"Anle Guard General Su Lie, pay your respects to the Prince Consort!" Outside the city of Anle County, the guard general led his men and went ten miles out of the city to greet Xiao Rui.
He used the title Prince Consort instead of Chief Shi of the Governor's Office of Youzhou, and he was accompanied by Chai Zhewei, and he did not salute. Such people are either unsophisticated or have their own abilities and arrogance.
Xiao Rui turned over and dismounted, quickly stepped forward to help him up, looked at him for a moment, and was secretly surprised. This general in his early thirties had a burly figure and a strong back. He didn't need to make any movements, just standing there, he looked like a Yuan Ting Yue Zhi. His unshakable sense of calm made him truly a powerful player.
"Wait, Su Lie? General Su, may I ask the general's name?"
"At the end of the day, the words will be determined."
Hiss...it turned out to be him. No wonder he had such a temperament. Xiao Rui exclaimed that he had found a treasure. Su Lie and Su Dingfang will be a famous general in the Tang Dynasty in the future. Historical records record: Su Lie defeated the Eastern Turks, destroyed the Western Turks, pacified the Congling Rebellion, barbarized Baekje, conquered Goryeo, and conquered Tubo. He destroyed the three kingdoms before and after, and captured their masters alive. His achievements in his life were brilliant and can be called legends.
Unexpectedly, such a fierce man was now just a small guard at the border. Xiao Rui decided to invest in advance and find a way to win over this man as one of his own.
"Xiao Rui was born as a dandy, and was sent to Youzhou for training by His Majesty's grace. General, just call me Zangfeng. Although I am the Chief of the Governor's Office in Youzhou, I know that my talents are limited and my knowledge is shallow. I was sent here by the Governor to study. General I must give you a lot of help and guidance.”
Um? ? ? What's going on?
Not only was Su Lie confused, but Chai Zhewei, Li Shengnan, and Wei Yanran who followed him were also confused. Is this still Xiao Rui? That Chang'an evil star? When did he become so polite? Even when facing the civil and military officials of the Manchu Dynasty and the imperial censors, those prime ministers only nodded and were polite. How to deal with a little-known border general today?
Su Lie quickly raised his hands and saluted: "I don't dare. Although I am far away from the border of Youzhou, I have heard of the name of the Prince Consort. You have done several major things in Chang'an, whether it is to eliminate corrupt officials, eliminate dandies, or to People ask for orders, which is extremely admirable."
ah? Am I so famous? Xiao Rui didn't expect that these things would spread to Youzhou.
Just listen to Su Lie continue to say: "I heard from General Niu Xiu that the consort built a huge workshop on the bank of the Bahe River specifically for retired veterans to make a living. Although you are not in the army, you have worked hard for us. Su Lie The soldiers under Lie Dai have thanked the Prince Consort, but if they have orders in the future, just give them your orders!"
As he spoke, Su Lie, together with all the guards, officers and soldiers behind him, all looked grateful and knelt down on one knee to salute solemnly.
Only then did Xiao Rui realize that the root cause was here.
"It's nothing to worry about these little things. Everyone, please get up quickly. Although Rui is a civil servant, he may not fight the enemy with you on the battlefield in the future. You're welcome. General Su, don't talk outside the city. How about we go into the city and chat. ?”
Everyone stood up and welcomed Xiao Rui into the city. Su Lie even wanted to come and lead his horse in person, but Xiao Rui refused because he was not a real playboy.
In the carriage, the two women looked at each other and smiled at the same time. Brother Rui was the best. He had never been to Youzhou, but he could receive such courtesy at the border. With the support of the border guards, the next thing will be much easier.
On that day, there was a grand reception banquet in General Anle's mansion. Xiao Rui was not stingy. Although he did not drink strong liquor, he was willing to give it to the soldiers guarding the border. Seeing the joy of these people drinking the good wine, Xiao Rui was even more excited. They are still happy.
In the official office the next day, Xiao Rui finally asked about Su Lie's Anle situation.
"Su Lie is a rough martial artist who only knows how to march and fight, and is not very proficient in business management. Anle is a mixed bag, with various forces involved. The trade on weekdays is managed by the Anle Chamber of Commerce. The final general is only responsible for guarding the city defense of Anle, and preventing the inside of the city from entering. Fighting, picking fights and provoking troubles, I don’t understand the rest.”
Xiao Rui really wanted to cover his eyes. So, asking you is equivalent to asking in vain?
"Since there is a mixed bag of fish and dragons here, and there are forces from all sides, they must not be able to do business peacefully. There are a lot of troubles inside and outside the city, right?"
Su Lie shook his head and said very confidently: "The Prince Consort is talking about the past. In the two years since General Mo took over here, he has severely punished anyone who caused trouble. He even fought several battles with Khitan and Turkic cavalry and defeated them one by one. , let alone making trouble in the city, even those within a hundred miles outside the city dare not come. Although I only have a thousand cavalry under my command, they are all elites that I have painstakingly trained. As long as they do not have more than five thousand cavalry, Team, we are not afraid of anyone.”
Hearing this, Xiao Rui couldn't help but give a thumbs up. That's it. No wonder Chai Shao rest assured that you can guard the border. You are indeed capable.
"Prince-in-law, the Grand Governor has written to say that you are here to help resolve the horse affairs. The general was so excited that he didn't sleep all night. If the general has a cavalry team of ten thousand people, I dare to attack the Khitan royal court and even supply supplies to keep up. , it won’t be a problem to destroy the Khitan clan, Wei Mohe and other tribes. In this way, we will no longer be short of horse herding pastures.”
Xiao Rui smiled, "The general is mighty! It's a pity that the Tang Dynasty has just started. It is a time to recuperate and recuperate, so it is not suitable for a war. You select twenty veterans, who are loyal, reliable and not too stupid. I want to open a house in Anle City If you want to run a large restaurant, you can't keep up with horse administration by raising people, so you can only buy it with money. Open a restaurant first, you can not only make money, but also collect intelligence."
Su Lie said excitedly: "Is it a restaurant like the legendary Zuixian Tower in Chang'an City?"
"Haha, that's right. I transferred a few reliable cooks from the Youzhou Governor's Mansion and personally taught them a few tricks. Although they are not up to the level of Zuixian Tower, it won't be a problem to bluff these foreign barbarians."
After saying that, Xiao Rui turned around and walked out, "Prince-in-law, where are you going? I'll send someone to escort you."
"Going to the Anle Chamber of Commerce. Buying a war horse is a big plan. Making money from restaurants is too far away. There must be other ways." Xiao Rui went to the Chamber of Commerce with his guards, but the two women, Li Shengnan, were shopping to choose a store and destroyed Niutoushan. , but a big gain, twenty thousand taels of silver, really made Xiao Rui fat.
Anle Chamber of Commerce is a deep courtyard with four entrances. Each courtyard is a trading and negotiation place with different functions. Although it is managed by people from the Tang Dynasty, there are everyone inside. Anyone who comes to Anle City to do business, You must deal with the Anle Chamber of Commerce, otherwise you will not survive.
Xiao Rui did not go directly to the president of the Chamber of Commerce, but walked around, and a price notice board caught his attention.
"It's weird, why are the same cattle and sheepskin goods priced at the same price by Turks, Khitan and Shiwei, Mohe and Goguryeo? Do the livestock raised here have geographical advantages and different varieties?"
The guard following behind him couldn't answer, and Chai Zhewei, who was studying next to him, couldn't answer either.
A businessman from the Tang Dynasty who happened to be passing by the public notice board heard this question and sneered: "What else could it be? Bullying the weak and fearing the strong. The Tang Dynasty can't defeat the Turks, so it can only offer high prices. The Khitan is the lackey of the Turks, pretending to be powerful, and the price is inferior. In other words, Shiwei Mohe was out of reach and was afraid of the Tang Dynasty, so the price was suppressed. As for Goguryeo, because of the impact of the defeat of the three previous Sui campaigns, the price was inflated, which is a shame."
oh? Actually watching someone order the dishes?
Xiao Rui understood, and at the same time he became interested in this kind-hearted person who solved the problem. It could be heard from his tone that this person was full of resentment and dissatisfaction, "Thank you for your advice. I'm a newbie here and I don't understand everything. How dare you What is your name, brother? What kind of business do you do?"
The other person was in his thirties, with a thin body and simple clothes. He could feel the aura of doing business, but his eyes were different from those of other businessmen.
"Don't take advice seriously. Everyone in Anle City knows this. In Shenfu, he is just a small trader who deals in some northeastern leather goods and begs for food under the noses of major families. The young master is handsome and does not look like he is here to do business."
"My dear, Xiao Zangfeng, left home to make a living on his own, and wanted to join a merchant. I heard that Anle City is a distribution center for multi-party trade, and it will definitely make a fortune, so I came to try my luck. Brother Shen knows Anle so well, why don't Yi Zangfeng treat us to a drink, little brother I would like to ask for advice.”
Perhaps seeing that the other party was elegant in conversation, had an extraordinary temperament, and was humble, he thought deeply for a moment and nodded in agreement: "Sir, just wait for me. I'll go down to the Chamber of Commerce and pay the taxes and then go back."
Chai Zhewei said in confusion: "Brother-in-law, why don't we go directly to the president of the chamber of commerce? Why should we ask a small vendor? What can he know if we meet by chance?"
Xiao Rui knocked on this guy's head and educated him: "Boy, how old are you, but you already have your eyes set on top of your head? When three people are walking together, there must be my teacher. Where are the books about sages?" Wang Chong of the Eastern Han Dynasty wrote in "Lunheng" There is a saying in the book: The person who knows the leakage in the house is under the sky, and the person who knows the political failure is in the grass. Don't underestimate anyone."
"We have found the Chamber of Commerce. We will handle the rest ourselves. You two go back and resume your duties with General Su."
The two guards were confused: "However, the safety of you and the young master, Prince Consort..."
Xiao Rui laughed and said: "Don't worry, I'm afraid the people in the world who can hurt me haven't been born yet. Go, these are all businessmen. If you are here, our identities will be exposed."
The two of them went back to resume their duties doubtfully, but Su Lie was convinced. He heard from Chang'an's letter that the prince-in-law had once killed an enemy with a hundred enemies, and he was a versatile man in both civil and military affairs.
