Early Ming Dynasty: Turning Clouds and Rains into New Learning Saints

Chapter 153 Zhu Yuanzhang stole lessons

All of this can be summed up in one sentence, that is, spending money is like running water!
For this reason, Zhu Jingjing expressed her concern: "Brother Fan, if we continue to spend like this, it is estimated that by the middle of next year, almost all the money we finally robbed will be spent."

This house-searching transaction is a one-time thing.Within Xiangshan County, there are no more homes that can be searched!

After hearing this, Zhang Yifan just smiled and said: "It's okay, that is, if you spend more money at the beginning, it will be much better later."

Based on his wife's concerns, Zhang Yifan decided to inspect the situation in the cement workshop and salt field.

At this time, it was already the early winter of the ninth year of Hongwu.However, it is still a hot day in Guangdong, especially in Xiangshan County.Not to mention that it is so hot in summer and autumn, but compared to other places in the country, it is obviously hotter.

It won't get cold here in Xiangshan County until around December, but the coldest weather is only about ten degrees in later generations.

Zhu Jingjing wanted to follow, so Zhang Yifan rode with her on horseback.Zhu Wu led three guards to accompany him.

Just after leaving the county government office, pedestrians along the way saw a group of knights wearing bamboo hats. Needless to say, they knew they were the consort and the princess, and they saluted when they saw them from a distance.

The people's respect for the consort and the princess was all written on their faces and permeated the streets.

"Brother Fan, look at the waiter over there." Suddenly, Zhu Jingjing came closer to Zhang Yifan and said with a smile, "They have writing on them!"

"Haha!" Zhang Yifan turned around and took a look, and immediately said with a smile, "I know this. Those are their names. If you stick them on yourself, you can remember how to write your own name and how to write the names of acquaintances at any time!"

Later generations of waiters also wore employee number and name tags on their bodies, but that was to let guests know who was serving them, and it was a kind of service measure;
But now, the people in Xiangshan County came up with it spontaneously and tried every means to learn literacy.

It has to be said that under the stimulation of money, the people's ideas are endless, and they actually came up with such a method.

Just listen to Zhang Yifan say to Zhu Jingjing: "I heard that it was Zhang Liu who came up with it. He is Zhang San's younger brother. He was the one who negotiated the car payment. Then other people saw it and followed suit. I guess, in the future, After a while, more people will do this!”

"Remember!" Zhu Jingjing listened, nodded with a smile and said, "I didn't expect him to be quite smart. What are you doing now?"

When Zhang Yifan heard this, he pointed to a relatively obvious place in the distance of the street and said: "Did you see that inn? It used to belong to the big fat man. After it was confiscated, he rented it. The first loan from the bank was from He recruited some neighbors and opened this inn."

Upon hearing this, Zhu Jingjing suddenly realized: "So it was him who borrowed five pennies. This is the biggest loan ever made!"

The name Zhang San is so common, there are several in one county.

"He is a wise man." Zhang Yifan nodded and said, "He made the inn prosperous."

Just like that, they walked and talked, and soon left the county.

In Xiangshan County, there is a big river called Qijiang River.Because the cement workshop relied on water power, the location Zhang Yifan finally chose was on the edge of the Qijiang River, about five miles outside the county seat.

Qi Xiang set up a [-]-household shelter near the cement workshop for close protection.

Zhang Yifan's first destination was this cement workshop.

The cement workshop here has been under construction for almost a month, because neither the materials nor the level of craftsmen are as good as when they were in Liujia Village, so it takes a lot longer.

Daniu's family used to work in the cement workshop of Liujiacun, and they finally left the cement workshop with Zhang Yifan.Compared with Er Niu, who is stronger and stronger, Dan Niu is more flexible in mind, so he is in charge of this cement workshop.

Seeing the arrival of Zhang Yifan and Zhu Jingjing, Daniel hurriedly came over to greet them. He opened his mouth to announce the good news: "Brother Fan, sister-in-law, the cement workshop will be ready to start work in about five or six days."

There are not enough craftsmen to build cement workshops, including masons, carpenters, blacksmiths, etc., in Xiangshan County, and one-third of them are hired from Guangzhou City.

This cement workshop is almost the same as the one in Liujia Village.

Zhang Yifan took a look and didn't have many suggestions to make.Anyway, just follow the steps step by step and use Liujia Village Cement Workshop as a reference.

Later, he and Zhu Jingjing went to visit the Baihusuo nearby.

The hundreds of households here are naturally one of Zhu Yuanzhang's personal guards. They came with Qi Xiang and are training a group of new recruits.

Ordnance and supplies were all allocated by Guangdong Dusi.With Zhang Yifan here, there was no difficulty there.

After Zhang Yifan took a look, he discovered that what was being practiced here was actually the Yuanyang Formation.

Sure enough, classmate Zhu Yuanzhang stole it!
But it’s normal to think about it. If there are enemies in Guangdong, they will attack islands or bandits.These enemies are actually similar to Japanese pirates, so it would be perfect to use a mandarin duck formation!

At this time, it was almost noon.Zhang Yifan thought of his classmate Zhu Di, who ate and lived with the army lieutenants for nearly three months.So, he also had lunch with the sergeants here at Baihusuo before leaving.After leaving the military camp and heading to the seaside, Zhu Jingjing asked curiously: "Brother Fan, I heard that you asked those salt households... No, the salt farmers don't need to cook salt?"

"Yeah!" Zhang Yifan replied after hearing this, "The method of cooking salt is too backward, and the salt output is too low."

"You don't need to boil the salt, how else can you get it?" Zhu Jingjing was a little confused after hearing this.

It was a little strange for others to hear it.Hasn’t table salt been boiled since ancient times?

Zhang Yifan smiled after hearing this and was about to speak when suddenly, he heard Zhu Wu driving his horse two steps closer and reported to Zhang Yifan: "Consort, there are two people behind us, they seem to have been following us!"

Zhang Yifan listened and turned to look.I saw two people walking on two legs in the distance behind me.

After seeing the situation clearly, he turned back and said with a smile: "It seems like it can't be a thief, right? Even if he is a thief, why are you still afraid of these two people when you are here? Maybe they are just passers-by and happen to be passing by with us. When we turn back to the salt field and get off the official road, if they want to follow, you can go and interrogate them."

After Zhu Wu heard this, he agreed.

Previously, Qian Dian Shi Ma Ruhai led hundreds of men, but he led a few men and defeated them with a single charge.There are only two people following behind, so even if they are really thieves, there is nothing to be afraid of.

Zhang Yifan continued to turn around and said to Zhu Jingjing: "To be precise, it is still boiling salt, but there is no need to chop wood and make a fire to cook it."

"Carbon?" Zhu Jingjing was a little surprised when he heard this, but he quickly recovered and asked doubtfully, "But there seems to be no coal in Guangdong. At least where can we get the coal in Xiangshan County?"

When Zhang Yifan heard what she said, he smiled mysteriously and said, "Guess first, see if you can guess it?"

Zhu Jingjing was dumbfounded. She only knew about wood burning and charcoal burning. Now it was obviously not the case, so what else could it be?
A few guards, on the other hand, speculated and said anything about rice straw and the like, which was naturally wrong.

Just like that, they guessed all the way. After getting off the official road, Zhu Wu came over and reported to Zhang Yifan: "Consort, those two people also got off the official road and followed us all the way."

"Oh?" Zhang Yifan suddenly felt a little strange after hearing this, and turned to look back.

Nowadays, there are no bandits in Xiangshan County. The only thing to worry about is pirates.

Qi Xiang naturally has considerations about this.

His thousand-household offices are divided into ten hundred-household offices. Except for the cement workshop, there is one on the edge of the county seat, and the other eight are located in the coastal area of ​​Xiangshan County, radiating the entire Xiangshan area.

It may be possible for small-scale pirates to come ashore, but large-scale pirates to come ashore will definitely be noticed by hundreds of households scattered across the country.

It has been almost a year since the soul traveled through this time and space. After witnessing the martial prowess of Lan Yu and other generals, this is considered to be the top level. At this level, it is also a world of low martial arts.Even the martial arts in later generations of movies and TV dramas are impossible to fly over walls and over walls.

In such a world, he still has guards, just like today in broad daylight. Zhang Yifan doesn't believe that pirates can threaten him.

Not to mention, those two people were so blatant.

At this time, Zhang Yifan looked at the two people behind him and found that after seeing them stop, the two people also stopped and seemed to be talking.

"..." Zhang Yifan was a little speechless, "Could it be that he is really following me, but I just don't know who he is?"

With this in mind, he ordered Zhu Wudao: "Go over and ask about the situation!"

After Zhu Wu heard this, he didn't call the other guards, and rushed over with his legs clamped in the horse's belly.

When the two people saw Zhu Wu riding past, they seemed to want to run away, but one of them stopped him. In the end, both of them stood still, but they put on a somewhat defensive posture.

Zhang Yifan watched from a distance. He noticed that after Zhu Wu ran up to the two people, he saw the two people kneeling down and then talking to Zhu Wu.

After a while, Zhu Wu was behind and the two people were in front, and they came over to Zhang Yifan together.

"Prince-in-law, please step back, there is a situation." A guard next to him drew his weapon and reminded Zhang Yifan at the same time.

Zhang Yifan actually saw it, because Zhu Wu, behind the two men, had already reached out and took off the lance hanging on the horse. The head of the gun was tilted downward, in a defensive posture, and he should have been escorting the two people over.

Zhang Yifan did not take any chances and allowed the three guards to protect them right in front of them.

After getting closer, he found that the two people could be said to be dark and thin, and he could tell at a glance that they were due to being exposed to the sun for many years.

(End of this chapter)