Chapter 528 Bewitching
After leaving the courtyard, Jiang Qingzhi heard a cat meowing. He looked up and saw Duoduo playing on the roof. But what was he playing with...
A mouse was trembling under its claws. Duoduo raised his claws and took a few steps back, but the mouse did not dare to run.
Duoduo slapped the mouse away with his paw, and the mouse ran away. Duoduo followed calmly, and the mouse stopped at the edge of the eaves and turned back.
Duoduo was right behind it, as if urging it along with dissatisfaction.
Cats’ way of entertainment is simple but cruel.
When the generator was turned on, Jiang Qingzhi listened to the familiar sound and couldn't help but feel mixed emotions.
The machine tool was started up to warm up, and Jiang, a model of self-taughtness, finished the finishing of a semi-finished long shaft.
"Uncle."
The maid outside said:
"Uncle, it's time to eat."
Jiang Qingzhi touched his stomach and realized that he was already starving.
Once people find what they love, they will be indifferent to material things and desires. Jiang Qingzhi turned off the generator, touched the long shaft, felt the smooth surface, and couldn't help but praise: "Is it machining that I like?"
The couple's small dining room is located in the side room of the bedroom. It is not big, but Li Tian has made it very cozy. According to her, looking at cozy things while eating will naturally relax your body and mind and increase your appetite.
Today’s dishes are good, Jiang Qingzhi actually saw Houttuynia cordata.
"Where did it come from?"
Jiang Qing had liked this in his previous life, and seeing his old love at this moment, he couldn't help but feel overjoyed, yet also a little surprised.
In later generations, people who love Houttuynia cordata love it to death, while people who don’t love it feel uncomfortable when they smell the smell.
"Have you ever eaten this Houttuynia cordata, husband?" Li Tian asked.
"Houttuynia?"
This is not Houttuynia cordata, no, isn’t this Houttuynia cordata?
"Yes!" Li Tian said with a smile, "King Gou Jian of Yue liked to eat this. The people of Shu also like to eat it."
What the hell!
It turns out that the history of consumption of Houttuynia cordata is so long?
Jiang Qingzhi, who thought that the natives of the Ming Dynasty would not eat this thing, said awkwardly: "I have never seen this thing in Suzhou Prefecture."
"There is little food in the south, that is, in Shu. Gou Jian, the King of Yue, ate this because of famine."
Jiang Qingzhi sat down and was overjoyed to see that the staple food was pancakes.
After taking a bite of Houttuynia cordata, the long-lost taste made Jiang Qingzhi feel like every cell in his body was cheering.
One more bite of the cake and the meal is complete.
Li Tian tasted a bite of Houttuynia cordata and immediately spat it out, "It tastes terrible."
Seeing Jiang Qingzhi eating delicious food, she couldn't help but wonder, "What's so good about this thing?"
"Breathe air." Jiang Qingzhi said, "Take this when your nose is stuffy. I guarantee it will work immediately."
This was an experience he had verified countless times in his previous life.
After favoring the Houttuynia cordata, Jiang Qingzhi turned his attention to braised pork.
The braised pork is slightly red, and the thin part is slightly lean. It shows that the chef has a good control of the heat. Take a bite, the braised pork trembles in the mouth, and the fat breaks down in the mouth with a slight pressure of the upper and lower teeth.
Sweet, salty, fatty, meaty...
Jiang Qingzhi squinted his eyes, savoring the delicious taste.
Among all the delicacies from land and sea, this is the best.
He took a pancake, spread it out, put the zheergen and braised pork on it, rolled it up, and ate it with big mouthfuls.
Eat too much!
Jiang Qingzhi felt that this was the most he had eaten since he came to Daming.
"Tell the kitchen that this Houttuynia cordata will be called Houttuynia cordata from now on. Houttuynia cordata can be fried with bacon. Remember to add chili peppers."
Jiang Qingzhi had a delicious meal and strolled in the yard. His mind felt empty, but he also seemed to be thinking about something.
It's like there are two of me in my brain.
The Mohist base outside the city is under construction. Once completed, Jiang Qingzhi will need a group of craftsmen to serve as the earliest team of Mohist.
These craftsmen could not be borrowed, let alone move freely.
There are several types of craftsmen today. The first type is official, such as craftsmen from the Ministry of Industry and the Armory. The second type is workshop owners. The third type is blacksmiths, that is, self-employed and freelancers.
The third type has only one skill and is not very disciplined. Even if the workshop owner is willing to give up the second type, Jiang Qingzhi dare not accept it for the sake of confidentiality.
Only official craftsmen are most suitable for Mohism.
This is also the reason why Jiang Qingzhi made a bet with Lan Zhen from the Ministry of Industry.
Flintlock!
Jiang Qingzhi has been thinking about this big treasure for a long time recently, and even thought about the artillery as well.
In the naval battle 20 years ago, the Ming navy was blasted by the Portuguese firearms, which destroyed the pride of the Celestial Empire. But then imitation began.
At that time, the firearms of the Ming Dynasty were mainly the so-called falconets, and most of them were small-caliber falconets. Their power was just so-so, and their range was even more impressive.
Warships need more powerful artillery, and land battles also need artillery, the god of war, to help them.
"Cannon, cannon..."
Jiang Qingzhi thought of the Great General Cannon from the late Ming Dynasty. It was said that one shot could cause devastation for ten miles and it was extremely powerful.
But in Jiang Qingzhi's eyes, that kind of bronze cannon was useless except for consuming the already limited copper resources.
That kind of bronze cannon weighs thousands of pounds, and it is difficult to follow the army in this era, so it can only be used to defend the city.
In Jiang Qingzhi's expectation, once the internal contradictions of the Ming Dynasty were initially resolved, they would switch from defense to offense.
To switch from defense to offense requires artillery that can move quickly with the army.
Light weight and compact structure.
The power must be enormous.
"It's a pity that it's difficult to get the flower bombs now." Jiang Qingzhi touched his chin, feeling a little regretful.
The next day, Jiang Qingzhi asked someone to call Feng Yuan over.
"Uncle." Feng Yuan looked like he hadn't slept well, with bloodshot eyes.
"Do you have the drawings of that drilling machine?" Jiang Qingzhi asked.
Feng Yuan was stunned. "Drawings?"
Jiang Qingzhi then realized that most of the craftsmen at that time were illiterate, and it was even more difficult for them to draw blueprints.
"You tell me, and I draw."
Jiang Qingzhi asked someone to get charcoal pencils and paper. As Feng Yuan described, a prototype of the machine tool appeared on the drawing.
Dimensions are marked, tolerances are marked...
"It's settled." Jiang Qingzhi blew on the paper.
"My Lord, even the best craftsman in the Armory Bureau can't make it." Feng Yuan looked at the so-called tolerance and couldn't help but secretly click his tongue, thinking that the precision standard set by Jiang Qingzhi was too high.
Not only in the capital, Feng Yuan dared to bet that no one in the world could make a bed of such precision.
"Just wait."
Jiang Qingzhi then went to the forbidden area.
The generator roars and the machine tool starts...
……
In the Mohist base outside the city, the ground is being leveled.
According to Jiang Qingzhi's instructions, all ground except the green belts must be hardened.
This hardening is not about laying slabs of stone, but about grinding and smashing!
The huge stone wheel was pulled by several oxen and rolled back and forth on the ground.
At the designated workshop location, it has to be smashed after being crushed.
Put up a frame, pull up the stone wheel, and then let go...
Bang!
Wang Er panted and shouted, "Pull!"
This is a simple lever mechanism. Several laborers worked together to pull the stone wheel up again.
"One, two, three... release!"
Bang!
Half an hour later, the foreman shouted, "Time to call it a day, time to call it a day!"
Wang Er shouted, "One more!"
Bang!
The stone wheel hit the ground heavily, and Wang Er wiped his sweat with a towel with satisfaction.
Everyone washed their hands, wiped the sweat off their face, and then went to collect their wages from the foreman.
Wang Er was in the middle of the line, listening to the laborer in front of him say, "My brother works in other places, and his wages are paid once a month, and sometimes they are delayed. We pay him daily, and he is so envious of us. It's a pity that we don't need people here, otherwise he would be willing to come for less money."
Wang Er said, "My uncle said at the beginning that we are all very poor. Although we don't have enough food for the next day, life is still difficult. The daily allowance can help us in time..."
"My uncle has nothing to say to us."
Wang Er nodded, "I just wonder if you have other work to do after we finish this."
"Wang Er, didn't you learn bricklaying? You can easily find a job in the city in the future." Someone said enviously.
Wang Er said, "Whether you can make a living or not depends on who you follow."
"That's the truth."
After receiving today's reward, Wang Er walked out of the base, looked up at the setting sun in the distance, illuminating the entire world, and couldn't help but feel excited.
"Is Wang Er back?"
"Ok!"
"Wang Er, is Chang Wei Bo's place still short of manpower?"
"Not bad!"
"Oh! Last time my kid was afraid of being implicated and didn't dare to go. Now look at..." A woman looked at the purse on Wang Er's waist and felt envious.
When he got home, Wang Er unexpectedly saw the guests.
The man looked quite friendly, about thirty years old, and was talking to Wang Er's son with a smile on his face.
"Wang Er?" The man stood up.
"Yes. You are..." The man had an aura that Wang Er was familiar with... He saw it most often in scholars.
The man touched the top of Wang Er's son's head and said, "This child is smart. If he goes to school and pursues a career in government, he might become a high-ranking official. In the future, you and your wife will also be able to enjoy wealth and honor..."
Wang Er handed the purse to his wife and asked, "What do you mean, sir?"
The man took out a purse, opened it, and found silver ingots inside.
The silver ingot is not big, but it is a huge sum of money for a family like Wang Er's.
"If you can tell me the information inside..." The man stared at Wang Er, "this silver ingot will be yours. In addition." The man touched the top of the child's head again, "This child will be able to go to school tomorrow. I will take care of everything. Your family doesn't have to spend a penny. Food, clothing, housing and transportation are all covered. How do you think?"
Wang Er was stunned. His wife was stunned beside him and then shook her head subconsciously.
Woman... The man had contempt in his eyes and just stared at Wang Er.
He took a silver ingot from his purse and placed it on the table.
The silver ingots sparkle with a silver-gray light under the glow of the setting sun, which is very attractive.
Wang Er reached out and touched it, and the man could no longer suppress the smile on his face, and laughed out loud, with seven parts of pride and three parts of contempt in his laughter.
A bunch of peasants who had never seen the world were tempted easily.
"Is this the silver ingot?" Wang Er picked it up and took a look.
"Just nod and it's yours."
Wang Er put down the silver ingot and said, "When I couldn't make it, it was you who gave me a way to survive."
"You... don't you think about your children?" The man was stunned, but he was a smart guy after all, and he immediately found the weak points of all parents in the world.
"My child is also studying now and is gradually becoming sensible." Wang Er looked at his child with a loving look in his eyes, "I also want to be an official. But as a person, you must be content and know how to be grateful..."
The man heard the determination in the voice and sneered, "You should know that if you miss this opportunity, you will never get it again!"
Wang Er shook his head. "I heard from them that the Mohist School will recruit disciples every year from now on. My child... Dalang, where do you want to go in the future?"
The child raised his head and said, "I want to follow you, my uncle, and die for you!"
The man's face turned pale. "When Jiang Qingzhi is ruined, let's see what you can say. Goodbye!"
He picked up the silver ingot and put it back into his purse. Just as he was about to leave, he found that Wang Er had blocked the door. "You want to ruin my uncle's business, and you still want to leave?"
"you!"
The man turned around and subconsciously wanted to grab the child.
Wang Er's wife held a kitchen knife in her hand, staring at him eagerly.
The child was holding a small stool and staring in the same way.
"You are a bad person!"
(End of this chapter)
