I traveled through time, starting with two acres of land and a dog

The Zhou Family Compound is a brick-and-wood courtyard behind Wenchang East Road. As one of the four major families in a 100-meter-long block, they have lived here for hundreds of years and have accumulated considerable wealth. There are stone lions on both sides of the vermilion gate, and several thick cypress trees record the history of the owner of this mansion. The steps at the entrance are very low, and the door pillars are not high. The main room in the courtyard is not as high as the side rooms on both sides. This should be due to the previous regulations on building houses, and they did not dare to exceed the limit, so the newly built side rooms are a little higher.

"The deputy captain of the joint defense brigade is here with Young Master Chenyu." When they were almost at the door, someone was reporting inside. After all, with so many people going out, all of them riding tall horses, mighty and majestic, it was very oppressive. Moreover, these soldiers were murderous. Last year, when they fought with the Yang family, almost no one dared to underestimate them. The Du family's "Crossing the River Dragon" was steady, and the reputation of the little dragon devil had spread. Today, the two of them were visiting, so they had to be received carefully.

Creak...the door of Zhou Mansion opened.

"Strike..." With a shout, all the horses stopped outside the door, and Hu Laosi led the guards to disperse on both sides of the carriage.

"Bang..." Du Chenyu was the first to open the curtain and jumped out of the carriage, while his father slowly walked down, straightening his gown.

"Lord Du, I'm sorry for not coming in person to greet you at my humble home. I'm Zhou Yujing, courtesy name Wenjie, and I'd like to meet Captain Du and Young Master Du Chenyu." Old Master Zhou and his butler trotted out of the gate, came to their carriage, and bowed hurriedly.

"Brother Wenjie, how are you all the time? I'm sorry to bother you with Mr. Du's sudden visit," my father replied politely.

"No, no, Captain Du is very busy. It is an honor for you to visit my humble home. Please come in, Young Master Chenyu, please come in," Zhou Yujing asked the butler to greet the guards and tie up the horses, and he led them into the house.

"Brother Wenjie, please," my father politely extended his left hand and let Zhou go first.

"Captain Du, please come in," Zhou's address kept changing several times, and his tone became increasingly casual and intimate. As expected of a person who has been in the industry for decades, he is easy to get close to without being impolite.

"Brother Wenjie, these are some local products from the mountains, all grown in our own fields. They're not a big deal," my father pointed at the two guards carrying the boxes in.

"Captain Du, it's a great honor for you to come to my house. I should have visited you a long time ago. Now I have to spend money on you. I am really ashamed, ashamed," Zhou Yi said with an apologetic expression.

"Everyone, please take a seat. Someone, bring the tea quickly." They walked all the way to the central hall, where the host and guest sat down. Zhou immediately ordered tea to be served.

"Brother Wenjie, let me introduce you. This is the person in charge of our armed forces, Captain Hu Haisheng, who is also my childhood nephew. Lao Si, quickly salute your Uncle Zhou," my father said, after introducing Hu Lao Si. He then told Hu Lao Si to stand up and salute.

"Hello, Uncle Zhou," Hu Laosi, who was also in military uniform today, stood up, took off his hat and bowed.

"Captain Hu, you're too polite. Get up quickly," Zhou Yujing hurriedly stood up and helped Hu Laosi up out of thin air.

"Old Four, go outside first and restrain the brothers. They are all rough guys, so don't move around," the father ordered Old Four to leave. The parties involved were here to discuss serious matters, and some words would be embarrassing, so he sent Old Four Hu away.

"Yes, President," Hu Laosi got up and went outside.

"I have a fifth brother, Hu Guisheng. Brother Wenjie should know him. He is the person in charge of our factory and often causes trouble for you," my father continued with the topic of Hu Laosi.

"I know Manager Hu. I know him. He's very familiar to me. He's a righteous, generous and capable man. Our caravan often causes trouble to him, but it's not him who's causing trouble to us," Zhou explained hurriedly.

"Well, the two brothers of the Hu family, although they are nominally uncle and nephew, are actually brothers with different surnames. Their parents passed away early, and they have been supporting each other since I started school. Now they are at the age to start a family and a career," the father took a sip of tea and started the conversation.

The two of them talked about the Hu brothers and business. Du Chenyu was impressed by some of Zhou Yujing's ideas. He had good business insights and attached great importance to water transportation, which was admirable. He cooperated with us because he valued our efforts to vigorously develop water transportation, establish water armed forces, and escort transportation, so as to realize the circulation of goods.

Du Chenyu listened for a while. The Zhou family also gave him some snacks and candies. After all, he was a child, so he couldn't forget them. He took the candies and strolled outside. He didn't listen to their conversation. At present, the marriage was not a big problem. The Zhou family didn't have such a deep prejudice. They were satisfied with Hu Laosi.

He is also worried at the moment. It is a bit inappropriate for a girl of her age to have no husband and to be out in public every day. It is difficult for a family of scholars to marry such a girl. Marrying her to a new force like them is also a good choice. After all, he also sees that this is an era where guns mean everything, and the current wealth may become a thing of the past.

The two men discussed in the room, laughing heartily from time to time. His father was a scholar in the Qing Dynasty, and now he is the deputy captain of the joint defense team. He has a team of thousands of people under him. In Baizhang, it can be said that he is knowledgeable and powerful, but his background is slightly inferior. However, with such a big business now, no one dares to look down on him.

"Okay, that's it. Brother Wenjie, we will have a deeper discussion tomorrow. I'll be leaving first," Du Chenyu heard his father getting ready to leave inside.

"Brother Decai, take care. I will visit you in person another day," Zhou said as he escorted his father out.

"Mr. Xiao Chenyu, please slow down. Please forgive me for the poor hospitality," Zhou Yujing helped his father into the car and said as he jumped in first.

"See you another day then. We're leaving first," said my father.

"Goodbye," Zhou waved.

"Gee...Gee..." Both sides waved goodbye to each other.

"Dad, how about the discussion? Is everything going well?" Du Chenyu asked in the carriage.

"Basically there is no problem. Zhou Yujing also prefers the fourth son and hopes to marry into his family and inherit his family business. I did not agree to this. I said that the fourth son's career is now at its peak, and when the opportunity is right, he will be allowed to take up an official position and continue to rise in the future. When they have a boy, the first one will have the surname Zhou, and the younger one will have the surname Hu. He also feels that this is good. After all, Zhou Yujing is only in his 40s, in his prime, and can still work hard," said the father.

"This is also good. As long as Fourth Brother and his family get married, we can talk about the future later. A small Baizhang can't stop us from moving forward," said Du Chenyu.

"We should keep a low profile now. I heard that there are several large armies of the imperial court stationed in Baoning Prefecture to directly suppress the rebellious offenders. We should also be careful and not make any big moves. It is better to boil the frog in warm water," said my father.

"Don't worry, I will be careful. Before the New Year, I only planned to incorporate Gaocheng area into the jurisdiction. Although the He family has some strength, they can't withstand our army. In this way, we will officially move from the mountainous area to the plain area. Gaocheng area has a population of over ten thousand, the land is fertile, and there is abundant iron, which can greatly enhance our strength." Du Chenyu said.

"Gaocheng is indeed a fertile land with such a large area, but the question is whether we can swallow it all in one go. I think it is better to take it slowly and occupy it step by step," suggested the father.

"Yeah, Daddy is right. I was indeed a bit too hasty. It is better for me to control Luojiaba and Dahaitan areas first and gradually build up my strength. This will not easily cause too much backlash." Du Chenyu said after thinking for a while.

"Luojiaba is a very important location. It is the southern gateway of Baizhang area and an important channel connecting Baizhang with Bazhong area. It is also close to Gaocheng. Gaocheng area will definitely send troops to support it," said my father.

"It would be best if Gaocheng could send its troops out of the city. It is indeed too difficult to attack a city. It is not cost-effective to injure one thousand enemies and lose eight hundred of our own," said Du Chenyu.

"Once you have made a decision, just do it. Don't hesitate, as you may miss the opportunity," said my father.