Li Ke stayed in the capital and did not return, so Qin Mubai had to take on the important military and political affairs of Xiangzhou alone. The emperor attached so much importance to the Xiangzhou sacrifice ceremony that he even sent Xiao Yu, the prime minister who was good at picking holes in eggs and advocated "perfectionism", as the supervisor. Qin Mubai secretly complained.
For two days, Qin Mubai gathered all the officials and generals under Xiangzhou together to discuss and arrange various tasks. Overall, there are three big things:
One is to arrange the travel of the prince and the king of Jiangxia in advance. Since it is a grand ceremony for the imperial court, there must be many officials coming. At least, there will be many people coming from the East Palace and Jiangxia Palace. Therefore, the Xingyuan mansion cannot be too small. According to Xiao Yu, it was necessary to "build a new building", but how could it be possible to temporarily build two large mansions in just three months? Moreover, they only stay for a short time and then leave, which is quite a waste of life and money. Qin Mubai was a local official, and the manpower and material resources that would be wasted would be "his own", so he thought of a countermeasure and expropriated the mansions of two wealthy Xiangzhou rich people who had been arrested before, Ouyang Jun and Duan Rongji. , with repairs and appropriate transformation, there will be no problem in using it as a residence for the prince and the king of Jiangxia.
In fact, Qin Mubai was not worried about the prince and the king of Jiangxia. The only thing that worried him was whether Xiao Yu, a picky old man, would agree. Therefore, be sure to convince him in advance.
The second major event is the major civil engineering work at Emperor Yangdi's mausoleum. Qin Mubai asked Xiao Yu's opinion. Xiao Yu said that Xihecao, a swamp and water port, should be transformed into a royal garden suitable for carriages and horses. On the gravel slope where the underground palace of the mausoleum is located, a "Ming Palace" (a palace exposed above the ground) should be built to display some cultural relics and inscriptions from the pre-Sui Dynasty. Yang Guang's coffin can be placed in the underground palace, but the body must In addition, spices are used for antiseptic treatment, covered with gold clothes, and jade coffins are placed...
These requests made Qin Mubai's head spin. Just talking about transforming the Xihetrough, a puddle with a radius of dozens of miles, into land, wouldn't that mean moving mountains and filling the sea? How could it be done without using the labor of tens of thousands of people
In fact, to put it bluntly, the so-called sacrifice to Yang Guang was just a political show by the emperor, and there was no need to mobilize troops, waste lives and waste money like this. But there is no way, Xiao Yu is such a sincere person, and he especially likes to use chicken feathers as arrows. After being demoted several times, he has never been reused, and he must be depressed. After finally being entrusted with an "important task" this time, I must want to do a better job to show my "ability".
But Qin Mubai really wanted to scold this old man for standing and talking without pain in his back. Firstly, it is not Zhenguan Datang's usual style to waste lives and money, and secondly, how can he meet his requirements in just three months? Not to mention three months, even three years may not work!
There is no way, Qin Mubai has to go to Xiao Yu to bargain. If we don't lower our standards, this job won't work.
The third important thing left is to properly arrange Xiao Yu and his entourage. When Xiao Yu went south, in addition to bringing more than a thousand soldiers of the Royal Forest Army to prepare the tomb of Emperor Yang, he also brought hundreds of craftsmen, as well as tens of thousands of stones of various building materials, grain, grass, money and other supplies. Among them are relatively valuable items such as gold and mercury. This matter can only be dealt with by the military. Therefore, Qin Mubai asked Pang Fei to take charge and asked the soldiers from the Xiangzhou Military Mansion to temporarily build a large army camp specifically to house the troops brought by Xiao Yu. These people, animals and materials.
It's easy to say, but it's really tedious and complicated to do. Ten days passed in a flash, and Xiao Yu saw that Xiangzhou was in a hurry, but the mansion he wanted was not seen, and the Xihe Cao project had not started. Therefore, the boss was unhappy and sent people to urge him. Finally, he couldn't calm down. He was angry and asked Qin Mubai to go to Guanyi to see him.
Qin Mubai was extremely busy and suffocating with anger. He longed to go to the hotel to meet him for a while.
It was midsummer, the weather was hot and humid, and there were a lot of mosquitoes. Xiao Yu, who came to the humid land of Jingxiang from the northern pass, was extremely uncomfortable with the mismatch between water and soil. With his anger rising and his official business going wrong, his temper became more and more erratic and irritable. When Qin Mubai came to Guanyi, he could almost smell the smell of gunpowder emanating from his body.
"Qin Mubai, you came just in time!" Before Qin Mubai came in and sat down, Xiao Yu rushed up and started to get angry, "Why don't you do what I ordered? Where is the official residence you built? Xihetao Why hasn’t the project started yet?”
"Old Xiao Ge!!!" Qin Mubai was ignited by him and shouted loudly. Xiao Yu was so frightened that he almost jumped out of his mind.
Seeing Xiao Yu's stunned expression as if he had lost his soul, Qin Mubai was angry and funny.
"Please listen to my humble words!" Qin Mubai said, "The request you made is simply beyond human capabilities."
Xiao Yu originally wanted to show off his official power because of his strong anger, but Qin Mubai's powerful voice wiped out a lot of his momentum. But seeing that Qin Mubai was even more angry than him, he swallowed it alive. He spat and whispered, "Is it really that serious?"
"Old Xiao Ge, I don't think you are a family man. You don't know that firewood, rice, oil and salt are expensive." Qin Mubai was not polite and said bluntly, "In three months, you asked me to drain the water of dozens of miles around and fill it with water." Is it possible to build a Ming Palace in Pingzhouwa? Not to mention three months, even three years! How about you board the boat tomorrow and come with me to take a look at it? It's connected to the Han River, isn't it? Do you want me to move mountains and seas? As for the residence of the prince and the king of Jiangxia, I have already chosen them. The two mansions will be decorated and renovated to their satisfaction. If there is anything wrong, it is not your turn, Mr. Xiao Ge. If you come to take the blame, someone from Qin will raise his head to see them!"
"Uh!..." Xiao Yu was shocked and said hurriedly, "It doesn't have to be like this, it doesn't have to be like this. General Qin, if you have something to say, why should you get angry?"
Qin Mubai took a long breath to calm down his anger, and said: "I'm sorry for my humble position, please forgive me, Mr. Ge. However, in the small place of Xiangzhou, it is really impossible to make things perfect in a short time. The Xihe Cao project can be discussed after Mr. Xiao Ge has seen the terrain. However, for these two buildings, Beizhi insists on using old houses for renovation, rather than building new ones. "
"But... the prince is the crown prince of the country. How can he leave the capital and go south without a residence? If he is allowed to live in someone else's old house, wouldn't it damage the majesty of the royal family if it is rumored that he will leave?" Xiao Yu said still unwilling to give up.
"Of course not." Qin Mubai said, "Not only will it not damage the majesty of the royal family, but it will also let the world know that I, the Crown Prince of the Tang Dynasty, can set an example for the world by being diligent and frugal. Hasn't His Majesty the Emperor always advocated frugality? Isn't this just right? "
"Uh... Okay, okay, it's up to you." Xiao Yu waved his hands repeatedly, feeling a bit like he was losing ground.
"Thank you, Mr. Ge. In this case, I will resign first. At midnight tomorrow, I will send someone to the post house to pick up Mr. Ge, and we will go to Xihecao and his party together." Qin Mubai bowed his hand and walked away without thinking. Talk nonsense to Xiao Yu.
"Uh..." Xiao Yu looked at Qin Mubai's striding figure. He was stunned for a long time and murmured, "You brat, how can you be so cruel? You are simply being unreasonable and bullying an old man!"
After walking out of the post house, Qin Mubai felt happy and funny, thinking to himself: There is no reason to talk to a sour old man like Xiao Yu. If you give him three points of color, he will definitely open a chain of dyeing rooms. It was made clear that he was just a supervisor and a symbolic figure, and I did all the work, so I didn’t have to listen to him. From then on, I did whatever I wanted to do, doing everything expediently, and I didn't have to worry about him going to the emperor to sue me for these things, let alone offending him.
There were so many things to do, Qin Mubai didn't want to stay any longer. After leaving the post house and waiting to mount his horse, he suddenly heard a voice from behind calling him: "Hey, isn't this General Qin?"
Qin Mubai looked back and saw a middle-aged man who looked very familiar, but he couldn't remember where he had seen him.
"Your Excellency looks familiar, but are you an old acquaintance of Qin?" Qin Mubai stopped beside the horse and asked.
"Haha, General Qin is such a noble man, so forgetful." The man came forward, cupped his hands, and said with a smile, "Are the gold spears with a tiger head and a chisel on the general and your father's head still worthy of use?"
"Oh, I remembered it!" Qin Mubai slapped his forehead and said with a smile, "It turned out to be the order to supervise the left school office. Look at my memory, it's really bad."
"It doesn't matter. It's normal for a big man like the general to occasionally not remember a small character like a villain." Tu Shuling said with a smile.
"Tu Shu Ling said that, but he is out of touch. Why, you followed Xiao Yu southward and came to Xiangzhou?" Qin Mubai asked.
"Yes! Half of the craftsmen from our left campus are here." After Tu Shuling said, he sighed and whispered, "The soil and water here are not suitable. We live in a temporary military camp. The food and food are unpalatable and there are many mosquitoes. We were tossing and turning all night, but it was all our fault. In fact, the emperor just casually asked him to take charge of the funeral ceremony. The sacrifice to the late emperor was even more solemn. After receiving the imperial edict, he took the initiative to request the emperor, saying that for such an important ceremony, the imperial court had to send royal nobles to express its sincerity. The emperor had no choice but to bite the bullet and agreed to Xiao Yu's many rudeness. He requested that the prince and the king of Jiangxia be sent to Xiangzhou to host the ceremony together with the king of Wu. Now, even the prince has been moved by Xiao Yu, so how can we not mobilize the troops? So... there are thousands of us. They all followed him south. Oh, what a bad luck!"
Qin Mubai laughed loudly, led the horse and asked him to go forward with him. As he walked, he said: "You are okay, Xiangzhou is the only place where hardship is considered. Forget it, let's not talk about it for now. You came to Guanyi to find Xiao Yu ”
"That's right!" Tu Shuling said, "Several of the Shuling officials we were traveling with were not used to the life in the military camp. Many of them were vomiting and having diarrhea, and they were bitten by mosquitoes all over their bodies and lost an inch of their skin. So I wanted to move back to Guanyi together. I just came here to ask for Jun Ling."
"Forget it, you don't have to go to him. He is full of resentment now, and he will definitely arrest and scold anyone. Since you are an old acquaintance of mine, I will help you." Qin Mubai said with a smile, "Take those officials from the left school who are familiar with you and come live in Xiangyang County. I will be responsible for renting a comfortable inn for you. But remember not to disturb too many people."
"So, thank you so much, General Qin!" Tu Shuling was overjoyed when he heard this and hurriedly bent down and bowed with his hands in hand. It's like, he was originally supposed to sleep in the wild, live in a simple tent, and eat military food cooked in a big pot, but suddenly he checked into a free five-star hotel. How could he be unhappy
"It's just a small effort, no need to say thank you." Qin Mubai smiled slightly and said, "In the future, I might have to ask Tu Shuling to help me build weapons and armor. Just don't refuse."
"Haha, that's definitely not the case. If General Qin has an order, just tell him. Anyway, Tu also gets a salary from the court. It's not up to anyone to work for him. Why not help General Qin?" Tu Shuling was very happy and laughed. .
Qin Mubai couldn't help but feel bright in his heart, and said: "Don't tell me, right now, I really have a tricky job that requires the help of skilled craftsmen. I don't know what Tu Shu ordered you to do..."
"As long as I'm told, I'll do whatever I can!" Tu Shuling said seriously, holding his hands in front of him.
Qin Mubai thought about it for a moment, patted him on the shoulder and said with a smile: "Tu Xuling, how about we make a deal?"
"What deal?"
"If you help me make this artifact, I will not only give you one hundred thousand yuan as a private gift, but also recommend you to become a Cao Zheng official in Xiangzhou Governor's Mansion, how about it?" Qin Mubai said.
"Ah?" Tu Shuling was shocked when he heard it!
One hundred thousand dollars is not a small amount, so this is nothing. The most tempting thing is the official Cao Zheng of the Xiangzhou Governor's Office. Although the person who will serve as the supervisor of the Zuo Campus is an official of the sixth or seventh grade, to put it bluntly, he is just a craftsman. He belongs to the four major social strata of government, agriculture, industry and commerce. Although his official title has a title, he has no social or political status.
But the situation is different for Cao Zheng, the official of the local governor's office in Xiangzhou. He is a "minister" with real power in his hands. If the official position is changed, then his surname Tu will actually complete the class transition from "worker" to "official". This may be a "creative feat" that he will never be able to complete in his lifetime.
"General Qin, do you really mean what you said?!" Tu Shuling certainly couldn't believe it.
"Do you think I am a joker?" Qin Mubai said seriously.
"Okay! I'll accept this job for you! I definitely won't accept the hundred thousand dollars. As long as General Qin fulfills his promise after the job is done, he will transfer his job to the Governor's Mansion in Xiangzhou to serve as an errand. Tu Youhai, his job Treat your life as if it were sold to the general!" Tu Shuling vowed.
"Great. Now, just follow me and get on your horse!"
The two rode together on a horse and arrived at the "Scientific Research Institute" outside Xiangyang City. After Qin Mubai brought the four masters and disciples of Niu Wuzhi here, they have repaired it many times, and now it has become a quiet, quiet and peaceful place. All kinds of tools, materials and equipment are very complete. The three old men, Big Lei, Er Lei and San Lei, are busy studying Fan Zhu's cannon here day and night. There are also people to take care of your food, clothing, housing and transportation, and you will never treat them badly anyway.
Qin Mubai led Tu Youhai in and introduced each other to the three old men. When the old men heard that this was the "master Fan Zhushi" invited by Qin Mubai from Chang'an, they all respected Tu Youhai.
Qin Mubai showed Tu Youhai the drawings of the cannon and asked him if he was sure.
Tu Youhai smiled easily: "General Qin, this is much easier to make than that piano! It means that polishing Fan Zhu is a bit difficult, but it is just a laborious job. The key is to control the temperature of the molten iron when it comes out of the furnace. In this way, it can be guaranteed The wall of the gun barrel can withstand high temperatures and heavy pressure.”
"A master is a master!" Qin Mubai raised his thumb to praise him, "Then I'll leave it to you!"
"Wait a minute! I can't do it alone. Three masters, please forgive me for being rude. Whenever I, Fan Zhu, are involved, there must be several people who can help me, and I can't do it with strangers. I have several apprentices. The servants also came to Xiangzhou, and they happened to be my deputy." Tu Youhai said to Qin Mubai, "When I call them, I can start casting cannons for Qin General Fan immediately!"
"Okay, great!" Qin Mubai laughed happily and said to the three old men, "You three masters, don't be idle. Master Tu casts the cannon, and you prepare the five-finger divine thunder. When it comes to division of labor, no one can be missing!”
"I and others must obey your orders!"
Qin Mubai was secretly happy and thought: If Tu Youhai could really succeed in casting the cannon, it would be great. Is there anything more powerful than this thing that can destroy a city or a village? Furthermore, if such a cannon is mounted on a warship like the Shenyu Flying Ship, no matter whether it is a water battle or a naval battle, who in the world can defeat the Datang Navy
After thinking about it, Qin Mubai wanted to laugh again: It seems that old man Xiao Yu did some good things by accident! If it weren't for the unnecessary use of chicken feathers as arrows, how could people like Tu Youhai show up in Xiangzhou? !
Ha ha!