In August of the fourth year of Longqing, the Xu family was lively for a whole month.

First of all, Xu Yuanchun lived up to expectations, overcoming obstacles in the field, and ranked seventh in the high school B list. Originally, Xu Yuanchun didn't have much confidence in his ability to win, but who would have thought that he would even get a very high ranking. Nanzhixiang tried four or five thousand students, hidden dragon and crouching tiger, I don't know how many masters, even if he hangs at the bottom of the list, it is enough to be proud, he actually took the seventh place in the exam!

Xu Jie was also quite pleased with this, but still took care of the eldest grandson: "You are lucky, you may not have real talent and real learning, you still have to work hard." ”

Xu Yuanchun was in a good mood, no matter how his grandfather spurred him, he just smiled and agreed.

After the list was released, the new promoters wanted to go to the Luming banquet and recognized each other's brothers, which can be regarded as officially entering the Ming officialdom. The education level of Nanzhi has always been among the top in the country, and the possibility of being able to raise in Nanzhi High School in the spring of next year is also very great. Even if the examination luck is not good, if you have to wait for a few years to be challenged by the officials, you may still be appointed to official positions such as county magistrate and teacher.

After Xu Yuanchun's affairs in Nanjing were dealt with, he returned to Songjiang and listened to his father tell him the inside story of the case, only to know that it was so dangerous before, but he still didn't know who the master of the shot was. Although he was very happy, he still fasted and bathed, and soon jumped out of the excitement of Zhongju, collected the articles of the nobles of the Beijing Central Rite Department, and made an appointment with his classmates to enter Beijing. Don't wait to try it in February next year, if you don't want to work very hard, wait to leave before September.

Xu Yuanchun just regretted that he couldn't wait for Xu Yuanzuo to come back.

Xu Yuanzuo arrived in Shanghai after Xu Yuanchun left, and the two just missed it. This time, he really walked through Liaodong. First outside the side wall, I went to the territory of the Jianzhou Jurchen, and saw the legendary Jianzhou Left Guard - the Acropolis is an earthen wall, not much higher than the large houses in the south of the Yangtze River, and even then it is already majestic-because other cities only have wooden walls.

What he saw and heard along the way also allowed Xu Yuanzuo to revise a lot of the knowledge he had gained from books.

Because the Manchu Qing Dynasty later entered the customs and occupied the world, many of the information is not very true. They like to portray their ancestors as heroic. Invincible image. In fact, the Jianzhou Jurchens today are a tribe famous for their business and city building. In terms of combat effectiveness, it is far from being in the forefront. It is precisely because of this that they can get Li Chengliang's support and use it to contain the clan outside the wall.

The tribes with higher real combat effectiveness have long been divided, divided, and weakened by Li Chengliang. That Liaozhen military leader to the Jianzhou Jurchen or some other Jurchen. But there is no good feeling, and the only principle is "who forces whom". As for Nurhachi's later ability to make a fortune with thirteen pairs of armor, it was somewhat because Liaozhen got rid of it.

Coming out of Jianzhou Zuowei, Xu Yuanzuo followed Li Rusong all the way to Fushun. The people and horses who stayed in Liaoyang had already waited in this big town in Liaodong, and after meeting with Xu Yuanzuo, they went south to Liangfangkou. Li Rusong was separated from Xu Yuanzuo here, and the rest of the journey was escorted by Li Pinghu along the way.

Because there is quite a sound in the historical circles that Li Pinghu betrayed Li Rusong, resulting in Li Rusong's death in battle, Xu Yuanzuo investigated it very carefully. I still don't see the slightest clue. Li Pinghu is no different from Li Chengliang's own son, quite dedicated. This made Xu Yuanzuo only sigh that history is really always covered in fog, even if he is still hazy in it.

Shen Yujun was already waiting impatiently at Liangfangkou. She recruited the locals to build a village, which was named Gaogang Village without any features. Seeing that Xu Yuanzuo hadn't come back, she repaired the pier that penetrated into Liaohai again, so as not to have to go ashore next time. Because she didn't know Xu Yuanzuo's whereabouts, she even began to build a dirt road from the dock to Gaogangzhai. It is convenient for carriages and horses to transport goods. Halfway through the cultivation, Xu Yuanzuo finally came back.

Xu Yuanzuo was very appreciative of Shen Yujun's ability to build. It's just that there are some criticisms about the name and shape of the village. If it was before, Shen Yujun would definitely scold him for two sentences, but because he promised to use him as a "dog's head" in Beijing, this time he obediently endured it, and it can indeed be regarded as a practice of his words.

"Where are you going to get the guns and artillery?" Shen Yujun asked.

Both of these things are weapons, and it is forbidden for people to make them privately. However, the Ming Dynasty did not go to the countryside. As long as a chain of interests is formed, who cares if you break the ban or not?

Xu Yuanzuo is particularly confident in this: "Make it yourself." ”

"You're going to do this?" Shen Yujun didn't believe it.

Of course, Xu Yuanzuo is not confident in himself, but in Li Teng. Along the way, he dug out a lot of good things from Li Teng's side, in addition to the formula that had been agreed a long time ago, Li Teng actually knew that Qi Jiguang's steel wheel was thundering. Xu Yuanzuo originally thought that it was the product of the late Ming scholars' talk on paper. But I don't want to have it in this era.

"The first trick used in the Jianghu Society was to deceive some fools and foolish women." Li Teng said: "Borrowed a steel wheel to hit the fire door and ignited the gunpowder, which made people think it was a ground fire mine." Qi Shuai once tried to use it in the army, but it was very useless, so he never promoted it. ”

Such primitive mines, of course, are inadequate. If the Huidao Gate is set up with a mechanism, it is naturally possible to shoot accurately, but where can the Mongolian horses' hooves be stepped on so accurately?

Xu Yuanzuo didn't want to build mines, but wanted to use the structure of this steel wheel to improve the bird gun and create a labor-saving flintlock pistol. This is also the disadvantage of liberal arts students, many things know a name, provide an idea, and the rest can only rely on local technicians. If the science student had the financial resources he has now, maybe he has already started to produce steam engines.

Li Teng's journey was also very hard, and he originally wanted to abduct Nurhachi, but the Jurchens attached great importance to the firstborn son, and they were unwilling to let him run so far. What's more, Li Dashuai of Liaozhen also fell in love with this child, and had already said that if he was older, he would be accepted as a righteous son - it can be understood as a proton. This is related to the future of the entire tribe, and naturally it will not be abducted by a Taoist priest.

Xu Yuanzuo didn't care, and comforted Li Teng a few words, and then began to dig into the goods in Li Teng's stomach. In his opinion, Li Teng is going to take the junior high school physics exam, and his score in mechanics may be higher than him. Fortunately, junior high school physics is still electricity and optics, which makes Xu Yuanzuo somewhat sure of the appetite of this erudite Taoist.

The fleet crossed the Bohai Strait, followed the coastline into the mouth of the Yangtze River, and docked in Shanghai. Shen Yujun wanted to go back to Chongming, so Xu Yuanzuo took out a jar from the warehouse in advance and said, "This is for the elderly and adults in the family, and it is also my little care." ”

Shen Yujun ordered someone to hug the porcelain jar. Seeing that the sand soldier big man bent his waist, he knew that this jar was not light. She heard the sound of water inside again, and said, "Is it the local wine of Liaodong?" ”

"It's ginseng." Xu Yuanzuo said: "After cutting, it is steamed and boiled through water, and it is less than five or seven cents a day, and more than one dollar, which can consolidate the foundation and cultivate yuan." Do not overdose. By the way, even the sugar water in it can be mixed with water, and it is also medicative, so you can't overdo it. ”

Shen Yujun was skeptical and said, "I don't know about ginseng, but after so many days, won't it be rotten?" ”

Xu Yuanzuo smiled: "This is a certain secret method." ”

Shen Yujun didn't ask much when he heard this.

Xu Yuanzuo collected a lot of ginseng and deer antler velvet in the village of Takshi this time. He doesn't know how to concoct deer antlers, and plans to hand them over to Shen Shaotang to get them, anyway, his family runs a medicine shop. There must be technology and channels. He is very familiar with ginseng, and he used to cook it for the elderly in his family, and when it came to selling ginseng, concocting ginseng was also an open technology.

In addition to giving the ginseng to Chongming's grandfather's house, I also had to leave a jar for my parents. Li Teng wanted to go to Xinghua, Yangzhou to meet his master Li Chunfang first, so he also had to bring him a can. As for the Huating Xu family and the Shanghai Kang family, they will inevitably have to send a few more cans. After such a circle of favors, there is basically no ginseng that can be sold to the outside world.

Xu Jie was quite curious after receiving this sugar water ginseng. He often eats codonopsis in Beijing. After returning to Songjiang, he could only drink ginseng wine, which weakened its medicinal power, but it could be preserved. When I saw the ginseng taken out of the jar, it was all in shape. I was surprised.

Xu Yuanzuo didn't worry about Xu Jie's leakage, so he said how to scrub it with a soft brush, boil it in boiling water, and then put it in sugar water and steam it one by one, which made Xu Jie sigh: "Although the method is not profound, it is rare to have this intention." ”

Xu Yuanzuo relied on Xu Jie's golden thighs. Of course, I hope that the elderly can live a long life in good health.

"Father, it's just that this kind of ginseng is very powerful, almost better than fresh ginseng, and you must not take too much." Although ginseng is a great tonic for vitality, it can still kill people if taken in excessive amount. He again and again commanded the maids on the left and right. I can rest assured.

"It's just that there's too much sugar for this." Xu Jie looked at the thick "syrup" brought out, and said, "I'm afraid I have to transport a lot of it, so it's inconvenient." But he thought of many old friends in Jiangnan, and planned to receive more favors.

Xu Yuanzuo was a little distressed, but still said: "If you don't use sugar water, it's okay, but the medicinal effect is slightly inferior." "Concentrated sugar water can be dehydrated and is also a common way to keep it fresh. He also said: "Father, it is also good to bring more sugar to Liaodong to bring more sugar." ”

Sugar in the Ming Dynasty was an important export commodity, and its quality was the best in its time. In particular, the Ming people invented the method of drizzling sugar with yellow mud, which can make white sugar that is "as white as snow", and the price is very high. European merchants were very fond of white sugar, which could be sold at a good price in both Borneo and Batavia.

Physiologically, sugar stimulates dopamine secretion. Dopamine, a secretion in the brain, is mainly responsible for the transmission of excitement and happiness in the brain, and is also associated with addiction. Therefore, as long as it is human, it is basically impossible to refuse to eat sugar. If it is transported to Liaodong as a bulk cargo, the market will definitely be very good.

Xu Jie's ginseng already had a human form, and he was very happy, and ordered someone to dry it and put it away, ready to take it out and take it out. He originally wanted to open another jar of slightly worse ones, but who knew that the Liao ginseng brought by Xu Yuanzuo this time was all of the best quality, and basically all of them had human shapes, even if he was an old man, it was very rare.

Xu Yuanzuo knew that once this route was opened, Liao Shen would flood into the market in large numbers. The Northeast is vast and has few people, and it is simply an untapped treasure trove, and this kind of wild ginseng that has become a human form is a handful. In another two or three years, I'm afraid it will start to become a strange commodity. As for the ginseng, it has been sold for ten years. It was not until the Qianjia period of the Manchu Qing Dynasty that it was the turn of the six taels to go on the market.

This business can still be done for a long time.

Xu Yuanzuo stayed in Huating for one night, in fact, he read the work report for the whole night, and at the same time wrote a summary of this trip. He wrote it in prose, and in the future, not only did he look interesting, but he could also publish it and publish a book of "Liaojun Zhiwenlu", which might also stimulate the Ming Dynasty's readers to become interested in Liaodong.

Xu Yuanzuo has long discovered that the scholars of this medieval era have no concept of national sovereignty at all. They believed that the whole world was not the king's land, so even the foreign vassals were Chinese territory. If this kind of thinking is pushed a little deeper, it is easy to embark on an evil path: for the useless land, wouldn't it be better to throw it to those who are alive? Stay in your hands to prevent them from making trouble! This is the ideological root of the Xuanzong Dynasty's abandonment of Jiaozhi.

Therefore, whether it was the Battle of Tuen Mun against the Portuguese, or the Battle of Penghu in the future, the expulsion of the Dutch, or the Battle of Salhu, the Jurchens were essentially independent...... The focus of the Ming scholar's anger was not that the sovereignty of the country had been violated, but that the face of the Heavenly Empire had been lost - and the face of the Emperor was really impossible to recover.

This is the difference between the medieval world and the modern state. As long as the general public is instilled with a sense of sovereignty, they will know how much advantage the Portuguese have taken advantage of Macao, and that Liaodong is by no means a bitter cold place that can be discarded at any time. They may even consider strengthening the control of the Uszangdusi, or exercising de facto rule over the Nanyang domains. In the end, although the Ming Dynasty is big, not an inch of land is superfluous.

This ideological change will change the world.

The economy is the basis of the superstructure.

The first step for Xu Yuanzuo to do is to let the Ming people have a geographical concept. Then, and then it was for them to see how much gold and silver treasure was waiting for them.

Cha Cha gently entered the study with a bowl of freshly boiled ginseng soup, and saw that Xu Yuanzuo was still writing with candles, so he couldn't help but slow down his pace more and more, so as not to make a sound.

Xu Yuanzuo smelled the sweetness of the sugar water first, and then he looked up and saw Cha Cha, and said, "Don't wait, rest early." What about chess? ”

Cha Cha put the ginseng soup on the bookcase and said, "He was so tired all the way that he had already fallen asleep." ”

Xu Yuanzuo picked up the porcelain cup, scooped a spoonful and put it in his mouth, sweet with the sweet fragrance of ginseng, which was no different from what he had used in later generations. He said, "He's tired, aren't you tired?" Leave me alone, go to bed early. ”

Cha Cha stood reluctant to leave, and said, "Brother Zuo, it's too dark here, right?" It hurts your eyes. I'll give you a press to relieve your fatigue? ”

Xu Yuanzuo knew the meaning of Chacha, which was to "take advantage of the void". He looked at the girl's slightly bulging chest, he couldn't bear it, and shook his head: "Go to sleep, I'll go back to Tang Xing tomorrow." ”

Cha Cha sighed, moved out inch by inch, and looked back at Zuo Ge'er several times. It's a pity that Xu Yuanzuo didn't understand the amorous feelings, and he was already lying on the bookcase and began to compose again. Cha Cha bit her lip lightly, almost hit her head on the door, and stomped away.

Xu Yuanzuo wrote a few lines, but he also felt that the light was too dim, so he simply put down his pen and leaned on the official hat chair to rest. He regretted that he couldn't make glass, otherwise he could have tried to sell kerosene lamps. Compared with glass lampshades, kerosene is a better solution.

At this time, there were already people in Yan'an refining oil and making fierce fire oil. This kind of fierce fire oil is used in military quantities, and it can be seen that the process is relatively mature -- at least it is not a big problem to use it for lighting.

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Ask for a recommended ticket, ask for a monthly pass~!

*(To be continued.) )