Jingnan Jiedu makes Bai Minzhong, who is also a big family in Jingnan, has been friends with the Ding family for generations, and each generation of the two clans has a major character marriage, and over the years, the two families have long been tightly intertwined, and it is difficult to distinguish each other. The Ding and Bai families, in the past 20 years, have firmly controlled the power of Jingnan and have almost turned Jingnan into the industry of the two families. Jingnan Jiedu made this position, and he always went back and forth between the Bai family and the Ding family.

Ding Xiang, the second room of the Ding family, is currently the capital of Jingnan Jiedu Town, and controls nearly half of the Jingnan army.

Ding Feng, the third room of the Ding family, is Ding Ci's half-brother, born of a concubine, and mainly controls the Ding family's external business.

In the second and third rooms, those who are of Ding Jian's generation, but almost all those who are successful in studying are in Jingnan, and those who like to play with knives and guns have all entered the army.

In this generation, the really best is the eldest son Ding Jian. became famous as a young man, learned from the great Confucian chapter of the world, and then returned to Jingnan to serve in the place, and governed the jurisdiction without leaving any stone unturned, and never closed the door at night. Later, when he heard that Zhang had returned to the north, he left behind his comfortable life and followed him all the way. After seven years of hard work, when I came back, it was even more different.

Even his father-in-law, Bai Minzhong, and his own son Ding Ci, no longer dare to regard Ding Jian as a simple junior.

Ding Jian, who used to be the assassin of Yizhou and the history of the river assassin, is actually not lower than them at all in terms of political influence.

There are several glass lamps in the house, which illuminate the whole room brightly, and these glass lamps from the north are still in short supply in the south.

"It's been seven years, it's dark, it's thin, but it looks much stronger than before. Suffered a lot, right? Li Ze's official is not good, right? Bai Minzhong looked at his son-in-law and said with a smile. Although he is a little dissatisfied with this kid leaving his wife and son to go through the years, he has always valued Ding Jian's talent and learning ability, and Ding Jian's achievements today also make him feel that this son-in-law still did not choose the wrong one back then.

"It's hard and tiring." Ding Jian did not shy away from saying, "Where it is, it is very common for one person to do the work of several people." Lee Sang is a person who only looks at the results, not the process. Father-in-law, when I was the assassin of the river, the officials under my command added up to less than half of our Jingnan. ”

Bai Minzhong was taken aback, "With so little, how can you manage it?" ”

Ding Jian smiled and said: "Where we have formed some rules and disciplines, there are very few things to pull the skin and push the trouble, each has its own responsibility, acts according to the rules and disciplines, and works together, so there is no need for those many people." The rule of officials is the top priority of the imperial court, and many officials will be introduced every year, but many officials will be repulsed. ”

"Are you so afraid that these repulsed people will resent?" Bai Minzhong asked.

"The imperial court's assessment of officials is all-round, in Li Xiang's words, it is quantitative, like when the son-in-law was the assassin in the river, there were hundreds of items in the assessment of me, involving all aspects, and each one had a corresponding score. The same is true for officials at all levels, but with fewer entries. Once you fail the assessment, the first thing is to be demoted, if an official fails the assessment for three consecutive years, where will he have the face to stay again? Ding Jian said with a smile. Everything speaks with data, and the people being assessed have nothing to say. ”

"This is too impersonal, there is no merit, there is hard work!" Ding Xiang shook his head again and again.

"Second uncle, as an official, can be judged like this. Some people are incapable, and sometimes it is even worse if they just work hard. Ding Jian said: "Where we are, hard work is the basic quality, but how can we govern one side well by brute force alone?" It is not for nothing that the north is now like a scorching sun in the sky, shining brightly. ”

"Li Ze is indeed a masterpiece of a generation, and in just a few years, he has made such a great cause. Zhang Zhongwu, who was once invincible, can only bend his knees to him now, and what is even more fascinating is that he beat Tocharo to a slump, and now Tubo is in civil strife, and the war is raging, Tocharo and Delhi China are fighting inextricably, not to mention, the country is even more riotous, and you are also making trouble here, right? Bai Min said.

"This is natural." Ding Jian said: "Although we have hit Tubo hard in Lingzhou, Yinzhou and other places, but in terms of overall strength, they are not weaker than us, do not let them kill each other, civil strife continues, where do we have the heart to do anything else?" The current Tibet is no longer in trouble, at least for ten years, we will not think about any threat to us, but wait for us to solve the domestic affairs, and then slowly clean them up. ”

Several people in the room glanced at each other, but they all fell silent.

Ding Jian smiled slightly, stood up, picked up a small carved box from the desk behind him, and handed it to Bai Minzhong.

"Father-in-law, this is a small gift I brought back to you from Wuyi, your eyes are not good, this thing makes it more convenient for you to read and see."

"Oh, and such an object?" Bai Min Zhongda opened the box with interest.

"This is a pair of spectacle frames, and the son-in-law specially asked a craftsman to make them with gold wire." Ding Jian said: "I don't know the specific situation of my father-in-law's eyes, so I asked the craftsman to polish a few pairs of glasses of different specifications. ”

As he spoke, Ding Jian skillfully attached two of the lenses to the frame, and then handed them to Bai Minzhong.

After taking a few glances at the object in his hand, Bai Minzhong put his glasses on his head.

"Hey, it's a little clear!" He exclaimed.

"Try another pair!" Ding Jian reinstalled another pair for Bai Minzhong.

After trying several times, he finally found the most suitable pair, which made Bai Minzhong, who was suffering from eye disease, very excited, looked up at the words on the wall behind Ding Ci opposite, and said with a smile: "Wonderful, wonderful, I could only see a cloud of ink before, but now it is a delicate thing, a good thing, a good thing." ”

"Good stuff indeed." Ding Jian smiled and picked up another tube and said: "Father-in-law, such glasses are just an accessory product of what I have in my hand, the glasses are civilian, but the ones in my hand are military." Look at this. ”

He handed the tube in his hand to Bai Minzhong, and briefly explained how to use it, "Father-in-law, you go to the window and look at the lights outside." ”

Bai Minzhong walked to the window according to his words, raised the thinner end of the tube in his hand, and aimed it at the window, first it was a blurred mass, and as his hand adjusted the outside of the tube, it suddenly became clear in front of him, and a large ball of light seemed to be coming, which startled him, and immediately put it down, turned his head to look at Ding Jian, with a puzzled look on his face.

"This thing, where we are, is called a telescope, and although it is miles away, it can be seen clearly." Ding Jian said: "Nowadays, it has been widely used in the army. ”

Ding Ci, Ding Xiang, and Ding Feng were all amazed after playing with this thing called a telescope in turn.

"With this thing, on the battlefield, you can see the state of the enemy at a glance." As a military general, Ding Xiang is naturally the most sensitive. "Da Lang, can you get us some more?"

"It's just a small thing." Ding Jian said: "In Wuyi, it's really not worth mentioning. Father-in-law, do you know how much steel the imperial court produces a year now? ”

Bai Minzhong straightened up, the output of steel can actually be directly quantified as the armed strength of a place.

"How much?"

"Last year, our steel production was 10 million catties, and this year it is expected to exceed 20 million catties." Ding Jian said: "And next year, it is expected to reach 30 million catties." ”

The room was in shock.

"Twenty million catties?" Bai Minzhong muttered.

"Yes, although these 20 million catties are Mao Tie, they are twice as much as when they were in the Tang Dynasty, and more importantly, now we are only occupying a corner of the north." Ding Jian said proudly: "Father-in-law naturally knows what this means, and the iron output of all other places combined is only less than half of ours." ”

Steel is naturally the embodiment of combat effectiveness. With enough steel, more weapons can be crafted, and more armor can be used for soldiers.

"Not to mention quality, just in terms of quantity, we have crushed all the forces." Ding Jian said with a smile: "When it comes to quality, it is even more incomparable." Now in Texas, with an annual output of tens of thousands of sets of armor, the quality of the armor is rising, but the weight is declining year by year, Ding Xiong and Ding Wei brought a few sets back, and they will be sent to your house tomorrow, you can compare with what we produce in Jingnan, oh, there are some knives and spears and the like, and they will be sent over together. ”

"Okay, I'm about to see and learn." Bai Minzhong exhaled.

"The twelve guards of the Tang Dynasty, each bathroom is equipped with 30,000 people, of course, some guards will be a little more or less according to the actual situation, but in general, everyone is wearing armor. Father-in-law, father, second uncle and third uncle, these 30,000 people are all serious soldiers. Ding Jian said: "Among the arsenals in various places, they are even fuller, as long as Li Xiang is willing, in a short period of time, he can form another team of twelve guards." ”

"Last year, our annual income was 70 million yuan." Ding Jian continued: "Although there was a drought this year, but thanks to the prosperity of commerce and overseas trade, it is estimated that the annual income will still be one percent more than last year, reaching 80 million, and it was originally hoped to break 100 million, but unfortunately a natural disaster, the loss is not small!" ”

Ding Jian took it for granted, but several people in the room were dumbfounded.