Zhi Xuan

Porcelain appeared by chance.

In the next few days, several earthen kilns on the outskirts of Xincheng successively produced pottery, most of which were common pottery bowls and pots, with no special colors and styles.Mr. Tao made several pieces of painted pottery with his own hands. Because the required raw materials were not found properly, the color was not bright, some were gray, and it was not as good as the black pottery made elsewhere.

After discussion, the two pieces of porcelain were stored separately, and the remaining pottery was sent to Xincheng Shangfang by the government order and the next doctor, and the subjects could exchange it.In view of the small number, foreign transactions are temporarily not allowed, which made the few businessmen who stayed in the new city feel very sad.

The black pottery made by Mr. Tao is beautiful in style and pure in color. It is really top grade. If it is shipped to other cities for sale, it will definitely fetch a good price.It's a pity that the doctor in charge of the shop clearly stated that in the short term, none of Zhidi's pottery will be sold outside, not to mention painted pottery and black pottery, even ordinary pottery, merchants can't get a piece of it.

The rules are like this, and the merchants are helpless.

The pottery comes out of the kiln continuously, and the quality is very good.Although it is not sold to outsiders, there is no restriction on trading in Zhixuan's fiefdom.

The next doctor and the magistrate specially collected several boxes of pottery, organized manpower, and sent them to Fengdi and Liangdi respectively.

According to Mr. Tao's estimate, it won't take long for the pottery produced in Zhidi to supply the needs of the three places, and then sell it to outsiders, earning profits for Zhixuan.

In addition, with pottery, pottery models can be made. If the mineral deposits in Liangdi are true, the fief of Zhixuan can also produce bronze ware.As small as the clan, as large as the vassal state, and even the capital city of China, this is an out-and-out major event.

Before the Tao Kingdom perished, the big clans of various countries were very polite to the country.It's all because they can produce exquisite bronze ware, and their skills are far superior to those of other countries.Especially the ritual utensils, today, the ritual utensils used in Zhongdu and most of the vassal states, some of which are still made by Tao Guo.

The four-ram bronze tripod in front of the Renwang Hall is world-famous. It was made by the first monarch of the Tao Kingdom and domestic craftsmen, and it took several years to make it.It can be said that this tripod represents the highest craftsmanship of contemporary bronzes.

The Tao Kingdom was destroyed by a human king, and all the vassal states were called to participate.Even if you don't go directly to the battlefield, you will cheer from the sidelines.

According to common sense, if the Tao country is destroyed in this way, everything that belongs to the country should disappear.

However, the bronze wares cast in this country are so outstanding that even the king is reluctant to shelve them, and they are still placed in front of the palace.

With someone as a reference, the monarchs and clans of various countries no longer have to worry about it, and they can use it as they should.There is no stunned young man who can't think about it, and publicly accuses him of being unethical.

Tao Lao knew that casting bronze ware was no better than making pottery, and all aspects had to be properly prepared.He was not in a hurry to start, or even to open the mine, but waited patiently for Zhixuan's return, and then made arrangements for various matters.

In addition, the manufacture of bronze ware must sacrifice to the gods.There are strict requirements on the number and types of sacrifices, and the process and steps of the ceremony cannot be wrong.For this reason, Tao Lao called together the clansmen for many days, selected smart people from them, and specially taught them relevant knowledge, so as to prevent his physical condition from suddenly deteriorating and causing a gap in knowledge.

Amid everyone's eager anticipation, Zhi Xuan's team finally returned.

This morning, a few teenagers were clearing the snow from the roof. When they saw the flag appearing in the wind, they stopped their movements by coincidence. After a while, they stood on the roof and shouted: "It's the young master, the young master is back!"

The boy's voice attracted the villagers, and the village near the border of Zhidi quickly became lively.

Different from previous years, this winter, the people of Zhidi are still busy.

The middle-aged men and women in the village all go to work in forest farms and new cities, and they can bring back some food every day to supply the needs of the whole family.Occasionally, they can bring back linen and sew it together with animal skins to make warm outerwear for the elderly and children at home.

During the day, most of the able-bodied villagers are away, and half-grown children and the elderly shoulder the responsibilities of maintaining and cleaning houses after heavy snowfall, and guarding against wandering savages and hungry beasts.

Not long ago, two wild boars couldn't bear the hunger and rushed down the mountain, broke through the fence and broke into the village.Relying on the bows and arrows issued in the city and the modified flails, the old man and the children worked together to subdue the wild boar, and the whole village had a good meal.

With wild boar in their mouths, the whole village is sighing at the present day.

Especially the elderly, they have experienced longer years and encountered more difficulties. Before Young Master Xuan was sealed off, they didn't even dare to think about such a day.

There is work all year round, as long as you work hard, you can feed the whole family.In the twelfth lunar month of winter, you can still eat good millet, and occasionally you can eat meat, which is really unimaginable.

What everyone is most grateful for is that the city distributes weapons to the villages!

Such a fact is unprecedented.

In most of the clan territories, the people of the country had to prepare their own weapons when they went out to fight, especially the common people.Don't talk about bows and arrows, you can't even shoot sticks, you have to prepare everything by yourself.

Zhixuan's fief is not the case.

Both Chinese and common people are issued bows and arrows, and Chinese people can also receive long knives and daggers without paying a penny themselves.

The bows and arrows that were distributed gave everyone confidence, and some villages even organized teams to hunt in the mountains and forests.

In previous years, wild beasts could not find their prey and came out of the mountains and forests to harm the villages. Even if they did not hurt people, they would kill the cattle and sheep, causing heavy losses to the villagers.

This year's situation is different. With the weapons at hand, the villagers preemptively strike. Soon after winter, they clean up the surrounding area of ​​the village. Not to mention the large beasts, even the small ones are gone.

Occasionally there will be fish that slip through the net, such as wild boars running down the mountain.

The villagers were not afraid at all, and united to chase and intercept, and the wild boars did not take advantage of the slightest advantage.Not to mention destroying the village, if you are unlucky and can't get out of the encirclement, you will end up being a mess.

As a result, the wild boar made a special trip down the mountain, but instead of getting food for himself, it improved the lives of the villagers.

When Zhi Xuan's team appeared, the villagers had just eaten the court food.

The workers had already set off, and there were only old people and children left in the village, and they were not idle either.

The nimble teenagers are in charge of clearing the snow, and the old people weave straw mats and rattan baskets at home. They are not beautiful in appearance, but they are quite durable.

As the team progressed from far to near, the villagers flocked to the entrance of the village one after another, separated by a distance, cheering for the return of young master Xuan.

Hearing the sound, Zhi Xuan opened the car window, saw the villagers on the side of the road, walked out of the car door, stood in the cold wind and waved to everyone.

"My son is back!"

The team keeps moving forward, passing through the villages along the way, which will attract bursts of cheers.

Before Zhixuan approached the new city, the subjects had already received the news, rushing out of the city, and excitedly gathered by the roadside.Some people were in a hurry, they didn't wait in place, but went forward together, ready to meet Zhi Xuan on the way.

The government order and several senior officials went out of the city one after another, and waited in front of the city gate together with the subjects.

Not long after, the sound of wheels and footsteps came, and the black flag came into view, followed by the familiar carriage, in which was Zhi Xuan in a black robe.

Seeing Zhi Xuan, everyone saluted under the leadership of the government order and the next doctor, and shouted: "Welcome, young master!"

The sound is repeated again and again, and the volume of the sound is higher than the wave, not because of the form, but from the heart.The subjects all cheered for Zhixuan's return, and even the howling cold wind couldn't blow away their excitement.

"The son is back!"

The knight who delivered the letter whipped his horse and rushed to Feng and Liang at high speed.

Both Ji Gao and Luo Gong returned from there, and they didn't stay in Zhidi to hand over the king's reward, and they returned to Fengliang respectively.

Ding Bao didn't return to the forest farm, but stayed in Xincheng for the time being, responsible for the manpower arrangement of the new town and the forest farm, transporting the timber in time, and paying wages to the working subjects.

When Zhi Xuan arrived, the forest farm had just delivered a batch of timber, as well as two sika deer caught in the forest.

This is a pair of mother and child, the female deer is not unusual, no different from ordinary sika deer.The little deer is all white, and his eyes are like two round gemstones, which is very beautiful.

When the logger found the mother and son, he thought the deer was really good-looking, so he didn't hunt it down, but sent it to Xincheng to present to Zhixuan.

Ding Bao also found it strange and ordered someone to take care of it.

If the witch doctor and doctor Sang were there, the little deer would definitely be sent to the two old men.Helplessly, the two traveled with Zhixuan, and the medicine servant was busy feeding the chickens and ducks every day, so he really didn't have the energy to take care of the two sika deer.

In winter, the medicine fields withered, but the chickens and ducks kept in cages were quite energetic.The medicine servant should be more careful when feeding, and dare not get too close to the cage, otherwise he will be pecked.

A fox sneaked into the medicine field before, but instead of succeeding in stealing food, it was trapped and died in the cage.By the time the medicine servant found out that something was wrong, the fox had been chilled for a long time, his body was already stiff, and the fur all over his body was tattered, and there was almost no complete place to be found.

Considering the actual situation, Ding Bao had no choice but to let go of the idea, and kept the two deer at home and let his servants take good care of them.

Zhi Xuan's team came to the gate of the city, and the road to the city was already crowded.

The crowd was reluctant to disperse for a long time, and they all surrounded the chariot, their joy and excitement were beyond words.

The soldiers, soldiers, and slaves who traveled with Zhixuan had all seen similar scenes and were surrounded by crowds, so they were not very surprised.

It was the first time that the members of the Gou clan who had fled here witnessed this scene, and they were surprised, and had a deeper understanding of the prestige of Young Master Xuan in the fief.

It is not a long journey from outside the city to inside the city, but Zhi Xuan walked for half an hour.

When the chariot passed through the city gate, the driver and Rong You were sweating and their cheeks were flushed.The two looked at each other, and they both saw pride in each other's expressions.Being able to follow Gong Zixuan is really extremely satisfying, and it is enough to honor descendants.

When the team arrived in the city, the crowd still did not disperse, they followed both sides of the road all the way to the Prince's Mansion.

Ju Yan has been to Xincheng, but he can still maintain his composure.

His family and clansmen had just arrived, and seeing the neat squares, clean long streets, and gutters paved with stone slabs, they were all eye-opening.

Even in winter, the roads in the city are cleaned every day.The snow was cleared to the side of the road, part of it was buried in the ditch, and part of it was piled up, waiting for the slaves to be transported out of the city, basically there would be no mud.

Most of the roadsides are wooden buildings, which look very neat in rows when viewed horizontally and in columns when viewed vertically.

Most of the square walls are not high, and some squares do not even have walls. Only stone tablets and wooden signs are erected to indicate the identity of the residents in the square.

This way of living is similar to that of the Western Capital City, but it is different.

Along the way, people of the Gou clan saw not only the clan workshop, Guoren workshop and common people workshop, but also commercial workshops specially used for trading and for caravans to stay.

The soldiers riding horses told them that roads were blocked by heavy snow in winter, and the number of people coming and going decreased.When the spring is warm and the flowers are blooming, the caravans will come one after another, and the city will become more lively.

"In just one year, Young Master Xuan will build a mighty city with extraordinary talents!"

Amidst the surprise and exclamation of the Gou clan, the team came to a square where no monument had been erected.According to the convention, Juyan and his people will be arranged here, and those who are vassals of them can live here, or choose another residence in other workshops.

"After settling down, hand over all the manuals in the workshop to Ding Bao."

Ding Bao's official position is under Ju Yan's, but he has followed Zhi Xuan for a longer period of time, and he has gained Zhi Xuan's trust even more.According to Zhixuan's plan, before the start of spring plowing, he will be the doctor of Zhidi County, filling the vacancy left by Luo Gong after he left for Liangdi.

Some people in the Gou team showed dissatisfaction with the personnel list, but Gou Yan didn't have any objections, accepted the arrangement calmly, and respectfully sent Zhixuan away.

After the whole clan settled down, Gou Yan immediately called his son and nephew to meet, and discussed with the elders of the clan, picked out the clan members who showed dissatisfaction before, and kept them all in the workshop, and they were not allowed to leave the workshop until they understood their mistakes.

"Young Master Xuan is wise and decisive, strategizing. In the future, he will be able to rise to the sky and travel thousands of miles." Ju Yan glanced over, and seriously told his nephew and son, "You must do your best to follow Young Master Xuan. I am the Gou family. In the 20th year of the Lord, this decision is worthy of the ancestors. You need to keep it in your heart and not waver. I will follow the son wholeheartedly, and I will definitely have a place in the court in the future. Even the position of Liuqing may not be impossible! "

"promise!"

In the prince's mansion, Zhi Xuan was invited to the main hall by the edict before he could change his outer robe in time.

Because Zhixuan was not in the fiefdom, the king's reward was delivered, and the government officials did not dare to move it lightly, let alone put it into the treasury at will. They kept it in the main hall and sent people to guard it every day.

When Zhixuan walked into the hall, the first thing he saw was the beautiful jade bestowed by the king.

The whole piece of jade is the size of two palms, with a warm color and fine texture, and it emits a lustrous luster under the sun.

The king of men was very satisfied with the rhino horns and hides that he paid as a tribute, so he specially ordered someone to carve the jade into the shape of a divine bird and rewarded it to Zhixuan.

The craftsmen who serve the King of People are exquisite in craftsmanship, and the lines of the divine bird carved out are smooth and lifelike.

The only fly in the ointment is that in order to maximize the use of raw materials, the craftsman did not design the proportions well, and this divine bird is a bit fat.

Zhi Xuan stood in front of the table and carefully sized up the divine bird carved in jade. It was like turning a peacock into a sparrow, changing from a slender body to a short and chubby one.

To describe it specifically, it should be the ancient version of Angry Birds?