Three Kingdoms

In the Han Dynasty, there was no such thing as a tail-tooth feast.

Because this kind of middleman who does business with empty words is also called an intermediary. In the Western Zhou Dynasty, he was called a pawn. In the Western Han Dynasty, he was called a shaman.

Then, during the Song Dynasty, commerce was popular and there were more and more dental talents. Later, there was the custom of "head teeth" and "tail teeth", which are the opening of the market at the beginning of spring and the closing of the market at the end of the year to pray for business prosperity.

Therefore, Fei Qian cannot call it the tail teeth, but changes it to the "year-end" banquet, which is more straightforward.

In later generations, the wedding banquet was just a habit of Taiwanese businessmen at first, but gradually spread and was used by so many companies. There is no doubt that the leaders of the companies felt that this model had a certain effect in gathering people's hearts, so they adopted it.

Therefore, Fei Qian also feels that it would be quite good for him to hold a year-end banquet at his own mansion every year at the end of the year, at least so that people in the same mansion can see him...

Huang Chengyan and Pang Tong were, of course, invited to Fei Qian's small-scale family year-end banquet. However, Xun You, Zhang Liao and others in Chang'an would not hold another external year-end banquet until Fei Qian had finished hosting the internal banquet. .

In a sense, Huang Chengyan, Pang Tong, Huang Xu, Xu Chu, Wei Du and others are either Fei Qian's elders, Fei Qian's relatives, or Fei Qian's closest bodyguards, so they can be regarded as the closest Naturally, the group of people in the inner circle must be entertained first, which is also in line with a custom in the Han Dynasty.

Huang Chengyan is preparing for a large-scale comprehensive upgrade of the metallurgical blast furnaces in Huang's workshop. This is also the first major upgrade since Fei Qian moved the workshop south to Guanzhong.

The use of a hydraulic blower system has greatly increased the metallurgical temperature. In order for coking coal to achieve better energy efficiency, a larger steelmaking blast furnace is necessary. Therefore, after discussing with the craftsmen, Huang Chengyan As there is currently no improvement in the coking coal production process, it is decided to start from the consumption aspect, build a larger blast furnace, and improve the utilization rate of coking coal.

But improving blast furnaces is not always smooth sailing. Ever since Huang Chengyan decided to take this route, it has not been so smooth. To put it simply, the bigger the blast furnace, the more powerful the explosion will be. Fortunately, most craftsmen are very experienced. When they saw something was wrong, they all evacuated far away, and the only losses were some bricks, clay, and a water turbine to assist the blower.

The blast furnace will explode, obviously not because of the New Year, but because there is a structural problem.

The problem isn’t just with refractory bricks…

You must know that as early as the Qin and Han Dynasties, refractory bricks doped with quartz sand and fired have already appeared, and this kind of refractory bricks can withstand high temperatures of more than 1,400 degrees, which is basically enough for general steelmaking. used.

Hot air fans have also been used for a long time. In the seventh year of Jianwu, there were records of the Nanyang Prefect making iron and steel. From the ruins excavated by later generations, there are traces of preheating fans...

In fact, everything is fully equipped, but there are still some specific problems in blast furnace architecture, such as the weight of the blast furnace. The larger the blast furnace, the heavier it is. Then, the more fuel and ore react, the greater the pressure on the furnace wall will be. These problems are all related to each other, and it is not simply a matter of solving a refractory brick.

Can Fei Qian personally go to the workshop site to measure how thick the blast furnace wall should be, how many layers of bricks and clay should be used, the entire center of gravity, and how the layout of the pipes needs to be adjusted?

Obviously not, so taking advantage of this year-end banquet to pretend to chat with Huang Chengyan and discuss it is undoubtedly the most appropriate way.

"We might as well ask the craftsmen to make a few small models first..." Although Pang Tong didn't understand very well, he pretended to say, "I saw that this was the way to build houses before, so this steelmaking furnace must be similar... …』

Huang Chengyan chuckled and nodded slightly.

Fei Qian did not expose it, but took out two or three pieces of information from his sleeves and handed it to Pang Tong and Huang Chengyan for reading, "This is the delivery receipt of the Hedong Ordnance Factory... This one was received by the Chang'an Arsenal." Registration form... These silverfish in Hedong think that their hands and feet are perfect, but really... Haha, even if the identification number on the weapon is worn away, where did it come from, who was in whose hands, who escorted it, and where it ended up. "Lost" or "damaged" actually have traces... If you follow the map to find it, you will find nowhere to hide..."

After Fei Qian finished speaking, he glanced at Huang Chengyan slightly.

"This is a wonderful move..." Huang Chengyan pinched his beard and nodded.

Pang Tong glanced at Fei Qian, then rolled his eyes, as if it was the first time he saw this piece of information, and gave a few false compliments.

"Hmm..." Huang Chengyan held the information and seemed to have thought of something, thinking deeply.

"The key is to have traces to follow!" Fei Qian said calmly, "If there is no record, how can we know the changes?" Just like smelting steel, if there is more, where should I get more? If there is no record, then we are at a loss..."

"Well... record, record, change, change..." Huang Chengyan suddenly clapped his hands, "Yes, that's it!" When there is a record! Only then do you know the changes! Haha, so and so..."

Huang Chengyan stood up to leave in the middle of the sentence, but was held back by Fei Qian, "Master Yue, please be patient. Even if you go to the workshop now, the craftsmen still have to celebrate the New Year... At the end of the year, it is necessary to reunite the family at least once." ...』

Only then did Huang Chengyan react, sat down again, and then said with trembling hands: "This is a wonderful move!" It turns out that this method was used by the Qin Dynasty to make utensils, but they were too harsh and criticized, so they could not be used. Now that I think about it, stones from other mountains can attack jade, so it is suitable for this place! Changing the blast furnace involves a lot, and it is difficult to fully rely on one person's detailed information. If it is changed to tool making... hahahaha, it is just a larger tool making! Wonderful, very wonderful! 』

The assembly line and strict parts deviation control both appeared in the Qin Dynasty. It is not a black technology at all, but one thing that is more interesting is that because people with craftsman backgrounds do not have enough knowledge and their vision is not broad enough, resulting in You can't draw parallels, so the limitations are severe.

Then the scribes responsible for recording generally don’t understand the specific changes, and don’t even bother to know. Even if there are some improvements, with a stroke of a pen, they can at most write down that “on a certain day in a certain year, a certain month, a certain day” Land, a craftsman changed it, and then it was done. How to change it, why it was changed, what was changed, what was the effect of the change, and what were the changes in cost and output? They were all ignored...

Of course, the reason why the scribe handled it this way was because the previous rulers were not interested in this aspect, so they only needed to submit a result. This is not the case now for Fei Qian. He needs Huang Chengyan to improve the blast furnace and then form a system. A complete set of improvement process standards, something that can even be passed down.

These craftsmanship spirits contained in the words, continuous attempts, continuous failures, continuous summaries, and final successful descriptions on the way forward will inspire generations of Chinese descendants to move in an increasingly bright direction!

Instead of simply writing about a certain person, two words, "change him"...

Soon after, a grand Fei Mansion family banquet was held in the inner courtyard of the General's Mansion. The servants and maids in the General's inner courtyard who had worked hard for a year could finally treat themselves like distinguished guests today. , sitting at the banquet, eating exquisite dishes, drinking wine, gossiping, and even dancing...

Even the most serious manager on weekdays was smiling at this time, beating the beat along with others, drinking and laughing.

It seems that in the midst of laughter, all the hard work of the past year can be forgotten, and what is left is joy and hope.

Fei Qian had several jars of beef, mutton, chicken, duck, fish, and even the most expensive Zuixian wine sold in Zuixian Tower, and then each person shared a small bowl. Ordinary food is enough, but this special food is just that much, not much more. Even the Fortune 500 companies in the future may not necessarily put anything Maotai at the tailgate banquet for ordinary employees...

But the most attractive thing in the whole place was not the meat and wine at the banquet, nor the small bowl of drunken immortal wine, but the wooden box placed on a huge table in the courtyard.

According to Fei Qian's later company habits, year-end bonuses and the like are always given out at the end of the year banquet, so the wooden boxes on the table naturally contain gold and silver coins. Under the light of candlelight, they are packed heavily. In everyone's eyes...

Everyone who eats in the courtyard knows that when the night banquet is almost done and about to end, the hussar general will come out and take out bags of gold and silver coins from the wooden box. According to each person's position, credit and hard work, they will be distributed to their own hands one by one!

These people can happily take their money and go to the street to buy various items that they have been thinking about for a year, or buy various utensils for their families...

Therefore, when Fei Qian and his wife appeared in the courtyard at the end of the banquet, they attracted waves of cheers!

A new year is coming, and then comes new hope!

Huang Yueying took the account book and read out the names one by one, and then Fei Qian handed bags with names and more or less money into everyone's hands. There was laughter on and off the stage, and every smiling face shone with longing for the new year and hope for the future...

……(^o^)/Y(^o^)Y……

In the new year, not everyone can see hope.

Death was also seen.

Especially for the wealthy noble families around Xu County, this year's cold winter has been particularly terrible, and the last few days have been particularly difficult.

I don’t know how many people spent the long night in fear.

And now, this fear is gradually spreading, and then gradually eroding more and more people...

Ever since it was reported in Xu County that General Cao Cao had been assassinated, there was an uproar and confusion in the court.

Even the land of Jizhou, far away from Xu County, was affected.

Within Qinghe County in Jizhou, although it is far away from Xu County, some changes have been made accordingly under such circumstances. At the city gate, only four of the twelve hours a day are open, and the rest of the time The doors were closed and locked. Not only that, but additional soldiers were deployed to strictly check the passers-by. Anyone who found any strange and undocumented rangers or libertines would be immediately arrested.

Lu Yu was wearing ordinary brocade clothes and a gray bachelor's turban. He rode in an ox cart, followed by four or five entourages. On this day, he arrived at the gate of Qinghe City.

"stop! Where did it come from? ! 』

In normal times, soldiers like Lu Yu would rarely bother with people dressed as nobles and scholars. However, at this critical moment, if you let it go easily, your own head would be in danger if something went wrong. Therefore, the captain guarding the city gate Naturally, he didn't dare to slack off at all.

Lu Yu's entourage was somewhat dissatisfied. When he was about to step forward, he was grabbed by Lu Yu. Then Lu Yu got out of the car and went to the captain guarding the city gate in person. He raised his hands and said, "Fan Yang, Mr. Lu, wants to visit friends in the city." . 』

"oh? ” The captain on duty looked Lu Yu up and down and said, “Fan Yang Lu’s family? And I don’t know how it is related to Lu Zhonglang? 』

Lu Yu straightened his face slightly and said, "It's true that Xian Yan is..."

"ah? Disrespect, disrespect! ” The captain bowed his hands to Lu Yu and said, “I don’t know how Lu Zhonglang has been rude since then. I hope you can forgive me!” 』

Although Lu Zhi died, his reputation in Jizhou and even in the entire Han Dynasty was very high. From the nobles to the countryside, everyone admired Lu Zhi. Of course, Lu Zhi cannot say that he has no selfish motives at all, but when most officials were obedient to Dong Zhuo's deposed emperor, Lu Zhi stood up and openly opposed it. This alone is enough to make many people admire him...

Lu Yu smiled slightly. Carrying Lu Zhi's name on his body was a good thing, but not entirely a good thing. "The New Year is approaching. I want to return to Fanyang and pass by here, so I stopped by to visit friends..."

"Excuse me, let me take a look at what I have passed..." Du Wei asked, "I wonder who Mr. Lu wants to visit?" 』

Lu Yu handed over his belongings and said, "Of course it's the Cui family..."

The captain glanced briefly at the pass, and his attitude became even more respectful. He handed the pass back with both hands, and then said, "In that case, please come with me..."

After the captain finished speaking, he personally led Lu Yu through the city gate, and even pointed out the direction of Cui's mansion to Lu Yu before waving goodbye.

Lu Yu nodded and thanked, and then walked along the street.

The Cui family of Qinghe also has a common surname.

For most people, Cui is an unattainable height...

But no matter how high the wall is and how beautiful the portal is, it is still just a mansion, and it cannot become an iron wall because of it.

When the Cui family got the news, they sent people in early to report. Then Cui Yanzhi and Cui Lin, the younger brothers of the Cui family, rushed to the door to greet them.

Cui Lin is a branch of the Cui family. Although he is the disciple of Cui Yan to the outside world, in fact, in the current Cui family, he is like a steward of the Cui family, responsible for some large and small things in the front yard, and of course Including some basic welcome and delivery.

Don't underestimate such a "steward". For the nobles who have no other promotion channels, it is an excellent position to show themselves and make more connections. If Cui Yan hadn't thought that Cui Lin could train someone. Second, most people can’t even grab it!

"Meet Mr. Lu!" ” When Cui Lin saw Lu Yu, he stepped forward and bowed deeply, “I didn’t know Mr. Lu was coming, but he didn’t greet him from afar. It’s a sin, a sin! ” Cui Lin thought that Lu Yu was just paying a general visit, but after seeing Lu Yu’s expression, his heart skipped a beat...

After a brief greeting, Lu Yu entered the hall and sat down, then went straight to the point, "Is Cui Biejia here?" 』

"Go back to Mr. Lu, I'm still in Yecheng and haven't returned home yet..." Cui Lin said.

Lu Yu looked around slightly and whispered: "Do you know about the assassination of the general?" 』

Cui Lin nodded.

This matter was quite a big deal, and naturally no one knew about it.

Lu Yu smiled bitterly, "Man Boning is now going on a rampage around Xu County and has arrested a lot of people... I heard... I heard that someone was under three trees, so I said..."

Lu Yu glanced at Cui Lin.

Cui Lin was stunned for a moment, and then his expression suddenly changed!

"This matter has absolutely nothing to do with Cui!" ” Cui Lin said eagerly, “Ms. Cui has always kept her peace and has never transgressed. How can she have anything to do with such things? ! 』

Lu Yu also nodded, but then shook his head and said: "This is natural...but the problem is..."

Now it is not a question of whether Lu Yu alone believes it or not, but whether the dark shadow spreading from Xu County will affect the Cui family of Qinghe, Jizhou, or even further places.

Cui Lin was silent for a moment, "This matter is of great importance. I should report it to my brother immediately... Mr. Lu is so affectionate and friendly that the Cui family will never forget it!" 』

Cui Lin is not stupid. Regarding this kind of thing, Cui Yan, as a Jizhou official, has no idea. It must be because the news is blocked around Xu County. Only people with a certain reputation like Lu Yu can get information from some special Obtained information through channels...

Lu Yu naturally felt that there was no need for the Qinghe Cui family to do such a thing, and even if the Qinghe Cui family did it, it would not be so rough, so he felt that it was necessary to come and inform him because of his previous friendship. Cui said.

As for why he didn't go directly to Yecheng, Lu Yu believed that although Xu County was a big whirlpool and it would swallow up many people, Yecheng was also a whirlpool. As the saying goes, a gentleman does not stand under a dangerous wall...

Of course, Lu Yu would not stay with the Cui family in Qinghe for a long time. Instead, he said that he would set off the next day and continue north to Fan Yang's hometown in Zhuo County, preparing to stay behind closed doors and wait for the storm to subside.

Cui Lin quickly ordered his servants to prepare fragrant soup and delicacies, and then let Lu Yu burn the incense to clean the guest house, let Lu Yu stay, and entertain Lu Yu at the highest level. At the same time, he also hurriedly wrote a A letter was sent to Yecheng urgently to report the matter to Cui Yan.

Cui Lin thought he got the news first, but he didn't know that there were actually other people who had obtained some information one after another through various channels. These letters were like countless moths, the more blazing the fire, It danced more and more vigorously on the land of Jizhou, flying in the air, filled with dust, and covering the sky!