In this three-acre area of Jiangnan, there are basically no secrets.
The marriage, trade, alliance and other relationships between various noble families are intertwined. 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 spread wildly across Jiangnan. .
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 method of boiling salt by "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 said that he had invented a brand new method of making salt, which was simply subverting the tradition. If this is true, it can be said to be a heavy blow to those families whose business is boiling salt!
Ever since, when the news of Fang Jun's salt farm "investment" was released and all the major gentry 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 ins and outs...
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 the ones 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 don't usually live together. 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, 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 and admired the scenery on both sides of the strait. All the trees that used to grow on the flat areas on the shore have been cut down, and rows of red brick houses have risen from the ground. 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 legends in the world that Fang Jun is irritable and reckless. 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. The purpose of those red brick buildings is unknown, 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 is entering the stage of maturity from youth. His whole body is filled with a steady and high-spirited look. Paired with the handsome and clear face, he is indeed suave and unique. Yushu 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 had 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 squinted his neck and said, "Brother, why do you need to treat that stick?" So highly regarded? They are just like those sons of aristocratic families who rely 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 to dominate. Without such a powerful identity and background, how could he be given the position of Canghaidao Marching General Manager?
Among his peers, except for the eldest brother in front of him, Gu Zhu has always refused to accept 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. His warm and bright smile made the maids on the bow of the boat lose their minds and couldn't help themselves. He patted Gu Zhu's shoulder and said warmly: "People should be proud, but they should not be too proud, otherwise it will become arrogance. Arrogant people are short-sighted and cannot see the advantages of others, and can easily fall into blind self-confidence. , reap the consequences of the consequences. The fact that Fang Jun was able to turn defeat into victory in Niuzhuji and escape was enough to show that he was definitely not a playboy who only relied on family power to dominate. After arriving at Huating Town, he used tricks to deceive the Jiangnan gentry. Six hundred thousand guan, which further proves that this person is very scheming, cunning and wise. How can he be an easy person? If the third brother feels contempt, then the eldest brother should report it to the clan and ask you to go back 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 sad 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 become smart with a little practice with swords and sticks, and he can become good at learning. However, he doesn't like reading. Seeing a book is like seeing the enemy who killed his father. He can't read it no matter what...
He always knew Gu Zhu's temper, 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 slap a few words to prevent him from being arrogant and willful and causing great trouble. .
While he was talking, Gujialou'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 dock is the 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. Where is there still half of the desolation and barrenness of the past?
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 smiled and said, "Exactly, I, Gu Yu, have been invited by the chief manager to discuss the salt field. Where should I go?"
This is his consistent style of dealing with things. He will never be scornful because of the low status of the officials in front of him. He is full of etiquette and personable, 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 there are people from various families, 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 led the way freely. In my heart, I was very moved by Gu Yu's courteous, virtuous, gentle and benevolent demeanor. I thought that only such a person could be worthy of the title of "Four Young Masters of the South of the Yangtze River"...
Along the pier to a large storage building not far away is the soon-to-be-opened Shipping Company. The entire city is neatly planned and criss-crossed like a chessboard. The roads in the middle are all paved with cement, which is convenient and strong, and is more stable and tidy than stone roads.
Gu Yu walked on it and found that the road was light gray, smooth and seamless. It rained heavily last night, and there was still some water in some low-lying areas on the road. Even though people were running over it with cars, the road was still as hard as before. I stamped it hard a few times with my feet, 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 ones 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..."
