Emperor Ming Dynasty

Chapter 274

After visiting Zhang Shenyan, Zheng Sen wandered around Xiangyang, accompanied by young people who talked eloquently in Zhang's residence.

He is said to be a young man, but in fact he has also passed the examination. His name is Li Shunhui, his style name is Yaochen, he is in his thirties, and he is waiting for the examination.

Stopping and stopping along the way, I walked around the city unknowingly.

It's really the twelfth lunar month of winter, the plum blossoms are just blooming, and the bustling crowd makes the atmosphere more lively.

A large number of big men, dressed in strong clothes, or in small groups, or with their wives and belts, squandered the entire street, which is eye-catching.

You don't need to think about it to know that these people are soldiers in the military camp.

As for the vendors, their faces were flushed red as they warmly welcomed the customers and tirelessly sold them.

Li Yaochen was quite excited. Seeing Zheng Sen's curious face, he opened his cotton robe a little to let out the heat:
"Brother Zheng is curious. According to common sense, soldiers are cheap and people are expensive since the dynasty. Why are the soldiers in Xiangyang so extravagant?"

"Why is that?" Zheng Sen was very cooperative, he knew that this bad-mouthed guy would suffer if he didn't serve him well.

"It's nothing more than Prince Yu's so-called pro-military policy."

Li Yaochen glanced sideways at those soldiers, with some disdain in his eyes, he talked eloquently:

"King Yu is kind-hearted, not only did he give the salary, these soldiers eat and drink freely in the army, and they eat and drink to their fullest. It is not difficult to support a family with only the salary."

"In addition, there are many clothes in spring and winter, and there are plenty of rewards during festivals. For example, in this autumn, autumn grains from all over the country are stored in warehouses, and the Xiangyang government treasury can't keep them for a while. The King of Yu even distributed a stone of grain to each of the soldiers..."

"There are tens of thousands of soldiers outside Xiangyang City, all of whom are wealthy!"

Zheng Sen was stunned.

This king of Yu was really unexpected. Not only did he not withhold food and pay, but he even treated the soldiers generously. No wonder the military spirit is attached.

learnt.

"Let's go!" Li Yaochen curled his lips, not without bitterness, and said: "These people have no eyes, they only know how to curry favor with those warriors, which is meaningless."

Zheng Sen nodded in agreement, and then asked: "Yao Chen, how much is this warrior's monthly salary?"

Li Yaochen was taken aback, thought for a while, and then said: "It's about [-] Wen, if it's in the south of the Yangtze River, it would be two taels of silver."

In just a hundred years, the Americas and Japan imported hundreds of millions of taels of silver, especially after the opening of Longqing, and the influx of silver made Jiangnan's silver cheap and copper expensive, and every family changed rice to mulberry, and the price of food was high.

Even in Jiangnan, it is considered high.

Zheng Sen muttered, his father might not allow it, and his family of [-] sailors had to take care of food and drink, so it was completely unbearable.

Can't learn, can't learn.

Unknowingly, the two of them left the city with their servants, took a small boat, and came to the Han River.

Compared with the Yangtze River, the water volume of the Han River is not as good, but the water waves are not the same, and it is difficult to manage without a little effort.

The river waves rolled and the boat swayed, but Zheng Sen was happy and unafraid, he played steadily and looked up.

On both sides of the Han River, a large amount of farmland has been harvested and weeds have grown. Many farmers are not idle, fertilizing the land from time to time.

And he took a closer look, and found that the fertilizers were directly salvaged from the river by boatmen, the big fish were sold, and the small fish were sold directly to the farmers.

Open and aboveboard, without taboo.

"This is?"

Li Yaochen followed his gaze, smiled and shook his head: "It's just fat."

"Before King Yu said that cultivating fish fertilizer can raise the fields. We in Huguang don't have many other things, but there are a lot of fish, so let's try it."

"Who knows, the effect is so good that many people follow suit."

"Can it increase production?" Zheng Sen's calm face was full of surprises, what is this saying?
"It can increase production by [-] to [-] percent!"

Li Yaochen babbled, and had to say: "Although King Yu's method is beneficial to farmers, it is limited to the land of fish and rice, and it is difficult to popularize it."

One or two percent...

Zheng Sen was dumbfounded.

It took him a long time to recover.

In addition to those farmers, there may be fisherman who benefited. In the past, they had to give up small fish and shrimps, but they were able to sell them for money. Everyone was smiling, and they couldn't stop.

Unknowingly, the ship came to a place full of thick smoke.

I saw a large number of blast furnaces standing in a row, billowing thick smoke filled the air, it was so dark that it seemed to cover the world, it was extremely shocking.

Countless ships, unloading a large amount of coal, and then loaded boxes of weapons, walked slowly.

"My lord, we can't go ahead," said the fisherman.

"What's the matter? Go and see!" Li Yaochen didn't take it seriously, but he was also full of curiosity.

"Stop-"

Just when Zheng Sen was in a trance, several small boats came directly, and the big man on them roared unceremoniously:
"Military important place, go back quickly, or you will go to the cell to sit for a while."

The fisherman was so frightened that he didn't dare to say anything, so he took the oars and left directly.

Zheng Sen's face was full of regret, what was under the thick smoke?
"Old man, how important is this place?"

Zheng Sen asked hurriedly.

"I don't know, but it is rumored that many traders will come here to buy some hoes and other things in the iron-making area here, which are cheap and easy to use."

The fisherman's face was full of wrinkles, and he said with a little fear: "No one dares to come here to be presumptuous, unless they have a brand."

Zheng and Li have lost interest. Iron smelting is nothing more than a craftsman's job. As for making such a big commotion?
And not far away, on the pier, King Yu was dressed in ordinary clothes, looking chic and free, looking up at the blast furnaces lined up with pride in his heart.

It took a year to finally produce some industry.

At this moment, as if he had a feeling in his heart, he turned his head and saw a small boat leaving quickly, like a frightened bird.

The few people on board seemed to be scholars.

Shaking his head, he had nothing to do when he was full, so he meant these people!
"Your Highness?" Yang Le asked suspiciously.

"nothing!"

Zhu Yixi shook his head, and his leather boots stepped on the black charcoal ground without hesitation, already quite excited about this place.

The army is about to start. Apart from food and grass, weapons and equipment are also the top priority.

In this regard, Jiangying naturally has to inspect one or two.

Although old man Wang Yan was still in good spirits, he was too old and unable to do what he wanted. The only one who accompanied King Yu was his apprentice.

"Your Highness, although Jiangying now produces more than [-] catties of iron every day, it is not as good as Huangmeizhi. The pig iron that is used daily is Huangmeizhi's pig iron, and the supply is still sufficient."

The man said cautiously, leading the way: "In addition, the simple iron armor you requested can produce [-] pairs a day, and the rest will be tempered according to your thoughts."

Although the simple molded armor is convenient and cheap, it is not on the table after all. Only chain mail is king.

"How much can I have every month?" King Yu asked bluntly.

"There are a hundred workshops, and there are a thousand pairs every month."

"Too little."

King Yu said dissatisfied: "It takes a year to equip the personal army battalion, which is too slow."

(End of this chapter)