Listening to the city lord's compliments, Zheng Anping felt that the city lord was not as easy to deal with as Zosan. He tried to win over him in many ways, but the city lord was too slippery to be like a pig. Cao Bao coaxed him into drinking blood wine with just a few words, and they swore an oath of sworn friendship.
Zheng Anping turned to Shan San and said, "My brother wants to raise cattle, sheep, and chickens and dogs in Guanyi. Can I help him?"
Zhan San stared at Zheng Anping carefully and said, "Brother, do you want to raise cattle, sheep, chickens and dogs? ...The price is just right, so I might be able to help."
Zheng Anping turned around and went outside the hall. After a while, he came back with a piece of gold cake in his hand. He offered it to three pigs and said, "I hope my brother will raise the funds for me."
Zhi San said: "How can I get a lot, but half a gold is enough."
Zheng Anping said: "For those who have more, I hope that my brother will find a skilled craftsman for my brother to make iron sledges, iron hammers, iron spades and other pieces. I will definitely get fine iron."
Zhan San said: "Why do farm tools need to be made of fine iron? You can also use rough iron."
Zheng Anping said: "You don't dare to show off. If a worker wants to do his job well, he must first sharpen his tools. My brother wants to live in Guanyi for a long time and cultivate deeply and easily, so he doesn't think about it overnight. Brother, please check it out."
Zhi San said: "Why is it difficult? After one month, it will be necessary." Nai Xiu gold is inside.
The city advocate arranged for everyone to sit down again and prepare for the banquet. Zhi San said: "I was summoned by the city lord, but my family fortune is not prepared. If there is no order, I will return home!"
Everyone wanted to stay, but Zou repeatedly refused and had no choice but to leave. Before leaving, Cao Bao said: "Uncle Tang may arrive in a day or two."
Zhisan said: "If we can meet each other, I will be very lucky!"
Cao Bao said: "You should be repaid."
After sending Zosan away, the five farmers - Zheng Anping, Brother Su, Brother Quan, Wu Wang and Wu'er asked the city lord to borrow farm tools and continued to level the land. Since the land is covered with plant ash, if the soil can be plowed as soon as possible, the fertility can be preserved to the maximum extent; once a strong wind blows up the ash, it will become a disaster.
That night, Uncle Tang sent someone to report. Tomorrow, Uncle Tang made an appointment with his partners to inspect Guanyi together. This made Cao Bao and others very excited, and they were led by someone to go to the home of the third pig in person, reported the matter to him, and asked him to meet Uncle Tang tomorrow.
After breakfast the next day, a group of people waited outside the city to gather with the three pigs, and headed to the abandoned city together. Before Mr. Lu and the others arrived, everyone was resting on a high platform. Xiaosi volunteered to go to the tower to watch, but Uncle Tang was waiting to tell him. Everyone sat around chatting.
Uncle Tang did not arrive until noon, and he came not from the direction of Xingyang in the north, but from the direction of Huayang in the south. He focused on looking at Xiao Si in the north and almost missed it. Fortunately, the city tower was tall. When Xiao Si turned around, he still saw an ox cart slowly approaching, so he came down to report to everyone. Everyone greeted him from the south gate two or three miles away, and finally met him.
What surprised Zheng Anping and others was that people from all four branches of Huayang were sent. After introducing each other, everyone walked in through the west gate. On the ruins of the West Gate Tower, Cao Bao pointed out and explained the future planning of the city. After getting off the city, he pointed out to them the plot of land designated for the car dealership. Everyone went out of the north gate again and saw the Jinshui River flowing slowly outside the north gate.
Tang Shu said: "In my opinion, most of the people who leave Daliang to Luo and Han still follow the same road. The road joins the water and goes to Xingyang, which is divided into two northwest routes. If you go west to Guan, you usually go to Zheng. From Zheng to Liang, you leave Huayang. Afterwards, there are no big cities on the road, making it difficult for merchants to travel. We can get a car here, recover the warehouse, and reverse the journey, which can be used as a transit. There may not be many people who turn north to Xingyang here."
Among the four lines in Huayang, only the Bai family is the leader. Bai Gen comes out in person, and all families are headed by the Bai family. After hearing Uncle Tang's words, they all looked at Bai Gen. Bai Gen said: "Uncle Tang's words are true. From Daliang to Zheng, there are only inns at the Great Wall, but few big towns when leaving the Great Wall. Therefore, it is difficult for merchants to travel. Those who have wealth in Zheng and want to get to Daliang should first take the Qifeng waterway instead of the dry road. Nowadays, Guan has set up carriage houses, and most of them lead to the Great Wall and Huayang, which are dozens of miles away."
The city lord said at the side: "There are no trucks in Guan, and all transportation is done by ordinary people. Loading goods from Guan can reach Daliang in one day and night, but there are few people and vehicles."
Bai Gen said: "Your Majesty drove to Daliang. He was only one or two years old, and he stayed up all night, so he had a very special roof. If the car was driving, the lane was open and the roof was normal, how could he drive day and night? He must have arrived at the post. Rest and eat when the time comes, otherwise it will be difficult not only for human power but also for animal power.”
Zheng Anping said: "From Guanyi to Daliang, there are many post stations along the way. It is common to have one post every thirty miles."
Bai Gen asked the city lord: "I have come to Daliang, my dear, how safe is the journey?"
The city lord said: "Four of us, the humble father and son, will protect each other, and more than ten strong men from the countryside will accompany us, so there will be no obstacles on the way!"
Bai Gen nodded and asked Zhi San again: "Brother Zhi dominates the countryside, he must know the heroes in the city!"
Zhisan said: "Maybe there will be a blind date."
Uncle Tang said: "If you go inside the Great Wall, it's all on me. Outside the Great Wall, let me do whatever you want!"
Bai Gen said: "We seldom travel here, maybe we can think about it. ... Although, if others abandon me, I will take it, and if others take it, I will give it back. This is the way of business. I will manage to open up a blessed land and give me wealth and goods. If I don't take it, Heaven will surely hate him. I would like to follow Uncle Tang."
Uncle Tang said: "I can't thank you enough for the kindness given by my master!"
Zheng Anping didn't expect to settle down so easily, and they exchanged excited glances with each other.
Bai Gen said: "However, there are not enough young men here, and we only need young men to build a chariot shop. What can we do?"
Uncle Tang asked: "Who did the master of the family use when he set up his business in Huayang?"
Bai Gen said: "There are quite a lot of people in the four villages of Huayang who are capable of rising up the ranks, and they do so as servants."
At this time, Cao Bao, who had been silent all this time, suddenly said: "If you have money, I would like to be a helper! I wonder how much the master is willing to spend?"
Bai Gen said: "Since Guan Cheng is willing to accept it, I will work as a worker to discuss it with the doctor. When the day comes, will the doctor accept it?"
Cao Bao said: "I was just about to invite workers to arrive on the same day. It seems to be a coincidence!"
Bai Gen and his party walked along the Jinshui River for a long time, almost reaching the foot of the Great Wall. At the foot of the Great Wall, the Jinshui River turns north again, joins the chasm, and flows into the Great Wall together. Bai Gen obviously has some considerations, but his considerations are obviously not limited to the setting up of a car dealership. Compared with the matter he is thinking about, setting up a car dealership is hardly a thing. But although everyone felt this, they had no idea what he was thinking.
The two groups of people walked a full circle around Guanyi and the abandoned city, spending most of the day carefully inspecting the traffic and road conditions here. Until the afternoon, the city lord welcomed them into the city lord's mansion. More than ten people had a banquet together, and Zheng Anping treated each other with fish and meat.
After Tang Shu and others resigned, Cao Bao said: "The matter is urgent. I will ask Mr. Lu immediately!" He went to Nanguan alone and did not return all night...
The next day, Cao Bao came back with black circles under his eyes. He didn't say much to anyone, he just said, "Call me when Mr. Bai arrives", then fell down on the table and fell asleep.
As if to show sympathy for Cao Bao's hard work all night, Bai Gen arrived with the workers in the afternoon. Cao Bao led him to the construction site to meet Mr. Lu. The engineers on both sides had a heated discussion on engineering issues. Bai Gen and Cao Bao basically didn't understand what they said, and they also made serious measurements during the process.
After everything was over, the Bai family no longer entered the city and left directly.
Cao Bao talked with Mr. Lu for a long time on the construction site...
That night, Cao Bao discussed with Zheng Anping and others, asked for a torch from the city lord, and carefully wrote on the slips. The next day, Cao returned to Daliang with the slips and talismans in his arms and reported to Lord Xinling. Zheng Anping and others had nothing to do, so they took turns to open up wasteland. Even Xiaosi couldn't bear it and joined in the process.
With the end of the New Year, the young people in Guanyi left one after another. The number of people in Guanyi seemed to be much less, and most of the remaining people were the elderly and children. Women generally do not go out and only do housework at home. Women are generally not seen in the city.
The city lord and his family were also tidying up their own fields.
Cao Bao came back five days later and conveyed the message from Lord Xinling: "Your Majesty highly praises the conduct of the administration, and all requests are granted. Anyone who is in charge will have a written document issued soon."
In the next few days, Cao Baozhen was responsible for the progress of the project, while Zheng Anping and others worked in the fields. Zheng Anping felt as if he was not an official, but returned home and worked peacefully on the farm.
A few days later, the first document was issued, agreeing to set up a post station in Guanyi. The budget was 200 apprentices, 100 carpenters, and a construction period of three months. The required money and food would be paid from Guanyi's public funds. This last sentence is hard to break Zheng Anping. Guanyi has only an empty shelf. Where is the money and food? You still have to eat your own expenses. Suddenly there are 300 more people. Not to mention money, each person has one and a half buckets of food per day. Three hundred people have 40 per day. Five stones, where to raise it?
Later, it was Mr. Lu who came up with the idea that instead of charging workers at the car dealership, they would deliver food every day. The price of food and cars would be calculated based on market prices. This can be regarded as solving a big problem. As for Mr. Lu and others, it seems that they have no intention of making that little money.
The prisoners did not need to be paid for their work, but carpenters were required to pay one hundred yuan a month. In addition, they were given clothes. Guanyi would definitely not be able to do it, so they would also have to pay for it, so each person would have to pay one hundred yuan. Calculated, the entire project requires 40,000 yuan in labor costs, which is equivalent to about eight gold. They couldn't take it out at all. Mr. Lu came up with the idea, and the city gave the carpenters a "white note" and promised to pay them during the harvest in the autumn. However, Zheng Anping calculated it at 30 qian per stone, and 40,000 qian was equivalent to 1,300 to 400 shi of millet, which was equivalent to a production of 1,000 acres. However, they only had 400 acres of land, so they could not say what the harvest would be. You can't just make an idle note and have to pay it in three years! Finally, Cao Bao gritted his teeth and borrowed goods from Pu Tian!
A few days later, the convoy transporting logs left the Great Wall. Fortunately, the logs were free of charge, otherwise Zheng Anping and the others would really have nothing to do. On the same day, Cao Bao went to Huayang in person and negotiated cooperation matters with the car dealer. The car dealer would transport fifty shi (two-carriage) every day for three consecutive months to cover the wages of building the car shop.
Immediately afterwards, Cao Bao went to Putian to get a loan. Putian Yousi has a loan business, and the interest rate is officially set at 10,000 yuan and 2,000 yuan per year. Cao Bao loaned 40,000 yuan and gave 4,000 yuan to the person who handled it. He had to repay 48,000 yuan at the end of the year. If the amount was insufficient, he could refinance the loan, but the principal must be calculated with interest.
