After inspecting the Black Tiger Village, Li Yifu went to Qingfeng Village to the east of Nanshan Fort to check the defensive situation, and when he returned to Nanshan Fort, it was the end of July. At this time, the news of the complete collapse of the Yongle puppet dynasty and the escape of Fang La's remnants to the mountains has spread throughout most of the week.

Not to mention that the city of Hangzhou was captured by the Great Zhou army, which made the gentry and people in many places cheer, at least after the news reached the south of Jingnan Road, the crumbling Suizhou City was finally broken by Liu Chengdong with nearly 10,000 horses.

Then Liu Chengdong ignored the urging of many officials and gentry on Jingnan Road and stopped his actions again. The reason is still the same, the government wants to give priority to supplying the Jiangnan front, and the money and food in his hands are not enough.

"Suizhou is surrounded by mountains on all sides. The adults on Jingnan Road were so embarrassed that they urged Liu Du to command the army in a hurry, in case ......"

Wang Xiaojiu shook his head, picked up a golden and crispy fried fritter and chewed it, then soaked the remaining small half in the wild vegetable paste, and licked the corners of his mouth until he ate it.

The manpower of Qinling Gongzhong is too tight, and after Liu Decheng and Zhang Zhanjun were brought back from Jingzhou City by the proprietor, except for the day of the owner's wedding, they were busy in Mingyueji at other times. There was a ten-month break system in the public middle school, and the two and Wang Xiaojiu were messing around and soon became friends.

Zhang Zhanjun raised the bamboo cup, motioned to the little girl holding the big teapot to add a cup of sour plum soup, and asked seemingly casually:

"Your name is Wang Xiaojiu, there are three brothers of the Wang family in Mingyueji, and there are six and seven kings in Suizhou. Hehe, you can't be half-brothers, right? ”

"In other words, how can you be regarded as the steward of the Jinghu Wang family, so you won't eat and drink all day long, right? It's not that you don't have to be embarrassed at all? ”

Liu Decheng is mainly responsible for training and escort work, and he is not as delicate as Zhang Zhanjun. He didn't see Zhang Zhanjun's intentions, he was a little unhappy, put down the steamed bun in his hand and wanted to speak, but was reminded by Zhang Zhanjun with his eyes.

Wang Xiaojiu, who was choked, pressed it with sour plum soup, and said in a thick Jinghu dialect: "Who are we with, I still pay for dinner at your doorstep?" Besides, Lao Tzu has helped your family make a lot of money on Jinghu Road. ”

Liu Decheng's daily iron tools and farm tools, and Zhang Zhanjun's straight bows and arrows were indeed sold a lot through the way introduced by Wang Xiaojiu. In just a few dozen days, the two families earned more than 2,000 yuan on Jinghu Road.

Then Wang Xiaojiu smiled bitterly: "The big family has the benefits of the big family, and I am not afraid of being made difficult by the officials and warriors when I go out, so it is good to enjoy the shade with my back against the big tree."

"Big families also have the difficulties of big families. I earn 100 guan for the royal family, at least 80 guan must be handed over to the clan, and the rest of the houses will be given another point, and it will be good if there is consistency in my hands. Outsiders don't believe it, they think that I, Wang Xiaojiu, am a decent person, so my expenses are too big......"

Zhang Zhanjun poked Liu Decheng twice, and Liu Decheng suddenly realized.

Although Liu Decheng felt that it was not good for Zhang Zhanjun to privately woo the descendants of the proprietor's mentor, he knew that Zhang Zhanjun, who was under the age of fifteen, had always had an idea. So he slapped the table with righteousness and awe, and then whispered in a thief: "Brother Xiaojiu, I will introduce you to a way to make a fortune, do you want to?" ”

"You've finally found your conscience! Let's hear it. Wang Xiaojiu fanned with a fan and raised his interest.

"Do you know why there is chaos on both sides of the Han River? That's because ironmaking is very profitable nowadays, and they are rushing to build iron-making furnaces! ”

"Where do the ore and charcoal come from?"

"There are many small mines in the mountains on both sides of the Han River, and there is no shortage of charcoal and coal. The scattered iron ore ore groups on Jinghu North Road are also worried that there is no market. There happens to be a waterway on the Han River, which is barely enough. ”

"Oooh...... That's it. ”

A month later, Wang Xiaojiu secretly owned an iron-making furnace on the banks of the Han River.

Medical Officer Kwong is Qu Zhengyan's father's close friend. Qu Zhengyan's father was busy treating the wounded soldiers of Liu Chengdong's department, so he could only ask Qu Zhengyan to ask for leave and accompany Medical Officer Kuang to see the drama of the Huali class.

At noon, the weather was still a little hot.

Under the guidance of Qu Zhengyan, Dr. Kwong took two of his entourage to the second floor of the newly opened Yike Residence. On the way, when he saw Liu Decheng and others finishing the meal, Qu Zhengyan waved and said hello.

When you enter the door, there is a little girl with a good face and a plain bag bowing and saying hello. When Dr. Kwong came to the second floor, he found that the small spaces separated by flowers, bamboo curtains, and screens were actually like this...... Refreshing.

A solid wood oval table with a charcoal stove burning in the middle. After a short time, two well-dressed and plain-faced women came over with a multi-layered wooden cart, put the cooked dishes on the table, and finally put a deep iron pot on the charcoal stove.

Two little girls in blue dresses came over. One of them lowered the small basin containing the ice cubes under the roller fan and gently turned the knob to bring the cold air to Dr. Kwong. Another little girl picked up the big copper kettle from the car and poured the sour plum soup into a bamboo cup filled with ice cubes one by one.

"What's this way of eating? It's fire and ice, and it's the end of July! ”

Dr. Kwong was shocked. Of course, he would not show timidity in front of the two strong women, and after the two expressionless strong women left, he enjoyed the cool breeze and asked Qu Zhengyan, the junior.

"I'm scared to death uncle, I thought it was those two strong women who were waiting......" Doctor Kwong exhaled and said with palpitations.

The scholars and gentry of the Great Zhou Dynasty regarded lingering in the Qinglou as an elegant thing, and preferred the young and young people in their teens. If this elegantly laid out and elaborate materials are really used to entertain guests, not to mention whether the business will be yellow, but he is going to be famous.

Qu Zhengyan laughed. The little girl who was waiting for the guests to eat also covered her mouth, thinking that this Hanlin medical officer was really interesting.

"If Lord Kuang prefers strong women, you can let the two strong women shake their fans and add vegetables!" Qu Zhengyan's father finally arrived here. He first saluted Doctor Kuang, who had an official position, and then sat down politely for a while.

Doctor Kuang patted his old friend who was sitting in the main escort position, shook his head and said speechlessly:

"After so many years, Brother Qu's temper is still like this. If you hadn't been against the official back then, how would you have ended up ......?"

"Stop, stop! I'm convinced of you, Brother Kwong, Lord Kwong. Don't mention the bad things in the past, talk while eating! Qu Zhengyan's father clenched his fists and begged for mercy.

Qu Zhengyan's family has a stake in a medical center in Mingyueji, mainly treating mouth and eye diseases. The core medical skills are, of course, from the back mountains.

Dr. Kwong went to see the inside of the infirmary, and he was deeply impressed by the clean environment, plain wooden instruments, and various styles of steel knives. He also tried to get a set of scalpels, only to be surprised to find that the new scalpels were available for sale!

Qu Zhengyan's father and Dr. Kwong were thinking about the past while eating and drinking...... Almost half an hour passed, and when I put it in, the pork bones were already ripe.

Another strong woman came over, lifted the thick wooden cover, and put the freshly cut tofu inside. The strong woman put a few cleaned vegetable leaves and long noodles coiled in circles on the table, then pushed the cart and left with a blank face.

The hard dish that Dr. Kwong ate was the first Qinling hard dish that the chefs of Yi Keju got after changing the proprietor's practice: big bone tofu vegetable noodle soup!

First, the pork bones are boiled with spices, and the pig must be castrated. Then add tofu, vegetables, noodles, and bread to the soup according to the amount of food...... Mellow taste, large quantity, and simple method are the three core requirements of Qinling cuisine.

Of course, the prerequisite for a good taste is to be able to afford spices. The spices purchased from overseas belong to the exclusive scope of the court, and ordinary people cannot eat the spices purchased from overseas several times in their lives.

With the incident of Wang Liuwang and Wang Qi, a large number of wealthy people poured into Mingyueji, which occupies a small area, which directly stimulated the high-end consumption of Mingyueji.

Nanshanbao's dominant dental clinic, eye disease clinic, finished product pharmacy, and high-end pub rely on thoughtful service and good reputation to quickly spread its reputation to the entire Jingnan Road.

A large number of businessmen poured into Mingyueji, only to find that Mingyueji, as rumored, had very good business conditions. So they opened shops and workshops one after another, and soon consumed the small half of the captives that Liu Chengdong and Weng and his son-in-law tried to keep. Stimulated by the war, the destruction of workshops, and the blockage of trade routes, the merchants and workshop owners of Mingyueji are especially keen to invest in iron-making workshops.

At first, Dr. Kwong also asked Qu Zhengyan to cut his meat. Later, Xu was disgusted that Qu Zhengyan was busy working on people all day long, so he put down his reserve and grabbed the big bone stick with his hand and gnawed it......

At the same time, Li Yifu was checking the counterweight stone throwing machine in the back mountain.

Three six-meter-high stone throwers were launched together and successfully threw 30 catties of stone projectiles. The average distance between the landing site and the launch point is about 320 meters, and the difference between them is not more than 50 meters.

The master craftsmen and craftsmen exchanged from the Yongle Puppet Dynasty broke the jar and broke it, and they didn't care about anything to save their lives. With the blessing of these talents, Nanshan Fort's bamboo paper armor, bamboo and wood cloth helmets, iron paper cloth helmets, iron tie armor, oval iron helmets, steel frying method, papermaking and other technologies have soon made new progress.

Not only that, several elderly craftsmen who make a living from hydraulic equipment also donated a set of transmission and transmission devices for hydraulic forging hammers, which increased the efficiency of hydraulic forging hammers by more than two times.

The handcuff is a top-secret item, but it does not prevent Lei Cheng and Carpenter and others from dismantling some parts and putting them on models that are out of reach for new craftsmen. The latest firing mechanism is still a spring wheel fire, but the two springs are subtracted, and the reliability is also greatly improved.

Li Yifu is in a good mood. After testing the first batch of granular gunpowder made by Lin Xueyong, he was even more comfortable, and promised to let Lin Xueyong do it on the spot and gradually expand and improve the production line. Huge costs for equipment and money? No problem!

Also at the end of July, a large fireworks workshop built by Namsan Fort on the banks of the Han River was put into operation.

Li Yifu set off grand fireworks when he got married, and the subsequent wedding wave brought the roar of fireworks every night, all of which became the best publicity.

Multi-colored fireworks soon spread along trade and waterways. From a certain day, the whole shipload of saltpeter and sulfur was transported to Mingyueji......

On the night of July 31, Jiangnan East Road, near the river of Zhenjiang.

Fang Weiliang, who was dressed in disguise, went out of Hangzhou City, changed several boats on the sea and river, and finally successfully joined the officials.

"Congratulations, congratulations. Brother Fang has made such a great achievement, look at which family in Nanshan Fort still dares to be embarrassed! It will be smooth sailing in the future, and taking charge of a certain house or a certain place is just around the corner. The clerk said politely.

"Brother Cheng, don't laugh at me. Gambling on this is a life, every day I worry about being hacked to death by someone, or being identified by the spies of the rich gentry, or even being caught by someone recruited by Han, I didn't expect to survive. Fang Weiliang returned the salute and said with a wry smile.

Zhang Qingping, Ding Shihang, Zhang Yongnian and others gathered in one place to inspect the literary books, famous doctors and hundreds of secret account information that Fang Weiliang had bought from Fang La at the cost of sheltering nearly a thousand children in the Yongle Dynasty.

"Brother Fang will cut first and then play, and protect the nearly 1,000 children of the Yongle Dynasty, so you are not afraid that the public will say that you care about yourself and your surname is Fang, so you will bring trouble to Nanshan Fort?"

"Brother Cheng sent me a secret letter informing me that he wanted to dedicate the ancestor Qin Jiuding to the proprietor by name, aren't you afraid of causing trouble to the proprietor? If you say that you are in trouble, the weight of the Venerable Ding is greater than the heavens......"

"Hahaha, you and I are both representatives of the new mountain people, so I won't lie. We have made such a great contribution, if we don't make some trouble and make the old mountain people feel better, the last person who will be embarrassed can only be the proprietor. ”

"Yes, that's what I mean. Also, ahem...... Those hundreds of ledger information were collected by Fang La's forces with great effort, and there were too many secrets hidden in them, and the proprietor and the Jiangnan family had formed such a big relationship, so they could dig out a lot of things from it......"