Cao Wenqi looked at everyone not talking and pretending to be a dull gourd, and was very frustrated. He stood up and shouted loudly: "Only everyone claims to be a timely rain, but when he reaches this joint, why do you pretend to be a grandson? Let me express my opinion first. I admire two kinds of people the most in my life, one is a scholar with outstanding knowledge, and the other is a reasonable local parent official. This little Zheng official is a good person. If he has difficulties, we cannot stand by. I will pay 20,000 yuan first! Liu Weng, what do you say?"

The one who was called Liu Tingmei by Cao Wenqi was one of the best landlords in Jingxiang. The two were children and their relationship was extraordinary. However, when Cao Wenqi forced them in public, Liu Tingmei felt that they could not bear the pressure. He immediately stood up and retorted: "Old Cao doesn't need to use such words to squeeze in. I know that Zheng Guanren has helped you in the Ezhou matter. You should be grateful for your kindness. But Zheng Guanren and I met for the first time. To say something unpleasant, there was no friendship between them. Now summer is about to enter the summer, and various expenses are increasing day by day. You, Lao Cao, have made a lot of money in Sichuan. My tea garden in Yidu has lost a lot. The tens of thousands of helpers and tenants at home have a mouth for eating. If you have spare money to help Zheng Guanren, please forgive me for crying and being poor!"

Cao Wenqi was furious and said, "There is no need to say business scenes to Zheng Guanren. Who has not yet made any profit or loss? Last year, you mobilized a large number of salt goods from Huaiyang, holding each ten thousand yuan in your hand and laughed in front of me, but you didn't say that you have no money to eat. This is a national business. Zheng Guanren wants to borrow money, not to buy private property by himself, but the purpose is to build a war-capable soldier who can fight the Tartars. Now you, Liu, hide the gold and silver at home and don't take it out, and you still respect the Tartars when the northern soldiers head south. This is not true, and you still call it "Sai Mengchang". It's really ridiculous."

Someone next to him couldn't hear it and said angrily: "Old Cao said this, it would be too shameless!"

Cao Wenqi looked closely and was even more angry and shouted: "Zhang Lian, as the leader of the Taihu Boat Gang, when you were in Ezhou, Zheng officials were still dealing with each other, and asked the government to pay for your flight and boat transportation for the mine first. You are also considered a person who has received the benefits of Zheng officials. How could you repay your kindness today?"

Zhang Lian felt a fever when he was robbed like this, but then he said, "It's not that I have no heart, I am also very grateful to Zheng Guanren. But thankfulness has been gratitude. The situation has been turbulent in the past six months. The various troops have been walking around like a lantern. The place is really unbearable. It's fine just to donate money. The generals took the money and did not buy food, grass and weapons. They just thought about asking for land and houses, and forced to buy beautiful houses in Jinghu at low prices. They had no intention of training.

Soldiers are just a rich man in dough. Of course, the little officials are familiar with the books of sages and will not be as unethical as those rash men, but you also need to know that the people who are engaged in fields and doing business are not easy to make money in normal times. Whether they are grabbing food from the soil or making money from the trade road, they are covered in soil on sunny days and mud on rainy days, and every copper coins are obtained by our hard work. Seeing that the generals are ruining our blood and sweat like this, how can they not be resentful in their hearts!”

Zheng Yunming laughed, he got up and bowed to the seat, which made everyone hurriedly stand up and return the greeting.

"Of course Zheng Yunming knows the hardships of everyone."

"You are all famous landlords and merchants in Jinghu land, so naturally they are all people who know how to do business, Liu Weng," Zheng Yunming bowed to Liu Tingmei and said, "I have something to ask about. What is the most important thing in business?"

Liu Tingmei pondered for a moment. He didn't know what the purpose of Zheng Guanren asked this question at this time. He answered carefully: "The most important thing is of course the word profit. The sage talks about benevolence, and we businessmen talk about profit. No one will do things that are not profitable."

"That's right," Zheng Yunming smiled and said, "I want to tell you this is exactly the truth: giving money and grain to the Tulong Army is a business that is stable and profitable."

"Please follow me to the backyard."

Now Zheng Yi led the way and led Zheng Yunming and all the wealthy families who were unknown to the point of walking downstairs and came to the wide backyard of Lingxiao Tower.

The backyard had been cleaned and transported by the servants, and several wooden signs were processed at the base of the north wall. There was a huge wooden box in the yard. The wooden box seemed to be spliced ​​with random wood, and the box was numbered in vermilion paint.

Zheng Yunming made a gesture, and Zheng Yi and Han Silang opened the box with four yamen runners.

Everyone surrounded and watched according to Zheng Yunming's wishes, and saw a huge bamboo lying quietly among the straw.

The bamboo should be five or six inches thick and thin, and it is more than four feet long. Several thick ropes are repeatedly tied to tightly wrap the bamboo. Behind the bamboo is a wood carved handle, which is directly stuffed into the back of the bamboo tube for sealing.

Some people with sharp eyes found that there were small holes chiseled above the tail of the bamboo. The holes were only slightly larger than copper coins, sealed with yellow mud, and covered with a five-cent iron coin from Western Shu. The iron coin was drilled into the square hole, leading out two exquisite paper twist lines from it.

Liu Tingmei was born in the army and could see through the essence of this monster at a glance.

"What a big musket. If it is used to burn the enemy, it can always spew a few feet of flames. Unfortunately, the enemy will not stand there and let you burn. Although it is huge, it requires two people to cast it. I am afraid there are not many times when it can be used."

"Mr. Liu really has good eyesight," said Zheng Yunming: "My musket is a little different from ordinary muskets. Zheng Yi, let me show you."

Zheng Yi responded and gently untied the oil cloth at the mouth of the bamboo tube. He opened the lid of the ox horn pot beside his hand, poured all the gunpowder into the bamboo tube, pounded it gently with a wooden pestle, and then poured it into a layer of dry soil to tamp it. Then he put a plate of iron of the same size full of round holes into the bamboo tube, and asked Silang to pour some lead and iron slag into it, and tamp it again.

Zheng Yunming shouted, "Please cover your ears, the good show is about to be staged." He said that, covering his ears first.

Zheng Yi took the large wooden frame for the musket, placed the musket on it, and then tightened the fixing pins. Silang lifted a large stone and placed it behind the musket.

"This is the point!" Zheng Yi shouted, and used a pine branch to get the fire in the charcoal brazier and lit the medicine line.

After a moment, a huge thunder sounded in the backyard of Lingxiao Tower. The huge blasting wind blew up the loess in the field, mixed with the strong smoke, causing people to cough continuously.

The gentry in Jinghu finally saw the power of the most advanced weapons in the world for the first time.

The smoke of gunpowder dissipated slightly, and everyone could see clearly that the wooden target facing the musket was blown to pieces, and the adjacent targets were all pierced by lead. After the bullet passed through the target, it was embedded in the backyard wall for several inches, and it was nowhere to be found.

Everyone was shocked by the huge power of the giant musket for a moment and couldn't speak. After a while, Liu Tingmei asked, "Is this thing... made by Zheng Guanren?"

"It was the rogue who was naughty when he was a child, and what he did occasionally." Zheng Yunming couldn't help but feel a little proud: "In order to do this, I have been struggling for more than three years. Fortunately, God has lived up to the diligent people and finally achieved satisfactory results."

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

"It's indeed a magic weapon in the army." Liu Tingmei praised while thinking in her heart: What is the purpose of Zheng Guanren playing such a scene for him to see?

"Your Majesty Liu can't tell me?" Zheng Yunming smiled and said, "My intention is: every copper plate you cast on the Tulong Army is more meaningful than the money you cast on other troops."

"In the future, this thing must first be equipped in the Tulong Army on a large scale. With this thing to help defend the city, the Chariots' Iron Cavalry will no longer be used. As long as you can give them enough money and salary, Zheng Yunming promises that in the future, hundreds of bamboo generals, or even thousands of bamboo generals will appear in Xiangyang, Fancheng, Ezhou, and Jiangling. They will become the most solid barrier to defend your wealth and property. The money you invest elsewhere may become other people's property and fields, but it doesn't matter. I guarantee it with the official voice of my father. The money you invested for the Tulong Army will definitely become trained soldiers and powerful bamboo generals. This will be a force enough to defend our homes."

Zheng Yunming's words were passionate and generous, and there was not much real persuasion for the wealthy people who had been in the world for a long time. Everyone turned their attention to Liu Tingmei.

"Wen Weng Liu, you have been a soldier who has led the war, please give everyone an idea." Although Zhang Lian was also a little moved, he couldn't figure out whether this young general and the strange weapons in his hands were trustworthy.

Liu Tingmei was walking back and forth in the backyard with her beard twisted, repeatedly calculating success or failure in her heart. After a while, she turned around and said decisively: "Liu is willing to invest 30,000 jin of grain for the Tulong Army and two troughs of grain."

He was the leader of the landlords of Jingxiang. As soon as Liu Tingmei gave in, everyone expressed their positive donation.

"Everyone, please wait," Liu Tingmei said, and everyone stopped talking: "Donation is not a problem. Even if you have money, can officials recruit enough craftsmen to make it in a while?"

"I should draw familiar craftsmen from Lin'an Prefecture and go to Jinghu to open a workshop."

"It's so slow. In fact, there are enough craftsmen in Jinghu that can make such weapons, but..." Liu Tingmei looked at the expression on Zheng Yunming's face: "After all, everyone is a businessman, so you can't let the craftsmen use their strength in vain."

After all, Zheng Yunming had experience in the business society. This subtext may not be clear if it is replaced by a real scholar, but he knew Liu Tingmei’s real intention as soon as he heard it.

"Maybe we can solve this problem: I will pay, unearth the land, and build a manufacturing workshop. Everyone will find enough craftsmen for Yunming. The bamboo generals produced are sold at the price and the Tulong Army, and everyone will share the profits according to the investment ratio." Zheng Yunming also looked at everyone's faces. As soon as he said this method, many people showed joy on their faces.

After all, Liu Tingmei is a powerful character who travels through the business world, but she is not satisfied with Zheng Yunming's concessions: "It's just this dividend matter..."

"I don't care about this." Zheng Yunming waved his hand and refused: "I will send someone to talk to you later. The most important thing is that you can give our army enough assistance in the most difficult time of the Tulong Army. What I want you to believe is that every one of your money will bring you a hundred times, or even a thousand times, in the future."

When he said this, his eyes were filled with a glimmer of confidence.
Chapter completed!