A Good Landlord in the Tang Dynasty: Starting from the Village Chief
Chapter 231 Prince and General Xiang Ning has the guts
Chapter 231 Prince and General Xiang Ning has the guts
After the fifteenth day of the first lunar month,
Luo Erdeng from Luojiabao came to visit Chang'an.
"I was going to come earlier, but when I heard something was going on at home, I didn't bother you."
"We are not outsiders, why are you being polite?"
Li Yi invited everyone into the front yard living room and asked them to sit on the kang, "Have some tea and snacks."
Dafu said, "The imperial court is going to recruit soldiers after the New Year. The county has sent a notice to the township, and Township Chief Wang has also notified each village. Alang, I also want to go and wanted you to help give a heads-up."
Luo San sat cross-legged. "As soon as the notice for selecting palace soldiers came out, everyone wanted to join. The conditions for selecting palace soldiers have been relaxed a lot this time. It doesn't say that you have to be from a middle-class family or above. It doesn't matter how many children there are in the family or whether you are an only child. The only requirement is that you must be at least 21 years old, at least five feet tall, have no disabilities, and be able to pay a deposit of 500 coins."
"It's a rare opportunity, so everyone wants to try it. Not only the wealthy, but also the young people from every family in Luojiabao all want to try it."
In the past, when recruiting soldiers for the palace, not only the family's financial resources, but also the number of male adults in the family and the individual's physical fitness were taken into consideration. Generally, the height had to be six feet, and only families with three or more male adults and a household rank of six or above were eligible.
But this time the conditions were very low.
"It is said that Guanzhong will select 30,000 soldiers this time."
For Li Yi, he naturally didn't care about being selected as a palace soldier, but for the villagers of Luojiabao, being a palace soldier was just like taking the imperial examinations in the Ming and Qing dynasties. It was their only chance to change their social class and personal destiny.
As long as you can be selected as a government soldier, not to mention the opportunity to become an official in the future, you can first obtain sufficient military land, and you can be granted a hundred acres of land.
They don't have to pay rent or perform labor service.
Just take turns on duty.
"It's dangerous to go to the battlefield," Li Yi warned.
"We have to try. We don't have the ability of Alang, who started from scratch and became a marquis in half a year. If we don't take the opportunity now, our descendants will have to suffer for generations to come." Dafu said bluntly, "If we are lucky and can win military merit, maybe we can even get a title for our wife and children."
"Uncle San wants to go too?" Li Yi asked Luo San with a smile.
"I do want to, but I'm in my early forties after all. There are three children in the family, and your aunt is pregnant, so I can't leave," Luo San spoke the truth, full of concerns.
Luo Erting was hesitant. He had a third son. Last June, his eldest son and his family were crushed to death in a kiln, leaving behind two brothers, Dafu and Dagui. Although he named his brothers Dafu and Dagui, Luo Er actually wanted his sons to live a peaceful life.
"Now we are relying on Wu Yi, and our lives are getting better and better. You two brothers are the shopkeepers of Wu Yi's bean curd shop in the East and West Markets of Chang'an, and you earn a lot of money. You women also come to work in the shop in Chang'an, and your children are studying in Wuji Academy.
"Safe from the wind and rain, guaranteed harvest regardless of drought or flood, isn't that better than going to the battlefield? Why always think about fame and fortune?"
Dafu sat there,
In fact, before coming, the father and his sons had argued many times. The two brothers also wanted to go. In the end, they drew lots and Dafu got the chance.
"Yeah, I just want to give it a try. I've been digging in the dirt for more than 20 years and have suffered enough in my life. Now that I have the opportunity, how can I not give it a try?
Wuyi is good to us, but we can't rely on Wuyi alone. If I can be appointed as a palace soldier, I can even make meritorious deeds in the future and get a government position. Wouldn't our family also have a bright future?
Look at Xiao Shisan, he went to Hebei and became a seventh-rank official in no time.
Also, Wu Yi originally had four Qiang slaves, but they were exchanged for a seventh-rank brigade commander overnight. We have to give it a try."
Luo Wu chimed in, "Yes, we have to try. Who is born to be a farmer? Isn't there a saying that goes, 'Kings, princes, generals, and ministers are all born with a certain kind of talent?' Why can't we do the same? I heard that the Saint has several dukes around him who used to be his servants. Some of them were originally village heads, county heads, or team leaders."
"Now is the time for men to make achievements, as dynasties are changing and the world is still unsettled."
Li Yi gave Luo Wu a thumbs up and said, "You have ambition. Well said. Everyone has their own ambitions. It's right to want a comfortable and stable life, but it's even better to want to strive for success. Just choose your own path and work hard to achieve it.
If you want to order some soldiers, I will definitely help you wherever I can. If you order any, we will also help take care of the elderly and children at home."
Luo Wu said: "I know Wu Yi will definitely help. I came here today to help with something. To sign up for the selection of palace soldiers, you must first prepare 50,000 coins. After paying this money, if you are not selected, it will be refunded in full.
If it is ordered, the military government will then provide us with uniforms, bows and arrows, swords, mounts, pack mules, etc., and we can withdraw if there are any left.
As for iron armor, spears, etc., they were distributed by the military government.
We can't come up with 50,000 yuan, so we want to borrow it from you, Wuyi. If you are not selected, we will return the money immediately. If you are selected, we will repay the money with interest within three to five years, even if it is a loan."
The court selected the soldiers this time, although the requirements were not many.
But the fact that it cost fifty thousand yuan actually stopped many people.
But this time, unlike before, there are no strict requirements such as household status and number of people, but as long as you can pay a deposit of 50,000 yuan, it will be fine, whether it is your own money or borrowed.
"How many people in our Luo Family Fort want to go and recruit the palace soldiers?"
"A lot of people, between the ages of twenty-one and forty, want to try it. There must be about twenty of them."
Fifty thousand per person, one million for twenty people, it’s not a lot of money.
"Okay, I'll definitely help you with this."
These days, being able to become a palace soldier is indeed a major event that can change one's destiny. Most of the villagers in Luojiabao now work part-time for Li Yi.
After discussing the serious matters, everyone felt much more relaxed.
"Wuyi, the noodles and rice vermicelli you taught us to make last time, we've almost finished trial production now. We've hired dozens of people in each of our two workshops, so we're starting production on a trial basis. This time, we've brought a batch of noodles and rice vermicelli here for you to try."
The noodle workshop now produces two kinds of noodles, one is relatively round and the other is very thin and long, each with its own characteristics. The wheat used is from the thousands of acres of wheat fields on Shenheyuan. The wheat here is of good quality, and the processed flour is also good. The handmade noodles are of very good quality.
It is not difficult to make dried noodles, but the process is also complicated. A rack of dried noodles has to go through more than a dozen steps from flour to finished product, including kneading the dough, kneading the noodles, cutting the noodles into strips, coiling the noodles, winding the noodles, letting the noodles rest, putting them on the shelf, pulling the noodles, drying them in the sun, and taking them off the shelf.
In fact, each process requires a lot of skills and attention to detail.
The finished noodles are easy to eat, durable in storage, and taste good. The target customers are all wealthy aristocrats, so there is no need to worry about sales.
Li Yi didn't expect to make a lot of money by making noodles and rice noodles. Now he is no longer like when he first arrived, so he has to think about making tofu to make his first pot of gold.
He is now running this workshop,
It is purely for the consideration of the neighbors in Yusu Township. By investing my own money and creating something new, I can make a little money, and the fellow villagers have an additional opportunity to make money.
It's a win-win situation.
These noodles and rice vermicelli were not made for ordinary people, but for the nobles and wealthy.
It is said that dried noodles did not appear until the middle and late Tang Dynasty. At that time, they were called "xu noodles" and were considered the earliest noodle fast food.
We are now setting up two workshops for producing vermicelli noodles and rice noodles. In two years, when potatoes start to be grown in large quantities, we will be able to process potato flour.
"Then we'll have egg noodles, mutton noodles, and fried rice noodles with meat at noon." Noodles can be produced all year round, but winter is the most suitable season. In summer, the temperature is high and the weather is dry, so noodles on the shelves are not easy to take shape.
There are dozens of people in two workshops.
Now there are only two kinds of noodles, and we can produce 1,000 kilograms of each kind every day.
Li Yi felt that the output was too small, and this amount was not enough for him to use as gifts.
"It takes a whole day and a night to make a whole bag of noodles. We haven't mass-produced the hollow noodles you mentioned yet. It takes a day and a half to make a whole bag."
Hollow noodles are another type of noodles. They are as thin as silver threads, white and smooth. Especially after the noodles are fermented and dried in the sun, they shrink in the middle and finally become hollow.
However, hollow noodles are more time-consuming and labor-intensive to make than the round and thin noodles that are currently in mass production.
“I don’t mind if it’s difficult to make, hollow noodles are more distinctive and will definitely sell better.
"Recruit more people, recruit men, women, young and old from all over the country. Part-time work during the slack season is fine. After all, you get a full day's pay for a full day's work, and you get half a day's pay for a half day's work, or you can pay by the piece. It's mostly manual work anyway."
"If we hire so many people and make so many noodles, will we be able to sell them all?"
"This isn't steamed bread, this is dried noodles. After drying, they can be stored for a year or two. We can sell them not only in Chang'an, but also throughout the world through vendors. Even if we can make 10,000 kilograms a day, I believe we won't have trouble selling them.
After all, there are no such noodles now, we are the first one."
Luo Er hesitated and said, "It's just a rope cake after all, it's just made dry. But freshly made rope cakes are not as thin and chewy, but they taste pretty good, right?"
"Uncle, you don't know, some things are sold for their uniqueness, and they want something different. We sell to wealthy families, nobles, and officials, and they don't care whether this is more affordable, noodles or flatbreads."
"Think about our yuba, which is also made from beans. Isn't it much more expensive than tofu?"
Luo San smiled and said, "What Wuyi said makes sense. I think it will definitely work."
"So when will we sell these noodles and what's the price?"
"No rush to sell it, I'll use it as a gift first,"
"Thousands of kilograms are all given as gifts?"
"A few thousand kilograms is not a lot." Li Yi knows quite a few people in Chang'an City now, so if he really wants to give a few thousand kilograms, it is not a lot.
The emperor must send it first, and then he can publicize it to the outside world as a tribute to the court.
Then the Crown Prince and the King of Qin must also receive a copy. He is now an undercover agent in the Eastern Palace under the orders of the King of Qin, and he also needs to increase his interaction with the Crown Prince.
There is also the residence of Prince Yi'an Li Xiaochang in Xiuxiangfang. They are now uncle and nephew, so of course this cannot be missed.
Du Ruhui, Fang Xuanling, Sun Fujia and Li Jing all had very good relationships with each other.
There are also Qiu Shenyan, and the two brothers Li Boyi, King of Longxi, and Li Fengci, King of Bohai, who are also very interesting people.
And the Ji family also needs to send a portion.
Give away more now to promote the reputation of the noodles, and then open a store in the East and West markets to sell them. Are you still worried that they won’t sell well?
noon,
Li Yi personally instructed how to make a big pot of mutton noodles.
Cut the fresh mutton into strips, fry the eggs in hot oil, add water to the pot and bring to a boil, then add the mutton strips, noodles, dried mushrooms, and minced ginger.
When it is almost cooked, add the fried eggs, season with salt, vinegar, pepper, chopped green onions and chives.
"Mutton noodles are ready!"
A group of men from Luojiabao were amazed at the sight. "There's no need to knead or let the dough rest, and there's no need to pull it apart. It's ready in just a few moments. How convenient!"
"Yes, it still smells good."
Each person starts with a big bowl and starts eating right away.
"This noodle is chewy and smooth, and delicious."
"How can noodles with lamb, eggs, and mushrooms not be delicious?"
Eat noodles with big mouthfuls, sweat all over your forehead,
"It's delicious, have another bowl!" Luo San was not polite.
"There's plenty in the pot, just add more. Don't be polite when you come. Treat me like your own home."
Luo Er held the bowl with a look of happiness on his face, "We are now enjoying the treatment of aristocratic families. These noodles are indeed better than the ones we usually make at home."
Dafu mercilessly exposed his father: "Aye, from my childhood to adulthood, our family has only eaten white flour flatbread a handful of times, not to mention adding mutton, eggs, mushrooms and other things."
"Who among the common people in the countryside can afford to eat such good white flour?" Luo Erdao said.
Li Yi watched these country men eating noodles, and his appetite increased greatly. There were thirteen people coming from Luojiabao, and he knew that everyone had a big appetite, so he put in twenty handfuls of noodles, each weighing one pound.
I fried another thirty eggs and got five or six pounds of mutton.
In the end, everyone ate up all the noodles and soup, and scraped the bottom of the pot clean.
"It was delicious," Luo Er burped, a little embarrassed, "It was so delicious that I couldn't stop eating."
Li Yi touched his belly and ate two more bowls along with them. "Are you full? If not, I'll cook some more."
"I'm full, I'm full,"
Fourteen people, twenty kilograms of dry noodles, as well as mutton, eggs, etc., must be said, they really have a good appetite. Li Yi's sub-healthy body used to be full with only one and a half ounces of dry noodles in one meal.
(End of this chapter)
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