"Uncle, uncle, calm down!"
As soon as Zhang Xingyi saw Zhuge Liang's appearance, he knew that he had misunderstood something, and quickly dissuaded him, "Those are not Nanxiang soldiers, but servants of the Nanxiang government, and this is also the rule of Nanxiang."
Unexpectedly, when Zhuge Liang heard this, he became even more furious, "Who made this rule? It's so ridiculous?"
"Ahem, Master, I heard that this is the rule set by Feng Langjun. The person just now was mainly patrolling the street to see if anyone was defecating in public and throwing things randomly on the street."
Ma Di had been to Nanxiang several times, and he still had a rough idea of the rules here, so he explained them next to him.
"Open defecation? No littering?"
Zhuge Liang was startled and then realized that no wonder he felt so weird at first. Now after being reminded, he realized that Nanxiang Street was much cleaner than other places.
"Yes, Nanxiang had this rule from the beginning. Later, more and more people came from other places, so the government ordered special personnel to patrol. I heard that this can reduce the breeding of mosquitoes and flies and prevent the occurrence of diseases."
Zhuge Liang naturally knew this statement, because he had seen the road to Fengzhuang, but Fengzhuang was only a small village after all, how could it be compared to a county like Nanxiang? That's why he didn't react for a while.
It's just that this method of dissuasion is too different, it's actually a direct fine.
"For those who are new to the country, doesn't everyone know this rule? Doesn't this seem like a deliberate attempt to cause harm?"
Zhuge Liang asked.
"Master, I asked the students when they first came here, but according to the Nanxiang County Magistrate, as long as they can be picked up in time or cleaned up, there is actually no need to pay."
"But if you are someone who defecates in the open, it's different. If you don't have money or don't want to pay, you have to clean the entire street and you can't leave until it's clean."
"Then why didn't you just..." After Zhuge Liang said this, he paused again and remembered that the guard had already pulled out the knife halfway, so he coughed and glanced at the guard behind him, "Don't reveal your identity easily in the future. "
Then he asked, "The hired servant is just one person. If he relies on his bravery and refuses to obey discipline, what will happen?"
"Uncle, please look, there are patrolling soldiers there. They are in groups of six. They pass by from time to time every day. There are also fixed resting places. As long as the man just blows his whistle, the soldiers will hear the sound and come. .”
Zhang Xingyi pointed at the soldiers who had just passed by not far away, and saw them lined up in a row, each holding a weapon at their waist, walking through the noisy street.
Just now she directly shouted out that she was willing to accept the punishment, but she saw that the servant had already put the whistle in his mouth. If the whistle sounded and the servant came with weapons, how could the prime minister's bodyguard be willing to show weakness?
Things will get serious by then.
It's only thirty dollars, and the young lady of the Zhang family doesn't even care.
"Wouldn't it be suspected of disturbing the people?"
Zhuge Liang frowned.
"Uncle, don't worry, those soldiers have rules. Unless they see someone disturbing the order of Nanxiang, they will not disturb others. Even if they rest, they have a fixed place to rest."
"Also, ordinary people can't disturb them if they have nothing to do, otherwise they will be suspected of causing trouble. At the very least, they will be sent to the kilns to work and reform."
Zhang Xingyi said, pointing to the direction above where the black smoke was billowing, "It will take at least ten days of hard work to get it there." He pursed his lips and smiled again, "So, that's where the evil ghost came to the world. , not for nothing.”
Zhuge Liang looked at the soldiers disappearing on the street, and then looked around, "It's just that there is no one to monitor the soldiers, and they have the convenience of trapping outsiders. There will always be someone who doesn't follow the rules, right?"
"Yes." Zhang Xingyi nodded, "But very few."
"Why?"
"Because the monthly salary paid by Nanxiang servants is not low, one person can support a family of five, and those who have children can choose one of them to be sent to school. If you enter the school, you will have a future, so I don't know how many People want to be a hired servant but can’t get one.”
"But if someone is exposed for not obeying the rules, the lighter case will be sent to a kiln, the worst case will be sent to a mine in the mountains, and the future of the children will be affected."
"Not only will the children have to withdraw from school, but the family members will not be allowed to work in workshops or other places. They will also be included in Nanxiang's list of delinquent families. At that time, recruiters from all over Nanxiang will shun them."
Zhuge Liang listened, pondered for a moment, and then shook his head. He was a little confused and said to himself, "Raise him well and then use cruel methods to restrain him. This kind of approach..."
The situation in Nanxiang is very special. In other places, even if workers are not hired, as long as the family has some land and a bad reputation, they can still survive.
But Nanxiang has never divided the land from the beginning. If it loses its source of livelihood, it will almost be a dead end.
"Then wouldn't they have no way to survive?"
When Zhuge Liang thought of this, he felt that it was a bit much.
"No, they can still work in the brick kilns and coal kilns," Zhang Xingyi said, frowning slightly, "Other than saying that evil ghosts are born there, they don't care where you come from, as long as you are willing to work, There is food to eat, but I’m afraid you won’t be able to continue.”
For more than a year, in order to thoroughly understand the property under her name and to uncover the truth behind the legend of Nanxiang, she even went to visit the mines in the mountains.
After seeing the cruel truth, Zhang Xingyi almost vomited on the spot and was unable to eat for several days.
Only then did she know how much ugliness in the world was hidden behind the prosperity of Nanxiang. At the same time, she also understood why a certain country bumpkin would choose Sister Guan.
After all, it is not easy to find a woman who can do such a thing with that cruel guy from the beginning.
According to Zhang Xingyi's estimation, if she had been in her shoes, she didn't know if she would have been able to do what she did.
Sister Guan has experienced life and death. If she really wants to harden her heart, she will definitely not be able to compete with her.
Zhang Xingyi had something else in mind and fell silent for a while.
Zhuge Liang, on the other hand, walked around with his hands behind his back. Although he felt that Nanxiang's laws were harsh, he looked around and saw prosperity. The people showed a sense of satisfaction with life, but they could not be seen elsewhere. of.
This made Zhuge Liang both surprised and satisfied.
"Nanxiang Xinhua Bookstore, its reputation has spread to Jincheng now, where is it located?"
Zhuge Liang felt that he had seen the lives of the people in Nanxiang, so the next step was naturally to visit the place of enlightenment.
"Uncle, please come this way, we have to go forward."
"you're lying!"
"What did I lie to you about?"
"Last time you said you bought it for me after I got 100 points in the exam..."
Before the group walked past the entrance of Xinhua Bookstore, they heard a child crying not far from the entrance of Xinhua Bookstore.
I saw a baby's wrist being held by an adult, and he was flopping around. His body was desperately falling in the opposite direction of the adult. If he hadn't been pulled by his adult, he would have been dragged to the ground.
Judging from the baby's appearance, he wanted to pull the adult towards Xinhua Bookstore, but his adult could carry him back with one hand.
The baby became anxious and shouted, "A gentleman is not a gentleman if he doesn't keep his promise?"
"It's because I didn't keep my promise. I said I would buy it for you then, but I didn't say I would buy it for you now." The adult said angrily, "A son doesn't tell his father's fault. It shows that you didn't pay attention to studying at all. How dare you let me buy it?" "
As he said that, he tried to pick up the baby and hit someone with his hands.
When the child saw the adult acting like this, he knew that he was really serious about it, so he quickly tried hard to get away. But the other person was weak, so how could he get away?
Just when I turned around and saw Zhang Xingyi and his party, my eyes lit up and I quickly shouted, "Sister Zhang family, save me!"
Luo Meng was about to slap Luo Xian on the butt when he heard his son yelling like this and sneered, "Don't say it's your Zhang family sister, even God can't save you!"
As he spoke, his eyes casually glanced over there, and he was so frightened that he trembled.
Luo Xian didn't stand firm, and there was a "bang" sound, and a dog gnawed on the ground. However, he had a strong desire to survive, so he rolled over and ran behind Zhang Xingyi to hide.
Luo Meng rubbed his eyes and followed closely with some trembling.
"Sir, if you don't want to buy it, I won't buy it. I don't want it anymore."
When Luo Xian saw his master following him, he quickly shouted.
With the Zhang family's sister, aren't you allowed to choose and read the books in Xinhua Bookstore? Although you can't buy it, it's always okay to borrow it. With this level of protection, why would Luo Xian be willing to take a beating from his father?
"you shut up!"
Luo Meng glared at Luo Xian and cursed in a low voice, and then was about to salute when Ma Di coughed and said proactively, "Luo County Cheng, long time no see. Master came to Nanxiang from Jincheng because he wanted to see around." look."
Luo Meng was from Xiangyang, Jingzhou. The reason why he came to Nanxiang to be the county prime minister was because Zhuge Liang personally recommended him to Feng Yong. How could he not recognize the Han prime minister?
Just when I heard what Ma Su said, I suddenly realized that the county government had not received news that the Prime Minister was coming to Nanxiang. It seemed that the Prime Minister was paying a private visit incognito.
So he quickly saluted and said, "I have met the elder."
Zhuge Liang nodded and said, "Why is Prime Minister Luo here?"
Luo Meng quickly explained, "Back to the elder, today is the end of the month and it is a holiday, so Meng took the dog out to have a look. He never thought that the dog was naughty and crying on the street, making the elder laugh."
When Zhang Xingyi heard this, he lowered his head and glanced at Luo Xian, thinking that this guy was obsessed with that biography and that he would run into him every time he came to Xinhua Bookstore.
Zhuge Liang, however, lowered his head and glanced at Luo Xian. Thinking of Huang Yueying's mother and son in Jincheng, he couldn't help but feel a little guilty, so he touched Luo Xian's head and asked, "How old is this child?"
"I met the elder. Xian is ten years old."
Luo Xian was not afraid of strangers at all, he took the initiative to answer and bowed at the same time.
Seeing this scene, Zhuge Liang remembered that the kid who caused him to be fined bowed like this, and his heart moved, "But he entered the school?"
"yes."
"Have all students in the school learned such etiquette?"
"Reply to the elder, yes."
Zhuge Liang had a thoughtful look on his face when he heard this.
The Prime Minister of the Han Dynasty met the county magistrate of Nanxiang during a private visit incognito. Naturally, he could no longer hide it. Zhang Xingyi was also happy to hand over the Prime Minister and his entourage to Luo Meng.
Compared with Luo Meng, who had a holiday, Huo Yi was much busier during these days.
After being held accountable in the palace, although the main responsibility did not lie with him, he was required to make up for the mistakes that Jiang Bin had made.
The Yuexun side is urging them urgently. Not only must the Purple Lightning Swords make up for the previous gap, but they must also build at least five hundred more swords before the end of the year.
This will cost you your life.
The craftsmanship of this purple electric sword is extremely complicated. Although there is no shortage of fine iron nowadays, it is extremely time-consuming and labor-intensive for craftsmen to hammer it out bit by bit.
Moreover, each hand must be inspected and passed, and no more mistakes can be made before it can be sent to Yuexi.
Time is so tight, where does Xiu Mu come from?
Seeing that it was starting to get late, Huo Yiyu carefully inspected the newly made purple electric swords one by one today to make sure that there were no problems. Then he ordered the people below, "Go and notify Dongfeng Express." Let the stewards tell them to come and receive the sword tomorrow."
Today's Dongfeng Express is no better than before. The shortage of horses has been greatly alleviated after the normalization of Yuexi's pastures. Although it still cannot meet the requirements of Feng Yong's network of outlets, the transportation capacity is at Dahan. It's definitely ranked number one.
Dongfeng Express now has five main transportation lines.
The biggest one is naturally from Hanzhong to Jincheng.
As Hanzhong becomes more prosperous, the connection with Jincheng becomes closer, and Dongfeng Express not only makes this connection closer, but also more convenient and faster.
Except for woolen cloth, which is a must-luck item every month, it would be too time-consuming and labor-intensive if each family had to send their own dedicated people to collect the bits and pieces between Jincheng and Hanzhong.
But it’s different with Dongfeng Express.
The Xinghan Hui is mainly composed of children of powerful people. With their connections, most families are willing to sell them a favor at first.
Unexpectedly, after two or three times, everyone discovered, hey, this Dongfeng Express is quite convenient?
So the business started to spread.
It is not a smooth road from Hanzhong to Jincheng. On the contrary, there are many mountains and rivers to pass through.
There are many mountain people in many places who work on the land when they pick up farm tools, and part-time bandits when they put down their farm tools and pick up weapons.
Even if the government sends troops to encircle and suppress people, and they are forced to panic and just throw their weapons into the mountains, how can you know who is the thief and who is the citizen?
In some places, this kind of work has been done for several generations. It is considered an ancestral craft. It is extremely experienced and courageous. Take last year as an example, the rioters in Wuthering Mountain Forest in Guanghan County even dared to rob supplies for the Northern Expedition. Do ordinary people dare to do this?
That must be the courage to be led by a veteran.
Therefore, when ordinary people encounter this kind of thing, they just hope to survive, but they are afraid that they may not even be able to save their lives.
Traveling long distances in ancient times was not easy!
But Dongfeng Express is an anomaly. Not only does it travel in groups, but its escorts are also extraordinary.
Members of the militia who used to engage in shady business, troops sent by various families, veterans who have experienced battles, and the weapons in their hands are the latest to be eliminated from the army. How can ordinary bandits have the courage to touch such a team? ?
The transportation is guaranteed, and since we have a big business, if anything is lost, we will be responsible for compensation.
It’s convenient and guaranteed. As long as you can afford it, who wouldn’t want to trust it and have peace of mind?
A little adds up to a big thing. This business may seem like a piecemeal thing, but in fact, when it comes down to it, the oil and water is really rich.
From Jincheng to Yongan is the second transportation line.
This line was pioneered by Xu You and Xu Xun, two nominal cousins.
Although the amount of jaggery and sugar cane harvested from Soochow this year is less than half of what was originally expected, the source has not been cut off.
The Xu family has been in business for more than two years, and now they have finally received substantial returns.
Just the distribution of brown sugar is much more than others.
Not to mention that with the re-alliance between Dahan and Soochow, the transactions between the two have become more and more active, and various material exchanges have also increased.
It is unlikely that you will make a huge profit, but if the water flows slowly, as long as you don't seek death and eat for two or three generations, there will still be no problem.
The Xu family has taken advantage of this, and even the brothers in the Xinghan Society are envied by many people - but they have no way to contact Jiaozhou!
As for the last three transportation lines, they all lead to Nanzhong.
The first half of them is the road from Jincheng to Bodao - including land and water routes.
Then it separates from Bo Road, one goes to Yuexun, one takes the Nanyi Road to Wei County, and the other takes the Xiyi Road to Pingyi County.
These three items are currently at a loss, or they are simply serving the people of the Xinghan Association and are not thinking about making money for the time being.
The manor in Nanzhong is expected to produce output next year. As long as the output of Nanzhong can be transported out, it will not be a loss, but a big profit.
Dongfeng Express is the best choice for transporting things from Hanzhong to Yuexi. The question is who pays.
The Yuexun Prefect's Mansion privately customized new weapons. Although it received permission from the court, the Han Dynasty's arsenal did not care about this, so the Yuexun Prefect's Mansion had to pay for it itself.
Feng Yong didn't care about this. Yuexun Prefect's Mansion asked Dongfeng Express to transport things. Is that called left-handed and right-handed? What's wrong?
It is only serious that Hanzhongye should hurry up and make Laozi's sword as required.
"How are the weapons? Are there any that are unqualified?"
A shirtless man with an unkempt beard and a tired look on his face, his body glistening with sweat, walked over and asked.
"No."
Huo Yi shook his head, and held the handle of one of the knives with both hands. He picked it up and shook it vigorously. The blade began to fluctuate left and right in a visible range to the naked eye, which made people feel frightened.
Then he turned the handle over and saw that there was an inscription on the handle: Zidian Two Hundred and Twelve, made by Huo Yijian of Hanzhong Ye, made by Jiang Bin and Tuesday.
Huo Yi put down the knife, then looked at Jiang Bin. Seeing that the former young master Pian Ping had turned into a complete craftsman, he couldn't help but sigh, "Even if you are held accountable by the superiors, you won't be like this, so why bother? "
Jiang Bin shook his head and smiled bitterly, "It's a mistake if you make a mistake. If you evade responsibility because of a mistake, you are adding mistakes on top of each other. After accountability, I can resign as Prime Minister, but I'm afraid I will have to resign because of the mistake on Tuesday. I will be punished for my mistakes.”
"If I lose my position as Prime Minister, I will lose face at best. But if I am relegated to a lowly position on Tuesday, it will be a disaster that will affect my whole family. It is my fault that I am so tired of others. How can I do it?"
As soon as he said these words, Huo Yi couldn't help but show admiration on his face: Although Jiang Langjun's behavior is somewhat unpleasant, he is still an upright person.
