Since the beginning of spring after the New Year, Han Juan has been very busy, going to the private school twice in the morning and afternoon, and taking a group of children after school to wander around outside the tun wall; The time has not yet come for the vine grass to bear fruit, but she has already figured out a new way to make money.

The camellia fried from the young shoots of rattan grass is not only loved by the military households in the tun, but even Mei'er's sister-in-law also orders camellia for the sergeants on behalf of the hundred households; Especially in Bailong Lake, the demand is increasing every month.

The shopkeepers of the Huangtian family, after drinking the free camellia given by Hanjuan, also found Hanjuan and began to buy small quantities and give them to their respective friends in Suzhou Acropolis, trying to explore the problem of sales; You must know that in the northwest, except for a small tea garden in Sunan, most of the other tea leaves have to be transported from the south.

Two old craftsmen who lived to the heart found Uncle Kun, sent two catties of pastries, learned the technique of roasting tea, and fried rattan grass and mountain tea at home, and Hanjuan became their supplier and seller.

But no matter how busy she is, she still has to go to the private school on time to study, and the husband not only teaches them, but also makes them look at the sun, and compare it with the pocket watch in the husband's hand, which the baby heard is very expensive.

A small private school, more than 20 boys, girls, Yang Tianshou also moved out of the Confucian six arts, etiquette (etiquette), music (music), archery (archery), royal (driving), book (literacy), mathematics (calculation) six kinds of talents, he can teach the number of books and music, and the archery relies on the sergeants sent by the hundred households, fortunately, Xiao Ye is very supportive.

The war horse picks out two horses with a docile temperament, and they can be pulled over and let the boys and girls take turns to ride in the first circle, and the crossbow fire/gun shooting, or they can be slowly practiced according to age.

Xiao Ye, who had resumed his normal routine and rest, faced with a large number of carriages and ox carts entering and leaving the stone castle every day, dirty smoke and dust, and being able to step on feces on the ground from time to time, was already unbearable, and after discussing with Wang Ziliang, he called Wang Dali.

"Uncle Wang, where the quarry is, see if you can take the sergeants to build a smaller stone fort according to the appearance of the stone fort," Standing on the wall of the stone fort, Xiao Ye pointed to the quarry in the distance, "I am going to move those two small stone mills over, and it will take a lot of labor to transport stones,"

Xiao Ye, who didn't know the connection between the big and small stone mills, although he didn't know the secret of the big stone mill, but the hints on the pattern, as well as the small stone mill feeding, and the big stone grinding out the materials, he understood it very well, how could he be willing if he didn't try; Big deal, bring back two more stone mills.

But in the place where you must go down the mountain, it is imperative to build a stone fort, otherwise the depth of guarding the top of the mountain is too shallow.

Building a stone fort in the quarry, although Xiao Ye considered it, finally Wang Ziliang put forward a suggestion, there is a large gentle slope and Shiguantun is connected, and it is also the only place to go up the mountain.

Taking advantage of the excuse of carrying a stone mill to build a small stone fort, it will not arouse suspicion.

As for the other roads up the mountain, hehe, the vine grass has now almost covered the bottom of the stone mountain, and under the layers, I don't want to lie in the pile of sharp thorns over and over again, so it's better to take a detour.

Xiao Ye and Wang Ziliang have verified it secretly, even if they pile dry firewood in the rattan grass, they can't burn much place if they ignite it, and the vine grass, which is extremely difficult to burn, has quite tough branches, and the dense stingers on it have become Shiguantun's natural protection/umbrella.

The small stone fort with a length and width of three zhang and a wall height of one zhang has prefabricated stucco stones in hand, which is not a big project in Wang Dali's eyes.

The hunters of Jiming Village joined in the quarry stone mining, and his manpower became richer.

There are five squads under his command, ten people can not move the water drawing group, ten people work in the workshop, thirty sergeants, in the mould filling yard all day long to make stucco stones, it is Wang Dali's idea, otherwise once the appearance of idleness, it will be seen by hundreds of households, and it is strange not to arrange to go to the quarry to pick up the hammer, and there is no habit of raising idlers in the tun.

Of the thirty older craftsmen, Wang Dali was reluctant to put down the quarry and work hard, they were all sergeants with a craft, and it was a waste to carry stones. The construction of the basement of the stone fort of the hundred houses was the selection of people from it.

"Well, rest assured, there are ready-made stucco stones, and it is not a problem to build a stone fort, but how many people should be placed in it?" Wang nodded vigorously, since he started drinking camellia every day, the cough has gradually decreased, and his spirit has been refreshed.

"It's okay to put down five teams of sergeants, it doesn't need to be too big, but the fort wall should be strong, not less than one zhang," Xiao Ye said with a smile, "By the way, Uncle Wang, has the food and salary in the tun been distributed this month?" ”

"It's issued, it's distributed according to the roster, and it's a lot of money and a couple of wheat," Wang Dali, who is in charge of the account book on the face of Shiguan Tun, naturally has a straight waist. As for Bailong Lake, I can only wait for my family to come and collect it, or the sergeant who will send the stone next time will bring it back.

Sending Wang Dali away, Xiao Ye and Wang Ziliang went to the warehouse next to the hundred households to take a turn, since the exiles who built two courtyards left, the west courtyard was given to the hunters of Jiming Village to live in, and the courtyard in the middle became the warehouse of the hundred households.

The warehouse outside the stone fort is filled with fast-flowing grain, coal, and the like.

The square courtyard, the rooms on the east and west sides, are full of grain, and the ten rooms on the front are full of bags of charcoal, and Uncle Kun takes a few sergeants to patrol and guard the warehouse.

Xiao Ye will not move the arsenal in the Stone Fort Hundred Households to the outside, but civilian materials such as silk cotton coats and vanity mirrors will gradually be transferred to this courtyard in the future.

The exchange ratio of charcoal and silk cotton coats, Xiao Ye saw it in his eyes, and he was happy in his heart, and he also took out more than a dozen sets of yellow-green field clothes, and waited to send them to Bailonghu.

The soft and light silk cotton coat, the delicate dressing mirror, and the pocket watches given to him by hundreds of households as a meeting gift, coupled with the fire/guns on the sergeants, although Wang Ziliang couldn't see much expression on his face, he had already set off an uproar in his heart.

These things, as well as the earth-shattering thunder on the scout's body, the telescope hidden in the skin, and the water umbrella, etc., are not produced by the Ming Dynasty, and it is even more impossible in Shiguantun, the only explanation is on Lina.

Xiao Ye, who frequently goes in and out of the grassland, is not only willing to suffer the trek, but also dares to fight with the Tartars several times, no matter how big the loss is, there is no intention of stopping, for what, isn't it these materials.

The gossip circulating in Tunli privately is that hundreds of households exchanged goods with Persians with exiles, and even went to the grassland to rob Han slaves, which Wang Ziliang has also heard, but he knows better the source of the news; Huang Deshan and the actions of the two guys, he kept an eye on it more closely than anyone else.

Yesterday, the deacon of the Wang family went up the mountain, and although the representatives of the three families in Shiguantun took their respective goods, the temptation between words made him very uneasy.

"Brother Liu Ren, how was the deal with those three yesterday?" Outside the stone castle, Xiao Ye walked in the hot sun, looking at Wang Ziliang beside him, this scholar who was inconvenient to walk, how could he not be such a speaker.

After making out with Mei Er Si Huan last night, Mei Er said that Wang Ziliang was even more cunning than them in the face of three cunning merchants, and the merchants wanted to raise the price of grain, and he was about to raise the price of goods in Shiguantun in an all-round way, on the grounds that he was ambushed by the Tartar horse team on the grassland, and the casualties were quite large.

As a result, the three merchants who did not dare to mention the price increase again could not buy water umbrellas, and they had to contribute to Shiguantun along the river, and the next time they went out to the grassland to transfer goods, they could send home guards to escort them.

Wang Ziliang, who didn't dare to agree rashly, couldn't shirk it, so he could only nod and let Baihu decide, which was also the reason why he was uneasy; The source of the trade route of the in-demand goods is a major secret that cannot be declared, and the hundred households will not be so confused.

"Brother Shi Dao, the merchant is greedy for profit, it can be said that he racked his brains," Wang Ziliang walked unhurriedly, although his steps were unsteady, but the paper fan in his hand shook very casually, "There are excuses from time to time, they don't like that bit of goods, they want your source of goods,"

"Hehe, okay, as long as they dare to show their claws, Lao Tzu doesn't mind chopping them up," Xiao Ye's kind voice, listening to Wang Ziliang's ears, was a little gloomy; Baihu reacted unexpectedly, Wang Ziliang could only twitch the corners of his mouth and look into the distance speechlessly.

Cutting off people's wealth is like killing their parents, in this regard, Xiao Ye is no exception, he is now relying on a group of young and old brothers, who have just eaten a few days to eat, if their families are cut off, it will not be messed up.

"By the way, the three families of Huangtian Wang want to buy water umbrellas for hundreds of households, but the price is too high, and they can't stand the high," Wang Ziliang said coldly when he was about to walk to the gate of the stone fort, "Actually, we still don't have enough in the tun,"

The water umbrella Xiao Ye has no cash in his hand, even if it is the stone from Bailong Lake, he may not be able to take out the water umbrella from the stone mill, this kind of thing that requires luck, Xiao Ye can only raise the price, the price of five thousand taels each, just want to drag it again, and drag it until he understands what kind of stone he needs.

"Strange goods can be lived, at this price, whether they like it or not, the delivery time is not decided, you can also go to other places to buy it," Xiao Ye snorted coldly, entered the gate of the stone castle with his head bored, and threw Wang Ziliang a thin back.

The rattan grass is tough and difficult to cut, but the few old military households who cleaned up the rattan grass, with the initiative of the three merchants, transported the rattan grass to the hundred households, and in more than ten days, a small hill has been piled up, plus a large amount of charcoal and broken wood, Xiao Ye and other guards were busy for a night, and they took out one hundred and fifty sets of field uniforms in half an hour to consume the raw materials.

In the early morning, before dawn and the mountain fog was filled, Xiao Ye sent Wang Hu's team, with more than 20 pack horses, to send a large number of guns and bullets and yellow-green quilts to Bailong Lake. Huang Hanxiang sent a letter that basically each of the rear-loading guns in Bailonghu had fired sixty or seventy rounds of projectiles, and it was close to being scrapped.

After more than half a month of treatment, more than a dozen sergeants who were recuperating in the clinic also returned to the Baihu Office to report and were temporarily arranged into the personal guards; At this point, Xiao Liuzi led a team of fifteen people, Zuo Shi led a team of fifteen people, plus seven heralds, Xiao Ye's personal guard team already had thirty-nine people.

"The flag team can't violate the rules, the guards have money to raise a few more and no one cares, just like the guards, anyway, it's their own pockets," Wang Ziliang's refuge made Xiao Ye get a lot of news from the inland guards, and his courage gradually grew, and the guards are an example.

However, Wang Ziliang reminded the hundred households that the most is the strong combat power of the Ming army, especially the border army, which is a hard bone that even the Tartars can't be willing to do in the field, and it still can't be overdone; Of course, that was in a good formation.

April was a dry and windy day, and there was a small stone fort at the edge of the quarry, the foundation of which was quickly formed, and in the busy work of thirty sergeants and twenty strong laborers of Jiming Village, the fort wall was built at a rate of one day.

In less than fifteen days, the quarry stone fort had taken on its appearance, with a five-step wide gate for easy entry and exit of the carriage, and a large grass-roofed house facing the door, and the mill was inside.

Now there is only one mill in the stone fort, and only shallow foundation pits have been dug in the open space on both sides, and when the sergeants who built the steps of the fort wall are free, they will also build a circle of military houses and stables.

The function of the quarry stone fort is not clear to the military households, and some can guess it, but it is undeniable that moving two small points of stone mills can indeed save a lot of labor.

On a sunny day, Shiguantun went out to watch the stone fort from the hundred households, two carriages creaked, and the stone mill was transferred to the quarry.

Standing on the castle wall and watching the lively Xiao Ye family, Wang Ziliang, who was graceful, as well as Yang Tianshou and Wang Dali, did not realize that under the nine-foot-deep gravel ground under the carriage, two fine iron pipes passed effortlessly through the rocks and slowly followed under the stone mill.

At the entrance of the quarry stone fort, there were still piles of short and thick triangular stone pillars stacked neatly on both sides, and when the horse-drawn carriage pulled the two stone mills into the new mill, the fine iron pipes in the ground also followed under the stone mills.

In the spacious mill, the sergeant skillfully assembled the two stone mills, put short bars on the mules and horses, tied ropes, and after a "snap" of the whip, the mules and horses began to grind again; On the wooden shelves that had been prepared long ago, the sergeants poured stones into the grinding eyes.

The current small stone mill, even if it is pushed by people, can run fast, but compared to endurance, it is still durable with mules and horses.

Originally, six or seven thousand catties of stone could be transported every day, but in the mill, on the afternoon of the first day, the feeding material reached more than 5,000 catties, and 4,800 catties of plaster. The increase in the production of yellow plaster also indicates that the life of the military households in Shiguantun is more secure.

What made Xiao Ye happy was that with the relocation of the stone mill, the eyes of the merchants left the Baihu Institute and also focused on the quarry stone fort, so his Baihu stone fort would be gradually ignored.

In more than 20 days, Wang Ziliang received a large amount of grain and materials from three merchants, and also received stones sent by Huang Hanxiang twice.

However, the progress of the basement work is still slow. The sand and gravel pulled out by the craftsmen have been discarded, and a high platform has been piled up on the north side of the stone fort; In the future, a large stucco bunker will be built on it to facilitate the garrison's defense.

In order to allow the Ximen Baihu to take their own caravans and try their luck on the grassland, the Huang family invested a lot of money and handed over 1,000 catties of tin to Wang Ziliang at a low price, which is a quantity that a city can't consume in a year.

The Tian family was also not ambiguous, a large amount of sulfur saltpeter and copper materials were pulled up the stone mountain by trucks and handed over to the quarry mill, so that Wang Ziliang signed a large amount of IOU.

Wang Ziliang dealt with the transactions between the hundred households and the merchants, Mei'er was in charge of the silver account book, and Uncle Kun managed the warehouse, which was regarded as having a rule.

The deacon of the Wang family was a lean middle-aged man, in charge of several shops of the Wang family, and he did not bring much to Wang Ziliang, except for more than a dozen carts of grain, and two large jars that were tightly sealed; After Xiao Ye opened the layers of cowhide wrapped in the mouth of the jar, he looked inside, and suddenly couldn't find the north with joy.

In the quarry mill, the sergeants kept hammering baskets of sulfur and saltpeter, as well as bags of sand of copper and tin, baskets of coal, and small bundles of fine branches, into the two grinding holes in an orderly manner.

This busy and fiery scene was busy for three whole days from morning to night, until the newly bought raw materials were exhausted, and only then did the earthy yellow stone begin to resume normal feeding.

Wang Dali arranged two rounds of sergeants, one hour and one shift, and only after dark could they rest.

When the mill was not too busy, Xiao Ye took the jar to the stone mill surrounded by the guards.

Nearly eighty pounds of bright mercury were carefully poured into the stone mill, and the jar was also smashed and thrown into the grinding eye; Then, Xiao Ye pulled his legs and got on the horse, hurriedly ran back to the hundred households, and came to the huge stone mill on the chassis.

Pressing the button with a hint of blue light, the pattern slowly lit up, and Xiao Yele found that in the seventh pattern, not only the tent-style individual bunker changed, but the eighteenth pattern immediately appeared, "Jumping thunder,"

The name of the individual bunker has become "squad barracks", and after pressing the button, the earthy yellow folding barracks was dragged out by Xiao Ye, and a box was also taken out by Jumping Thunder.

Xiao Ye, who was in a happy mood, was not busy verifying these two goods, but returned home, read the military book for a long time, and then worked with the two mothers-in-law for a long time, fell asleep soundly, and recuperated his spirits.

The next morning, it was another sunny day.

It is like a barrel that has been cut into half of the curved barracks, which is pulled apart by the guards in the training ground and buckled to the ground, and the four corners of it are fixed with wooden stakes; The ten-foot-long half-person-high arc-shaped tent, Xiao Ye went in and looked at it, but he couldn't fit a squad of ten sergeants, and it was enough to choke eight people in it, and there was no compartment on the ground.

Of course, there were three lookouts in the front and back, and two small doors on the left and right, Xiao Ye was still very satisfied, and after letting the guards test the degree of solidity with fire/guns and earth-shattering thunder, the dilapidated barracks was sent back to the quarry mill again.

As for the thunder jumping, Xiao Ye saw the pattern demonstration, and sent his personal guards to block the east side of the training ground from afar, and on the wasteland on the west edge of the training ground, he carefully asked Xiao Liuzi to bury a jumping thunder in the pit, pull out the pins on it, and the two retreated far away.

A scalper who was supposed to be sent to the barracks of the military house was driven by the sergeant with a wooden stick, screaming Moumu, and running back and forth in the training ground slowly, and finally stepped on the thunder.

"Bump," there was a soft sound at the scalper's feet, and the flat-bottomed circular thunderbolt jumped up a foot high in the air, and then suddenly exploded.

"Boom," the smoke and dust filled the rubble and splashed indiscriminately, and the iron pieces swept away, putting down more than 400 catties of healthy cattle; In the midst of the screams of the scalper, Xiao Ye ran over from a hundred steps away, ignoring the scarlet blood under his feet, and approached the panting scalper, and took a closer look, and the cold air on his back couldn't help but swish.

The scalper was not killed, he fell to the ground and kept dripping and twitching, but on his abdomen and back, countless blood holes were punched, his four legs were broken, and Bai Sensen's bone stubble was exposed, and the blood gushing all over his body couldn't be stopped.

Not only him, but Xiao Liuzi and his guards came around, and they were also bluffed.

"Dispose of it, be careful when eating meat tonight, don't break your teeth," Standing up and pointing at the scalper, Xiao Ye said to Xiao Liuzi, and then left the training ground.

"Oh," Xiao Liuzi, who looked a little sluggish, absentmindedly pulled out the revolver/gun, stepped forward and pressed the bull's head, and the muzzle of the gun was pressed under the ox's skull.

"Peng," Behind him, there was the familiar sound of revolver fire/gunfire, and the corners of Xiao Ye's eyebrows twitched slightly, and he quickened his steps.

Soon, Wang Dali, who had built the quarry stone fort, sent a blacksmith to make a short-handled shovel and a curved pointed shovel, which was convenient for the sergeant to dig a pit in his hand, and it was also very convenient for melee combat. This kind of shovel was used by the sergeant, and Wang Dali called it the shovel.

Thirty military shovels were handed over to the hundred households, in exchange for a reward of ten taels of silver, Wang Dali took the silver money from Mei'er's hand, and suddenly had an idea. This kind of military shovel can make money even if it is made and sold.

At the end of the month, Qin Shishi, who was covered in dust, took advantage of the night to return to Shiguantun with two hunters tiredly, with an angular burden hanging on the saddle, and went to the Baihu Office to hand over the military order.

In the wooden box, the human head that had been nitrated for nearly half a month was handed over to Wang Ziliang by Xiao Ye without looking at it; Wang Ziliang, who was lying on the ground, with tears in his eyes, saw that Baihu stretched out a finger at him, and then knocked his head on the ground.

"Lord Baihu, my subordinates understand,"

At this moment, he put the rest of his life in the hands of Ximen Baihu.

Wang Ziliang carried the head, inserted incense and candles in the field to pay tribute to the relatives who died unjustly at home, and after growing up and crying, he was carried back to the hundred households by the guards, and slept in the guest room until dawn.

Next door to the hundred households in the stone castle, nine rooms were built next to each other, no way, Xiao Ye's small courtyard was not a place for Wang Ziliang to stay, Wang Dali simply built a few more.

In addition, the relocation of the two stone mills will greatly reduce the number of carriages entering and leaving the stone fort in the future, and the two sites that used to hoard coal and stone will also be built into special military houses for guards.

The next day, Wang Ziliang was still lying on the bed, faintly heard the outsiders in Shibao shouting horses, the movement was quite loud, hurriedly got up and put on cloth shoes, picked up a hand towel to wipe his face, and walked out of the guest room.

The caravan of the Huang family, the Tian family, and the Wang family arrived at Shiguantun again, but this time there were not many carriages in the caravan going up the mountain, and there were several times more pack horses, and the training ground was full; More than 100 family guards take care of their own goods.

This time, Huang Changzu didn't come with the caravan, Tian Xiuxiu didn't come over, and Xiao Ye, who was standing at the gate of the stone castle, didn't smell an abnormal smell, but just thought about it silently in his heart.