The pork butcher is smoother than a pig butcher!

Chapter 433 Recruitment
A horse cannot grow fat without night grass.

A person cannot become rich without unexpected wealth.

After the imperial army finished absorbing the wealth of the Zan family, some of their related families by marriage were also purged.

The leftover meat broth was given as a reward to the soldiers.

After half a month.

The generals leading the troops were all rolling in money.

It was Chinese New Year again, and everyone in the camp ate good food and meat every day until their bellies were bulging.

But General Gan was never seen at these people's dinner parties.

On this day, Emperor Qianwu hosted a banquet.

A general asked at the banquet:
"Everyone says General Gan brings good fortune, and every time he goes on an errand, he makes sure his men are well-fed. So why haven't the Guanzhong Army been leading the raids these past few days?"

Emperor Qianwu, who was sharp of hearing and sight, was also quite surprised upon hearing this.

Someone immediately offered him an explanation:

"Their 20,000 Kansai troops are busy right now, posting notices all over Chengdu to recruit people."

Someone exclaimed:

"General Gan has recovered more than 30,000 prisoners. Does he still need to recruit people for the garrisons? What kind of people have he recruited?"

An insider revealed:

"General Gan said that the food and snacks in Sichuan and Chongqing were delicious, so he hired a hundred cooks and two hundred female cooks in one go."

Some people are puzzled:

"What are these people from Sichuan thinking? If they had a culinary skill, they could earn a living anywhere. Why would they be willing to travel thousands of miles to Guanzhong to make a living!"

Insiders continue to reveal more:
"You have no idea how generous the conditions General Gan offered! She had people sign ten-year contracts with these people in the name of the Bashu Provincial Administration Commission, providing food and lodging, regardless of gender, and as long as their cooking skills were up to standard, they would receive ten taels of silver per month. She also promised that if the cooks did not want to stay in Guanzhong after ten years, she would send someone to send them back to their hometowns."

Those who didn't understand will understand immediately.

"No wonder! Even the chefs at the Shangdu Grand Restaurant don't necessarily earn such high wages. If you work hard in Guanxi for ten years, you can support three generations."

The whistleblower, beaming with pride, continued to reveal more information:

"The cook's wages aren't that high! Sichuan and Chongqing have many fine wines, and those master brewers are the real talents among craftsmen. It's said that General Gan sent a lot of beauty wines, Cistanche deserticola medicinal wines, and fruit wines from Guanzhong to some famous master brewers. I wonder how many of them will eventually go to Guanzhong with him."

When the generals mentioned the fine wines of Sichuan and Chongqing, they exclaimed: "Great wine!"

It has a rich, mellow, and sweet aroma, quite different from the taste of strong liquors from Northwest China.

Emperor Qianwu was also pondering whether he should bring some winemakers back to Shangdu.
There were countless banquets in the imperial court.

If you can't finish it, you can give it to someone else.

He was an emperor who was used to hardship and couldn't afford to be extravagant.

Just as my thoughts drifted to this point, a general's booming voice rang out:
“There will definitely be a lot of winemakers who would like to go! Where on the market can they make wine at will? It’s different in Guansai. They have a lot of grain grown by the military reclamation, and they can also use fruits such as mulberries, plums, grapes, and apricots to make wine.”

Emperor Qianwu: "."

Never mind, the capital doesn't have much grain either.

Should we set aside some for brewing?
They're probably going to be punished by heaven!
"No wonder those Kansai soldiers weren't so eager to raid homes. Once trade routes within the Great Wall are open, Kansai wine will surely become famous throughout the world. Which master brewer would miss such an opportunity to gain renown?"

Everyone exclaimed in unison: Envy, jealousy, and green with envy.

What's even more enviable is yet to come.

the next day.

I also heard that General Gan recruited more than 300 Shu brocade weavers and more than 200 embroiderers.

These things were known to all the generals.

What they didn't know was that Gan Minglan's real purpose in coming to Sichuan was to find papermakers.

Bashu is rich in bamboo, and its papermaking technology is quite advanced.

However, these papers are mostly used for writing and drawing.

The aristocratic and wealthy families preferred to use cloth for urination rather than these handmade papers to wipe their bottoms. The aristocracy explained: it wasn't that they couldn't bear to part with it, but firstly, the paper was too stiff, and secondly, they feared being scorned by scholars.

Therefore, people in both the previous dynasty and the present still use toilet sticks when they need to defecate.

This thing comes from General Gan of later generations, and it's the most unbearable thing about him.

Although her sacred wood space is equipped with a toilet that has a built-in flushing function.

But, there's also a little girl at home.

Making soft toilet paper is urgent.

Given her personality, if she were to seek out a paper craftsman, she would naturally look for the best paper craftsman in Sichuan and Chongqing.

After searching for more than half a month, just before leaving, the two thousand vanguard battalions she had dispatched finally obtained the information she wanted.

However, the vanguard battalion failed to bring the person back.

The ancient commander scratched his head: "General, this Zen Master Hongming is a great monk."

Gan Minglan was astonished: "How did a monk start making paper?"

Commander Gu quickly explained:

"You may not know this, but in addition to his meditation at Kaiyuan Temple, Zen Master Hongming was most fond of poetry, calligraphy, and painting. The literati of Sichuan praised his calligraphy and paintings, saying they were powerful, simple, upright, and bright, rough but not wild, and domineering but not irritable. It was a great honor to own his calligraphy and paintings."

Unfortunately, the bamboo paper made in Sichuan and Chongqing was prone to ink leakage, and Xuan paper was too expensive. In order to learn how to make cheap and good paper, Zen Master Hongming went to Guanghua Temple in Xuancheng, Huizhou fifteen years ago to stay as a monk.

In the place of origin of Xuan paper, Zen Master Hongming not only stayed at the temple but also worked in the papermaking workshop. He did this for ten years, becoming proficient in both the materials and techniques of papermaking. After completing his studies, he returned to Kaiyuan Temple five years ago.

After returning, Zen Master Hongming taught the local papermakers the art of Xuan papermaking for free at Kaiyuan Temple. However, the papermaking techniques in Sichuan and Chongqing were monopolized by powerful families, and he was suppressed by them in less than three months after he began teaching.

After the civil unrest, refugees vandalized temples across the region, and all the monks of Kaiyuan Temple returned to secular life. Zen Master Hongming, however, insisted on staying, but unfortunately, he was injured by the refugees and has been bedridden for six months.

Gan Minglan: What a pitiful master!

It took me ten years to learn a skill.

As a result, the family that had taught him the craft wouldn't let him pass it on for free after he learned it.

Since that's the case, we can only let her have it.

Immediately afterwards, General Gan wrote a letter and had Commander Gu lead a group of men to deliver it to the master.

Ancient Thousand-Man Commander: "."

I always felt that their general was somewhat naive.

Monks are detached from worldly affairs and have no interest in gold and silver. What kind of conditions could persuade a dying person to come to their aid?
Kaiyuan Temple.

Two young monks, both under ten years old, were preparing medicine for their master with worried expressions.

They were orphans that their master found on his way back to Sichuan from Xuanzhou.

He has long since lost his family.

Their master was their last remaining family.

Right now, the two young monks felt a pang of sympathy:
The younger one asked:
"Senior brother, why is Master unwilling to help that general make paper?"

The large answer:
"Because my master said he wanted to return to his roots and didn't want to die in a foreign land."

The little one's eyes were brimming with tears:

"Master has been taking medicine all along, how come he's still not better after half a year?"

The big one sighed:

"My master's leg was broken by those refugees. I heard that broken bones need to be healed with bone-setting plaster. The herbal soup prescribed by the doctor in town can't cure bones. But I'm afraid we won't be able to drink such herbal soup anymore. I heard that the doctor and his whole family are going to open a clinic in Chengdu."

"Oh no, what about Master? I don't want Master to die!"

The junior brother finally couldn't hold back and burst into tears.

My senior brother's eyes were also red.

He wanted to cry, but he couldn't.

(End of this chapter)