Chapter 263: Calm? The clouds and waves are strange! (Down)
Chapter 263: Calm? The clouds and waves are strange! (Down)
As a business road, there is no lack of excitement. In addition, with the recent boom in sailing, there is an endless stream of caravans, workers, farmers, vendors, etc. going to and from the seaside and Yangzhou City. Therefore, these twenty-mile official roads are always bustling with people and brightly lit no matter day or night. The daily flow of people is probably no less than hundreds of thousands. It is precisely because of this trade route that leads directly to the sea that Yangzhou City can collect millions of taels of tax revenue from it every year, so it is also called the "Golden Trade Route".
The official road was still so lively that day. Pedestrians walking on the road were neatly dressed and brightly dressed. Both sides of the road were filled with vendors setting up stalls and businessmen bargaining and hawking. There were also groups of soldiers patrolling the roadside from time to time. Looking around with vigilant eyes, their duty is to catch thieves and gangsters, arrest wanted criminals, and maintain order on the "Golden Trade Road."
Since it is autumn and people are seizing the time to make money before the cold winter arrives, the flow of people on the official road is even denser.
Among the crowd heading towards Yangzhou City, there was a group of special people. This is a group of caravans who dress with accents and have slightly weird looks and behaviors. Their clothes are similar to those from Middle-earth but also have an exotic style. There were two guards in the center, a white sedan carried by four bearers, and four guards walking on both sides. There was also a carriage behind it. The carriage was covered with a layer of red cloth, and inside there were piles of things that seemed to be some kind of cargo.
If you look at it from the surface, this is a small group of overseas caravans. As the maritime trade of the Song Dynasty gradually developed, more and more merchants came to the Song Dynasty to do business from overseas, especially in coastal places like Yangzhou. Therefore, the locals were not too curious about them and at most just looked at them. Just take a look and secretly guess what the goods they are transporting are.
The two leading men in this group were wearing samurai uniforms, their hair was combed, and they were wearing wooden clogs. They had two samurai swords, one long and one short, stuck at their waists. The two men were short and strong, and their eyes shone with cold light. They looked around carefully and said something. The passers-by who were about to touch them because they were too close spoke harshly and looked seriously; their hands were placed around the samurai swords intentionally or unintentionally. It can be imagined that if an accident occurs, they will definitely be able to draw the weapons as quickly as possible to fight the enemy.
The four guards around the sedan were thin and pale, as if they had rarely seen the light of day and had lost too much blood; they were dressed in white hunting clothes with obvious Haizhou style, wearing tall special black paper hats, holding long The folding fan was hidden deep in the wide sleeves. It was impossible to see the shape of the hands or what it was holding. As they walked, their faces were calm and they murmured prayers that no one else could hear. Only their black eyes reflected the surrounding scene, as if they had a panoramic view of everything, but occasionally there would be a flash of fanatical light in their pupils.
If these guards were normal, the remaining four bearers and the horse and carriage seemed strange.
The four bearers were simply dressed and had bronzed skin. They were strong and strong, but their faces were dull and their eyes were dull. They never looked forward, but focused on carrying the sedan. Their steps were steady, and the distance between each step was exactly the same as if measured with a ruler. Even in the martial arts world of the Central Plains, this kind of skill is considered to be a third-rate expert, but now it is reduced to the level of carrying people's sedan chairs. It is really puzzling. If it weren't for their faint breathing, they would be no different from puppets. And there was no sound from the sedan they were carrying, and it was unclear whether anyone was there.
As for the carriage, it was even more strange. There is no driver to drive the horse, but it can still pull the cart obediently and follow the people in front. This horse is thin in stature, but its eyes are very smart, and it has a look down on it, which is almost the same as a human being. It snorts from time to time and looks forward, making it quite majestic.
This horse has a layer of green-blue fur all over its body. The dense hair is naturally close to each other and adheres to the thick skin, forming layers of scale-like armor that spreads all over the body, including the head; a pair of small, round ears are erect. There are two narrow gaps under each ear on both sides of the head, which shrink and shrink as if breathing; the four hooves are wider and twice as wide as those of ordinary horses, and there is a circle of wavy cuticle around them for unknown purposes.
It is clear that this horse is a rare and exotic beast.
Although this small caravan does not have many people, except for the four coachmen, everyone's momentum is beyond ordinary people. At first glance, it is not an ordinary caravan. Therefore, except for the caravan with the same wealthy family, most people are walking around. They go. And this overseas business pair is not absolutely arrogant and domineering. They will politely give in when they encounter a team that is also not an ordinary family.
"It's just a bunch of profit-seeking businessmen, and they are overseas barbarians. What's so cool about this!" A scholar who was pushed by a samurai because he got too close and almost fell back a few steps said angrily as he looked at the caravan going away. .
"Brother Hannian, what you said is wrong. As early as twenty years ago, the emperor promulgated the "Order on the Simultaneous Promotion of Scholars, Farmers, Industry and Merchants", which stipulated that scholars, farmers, hired workers, and merchants all enjoyed the same status. This greatly increased the prosperity of commerce. Therefore, although businessmen pursue profits, they also contribute to the country and should not be underestimated. Especially those rich maritime merchants who are powerful and powerful often hire strange people to deal with maritime risks. They are not alone like you and me. You can offend a poor student." Another relatively steady young scholar who was holding him up to prevent him from falling said to him while letting go of his hand.
"Brother Kande, I also know this truth, but I'm just not convinced. A group of small overseas businessmen are still so arrogant in my middle. Do they regard the great power of the Song Dynasty as nothing?" The scholar named Han tidied up his somewhat scattered clothes. complained.
"Brother Han Nian organized the compilation fifteen years ago of the World Map and published it ten years ago. You must have never read it carefully. No wonder you can't recognize the origins of those people." The scholar named Kant complained helplessly. The sound of books said.
"Hehe, how did you see this, brother Kande? I usually only love poems and songs and am not interested in those strange stories." Scholar Hannian said awkwardly and then said with interest, "What is the origin of that group of people? Why did brother Kande come to me?" Let me clear up the confusion.”
