Nie Xiaoqi yawned and rubbed his sore neck lying on the table. Turning his head to look at the sky outside the patio, he couldn't help shouting at the top of his voice alertly: "Third Master, Third Master, get up! It's time!"
While he was looking at the windows in the attic, the carved wooden windows were closed tightly. Although nothing could be seen from below or from the outside, there was a knowing smile in his eyes.
From time to time, I heard a man's voice in the attic. Although it seemed to echo, he seemed a little impatient. And I could faintly hear a gentle female voice complaining in a low voice, the man's voice gently comforting me, and the sound of rustling clothes could be heard.
After a while, a man in his thirties appeared and walked out of the attic door naturally. He was wearing a decent blue Sichuan brocade warrior uniform. The rare thing was that the brocade belt was inlaid with a piece of blue field white jade of good quality. He was obviously the third master Nie Xiaoqi said, one of his current masters. , Nie Wujiu, the outstanding third young master of the second generation of the Nie family.
Nie Xiaoqi respectfully waited on him to wash up in the hall. Looking at the calm expression of this ordinary-looking man, Nie Xiaoqi became more and more respectful. Although he enjoyed Nie Xiaoqi's service without saying a word, Nie Xiaoqi was very respectful to him from the bottom of his heart, because in the Nie family, he, the third master, was Nie Xiaoqi's idol.
Nie Xiaoqi is now a servant of the Nie Huzi family, the largest salt merchant in the state capital. Nie Huzi was not only the largest salt merchant in southwestern Lingnan and northern Guangxi in recent years, but also the largest salt merchant in charge of the import of salt from the Chu region in southwestern Lingnan and northern Guangxi. It can be said that he was a powerful figure.
Because Daozhou City is located at the boundary between Lingnan, Lingxi, Guangbei and Chu, it is actually a place where no one cares. Although Daozhou City has always belonged to the Chu region from a local perspective, in the past few decades, few people have been able to control and fully govern this place.
Therefore, as a wealthy businessman and salt merchant in Daozhou City, Nie Huzi, with his hundreds of fierce and fierce men, can be said to be an excellent local separatist force. He is the separatist of the previous dynasties under the jurisdiction of Chu District. Every time he appoints The local government officials who came did not dare to do anything to him. As for the rest of the merchants, he is the leader in most things. He is particularly important in this place.
When a person achieves enlightenment, a chicken or a dog ascends to heaven, he is naturally deeply honored as a servant of Nie Huzi's family. Although he is just a different servant, he is also a person whose worth is higher than that of ordinary people in the secular world. Although Nie Xiaoqi has never had this self-consciousness, when he does go out and walk in the streets and alleys, many people who know his identity will respect and look up to him. If you really agree to the seventh-rank official in front of the prime minister, you are a fool.
Nie Xiaoqi usually lives a very simple life. His ideal is to learn from the Nie family's stewards and serve his master smoothly. Of course, when the time is right, the master can let him find a house, a woman with whom he can live, even if it is a servant, start a family and start a career. It would be best if the master is kind enough to allow him to live alone in his own house, pass on the family name, continue to flourish, and live out his life in peace.
Daozhou City is actually not very big, but since the Tang Dynasty, although it has been under the control of Hunan forces in the Chu region, since Zhu Wen destroyed the country and established itself in the Tang Dynasty, separatist forces from various places have emerged one after another. Dynasties change so quickly that people don't know who to listen to. What's more, Daozhou City originally belonged to a remote and desolate place next to the Five Ridges. It really belonged to the high mountains and the emperor's distance. The officials transferred to Daozhou City were not as effective as the local powerful people.
Although the place is not very big, when it was still in the Tang Dynasty, this state city was an important distribution center for supplies in the Chu region and northern Guangxi. Tea from Hunan, salt and osmanthus honey from various parts of Guizhou, seafood from Lingnan, overseas supplies and various local southern fruit specialties will be transported to various parts of the Central Plains in Daozhou City, turning Daozhou into a land of Chu and Hunan. The last big city in Wuling.
Due to its special geographical location and close proximity to the Wuling wilderness area, Daozhou City is home to many ethnic minorities. In the eyes of the Han people, the ethnic minorities in this era are still relatively barbaric ethnic groups. Therefore, the local officials assigned to govern them will turn a blind eye to the daily behaviors and activities of these ethnic minorities, as long as they do not infringe on the interests of the top Han people. Close one eye.
Due to the large number of ethnic minorities in Daozhou City, it will naturally be divided into various ethnic groups, with many large and small forces coming. Of course, Daozhou City is currently mainly dominated by the Yao, Miao and Zhuang ethnic groups.
Daozhou City seems to be close to the barbaric place of Wuling. In the eyes of people in the Central Plains, it is also a remote and uncivilized area. Many people are unwilling to manage. Naturally, they seem to be easily ignored if they are too high. But in fact, they have quite a lot of background. Moreover, in the Tang Dynasty, the Li family ruled for hundreds of years. There were only twenty-six champions in the entire Central Plains region, and there was a man named Li He who came from Yantang County here in Daozhou, so here It is known as the hometown of famous talents.
Therefore, no matter what nationality they are, the villagers here are vaguely proud of their literary style and talent. Although this is also a famous and difficult place on the remote Xiang Road in Chu region, not many knowledgeable people take root here.
Although merchants like Nie Huzi, who made his fortune selling salt, were not valued by some local literati, they were not even considered upper-class people. But because of the turmoil of this era, literati are indeed far less effective than warriors. The locals also had to admire that with Nie Huzi's existence, the society in Daozhou City was much peaceful. Because of his existence and strength, Daozhou City has hardly been exposed to too much war. In recent years, it has not participated in the melee of warlord forces from various places. Daozhou City has been peaceful for a long time.
In the period of the Five Dynasties, in this chaotic environment of large-scale separatism, Daozhou City was not considered a big city in terms of the size of a larger city. But for the city in the south direction, it is not too small. In the era of great separatism, it can be relatively peaceful and there is no major war, which is undoubtedly an anomaly. Therefore, as a local, especially a local who was born and raised, there are still many people who recognize Nie Beard. Even those literati who consider themselves noble do not criticize Nie Beard too much, or simply say nothing.
At the end of the Tang Dynasty, Huang Chao raised his flag to rebel against the Li family. At that time, Daozhou, as a place connecting the Five Ridges, was an extremely important and critical pass. Later, Huang Chao was attacked by various coalition forces trying to fish in troubled waters. After having to fight in a roundabout way, they traveled through half of the Central Plains. Naturally, many places in the Chu region were also greatly affected. At that time, there was a place called Jianghua in Daozhou. Among the Yao people, a heroic figure came out. This man was a real native of Daozhou, named Cai Jie. This Cai Jie was indeed a figure. At that time, he was known as the Zhenjiang Dragon, and he controlled both land and water in the Xiangjiang River Basin for hundreds of miles. He became brothers with Lu Jingren, a mountain leopard who later occupied Lianzhou Prefecture. Not only did the two of them occupy a border town and a state, they also lived in the cracks of big forces and ruled the local area freely for twenty years.
Because of Cai Jie's hard work and the fact that he was a local snake, Daozhou City was managed in an orderly manner. However, due to the expansion of the warlord's power, the Chu region was gradually controlled by Ma Yin. Ma Yin naturally does not want others to exist in his territory, not to mention that Daozhou City may become a big hidden danger to Lingnan at any time. Cai Jie then became a target of Ma Yin's attack. In the end, Cai Jie was defeated by Ma Yin's army attack. In May of 898, Ma Yin's army successively captured Shaozhou, Hengzhou, and Chenzhou to the south of Chu. The army's march went smoothly and within a few months, they captured Yongzhou, which was connected to Daozhou. Cai Jie was worried that Ma Yin would continue to attack, so he took the initiative to attack Ma Yin's army, but was killed by Li Tang, a famous general under Ma Yin. From then on, Daozhou City was under the control of the Ma family.
Nie Huzi's family has lived in the Daozhou capital of Chu for generations. When Cai Jie was in power, the Nie family occupied a place in the circle of influence in Daozhou City. Although it was not a large circle of influence and family, they could protect themselves wisely. It can be seen that it is extraordinary. Later, after Ma Yin took over the Chu Territory, he suppressed many local famous families in Daozhou City in order to overwhelm the forces in various places. However, the Nie family was able to survive, so it was also a well-known figure and family in this nearby state capital.
Now that the entire Chu region was reshuffled and divided by the Southern Tang and Southern Han Dynasties due to the failure of the Ma and Yin disciples in their struggle for power, the generals under the Ma family of Tian Tian took control of the Chu region in batches. Nowadays, the entire Chu region is basically under the jurisdiction of Zhou Xingfeng, the military envoy of Wuping who was close to the Later Zhou Dynasty. Although Zhou Xingfeng himself cannot personally inspect each territory under his jurisdiction, the officials who are now basically in charge of the various states are His cronies and close relatives.
The state capitals of Guiyang, Yongzhou, Quanzhou, and Daozhou are now under the control of his former brother Zhang Wenbiao, the current governor of Hengzhou. This Zhang Wenbiao and Zhou Xingfeng served as generals in the Ma family together. They were known as the ten tiger generals of Ma Chu and were rare tiger generals under the Ma family's power at that time. And Zhou Xingfeng basically relies on him to guard the south gate of the Chu region to prevent the Liu family of the Han Dynasty in Lingnan from advancing north.
Zhang Wenbiao was a relatively prestigious person in the Chu land and the army. He was from Wuling County, Langzhou. After Zhou Xingfeng took control of the Chu region, he successively served as the governor of Langzhou and the military governor of Wuping. He was an indispensable and capable general beside Zhou Xingfeng.
However, Zhou Xingfeng, who was good at strategizing, seemed not to trust the people around him, especially those among the ten brothers, so he asked Zhang Wenbiao to lead Hengzhou and take charge of several state capitals in the direction of Lingnan. Zhang Wenbiao did not seem to show any dissatisfaction. He took the initiative to go out to guard Hengzhou and always guarded Hengzhou, engaging in direct contact and confrontation with the Southern Tang and Southern Han Dynasties.
As for Daozhou City, which was an important town dividing the forces between several regions, his cousin Zhang Wenxuan was appointed to take charge. This Zhang Wenxuan also had extraordinary martial arts skills, but he was not the type to govern. So Zhou Xingfeng took the opportunity to send someone to assist. He followed an assistant officer beside him, a scholar named Hong Feng, who came here to serve as the Sima of Daozhou.
However, Zhang Wenxuan, the governor, did not sell Hong Feng, the Sima's account. In this era, there were few long history and special officials attached to the governor, unlike in the Tang Dynasty when all subordinate officials were available. What's more, Zhou Xingfeng would not allow it. The governor in a place like Daozhou City had too many jurisdictions, so Sima was as important as the governor. Although the governor was a relative appointed by Zhang Wenbiao, he was not good at government affairs. Sima was appointed by Zhou Xingfeng. Although he was a civilian, he was very organized in government affairs.
Therefore, it is obvious that the two chief officials of Daozhou City are at odds with each other. Anyone who knows knows how to choose between the two sides. Naturally, the Nie family, as local cowards, usually relied on the power and financial resources around them and did not pay attention to these two people at all.
The Nie family became a powerful family. It really started with Nie Huzi's father. At that time, the world was in chaos at the end of the Tang Dynasty. Nie's father had the courage to start a hugely profitable business in the Guizhou area of Lingxi, just across the country. , according to the truth, he engaged in several private salt transactions, and unexpectedly made a fortune. From then on, the Nie family became stronger from Nie's father's hands.
At the end of the Tang Dynasty, due to the sudden rise of the separatist warlord Ma Yin, he actually controlled the entire 24 states in the Chu region of Hunan, including Tan, Heng, Yong, Dao, Chen, Shao, Yue, Lang, Li, Chen, Xi, Lian, and Zhao. , Yi, Quan, Gui, Wu, He, Meng, Fu, Yan, Liu, Xiang, Rongzhou, and there are five Jiedu vassal towns including Wu'an, Wuping, and Jingjiang. The territory included most of today's Hunan, Guangxi, the eastern part of Guizhou, and many state capitals in northeastern Guangdong that were later occupied by the Southern Han Dynasty. At that time, Daozhou City did not appear to be particularly frontier.
Nie's father was very smart and established a relationship with the governor of Daozhou City appointed by Ma Yin at that time. He handed over half of his wealth and gave it to the governor as a gift. In return, he not only defeated the potential opponents of the Nie family at that time, but also Since then, the Nie family has established a relationship with the government, and the Nie family has truly established a foothold in Daozhou City.
Nie Xiaoqi's grandfather was a servant who ran errands with Nie Huzi's father at that time. He knew that when Nie Huzi was a teenager, because Nie's father knew many knights in the world, he was led by a master in the world of martial arts in the mountains of Lingnan. Go. When he returned to Daozhou City before he was twenty years old, he was already a master of flying over walls and climbing over walls.
Naturally, Nie Xiaoqi didn't know what Nie Huzi was doing, and his grandfather, as a servant, couldn't possibly know. However, Nie Xiaoqi's father followed Nie Huzi and died one time trying to block Nie Huzi's sword. Nie Xiaoqi took care of Nie Xiaoqi in retrospect.
So even though he was a servant, Nie Xiaoqi grew up healthily in the Nie family. Nie Xiaoqi didn't know anything else, but since then, after Nie Huzi returned to Daozhou City, in just a few years, under the leadership of Nie Huzi, the Nie family had monopolized the private salt business in Lingxi from the Chu region. Since then, the business has spread throughout Lingnan and Lingxi, and has gradually become the largest family within three hundred miles nearby. It is also famous in the world.
After that, the Nie family even built their own castle, which was surrounded by mountains and rivers for more than ten miles and was named Nie Family Castle. Close relatives and side clansmen who were willing were all invited to live in the castle. The talented and intelligent children were taught martial arts and academics respectively. Even the children of servants like Nie Xiaoqi were trained from an early age.
If he only practiced martial arts, Nie Jiabao would not be able to become the head of the most prestigious family in the neighborhood. Under Nie Huzi's far-sighted vision, many of his children studied literature and entered politics, which was the main reason why the Nie family was recognized by the surrounding families.
Nowadays, many children of the Nie family have infiltrated into all levels of Daozhou City, and most of the children of Nie Huzi's immediate family have begun to make a name for themselves in Daozhou City. Nie Huzi even recruited many wealthy people and down-and-out literati through acquaintances and friends, and managed the Nie family fort in a prosperous manner. From then on, even the officials appointed to Daozhou City when the Ma Chu family was in power were not very careful. Take it seriously.
Nowadays, there are usually five to six hundred guests in the castle. Most of them are rangers who come and go, and some people who are good at strategy. Some of the main officials in Daozhou City had benefited from the Nie family. Seeing that the Nie family had no other intentions, they turned a blind eye. As the Nie family gathered here, everything went smoothly.
Nie Xiaoqi didn't know anything else, but he was said to be clever since he was a child. He also accompanied his masters in the Nie family's private school, learned some words, and read a few articles. Later, when he grew up, he was arranged to be a stable boy with the daughter of Nie Husband's fifth brother, named Nie Sanniang in the family.
Of course, this is still the Nie family and Nie Huzi. For the sake of his dead grandfather who had fought with Nie Huzi's father, Nie Xiaoqi's father blocked Nie Huzi's sword. Nie Xiaoqi himself didn't know the extent of his favor, and he didn't delve into these complicated relationships.
Now that Nie Jiabao has been recruiting people in recent times to continuously enrich Nie Jiabao's combat effectiveness, Nie Huzi is afraid that too many people will destroy the foundation. Nie Xiaoqi has become an internal figure in the Nie family.
The man he is currently serving and following is Miss Nie San's cousin, Nie Wujiu, the third master of the Nie family. Because Nie Wujiu has a very good relationship with his sister Nie Sanniang, and he knows that Nie Xiaoqi is usually honest, reliable and smart. Of course, Nie Xiaoqi is loyal to the Nie family. It just so happens that this private matter is extremely secretive and taboo, so he went to The younger sister asked Nie Xiaoqi to follow her.
This Nie Wujiu is usually the best manager of the Nie family's business. Nie Wujiu is the posthumous son of Nie Hujiu's other third brother who died young. He has been treated like his own son by Nie Hujiu since he was a child. He has been a master of martial arts since he was a child, but he is particularly proficient in the family's business, including private salt trading and family business.
Nie Hujiu is naturally very discerning, and in recent years he has handed over all the business of the outer sect to his nephew. In fact, Nie Wujiu still has some influence in the Nie family. Nie Wujiu was usually good at everything. He only had one special hobby, which was liking beautiful women. At the moment, Nie Xiaoqi was accompanying him privately, meeting his new girl in the villa he secretly bought.
As Nie Huzi grew stronger in the past two years, he gradually took control of most of the businesses on both land and water near Daozhou City, and his reputation became more and more popular. Because on the surface, he was generous and loyal, and people gave him the reputation of Wuling Saixiang River. .
Not to mention the huge power in Daozhou City, Nie Huzi is not allowed to allow people of unknown origin to live inside Niejia Fort just in case. Although Nie Wujiu's father was Nie Hujiu's brother, he died young, not to mention that all the rights of the Nie family were in Nie Hujiu's hands. Although Nie Wujiu seemed capable now, he had grown up in front of Nie Hujiu since he was a child, and I have always known my uncle's methods and dare not act recklessly. Therefore, except for the women who had already been welcomed into the castle and followed him, Nie Wu Jiu could only greet other women outside the gate if he liked them.
Looking at the sky outside the patio, Nie Wujiu suddenly felt a little breathless. This was a sudden and inexplicable feeling. Although Niejiabao is built close to Daozhou City and seems to occupy a quarter of the area of Daozhou City from a high position, it is still quite a long way from here.
The most important thing is that they have to pass through Xie Laohu's territory. This Xie Laohu is a bastard who has been at odds with his Nie family recently.
This Xie Laohu is said to have been a foreigner who moved to Daozhou City in the past half year or so. It is unknown how many benefits it has given Sima Hongfeng of Daozhou. Not only did he acquire half a street of property, he also opened various business, competing with the Nie family for business. Moreover, Zhou Xingfeng used the excuse of sealing off the river for military preparations and did not allow large merchant ships to pass through the Xiangjiang water village at will. He controlled the transportation of small private ships on various waterways in Daozhou Prefecture, and had an affair with the Nie family who was unaware of it. Several times, there were big battles over private shipping.
Because he had such a good relationship with Hong Feng, Nie Hushu asked Zhang Wenxuan to punish Xie Laohu's business several times. Zhang Wenxuan actually gave up after a few slaps out of consideration for various factors. This undoubtedly made Nie Huzi very angry, but he usually looked down on Zhang Wenxuan and others. Obviously, Zhang Wenxuan and Hong Feng wanted to take the opportunity to suppress the Nie family's power, so they had no choice but to secretly restrain the Nie family's children.
Speaking of Xie Laohu's power, Nie Huzi also called several good players in the world to test it out. No one knew that they would fail, so Nie Huzi was secretly cautious and had to admit it.
Although Xie Laohu has not made public how to deal with the Nie family, even some of the Nie family's own businesses now have to rely on Xie Laohu's waterways because there are no large merchant ships.
Naturally, Nie Wujiu knew his uncle's methods. He was not a man who could take advantage of others. Secretly, he always wanted to grab Xie Laohu's pigtails. Who knew that Xie Laohu was a very generous person and he even made a big move during this period? He tamed all the gangsters in Daozhou City overnight, and openly established a Tiger Hall in the west of Daozhou City, on the street where he bought a shop.
There were several members of the Nie family who were close to the head of the clan. During this period, they accidentally got into trouble with the Tiger Hall in Daozhou City. Xie Laohu sent someone to beat them up unceremoniously, beat them half to death, and then kidnapped them and sent them back to the Nie family. Fort, and said that if it wasn't for Nie Husband's face, he would kill him directly.
Nie Huzi was furious, but he did not attack Xie Laohu immediately. He did not want Zhang Wenxuan and Hong Feng to reap the benefits. Nie Huzi took a calm approach to this new force in Daozhou City and kept thinking of ways to attack it. Thanks to the tiger's method.
Of course, Nie Huzi also repeatedly warned the Nie family's children to try not to do anything out of the ordinary in Xie Laohu's territory. Although Nie Wujiu knew that he had done nothing, he actually forgot that the courtyard he bought was actually the entrance to the Tiger Hall.
