Han officials

Chapter 27: I want to follow the horse's tail【4K】

In the foundry in the barracks in the north of the city, Xi Zhicai witnessed the birth of a batch of "square iron coins" with his own eyes.

Since he had never known about smelting, Xi Zhicai raised some questions from time to time.

"The iron coin molds are all copied from the Three Han iron coins, and they are basically identical." Wang Cen, the chief clerk, explained carefully, "Currently, the main problem is that the iron mine is short of manpower. Otherwise, the production of iron coins could be increased."

After all, using stone instead of charcoal as fuel greatly reduces the cost of smelting.

In the past, a hundred people could only produce one cart of charcoal after cutting wood for several days, and it would be used up in one day of smelting.

For example, in Tian’s Iron Mine, there has never been a shortage of ore, and it is basically all ore and charcoal.

But now it is different. Although the quality of coal mines in Daifang County is poor, they are basically open-pit coal mines, making coal mining very convenient.

The amount of stone dug by a hundred people in a day is enough to keep the furnace burning for several days.

As a result, the ore output cannot keep up with Shi Nie's production speed.

After understanding the reason, Xi Zhicai couldn't help but sigh sincerely: "What a pity! It would be better if the quality of this inferior iron could be a little higher."

"Ah~ who said it wasn't!"

Zhong Hu sighed with regret upon hearing this.

If the iron blocks refined by Shi Nie could be used to make swords, armor and armor, Zhong Hu felt that there would be no need for any iron coins at all, and they could defeat the three Han states on their own.

All I can say is that things don't always go as planned.

Hearing them say this, Wei Zhe on the side felt a lot of emotion.

In fact, their regret is also the regret of successive generations of Chinese craftsmen.

Therefore, since the Han Dynasty, people in every dynasty have tried to use coal instead of charcoal to smelt iron.

However, even in later generations, materials science is a cesspool, let alone the present.

In fact, in order to make good iron from coal, Chinese craftsmen spent nearly two thousand years. Without any understanding of modern chemistry, they kept trying and came up with various traditional methods of desulfurization - even though they didn't know that sulfur was the culprit.

Finally, it was not until the end of the Qing Dynasty that this technology reached its peak. The Foshan Iron Works was a representative example. At its peak, its products were not only sold well locally, but also exported all over the country and even overseas. There were no fewer than 20,000 to 30,000 workers in Foshan's entire iron smelting industry, and the output value of the iron smelting industry exceeded one million taels.

Unfortunately, it was too late. After modern steel smelting technology from the West was introduced, the Foshan Iron Works quickly fell into decline.

To a certain extent, the level of materials science actually determines the industrial ceiling of an era.

Therefore, Wei Zhe did not dwell on this "sinkhole". After rewarding the craftsmen, he left with Xi Zhicai.

Only at this moment did Xi Zhicai finally understand the logic behind this.

"Daifang Tieqian" is a piece of poison wrapped in honey, and it is a chronic poison.

Because Wei Zhe directly used various iron coins circulating in the Three Kingdoms of Korea and other places as molds, as long as he was careful when operating, it would be too late once these "square iron coins" flowed into the Three Kingdoms of Korea market.

Even if the Three Han tribes discovered something was wrong at that time, the counterfeit currency and real money had already been mixed together.

And by the time they discover the clues, the poison may have already penetrated deep into their lungs and there will be no way to save them.

However, although Wei Zhe's idea was brilliant, it was not without flaws.

After a moment, he came to the city wall.

Looking at the surging water below, Xi Zhicai frowned slightly and said, "Using inferior iron as currency is indeed a good strategy, but human power is limited. If we want to simultaneously establish a presence in both Wubei and the Three Kingdoms of Han, we'll have to think carefully."

Having said that, Xi Zhicai simply drew the long sword from his waist and drew a diagram on the ground.

"Most of the Xianbei tribes live north of the Dandan Mountains. They have no rulers, and each village is respected by its leader. Living in the mountains and forests, transportation is very inconvenient, and they are very far away from the lands of the Three Kingdoms of Korea."

The so-called Dandanling is actually the part of Gaema Mountain (Changbai Mountain Range) on the Korean Peninsula.

Later generations of Koreans also called it the Taebaek Mountains. This mountain range runs almost across the eastern part of the Korean Peninsula, like the back of the peninsula, dividing the east and west coasts. The tail of the mountain range extends into Daifang County, which is why the Wumo people often invaded Daifang.

To some extent, the Great Ridge alone served as a barrier for Lelang County. Only the county towns at the beginning and end were subject to raids, while the rest of the county towns were rarely invaded by the Mongols.

This is both an advantage and a disadvantage.

After Xi Zhicai drew the approximate terrain on the ground, Wei Zhe quickly saw the problem.

There is no way. The Korean Peninsula is like a cucumber, with a long and narrow terrain.

If the Huimok and Samhan regions are connected together, it basically runs across the Korean Peninsula, with a length of nearly two thousand miles from east to west.

Seeing this, Wei Zhe couldn't help but nod and said, "That's right, we really can't treat it all the same."

Originally, Wei Zhe wanted Guan Xiu to be responsible for the execution, but now it seems that he underestimated the difficulty of this matter.

Apart from anything else, at least after running back and forth for two thousand miles, Guan Xiu would be crippled if not dead.

Of course, this is not a big problem.

Now that we have a specific plan, we can slowly find the right person to implement it.

So after the two of them discussed it for a few sentences, they put it aside for the time being and returned to the county temple to work.

……

At the same time, Shitan Township.

After the county official left, the smiles of the people outside Yuanshiwu suddenly disappeared.

There's nothing they can do about it. They paid a full two hundred shi of tax grain this time. It's strange that they are in a good mood.

However, facing a powerful county magistrate like Wei Zhe, they did not dare to continue using tricks.

This is how powerful people are. As long as local officials can subdue them, most of them will be sensible.

At least now the Yuan family is much more sensible than the Tian and Zhang families.

"Ziliang, have you thought it through?" A gray-bearded old man looked at a middle-aged man in black and asked, "If it's for the sake of the family business, there's no need to compromise yourself. Although my family isn't wealthy, we can still hold on for a few more years. By then, we can outlast Duke Wei!"

This person is Yuan Wei, the head of the Yuan family, and the middle-aged man in black is his eldest son Yuan Jun.

Unlike the counties in the Central Plains, Daifang County has only four powerful families in total.

Apart from the already destroyed Yangqiu Tian family and Zhaoming Zhang family, the remaining two families are the Li family and the Yuan family.

Among them, the Li family lived in Sanquanli in the east of the city. They were also outsiders and had moved to Daifang not long ago.

In fact, the Li family came to Daifang County only sixty years ago. The head of the family at that time was a Taoist priest. It was said that he was very good at Feng Shui and was quite wealthy. After coming here, he quickly acquired some properties, but he was very low-key in his daily life.

Rumors persisted within Daifang City to this day, claiming the Li family's ancestors were entangled in a court struggle, forcing them to flee to a remote location like Daifang to settle down and live in peace. However, these rumors were merely gossip. By now, the domineering General Liang Ji's bones had rotted to countless pieces, and any connection they had had was long gone.

Perhaps because of this, the Li family has always been very low-key. On weekdays, they mainly deal in seafood. They also have land, but it is not their only industry.

After Wei Zhe arrived, the Li family generally followed the crowd and never set out on their own. In contrast, the Yuan family was considered one of the earliest natives of Daifang County.

Daifang County has only three townships: Yangqiu, Zhaoming, and Shitan. The Yuan family has lived in Shitan for generations. Shitan is so named because there is a stone pond there that never freezes even in the coldest months of winter.

Actually, the Yuan family came earlier than the Yangqiu Tian family, but their land was not much. Instead, they opened up a lot of grasslands like the Xianbei people, because the foundation of the Yuan family was in animal husbandry.

For some reason, the survival rate of his cattle, horses and sheep is higher than that of other families, and there is no fishy smell. This alone is enough to make Yuanshi's cattle and sheep sell well in the nine counties of Lelang.

Thanks to this unique skill, although Yuanshi does not earn as much as other companies every year, it can still make a steady profit.

But after becoming wealthy, people always want more.

For example, Yuan Jun is no longer satisfied with living in seclusion in the countryside and dying in a fortress.

He looked at the old man with a determined look and said, "Father, I'm already thirty years old. If I don't fight again, I'll never have another chance! Duke Wei is definitely not a talent of his own. If I don't take the initiative to join him while he's weak, it will be difficult for my whole family to rely on him in the future!"

Seeing that he spoke so decisively, Yuan Wei, the old patriarch of the Yuan family, could only sigh helplessly.

Upon seeing this, Yuan Jun bowed deeply to the old man before mounting his horse and leaving.

……

"Yuan Shizi volunteered to come and serve?"

In the lobby, Wei Zhe looked at the county magistrate Huang Xiong with some surprise.

Seeing this, although Huang Xiong felt a little embarrassed, he still tried his best to promote Yuan Jun.

There's nothing he can do about it, since he accepted the Yuan family's property.

Even though Huang Xiong is just a puppet now and his power as county magistrate has been completely hollowed out by Xi Zhicai, he is happy with it.

Huang Xiong forced a bright smile on his chubby face:

"Your Highness, you may not know this, but the Daifang Yuan clan also has an extraordinary origin. It's said they are descendants of Prince Yuan, the eldest son of King Wuling of Zhao. Due to the chaos of war at the end of the Qin Dynasty, they fled to Liaodong and hid in Jishi Joseon to escape the Qin's pursuit. Later, Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty destroyed Joseon and established Lelang Commandery. Only then did the Yuan clan transform from a barbarian to a Chinese clan."

It's hard for Huang Xiong to remember the origin of the Yuan family so clearly. He really is doing things for money.

However, Wei Zhe was not moved at all after hearing this, and even couldn't help shaking his head.

If the Yuan family's inheritance was really that long, they wouldn't still be living in Daifang County.

Besides, even if the Yuan family’s ancestors had some connection, it had nothing to do with whether Yuan Jun was talented or not.

But Wei Zhe thought about it and decided to give Huang Xiong face and give Yuan Jun a chance.

After all, if you want to govern a county, you inevitably have to cooperate with the powerful and the aristocracy. Eat one bite at a time, and do things one piece at a time. First, make as many friends as possible, unite the majority, and then reform once you have a grasp of the overall situation.

At least while the prestige of the Luoyang court still exists, Wei Zhe still needs to act according to the rules.

However, the first words Yuan Jun said after coming in made Wei Zhe's expression straighten up.

"Since the county lord wishes to attack the Dongyi, the Yuan family is willing to help him accomplish this great cause!"

Upon hearing this, Wei Zhe narrowed his eyes and stared at Yuan Jun intently:

"Who told you that I was going to attack the Dongyi people?"

Just a few words made Yuan Jun's hair stand on end and his back feel cold.

Although Wei Zhe is young, he has killed at least 800 people in the past year or so.

When murderous intent arises, evil spirit will naturally arise.

However, Yuan Jun still mustered up the courage and calmly explained, "Although there are alliance officials in Daifang, they have always been a place where people just sit there and eat for free, and few people pay attention to them. But a few days ago, I heard that the county lord personally appointed someone as an alliance official."

"Every action of the County Master has its reasons, so I am making a bold guess."

Then, without waiting for Wei Zhe to speak, he took the initiative to recommend himself, saying, "Although I am not talented, the Yuan family has lived in Daifang for a long time and has connections with all the tribes of Dongyi. Even the leaders of the Three Han tribes have had frequent exchanges with my family."

"Today, the county lord wants to use his troops against the Eastern Yi. Jun is willing to serve as a vanguard, perhaps he can be of use."

The Yuan clan was different from the Tian clan; they did not trade weapons with the Xianbei and the Three Han.

The Yuan family's primary reason for interacting with the Dongyi was to seek quality horses for breeding, and to engage in a bit of horse trading. To build connections, the Yuan family would occasionally treat illnesses for Hu nobles outside the Great Wall, offering advice on treating diseases like horse plague. This led to their developing relationships outside the Great Wall.

After hearing this, Wei Zhe finally smiled.

"Not bad, quite courageous!" Wei Zhe looked Yuan Jun over carefully before slowly saying, "You've been here for so long, and you're the first one who dares to admit to colluding with the Dongyi in front of me."

But even though he had some admiration for Yuan Jun, Wei Zhe would not make a decision based solely on his one-sided statement.

After a moment's silence, Wei Zhe raised his lips and said, "Well, since you have this family tradition, you can be the stable boy first. We can talk about other things later."

The so-called stableman is in charge of horse management, with a rank of 100 stones, a bronze seal and a yellow ribbon.

Yuan Jun was not disappointed when he heard this. Instead, he solemnly bowed to Wei Zhe to express his gratitude before leaving.

Not to mention how proud Huang Xiong felt after hearing the news.

After Yuan Jun left, Wei Zhe couldn't help but fall into deep thought.

Indeed, everything has its pros and cons.

At least when it comes to dealing with the Dongyi people, the local people of Daifang do have an innate advantage.

With this in mind, Wei Zhe decided to temporarily include Yuan Jun in the list of candidates.

We'll see! Since the preparatory work isn't complete yet, there's no need to rush into deciding on a candidate.

Thinking of this, Wei Zhe put the matter aside for the time being and turned to busy himself with another matter.

He spread out the silk, pondered for a moment, and then began to write:

After the rain today, I found a plant of Buxian Mountain ginseng in the market. It's quite old and may have some health-boosting properties. You could use it. I also recently acquired three fine horses. While they don't have the majestic presence of Pegasus, they have quite a naive charm. You might enjoy a few of them. I'm a rare person who truly understands me. This is a promise I've made, but I'm not going to see you, so I'll just take it as a joke.

The so-called "thin horse" is actually a "fruit horse". This kind of horse is very short, with a height of less than 70 cm. It is also a specialty of Lelang. In previous years, it was sent to the palace as a tribute.

Wei Zhe also accidentally learned about the existence of this thing, so he simply asked someone to find three of them.

That’s right, Wei Zhe is writing a love letter.

Although his wedding with Lady Guan is still in the process, both the Wei family and Lady Guan are very satisfied with the marriage and there will basically be no changes.

So in order to cultivate feelings in advance, Wei Zhe began to communicate with his fiancée about his relationship.

His father-in-law Guan Yue was even happy to see it happen, and sometimes even took the initiative to send people to gain his trust.

Considering his father-in-law's abundant financial resources, Wei Zhe could only work hard...

(End of this chapter)