On the afternoon of February 16, the fifth year of Tianbao.

Liu Kun tapped his back with his hand and slowly walked towards Ye Chang's house.

A few days ago, Ye Chang left Lushun and went to Beisha City, which made Liu Kun a lot busy. However, this kind of busyness makes him feel fulfilled, and the only regret is that after he is busy, he returns home without a virtuous wife and daughter to wait.

"It's coming, it's coming." He thought expectantly.

The sea began to thaw half a month ago, Ye Chang began to order people to explore the channel, and the news came back the day before yesterday that the channel to the south was already navigable. In fact, Lushun itself is an ice-free port, and the Bohai Sea is frozen in winter, but there is no problem for ships to enter and leave Port Arthur. However, the Bohai Sea channel was blocked, and it is said that only by going around the open sea to the south of Shandong could we find an unfrozen port to dock, which was too difficult for the fledgling Lushun sailors.

Thinking of plumbers, Liu Kun saw several figures of plumbers. They all wore the special uniforms of Lushun water workers, and judging from their figures, they were Wu family brothers who were quite prestigious among water workers. Seeing Liu Kun, they stopped, and Wu Dahai, who was the leader, bowed his hand and saluted: "Liu Langjun is here." ”

"Well, I'm going to talk to Eleven Lang about something...... Why are you here? ”

"Ha Luha, there are some chores." Wu Dahai, who was the leader, laughed.

"You're the one who heard about the Exploration of the Seaway...... It's hard work, can Kaido really go? ”

"Yes, the ice has almost receded, although there are some ice floes on the sea, the size is very small, it is estimated that it will all be dissolved in a few days."

After receiving his affirmative response, Liu Kun nodded: "That's good, you guys are so good, Shiyi Lang can't treat you badly."

"That's, that's, we've never met such a good employer as Ye Senjun."

After a brief conversation, Liu Kun went to Ye Chang's residence by himself, but the Wu brothers stopped there.

"Liu Kun went to see Ye Chang, presumably Ye Chang didn't have time to see us for a while, so let's do it, Da Jiao, you go back and prepare first, Dahe and I are waiting here." Wu Dahai commanded.

Their muttering, Liu Kun couldn't hear it, Liu Kun had slowly paced in front of Ye Chang's door.

Ye Chang's residence is no different from others, it is a simple brick house, but this year Lushun will usher in a new period of large-scale construction, and will build dormitories for everyone - not family houses, but collective dormitories. Liu Kun had seen the plan, and the thought of building rows of houses in the northeast of the camp made him feel very courageous.

Naturally, ordinary people live in collective dormitories, but people like Liu Kun have their own homes. Even Ye Chang is impossible not to reflect this difference, otherwise who is willing to pursue a higher status and take on more responsibilities?

"Brother-in-law is here...... It's just in time, if you don't come today, I'll be looking for you tomorrow. Ye Chang heard Liu Kun's voice and greeted him with a smile.

"Oh, what's the matter with Eleven?" Liu Kun asked.

"Prepare to build a furnace for smelting." Ye Chang said to Liu Kun.

Hearing the news, Liu Kun's eyes widened: "Found an iron ore?" ”

Ye Chang smiled and nodded.

Although the glass industry can make huge profits, its significance to Lushun is far less than that of the coal and iron industry.

However, in the southern Liaoning region, Ye Chang did not hear of any large mines in his memory, so his initial plan was to obtain the mineral deposits in central and northern Liaoning through trade. For this reason, when Shanzhi went to the Bohai Sea, he also specially ordered them to look for strange ores from all over the world and make specimens so that they could judge where there were ores worth using.

What he didn't expect was that he learned from Qiu Tuo, a blacksmith in Beisha City, that in the north of Jili Prefecture, there was iron for sale, which meant that there was iron ore there.

From December to February, a full three months, Ye Chang sent six groups of people to explore the northeast of Beisha City, relying on the guidance of various subway craftsmen, and finally found the location of the mine. The location is about the other generation of Pulandian Lianshan Town, the ore is not deeply buried, but the ore quality is low. However, for Ye Chang, this is not a problem, it is nothing more than to increase the screening and beneficiation links.

The biggest problem is fuel, there is no coal mine, relying on charcoal to smelt on a large scale, it will obviously be a little difficult, even in order to level the vacant land, Ye Chang and they burned hundreds of kilns of charcoal last year, it is not enough to support for a long time. What's more, glass, bricks, cement, almost everywhere is short of fuel.

Fortunately, the scale of these industries in Lushun is not large, and only two cement kilns have been built, six brick kilns, and one glass kiln. It's just that in the long run, the problem of coal has to be solved.

"It's good to have iron ore, and I've now arranged for an iron-smelting furnace, and the first furnace can be made in two months at most." Liu Kun rubbed his hands excitedly: "If we have enough iron ore, we can make tools ourselves, and we can ......."

"Armor." Ye Chang said in a low voice.

The two glanced at each other, and Liu Kun smiled and didn't say anything.

"I'm going to leave for the Central Plains in a few days, have the first glasses been ready?"

"It's ready, forty in total, and ten glass mirrors you said." Liu Kun said: "The diamond can really cut through the glass, if it weren't for this, there would be no way to cut it." ”

"Fifty pieces in total...... If there is less, will new ones be made in these days? ”

"Yes, yes, but the number will not be large, after all, there are too many defective products."

Although he has mastered the technique of increasing the furnace temperature to the level of burning glass, this technique is not very mature, so the yield of glass is still very low today, especially for glassware, in a batch of dozens of pieces, the yield rate is less than one-fifth. Hearing him say this, Ye Chang thought about it again in his heart: "If that's the case, maybe you have to use those old books...... In this way, the next batch of main mirrors, and they don't need to be too big, as long as the size of the human face, the scraps can also be made into the size of a palm, this thing will definitely be popular. ”

Liu Kun nodded when he heard this, and when the silver-plated mirror first appeared, he was also startled by this delicate thing. He knew the importance of the iron furnace, so he was a little impatient: "I'll go do it now, and then go to the iron furnace."

Ye Chang sent him away and let out a long breath.

From the beginning of the old year to Lushun, to the construction of the glass kiln in December, and then to the present, nearly ten months have passed, in Liaodong, he can be regarded as a firm foothold, but now there is still a lack of a name. If he hadn't occupied Beisha City, his reputation as a record of Jili Prefecture to join the army and Xiangping to guard and capture was enough, but if he occupied Beisha City, especially when he found that there were iron mines more than 100 miles northeast of Beisha City, this title would be insufficient, and he needed to have a greater official position and authorization.

There are some things that can be done behind the back of the Tang Dynasty, but you can't help but be prepared to be discovered.

"This time I want to go to Chang'an, and I have to go back to Xiuwu, to see if I can persuade my sister-in-law to move the whole family to Liaodong, if so, I have no worries, and there is no problem if Chang'an doesn't even go back."

pondering this thought in his heart, Ye Chang saw a relative name coming over with a surprised face: "Join the army, Wu Dahai and Wu Dahe, the water workers outside, ask to see him"

"Oh?"

The image of the Wu brothers suddenly appeared in Ye Chang's mind, and he looked at the Wu brothers a little differently, if it weren't for these five brothers who were good at sailing on the sea, the crossing of the sea last year would not have been so smooth. However, if the two of them asked to see something, their direct boss should be Su Thick Legs, and if there is any problem, they have their own Su Thick Legs to report.

"What's the matter with them?"

"I don't want to say it, I just have to see the army, and it is related to the life and death of Lushun" The guard looked a little embarrassed.

"What a big breath...... It just so happens that I have nothing to do for the time being, so call them in. Ye Chang said.

After a while, Wu Dahai and Wu Dahe came to Ye Chang, the two of them were a little cramped and uneasy, and when they saw Ye Chang, they made a big salute.

"You two said that there is a major event related to Lushun's life and death to report?"

"Exactly, Ye Senjun also asks for forgiveness for our crimes......" Wu Dahai looked annoyed: "We mistakenly formed bandits and almost got on the thief ship"

"Tell me, if it's true, I'll reward you heavily."

"That's the case, these days the river god does not belong, we have a deep brotherly relationship, I saw it and asked him if there was anything worried, but I never thought that he accidentally learned a shocking news"

"Oh?"

Ye Chang's response was still a little flat, and he didn't have the slightest excitement to hear the big news, Wu Dahai peeked at him, feeling uneasy in his heart, and he didn't know if this Ye joined the army or didn't listen to his words.

But at this time, the arrow was on the line, and it had to be sent.

"Dahe, you said to listen to Ye Senjun, you have to make it clear," Wu Dahai instructed Wu Dahe.

Among the Wu brothers, Wu Dahe is the most honest and looks no different from a farmer. He raised his head, peeked at Ye Chang, and said a little sneeringly: "The villain is good friends with that Bian Ping, some time ago, Bian Ping suddenly asked the villain, do you want a big rich ......"

Ye Chang's eyes lit up, and he stared at Wu Dahe with a bright eye, Wu Dahe seemed to be frightened by him, and he didn't dare to say any more.

"You just say, if it's really a big thing, I can't reward it heavily." Ye Changdao.

Wu Dahe swallowed his saliva, looked at Wu Dahai, and saw Wu Dahai nodding, so he continued: "The villain is used to being poor, of course he wants to be rich, so he should inherit it, and only then did he know the truth...... That Bian Ping, who actually harbored evil intentions, was instigated by the Goguryeo people, and wanted to rebel."

"Rebellion?" Ye Chang got up suddenly, and turned around twice with his hands behind his back: "He is just a plumber, what can he do, and he can also plot rebellion?" ”

He befriended all kinds of water workers, and it is said that dozens of people obeyed him, and he was ready to do something tonight, first to set fire to the granary, and when the guards went to put out the fire, they would kill them together with the Goguryeo, Silla, Buyeo, and others...... I want to kill the army."

Hearing this, Ye Chang took a breath: "What a big dog guts"

Food is extremely important to Lushun, at least until July, there will be no large-scale food supply in Lushun, so Ye Chang is even ready to send people to Silla to see if he can buy grain from Silla, this matter is almost well known.

If the granary really caught fire, there was no doubt that Lushun's main strength would be used to fight the fire, and Ye Chang's own guards would have loopholes.

"Hmm, do you know Lu Dao, which Fanhu bought Bian Ping, and which plumbers colluded with him?" After two more turns, Ye Chang suppressed his anger and asked in a low voice.

"This villain was scared at the time, and Bian Ping refused to tell the villain." Wu Dahe Road

"Dahe is honest, that Bian Ping is used to rhetoric, coaxing him to be on the river. When Dahe learned of this, he did not dare to speak for several days, and only told me today, and I immediately brought him to report it. Wu Dahai said again at this time: "Joining the army, you can't let an eternal traitor like Bian Ping ruin the military and political plan to join the army, let's arrest him."

Ye Chang glanced at him: "Catch it...... What about those who are in the same party, if they don't get rid of them, they will eventually be hidden dangers."

"Judging Bian Ping, torture and torture, don't be afraid that he won't recruit, that guy dares to drag Dahe to commit this capital crime, join the army, don't spare him"

Ye Chang nodded: "Such a person who harbors evil intentions will naturally not be spared...... I know about this, and you must not keep quiet, and I will also prepare a reward for you, but I can't give it to you for the time being, so as not to be startled by the traitor."

"Yes, yes, we can all trust to join the army" Wu Dahai and Wu Dahe both showed joy.

They quit the city, and when they arrived at the door, they heard Ye Chang ordering to summon people. Wu Dahai and Wu Dahe glanced at each other, and after walking away, Wu Dahai showed joy on his face: "It's done"

"I'm frightened, big brother, if Ye Chang wants to arrest Bian Ping and confront him, what do you say?"

"Don't worry, I have spent a lot of effort thinking about what this Ye joins the army to do, he will never catch Bian Ping to confront him, because he is suspicious, and he will worry that he will not be able to catch the mastermind behind Bian Ping, and he will definitely not startle the snake. I expected that after he mobilized his people, he would secretly spy on Fan Hu and Bian Ping, but before that, he would also send someone to inquire about Bian Ping's recent activities. ”

"No wonder the eldest brother asked that guy to go to the granary, Ye Chang knew about it, and he would definitely believe us" Wu Dahe said happily.

"That's nature, no matter how wise he is, he would never have imagined that we who came to tell the truth were the real masterminds." Wu Dahai said.

When the two of them returned to their lodgings, the other three brothers had been waiting there, and when they learned that it was indeed like Ji Lu's plan, everyone was happy.

"Bian Ping, I think I'm still waiting for my brother's order, my brother really wants to send people to him?"

"I can't bear to let the child fight the wolf, and those who are not very loyal to us will naturally be allocated to him." Wu Dahai smiled deeply: "I want reliable brothers, not those friends who eat and drink together." Except for a few of us brothers, to be honest, I can't trust anyone."

They had made up their minds and waited for nightfall. In the evening, Bian Ping really came to Wu Dahai, Wu Dahai knew very well that at this time, Bian Ping must have been stared at by Ye Chang, so he didn't keep him much, just told him the list of several people and asked him to go looking for someone. Bian Ping didn't doubt that he had him, and went to look for him one by one, and it didn't take long for Wu Dahe to report: "Big brother, Bian Ping has already left"

"Okay, let's go out too" Wu Dahai suddenly got up.