"I heard that the rules in the army have become stricter. I'm afraid Dong Tiezhu will be in trouble this time!"
"This kid is so stupid. How dare he spread the news about the military?"
"Let me tell you, this army is so unkind. It's not just potato powder, it's just food. Just because of this, I think it's too much to chop off people's heads."
The people around were talking a lot, but they did not feel any fear because Zuo Menggeng was present in person.
Over time, the people have adapted to Zuo Menggeng's kindness and tolerance.
Everyone knows that Shandong is not a place where people are punished for their words.
Anyone who has any opinions or ideas can express them freely.
In the midst of such discussions, Dong Sanchuan and his wife and Dong Tiezhu were brought up.
In just a few days, Dong Tiezhu became extremely haggard.
As soon as he arrived, Dong Tiezhu knelt down.
"Commander, all your mistakes are my fault. If you want to punish me, then punish me. Please spare my parents."
Zuo Mengeng became unhappy on the spot and asked: "Who allowed you to kneel down? What did you teach me back then?"
He had never seen him look so stern before, and Dong Tiezhu was really frightened.
All the sadness and grievances in my stomach were suppressed, and I got up shivering again.
Huang Zongxi was also angry.
"A good man stands upright and would rather break than bend. The rule of canceling the kneeling ceremony has been announced for a long time, but you still violate it like this. It shows that your studies are not up to standard at all."
Dong Tiezhu drooped his head, feeling even more upset.
He was just worried about his parents, so he forgot the rules in his panic.
Either Zuo Mengeng or Huang Zongxi simply did not dwell too much on this matter.
"Tell me, why did you think of passing on potato flour to your parents?"
Before Dong Tiezhu could speak, Dong Sanchuan said quickly: "Commander, they are all...all the common people who have been deceived by lard. They only thought about making money, and that's why they harmed my son. I...I will pay for it with my life right now."
In the army, please let my son go for once."
When Mrs. Wang heard this, she burst into tears. Her desperate look made everyone look at her.
Zuo Mengeng's head was covered with black lines.
Even if this doesn't go any better, he's just looking for death and survival.
"Quiet, all quiet!"
As he shouted angrily, the scene fell silent.
Seeing that Dong Sanchuan's family didn't seem to be able to talk well, Zuo Mengeng thought of a way.
"Dong Sanchuan, I heard that the potato flour you make is very popular and everyone likes it. How about you show me your skills here today?"
What kind of trick is this?
Not only Dong Sanchuan's family, but also the people watching the excitement around him, and even Huang Zongxi didn't know the reason.
But Zuo Mengeng gave the order, and the matter must be done.
The soldiers brought something up and placed it in front of Dong Sanchuan.
With life or death uncertain, Dong Sanchuan was completely confused.
His only thought was to keep the Dong family's reputation no matter what.
For this reason, Zuo Mengeng would do whatever he said.
If Zuo Mengeng can calm down his anger, he is even willing to die.
Under the watchful eyes of everyone, Dong Sanchuan started to move his hands and feet in a panic.
He took out the homemade potato flour and put it into the pot to boil, and also prepared the seasoning and soup himself.
After a while, a steaming bowl of potato flour was ready.
"bring here."
"Commander, for safety's sake..."
Fu Yijian couldn't help but remind him, but was interrupted by Zuo Mengeng.
"With so many pairs of eyes watching, are you still afraid of him poisoning you?"
Fu Yijian had nothing to say, so he had to go over and bring back potato powder.
On the way, he personally scooped a spoonful of soup and put it into his mouth.
It doesn't matter what Zuo Menggen thinks. Protecting Zuo Menggen's safety is paramount.
After he drank the soup and felt safe, Fu Yijian placed the potato flour in front of Zuo Mengeng.
Countless pairs of eyes stared at it, but Zuo Mengeng didn't feel any discomfort. He picked up the chopsticks, took a mouthful, put it into his mouth, and then took another sip of the soup.
After savoring it carefully for a while, Zuo Mengeng smiled.
"Not bad, not bad. It's much more delicious than those made by those rough guys in the army."
Although potato starch was first made in the military, military food...you know everything about it.
All I can say is that it’s enough to satisfy your cravings. As for the taste, don’t have too many extravagant expectations.
Compared with the potato flour made by Dong Sanchuan, it is simply heaven and earth.
No way, this is the difference between big pot rice and commercial products.
After Zuo Menggen tasted it, he said to Dong Sanchuan: "There is indeed a reason why the potato flour you make is so popular."
Dong Sanchuan quickly swore an oath.
"Grassmen will never dare to sell again."
Zuo Mengeng looked over jokingly.
"You just don't want to sell it, but you also know how to make potato flour."
Dong Sanchuan misunderstood what he meant and got angry on the spot.
"The common people...the common people will commit suicide immediately and will never dare to spread the word."
Zuo Mengeng laughed loudly.
"You guys are always fighting for life and death. It makes me and the army seem like evil people who oppress the people."
This made everyone a little puzzled.
Zuo Mengeng knew it was time to make a decision on this matter.
He looked at Dong Tiezhu.
"Dong Tiezhu, as a soldier, you leaked military affairs without permission. This behavior seriously violated military discipline. You should be aware of the consequences."
Dong Tiezhu straightened his back. After fear and regret, he always firmly remembered his identity.
"Dong Tiezhu is willing to be punished."
"good!"
Zuo Mengeng liked this kind of style the most.
"Now I declare that soldier Dong Tiezhu is guilty of leaking secrets, and he cannot escape this crime. Since he has not caused any major impact or trouble, his crime can be reduced as appropriate. From now on, Dong Tiezhu will be expelled from the military and will not be allowed to join the army for three generations."
Dong Tiezhu felt as if he had been struck by lightning, his eyes blurred with tears.
"Commander, you can beat me, scold me or kill me, but you can't drive me out of the army!"
Zuo Mengeng was unmoved.
"The verdict has been made and cannot be changed. This is a punishment for you and a warning to others. I hope you will take this as a lesson and live a peaceful life in the future. Do you understand?"
Knowing that there was no room for change, Dong Tiezhu felt regretful and squatted on the ground holding his head and crying.
Dismissal from the military was really a huge punishment for him.
But for Dong Sanchuan and his wife, they were extremely happy that their son's life was saved.
The next step is to deal with them.
Zuo Mengeng stood up and looked at all the people.
"Potato flour was originally made to provide food for the army. Although it is important, it is not really a secret. Especially in Shandong today, potatoes are everywhere. If potato flour can be liked by everyone, it will solve the problem for everyone.
It’s not a good thing to have enough food.”
He came up with the final solution.
"Dong Sanchuan, you made potato powder and sold it without the permission of the army. You should be severely punished. However, you are not a member of the army and you did not cause any major damage, so the relevant military discipline will not fall on you. But you are using potato powder to make profits.
, and what is involved is a military patent. Well, from now on, the military authorizes you to make potato powder and sell it. The condition is that you need to pay the military patent fee of one tael of silver every year for ten consecutive years.
After ten years, the patent protection period expires, and you can freely operate this business."
The people around were making a lot of noise and were quite surprised by this decision.
But when I think about it more carefully, I can't help but admire it very much.
Zuo Menggeng's judgment not only took into account the law, but also took care of people's livelihood.
The most important thing is that in the future, ordinary people will be able to eat delicious potato flour.
At that moment, someone asked: "Commander, can we also make potato powder and sell it?"
Zuo Mengeng nodded.
"You can do the same as Dong Sanchuan and pay a royalty of one tael of silver to the logistics department every year, and you can operate as you like."
Seeing the people's enthusiasm, Zuo Mengeng quickly reminded them.
"Although potato flour is good, it should not be too popular. Otherwise, you will compete with each other for customers, and no one will make money. I hope you will do a good job in market research when running this business in the future, otherwise it will be too crowded."
The people were very happy and raised their hands one after another to show that they were taught.
Wang Mengzhen stood aside and watched the entire trial process, with a vague understanding in his heart.
He no longer struggled with the fact that the army had its own financial resources.