Chapter 269 Thousands of generals emerged overnight

After hearing Wan Qi Yong's words, Zhao Xing looked up and glanced at the direction of the dock and replied: "It's okay, our minting amount will definitely exceed the amount this year, but it needs to be delayed a little. We will explain to Mr. Zhang, and said that the bet will take five or six months to go by land. It will be too troublesome to transfer it to Yangzhou from sea to land...

You might as well send a few ships of rare toys, such as tropical fruits, to tell Mr. Zhang that we are conducting a channel test - yes, that's it! I wrote a letter to Mr. Zhang, saying that we promise to ship the money to Yangzhou by the end of June."

Shuai Fan clapped: "The fruit is good. People in Guangnan usually cannot eat fruits in the capital. We use fruits to test the waterway. As long as the fruits are transported to the capital and still do not rot, it means that we have the ability to transport the money to Yangzhou in the shortest possible time. It's just that the amount of money is too much, and we still need to arrange escorts."

Wan Qiyong raised his foot and tried to kick: "Since you know, why don't you go and recruit soldiers quickly. No matter what, you will recruit soldiers before June."

Shuai Fan was in charge of the military case of the General Office, and he was able to do it himself, without passing Zhao Xing. After hearing this, he quickly raised his foot: "It's okay, I'll go now, I'll send a 'General' to all eleven people, and those barbarians, each giving them a good dress, giving them five days off, let them go around the streets, go back to their hometown to show off, and ensure that they can recruit soldiers in five days...

You must remember the weapons, we built this time, muskets and spearmen. No one muskets can be missing at that time."

After Shuai Fan left, Wan Qi Yong looked at Zhao Xing and said meaningfully: "Sir, Guangxi and Guangdong are the place to shoot. Once these 'generals' who entered our military camp have an official position, they will be elected officials when they return to the village. If they are not good, they can become the leader of the village. At that time, the adults will also make a promise in Guangxi."

Zhao Xing held his hands behind his back and looked serious: "Yayan, some things can be done, but not said. I told you a long time ago that I came to Guangnan to be a warlord, so you can just keep some things in your heart, and there is no need to say them out."

Wan Qiyong nodded slightly and immediately jumped to the topic: "Sir, if you want to purchase a few ships of fruit, the amount is very large. This thing is not resistant to storage. You need to make an appointment with the rural farmer in advance. What fruit do you want to purchase by adults?"

Zhao Xing pondered and said, "There are lychees in Guangnan, and it's time to go off the market now. In addition, my wife Chen wants to go to Vietnam. I plan to send her to Vietnam and purchase a batch of foreign fruits, such as bananas, pineapples, mangos, durians, mangos, dragon fruits, rambutans, pineapples... etc. I have thought of something, don't disturb me for now, let me think about it."

"Fruit wood", Wan Qi Yong whispered: "I only remembered the fruit wood of the outer vassal when I mentioned it. It must be related to the fruit wood of the outer vassal."

Zhao Xing slowly spit out two words: "Sour horns - what I think of is sour horns. This thing is known as the 'silver in the tree'. The fruits produced are sweet and sour, very delicious... You can also use the fruit to squeeze juice and then use them as a condiment for cooking seafood."

Sour horns have a high economic value. In the 21st century, this kind of fruit was still a high-end luxury. So now growing this kind of fruit must be very valuable. Zhao Xing just thought of the fruit, and suddenly thought of this kind of fruit with high economic value, and couldn't help but have some ideas...

Wan Qiyong smiled faintly: "Just sour and sweet fruits are nothing. Hawthorn fruits are also very sweet and sour. Therefore, the adults say that sour horns are 'silver in the tree', which is a bit over?"

"You don't know that this sour horn tree is a kind of hardwood, and it is full of treasures. The first year you plant it can pick leaves and branches. Its leaves are the same as mulberry leaves, and can raise silkworms. Moreover, after eating sour horn leaves, the silkworms spit out are white and tough, and it is said to have the effect of treating skin diseases. This leaves can also be used as a dish, stir-fry them with sweet and sour, and it is extremely delicious.

You think that the leaves of a tree can be used as vegetables, so wouldn’t planting such a tree be like planting a vegetable garden, making money every day? Farmers plant mulberry leaves too much, and the price is low, so they can’t sell them, but they can’t eat mulberry leaves that are sour and cannot eat silkworms. They will be sold as vegetable leaves. This price...

Also, the sour horn tree is hardwood, and its branches can be used as bows, and it is the best raw material for bows. Because this tree is red and the wood is extremely hard, some bad merchants use it as mahogany or sandalwood. This wood itself has a fragrance, and after dyeing and spice treatment, it can be used as mahogany, so the bow it makes is also equivalent to sandalwood and red bow.

Sour horn branches can be used as bows, and the bark peeled from the bow is also useful. It is said that this bark is full of tannin, which is several times higher than that in tea. Therefore, it can be used as medicine to treat diarrhea, and can also tannify leather, making the leather very soft. In addition, its seeds are rich in starch, and to some extent it contains more starch than some grains. During the famine, it can also be used as food to satisfy hunger..."

What Zhao Xing wants to say here is: the acid horn seeds contain more starch than corn. In modern food processing industry, acid horn starch is used as corn starch, which can save 30% of the cost. But considering that corn was still used as a corn stick in the hands of Indians in this era, he had to vaguely speak.

"The sour horn tree bears fruit for three years, but it will be effective after planting in the first three years. Raising such a tree is like planting a tree with silver at home, and the silver will automatically rise from the ground every year. When it bears fruit, it will make more money. The kernels can be squeezed into oil and stir-fried. After the oil is squeezed, the remaining high starch is left. It is very good to feed pigs and horses. It can also be used as food rations during famine years. It is a kind of wasteland tree.

Even the sour horned fruit shells can be used as additives to coffee drinks - coffee is a drink that big food merchants like. Their favorite is the coffee shipped from Mocha Port, which is called Mocha coffee. This beverage is approximately equivalent to our tea.

If you don't plan to dry the shell, there is no problem. The shell is oily and contains a lot of tannins. After burning, it is the best carbon black. Westerners use it to make ink. I think it is also good to make ink.

This sour sour horn powder can also be used as herbal tea. It is said that like sour plum soup, it has a cooling and detoxification effect. The juice squeezed from the ripe sour horn fruit flesh can also be added to the pulp to make the paper gloss... How about it, are there so many benefits enough?

Also, after eight to ten years, the sour horn tree grows old and after the fruiting period, then cut it down. The main trunk is used as a wooden board for shipbuilding, and other thick and short branches that cannot be used can be sold as mahogany to earthen wealthy people to make furniture. The former is particularly important because sea boats require hardwood, and Westerners use oak, and we do not have similar hardwoods. Sour horn tree happens to be a fast-growing and hard wood.

If the land war is fighting for the number of apple trees, then the navigation age is fighting for the number of hardwoods. So we must plant as many sour horn trees as possible before spring plowing... This time I send Mrs. Chen to Vietnam, I plan to go in person. You arrange it and prepare to cut down some old mulberry trees for me. This thing is far less than sour horn trees. We strive to eliminate the mulberry forest in two years and replace it with sour horn trees."

Wan Qiyong narrowed his eyes and thought for a while, and replied: "Soul horns, I have never heard of this kind of thing. Sir, 's silver in the tree' is sour horns, so what is 'gold in the tree'? Is apple wood?... I really hope that sir, I will try this kind of fruit too."

Zhao Xing was choked. The "gold in the tree is" rubber tree, and the "platinum in the tree" is eucalyptus... But where can I find rubber now?

He replied evasively: "This kind of fruit is also called Rowan Fruit and Tamarind. It is said that in the Xia Dynasty, Egypt had psalms praise this fruit. In the middle of the Eastern Zhou Dynasty, there were thousands of psalms praise this fruit... This time I went to Vietnam to purchase sour horn seedlings. This thing can be used in the industry. The fruits, branches, leaves, and shells that cannot be eaten can be exchanged for money. We can replace all the mulberry forests on Guangnan East Road with sour horn forests."

Wan Qi Yong bowed: "As it happens, please go quickly. It's February now. The next few days, the money-bearing must be shipped. Wenxun has come to urge you several times. If we don't pay the money-bearing, we must send the fruits out."

Zhao Xing slapped his thighs: "Let me clean up and leave tomorrow morning."

In March, the court appointed Cai Jing as a Hanlin scholar. At the same time, Empress Dowager Liang invaded the Western Xia troops and captured Jinming Fort again.

At this point, history stubbornly returned to its original trajectory.

In mid-March, Zhao Xing returned with several large ships. Wan Qi Yong hurriedly shipped him a 1.5 million guan of copper coins. Zhao Xing personally escorted the ships to Yangzhou.

The sea boat walked very quickly. In a few days, it had already entered the estuary of the Yangtze River and began to move upstream. Cheng Shuang was worried about it. After finally finding an excuse, he stepped forward to persuade Zhao Xing: "Uncle Qi, you should go back to the cabin. You are an official of the court. It would be okay to travel across counties and enjoy the waters occasionally, but if you bring a fleet to Yangzhou, I'm afraid the censor will know..."

Zhao Xing smiled and waved his hand: "It's okay, now that Mr. Zhang is in the court, who dares to say a word of objection? And as long as we make Mr. Zhang happy, everyone in the Song Dynasty dares to fart? Besides, I must come to Yangzhou in person. In the future, we will start regular flights to Guangzhou, and Yangzhou must be cooperated by the local government. If I don't come in person, no one of you can do it."

After hearing this, Cheng Shuang didn't dare to persuade him anymore. She was ready to walk away in a bad mood. Zhao Xing waved and told him: "Dropping off the boat in Yangzhou, you can go to Hangzhou quickly and ask Hu Jike Zhi Po to prepare his luggage immediately. I will take her away when I return."

Cheng Shuang smiled secretly and replied: "Uncle Qi, if you want to take Hu Ji away, it's better to take Liao Zhipo away too. I heard that the two of them were having trouble at home in Hangzhou. After Gu Zhipo left, Uncle Cheng Qi would probably not be able to suppress Liao Zhipo."

Zhao Xing nodded, as if asking for advice, or saying to himself: "I intend to ask Azhu to go back to take charge of housework, but I plan to bring my eldest son Baoer by my side to teach you. I don't know how this kind of treatment will be."

While walking, Cheng Shuang replied in a tone of self-talking: "It's good. Baoer wants to inherit the foundation of Uncle Qi in Guangzhou anyway. The Empress returns to Hangzhou to maintain the status of Cheng clan, which is so good."

Zhao Xing sighed: "There are not many sons. If there are many sons, there are one in Guangzhou, one in Hangzhou, and one in Yangzhou, it would be great."

The son Zhao Xing mentioned did not include the youngest son Zhao Min, who was born by Chen Yiyi. This guy was domineering when Chen Yiyi was born, and Zhao Xing was not allowed to interrupt his education. This time, Chen Yiyi went to Vietnam and brought his son directly to Guangyuan County, preparing to let the child inherit his fiefdom. Vietnam has always supported this kind of "semination" matter. The Vietnamese king readily recognized Zhao Min's inheritance rights and awarded a lot of official positions... Now, that kid may never be able to take the imperial examination in the Song Dynasty.

On March 9, the seasonal fruits transported by Zhao Xing arrived in the capital. These fresh tropical fruits proved the convenience of sea transportation and the huge transportation volume. Zhao Xing only took ten days to transport these fruits from Guangzhou to the palace, including the delays of transporting them from Yangzhou to the capital. These fruits are hundreds of tons, and although each fruit is partially rotten, more than 70% are still fresh. The palace took the opportunity to use this batch of fruits to reward the ministers and at the same time, he readily approved the request submitted by Zhao Xing.

Since then, Guangdong has detained money to Yangzhou by sea without taking land.

Zhang Dun also highly praised Zhao Xing's behavior. While he cracked down on dissidents, he was also trying to win over people from his party. Many of the rare fruits of Zhao Xing were unprecedented in their experience. Zhang Dun rewarded the ministers in the name of the emperor and took the opportunity to win over a large number of people's hearts.

This batch of fruits is very large, and fresh fruits cannot be stored. The ministers who cannot eat them sent some of the fruits to the market for sale and also earned a lot of pocket money. The additional effect caused by this is: the merchants of Bianliang knew that they could make money by selling fruits through sea routes, so many merchants were moved. Then, they found out that there was a direct ship to Guangzhou in Yangzhou, and then, the interaction between the north and the south became more and more frequent.

On that day, Zhang Dun finished dispersing the fruit and discussed Zhao Xing's memorial with his confidant at home. He also transferred the secret note from Guangnan East Road to take over and inspect the visiting envoy. After everyone finished reading these memorials, Zhang Dun knocked on the table and asked everyone: "What do you think?"

There were seven memorials handed over by Zhao Xing. The first one was to delay the starting of the money-bearing group. After he put forward a lot of specific difficulties, he stated that by April, the amount of money-bearing in Guangnan would return to normal, and by the end of the year, there would be an excess. In the memorial, Zhao Xing guaranteed that the delay of the money-bearing group would be delayed, and the shipping cost of the court would be normal next year.

Zeng Bu flipped through the secret letters from Guangnan and said carelessly: "You can agree to Zhao Liren. Look, these secret letters from Guangnan are all confident that Zhao Liren can complete the task of placing money on schedule, such as Wenxun's secret letters: He believes that after replacing the new machine, the output can increase by 30% - Wenxun is closest to Zhao Liren, and he said that it can increase by at least 70%. This view is credible.

Since Zhao Liren promised to bet money to Beijing as scheduled and to guarantee that this was the only case of delay in the departure, the court could agree to him."

Lin Xi then peeled a banana and ate it twice, saying dissatisfiedly: "These southern fruits look fresh, but they are actually not delicious, and they are a little astringent. Everyone, aren't they?"

Zhang Yuan smiled secretly next to him and interrupted, "Mr. Lin, Li Ren said that because he was worried that these fruits would rot on the road, he picked some 80% ripe ones, so he was a little awkward... Ah, Li Ren also sent a private message to tell the name and how to eat these fruits. I will copy one for the adults."

Zhang Yuan called Zhao Xing so intimate. As Zhang Dun’s son, he called him this to tell others: Zhao Xing is my father’s person, don’t attack him at will.

The ministers present were all called treacherous ministers in history, and they were all human geniuses. Zhang Yuan's words were immediately understood by them. Lin Xi threw away the banana peel and immediately changed his tone. He clapped his hands and said, "Okay, my old wife couldn't even name these new things. She asked straight into the palace, but I heard that the palace was also called randomly. Wen Gu should have taken out the private message of the people early."

Zhang Dun looked expressionless and took Zhao Xing's second memorial. This memorial was requesting the use of money from the exemption law and Qingmiao law to renovate the Guangnan official road, open up land and farm, and attract refugees. He shook the memorial and said, "The court has already agreed on this matter. I don't know why Li Ren has submitted the memorial again. Perhaps there are two more words in this memorial. Road construction is a small matter, so we won't discuss it."

Zhang Dun threw the memorial aside, picked up the third memorial, and continued: "This memorial is intended to renovate the military camp of Guangnan school buildings and the water army camps - this memorial is nothing. With Zhao Li's means of living money, these are all small money, so let's make it...

The monks should take a good look at this memorial. Zhao Liren said that using the water army to transport the escort money, he was neither worried about interception nor loss, and it was quick. He asked that after the reform of the money minting method, he would still deduct the original fire consumption. Guangnan East Road took the deducted money and built a new navy to escort the escort money ..."

Zhang Dun smacked his lips and said, "If Zhao Liren didn't say that, I don't know. It turns out that the fire consumption of a new machine would be reduced, but his memorial did not say that it was. I don't know how much the fire consumption was reduced. However, the remaining money can build a navy army, I'm afraid the amount of fire consumption saved here will be quite high."

Zeng Bu smiled and said, "Then let's squeeze him out a little - look at the memorials of Zhao Liren, building schools, building military camps, and building roads and pioneering. He spends money everywhere. He still has the spare time to build a navy army. This guy's method of making money is really amazing. Now the court is short of money everywhere, so he can't let that boy be idle."

Cai Jing chuckled and interrupted: "I calculated that the lord money was transported by land, and each time three commanders were used to four commanders. The lord money came out of Guangnan must first be transported to the Qianzhou Tiju Division, and then to the Yangzhou Tiju Division to the Jinglu Tiju Division. There are probably 100,000 people passing by. Even if each person pays 100,000 yuan, this is a huge sum of money. Zhao Liren directly transported from Guangzhou, and the lord money saved for the court can probably maintain a naval army - not to mention that this naval army can still transport grain after it is completed!!

Dear prime ministers, I believe everyone can also feel the panic of the shortage of food in the capital. If this naval army is built, the court can use the naval army to transport food and grass directly from the south. In critical moments, they will send a clutch to Guangzhou, and wait for them to transport the food to the capital, which is the slowest. From this point of view, this naval army cannot be built."

After Cai Jing said that, he chuckled and added: "Li Ren is good at managing the naval army. When I was in Yangzhou, I saw his methods. I heard that he is more capable in Mizhou. Others who run a naval army may have to invest money and subsidies in it. It may not be possible to become a bottomless pit, but Li Ren has the means to make the naval army without the need for the imperial government to fund it, and it only takes one name. So why not give it to him?"

When Zeng Bu heard this, he turned to Cai Bian and asked, "What does Lord Cai mean?"

Among the three ministers in power, Zeng Bu was eased, Zhang Dun was mean, and Cai Bian was cruel. Cai Bian was a person who insisted on revenge, and the methods he had come up with were full of tricks of persuasion, which was chilling. Zeng Bu asked him about the meaning because of the obvious sign of the Shu Party on Zhao Xing's head, and he wanted to hear Cai Bian's opinion.

"This navy... According to Cai Yuanchang, we may not let him not build it. According to the report of the Office, Zhao Li people brought ten giant ships and two thousand armed servants when they took office. Later, these things were taken to Jiaozhi by his wife Chen. Zhao Xing's private army alone was actually more than the two imperial guards in the east and west of Guangnan. Now he is willing to let the court control a military force that is enough to compete, which is a good thing.

Since the navy was established, there are so many benefits - it can be allowed. The court can allocate funds in advance, but the maintenance costs in the future must be discussed. Let Zhao Liren submit a statement again to explain the maintenance plan of the navy in detail, and then the court will make a decision."

General Xu suddenly burst into laughter. In the surprised eyes of everyone, he raised a report in his hand and said: "This report says that Zhao Liren is recruiting good children to join the army. Because good children are afraid of tattooing on their faces, Zhao Liren simply gave each of them a false title of 'general', and he called this army the 'general' army. Unexpectedly, because this army is weird in uniform, the Guangdong people call it the 'uniform army'."

"What?" Cai Bian exclaimed: "This guy actually killed him first and then reported. He had already established the army, so he wanted to report to the court."

General Xu patted the report and said meaningfully: "The army of 'General' - the imperial court has no restrictions on 'General'. He rewarded thousands of generals in the 'pointing place'. The court's laws were not much, and he just couldn't control his behavior."

Cai Bian was furious: "This guy is just a fly that gets stuck in a crack. No, we need to plug this loophole."

Zhang Dun coughed lightly, interrupting Cai Bian's words, Zeng Bu said softly: "No need to block it. First, this is the law of the ancestors, and it is necessary to be cautious when it comes to changes in the military system; second, Zhao Liren has the means to support a 'general' army of good families. I believe that no one except him can attract so many good families? It doesn't matter how much money is spent, let the general do the work of soldiers... The 'general' army, the demon army, is very interesting."

Zeng Bu said this and everyone imagined an army with strange outfits. Among them, some people have been to Guangzhou, such as Cai Bian was demoted, and in his eyes, he imagined an army wearing big shorts and vests. The prime minister who had never been to Guangzhou was wild and wild, and the weirdest one was...

Everyone was thinking about it, and smiles were inevitable on the corners of their mouths.

Cai Jing said softly: "The Southern Army is unbearable to fight!"

Cai Bian nodded, threw Zhao Xing's memorial aside, and picked up the next memorial.

Cai Jing was talking about a "ancestor's law" of the imperial guards of the Song Dynasty. Because the southerners were short, Zhao Kuangyin stipulated when the country was established that the imperial guards were not allowed to choose southern soldiers. This regulation is still popular in most troops. Cai Jing used this sentence to dispel everyone's doubts. Now they only had the impression of the strange outfits in the army. The rulings present were all in their minds with a joke and were ready to see what Zhao Xing could bring the demon-supporting army.

"Please set up Hong Kong and Macau counties, and set up Guangnan Tui Division in Hong Kong..." Cai Bian read the memorial and replied: "The establishment of a county seat for the court is to increase taxes for the court. This kind of matter has always been approved as soon as you ask for it, and there is nothing to discuss."

Then, Cai Bian picked up the last memorial and looked it up. Everyone was silent and waiting for his speech. Cai Bian finished reading it, snorted in his nose and asked, "How is Su Laopo doing in Huizhou?"

Zhao Xing's memorial requested that the four persecuted Su Shi students Qin Guan, Huang Tingjian, Zhang Lei and Chao Buzhi (currently serving as the Bozhou General Judge) be transferred to Guangnan for on-site supervision or official position.
Chapter completed!