The carriage drove slowly along Donghuamen Street in the rain, and the rain washed the shop signs along the street clean. Pedestrians held umbrellas and wore straw raincoats, and hurried forward.
In the carriage, Zhao Hao urged Pan Jixun, "This is produced in Xishan, Beijing, not in Xishan, Suzhou. Try it and see if you can tell me the difference."
"Oh?" Pan Jixun was really interested. He licked it first, then bit off a piece. He closed his eyes and chewed it carefully. After a long time, he opened his eyes and said, "This stuff is purer, stronger, and crisper. It tastes good. It's really good. This is what it should be like! What the hell are those things you got in Suzhou? They're full of dregs!"
Zhao Hao smiled and nodded. He was not surprised by Pan Zhongcheng's evaluation.
Unlike the Jiangnan region which is poor in mineral resources, lime is not rare in the north.
Old Beijingers jokingly call Xishan "black and white", the black is coal and the white is limestone. The entire Xishan is full of limestone, and the reserves and quality are far superior to Suzhou Xishan. Lime kilns have always existed in history. At the beginning, the Lugouqiao coal yard purchased a large amount of slaked lime produced in Xishan to remove sulfur from coal.
Mr. Zhao had long ago instructed Fatty Tang to secretly purchase a number of lime kilns in Xishan. The one he showed Pan Jixun was the raw material he was going to use to make cement for Xishan Company.
Pan Jixun naturally understood Zhao Hao's intention, and his expression darkened. He felt that the limestone in his mouth was bitter and astringent, and it was no longer as delicious.
He threw the remaining limestone back into the small box, handed it back to Zhao Hao and said, "I don't need cement here. The plan to use water to flush sand has been rejected."
It's not that Pan Jixun is too petty and unwilling to share his secret weapon with Zhu Heng and Weng Dali. It's because the Yellow River is an above-ground river, and the river bank is several feet above the ground. The current technology cannot directly replace the earthen bank with a concrete bank. If the bank is built outside the bank like Kunshan, the amount of cement required is so much that Zhao Hao cannot produce it in ten years.
After all, the flow of the Yellow River is 200 times that of the Wusong River, so the experience of building dikes in the Yellow River can be used in the Wusong River. But the experience of building dikes in the Wusong River cannot be transferred to the Yellow River for use.
Therefore, unless we choose Pan Jixun's method of first repairing the old course of the Yellow River with cement and then raising the embankment to flush the water, earthen embankments are still more suitable for the Yellow River at present.
Master Zhao pushed the small box back into Pan Jixun's hands and said with a smile: "Who is the Minister? How could you be defeated by a temporary setback? I believe that the only one who can control the Yellow River in the Ming Dynasty is you!"
"Oh?" Pan Jixun still valued Zhao Hao's words. Hearing this, he couldn't help but ask in anticipation: "Why, do you still believe in my method of restraining water and attacking sand?"
"Of course, you are the water god of my Ming Dynasty. No one in this world knows how to control water better than you!" Young Master Zhao nodded heavily, thinking that after all, four hundred years later, people are still using your method of controlling water and attacking sand to control the Yellow River.
"So, my method is very scientific?" Old Pan couldn't help but be excited.
"Scientific, very scientific!" Young Master Zhao smiled and gave a thumbs up.
"I told you so," Pan Jixun took out the ore Zhao Hao gave him last time, put it in his mouth and started to chew it. Then he miraculously perked up. "How could I be wrong about something I have studied over and over again?"
"The truth is often in the hands of a few people." Young Master Zhao was sweating slightly. He just wanted to be a human analyzer. Oh no, he wanted Pan Zhongcheng to have a taste of it. He didn't want him to eat it like candy beans!
The Ming Dynasty’s water conservancy master wouldn’t have died from excessive heavy metals, right?
Young Master Zhao couldn't help but secretly decide to try to get some safe minerals for him to use as snacks in the future.
But where are the edible minerals? White quartz, gypsum, mica, mineral salts? Zhongcheng is tired of eating these things.
~~
While Zhao Hao was daydreaming, the carriage stopped at Lumichang Hutong and arrived at Zhihua Temple.
"Would you like to come in and sit down?" Pan Jixun asked Zhao Hao.
"I won't go into the temple. I get dizzy when I see monks." Zhao Hao shook his head and said with a smile, "If Zhongcheng still wants to go back to Suzhou, our fleet will be returning tomorrow. We can give you a ride, first class, for quite a bit of money."
"I understand." Pan Jixun shook his head and said, "Wouldn't it be a joke if you went back so soon?"
"How could that be? Everyone is eager for you to return and take charge." Zhao Hao said with a smile: "There are countless embankments in Jiangnan, all waiting for the Zhongcheng to plan."
"Those things are too simple, your uncle can handle them." Pan Jixun couldn't help but smile. His days in Kunshan were quite pleasant. At least everyone took his words as their guiding principle.
"I want to challenge a difficult task and go with Zhu Hengnan to survey the Yellow River. I don't think they will dare to chase me away."
"Then I'm afraid this trip won't be a very pleasant one." Zhao Hao couldn't help but smile bitterly. This old man loved to fight like a child.
"That's right, you can't let me be unhappy alone." Pan Jixun got out of the car with a laugh, waved to Zhao Hao, and strode towards the temple gate.
Pan Dafu bowed deeply to Mr. Zhao. He was a student of Yufeng Academy, but he dropped out of school to take care of me.
Zhao Hao smiled and nodded at him. Pan Dafu then quickly opened the umbrella and turned around to chase his father.
The carriage slowly drove away from Lumichang Hutong, but did not return to Zhaojia Hutong. Instead, it went straight out of the city and arrived at Datong River Wharf.
The Jiangnan Shipping fleet has completed its rest period and will set off for homeward voyage early tomorrow morning.
Zhao Hao came to see you off.
~~
Knowing that he was coming, Chen Huaixiu waited at the dock with an umbrella.
When Zhao Hao jumped off the carriage, she came up to him with a smile and held an umbrella for him to protect him from the rain.
"Sister Huaixiu, have you been waiting for a long time?" Zhao Hao greeted Boss Chen with a smile.
"I just got here too." Chen Huaixiu smiled and shook her head. She was not wearing... the neat warrior robe she had worn on the boat. Instead, she changed into a lake blue skirt and only wrapped her head with a light blue scarf to distinguish her from a girl.
"Refreshments are available on board."
"Let's not get on the boat yet." Zhao Hao stretched himself, took a deep breath of the fresh air in the rain and said, "Let's walk. It's too stuffy to sit in the car."
Chen Huaixiu naturally agreed, holding an umbrella for Zhao Hao and following him.
"Men should hold umbrellas for women." Zhao Hao took the umbrella from her. Although Chen Huaixiu is as capable as any man, the petite Jiangnan women can always inspire more masculinity in men.
Chen Huaixiu smiled and let him do what he wanted. After leaving Jiangnan, Mr. Zhao's aura was obviously much more restrained. It was as if he had changed from the boss of the Jiangnan Group who was in charge of the country to a boy of sixteen or seventeen years old.
This feeling is not bad either.
The two of them walked aimlessly along the stone road and unknowingly arrived at Datong Bridge.
I don't know if it's because of the rain, but the rice shop near Datong Bridge is much quieter. People who want to buy rice can go inside the shop and no longer have to queue up in a long line.
Zhao Hao even saw a shop called "Ju Fu Rice Shop" which had closed down.
"It seems that the rice shop business is not doing well." Mr. Zhao sighed casually and asked, "What is the current price of rice?"
"The price of rice today is 1.5 yuan." Chen Huaixiu answered softly. After hesitating for a moment, she did not tell Zhao Hao that the closure of this rice shop was also related to them.
"That's a significant reduction." Zhao Hao felt very relieved. He didn't expect that the effect of his effort would be so good.
If one stone of rice is sold for 1.5 ounces of silver, then one catty of rice is ten cents. Although it is still expensive, it is at least within the affordability of the people in the capital.
"Those people in the rice business hate us to death." Chen Huaixiu smiled bitterly and said, "We caught a few people who wanted to set fire to the ship the night before last."
"Oh?" Young Master Zhao was slightly surprised. He hadn't heard the report. "Who is so bold as to touch the Princess' fleet?"
"They are just some hooligans we found on the street. They don't even know who ordered them to do it." The Shachuan Gang is used to this kind of thing. Chen Huaixiu can handle it himself. Of course he won't disturb Zhao Hao. Wouldn't that make him look down on him?
"If you encounter this kind of thing in the capital in the future, ask Tang Youde to find Eunuch Ji, and I guarantee that no one will be so blind as to deal with it." Zhao Hao reminded Chen Huaixiu.
"Remember." Chen Huaixiu smiled, his eyes flickering with a charming look. It was obvious that the matter had been properly handled using the Sand Boat Gang's method.
"Before you set sail tomorrow, put up the banner that says you are transporting grain under imperial order." Zhao Hao ordered with some concern, "Otherwise I'm worried that the grain transport office will cause trouble for you."
The fleets of Jiangnan Shipping from Datong River to Sanchakou, Tianjin, were all under the jurisdiction of the Canal Transport Office. When their fifty grain ships came to Beijing, they must have been targeted by the Canal Transport Office. Without the princess in charge on this return trip, Zhao Hao was very worried that Chen Huaixiu and his party would get into trouble.
"We have sent people to clean the river first. They said there is a sluice gate that will make things difficult for us." Chen Huaixiu said softly, "But we don't have any cargo, so they can only watch."
Beijing is the commercial center of the north. It has everything from grassland furs, ginseng, deer antlers, bear paws, and other things that are scarce in Jiangnan. As long as they are sold back to Jiangnan, they can easily make a profit of one or two times.
However, Zhao Hao was worried that the grain transport office would be tempted by the money, so he ordered Chen Huaixiu to leave the capital with an empty ship and purchase goods in Tianjin. In fact, it would not make any difference, but the variety and quantity would not be as rich as in the capital, but it would be cheaper.
As for the so-called "sweeping the river", it is the jargon of the Sand Boat Gang. It means that before the main force sets out, they send out capable personnel to gather information and clear obstacles along the way.
Although the Sand Boat Gang usually operated on the Yangtze River and rarely came to the North Canal, Wu Ji Carriage and Horse Company had been active on this canal for more than ten years, so it helped its brother company to take on the task of "sweeping the river".
"We are under the banner of the palace, so I don't think they dare to do anything reckless. At most, they will disgust you." Zhao Hao couldn't help but laugh at himself when he heard that. Whether it was Wu Ji or the Shachuan Gang, they were all old hands and there was no need for a rookie boss like him to worry about them.
As they were talking, the two returned to the dock. Zhao Hao handed the oil-paper umbrella back to Chen Huaixiu, waved at her with a smile and said, "Sister Huaixiu, see you next month."
"Young Master, see you next month." Chen Huaixiu also smiled and bowed to him.
ps. Third update. Also, take a day off on Saturday, see you on Sunday!