Chapter 809 Gu’s Dalang [Please vote for me! 】
In this three-acre area of Jiangnan, there are basically no secrets.
The marriage, trade, alliance and other relationships between various noble families are intertwined. In just a few days, the news that Fang Jun will build a new salt farm in Huating Town and use a new method to produce sea salt spread wildly across Jiangnan. .
The south of the Yangtze River was shaken, especially the Jiangdong area!
Since the legendary Susha pioneered the use of seawater to boil salt, which was known as "Susha for boiling salt" in history, the method of boiling salt by "taking brine and burning firewood to boil salt" has been passed down from generation to generation and is the most important method of making salt along the north and south coasts. . Now Fang Jun actually said that he had invented a brand new method of making salt, which was simply subverting the tradition. If this is true, it can be said to be a heavy blow to those families whose business is boiling salt!
Ever since, when the news of Fang Jun's salt farm "investment" was released and all the major gentry in the south of the Yangtze River were invited, almost all the families in the south of the Yangtze River that were involved with Haiyan sent people to Huating Town to find out the truth.
Even if you can't get a piece of Fang Jun's pie, you still have to figure out the whole story...
In Huating Town, nobles gathered.
Of course, the Gu family is indispensable.
The Gu family attaches great importance to Fang Jun's "stock offering", and the ones sent to Huating Town are the best of the next generation in the family, the eldest son Gu Yu and Sanlang Gu Zhu.
The Gu brothers have a very good relationship, but they don't usually live together. Gu Zhu is guarding the Gu family's sea salt industry in Wuyuan Town, while Gu Yu, as the eldest son and future head of the family, has to travel around to study and make connections. This time, Gu Zhu took a boat out to sea from Wuyuan Town, bypassed the waters of Huating Town, and went upstream from the Yangtze River Estuary to Jingkou to pick up Gu Yu who was studying there. Then he went down the river and arrived at Huating Town from Wusongkou. .
The ship sailed upstream from Wusongkou at a slow speed. The Gu brothers stood side by side on the tall bow of the ship and admired the scenery on both sides of the strait. All the trees that used to grow on the flat areas on the shore have been cut down, and rows of red brick houses have risen from the ground. Laborers and craftsmen are busy working back and forth, and there is no sound of shouting.
"Since entering Wusongkou, the situation on both sides of the Taiwan Strait has been greatly different. There are legends in the world that Fang Jun is irritable and reckless. Now we know that it is just a rumor. Such a huge project without careful and careful planning will inevitably turn into a mess. But you Look, although there are many workers on this construction site, everything is well organized. It's busy but not chaotic. I don't know what the purpose of those red brick buildings is, but they are obviously divided and allocated. The workers in each area perform their duties, not interfering with each other but competing with each other. This Fang Jun really has the talent to help the world. My Gu family and those Jiangnan nobles have repeatedly failed to benefit from him, and it is not without reason.”
Gu Yu is twenty-eight years old this year. It is the stage when a man is entering the stage of maturity from youth. His whole body is filled with a steady and high-spirited look. Paired with the handsome and clear face, he is indeed suave and unique. Yushu faces the wind.
Gu Zhu's appearance is no different from that of his brother, but he looks more casual, a little less steady and a little more unruly.
Gu Zhu did not behave as casually and rudely towards his eldest brother, whom he had always respected and admired, as he did in front of Gu Cong. However, when he heard his eldest brother praising Fang Jun so much, he immediately felt unhappy. He squinted his neck and said, "Brother, why do you need to treat that stick?" Such high regard? Just like those sons of aristocratic families who relied on the power of their fathers to obtain this overwhelming official position. With tens of thousands of soldiers under their command, anyone can run amok in Jiangnan!"
In his opinion, Fang Jun was just a second-generation ancestor who relied on the power of his father to dominate. Without such a powerful identity and background, how could he be given the position of Canghaidao Marching General Manager?
Among his peers, except for the eldest brother in front of him, Gu Zhu has always refused to accept anyone! He, Gu Sanlang, has the ability to defeat all the invincible opponents in the south of the Yangtze River. Who is he afraid of?
Gu Yu shook his head and laughed. His warm and bright smile made the maids on the bow of the boat lose their minds and couldn't help themselves. He patted Gu Zhu's shoulder and said warmly: "People should be proud, but they should not be too proud, otherwise it will become arrogance. Arrogant people are short-sighted and cannot see the advantages of others, and can easily fall into blind self-confidence. , It is enough that Fang Jun can turn defeat into victory and escape in Niuzhuji, which shows that he is definitely not just relying on his family. He is a playboy who dominates the clan, and after arriving in Huating Town, he used a trick to defraud the Jiangnan nobles for 600,000 yuan. This shows that this man is deeply cunning, cunning and wise. How can the third brother be contemptuous of him? , then the eldest brother will report to the Ming clan and ask you to go back to your ancestral home in Kuaiji to think about your mistakes behind closed doors and study diligently.”
Later, his tone gradually turned harsh.
Gu Zhu was startled, and quickly begged with a sad face: "Don't! Brother, why don't my younger brothers listen to you? You can do whatever you say. If you let me go back to study, it would be easier to kill me with a knife... ”
Gu Yu immediately shook his head and was speechless.
This third brother is very talented. He can become smart with a little practice with swords and sticks, and become good at learning. However, he doesn't like to read. Seeing a book is like seeing the enemy who killed his father. He can't read it no matter what...
He always knew Gu Zhu's temperament, and this brother was his loyal supporter. The relationship between the brothers was very deep, so naturally he couldn't bear to be too harsh and could only slap a few words to prevent him from being arrogant and willful and causing great trouble. .
While he was talking, Gujialou's boat had arrived at the dock.
This is already the center of Huating Town, and the prosperity is naturally even greater than that of Wusongkou just now.
On the other side of the pier is the naval port and shipyard that are under construction. Countless workers and craftsmen are busy and prosperous. On both sides of the Wusong River, boats are like clouds, and countless cargo ships and warships are passing by. Where is there still half of the desolation and barrenness of the past?
This time, even Gu Zhu gradually put away his contempt.
On the pier, the officials of Ziyou Huating Town were waiting to receive visitors from various families. When they saw the Gu brothers stepping off the boat, they immediately greeted them and said with a smile: "But the Gu family of Wu County is here?"
Gu Yu cupped his fists and said with a smile: "Exactly, I, Gu Yu, have been invited by the general manager to discuss the salt field. I wonder where to go?"
This is his consistent style of doing things. He will never be scornful because of the low status of the officials in front of him. He is full of etiquette and personable, which makes people feel like spring breeze.
The officials naturally knew Gu Yu's name. The people in the south of the Yangtze River even made a list of the children of various noble families. Four of them were outstanding and were called the "Four Young Masters of the South of the Yangtze River". Gu Yu was one of them.
Facing Gu Yu's courtesy, the official was quite flattered and said quickly: "Young master is so young. The chief manager has already told you that if you have people coming from various families, please go to the official office of the Shipping Department immediately."
Gu Yu cupped his fists again and said, "In this case, Brother Lao will lead the way."
The official hurriedly returned the courtesy and said: "This is a matter of duty, Mr. Gu, please!" He gestured with his left hand, and then he led the way freely. In my heart, I was very moved by Gu Yu's courteous, virtuous, gentle and benevolent demeanor. I thought that only such a person could be worthy of the title of "Four Young Masters of the South of the Yangtze River"...
Along the pier to a large storage building not far away is the soon-to-be-opened Shipping Company. The entire city is neatly planned and criss-crossed like a chessboard. The roads in the middle are all paved with cement, which is convenient and strong, and is more stable and tidy than stone roads.
Gu Yu walked on it and found that the road was light gray, smooth and seamless. It rained heavily last night, and there was still some water in some low-lying areas on the road. Even though people were running over it with cars, the road was still as hard as before. I stamped it hard a few times with my feet, and there was a banging sound, like a stone slab.
Gu Yu had never seen such a thing before, so he asked: "What is this road paved with?"
The official said proudly: "This thing was created by the Chief Superintendent. It's called cement. It's a mineral powder-like thing. It's mixed with water and river sand. After it dries, it becomes as solid as a rock." As he spoke, he pointed. Looking at the tall warehouses and buildings around, he said: "Sir, please take a look. , all the houses here are made of bricks and stones, bonded with cement, so that the whole house is integrated into one, strong and durable. It is a world of difference from the yellow mud and white ash of the past. It is not afraid of being washed away by rain. Wind and snow erosion.”
Gu Yu looked carefully and found that all the houses were made of red bricks, and there was this gray stuff glued in the cracks of the bricks.
Gu Zhu snorted and muttered: "Fantastic skills, nothing more than that..." Please vote!
(End of chapter)