There is a hot spring seven miles southwest of Chicheng Castle.
Zhang Cheng called his bride Ji Xuanzhu several times, and every time there was a burst of laughter like silver bells, but she was not around him, making him itchy, as if a few kittens were scratching her.
Ji Xuanzhu has a tall figure, and his skin is as crystal clear as snow, as if it were condensed fat. At this moment, he is even more exquisite and graceful, with graceful curves. He is looming in the steam rising from the spring, just like a fairy in the sky.
The two little girls Yu Rui and Xiu Yue are also extremely beautiful beauties. They have been serving Miss Ji Xuanzhu since they were young, and they have already become sisters.
Coming with Ji Xuanzhu as a dowry actually implies that they will fill Zhang Cheng's house in the future. Even when Zhang Cheng and Ji Xuanzhu had sex, they did not shy away from it, and there was no need to avoid it now.
Through the steaming heat, Zhang Cheng looked eager to see more. He called Ji Xuanzhu but he didn't come. Out of boredom, he couldn't help but pick up a paper box on the stone platform next to him, took out a cigarette from it, and then took the When the fire is lit, it starts to smoke.
He casually put the carton back on the stone platform, and saw that the small carton was slightly rectangular in shape, and what was engraved on it was Sheshen Cliff in the north of Yunzhou Fort. There were also five big characters on it: "Yunzhou Brand Cigarettes" ".
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Yes, it is the "Yunzhou brand" cigarettes produced by Yunzhou Cigarette Factory!
As the saying goes, tobacco and alcohol do not separate families. With Zhang Cheng's character of a good drinker, how could he not like cigarettes? When he first arrived in the Ming Dynasty, he couldn't find cigarettes everywhere, so he used dry cigarettes instead, and he choked every time. The cough won't stop.
It's just that there has been no time and energy to develop cigarettes. In fact, making cigarettes is not difficult in today's Ming Dynasty, but no one has thought of it.
In fact, tobacco was introduced to the Ming Dynasty from Luzon as early as the Wanli Period. At that time, it was mostly called Luzon Tobacco. It was already widely cultivated in places south of the Yangtze River, especially Guangdong and Guangxi. During the Tianqi Period, tobacco also began to be grown in the north.
Most of the smoking utensils at that time were snuff bottles or dry pipes. There were occasional pipes, but they were rare. In the late Ming Dynasty, there were many tobacco smokers in the army on various frontiers, and the imperial court banned it repeatedly.
After Zhang Cheng's Yunzhou craftsman camp stabilized, he began to study the production of pencils. This item was already used by many craftsmen at that time, but it was different from the pencils of later generations. The pencils at that time did not have wooden shafts, but were wrapped in paper or coarse cloth. Lead bars are mostly used for craftsmen's drawing work.
Under the guidance of Zhang Cheng, the craftsmen in the craft camp quickly invented a method of wrapping thin lead bars around wooden poles, but the resulting pencils were only as long as later generations of cigarettes.
It was precisely because of this that Zhang Cheng thought of cigarettes, so after several improvements, he finally used a simple machine for making pencils to make cigarettes.
When the machine for preparing cigarettes was developed, Zhang Cheng immediately finalized three types of cigarettes.
One is the "Yunzhou Brand" that Zhang Cheng just lit. The pattern on the front is Sheshen Cliff. The shredded tobacco is finer and spices are added. In addition to the good smell, it also has the advantage of not choking. It's just that the price is more expensive and it is a high-end cigarette.
Secondly, Zhang Cheng named it "Beizhaguan Pai", with the image on the front being Beizhaguan. The cut tobacco was in the shape of fragments and had a spicy taste. Zhang Cheng positioned it as a military product and basically only supplied it to the soldiers of his battalions. , are also often distributed as rewards.
Third, it is named "Dading Brand", and the pattern on the front is the "Dading Gate" of the south gate of the Red Castle. This tobacco is ordinary and the cheapest compared to the other two. Zhang Cheng positions it as a civilian brand. , together with "Yunzhou Brand", serve as the main revenue-generating brand.
Although compared with later generations of cigarettes in terms of craftsmanship, the Yunzhou brand cigarettes have less uniform distribution of shredded tobacco and are semi-manual, so the output is not high. However, Zhang Cheng now has no shortage of workers and has hired more workers. , the output can be guaranteed.
But if you want to add a filter, you can't do it. Today's Ming Dynasty does not have the technology and materials, and this cigarette is already very valuable. Once it was launched, it became very popular.
The number of cigarette making workshops has increased from one to three, barely ensuring adequate supply, especially for "Beizhaguan" cigarettes.
It was originally positioned as a military product, but unexpectedly, this spicy cigarette became very popular among the northern soldiers. They even bought it at a high price from the sergeants who had the goods.
How could Zhang Cheng let go of such a business opportunity? It was better to make money from the Mongolian Tatars than to make money from the soldiers and civilians under his rule. Therefore, he ordered a workshop to specialize in making "Beizhaguan brand" cigarettes to supply the Beizhaguan brand. needs.
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"It's snowing all over the sky, and there will be a good harvest next year." Zhang Cheng looked at the flying snowflakes outside the window and mused.
This folk proverb has three meanings. First, if it snows during the light snow season, the rain will be even in the coming year, and there will be no danger of drought or flood; second, after snow falls, some germs and pests can be frozen to death, reducing the occurrence of farmland diseases and insect pests in the coming year; third, It is the snow that has a warming effect, which is conducive to the decomposition of organic matter in the soil and enhances the fertility of the soil.
Ji Xuuzhu moved to Zhang Cheng's side and asked softly: "General, are you really not planning to bring the Liu sisters to Chicheng?"
Zhang Cheng was stunned. He didn't understand why Ji Xuanzhu asked such a question. He smiled slightly and said, "Although they were gifted by the traitor Wu Youlu and were from the Jiaofang Division, they are also hard-working people. They even served me." , just leave the two of them to be cared for in the mansion."
Ji Xuanzhu said nothing and just looked at the falling snow outside the window. After a long time, he said quietly: "It's wrong for the general to be like this!"
Zhang Cheng looked blankly at the beauty in front of him, only to hear her lips curl up, and continued: "Since I know that they are hard-working people, and they have served the general with all their heart, but now they abandon them on the stone, wouldn't the general be able to do this?" Kill the heartless person!"
Ji Xuanzhu ignored Zhang Cheng's reaction and continued: "And the Liu sisters served the general before me. Now I have ignored them as soon as I entered the door. What I know is that the general loves Xuanzhu.
But those who don't know, have not arranged Xuanzhu like a jealous wife, not allowing other women to serve the general, not to mention that her sisters are also in their prime, if they are left alone for a long time, they will inevitably get into trouble. Wouldn't it be more difficult to deal with then? "
Zhang Cheng was rendered speechless by Ji Xuanzhu's words, so he had to ask: "According to Madam's wishes, what should we do?"
Ji Xuanzhu turned around at this time, she met Zhang Cheng's eyes and said: "As long as the general has me in his heart, how can Xuanzhu not tolerate the Liu sisters.
The two of them had already had skin-to-skin contact with the general, and they were his people. It was not good for them to be left out in the cold. On the contrary, it would make people think that the general was a heartless prodigal.
Otherwise, arrange a time to bring her sisters to Chicheng and serve them beside the old lady. After they have given birth to children for the general, they will be given their due status. How wonderful! "
Zhang Cheng hugged Ji Xuanzhu into his arms and said with tender eyes: "Xuanxuan, with a wife like you, what more can a husband ask for!"
