Chapter 361 361: Wen Xin Wen Gong (3) [Two in One]
Shen Tang noticed his movements and chuckled.
She said: "I'm rude. I didn't know Wen Zhu would be back today. If I had known you would come, I wouldn't have come to the workshop."
Xu Jie: "...No , It’s Jie who disturbed Jun Shen..."
No matter how many times he heard it, Xu Jie still felt that Jun Shen’s words were very strange. Isn’t this what his lord Wu Xian could say? But when he thought of the "deep love" between the protagonist Wu Xian and Shen Jun Shen Tang, Xu Jie could only force himself to ignore the uncontrollable complaints.
And quickly changed the topic.
"What did Mr. Shen do just now?"
"Huh? Didn't you see the annotation? I was beating the bamboo... It's not easy to soften this thing. , Fortunately, we used young bamboo instead of mature bamboo, otherwise it would be more difficult..." Shen Tang couldn't help but complain, it is not easy to do three hundred and sixty lines.
The bamboo that has been soaked and degreened in lime water is beaten over and over again. Depending on the heat, it needs to be washed carefully. These are only the first few steps, and even the pulping process has not been completed. After finishing the work, I have to soak again and again, wash again, wash again, soak again... Oh, why is it so difficult to start a side job?
The difficulty is equivalent to making bread by growing wheat, knitting sweaters by growing cotton and raising sheep...
Xu Jie: "..."
Of course he knew that Shen Jun was beating the bamboo.
But he was curious as to why Shen Jun was beating him.
Shen Tang didn’t hide anything and said cheerfully: “Of course it’s for making paper. It’s not just bamboo. I also prepared different woods, reeds and even wheat straw... I want to see what kind of material it is made of. Paper is more suitable for painting..."
There was papermaking in this era.
However, due to some objective reasons, this technology has not received much attention. In other words, the cost is too high and the quality is too low, making it difficult to preserve. The mainstream still uses bamboo slips to record documents. Xu Jie was not surprised that Shen Tang wanted to make paper.
In fact, the Xu family also has a paper mill under its name.
Specialize in taking the high-end route.
The output is low and the efficiency is barely.
Listening to Shen Tang soaking in the workshop, working hard like a laborer, just to make paper that can be used for drawing, he smiled and said: "Shen Jun wants paper, why bother so much? Xie's family There is a papermaking workshop. Mr. Shen can make some if needed.”
Shen Tang said: "I need too much weight. After thinking about it, I decided to be a self-reliant 'craftsman'."
Xu Jie was extremely disapproving when he heard this.
As the lord of a land, how can Jun Shen do such menial work?
Shen Jun did what he did, and Qi Yuanliang and the others did what they did?
Xu Jie said very proudly: "How much does Mr. Shen want?"
He is very confident in his family's financial strength.
Shen Tang calculated silently in her mind. Based on the calculation of 50 copies in one album, her minimum circulation of 10,000 copies would be half a million copies? Xu Jie was a little dumbfounded when he heard this number. At first he thought he heard it wrong, so he asked again.
“How much?”
“Fifty million! That’s half a year!”
She wants to publish two books a year! One million in total!
Shen Tang looked at him expectantly: "Do you have the annotation?"
Xu Jie simply said: "No!"
If the paper mill had such a high output, it would still be "barely profitable" "? However, Shen Jun wanted to use bamboo, reeds, and wheat straw as raw materials, which was quite novel. The growth cycle of bamboo is very short, and reeds and wheat straw are worthless things.
If it works, even if the quality of the paper is very low and the paper scraps are scattered around, it is still paper, and it is a sure-profit business.
But this must be built on the basis of being able to create it.
As for the paper that can be used for drawing...
Haha, Xu Jie has no hope at all.
Shen Tang dispersed the stench outside the workshop, took off his "work clothes" to prevent his clothes from getting dirty, and put on decent and neat outer clothes. Follow Xu Jie to the government office, not forgetting business on the way, treating him completely as one of his own.
"Wenzhi, is there any news about the high-quality wheat seeds that I troubled you to find earlier?" This is something that Shen Tang has been thinking about these days, and he was so worried that he couldn't sleep well.
Although this year’s corn harvest can be regarded as a small bumper harvest, the common people will not go hungry next year, and the government granaries finally have grain storage, but once the common people encounter any headaches and brain fever, it is easy to "return to poverty due to illness" and sell food for medical treatment. Lost valuable food.
If only——
It would be great if there were more food.
While Shen Tang was working on her side job, she still pinched her fingers, thinking about when Xu Jie would come over, and Xu Jie lived up to her expectations. He smiled easily and said: "Fortunately, I lived up to Shen Jun's trust and barely received a batch of good quality wheat seeds. However, there is an unknown problem. The wheat grains are not easy to shell and taste bad when eaten. Spring seedlings need a lot of seeds. Water..."
Watering is very difficult.
It is not suitable for planting from any angle.
It is true that the yield of wheat is much higher than that of millet - Xu Jie also guessed that Shen Tang went there for the yield - but weighing the pros and cons of wheat and millet, Xu Jie thinks that millet is better because it is easier to shell and The taste is soft and waxy. He earnestly advised: "If Mr. Shen cannot solve these problems, he will order the people under his rule to stop growing millet and switch to wheat. I am afraid that the harvest will be worrying next year..."
After more than a year of hard work, Shen Tang See it too.
I don’t want to fall short because of this.
There is not much rain in spring in this area.
Shen Tang said: "As for the issue mentioned in the text, Wuhui and I have discussed it carefully. We plan to choose a site to build a small reservoir, divert water from the Miao River, dredge the river, and build irrigation and drainage facilities to prevent drought. , floods and other troubles..."
From the moment Shen Tang said "build a small reservoir", Xu Jie's expression was numb and dull. He couldn't understand how Shen Jun did it - he just downplayed that he wanted to do such a big project? Where are people? Where's the money?
This kind of project cannot be completed in one or two years.
How many people does it take to have a full population in Ha Yin County?
So many people have been dragged over to build reservoirs, dig rivers, and divert water from the Miao River... It will take more than ten years. Who will farm the land in these ten years? Don’t the common people have to eat, drink and have diarrhea? ? ?
Xu Jie reluctantly controlled his expression and asked: "Shen Jun, this matter is of great importance. It cannot be accomplished in a day and it will cost a lot of money...Have you discussed it with your staff?"
Haha, I probably never told Kang Shi.
If you say it, they will object if they don’t have any brains.
In this world, working hard to recruit troops and strengthening oneself is the foundation for establishing oneself. Carrying out such a large project that often involves tens of thousands of people is not only thankless, but also weakens one's own strength.
Who knows——
"As I said, we all will sit down together and have a meeting to discuss it." Shen Tang said that she is not the kind of arbitrary person. She fully understands and Respect the different opinions of colleagues.
If you have any opinions, speak up and listen to whoever has a point.
Obviously, Shen Tang makes more sense.
So Gu Chi and others listened to her.
Xu Jie: "..."
He couldn't understand it at all and was greatly shocked.
A rough estimate of the manpower and material resources required for this project is beyond what Heyin County, which has just had a full meal, can bear. He swallowed: "But this expense..."
Shen Tang: "As you said, I was actually about to write a letter to Brother Zhaode. Our families are so close to each other, Xiao The repair of the reservoir will not only benefit the people of Heyin, but also the people of Tianhai. How about we get this done together!"
Xu Jie: "..."
No, this proposal is not possible. Will be accepted by Tianhai.
My lord and Qin Li are not stupid. If they have the money, why don’t they recruit soldiers and horses to carry out water conservancy projects?
This is not to say that these projects that benefit the people are not good, they are good, but they are really expensive. No one can guarantee that their influence can survive for a long time. Maybe the water conservancy project will not be completed even if the influence is wiped out. It's totally thankless.
Xu Jie doesn’t even need to ask his lord.
He knows the final result.
"This, this...I'm afraid it's very difficult..."
Shen Tang blinked: "It's difficult?" Xu Jie said resolutely: "Yes, it's difficult!"
>
Now the pressure is on Shen Jun. Shen Tang was silent for a long time. Just when Xu Jie thought that people would give up and retreat, unexpectedly he heard the following worries, which made Xu Jie confused.
Shen Jun sighed heavily: "Oh - it seems that Brother Zhaode still hid the epidemic from me. He said that Tianhai had little impact and did not damage the foundation, but now he can't even have this little money and food. I can't even take it out, which shows that I'm really in trouble... Or "The harvest in Tianhai is very bad this year. We are like brothers. If you have any difficulties, I will definitely help!"
Xu Jie: "?"
How much money and food is this? ”
Shen Tang said a number -
A number that Xu Jie could not have imagined in his wildest dreams, and completely incompatible with the two projects of building a reservoir and digging a river channel.
"About 10,000 shi of corn."
This is still a relatively generous budget.
Xu Jie said in surprise: "Ten thousand stones? Not hundreds of thousands of stones?"
Shen Tang: "Why so many?"
The two looked at each other for a moment, and then they realized that they were talking to each other and had misunderstood each other.
Xu Jie seemed to have thought of something.
Asked: "How much labor will it cost to build these, Mr. Shen?"
Shen Tang said: "No."
Xu Jie's expression went numb again.
Good guy, he guessed who Shen Tang would ask to build the reservoir. Who else could it be besides the brave warriors headed by Zhao Dayi? Speaking of General Zhao Feng, he is also miserable. Since he came to Heyin County to repay his kindness, he has only fought two serious battles to suppress bandits. He has been doing all the work of building houses, farming, and building roads...
Xu Jie let something slip one time.
My lord Wu Xian knew about the work Zhao Feng was doing in Heyin, and immediately burst into tears. He clutched Xu Jie's sleeves with a distressed expression and cried out that Zhao Feng had been wronged. He is obviously a brave and capable general who works hard all day long.
Even if it is to repay a favor, I cannot be so aggrieved.
Xu Jie very much doubted whether his lord was just imagining that Zhao Feng and Qian Yubu were living a miserable life, waking up earlier than chickens, going to bed later than dogs, working more than donkeys, and eating worse than pigs.
Otherwise, how could you be so virtuous by crying?
[Then—the lord will recall General Zhao? 】
Wu Xian wiped away tears: [Recalling him at this time may damage the friendship between the two families. Alas, Brother Shen, how come he doesn’t know how to cherish such a brave general like Dayi! Building houses, farming, building roads... How dare he, I can't bear to treat Dayi so badly, wuwuwu...】
Wu Xian burst into tears.
Xu Jie inexplicably felt that this scene looked familiar, like an old mother who felt sorry for her daughter after she got married and was mistreated by the scumbag of her husband's family.
[I didn’t hear General Zhao’s grievance... And it’s not just General Zhao. The tenth-level left concubine Chang Gongshu under Shen Jun’s account is also doing the same job. The lord is overly worried. 】
【I understand Dayi’s temperament. He is the most loyal and loyal, and Brother Shen is his benefactor. In order to repay his kindness, he will endure no matter how much hardship he suffers... Oh my, my righteousness. 】
Xu Jie: [...]
It just so happened that Mrs. Mi Zi came to deliver something at this time, and my lord changed his face, wiping his tears as if nothing happened.
Xu Jie: […]
Before leaving, Wu Xian specifically asked Xu Jie to listen to Zhao Feng’s story. If Zhao Feng really felt that he had been treated harshly and wronged, he would immediately send Qian Bubu to replace Zhao Feng. Bong.
Xu Jie muttered in his heart.
If my lord knew that Zhao Feng was thrown into building reservoirs and digging rivers again, he would probably cry again.
Sure enough, I heard Shen Jun say: "There are a few half-steps here, so don't worry about the manpower. A powerful and courageous warrior can split mountains and open seas. Isn't that faster than ordinary people digging with a hoe? I don't think so. After all, it will be better in half a year at most. After the autumn harvest is over, they are free to take on these tasks. They may be able to use the running water of the Miao River next year. The yield of wheat is higher than that of millet, and the cycle is shorter. If the soil fertility can keep up, it can be done in one year. Planted twice..."
Shen Jun's expression showed a bit of longing for the future.
It seems like you are really eating two types of wheat a year.
Xu Jie had auditory hallucinations.
I seem to hear the lord's whine.
Even though Xu Jie was not very close to Zhao Feng, they occasionally had conflicts due to factional stances, and he couldn't help but feel subtle sympathy for the poor general. Tragic, really miserable! A courageous warrior must be considered a coward for this!
Out of that little bit of collegiality, Xu Jie couldn't help but tactfully say a few words for Zhao Feng.
You can’t just catch a sheep while gathering wool.
He said: "...Although General Zhao and Captain Gongshu are both brave men with martial arts skills, they are flesh and blood after all. The capacity of the Dan Mansion's martial energy is limited, and it consumes quickly and recovers slowly. Even if there is Thousands of people are following the tent, but..."
The project is too rushed.
And Shen Tang said this is not a problem.
"Don't worry Wenzhu, Yuanliang and the other literary scholars will also help." She has no shortage of literary scholars!
Xu Jie: "..."
Xu Jie: "???"
Xu Jie: "!!!"
The carriage swayed Stopped in front of the government office.
Xu Jie still had a blank expression.
When he came to his senses, he was already in the government hall.
He took a deep breath.
Xu Jie's visit to Fugu City this time was not just for sending wheat seeds to Shen Tang, but also for another matter - this matter he also heard about when he was a businessman, and the source of the information was reliable. He had already sent a letter to Tianhai and stopped by to remind Shen Tang.
Shen Tang saw his serious expression and asked, "What's the matter?"
"Shen Jun, have you ever heard of a libretto - a hypocritical woman makes trouble for Beichen, twenty roads of smoke and dust rush into the purple palace?"
Shen Tang nodded: "I have heard of it."
Xu Jie: "The people in other areas are having a hard time, and there are more and more rebellions. The royal court headed by Zheng Qiao is just It was easier for the generals who led troops to suppress the rebellion to drive out the people who rebelled for their livelihoods from Qian and Yan states, and also intended to drive away King She's people from Kun state... I'm afraid I won't hold back..."
Shen Tang's expression gradually became solemn.
She asked: "How many people?"
Xu Jie said: "A rough estimate of more than 200,000!"
Shen Tang gradually tightened his fists.
The destructive power of two hundred thousand people without food in their path is more terrifying than two hundred thousand locusts. However, these common people are also innocent. The locusts can kill them without mercy, but they cost more than 200,000 human lives!
Bump!
Shen Tang smashed the table with one palm.
"How dare they!"
()
Dear children, please give me a monthly pass.
Tomorrow the manuscript fee list will come out. If it is more than expected, we will celebrate even more.
(End of this chapter)