The warehouse and the account room of Qiu's workshop are next to each other, which is convenient for reconciliation and counting. The raw raw silk in the warehouse is piled up, but the goods on the other side have been emptied. Now the speed of spinning greatly exceeds the speed of weaving. There are already more than 100 spindles in the hydro-spinning wheel, and the yarn and twisted threads spun every day are more than 100 times that of the Kanto farmers' spinning wheels. The mills tasted the sweetness of the improved machine, and where there was no water power, they used animal power to drive the big spinning wheels. There are at least twenty or thirty spindles in a spinning wheel with human pedals. The consumption of the cold winter in various places, the warehouses in the northwest states and counties should be replenished with new goods. The caravan is about to depart, and if there is no additional manpower, the goods may not be able to catch up with the beginning of spring. The Ruifukui firm has traveled in all directions, and it has never run out of goods.

In order to save oil, only one oil lamp was lit in the account room. The owner Qiu Daguan likes this calculating style. Shopkeeper Luo is like a tame loyal dog in front of Qiu Daguan, in front of these foremen, it is more powerful than a tiger with fangs, once a foreman privately took the apprentice to another workshop, he knew about it, and immediately broke his legs to correct the family rules. The foremen who flaunted their might in front of the apprentices, and in the face of the thunderous wrath of the shopkeeper Luo, there were few who did not tremble with their legs.

"It's all rubbish, and after a few days, I haven't even recruited a slacker." Luo Shouyong's face was darker than the lights.

"Shopkeeper, you really don't blame us," Qiu Liu'er said boldly, "The people of the Xihe Patrol Department have lost their minds and gone crazy, and they have dragged the homeless people to go to Shishan, and the entanglements along the way have been entangled in the imperial court, and they will be granted land as soon as they go." The Inspector's Office also found someone to paint more than a dozen paintings and stand in the courtyard of the screening center, describing the workshop as like a hell of evil spirits. No amount of persuasion is useless. ”

"The workshop paid so many taxes," Luo Shouyong gritted his teeth and scolded, "These grandsons, the grandsons who crossed the river and demolished the bridge!" ”

Qiu Daguan has always only looked at the results, not the means. Now I can't recruit new apprentices, and if I want to make new goods before the departure of the spring caravan, the workshop will have to find another way, Luo Shouyong pondered for a long time, and confessed: "Tell those lazy people that they work more every day and pay more." Also, snacks and a steamed bun. "There are thousands of workers in the Ruifukui Weaving Workshop, and adding wages is just an account, and when the apprenticeship expires, Luo Shouyong has his own way to clean them up. Adding a steamed bun is a "not small" expense. Luo Shouyong, who was guarding his money, twitched slightly in his heart, as if he had put his blood.

"Shopkeeper, where is the owner?" The man below hesitated.

"I'll go talk to the owner." Luo Shouyong said in a deep voice. He picked up a pair of scissors and cut off half of the wick of the oil lamp, and the flame that had just burned a little brighter suddenly dimmed again.

In the March Division of the Dunhuang General's Mansion, Zhang Shanfu closed the file with a "snap" and said secretly: "Rebellious, what does the Firearms Division mean?" In the dossier, it was written that according to the system, the artillery battalion of the new army would be elected by the centurion, and then the lieutenant lieutenant by the five gunner centurions, and the lieutenant lieutenant by the five infantry centurions. When the temporary centurion was appointed, Zhang Shanfu and Wang Yunzhong's tacit understanding was to appoint the captain according to the training effect of each hundred-man team.

Zhang Shanfu was puzzled in his heart, and ordered the marching commander Shi to go to the Firearms Department to inquire about the reason, and reply to the article of the dead man with a dead face, which was done in accordance with the usual practice. Zhang Shanfu had to go to Wang Yunzhong in person to ask what happened.

"For a hundred years, our dynasty has been a system of sergeant nomination," Wang Yunzhong's face was embarrassed, and he spread his hands and said, "If a new battalion captain is appointed, the gunners will not be convinced." He lowered his head a little weakly, and read the selection system again, as if he was considering whether there was anything wrong with the words, "The current promotion system of the new artillery battalion is no different from other battalions." ”

After Wang Yunzhong finished reading the manuscript slowly, the clouds on Zhang Shanfu's face became thicker and thicker, and he said in a deep voice: "The officers are not familiar with each other, is it not appropriate to be promoted like this?" The implication of his words was that if he was promoted, it was likely that those who were originally from the city fire artillery battalion would join forces to exclude foreign officers, especially capable and promising officers like Zhao De.

"Is this," Wang Yunzhong's face became even more embarrassed, and he slurred, "Well, after all, it is also a talent that is recommended according to the old practice, and the Protector Mansion and the Zhu Guofu will not say anything, this is the internal military affairs of the Firearms Division, so General Zhang doesn't have to worry about it." After he plucked up the courage to finish, he felt a slight sweat on his vest.

When he said "military affairs within the Firearms Division", Zhang Shanfu's eyes suddenly froze, his face turned cold, he was silent for a moment, and sneered: "In this case, I am troublesome." I also hope that the king and general will forgive his sins. He didn't talk much to Wang Yunzhong, turned around and walked out. Wang Yunzhong looked up at his back, breathed a sigh of relief, and leaned back on the wide rattan chair.

These days, four other gunners and centurions came to complain to him that an officer of the foreign department, relying on not caring about the lives of his brothers in the battalion, actually ate his own people in the firearms division at the shooting range. The other infantry officers began to laugh at the city's artillery battalion. Several long histories who relied on confidants also spread many rumors to Wang Yunzhong's ears.

Not long after, Changshi Bai Baozhi and Fu Tingguang turned in. Bai Baozhi bowed and said: "General, the right talent Zhang Xingjun seems to have an uncertain look on his face." ”

Wang Yunzhong raised his head and waved his hand with a wry smile, and sighed: "This time, we can offend the marching division to death." "He has always been very tolerant of Zhang Shanfu, the general of the marching division. However, the new firearms battalion pinned the hope of the firearms department to turn over, and the appointment of the lieutenant was not trivial and had to be fought for. In the final analysis, Wang Yunzhong, like most officers from the firearms department, could not see the newly built firearms battalion fall into the hands of officers from other departments.

"This is originally a military affair within the Firearms Division, and General Zhang's hand is inevitably stretched too long." Bai Baozhi smiled coldly, leaned over and whispered, "Could it be that Zhao De is really the nepotism of the marching division, then he can't be allowed to succeed." ”

When he mentioned Zhao De's name, a complicated look flashed in Wang Yunzhong's eyes, and he sighed: "This person is also a talent. He opened the file of the training results of the new battalion, which recorded that the six artillery groups under the command of Zhao De fired twice as fast as the other groups.

"This person is just scheming, and he has to be ruthless." Fu Tingguang had a look of disdain on his face, "The regulations he wrote are clearly plagiarized from the rules of the Guanzhong envoys. This person's skills are so good, as long as the other hundred-man teams also practice according to the rules, they will naturally compare him to him. Such words have been repeated many times in his ears, Wang Yunzhong nodded, he also believed that as long as each battalion operated the artillery in accordance with the regulations and continued to improve, it would be comparable to the artillery group trained by Zhao De himself. This was a bit of a cross-river and a bridge to be demolished, but the first artillery battalion used for field warfare was very important to the Firearms Division, and if it was carefully considered, it could not be handed over to a foreign officer. "This Zhao De," Wang Yunzhong thought with regret, "let's press it for two years first, and a new battalion will be expanded in the future." As long as the old man is still in the firearms division, he will compensate him. ”

The Firearms Division insisted on upholding the sergeant selection system, and the Marching Division and the Ordnance Division had no suitable reason to oppose it. Ten days later, Huang Zhongxiang, a centurion from the Hangu Artillery Battalion, was promoted to lieutenant, while Wang Tongdeng was promoted to lieutenant by the centurions of the cavalry. Surprisingly, the sixty gunners who had been tortured to death unanimously elected Zhao De as centurion, and were indignant that he had not been made a captain. Wang Tongdeng had a lifelong friendship with him, and naturally he was also upset with him, and he was not familiar with the general of the Firearms Division, so he went to complain to his old boss Zhou Zhongyuan.

"His grandmother's, it's so unfair." Wang Tongdeng scolded, "The Firearms Division clearly intends to squeeze out Zhao De. Zhao De is an honest man, but we can't swallow this breath. In the eyes of others, Zhao Xingde was quite indifferent during the entire promotion process, and he was just full of things about the new iron factory. According to the laws of the imperial court, a sergeant could retire after five years of service without a special call-up. Then there is the sea wide and the fish jumping, and the sky is free for birds to fly. Although the large iron ore mines are either in Liaodong or in the south. But in other respects, there is no better place in the world to set up an ironmaking workshop than Guanzhong.

Zhou Zhongyuan's face sank like water, and he didn't speak, Wang Tongdeng continued: "When we started to appoint temporary centurions, everyone thought that in the future, the captain would also be selected based on the merits. General Zhou, don't you know that the artillery team led by Zhao De beat the three of them one by one. The more he spoke, the more annoyed he became, and scolded, "His grandmother's, this deputy lieutenant of the bird's egg, has to stay over there and get angry, and Lao Tzu won't do it anymore!" ”

After Wang Tongdeng's cannon battle was over, Zhou Zhongyuan patted him on the shoulder and said in a deep voice: "Don't worry, the people who go out of my Chengying Army will not be bullied like this." He maintained the general's frame to persuade Wang Tongdeng to leave, and then sat down to take a sip of tea, and scolded angrily: "His grandmother's firearms division." Wang Yunzhong, this old fool. Stretched out his hand and took out a file from the drawer, and when he opened it, it was a plan to divide military affairs, preparing to build the eighth battalion of Chengying, go to Liaodong to aid the Han army, and drag the Khitan people back.

When he came to the office of Zhang Shanfu of the Marching Division, Zhou Zhongyuan directly said that he wanted Zhao De to return to the Chengying Army and serve as the captain of the Chengying Battalion in Liaodong. Because the marching department is in charge of formulating the marching plan, the commanders of other armies are in awe of Zhang Shanfu, but Zhou Zhongyuan and Zhang Shanfu have been old friends for many years, so they are not so particular. I have to go back to Zhao De this time. The official letter from Chengyingjun recommending Zhao De to be the captain was placed on the table, and Zhou Zhongyuan stared at Zhang Shanfu's face tightly, even if it was consumed, it would take him to agree.

Facing Zhou Zhongyuan's aggressive gaze, Zhang Shanfu was silent for a moment, and opened another file on the desktop, which was actually written by the Marching Division to the Chengying Army, and it was also a matter of recommending the new Chengying Battalion Captain. Zhang Shanfu pointed out the recommended candidate to Zhou Zhongyuan, and there was only the word "Zhao De".

"This," Zhou Zhongyuan said in surprise, "It's really the same thing that heroes see." ”

Zhang Shanfu said with a smile: "The Han army in Liaodong is in urgent need of artillery, and it also needs corresponding officers and gunners. I think about coming and going, but Zhao De is the most suitable for this role. He said in a deep voice, "With the support of the Khitans, the Murb horse thieves harassed the pastures in our territory, and in recent months, it has become more and more rampant. In addition, the Jurchen tribe over there should also be contained, lest the Han army be annexed by them. ”

"Exactly." Zhou Zhongyuan smiled, and put a heart in his stomach.

Zhang Shanfu took out another file, which was about the preparation of the new Chengying Battalion.

"The Han army in Liaodong has repeatedly pleaded that artillery is urgently needed over there. Therefore, in the newly built Chengying battalion, thirty artillery pieces and the corresponding gunner establishment have been added, and I will negotiate with the Ordnance Division, and the newly cast artillery will be allocated to you first. This aid to the Han military is of great importance, and the strength of the Chengying battalion must also be expanded, which may exceed 1,000 people, so in order to fear that the captain will not be able to manage it, one or two new lieutenants will be set up, one of whom will specialize in mastering artillery and gunners, and the Liao people must not be allowed to get ......."

"Yes, yes." Zhou Zhongyuan didn't expect Zhang Shanfu to be so generous, so happy that he couldn't close his mouth, and only claimed that it was.