"That's shipbuilding!" Liu Chengdao: "Lord Hong's military order is to let the general block the border between Shaanxi and Shanxi provinces to prevent the thieves from Shaanxi from escaping to Shanxi and harming the Quartet!" How can you do it without a boat? I plan to build sixty speedboats in Chaoyi, and build piers and beacons along the riverbank, and when I encounter thieves crossing the river, I will light the beacons, and the boatmen will see the beacons and move, is it not far better than trekking on foot? “

"Well, then I'll let the counties along the river build beacons!" Lu Boqi laughed.

"That's not a hurry!" Liu Cheng said with a smile: "I plan to send people to survey along the river, choose a suitable location, and then build it is not too late, and the beacon tower to be built has a special style, and then the counties along the river only need to send people, and the craftsmen are sent by me." “

"It's good!"

When Ma Ziyi heard this, she knew that Liu Cheng's intentions must be more than what he said, but he definitely couldn't ask anything more, so it was better to wait and see what happened. At this time, the supper had been delivered, and Liu Cheng used the supper to leave.

In front of the gate of Mafu, Lu and Ma looked at Liu Cheng's back, half speechless. Lu Boqi sighed and said, "Ma Gong, how much do you think what Lord Liu said tonight is true and how much is false?" “

"I don't know!" Ma Ziyi shook her head: "Even if what he said before is true or false, I may not be able to tell whether it is true or false, let alone tonight?" Master Lu, you think too highly of me. “

"That's it, I don't bother to guess, anyway, I'm already on his boat, and it's too late to think about it, so I only have to row hard!" Speaking of this, Lu Boqi arched his hand towards Ma Ziyi with a wry smile: "It's not too early, I'm leaving!" ”

Looking at Lu Boqi's departing back, Ma Ziyi suddenly whispered: "He has already gotten on the boat, so should I get on or not?" ”

Chaoyi, shipyard.

Compared to half a month ago, this place has completely changed, and a vacant land ten times the size of the original shipyard has been cleared. Weeds and thorns have been removed by fire and sickles, and the ground has been tamped and roasted with fire again, and it is as hard as granite. On the side close to the land are more than twenty huts, which were used by craftsmen; On the other side, a dozen squares of different sizes were drawn with white quicklime, which were necessary for the shipyard to be built, such as hemp rope work, iron work, lacquer work, putty work, etc.; And in the clearing near the river, more than twenty men were shouting trumpets to drive wooden stakes into the ground - this was the slipway on which the ship was built.

"Liu Tou'er, Liu Tou'er!"

Liu Zude looked up at the place where the voice came from, and saw a general jumping off his horse and walking towards him, and he hurriedly dropped the work in his hand. grabbed his shirt and put it on his body, and shouted in a low voice: "Work hard, don't be lazy!" After saying that, he greeted him over there and said with a smile: "Master Jun, what's the matter with finding the little one?" “

"Aren't you always complaining about the lack of manpower and the fear that you won't be able to catch up?" The boss smiled and said: "There are hundreds of people here, even if you pick, as long as you pick it, it will be yours!" “

"That dare is good, that dare is good!" Liu Zude habitually piled up a humble smile. followed the general manager: "But let me make it clear first, the shipyard is all hard work, and women and children can't bear it!" ”

"Women and children?" The general said with a smile: "Don't worry, they are all first-class good laborers." Lord Liu won the battle in Juzhou and captured more than 2,000 people, how could there be women and children among the thieves? Even if you ask me to find you a woman and a child, I won't find it!" ”

"Rogue?" Liu Zude habitually shuddered: "Can they work?" ”

"Why can't you work?" Turn the head around. Seeing Liu Zude's pale face, he smiled and said, "Liu Tou'er, Liu Tou, you are such a big man." but they are as bold as mice. Whoever dares to cheat, you will be whipped and waited with a club, and even if you beat him, I will not believe that anyone's bones are harder than sticks! “

"Master Jun, I'm just a person who buys strength to eat, even if I see someone arguing on the road, I have to walk around, lest I be splashed with spit and provoke right and wrong, it's good not to be beaten, where do I dare to beat someone? Besides, these are all thieves, who doesn't have a few lives in their hands, I don't dare, I don't dare! In the end, Liu Zude's head shook like a rattle.

The boss always looked at Liu Zude like this, and couldn't help but be angry and funny: "Liu Tou'er, Liu Tou, you are really eight feet long, who said that you just worked hard to eat?" I'll give you a thorough understanding for the sake of falling in love on weekdays! He lowered his voice and said: "As long as you work hard and do a good job in this shipyard, you can also be a boss!" “

"Put the total?" Liu Zude's eyes widened, and when he saw that he looked ignorant, he had to explain: "I am a general manager, and you were as old as me at that time." “

"I'm a hard-working craftsman, how can I be as big as you? You're not making me happy, are you? ”

"Liu Tou'er, why do I want to make you happy, you are not my general?" The boss sneered: "My news is from my uncle, do you know who my uncle is?" ”

"Who is it?"

"Lord Dugudu!" The boss raised his head arrogantly: "Uncle I am the first person to follow General Liu's side, is his words still false?" The master has already said in person, as long as the shipyard is built, Liu Tou'er, you and I will receive a salary of two taels and five dollars of silver a month, and two pieces of cloth in winter and summer. ”

"Really?" Liu Zude couldn't help but be overjoyed, and then he asked a little hesitantly: "Do you need money for dinner?" “

"Naturally, I don't want it!" The general said with a smile: "You can rest assured now, whoever dares to disobey will be beaten, if there are still those who are not convinced, I will be separated from you by half a mile, just say hello and come over, military law is engaged!" “

Liu Zude shuddered, although he was illiterate, he had stayed under Liu Cheng for these days, and he knew what it meant. The general said with a smile: "But Liu Tou'er, if you do it, you have to engage in military law!" “

"Yes, yes!" Liu Zude was completely frightened this time, he gritted his teeth and kept up with the footsteps of the general, in his heart hope and fear were mixed together, tormenting this simple person.

When Liu Zude followed the general manager over a steep slope and came to the side gate of the barracks, he saw more than 400 unkempt men sitting in the open space, he didn't dare to look at the faces of these former thieves, and asked the general manager: "How many people can I pick to go?" “

"Whatever you want!" The general manager replied casually, and then he realized that he had said it too easily, and hurriedly added: "It can't be too much." There are still many things to do? It's not okay for you to pick it up, so let's do it, is fifty enough? “

Hearing this number, Liu Zude almost agreed directly, but the sentence "engaged in military law" just now made him swallow his words back, and he calculated a little, although these people still don't know how to craft and can't work for shipwrights, but there is no problem with digging soil, driving piles, and carrying materials. This will save a lot of manpower, and besides, maybe some of these people have worked as blacksmiths and carpenters before? Thinking of this, Liu Zude stretched out his right hand: "Eighty is not successful?" “

"Okay!" He always sold Liu Zude a favor very happily, and from his uncle's mouth, he learned that the master of the general attaches great importance to this shipyard, although this shipwright leader is not very good now, maybe he will climb up one day? Everyone will do the icing on the cake, but there are few who can send charcoal in the snow, and they are always very proud of their clever selling of each other's favors. He picked up a lime bucket from the side and handed it to Liu Zude, and said with a smile: "Which one do you like?" Just pat that person on the shoulder with this lime, and that's your man! ”

"Thank you!" Liu Zude took the ash bucket and walked over to the crowd, and he walked as he went. While shouting: "Who has been a carpenter or a blacksmith!" Whenever he met a man who claimed to be a craftsman, he patted him on the right shoulder, and naturally an accompanying soldier untied the rope and led him out. Liu Zude picked for a while and found that there were very few people who knew how to craft. I had to expand the range of choices to those who looked more sturdy, and anyway, it would take manpower to move and pick and choose.

In this way, Liu Zude picked about sixty or seventy people, and was about to walk out of the crowd. Suddenly, a man jumped out of the crowd and asked, "Do you want a blacksmith?" “

"Yes, are you a blacksmith?" Liu Zude looked the man up and down with suspicious eyes, and saw that this person was thin and small, and there were no burn marks on his forearms, so he didn't look like a blacksmith.

"It's not me!" The man grabbed Liu Zude, walked a few steps into the crowd, and pointed to a man who was half-lying on the ground: "It's him, he can do blacksmith work, you take him away!" “

Liu Zude looked down, this half-lying on the ground was a burly man, with messy hair scattered on his face, he couldn't see what he looked like, Liu Zude squatted down and pulled up his sleeves, but there were a lot of burn marks, his hands were full of calluses, and his hands were like iron. Liu Zude stood up with satisfaction and said casually: "Stand up and let me see!" ”

The man was still lying on the ground as if he hadn't heard it at all, and the man next to him hurriedly explained: "My friend has been injured in the leg, and he has been burning dizzily for the past few days, so I guess I haven't heard you call him." “

Liu Zude found that the right thigh of the man on the ground was wrapped in a rag, he reached out and tore open the rag, revealing a hole more than a foot long, I don't know how deep, black pus and blood were flowing out of it. Take a closer look, there are still two wounds on his waist, like arrow wounds, Liu Zude snorted coldly, then stood up, and the person next to him hurriedly grabbed him and begged: "My friend has a good blacksmithing skill, you can take him away!" “

"The wound on his leg was a knife wound?"

"Not bad!" Seeing that the situation was not good, the man hurriedly explained: "The officers and soldiers have killed them, and the swords and guns have no eyes, and my friend is just unlucky." ”

"Really?" Liu Zude snorted coldly: "What I want there is a serious craftsman, but I can't afford to provoke a strong person like your friend!" Then he was about to leave, when the man who was lying on the ground groaned, turned over, and the hair that had been scattered on his face slipped down and showed his face. Liu Zude happened to catch a glimpse, his body couldn't help but be shocked, and he said in a low voice: "How can it be so coincidental?" ”

When the man saw Liu Zude stop, he thought that things had taken a turn for the better, and hurriedly pleaded: "Master, my friend has injured his leg, if I go to you to strike iron, there is still a way to live, if I go to build bridges and pave roads, I am afraid that there will be only one way to die." And you will be kind—"

"What's the name of this guy?" Liu Zude interrupted the other party's plea.

"Name?" The man was stunned for a moment, and hurriedly replied: "His surname is Liu, and his name is Zongmin." ”

"Where is he from?"

"Where? It seems to be the Lantian people's clan. ”

"It's really good, it's Zong Min's nephew, I didn't expect that I came out with my elders to beg for a living since I was fourteen years old, and I actually met my own nephew here." Liu Zude forcibly held back the excitement in his chest and said in the calmest tone possible: "Okay, I'll accept him!" You, and you! Liu Zude casually nodded to the two people next to him: "Help this guy up and follow me out!" ”

"Hey!" The two hurriedly jumped up, helped Liu Zongmin up, and followed Liu Zude out. Along the way, Liu Zude was still a little apprehensive, lest the general manager ask him why he picked a person who was so seriously injured, but he didn't expect that the general manager didn't even have a number, but just took a rough look to see if there was a lime handprint on the shoulder of the person who went out. Seeing that his nephew was out of the circle safely, Liu Zude finally breathed a sigh of relief, cut a few branches on the side of the road, broke some reeds, tied them into a simple stretcher, put Liu Zongmin on it, and carried the shipyard all the way.

As soon as Liu Zude returned to the shipyard, he called a clever half-grown man: "Simaozi, you go to the Dragon King Temple immediately, go and invite the cripple, and say that someone here has a red injury!" ”

"Hey!" The half-grown boy answered, and just as he was about to leave, he turned around and asked, "Uncle, no one is injured here?" Besides, that cripple shows people injuries, as long as they go out, they will have to hang half a penny, if you let me go empty-handed, I won't be invited! ”

"Stinky boy!" Liu Zude scolded: "If you let you go, you will go, where is there so much nonsense, you tell Hu Cripple, it was Liu Touer from the shipyard who invited him, and his straw sandal money is indispensable!" “

Seeing that the errand runners were gone, Liu Zude hurriedly placed the new people and distributed them to various workshops according to their skills, personalities, and physical strength, and their busy feet did not touch the ground. It wasn't until dinner that he took a breath, and was about to go to see Liu Zongmin, but he saw a donkey swaying over on the road not far away, and a fat man with a short figure was sitting on the back of the donkey, and Simaozi was leading the way in front of the donkey. Liu Zude hurriedly greeted him and shouted, "Doctor Hu, you are here!" “

The fat man jumped off the donkey's back, limped forward two steps, and stretched out his right hand in front of Liu Zude without saying a word, spreading out a fat palm: "Take half a hanging money first, and one of them is Shaqian and I will turn around and leave!" ”

Liu Zude was stunned for a moment, and said with a smile: "The patient is over there, you go and see it first, and I will send the money immediately!" (To be continued.) )