"Master Zuo, you're here so early. Have you had breakfast?" After sitting down and changing the tea three times, Xiao Chen continued to be polite.
"Xiaguan has been feeling seasick these past few days and can't eat anything." Zuo Weipan smiled bitterly, "If I had known better, it would be better to take the land route. Although the road is bumpy, I don't have to suffer this... Eunuch Gong has arrived. Bar?"
"He arrived last night, but he was slightly unwell. I didn't dare to let him go, so he stayed in the house and ordered people to serve the soup. He is still resting now. We are in the bitter cold land of Yanyun, and it is winter. Good morning, Fengyang City is still as warm as spring now, right?" Xiao Chen said.
"Isn't it? It's the weather in autumn, it's so hot!" Zuo Weipan said, "Master Xiao, today's official experience has been an eye-opener. I thought that Yanyun County was in dire straits and was extremely depressed. , but I didn’t expect it to be so prosperous, I think it’s comparable to Fengyang City and Jiangnan County!”
"Master Zuo is serious. In fact, they are all business people. Aren't they here to collect leather goods just in time for winter? By the way, when Master Zuo goes back, I will definitely bring you more good leather goods." Xiao Chen said.
"Sir Xiao, last time I was in Yihongyuan, many of my subordinates offended me. I always wanted to apologize to you, but I didn't get the chance to see you..." Zuo Wei climbed up from his seat, making a show of bowing.
"Oh, Lord Zuo, you can't do it!" Xiao Chen quickly jumped up and supported him, "That was just a small misunderstanding. If Lord Zuo didn't mention it, I would have forgotten it!"
"Master Xiao is a grown-up, so he certainly won't take such a small thing to heart, but some people always keep it in mind, which makes the official helpless." Zuo Weipan sat down, took a sip of tea, and sighed.
"Hahaha, that little thing has chicken intestines, and you will definitely get revenge... But Mr. Zuo, don't ignore him. Prince Fengyang is making the decision for you, why are you afraid of him?" Xiao Chen laughed, "By the way, the prince has always been fine. ?”
"The prince is busy with state affairs, but there is no peace at all. He is just a young man..." Zuo Weipan sighed, "Although he is young, he has been leading troops to fight for these years, and his body is not in good condition. This time... The official came over and wanted to ask Mr. Xiao to help get some old wild ginseng to supplement the prince."
"It's all on me!" Xiao Chen slapped his chest loudly, "The thousand-year-old prince's body is of vital importance to our country and the country, but we must not ignore it."
"By the way, Mr. Xiao, I heard that you have several arsenals in Yanyun County? The muskets they produce are very sophisticated and advanced, and they can fire continuously. The prince is also very interested and wants to ask you to buy a batch, but I don't know how. Is it inconvenient?" Zuo Weipan changed the subject.
"Hahaha, those are all rumors and nonsense. How sophisticated and advanced are they? In fact, they are imitations of the old fire guns we used to have, with some random parts added to them claiming that they can fire continuously... They are just used to scare the Russians and northern Xinjiang tribes. , Why does the prince take it seriously?" Xiao Chen laughed.
"Oh? But I saw it with my own eyes when I was at the Ministry of War, but it's not as bad as Mr. Xiao said." Zuo Weipan said with a half-smile.
"Since we want to fool people, why don't we do it more seriously? Otherwise, can we fool people? Let me tell you the truth, only a batch of samples are real, probably more than a hundred, but these are all I spent a lot of money to buy them from the West, each one costs three thousand taels of silver! If the prince wants it, I can help buy some."
Xiao Chen was talking nonsense, but it sounded like the truth.
"But those Westerners are so stupid. They only sold me guns, but they refused to sell me enough ammunition. Since Mr. Zuo, you have seen it with your own eyes, you must also know that those projectiles are specially made, right?" We can’t make them either, unless we definitely spend a high price to buy projectiles, otherwise these foreign guns will eventually become scrap metal!”
That makes it even truer.
Because at that time, Zuo Weipan and the others also felt that such a sophisticated and well-made repeating musket could never be manufactured by the Yanyun County Arsenal, which had just been established for more than two years.
In particular, the production process of the percussion-type projectiles is particularly complicated, and they must not have the ability at all!
"Oh, that's it." Zuo Weipan sighed, "We can't afford such an expensive musket, but I'm going to stay in Changshan Prefecture for a few days. If I'm lucky enough to visit your arsenal? There are fur factories, garment factories, canneries, pastry factories... even the lower officials want to see them."
"That's no problem. Lord Zuo, just watch whatever you want, but I have a condition." Xiao Chen said.
"Oh? What conditions?" Zuo Weipan raised his eyebrows.
"Master Zuo, you can't just look at me for nothing. When you go back and see the emperor, you must give me a few nice words!" Xiao Chen said with a smile.
"Hahaha, definitely!" Zuo Weipan laughed, a little wildly.
He didn't realize that there was a sneer on the corner of Xiao Chen's mouth.
Xiao Chen excused himself from busy official duties and did not go to major factories with Zuo Weipan to inspect the factories in person. He only sent representative Xu Wenzhou to accompany him.
Xu Wenzhou's identity is also quite subtle.
It's not high to say he is high, because he is not a member of the county government and does not have any official position. It is okay to say that he is in white.
It's not too low to say it, because he is the chief steward of the Governor's Mansion, and he is Xiao Chen's confidant. Even if he is just a man of words in the Governor's Mansion, he is definitely a very important figure in Changshan Prefecture and even the entire Yanyun County. .
Xiao Chen's intention of sending him to accompany Zuo Weipan is not easy to figure out.
If you say he is cold, that is a bit cold. After all, Zuo Weipan is a third-rank official in the imperial court, one rank lower than Xiao Chen and one rank higher than Liu Congshu, the governor of Changshan Prefecture.
In other words, except for Xiao Chen, no one in Yanyun County had a higher official rank than him.
So, isn’t it a bit inappropriate for you, Xiao Chen, to take a photo of a butler accompanying you?
But if you say being intimate, it's quite intimate, because perhaps Xiao Chen wanted to deliberately make friends with or flatter him, so he sent his confidants to accompany him?
It means staying away from him and treating him as a close friend.
Anyway, it doesn't matter how you understand it.
However, the visit process was not smooth either.
First of all, the arsenal is heavily guarded, and the officers on duty are selfless and business-like.
Xu Wenzhou was very polite when he saw him, and he bowed and kowtowed to Zuo Weipan three times. The etiquette was very good. But when he heard that Zuo Weipan wanted to visit the arsenal, his expression immediately changed.
"Can Butler Xu have the warrant of our Lord Lei?" What he wants is Crazy Lei's warrant, not Xiao Chen's.
"Oh, Governor Xiao asked me to accompany Mr. Zuo. Do you need Mr. Lei's warrant?" Xu Wenzhou said hurriedly.
"Haha, forgive me for not obeying my order. Our arsenal is an important place and no one is allowed to enter! Even if Governor Xiao comes in person, he must have Mr. Lei's permission, otherwise he will not be let in!" The officer didn't have any dignity at all! Not given.
