Chang Yu now has three grandmasters under his command. Jiang Fa and Chen Wangting have been practicing Neijiaquan for decades and have entered the ranks of grandmasters in terms of both skill and practical experience. Qiao Sanxiu and Wuzhong are each half and half, and Wuzhong is in his prime. , In terms of martial arts, they can surpass three people, but their skills are slightly inferior. Qiao Sanxiu's martial arts is unparalleled in the world. However, due to lack of experience and actual combat, it will only be a matter of time before the two of them reach the Grand Master level.
Although Wang Zhengnan also saw that Qing Yi was a good prospect, Chang Yu's high expectations and evaluation of him still surprised him.
"There is no limit to the sea of learning, and a master is neither invincible nor the end." Wang Zhengnan sighed lightly, and then said with confidence: "In the future, even a humble person can become a master."
Chang Yu looked at him with a face full of praise: "We martial artists should have this confidence. It's only a matter of time before you become a master. But as you said, masters are not invincible. There is no limit to our practice. Let's encourage each other!"
Wang Zhengnan nodded vigorously and looked at the servants in the courtyard. These people were all top-notch players in the world. He couldn't help but asked curiously: "Besides the two masters under the shopkeeper, who is the best young player? "
Chang Yu chuckled: "You have outstanding vision and knowledge, who do you think is the best?"
Wang Zhengnan was not humble and thought for a while: "I think that apart from the two great masters Jiang and Chen, Master Qiao is the number one person in the yamen. I have competed with him and his skills are more profound than mine and Wuzhong's, but his experience may be better than mine." There are not enough people.”
Chang Yu smiled and said without comment: "Then who is better, you or Wuzhong?"
Wang Zhengnan smiled and said: "It's hard to say. If we distinguish between high and low, I'm afraid it will be a matter of life and death."
Chang Yu hummed, looked at him and said, "I bet Wuzhong beats you."
Uh... Wang Zhengnan looked suffocated, and Chang Yu hurriedly said: "It's not that your skills are inferior to his, but in fact, from what I've seen, no one can match him in terms of fighting experience, and his natural divine power combined with his burly physique and high level are his innate advantages. You can make up for it with hard work the day after tomorrow.”
Wang Zhengnan nodded in agreement, but what Chang Yu said next made him stunned: "Do you think after Jiang Chenqiao, you will be with Wuzhong?"
"Night Demon? He has superb swordsmanship and top-notch lightness skills, but his training is in the art of assassination. In terms of martial arts and skills, he is slightly inferior to the two of us... Or is it that there are other masters under the Governor's command who I have never seen in this humble position?"
"It's not that he is pure. You have seen that person before, but you just don't understand him. Have you ever heard of Ji Jike?" Chang Yu chuckled, and Wang Zhengnan was startled: "The one who accompanied Song Luoshu to Qingzhou to welcome his bride with Hao Yaoqi was once We’ve had drinks together several times, isn’t he a general in the army, is he also a master of martial arts?”
Chang Yu nodded and said word by word: "A great master who is not inferior to Jiang and Chen at all! If we go forward a few years, Jiang Chen may not be his opponent. Even if it is a life and death fight now, it is hard to say who will win." .
ah! This surprised Wang Zhengnan, because Ji Jike was so low-key that no one could see anything strange about her.
"Have you ever heard that if you don't go out for ten years in Tai Chi, you can kill people in one year with Xing Yi!" Chang Yu laughed. "What Ji Ji can learn is Xing Yi Quan and the skill of magic spear. The longer you practice Tai Chi, the better your skills will be." It's deep, but Ji Ji has also practiced Xingyiquan for decades, and his skills are equally profound. Everyone in the yamen thinks that Wuzhong is the best master, so I am the first to take Ji Ji's place, but I don't accept it."
Wang Zhengnan took a deep breath, and his previous arrogant look was gone. "There are really hidden dragons and crouching tigers in our yamen." Then he smiled again: "I will learn from him in the future. If I am talking about being the first in the yamen, I will fight first."
Chang Yu shook his head and smiled bitterly: "As you just said, if you want to distinguish between high and low, you may have to distinguish between life and death. There is no need for a false reputation. There are so many great people in this world, who dares to say that he is the best in the world?"
While they were talking, Qing Yi and Wang Lang had been pulled away by everyone. After a fierce battle, both of them had a victory or defeat. If the fight continued, they might be injured. Because Qing Yi was more practical and inexperienced, but he didn't regard it as a competition. He really wanted to Teach Wang Lang a lesson for Chang Yu.
"The shopkeeper... poor Taoist... I, I can't beat him." Qing Yi felt aggrieved and had tears in her eyes. Chang Yu looked at the sweat beads on her forehead and the footprints on her clothes: "Who said you can't beat him? It's just that I didn't eat today." Then he raised his voice and said to Wang Lang: "Don't be arrogant, we will be full tomorrow." Fight again”.
Wang Lang laughed: "Will this girl still want to teach me a lesson tomorrow? Then I will beat her until she cries."
"You..." Qing Yi was furious when he heard this. He turned around to fight again but Chang Yu grabbed him and said, "I'll deal with him tomorrow."
In the middle of the afternoon, Chang Yu and his party left the city and went to Yanmen Pass accompanied by local officials.
In addition to inspecting Guancheng, I also took a group of officials on a tour. Official duties did not interfere with private interests.
Even though it is winter, climbing mountains and traveling in the mountains is refreshing, and it is most relaxing when traveling with officials. They go out to the capital to accompany the eunuchs on patrol, eating and sleeping in the open air along the way. It seems very hard, but in fact it is very enjoyable. After all, if there is no accident, they are likely to spend their whole lives. I can’t travel so far and see so much of the world, not to mention that on this official business trip, in addition to the travel subsidy, I can travel all the way and eat and drink. It’s a very satisfying life.
In the evening, everyone came down from the mountain and saw the carriages and horses winding for more than ten miles in the valley due to the south of the city. At first glance, they thought they were officers and soldiers marching, but in fact they were caravans marching with goods. Everyone was surprised that a business of such scale could be found. , but Chang Yu knew that it was the coal caravan from the Jin Palace.
Shanxi produces coal, with Datong being the largest, followed by Taiyuan.
Datong is headed by Shuozhou, that is, that is over Ningwuguan, while Taiyuan is headed by Xinzhou, that is, between Daizhou and Taiyuan. Of course, the geological exploration technology at this time was still very backward, and many large coal mines with rich reserves were still None have been discovered, but even so, the discovered mineral deposits are enough to supply current needs, and most of them are around Datong and Taiyuan. These two vassal kings are destined to get rich.
It happened that these two vassal kings had a close relationship with Chang Yu. Needless to say, Zhu Shenxuan could be said to have lost all his money during the Taiyuan defense war. The king of Datong was also cut and bled by Chang Yu. Despite the estrangement between them, everyone was happy in the end.
Chang Yu is a grateful person.
He was a helper in times of need, but now he helps mine and sell it!
These coals were all sent to the capital. Hundreds and thousands of carts, large and small, were dragged by mules, horses and oxen for more than ten miles. There were signs of the palace and shops with Octopus hanging on them, so no one dared to get in trouble along the way. The journey, day and night, took less than a month. Arrived in Beijing.
Chang Yu stopped a few people in the caravan for a conversation and learned that most of the goods from Jinwangfu were anthracite coal, targeting high-spending customers. "There are not enough mules, horses and vehicles, otherwise hundreds of thousands of vehicles could be transported every day. Our mines are dug every day, and thousands of people are digging day and night..."
Chang Yu couldn't help but chuckle to himself, Zhu Shenxuan's family was empty, and now that he had a way to make money, he couldn't wait to go mining at twelve hours a day without eating or drinking.
Returning to the city after dark, everyone rested early after dinner, and set out to head to Taiyuan early the next morning.
Taiyuan, I'm back!
Chang Yu was full of expectations. Taiyuan was the place where he became famous. It was the place where he went to the battlefield for the first time, fought with the bandits for the first time, and met the great thief Li Zicheng. It was also the place where he made friends with the King of Jin. The place where he lost his virginity!
The past is like smoke, but everything is as vivid as yesterday, like a dream, but it is so real.
As the red sun rises, the city of Beijing is quiet and peaceful.
At least that's how it looks on the surface.
With the unremitting efforts of the imperial court to introduce various policies and various countermeasures, and as the weather became colder, the plague was gradually brought under control. The white flags all over the streets in the past have disappeared, and the panic in people's lives has gradually disappeared. However, food prices remain high, and famine Still a top priority.
There are also a lot fewer refugees in the city. It is not because they are starving to death due to famine. The imperial court and the wealthy households in the city have opened porridge stalls in Sijiu City to keep these refugees alive. Although they are not full, they are not hungry. The reason why there are fewer people is partly I immigrated to Tongzhou City, where my family could settle down and allocate land, and it was at the end of the canal with great development prospects, attracting many people to make a living there and settle there, while others went to work.
The imperial court built schools, ordnance factories, and military hospitals, which required a large number of manpower to manage food and wages. Naturally, it attracted many people, and there were also many nobles recruiting workers. The abandoned and idle land needed to be plowed again in preparation for spring. Nowadays potatoes and sweet potatoes are grown.
The farms in Tongzhou are full of vitality. More than a month has passed and the crops are growing well. Officers and soldiers patrol and care for them every day.
The dock has also returned to its former prosperity, with an endless stream of ships coming in and out every day. Most of the grain ships coming from the south are full and empty, and there are no cargo ships from various merchants. These days, both the court and merchants are coming from the south. The government and the public alike were full of expectations for the transportation of large quantities of grain for disaster relief. In less than three months, the famine in the capital would be under control.
But just when everything was full of hope, an undercurrent suddenly emerged in the capital and shrouded the entire city under a kind of white terror.
Just the day before yesterday, Dongchang's gangsters came out and broke open the gate of Zhou Kui's house and took him and his two sons to prison.
The whole city was in an uproar.
Father of the country! The queen's biological father, the emperor's father-in-law, had committed some crime and was imprisoned.
Treason!
What?
Instantly ignited public opinion, the head of the country is plotting rebellion? What kind of story is there? Many people started to dig up the gossip crazily.
Unexpectedly, this was just an appetizer. Later, news broke out that after Dongchang captured the country's father-in-law, he also arrested Zhu Chunchen, the Duke of Dingguo, Li Guozhen, the Bo of Xiangcheng... and seven or eight other nobles were imprisoned for treason. Imprisonment.
Awesome!
This is no longer an uproar between the government and the opposition, it is a major earthquake!
