Daming Junior Scholar

"Busy business?" Xu Wen laughed at himself when he heard He Jiaan's words, and then said: "My Ministry of Industry is a well-known leisure place in the capital, so there is no business to speak of. As for rest, I am here almost every day." rest."

He Jiaan didn't expect that his casual sentence would cause so many complaints from Xu Wen. After hesitating for a while, he came up with a good idea and said with a smile: "Master Xu probably hasn't had breakfast yet, if If it's okay, He would like to treat Mr. Xu to a meal."

"Oh?" Xu Wen was taken aback, he didn't expect that He Jiaan would invite him to dinner at this time, so he couldn't help but look around, and teased in a low voice: "Sir He should not have many people waiting to invite you now Do you want to eat? Why did you invite me, an official from Qingshui?"

He Jia'an smiled, and also responded in a low voice: "I can't see it yet, I have a crush on you, Mr. Xu."

"Look at me?" Xu Wen was taken aback for a moment, and then he was relieved when he saw the smile on He Jiaan's face. He almost misunderstood He Jiaan's thoughts, but seeing the expression on his face, he realized that it should be him. Misunderstood, I couldn't help but let out a long sigh of relief: "In this case, then I have to sharpen the knife quickly, and kill Mr. He with a good knife."

He Jiaan couldn't help laughing: "As long as Xu Daneng can eat it, it doesn't matter how much he eats."

After leaving the palace, the two got into their own sedan chairs. He Jiaan's sedan chair was in front and Xu Wen's sedan chair was in the back. I couldn't help but think about it.

He Jiaan doesn't care about these things. He has never had a good impression of this intriguing officialdom. After leaving this time, he probably won't come back here for a while. No matter how hard these people try to deal with him, He didn't even bother to respond.

After the two small sedan chairs walked for almost half an hour, they stopped outside a high wall door. Xu Wen looked around after getting off the sedan chair, and asked in doubt: "Master He, is this taking me with you?" Where have you been?"

He Jia'an said with a smile: "Master Xu, don't worry, the custody can't sell you."

After finishing speaking, the door next to him was pushed open silently, and Shi Xian's figure appeared behind the door, and said in a low voice: "Master, the meal is ready, please invite the distinguished guests to sit."

Hey, Xu Wen from behind saw this as an enlightenment, he clearly came behind He Jiaan, why did they receive the news as soon as they arrived here?He actually prepared the food without asking about his own taste.

After entering the courtyard, Xu Wen looked at the exquisite rockery and green trees in the courtyard, but his eyes were full of surprises, and he couldn't help asking curiously: "Master He, who made this courtyard, it is so exquisite Elegant?"

He Jia'an smiled and said, "No wonder Mr. Xu didn't know. This place was created by my good friend Tang Ning. Although he is young, he has his own unique vision in the courtyard. It's not just my Yuquan Villa that was created by him." , There are two villas in the south of the Yangtze River that were also designed by him."

"I see." Xu Wen nodded, and asked curiously, "Where is this Brother Tang now? Can you come out and see him?"

He Jiaan shook his head and said: "It's not possible now, he is in Nanjing right now, if you want to see him, you have to go to Nanjing."

Xu Wen felt quite regretful that he did not see this strange person. The two of them walked forward for a short time before they saw a pond with a gazebo on it, and several dishes had already been placed on the stone table in the gazebo. .

"Master Xu, please." He Jiaan reached out to the gazebo and let Xu Wen enter the gazebo first.

The longer he stayed here, the more satisfied Xu Wen was with this place. When he sat down and his eyes fell on the few small dishes in front of him, he was taken aback for a moment and asked puzzledly: "It's only April, Why does Master He have green vegetables here?"

Sure enough, the things that He Jiaan used to entertain guests here seemed extremely crude. A few plates of green vegetables were blanched in boiling water, mixed with some peppers and condiments, and served. If it was a few months later, these green vegetables Naturally, the dishes are not unusual, but now, this is a rare treasure, especially Xu Wen, who has not seen green in the whole winter, immediately felt his stomach growling.

He Jia'an said with a smile: "Master Xu, give it a try first. If you like it, you can take some with you when you go back."

Needless to say, this gift is now much more precious than any other gift. Xu Wen tried to taste the vegetables, but was shocked by the taste contained in the vegetables. He recalled He Jiaan's deeds in his mind, and finally he Asked: "Could it be... this is chili."

"The red ones are chili peppers, and there are some prickly ash and fragrant leaves, but these are only auxiliary ingredients. In fact, the taste of the green vegetables is the most appetizing. Master Xu, try our corn porridge again, but it's boiled." It took a long time to bring it up."

Xu Wen always thought that the important thing for He Jiaan to invite him to dinner was not the word "eating", but that he wanted to talk to him about something, but he didn't know until he drank the corn porridge and ate the side dishes in front of him. I was wrong, this He Jiaan was clearly showing off to himself, showing off that he could eat such delicious food every day.

Before he knew it, Xu Wen had already cleared everything on the table. After he was full, he couldn't help but sigh with emotion: "Being able to know Mr. He is really the most correct thing in my life, Xu Wen."

Chapter 1149 Two-pronged approach

Chapter 1149 Two-pronged approach

Eating is definitely not the point, otherwise there is no need for two people to walk such a long way to find such a quiet place. After the two of them had dinner, Shi Xian cleaned up the table, served a cup of tea, and then went down by himself .

At this time, only He Jiaan and Xu Wen were left in the gazebo. Xu Wen stroked the tea cover lightly, and then asked with a smile: "Master He didn't find me here just for this meal. Food?"

"Hehe, you can't hide anything from Brother Xu." He Jiaan said with a smile: "Actually, I'm looking for Brother Xu this time, and I want to ask you for help."

"Oh?" Xu Wen was taken aback, and asked in confusion, "How can I help? If you want to build a navy, you should find craftsmen who can build ships."

"The ship is definitely going to be built, but it will definitely not be so fast. After all, it may take a year or so from preparation to finding someone. I am looking for Brother Xu this time to discuss with you about building a coastal fort. matter."

This time Xu Wen suddenly understood, it turned out that he was thinking in the wrong direction. He Jiaan came to him not because he wanted him to help build the ship, but because he wanted him to help build the large number of coastal forts.

Hearing He Jiaan's request, Xu Wen felt a little hesitant. It's not that this matter is so difficult that he can't figure it out, but that if he really does it, what will it do to him? The good thing is, after all, I am currently in an embarrassing situation where I can't go up or down. I have the young and powerful Shangshu of the Ministry of Industry, and down there is Qi Zhengyuan, the right servant of the Ministry of Industry who has always been aggressive. If I leave Beijing for a long time, maybe I will His position will be replaced by Qi Zhengyuan, who should he cry to when the time comes.

You can think about it again, the emperor personally approved the building of the fort, the emperor must be very concerned about this matter, if he does it beautifully, he might be appreciated by the emperor, and he might be able to Take another level.

Xu Wen's thoughts repeatedly swayed back and forth between the two, turning left and right for a while. After thinking for a long time, he still couldn't make up his mind. In the end, He Jiaan asked with a smile: "If this matter is difficult, it will be difficult for Xu Wen. Brother, that's fine."

"No, no, no." Xu Wen shook his head hastily, and finally decided in his heart that he could not continue to stay in the capital to waste his good years. No matter what the consequences of this matter were, it was worth taking a risk for it. The bad result is to replace the left servant with the right servant.

After thinking about this point clearly, Xu Wen said solemnly: "The news came quite suddenly. Although Xu was a little confused just now, but thinking that the people of Ming Dynasty are being tortured by the Japanese pirates at this time, it is time for me to serve the country. Master He has any orders, just say it."

"Don't dare." He Jia'an quickly waved his hand and said, "Brother Xu also knows the power of our Daming Tiger's squatting cannon. It can only be transported to the highest place near the seaside. This requires Brother Xu to design a stable fort. On the one hand, it can accommodate seven to eight people for daily life, and on the other hand, it must leave a certain amount of space for the artillery. Of course, the more compact the fort is, the better."

Are these requirements still simple?

Not to mention anything else, just the requirement to build a fort on the top of the mountain made Xu Wen dumbfounded. You must know that stones must be used to build a fort, and how difficult it is to transport the stones to the top of the mountain, and this is just a It's just a fort. According to He Jia'an's idea, I am afraid that hundreds of them will need to be built on the entire border of Daming.

What an arduous project it is to have so many forts, as long as I think about it, I feel that I have no idea.

After hesitating again and again, Xu Wen shook his head, sighed softly and said, "Brother He, although we haven't known each other for a long time, I think you are different from the officials in the capital. For the sake of the people of Li, it stands to reason that I will definitely help you with this matter, but your requirements... are really too difficult to fulfill. Just thinking about how to transport these stones to the top of the mountain is a very difficult task. Difficult things, plus you have to build so many forts, I am afraid that it may not be completed in ten or eight years."

Whether it can be built or not is my business. What I need now is a standard fort blueprint. When the time comes, as long as Zhengde is moved out, which local officials would dare to disobey their orders?

As long as they build the fort, they will move the artillery up. At that time, with the shock of the artillery, those Japanese pirates who want to go to the shore will have to weigh it.

He Jiaan smiled and said: "As for how to build the fort, it's up to the coastal officials to figure out a way. Brother Xu just needs to give me the most perfect blueprint of the fort. As for Brother Xu's contribution, I will definitely report it to you." For the emperor."

I originally thought that He Jia'an wanted me to go out of Beijing with him, but now it seems that I don't really need myself, but if this is the case, it seems that the credit of this blueprint alone is not enough to let me be recognized by the emperor. Impressed before, so...

A look of embarrassment suddenly appeared on Xu Wen's face, he rubbed his palms and said with a smile: "Brother He, there is something I want to ask you about, I don't know..."

He Jiaan was taken aback for a moment, and quickly said: "We brothers have nothing to say, Brother Xu, but it's okay to say."

"You built so many forts, do you need someone to check it for you? For example, if there are any changes that need to be made, professional people must be present."

Uh?what does he mean?

He Jiaan was taken aback when he heard Xu Wen's words, blinked his eyes and asked in puzzlement, "Brother Xu means...?"

Xu Wen was so confused that even he couldn't explain clearly, so Xu Wen simply said directly: "To tell you the truth, brother He, I have been in the position of the left servant of the Ministry of Industry for four years, and I don't see any chance of getting ahead at all. Today, if I continue to stay in the capital, I am afraid I will continue to dawdle, so I want to go out of Beijing with you to preside over the construction of the fort, maybe I can impress the emperor deeply enough, and maybe I can go up again by then level one."

After working for a long time, you just feel that the credit for drawing the blueprints is too small, and you are thinking about going out of the city to be gilded. Didn't you understand when you said that earlier?

He Jiaan is not the kind of person who hinders others' progress, he quickly nodded and apologized and said: "Brother Xu's sincere heart is enough to be a role model for us. Originally, brother thought you had a lot of business in the capital, so I didn't have the nerve to ask you to leave the capital. Since Brother Xu is interested, I will report to the Emperor immediately, and hope that Brother Xu can join me, not only to build a fort, but the shipyard also needs professionals like Brother Xu."

The expression on Xu Wen's face was immediately overjoyed, and a stone in his heart finally fell to the ground. A simple fort is not difficult for him. As for the shipyard, although it is a bit more complicated, it is not impossible for him to build it. , as long as I do these two things well, when I return to the capital, it will be the day I get promoted and make a fortune.

After the two talked for a while, Xu Wen went back to prepare. He Jiaan stood outside the door and watched Xu Wen's sedan chair disappear. Then he turned around, looked at Shi Xian and said, "Prepare the horse, I'm going A trip to the military bureau."

Chapter 1150

After arriving at the Bingzhan Bureau's workshop in Xishan, it was already noon, and no one could be seen in the far workshop, and the carriage walked in so swaggeringly, what He Jiaan couldn't understand was that no one came out Hold yourself back.

This is the biggest secret of Daming Artillery, how could the defense be so lax?In addition, where did the workers who were supposed to be casting cannons go?