Chapter 6: Dengzhou

"I didn't say much, the city wall is quite high." Chen Xie quickly changed his words. After spending three days with Zhang Yao and gaining a certain understanding of the thoughts and concepts of people in the Ming Dynasty, Chen Xie's speech became more cautious. What may seem trivial to modern people was considered shocking and unconventional in the Ming Dynasty.

During the Song and Yuan dynasties, the jurisdiction of Dengzhou largely followed the Tang system. In the early Ming dynasty, the geographical advantages of Dengzhou became prominent, and it was elevated to a prefecture. The "Ming Shilu" mentions the reasons for establishing Dengzhou Prefecture, stating: "At that time, both Deng and Lai prefectures were adjacent to the sea, serving as vital routes for communication with Korea and Japan. Without establishing a prefecture and increasing military presence, it would be insufficient to maintain order."

While chatting with Zhang Yao along the way, when the topic of commercial taxes came up, Zhang Yao appeared to take it for granted. Although Chen Xie was not very familiar with the history of the Ming Dynasty, he felt a bit uneasy. If there were no commercial taxes, how would the country have funds? The Ming Dynasty also imposed a maritime ban, but for the gentry, that was merely a joke; it had long since become a dead letter.

In summary, this is man-made and has nothing to do with deities. Unfortunately, the Americas are too far away, and on the return journey, the ship capsized in the ocean, leaving me to reach the shore in a small boat. Moreover, there are no descendants of the Southern Song loyalists left in the Americas; they all perished in the ocean on their way home. Quickly lay the groundwork to prevent Zhang Yao from going to the Americas. To make it more convincing, Chen Xie rubbed his eyes vigorously while looking down, appearing sorrowful. However, it is hard to say how effective this will be.

As a modern individual, one naturally finds this scene somewhat incredible; however, Chen Xie did not display any attitude. Instead, he sat calmly on the cart, observing the people on both sides of the road, their expressions vacant and dressed in tattered clothes. They did not even dare to lift their heads to glance at the passing carriage

Then let's take a look. If the situation is stable, as long as the medication continues, it can be eradicated in at most six months. This is not an exaggeration; the power of antibiotics in this era is truly extraordinary, and their effectiveness is unmatched by the highly drug-resistant bacteria that modern humans face.

In fact, the scholars of the Ming Dynasty had few taboos when it came to speaking; they could freely criticize the emperor and the government. Often, the reasoning behind this was extremely absurd, as exemplified by Zhang Yao, who, when mentioning the troubles in Liaodong, concluded that the military officials were incompetent and the emperor was lacking in virtue. This had nothing to do with the civil officials, and he spoke these words with great composure.

Zhang Yao, who graduated as a scholar, felt quite embarrassed to find that there were several unfamiliar characters on the toothpaste tube. Even when some characters were combined, he could not understand their meanings, such as what is a daily chemical company? What is a telephone? What are those bizarre and strange characters?

Fortunately, Zhang Yao did not mind and patted his shoulder, saying, "It's good that you're back, it's good that you're back." Her tone was filled with concern, which made Chen Xie feel somewhat guilty; deceiving someone is truly not easy, especially when it involves a straightforward person.

Constant vigilance is certainly futile; Chen Xie felt it would be better to take the initiative. He took a new toothbrush out of the bag, squeezed some toothpaste in front of Zhang Yao, and smilingly picked up his own toothbrush, saying, "Like this." After demonstrating the action, Zhang Yao couldn't help but dip her toothbrush in the water, then took a mouthful of water, spat it out, and began to brush her teeth somewhat clumsily.

However, when Chen Xie mentioned from a medical perspective that foot binding in women was a form of mutilation, Zhang Yao's expression changed. She immediately earnestly conveyed a series of principles from the Ming Dynasty to him, such as the Three Obediences and Four Virtues, the idea that a woman’s lack of talent is a virtue, and cautioned against bringing up such topics to avoid causing disputes and misunderstandings.

Uncle Zhang, this is not some divine object; it is merely an industrial product made through chemical manufacturing processes. Uh, I don't understand, it is simply a daily chemical product produced in a workshop

Zhang Yao quickly mastered the technique and completed her first experience of brushing her teeth with toothpaste, rather than using green salt or willow branches. After spitting out the last mouthful of rinse water, an unprecedented freshness made her feel so pleasant that she wanted to sing

A modern person arrives in ancient times, and naturally, curiosity is quite strong. However, this curiosity quickly fades as the ancient city of Dengzhou reveals a state of decay that is completely at odds with modern prosperity. There are many people on the streets, but most of them are dressed in tattered clothing, with few Ming Dynasty individuals seen without patches on their garments. Moreover, the complexions of the pedestrians are often sallow; from a doctor's perspective, they all exhibit signs of severe malnutrition.

To be so at ease without paying commercial taxes, even Zhang Yao in front of him exhibits this attitude. Chen Xie finds it quite strange and thinks he should study the issues of the late Ming Dynasty thoroughly next time he returns. When the cannon fires, gold flows in; how can you fight a war without money? This principle is known by everyone in modern times. The people of the Ming Dynasty were not foolish, so why did they still act this way

Chen Xie realized that he had made a grave mistake by attempting to explain the concept of modern industrial engineering to a person from the Ming Dynasty. This action could no longer be described merely as foolishness

Chen Xie murmured to herself, and Zhang Yao inside did not hear clearly. She subconsciously asked, "Sihua, what are you saying?"

... ...

Zhang Yao's interest did not lie in inquiring why someone had cut their hair short, but rather in staring at the toothpaste by the edge of the copper basin for a while. When Chen Xie finished grooming, he was still staring at it. Fangcao Toothpaste, XX Daily Chemical Company, Address XXX, Phone XXX

The Zhang family operates a business in the city, primarily dealing in local products and seafood from Dengzhou, while also engaging in some goods from Japan and Dongjiang Town. Interestingly, during this period, merchants generally do not have to pay taxes. From the perspective of a civil official in the Ming Dynasty, if the emperor were to impose commercial taxes, it would be seen as competing with the people for their profits, thus labeling him as a tyrant.

What is chemical engineering? Chemical engineering is ... ...

Well, it tastes good, a bit sweet. This is for brushing teeth; oral hygiene is very important, otherwise, if your teeth decay, it can be quite painful. By the way, make sure not to swallow it; spit it out later, rinse your mouth with a bit of water, and then spit it out again.

Two soldiers stood at the city gate inspecting those entering the city. As a cart approached, the gate was met with a flurry of shouts. Chen Xie, citing the stuffiness inside the cart, climbed out to sit on the yoke, observing everything happening at the gate. A fruit vendor, dressed in tattered clothes, hurried away amidst the scolding, disappearing into the city. One of the soldiers at the gate held a long gun, its tip covered in rust, clearly having not been sharpened for quite some time. The other carried a waist knife, which also appeared to be second-hand. Both soldiers looked somewhat malnourished, their faces pale and emaciated, and their uniforms were riddled with patches. The red tassels on their hats were nearly worn away, leaving only a few strands that were barely recognizable as red.

Chang stepped down from the donkey, swaggering forward. It was unclear what he discussed with the soldiers, but soon two soldiers took action. Amidst a flurry of gunfire and swordplay, some civilians who were queuing to enter the city were pushed aside.

In the "Records of Officials in the Ming Dynasty": "A commissioner for military affairs in the Deng-Lai region was established in the first year of the Tianqi era." To guard against the Later Jin's advance southward by sea, in the first year of the Tianqi era (1621), the Governor of Shandong separated the position of Governor of Deng-Lai, with the two prefectures of Dengzhou and Laizhou subordinate to it

Zhang Yao could not stop him and could only let him go

In comparison to the towering city walls, the streets of Dengzhou can only be described as narrow. At most, they are wide enough for a small cart to pass through. Sewage flows freely along the streets, and pedestrians are dressed in rags, while the wealthy remain inside their carriages. The street is paved with stone slabs, which have not been repaired for a long time, making it extremely bumpy for the carriages. The journey back in the carriage took an entire morning, and Chen Xie began to doubt whether his backside still belonged to him. Once they finally entered the city, he naturally refused to remain in the carriage any longer, opting instead to get down and carry his large bag while following the carriage.

Three days later, on the same road, a horse-drawn carriage slowly made its way towards Dengzhou City. The old gentleman's condition had stabilized, and from now on, the focus would primarily be on recuperation. A month's supply of bottled medicine (with all labels removed) was prepared, along with instructions on how to use it. Chen Xie set off on the journey back to Dengzhou with Zhang Yao.

In the view of modern individual Chen Xie, in terms of population, this is not a particularly large city. However, in terms of its city walls, it is indeed grand and majestic; looking up, they must be at least ten meters high and over three meters thick. (Note: The height of Dengzhou City is 11.5 meters and the thickness is 3.5 meters.) "A nation without ambition, no matter how high the walls it builds, cannot withstand the iron hooves of invaders"

What is truly shocking is the old man's tuberculosis. An elderly man who had fallen into a coma woke up within a day, thanks to the treatment of a miraculous doctor. He was then able to sit up with the assistance of others, and his coughing up blood had ceased.

Chen Xie was brushing his teeth when he saw Zhang Yao smiling and making a gesture, then continued. The image of him with a mouth full of foam was indeed a bit frightening. Having witnessed various eccentricities of Chen Xie, Zhang Yao had long since become accustomed to it. The saying goes that one's body and hair are received from one's parents, and one should not dare to harm them. However, this principle seemed not to apply to Chen Xie, whose short hair led Zhang Yao to initially think he was a monk.

Has the old master gotten up?" Chen Xie quickly changed the subject, as the old steward, Lai Fu, appeared beside him like a ghost and said, "He got up early this morning. Second Madam helped him and he even walked a few steps in the courtyard.

With such questions in mind, Chen Xie followed Zhang Yao to the entrance of Dengzhou City

Zhang Yao did not intend to blame Chen Xie; she merely believed, out of her own wishes, that he, having grown up overseas, completely misunderstood the secular norms of the Ming Dynasty, which led to such remarks. After several similar conversations, Chen Xie became more cautious. He had originally planned to open a hospital in Dengzhou to train a few young women in the art of uniform seduction, but this plan was stillborn before it even began.

This is truly a divine object! This item, found in America, could it not be something used by immortals? Zhang Yao could only make such associations; how could humans create something like this? Although it is said that one should not speak of strange powers and chaotic spirits, the facts are right before our eyes, making it hard not to believe. This toothpaste, if it is not the result of seizing the creation of heaven and earth, how could it possibly be manufactured and contained within such a tube

The young monk is not a monk but a divine physician who has returned from overseas. This news spread throughout the entire village last night. The rapid dissemination of this information can be attributed to the old steward, Lai Fu, who repeatedly reported the news. Time and again, he mentioned that he had eliminated sixteen parasites, regardless of whether others were interested in hearing it or not