Around the New Year's Day of the fifth year of Jian'an, it was still stormy and snowy. The cold north wind www.biquge.info almost confined people to their homes. Because the New Year is approaching, according to the usual practice, all major merchants, shops, restaurants and inns are temporarily closed. Most of them, from employees to bosses, return to their homes to reunite with their loved ones and make final preparations for the Chinese New Year.

It can be said that Xiangyang City at this time is not very active. Everyone is busy with the New Year's affairs, except for the people in Surabaya.

The people in Surabaya are also very busy, but they are not busy with the New Year, but are busy with internal adjustments. Some of the experienced and capable supervisors in Surabaya retreated, and they were replaced by disciples who had been taught by these people themselves. These people are young, but they passed the final test of the teacher and were pushed up to become the director of the Surabaya residence. Such drastic personnel changes were quickly completed just a few days before New Year's Day.

This made the peers who got the news quite uneasy: "Is Surabaya Ju going to expand again?" "They are worried because the first two expansions of Surabaya were done in the same way. Once born, second ripe, and the third time, they quickly reflected. They inquired about whether Surabaya Ju had bought real estate there in Xiangyang City. Like the people who lived in Surabaya who were not broken by Li Sheng, the strange prosperity of Xiangyang City made the merchants here keep an eye on the market in front of them, and forgot the vastness of the world outside.

When they learned that Surabaya had not purchased real estate in Xiangyang City, they suddenly breathed a sigh of relief and relaxed. Although they also thought that Surabaya Ju could develop outward, but to what extent could it develop? They were curious and scared at the same time. Because they are not familiar with everything outside, because they simply don't have an outcast person to trust.

"Anyway, they won't persecute us further in Xiangyang." That's what they think about right now.

Surabaya House did not rest on New Year's Day, its doors were still open, and there were people who continued to work in their posts.

The so-called "no business opportunities on New Year's Day" is the opinion of ordinary people. And in Li Sheng, who has come from modern times, New Year's Day is a day of unlimited business opportunities.

"Don't keep your eyes on what is in front of you, sometimes you have to look further away. Our customers should not be limited to the prosperous areas of the city, but also those who are ordinary and even poor. We not only want to make money, but we also want to win the hearts and minds of the people. At that meeting, Li Sheng's suggestions were not only aimed at the expansion of Surabaya Ju itself, but also aimed at the overall positioning of Surabaya Ju in the future.

He looked at the people below at that time, and found that they were puzzled, so he casually mentioned two points: "This year's winter is very cold, and there are always some displaced people from the north who have not yet settled down, and are in the midst of hunger and cold, so we must take care of them to a certain extent." There are already too many people who have died in the war, and if there is one less death, one less will die. If we can do a good job, we will have a high prestige and a good reputation among these people, and we can take advantage of the possibility that these people will be scattered in the future to further expand our influence, which is a very important point. ”

Speaking of this, Li Sheng stood up at that time and said: "Another point is that we have to make something new. It's not like regular food, and you don't have to sit in a restaurant to eat it. It's the kind of thing you can eat while standing and waiting for a tea hour. Convenience and speed are the best interpretation of this type of food, and it is also its biggest advantage. At the same time, you also need to further improve the preservative of this food, so that it must be able to maintain its quality for about seven days in the worst environment. If this food can be done successfully, we will be able to grasp more than 100,000 customers. ”

"What customer? So much? The people below were puzzled.

"Army." Li Sheng simply spit out these two words, "Don't say anything else, at least this kind of food is very welcome for the army, because it will greatly reduce the army's trouble in food and grass." I think for this kind of thing, our state pastor Liu Biao should like it very much. ”

"That's nature." When everyone heard this, they immediately understood and agreed.

They knew what the reason for Li Sheng's request was: Li Sheng would become an official in the future. Fame is very important to him. After all, in this world, no reputation means no strength, which means no future. This is undoubtedly the most needed for young people who want to get ahead.

"This must be done for the little master. After all, he is our head. Everyone thought so. Most of them were people who followed Li Sheng from Xuzhou and fought with Li Sheng, and Li Sheng was their head for them.

It's a hassle to make that kind of quick and easy food. After all, no one has done this before. Although there are things like cakes and buns, they can only last for two or three days at most, and they have to be in a better environment. It can't adapt to the kind of request made by Li Sheng at all.

"In the worst possible conditions, the food will not be spoiled for seven days. It is simply ...... to be able to make him steamy in a cup of tea" At that time, when Li Sheng talked about this, everyone didn't feel any difficulties in it. But now that they really do it, they realize that it is like a fool's dream.

"Is this possible?" They asked and complained. But no matter how much they complain, they have to do their best. Because it was an order from Li Sheng, an instruction from their small military division, and it was also to enhance the combat strength of their army in the future. The effect that the appearance of this convenient food would have on the army was not unaware of the effects that they had fought before. Because they clearly know: "If you guarantee food and grass, you will guarantee the army." ”

It's just that it's really difficult, and they can only do their best.

Although the matter of making new food is not a score for the time being, the matter of making a big profit at the end of the year is quickly implemented. From the selection of ingredients to the finalization of what food to prepare, it is quickly completed in a matter of days. In the end, I asked my subordinate bookkeeper to count the daily expenses, and he actually had to consume a hundred yuan, which was almost the income of the main building of Surabaya for a day.

"It's too expensive, isn't it? Young Master Sheng, look at ......" When Aunt Mei handed this to Li Sheng, she was always a little uneasy. Although 1,000 is not a lot, it is a lot. I originally thought that I would not consume so much at all, but there were more than 100,000 displaced people who did not want to gather outside Xiangyang City. When there are more people, there are naturally more things to do, and the price will naturally go up.

"Is it expensive? I don't think so. More than 100,000 people. If you divide it for one person, it will only be less than ten cents per head, and you won't be able to eat anything good at all. Li Sheng shook his head and compared the things in the plan: "Look here, it's such a cold day, you actually let them eat gruel, can this be full?" I'll see if I change something. ”

"With what? It's impossible to cook for so many people. There was not enough rice in the store. Hearing that Li Sheng was going to add ingredients, Aunt Mei couldn't help frowning. It's not that she is reluctant to spend money, but at the moment, there is not so much food reserves in Surabaya at all, and they don't have so much rice.

"Don't we still have flour! Just make something fresh for those people with flour, minced meat, and fine vegetables. Li Sheng said mysteriously with a smile.

"What's that?" Aunt Mei was puzzled.

"It's a bit like an ingot, with a layer of crust on the outside and fresh meat and vegetables on the inside. When it's done, it's as simple as boiling water to cook a meal. One bite at a time, but it smells so good. Li Sheng said with a nostalgic smile on his face. He was talking about dumplings, which were a must-have food for the Chinese New Year in the past. But at the moment, this thing has not yet been invented.

"Sounds tempting, but is this thing convenient?" Aunt Mei asked him. There are five days to go before the Chinese New Year, and the concession of Surabaya Ju will also begin on that day. If you can't organize 100,000 meals in five days, it will undoubtedly make Li's joke.

"If you do this with a normal tool, it might be a bit more troublesome. But if you use special tools to do it, then you are only responsible for preparing the most basic foods, such as round dough, minced meat and fine vegetables. Li Sheng was stunned when he heard this, thought about it and said.

The so-called special tool is actually a "dumpling pinch". It is composed of two pieces of wooden mold and a round stick on strings. When you use it, you just need to spread the skin, put the stuffing on, and then pinch it like this. It's quick to make dumplings with this thing, and it's not difficult at all.

"Can you be in a hurry?" Aunt Mei is still a little worried.

"It should be possible. Besides, don't come too much at once. A portion of the dumplings and a portion of the porridge should also be able to fill them up. Li Sheng thought for a moment and replied very affirmatively. Because he knew that while he asked Song Bo to make tools, Surabaya Ju could also prepare the ingredients for dumplings. The two sides can be done at the same time, and there is no conflict between the two.

"That's good." Aunt Mei nodded yes, and then agreed to come down and go to prepare.

Because other businesses in Xiangyang City still closed down on New Year's Day according to the custom, because Xuzhou, which was in the fourth year of Jian'an, was still in turmoil, causing a large number of people to flee, and because Liu Biao's "benevolence" made him have to make great efforts to control the displaced people who came to Jingzhou, the opinions put forward by the Surabaya residence greatly met the appetite of Lord Liu Biao. Its willingness to help displaced people even at a loss is one of the topics that are praised by all. And the name Li Sheng, as the big boss of Surabaya, also spread among the high-level leaders in Jingzhou.

When they heard that this Li Sheng was still a high-ranking member of Sima Hui's sect, and he was the righteous son of the former Yuzhang Taishou Zhuge Xuan, and the widowed grandson of the Li family, who was famous all over the world decades ago, these officials who were very sensitive to politics quickly realized something: "This person is definitely a new star." If he does not step into the official career, once he enters the official career, his future will be limitless. With his fame, with his family background, there is no doubt that he is flawlessly innocent. ”

"That's a lot of money." Kuai Yue happily looked at Li Sheng, who came to visit: "With the praise of these 100,000 people, I am afraid that there will be no one in Jingzhou in the future who does not know the prestige of you, the big boss of Surabaya." It's really terrifying. I am afraid that ordinary people will not dare to make such a donation if they think of it. I heard that the money you spent for 10 days is your income for a whole month before the holiday. ”

Kuai Yue picks everything out clearly. His reluctant eyes were staring at Li Sheng with a calm face. He tried to see something in the young man's face, but he was disappointed. The young man's expression was so calm from the beginning, that it never changed because of his words.

"This kid is quite a bit of a city government." The more Kuai Yue looked at Li Sheng, the more satisfied he became.

Kuai Yue knew that Li Sheng wanted to become a leader, and wanted to give him as much care as possible in his position through his connections. However, he didn't make everything so obvious. It's just that after his reputation has reached a height, he treats himself respectfully with the same attitude as he treats his teacher, and lets himself give him guidance on some issues.

Such a cautious and rigorous move made Kuai Yue very satisfied. He understands that in this way, basically no one will think that Li Sheng climbed up completely by virtue of his relationship with himself. What Li Sheng wants is completely what he is capable of.

"Mr. Kuai is overrated. Last year, the people of Xuzhou were displaced, and they ran to Jingzhou, admiring the prestige of Lord Liu Biao. All he wants is a peace of mind. However, last winter was very cold, and the governor was afraid that the people would lose, so he wanted to raise food to supply the people. We have only responded to the call of the state pastor. Li Sheng said calmly and humbly.

"Hehe, even if this is Lord Liu Biao's call. But it's also an opportunity. There are opportunities at any time, but there are not many people who can seize them. Kuai Yue's mysterious smile, the meaning of the words is naturally expressed in it.

"People, you always have to have a goal, don't you? I just want life to be a little more exciting. Li Sheng replied cryptically. He understood Kuaiyue's words and expressed his ambitions appropriately.

"You're a disciple of Mr. Shuijing! Your master is a hermit like Pang Degong, and he is unwilling to go out of office. How could you, as his proud man, be willing to climb the platform? Kuai Yue asked with a squint.

He is teaching Li Sheng: on the one hand, he is the teacher of Shui Jing, and on the other hand, he is his own goal. When the two conflict in a certain environment, how should Li Sheng explain his current behavior? After all, he turned his back on his mentor and chose his own goal. "Heaven and Earth Monarch Teacher" This is the ethics of the Five Constants, and Li Sheng is somewhat violating the Five Constants at the moment. Although, he himself may have reached some kind of consensus with Mr. Shui Jing, but that is only known to a few people, not the general public.

"The hermit is not simply hidden for the sake of concealment. Concealment is actually a kind of escape, in order to escape from the deviation from ideals and reality. It's just that such an evasion seems to me to be a cowardly act. The real thing to do is to fight for your own ideals. If there is a gap between reality and ideals, then what you should do is to use your own efforts to change reality, not to escape. Of course, the thoughts of individuals are different, and I don't know what my master and Pang Degong think. That's just a humble opinion of mine. Maybe it's because I used to study martial arts. I'm like to face some of it. Li Sheng said with a smile. For someone to ask himself this, he has already prepared the answer in his heart.

"Huh. That's a good point. The appreciation on Kuaiyue's face became even stronger. He doesn't agree with Li Sheng's point of view 100%, but he unusually agrees with Li Sheng's rush to express his words: humble but not humble, sharp but calm, with hills and ravines hidden in his chest, but on the surface there is something that makes people feel ordinary.

"Talent, this is definitely a first-class talent." Kuai Yue laughed, and he had already made up his mind.

"Zixu Xian's nephew, your filial piety this year is about to pass. How about it, I don't have any plans for my future life. Kuai Yue, who had already made a decision, simply asked directly.

"Hmm. I want to come up with Lord Liu Biao. "Since Mr. Kuai Yue has said it so clearly, what kind of circle is he Li Sheng going around, he naturally said his answer straightforwardly.

"What kind of position do you want there?" Kuai Yue was very satisfied with Li Sheng's direct answer, and he asked with concern.

"I wanted to stand on my own and prove what I could do. Therefore, I would like to have the opportunity to serve as a foreign prefectural magistrate or prefectural magistrate. Li Sheng's bright eyes shone with determination and sparkle.

"Oh? With your reputation and family background, you can fully serve as an official position like a county prince or a long history, why do you only value the county order? Kuai Yue looked at Li Sheng with a little puzzlement. In the eyes of ordinary people, the county and the long history are far above the county order, although the county order has a thousand stones, and the long history is only 600 stones, but the long history is easy to get the appreciation of high-level people and move to the top guard, and the county order is often easy to be ignored.

"Because I want to try my abilities, I want to become Taishou." Li Sheng unreservedly told his ambitions in front of Kuai Yue.

"Huh? Become a Taishou? Didn't you just say you wanted to be a prefectural magistrate? How can you ......, and even next year you will only be twenty, which is still too young. Kuai Yue's face was surprised, and he didn't keep up with Li Sheng's train of thought for a while.

"Mr. Kuai misunderstood. I want to become a Taishou to mean a few years later. That's what I want to achieve. As for next year, I still only want to try one county. Li Sheng smiled lightly and explained calmly.

"Then why don't you try Changshi and Juncheng? Generally speaking, it seems that the possibility of moving up to the top guard in these positions is greater. Kuai Yue was seriously planning for Li Sheng.

However, such an official position has always been an auxiliary official position, and it cannot be taken on its own. I think it will take some time for them to become Taishou in such an official position. And if I had had worked as a prefectural magistrate beforehand, I think everything would be much better. In essence, being a prefectural order is almost the same as being a taishou. Li Sheng expressed his opinion.

"So where do you want to be a prefectural magistrate?" Kuai Yue asked again. He looked at Li Sheng's surprised expression, smiled slightly and explained: "With your family background and reputation, being a county magistrate is more than enough. As for going to that place to be the prefectural magistrate, you can tell me. I think with my ability, I can still speak in this regard. ”

"I want to go to the northern part of Jiangxia County." Li Sheng thought for a while and said.

"Jiangxia County? Or the north? Kuai Yue was a little surprised, "That's the most unstable place in Jingzhou." It enters Yangzhou in the east and Yuzhou in the north. It is mountainous and small, and the people are strong, and until now there are still yellow turban remnants who are in turmoil from time to time. There as a county magistrate, six out of ten will not die well. How did you choose there? Kuai Yue asked with concern. He really loves this young junior and doesn't want him to be hurt because of this.

"These are troubled times, and people who are not capable enough cannot survive. It is true that the northern part of Jiangxia County is very unstable, and there are many problems of all kinds. But troubled times produce heroes. If I can stand in that place, then I will be able to deal with all kinds of problems in the future. If I can't get a foothold there, then I don't have enough skills, so I should study again and not be able to do it for the time being. Li Sheng said lightly.

"In that case, I'll help you with your efforts." Kuai Yue nodded, he saw that Li Sheng was a person who really wanted to do big things.

"Thank you, Mr. Kuai." Li Sheng bowed to Kuai Yue and said, "There is one more thing I want to ask Mr. Kuai for help!." ”

"What's the matter?" Kuai Yue looked at Li Sheng.

"I want to transfer Huang Zhong and Wei Yan to my subordinates. If you go to the northern part of Jiangxia, you will not have some people under him. Li Sheng said with a smile.

"That's fine." Kuai Yue replied easily. In his opinion, Huang Zhong and Wei Yan were just two insignificant petty officers. Although Huang Zhong's official rank is more instigated than that of a lieutenant, which is greater than the county commander that Li Sheng will serve, it is not a problem in Kuai Yue's opinion. As long as he is willing, it is okay to let Huang Zhong's official rank be lowered by one or two ranks.

"It's just that why did Li Sheng ask for these two people by name?" Kuai Yue didn't understand this. Among the officers in Jingzhou, these two are not famous.

"Perhaps, he is more familiar with these two." Kuai Yue, who couldn't get an answer, could only think like this. He looked at Li Sheng's unique face, and suddenly had a different thought in his heart: "Maybe,...... Hey! ”

The days after the seventh day of New Year's Day are a time for people to visit each other. When the snow fades away, the warm winter day tears apart the layers of gray clouds and shines on the land again. People can clearly feel the breath of spring in the cold air.

Yes, spring is coming.

The weather doesn't look cold anymore. As the days passed, the days gradually warmed up. At this time, it is the so-called good situation of treading snow and looking for plums.

After a New Year's Day break, the young gentlemen who studied in Shuijing Villa have not been together for half a month. They were all worried about their classmates, so they took a break from Shi Tao's appointment to go to Tanxi to play. At this moment, the stream is still frozen, and the thick ice layer is cut into a moving crystal. A few friendly classmates walked on the hard ice in fluttering clothes.

Everyone is a young person who gathers together like this, in addition to talking about poetry, discussing articles, and commenting on major events in the world, it is to tell their future ideals. They are all people who have studied under Sima Hui for several years, and their knowledge has almost mastered, and they basically have to think about the future. After all, most of them have already reached the age of the crown, and now is the time for them to start a business.

"Everyone is already quite young, do you want to make a career?" I don't know who brought up this topic.

"I want to be a state assassin." Some people express this wish. This is a good wish, after all, when you become a thorn, you will be able to become famous all over the world.

"It's a troubled time now, and many people who have become assassins and too shou are dying, so it's best not to have this thought." It was a young man who said this, he looked around, confirmed that Zhuge Liang and Li Sheng were still far behind, and then added: "Zixu's father-in-law Zhuge Xuan is a good example. reluctantly became Yuzhang Taishou, but ended up like that. ”

"Then it's okay to be a county magistrate, right?" Someone else said.

Immediately, someone coaxed: "That's a thousand stones!" It's pretty high. ”

"It's not good, being the head of a county is too ostentatious, and the responsibility is very heavy." The other said, shaking his head.

The state thorn history and the county taishou are both two thousand stones. The parents of a county have different salaries according to the size of the county. If there are more than 10,000 households, it is called a prefectural order. If there are 10,000 or fewer households, they are called county magistrates. The prefectural order is 1,000 koku, while the prefectural magistrate is 500 koku.

"I think it's better to be a county official. Although the salary is lower, the responsibilities are very relaxed. If something really happens, you can pat your ass and leave. Anyway, it's not an official position worth remembering. Another person said indifferently. He was clearly just trying to get a.

"But it's not easy to be a county magistrate now." Someone was even more discouraged. They seem to have found that in this troubled world, there is no official position that they have idealized: famous, safe, without excessive duties, and high-end. In this troubled world, every official position is exhausting.

What a hassle. They sighed so simply.

They raised their eyes to look at the group of people who had been walking in the forefront: Li Sheng, Zhuge Liang, Xu Shu, Shi Tao, Meng Jian, Cui Hao, and felt a little uneven in their hearts. Why are we here so tormented about the future, and they are so relaxed?

They were not convinced. So a few people hurriedly caught up and grabbed those people: "Zixu, what are your ambitions?" ”

"Take the world as the ambition and the four seas as the goal." Li Sheng said lightly. It's not that these people in front of them didn't hear the commotion behind them. The reason why he didn't react was just because he felt that the ambitions of the people behind him were too small. He didn't want to pay attention to these people. But now that he was asked, he had no choice but to answer. He decided to scare them a bit.

"That's too general, isn't it?" Those classmates were not satisfied with Li Sheng's answer: "Can you tell me more about it?" ”

"Let's talk about it." Li Sheng smiled lightly and stomped on the ground below: "No one knows how big this land is under our feet, and where its boundary is. The river on our left will eventually flow into the Yangtze River and flow into the sea, and no one knows where the boundary of the sea is. No one knows how high the sky is, just as no one understands the changes in history. However, if you work hard, anything is possible. My ideals are simple and arrogant. I just want the land under my feet, wherever we can be trodden on, will become our territory. All the oceans are our inland rivers wherever our boats go. I want to be able to truly dominate the world. ”

"What? You don't have a fever, do you? Everyone was frightened by Li Sheng's "arrogant" ideals. I couldn't help but play a haha, passing by. They all felt that Li Sheng's idea was like a madman, and it was uncourteous. So they forgot Li Sheng's words after hearing them, and turned to ask Zhuge Liang about his ambitions: "What do you want to do in the future?" ”

"Wen is Guan Zhong, Wu is Le Yi, this is my goal." Zhuge Liang said calmly and calmly.

"What? There's not going to be a big talker, right? The young men listened, and they looked like each other.

Guan Zhong, the Ming minister of the Spring and Autumn Period, was the hero who assisted Duke Qi Huan to become the overlord. And Le Yi was a military general in the Warring States Period and a general of the Yan Kingdom. Allied with Zhao, Chu, Han, and Wei, commanded the coalition army, and defeated the great powers of Qi at that time to only one city, and almost destroyed the country. Both of them were superbly incoherent figures at the time, and they seemed to be an unattainable existence in the minds of all students.

"Haha! You brothers, you are too angry! When they looked at each other, they laughed and said this. They all thought that Li Sheng and Zhuge Liang were bragging.