Cao Wenqi looked at everyone and didn't speak, pretending to be stuffy, and was depressed. stood up at the moment and shouted loudly: "Usually everyone claims to be a timely rain who is anxious for justice and righteousness, how can they all install gourd grandchildren on this joint?" Let's Lao Cao first express his attitude, I admire two kinds of people the most in my life, one is a scholar with outstanding knowledge, and the second is a reasonable local parent official, this little Zheng official is a good example, he has difficulties, we can't stand idly by, I will go out 20,000 first! Liu Weng, what do you say? ”

Called Liu Weng by Cao Wenqi is Liu Tingmei, one of the top landlords in Jingxiang, and the two are originally sons and daughters, and their relationship is extraordinary. But being forced by Cao Wenqi in public, Liu Tingmei felt that she couldn't hold her face, so she stood up and retorted immediately: "Lao Cao doesn't need to use such words to squeeze on it, I know that Zheng Guanren has helped you in the affairs of Ezhou, and you should also be grateful for it." But I and Zheng Guanren are meeting for the first time, to say something that I don't like, there is no friendship in the middle, and now it is about to enter the summer, and all kinds of expenses are increasing day by day, your old Cao trafficked Shu brocade from Sichuan, and recently made a lot of money. My tea plantation in Yidu has lost a lot. There are tens of thousands of helpers and tenants in the family, all of whom have a mouth for eating. You have spare money to help Zheng Guanren, please forgive me for crying poor! ”

Cao Wenqi was furious and said: "You don't need to say the words of the business scene to Zheng Guanren, who hasn't had a time to make a profit or a loss?" Last year, you were busy trafficking salt goods from Huaiyang, and you were smiling in front of me with 10,000 yuan each, but you didn't say anything about having no money to eat. This was originally a state business, and the Zheng Guanren did not want to borrow money to buy private property by themselves, but to cultivate a warlike army that could fight the Tartars. Your old Liu now hides the gold and silver at home and doesn't take it out, and when the northern soldiers go south, they don't honor the Tartars. This point of truth doesn't make sense, and it is also called 'Sai Meng', which is really ridiculous. ”

Someone next to him couldn't hear it, and he also said angrily: "Lao Cao said this, it's too shameless!" ”

Cao Wenqi looked at it fixedly, and was even more annoyed, and shouted: "Zhang Wei, as the leader of the Taihu Boat Gang, when you were in Ezhou, you were still Zheng Guanren who was in charge of it, and let the government pay for your foot boat transportation for the mine first. You are also a person who has received benefits from Zheng Guanren, how can you take revenge today? ”

Zhang Yu was snatched by him like this, and he also felt a fever on his face, but then said: "It's not that I don't have a heart, I am also very grateful to Zheng Guanren." But Thanksgiving, the situation has been turbulent in the past six months, the armies have turned around like a marquee, the local is really unbearable, just donating money, the generals took the money not to buy grain, grass and ordnance, just a mind to ask for land, low prices and forcibly take down the good land and beautiful houses in Jinghu, no intention to train the sergeants, only to be a rich man. Of course, the petty officials are people who are familiar with the books of the sages, and they will not be as virtuous as those reckless men, but you must also know that the people who run the land and do business are not easy to make money in ordinary times, whether it is to grab food from the soil or to make money from the business road, the soil on a sunny day, and the mud on a rainy day, every copper coin is our hard work in exchange, looking at the generals are all so ruining our blood and sweat, how can there be no resentment in my heart! ”

Zheng Yunming laughed, he got up and made a circle towards the seat, causing everyone to hurriedly stand up and return the salute.

"Of course Zheng Yunming knows everyone's hardships."

"You are all well-known landowners and merchants in Jinghu, and naturally you are all people who know how to do business, Liu Weng," Zheng Yunming saluted Liu Tingmei and said: "This official has a matter to inquire about, what is the most important thing in the way of doing business?" ”

Liu Tingmei pondered for a while, he didn't know what the purpose of Zheng Guanren asked this question at this time, and replied cautiously: "The most important thing is, of course, a good word, the sage talks about benevolence, we businessmen talk about profit, and no one will do anything that is not profitable." ”

"That's right," Zheng Yunming stroked his palms and smiled: "What I want to tell you is exactly this truth: giving money and food to the Tulong Army is a sure deal. ”

"Please come with me to the backyard."

At that moment, Zheng Yi led the way, leading Zheng Yunming and the big families who didn't know why to walk downstairs and come to the wide backyard of Lingxiao Tower.

The backyard has long been cleaned and carried by the boys, and a few wooden signs have been disposed of at the root of the north wall. Inside the arena is a large wooden box, which looks like it is just a random patchwork of miscellaneous wood, and the number is written on the box in vermilion lacquer.

Zheng Yunming made a gesture, and Zheng Yi and Han Shilang opened the box with four officials.

Everyone gathered around to watch according to Zheng Yunming's intentions, and saw a huge bamboo lying quietly among the straws.

When the bamboo is five or six inches thick, the length is more than four feet, and there are several thick ropes repeatedly tied to wrap the bamboo tightly. Behind the bamboo is a wood-carved handle, which is directly tucked into the back of the bamboo tube for sealing.

More sharp-eyed people found that there was a small hole above the tail of the bamboo, which was only slightly larger than the copper coin, sealed with yellow mud, and covered with a Wuwen iron coin of Xishu. The iron coin square hole is drilled again, and two delicate paper twists are drawn from it.

Liu Tingmei was born in the army, and she saw through the essence of this monster at a glance.

"It's a big musket, if it's used to burn the enemy, it can always spew out a few feet of flames, but it's a pity that the enemy won't stand there and let you burn it, although it's huge, it takes two people to cast, and I'm afraid it's not much when it can come in handy."

"Liu Weng really has good eyesight," Zheng Yunming said, "My musket is a little different from ordinary muskets. Zheng Yi, show it to all the masters. ”

Zheng Yi responded and gently untied the oilcloth at the mouth of the bamboo tube. Open the lid of the horn pot next to him, pour all the pounds of gunpowder into the bamboo tube, gently pound it with a wooden pestle, and then gently pour in a layer of dry soil to tamp it. Then he put an iron plate of the same size full of round holes into the bamboo tube, and asked Shiro to pour some lead and iron slag into it, and rammed it again.

Zheng Yunming shouted: "Everyone, please cover your ears, the show is about to be staged." As he spoke, he covered his ears first.

Zheng Yi took the large wooden frame where the musket was placed, placed the musket on it, and fastened the bolt to fix it, and Shiro picked up a large stone and placed it behind the musket.

"That's it!" Zheng Yi shouted, took a fire from a pine branch in a charcoal brazier, and lit the medicine line.

After a while, a huge thunder sounded in the backyard of Lingxiao Tower, and a huge blast wind swept up the loess in the field, mixed with the thick smoke of gunpowder, which made people cough constantly.

For the first time, the gentry of Jinghu finally saw with their own eyes the power of the most advanced weapons in the world.

When the smoke cleared, everyone could see that the wooden target facing the musket in the center had been torn apart, and the adjacent target had also been pierced by lead, and the bullet had been embedded in the backyard wall for several inches after passing through the target, and had disappeared.

Everyone was speechless for a moment by the tremendous power of this giant musket. After a while, Liu Tingmei opened her mouth and asked, "Could this thing be made by Zheng Guanren?" ”

"It's a scoundrel and naughty when I was a child, and I got it occasionally." Zheng Yunming couldn't help but feel a little proud in his heart: "In order to make this thing, I have been tossing for more than three years, but fortunately, God lives up to the diligent people, and finally can get satisfactory results." ”

"It's like this, and it can no longer be described as a mere musket, so I changed its name to 'Bamboo General.'"

"Sure enough, it's an artifact in the army." Liu Tingmei praised on the one hand, and pondered in her heart: What is the intention of Zheng Guanren to show himself in such a scene?

"Liu Weng, can't you see this?" Zheng Yunming said with a smile: "My intention is: every copper plate you have invested in the Tulong Army is more meaningful than the money you have invested in other armies. ”

"This thing, in the future, must first be equipped in the Tulong army on a large scale, with this thing to help defend the city, the Tartar charging iron cavalry will be useless, as long as you can give sufficient money. Zheng Yunming promised that in the future, in Xiangyang, Fancheng, Ezhou, and Jiangling, wherever there is a Tulong army stationed, there will be hundreds or even thousands of bamboo generals. They will be the strongest barrier to protect your wealth and property. The money you invest elsewhere may become someone else's real estate and land, but it doesn't matter, I vouch for my father's official reputation, and the money you invest in the Tulong Army will definitely become a well-trained soldier and a powerful bamboo general, which will be enough to defend everyone's homeland. ”

Zheng Yunming's words were passionate and generous, but they were not really convincing to the big families who had been in the rivers and lakes for a long time. Everyone set their eyes on Liu Tingmei.

"Liu Weng, you are a person who has led soldiers to fight, you can give everyone an idea." Although Zhang Yu was also a little tempted, he couldn't figure out whether this young general and the strange weapon in his hand were worthy of trust.

Liu Tingmei twisted her beard and paced back and forth in the backyard, repeatedly calculating success or failure in her heart. After a while, he turned around and said decisively: "Liu is willing to contribute 30,000 yuan to the Tulong Army and two tuns of grain." ”

He is the leader of the landlords in Jingxiang, and as soon as Liu Tingmei relented, everyone expressed their attitude to actively donate.

"Everyone, slow down," Liu Tingmei spoke up, and everyone stopped talking: "Donation is not a problem, even if there is money, can the officials recruit enough craftsmen for manufacturing for a while?" ”

"I should transfer skilled craftsmen from Lin'an Mansion to Jinghu to open a workshop."

"It's too slow. In fact, there are enough craftsmen in Jinghu to make this kind of weapon, but" Liu Tingmei looked at the expression on Zheng Yunming's face: "After all, everyone is a businessman, and you can't let the craftsmen use their efforts in vain." ”

After all, Zheng Yunming has had experience in the business society, and this kind of subtext may not be clear to a real reader, but as soon as he heard it, he knew Liu Tingmei's true intentions.

"Maybe we can solve it this way: I will pay for it, I will give land, and I will build a manufacturing workshop. Everyone is looking for a sufficient number of craftsmen for Yunming. The bamboo generals produced were sold to the Tulong Army at a price, and everyone shared the profits according to the proportion of money invested. Zheng Yunming also looked at everyone's faces, and as soon as he said this method, many people showed a happy look on their faces.

After all, Liu Tingmei is a powerful character in the business world, but she is not satisfied with Zheng Yunming's concessions: "It's just this matter of dividends"

"I don't care." Zheng Yunming waved his hand and refused: "Later, I will send someone to talk to you, the most important thing is that you can give enough assistance to our army in the most difficult time of the Tulong Army, and what I want you to believe is that every money you make will bring you a hundredfold, or even a thousandfold return in the future." ”

When he said this, his eyes shone with great confidence.

(The ranking officials asked for red tickets and rewards as usual, and by the way, congratulations to the Sichuan Blue Whale basketball team for winning)