The matter of practicing the steel-pouring method will probably have to be postponed. Judging from the amount of iron purchased by Zuo Rong, his own expenses are barely enough, which is not enough to support Lin Mo to conduct experiments.
Moreover, I couldn’t hold on financially.
But after Zuo Rong pushes Liuli to those powerful families, he should be able to recover a lot of money and the financial pressure will be greatly reduced.
"Here, give it to you."
On the way back, Lin Mo took out a piece of colored glass from his arms. It looked like a small man, the size of a palm, and not very delicate.
"Didn't you smash it all?" Lu Lingqi took it in surprise and stroked it in her hand. It was obvious that she really liked it.
"I just made a mold with clay when I was bored. It can be considered as my hand and my heart." Small objects are the easiest to win over a woman's heart.
Sure enough, Lu Lingqi's cheeks turned red and she whispered, "Thank you."
If she is new to the world, take her to see all the prosperity of the world; if her heart has gone through vicissitudes of life, take her to ride the merry-go-round.
A girl like Lu Lingqi, who grew up on a horse, always said "keep away from strangers" written on her face. I guess no man would dare to give her a gift. Is this considered a first blood victory?
But this kind of woman will definitely be a shark in the pond in the future, and the survival rate of other small fish is a bit low.
"I just estimated that the monthly salary of the craftsmen, the workshop plus the transportation cost of the sea sand will not cost more than three thousand gold."
Lu Lingqi tilted her head and looked at Lin Mo, curiously saying: "I suspected that he was greedy in the sugar business before. Now with such a big deal, I will leave it to him, don't worry."
Lin Mo smiled knowingly and shook his head, "If you are not deaf or blind, you are not worthy of being in charge. You don't understand, there will always be oil left when pork is passed through. Who can you ask to do such a thing to ensure that you are not greedy?"
Lu Lingqi frowned noncommittally, and then said: "Then why him?"
Lin Mo couldn't help but look back and made sure that Zuo Rong had not followed before saying with relief: "Because he is the weakest and has the worst reputation among the powerful families in Xuzhou."
Seeing that Lu Lingqi was still confused, Lin Mo continued: "What you are holding in your hand is called Liuli. You have also seen that it can be made with a pile of sea sand, but Zuo Rong wants to announce it to the outside world. What I brought back from the fairy mountains overseas, paper cannot cover the fire, and one day what happened in Liulichang will be known to the world."
"I understand!"
Lu Lingqi had an expression of realization on her face, nodded and said: "If there is any problem then, it will be directed at him, and it will definitely not involve us, right."
"That's a point."
Lin Mo nodded, "One more thing, business has ledgers. As long as he doesn't go too far, let him go. It will be good for us if he is greedy. In the future, if he keeps being so obedient, these will be regarded as benefits.
But if one day he wants to use these to gain momentum, his greedy money will become the knife that kills him. "
At this moment, Lu Lingqi finally understood.
She always thought that it was because Zuo Rong liked flattery that he won Lin Mo's heart. It turned out that there were so many ways to do it.
Based on this view, it is true that no one in Xuzhou can be more suitable than Zuo Rong. He can give him sweetness and at the same time be able to end it at any time. Everything is under control.
She stroked the small glazed doll in her hand, and for the first time she felt that Lin Mo's city was a bit frightening.
"Come with me to Xiaoguan tomorrow, and then go to Peicheng by the way."
"What are you doing?" Lu Lingqi put the small glass doll into her arms.
"I have thought about it seriously. Xuzhou is our foundation. Cao Cao will definitely not start from Huainan. Xiaoguan is the food throat of Cao Jun, and Peicheng is the gateway to Xuzhou. The war should start in these places. I need to go Get familiar with the terrain.”
Lu Lingqi looked at Lin Mo with a serious face and couldn't help laughing.
"why are you laughing?"
"Nothing, I'll go with you."
Perhaps it was at this moment that Lu Lingqi finally understood why Lu Bu said that Lin Mo could only be the son-in-law of the Lu family, not a counselor.
What counselor can work so hard? He can be said to be non-stop, non-stop.
She felt that there was always endless things to do when she was with Lin Mo.
It turns out that even if you don't go to the battlefield or become a ranger, you can still be so fulfilling.
In Guangling City, a banquet was being held to welcome Zhang Xiu.
Lu Bu, who was sitting in the main seat, raised his wine glass and looked at Zhang Xiu, who was first on the left and wearing armor, and said with a smile: "Ziwen, it has been three or four years since we said goodbye to Chang'an, right? I didn't expect to be able to reunite with my old friends. Really?" It’s God’s mercy.”
"It's been four years. I'm ashamed to say that Marquis Wen is now making great achievements after leaving Chang'an, but I..." Zhang Xiu shook his head bitterly, then raised his glass and greeted each other from the distance, "From now on, I will rely on Wen. Hou sheltered!"
After drinking a glass of wine, Lu Bu smiled and said, "We are all our brothers, we don't need to see anyone outside."
Lu Bu smiled happily, and his words and deeds showed special respect for Zhang Xiu. At least compared to Cao Cao who asked him to lead his horse and ride on it, he treated him as a person.
But Zhang Xiu always seemed a little unable to let go.
He came to join Lu Bu sincerely. Facing someone who was not an equal in the past and was even suppressed by the Xiliang army, now sitting in a high position and becoming his immediate boss, he still couldn't calm down for a while.
In fact, this is human nature, and it's not just him. Before leaving, Lin Mo repeatedly asked Lu Bu to treat Zhang Xiu with the attitude of a courteous and virtuous corporal. But when he was actually sitting in a different position, he would feel a sense of elation in his heart.
Today is the fulfillment of my ambition when I left Chang'an, to get ahead.
"Wen He, you and I have been friends for a long time. This glass of wine is a tribute to the past and the future." Lu Bu tried his best to appear friendly and approachable.
"Thank you Marquis Wen for ignoring the past grudges. I will do my best in the future." Jia Xu, like Gao Shun, doesn't like to smile, and he keeps looking at Lu Bu from the corner of his eye.
Well, it seems that it is indeed different from back then. Jia Xu thought in his heart.
Then Cheng Lian, Chen Deng, and Liu Ye toasted to them one after another, and the atmosphere began to heat up.
Seeing everyone drinking and drinking, Lu Bu thought, it would be a great feeling if one day he could greet all the people who looked down on him in the past.
While he was drinking happily, a scout ran in and knelt on one knee in the hall, "Marquis Wen, General Zhang from Jiujiang is reporting urgently from three hundred miles away!"
"Bring it here!" Sanbaili urged. Lu Bu immediately put down his wine glass. Everyone in the hall also stopped making noise and stretched their necks to know what was going on.
After opening the bamboo slip, there was another piece of silk cloth inside, but Lu Bu still chose to read the emergency report first.
The content of the letter made Lu Bu breathe a sigh of relief. It turned out that it was Liu Bei who was asking for help. This Zhang Wenyuan, did he need to rush for three hundred miles for such a big thing?
Continuing to read, I discovered that the scouts had detected that Cao Cao led his army out of Xuchang and was heading towards Anfeng.
From this point of view, it was still worth reporting urgently. Lu Bu put the bamboo slips together and put them down, and picked up the silk cloth.
It was a bloody edict from the emperor to summon the princes and kings of the world. It had the names of Liu Bei, Liu Biao, Yuan Shao and even Gongsun Zan, and of course the left general Lu Bu.
Lu Bu sneered in his heart, just because of this thing, you want me to send troops? joke.
"Marquis Wen, what's the matter?" Chen Deng couldn't help but ask.
"Liu Bei led an army in the name of annihilating Yuan Shu, and then escaped from Cao Cao to Anfeng. Now Cao Cao leads an army of 30,000 to encircle and suppress him, and Liu Bei sent a letter asking for help."
After Lu Bu finished speaking, Chen Deng's eyes still stayed on the silk cloth.
"Oh, this is the blood edict of the Emperor, summoning the princes and kings of the world, and it also has my name."
Jia Xu, who was sitting quietly under Zhang Xiu, had no expression on his face, but his heart was stirred up. What was going on? Did he not know what this blood edict was? How could he be so calm?
"Marquis Wen, Cao Cao has great ambitions. He will not be willing to just pursue Liu Bei. This may be a false attack on Guo. His intention is Jiujiang. Please send troops to Marquis Wen. I am willing to be the vanguard!" Hearing that Cao Cao is coming! , Zhang Xiu's face became ferocious as he got drunk.
Lu Bu just smiled and nodded, then looked at Chen Deng and Liu Ye.
Jia Xu, who was ignored, was calm in his heart. His character has always been that if you ask me, I may not tell you, let alone if you don't ask.
"Marquis Wen, I think what General Zhang said is reasonable, and we should lead our troops back to support. We will have a big battle with Cao Jun now. Although Liu Bei's troops are small, he has strong generals to guard Zhang. If he can use it to my advantage, we can fight more with Cao Jun." What’s the chance of winning?”
Chen Deng stood up and bowed: "No matter what happens, we will let them consume Cao's army. If we ignore them, it will only encourage Cao Cao's arrogance, and maybe he will be dissatisfied with Jiujiang."
Then Liu Ye said, "Marquis Wen has always quelled chaos in the name of supporting the Han Dynasty. Now that the emperor's blood edict is in hand, he must not ignore it. Moreover, with this edict, Cao Cao will not be able to issue edicts in the name of the emperor in the future." Wenhou."
Jia Xu raised his eyes and looked at Liu Ye. He seemed to be a knowledgeable person. This blood edict was a good thing, much better than the jade seal Yuan Shu was holding.
At this point, Zhang Xiu, Chen Deng and Liu Ye have all expressed their own opinions, and they are completely unified, that is, to save Liu Bei.
Lu Bu frowned and said nothing, picked up the wine glass and took a slow sip.
Zhang Xiu wants to fight Cao Cao because of a personal grudge. Liu Ye is a descendant of the Han Dynasty queen, so his support is normal. Chen Deng, is he considering the interests of the Chen family?
Lu Bu couldn't make up his mind for a moment.
The main reason is that he doesn't want to go head-to-head with Cao Cao for Liu Bei. A big fight will cost money, and what will he get in the end?
Besides, they came prepared, and I would suffer too much if I rushed into the battle. No matter how I calculated it, I felt it was not worth it.
"Marquis Wen, time waits for no one." Liu Ye reminded again.
Lu Bu pressed his hand, took a deep breath, and said in a deep voice: "But at this time Boping has returned to Pengcheng with the trapped camp, and Cao Cao is already on the way to march. If I send him here, I'm afraid it won't be in time." .”
Anyone can tell that this is an excuse.
It seems that Lu Bu is still the same Lu Bu as before. It's strange. How come he has conquered such a large territory? Is it really all thanks to his son-in-law?
Then he can do it, he can help such a hesitant person to get things done.
Jia Xu stroked his beard and cursed in his heart.
Lu Bu didn't feel embarrassed when everyone stared at him strangely, but he just felt a little distressed.
It seems that I still can't let Yunwen leave me. It would be great if he was here. He would definitely be able to make suggestions for me.
In fact, today, Lu Bu himself knows very well that sometimes what these people say is not unreasonable, but some things are difficult to change after they become habits.
For example, if Lin Mo was here today and said he wanted rescue, he would send his troops westward without hesitation.
"Marquis Wen, from Xuchang to Anfeng, it will take at least 12 days for the 30,000 troops to arrive. It will take three to four days for the scouts to pass the news back to Jiujiang, and it will take another two days to rush the three hundred miles, that is, It is said that Cao Cao can reach Anfeng in seven days at most."
Liu Ye sighed, "It's too late to go back to Pengcheng to mobilize troops."
The hint this time has been very obvious. By the time you return to Pengcheng to discuss the results with your son-in-law, the day lily will be cold.
Zhang Xiu was anxious in his eyes, but he also knew that he would probably not listen to what he said, so he could only look at Jia Xu helplessly, hinting for him to speak.
After pondering for a moment, Jia Xu finally chose to stand up, bowed his hands and said: "Marquis Wen, if Anfeng falls into Cao Cao's hands, Cao Cao will be able to send out troops in three directions when he fights Marquis Wen in the future."
As soon as Jia Xu opened his mouth, he immediately caught Lu Bu's attention, and he looked suspicious: "Three ways?"
"The first route is from Anfeng to attack Jiujiang; the second route is from Liangguo to attack Peiguo; the third route is from Qiaojun to Xiaoguan. Although Marquis Wen is invincible, but if all three armies attack together, I'm afraid he will fall into It’s a difficult situation to consider.”
Jia Xu knew exactly what to say to whom. He didn't talk to Lu Bu about the righteousness of the world, nor did he talk to him about using Liu Bei to counter Cao Cao. In the end, if you don't care today, you will be beaten later.
His far-sighted analysis not only made Lu Bu realize the seriousness of the problem, but even Chen Deng and Liu Ye couldn't help but take a second look at him.
This person is so talented, why did he let Zhang Xiu be beaten by Cao Cao to look like this?
Snapped!
Lu Bu, who had completely figured it out, slapped the table, stood up suddenly, and said angrily: "I will never let Cao Cao succeed!"
Then he looked at Cheng Lian, "Sign up the cavalry in the city, and the army will rush to Jiujiang after dawn tomorrow!"
"Here!"
After Cheng Lian left, Lu Bu looked around at everyone and said in a deep voice: "Everyone, go back quickly and prepare. We will follow Cheng Lian and rush to Jiujiang tomorrow morning."
Several people looked at each other and thought, "Let's go to Jiujiang, won't you go?"
Chen Dengzuo bowed and said, "Marquis Wen has other important matters that will delay his trip?"
Lu Bu didn't hide anything and said straight to the point: "Go back to Pengcheng."
Before a few people could question, he said directly: "Don't worry, I have a red rabbit horse, which can travel thousands of miles a day. I might reach Jiujiang one step ahead of you."
Now that the talk has come to this point, it is inconvenient for everyone to say more, but everyone knows clearly in their hearts that if Lu Bu returns to Pengcheng and Lin Mo's opinion is against it, there is a high probability that their trip will be in vain.
However, they felt relatively relieved about this. Chen Deng and Liu Ye felt that with Lin Mo's character, they would definitely not sit idly by and find him just for peace of mind.
Jia Xu also knew in his heart that the person who could push Lu Bu to his current achievements would not know the consequences of letting Cao Cao mess around.
But what happened today made him more and more interested in Lin Mo.
Interesting
I took this opportunity to see if this little friend can live up to his reputation.
(End of chapter)
