Obviously, although Xunzhou was causing a huge commotion, they did not suspect Lin Fengjin. Therefore, after being checked and shown a series of identity documents at Guancheng, Lin Fengjin entered the customs without much effort.
city...
Although the laws of the Mid-Tang Dynasty stipulated that no outsiders could stay in Guancheng at any time, the long-term peace in Jianglong Pass had turned a deaf ear to this law. Except for a few military restricted areas, Jianglong Pass was completely closed.
It is as prosperous as Xunzhou. There are bright lanterns everywhere, waiters soliciting customers, and quick shouts. The streets are full of people coming and going, bustling with people, and there is a steamy heat unique to traffic thoroughfares.
The smell of cow dung and horse dung.
At this time, Lin Fengjin was still carrying the "Qi Si Yu" bookcase, dressed like a poor student, and slowly walked through the city of Jianglong Pass. Although he had never seen Wugutu before,
However, Lin Fengjin could already tell from some of the details he observed at this time that this person was well-deserved.
Although there has been peace for twenty years, the construction of Guancheng has not stopped. Although the city is prosperous, the supervision and guarding of several key places in the heart are extremely strict, showing a tendency of being tight on the outside and tight on the inside. It can be seen from these details alone
It can be concluded that Wu Gutuo indeed has the talent to manage the army.
And there are prosperous businessmen in this city, and the sergeant guarding the gate when entering the city is also awe-inspiring and shows no favoritism, so a large part of the gray income must fall into the hands of Wu Gutu, but this is reflected.
Wu Gutu is even more talented in governing the country!
The state's restrictions on the army are to threaten the army with other strong armies, and to block the army's food and salary. The generals will no longer train their troops, but if the food and salary are cut off, then even the most elite troops will only collapse. However, once the generals
Not only do you have the ability to run an army, but you also have the ability to run a country. You can train a strong army, and you can also accumulate wealth. This means that you have become self-sufficient. As long as the situation is right, you can take action and act accordingly.
A prince.
In fact, Li Hu took exactly this path, but under the instigation of Lin Fengjin, Li Hu did a much more low-key job than Wu Gutu. At this time, he actually "disarmed" his subordinates to a mere
The remaining 5,000 people were even more humble when writing letters of thanks to their superiors, almost like grandson Hui. He wanted to be as low-key as possible. He really didn't know how many people he had deceived.
According to the information obtained by the Lin Family Trading Company before coming here, Lin Fengjin waved his hands repeatedly, declining the invitations from the very attentive waiters on the roadside, and finally arrived at a very spacious and bright inn.
After all, Zhongtang and Xirong were still enemy countries at this time, so it was impossible to let people out openly at Jianglong Pass. Sometimes, if you became a bitch, you still had to erect an archway, unless Wugutu clearly wanted to rebel.
No.
Therefore, ten out of ten of these inns in the pass have a way out of the pass, because many of the owners behind these inns are the guards of the pass. And the mastermind behind this "Peace Inn" is
The one with the widest path and the hardest background.
If you want to get out of the customs as soon as possible, although it will cost the most to go to him, you get what you pay for, and the speed of getting out of the customs is also the fastest.
Lin Fengjin came to the Ping'an Inn. He asked for a room in the upper room and sighed, shaking his head repeatedly. The shopkeeper also had a pair of sharp eyes. He saw that Lin Fengjin was a seemingly harmless and genuine scholar.
Something happened, and as expected, he fell into the trap, so he couldn't help but say:
"Why is Mr. Xiucai so unhappy?"
Lin Fengjin said simply:
"I have an urgent need to go to Xirong. I heard that there is a shortcut here, but it turns out that the door is closed at all. What should I do?"
The shopkeeper didn’t know how many similar orders he had received, so he immediately patted his chest and laughed:
"Master Xiu Cai, to be honest, we haven't had a war here for twenty years, so there is no reason why we shouldn't open the door. Otherwise, why would so many businessmen come here? Is it possible? Isn't there gold in this remote area? Naturally, they are all trying to get through the customs and make a fortune from the Xirong barbarians on the opposite side. Besides, not only the people among us are going out, but the merchants who have made a fortune are also coming in. .”
Lin Fengjin's eyes lit up when he heard this, and he said anxiously:
"Oh, is this serious? Is it difficult to get out of the detention center?"
The shopkeeper laughed and said:
"Well, it's not difficult to say it's difficult. It's really difficult to say it's not difficult."
Lin Fengjin heard him being so showy and said impatiently:
"Shopkeeper, I've also traveled around to study, and I've traveled hundreds of thousands of miles, so just give me a price."
The shopkeeper smiled and said:
"As the saying goes, arriving early is better than arriving in time. The usual way to leave seclusion is to gather 500 people and leave. Tomorrow, the switch will happen. I went to a private school in my early years, so although I couldn't read I am a scholar, but I admire scholars anyway. It’s just that you, scholar, are single and have no goods. If the soldiers at the door interrogate you, it will be really embarrassing. You might even be arrested as a spy because of your impure motives. So the price is twenty taels of silver. Mr. Xiucai, if you miss tomorrow morning, you will have to wait two or three days at least."
When Lin Fengjin heard this, he immediately became furious and said:
"You shameless profiteer, I have no goods and I am single and you are charging me more money? This is because my father has been suffering from asthma all year round. The doctor said that I must use red scorpions, a specialty of Xirong, as medicine to remove the root. Otherwise, It’s hard to get through this winter, but we don’t have this medicine at all. This is an act of filial piety, so why am I being treated as a spy??! I only paid two taels of silver!!”
Before Lin Fengjin set out, he conducted a series of very detailed investigations and knew that the Jianglong Pass seemed to be loose and tight. It seemed that anyone could pay to pass the pass, but in fact, the innkeepers who were profiting from it, But they are all the confidants of Wu Gutu, or simply the subordinates of Wu Gutu!
The function of these people is like the mesh of a fishing net, letting in those businessmen who really want to do business, handing over money, and prospering the market, and picking out those with ulterior motives. Therefore, when Lin Fengjin faced the innkeeper , it is also necessary to fight wits and courage with it, and no flaws can be seen.
The two bargained for a long time, and finally the shopkeeper insisted on eight taels of silver and refused to let go. Lin Fengjin was so thirsty that he finally included tonight's room fee and tomorrow morning's breakfast into the eight taels of silver. Then he mumbled reluctantly and went back to his room.
After watching Lin Fengjin go upstairs, the boss beckoned to the waiter and whispered a few instructions to him. Not long after, the waiter brought a parchment from outside, which said "City Gate." The appraisal of Lin Fengjin's identity document was checked, indicating that it passed the appraisal.
The boss thought for a while, found a piece of paper, and wrote a line on it:
"Is there a rare medicine like red scorpion in Xirong? Can it cure asthma for many years?"
This piece of paper was quickly sent out by the waiter, waiting to be brought back. There was also an extra word "yes" on it.
After seeing this reply, the boss also wrote the word "黄" next to Lin Fengjin's name on the parchment. This is his surname, which not only indicates that this person was released from him, but also means that he confirmed it.
There is no doubt about it.
***
After a silent night, Lin Fengjin was woken up by the waiter knocking on the door the next morning before the fifth watch. Then when he walked to the door of the store, there was already a man standing in front holding a lantern.
He said calmly:
"Everyone, please follow me closely and bring everything you should bring. If you want to come back after leaving the customs, you will have to pay again. You can pay the cost of leaving the customs now. You can pay it after you leave, but
Don’t try to default on your debt. Don’t make any noise or talk loudly on the road!”
At this time, everything was still dark, and the man said lightly. There was a strong intimidation on his body, but Lin Fengjin knew that only the kind of people who kill people like hemp and regard human life as nothing would give people such a
Feel.
After finishing speaking, the man strode forward. If you can look down from above, you can see that a large number of arrows are emerging from each inn, led by people holding lanterns.
The flow of people then gathered together.
At the same time, the luggage and goods of these merchants were also gathered in another place, and the people and goods left the city separately, thereby maximizing the ability to control the public security in the city. Lin Fengjin blended in with the crowd and was inconspicuous at all.
But he was secretly surprised.
Because the number of merchants leaving customs at this time is indeed a bit jaw-dropping. It actually reached more than 500 people. These more than 500 people can bring at least four to five thousand taels of silver to Wugutu.
In terms of tax income, according to the Lin family's intelligence, the Wugutu opens and closes almost twenty times every month, which means that ** million taels of silver are pocketed every month.
However, this is just Wu Gutu's gray income. The Ministry of War of the Middle Tang Dynasty also allocated him military pay, fodder, etc. every month, and also regularly supplied him with weapons, war horses, flags, and tents! In this way, Wu Gutu's
The bone protrusion has been here for twenty years, and it can earn at least 20 million silver!!
Such a huge sum of money is probably a disaster rather than a blessing for anyone. Wu Gutu is one of the four famous generals in the world. Of course he knows that this money is a recipe for disaster, and he will definitely not use this money.
Save it up, and then be slaughtered as a fat pig when you retire!
So, what exactly did he do with the money, or what would Wu Gutu do with the money? After thinking about it carefully, one can't help but feel horrified.
As Lin Fengjin walked, he also noticed that there were shadowy figures in the streets and alleys on both sides, but they stood upright, with the intention of killing them. These were obviously the defenders of Jianglong Pass, and they seemed to be completely defensive.
It also shows Wugutu's strong control over this level!
There has been peace for twenty years, but these soldiers are very cautious, looking like elite generals, but not arrogant and tough generals. Wu Gutu has a great plan.
In fact, Lin Fengjin almost knew what Li Jian was thinking when he recruited Wu Gutu. Although he gave Wu Gutu too much freedom when recruiting him to surrender, the Jianglong Pass fell into Wu Gutu's hands.
It is always better than falling into the hands of the Xirong people.
Facts have proved that Li Jian's approach was right, and Jianglong Pass gained twenty years of peace.
More importantly, Li Jian was only in his early twenties when he recruited Wu Gutu. At that time, Wu Gutu was nearly fifty years old. Li Jian's wishful thinking was also very simple. Although he offered Wu Gutu the treatment
It's rich, but as long as I'm here for a day, I can still maintain the scene.
Judging from the historical and social conditions at that time, military officers, a high-risk profession, usually did not live long. Even if they did not die on the battlefield where life was at stake, they would often be defeated by old injuries.
When the weather gets cold, the person becomes like a candle in the wind, swaying and extinguished.
Therefore, Li Jian felt that Wu Gutu could only live to be fifty or sixty years old. After the Scimitar General died, he would take back Jianglong Pass. This was not only justified, but also fulfilled the promise that Wu Gutu would stay forever.
The promise of this place is gone.
Jun Wu's joke is not just a casual talk. At this time, five countries coexist and competition is fierce. If the monarch talks all the time, most of his subordinates will become alienated.
However, people are not as good as God. Li Jian made good calculations here, but he never expected that Wu Gutu would become more energetic and nourished as he lived. Not only did Li Jian not wait for Wu Gutu to die,
The news was that Wu Gutu had waited for the obituary of his death.
At this time, for the new king of the Middle Tang Dynasty, it goes without saying that Wugutu has become a powerful force that cannot be lost. However, Jianglong Pass is a very important strategic location, and Wugutu surrendered to the Middle Tang Dynasty for twenty years without any sign of backlash.
If we take action rashly, not to mention whether we can win or not, once Wugutu is forced to surrender to Xirong, the heart of the Zhongtang Dynasty will be exposed to Xirong's violent horsemen again.
Who can afford such risks?
After walking a short distance, everyone who was about to leave the customs mingled together, whispering to each other. They were now in a large open space, with a few dozen feet in front of them.
The closed Jianglong Pass is closed.
At this time, you can see that the small door next to the closed door slowly opens, and then a group of cold-faced government soldiers lead these people's goods, ox carts, etc., and rush out of the pass one after another. "The goods go through first."
"People can pass again" This is the characteristic of Jianglong Pass.
At this moment, Lin Fengjin suddenly smelled a strange smell in his nose. He couldn't help but froze, and carefully identified it. The smell was actually the smell of the top-quality snake he had caught.
??
Since the five gods in Lin Fengjin's body awakened, his five senses are much more sensitive than normal people. The growth environment of the top-notch snake he captured is very special. It grew in a field similar to the pepper tree.
In the woods with a strong aura, it is inevitable that the aura on the body is somewhat different from other snakes, so it is highly recognizable.
Wasn’t the top-quality snake he caught taken away by Gongsun Enemy? How could its aura appear here? (To be continued...)