Just as Xu Kuang was about to sit back, Ryan said:

"Master, Master Wayne and Miss Hathaway are here."

"Please."

The assault boat took Wayne and the three of them upstream. The speed was not as violent as when it took Ren down, but it gave the three of them time to appreciate the beautiful scenery along the coast.

Hathaway looked at the assault boat below curiously and asked:

"How can this boat move without anyone rowing it?"

After hearing this, Ryan immediately sat upright:

"Miss, this is an alchemy product made by the young master, and we can't understand it either."

Hathaway nodded, like a curious baby, she asked:

"Then what do those workshops with black smoke downstream do?"

Ryan smiled bitterly and said he would find out later.

Hathaway grabbed many more things and asked them here and there. It wasn't until Baron Wayne's eyes widened that Hathaway spat out his sweet tongue and closed his mouth.

But within half a second, she asked again under Ryan's frightened expression:

"Can this thing get faster? Can it be made faster?".

Ryan smiled bitterly and said:

"It can't be faster. My old bones can't bear it any faster."

Hathaway was very interested in this. She said to the man driving the boat:

"Speed up! Speed up!".

The sailor didn't speak, just looked at Ryan.

Ryan sighed helplessly, then nodded.

"Sit down, four, I'm going to speed up."

The four people quickly adjusted their sitting postures.

The next moment, the assault boat rushed out suddenly, bringing up two three-meter-high water walls behind it. The assault boat flew all the way and came to a sharp bend.

Wayne's face turned pale. He saw the big bend in front of him and shouted quickly.

"Bend! Bend!".

But the howling wind drowned out Baron Wayne's voice, and the sailor couldn't hear what he was saying, but thought it wasn't fast enough.

So the sailor accelerated again and made a beautiful flick at the big bend.

The old housekeeper couldn't bear it anymore and lay down on the side of the boat and vomited.

Hathaway also looked ugly, but she thought to herself:

"I'm a lady, I can definitely persist.".

The next moment, there was another sharp turn.

"vomit……".

Hathaway lay down on the bow of the boat and made a nest in an unladylike manner.

Xu Kuang stood by the water, looking at the wall of water rising into the sky in the distance, thinking:

"I'll have to find out later who the sailor is who is sailing the boat. He's having a great time with the Zodiac."

But then he thought, something was wrong! The people on this boat are distinguished guests!

Xu Kuang quickly took out his electric horn and shouted:

"Slow down! Slow down!".

But then he gave up.

It was too far away and the wind was too loud for the sailors to hear.

After a while, the boat arrived in front of Xu Kuang.

Xu Kuang quickly ran forward and helped Wayne down:

"Uncle, are you okay?".

Wayne shook his head.

Xu Kuang helped Hathaway down again.

Others also stepped forward and helped the two housekeepers down.

Xu Kuang walked up to the sailor, stepped up and kicked him:

"How the hell did you drive the boat?".

The sailor said to Xu Kuang with a look of grievance:

"Butler Ryan made me happy."

Wayne's old pale face and Hathaway's pretty pale face suddenly turned red.

Xu Kuang looked at Ryan, who sighed and looked at Hathaway.

Xu Kuang understood everything instantly.

Xu Kuang calmed down and said to the sailor with a gentle expression:

"I was wrong this time. You have worked hard. I will go to the accounting office to get one hundred copper coins later. Consider it my apology to you."

The sailor became happy now.

When Wayne saw this scene, he couldn't help but admired "There are means" in his heart.

Xu Kuang quickly supported Wayne and said:

"Uncle, come in quickly."

After everyone entered the room and sat down, they rested for a long time before they recovered.

Wayne said to Xu Kuang with admiration:

"My nephew, you are so talented. This Mushroom Ridge has been completely transformed under your hands in just a few days. You are better than me."

Xu Kuang scratched his head, and it took him a long time to say:

"Uncle is so complimentary."

Wayne smiled, walked to the window, opened it, and the view below came into view.

"It is indeed a good place. From here, you can see almost everything."

"Uncle, if you don't mind it, you can stay here for a while longer."

When Wayne heard this, he looked at Xu Kuang in surprise.

Xu Kuang was a little embarrassed when Wayne saw him, and couldn't help asking:

"Uncle, just tell me what's going on."

Wayne pointed to the newly cultivated fields below and said to Xu Kuang:

"I want to go there, please take me to see it. By the way, can you drive that... assault boat?".

Xu Kuang immediately understood what Wayne meant. Wayne wanted to talk to him alone. He nodded and said with a smile:

"Of course, Grandpa Ryan, prepare some wine and food, and then find Jenny to accompany Hathaway."

Hathaway stood up suddenly and asked:

"What do you mean? Are you not going to take me with you?".

Wayne put on a serious face and said:

"We have serious business to discuss, please don't make trouble.".

Hathaway looked unconvinced and was about to say something, but when she looked at her father's frown, she swallowed her words back instantly.

"Oh well……".

Xu Kuang drove Wayne and soon arrived at the newly reclaimed farmland.

Wayne looked at the water channel paved with stone slabs and couldn't help but admired:

"I just calculated that the land you have is enough to support 20,000 people."

Xu Kuang replied to Wayne without thinking:

"Indeed, but the premise is that there are no rewards and there cannot be a bad year."

Wayne nodded and asked:

"Nearly 20,000 people have suddenly flooded into your territory. Can you take care of it?"

Xu Kuang shook his head.

The confusion in Wayne's eyes deepened:

"If you can't take care of them, why do you still need to take in so many people?"

Xu Kuang smiled, pointed at the fields, and said with a smile:

"You are wrong. I never thought about raising them. I just created opportunities for them to support themselves."

Xu Kuang responded to the salutes of each farmer, then turned to Wayne and said:

"No matter how powerful a person's power is, it is limited. The power of a group of people is truly powerful.".

Wayne looked at Xu Kuang in shock.

Xu Kuang smiled, pointed at the industrial area and said with a smile:

"Uncle, why don't you accompany me there for a walk?".

Wayne stopped Xu Kuang and said with a serious face:

"Wait a minute, I have one more thing to tell you."

Xu Kuang looked solemn and asked:

"You tell me."

"The lords around you are going to join forces to attack you. You don't know, right?"

Xu Kuang nodded after hearing this. He looked at Wayne, wanting to hear what Wayne had to say.

"I'm a bit of a loser around here. If you need it, I can mediate."

Xu Kuang immediately understood what Wayne meant. Wayne still felt that Xu Kuang had no chance of winning, so he wanted to give up his old face and change things for Xu Kuang.

Xu Kuang sighed secretly. In such a world, such friendship is too rare.

"Uncle, I know what you mean, but you have to understand that the land before Mushroom Ridge is not that small. Do you think the land swallowed by them can still be spit out?"

Wayne nodded. He actually understood this kind of thing. If he was bullied to this point, he would fight back, especially in self-defense.

"I understand what you mean. I came here just to tell you that I can support you with three thousand soldiers and horses...".

Xu Kuang opened his eyes wide. He looked at his uncle and didn't know what he was thinking.

In fact, he discovered last time that the territory of Hulu Town is not large, but the population density is extremely high. Last time Xu Kuang just glanced at the endless stables and understood that Wayne was not ordinary rich. .

It is almost unimaginable that a baron can provide two thousand soldiers and one thousand light cavalry.

Xu Kuang smiled and refused:

"No need, uncle. Even though I only have more than 400 people in my hands, it's enough to deal with those people."

Wayne looked at Xu Kuang with an angry look on his face. He was about to teach Xu Kuang a lesson when he heard Xu Kuang's voice:

"Uncle, there is no need to doubt me. I will take you to see a business first, and then take you to see my army. If you are not satisfied, I can borrow troops from you."

Seeing Xu Kuang's confident look, Wayne felt inexplicably relieved. He was defeated after all. He nodded and said:

"Okay, but let me tell you, if you can't hold on, don't hold on. Your father and I have a life-long relationship. In my eyes, you are my son."

A warm current surged in Xu Kuang's heart, and he nodded heavily.

…

Xu Kuang took Wayne to the industrial area and to the Jenny Textile Factory. He pointed at the Jenny spinning machine and said to Wayne:

"You see, this is the business I told you.".

Wayne looked at Jenny's spinning machine and was stunned for a moment.

He picked up a piece of cotton yarn and felt the soft texture on it. After a moment, he asked:

“How much can this thing produce per day?”.

Xu Kuang smiled and said:

"How much I can produce is not up to me, but up to you."

"It's up to me?".

Xu Kuang confidently said to Wayne:

"I can sell cotton yarn, cotton cloth, and linen yarn. As for the production capacity, it all depends on how much you can sell. If you sell quickly, a million pieces of cotton cloth a day is not a problem."

Wayne's pupils shrank suddenly and he asked:

"Can I understand that as long as there are enough raw materials and no worries about sales, there is no upper limit on the daily manufacturing quantity of this kind of cotton yarn?"

Xu Kuang nodded and smiled confidently:

"Yes, and the cost is lower than ordinary linen and cotton."

Wayne was really excited. Of course he understood the business opportunities this thing brought. If this business was really completed, he would be able to increase his assets several times within a year.

But Wayne quickly calmed down again:

"But how do you transport it out? If you want to transport it out, you must pass through Baron Rennes' territory. You just kidnapped his family, do you think he will let you pass?"

Xu Kuang laughed again:

"He is one of his own."

Wayne frowned:

"I don't even have one...what the hell?"

Xu Kuang repeated what he just said.

Wayne's frown suddenly relaxed, and he said to Xu Kuang:

"But should we take him with us to make money?".

"It's all up to him. If he's smart enough, he'll do what I say."

Wayne thought about these words carefully and nodded. He looked at Xu Kuang with satisfaction and was quite pleased.

"It seems that when I get old, I will still be counting on you to provide for me.".

Xu Kuang said to Wayne disapprovingly:

"You have already said that you regard me as your own son. What does it mean for your own son to support his father in his old age.".

Wayne laughed and cursed:

"You brat, do you really not understand or are you pretending not to understand?"

Xu Kuang asked with a confused look:

"What do you mean?".

Wayne shook his head and said:

"Nothing interesting."

Xu Kuang looked at Wayne in shock. He didn't know what he said that was inappropriate and made his uncle unhappy.

He quickly took Wayne to Jenny's weaving factory and Jenny's garment factory.

After completing the circle, Wayne only felt satisfied. He looked at Xu Kuang and asked:

"Then what are you going to do next?".

Xu Kuang smiled and said:

"Of course I will take you to see my army.".

Xu Kuang brought Wayne to the military camp:

Wayne walked into a dormitory casually. After observing carefully for a long time, he said:

"Is this true in every dormitory?".

"certainly.".

Wayne unexpectedly praised Xu Kuang:

"I didn't expect that your boy would not only make gold coins, but also be a good soldier. Your troops have strict military discipline and are already elite. Even I, only the most elite escorts can reach this point."

Xu Kuang made a gesture of invitation and said to Wayne:

"Uncle, please review my troops.".

"Inspection is out of the question, let's visit."

Xu Kuang smiled and led Wayne to his troops.

Wayne looked at the more than 400 strong men in front of him and the determined expressions on their faces, and couldn't help but evaluate them to a higher level.

"No wonder you were able to raid Ren's territory. It's not surprising that you have such an elite army."

Xu Kuang smiled and led Wayne to the Maxim machine gun, pointed at a big tree a few hundred meters away and said:

"Uncle, do you believe I can break that big tree with this thing?".

Wayne smiled and said:

"I don't believe it. That's something only a brave-level warrior can do."

Xu Kuang skillfully loaded Maxim, aimed at the big tree, and pressed the trigger.

"Da da da da da da...".

Baron Wayne couldn't help but frown. The sound of the weapon was so loud that it hurt his ears.

Maxim's gun spit out tongues of orange flame, and a series of bullets ruthlessly pierced the big tree. After a moment, the big tree fell down.

Xu Kuang shook his hand that was so painful from the shock and asked:

"Uncle, are you not worried about me now?"

Wayne looked at the fallen tree in the distance, feeling a little lost. After a moment, he asked:

"Did you make this too?"

Xu Kuang thought for a while and finally recognized it.

"Can I buy some?".

Xu Kuang smiled and said:

"Of course, but I have a few prerequisites to tell you. First, I don't have time to make this weapon for the time being. It may have to wait until half a year or more. Second, this weapon is not expensive. What is expensive is the bullet. You see Look at this bullet."

Wayne picked up the bullet and looked at it carefully:

"How ingenious."

Wayne asked:

"How did you sell this bullet?".

"One silver coin per shot.".

"What?" Wayne's eyes widened. He looked at the big tree in the distance and asked, "Tell me again, how many rounds did you fire just now?"

Xu Kuang's face remained calm, he smiled and said:

"It is indeed one silver coin per shot, because the cost is only one silver coin per shot. It cannot be cheaper. As you can see, the outer shell is made of copper, and special gunpowder is filled inside. The cost cannot be reduced in a short time." .

Wayne sighed. Although he didn't understand what gunpowder was, he understood that it must also contain alchemical products. He asked:

"How many bullets can this thing fire out in one minute?".

"If you don't control it, you can easily shoot six to seven hundred rounds a minute."

Wayne calculated silently in his mind, and after a moment, he asked:

"How much money do you have left?".

Xu Kuang sighed and said to Wayne:

"To be honest, up to now, I still have less than four thousand gold coins, but in the past few dozen days, I have made almost tens of thousands of gold coins."

Wayne suddenly realized it, and he said to Xu Kuang:

"I'm not afraid of your jokes, I'd better think about it again."

Xu Kuang smiled and said:

"It doesn't matter. We'll talk about it later when we make money."

Wayne nodded and asked:

"How many chimes have you done?".

Xu Kuang smiled and said:

"To tell you the truth, I worked non-stop during this period and only made more than 20 self-ringing bells."

Wayne nodded:

"I'll take them all away. I'll ask the old housekeeper to deliver the deposit tomorrow."

Xu Kuang shook his head and said to Wayne:

"No need, these twenty chiming bells are considered as a deposit.".

Wayne was a little dizzy and asked:

"What deposit?".

"A deposit for the coal in your territory.".

Wayne looked towards the industrial area, then turned his head, his eyes full of questioning.

Xu Kuang nodded.

Wayne suddenly realized.

…

After Wayne and Xu Kuang returned, the food was ready. At the dinner table, Hathaway looked unhappy.

Seeing Hathaway's appearance, Xu Kuang couldn't help but said to her:

"I'm sorry that I couldn't entertain you well. Next month, next month I will personally pick you up and take you for a walk."

Hathaway asked:

"What next month? What are you going to do this month?".

Xu Kuang sighed and said to Hathaway:

"There's going to be a war. It's dangerous for you to stay here. You'd better leave.".

When Hathaway heard this, her face turned pale and she asked:

"Why should we fight? Can't we not fight?".

Xu Kuang sighed and said to Hathaway:

"I'm afraid not.".

"Okay, let's eat." Wayne said to the two of them, "I have to hurry after eating.".

After the meal, Xu Kuang personally sent several people downstream.

One hundred carts have already been waiting here.

Jenny looked at Hathaway, her little face was full of worry, but out of politeness, she still greeted the two of them.

"Master, everything is ready, ten carts each of cotton yarn and cotton cloth, and forty carts each of linen yarn and linen cloth."

Wayne looked at Xu Kuang in surprise and asked:

"How much deposit do I need to give you?".

Xu Kuang smiled and said:

"No deposit is required. We will pay you whatever you sell. I'll let Jenny negotiate the specific share with you. This is a business cooperation. Please don't take care of me. Send your most powerful bargaining expert to confront Jenny."

When Jenny heard this, her little face immediately turned into a bitter melon.

Wayne laughed and said:

"Well, that's natural.".

The group set off and left Mushroom Ridge in a mighty manner.

…

In Tomato Town, the butler is reading out the latest announcement:

"Announcement, Tomato Town will completely switch to pasture for spring plowing this time. Each family will pay three kilograms of hay in exchange for one kilogram of grain."

After the butler read this announcement, he left with a heartbroken look on his face.

He found Baron Wren and asked:

"Sir, do you really want to do this?".

Ren frowned, and after a moment, he said to the housekeeper:

"I actually don't believe Xu Kuang, but this guy's judgment is never wrong. There is also a dock. Let's repair it quickly while the river bed is dry."

The housekeeper burst into tears:

"yes!".