Neon Clothes and Iron Clothes

"Ms. sir, I heard that there were a few righteous men around you who fought tooth and nail to protect you, so I blocked the group of assassins. When the night watcher Wu Hou arrived! Do you know who those righteous men were?"

"A righteous man?" Liu Peiji was stunned when he heard this, and soon realized that the lady was talking about the guards sent by Murong Miao to take him home. After hesitating for a moment, he decided to keep it secret first, otherwise it would be too much to explain. too much.

"I'm not too sure!" Liu Peiji replied vaguely: "The situation was too chaotic at the time. I was completely dizzy after I was hit by the arrow. How could I recognize the assassin and righteous man?"

"Can't you tell?" Mrs. Liu asked curiously, "But I heard that those righteous men were protecting you at that time. How could you not know?" Before she could continue to ask, Liu Peiji was already moaning loudly in pain. Mrs. Liu had no choice but to give up.

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Under the oak tree in the backyard garden, Moriang watched his falcon preening its feathers while eating breakfast. Due to Wang Wenzuo's influence, Hu Liang liked to dine alfresco in the garden and enjoy the fresh air, flowers, fruit trees and small animals as long as the weather conditions permitted. He has become accustomed to life in a grand city like Chang'an. Compared to Namba, life in Chang'an is much more comfortable and colorful. In addition to guarding the emperor, there are also various banquets, hunting, entertainment, travel, and religious meetings. Compared with the student life on the Japanese island that was so fulfilling that he fell asleep, it seemed like a world away.

But is this kind of life what you want? Hu Liang didn't know that he was still in contact with Yan Liang and other brothers. In the letters, he could see that the brothers who stayed on the island were still receiving that Spartan education, but they had left the island and were considered The brothers who have grown up and become independent lead a completely different life. They are either given a sea ship to participate in an expedition cruise; or they are given a small army to conquer a group of bandits or barbarians; or they are given a small army to conquer a group of bandits or barbarians; He was appointed as the commander of an immigration point and led hundreds of immigrants to establish a village, or he was sent to serve as a chief in a certain county. Even Yanliang, who has long been king, is very busy, if not busier than other brothers! Quoted from the original text in the letter: I have been submerged in the ocean of political affairs. I can only take a few breaths when I lie on the bed every day. It is like a person on the verge of drowning who forces himself to stand out of the water to take a breath, but at dawn he is gone again. Have to put in endless work.

Compared with the life of his brothers, Hu Liang's life in Chang'an was pleasant and comfortable, but he also knew that his father did not do this for no reason. The longer he stayed in Chang'an and the deeper he got to know the Emperor, the more he understood the weakness of the Emperor's actual status, which was in sharp contrast to the Emperor's apparent prominence. Yes, the emperor has supreme power in his hands. He can make people live and die. He can raise people to heaven and suppress them to earth. However, the ability to use power correctly is not innate. The supreme power in the hands of the emperor is Power is actually a double-edged sword. Doing it right is good, but doing it wrong is also the most harmful. Therefore, the emperor may be the biggest threat to the empire in the world. Emperor Yang of the previous dynasty is the best example. If not His wanton behavior never looked like he would die in the second generation.

That's why Wang Wenzuo trained his next generation in a way that was almost torture, forcing them to grow up as quickly as possible. In the letters exchanged, Hu Liang could clearly feel the growth of his brothers. The original tenderness and weakness were quickly polished away, replaced by tenacity and sophistication, while he was enjoying every day in the prosperous township of Chang'an. If this continues, won't I be left behind by my brothers? Or is it that he has been abandoned by his father from the day he was left in Chang'an? Thinking of this, Hu Liang couldn't help but sigh.

"Mr. Lang, there is a decree from the palace!" The attendant's voice interrupted Hu Liang's thoughts. He quickly stood up, straightened his clothes, and walked quickly to the main room. I saw Liu Shaojian from the Ministry of Internal Affairs sitting on a chair. Just as Hu Liang was about to step forward to greet him, Liu Shaojian stood up and said, "There is an edict!"

"I accept the imperial edict!" Hu Liang quickly knelt down.

"The Emperor has an edict: Suspend your mission at Qianniuwei and rest at home. If you have nothing else to do, don't go out!"

"I obey the decree, long live long live!" Hu Liang kowtowed three times inexplicably. After Liu Shaojian passed the decree, the majesty on his face quickly disappeared, replaced by a gentle smile: "Young Master, the edict has been handed down. , you get up quickly!"

"Shaojian Liu! What does the emperor mean by this?" Hu Liang asked in confusion: "Did I do something wrong? The emperor ordered me to shut up and reflect on my mistakes?"

"Haha!" Liu Shaojian laughed twice, with a meaningful smile on his face: "Master, the emperor is doing this for your own good! Do you know? Last night, Liu Peiji, the minister of household affairs, was assassinated at the gate of the square. He was shot twice. Arrow is still lying at home, not sure whether he is alive or dead!"

"Liu Peiji, Minister of Household Affairs?" Hu Liang said it again, and his face changed drastically: "Is it that person?"

"That's right, who else is it if it's not him?" Liu Shaojian said with a smile: "So, sir, do you understand? The news is not very good now. Many people say that this matter is related to your father, so the emperor did this to make you less worried. Some trouble!"

"Then, does the Holy One really think that-" Gu Liang said anxiously.

"How is this possible? Young Master, you are worrying too much!" Liu Shaojian laughed, his voice was like a male duck: "What is the relationship between Your Majesty and Your Majesty, how could he be affected by some external rumors? Now the real culprit behind the scenes has not been determined until , the emperor will not make any decisions. The emperor asked you to rest at home, because he does not want you to encounter any changes in this troubled year, otherwise the emperor will not look good in front of your father!"

"Yes!" Hu Liang nodded: "I understand, please tell His Majesty the Emperor on my behalf that I must abide by the imperial edict and rest at home!"

After sending Liu Shaojian away, Hu Liang returned to the backyard. The smile on his face quickly disappeared, replaced by worry and fear. Yes, no matter how strict he was in education and training, in the final analysis he was still just a fifteen-year-old boy. A half-year-old child would still be a junior high school student at this age in modern society, but now he has to face such a harsh problem alone - survival or death.

Yes, he believed that half of what Liu Shaojian said was true - the emperor asked him to stay at home to protect himself, but the other half was not necessarily true. If Liu Peiji's assassination was really related to his father, how would the emperor treat him? No one knows anymore. As for Hu Liang, he only knew that he was Wang Wenzuo's son.

"Somebody come!"

"My subordinate is here, what are your orders, Master?" one of the attendants responded.

"If I want to escape back to Hebei, what suggestions do you have?"

"Escape back to Hebei?" The attendant was stunned when he heard this, and then said: "Sir, I don't recommend that you do this. But if you want to do this, I suggest that you contact General Murong Mu first!"

"Murong Miao?" Hu Liang nodded: "Okay, I understand. I'll write a letter and you can send it to Murong Miao's house for me!"

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Murong Miao Mansion. "It turns out that so many things have happened!" Murong Miao put down the letter in his hand and said to the attendant: "I won't write a reply, so as not to leave traces. You can tell the young master when you go back. Just say that Liu Peiji's assassination has something to do with it. The general has nothing to do with him. Please rest at home for a few days and everything will be revealed! Do you remember?"

"The assassination of Liu Peiji has nothing to do with the general. Please rest at home for a few days, and everything will be revealed!" the attendant repeated.

"Very good, let's just say, go back quickly!" Murong Miao said.

After Hu Liang's entourage left, Murong Nao stood up, walked to the window and looked out. He had a strange feeling that from the beginning, both the general and the emperor were involved in an overwhelming conspiracy. A group of conspirators hidden in the darkness tried to provoke a new war between the general and the emperor. . The person who was assassinated this time was Liu Peiji, just because he happened to be pushed to the forefront, and he was most likely to be thought of as Wang Wenzuo's hand. If his guess is correct, the group will not stop here. They will continue until the war breaks out. So who is their next target?

Murong Miao quickly returned to the cases, finished writing the letter quickly, and said loudly: "Come here, please send this letter to Fan Yang as quickly as possible and give it to the general himself!"

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Fan Yang, the General's Mansion.

"Very good, very good!" Wang Wenzuo played with the shiny metal parts in his hands: "Did you use the lathe I mentioned to make this?"

"Exactly!" Gawain kowtowed: "My mistress tried the lathe that the general sent last time at home. It is really useful. It is used to make various hardware devices. It is more labor-saving than the previous method. Dozens of times. So he made another twenty or thirty units and used them at home. This time the general announced that he would have hundreds of workers to make the gears. Not only did they have to be exquisite, but they also had requirements for the labor price. My daughter The master asked the craftsmen at home to try to make it with a lathe, and this was made with a lathe. Although it cannot be compared with the most exquisite craftsmen, it is much better than ordinary craftsmen!"

"How much does it cost?" Wang Wenzuo put down the gear in his hand and asked.

"Cost?" Gao Wen was stunned. He didn't understand the meaning of this new word that came out of Wang Wenzuo's mouth for a while.

"Well! I mean, if I want to buy it, how much does a gear like this cost?" Wang Wenzuo asked.

"The general wants it?" Gawain was stunned, and then smiled: "If you want it, I won't dare to accept the money, I will just treat it as a filial piety to the general!"

"Filial piety?" Wang Wenzuo laughed: "I'm afraid you can't afford to be filial, let's put it this way! I plan to buy about 30,000 gears of various sizes in the first batch. In the future, I will increase the purchase volume every year? Do you really want to be filial to me? ?”

"Thirty thousand?" Gawain couldn't close his mouth: "You want so many? What do you want to use them for?"

"This gear can be used in many places. It can be used on ships, vehicles, mine hoisting, and building houses. Oh, it is also indispensable in lathes. Of course, this thing is needed most now. It’s a windmill! I plan to build four to five thousand windmills in the coming year. How many gears will it take just to have so many windmills?”

"Four to five thousand windmills? Why do you need so many windmills? There aren't that many millets to grind in Hebei, right?"

"Do you think this windmill can only be used to grind millet?" Wang Wenzuo smiled: "Gao Wen, you have been waiting for me in Fan Yang for some time. You should have heard where I was a few days ago, right?"

"Yes!" Gawain replied honestly: "I heard that the general went to Cangzhou for inspection!"

"Well, yes, I'm going to Cangzhou! Do you know what I'm going to do?" Wang Wenzuo asked.

"I heard it seems to be about salt!"

"Yes, it's about salt! I plan to build hundreds of large and small salt farms along the coast of Cangzhou, and strive to produce 50,000 rock salt every year! Not only to satisfy Hebei, but also to supply Haidong, Henan and other places! In this sun-dried salt, The hardest work is to carry salt water. The salt cubists must carry buckets of sea water and sprinkle it on the salt fields on the beach under the scorching sun, then dry it to produce the salt brine, and then scrape out the salt brine and refine it into table salt. And if there is a windmill, You can use wind power to lift seawater into canals, and then use valves to let it flow into salt fields, which can greatly save manpower. I am in Cangzhou these days to explore the local terrain and prepare to open up salt fields and build windmills. Now you know that I Why do you need so many gears?"

"So that's it, thank you General for the tip!"

"So you understand why I asked you about the cost of this gear. If it is for my own pleasure, it is enough to ask you for filial piety. But what I want is an instrument that can change Hebei and even the entire world. Is it possible? Can I come to you to show my filial piety? Even if you are willing, you can't bear it. Who should I go to at that time? So after you go back, discuss it with Wuniang, make good preparations for the gear factory, and quote the price as soon as possible. The factory can be opened in Fanyang, there is coal and iron here, and transportation is also convenient. We will try to start construction in Fanyang this year, and Cangzhou will be able to use the gears you produce next year!"

"I obey, I will discuss with the mistress when I get back this time and persuade her to move the workshop to Fan Yang!"

After Gawain withdrew, Wang Wenzuo took a deep breath, stood up and twisted his neck and waist. In the eyes of others, he has already achieved success and it is time to enjoy it. In Wang Wenzuo's eyes, this is just the beginning. As the great man said: "Not only are we good at destroying an old world, we will also be good at building a new world!"