Lu Ming

Finally, Yixinlong's convoy arrived at the brightly lit Tianjin City at midnight.

Iron street lamps lit with kerosene guided the convoy all the way back to the familiar dock area.The warehousing system here, when the fleet arrives, originally loads and unloads materials around the clock, so the goods are quickly put into storage.

At the second watch, shopkeeper Wu, who finally received a receipt, was exhausted and joyful, and beckoned everyone to go back to the firm for a rest.

Early the next morning, Shopkeeper Wu greeted Young Master Wu excitedly, and went to the Port Authority in the four-wheeled carriage used by the firm to support the facade.

When we got to the ground, we first settled last night's freight with the documents.Next, after some negotiations, shopkeeper Wu spent a lot of time talking, and finally was able to buy a box of Huang'an San, which was in short supply and under control, at a high price.

Sitting in the carriage on the return journey, Wu Fazheng looked carefully at this box of treasures that shopkeeper Wu regarded as his life.

The box is made of tinplate, the size of a vanity box, with a silver-white appearance, a bit like the high-end snack boxes that Wu Fazheng saw in Jiangnan.

On the top of the box, there is a piece of delicate white paper with black simplified Chinese characters printed on it: medical Huang'an powder.

Below is a string of small characters, indicating a series of content such as its place of origin, efficacy, usage, dosage, and side effects.

Wu Fazheng, a scholar with a diploma, has no pressure to read simplified characters.He has seen the information format on these boxes many times in recent days... In fact, almost all products produced in the south will have such an information label in an inconspicuous place.

Wu Fazheng likes this kind of clear product label very much. In his notes, he has some thoughts on this label and the system behind it.

"One hundred packs, be more frugal, and you can get sixty or seventy lives back from Lord Yan!"

Just as Wu Fazheng was staring at the words, shopkeeper Wu made a "click" and unscrewed the nose button of the iron box.Open the lid of the box, and there are a hundred small paper packets neatly stacked inside.

Reaching out his hand to take out a pack from the box, shaking his palm, shopkeeper Wu's eyes flowed at this moment: "I have suffered a trauma, I washed it with strong wine first, and then applied this. If you want to be safe, take another dose internally. , and his life was saved... the wound did not suppurate, it is really miraculous!"

Upon hearing this, Wu Fazheng nodded solemnly: "I've also heard that this thing works wonders. If that's the case, then our family should also prepare some, so we might as well sell them all."

"Hehe, good fortune is hard to give up!"

Shopkeeper Wu shook the small paper bag in his hand, a little helpless and a little self-deprecating: "As long as you go out of the closed wall, you can only exchange a dose of twelve taels of pure gold ingots. As for the farther boundaries, hehe, there are no counts." gone."

The physical gap between Huangan San's light and small size and the twelve-weight gold ingot gave Wu Fazheng a deep intuitive feeling.

"Phew... life is worth a lot!" Even though Wu Fazheng had seen the world before, he was also surprised by this kind of profit.

……

With this box of Huang Ansan, Yixinlong's return team this year is considered to be fully stocked.

In the days that followed, shopkeeper Wu began to select personnel, form a team, and make a series of preparations before the trip.

On November 11st, it is the light snow festival in the lunar calendar.Shopkeeper Wu felt that everything was in place, so he ordered the door of the firm to be closed.

At the same time, the table set from Yanxi Tower was also placed in the courtyard of the firm.

This meal not only means the year-end reunion, but also serves as a practice for the caravan that is about to depart—start now, and if everything goes well, the caravan can return to their hometown in Shanxi to celebrate the New Year before the new year.After the next year, there will be another caravan carrying goods from Tianjin, which will be exported for border trade.

With the banquet, the atmosphere of the group worship that day must be very warm.Most young guys can only eat one such super meal throughout the year, so everyone is burying their heads in eating.The targets of their fire are all specially ordered hard dishes: elbows, hooves and so on.

As for the leadership at the table at the top, Young Master Wu, the food looks much more elegant... Everyone's fire targets are specially ordered seasonal vegetables, just like the four big brothers in Tsim Sha Tsui.

In other words, as early as the Tang Dynasty, the clever ancestors of the Han nationality had the "Wentangjian", a primitive agricultural institution that used geothermal heat to grow off-season vegetables.

And in this plane, the central boiler heating system + brick house + glass ceiling trinity standardized steam greenhouses, bringing a stable supply of supreme winter gourmet enjoyment to wealthy families in Beijing and Tianjin.

Like today's Wu Fazheng, he is devoted to a plate of candied tomatoes on the table and chopsticks frequently.The shopkeeper Wu next to him also kept eating a plate of stir-fried rapeseed, and dismissed the red braised pork.

During the lively banquet, shopkeeper Wu, as a person in charge of Tianjin, naturally cannot do without the existing routines such as handing out year-end awards and commending advanced ones.

As the young master, Wu Fazheng participated in the whole process with a smile, and made a few enthusiastic speeches impromptu to build morale.

After the banquet, Yixinlong officially closed down, ending this year's business.

The next day, the established caravan members began to make final preparations.At this time, Wu Fazheng, as the young owner of the same company, also changed into a short robe, and followed shopkeeper Wu to check the personnel's carriage for the last time.

In the stable, Young Master Wu met a buddy he had a good impression of: this man was called Huo Gui, and he had been rewarded by the young master for his hard work before.

Today's Huogui is sharpening a dagger hard.Seeing the shopkeeper and his host entering the door, Huo Gui hurriedly stood up and saluted.

Wu Fazheng wanted to come over and have a look at this weird dagger with great interest.I found that the blade of this knife is the same as the ordinary short knife, but the handle is cylindrical, which is a bit weird.

"Not bad, it looks very refreshing!"

After Wu Fazheng swung it a few times, he returned the knife to Huogui.

Huo Gui wiped the blade of the knife with his clothes cherishingly: "This knife is easy to use. It was bought by the young man from the seaman at the dock! I have saved money for food for two months!"

Wu Fazheng glanced at Huogui, and asked with a half-smile: "With a knife, do you dare to go up and fight for your life when you meet bandits?"

Huogui blushed when he heard the words: "Where did the boss come from! Huogui's existence today depends on the shopkeeper taking care of him! Look, if you encounter bandits on the way back, Huogui and the thieves will not die!"

"Okay, okay!" Wu Fazheng was overjoyed, and stretched out his hand to pull out a square handkerchief from the armhole: "Wrap this on the handle of the knife, it will absorb sweat and won't slip your hands."

This fast men's cotton gray Scottish plaid woven bandanna is Wu Fazheng's favorite style.He was at an embroidery shop in Suzhou that day and bought a dozen at a time, and used them as sweat towels on weekdays.

"Thank you, Dong's family!" The next moment, Huo Gui happily took the handkerchief and wrapped it around the cylindrical knife handle.

Chapter 681 Returning to the North ([-])

The north wind is bleak, and the broken snow is flying.

For Daming in the Little Ice Age, the Light Snow Festival was definitely about to snow... and this year, there has been more than one snowfall before and after the Light Snow.

Before Xiaoxue, the last group of guards arrived in Tianjin from the Zhangjiakou headquarters.Then, on the fourth day after the light snow, the caravan set off.

There is no vigorous swearing-in ceremony.Teams who are used to long-distance running are all experienced, and they don't need to put on airs.That is, Wu Jiuwu, the general manager of the caravan, toasted everyone with a bowl of Zhuangxing wine before departure.

After drinking a shallow bowl of wine, the man wiped his mouth with the sleeve of his thick padded jacket, then yelled and raised his whip, and started the animals. The caravan was considered to be starting.

With the prosperity of Tianjin year by year, the total number of four-wheeled carts in the caravan this time reached thirteen, which was the most in the history of Yixinlong Semicolon.The animals responsible for pulling the carts are also the highest configuration that can be achieved in the north in this era: all of them are tall mules produced in Shandong, with two horses per cart.

Not long after going out, the crisp sound of hooves began to stabilize.The green-haired mule produced in Shandong, with its round belly dangling, dragged the carriage and walked on the asphalt road covered with a layer of snow powder, effortlessly.

The asphalt road project started from the most affluent riverside wharf area in Tianjin City and has lasted for more than a year.

This is the first asphalt road in North China.Today, this two-lane "high-speed" project has been paved outside the city and continues to extend towards the north.

When walking on the asphalt road, whether it is a person, a horse or the vehicle itself, it is easy and low-loss.This kind of "asphalt" road, which Ming people have never seen before, is smooth and tidy, hard and unmarked, and it is not invaded by wind or rain.

The caravan set off from the main hall early in the morning, followed the first flow of people who opened the city gate, and passed through the north city gate in sequence.

Next, the carriage continued along the asphalt road and passed through the bustling Cheng Guo area.

The current area of ​​Chengguo District has already surpassed the main urban area, and a large number of outsiders settled here.In addition, wealthy local people are also purchasing real estate in Chengguo... The strong fighting power of Feihuying has brought confidence to the aborigines to buy properties outside the city.

It took a full hour for the convoy to slowly pass through the densely populated city area.Next, at the head of the ancient Guhe bridge, in front of the "Wulipu" post station, the convoy and guards converged.

The commercial goods carried by the Yixinlong this time are all highly valued industrial products, and the entire fleet is worth a lot.Based on this, the supporting staff has also increased accordingly.

First of all, for each cart, on a regular basis, the number of men who take turns driving and loading and unloading has changed to four.In addition, the number of full-time guards in the convoy has also increased, with a total of 40 people.

More than 50 guys equipped with weapons and capable of fighting; 40 professional guards; plus some shopkeepers and other idlers, etc., the total number of adult men in the entire caravan exceeds [-], which is enough to deal with ordinary gangs of bandits, horses, bandits, etc. up.

In fact, in real history, most of the bandits are actually "hyena" gangs dressed in rags and carrying broken knives, and they simply cannot face the well-equipped caravan guards head-on.

If it were a well-armed armed gang, they wouldn't be bandits anymore, and they would be taken in by forces wherever they went.

"Boss, all the brothers are ready, waiting for you for a while!"

The person who stepped forward to greet shopkeeper Wu with fists in his arms was a square-faced man in his forties with a weathered face and sharp eyes.This person is Wu Qian, the leader of the guards, who also came from a collateral branch of the Wu family. In his early years, he served as the head of the frontier army.

It is different from ordinary caravans that need to hire bodyguards.Yi Xinlong started his family by running logistics outside the port. Over the years, Yi Xinlong has already formed a professional security team headed by his own family.

"Okay, okay, brothers look energetic!"

Nodding his head, shopkeeper Wu led Wu Fazheng to check the quality of the guards one by one.

This time, the guards dispatched by Zhangjiakou are Yixinlong's elite security team...Many of them are well known to shopkeeper Wu, and he knows that these are really good guys who are used to fighting horse thieves and Mongolian Tartars outside the mouth.

The guard team consisted of clansmen and some old hands, all of them were sturdy men with tough expressions.They all wore green suede collar coats bought at Tianjin Labor Insurance Store, Leifeng caps on their heads, and high-waisted combat boots produced by Tianjin Tannery Factory. They looked like rich and noble domestic dogs, and they were not on the same channel as those stray dogs in the wild.

Not the same as the walking buddy.The guards are all on horseback, and all the weapons such as bows, knives, guns and blunderbuss are quite complete.

Facts have proved that with the sharp increase in the value of goods in Tianjin, the importance of the head office has also increased accordingly.

No way, the small size and high value of industrial products have greatly increased the total value of the freight fleet.Yi Xinlong only needed to roughly calculate the total value of the convoy's goods, and then he had to send out the number of people who were worth sending for escorting large horse herds from outside the Great Wall in previous years.

The next moment, following Wu Qian's fourth master Wu's sharp whistle, all the guards got on their horses and protected the long queue of carriages from the left and right sides.

The convoy officially set sail.

……

Crossing the arched Drum River Stone Bridge, you can even walk out of the seventeenth-century Tianjin urban area in a broad sense.At this moment, what greets the traveler's eyes is the endless fields, rivers and woods in the north.

In the fine snow, the ground on both sides of the road was already covered with silver.

Sitting in the No.13 carriage at the end of the line, Master Wu Fazheng looked at the wind and snow outside the thick glass window, with a gloomy look in his eyes.

This is the only carriage with a canopy, and only half of the valuable cargo is loaded in it... After all, the convoy needs to reserve some space for the temporary sick or wounded.

Since leaving home, Wu Fazheng has not seen the familiar northern winter for a long time.In his memory, there is not much difference between the winter in Shanxi and the winter in Tianjin, both are bare fields and blue sky.

The only difference is probably the road under your feet.

The black, slightly curved asphalt road, in a sheet of white snow, leads to the end of the line of sight, as if passing through the sky.

There is no doubt that the convoy is moving very fast on the asphalt.On the traditional dirt road official road, the daily journey of a large convoy is about [-] to [-] miles. This requires good road conditions, no broken axles, mud turning, rain and snow, and other accidents.

And on this asphalt road, with the standard freight trucks using the southern mechanism wheel and bushing system, the convoy can travel at least fifty miles a day.If you hurry up, a little more will do.

Moreover, due to the smooth road surface, passengers will not feel particularly tired after rushing on the road, and they can also retain a certain amount of physical strength and spirit.

So this trip, Master Wu undoubtedly enjoyed the benefits of "modern" transportation.

In the late afternoon of the day, after traveling fifty miles, the convoy stopped for the night at the Heigutun service area along the way.

It is said to be a service area, but it is actually a semi-militarized bastion that combines military depots and logistics warehouses.

Because it is the only large-scale service area that enters and exits Tianjin, the business in the Heigutun service area is very good, and there are many customers who rest here.All service institutions including big car shops, restaurants, taverns, canteens, footwashing rooms, and bathhouses are all sound here.

After the Yixinlong team rested in Heigutun, the old drivers were very relaxed and went to various stores to spend with silver, copper coins, Cao Datou and banknotes.

In the face of Wu Fazheng's question about vigilance, the old Jianghu Ninth Uncle told him: Heigutun is the property of Marshal Cao, there are always private soldiers patrolling here, and there are patrols from the Feihu Camp outside, no one dares to make trouble here , let him rest assured.

Speaking of this, shopkeeper Wu sighed, patted the young master on the shoulder, and told him earnestly... It is better to hurry up and go to the Yuzutang chain to wash your feet... Starting tomorrow, there will be no such comfortable days to pass .

In the early morning of the second day, Yixinlong's motorcade embarked on the journey at sunrise on time.

At first, Young Master Wu didn't feel any difference from yesterday.The convoy was still advancing smoothly, and he leaned lazily in the car, looking at the fields full of poetry and the atmosphere of the distance, his heart was rolling, and he was about to write poetry.

No, the next moment, the young master's poetry was interrupted by a big sign on the side of the road.I probed out of the window and found that it was a large square white wooden sign as tall as a person, with the word "安" painted on it with red lacquer.

In an instant, Young Master Wu thought of those large characters on the wall of a large workshop in a distant Jiangnan port.

as predicted.After the carriage drove forward for more than ten meters, a red word "Quan" appeared in Wu Fazheng's eyes.

Afterwards, Young Master Wu, who was lying flat and rolling his eyes, finally managed to cobble together this vulgar, wordless vulgar slogan after 5 minutes: "Safe you, me, and others, connect thousands of families".

Next, roadside slogans appeared more and more frequently.In the end, after the scarlet letter of "Centennial Project Quality First", Master Wu saw the project introduction board towering by the roadside.

In the imitation Song Dynasty font written in black ink, the first line clearly marked the name of the construction bid ahead: the fourth bid section of Heigutun on the Beijing-Tianjin Expressway.

Construction unit: Tianjin Second Construction Group.

Design unit: China Construction Architectural Design Corporation.

Further down, there is information such as the amount of earthwork for the project, and even the project manager, the start date, and so on.

At this time, Wu Fazheng, who was belatedly aware of it, suddenly realized one thing: the road under his feet might be cut off.

Soon, Wu Fazheng's idea was confirmed: two miles ahead of the sign, the convoy encountered an iron fence blocking the road.

After yelling at the cattle and going down the roadside side road, the guys in the caravan began to drive hard while staring at the construction team with mixed emotions.

At the end of the asphalt road, a large iron cart with four iron wheels underneath was emitting black smoke, roaring.

At the back of the car, there was a striking round iron pot, which was filled with black clay, bubbling and bubbling, and there was an unpleasant smell all around.

At the same time, workers in padded jackets and orange vests picked up the black slurry in the pot with a long-handled iron spoon and dumped it on the flat gravel road.

"I don't think this asphalt road is really paved with oil mud!"

Wu Fazheng understood the number of roads paved with just one glance: "It's just that this sludge is unknown, and I don't know where it came from?"

"It is said that it came from the veins of Yizhou and was transported by sea ships."

Shopkeeper Wu has been concerned about asphalt for a long time and knows a lot: "When this thing arrives at the port, it is as hard as iron. It has to be refined like this in a big iron pot before it can be paved."

Wu Fazheng's face turned sour at this moment: "If you go down to the north side by inch, one day, you will arrive in the capital!"

Uncle Jiu seemed to have guessed what the young master was thinking, and he answered with a dry smile, "It won't take three to five years. I have made people calculate that a quick horse can reach the capital in a day and night, and it will be a large army..."

Wu Fazheng counted with his fingers slightly, and said nervously: "If the army moves quickly, it will reach the capital in three days. Even if it moves steadily and slowly, it will be enough to reach the capital in five days!"