(Thanks to Caiyun Xianmu, Son of Earth Hansen, and Mu Chacha for the reward)
"Dragon Master Yang, you're too late!" Fatty Xu complained half-jokingly, moving his buttocks on the stone bench.
The stone bench, which was as wide as a small bed, was mostly covered by his buttocks.
There was another person sitting in the stone pavilion, Li Lidong, the owner of Dongshan Iron Works, holding a bowl of tea in his hand. Seeing Dongzhu Yang arrive, he smiled and said hello.
As soon as Dongzhu Yang came, he cupped his fists and handed over his hands, and said with a smile: "There are too many things going on in the iron field. I really can't get out of it. It's a little late. Don't blame me. I will punish myself with three cups in a while."
The servants of the Xu family who brought Dongzhu Yang over brought the people and retreated from the stone pavilion on their own.
After Mr. Yang sat down, Fatty Xu ordered the servants waiting on them: "Take all the things away and put on the banquet."
The wine and food had been prepared long ago. As soon as the owner of the stone pavilion spoke, the dishes were delivered from the kitchen to the stone table in the stone pavilion in the garden.
Li Lidong picked up the wine glass and took a sip first, then said, "On this cold day, if you invite me and Boss Yang to have dinner at this place, you really think we are just like you, Fatty Xu. We have so much meat that can withstand freezing!"
The three people have known each other for so many years and have often collaborated. They have long been familiar with their respective personalities. If they make a harmless joke, no one will really take it seriously.
Fatty Xu doesn't mind others calling him fat.
Next to him, Boss Yang also said: "It's such a cold day, it's better to stay in front of the iron stove to keep warm."
While talking, he rubbed his hands and put them in his sleeves.
"You two, I'm kind enough to treat you to dinner." Fatty Xu said to Boss Yang again, "Old Yang, you are the same. You stay in the iron yard all day, why do you suffer that kind of punishment? Your Yang family doesn't lack that much money. Arrangements As a steward, you don’t need to take care of anything, just sit in front of me and wait for the cashier.”
Li Lidong on the side agreed: "What Fatty Xu said makes sense. You, Boss Yang, are too stingy. How much money you can get from hiring a steward in a month is not enough for us to have a banquet at the Yanbin Tower."
"That's you two. I can't afford such an expensive banquet." Dongzhu Yang took out his right hand from his sleeve, grabbed the wine glass and took a sip. It was so spicy that he stuck out his tongue. He quickly picked up a chopstick and put it in his mouth. .
Fat people are also afraid of the cold. Fatty Xu was wearing a cotton coat underneath and a leather jacket outside. There was also a thick leather cushion under his buttocks, and he wrapped the leather jacket around him.
He said: "There has been turmoil in the city for so long, and the government is finally ready to take action."
Li Lidong, who was holding the wine glass, paused and said: "There has been so much excitement in the city recently. Although others don't know, the three of us know that the Xu family is behind it, just to force us, the county magistrate, to take action." bandit."
Dongzhu Yang twisted his neck towards Fatty Xu and said, "Where did you hear the news? There is no news from Lingqiu, so it can't be false, right?"
Fatty Xu said with a smile: "It's a coincidence that a shopkeeper under me went to Datong to handle goods. When he saw our county magistrate coming out of the governor's office, he bribed one of the governor's servants. I just found out that our county magistrate has moved reinforcements, and I’m afraid the official document to suppress the bandits will come out in less than two days.”
"This old guy Xu Youcai's trick is really poisonous. If you kill someone with a borrowed knife, it's the magistrate's knife." Li Lidong drank the wine in the glass in one gulp.
Dongzhu Yang suddenly said: "If Hutou Village falls, what will happen to their regenerator and coke ironmaking technology?"
Many ironworks owners in Dongshan are keeping an eye on the ironworks in Hutou Village. If hundreds of bandits hadn't patrolled the ironworks every day, someone would have robbed the ironworks of its improved iron-making technology.
"That's why I came to you this time." Fatty Xu pressed forward and whispered, "The bandits in Hutou Village are finished this time, so we have to prepare in advance. Before the government takes action, we want to We have to find a way to get the people like Huang Huai, and then the new iron-making technology will belong to the three of us."
Dongzhu Yang said, "The number of bandits in Hutou Village is quite large. There are three hundred bandits in the iron field alone. There are probably even more bandits on the mountain of Hutou Village."
"So what if there are more." Li Lidong curled his lips and said, "When the army is dispatched, those bandits are just using their arms as a chariot, not overestimating their own capabilities."
Fatty Xu smiled and said, "Actually, I don't think there are many bandits left on Hutou Village Mountain."
Dongzhu Yang looked over with puzzled eyes.
Only Fatty Xu continued to say: "We all know that the bandits in Hutou Village were the first to collect Ping'an money, only a few hundred taels a month, but the iron field is different, with improved new technology, I heard that their iron field The fine iron has been reserved for half a month, and with such a huge financial source, if it were you, you should guard the several hundred taels of safe silver, or send more people to guard the iron field."
"Of course it's an iron field." Dongzhu Yang said without thinking.
"Yes, it's the iron field." Fatty Xu said with a smile, "There are three hundred bandits from Hutou Village in the iron field, which is enough to protect the iron field. Why do we need to train miners to guard it? What does it mean?"
"Hutou Village is empty." Dongzhu Yang answered quickly.
Talking about each other, there is an extremely tacit understanding.
Fatty Xu smiled and said, "What we have to do is win over Huang Huai and get his improved iron-making technology before the Xu family knows about this."
Li Lidong frowned and said, "It's not like we haven't tried to win over each other. That yellow locust tree is like a stone in a latrine. It's hard and soft and you won't eat it."
Fatty Xu raised the corner of his mouth and sneered: "That was before. Now the army is about to encircle Hutou Village. Without our protection, he will lose his head just by being accused of being a bandit."
"Who is going to contact Huang Huai?" Yang Yuan said, "I'm afraid it won't be possible for the manager of the iron yard to come forward. Huang Huai may not believe it."
"Do you want to go?" Li Lidong looked at Dongzhu Yang.
"I……"
Just as Dongzhu Yang was about to speak, he was interrupted by Fatty Xu and said, "I will handle this matter. I was the first to come into contact with these bandits. It is not easy for me to arouse suspicion."
Neither Li Lidong nor Yang Dongzhu spoke, neither agreed nor objected.
Seeing this, Fatty Xu frowned and said, "What? You guys want to go too?"
From the expressions of the two people, he could feel that they were unwilling to let him come into contact with Huang Huai alone, or they were worried that he would not want to share the improved iron-making technology with the two of them after he obtained it.
"That's not what we meant." Dongzhu Yang said with a sneer, "This matter is so big, I think it would be easier for the three of us to meet this Huang Huai together, so it would be easier for him to believe it."
Although he didn't say it so plainly, Fatty Xu could still feel the distrust between the two people.
Although he was dissatisfied with this, he was not too angry. If it were him, he would not worry about others coming into contact with Huang Huai alone.
After all, whichever ironworks can obtain the improved iron-making technology, and rely on the quality and price of refined iron, it will soon overwhelm other ironworks and become the dominant one in Dongshan.
Fatty Xu hesitated for a moment and said, "Okay, let's go meet him together. I'll arrange for someone to come out tomorrow, and the three of us will wait for him in my iron yard."
Yanghe Guards prepared troops at the side gate of the Yamen. An orderly soldier carrying an order flag left the acropolis on a fast horse and went straight to Lingqiu.
