When the first ray of dawn fell, Lu Hong had already escorted Wen Budao out of Turtle City.
After leaving Turtle City, the surrounding fields were vast.
The whole territory of Xiling is actually a long and narrow corridor, starting from Jiayuguan in the east and Kunlun Pass in the west. Within this long and narrow corridor, from east to west are Zhenjun, Yuwenjun and Fanjun. There are three hereditary governors in charge of the three counties.
The marquises are respectively the Marquis of Changxin, the Marquis of Changyi and the Marquis of Changling.
Among the three princes, the Yuwen clan of Changyi Hou controlled the widest area and was the strongest, so the Xiling Protectorate was established in Fengganfu City in Yuwen County.
Fengganfu City is the largest city in Xiling and has the largest population. It is much more prosperous than Turtle City.
It is nearly two hundred miles from Guicheng to Fenggan Prefecture, and it takes three days to walk on foot.
After leaving Turtle City, looking to the north, you can clearly see the outline of the Changling Mountains. As the sun rises, the lush Changling Mountains become clearer, like a giant dragon lying prone on the vast land.
Escorting prisoners is not uncommon in Xiling. When travelers see officials escorting prisoners, they stay away to avoid any bad luck.
According to the rules, when escorting prisoners from Turtle City, they will set off in the early morning, because there will be a post station every eighty miles between the two cities. From morning to evening, if there is no delay, you can reach the inn station.
Settlement.
Along the way, there are naturally villages and towns, and if travelers are unlucky enough, they will stay at the inns in the towns.
However, there are many rules for escorting prisoners, one of which is that they are not allowed to stay in inns.
Firstly, it is because the inn itself does not want prisoners to enter the hotel, fearing that it will bring bad luck. Secondly, the inn is crowded and there may be trouble if prisoners stay in it.
It is precisely because of this that when officials are on their way, there are inns as resting places.
There are quite a lot of people coming and going on the official road, coming and going in an endless stream. Since the sage decreed that trade with the Wutuo people can be carried out, merchants of the Tang Dynasty who are good at doing business but can endure the hardship have become Xiling.
The most beautiful scenery in the corridor.
Although there were middlemen in Xiling, merchants of the Tang Dynasty could put their goods in the transit trading houses, but in this way, the profits obtained would be at least 50% lower.
There are many merchants who hope to go directly out of Kunlun Pass to trade with the Wutuo people and even the countries in the Western Regions further away. However, the risk on this journey is too great, and it is likely that there will be no return. Therefore, some small merchants can only purchase goods from within the pass and then transport them.
They went to Xiling and sold it to merchants in Xiling, who then traded it to merchants from the west.
After the opening of trade, although many merchants from the west came to Xiling with goods, merchants from the Tang Dynasty and the west could not conduct transactions directly in Xiling. They had to hand over the goods to the local trading houses in Xiling, and the Xiling trading houses completed the trade.
This was originally to protect the interests of local merchants in Xiling, but in order to obtain this right, the taxes they had to bear were naturally very heavy, and in the end a large amount of money fell into the hands of the three powerful men.
If this rule is violated and merchants from the Tang Dynasty trade privately with merchants from the west, once discovered, not only will these merchants' trading rights in Xiling be revoked, but in serious cases they may even be imprisoned.
If you want to get rid of the exploitation of Xiling middlemen, the most direct way is to take the goods directly out of the customs and trade directly with the west. Although the journey is dangerous, the profits obtained are extremely generous.
However, not all merchants have such courage and strength.
Fortunately, some powerful merchants from the Tang Dynasty united to form a large trading house specializing in trade with the west. They hired brave warriors to protect the goods and followed the people from the trading house out of customs.
In the early years, there were many such trading houses. Countless caravans headed west in the Xiling Corridor almost every day. It was extremely prosperous, but behind the prosperity, there was huge danger.
The land of Xiling is not rich, and the prosperity of commerce and trade has not improved the lives of the people at the bottom. The imperial decrees cannot be effectively implemented in Xiling, and the Xiling clan only considers the interests of the wealthy gentry and exploits the people.
, this makes the lives of the people in Xiling go from bad to worse. Once a natural disaster occurs, countless people will fall into poverty and poverty.
The bitter cold land produces fierce men, and the people of Xiling are inherently brave. Many people have no choice but to occupy the mountain and become kings, and the caravans in the Xiling Corridor have become the biggest fat in their mouths.
Many trading houses' caravans were plundered, and large trading houses could still hold on. However, small trading houses often suffered once or twice and no longer had the strength to continue. Although the three major clans later organized manpower to fight with the Western Region Protectorate.
Many bandits have been suppressed, but most of the trading houses have been completely dissolved, and there are not many trading houses that have survived to this day.
Moreover, there is competition among the trading houses. The big fish eat the small fish, and the powerful trading houses merge with the small ones. Nowadays, the number of trading companies that have the strength to go out of Kunlun Pass can be counted on ten fingers.
Lu Hong and his party met only some individual merchants on the way, but they did not see the teams of the big merchants.
He rarely spoke during the journey, but Wen Budao was in a good mood. He joked with the two government officials from time to time, talking about some interesting things that happened in the gambling house.
In the evening, we arrived at the inn.
In fact, the post station between the two cities was very simple, with three houses in a row, surrounded by a yard, with a kitchen and a firewood shed on both sides of the corner. The thatch and firewood shed were all in one place.
There is only one person permanently stationed at the inn, and except for the occasional stop by officials escorting prisoners, there is really not much use here.
If an emergency occurs, a fast horse, traveling day and night without stopping, can drive from Turtle City to Fengganfu City in one day, without the need for a post station.
Lu Hong arranged for Wen Budao to stay in a house on the left and asked the postman to prepare some meals. In fact, there would not be any good food supply in the post station, but he could feed himself.
I ordered several bowls of noodles, a bowl of mutton soup for each person, and a basket of dry steamed buns. After finishing the noodles, I ate steamed buns with the mutton soup, which was enough to fill my stomach.
Lu Hong brought wine and poured a large bowl for both of them. He also called the postman on duty to come over and have a drink with him. It was rare for the postman to have someone to drink with him, so he naturally wanted it.
After dinner, one of the officials got up and said to another person: "I'll keep watch for half the night. You can go to sleep first. I'll come and call you in the second half of the night."
When escorting a prisoner, it is natural to deliver the prisoner safely to Fenggan Mansion. If he escapes midway, he will be guilty of a serious crime.
Therefore, it was naturally necessary to take turns to stay in Wen Budao's house at night.
Lu Hong saw that the two government officials were drunk, waved his hands and said with a smile: "That's all, you are tired after a day of walking, and you can't drink enough. I will stay for half the night, you guys rest first, and come back to replace me in the second half of the night."
He got up and took the remaining dry buns, and asked the postman to bring a bowl of mutton soup to Wen Budao.
Seeing that Lu Hong was so upright, the official had nothing to say, so he drank heavily, went to bed, and fell asleep.
Lu Hong came to Wen Butao's house with the steamed buns. He saw Wen Butao sitting in chains on a simple wooden bed with his eyes closed and relaxing. He smiled slightly, went over and put the steamed buns on the table, and said with a smile: "Boss Wen
, the conditions here are simple, don’t blame me, there’s nothing delicious, so just make do with it.”
Wen Budao opened his eyes and saw that Lu Hong had already sat down at the table. He also said with a smile: "I'll take care of you on the way."
At this time, the postman brought a bowl of mutton soup. Lu Hong reached out to take it and said to the postmaster: "You should go to bed early. I'm here."
The postmaster bowed his hands and retreated.
Lu Hong then stood up and walked to Wen Butao with the mutton soup, and brought the soup bowl close to Wen Butao's mouth.
We set off from Guicheng in the early morning and ate some dry food at noon. Wen Budao was not polite and drank two big mouthfuls. Lu Hong also took some dry buns and dipped them in the mutton soup, and fed Wen Budao and ate a few mouthfuls of buns.
"Captain, this thing is uncomfortable to wear." Wen Budao raised his hand, looked at the shackles and said, "Why don't you help me untie it, and I will do it myself without having to feed you."
Lu Hong put the soup bowl back on the table, shook his head and said with a smile: "My duty is to deliver you to Fenggan Mansion intact. There must be no mistakes on the way. Otherwise, it will be a big deal if I miss the job. I'm afraid I will be killed too."
Put in jail."
"The arrester still thinks I can run away?" Wen Butao said with a smile: "I have such a big property in Turtle City, and I will get it back sooner or later. If I run away now, I will be a fugitive. If I want to return to Turtle City, I will have to get it back."
It’s getting even more difficult.”
Lu Hong nodded slightly: "Boss Wen is definitely a rich man in Turtle City. What you earn in one day is something I, a small catcher, cannot earn in a lifetime."
"Everyone has their own difficulties." Wen Butao sighed: "The more you earn, the greater the risk. Look, am I not a prisoner now? In fact, I envy the head catcher with his salary.
, raise a family and raise children, be harmonious and beautiful, hey...!”
"Boss Wen envies me, and I also envy Boss Wen." Lu Hong said with a smile: "With tens of thousands of taels of silver a year, I can have whatever I want. Unlike me, I have an old mother and two children.
I am over forty years old, and I can only rely on my monthly salary to survive. My family wants to eat well, but they have to hesitate again and again. As for new clothes, Boss Wen may not know that my mother-in-law has been there for three years.
I haven’t added any clothes.”
Wen Budao immediately said: "If the head catcher likes you, after I finish my work and return to Turtle City, I will cover your family's clothes for all seasons."
"Like a rich man giving alms to a beggar?" Lu Hong laughed: "Perhaps in the eyes of rich people, there is no difference between us and beggars."
Wen Butao frowned slightly and said, "The catcher knows that Wen didn't mean that."
Lu Hong sighed and said: "At least I can still eat from the Yamen in this life. What will happen to my children when they grow up? Xiling is nominally the territory of the Tang Dynasty, but the people of Xiling cannot take the exam. This is
The way to enter the official career is cut off. Xiling is the Xiling of those wealthy and powerful families. The common people will never get ahead." He shook his head and said with a bitter smile: "When the child grows up, if I am lucky, maybe with my old face, I can
Let him work as a yamen clerk. If he is unlucky, he will have to work as a slave for those big families. If the Wutuo people come again one day and are recruited to fight on the front line, he may die there. Boss Wen, what do you think?
How come the lives of people like us are so mean?”
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