Wu Zheng's unexpected opening remarks made the businessmen look at each other.

At this time, Mo Zhi got up and said, "Lord Wang, can you let the old man introduce you to the outside of the staff?" ”

Wu Zheng saw that the businessmen really didn't have the courage to introduce themselves, so he nodded and smiled: "Then bother Mo Lao to introduce you." ”

Mo Zhi pointed to the businessman who was the leader, "This is Lord Xi Benzhen, the head of the Longyou Merchant Gang." ”

Wu Zheng was stunned in his heart, and it was just a matter of calling him an adult, right?

I only heard Mo Zhinian continue: "During the thirteenth year of Chongzhen, there was a famine in the south of the Yangtze River, and starvation carried the Tao. Seeing the tragic situation, Lord Xi made 8,000 taels of gold in his family, and went to Xiang, Fan and other places to buy millet, transported and stored it in Suzhou, and gave it to all. According to the household, the mouth is counted, and the people in Wuzhong are very popular. There is still spare strength in the family of Lord Xi, and those who have disasters in Jinling, Linqing, Jining and other places where they do business are the same as Wuzhong's relief. This matter reached the heavens, and the imperial court was awarded the Wenhua Palace Zhongshu (from the seven products) with its loyalty to the country and love the people, and the Shaoqing of Nanjing Taifu Temple (four products). ”

This was beyond Wu Zheng's expectations, but he didn't expect that among this group of businessmen, there was a righteous businessman.

Wu Zheng stretched out his hand and picked up the wine glass and said, "Lord Xi has this righteous act, which makes this king admire...... Come, this king will give you a drink. ”

Xi Benzhen hurriedly took the cup, arched his hands, and saluted: "This is all a matter of the previous dynasty, and the villain does not dare to toast as the prince." ”

Wu Zheng shook his head and said: "Righteous deeds are not divided into dynasties, Lord Xi can deserve this cup of wine from this king." ”

Seeing Wu Zheng's insistence, Xi Benzhen no longer shirked, tilted his head slightly, and stopped after tasting it.

Mo Zhinian pointed to the slightly chubby merchant on Xi Benzhen's left and said, "Lord Wang, this is the original member of the Suzhou Dongting Merchant Gang. ”

Seeing this chubby businessman who was not good-looking, Wu Zheng smiled and nodded.

But then, Mo Zhinian's introduction surprised Wu Zheng.

Mo obsessively said: "The ancestor of Cheng Yuanwai, but the famous Mr. Binqu, Mr. Binqu invented the measuring scooter, once in the Wanli period, for the first assistant Zhang Juzheng to implement a whip law and made a great contribution. ”

Wu Zheng didn't react at first, but when he heard the measuring scooter, his heart moved, and he asked: "Mr. Binqu that Mo Lao said, but Cheng Dawei in the Wanli period?" ”

"Exactly."

Cheng Dawei, who has basically played abacus, knows that the father of abacus is also the inventor of the tape measure.

His achievement "Zhiji Algorithm Tongzong" was taken away by the Japanese people, and thus the "Harmony Calculation" was founded.

"Algorithm Tongzong" engraved in the twentieth year of Wanli (1592). Among them, the abacus addition and reduction formulas are the same as those of today. The multiplication method is mainly based on the "head multiplication", and the division method is based on the "reduction and division method", which has been used for a long time by the abacus in later generations.

After a short period of consternation, Wu Zheng looked at the slightly chubby Cheng Benyuan and asked, "How many percent of Cheng Yuanwai inherited the Ling Zu algorithm?" ”

Cheng Benyuan got up, shook his body tightly and said: "The little people are stupid, not as good as the ancestors. ”

Wu Zheng smiled slightly, and said: "This king has a temporary question, and Cheng Yuanwai will solve it on the spot, can you?" ”

Cheng Benyuan said: "Xiaomin has the courage to give it a try. ”

Wu Zheng laughed, looked left and right, and couldn't find a suitable thing, so he said loudly: "Come on, go to the Fuzhong Bamboo Garden to fold a thin bamboo pole." ”

After taking the thin bamboo pole, Wu Zheng gestured to his left arm, then drew his sword and cut it, and handed it to Cheng Benyuan: "You don't need a ruler, divide it into ten sections, can you do it?" ”

Cheng Benyuan took the bamboo pole, smiled slightly, and said, "Please borrow the four treasures of the study." ”

Wu Zheng nodded.

Cheng Benyuan put the bamboo pole on the paper, then took a chopstick to the door, and said to the guard: "Cut down the next section." ”

Fu Wei asked, "How long?" ”

"Whatever."

Cheng Benyuan, who took the broken chopstick, returned to the wine table, tied his hair knot, tore off a strand of hair, held it down at one end with the bamboo pole on the paper, and then straightened his hair to form an angle with the bamboo pole.

Then take ten sections on the hair with a broken chopstick, and mark each section with a pen, leaving ten points.

Draw a line with the other end of the bamboo pole with the last point.

Wu Zheng stopped him from continuing, "It's okay." Cheng Yuan's family is very knowledgeable, and this king admires it. ”

Cheng Benyuan said respectfully: "The prince can use this as a topic, naturally he knows how to solve the law, and the small people are clumsy." ”

Wu Zheng stretched out his hand and said, "Please sit outside." ”

Mo Zhinian continued to point to the fatter businessman and said: "This is Chen Wenhuan, the director of the Yinxian County Hall, who is Chongzhen's eleventh year. ”

Wu Zheng let out an "oh" and asked, "Why did Chen Yuanwai give up business?" ”

Chen Wenhuan arched his hand and said: "In the thirteenth year of Chongzhen, the family was burned due to a fire, the first father died early, and the widowed mother is still there. The small people can only abandon the business of raising children and treat their lives to serve their mothers. ”

Wu Zheng said: "It turned out to be a filial son." Please sit down and talk. ”

The atmosphere slowly became lively, and Wu Zheng stopped Mo Zhinian's introduction at the right time and let the rest of the businessmen introduce themselves.

The composition of these people made Wu Zheng have an unexpected joy.

His heart gradually settled down, and it seemed that his idea could be realized.

People, after three glasses of wine, the tightness gradually relaxes.

As the atmosphere began to be warm, Xi Benzhen suddenly got up and arched his hand: "Dare to ask the prince, what do you think of us and other businessmen?" ”

These words quickly silenced the room.

All eyes were on Wu Zheng, in the eyes of the officials, this was arrogance, and in the eyes of the merchants, this was what they wanted to ask but did not dare to ask.

Wu Zheng slowly retracted his smile.

The merchants' faces began to turn pale, and their hearts were like buckets in a well.

Xi Benzhen's forehead also slowly oozed sweat.

The Ming Dynasty's containment of merchants was the toughest since the Song Dynasty.

After a long while, Wu Zheng finally spoke.

As soon as he opened his mouth, the audience was shocked.

Wu Zheng only said four words, "Industry and commerce are all fundamentals." ”

It's not that Wu Zheng first advocated "industry and commerce", and now Huang Zongxi, who is now serving as the imperial historian in Yingtianfu, put forward this initiative as early as when King Lu of Shaoxing Mansion was in charge of the country, but it was not well received, and the court did not agree from top to bottom.

Shinong industry and commerce, agriculture is the foundation.

Industry and commerce have been elevated to the role of Ben, which has subverted the division of social classes.

Agriculture, industry, and commerce are all based on this, so who is respected? Or, who is more respectful?

If these words had been said by ordinary officials, scholars, and students, they would have attracted a lot of applause.

But now, these words came from Wu Zhengzhi's mouth, so it was different.

Wu Zheng is a general, and now he is the king of Huiji County, ruling the six prefectures, that is to say, in the land of the six prefectures, Wu Zheng decides life and death with one word.

His words are almost the same as the statutes, and there are officials around him who record them.

If it was usual, Zhang Guowei and the others would have spoken out to persuade them, but Wu Zheng said before this banquet that he had something to rely on these businessmen.

This made the officials think that Wu Zheng was exchanging interests, so no one spoke out against it at this time.

After a brief moment of astonishment, the merchants turned to ecstasy.