Chapter 125 Forming an Alliance
"Last year, there was a severe drought in Shaanxi, but what made people irritated was the floods in Jiangxi, Huguang, Zhejiang and other places south of the Yangtze River. There was a severe drought on one side and floods on the other. It really echoed the saying 'drought' People will die of drought, and people will die of waterlogging. However, the point of my words is - lack of food."
Chen Cao asked Xin Zhao to pour wine for all the nobles, and then continued: "At the beginning of Tianqi, the price of good rice is two liang or three qian, wheat is one liang or four qian, millet noodles are only one liang, and other crops It’s just eight coins;
Since the drought started last year in parts of Shaanxi and Shandong, let’s not talk about Shandong, but only in Xi’an Prefecture, Shaanxi. The millet noodles they often eat have risen to three taels of silver per stone. People in the northwest are not good at eating rice from the south. Rice even in Shaanxi Even the senior officials and the Prince of Qin’s palace don’t know how to eat it. In a place where the three-month salary increases, do you think those peasants have enough money to buy a stone of millet noodles?
I think all the brothers here should also know that I have planted new crops and rice in Shandong and Shangyuan County? "
Seeing a few people nodding, Chen Cao continued: "The yield of corn is good. Even the remaining corn stalks can be processed and used to feed pigs. If not used, they can also be used as firewood and burned directly in the fields. It can fertilize the fields. Do you think this is a good thing? Even if it is ground flour, the steamed buns will have its own sweetness. Now my new army eats these;
The yield of potatoes and sweet potatoes is high, especially sweet potatoes. The brothers here must have those sweet potatoes in their homes. You just don’t eat them. If these things are mass-produced and shipped to Jiubian or Shaanxi, it will be a big fortune. "
After listening to this, Feng Kelie was thoughtful: "Uncle Dingwu, did you make a fortune from these?"
"No," Chen Cao shook his head confidently and said proudly in the eyes of everyone's curious eyes: "Now that your majesty is watching my new army earn money for internal funds, the people in the Ministry of War and Ministry of Households have no intention of giving me a military order. The army sends money and food. Now the Dingwu Army relies on me, Chen Cao, to support it. This food should first satisfy the Dingwu Army and then be stored in the warehouse. The remaining food will not be sold until the next spring and summer grain harvest. So if you want to make money from grain production, you definitely can’t.”
Zhou Rui couldn't help but ask: "If you don't make money from food and the people don't accept it, how can you make money?"
"Good question, Xin Zhao..."
Chen Cao shouted, and Zhao Xin, who had prepared it long ago, hung a map on the shelf in the private room. Chen Cao stood up and came to the map: "There is too much gold and silver here. If we work together to make money, , each person can earn at least three million taels of silver every year, and the profit is guaranteed."
Everyone was shocked and immediately stood up and came to the map. Li Ying lost his voice and said: "Japanese country?"
Chen Cao smiled and nodded: "Everyone, now you are bad at fighting in the party. Today, I, Chen Cao, will protect you in the name of the eunuch party. To put it harshly, when Wei Zhongxian falls and everyone calls for the eunuch party to be beaten, there is no way you will do it." It’s a disaster, so what I’m doing now is for my own retreat in the future.”
Feng Kelie stared at Chen Cao for a long time before he began to breathe heavily: "I don't have the skills of the King of Zhongshan..."
Everyone looked at Feng Kelie. Chen Cao stared at Feng Kelie and laughed and said: "Brother, I am not the Emperor Taizu. How can I have the courage to recruit talents like the King of Zhongshan? Hahahaha..."
The other people did not understand what the two people said, and Chen Cao did not want to talk to them anymore. After all, it would not be good for him to reveal too much: "Getting back to the topic, since several people are already willing to form an alliance with Chen Cao, then Chen Cao naturally treats you as one of his own, how about we make a fortune together from now on?"
Li Ying is a person who likes money, so she immediately said excitedly: "I have met Brother Chen..."
"Hahaha..." Chen Cao laughed loudly, and then clapped his hands: "You just prepare your own goods. After the Japanese land, you will each make a fortune."
...
"The Ming Dynasty is still the Ming Dynasty. Even if it is a broken ship, there are still three kilograms of nails on it."
"Then it depends on whether those nails are still intact..."
"A rotten nail can still hurt someone..."
"I have the best doctor..."
"For more than two hundred years, there are many loyal people who are despised by all people..."
"Who said I want to oppose the Ming Dynasty? Even if I oppose it, it will still be against the Zhu family. Ming Dynasty is still Ming Dynasty, just with a different surname."
"..."
When Chen Cao saw Feng Kelie getting on the carriage, he felt very happy. The cool summer breeze blew on his face, which was refreshing: "Let's go back."
Zhang Fengnian brought the carriage, helped Chen Cao, who had drunk a bit too much, and drove away.
The next day, a big event happened in Jinling City. Dingwu Bo Chen Cao was assassinated when he returned to his hometown...
Xu Hongji personally came to Chen Cao's house for a short time and only a few times. As soon as he entered the central hall, he asked loudly: "But were they captured alive?"
Chen Cao caught a cold and fell ill for the first time in this world on the second day after he was assassinated. For this reason, news spread widely in Jinling that Uncle Dingwu had died.
Chen Cao had to get up from the bed because of Xu Hongji's arrival. His dizziness made him think he must have caught influenza: "It's just a little thief, not worth mentioning."
Zhao Xin then said: "Go back to my lord, all those who came here are dead soldiers. After being captured alive, they bit out the poison under their tongues."
"There are many people with such abilities in Jinling City. Yaozhong, as the leader of the Jinyi Guards, you don't know who they are, right?" Xu Hongji sat on the seat next to Chen Cao.
"The person here is very skilled. He thought I drank too much and didn't have enough concentration, but he didn't know I had this thing to defend myself." As he said this, Chen Cao took a gun from the table on the left.
Xu Hongji frowned, then relaxed: "What do you mean, all the thieves will be killed?"
"No one will be left alive," Chen Cao touched his dizzy head: "Whatever, there are so many people who want to kill me. It's just that this method is too despicable. They took advantage of me being drunk. It seems that these people have already done it. Know my whereabouts."
"Do you want violent revenge?"
Chen Cao shook his dizzy head: "No, the more you assassinate me, the more it means that what I did is correct. Lord, I am indeed too dizzy. Please forgive me..."
"Okay, okay, go and have a rest..."
"Xin Zhao, greet the father-in-law well for me."
Xu Hongji stood up: "No, I came here to see you. As long as everything is okay, I'll leave first."
After Xu Hongji left, Zhao Xincai said: "Uncle, it seems that the Duke should know the inside story of this matter."
Chen Cao was helped up by the maid and walked towards the inner house: "Don't worry about it for now. Let the news go out. Just say that I was assassinated by a thief and was seriously injured. I have to close the door and not see any guests."
"yes..."
"Same for you. Just let Zhang Shenxian come and see. At least someone else saved you twice?" Li Xiang looked at Chen Cao complainingly: "Doctors in the army are good at treating external injuries, but how dare they treat you on the inside? ?”
Chen Cao tilted his head and let Li Xiang support him and took a sip of the bitter medicine: "Things have changed, and the doctors outside are afraid to use it. Who can guarantee that Zhang Shenxian has not been bribed? I will go, it will be too painful."
"In the past few days, I have arranged for Sister Min'er and Sister Wan'er to take care of you. Don't let Chunyao come again. You have been weak recently, so don't act recklessly." Li Xiang said and went out to leave.
Chen Cao sighed. He was so sick now. How could he be in the mood to have sex? He couldn't risk his life.
As soon as Chen Cao fell ill, a chain reaction immediately started, especially for Hideyori and his party. However, even he could not see Chen Cao, and left in anger after being rejected.
In seven days, even according to the physical condition of future generations, the cold would be cured with or without medicine. As a result, Chen Cao, who took medicine, except that the sleepiness in his body disappeared a little, was still dizzy and confused.
"Uncle, Liu Kongzhao and the others have been acting quite boldly recently, but their subordinates still sent people to do some tricks secretly. Song Ninghou and several others are buying goods. By the way, uncle, we have a clue about the source of the dead soldiers."
Chen Cao sat in the bamboo forest in the front yard and looked at his son and daughter. Then he asked Liu Min'er who was waiting beside him to get himself a sip of tea: "Be careful when doing things."
"Yes," Xin Zhao nodded: "The people who came here are all military personnel, and there are calluses on all hands. According to our work, some of them are accustomed to using muskets."
Chen Cao was shocked. If they had had muskets that night, he would have died: "Can it be verified accurately?"
"There shouldn't be any problems. I've been thinking about it for a while. Since they sent musketeers, why didn't they use muskets? I've obtained a copy from the Nanjing Ministry of War. There are only a handful of muskets in the entire Nanjing city." Zhao Xin looked at it. Chen Cao: "Uncle, privately manufacturing muskets is a major crime of rebellion. My subordinates have also inspected the workshops. Every gun has a number and is in the warehouse."
Chen Cao breathed a sigh of relief: "Leave Nanzhili and find me some people with better medical skills. I can no longer trust the local doctors in Nanzhili."
Obviously, Chen Cao now understands that military doctors can only treat external injuries. For this kind of internal medicine, it is considered a good fortune if the Chinese medicine they prescribe does not kill Chen Cao.
"Uncle, why don't you ask your subordinate 800 miles to rush to the capital to find a famous doctor for your uncle?" Zhao Xin handed over.
Chen Cao shook his head and said, "No, I'm just worried."
"Husband," Li Xiang walked into the door very excitedly. Seeing Chen Cao sitting on the chair, he said, "Sister Yulan has hired a good doctor for you, husband, and he will come tomorrow."
Even now that the King of Heaven has descended to earth, Chen Cao couldn't keep up his energy and turned around helplessly: "Just now I was saying that we don't want doctors in South Zhili. Go tell Xinlan that thank you for your hard work. Prepare some money and take care of her." Send people away.”
Li Xiang's eyes widened, and then he said: "Where... This person is the eldest grandson of Mr. Fu Lin, the right counselor of Shandong and Liaohai military commander. This Mr. Fu is also a native of Nanjing Imperial College. He is very capable. .”
Chen Cao couldn't believe Li Xiang's good intentions, and then turned to look at Xin Zhao. After realizing what Chen Cao meant, Xin Zhao clasped his fists and left the mansion.
Li Xiang looked at Liu Min'er: "Sister Min'er, how is your husband's spirit?"
Liu Min'er said a little embarrassedly: "Sister Xiang'er, my uncle would like Sister Chunyao to come."
"..."
