"Catch up, catch up, why are you dawdling?"
"Everyone, hurry up. There's a big town five miles ahead where you can stop and rest."
Under the scorching sun, a guard team of nearly a thousand people escorted exquisite goods worth millions of taels of silver, as well as hundreds of accompanying clerks and shopkeepers, to the northwest.
The journey was slow and the team was several miles apart.
To ensure safety, the guard leader Zhao San had to order his men to ride horses and patrol back and forth along the team, urging the men to go faster and faster.
There are not many days left before the two-month deadline set by Madam Zhao and Pei Meng.
The goods must be delivered to the northwest on time and in full before the deadline, and the handover must be smooth.
Zhao San rode his horse to the front and met up with Qian Fu, Deng Cunli and Master Wuwang.
"Eunuch Qian, Eunuch Deng, the weather is too hot, and both humans and animals are exhausted. If we continue on this journey, I'm afraid there will be accidents."
If something unexpected happens to this shipment, it won't just be a matter of money. The entire strategy will be affected.
Pei Meng persuaded the Duke of Lu and began to work on a temporary truce with Xiliang to prepare for future trade.
If they fail to perform properly or something goes wrong, they can only atone for it with death.
Qian Fu asked, "What suggestions does General Zhao have?"
Zhao San already had an idea. "We won't be leaving today. Let's rest in the town ahead. Starting tomorrow, we'll set off two hours earlier. We'll travel in the morning and rest by noon. This way, we can ensure that the team arrives in the northwest on time."
"How far are we from the northwest exactly?"
"There are still three hundred miles to go." Zhao San said affirmatively.
Qian Fu exchanged glances with Deng Cunli, then said, "The rest of the journey will be entirely up to General Zhao. Safety is paramount. Also, send someone to the northwest as fast as possible and ask General Pei to send troops to escort us. If I remember correctly, there's a stretch of road ahead that's not going to be safe!"
Deng Cunli managed the wool industry for Gu Jiu in his early years. He spent many years in the northwest and was very familiar with the situation there.
He said, "The terrain a hundred miles ahead is steep and rugged, with dense forests. Bandits are active there year-round. In the past, our family had a friendly relationship with the bandit leader, and we could even pay money to ward off disasters. Unfortunately, the bandit leader we knew has been dead for two years. Today's bandit leaders won't give our family face."
Qian Fu looked ahead and said, "The only way to the northwest is through bandits harassing us. This is not conducive to our future plans. We can't live in fear every time we transport goods to this section of the road. To ensure the safety of the goods, we need to thoroughly clean up the road ahead and kill those who should be killed. Don't let any bandits go, regardless of gender, age or status."
Deng Cunli said, "The local government is incompetent. Don't count on them to suppress the bandits. The Northwest Army is a frontier army, responsible only for external warfare. Without a warrant from the Northwest Grand Marshal's Office, you are not allowed to interfere in local bandit suppression and defense."
Qian Fu smiled. "Eunuch Deng reminded us. Master Wuwang, please write a letter by hand. General Zhao will send it to the Duke of Lu for his review. The content is about us encountering a group of rats on the road, which is very disgusting."
Please ask him to lend us a few experienced rat killers. We will return them promptly after we have cleaned up the area along the way."
The rats, of course, refer to the bandits along the way.
The people who kill rats are not the soldiers, but those who specialize in gathering intelligence, fighting ten people at a time, and have fierce combat power.
"Amitabha!"
Wuwang chanted a Buddhist name, dismounted, got on the carriage, and wrote a letter.
After the letter was written, Zhao San also gathered his men.
A team of twenty people, each with two horses, carried letters, missions and seals, and rode at full speed to the Northwest Army camp.
The caravan continued to move forward.
Qian Fu asked Zhao San, "How long will it take to clear all the rats from the mountain?"
Zhao San said, "If we can really borrow the Northwest Army's Night Bandits, we can clear the mountain in three days at most. If it's just ordinary soldiers, it's hard to say how long it will take. The terrain in the mountains is complicated, and those bandits can just hide in the mountains to escape pursuit."
Qian Fu looked at the distant mountains and said, "I really want to set a fire and burn the whole mountain."
Deng Cunli laughed, "That won't work. There are many villages and markets at the foot of the mountain."
Qian Fu smiled and said, "It's just a casual remark, Eunuch Deng, don't take it seriously."
Deng Cunli asked with a smile: "Isn't it time to deal with the little tail at the back?"
Qian Fu said, "Wait two more days and see if anyone else joins this little tail. After two days, General Zhao will have to lead his men to completely eliminate the tail behind. Remember to cut the grass at its roots and leave no future troubles. Don't be soft-hearted.
Don't worry about women, children, or the elderly. If you do this, you must be prepared to be beheaded. We don't want General Zhao to let any trouble go because of a moment of weakness."
Zhao San clasped his fists and said, "Don't worry, Eunuch Qian, I will never be soft-hearted."
"That's great!"
…
Capital city.
Qingmei and Zhao San have been married for three years and have had two children.
A big fat boy and a girl make up a good word.
When Zhao San volunteered to go to Xiliang, Qingmei was against it.
There are so many dangers on the way to Xiliang.
just in case……
Qingmei didn't dare to think too much.
But when she saw the desire and passion in Zhao San's eyes, she knew she couldn't stop him.
I can stop it this time, but I can’t stop it next time.
Even though she was reluctant, Qingmei still agreed to let Zhao San go to Xiliang.
She silently packed Zhao San's luggage and sent him away from the capital.
After the person left, she was sad for several days before she came to her senses.
Until the Xinmin County Girls' Intermediate School sent her a letter of employment.
"Ask me to be your teacher? I, I don't have that ability. No, no, I can't teach anyone. Don't mislead the students."
Gu Jiu laughed and pinched her cheek, "I'm not asking you to teach the Four Books and Five Classics, what are you afraid of?"
"I don't know anything, what can I teach?"
"I trained you personally, so you can teach me a lot. Embroidery, accounting, housekeeping, training little girls, welcoming guests, you can teach me all of these."
Qingmei was stunned. "Madam, I'd like to ask, what exactly does this girls' school teach?"
Gu Jiu smiled softly, "Simply put, the girls' primary school mainly teaches literacy and arithmetic. The school lasts three years, and by the time they graduate, every student must be able to write and do arithmetic.
In addition to providing cultural knowledge, the girls' secondary school primarily teaches them livelihood skills. Take embroidery, for example. Girls from impoverished families don't even have the opportunity to touch a needle and thread, let alone learn it. By teaching them embroidery, they gain a livelihood skill. With this skill, they earn an extra income and a little respect.
Gu Jiu's words convinced Qingmei.
After that, she packed her luggage and took her children to Xinmin County Intermediate Girls' School to work as a teacher.
Teach embroidery and accounting.
The school has a childcare worker who helps take care of the children, allowing Qingmei to focus on teaching.
At the same time, the school also offers conservation courses.
The demand for childcare workers among wealthy families in Beijing is increasing, but this market is very unregulated and chaotic.
The girls' secondary school's opening of a childcare course naturally relies on high-quality students to capture this market and build a good reputation for the girls' school.
As the school becomes more famous, more and more wealthy families will come to recruit students from the girls' school.
A woman who can read, count, understand the rules, know her limits, pay attention to hygiene, and has various skills is naturally a hundred times more popular than those who can't read a single word, are ignorant, and can't control their mouths.
When more and more girls in schools find jobs and earn as much as men, more and more parents will realize that girls are not money-losing goods and can also earn money to support their families.
More parents will send their children to school to learn life skills.
By then, high-level schools for girls can also be established.
What do you learn in advanced schools?
Of course, it is to learn music, chess, calligraphy, painting, the Four Books and Five Classics, poetry and songs.
After completing their studies, they could work as female teachers in wealthy families, teaching young ladies.
The job is noble and the salary is high.
In Gu Jiu's eyes, the maids around Liu Zhao are all top talents.
It's such a waste to climb into a man's bed and become his concubine.
These maids have been professionally trained since childhood, and have learned the Four Books and Five Classics, as well as the arts of music, chess, calligraphy, painting, needlework, embroidery, housekeeping, and accounting. They are all good at it. And they are also beautiful.
Such talents certainly cannot be wasted.
Every one of them was stuffed into the school by Gu Jiu to be teachers.
They became the first teachers in the girls' school.
Even the maids like Shiqin and Shiqi, who originally worked at Xianrenju and as managers in the textile workshop, quit their jobs and went to the school to become teachers.
"Teachers have a good reputation, are noble, well-paid, and respected. When I walk down the street and meet students, they all call me 'sir'."
"I came here just for the title 'Mr.'. Besides, the pay is pretty good compared to the textile workshop, and it's even more leisurely."
"It's clean and tidy, and there are no stinky men to harass me. Of course, I'm teaching."
When working at Xianrenju, you are bound to run into a few ignorant people.
"We don't believe we are any worse than Qingmei. If Qingmei can teach, why can't we?"
"That's right! At least our handwriting is better than Qingmei's. We have all read the Four Books and Five Classics, but Qingmei hasn't."
When several maids gathered together, they were bound to compete with the childhood sweetheart who came out from Gu Jiu's side.
Qingmei chuckled twice, saying that it was useless to just talk big.
"During the final exam, let's compare the students we teach. Do you dare?"
"If you are not brave enough, then compete."
The two sides issued a declaration of war, and secretly made up their minds to redouble their training on their students after returning.
If you can't defeat the other party, just write the name upside down.
Wang Yi had nothing to do, so she went to Gu Jiu and begged, "Madam, I also want to go to the school to teach and teach female guards. Girls from wealthy families always need to have a skilled maid to serve them."
Gu Jiu has a headache.
"You can teach the maids in the church."
"The maids in the mansion are all delicate and stupid. No matter how you teach them, they can't learn. You have to choose girls from farming families, those who have experienced hardship since childhood and have strong bodies to teach them martial arts."
Wang Yi spoke very clearly.
Gu Jiu asked, "Who taught you this?"
Wang Yi chuckled, "Brother Yu taught me."
Yu Ge'er actually gave Wang Yi some advice?
Gu Jiu shook his head, "Did Brother Yu really teach you that?"
Wang Yi nodded heavily, "Madame Fang also knows. Brother Yu taught me to say this, saying that Madam would definitely agree."
Gu Jiu was at a loss for words. "Don't worry about this. Even if I let you go to the academy, there won't be any suitable students for you to teach. Wait a few days, and I'll tell you after I think it over."
"I'm waiting for good news from Madam." Wang Yi left happily.
Gu Jiu ordered someone to call Yu Ge'er over.
"You gave Wang Yi the advice?"
Yu Ge'er nodded cautiously, "My son saw that she was anxious, so he casually mentioned it."
"What made you think of asking her to find a peasant girl to teach her martial arts?"
"My mother once said that the people who can endure the most hardships are the daughters of farmers whose families are in financial difficulty, especially the eldest daughter. With a bunch of younger brothers and sisters, it's impossible not to endure hardships."
Gu Jiu didn't expect that Yu Ge'er would remember his unintentional words.
She touched Yu Ge'er's head and said, "Teach your younger brother more when you have time. You can browse the books in my study at will. As for the books in your father's study, I will discuss with him and set up a small study for you and move the books there for you to read."
There is no sensitive content in Gu Jiu's study.
Liu Zhao's study was filled with sensitive information. It was inappropriate to let Yu Ge'er come in and out at will.
Yu Ge'er smiled happily, "Thank you, mother! I'll go take my brother to play in the water."
"be safe!"
"My son knows."
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