Chapter 132
Chapter 132
Ji Yuan's passion for farming far exceeds anything else.
No matter how much profit there is from rubber, he has to speed up production because food is more important.
Some people also say that Jiyuan is too "honest" and does not make more money while the rubber production method is still in its hands. If other people also figure out the secret of rubber in the future, your orders will definitely decrease.
Ji Yuan only said: "Back then, the prime minister of Qi State paid a high price to buy Lu silk from Lu State. What happened?"
This is a story from the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period.
It was also the earliest grain trade war. Guan Zhong of Qi State deliberately raised the price of a kind of cloth in the neighboring State of Lu, so that the merchants of Lu State saw the high profits and converted the farmland in Lu into mulberry fields.
The outcome of the matter is self-evident, and any modern person can see the endless consequences.
When the State of Lu began to plant mulberry fields on a large scale, the supply of grain naturally decreased greatly, and the government had to buy grain at this time.
To put it bluntly, people’s clothes can be made do, but their food cannot.
In addition, Qi suddenly stopped buying Lu silk, leaving Lu's warehouse with only clothing materials but no food. Even without a natural disaster, a famine occurred.
When Ji Yuan mentioned Lu Gao, all the officials in Zhennan Pass who had taken the imperial examination shut up instantly.
Ji Yuan saw that this was not enough, so he specially looked for folk artists.
This allusion was specially adapted into a local folk song, which had to be easy to understand and funny.
Not only that, storytellers and opera singers also have to follow suit and make improvements.
Ji Yuan even gave personal guidance, making sure to highlight the shortage of food, the misery of buying food, and the final famine crisis.
The demise of the State of Lu was even brought forward to shortly after this incident.
In short, the more thought-provoking, the more impressive.
It will be performed not only in Zhennan Pass, but also in Ning'an Prefecture.
While the people were working in the fields, these performances were performed in the fields while everyone was resting.
Because the story was adapted to be easy to understand and the people are not fools, this truth is also engraved in everyone's mind.
Zhennan Pass, Ning'an Prefecture.
Too stable.
It's so stable that it doesn't seem like a place run by a prefectural magistrate who is only 17 or 18 years old.
But the more stable it is, the more trust the merchants will have in it.
Who wants their partner to be a real fool?
This kind of official is better, he is stable, smart, and not greedy for profit.
This kind of stable policy will make everyone more willing to cooperate.
The officials at Zhennan Pass, who originally thought that Jiyuan was too conservative, instantly received more orders.
ah?
Is this ok?
Why are there so many orders suddenly?!
In this atmosphere, the spring sowing finally came to an end.
A lot of rice seeds were planted in the government fields in the two places, and most of them survived, but the situations were somewhat different.
Some rice grows tall but has few ears.
Some rice grains are abundant but very shriveled.
In short, there is no perfect rice.
It is not easy to achieve the perfect rice seeds in Ji Yuan's mind.
Ji Yuan still has his sights set outside of Tianqi.
Never mind that I never thought of it before.
Now, whenever he thinks of Champa rice, his heart itches.
After all, I have to go on business outside Tianqi State, so this matter really needs to be put on hold for a while. At least someone has to keep an eye on Zhennan Pass.
The idea that sowing is complete, and even sowing is more important than making money, also takes root in people's minds during this period.
Again, the clothes are okay.
Not having food to eat is really fatal.
However, when they have some free time, the workers of the Zhennanguan Logging Association will go to the mountains to continue cutting trees.
Selling the bark to rubber workshops is a source of income.
Sawing the tree trunks into building materials provided another source of income. In addition, the entire association could communicate directly with the merchants, so the lumberjacks' lives were finally better.
But when the spring plowing was over, the happiest people were the prisoners in the two places.
Especially the prisoners in Ning'an Prefecture.
They were all taken to Zhennan Pass to dig a canal.
With so many mountains and so many canals, life here is so difficult.
Ji Yuan will not really use anyone to death, so let everyone take a break for a while.
temporary?
The prisoners in both places caught the word sharply.
"Take a rest, and then prepare to repair the road."
Zhennan Pass and Ning'an Prefecture are now like a sophisticated machine.
Carry out the prefect's orders step by step.
Ji Yuan even wrote the sentence: If you want to get rich, build roads first.
His handwriting was good to begin with, and now it's made into a banner and hung nearby. Even people who can't read will ask those around them what it means.
Building roads has been a tough job since ancient times.
When the prisoners in both places heard this, their legs went limp.
What sin had they committed to deserve being treated like this?
But when thinking back to their crimes, many people feel extremely guilty.
But think about it again, Ji Yuan didn't kill them just to keep them and do hard labor?
These criminals deserve to be cut into pieces for their crimes.
At that time, some people thought that it was too easy for Ji Zhizhou to kill only a few leaders, and some scholars were not even severely punished.
Now everyone knows and is waiting here.
No, there is no punishment!
The time has not come yet!
Letting them die quickly and easily would be too easy for them.
It’s better to stay and do hard labor.
Looking at their fate, public security in both places has improved a lot.
After all, everyone knows that there is a road to be built between Ning'an Prefecture and Zhennan Pass, and there is another road to be built in Ning'an Prefecture.
That road either goes to Changyan County of Dianzhou Prefecture or to Yonglin County.
There are small paths in these two places, but there is no real official road.
When the only passage between Zhennan Pass and Ning'an Prefecture was blocked, some people tried to take these two roads. Unfortunately, the mountain road had not been repaired. It was okay for people to walk, but it was definitely impossible for horse-drawn carriages to pass.
However, building this road is not an easy project.
Anyway, if you commit any crime recently, you will definitely be taken to repair the road, and you will be half dead by then!
Between living a good life and building roads, everyone will definitely choose the former.
As public security improves, local people feel more relaxed and their lives become easier.
This is not the case with the two local government offices.
The government offices of Ning'an Prefecture and Zhennan Pass were located in a small town at the junction of the two places.
This small town, serving as the middle connecting the two places, was very desolate before. Recently, with more trade and more exchanges between the two places, it has gradually become prosperous.
But this is the first time to receive so many officials.
This town is governed by the local chieftain. When he saw Lord Ji coming, he hurriedly saluted.
The local official knew that as long as the road was renovated, their area would become more prosperous.
But there is a problem, this main road has been determined.
But starting from this small town, to the west is Yonglin County, and to the east is Changyan County.
Which direction should the second road leading to the outside of Ning'an Prefecture be built?
The chiefs from these two places have already come to inquire.
This chieftain was not a bad person, but he had received benefits from both places and wanted to find out the situation.
Everyone in Dianzhou Prefecture knew about the situation in Ning'an Prefecture and Zhennan Pass.
It is even more clear that the reason why Ji Yuan wanted to build a second road was because he was afraid that something unexpected would happen at Zhennan Pass again, and he wanted to find another way out for Ning'an Prefecture.
This is an alternative for Ning'an Prefecture, but it is a good opportunity for other places.
Ning'an Prefecture was poor in the past, so it didn't matter whether there were roads or not. Is it still necessary to talk about it now?
The passing caravans alone can make a small town prosperous.
Therefore, whether it is Yonglin County in the west or Changyan County in the east, they must establish contact with Ning'an Prefecture.
This connection is road construction.
When Ji Yuan heard the local officials asking cautiously, he said directly: "First, repair the road between Ning'an Prefecture and Zhennan Pass."
"We still need to see where to repair it."
It also depends on the attitudes of officials on both sides and the local customs.
In fact, it is also possible to build it to the west. After passing Yonglin County, there will be a relatively flat road, and not far away there will be a river that can be navigated by boats.
But Changyan County in the east is richer. As the name contains the word "salt", we know that there are salt mines in the area, so trade must be more convenient.
Ji Yuan said this, but in his heart he didn't want to make a choice and wanted to have both.
Not only should eggs not be put in one basket, they should be put in three baskets.
After the local officials left, Chai Feng stepped forward and wanted to say something, but Ji Yuan shook his head slightly: "Let him spread it."
Only when it is spread out can there be competition.
Only officials from the other two places would come to him with "benefits".
By then, building roads will no longer be a one-sided task.
Ning'anzhou's financial situation is really not that strong!
He needs to save some money!
Sure enough, officials from Zhennan and Ning'an discussed the road construction, and officials from the east and west also sent people to inquire.
It's just a greeting, but the meaning is self-evident.
That is, let us join in!
We want to participate too!
This actually made the officials of Zhennan Pass perk up.
This is robbing their trade routes!
But no one dared to object.
Why does Ning'an Prefecture want to build more roads? It's because of the good things done by General Zhennan.
In fact, the road between Ning'an Prefecture and Zhennan Pass was more of a renovation than a construction.
With more people passing through the road, and the fact that it has not been maintained for decades, it definitely needs to be repaired.
The officials at Zhennan Pass looked at each other.
Come on, it must be repaired properly, otherwise once the roads in the other two places are repaired, won’t their place look very old?
Those merchants are very smart. If theirs is not good enough in comparison, they will definitely go another way.
Some people also say that who knows when the road will be repaired.
This statement makes people want to laugh.
Do you think Ji Yuan is a vegetarian?
How could a natural born file king like him drag it out for a long time?
The officials of Ning'an Prefecture will never have time to relax like this again.
They just have to wait to negotiate terms.
Who would have thought that people from three places all wanted to build roads with them.
While they were discussing the matter, Ji Yuan was waiting for someone from Dianzhou Prefecture to come.
I had applied to the prefect of Dianzhou Prefecture before, hoping to find an official who knew how to build roads.
There are many people who want to be good at studying, but there are very few officials who have professional road construction skills.
Lord Cheng is one of them, but Lord Cheng's condition is sometimes good and sometimes bad, so we certainly cannot put all the heavy responsibilities on him.
We still need professional personnel from the engineering company at the government office to come over.
I heard that there were all kinds of excuses over there and no one wanted to get involved.
Generally speaking, there might be some profit to be made from doing these things.
But don’t they know Ji Yuan’s reputation?
Forget about the money, even if you will be swept away, that’s another matter!
When Ji Yuan saw the reply from the prefect, he rubbed his nose helplessly.
He's really not that scary!
Still know how to combine work and rest!
Fortunately, the prefect still sent three people over. The leader was named Ye. He was in his forties or fifties and had good professional skills, but a weird temper.
It is said that he had built many roads in Dianzhou Prefecture. If it were not for his bad temper, he might have been promoted long ago.
The reason why I can work in Fucheng Engineering Company now is because of my strong professional skills.
After Lord Ye arrived, he was focused on his work. When he looked at Ji Yuan, his expression was complicated.
Think about how you will stay where you are all your life.
The young official in front of me will obviously rise to a high position in the society. People are different.
Ji Yuan was quite polite.
Such technicians are really rare and must be respected.
Ji Yuan said: "If the roads are not repaired, it will be difficult for people and goods to get out."
"Dianzhou Prefecture is rich in products. As long as the roads are opened, all places in Dianzhou Prefecture will not be inferior to the Central Plains and Jiangnan."
Lord Ye nodded.
You are right.
But building roads was too difficult. As a native of Dianzhou Prefecture, he knew how difficult it was to build roads, so when he went out to study, he even specialized in construction.
Unexpectedly, this craft is too mechanical and many superiors do not like it.
After passing the imperial examination, I was indeed assigned a job, but that was all.
Seeing that Lord Ye was still in the same temper, the others were afraid that Ji Zhizhou would be unhappy and ask him to leave.
But after getting to know each other, I found that Ji Zhizhou didn't care about these things at all. He only cared about whether the road was well designed and whether the planning was reasonable.
As for people's temperament and character, we can talk about them later.
It just depends on your ability, as long as you have enough ability.
Lord Ye rarely has this feeling.
Because he learned the skills of a craftsman, he was never liked by scholars.
How come the most brilliant scholar among the scholars doesn't mind?
At the end, Lord Ye said directly: "I will do my best."
Ji Yuan nodded, thought of something, and looked in the direction of Ning'an Prefecture.
It’s time for Lord Cheng to come.
Without Lord Cheng, this matter will not be possible.
Mr. Cheng had worked in the Ministry of Works in the capital for many years, in charge of construction. He was serious about his work and had also learned a lot of professional knowledge.
The point is, he has been involved in many road and bridge construction projects.
More experience than Lord Ye.
Only by complementing each other can this rugged mountain road be repaired.
If this preliminary work is not done well, the subsequent work will only be more difficult.
On the afternoon of May 7th, Mr. Cheng, Cheng Yishan, came to Tongyuan Town in a carriage.
It has been nearly three months since I arrived in Ning'an Prefecture at the end of February.
Both of them regained some of their energy and spirit.
But Lord Cheng’s eye disease has not yet healed.
No one knows what he went through in the prison cell in the capital that could scare such a normal person like this.
The doctor invited by Ji Yuan only said that Lord Cheng had suffered a shock and whether he could recover depended on the situation.
As for the madness, it is even more uncomfortable. We can only alleviate Lord Cheng's madness and delay the onset of the disease.
Ji Yuan knew all this, and he thought it must not have been easy for Cheng Yisan to bring Lord Cheng here.
Lord Cheng already knew what was going on, and the clerk in charge of road construction in Ning'an Prefecture also hurried to explain the situation.
Ning'an Prefecture did not have a head of the Engineering Department, so this minor official was in charge.
This is nothing.
Lord Ye, who was transferred from Dianzhou Prefecture, frowned.
Now the parties sit down together to discuss road construction.
To put it in today's terms, Lord Ye is the chief engineer, and below him are the construction parties.
Why did someone suddenly come and I have to listen to the situation?
The people around Lord Ye quickly pulled him aside and whispered, "Are you still unsure about what Ji Zhizhou is doing? There must be a reason behind this."
Lord Ye frowned.
Is there anyone in Dianzhou Prefecture who understands how to build roads better than him?
Just now I said that Ji Zhizhou was a sensible person.
Now it seems that Ji Yuan doesn't trust him either.
They actually invited a blind man over.
So many high-ranking officials have come to the small town of Tongyuan that the local chief is already sweating profusely.
Ji Zhizhou.
Mr. Ye, the engineer sent from the provincial capital.
From Zhennanguan Works Division and Ning'anzhou Works Division.
I heard that the local officials in both places were also asking for news.
All the officials from the neighboring Changyan County and Yonglin County also wanted to get involved.
We were having a harmonious discussion just now, why is it turning into a quarrel now?
Ji Yuan closed his eyes and pretended not to know.
It is inevitable that the project teams cooperating between the two places, plus the project manager sent by the provincial capital, will not have a few quarrels.
Lord Ye suppressed his anger.
Over there, Lord Cheng was listening to the progress of the road construction. It was fine at first, but he was about to give his opinion.
Ji Yuan and Cheng Yisan looked at each other and both realized that a fight was bound to break out.
really.
Lord Cheng just raised his doubts, wondering if the method of road construction in a certain place is not quite right.
Lord Ye was furious.
You can say other things, but you can’t say that his method is wrong!
He has traded his future for his craftsmanship, and no one will question that.
Ji Yuan wanted to stop him, but Cheng Yishan got there first and subconsciously grabbed Ji Yuan's sleeve: "Wait a minute."
Ji Yuan was afraid that the two would quarrel and irritate Lord Cheng, but he didn't expect that when Lord Ye got angry, Lord Cheng became calmer.
The two of them chatted back and forth, and actually discussed everything.
Later on, it turned out that the two of them had actually read the same obscure book on construction, but they were only reading incomplete copies, so even if they put together what they had learned, they could not put together a complete book.
As we talked, we suddenly felt a pity.
Sure enough, two people with matching professional skills always have a lot to talk about.
Cheng Yisan's fingers clenched tighter and tighter, and when she looked at her father, tears welled up in her eyes.
It's been a while since I've seen her dad like this.
If my mother were here, she would definitely be very pleased.
Ji Yuan looked at her, his arm didn't even move. After a long while, Cheng Yisan came to her senses and quickly let go.
"Thank you." Cheng Yishan whispered, "My father is happiest when he is doing things."
Cheng Yisan discovered this when she was running a government school.
Her father would just listen to her handling official business, and if they were discussing practical matters, her father would be very calm.
But when it comes to interpersonal communication, he will immediately go crazy. Fortunately, it is not too serious and can be comforted a little.
The only words he couldn't bear to hear were the words "torture" and "prison".
After hearing this, Ji Yuan winked at Chai Feng.
No one will mention this kind of words in the next project team.
Cheng Yisan was truly grateful.
Ji Yuan still whispered: "Let's have dinner together later?"
Seeing Cheng Yishan about to nod, Ji Yuan said first: "Although the recent rice fish is small, it tastes tender. How about making a local grilled fish?"
Cheng Yisan's eyes flashed with astonishment, as if she was thinking of a lot of things, and she couldn't help but look up at Ji Zhuangyuan to make sure he was not joking.
Just eating.
From what he said, he cooked the meal himself?
The egg tarts before could be made because only he knew how to make them, so Ji Zhuangyuan did it himself.
Now?
Cheng Yisan is neither a narcissistic person nor a self-deprecating person.
So the invitation from the handsome top scholar made her feel that something was wrong?
"good!"
“Just fix it like this!”
"It turns out there is already a solution! And I didn't even know about it!"
"Where did you get your high position? How come you know so many ways to build roads?"
Speaking of which, Ji Yuan subconsciously looked at Lord Ye, signaling him to stop talking. Over there, Cheng Yishan comforted Lord Cheng and took him downstairs to calm him down.
Lord Ye was still looking around, he didn't expect that he would meet someone with the same interests as him!
That commoner in cloth is quite impressive!
Others breathed a sigh of relief.
It looks like the road construction plan will be finalized soon, and they can start construction!
Start construction one day earlier!
Finished one day early!
By then, there will be a lot more tax revenue in both places, right?
Chai Feng appeared at the right time and pulled Lord Ye aside to have a detailed chat. He found out that the person just now was the former top scholar in the imperial examination and the person in charge of the construction work of the Ministry of Works in the capital.
Because of fighting in the capital, he was exiled to Ning'an Prefecture.
How could such a talented person be exiled?
Chai Feng said a few more words in private, and Lord Ye understood instantly. He patted his chest and assured: "Don't worry, we two will be a team, there will be absolutely no problem."
Is that really okay?
Chai Feng himself found it unlikely.
The main thing is that Lord Ye’s temper is really untrustworthy.
When I turned around again, Ji Yuan had already gone to the kitchen to wash his hands and cook soup.
He makes the local specialty, grilled fish.
The marinated crucian carp is wrapped with local lemongrass and slowly grilled over charcoal until the aroma of the fish comes out.
Lemongrass is a local spice with a natural lemon scent. It is roasted until it is 80% done and then brushed with lard to enhance the flavor. Even passers-by will ask what delicious food is being cooked in the kitchen.
The rice-flavored fish is already top-quality, and with Ji Yuan’s cooking skills, how could it not taste good?
Cheng Yisan walked in hesitantly and looked at Ji Yuan suspiciously.
My train of thought was interrupted by the matter concerning her father just now, but the more I thought about it, the more something seemed wrong.
Ji Yuan still looks the same as before, with a smile in his eyes. His handsome face and tall stature give people a feeling of being unattainable.
She couldn't reach him before.
What's more, nowadays.
Over there, Ji Yuan had even put away the dishes and chopsticks. Wu Renhao walked in quickly and said, "Ji Yuan! You actually cooked for me yourself!"
Ji Yuan nodded: "I grilled six fish, one for each of us, and fried some dishes with the flavors of the capital and Jianmeng Mansion."
Six portions, even Lord Ye and Lord Cheng who were still busy were thought of.
Wu Renhao sat down with Chai Feng who had finished his work, which made Cheng Yisan instantly relieved.
Not bad, not bad.
She must be overthinking it.
Cheng Yisan's ears turned slightly red and she also smiled at Ji Yuan.
Ji Yuan took out the red bean rice that he had mentioned before and said, "Try it. The red beans were harvested last year and are well preserved."
"This year's red beans have just been planted and can only be harvested in November or December. Then we can compare them to see which one tastes better."
Cheng Yisan's ears were no longer red, and her eyes looked even more puzzled.
Ji Yuan did not dodge and sat next to him and said, "Try it first, and tell us if you don't like it."
These words seemed to have a hidden meaning. Cheng Yisan was so smart, how could she not understand them?
If someone else said this, they would definitely call him a lecher.
But it happened to be Ji Yuan.
He is not the kind of person who would make fun of others.
Although he didn't say it, he had a compassionate heart.
Whether it is for her or for the people of Ning'an Prefecture and Zhennan Pass.
Even to those frustrated officials in Dianzhou Prefecture.
Why such a person?
Cheng Yisan couldn't think about it anymore.
Those letters were still somewhat ambiguous, but now that some time has passed, her vague guesses seem to be true?
Ji Yuan added: "Try it first, and don't comment on it yet. Wait until the new red beans come out, and then we can compare them."
These words made Cheng Yisan feel relieved instantly.
There are four people at the table, Ji Yuan, Cheng Yisan, Wu Renhao, and Chai Feng.
The two at the back were so absorbed in eating that they had no idea what the two at the front were talking about.
The meal was quite harmonious. There was nothing we could do about it. The grilled fish made by Ji Yuan was so delicious.
The four of them rarely chatted.
Tongyuan Town, located at the junction of Zhennan Pass and Ning'an Prefecture, is surprisingly quiet.
However, this tranquility will soon be broken.
In three days, the road will be rebuilt.
Once this wide road is completed, the two places will be truly connected.
They feel very at ease here.
But Changyan County in the east and Yonglin County in the west were extremely impatient.
How come Ji Yuan was not chosen?
How could a man of his steadfastness fail to choose a site for building the new road?
The two local county magistrates actually made the same decision at the same time.
no!
They want to find Ji Yuan themselves!
This road must be built to their doorstep!
Ji Yuan is right.
If you want to be rich, build roads first!
Don't let others take advantage.
When they think about how popular rubber and dyed cloth are in Ning'an Prefecture nowadays, they become very anxious.
It doesn’t matter if you suffer, but brothers cannot get rich!
Not only was the county magistrate anxious, the local chamber of commerce was even more worried.
Please.
Can we build the new road in Ning'an Prefecture to their place?
They, they can donate money!
They can fix it together!
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