Wang Rong and Ma Shizhou have known each other for a long time. After all, Wangjia Village is actually under the jurisdiction of the same Thousand Households Office. Wang Rong had known Ma Shizhou since the first year he was assigned to the Qianhu Institute, and had helped Ma Shizhou a lot over the years. If not for Wang Rong's help, Ma Shizhou would not have been able to settle down in the Qianhu Institute so easily.
Over the years, the two became friends. Sometimes when Wang Rong went to Qianhu Office to do business, he would often go to Ma Shizhou's place to sit, either to bring him something, or to have a few sips of wine together, or even Stay at his house for one night or something.
Years ago, Zhu Shenzui and Wang Rong said they planned to go to the grassland. Wang Rong had been thinking about this and was thinking about how to arrange it.
No, he thought about it and thought of Ma Shizhou. Ma Shizhou was kidnapped and stayed there for several years. Not only was he familiar with the grassland, he could also speak Mongolian. Secondly, Ma Shizhou was born in the frontier army. Although his left hand is now disabled, his skills are still there. He has led soldiers, fought in battles and killed people. With such a person following Zhu Shenzui, he is naturally much stronger than ordinary people.
Wang Rong and Ma Shizhou have known each other for many years, and they also trust Ma Shizhou. In this way, as early as a year ago, Wang Rong took the opportunity to mention this to Ma Shizhou when he went to Qianhu Office. After hearing this, Ma Shizhou agreed without asking any questions, and the matter was initially settled.
This time when Zhu Shenzui came to Wangjia Village, Wang Rong remembered the matter again and made a special trip to Qianhu Station to find Ma Shizhou and bring him over so that he and Zhu Shenzui could meet and chat. chat.
"Uncle Ma, you drink tea." Zhu Shenzui picked up the teapot and poured tea for Ma Shizhou, while carefully looking at the man in front of him.
Ma Shizhou is not tall, he is slightly shorter than ordinary people, and he is also older. After all, he is already over forty years old. In this era, the life span of ordinary people is not long, and people above forty can be called The last word "Old Man", not to mention that Ma Shizhou had stayed in the grassland for so long and suffered a lot while working as a cow or horse for the Mongols.
"Thank you, Mr. Liu..." Ma Shizhou thanked him and then stopped talking, looking taciturn.
"Uncle Ma, you are used to living alone these years and don't like to talk much." Wang Rong explained at the side. Zhu Shenzui nodded, and then turned his attention to Wang Rong with questions. Seeing Wang Rong She gave him a reassuring look.
"Uncle Ma, did my uncle tell you about that?"
"After mentioning it a few times, you want to go north?" Ma Shizhou asked.
"yes!"
"When do you plan to go?"
"I plan to leave in March. I estimate that the grassland will be back to spring at this time. However, it is my first time to go back to the north and I don't know much about the situation there. Uncle Ma, what do you think of this arrangement?" Zhu Shenzui thought about it. asked.
Ma Shizhou frowned slightly, thought for a moment and said, "March? Although it's a little early, it's not impossible. How long will you be there? How many people are there?"
Zhu Shenzui said: "There are about four or five people. In addition to people, we also need to bring some goods. This time we went mainly to explore the way, feel the situation in the north, and see what business can be done there. As for I'm not sure how long I'll stay there, maybe I'll be back in a month, or maybe it will take longer."
Ma Shizhou thought for a while and nodded: "That's no problem, I can lead the way, but you need to bring something besides goods. The sky on the grassland is not like the Ming Dynasty. The sun is shining brightly one moment, but it may change the next moment. Oh my god, there are always icebergs in the storm, so it’s useless if you don’t bring your things with you.”
"I don't understand this either. I have to trouble Uncle Ma. Just mention whatever you think you need to bring. I will make arrangements in advance." Zhu Shenzui said with a smile.
Ma Shizhou felt much more relaxed when he heard what he said, and immediately said that he would tell Wang Rong the specific things he needed to bring, and they would just prepare them in advance. As for the departure time, just notify him a few days in advance. Anyway, he is alone and can set off at any time. It just depends on Zhu Shenzui's convenience.
Maybe it was the first time they met, or as Wang Rong said, Ma Shizhou didn't talk much to strangers, so he didn't say anything after the serious conversation.
Wang Rong knew his temper and said with a smile to the side that since this was the case, it was settled and he would make arrangements for the next preparations. Then he wanted to keep Ma Shizhou at home to drink. Ma Shizhou waved his hand and said there was no need for it today. He had to rush back while it was still early. When they were almost ready, he could just say hello to him in advance.
After seeing Ma Shizhou off, Wang Rong and Zhu Shenzui returned to the house.
"Don't worry about Lao Ma. Although he doesn't like to talk much, he is absolutely reliable and he is very familiar with Mongolia after staying in Mongolia for many years." Wang Rong was worried that Zhu Shenzui looked down on Ma Shizhou. , I said this specifically.
"Uncle, I can rest assured about the person you are looking for. Since we have met today, I will trouble Uncle Ma. By the way, uncle, please tell me more about Uncle Ma's situation. After all, he will lead the way. The more you can understand about grassland, the easier it will be for you to make contact with it later.”
Wang Rong smiled and nodded, and immediately told Zhu Shenzui about Ma Shizhou's experience in detail. The general situation of Ma Shizhou was mentioned a few times when they met before, but now Wang Rong said something that he had not mentioned before.
After listening carefully to Ma Shizhou's experience, Zhu Shenzui couldn't help but feel a little emotional. Originally a promising border army officer, he not only suffered for so many years because of a sudden small-scale war, but also ended up where he is now.
After returning to the Ming Dynasty, Ma Shizhou has been single all these years, without a wife or children. Regarding this matter, Wang Rong had advised him a long time ago, but Ma Shizhou never had this idea. As time went by, the matter faded away until today.
"It's such a pity for Lao Ma. He became Captain Zhaoxin in his twenties. If what happened back then had not happened, maybe he would be a stable deputy general now, and he would even be able to go higher. This is possible." Wang Rong shook his head and sighed.
When the Mongols crossed the Great Wall, Ma Shizhou led the army to meet the enemy but was outnumbered. The responsibility for the defeat did not lie with him. Moreover, after the defeat, Ma Shizhou was injured on the battlefield and abducted by the Mongols. He was taken to the grassland and became a slave, where he stayed for several years.
Ma Shizhou suffered a lot in those years, which is one of the reasons why he looks weathered. When he finally escaped and returned to the Ming Dynasty, the Ming Dynasty had already canceled his military status. In other words, after he was kidnapped, the Ming Dynasty avenged Ma Shizhou's death in battle. The dead people on the roster suddenly come back. How does this make everyone feel uncomfortable?
It was impossible to resume his military duties, and the pension for those killed in battle had long been distributed privately to the superiors. It stands to reason that there is no such person as Ma Shizhou in the world anymore, so Ma Shizhou's return has become a problem for the border army generals.
Finally, an old superior remembered his old friendship and placed Ma Shizhou in Qianhusuo as a military household and gave him money and food. As a result, Ma Shizhou, who fled back to the Ming Dynasty with enthusiasm, was discouraged by the cruel reality and could only accept this fact. , thus becoming an ordinary person in Qianhu Office.
"Lao Ma is cold on the outside and hot on the inside. You will know this after you have been together for a long time. When you go to the north, listen to Lao Ma more and don't make any opinions. After all, the grassland is not the Ming Dynasty. You don't understand many situations. With Lao Ma here, this I feel relieved to go there."
What Wang Rong said makes sense, not to mention that the grassland now is not the grassland of future generations, and his trip north this time is not a vacation.
What was the situation on the grassland and how to deal with the Mongols? Even if Zhu Shenzui thought about it carefully, it was just talk on paper.
Now that Ma Shizhou is here, someone who understands the grassland, has lived in the grassland for many years, and understands Mongolian, it is much better than heading north with a blind eye. As for how to communicate with Ma Shizhou along the way, Zhu Shenzui was not worried. Since Ma Shizhou was a friend of his uncle Wang Rong, he was a trustworthy person, so he just asked and listened more along the way.
I didn’t stay in Wangjiacun for too long, just a few days.
On the fifth day, Zhu Shenzui took Zhang Xijun and the two young men selected from Wangjiacun and left Wangjiacun with the collected salt goods and returned to Pingyang Mansion.
Zhang Xijun no longer wore the t-shirt he wore before. He was wearing an ordinary cotton robe. With his slightly round face and the square scarf on his head, he really looked like a shopkeeper.
The group left Wangjiacun and headed towards Pingyang Mansion. They arrived at Pingyang Mansion in the afternoon and entered the city smoothly.
After entering the city, Zhu Shenzui led them directly to the store. When they arrived, Zhang Xijun saw the sign hanging outside the store from a distance - Hengtong.
This name was suggested by Kang Youfu. Originally, he wanted to call it Hengtong, which means prosperous wealth. However, after thinking about it carefully, it seemed inappropriate to use Hengtong as the name of the company, so I made some changes and used the current name of Hengtong.
