When Deng Cunli walked out of the warehouse, he saw his apprentice Zhao Minfa waiting outside.
"master!"
Zhao Minfa went forward with a smile on his face.
Deng Cunli asked him, "Why are you here when you're not serving your wife?"
Zhao Minfa hurriedly explained, "My wife sent me here to invite you to Xiaozhu."
Deng Cunli nodded and said, "Lead the way."
"Master, please come this way."
Deng Cunli has been back in Beijing for some time and has been very busy.
He followed Zhao Minfa to Xiaozhu to meet Gu Jiu.
"Is the lady feeling better?"
"Thank you for your worry. I feel much better now. Please sit down and talk."
Gu Jiu placed tea and snacks in the flower hall, obviously preparing to have a long talk with Deng Cunli.
Deng Cunli bowed slightly and sat down on the round stool, looking very well-behaved.
Gu Jiu invited him to have tea, and then asked, "Are all the goods ready?"
Deng Cunli nodded. "According to Madam's instructions, we have prepared five million taels of goods. Three million taels have already been shipped, and the remaining two million are stored in the warehouse and will be shipped out in ten days. This old servant will follow the last batch of goods to the northwest."
Gu Jiu said with satisfaction, "You've done a great job. God has been cruel these past two years. There's been unrest from south to north, and the price of goods has fluctuated greatly. This time, I'm asking you to transport five million taels of goods to the northwest at once. Do you know why?"
"Madam, please give me your instructions."
Gu Jiu tapped the table lightly, thought for a moment, and then said, "As you can see, the capital is not peaceful. For the next period of time, I won't be able to split my attention to take care of the situation in the northwest. Because of Shanhe Academy and the Girls' School, more and more people are watching me.
However, the situation in the northwest must remain secret. We must not let anyone know that we are collaborating with the Northwest Army. Because if His Majesty were to find out, given His Majesty's suspicious nature, he would definitely suspect that Your Highness is colluding with the Northwest Army.
Therefore, we must take advantage of the fact that everyone's eyes are on food and Jiangnan, and transport as much of the next two years' worth of goods to the northwest as possible. In the next two years, there will be no large shipments to the northwest; I can only guarantee a small amount of replenishment. For the next two or three years, all difficulties in the northwest will depend on you to resolve. Is that a problem?"
"Thank you, madam, for your trust in me. I'll be fine." Deng Cunli nodded heavily.
Gu Jiu laughed. "I knew it was right to hand over the Northwest business to you. I heard that due to the huge purchase volume, Xinmin County has seen a lot more merchants coming in, making it busier than usual. Has it attracted the attention of the court?"
Deng Cunli nodded. "The Embroidered Uniform Guard came to inquire twice, but I sent them away each time. I told them that we were stockpiling goods in advance because we were worried about rising prices and increased costs in the south. The Embroidered Uniform Guard didn't ask any more questions. I think they believed me."
"That's great! The goods in the warehouse should be shipped out of the capital as soon as possible to avoid any complications. I'm considering opening a second trade route. If it succeeds, all goods sent to the northwest will no longer have to go through the capital."
"Madam, are you planning to open a new business route?" Deng Cunli was surprised.
Gu Jiu nodded. "I have this idea and have already sent people to investigate along the way. If it is indeed feasible, I will find a way to make it happen."
Deng Cunli was a little worried. "Will it attract the attention of the court? Opening up trade routes is no small matter after all."
Gu Jiu laughed and said, "You can rest assured about this matter. The most worrying thing for the court now is how to resettle those disaster victims. The government cannot and cannot afford to support them forever."
At this point, if I propose raising funds to build a cement road and, at the same time, construct irrigation canals in the disaster area, prioritizing the recruitment of workers from the affected population, the court will certainly be very happy to cooperate. This will solve a major problem for them, and the court will also save a large amount of food and fodder."
"Madam, are you planning to replicate a Xinmin County in the disaster area?"
Gu Jiu shook his head. "Xinmin County cannot be replicated, not even by me. But we can start several major projects at the same time to solve the problem of feeding and resettling the disaster victims."
"This is a very laborious and expensive undertaking. Furthermore, there will be no immediate returns, and a large amount of money and grain will be required. I don't understand why Madam would undertake such a thankless task. Furthermore, the disaster area is thousands of miles away from the capital, and this is not Madam's responsibility."
Deng Cunli couldn't understand it at all.
Gu Jiu nodded, "It's indeed not my responsibility."
"Is Madam trying to win the hearts of His Highness?"
"Of course not! As you said, the disaster area is thousands of miles away from the capital, and the people's sentiments there cannot affect the overall situation in the capital."
"Why does the lady do these things?"
Gu Jiu clapped his hands, and the maid Aqing understood the opportunity and took out a map from Angri in the study and unfolded it in front of Deng Cunli.
The map that occupies the desktop clearly depicts the world. Rivers, mountains, rivers, towns and villages...
Deng Cunli had never seen such a high-definition map and was instantly shocked.
“This, this…”
He looked so excited that he could hardly contain himself.
What is a map?
In this era, maps are military weapons.
It is a treasure that must never be shown to others.
It is a top-secret document that only a few people have the privilege to see.
A complete map means gaining the upper hand in war.
In the ancient society with vast land and sparse population, without maps, soldiers could be led into ditches in minutes.
Especially when fighting in the wild, the map is a life-saving magic weapon that helps you gain the upper hand over the enemy.
Throughout history, countless people have lost their way during battle, thus missing opportunities and even rewriting the history of a family or a country.
The importance of visible maps.
Especially such a high-definition and accurate map.
This is a rare treasure!
Without waiting for Deng Cunli to ask, Gu Jiu took the initiative to explain, "This map took several years to create and is probably the most complete map in the world. This is all thanks to the teachers and students of the academy, who traveled tirelessly for years to survey and map the mountains and rivers. Only then did this map come to be."
Deng Cunli was surprised. "Madam, are you saying that this map was drawn by the teachers and students of the academy? This, this, this... Madam, aren't you worried that they'll leak the information?"
Gu Jiu shook his head. "You misunderstood. The map was drawn by me personally. The teachers and students of the academy are responsible for providing me with data from various places to ensure the accuracy of the map."
"Did the lady draw it herself?"
Gu Jiu nodded. "This is such a serious matter that I can't leave it to the people below me right now. I have to do it myself. In fact, I wanted to do this many years ago. At that time, I was struggling with the lack of accurate data, so I only drew a rough map of the capital."
After the academy established the "Travel Around the World" program, professors led teams of outstanding students on tours around the world. I assigned them homework: collecting data on local customs, geology, and topography. This data was then compiled and compiled by me, resulting in this map.
In order to keep it confidential, Gu Jiu drew the entire thing by hand.
He asked the bookshop to send a set of printing tools, and Liu Zhao personally printed two sets in color.
One of the sets was taken to Jiangnan by Liu Zhao.
Gu Jiu said, "You are the fifth person who knows about the existence of this map. Remember to keep it secret."
"Even if I die, I won't reveal a single word! But how does this relate to Madam's plan?"
Gu Jiu casually drew a circle on the map. "This area is the hardest hit area this year. Next to it is the prosperous Jiangnan region. Do you see it?"
Deng Cunli frowned, "Madam, do you want to govern Jiangnan?"
Gu Jiu laughed and shook his head. "I want to develop grain-producing areas. This land of fish and rice has great potential. The current annual grain production is less than one twentieth of the potential.
If this entire area were fully developed, the waterways opened up, water conservancy projects were built, fertile fields were cultivated, and the impoverished people of the northwest were relocated there to cultivate the land, then in the future, when the population became dense and the rice granaries were full, it would truly be a land of fish and rice.
Deng Cunli frowned. "Madam always said that farming doesn't make much money. Why have you changed your mind now?"
Gu Jiu's hand slowly moved towards the north, and finally landed in Xinmin County. "Xinmin County is my foundation, but this foundation has a fatal weakness. He has no backup and no way out.
Now, God has given me an opportunity to take control of this vast land. As long as we manage it properly, in a few years, this will become our second base and our backup.
The population, food, students, and various resources here are all at my disposal. With just a tiny investment of money and food, I can obtain all of this. There is no reason for this lady to pass up this opportunity that has been delivered to her doorstep."
"What about the government? How do you plan to deal with them, Madam? The imperial court will not sit idly by and watch Madam govern this place without intervening."
Gu Jiu chuckled, "So we need a supporting plan to attract the attention of everyone inside and outside the court. Let people ignore this place."
Deng Cunli instantly understood Gu Jiu's plan.
"Madam, are you planning to use the academy and bookstore to attract the attention of the imperial court?"
"Exactly! Don't forget we still have San Yuan Gong."
Once Sanyuan Gong appears, who will care about the people in the disaster area thousands of miles away?
Deng Cunli was extremely surprised. "Could it be that when Madam recruited Sanyuan Gong, she had already thought of this day?"
"Of course not. I'm not a fortune teller. I couldn't have predicted such a severe disaster in Jiangling years ago. I recruited Sanyuan Gong because of his fame and influence. Who knows, he might be useful someday. Clearly, this move was the right one. Sanyuan Gong has lived up to my kindness."
The salary that Gu Jiu gave to Sanyuan Gong was definitely a high salary.
It is enough for Sanyuan Gong to support his entire family, and more than enough.
Mr. Sanyuan, I have never let you down.
Don't let me down!
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