Xu He did not follow Zhang Jingxian and others to Liangduo. Zhang Jingxian asked him to rush back to Huancha to eliminate the [misunderstanding], lest the two big fishes of the White Lotus Sect and Lei Jun were not caught here, and the kitchen men rebelled over there. It's a big joke.
However, before leaving, Chen Yingzhao called Wang Zhuer over. Wang Zhuer was familiar with the situation in Liangduo. This saved the officers and soldiers the trouble of finding someone and allowed the two big fish to escape.
At dawn, Xu He returned to Kuancha.
The old and young people in Kuancha were in panic all night, and they all looked forward to his return.
When Old Zhengtou saw Xu He, he immediately ran up excitedly, supported Xu He and asked: "Master Xu, how is it? The officers and soldiers haven't come yet, have they retreated? Where is Zhu'er? Zhu'er Why didn’t this kid come back with you?”
Xu He's mouth was dry after working all night. He held his knees and panted: "Uncle, get me a bowl of water! It's okay. It's okay for now!"
Old Zheng's face suddenly showed joy, and he quickly called two people with quick hands and feet to bring a pot of water to Xu He.
Xu He grabbed the big pottery bowl and drank two big bowls with a bang before he felt comfortable.
At this time, Chen Hua, who was proud of his status, came over and asked: "Who is leading the troops? Did you postpone the march after seeing my letter?"
Ah yes, yes, it’s all your fault!
Xu He was speechless.
In order to save his face, Xu He naturally would not tell Chen Yingzhao's reaction after seeing Chen Huaxin.
Chen Hua looked satisfied when he heard Xu He said that the other party had postponed the advance after reading his letter: "It turns out that it was Zhang Bingxian and Commander Chen. I came to Hailing not long ago and I haven't visited Mr. Zhang yet. I didn't expect that he would actually If you sell me face like this, I will definitely pay you a visit when I go back this time!"
"..." Xu He!
Chen Hua asked again: "Please tell me in detail what's going on!"
Xu He nodded and told his story in front of everyone.
After hearing this, everyone looked at each other, especially the group of young cooks behind Lao Zheng. Their faces turned red after hearing Xu He's nonsense.
It was obvious that everyone could not stand the oppression of the Dou family and the salt tyrants, so they revolted. Unexpectedly, according to this young master, Dou Ma Tong turned out to be a rebel who colluded with the bandit Lei Jun, and they became the ones who saved the crisis in Nanzhi. hero……
Chen Hua frowned and said, "Did the other party believe it so easily?"
Xu He shook his head. Some words were not suitable to be said in front of so many people. He smiled and said: "Master Chen, Uncle Zheng, I am tired. Can you find a place for me to sit down and talk?"
Old Zhengtou had lived for decades, but he still didn't know what he meant. He nodded quickly and said: "Let's go, let's go to the place before. I'll find someone to cook for you!"
After saying that, the three of them walked towards Dou Matong's yard. On the way, Xu He told all the contents of his conversation with Zhang Jingxian without any concealment.
Old Zhengtou originally thought that Doumatong was dead. Even if the court did not hold all the kitchen servants accountable, the leaders would definitely be shown their heads.
Unexpectedly, Xu He actually called a deer a horse and helped them block it.
Chen Hua frowned and said, "Do you think Zhang Jingxian will believe it?"
Xu He said confidently: "Master Zhang called me into the room alone. He first raised objections, but after listening to the Gangyun Method and the Salt Division Examination Technique, he no longer insisted!"
Chen Hua nodded secretly when he heard this, thinking that this Jingxian was actually a good official who cared about the people.
Xu He continued: "Then I found an opportunity for him to become famous!"
Chen Hua's eyes lit up: "Could it be that thief Lei Jun!"
Well, this old farmer is not stupid.
Xu He nodded and said: "Not only that, Brother Zhu'er also provided a clue to Lord Bingxian. It is said that the White Lotus Sect has been preaching in Liangduochang recently! After hearing this, Lord Bingxian led his troops back to Liangduo to arrest people!"
"What? White Lotus Sect?" Chen Hua was shocked.
The White Lotus Sect is a heresy designated by the imperial court. Its emergence often creates an undercurrent of inciting the people to rebel against the imperial court.
As the chief official of the prefecture and county near the salt farm, Chen Hua was naturally afraid that these cults would spread and affect his administration.
Old Zheng nodded and said, "I've heard about this too. It's said that anyone who goes to listen to the Holy Lady of the White Lotus Sect preach at night will be given cakes before leaving! Many poor families from the surrounding salt fields will secretly go to Liangduo at night. !”
Chen Hua gritted his teeth and said: "Fortunately, it was discovered early this time. If these people disturb the salt farm, who knows, our two rivers will really be in chaos!"
Having said this, Lao Zhengtou ordered someone to make breakfast and delivered it.
Xu He looked at the stick noodles and wild vegetables in the bowl, feeling an indescribable feeling in his heart.
Old Zhengtou thought he couldn't eat such coarse food, so he felt a little embarrassed and said: "Sir, this is the best food for us. Originally, Douma Tong's family had many good things, but they were all divided by everyone. , we people are used to living in poverty, this is pretty good..."
Xu He raised his hand to interrupt him and said with a smile: "Uncle, you may not know that not long ago my family was bare-walled and could not even afford a bowl of porridge!"
Old Zhengtou and Chen Hua were both a little stunned. In their opinion, Xu He, as a member of the Xu family in Hailing and valued by Xu Song, could not possibly live such a miserable life.
Xu He knew they didn't believe it, but he didn't want to explain too much.
After finishing the meal, he suggested going to see how the cooks at the salt farm dry salt.
Old Zheng was a little confused: "Now people's hearts are unstable and no one is working. This..."
Xu He smiled and said: "No problem, just go and have a look."
It happened that Chen Hua also wanted to take the opportunity to learn about the situation of the Lianghuai Salt Farm, so the three of them went out and walked towards the seaside together.
In the Wei Dynasty, there were five main ways of producing salt, namely sea salt, pool salt, well salt, cliff salt and earth salt, among which sea salt was the most abundant resource.
Before the Chinese Dynasty, the main method of extracting salt from sea water was to boil it over a stove.
According to the "Yong of Bo Bo Tu" written by Chen Chun of the Yuan Dynasty, sea salt must first be drenched with ashes to become brine, and then boiled to become salt.
In the Chinese Dynasty, there were methods such as frying salt in salt pans and drying salt on reed poles.
But these practices are all outdated methods that consume firewood.
Moreover, when Xu He saw Lao Zheng calling a few cooks to demonstrate boiling salt, he was stunned.
Because the brine pond of the Lianghuai Salt Farm is far from the sea water, the kitchen workers have to carry water bladders made of skins on burdens to the beach early every morning to pick up salt water and pour it into the brine pond. This process is extremely arduous.
Before pouring into the brine pond, the brine pond should be carefully sprinkled with a layer of plant ash in the brine pond, and then evenly spread. After the sea water is picked up, a child usually uses a ladle to sprinkle it evenly into the brine pond, and then wait for the plant ash to attract After filtering the impurities in the seawater, brine is formed. The cooks then take the brine and boil it in the kitchen. Most of the people who cook the brine are women at home.
They burned the stove from early in the morning until dark every day. Many people were blinded by the smoke and fire all year round. Ding Er's mother was blind because of this.
At this time, Chen Hua said: "Why not build the brine pond by the sea? This is what our salt farms in Fujian do!"
