In the next three years, Zhou Lezhi spent most of his time in Zhaoqing, writing books and receiving education from his husband.
"Kun thief is not a thing in the pond. He only has the ambition to transform into a dragon."
Although Mr. Wang and Zhou Lezhi both suggested that Mr. Zhou take on a few more disciples, Mr. Zhou said that his energy was limited and he could only try his best to cultivate Zhou Lezhi.
Having said that, he still acquiesced to Zhou Lezhi to take care of a few students - after all, Zhou Lezhi's time was now very precious, and many trivial matters had to be shared with others.
Under Mr. Zhou's suggestion, Wang Yehao acted completely deaf to the Kun thieves and never interfered with their actions in Guangzhou. He accepted bribes from the Kun thieves with peace of mind and opened the door for them in Guangzhou. It was just that the forces controlled by Liang Cunhou secretly monitored Kun Thief's every move.
If the thief Kun uses his swords and soldiers, the king's army will be defeated. This is the judgment of the entire Shi Weng clique. When he was in office, he naturally did not want such a thing to happen.
If Wang Yehao still had the idea of preparing his army and fighting the Kun thieves when he took office, this idea has gradually disappeared as Yuyuan Society collected more and more information.
Therefore, the past few years have been calm. Although Shiweng Group has planned some actions one after another, most of them were small troubles and did not have much impact. If there is anything to gain, it is that they have successively attracted a large number of "anti-Kun loyalists" and strengthened their strength.
As for money, now is the time when Wang Yehao is least worried. To him, the annual bribes paid by the thief are nothing. The biggest gain now is that when Zizihao issued non-preferred shares, he bought 10,000 taels of shares based on Mr. Zhou's suggestion; the second was to let His subordinates set up a trading company, did business with the thieves, and made a lot of money.
With money, Wang Yehao continued to expand his "industrial base" in Dongyang, producing various "gadgets" invented or improved by Mr. Zhou, and also made a lot of money. Of course, this kind of petty quarrel cannot satisfy Mr. Wang's appetite. His favorite thing is to follow the Australians in all kinds of speculation and business. In the past few years as the governor, although Lord Wang has been worried about Kun Thief's ambitions and the future of the Ming Dynasty every day, this does not prevent Lord Wang from doing business with Kun Thief and making money every day.
Of course, Mr. Zhou's ambitions did not stop there. He sent people to Lingao and purchased many books and laboratory equipment, constantly enriching his studios in Zhaoqing and Dongyang. It's just that I spent a lot of money, but I didn't see much results. Many people in the small group complained. Some people suggested that since Mr. Zhou knows so many tricks of the Kun thieves, it is better to let him run the artillery factory and imitate the Kun artillery. Guangdong is famous for its casting, and there are many craftsmen who are good at casting guns. With Mr. Zhou's guidance, it will definitely be possible. Can make a weapon comparable to the Kun Thief.
Unexpectedly, my husband refused outright, saying that he was not familiar with the art of forging cannons and that supervising cannon-casting would cause trouble. He also said that the cannons of the Kun thieves were essentially different from the Hongyi cannons introduced by the Ming Dynasty. The difference is just that the casting is more sophisticated. As long as you give enough funds, you can build similar artillery.
These words aroused dissatisfaction among many people in the Shi Weng Group, and Wang Yehao also criticized it. Zhou Lezhi was also very surprised. With his ability, he could talk eloquently about casting cannons, weapons, battleships, and gun carriages. He could clearly explain the pros and cons of Chinese and foreign firearms. Why did he refuse this job?
"It's not that I'm greedy for comfort and don't want to host it, it's just that I can't do it well." Mr. Zhou Lezhi said with a wry smile after hearing Zhou Lezhi's question.
I have never been involved in cannon casting. Although there is a lot of information on paper, to put it bluntly, it is just information. It is used to guide cannon casting. There are too many process details that are unclear. Instead of going up and giving random instructions, it is better to let the master continue to work according to the old rules - no matter whether the cannon is good or bad, at least it can be used.
"It's just like what Mr. said about the telescope last time..."
"Yes, making cannons sounds simple, but it is actually not easy - otherwise, why would the red-haired people recruit cannon-smiths from Guangdong to cast cannons in Haojing'ao? Wasn't this Hongyi cannon sold to him in the first place? Is it from the Ming Dynasty?"
"Industry specializing in surgery."
"That's right. When it comes to firearms knowledge, I naturally know more than everyone else, but if you really want to do it, that's another field. After all, I only have a superficial understanding of metallurgy and casting. I have to do it. It will only cause trouble."
"Sir is so humble..."
"It's not that I'm humble, you have to see clearly where your abilities lie." Mr. Zhou was lying on the recliner in a daze while he spoke, eating lychees leisurely, "Besides, this Guangdong Hongyi Cannon is originally It’s done well, and as long as ICBC doesn’t undercut ICBC too much, it’s not difficult to build a few good cannons.”
"If you take charge of it, sir, you will definitely be able to spend less money on making good cannons." Zhou Lezhi said, "I heard that only 30 to 40% of the money used to make cannons is put into work..."
"If you do this, I won't survive until next year." Mr. Zhou said with a bitter smile, "Destroying someone's wealth is like killing their parents. Not to mention me, even Mr. Wang would not dare to do this. Only by living together can we stay safe. Cannons are more expensive. , What’s the big deal if we build a few less guns, anyway, a few more cannons can’t deal with the Kun bandits.”
Zhou Lezhi was stunned. He didn't expect that his husband would say such depressing words. He couldn't help but said: "In this case, why are you still running this business here? Why don't you go and join the Kun thief directly?"
The gentleman's eyes lingered on his face for a long time, feeling a little surprised but also quite pleased. He said: "You are quite right." After saying that, he slowly stood up from the bamboo couch, with a very complicated expression on his face, "What I do here is probably meaningless, and I can only stay. It’s just a few shouts.”
These words were too complicated for Zhou Lezhi, but his expression showed that he was speaking from the bottom of his heart.
"Kun was a thief in the Ming Dynasty, who was strong and weak?" Unexpectedly, the gentleman suddenly asked a question.
Zhou Lezhi thought for a while and said loudly: "The Ming Dynasty has a vast territory and a large number of people. It pays tens of millions of taxes every year. However, there are Eastern captives outside and rogue bandits inside, and the country is declining. The Kun bandits have sophisticated firearms, brave soldiers, and are good at the art of Tao Zhu. However, If the land is low and the people are few, it cannot last long. Comparing the two, the strength is between five and five."
Zhou Lezhi nodded lightly and expressed his approval: "What you said may have been true if it were back in the early years of Wanli. But now, it is too optimistic. In my opinion, if the Kun thieves are determined to compete in the Central Plains, it will be difficult for the Ming Dynasty to resist .”
"The bandits can only occupy a mere Qiongzhou Prefecture..."
"The Donglu, who are now a serious nuisance to the imperial court, are just the savage Jurchens from Jianzhou. Nurhachi was just a soldier of Li Chengliang's subordinates at the beginning." Mr. Zhou's face showed an aggrieved expression that he wanted to say but couldn't. " What if I say, maybe Donglu can take over the Central Plains?"
"This... is impossible." Zhou Lezhi found it unbelievable. He felt that these words were even more ridiculous than the thieves competing in the Central Plains.
"What's impossible?" Mr. Zhou calmly picked up the teacup and took a sip to moisten his throat. He frowned and said, "Why does this tea always have a strange smell?"
He continued: "The situation in the Ming Dynasty is now extremely dangerous. Internally trapped bandits and natural disasters, externally trapped Donglu... and bandits. It is as if a person is injured in a fight and cannot go back to recuperate. Instead, he has to bandage his wounds and recuperate. Fighting - there are still several people fighting. No matter how strong this person is, he will be exhausted sooner or later..."
Zhou Lezhi felt horrified when he thought of what he had seen and heard over the years.
"If the Ming Dynasty dies, the remaining bandits, whether they are Donglu or rogue bandits, will not be able to resist the thieves. Sooner or later, the Senate will dominate the world." Mr. Zhou sighed, "Originally, changing dynasties is not a bad thing. As long as the world is peaceful, it will always be good for the people. A good thing, just..."
Having said this, he did not speak for a long time: "If the bandits win the country too easily, they will underestimate the heroes of the world. What we are doing now is to let them know that there are capable people, strangers, and heroes in the world. Even if they win, don’t let them win too easily!”
Zhou Lezhi still didn't quite understand and asked, "In this case, aren't we doing something useless?"
"Yes," the gentleman nodded, "have you read the apprenticeship list?"
"I've read both."
"Zhuge Liang's Northern Expedition was just to do his best to see if he could deserve the destiny. The same is true for us now." Mr. Zhou rarely said so many heartfelt words as he did today. Although Zhou Lezhi didn't understand it completely, he understood the meaning of "knowing that something cannot be done but doing it".
"Hey, Mr. Wang is still planning to recruit An Kun."
"Recruitment?" Mr. Zhou laughed dumbly, "Kun thief came to the Ming Dynasty just to aspire for the throne. Even if he was accepted for a while, he would have to rebel sooner or later. But whatever, if he can be recruited, he can survive for a while."
The recruitment process seemed to be going on in full swing. During this period, Wang Yehao frequently met with various people related to the thief. One of them, Li Luoyou, called meetings particularly frequently. Zhou Lezhi heard that this man had a deep connection with the Kun thieves. When the Kun thieves besieged Guangzhou, it was him who persuaded him to redeem the city and relieve the siege. Many people said that he had made a lot of money from doing business with Kun Thief. He also had a business store in Lingao and had been trying to get Kun Thief to teach him the art of firearms.
Mr. Zhou Lezhi was also very interested when he heard about this matter. But his identity is kept secret. Except for people in the Shi Weng Group, outsiders don't know that he exists. So he sent Zhou Lezhi to meet Li Luoyou and hear what Kun Thief had seen. He also proposed to Mr. Wang to try to bring Li Luoyou into the small group.
"I've thought about this." Wang Yehao frowned slightly after listening to his husband's suggestion, "It's just that this is not an ordinary businessman. Not only is the relationship between the DPRK and China deeply involved, but the big boss behind him is also not an ordinary person. To accept him , I’m just afraid that the students will be the first assistants.”
