Wang Shimao briefly introduced Tang Yi, Wang Chen thought for a moment after listening, and then smiled happily: "I remember, I remember, when I gave birth to you, the old man hugged you, I really didn't expect it to be so big in a blink of an eye." The old husband Chang'an has been traveling for more than ten years, but he doesn't feel that his temples are white, and he can't accept the old man! ”

There is no way to fall in love, the more Wang Chen looks at it, the more he likes it, and says: "What, it's not called uncle?" ”

In the past, although the two families were relatives, after all, the blood relationship was far away, and now they are recognized in public, which means very different. What especially pleased Tang Yi was that it seemed that Wang Chen admired him very much, so some things might be easier...... Overjoyed, Tang Yi hurriedly saluted and called him uncle.

Seeing them enjoying themselves, Wang Chonggu, the prefect of Suzhou on the side, was full of smiles on his face, he and Wang Chen were both Jinshi in Jiajing for 20 years, and they had the same affection. Although Wang Chen climbed on his head, Wang Chonggu did not have the slightest jealousy, he was born in a Jin merchant family with the support of a huge Shanxi bureaucracy, and in ten years, he has put on a red robe, and he has also made rapid progress and has an unlimited future.

"Brother Sizhi, as soon as the younger brother arrived in Suzhou, he heard the name of Tang Prodigy, who has outstanding literary talent and quick thinking, and has been favored by Mr. Jing Chuan. At a young age, with the world in mind, with his own strength, he can make tens of thousands of refugees happy, what a shame for me as a parent! ”

Wang Chonggu's voice is very magnetic, and the tone is abrupt, which makes people feel comfortable listening to it. Tang Yi didn't dare to take credit, and hurriedly said modestly: "How can the kid be virtuous, it's not that he has the support of his parents, the help of the gentry and businessmen in Suzhou, and the suffering people are sympathetic to the difficulties of the imperial court, the kid is just threading the needle." ”

"What a threading needle, can string up and down together, Brother Sizhi, this nephew is not ordinary!"

Wang Chen also smiled: "Brother Xuefu said so lively, I still have a black eye, why don't we go to the canal together to see?" ”

"Okay, I've had that too."

They said that Tang Yi could only obediently be his guide, leading all the adults towards the salt and iron pond. Along the way, Tang Yi told Wang Chen in detail about his plan, Wang Chen was still thinking about it, Wang Chonggu seemed to have an understanding, and said with a smile: "Dredging the canal with refugees, relieving refugees with merchants' financial resources, and supplementing merchants with the benefits of the canal, interlocking, wonderful, wonderful!" ”

is worthy of being born in a merchant family, Wang Chonggu summarized Tang Yi's plan simply and clearly, Wang Chen nodded frequently, it seems that his nephew is indeed extraordinary.

Talking and laughing, we arrived at the construction site. Just in time to divert water to wash away the silt, the clear water of the Liuhe River is bubbling out with mud. Many people were carrying wooden barrels and washbasins, and their eyes were waiting.

They are all people in the vicinity, and this is the time when the wheat is green and grows faster, and needs water and fertilizer. The silt from the canal is full of nutrients and is fed into the wheat fields, where the wheat grows better and harvests more. Whenever the muddy water is released, it attracts a lot of people to come, which is also a side benefit of the canal construction.

Tang Yi said: "The 200-mile salt and iron pond can not only be used for shipping, but also for irrigation, and I have planned 20 diversion canals, and after all of them are repaired, 500,000 acres of fields along the way will benefit." Of course, Tang Yi would not say that you have to pay for the use of the aqueduct.

"Hmm!" Hearing this, Wang Chen was particularly happy, for them, no agriculture is unstable, nothing is as important as agricultural stability.

The canal can be thought of irrigating the fields along the way, and this alone shows that Tang Yi has a general understanding, and Wang Chen is more and more satisfied.

The muddy water was released, and the workers skillfully erected the wooden frame, twisted the pulley, and the stones were pulled out like a turnip. When it's all cleaned up, it's time to run to the next one. As for the stones left on the shore, there were others who drove the cattle and horses and dragged them away with animal power.

Then the workers in charge of digging the soil arrived quickly, and they first divided the area, some digging with shovels, and others carrying the sand with bamboo baskets.

If you look closely, you will find that the shovels they use are of the same size, and the digging movements are almost the same, no matter how much effort they have, and the soil that each spade digs out is almost the same. The same is true for the size of the bamboo basket, and every movement is standardized, and no mistakes are allowed.

This is because Tang Yi learned from the experience of scientific management in later generations, and was able to reasonably distribute the physical strength of workers to achieve the greatest effect. At first, the big guys were awkward, and they said that they had done most of their life's work, so they still needed to teach!

Tang Yi didn't say much, he selected two hundred workers and operated them strictly according to his methods, and the two hundred people came by habit. As a result, for two days in a row, the efficiency of the excavation of the strict enforcement party was more than twice that of the other two hundred.

The facts are in front of them, there is no longer a voice to refute, everyone strives to be uniform, in Tang Yi's opinion, they can only be regarded as just getting started, and they are far worse than the professional construction team in later generations. But in the eyes of Wang Chen, Wang Chonggu and others, it is not enough to describe it as surprised.

The smooth movements, the swift and fast construction, comparable to the discipline of the army, are really breathtaking. Just when everyone was sighing, suddenly there was a muffled sound of thunder in the distance.

"What's going on?" Wang Chen asked in surprise.

Tang Yi hurriedly explained: "It's gunpowder, and when it encounters a big rock that is difficult to deal with, it will be exploded with gunpowder, which is also to speed up the progress of construction, which makes my uncle frightened." ”

"I see!" Wang Chen nodded.

Wang Chonggu frowned, and asked suspiciously: "If you blast it with gunpowder, the cost will definitely not be less, right?" ”

"Qiyu old parents, the cost is indeed very large, but without gunpowder, there is no way to repair the canal before the Dragon Boat Festival, the kid thinks that although the cost is too much, it is worth it!"

"What!"

Wang Chonggu almost jumped up, and exclaimed in disbelief: "You said that you can repair it before the Dragon Boat Festival?" ”

What's so strange about this, you haven't seen a bridge change in 43 hours!

Tang Yi nodded solemnly and said: "Old parents, rest assured, as long as no one obstructs it, before the Dragon Boat Festival, the 200-mile salt and iron pond will definitely be connected to the Wusong River and the Huangpu River, and the water network in the southeast will be connected!" ”

"Who dares to stop this official from screwing off his head!" Wang Chonggu said murderously.

No wonder he was so excited, it turned out that after Wang Chonggu arrived in Suzhou, he checked the grain stocks of the government, found out the family background, and prepared to train and prepare for war, but after a check, the government stocks of grain were less than one-third, he thought of transferring from other places, but the Grand Canal had long been overwhelmed, the Weaving Bureau, the big households in the southeast, the gentry and bureaucrats, these people's boats were congested in the river, Wang Chonggu a small prefect, can only cry out in vain.

Because of this, the salt iron pond attracted his attention, and he couldn't wait to come and see it. When Tang Yi said that he could be repaired before the Dragon Boat Festival, Wang Chonggu went crazy with joy, and after making sure again and again, he laughed out loud and was extremely happy.

"Hahaha, as long as the salt and iron pond is repaired, it can share the pressure of the Grand Canal, and there will be one more way to mobilize soldiers' food and salary in the future. Brother Si, I want to go to the court and ask for credit for your precious nephew. ”

Wang Chonggu was happy, and Wang Chen was the same, he was ready to do a big job when he arrived in Jiangnan, and the canal was repaired, which was equivalent to adding wings to the tiger, how could he not be happy. It's just that it's not good to praise relatives in person.

"Brother Xuefu praised it so much, it's not good for children to be proud, it's better to wait until the canal is really built."

Wang Chen and the others were very interested, and after surveying for more than two hours, they returned satisfied. On the same day, Wang Chen returned home and directly called Wang Shimao over and carefully inquired about Tang Yi's situation. Wang Shimao naturally knows everything and says everything, from the initial meeting in Chunfanglou to helping refugees, and when the sky is bright, he is still unfinished.

Wang Chen was numb by the shock one after another, and the sentence "If life is only as first seen", I am afraid that all the poems of the eldest son add up to weight! The Taicang wine that has recently been circulating in Shandong, as well as the mahogany furniture, are also from his hands. Especially today, Tang Yi can arrange tens of thousands of people in an orderly manner, command if he is determined, and with a little training, he is definitely a civil and military all-rounder. Not to mention that this kid can be appreciated by Tang Shunzhi, Wang Chen can know that behind Tang Shunzhi is the Xinxue Sect, Wang Yangming's disciples are all over the world, especially in the southeast, and the opinions of Xinxue influence the direction of Shilin, and the influence is incomparable.

"Hey, I'm ashamed to say that I have been an official for my father for ten years, and I may not be able to catch up with his network strength, Jingmei, you are even further behind!"

Wang Shimao muttered and said aggrievedly: "My cousin is a genius, and the child is really impressed." ”

"Well, Tang Yi will definitely be a big help to the Wang family in the future, and befriending him is a good thing for you and your eldest brother. It's just that this kid doesn't lack anything, and it's really hard to be a father. ”

Wang Chen turned around twice on the ground, and suddenly asked, "By the way, Tang Yi's father is a master for Chen Menghe?" ”

"Well, that's right, my uncle has a great calligraphy, and he is also a very good person, I heard that I went to Jiading yesterday to compensate for the loss of land acquisition for the people around Yantietang."

Wang Chen nodded and said with a smile: "It seems that he is a cadre, it is too condescending to be a master for others, let him do the inspection of Yantietang!" ”