Zheng Anping said: "What if the Zhao army attacks directly?"
Chen Sidao: "If you take the water route, you will definitely get a boat. If you want to conquer the boat in Li, Zhao will not have enough boats. If you take the land route, you will have to carry Ning Xinzhong on your back. Ning Xinzhong is also the city of Wei. If it does not accept Qin, it will not accept Zhao. Zhao Bi I dare not turn my back on Ning Xinzhong and attack Jiji."
Zheng Anping said: "If it is true, then things can be done!"
Chen Sidao: "Brother Zheng has been in the grass for a long time, and he must be the first to gain loyalty. When I was young, I called for meat and drink. I hope that brother can show his mind!"
Zheng Anping said: "My brother should take over the responsibility for Jiu Lu. But when it comes to money, I rely on my brother for everything!"
The stranger said: "The second son is going to the banquet, and I will be the guard of the house!"
Several people discussed everything during the dinner and tomorrow's itinerary. Seeing that it was getting late, he went out early and went to the wine shop first to see the preparations for the banquet. It was estimated that it was almost done, and then he went back to the large carriage and horse shop to visit the merchant.
The business owner was very proud to see Chen Si and others coming to invite him, so he yelled at some small businessmen to call others, saying that Chen Jia personally came to invite the banquet! On the one hand, he also sent someone to find the captain and have a banquet with him. When he was young, the captain of the ship and all the merchants arrived, and they all went to the wine shop together.
When we arrived at the wine shop, sure enough, there were large and small seats set up in a circle behind the house. Everyone recommended the business owner to sit down first, but the business owner asked Chen Si. Chen Si insisted: "I am the host, how dare you go first!" The business owner then sat down at the table, and Chen Si sat opposite the business owner. He was regarded as the host. Zheng Anping sat next to him.
Chen Si sat up and cupped his hands and said: "I am a humble concubine who came to your country for the first time. I am so lucky to meet many of my colleagues! We are going to Luoyang in the same boat to find food and clothing. I wish to share joys and sorrows with you!"
The business owner said: "What Chen Jia said is very clear. We are gathered from all directions. We will gather together today, and we may have some knowledge in the future. Today there are sellers in Luoyang, and there are merchants in Luoyang, and there are many merchants in Luoyang. Today, I wish to Everyone fulfills his wish!"
Everyone cheered.
The restaurant brought four big cauldrons, fruits, vegetables, rice and other items, and opened a jar of wine. Everyone did not shrink from drinking. They lined up with each cup in hand. The merchants scooped out the wine one by one and walked in order. They put the wine on the table and took another cup to get the broth, but it was the four masters Chen who divided it. Chen Si put the meat on the pot and moved it like the wind, dividing the fish, meat, chicken and duck in the four pots into small pieces of similar size. The businessmen who were getting wine nearby saw him and cheered!
When taking the broth, Chen Si scooped out a spoonful of soup, took a piece of meat, and came one after another. Each person takes one portion of vegetables, fruits, rice and rice. After everyone got their food, it was already dark, so the restaurant lit a bonfire in the center of the venue, where everyone drank, ate meat, and chatted with each other. The merchants all had their own thoughts and were interested in obtaining useful information from the table. Chen Si and Zheng Anping gave careful guidance, and all the merchants spoke freely and their feelings were enhanced.
Chen Sidao: "We have heard from the rebel masters that Zhao wants to attack Li Zhou. What's going on?"
Immediately someone said: "Handan's boats mostly travel on the Fu River. Their boats are flat and small, and they are no more than a few hundred. They were plundered by Qin, and there are not enough left. It is difficult for the small boats to enter the big river, so they sent envoys to Li to get the big boats." .”
Chen Sidao: "The boat that a humble commoner rides on is a big boat of Chu. Is it safe?"
The man said: "Don't worry, Mr. Chen. Although the Zhao envoy has arrived, his intention has not been achieved, and Li Ling may not have known about it."
Another person said: "Even if Li Ling knows about it, what will happen? Or do you want to plunder it?"
Another person said: "If we wait for three to five days, things may change. I will be fine on my trip tomorrow."
Another person said: "Zhao Jia asked for three to five days, but there seems to be a hint behind the words."
The man said: "The Zhao envoy came because he wanted to use the Zhao merchants to communicate with the Li order. However, the Zhao merchants in Li had many boats and they had no time to spare. There were hundreds of merchants going up and down, and they had hundreds of boats. If it were Zhao, If you use it, you will lose a lot. Therefore, both Zhao and Shang are planning to wait for their boats to sail, and then send envoys to Li Lingye."
Chen Sidao: "Then the envoy from Zhao has not yet paid an audience to Li Ling, so he will not be able to sail the boat with bribes! The host of the rebel army deceived me and promised to bribe the envoy from Zhao with two hundred yuan!"
The captain of the ship said: "The master of the counter-voyage has not known his conscience for more than a day. However, what he does is beyond the power of those who are powerful!"
Chen Sidao: "I see that I am very different from the other gentlemen. Is there any reason for this?"
The merchant said: "Chen Jia doesn't know that the journey against the enemy was made by the Wei family, and the big boats on the river are all owned by the Wei family. The owner of the boat and the owner of the journey against the enemy are from the same family."
Chen Si looked at the boat owner, who said: "No, no. Although they are all Wei family, they actually do their own things. I am also well aware of the ignorance of the master of the counter-voyage, but we are only acquainted with each other, so it is inconvenient to advise!"
Chen Si looked at the captain and said, "The so-called Wei family is not from the Puyang clan?"
The captain said: "You are sincere. Going back from this, I am also related to Weihou Bo."
Chen Sidao: "How dare you be Mr. Wei!"
The captain said: "How dare you! Gongsun can't do it either! He has been away from Shilin for several generations!"
Chen Si said to Zhao Shang, who was speaking in front of him again: "Zhao Jia's words will change in the next three or five days. How much can he get by then?"
The Zhao Shang said: "How can we, like our peers, communicate with each other? At that time, all the merchant boats were floating in the river, and the people they conquered were just the people of the city."
Chen Sidao said: "Zhao Jia is so loyal that he dares to invite us to have a drink with him!" He avoided the banquet and raised a glass of wine to invite him.
The Zhao Shang thanked him and said, "It's not my fault, but all the Zhao Shang can help me!"
Chen Sidao: "There are many heroes from Zhao Ke, this is true!"
The guest from Zhao said: "I would like to share it with Chen Jia!" He also avoided the table and raised his wine, and the two of them took a sip.
After receiving Zhao Jia's explanation, Zheng Anping and Chen Si felt a little more relieved. Chen Si asked again: "How many days will it take to get from Li to Luoyang?"
The merchant master said: "From Li to Luoyang, we will go to Boyan and Juan, then to Yanshi and Fengshi, and then enter Luoyang. It lasts for three days and nights in total. Yan and Juan are both from Wei, and they are close to the merchants, so there will be no hindrance." When Zheng Anping heard the word "Wei Di", he felt a faint resentment in his heart, and the past time seemed to come back before his eyes.
After the banquet, they returned to Nilv. Young Master Yiren had already eaten the dinner provided by the host of Nilv and left one portion for each of Zheng and Chen. The three of them drank wine and ate meat, but there was only one portion of corn rice, which was not enough. Both of them were warriors and usually had big appetites. They were already hungry after walking all the way. They ate these two dinners as midnight snacks. They sent the tableware back to the front hall and asked the front hall to have breakfast early. They agreed. People come back and rest individually.
The next day, we got up as soon as the cock crow, had breakfast, and came to the river. The bearers were already here waiting for business. The three of them waited for the ship owner to arrive. The four of them then went over on the bed. The three of them got on the ship and settled down in the cabin. The merchant counted the number of people and ordered to set sail. Twenty merchants actually had twenty-five ships, each carrying goods, and set sail in a mighty manner. There were a lot of boats traveling today, and the river was crowded with each other. Occasionally, there were collisions and minor disputes.
After a while, the boat traveled ten miles and left the area of Licheng. There were fewer and fewer boats on the river, and finally only their twenty-five boats were left sailing. The vast wilderness on both sides of the bank stretches as far as the eye can see, with a few hills undulating on the horizon. There are no homes or fields. The three of them looked at the scenery on both sides of the river for a while. Zheng Anping and Young Master Yiren both lost interest and returned to the cabin to close their eyes and rest. Only Chen Si was left standing on the bow of the boat, memorizing the situation far and near and the course of the river. The squeaking sound of the oar was a good lullaby. In addition, Zheng Anping and Young Master Yiren chatted for a while and gradually fell asleep after being tired from the battle for days! It wasn't until the collision on the shore that they woke up.
Chen Si leaned on the cabin door and looked inside and outside the cabin with a half-smile. When he saw them waking up, he said: "You haven't drunk much wine, so why are you so drunk? There were several carps in the river, which were caught by the boatman. One or two of them were divided among us, and we would cook the fish soup at night. When the two of them got up to watch, , and I saw two carps at the cabin door, both weighing four or five kilograms. Although their gills were pierced, they were still beating. When I came out of the cabin, there were fields around me, and there was a tall city in the distance. This place The branch of the river looks very big, with twenty-five boats moored here without being crowded; but there are not many mooring places, only three large boats are moored on the shore, and other small boats are moored on top of the big boats. Boats and There are springboards set up between the boats so that they can travel freely. Merchants and boatmen got off the boats and lit two bonfires on the shore. It seems that this is a fixed mooring place for boating on weekdays, and there are many fire pits left. , there was no need to dig anymore. Since fish jumped on board during the boat trip, two extra cauldrons were brought out and a fire was added to cook the fish soup.
Some merchants may not have a boat but partner with others, and some may have two or three boats, depending on the business; but each boat has at least two boatmen, and there are three for larger boats. Therefore, there are far more boatmen than merchants. The merchant took the initiative and invited some boatmen to eat by the merchant's fire. The boatmen were a little afraid of strangers, and finally only the leader came over. They sat together and were still a little cowed, but the merchants laughed and joked with them, dispelling their worries. Their actions surprised Zheng Anping and the others. Zheng Anping and Chen Sijiu were in Caomang for a long time. Although they said that "we are all brothers in the four seas" and Zheng Anping had met Lord Xinling, they had never eaten together around the same fire. Young Master Yiren felt even more incomprehensible. In the Qin State, the boundaries of status were very clear and strict. He was pretending to be a boy. It would have been rude to eat with Zheng Anping and the other two, so he had to wait until they finished eating before eating the rest. Seeing that the boatmen were gathering around him now, it seemed a bit inappropriate for him to hide behind them. Chen Si stretched out his hand and pulled him to the side of the two of them, even if they were sitting together.
After a while, the fish was cooked and the soup was ready. The merchant fished out the fish, put it on the table, and said to Chen Si: "Chen Jia has divided the fish evenly, please Chen Jia bother to worry about it!"
Chen Sidao: "How dare you ask for a sword!"
This puts everyone in a difficult situation. There is no settlement around the mooring point. Where can I find a knife? At this time, a boatman fished out a river stone from the river, smashed it hard, and broke off a piece. He handed it to Chen Si and said, "I will use this instead of a knife." Chen Si took it. Although it was not very smooth, it was still sharp. Cut the fish into several dozen parts of similar size according to the head size. After the fish was divided, the porridge was also cooked. Each person had two cups, one cup of porridge, one cup of soup, and a piece of fish, and they had a wonderful meal.
After having dinner together, we seemed to be much closer to each other, sitting around and chatting with each other. Chen Si and Zheng Anping are both experts at using clichés. They can always get some useful information out of them by saying a few random sentences.
