With Chang Wu, Chen Sheng and Zhou Zun, the group headed straight into southern Shu.
Today's Shunan two counties are no longer the same as before. Especially Nanzhong County, as a major business county. In the past two years, restaurants, inns, gambling houses and pawnshops have sprung up one after another. I heard that even the Qing Pavilion has opened four, each with its own style.
There are many vendors on the street, selling their own handicrafts or eating snacks. Merchants from all over the country would buy a lot of goods, then return to Bailu County and ship them to all parts of the world on merchant ships.
Among them, there are mostly Sichuan brocade and medicinal materials, followed by Southwest Maju and cooked charcoal. Around here, southern Sichuan is a place with less land and more mountains. There are not too many medicinal materials such as charcoal and wood.
Previously, because of Sima Xiu's poisonous sericulture plan, Xu Mu had no choice but to issue an order to designate southern Sichuan as an important area for sericulture. Therefore, today's southern Sichuan is also a big weaving town.
"Lord!"
While Xu Mu was watching, he suddenly heard shouts. When he turned around, he saw a general on horseback running over alone.
"Dou Zhong pays homage to the lord!"
"Dou Zhong, long time no see." Seeing the visitor, Xu Mu smiled.
Dou Zhong is Dou Tong's younger brother. Although he is not a talented person, he is loyal and loyal as his name suggests, and he has always been a good helper for Dou Tong. At first, Sima Xiu was besieged in Shu, and he was stationed in Banan City when he was in danger, blocking Sima Xiu's way to escape Shuzhou.
"Dou Zhong, you already have a goat's beard. In two years, you will look like a Confucian general."
"My lord, I am smiling." Dou Zhong was extremely happy. He turned around and saluted the others. Probably because he was familiar with Zhou Zun, he punched his chest twice unceremoniously.
"My lord, bring General Tiger here someday, and I will personally cook mutton soup for him."
"Brother Tiger...is hiding in the house again and driving piles."
Several people paused and laughed instantly.
"Knowing that your lord is coming, I have already prepared a banquet. My lord invites you, generals please——"
"Dou Zhong, you are interested."
Looking at the entire Shu state, the people who love Xu Mu the most are none other than the people in southern Shu. When he first entered Shu, it was these people from southern Shu who supported him in attacking the center of Shu and seizing the entire Shu state so that he could have a place to live.
Along the way, the people gave way one after another, the vendors stopped soliciting business, and the flower girls stopped playing around. They all bowed and bowed seriously, welcoming Xu Mu into Shunan.
"My Lord, I also want to participate in the war next year." Dou Zhong hesitated, "Brother, they always say that I am ineffective and cannot lead an army."
"Dou Zhong, don't you want to be a literary general?"
"I don't want to." Dou Zhong shook his head, "Although I am a little clumsy, I still have the will to die in horse leather. If the lord doesn't mind, it doesn't matter if I join the army as a personal guard."
"Every time my lord goes to war, I watch eagerly and feel envious. When I really get military honors, my brother will praise me."
"If you ask your brother, I will naturally agree to your joining the army. However... fighting is not a child's play. Many of my loyal bones in Xishu are buried in the seventy-mile cemetery outside Chengdu."
"Don't worry, my lord, if I, Dou Zhong, die unfortunately, I will only wait eighteen years to become a Shuzhou hero again."
"Okay." Xu Mu was pleased.
In Shuzhou, there are many people like Dou Zhong who hold up the entire political power of Western Shu.
"If there is a war next year, you will come to Chengdu immediately and accompany my army to conquer the enemy bandits!"
"Your Majesty's order!" Dou Zhong's voice was excited, and he knelt to the ground in a hurry.
The good man is willing to die on the battlefield, and the dog in the wall is willing to die in the gentle countryside.
"Get up." Xu Mu stretched out his hand and helped Dou Zhong up. "You must not relax and stay here until Shunan transfers generals. By the way, is there any trouble in the two nearest Shunan counties?"
"Nothing." Dou Zhong shook his head, "It's just some profiteers who were making false bargains. I caught them and threw them all into prison. In addition, starting from the middle of this year, many merchants in Jiangnan like to sell Nanzhong County, Serves as a transit point.”
Xu Mu nodded. Since there are many wastes waiting to be revitalized, the tariffs in the two counties in southern Sichuan are not high. In order to attract businessmen, the tariffs are at least half lower than those in Kezhou.
This is also the reason why those merchants are willing to come to Shunan. Of course, the world-famous Shu brocade also played a role in it.
"Where's Bai Dietian?"
The cotton fields behind the Shunan Mountains are one of the most important reasons why Xu Mu came here this time. In two or three years, he intended to build a group of light cotton armor troops as a mobile force that could attack and defend.
"After spring, new seeds will be planted. As the Lord ordered, I have sent an additional 3,000 people to Baidietian, for a total of 5,000 people to guard Baidietian."
Zhou Zun is a mining man and cannot keep his eye on cotton. Xu Mu simply handed over this matter to Dou Zhong. Five thousand people guarding Bai Dietian is almost no problem.
It's a pity that although many mineral veins were discovered intermittently in Zhou Zun's area, there was no saltpeter mine among them.
"My lord, why don't you enter the banquet first?"
"That's easy to say."
Dou Zhong laughed, "To be honest with my lord, the people in southern Sichuan knew that my lord was coming, so they donated many wild animals. Even the rarest forest sheep were given away. This time, my lord is in good hands."
"Those people said that they don't care who becomes the emperor in this world, but as long as the lord is the king of Shu, they will always support the lord."
"My king's wish is that our people in Western Shu can live and work in peace and contentment."
The generals all looked moved when they heard this. Good birds choose trees to roost on, and this good piece of wood in Xishu is clearly the right one to choose.
"By the way, Dou Zhong, have there been grain sellers here in Nanzhong County recently?"
"Grain seller?" Dou Zhong thought for a while, "Master, it seems there is no one."
Xu Mu frowned silently.
Logically speaking, the food shortage in Western Shu should be the best opportunity for the Food King's influence to infiltrate. But now, nothing is seen.
Could it be that the old guys from the Grain King gang have become spiritual masters and have not been fooled?
If there is no other way, we can only find out some clues from the name Chen Anshi. I hope what Chen Sheng just said was not just a coincidence.
"Dou Zhong, in the past few days, you have been in southern Shu and spread the word to the foreign merchants. Then you said that Shuzhou has begun to collect grain. For each cart, two taels of silver will be added to the original price."
Dou Zhong did not ask any further questions and accepted the order.
…
Yuzhou City, an ordinary mansion in the south of the city.
Two rich men were sitting under a bare willow tree, each playing chess.
"Do you want to do anything about the lack of food in Western Shu?"
"I'm worried... it's a trap. When Cangzhou was besieged, I suddenly figured it out. Xu Buyi from Xishu is not a simple person. If I had insisted on helping Empress Dowager Su, I'm afraid that all the others would have been killed. To be dragged into the mire.”
"Wait a while, I will send Chen Anshi to continue to investigate. If it is true, it is the best time to go all out and kill Xishu Weifeng."
Snapped.
After the chess piece fell, the two people on the left and right sides of the chessboard gradually showed a faint smile.
