Niu Xiu, whose courtesy name was Jinda, was from Longxi. He was a member of the Conquest and was appointed as the General of the Right Wuwei Guard and Duke of Langya County. He was a general in the early Tang Dynasty.

Compared with many well-known famous generals, Niu Jinda seems not to be known to future generations. However, he surrendered to the Tang Dynasty together with Qin Shubao and Cheng Yaojin, and stayed in the Qin Mansion. He was also the confidant general of His Majesty Li Er.

Moreover, Niu Jindalei made great achievements in conquest and fought, especially under Songzhou City, where he attacked Tubo military camps at night, killing thousands of levels, and forcing the Tubo army to retreat.

Of course, Niu Jinda may be inferior to Li Jing, Li Ji, Hou Junji and others in military command and strategy, so he failed to stand alone and established a great achievement like destroying a country and capturing a king.

This time, as the chief marching officer, he led tens of thousands of Guanzhong soldiers to Gansu and Suzhou under the order. Niu Jinda was somewhat resentful.

It was nothing else. Although the imperial edict was tactful, His Majesty Li Er had personally seen the orders, but after tens of thousands of soldiers arrived in Gansu and Suzhou, the meaning of Xu Qilin's dispatch and use was certain.

First, Niu Jin was appointed as the General of the Left Wu Guard and the General Manager of the March, and his rank was much higher than Xu Qilin in his job.

Secondly, as the governor, Xu Qilin was a civil servant and appointed an army, which was suspected of overreaching power.

Of course, Xu Qilin's dispatch and command could not be marching and fighting, but only labor production and preparations for the conquest of Gaochang.

Although Niu Jinda felt a little depressed, he knew that he could not disobey. Furthermore, this was also the reason why His Majesty Li Er sent him here. He knew that he was low-key, honest and simple, and knew the general.

When he led his army to pass by Liangzhou, Niu Jinda saw that although the local people were stable, their lives had not reached a wealthy level.

However, vehicles passed by frequently, caravans were from the mainland and Hu merchants who went to the mainland. The grain transporter was a convoy of Dayingku who was used to support the army.

After all, Liangzhou was completely settled for a few years. Before the Tang army launched a large-scale counterattack on Tuyuhun in the ninth year of Zhenguan, the place was still suffering from war.

Niu Jinda didn't care much about this, but he felt that the more west he went, the more remote he should be. In his heart, a scene of Ganzhou where the people were poor had appeared.

But what was unexpected to Niu Jinda was that after entering Ganzhou, the more you walked, the more prosperous the villages were. The villages along the way were orderly, the roads were flat, and the people were rarely feasted on their food.

The arrangements on the road were also very good, and the camps were all designated. Although the camps were not as strong as those in wartime, they made the soldiers less tired.

Although the army has its own food, the local area also provides salt, pickled vegetables, soy sauce, and bacon, which is much better than the food during the march.

The governor Xu is well managed and very rich. Niu Jinda first sighed.

Niu Jinda knew a little about Xu Qilin's identity and background. He thought that this was all based on His Majesty's trust and favor, and Xu Qilin took charge of the materials and money that the court wanted.

But when Niu Jinda arrived in the urban area of ​​Ganzhou, he opened his eyes. Unexpectedly, there was such a prosperous city on the frontier, which was not inferior to the mainland city, but had a stronger commercial atmosphere.

In Ganzhou City, Xu Qilin naturally warmly welcomed and welcomed the soldiers from Guanzhong who came from afar.

Xu Qilin was not afraid of this general who looked rough, black and hairy, and looked fierce. He took out his plan very directly and asked Niu Jinda to dispatch soldiers to various places.

As the saying goes, knowing oneself and the enemy, Xu Qilin learned that Niu Jinda led his army to assist in the spring plowing, so he naturally understood and inquired about him.

Although Niu Jinda looks like the Bull Demon King, he is kind and upright, he can't judge people by his appearance.

Niu Jinda is now awesome as a general. But he has a miserable youth, which has also caused his personality traits.

In the chaotic times at the end of the Sui Dynasty, even if Niu Jinda was born in a county magistrate's family, he could not help but suffer hardships. The people started to cause trouble due to hunger and despair, and bandits were rampant. His father was eventually killed by the rioters, and he was the only one in the family who survived by chance.

It is precisely because of the tragic days when he was unable to eat, that after Niu Jinda was named General, he still maintained a hard and simple lifestyle and was quite low-key.

At home, except for his wife and a son with broken legs, there was only an old servant. In other words, the life of the General Niu Jinda is not much superior to that of ordinary people.

Logically speaking, the general's salary was enough for Niu Jinda's family to live a prosperous life. However, when Xu Qilin heard that General Niu used most of his money to protect and take care of his Linzhang County when the city was broken, he couldn't help but feel respectful.

No matter how noble you are, no matter how rich you are, no matter how poor you are, no matter how well you interpret this sentence, Niu Jinda is a model.

It is precisely because of this that Niu Jinda has a noble character than others, or is more accurate in his pursuit.

He doesn't care much about getting promoted or enjoying wealth and glory, but he hopes that the people can live a stable and prosperous life and no longer experience the sufferings he has suffered.

A noble person, a person who is free from low-level interests, and a person who is determined to benefit the people... Xu Qilin is really a little ashamed of himself.

Therefore, after understanding General Niu's nature and deeds, Xu Qilin did not have to please and flatter him. He directly borrowed the army to produce spring farming, benefiting the people of Ganzhou and telling the truth about his intention to live in immigrants.

Sure enough, General Niu listened to Xu Qilin's introduction and read the detailed plan formulated by the government, he agreed and immediately dispatched various departments to the designated spring farming area.

As the people returned to prepare for farming and transporting food to Fengshi, Xu Qilin handed over to the army. General Niu also led his personal guards from Suzhou and explored the way first under the guidance of his guide.

More than ten days later, the spring plowing was underway. When it was over in a few days, General Niu returned to Suzhou with his personal guards.

Although he didn't take the entire journey, he just returned to Xingxing Gorge. General Niu also made a judgment that he would win this battle.

When it comes to conquering Gaochang, everyone knows that the thousands of miles of Gobi desert is the biggest obstacle, and General Niu is no exception. He has imagined the difficulties more than once on the way to Ganzhou.

But after walking halfway through the Gobi Desert, Niu Jinda felt that there were still difficulties, but it was far from as great as he imagined. The preparations Xu Qilin made him admired and sighed.

Countless road signs, sand barriers beside the road, and food and water storage in Fengshi's Fengshi... Although these work is still in progress, General Niu has lost his way and is moving very fast.

"The court has spared no effort to support the financial support of Governor Xu!" Niu Jinda sighed, "Governor Xu has also done a great job. He has also made great contributions to winning the conquest of Gaochang."

The captain of the guard nodded in agreement and said, "How much does it cost to build a road in the Gobi Desert? How can you do it without the support of the court?"

Niu Jinda and his personal soldiers did not know that although Xu Qilin could not build roads as high as flat ground, the money spent was not all transferred from Chang'an.

Moreover, Xu Qilin built roads not only to conquer Gaochang, but also to make a smooth business road. The "Dahai Road" is the most convenient business road to the Western Regions. Even if it only reduces the difficulty of travel, it will attract many merchants.

The same thing is said: If you want to be rich, build roads first. Xu Qilin has never been stingy with infrastructure investment.

In Ganzhou's more than a year of operation, Xu Qilin spent more money, but he has shown His Majesty Li Er the return after the investment through the calculated data, and the term is not long.

Therefore, His Majesty Li Er knew and agreed to Xu Qilin's profits such as using the Maritime Bureau's income, renting land, selling houses, selling cotton textiles, etc.

Even if he had not passed the court's acquiescence, Xu Qilin was fearless and did not worry about the idle censors impeaching him.

This is called cleverness. Things are done without any leakage. The public never reaches out for money. With His Majesty Li Er, no one is afraid of anyone who sues him.

Others looked at Zhan Fei in Ganzhou, but how could they know how much Xu Qilin spent? But these are all early investments. The greater the investment, the faster the output, and the richer it is.

For example, this time, when the Guanzhong Prefecture soldiers arrived in Ganzhou early, of course, greatly increasing the number of cultivated land in Gansu and Suzhou, as well as the planting area of ​​cotton, soybeans, wheat and other crops, the highest growth was several times.

But it doesn’t count as rewards, and the food and drink of tens of thousands of people is definitely not a small amount. Of course, this is nothing compared to the political and economic benefits obtained after the autumn harvest.

You should know that after the autumn harvest, not only will cotton make huge profits due to the surge in output, but the grain produced will also be enough to support the troops in the Western Regions.

The data was calculated clearly, and His Majesty Li Er agreed happily and sent the low-key General Niu to lead the army to work hard with Xu Qilin.

General Niu was talking casually with his personal soldiers, and Fang Er slowed down and came over with a shy face.

That's right, Fang Er is also one of the guides, or he is mixed with the guide and wants to lobby General Niu and strive to join the army.

Xu Qilin had already told him that this was useless. Because of his father's appearance, General Niu would not agree if his IQ was online.

But Fang Er is the kind of person who doesn't give up without hitting the wall. Perhaps in order to avoid the entanglement of people sent by his family, he still ran to the team to explore the way.

"General Niu--" Fang Er interrupted with a smile: "I'll go to Guazhou in front and I can have some rest."

Niu Jinda nodded and said politely: "Erlang has worked so hard all the way."

Fang Er grinned and waved his hand, "This hard work is just a trivial matter, but I am not a spoiled playboy." As he said that, he looked at Niu Jinda very much and said, "General Niu, is it still acceptable to have some skills in riding and shooting?"

On the way, Fang Er intends to show off, and does not pay attention to the superiority and inferiority. He wrestled and competed with Niu Jinda's personal soldiers, just to let Niu Jinda know that he has the conditions to be a soldier.

Niu Jinda smiled and said, "Erlang's meaning is understood by a certain family. It's just that there are rules in the army. Erlang's identity is different. No matter how it is, a certain family cannot accept Erlang into the army."

Fang Er blinked his big eyes, and at the rejection of another refusal, he sighed helplessly, looking dejected.

Niu Jinda smiled bitterly, but he couldn't help Fang Er. Who made his father in a high position? Will he cause endless trouble after taking Fang Er?

……………………

General Niu and others returned to Guazhou, but they happened to meet Xu Qilin.

To be temporarily appointed as the governor of Suzhou, Suzhou must be governed like a thing. Especially Guazhou has been a transportation hub for east and west since ancient times, and a major merchant town on the ancient Silk Road. How could Xu Qilin not pay more attention?

In addition to vigorously promoting agriculture and animal husbandry in the corridor plain area of ​​Guazhou, Xu Qilin also sent people to the mountains in the north and south to explore and find mineral deposits.

Of course, he most hopes to find gold mines. Guazhou's gold reserves and output are ranked among the top in the country. Even if some mines are difficult to mine under current conditions, as long as there is an open-pit mine, it will be very profitable if it is not gold.

The arrival of Niu Jinda and others was naturally warmly treated by Xu Qilin.

Roasted whole lamb, double tower fish, Suoyang wine... Guazhou's specialties have not been left behind. For the group of people who have walked through the Gobi Desert, it is a delicious food that can eat your tongue.

Niu Jinda's perception of Xu Qilin changed drastically, and more smiles appeared on his face, which was originally fierce.

Moreover, he really had something to ask Xu Qilin for help. He didn't know the details when he was just a first time. Now, it's a good time.

Xu Qilin was a little surprised when he heard Niu Jinda ask about cotton planting. This was not like General Niu’s nature and style!

After listening to the story, Xu Qilin suddenly realized that General Niu looked like this and even married a daughter from a noble family as his wife!

General Niu's wife Pei was born in Hedong and was a real family. General Niu's father-in-law Pei Shen'an was the chief of Kuizhou and later was named Duke Chengcheng.

The huge profits of cotton not only attracted powerful officials, but also had large families. The planting industry was not as despised as businessmen.

Therefore, the Pei family was entrusted by the family to let Niu Jinda go along the way to see if the market could spread its branches and leaves in Gansu and Suzhou.

Xu Qilin doesn’t have to make things difficult for this. He already has ready-made specification documents, so he can come if he wants to! Of course, if he needs care, he can also help.

Xu Qilin pondered for a moment and said to General Niu: "If you are not in Gansu and Suzhou, you can only rent land to plant it. This is the court's rule and it is difficult to change it. But even if you rent land, planting cotton will have to be at least 50% more than growing grain."

Niu Jinda thought for a while and said, "Why is the price of cotton products in Chang'an so high?"

"One reason is the small quantity, and the other is the processing cost." Xu Qilin explained with a smile: "The 50% of the income mentioned is the purchase price of the government. If you process and sell it yourself, it will definitely be more."

Niu Jinda suddenly realized and nodded, "So that's it. I'm afraid that it's not as technically as the official shop of Dayingku, right?"

Xu Qilin did not hide it and said: "The cotton spinning products in Dayingku Official Floor will be exported in the future, so they are naturally very exquisite. If the private workshops are technically more difficult to do in the short term, and the products can only be sold to ordinary people."

After pausing, Xu Qilin smiled and said, "Cotton is planted everywhere, and everyone wears cotton. Can General Niu want to see such a scene? Even if the coarse cloth for ordinary people has been reduced in price, it is a sure profit and no loss."

"There are also beddings, which do not have much technical content, and the market demand is very large. Including the needs of the army in the cold areas, military uniforms and luggage, it is another long-term and stable customer."

……………
Chapter completed!