Jingzhou, Yangjinchuan Salt Factory.

On Baiyan Avenue, which leads directly from the salt factory to Anding County, a group of travelers came in cars and on horseback.

They asked about the specific location of the salt factory along the way, mixed in the crowd, and rushed towards the salt factory.

Today is the salt factory's rest day every seven days. A large number of salt factory workers who take shifts leave the factory to go home, or go to the county town to buy daily necessities.

On the broad Baiyan Avenue, there are even more than a dozen horse-drawn carriages running parallel to each other. There are many vendors and pedestrians, and the braying of cattle, horses, mules and donkeys keeps coming. Vendors set up shacks along the street, sell goods, open tea shops, melon and fruit pastry shops, and sell food and drink.

There are various gadgets and craftsmen of all kinds, shouting and selling clay figures, grass insects, bamboo baskets, brooms and other miscellaneous objects they have made.

Today's Baiyan Avenue has long become the busiest and busiest commercial street and thoroughfare outside Anding County.

On a carriage, a strange-looking young man stuck his head out and looked around curiously.

He has double pupils in his eyes, a broad forehead, a pair of rabbit teeth vaguely exposed outside his lips, and a fair and confused expression, which makes him look like a frail young lady.

This group of people was none other than Li Congjia and Xu Xuan, who had traveled across mountains and rivers from Jiangning to Jingzhou.

They set out from Jiangning more than a year ago. The passenger ship went up the river and went directly to Jiangzhou. They took the Han River and crossed Mianyang to enter Houshu.

The originally planned route did not require a large detour, but when they set off, Li Shouzhen's rebellion broke out in Guanzhong. After receiving a letter from Li Shouzhen, the emperor of the Tang Dynasty, Li Jing, was ready to send troops to cooperate with Li Shouzhen, which made him disgusted.

Liu Chengyou was very angry about this. After convening all his ministers for discussion, he decided not to compromise with the Tang Dynasty.

Liu Chengyou sent Murong Yanchao to station in Caizhou, and asked Murong Yanzhao of Suzhou to garrison troops north of Huaihe River, assuming a posture of "If you dare to come, I dare to fight!"

Li Jing, the leader of the Tang Dynasty, did not expect that Liu Han still had a tough attitude despite internal and external troubles. For a time, he was riding a tiger and was unable to get off. The Han and Tang Dynasties faced off at the Huai River. Both sides blocked their borders and suspended trade.

Because of this, Xu Xuan and Li Congjia had to take a long way to enter the country from Houshu.

Unfortunately, when I went to Hanzhong, I happened to meet Meng Chang, the Lord of Shu, who sent troops to attack Sanguan. He planned to take advantage of the war in Guanzhong to steal a handful of chickens...

The road from Hanzhong to Guanzhong was in chaos and unsafe, so Xu Xuan did not dare to go and had to stay.

Li Congjia suggested that since we arrived in Hanzhong and the road ahead was temporarily blocked, we might as well go for a walk in Chengdu and experience the customs of Shu.

The two hit it off immediately and went to Chengdu to play for several months.

After the border situation eased, we set out to take the Ziwu Ancient Road to Chang'an, and then made a circuitous route to Jingzhou.

After traveling all the way for more than a year, we finally arrived in Jingzhou.

Originally, the two of them were stopped by Li Jing's people in Jiangzhou. They managed to escape and rushed to Ezhou non-stop until they left the territory of Tang Dynasty.

Li Jing was anxious to return, but she did not dare to pursue him in a big way, and even suppressed the news that the prince Li Congjia had left the country incognito.

Li Jing knew that if the Han lord Liu Chengyou or the Shu lord Meng Chang knew that the Tang prince had quietly come to his own territory, he would probably never return.

Li Jing lost his temper in Jiangning and secretly sent people to search along their route.

Surrounding the carriage that Xu Xuan and Li Congjia were riding were ten gray-robed warriors, all of them sharp-eyed and brave. The leader was named Xu Biao, who was a brother of the Xu family.

These people are also retainers of the Xu family.

In addition to being a family of officials, the Xu family is also one of the largest salt lords in the Jianghuai area.

It's just that those who study and become officials are direct descendants of the Xu family, and those who make money in the private salt business are from the branch.

A word "Xu" covers both positive and negative sides, black and white.

Of course, the side branch always serves the direct meridian, and only under the protection of the direct meridian can the private salt business flourish.

In the Tang Dynasty in the south of the Yangtze River, the salt and iron property rights were nominally nationalized, but in fact both official salt and private salt were openly sold, and there were countless operators like the Xu family.

Xu Xuan is the legitimate son of the Xu family, and may be the next head of the family. He has a high seniority. Xu Biao, a salt lord with a well-known reputation on the green forest road in the south of the Yangtze River, can only be regarded as a grandson in front of him.

Xu Biao followed the carriage on horseback with a sword in hand. The slightly crowded crowd made him a little irritated.

Several young people joking and joking passed by him. Xu Biao suddenly pressed one of them on the shoulder and asked, "Hey! Let me ask you something, does this road really lead to Yangjinchuan Salt Factory?"

Several young men were salt factory workers. Seeing that Xu Biao looked ferocious and was wearing weapons, they were a little frightened and asked cautiously: "My elder brother's accent sounds like a foreigner, right? Why are you asking about the salt factory?"

"That's annoying! I want you to take care of it? Just say yes?" Xu Biao glared angrily and pressed hard with his fingers. The young man who was pressed on his shoulders grimaced in pain and said hurriedly: "Yes! This road is called Baiyan Avenue, and further on

More than a mile ahead, the salt factory is in the northeast..."

"Hmph!" Xu Biao let go of his hand, took out a few copper coins and threw them on the ground, then clamped his legs under the horse's belly to follow.

Several young people picked up the coins, looked at each other, and ran away.

Xu Biao looked at the busy Baiyan Avenue and became increasingly confused.

He traveled all over the country. Although he had never been to Jingzhou, he heard that Jingzhou was isolated and poor, and the people's lives were difficult.

However, when I entered Jingzhou and walked along the way, everything I saw was a scene of a prosperous age where the country was peaceful and the people were prosperous.

Not far from Anding County, there is a land reclamation and development zone for relocated households, with tens of thousands of acres of paddy fields, and the newly built villages and towns around it are lively and peaceful. Such a grand scene made Xu Biao and his party astonished.

Is this the so-called poor border state and county?

If the prefectures and counties of the Han Dynasty were like Jingzhou, then there would be no possibility for Meng Shu and the Southern Tang Dynasty to continue. If they accept the surrender as soon as possible, they can still preserve the wealth of their descendants.

Xu Biao couldn't figure it out. Before coming to Jingzhou, he was even prepared to go hungry. He didn't expect that the food here was cheaper than in Huainan, as long as he had money in his pocket.

The Xu family's shops were spread all over the Tang Dynasty, and there were also branches in Hanzhong and Chengdu. They had withdrawn a lot of money to carry with them before leaving Hanzhong, so they lived a relatively comfortable life along the way.

Xu Biao spat on the ground, took out a coarse cloth handkerchief and blew his nose. After using it, he felt a little dirty, so he threw it behind him.

As soon as he grabbed the reins, an old lady wearing a red cloth armband appeared out of nowhere, opened her hand and stopped in front of Xu Biao's horse, and said sternly: "Official, please dismount, throw away the phlegm and spit that you just spit.

Dispose of the fallen garbage!”

Xu Biao was stunned for a moment, looking confused, and cursed: "Where did you come from, old woman? Get out of here!"

Xu Xuan in the carriage stuck his head out and scolded unhappily: "Xu Biao, shut up! How many times have I told you not to insult others at will? Why don't you listen?"

Xu Biao hurriedly clasped his fists and said: "Third Grandpa, I forgive you, but I won't dare to do it next time! It's just that this shrew suddenly stopped me. It's really inexplicable!"

Xu Xuan looked at his aunt, and the red armband on her arm was particularly conspicuous.

"Ma'am, what's the matter?" Xu Xuan cleared his throat and said in an awkward Kaifeng Mandarin with a pleasant tone.

The aunt stood up and knew from the accent that this group of people were from other places. Her tone softened a bit and she pointed at the ground and said: "The government has regulations that no littering, no spitting, and no peeing or peeing anywhere on Baiyan Avenue."

!For first-time offenders from outsiders, no fine will be imposed, but they must be cleaned up!"

Xu Xuan's face was full of surprise. In a small county town, there is such a regulation?

He turned around and looked around. The avenue was bustling with people, but the ground was clean, not even a scrap of paper.

Rabbit Ya Li Congjia also poked his head out and asked curiously: "May I ask my aunt, what should I do if I have something to throw away or need to go to the toilet?"

The aunt was stunned: "What do you mean gray things?"

Li Congjia thought about it and hurriedly explained: "It has a similar meaning to garbage."

The aunt said angrily: "Garbage is just garbage, so formal and awkward! Look over there, there are trash cans there, and there are latrines by the road. If you throw garbage into the latrine, just go there!"

Li Congjia, Xu Xuan, and Xu Biao all looked in the direction of the aunt's finger. Sure enough, there were cylindrical barrels built with mud bricks at fixed locations on the avenue, with openings with baffles underneath.

Next to the road, there is also a mud house with a unique shape, divided into left and right sides and two entrances.

The three of them had never seen a house like this.

"That's the trash can?" Xu Xuan murmured in surprise.

"That's the toilet?" Li Congjia opened his mouth slightly, showing his fangs.

The aunt looked at her with disdain: "Look, you are also traveling from a wealthy family, how come you have no knowledge at all?"

Xu Xuan and Li Congjia looked at each other and felt a little blushing.

Xu Biao wanted to rebuke, but Xu Xuan shouted: "Don't be rude! Wipe up the filth immediately and pick up the garbage you threw away!"

Xu Biao didn't dare to talk, so he got off his horse, picked up the coarse cloth handkerchief he had just thrown away, and wiped the spit on the ground.

The aunt supervised with her hands on her hips, nodded with satisfaction, and waved her hand: "Okay, let's go, let's remember, the rules are the same in Anding County and Baiyan Avenue. If you are caught next time, you will be fined.

!”

Xu Xuan hurriedly stopped her: "Auntie, stay here! May I ask where you are from?"

The aunt rolled her eyes at him: "Of course I'm from Anding County! My home is in the second and sixth household of Watou Village in the west of the city!"

The aunt is very proud that Watou Village is a high-class village near the county town, and most of the children in the village serve as soldiers in the army.

Nowadays in Jingzhou, military households are the first to allocate fields, and most of them are concentrated around the county. The paddy and dry fields left by Xue Jiakong were cleared and allocated to military households first.

There was an open recruitment for soldiers three months ago. In just a few days, more than 10,000 young men and women signed up enthusiastically. Finally, under Shi Kuangwei's personal supervision, 3,000 brave men were selected.

Those who failed were all regretful and looked forward to the next recruitment.

Nowadays in Jingzhou, serving as a soldier and providing food is the best occupation.

The aunt's pride made Xu Xuan and Li Congjia a little confused. Xu Xuan asked hurriedly: "Since the aunt is a native of Jingzhou, why can she speak the Mandarin of the Central Plains?"

The aunt puffed up her chest, stretched out her arms, and revealed the red armband: "Did you see it? We have been trained, and we are also fed by government officials!"

The two Jiangnan nobles looked at each other, confused.

Emblazoned on the red armband are several large characters: Health Management Team, and underneath there is a line of small characters: Baiyan Avenue Area.

Xu Xuan couldn't laugh or cry. What does this mean?
To be continued...