Xu Shiyang breathed a sigh of relief and was able to make do with 30 kilograms per month. He couldn't ask for too much now. Anyway, he didn't have so many firearms to use in his hands.

"Just 30 kilograms! Set the standard! Decompose the process, group the children and learn one process for each group, so that it can be faster."

"Sanlang Dacai."

It was just a casual compliment. Gongsun Sheng did not take this to heart. For Shiwutun, the biggest trouble in creating gunpowder was not time, but the lack of raw materials.

Division of labor and simple assembly lines sounds pretty good, but now it can play a confidential role.

When Xu Shiyang talked about gunpowder with Gongsun Sheng, Zhang Blacksmith kept twisting in his seat, as if he wanted to leave, but he didn't dare.

He is the only blacksmith in Shiwutun. His craftsmanship is pretty good, but he always has some small peasant ideas that he cherishes.

Xu Shiyang repeatedly asked him to bring more apprentices and pick more people from the refugee children. Even if the children recognize him as their godfather, Zhang Blacksmith just disagreed.

He has two sons, and what he thought was that if he brought out his apprentice and there were too many blacksmiths in the village, he would steal his sons' jobs in the future.

Xu Shiyang dislikes this kind of thinking very much, although this is very common in the current era and seems to be very reasonable.

Moreover, he had no good way to deal with Blacksmith Zhang. After all, the other party was a "high-tech talent". Xu Shiyang could kill an old man from Zhuangzhong at the level of Old Man Hu, but he would not kill a blacksmith casually, and he would not even drive him away.

Blacksmiths were the only one who could eat anywhere in this era (when they went out in Jiangnan, they were still the world of scholars).

Having said that, every time Zhang Blacksmith attended the meeting, he felt uncomfortable when he heard Xu Shiyang discussing gunpowder with Gongsun Sheng.

Gunpowder was invented by Xu Shiyang (actually naturally plagiarized from another world). He shared this secret with Gongsun Sheng very selflessly. The two of them did a lot of experiments and finally determined the current process and formula, and then expanded production.

In contrast, Zhang Blacksmith's behavior seems stingy.

What's more, Xu Shiyang also elevated his status in the village to the point where he could attend such "high-level" meetings and be on par with Old Man Hu.

If this matter is spread, it is hard to say whether Old Man Zhang will be scolded as ungrateful.

"How many muskets can you build every month?"

To solve the supply of gunpowder, Xu Shiyang's next problem is naturally to use gunpowder weapons.

"I have to repair the farm tools..., one shot." Zhang Blacksmith lowered his head and whispered.

"You still don't want to take an apprentice?" Xu Shiyang continued.

"Young master, you'd better not let the little old man come here to sit. You can't afford it..." Zhang blacksmith begged with a crying voice: "The little old man just thunders."

Old Man Zhang felt a little better if he didn't come to attend the high-level meeting.

"No." Xu Shiyang refused bluntly: "I need to know the production of iron tools. If you don't come, please let your boss come!"

Old Man Zhang stopped talking.

What is the difference between his son coming and his coming?

Since people are scolded for being ungrateful, it would be better to let him, the half-in-law, carry him.

"You just want your two sons to make a blacksmith forever? You don't want to live a good life of having food when you are in charge of your work. Tell you, I can inherit at least two farms from my father. At that time, I will definitely be more than one blacksmith in your family. Think about it carefully!"

After saying that, Xu Shiyang ignored him and turned to Carpenter Li and asked, "I want 20 wooden cannons I made last time in 2 months!"

Carpenter Li is not as difficult as Zhang's blacksmith, and carpenters are not as precious as blacksmith (although Xu Shiyang still has only this carpenter now).

So, the old man took a lot of money and replied: "It will be done in one month! It's just..."

The carpenter glanced at the blacksmith sitting beside him and said slowly:

"The iron hoop still needs Lao Zhang to come."

"This is done! The iron hoop is easy to build!" Seeing that Xu Shiyang looked at him again, Zhang Blacksmith quickly expressed his opinion.

Xu Shiyang nodded and went to the last topic.

"Xu Da and Xu Er. Pick 30 more children out. It turns out that the people on the village and the new ones are fine. Give me a 50-strong team of personal soldiers!"

"Affect the order."

These children never complain to Xu Shiyang - they have lived the hardest life.

They wouldn't complain to Xu Shiyang.

Because they were afraid of being driven out of Zhuangzi, Xu Da and Xu Er knew what kind of life were the refugees outside Zhuangzi living.

"Okay, if you have nothing to do, let's stop here today and go to work alone."

Xu Shiyang announced the end of the meeting. When everyone walked to the door, Old Man Hu turned back and lowered his eyebrows in his ear and whispered:

"Young Master, why not go back to our home and have a look."

"Um?"

Xu Shiyang raised his eyebrows and looked at the old man Hu who was looking down.

"Why? Tell me."

"No matter what you lack, the second master still has 4 farms, and there are two boats every year that connect the southern court. The old man wants..."

"Let me go home and ask for something?"

Xu Shiyang shook his head:

"You don't know, I have a second wife at home."

As the saying goes, if there is a stepmother, there is a stepmother. In this life, Xu Shiyang was deeply touched by this.

The second wife always wanted to leave more property for his younger brother, and encouraged Xu Shiyang to his father early, and Xu Muhe, the second master of the Xu family, gave him the weakest trestle to let Xu Shiyang become independent.

The woman seemed to think that even if Xu Shiyang did this, even if he fled himself, the remaining four houses in the second house could be left to her own son.

With this mentality, Xu Shiyang went home to ask for things, which naturally became her brother's goal to seize his younger brother's property in her eyes.

A few sarcastic words are inevitable, and Xu Shiyang cannot ignore them, because she is indeed the wife whom Xu Muhe married after his mother's death, and she is also Xu Shiyang's mother.

"Mrs. Saying a few words is nothing."

Old man Hu lowered his head and continued to whisper:

"What's more, the young master can bring a gift this time."

"Exchange supplies with your family?"

This is feasible.

"It's just a gift to the second master. You are the eldest son of the second master. If your father is kind and his son is filial, the second master will naturally give you one or two gifts."

"Oh..., I'm wrong, you're right." Xu Shiyang sighed and said, "What gift do you think is good to prepare?"

It cannot be too bad, it cannot be taken out, and it cannot be replaced.

Have to get some good stuff.

There are indeed some good things in Shiwutun now.

"How many horses are you holding?" Old Man Hu asked cautiously.

"Why? Let's talk about it." Xu Shiyang asked without raising his head.

This question is considered a scrutiny of Old Man Hu, and it also gives him a chance to show himself.

"The war horses of the Tartars are all good horses, so we can't get them easily. Last year, Mr. Fan from Juzhou City got one from somewhere. He loves it like a treasure, and it is said to be worth a hundred taels. In addition,...."
Chapter completed!