Liu Xin thought that Ba Guli was going to give him a beautiful woman, and was about to say goodbye when she saw a bearded man coming over carrying a baggage. The contrast was too great. Liu Xin, who loves residual jaw, looked at Ba Guli suspiciously.
Gu Li glanced at it and took the bundle, which was quite heavy. When Liu Xin opened the bundle, he couldn't help but exclaimed: "Cut the cake!"
"Cut cake? No, sir, you are mistaken. This is candy, a unique food here, called Maren candy." Amufan glanced to the side and emphasized, "Children like to eat it most.
.”
At the table over there, Diao Chan and Lu Qiling, the master and apprentice pair, were carefully enjoying the singing and dancing with a very professional eye. The child in Amufan's mouth naturally meant Lu Qiling.
Amufan has lived for such a long time and has become mature. He originally planned to send two women to Liu Xin, but when he saw Liu Xin and her family members traveling together, he immediately changed his mind and instead
To please Liu Xin's "daughter".
Liu Xin said "Oh" and took a closer look at the marren candy in the bag. It was indeed different from the "infamous" cut cakes of later generations. The cut cakes he had seen were all red and green, and the cut cakes he had seen were all red and green.
These malas are pure amber in color, and the "content" is also very simple, which is walnut kernels and sugar syrup. I don't know whether this mala paste is the primary form of cut cake, or whether the cut cake should be like this originally.[
Since Amufan only sent a kind of food, Liu Xin was no longer polite to him. He picked up a piece and tasted it. It was indeed fragrant and sweet. He couldn't help but nodded and said: "Old patriarch, please worry about this Maren."
The candy is delicious, so it must not be cheap, right?"
Amufan smiled bitterly and said: "To be honest with you, the cost of making a pack of marren candy like this is worth one or two silver dollars. Not to mention walnut kernels are expensive, even the syrup is made from grape juice."
One tael of silver can be worth a thousand yuan. Even in the war-torn areas in the north, you can buy ten shi of grain, but it is only worth this small bag of snacks. Jia Xu and Dian Wei at the same table were shocked. However, they heard
Liu Xin, who had experienced the stories of exorbitantly expensive cake-cutting stories in later generations, was not surprised at all, and said with a smile: "Since Maren candy is so expensive, not many people are willing to eat it, so why bother making such a thing?"
Amufan sighed: "Maren candy is mainly sold to passing merchants. It is easy to preserve and is very resistant to hunger after eating. It is most suitable for making dry food. Now that there are no caravans, the prepared maren candy is also sold.
It won’t fall anymore.”
Regarding this point, Liu Xin understood better. Maren candy contains a lot of fat and sugar, which can provide a lot of calories. It is indeed a better food for traveling in the desert. Seeing Amufan's face of frustration, Liu Xin smiled.
Comforting: "Don't worry, you will get better soon."
With Liu Xin's promise to restart the trade route, the villagers were obviously much more excited, and the lively party lasted until late at night. Caravans often passed by here in the past, and many villagers had guest rooms in their homes, so Liu Xin and the others
When in the countryside, do as the Romans do and live in the homes of hospitable villagers.
The largest house in the village naturally belongs to the family of the patriarch Amufan, and Liu Xin and his family were arranged here. Although Amufan repeatedly assured him that living in the village was absolutely safe, no matter where the horse bandits were, they would be safe.
They would not attack and disturb the village. But Liu Xin did not take it lightly. There were guard posts outside the courtyard, and the twelve female guards took turns guarding the inside of the courtyard.
The night passed very peacefully, probably because he was too excited to play last night. When a glimmer of dawn gradually rose in the east, many villagers were still sleeping. After all, Amufan was old, and his sleep was definitely not as good as that of young people. However, this time
I felt that he slept very soundly. I haven't felt like this for a long time.
When Amufan opened the door, he saw Liu Xin boxing in the yard. He couldn't help but asked in surprise: "Why don't you sleep a little longer, sir?"
Liu Xin smiled and said: "The air in the morning is so fresh. If the old patriarch is interested, can he accompany Liu for a walk around the village?"
Amufan hurriedly agreed and walked out of the village with Liu Xin.
Not far out of the village, I saw dozens of horses galloping towards me. One of the first men rolled his saddle and dismounted, raised his hands towards Liu Xin and said: "My lord, the group of horse bandits who attacked tonight have been completely wiped out by the general.
The general will come and give orders!"
"Horse bandit?" Amufan asked in surprise, "Where did the horse bandit come from?"
Liu Xin laughed and said: "The old patriarch slept too deeply last night. My sons and sons went through a fierce battle. Chief Wen, lead the way and let the old patriarch see the results of your battle?"
The general who came was none other than Wei Yan. He did not attend the party last night. Instead, he led a large group of troops to lay an ambush around the village and stayed until midnight. Sure enough, a large group of horse bandits roared in. They fought twice, and in the blink of an eye, the horse bandits came.
They were all killed, and Wei Yan was able to claim a complete victory.
In fact, Amufan also faintly heard the cry of killing last night, but he was too tired and thought it was a dream and ignored it at all. Looking at the piles of corpses and hundreds of prisoners in front of him, Amufan realized
What I had was not a dream.
Although Amufan saw that the horse bandits had been wiped out by the Han army, Amufan was not excited at all, but felt uneasy. Liu Xin saw all the changes in the expression on his face. Liu Xin nodded and asked: "Old patriarch, is it
Aren't you worried about retaliation from the horse bandits?"
Seeing that Liu Xin had read through his thoughts, Amufan lowered his head and said, "Sir, you can leave as soon as possible, but there are more than a thousand people of all ages, including men, women and children in our village who cannot escape. If the horse bandits come back, what will happen to them?"
…”
Liu Xin laughed and said: "Don't worry, from today on, you are all subjects of the Han Dynasty, and Liu will never ignore you. Chang Wen, you choose three thousand elite soldiers to stay and set up camp on the edge of the village.
The camp must protect the safety of the villagers."[
In fact, even if the horse bandits had not attacked last night, Liu Xin would have planned to set up a barracks near this small village. The geographical location here is very special. If there is no strong wind, it is only one day's journey from here to Yumen Pass.
, can be said to be the node closest to Liangzhou on the Silk Road. Guarding this place is crucial to ensuring the safety of the entire trade route.
Amufan was also very happy. If a Han army could be stationed in his village, it would bring a sense of security to the Han caravans, and the Han caravans would be more willing to pass by their village, treating their village as an important
After settling down, taking a rest, and replenishing food and water, the villagers will have many things to do. After making money, everyone's life will naturally get better day by day.
Liu Xin glanced at Amufan, who was slightly excited, and then said: "However, Liu's soldiers are stationed here, which may cause some trouble to the villagers. I hope the old patriarch can make it more convenient."
In addition to its geographical location, this small village has another more important advantage. It is an oasis and there is a clear small lake. Nothing is more important than water to survive in the desert. With water, the army can
You can stay here for a long time, otherwise, for the current logistics capabilities, the supply of water sources alone is a heavy burden.
Water is very important to the soldiers stationed here, and it is even more important to the villagers who have lived here for generations. In order to avoid competition for water sources, Liu Xin must tell Amufan these things upfront.
Amufan said disapprovingly: "Don't worry, sir. There is a large lake more than thirty miles north from here, but it's just a little far away."
Liu Xin, who comes from a later generation, is very aware of the importance of people's hearts. If his soldiers are stationed here and need to constantly compete with local people for water sources, it will inevitably trigger various conflicts. When the conflicts reach a certain level, his soldiers will also exist here.
I can't go down anymore. So, when Amufan mentioned that there was such a water source, Liu Xin couldn't help but be very interested, and said repeatedly: "Don't be afraid if the road is far, just prepare more camels and horses when the time comes. Old patriarch, wait for the soldiers
After the camp is set up, I would like you to send a few more guides to guide them, and the water for the soldiers will be brought from there."
Amufan didn't expect Liu Xin to think so carefully, and responded repeatedly: "Don't worry, sir, we will do what we should do as a small citizen."
On the way back to the village, Wei Yan walked up to Liu Xin and whispered: "My lord, the group of horse bandits who appeared last night are well-trained and well-organized. They are not like ordinary gangs, but more like a regular army."
.”
Liu Xin couldn't help but think of the night when they were camping in the wild. The man recognized by the guide Baguli was a soldier from the Shule Kingdom. Combining these two situations, could it be said that these horse bandits were simply the army in disguise?
After listening to Liu Xin express his doubts, Jia Xu pondered: "It is possible. Last time, my subordinates traveled to the countries in the Western Regions under the order of the lord, and King Kergan of Shule was one of the people who opposed the reconstruction of the Protectorate.
First, he has always been on good terms with Dawan. However, Dawan has always been at odds with our Han Dynasty and was one of the first countries to break away from the jurisdiction of the Western Region Protectorate."
Liu Xin sneered and said: "Liu's trip to the Western Regions is to make peace the most important thing. However, if he encounters such a blind opponent, he doesn't mind using him to establish his power! Wen He, you can draft an order for me.
, let Han Sheng lead the army out of the customs. And notify the caravans from various places that they can do business in the Western Regions."
Jia Xu pointed to hundreds of prisoners and said: "My subordinates interrogated those people overnight, and they all insisted that they were Black Whirlwind's subordinates. However, my subordinates suspected that what they said was untrue, and they didn't know how the lord would deal with it.
them?"
This is the third time Liu Xin has heard the name of the Black Tornado. From the look of respect and fear on the part of the guide Baguli, Liu Xin can tell that this Black Tornado is definitely a difficult opponent. A man who makes a name for himself in the desert.
A gangster who is feared by everyone, his men will never be so pusy.
However, regardless of whether these people are the subordinates of Black Tornado, to ensure the safety of the Silk Road, Black Tornado must be eliminated. Liu Xin frowned, suddenly laughed, and said: "If word spreads, they will call me a big man."
The soldiers successfully suppressed Black Whirlwind, beheading more than 2,000 people and capturing more than 500 people alive. The bandit leader Black Whirlwind was seriously injured and is estimated to have died in the desert."