OBS Chapter 613 Old Deng's Heart, So Black It's Multicolored
Chapter 613 Old Deng's Heart, So Black It's Multicolored
Yang Shaofeng suddenly remembered Da Shi's sigh.
black.
That's fucking dark.
Old Deng's heart has become so black it's almost multicolored.
Can you tell if a monkey is impersonating a Korean merchant?
Laugh to death.
This clearly demonstrates a desire to publicly punish the monkeys by cutting off their tribute while secretly continuing the labor and food trade.
Yang Shaofeng had ample reason to believe that the Ming Dynasty navy, which was patrolling the Jiangzhe region, would definitely suffer from temporary blindness and be unable to see certain Korean merchant ships coming from the South China Sea.
Of course, taxes still need to be paid, and it's reasonable to charge extra for medication for temporary blindness.
Even vassal states like Champa, Siam, and Burma would go on a rampage like they were on steroids to teach the monkey a lesson, only to retreat due to various other reasons such as insufficient supplies and manpower.
Thinking of this, Yang Shaofeng couldn't help but sigh to himself.
Compared to that black-hearted old man, I am truly as innocent as a blank sheet of paper.
……
When Du Shunqin arrived in Ningyang County at top speed, Yang Shaofeng was taking stock of the inventory of various workshops in Ningyang County.
The stockpile of locust powder had been completely depleted by the second year of the Hongwu reign.
However, Yang Shaofeng couldn't bear to mistreat the soldiers of the Ming army.
Thus, starting from the third year of the Hongwu reign, several watermill workshops were established along the Dawen River in Ningyang County.
When the Da Wen River has abundant water, these watermill workshops use waterwheels to grind shells, conch shells, scallop shells, oyster shells and other items sent from Dengzhou and other places into powder.
When the water flow in the Da Wen River dropped to a level insufficient to power the waterwheels, these workshops either used wind power to pull the millstones or simply used mules or donkeys to pull them.
Then, the shell powder made from shellfish would be sent to the noodle-frying workshop, where it would be fried together with flour, mixed with some sugar, salt, and bran powder, and finally pressed tightly, packaged separately, and thus became the simplest compressed dry food.
It's definitely impossible for it to be delicious.
After trying one, Yang Shaofeng commented that the Ming Dynasty-style pressed biscuit was even more brutal than a baguette.
It's so tough you can't bite it; it's incredibly sturdy, you could totally use it as a brick to hit someone.
After all, a single compressed biscuit the size of a palm weighs more than two pounds, and it contains salt and sugar, so it will make you feel very full after eating it, enough for one person to eat two meals.
If you put it in a pot and cook it for a while, it can even be eaten by four or five people as porridge.
More importantly, it doesn't spoil easily.
It can be described as the best military rations for long marches and battles.
Besides compressed biscuits, the ironworks in Ningyang County have also stockpiled a lot of other things in the past two years.
In fact, what Xu Da and Chang Yuchun liked most were the swords and knives produced by the ironworks.
The simple hammering machine, still powered by water, wind, or animal power, largely replaced the manual hammering of blacksmiths, making the so-called "hundred-times-refined steel" much easier to produce.
Combined with the molten iron produced in the simple blast furnaces built by the many master craftsmen of the Ministry of Works, the swords produced in Ningyang County were not only produced in particularly high quantities, but also of exceptionally high quality.
Saying he could cut a hair in two with a single blow is a bit of an exaggeration, but cutting Hu Yuan's swords in two with a single stroke would be incredibly easy.
The same applies to luncheon meat factories. Due to the development of iron smelting factories, luncheon meat has begun to be packaged in tin.
The only thing that hasn't changed is that it's high in salt and starch, and the taste is still dry and extremely salty. You need at least two or even three steamed buns to eat a pound of luncheon meat.
If eaten with compressed biscuits, a piece of luncheon meat plus porridge made from two compressed biscuits would probably be enough for five people to have a hearty meal.
The only thing that bothered Yang Shaofeng was the production output in Ningyang County.
To reiterate, Ningyang County is ultimately just a poor, backward, and sparsely populated small county. Even if it desperately develops its workshops, production output will always be a weakness.
Moreover, many places are subject to various restrictions.
For example, shells that can be ground into powder are very rare in Ningyang County itself, with only river mussels being produced, and even then, the yield is not high. The main source of these products is Dengzhou Prefecture or other coastal prefectures and counties.
For example, regarding luncheon meat and compressed biscuits, Ningyang County also lacks sufficient flour and meat. Once other prefectures and counties stop supplying pork, and Dengzhou also stops supplying grain, the workshops in Ningyang County will have to shut down.
After touring several key workshops, Yang Shaofeng smiled and instructed Chen Mo, "In terms of output, we definitely can't compete with Jiangnan."
"So, let's go for the high-quality route."
"The higher the unit price, the more money we make."
Chen Mo replied with a broad smile, "Yes, Your Excellency's instructions will be kept in mind."
After leading Yang Shaofeng forward for a while, Chen Mo said with emotion, "It's all thanks to the plan that the county magistrate set back then."
"In the past two years, the living standards of the people in our county have visibly improved."
"I remember when I first came to Ningyang County, the people there were dressed in rags. Now it's much better. Even if they're not dressed very well, at least they don't have to go out with only one set of clothes."
"A couple of years ago, a single piece of meat would require them to visit countless relatives, and they wouldn't eat it until it went bad."
"Right now, the pigs in the county's pig farms are almost not enough to feed them."
Du Shunqin, who had been following Yang Shaofeng around and accompanying him from workshop to workshop, was now filled with worry.
I want to speak but I don't dare to interrupt; I want to cry but I don't dare to cry out loud.
Just then, Chen Mo began to fawn over Yang Shaofeng, and Du Shunqin quickly seized the opportunity to chime in, "Vice Magistrate Chen is right. The Prince Consort's abilities are truly remarkable."
Yang Shaofeng thought to himself, if you don't know how to flatter, you don't have to.
Look at Chen Mo, every word he utters tickles my sore spot.
And look at you, with your dry, uninspired comment, "quite brilliant," is that all you're going to call flattering me?
Yang Shaofeng glanced at Du Shunqin, shook his head slightly, sighed, and said, "Envoy Du, I have already heard about the situation in Annam."
"I deeply regret what happened to your late king."
Du Shunqin froze on the spot, as if he had been doused with a bucket of cold water in the dead of winter, and his hands, which were tucked into his sleeves, trembled uncontrollably.
The seven words "Envoy Du" and "Your country's former king" actually reveal the attitude of the Ming Dynasty.
After all, the newly elected king of Annam had already sent envoys to pay tribute. As an envoy appointed by the former king, it was uncertain whether he could continue to serve as an envoy, or even survive after returning to Annam.
The fact that he referred to himself as "Envoy Du" and used the phrase "Your Majesty's Former King" was enough to show that the Ming Dynasty still recognized Trần Nhồng as the ruler of Annam.
The fact that the Ming Dynasty never mentioned Trần Thị Mức also demonstrates that the Ming Dynasty had no intention of recognizing Trần Thị Mức as the ruler of Annam.
Du Shunqin looked at Yang Shaofeng with a pleading expression and said in a trembling voice, "Your Highness, Chen Shuming certainly deserves to die, but the people of Annam are innocent."