The orange sunset set over the sea, the sky was blue, and the afterglow of the setting sun painted the sky with a soft orange color. The boundless sea ripples lightly, quietly waiting for the sun to return. The fall is getting bigger and bigger, and the color is getting redder and redder, but it is not dazzling at all. When the sun first touched the surface of the sea, as if suddenly frightened, it jumped lightly and left the water again. Then it sank down again, and was melted by the seawater, and it burned all the surrounding water red.

Pang Gang, Hua Yan and Lin Feng walked on the soft sand, they looked at the surrounding scenery while admiring the beautiful scenery, behind them many military households and craftsmen, they were busy, and beside them was a wharf that was gradually taking shape.

Looking at this wharf that was gradually taking shape, Lin Feng couldn't help but say with some emotion: "My lord, after we use these cements to build the wharf, the speed is really much faster, it will only take shape in a month, and it is estimated that the wharf will be able to use part of the wharf in half a month." ”

"yes!" Hua Yan also praised: "These cements have helped a lot, they are convenient and fast, and they are not afraid of the erosion of seawater, as long as they are built, we can save a lot of maintenance costs in the future, I really don't know how you came up with this thing in the first place." ”

Pang Gang shook his head: "The official is just reading according to the script, and you don't have to put gold on the official's face." By the way, Hua experience, how to raise the situation of the cement plant now? ”

Speaking of this, Hua Yan's face began to light up, "My lord, now our cement factory has more than 2,000 people, and the output is about 600,000 catties a month, but it still can't meet the demand. In addition to our Qingzhou, even Zhejiang and Jiangsu now have many businessmen who come to order our cement. ”

"Well, that's good!" Pang Gang nodded with satisfaction.

Now the cement after more than half a year of promotion and people tried it has high strength, easy to mold, and the advantages of sturdiness and durability quickly conquered many people, people found that it has a huge use in building houses, roads or castles, etc., and its reputation has also spread rapidly throughout the provinces of the south of the Yangtze River, so that Pang Gang had to build another cement factory in Lingshanwei to meet the influx of orders.

Immediately afterwards, Pang Gang reminded: "But you still have to tell those who work in the cement factory that it is best to let them work in the cement factory for three years and then change jobs, because working there for a long time will be a great burden on the body." ”

The dust pollution of the cement factory is notoriously, even in the 21st century, so Pang just reminded Huayan of them.

"Yes, the lowly will tell them, but whether they can hear it is another matter." Hua Yan's expression was very helpless.

Although the cement factory is polluting, the wages there are notoriously high, and a worker working in the cement factory can feed a family of five for a month's salary. Therefore, in Lingshanwei, it is quite an enviable errand to be able to work in a cement factory, and after three years of work, where are those workers willing to change jobs?

"Forget it, let them go." Pang Gang also knows that this matter is very difficult, where will people realize the harmlessness of pollution now, they can only pay attention to wearing masks at all times.

But Lin Feng immediately said another bad news, "My lord, our refined salt has aroused the alarm of many salt merchants in Jiangsu and Zhejiang, and recently some people have frequently appeared in Wanghai Fort, it seems that they already know the secret of our ability to produce refined salt." ”

"Their noses are really spirits." Pang Gang fell silent after sneering, it seems that the appearance of a large amount of refined salt in the Jiangsu and Zhejiang markets in the past two months has made many salt merchants panic, but they can still make Pang Gang feel a little surprised to look at Wanghai Fort so quickly.

Liang Jiu Pang just asked, "How many sergeants are stationed in Erlong Mountain now?" ”

Hua Yan replied on the side: "Back to the adult, it is still five hundred. ”

"It's not enough, and then transfer five hundred soldiers from Lingshan Wei. The refined salt of Erlong Mountain is our treasure plate, and there is no room for loss. Pang Gang's tone was very resolute, he knew that the salt merchants who were snatched from his bowl could do anything.

"Yes, sir!" Hua Yan also knew that no matter how much attention was paid to the safety of Erlong Mountain, it was worth their efforts to protect it just because it had earned more than 500,000 taels of silver for Pang Gang in the past two months.

However, Hua Yan also had a question in his heart, "My lord, according to the itinerary, those people from North Korea will come back in the next few days, but there is no shadow of our ship yet, there will be no difference, right?" ”

"No, just put your heart in your stomach, it will be there soon." Pang Gang said with confidence, "But how did you do with the fact that the official asked you to recruit fishermen into the army?" ”

At the mention of this question, Hua Yan couldn't help but scratch his head a little, "My lord, it's not that he doesn't do his best, but most of our fishermen in Shandong are unwilling to participate in our sailors, and until now we have recruited less than a thousand soldiers. This is all caused by the sea ban, and the reputation of our Ming sailor has always been not very good, it is a well-known poor, bitter and tiring errand. ”

Pang Gang sighed lightly, "Forget it, let's levy as much as you can, when those North Koreans come, you must follow those North Koreans to learn their skills in water warfare, don't let down the hard work of the officials." ”

Just when Pang Gang was too busy to touch the ground, in the courtyard of a deep mansion in Hangzhou, a group of merchants dressed in silk and satin were gathering in a secret room.

Sitting in the first place was an old man about sixty years old, who looked harmless to humans and animals, and saw that he was sitting on the seat with squinting eyes and napping, and behind him stood a young man, who looked handsome, but those eyes showed a cruel gaze from time to time to destroy the beauty of the three points, and in front of them sat more than a dozen businessmen-like people, who were looking at him with blank eyes but did not dare to make a sound.

After a while, a businessman surnamed Jian said: "Lord Yan, you are the president of our Hangzhou Salt Association, and you are the backbone of everyone, and now our refined salt in Hangzhou has been hit by a lot, you have to find a way to come out, we have lost no less than 200,000 taels of silver this month alone, how can we get it like this." ”

"Really? How did I hear that your Zhao family has made a lot of money in the past two months, and it has a hot fight with that salt seller from Shandong. At this time, a businessman next to him ruthlessly exposed his lies.

"Didn't I make false promises with him and deceive his trust?" The businessman surnamed Zhao blushed and quickly defended.

"Yes, we've heard that your surname Zhao has made a fortune after acting as an agent for their refined salt business in the past two months."

The surrounding voices rang out one after another, and the spearhead was pointed at the businessman surnamed Zhao.

At this time, the old man who had been closing the meeting spoke with a calm face, "Enough, don't complain anywhere, don't think that my old man doesn't know, how many of you have not made a private deal with the salt dealer from Shandong." Don't talk about it, let's just talk about last month, Boss Zhao, the 10,000 catties of refined salt you sold didn't fall from the sky. Boss Wang, you won't say that your 8,000 catties of refined salt this month are left over from last year, right? And you, you, you."

Every time the old man's finger points at a person, that person's head will hang down, and he does not dare to contact the old man, and his aura can be called powerful.

"Elder, we are also eating with a mouthful, isn't the salt road in Shaanxi and Sichuan broken during this time, we have to sell salt, otherwise what will we eat?" The salt merchants next to him explained with a bright smile.

"Okay, don't explain." Yan Benge waved his hand, "I don't know what you guys have been doing for the past two months, but from now on, everyone can't buy salt from them anymore, otherwise we will all become their buddies and make money for him." ”

"That's that" The salt merchants agreed without a word, but one of the salt merchants asked resignedly: "Old man Yan, if we don't buy goods from them, then our supply will not be enough, so what can we do?" ”

"Don't worry, you just have to wait another month, the old man has his own ideas on this issue." Yan Benge's originally squinted eyes shot a fierce color, "Don't blame the old man for saying ugly things in front, if anyone buys salt from that salt seller from Shandong, don't blame my old man for being unkind!" ”

"Okay, we must listen to the old man's arrangement, then we will leave first." After listening to Yan Benge's words, the salt merchants all stood up one by one and got up to say goodbye.

Watching these salt merchants disappear at the door one by one, the young man who had been standing behind Yan Benge silently snorted coldly, and said to Yan Benge: "Grandpa, why are you so polite to those people, they are all guys with milk and mothers, can you bear not to trade with the salt dealers in Shandong!" ”

Yan Benge said lightly: "I can't help it, I have to endure it, as long as we survive this month, we won't need them after we figure out the secret of those people's refining refined salt." ”

"Grandpa, you said that the salt dealer from Shandong really extracts refined salt from coarse salt? That's incredible, isn't it? There was a look of suspicion in the young man's eyes.

"** Not far from ten!" Yan Benge said solemnly: "Otherwise, think about it, when did this poor place in Shandong produce well salt, didn't they refine it from coarse salt, did it still fall from the sky?" ”

"I have already sent out all four brothers of the Hong family, as long as we can get their method of refining refined salt, our Yan family will be equivalent to holding a hen that can lay golden eggs!" Speaking of this, Yan Benge and the young man's eyes showed a greedy look.

(To be continued)