Guo Chuanlin sailed south from Geling Town, passing through Yunnan and rushing to Yangzhou, an important southern town in Daliang Kingdom.
The Huashan Sect has become a distant past. Now he is a direct disciple of the Qingcheng Sect. He studied under Han Bing, the 13th generation leader. Master and disciple are passed down from generation to generation. He is the first disciple and the last disciple. The sea is open to all rivers, and tolerance is great. Han Bing has no sectarian views, and he doesn't care if he practices the Huashan Sect's Sad Wind Whirlwind Sword. As long as he works hard for the Qingcheng Sect, it doesn't matter what sword technique he uses.
Qin Rong did not accompany him. She was pregnant and stayed in Geling Town with her father Qin Ye, under the protection of the rebels. It's called protection, but it's actually under house arrest. This is Han Bing's method of restraining Guo Chuanlin. People's hearts are apart, and even though he has received a surrender letter, Han Bing cannot trust him without reservation.
On the other hand, after Zhao Bohai borrowed the help of the Hu people to break through the Shepan Camp, he was not in a hurry to advance eastward. He adopted the strategy of the Korean soldiers, carefully managed the pass, and sent loose cavalry south to harass and plunder tea, salt and ironware. The main force remained stationary. , putting on an enigmatic posture. In the eyes of the imperial court, the rebels did not attack the capital in one go, but waited for the Qinwang righteous troops from all walks of life to move northward to form an encirclement, and gave up the chance of victory, which is very puzzling.
Privy Councilor Wen Da was born in the army, experienced many battlefields, and revealed the secrets with his words. Zhao Bohai was waiting, waiting for the spring to bloom, waiting for the grass to grow, waiting for the barbarians to invade the three towns of Hebei, and the world would be in chaos. This was a mature move, behind the scenes There must be some guidance from an expert. Wei Guoxiang deeply believed this, but he felt that it was good news that the rebels were standing still. Zhao Bohai needed to accumulate strength, and the Liang Kingdom also needed to take a breather. Time was on their side. If the power of a country was mobilized, wouldn't it be possible to put down the rebellion?
This winter in Daliang Kingdom was full of turmoil and undercurrents. The barbarians, the rebels, and the imperial court all had their own agendas, sharpening their minions secretly, and joining forces, but on the surface they maintained some kind of fragile peace. . It was under such a strange situation that Guo Chuanlin boarded a merchant ship engaged in tea business and left Geling Town.
The north is bitterly cold and there is no vegetable food. The Hu people drink milk and blood and eat meat. There is a huge demand for tea. The scraps of tea produced in Yunnan are pressed into bricks and shipped to the north. They are exchanged for furs and fine horses, which makes a lot of profit. . However, the three towns in Hebei were run like iron by the Yang family, and the tea merchants could not get involved, so they had to find other trade routes. They traveled thousands of miles to the Henghe River, bribed the officers and soldiers guarding the border, and traded with the Hu people. The officers and soldiers are also happy to see the results. On the one hand, each gets what he needs, and gets a free commission, which is divided between the top and bottom, so that the salary and silver become useless. On the other hand, trading can alleviate the frequent border violations by barbarians and avoid unnecessary troubles. Fighting is necessary, why not do it.
The transactions between tea merchants and the Hu people were limited to tea. Salt and iron had always been sold exclusively by the imperial court. If they were daring enough to bring in private goods, the government troops could confiscate the goods and kill them first before reporting them. Shi Xiang, the prefect of Jiaguan, is very strict about salt and iron, and insists that "no grain of iron can penetrate the salt". No one dares to disturb Tai Sui's head and test his limits and bottom line.
The owner of the merchant ship, whose surname was Jin, was a shrewd and capable tea merchant. This time he stocked up on 20 ships and headed north. It was in the middle of winter that the Hu people had run out of tea bricks, so he was doing a tight business. As luck would have it, Boss Jin ran into a gate and was captured. He was trapped for more than ten days. He was so frightened that he lost weight several times. He thought that he would lose all his money and even his life would be hard to save. However, the rebels did not harm them at all. Erba has started a business, with twenty ships of tea, and the profit is half a percent more. But this time the rebels paid the bill in gold and silver, but received no furs, and not even a hair on their good horses. I heard that the rebels traded tea with the barbarians, and all the goods they exchanged were used for military purposes and did not enter private hands. .
Before leaving, he also received a small business deal that he couldn't refuse. Guo Chuanlin took the initiative to come to the door, took his boat to the south, and generously paid a deposit of twenty taels of silver. It is not cost-effective to return by empty ship, but there is a lack of supply in Geling Town, and the quality of the furs produced in the mountains is poor, and it is not worth much money to transport it to the south. Boss Jin originally intended to carry some passengers to supplement the cost of the journey, like Guo Chuanlin He was a solitary traveler, with a calm temperament and generous spending, but it was too late for him to raise his hands to welcome him.
Guo Chuanlin claimed to be an escort in the Chilong Escort Bureau, licking blood from his sword head and working hard to make a living. The town of Geling was destroyed by the war, and the entire escort agency was scattered. People were moved alive and trees were moved to death, so he had to find another way out and go to the south. acquaintance. Boss Jin had very poisonous eyes and guessed that he had something to do with the rebels, maybe he was a spy or something like that. He would not tell the truth and just pretended that he didn't know. He often invited Guo Chuanlin to sit on his boat and drink a few glasses of light wine. Eat a few bites of fresh food, chat a few words, and try to trick him intentionally or unintentionally.
When businessmen travel across the country, they are most worried about unrest and wars. This business trip is a success, and they must return with a profit. What will happen next? Can Zhao Bohai establish a firm foothold in Jiaguan? Can the Hu people still do business? This is related to his wealth and life, so we must find out more carefully.
Guo Chuanlin had been immersed in these days and knew that Zhao Bohai was assisted by Korean soldiers and had great ambitions. He was definitely not comparable to those short-sighted rebel leaders. Zhao Bohai said a few nice words, which confirmed Boss Jin's guess.
Guo Chuanlin was very interested in the Hu people's tea business, and Boss Jin was also a talkative person. He was courteous and told him some tips and tricks that laymen could not understand. After getting familiar with it, Guo Chuanlin pretended to be casual and asked: "Trading with the Hu people, the tea leaves are certainly profitable, but the salt and ironware can also be sold at a high price, right?"
Boss Jin's heart was like a mirror, he stuck out his tongue and said: "I don't know something. The imperial court has a salt and iron monopoly. If you sell salt and iron to barbarians, you will be beheaded!"
Guo Chuanlin asked knowingly: "Oh, is it so serious?"
"Why not - there are huge profits and no risks, such a good thing, why don't everyone squeeze their heads!"
"Isn't there anyone who takes the risk?"
When it came to the topic of illegality, Boss Jin was a little timid. He glanced out of the cabin subconsciously, gave a thumbs up, and said in a low voice: "There are always some, but they are all big shots with hands and eyes. We are law-abiding." Small businessmen, you can’t compare with them..."
Guo Chuanlin smiled and said, "What kind of big shots are they?"
Boss Jin said with a careless eye: "The guests were joking, and I just heard it from hearsay. How can I be sure? Hehe...hehe..."
Guo Chuanlin did not ask further. He guessed how Han Bing persuaded the Hu people. Abolition of monopoly, opening up trade routes, and importing large amounts of salt and ironware into Hudi, wouldn't it be drinking poison to quench thirst? However, Han Bing still had this plan, and he must have weighed the pros and cons. He was just a pawn who took orders, so why bother!
He looked at the surging river and thought: "The sky sends murderous intentions, stars change places, the earth sends murderous intentions, dragons and snakes rise from the land, humans send murderous intentions, heaven and earth turn over and over again. Can Zhao Shuai rise due to luck? Is he a real dragon? It all depends on his ambition and Mr. Han’s methods.”
