After bidding farewell to Ruan Sanxiong and walking for a while, Chao Yong remembered that he only knew the general direction but didn't know how to go, so he had to ask: "How many miles is it to Tokyo from here?"
Chao San shook his head and said: "I am only familiar with the Jingdong area, but I have never been to Tokyo. I only heard people say it is about a thousand miles away."
If we walk a thousand miles, it will take twenty days to go back and forth, but we will miss our trip to Tai'an Prefecture.
"Where can I buy a fast horse?"
"Young Master, let's talk about fast horses, even slave horses are not always available. Shi Jingtang ceded Yanyun Sixteen Prefectures to Liao Dog, and after Xixia rebelled, the Song Dynasty had no place to raise horses. Court horses
None of the five members of the army may have a horse. There are only some stupid donkeys and stupid mules in the Jeju Horse Market on weekdays, but there are very few horses. Horses are only sold when horse dealers sneak in from the north, but good horses are also available.
Most of them are bought by the prefectures in the north along the way, but our Jingdong is a rare good horse. But the owner of the owner spent a lot of effort and traveled to Jeju for more than ten times to buy the black horse. The owner mainly wants to ride horses, so why not go back to the owner's farm?
Go get it and save yourself a wasted trip."
Chao Yong also knew about the young horses of the Song Dynasty before, but he didn't expect that even the horse market was so depressed. After thinking about it, he returned to the village. If his mother knew that she was going to pull a tooth from the tiger's mouth in Tokyo, it would be difficult for her to make the trip, so he had to say: "Anyway, we have to go to the tiger's mouth."
South, I went to Jeju to try my luck and buy two horses. If it didn’t work, I would buy them while walking in the state capitals along the way."
They were silent all the way, and when they arrived at Jeju City at noon the next day, the horse market was outside the city, and they could hear horses neighing and donkeys braying in the distance.
Although Chao San is used to traveling all over the country, he still has a young man's nature. When he heard the horse's neighing, he said with joy: "Young master, good luck. Listening to the neighing of this horse, it must be a good horse from the north, and there are quite a lot of it. This happened."
But it’s here.”
Chao Yong is also very happy. If he can buy a good horse, the trip to Tokyo will be much faster. At the same time, he can cultivate a tacit understanding earlier and have a good helper in the future.
The two of them walked quickly and arrived at the horse market. Ignoring the pungent stench, they walked to the crowded place.
"It's been a long time since I've seen such a majestic horse, but the asking price is a bit high."
"Yes, ordinary horses only cost 20 guan each, but the Zhuozhou people asked for 50 guan, but they were worth the money. These horses are rare and sacred horses. They also sold them from Khitan with their heads high.
Come on, it’s inevitable that the price will be higher.”
In order to maintain its advantage on the battlefield, the Liao State banned the trafficking of war horses to the Song Dynasty, while the Song Dynasty treated cross-border horse traders very favorably. Not only did they not impose taxes on the trafficked horses, but the border soldiers also turned a blind eye to other items that the horse dealers brought with them.
By closing one eye, they were encouraged to sell horses to the Song Dynasty.
After a while of effort, the two of them squeezed to the front. They saw about ten good horses tied there, including green horses, purple horses, red rabbits, black horses, and yellow horses. Many of them were no less inferior to Chao Gai's horse.
Chao Yong only glanced at one of the black horses, and he took a fancy to one of the black horses. The horse's body was like black satin, shiny, and its joints and tendons were well developed. When standing, other horses also gave way to the horse.
As if taking the lead.
Chao San took a fancy to a yellow gelding. Although it was not as handsome as the black gelding, it was still a rare and good horse.
After the two of them picked the horses, Chao San said, "How much will the black and yellow horses cost?"
The horse dealer spoke with a Northland accent and said: "This black-collared horse is a top horse. Even in the Northland, it can be said to be one of the best horses from a thousand miles. It actually costs one hundred guan, and the other horses are all fifty guan."
.”
Chao San said: "On weekdays, good horses in the North sell for only thirty guan. Are your prices too high?"
"Your Majesty, I don't know. Now the war between the Liao Kingdom and Dajin is tense. Horse trafficking is strictly prohibited in the country. There are soldiers checking everywhere. We risk losing our heads by going this way. We will have to hide for a while when we get back. No way.
Don’t ask for high prices. Moreover, these horses are only the best in a hundred, and they are also the best war horses even in the Liao Kingdom.”
"Having said that, the asking price is still a bit high, one hundred guan for two horses."
The horse dealer obviously wanted to complete this business. After all, he had come a long way, and the money had been exhausted. Both the horse and the horse had to eat and drink. After thinking about it, he said: "Please wait a moment, my eldest brother has to make the decision on this matter."
After saying that, he ran towards the pergola in the distance. Not long after, he saw him walking out followed by a man with red hair and yellow beard.
Chao Yong took a closer look at the man. Although he was thin and thick, he had an extraordinary appearance. He remembered that the man from Liangshan and his golden retriever Duan Jingzhu were the culprits who led Chao Gai to attack Zengtou City and die from an arrow.
The culprit.
Under the leadership of the horse dealer, Duan Jingzhu walked up to the two of them, clasped his fists and said: "You two gentlemen are very polite. It is indeed not easy for me to wait for this trip. If it were in the past, it would have cost thirty guan. But now in the Liao Kingdom
The interrogation was very tight. I waited all the way along the trail, but encountered a Khitan interrogation on the way. One brother risked his life to entangle the Khitan, and we were able to escape. I think you two are also sincere in buying horses. If you can pay a hundred
Twenty guan, those two horses are yours, otherwise we would rather send the horses to the palace of King Chao Tian in Dongxi Village to try our luck. I just heard that he is a person who likes to dance with horses and guns, and he is also generous with his wealth. He often used to
Come to this horse market to see horses."
When Chao San heard this, he smiled proudly and said, "Then you don't have to travel far. King Chao Tian is the owner of my village, and this is the young owner of my village."
Duan Jingzhu had already seen that Chao San was just a servant, and Chao Yong was the master who paid the money. However, he did not expect that Chao Yong was the prince of Chao Tian. He hurriedly clasped his fists and said: "This is a joke to the young master, Duan Jingzhu is wise.
I don't know Taishan. Duan Jingzhu has just come to Jeju. He hasn't had time to go to Tianwangzhuang to pay a visit. He also invites the young master of the village, Haihan. This horse met the Mingzhu today, and the villain doesn't want more. One hundred strings, two
The horses all belong to the young owner."
When businessmen from the Jianghu community arrive in Jeju, they usually post at Chao Gai Village in exchange for Chao Gai's stamp to ensure that there will be no gangsters to harass them in Jeju.
This is not a forced matter, it is entirely voluntary. Business people can save a lot of trouble by spending some money. If local idlers have no money, they can go to Chao Gaizhuang to get some, and there is no need to harass merchants or contact the government.
It saves a lot of trouble. It can be said to be an unspoken rule in ancient times.
Chao Yong also knew something about the inside story, and knew that Duan Jingzhu's extra twenty taels was meant to pay protection money. He shook his head and said: "You are also making a living on the edge of the knife. This time you lost another brother, so I will be exempted from the invitation."
According to what you said before, I will buy these two horses for one hundred and twenty guan. Chao San, take the money."
Duan Jingzhu still wanted to refuse, but when he saw that Chao Yong really meant to confiscate the sample money, he accepted it with peace of mind, clasped his fists and said: "Young Master is so generous. I would like to thank you on behalf of all my brothers. If Young Master doesn't dislike it,
I then had the original harness installed."
Chao Yong bought the horse just because he wanted it to be used, and he didn't pay much attention to it. Hearing this, he smiled and said: "Then thank you brother Duan. I have no respect. How about I treat you to a few glasses of wine?"
Duan Jingzhu hesitated for a moment, looked at the crowd around him, and thought about it. He shouldn't have to worry about selling the rest. Moreover, King Chao Tianwang was well-known in Jingdong, and he had established a friendship with Chao Yong. It would be much easier to travel around Jingdong in the future.
Thinking of this, Duan Jingzhu called a horse dealer, gave some instructions, and then went into the city to have a drink with Chao Yong.
Chao San was familiar with Jeju, so he led the two of them to sit down in a large restaurant. After a few bowls of wine, the two of them felt that they had lost all their vitality.
Chao Yong said: "I wonder where my brother sells horses?"
"We are not afraid of jokes, but we brothers are different from ordinary horse dealers. The horses we sell are all good horses stolen from the Khitan horse farm. After that, we will go all the way south. If the Khitan people investigate closely, they will issue an ultimatum to Hebei Province for investigation.
Catch them. We will sell them to Jingdong. If the inspection is not strict, we will sell them in Hebei. I am not boasting, but my ability to look at horses and train them is as good as those Khitan people who grew up on horses, so I dare to
Extracting teeth from a tiger's mouth is the only business in the north."
After several bowls of wine, Duan Jingzhu also discovered that Chao Yong had no pretensions to the powerful young men from all over the world he had seen before. He was also a polite and virtuous corporal to someone like him, so he told the truth.
"Brother, you are so capable and courageous. Chao Yong gives you a bowl."
Chao Gai was a man of righteousness and wealth, and his great reputation was born from a pair of fists. He could be said to be powerful in Jingdong, so friends in the world were willing to visit him in exchange for his protection in Jingdong. He could be said to be a tycoon in the world.
However, the activity of jumping fences and cheating horses is very common in the world, and it is looked down upon by most people. Therefore, Duan Jingzhu did not dare to take the initiative to go to Chao Gai to pay respects, for fear of upsetting Chao Gai.
Hearing Chao Yong's praise, Duan Jingzhu was flattered and raised his bowl, drank it all in one gulp, and said: "It's a trivial trick, it's not worth mentioning, it's not worth mentioning. I came all the way south and heard people in the world talking about this Jingdong."
There is King Chao Tian who is loyal to justice and wealth, and has a pair of iron fists that can defeat all the enemies in Jingdong. There is also Song Gongming, a timely man who specializes in rescuing people in crisis, but it is a pity that he has to work as a minor official in the government."
In the middle of Water Margin, Duan Jingzhu was suspected of conspiring with Song Jiang to kill Chao Gai, but Chao Yong did not want to talk to Duan Jingzhu about Song Jiang. He smiled and said: "Everyone has his own ambitions. Earlier, I heard that the Liao Kingdom was fighting against the Jin Kingdom, but I didn't know
How is it now?"
"The Kingdom of Jin was founded by the Nüzhi people in the north. The leader was Wanyan Aguda. At first, his army only had 2,500 people. Later, he fought more and more, and captured many places. At Dagong, he was defeated with 20,000 troops.
The Liao Kingdom had an army of 700,000. Therefore, it is said that if there are less than 10,000 women, they are invincible. After this battle, the Liao Kingdom lost all its elites and had no offensive power anymore. It could only divide its troops to guard key places. However, the Jin Kingdom became stronger and stronger.
They sent out strong troops and strong horses, and almost conquered the western Liaoning area in the past few years. I once saw a female straight person in the north. They were wild and untamable by nature.
It’s a land of tigers and wolves.”
Chao Yong originally thought that Duan Jingzhu was only familiar with the geography of the north and could sell war horses that were in short supply in the Song Dynasty, but he did not expect that he had such knowledge.
"What my brother said is that the Khitan people have been in the country for a long time. They yearn for the prosperity of our dynasty and learn from our Han people's etiquette and culture. However, they have lost a lot of their wildness. In recent years, the border has become much calmer. If it were the people of the Jin Kingdom, the border people
I'm afraid there will be more suffering. It's a pity that those who are high up in the court are not as visionary as you and me. They decided on the strategy of uniting the Jin Dynasty to destroy the Liao Dynasty, and also tried to use the opportunity to take back the Sixteenth Prefecture of Yanyun, but they didn't know that they would lose more in the future.
If you drive the tiger away and devour the wolf, you will suffer its consequences in the long run.”
Duan Jingzhu also looked at Chao Yong in astonishment. He only knew the benefits of staying in the Liao Kingdom after seeing the ferocity of straight women. Unexpectedly, Chao Yong, who was seventeen or eighteen years old, could infer many of these just based on what he heard.
Come. However, the alliance with the Jin Dynasty to destroy the Liao Dynasty shocked him even more. He did not expect that the Song Dynasty, which was full of talents, would actually make such a reckless strategy.
Duan Jingzhu knew that the Nüzhi people regarded human life as nothing, and that the Liao Kingdom was destroyed only a few years ago. He did not want to leave his life and death to the Nüzhi people. He had planned to move to the Song Kingdom, but he did not expect that the Song Kingdom actually wanted to form an alliance with the Jin Kingdom to attack the Liao Kingdom.
.The Jin Kingdom is fighting against the Liao Kingdom with overwhelming force. In the past battles between the Song Kingdom and the Liao Kingdom, the Song Kingdom suffered more defeats and fewer wins. When the time comes, the Jin Kingdom will inevitably see through the reality of the Song Kingdom and will inevitably covet it.
"Song State wants to form an alliance with Jin State to attack Liao State?"
However, Chao Yong learned about the maritime alliance from later history. The two countries should have begun to contact each other now, but have not yet formally formed an alliance. In the Song Dynasty, people discussed politics relatively freely, but because Chao Gaizhuang was full of people in the world, the political affairs in the court were very complicated.
Few people cared about it, so Chao Yong didn't know whether the alliance had spread.
Chao Yong pretended to be mysterious and said with a smile: "We will definitely form an alliance in a year and a half. You will know then."
Duan Jingzhu saw that Chao Yong was unwilling to say more, so he stopped asking. However, he was ready to move south. He also saw that Chao Yong had a lot of knowledge and seemed to have a wide range of paths. He was also interested in making friends, and there was a lot of flattery in his words.
.
Chao Yong ate a few more bowls and said: "My little brother loves horses and is willing to buy some horses at high prices. But this time I have something to do when I go out and I don't have a lot of money with me. Otherwise, I will take all the horses from my brother."
I bought it. After three months, no matter how many horses my brother sells from the north, my younger brother is willing to buy them for fifty cents a horse. What do you think?"
Duan Jingzhu felt that Chao Yong had a broad path, and his determination to make friends became more determined. He smiled and said: "Brother Yong saves us from running around selling, so I have to be wise. If I get horses in the future, I will definitely send them all.
No matter how difficult the journey is, the price will be based on the market price, thirty guan per horse."
Chao Yong took out a bronze medal with the Chinese character Chao engraved on it and said with a smile: "This is my dad's number plate. It will be more convenient for my brother to walk on the Jingdong ground with it."
Duan Jingzhu often traveled around the world and had heard of Chao Gai's imprint. The greeting cards in Jianghu were exchanged for wooden tokens with dates written on them, which would become invalid upon expiration. Chao Gai's subordinates who traveled around the world held iron medals, but bronze medals.
It represents Chao Gai himself.
Duan Jingzhu saw that what Chao Yong took out was actually the Chao Gai bronze medal, and he couldn't help but said in shock: "I don't dare to use the bronze medal of the King of Heaven, so I ask Brother Yong to keep it."
Chao Yong took Duan Jingzhu's hand, put the bronze medal in Duan Jingzhu's hand, and said with a smile: "You and I hit it off as soon as we saw it, brother, just keep it."
Duan Jingzhu has been traveling around the world for many years, but he has never been treated so kindly by someone. Looking at Chao Yong, who is a courtesy to Corporal Xian, he also has the idea of being a scholar and dying for his confidant.