A map convinced the high-spirited Pan Jitao, Su Hao, the head of the river of the Ministry of Industry, was recognized by the supreme governor of the river, and it was much easier for him to do anything in the next step. The reading glasses, magnifying glasses and other things he gave to Pan Jitao were also deeply loved by the old man. Su Hao originally thought that Pan Jitao would ask how much these things cost or something like that, but who knew that people didn't even mention it at all, so they laughed, maybe in the old man's mind, being able to accept the gift from Su Hao would be enough to give Su Hao face, Su Hao was not grateful, even if he didn't have eyesight.

Ma Yu and others also received praise from Pan Jitao, and after learning that several of them had presided over a large-scale reservoir construction project in Jiangxi, Pan Jitao personally asked them some questions. Ma Yu and others answered Pan Jitao's questions fluently, leaving a good impression on Pan Jitao. In front of everyone, Pan Jitao said a few words like "boys can be made", and asked them to often go to the Yamen of the governor of the river to participate in the deliberations, and his words revealed the intention of promoting a few of them.

Ma Yu and the others were naturally ecstatic about this, Pan Jitao was an official of the second grade, if it was not expected, it would be a matter of time before he added the title of prince and princess. With such a high-ranking official in their hands, their future is bright.

In the following days, Su Hao, Ma Yu and others began their work step by step. In the river project, the Ministry of Engineering is responsible for the implementation of the project, mainly to organize the servants to repair the river, and is responsible for the quality of the project. Ma Yu, Jiang Yida, and Tan Qi are all people with engineering experience, and they are divided into several groups and go deep into the front line of the project to supervise the progress and quality of the project.

Su Hao still handed over the work of the mercenary to Zhang Xiang and the others, pretending to be ignorant of the fact that they were charging "fire consumption" silver to fill their pockets. Secretly, he instructed Ma Yu, Chen Guanyu and others to secretly contact the servants and lower-level managers on the construction site. Make friends with them and build your own inside line for the right moment.

Every three or four days, Pan Jitao would hold a regular meeting at the Yamen of the river governor to deal with various problems that had arisen in the river project, and at the same time brainstorm and discuss ideas for river management. Su Hao and the others have officially obtained the qualifications to participate in the conference, and they can sit in the lobby and discuss with officials from all walks of life, and they are familiar in this circle.

The strategy for governing the river proposed by Su Hao in front of Pan Jitao was brought to the regular meeting for many rounds of discussion. Everyone starts from their own professions, visions, interests, etc. Differing views were expressed on this option. These opinions are mixed, but on the whole, most people tend to accept Su Hao's ideas, and have made a lot of useful additions.

Under these circumstances, Pan ordered the formation of a team to evaluate the Huai River crossing project, including the technical feasibility of the construction of the Yellow River culvert and the planning of the passage into the sea after the Huai River crossed the Yellow River. This team is in charge of Pan Jitao's confidant Xiong Enzheng, and Su Hao, Ma Yu and others are all members of the team. Xiong Enzheng has been hit several times by Su Hao. There are always some pimples in his heart, and it is difficult to let go, but he has a very good relationship with Ma Yu and others, and he will discuss articles and poems together if he has nothing to do. A game between these literati. For Su Hao, it is unattainable, which is one of the reasons why it is difficult for Su Hao to integrate into their circle.

The cement factory of Su's firm was also set up on the outskirts of Huai'an. Su Hao wrote a letter promising generous treatment. Xu Zong and others, who originally made cement in Fengcheng, were summoned to Huai'an, and key equipment such as ball mills designed and manufactured by Hao Yizong were also transported. In the entire Ming Dynasty, no one else has been able to make the same equipment. This makes it impossible for others to imitate the cement production process, even if they are peeked at by others.

Samples of cement produced by the cement plant were sent to the river project for trial, and the results were naturally very satisfactory. In the past, lime and glutinous rice juice were used as binders for stones, and their performance was far inferior to cement. Pan Jitao ordered a large purchase of cement for the construction of the river project, and this order brought Su Hao a huge profit.

In addition to the river affairs, the expansion of the survey camp is also going extremely smoothly. Thanks to the support of Han Wen and Pan Jitao, Su Hao could select qualified personnel from among the prefectures and counties in Huai'an Province and the servants of the river project, and there was a lot of room for choice, and the quality of the soldiers was guaranteed.

After years of famine, the local people live in great difficulty, and being able to serve as soldiers and eat food is a very good way out for many people, so as soon as the recruitment list comes out, the gate of the survey camp is almost crowded by the applicants.

To become a soldier in the survey camp, there is a hard threshold, that is, you must be literate and know some arithmetic. Huai'an has a tradition of reading, there are many cultural people, but there are not enough employment opportunities, so among the people who come to sign up, there are many people who have shown their talents and fame, and there are even people who are not ambitious.

"Are you lifting?" Su Hao looked at a middle-aged man standing in the public hall wearing a patched gown and asked in surprise. In his impression, lifting people is very status, how can they be reduced to the share of being a soldier and eating food.

In fact, the high status of scholars in the Ming Dynasty was only relative. Especially in the middle and late Ming Dynasty, due to the social and economic development to a certain extent, the culture was more popular than in the early Ming Dynasty, and there were many more scholars than before, so the status gradually declined. According to the notes of the literati at the time, it was not uncommon for the living to be "too poor to be buried, unclothed, and homeless". In some places, poor students make up more than half of the school's student population.

Compared with the shengyuan, the situation of lifting people is much better, and they can generally become the guests of the magistrate's court, and they can fish and meat in the village. Then, it is not excluded that there are a small number of people who are not good at communication and have too low emotional intelligence. The one in front of Su Hao belongs to this situation.

"In the next week, Ru Yuan, the word cultivator, is the person of Wanli Wuzike." The middle-aged man replied, he tried his best to pretend to be a little high-minded, but he was not confident enough, and he still spoke with some humility.

Su Hao asked: "Since you are a lifter, why don't you go to the government to find an envoy, don't you know that being a soldier is hard and tiring, and you don't have any reputation?" ”

Zhou Ruyuan hesitated for a moment and replied: "Zhou has also sought some errands, but in the end he didn't do it. Zhou wanted to retreat to the fields, but he was left alive, and natural disasters were repeated. The whole family had no food and clothing, so ......"

"Retreat ......" Su Hao wanted to laugh, he asked, "You mean that you didn't do those errands, what is the reason?" ”

"Maybe it's because Zhou doesn't want to bend his waist for five buckets of rice." Zhou Ruyuan replied.

Su Hao said: "Zhou Juren, since this is the case, then why do you want to bend your waist now?" Did you know that the most important thing in the army is obedience, and orders and prohibitions are enforced. For the sake of these five buckets of rice, don't talk about bending your waist. You have to obey when you kneel, are you willing? ”

"As long as you don't do things that go against the way of the sages, it doesn't matter if Zhou suffers and is wronged." Zhou Ruyuan said.

"So, your past proprietor has made you do something that goes against the way of the sages?" Su Hao grabbed the meaning revealed in Zhou Ruyuan's words and asked.

Zhou Ruyuan lowered his head, sighed, and said, "The general doesn't want to ask about this, Zhou just doesn't want to be in the same league with others." It's been like this. The general can rest assured that Zhou is not a rebellious person, as long as the general asks Zhou to do something that does not violate Zhou's conscience, Zhou will definitely obey his words. ”

"What if it violates your conscience?" Su Hao asked with a smile.

Zhou Ruyuan said: "That Zhou will bow down and retreat." The general's semi-secrets will never be leaked. ”

"Well, okay." Su Hao headed his head and said to Deng Kui beside him: "Old Deng, take him in." Go to the account and make a note of the army, you see how it is. ”

Deng Kui looked at Zhou Ruyuan's body board, and also knew that it was useless for this kind of person to be a surveyor. He had to say not to this person. But Su Hao had already spoken, and he couldn't veto, so he had to head his head and say, "Okay, I'll take him first." ”

After Zhou Ruyuan retreated, Deng Kui had the opportunity to ask Su Hao: "Su Qianhu, this Zhou Juren is not outstanding, why do you want to accept him?" ”

Su Hao sighed: "Alas, I really look at him pitiful. Anyway, it's a person, and it's miserable enough to get mixed up to the point of coming to the survey camp to be a soldier. ”

Deng Kui said: "I have met this kind of person in the past, most of them are high or low, and in the end they can't even eat." Don't look at him as a famous person, in terms of doing things, I don't think even the Xiong brothers' skills can compare. ”

"Let's try to recruit him first, didn't you listen to him, the whole family has no food and clothing, I estimate that if I don't recruit him in, his whole family will have to drink the northwest wind." Su Hao said.

Deng Kui smiled helplessly: "Su Qianhu is soft-hearted, and if you rely on me, you won't recruit this kind of waste." ”

"There's a use for waste." Su Hao said.

Due to the large number of applicants, the scale of the survey camp soon expanded to more than 300 people, and most of the recruits were children of peasant families with high education, good physical condition, and clean family background. After the recruits came in, the original soldiers of the survey battalion all became grassroots officers such as the general flag and the small flag, and they all stood up straight, and they unconsciously imitated the appearance of Hao Tong and Deng Kui when they spoke and did things.

The training of recruits still follows the methods used in Fengcheng, including the culture in the team, and also implements the spirit of Su Hao, advocating unity and friendship and helping each other. The more than 50 veterans set an example in front of the recruits, which made the tradition of the old survey camp effectively inherited in the expanded survey camp.

When the veteran Xu Guangzu has nothing to do, he will also come to the survey camp as a supernumerary teacher, teaching everyone martial arts and the experience of marching and fighting. According to his assessment, the combat effectiveness of the Kanyu Battalion can be at the level of the middle and upper reaches of the entire Ming Army, which is mainly due to high-intensity training and adequate nutrition. It must be known that there is no soldier in the Ming army who can guarantee that they will have enough to eat at once, and there will be meat the next day.

These things of training the troops are in the hands of Deng Kui and Xu Guangzu, and Su Hao can rest assured. He won't be in the barracks all day because there are so many other things to do. For example, at this meeting, he was sitting in the second hall of the Huai'an Prefecture Office, chatting with the prefect Hanwen about the political affairs of Huai'an Prefecture. (To be continued......)