Chapter 130 "Money and Supplies" Are Ready in the South...
"Alright, you can go back and pack your things. Tell your uncle to get on his way soon." After Qi Chengming changed his clothes and went back, the matter was pretty much settled.
Zhang Ting looked at the young prince in front of him, hesitated, and still did not kneel down and prostrate himself.
He currently holds no power... therefore he is not qualified to pledge allegiance to the new ruler. However, that day will come.
“Yes, I will pack up my sister’s things first…” Before Zhang Ting could finish speaking, Zhang Xian glared at him and interrupted him with a red face, “I will go back with my brother.”
Nanny Liu smoothed things over, saying, "Have the carriage bring Ya'er back."
From now on, if they stay in Liuzhou, they will be called "Tian Ya".
Zhang Ting agreed.
Compared to his initial despair and emptiness, Zhang Ting now felt only eager motivation and boundless fighting spirit upon returning. He humbly and confidently relayed his uncle's "good news" about the upcoming journey, and also showed off the rewards he had received, including the fact that a carriage from the Prince's mansion was waiting at the gate.
This shocked the Zhang family, who had been living in fear for a long time, making them realize that something had changed.
This once down-on-his-luck and unassuming eldest son of the main wife has suddenly risen to prominence, becoming a highly sought-after figure in the mansion. Many servants are noticing the presence of this fourth master for the first time.
Zhang Rui, keeping a low profile and looking rather dejected, led his entire family back on the road the next day, not daring to linger in Liuzhou any longer.
...
Qi Chengming calculated the time: "With the cement road, we can communicate with Yulin Prefecture at a fast pace within ten days."
He wasn't used to wearing sachets or jade pendants, so this time he could only rummage through the storeroom and find a grape pendant of a special color to give to Zhang Ting as a token for communication. It was carved from natural red agate, its color intoxicating and lifelike. He had found it among the several boatloads of gifts that the Wang clan had inexplicably sent to befriend Qi Chengming last time.
Speaking of this, Qi Chengming was troubled by something: "...Has Doctor Bian not returned yet?"
It's been more than half a year, and I've made two or three trips back and forth. Where has Dr. Bian been?
He could only summon the veterans, instruct them to release the carrier pigeons, and then return to Beijing to inquire.
It was August when news came from Qi Chengming's men who had stayed on the coast—Mr. Huang Dong had returned with his fleet! Several ships were loaded with silver ore, although one of the sailors on one of the ships was suffering from vomiting and diarrhea and was on the verge of death.
Fortunately, the round trip was not long. After returning to the village, there were caravan members waiting to meet them. The doctor busily prescribed medicine, hoping that one dose would stop the bleeding, otherwise they would have to leave it to fate.
Apart from this little incident, everything else is good news.
Besides the initial group that submitted, the indigenous people of Silver Island Prefecture encountered and dealt with several other groups of local inhabitants while the group was mining. Upon Huang Dong's return, he left one of his trusted confidants and half of his men on the island to oversee the operation. The plan was to continue mining and expanding the territory over the next six months to secure Silver Island Prefecture's ownership.
Huang Dong can only send the ship out after the hurricane season this winter.
Silver ore needs to be refined into silver. After Huang Dong and his team returned, they processed it on-site. With sufficient manpower, they initially estimated that it would be completed in half a month. Therefore, Huang Dong suggested in his letter that the silver ore was still too heavy and took up space on the ship. It would be better to refine it into silver on the island in the future and then transport it back.
The manpower and resources available on the island are always more convenient than those in the seaside village.
With so many convicted officials being exiled there, the village was under constant guard, so it was better to exile them all to the island to mine, where they wouldn't be able to escape even if they wanted to.
There's also the salt-drying pond on the east side of the village, which has inefficiently produced a batch of smuggled salt over the past few months. After purification, it has become high-quality 'white salt'. In the past, such high-quality 'white salt' was even more expensive than 'green salt', almost equivalent to gold. The saying 'one tael of gold for one tael of salt' refers to white salt.
However, with market prices now artificially inflated, banknotes are practically worthless, and bartering is the norm, often leading to chaotic transactions. The precious role of 'white salt' becomes even more crucial in such times.
The caravan reported that the salt could be traded and sold, secretly exchanging it for more profits in Jiangnan. However, with the hurricane season approaching, the salt-making work on the coast had to be stopped before spring arrived.
—If Your Highness wishes to produce smuggled salt more consistently, they will devise another method.
Qi Chengming's reply was simply a big "good".
He knew that in ancient times, many things depended on the whims of fate. He didn't even need to think about electrolysis to extract salt; he vaguely remembered a simpler method, something like boiling the salt, but he'd forgotten the specifics.
However, people in ancient times were not idiots. Qi Chengming believed in the artisans who followed Mr. Huang to the seaside village, and he also believed in the veterans in his increasingly powerful and knowledgeable caravan.
He doesn't need to worry about or remind me like a nanny.
but……
The seaside village has actually started receiving exiled officials and their families?
Qi Chengming realized what was happening and quickly opened his infrastructure system task list—
This happens when you get so engrossed in an event that you forget to check the panel. The previous three branch quests have all quietly changed to a [Completed] status.
[Branch Quest: Punish the Yang Family] (Completed), Reward: 500 points, Glassmaking Method.
[Branch Task: Clear Hidden Dangers in the River Channel and Consolidate It] (Completed), Reward: Commentary on the Waterways Classic and Complete Book on River Management.
[Side Quest: Heal the People] (Completed), Reward: 1 stone of sweet potato seeds, 50 points.
Qi Chengming: "...!!"
"Finally got it!!" He jumped up and immediately ordered in a stern voice, "Xiao Dezi, go and invite Uncle Huang over!"
Xiao Dezi, who was outside the study, didn't understand why His Highness was suddenly so agitated, but still replied, "Yes."
The personal eunuch turned and walked away quickly.
Qi Chengming steadied his breathing and sat back down in his chair.
The moment he received these rewards, he had already figured out how to handle them.
Immediately copy down the two books on flood control and send them, along with the letter, to Shen Shuzhi in Yulin Prefecture. The disgraced officials have all been exiled, and new officials need to be appointed. Qi Chengming plans to win over the county magistrates and extend his influence into Yulin Prefecture; entrusting this to Shen Shuzhi is just right.
Currently, only one infrastructure task remains to be completed: [Expanding the map to Yulin Prefecture]. It is estimated that this task can only be completed after Qi Chengming's influence extends into Yulin Prefecture and he takes office.
He had been eyeing the mission reward—a hand-cranked generator—for a long time.
"And there's the glassmaking method... We can't just copy it down for them in a simple and crude way." Qi Chengming bit his index finger knuckle, which was covered in calluses, and pondered deeply.
I've been in Liuzhou for a year now, and I've been constantly exploring and improving the glassmaking process, overcoming difficulties one by one. Now I can produce mixed-color glass, which is already circulating everywhere. The only thing I'm missing is to produce pure glass without bubbles.
This past year has been a rigorous test for the artisans, prompting them to rack their brains to think about innovation.
Qi Chengming thought for a moment, then called out again, "Xiao Chengzi, bring Bishu over tomorrow."
Among the many research and development factories large and small in Liuzhou, Bi Shu seems unremarkable, having achieved little since her transmigration. However, in reality, aside from Liu the Craftsman, Bi Shu is the most research-minded talent. Often, when faced with difficulties, her flashes of inspiration lead to new breakthroughs.
Then things become clear.
Qi Chengming planned to go to the small laboratory in the east courtyard that night to study the glass-making method, and guide Bi Shu to come up with new ideas tomorrow. In this way, they could rely on their own efforts to gradually advance to the correct steps and make glass.
And there were also the sweet potato seeds that Qi Chengming had been most looking forward to...
He has finally collected all three high-yield grain crops: potatoes, corn, and sweet potatoes! Moreover, it is currently the autumn harvest season, and the harvest of grains such as corn and wheat has just ended. The empty fields are just right for planting autumn sweet potatoes. This kind of inter-row rotation is also conducive to restoring soil fertility.
"Next year... I might actually see the scene I'm looking forward to," Qi Chengming murmured.
This year, we planted sweet potatoes, and they will be harvested around November. By then, we'll have even more seed potatoes. Next year, the third year of the grain distribution campaign, the three major grain crops will have completely broken free from the slow development of the previous two years. We'll gradually cultivate the land in Liuzhou Lingnan, including Yindao Prefecture, and plant grains... It's practically just around the corner!
Having secretly explained everything to Uncle Huang, Qi Chengming felt a weight lift from his heart.
Silver and grain.
The two most crucial and controlling lines have finally been secured.
Having firmly grasped these two words, Qi Chengming could finally be considered to have caught up with his brothers—he had finally transformed from a state of being entirely disadvantaged to one where he, like the other princes, possessed his own strengths.
“There are only two left…” Qi Chengming would not say it aloud even when he was alone. He murmured silently, staring at the text being scanned in the infrastructure system.
"Talent" and "Soldier".
Only by mastering all four of these words can Qi Chengming be considered to have carved out his own territory and possess the potential to seize the throne.
—Military power is the most sensitive thing, and Qi Chengming cannot afford any risk of exposure.
Wen Er and his cousin had both joined the army; they were his most desired helpers. Besides them, the militia secretly trained in Liuzhou, whose numbers were steadily increasing, was his true foundation. Now that Silver Island Prefecture was in place, and the island had no shortage of ore, Qi Chengming could confidently establish mines and ironworks on the island, secretly forging weapons and armor.
In the event of unforeseen circumstances, he would have a private army, giving him the power to protect himself or overturn the game.
These things can only develop slowly or passively, and Qi Chengming put it aside after thinking about it for a moment.
So the key goal for the coming year... is to "attract talent".
Last year, on his way to Liuzhou, Qi Chengming tried several times to win over some of the talented people who had sided with the Seventh Prince in the original story and the key ministers who would become his supporters later on.
In essence, most of the officials were either in the capital or nearby—which would help the Seventh Prince in the story to make connections. However, the downside was that Qi Chengming had few reasons or means to do so.
The only good news was that Li Banhui had once written a list for Qi Chengming, and later, Doctor Bian and Prefect Lu supplemented and expanded the list of officials several times, including detailed information on the situation in the court and officials from various places outside the capital, in an effort to help this prince, who was away from home, to make up for his lack of knowledge.
Qi Chengming noticed that it wasn't yet time for the Seventh Prince to exert his power in the original storyline to seize the throne. Therefore, some of the talents from the original novel were still serving as officials in other regions!
Although those places are not close to Liuzhou, they are still better than Qi Chengming's irrational idea of risking his life to run back to the capital to subdue people.
Thinking of this, Qi Chengming took out several stacks of densely written papers from a hidden compartment in the drawer under his study. The papers were covered with corrections and annotations. He carefully compared them with the details of the original text that he had previously noted in the infrastructure system, and circled several names.
The young man's gaze sharpened, his expression turning serious: "..."
The closest person to him was Xie Zhongyun, the salt commissioner of Yangzhou in Jiangnan.
...This was a truly powerful seventh-rank official. While the rank might not sound high, his actual power was so great that he could oversee second- and third-rank officials in other regions. Furthermore, because the Jiangnan region had always produced a large amount of salt, this position was consistently one of the most important, and only a close confidant of the emperor could hold it.
At the same time... this is also the position of Lin Daiyu's father in Dream of the Red Chamber, which shows how difficult this task is.
Qi Chengming breathed a sigh of relief, then thought of the batch of smuggled salt his caravan had sold to Jiangnan, and felt that everything had a wonderful connection.
No matter how difficult it is... his next step is to figure out how to take this person down!
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Author's Note: Make-up chapters, phew... the next few chapters are all make-up chapters!
The Liuzhou base has gone through its initial development phase and reached a certain stage, so it's time to quietly open up a new map.
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