The fat shopkeeper was sweating and said with a cautious smile:

"Master Xiong, this pot of chili padi was brought by merchants from the southern island. There are 10 pots in total. Maybe due to the weather, this pot is the only one left that has blossomed and bear fruit!

Originally I wanted to keep it for seeding, but after it bloomed and fruited, I kept it for a few months and forgot about it. I still can’t remember whether I want to make the minced pepper fish head that Mr. Xiong said, haha!”

Zhao Xiong ignored the fat shopkeeper and thought that the island in the south should refer to Hainan Island!

In his space, the plants he brought out died instantly, and all that was left in the warehouse were bottled chili sauce. If he wanted to eat fresh chili padi, he had to grow it himself.

Then he picked the peppers with his own hands and carefully, so carefully that the fat shopkeeper standing aside twitched his mouth.

Zhao Xiong asked his assistant to bring the cloth bags and put them away, so that he could sow seeds and be self-sufficient next spring!

Half an hour later, I was full of wine and food.

Zhao Xiong checked his watch and saw that it was only 7:30 in the evening. He stood up and opened the window to look out at the night view of the canal outside the building window.

At this moment, Hanzhuang Town is a bustling scene with fiery trees and silver flowers.

Zhao Xiong calculated the time out of boredom. It was the fifteenth year of Yongping in the Kang Dynasty. Which year was it specifically, 1835 or 1836? He couldn't figure it out, and he felt depressed just thinking about it.

It seems that opium was already rampant in coastal areas in 1835. A few years later, the Opium War was a disaster, and the land of China would be a river of blood.

Where will he go then!

While he was thinking wildly, Zuo Liangyu, who was sitting at the door of the screen, reminded him that someone outside the wooden screen asked to see Zhao Xiong.

Zhao Xiong muttered in his heart, "Please, someone is looking for him as soon as he arrives in Hanzhuang Town. This is the second time in such a short time!"

After a while, Zhao Xiaolu led the two people in.

Zhao Xiong raised his eyes and saw that the person in front seemed familiar.

I looked around a few times and saw that it was the same Zhou Xiaoqi I had seen at Lao Zhao Tong’s private dock at noon today!

Zhou Xiaoqi is a barge steward of the Taierzhuang Canal. He is not considered a military household but can only be regarded as a boat owner of the Grand Canal.

At this time, Zhou Xiaoqi was wearing a tassel hat, a velvet crane cloak, a white silk jacket, fine knotted Chenqiao shoes, clear water cloth socks, and shaking a Jinchuan fan in his hand.

He suddenly transformed into a ‘Ximen official’, who looked like a businessman and looked very charming.

The boat boss with the yellow teeth baring his teeth at noon today is a completely different person!

The man in the clothes and the horse in the saddle may be to create a "face project" for the smooth communication with the outside world. Zhao Xiong understood this deeply in his time!

"See Mr. Xiong,"

"Xiongye is auspicious,"

Only then did Zhao Xiong see clearly that Zhou Xiaoqi was followed by a short man, about 50 years old, with a silver beard on his chest, energetic, agile and strong.

At first glance, he looks like a boatman.

When meeting Zhao Xiong, he and Zhou Xiaoqi would kneel down and salute.

Zhao Xiong may have just arrived in Guizhou and was not used to the kneeling ceremony of the Kangxi people, so he waved his hand and said in a deep voice: "You two, this is not the Yamen getting up to talk!"

Zhou Xiaoqi quickly stood up and asked the short old man to place the gift on the table.

"What does this mean?"

Zhao Xiong frowned and looked calmly at the pile of gifts on the table.

Zhou Xiaoqi quickly replied:

"This is a small tribute from the Shachuan Gang. This is Wang Yongxin of Xuzhou Wei General Banner of the Yunjun Army. He has something to ask you to see. Now that you have come to Fulinmen, we will come to see you as soon as possible!"

Zhao Xiong searched for the Shachuan Gang in his mind. This group of boatmen and boatmen who made a living on the Shandong Canal spontaneously organized the boat gang, just like the trade unions of their time.

Of course, in the early and middle stages of Dakang, the punishment for transporting young men to the guards was very severe.

The athletes of Dakang are all by-elections among the guards, and there is no involvement of civilians.

In the past ten years, the situation has been deteriorating and the transport capacity cannot be supplemented, so we have to hire private ships.

At the beginning, transporting troops can obtain certain economic benefits. These economic sources are roughly composed of three parts, one is farming; the other is grain; and the third is monthly grain.

More than 100 years have passed, and the water transportation of the Grand Canal has gradually changed.

Although the system of farming grain and monthly grain has not changed much, as land annexation intensified, the burden of transporting troops increased, and the shortcomings of the canal regulations themselves were gradually exposed.

Regular and monthly rations were also deducted by the imperial court and even officials at all levels under various pretexts.

Therefore, the porters on the canal had no choice but to "take it with them" and secretly earn some money to supplement their family income.

The Dakang Dynasty's Yunjun was under militarized management, with "five ships and one armor system".

The basic unit of the transfer ship formation.

Every time they arrived at Yuncao, "the army numbered 100,000. They were not only controlled by the censor of the capital, general soldiers and generals, but also by the general commanders and other officials.

The fleet of nearly 200 ships led by Wang Yongxin, the general flag of Xuzhou Guard, was the first fleet of Xuzhou Guard to sail north to Tongzhou this month.

They left their hometowns and couldn't spend the Chinese New Year at home just so they could "bring the soil with them" to supplement their family income.

Tomorrow is the last time the gate will be opened. Wang Yongxin of Xuzhou Wei General Banner asked to see Zhao Xiong and gave him money to pass through the gate.

First of all, it is the custom of the Grand Canal to pay money when crossing the lock.

Secondly, General Flag Wang Yongxin doesn’t know whether the more than 50 sand ships that are unloading cargo can be released tomorrow, together with more than 100 other ships, through Tongzhou.

But Wang Yongxin and others knew that after unloading, the sand ships were empty, and they bought a batch of goods in Shandong. They could make a fortune by sending them to Tongzhou, which was much better than entrainment.

If they cannot successfully cross the Hanzhuang Gate, not to mention returning empty-handed, even if they purchase a batch of goods along the Shandong coast and send them to Tongzhou to make a fortune, they will all be wishful thinking.

Just as he was talking, Zhao Xiaolu whispered a few words in Zhao Xiong's ear, and then Zhao Xiong suddenly understood.

The fleet led by Xuzhou Wei General Banner Wang Yongxin included 20 large tankers.

A large tanker can carry nearly 2,000 kilograms of grain (approximately 120,000 kilograms).

Wang Yongxin privately lengthened the canal to more than nine feet, with a carrying capacity of 3,000 shi (approximately 180,000 kilograms). The overloaded canal could barely pass through the canal locks, and was often stranded and drifted due to its overweight.

Even though the water in the Dongyue Canal is shallow and it is difficult for ships to sail, it usually takes about 1,000 shi to load grain, but in fact it is 1,800 shi.

In fact, it’s almost half and half!

If Zhao Xiong does not provide assistance, these modified ships will definitely not be able to pass the sluice due to their overweight.

He slowly tapped the table with the fingers of his right hand and pondered for a while.

In fact, it is illegal to modify a boat privately, just like modifying a car privately in the previous life.

If the sentence is severe, Zhao Xiong should immediately order the seizure of this privately modified ship.

What did Zhao Xiong do in his previous life? He was in Zhongshan Port as the office director of the first team of the Urban Management Supervision Brigade.

Want: "Adhere to civilized law enforcement, administration according to law, and build harmonious supervision" services.

As for what was carried, Zhao Xiongcai didn't bother to ask!
Chapter completed!