huating Town and use a new method to produce sea salt spreads wildly across Jiangnan.
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The south of the Yangtze River was shaken, especially the Jiangdong area!
Since the legendary Susha pioneered the use of seawater to boil salt, which was known as "Susha for boiling salt" in history, the salt-boiling method of "taking brine and burning firewood to boil salt" has been passed down from generation to generation and is the most important method of making salt along the north and south coasts.
.Now Fang Jun actually says that he has invented a brand new method of making salt, which is simply subverting the tradition. If this is true, it can be said to be a heavy blow to those families whose business is cooking salt!
So, when the news of Fang Jun's salt farm "investment" was released and all the major noble families in the south of the Yangtze River were invited, almost all the families in the south of the Yangtze River that were involved with Haiyan sent people to Huating Town to find out the truth.
Even if you can't get a piece of Fang Jun's pie, you still have to figure out the whole story...
In Huating Town, nobles gathered.
Of course, the Gu family is indispensable.
The Gu family attaches great importance to Fang Jun's "stock offering", and those sent to Huating Town are the best of the next generation in the family, the eldest son Gu Yu and Sanlang Gu Zhu.
The Gu brothers have a very good relationship, but they never live in the same place. Gu Zhu is guarding the Gu family's sea salt industry in Wuyuan Town, while Gu Yu, as the eldest son and future head of the family, has to travel around to study and make connections. This time it is
Gu Zhu took a boat out to sea from Wuyuan Town, bypassed the waters of Huating Town, and went upstream from the Yangtze River Estuary to Jingkou to pick up Gu Yu who was studying there. Then he went down the river and arrived at Huating Town from Wusongkou.
The ship sailed upstream from Wusongkou at a slow speed. The Gu brothers stood side by side on the tall bow of the ship admiring the scenery on both sides of the river. All the trees that had grown on the flat areas on the shore were cut down, and there were rows of trees.
Red brick houses are rising from the ground, and laborers and craftsmen are busy working back and forth, and there is no sound of shouting.
"Since entering Wusongkou, the situation on both sides of the Taiwan Strait has been greatly different. There are rumors in the world that Fang Jun was irritable and reckless, but now we know that it is just a rumor. Such a huge project, without careful and careful planning, will inevitably turn into a mess. But you
Look, although there are many workers on this construction site, every place is well organized, busy and not chaotic. I don’t know what the purpose of those red brick buildings is, but they are obviously divided and allocated. The workers in each area perform their duties.
They do not interfere with each other but compete with each other. This Fang Jun is indeed talented in helping the world. My Gu family and those Jiangnan nobles have repeatedly failed to benefit from him, and it is not without reason."
Gu Yu is twenty-eight years old this year. It is the stage when a man has entered the stage of maturity from youth. His whole body is filled with a steady and high-spirited look. Coupled with the handsome and clear face, he is indeed suave and unique.
The jade tree faces the wind.
Gu Zhu's appearance is no different from that of his brother, but he looks more casual, a little less steady and a little more unruly.
Gu Zhu did not behave as casually and rudely towards his eldest brother, whom he always respected and admired, as he did in front of Gu Cong. However, when he heard his eldest brother praising Fang Jun so much, he suddenly felt unhappy. He frowned and said, "Brother, why do you need to treat that stick?"
Such high regard? They are just like those sons of aristocratic families who are like pigs and dogs. They relied on the power of their fathers to obtain this overwhelming official position. They have tens of thousands of soldiers under their command, and anyone can run amok in this Jiangnan!"
In his opinion, Fang Jun was just a second-generation ancestor who relied on the power of his father's generation to dominate. Without such a powerful identity and background, how could he be given the position of Canghaidao Marching Chief?
Among his peers, except for the eldest brother in front of him, Gu Zhu has always been dissatisfied with anyone! He, Gu Sanlang, has the ability to defeat all the invincible opponents in the south of the Yangtze River. Who can he be afraid of?
Gu Yu shook his head and laughed. That warm and bright smile made several maids on the bow of the boat lose their minds and couldn't control themselves. He patted Gu Zhu's shoulder and said warmly: "People should be proud, but they can't be too proud. Then
It becomes arrogance. Arrogant people are short-sighted and cannot see the advantages of others. It is easy to fall into blind self-confidence and suffer the consequences. It is enough that Fang Jun can turn defeat into victory and escape in Niuzhuji. It is definitely not just relying on
The dandy son who dominates the family power, and after arriving in Huating Town, he used a trick to defraud the Jiangnan nobles for 600,000 yuan, which further shows that this person is deeply scheming, cunning and wise, how can he be an easy person? If the third brother has contempt in his heart
, then the eldest brother will report it to the Ming clan and ask you to return to your ancestral home in Kuaiji to think about your mistakes behind closed doors and study diligently."
Later, his tone gradually turned harsh.
Gu Zhu was startled, and quickly begged with a frown on his face: "Don't! Brother, why don't my younger brothers listen to you? You can do whatever you say. If you let me go back to study, it would be easier to kill me with a knife...
"
Gu Yu immediately shook his head and was speechless.
This third brother is very talented. He can master swords and sticks with a little practice, but he doesn't like reading. Seeing books is like seeing the enemy who killed his father. He can't read it no matter what...
He knew Gu Zhu's temperament, and this brother was his loyal supporter. The relationship between the brothers was very deep, so naturally he couldn't bear to be too harsh and could only criticize him a few words, so as to prevent him from being arrogant and willful and causing great trouble.
.
While he was talking, Gu's boat had arrived at the dock.
This is already the center of Huating Town, and the prosperity is naturally even greater than that of Wusongkou just now.
On the other side of the pier, there is a naval port and shipyard that are under construction. Countless workers and craftsmen are busy and prosperous. On both sides of the Wusong River, boats are like clouds, and countless cargo ships and warships are coming and going. There is no trace of the desolation of the past.
Barren?
This time, even Gu Zhu gradually put away his contempt.
On the pier, the officials of Ziyou Huating Town were waiting to receive visitors from various families. When they saw the Gu brothers stepping off the boat, they immediately greeted them and said with a smile: "But the Gu family of Wu County is here?"
Gu Yu cupped his fists and said with a smile: "Exactly, I am here, Gu Yu, at the invitation of the chief manager to discuss the matter of the salt field. I don't know where to go?"
This is his consistent style of doing things. He will never be scornful because of the low status of the officials in front of him. He has perfect etiquette and elegant demeanor, which makes people feel like spring breeze.
The officials naturally knew Gu Yu's name. The people in the south of the Yangtze River even made a list of the children of various noble families. Four of them were outstanding and were called the "Four Young Masters of the South of the Yangtze River". Gu Yu was one of them.
Facing Gu Yu's courtesy, the official was quite flattered and said quickly: "Young master is so young. The chief manager has already told me that if anyone comes from each family, please go to the official office of the Shipping Department immediately."
Gu Yu cupped his fists again and said, "In this case, Brother Lao will lead the way."
The official hurriedly returned the courtesy and said: "This is a matter of duty, Mr. Gu, please!" He gestured with his left hand, and then he walked forward to lead the way. In his heart, he was very moved by Gu Yu's courteous and virtuous corporal, his gentle and kind demeanor, and he thought that he could only
Only such a person can be worthy of the title of "Four Young Masters of the South of the Yangtze River"...
Along the pier to a large warehouse building not far away is the city shipping company that is about to operate. The entire city shipping company is neatly planned and criss-crossed like a chessboard. The roads in the middle are paved with cement, which is convenient and strong.
It is smoother and neater than the stone road.
Gu Yu walked on it and found that this kind of road was light gray, flat, smooth, and seamless. It rained heavily last night, and there was still some water in some low-lying places on the road. It was just crushed by people and cars.
The road surface was still as hard as ever. I stamped hard with my feet a few times, and there was a banging sound, like a stone slab.
Gu Yu had never seen anything like this before, so he asked, "What is this road paved with?"
The official said proudly: "This thing was created by the Chief Superintendent. It's called cement. It's a mineral powder-like thing. It's mixed with water and river sand. After it dries, it becomes as solid as a rock." As he spoke, he pointed.
Looking at the tall warehouses and buildings around, he said: "Sir, please see, all the houses here are made of bricks and stones, bonded with cement, making the whole house integrated into one, stronger and more durable than the yellow mud houses in the past.
It is completely different from white ash, it is not afraid of rain erosion, nor is it afraid of wind and snow erosion."
Gu Yu looked carefully and found that all the houses were made of red bricks, and there was this gray stuff glued in the cracks of the bricks.
Gu Zhu snorted and muttered: "Fantastic skills, nothing more than that..."