The mage in the late Qing Dynasty

This reminded Zhao Chuanxin that in the 18th century, there was a Swiss watch master named Jacques Droz who made a mechanical puppet with an alphabet plate on the back. After adjustment, the puppet could write a sentence of up to forty letters.

The puppets he makes can also paint, including a dog, a simple portrait of a human face, and can play musical instruments.

This man also gave Qianlong a puppet that could write Chinese characters with a brush - Eight Directions, Nine Earths to Come to the King.

These eight characters are very Qianlong and very awkward.

Zhao Chuanxin thought it was a fake before, until he saw the real thing in the Palace Museum...

It's hard to imagine that this is a purely mechanical thing. (I really hope there are no abstractionists here who immediately want to mention their ancestors when they see this!)

He really wanted to see what the puppet army in the Cursed Desert in the east looked like.

[I asked the craftsman: What about you? Can you do it? 】

[The craftsman shakes his head: Craftsmen are divided into three levels and nine levels, with one level and one threshold. I am only at the peak of the first level, which is level three. Only by understanding the order of basic seal-carving rune fragments can one advance to the second level, usually making some weapons and armor inlaid with gems. Craftsmen who can make puppets must be at least the third level, starting from the seventh level. The craftsmen who can make puppet warriors for the Desert Emperor are all ninth-level craftsmen. In his lifetime, every ninth-level craftsman could not make three puppet warriors. Legend has it that there was a craftsman who could seize the fortune of heaven and earth. He imitated the old gods and made a glove that could gather sand into a tower and shape the earth! That kind of craftsman, we call a master craftsman, can no longer be captured by common sense. 】

Zhao Chuanxin's heart was beating wildly.

It turned out to be mud trowel gloves.

The Misty Traveler may also be the work of a certain divine craftsman.

[We found a hotel to stay and eat, which almost used up my last few gold coins. We must leave tomorrow. 】

[At the hotel, I met the nun who was also staying at the hotel. 】

[Wearing a cloak and a veil, she hurried past us. No one can guess what this sanctimonious female monk from Hongdao wants to do when she comes to curse the desert. 】

[We rested in the hotel to replenish energy for the journey tomorrow. 】

Zhao Chuanxin closed the Old God Code.

the next morning.

Yao Bing really peed on the bed...

After he woke up, he opened the quilt with a guilty conscience, looked at it, and then got out of the quilt.

Zhao Chuanxin opened his eyes and saw the map on the quilt.

Waving his hand, the water evaporated, but the map remained.

This little bastard.

It is said that when a child urinates on the bed, he will have to pee for a while.

Even if you wash it, it will be in vain.

After getting up and eating, Zhao Chuanxin went outside to inspect the construction site.

The excavated foundations have been backfilled and masonry walls have been erected.

Several offices and barracks were built at the same time. Fortunately, there were enough workers.

Yang Sangda came over happily and said, Prefect, some Han people are here. They have nothing to do after the autumn harvest. They heard that we paid wages in time, so they all wanted to come and see if there was any work.

Zhao Chuanxin went to take a look in front of the courtyard wall and saw a crowd of people looking eagerly at the busy construction site.

Zhao Chuanxin took out the drawings, looked at them, and ordered: Organize people to buy fire bricks and pull sand. I want to pave several streets from the front of the government office, leading directly to the training ground, barracks, courts, trading markets, and paving roads leading to Manchuria. -The road to Zhouli.

Yang Sangdaxi was surprised when he looked at the drawings: Isn't this too extravagant? Foreigners don't dare to pave so many roads...

If you want to get rich, build roads first.

Go to Mr. Yao's office to make statistics and purchase, and just follow the instructions.

Yes, sir.

Manpower is very cheap here, and it would be a waste if Zhao Chuanxin did not use it.

Yang Sangdaxi only saw the money but not the logic behind it.

What Lubin Mansion needs to do most now is not to save money, but to spend money to buy credibility.

Hundreds of people, working until the snow falls, don't spend much money together.

But the effect is definitely beyond everyone’s expectation.

The workers on the construction site understood one thing at this time: Lubin Mansion is not short of money, Lubin Mansion does not suppress wages, and Lubin Mansion will practice what it preaches.

The moment the government office is built is the time to open up the situation.

Zhao Chuanxin is only responsible for designing the drawing layout and does not care about the rest.

As he said, the current system is a mobilization system, and all public officials in Lubin Prefecture are full of motivation. Even Zhang Shouzeng would go to the construction site to supervise the work when he had nothing to do.

Of course, this has something to do with the fact that they are crowded into a shabby office at this time. Everyone wants to live in a spacious office to work.

Huang Shifu finally couldn't wait any longer. He still had a lot of official duties to be busy with.

Before leaving, Zhao Chuanxin said to him: As I said before, the public funds for the Hulun Army Preparation Road can be taken away after being approved by the accounting office.

Huang Shifu snorted and said to himself that luckily there was still Huang Yin who was recruited by the government to reclaim wasteland. I heard that Zhao Chuanxin drove away the Russian people on the right bank of the Ergun River, and I think I can get a fortune from the cultivated land there.

He thought beautifully.

Seeing Zhao Chuanxin walking around with his hands behind his back, doing nothing, Huang Shifu snorted again and headed towards Manzhouli.

After he left, Zhao Chuanxin called Hu Da: Send some capable people to ride on horseback to the right bank of the Ergun River to see how many Russians are still there. When the three days are up, hey, let's Just go over there and chase them away.”

Because Bodigrile was on duty, he was also there. His eyes were shining and he asked: Prefect, who owns those cultivated lands?

Don't think about good things. Zhao Chuanxin glanced at him: I will make arrangements for you five managers. I can't hurt you, but don't make plans for land.

Zhao Chuanxian could not take care of other places, but in his territory, there was gradually no room for big landowners to survive.

A dull knife cuts flesh.

Land taxes, head taxes, household taxes, and the additional exploitation of the people by local officials must be changed.

The land of Hailar, which Cixi felt was worthless, was a treasure to Zhao Chuanxin.

He could knead it as much as he wanted.

Bodigrile licked his lips and secretly thought it was a pity.

He was a bit straight-headed and asked: Prefect, how do you want to arrange for us?

Not to mention, this is what Zhao Chuanxin does: Coal, gold, salt. When issuing tickets, give priority to you, the five-wing manager. Then you will know what it means to make a lot of money. Digging in the soil, one year How much money can I earn?

People in the past recognized land.

In recent years, the Qing government has engaged in Westernization and industrial development, and everyone has finally seen what it means to make money every day.

Isn’t Sheng Xuanhuai a living example?

The richest man!

Speaking of industrialists, who doesn’t envy them?

Because officials often supervise business affairs, officials make money and have both face and face.

Bodigrile's eyes lit up: Your Majesty, are you talking about the mines that were taken back from the Russians?

Yes, when the time comes, if we can balance the interests of your five-wing general manager, we will balance it. If we can't balance it, we will divide the shares. Zhao Chuanxin was also very straightforward, and discussed the matter of the two sides on the table.

Bodigrile was overjoyed: Oh, that's a great feeling!

Don't think too much. The mine doesn't belong to you. You only have the contracting right to issue tickets. If you don't do well, just replace it.

Release the ticket? Bodigrile's mood was like a roller coaster: It's not ours? Isn't that precarious?

Or the inherent thinking of once and for all.

Even a country cannot always be a family, let alone a mine.

You are such a pig! Zhao Chuanxin blasted directly: Even if you can only contract for one year to deliver coal to the Maozi Middle East Line train in Manzhouli, do you know how much you can earn? I have two mines, Kaiping The total assets of the Mining Bureau are millions of taels of silver. Do you dare to think about it? If you exploit the people for one year of mining, you will not be able to earn more money in ten years. As long as you do it well and the Government Commodity Bureau is willing to release the tickets, you can Keep doing it. If you don’t do it well, then go back and learn from scratch. Why should you take advantage of all the good things?

Listening to that number, Bodigrile's heart beat like a drum.

Zhao Chuanxin curled his lips vaguely.

Mines are different from mines.

The mining equipment is advanced or not.

The Kaiping Mining Bureau has gone through many years of development and equipment updating, and its system has become mature. It is definitely not comparable to Zhalai-Nuoer.

Besides, if there is only contracting rights and no ownership rights, let alone total assets, they do not exist.

But Bodigrile didn't take it into consideration at all. At this time, he only fantasized about millions of taels of silver, but was deceived by Zhao Chuanxin.

The only advantage of mining areas such as Zhalai-nuoer is that they are close enough to Manzhouli that coal can be delivered by driving camels and carts, and there are enough livestock to pull the carts, so they can make quick money.

Zhao Chuanxin must give them some sweetness, not just squeeze them, but this sweetness cannot be enough to breed their ambitions.

Yao Jia happened to be here.

He took the drawing, pointed to an office above and said, Prefect, we don't have a Bureau of Reclamation, so why do we have a Bureau of Reclamation office?

It's not set up now, doesn't it mean there won't be one in the future? The reclamation service is temporarily handled by your government and goods bureau. Isn't there a ready-made reclamation bureau in Hulun Bingbei Road? We can just move here later.

Yao Jia was stunned when she heard this: Have you decided on Huang Shifu's idea to empty the troops and make Song Xiaolian the bare commander?

Zhao Chuanxin smiled and said nothing.

Overstaffing and structural chaos were major shortcomings of the Qing government's new policies. They imitate other countries, but they can only learn the superficial knowledge and cannot learn the essence. They are crossing the river by feeling the stones.

Eager for reform and change, this is also the inevitable result. The Kaiping Mining Bureau during the period of official supervision and commercial management is a living example. It was originally very good, but it turned out that they were too busy to deal with the problem.

Zhao Chuanxin is never allowed to appear here.

From the very beginning, he must clearly divide the responsibilities and powers so that not a grain of food in Lubin Mansion is redundant.

If he sets up a Bureau of Reclamation here, then the Bureau of Reclamation, which has a military base, will be abandoned. It is not cost-effective to allocate money to them every year for expenses.

However, he does not intend to empty Bingbei Road. He even wants to set up a new acceptance department in Bingbei Road. Song Xiaolian will definitely be furious at this time. He has accumulated grievances for a long time. If he sets up an acceptance bureau, he will definitely not let go. It can be used to restrict some departments of Lubin Mansion. Otherwise, too much power will cause corruption.

But this cannot be said to Yao Jia. Firstly, it cannot make him take precautions in advance. Secondly, it cannot make him think too much or discourage him.

…

Song Xiaolian was indeed very angry.

Huang Shifu went back and told him the matter.

What a great Zhao Chuanxin, but he rebelled against him! He even dared to secretly pay taxes and money, which is simply lawless!

Huang Shifu said quietly from the side: Master Song, you should think about how to explain to Zhou Xunfu!

Zhou Shumo, the governor of Heilongjiang, was a man of few words and could not get rid of the dirt in his eyes.

Song Xiaolian wandered back and forth, but there was nothing he could do.

In the past, Cixi and Zhang Zhidong felt that Zhao Chuanxin came here because it was difficult for a clever woman to make a meal without straw.

But what about the facts?

Zhao Chuanxin didn't use the first half of the month and took over all the power. Now he has become Song Xiaolian, a clever woman who cannot make a living without rice.

He is now unable to dispatch the five-wing general manager, which was unimaginable before.

I don't know what kind of ecstasy drug Zhao Chuanxin gave them.

The medicine given by Zhao Chuanxin was power and interests.

On behalf of the Qing court, Song Xiaolian wanted to reform and appoint Han officials on a large scale and deprive the five-wing general manager of his power. But Zhao Chuanxin did the opposite.

No one is stupid.

Zhao Chuanxin is strong and capable, and can bring them endless benefits. If they don't follow Zhao Chuanxin, what are they thinking about?

Instead of following the wolves to eat meat, why not follow the sheep to eat grass?

Huang Shifu added: Zhao passed away the Russian people and freed up a large area of ​​mature land. I think...

Song Xiaolian thought of Wu Sadi, shook his head and said: There is no hurry. At this time, the Russian people have not left completely. I heard that Zhang Shouzeng is negotiating with Wu Sadi. If there is any disharmony, if we go to take over the land, wouldn't we offend Russia? ?”

When Huang Shifu heard it, it made sense.

In a few days at most, things will become finalized, and it won't be too late to take advantage of it.

Huang Shifu felt warm when he thought of the dozen sections of wasteland that the Russian people had reclaimed and the more than 10,000 acres of cultivated land that they had cultivated.

Got rich...

…

Huang Shifu has not yet made a fortune.

Zhao Chuanxian is definitely getting rich.

Yao Jia went to Manzhouli to contact Manzhouli to purchase fire bricks, and also helped Zhao Chuanxin bring some snacks, which were prepared for Yao Bing.

Remember, your master raised you by robbing Maozi. Yao Jia gave the snacks to Yao Bing.

He was not talking nonsense, the money Zhao Chuanxin gave him was stained with blood.

They were all looted from the intercepting road convoys.

Yao Bing seemed to understand: When I grew up, I also robbed Maozi of his money to buy snacks.

Yao Jia laughed: You have backbone. If all the children on the grassland think this way, it is not impossible to wipe out Maozi in the future.

Lugang Town treats Maozi and little devils equally.

Neither of these are good things, and Mao Zi's evil deeds are even worse at this time.

As a native of Lugang Town, Yao Jia also hated Mao Zi deeply and wished that they would perish and exterminate their country.

After dinner, Yao Bing asked: Master, can I get some snacks to share with my friends tomorrow?

Then it depends on you. Zhao Chuanxin said: As a teacher, I can't always buy you snacks. If you give out more, you will eat less for a few days. If you give out less, you will eat more. sky.

When Yao Bing heard this, he was immediately embarrassed.

Do you want to divide it?

The corner of Zhao Chuanxin's mouth rose.

It’s the same for everyone, there are always a few idiots who are friends that can’t be abandoned.

In the evening, Rebecca Levi washed Zhao Chuanxin's feet.

She had actually been tired all day, but she had to cleanse Zhao Chuanxin's face and trim his beard every morning, and wash his feet every night.

It was very hot in the room today, so she wore less clothes.

When you bend over, your chest is wide open.

Women in this era are not as particular as later generations. When you sweat, if there is a little light, your chest and neck will sparkle. You don't have the conditions to take a shower all the time, but this sweat makes people feel healthy and grounded, and can make people daydream.

Zhao Chuanxin bared his teeth and said, I feel like I'm about to turn into a zombie.

Rebecca Levi was surprised: Why do you say that?

Because I feel like part of my body is stiffening.

Rebecca Levy was puzzled: Which part?

Zhao Chuanxin waved his hand: Go to bed quickly. I'll pour the water myself later.

Rebecca Levy is baffled.

Yao Bing will sleep with her tonight, and she will wake him up to stop him from peeing on the bed.

Children's urination needs to be controlled.

After packing up, Zhao Chuanxin lay down and suddenly felt that he had forgotten something.

There were no curtains, and the faint starlight outside filtered through the window. From time to time, horses could be heard snoring, and the smell of horse manure seemed to float in the air.

If you often deal with cows and horses, your body will be contaminated with the smell of cows and horses.

The closer you are to the lower class society, the farther away you are from the metaphysical. The smell of cows and horses can bring people back to reality. However, the lower the people are, the more they need strong spiritual sustenance to make suffering simple, convincing and comforting.

Thinking of metaphysics, Zhao Chuanxin realized what he had overlooked.

Bayar's forehead.

Doesn’t that old fellow live near Dalai Lake?

I had told him before that when I had nothing to do, I would find him to live by the lake.

I didn't expect that it would come true in a blink of an eye.

Zhao Chuanxin decided to take the time to look for him.

Take out the Code of Old Gods and open it.

[There was no money to hire a guide, so a knowledgeable craftsman who had been to the Cursed Desert as a child became the guide. 】

[We set off as a group. 】

[Leaving Green Harbor, the desert is blown by the wind and its shape is unpredictable. There is no fixed road. One can only rely on one's memory of the shape of the dunes and the location of some vegetation, and follow the map. 】

[Our first destination is the largest city in the desert, Rune City. The Desert Emperor lived there. 】

[On the way, we once again saw the female monk hidden in her cloak, walking side by side with us. Only when the hot desert wind blows, can you faintly see the outline of her graceful figure in the long sleeves of her broad robe. 】

[Since the death of his sweetheart and father, the craftsman has become less immature and persistent, and more transparent. 】

[The craftsman said: Whether it is an ugly gray butterfly, a beautiful white butterfly, or a mysterious black butterfly, their fate is just to flap their wings. 】

[While he was talking, a caravan of Beetles was chasing after him from behind. Behind the huge black armor, he was carrying goods and swinging forward in the desert. The speed seemed very slow, but it was much faster than a human. 】

[The leader of the caravan said to us: Friends, we can give you a ride. You are a fearless pioneer from Middle-earth, right? I know people like you, your courage is celebrated even across the oceans and into our cursed deserts. In return, you protect the caravan from sand pirates. 】

This may be the benefit of having a strong name, which can save you wasting your breath. Just like an academic degree, it can be used as a stepping stone.

[We happily climbed onto the back of the beetle and staggered forward, much faster than before, and soon caught up with the female monk in front of us. 】

[The caravan leader wiped his forehead with a handkerchief and the leather lining of his flat-bottomed straw hat, and fanned his gauze jacket to remove sweat. He looked down at the female monk, and suddenly said arrogantly: I recognize you, you are from the Red Island, damn double-lidded Red Island barbarian, you are not wandering in the evil sea of ​​widows, why did you come here to curse the desert? Haha the cursed desert will make you damn barbarians die of dehydration, go back to the Sea of ​​Widows. 】

[I heard a strong sense of rejection and disdain from the caravan leader, and I couldn't help but look at the female monk trekking in the sea of ​​sand with pity. 】

[She still lowered her head, as if she hadn’t heard anything. 】

[We walked until dark and stopped to rest. 】

Zhao Chuanxin closed the book.

Fall into a deep sleep.

The third day.

Zhao Chuanxin gathered the army.

Today we are going to drive away the Russian people, demarcate the borders, and redefine Obo. Are you afraid?

These prairie men, riding on horseback, are more orderly than the queue standing on the ground.

Don't be afraid!

The sound was so loud that the horses started to stir slightly.

Hu Er hugged Yao Bing together.

Zhao Chuanxin planned to make this child familiar with horseback early, and fill his blood with a kind of savage blood, instead of being like other people who are full of small-minded thinking, always passively resisting when talking about the etiquette of a big country, and prone to resistance at every turn. What about your ancestors?

The ancestors are awesome and have some connections with you. They neither inherited the fearlessness of Huo Qubing in the Han Dynasty when he chased the barbarians in the desert, nor the bravery of the Tang Dynasty when he looked down on the world. He still has the face to be the ancestor of his ancestors.

The ground trembled, and the riders moved out.

Zhang Shouzeng and Yao Jia both followed.

Zhang Shouzeng was not used to riding horses yet, his thighs were sore and his posture was weird, but he gritted his teeth and persisted.

Yao Jia is much better. Anyone with some potential in Lugang Town can ride a horse.

Along the way, people from various departments joined the team from time to time. By the time they reached the Hailar River, the five-wing general manager had already gathered together.

In front of the Hailar River, Zhao Chuan reined in his horse, stood flexibly and solidly on the horse's back, took out his war bow and Ming Dy, and bent the bow to set an arrow.

When the arrow is sounded, the arrow will sound, and when the arrow is flying, the arrow will sound.

Hundreds of riders focused their attention on Zhao Chuanxin who was standing on horseback. They saw Zhao Chuanxin bending his bow like a full moon: Today, I will use this person to sacrifice the flag.

Everyone was puzzled when they heard this.

Woo...

The heavy arrows were like meteors, shooting towards the other side in an arc with a sharp whistle.

ah……

A scream.

It turned out that there was a Russian hiding in the grass on the other side, thinking that no one had discovered him, and secretly peeping at the army, but he was nailed to the ground by Zhao Chuanxin with a heavy arrow!

it's time,

it's time,

It's time to prepare for the New Year.

Ha ha.

Thanks for the reward, brother Ang.