Huizhou is located at the southernmost tip of Xixia. During the Li and Tang Dynasties, it was the territory of Tang Dynasty, and later it was occupied by Tibet, and then it was occupied by Xixia. Huizhou only has two counties under its jurisdiction, Huining and Wulan, but the area is really not small. The entire Huizhou
The boundaries of the state capital span more than 510 miles from east to west and 330 miles from north to south, but the population is only over 400,000. It is truly a vast land with few people.
Most of the population is concentrated in the southeast of Huizhou. There are nearly 170,000 people living in Huizhou City alone. The rest of the population is distributed in the counties surrounding Huizhou City. Because it is located on the border of Song and Xia Dynasties, there are trade exchanges during peacetime.
An important town, during wartime it was an important base where heavy troops were stationed and food and fodder were gathered and forwarded. Its geographical location was very important.
After trekking hard for two days and three nights, Su Jin and others finally climbed over the snow-capped mountains and arrived at the north of Long Mountain. Before leaving the mountain, everyone washed themselves in the mountain stream and put on clean clothes. Su Jin wore a brocade robe and wore a
Three or four huge gemstone rings, looking like a nouveau riche businessman, Lu Laosan was dressed as an accountant, and the rest of the people were dressed in shorts and dressed as attendants. After everything was done, they would change their clothes and carry them.
All the long weapons were buried in the grass, and then Shi Shiran came out of the mountain pass...
Less than three miles to the north, they saw a small village on the mountainside. Su Jin and others did not shy away from suspicion. They pretended to be lost and went into the village to ask for directions. They found that there were several Han households living in the village.
Only then did I know that these families have lived here for generations. To them, they are also divided into Song Dynasty and Xia Dynasty, because their ancestors have settled here since the Western Zhou Dynasty. Today, except for the language and clothing, they still retain some of the habits of the Han people.
Except for this, all others have been assimilated by the party members.
When the people in the village heard that Su Jin and others were merchants from the Song Dynasty, they were a little surprised. Although it was a closed place, everyone knew about the war between Song and Xia, but they didn't care. The war was a matter for the government and the court.
These people have been exploited and impoverished by this protracted war. The people in this village depend on the mountains. They originally relied on hunting prey and furs to earn a living, but now they have to turn to weaving vine baskets and selling them to farmers.
Military degree.
Su Jin spent a lot of money to buy more than a dozen pairs of rattan baskets and poles. Firstly, he used this to build a good relationship with the villagers. Secondly, it also happened to allow Wang Chao and others to dress up as porters. Naturally, the villagers were very happy. This Song
The merchants who came from the country were very generous, and the price for a pair of baskets was ten times that of the soldiers in Huizhou City. How could they not be very happy?
After asking for the direction of Huizhou City, everyone continued to go north. After walking for more than ten miles on the rugged trail, they finally reached the official road. Less than a mile or two further north, they turned around a hill and suddenly saw smoke and dust billowing in front of them.
A group of Xixia cavalry escorted a long dragon-like cart rolling in.
Everyone had no time to escape, so they had to put down their hats and stand on the side of the road to avoid it. As the motorcade approached, Su Jin looked sideways and saw bulging sacks in the car, and grain grains were being scattered down along with the bumps. It seemed that it was the right time.
It was a convoy transporting grain and grass to the Weizhou battlefield in the south.
Halfway through the convoy, Xia Jun, who was escorting the grain, noticed a dozen people standing on the roadside. After walking past, he still turned around and came to Su Jin and others, looked up and down and said: "What are you waiting for?"
Man? Lift your head."
Lu Laosan had dealt with the Dangxiang people and spoke with a northwest accent, so he hurriedly stepped forward and saluted: "Hello, Master Jun, we are businessmen on the road."
"Merchant? Look, you are dressed in Song Dynasty clothes. What kind of business are you doing in the chaos of war? Could it be that you are a craftsman sent by the Song people? Come on, take it." The Xixia general shouted.
Lu Laosan apologized and said with a smile: "Master Jun, I dare not say that. We have been doing business between Song and Xia for many years. War is a war. We businessmen still have to do business. To be honest, Master Jun, we have nothing to do.
Business has been suspended for more than a year, and my family's shop is about to close down. If we don't take the risk and come to your country to purchase some goods, we will all be in trouble."
The general was just bluffing. Although the two countries were at war, private smuggling merchants were very common. Most of these merchants had backers in both countries. After taking care of them, the government generally did not embarrass them. When the army saw the merchants, they generally just
After the extortion, he did not embarrass them, so he laughed and said: "You businessmen, you are masters who want money rather than your life. The two countries are fighting fiercely, but you dare to take risks. I know that if I kill you, I will kill a few of them."
Like a little lamb."
Lu Laosan said hurriedly: "What the military master said is that we can't do anything about it. Besides, war is a matter for the government. No matter what, your country still has to eat tea and pass on silk, and we, the people of the Song Dynasty, also have to wear furs."
Let’s eat the green salt of your Xia Kingdom. The war will eventually stop. We won’t be able to resume business by then, and the people will have deep hatred and there will be no need to fight and kill.”
The officer laughed and said: "That makes sense. I didn't expect you to be more open-minded than the people above. Are you the shopkeeper here?"
Lu Laosan said hurriedly: "The old man is just the accountant, and this is our young shopkeeper Su Ji." After saying that, he stretched out his hand and gestured towards Su Jinyi.
The officer squinted his eyes and looked Su Jin up and down. He saw that Su Jin was dressed in luxurious clothes, with oily hair and powdered face, and looked like a noble gentleman, but he could see the nervousness on his face, and he was obviously very scared.
"Hey, you have such a handsome face. You should hide at home and let your parents care about you. The ladies love you. Why do you come here to do business? Tsk, tsk, tsk, your little face is very annoying, but don't do it.
You are messing around in our big summer, otherwise the grandsons of the Inspection Department will be very happy. After taking you, you will feel better, hehehe." The officer's words were frivolous and his eyes were evil.
Ma Han's nose became so angry that he clenched his fists tightly. Wang Chao quickly stepped on his feet and warned him not to be impulsive.
Su Jin cupped his hands and said, "Thank you so much, Mr. Lu, for reminding me. How dare I make trouble in your country? It's very hard for the military master to perform official duties on this hot day. It's fate that we meet each other. Mr. Lu, please give me some tea money for this official to cool off."
."
Lu Laosan agreed, took out a gold ingot from his arms, quickly stuffed it into the general's hand and said with a smile: "The military master will accept it."
The officer was startled and then overjoyed. They were just chatting, but he didn't expect that a windfall would come from heaven. The gold ingots of the Song Dynasty were famous for their high quality. The high-ranking officials and powerful people of the Xia Kingdom were not proud of owning the gold, silver and jewelry of the Song Dynasty. Unexpectedly,
This merchant actually spent a lot of money. This gold ingot was twenty-five taels a piece of high-quality goods. He might not be able to save so much money even if he worked as a businessman for a year, so he quickly looked around and put the gold ingot into his sleeve.
.
"You're welcome, how can I do this?"
"But I just ask the military master to take care of me in the future. Although I, Su Ji, have contacts with important people in the city, I don't have many friends in the army. If the military master doesn't dislike us, we can just make friends." Su Jin said with a smile. .
"It's easy to talk about it. I have urgent military affairs and I can't take care of you. When you enter the city, you only need to state the name of our munitions department, Po Chaolong, and no one will embarrass you." The general laughed.
Su Jin cupped his hands to express his gratitude. He was just about to politely inquire about the news in the city when he heard someone shouting from the front: "Pochaolong, what the hell are you doing standing there? I will sue you later in front of the commander-in-chief." It’s like, you motherfucker, if you can’t do your job properly all day long.”
Po Chaolong retorted with embarrassment: "I call you sister, don't I just say a few words when I meet an old friend? I'll bark like a dog." He turned to Su Jin and cupped his hands and said: "Everyone, I'm here for business. There’s no need to delay, let’s see you later.”
Su Jin smiled and said goodbye to him, and Po Chaolong turned his horse and rushed to the front of the team; Su Jin couldn't help but smile bitterly, this guy is a bully, and if he goes to the city to report his name, he is afraid of being bullied. But I just didn't want him to cause trouble, so I lost money and avoided disaster, and I didn't intend to borrow his name.
The motorcade rolled past, the smoke cleared, and everyone continued to move forward. After a while, they could see the city wall stretching for several miles in the distance. Judging from its scale, it was no less than the scale of Yangzhou City.
It was almost noon, and everyone was hungry. They saw a wine flag carrying a wine flag among the lush trees on the roadside, so everyone decided to fill their stomachs first, and then go into the city in the afternoon. When entering Huizhou City, they had to be careful every step of the way. If the enemy has been exposed, he must first find out where the Xixia army is storing grain, and then look for opportunities to make a move.
Although two days have passed, we don’t know whether the war in Weizhou City will resume or whether it can be saved. Everyone is very anxious and worried, but no matter how urgent it is, we can’t act too hastily, otherwise it will It will be counterproductive.