The Hu people are good at fighting, and their folk customs are fierce. Only strong babies can survive. They live on horses and grow long on horses. They come and go like the wind. Their riding and shooting are unparalleled in the world. If the imperial court had not controlled the salt and iron monopoly and strictly prohibited the flow of iron into the Hu land, they would have long ago. They marched straight in and plundered the precious land of the Central Plains. When Deng Quji was young, he fought with the Hu people at the border. He knew how terrifying they were. They lacked iron weapons and the Hu people were just a pack of wolves without claws and teeth. The elite soldiers of the imperial court were enough to keep the enemy at bay. Now the rebels are colluding with the Hu people. Importing iron tools privately and drinking poison to quench thirst are still mild words. To put it more harshly, it means that profit will make the mind dim and harm the country and the people.
But in front of King Huai, he remained calm and deeply concealed his worry and murderous intention.
King Huai was not an unwise man. He shook his head and said: "Salt and tea are irrelevant. As for importing iron tools... isn't it like giving the hilt to the enemy? Isn't it possible that the commander doesn't know the nature of the barbarian people who are ignorant of the white-eyed wolves?"
"Hu people are like tigers and wolves. It is really inappropriate to import iron tools alone. The key is to import salt and iron tools into Hu land at the same time, which is enough to curb the ambitions of the Hu people." Guo Chuanlin finally revealed his trump card. Persuading King Huai was only the first step, proving that Han Bing is a crucial chess piece in the chess game, and cannot be lost or replaced. This is the real purpose of his trip.
It was his luck and his opportunity to witness the slow opening of a great era.
King Huai laughed. He knew that what Guo Chuanlin said next was the key. He was really curious about what medicine Han Bing sold in his gourd. He straightened his back and said for the first time: "I would like to hear the details."
Guo Chuanlin took out two paper packets, one white and one yellow, from his arms and opened them carefully. Inside were two packets of salt. The white bag is fine refined salt, crystal clear in color and fine in grains, and the yellow bag is laterite salt used for feeding livestock, ocher and red, mixed with grass stems and soil. He explained: "There are two types of salt imported into Hudi. One is refined salt for human consumption, which has a pure salty taste and is more expensive. The other is red earth salt for livestock, which is mixed with sediment and is cheap and good. It is only equivalent to 30% to 40% of the selling price of refined salt. According to the Hu people, you cannot use refined salt for feeding livestock, but must use red earth salt. The red earth salt contains something that is lacking in fodder. No one can tell what it is, but the livestock After eating, they will be energetic, give birth to more babies, and have a high survival rate. Livestock’s demand for salt is much greater than that of humans, so the Hu people buy more laterite salt and less refined salt, and the cost is roughly the same.”
"Well, keep talking." This was the first time King Huai heard that animals need salt just like people.
"My teacher is proficient in pharmacology. He added a medicine to the red clay salt. The main ingredient is Mushu grass, and there are also seven or eight flavors of auxiliary ingredients. It is slightly bitter. It has no effect on humans if it is eaten by mistake. It only has an effect on horses. The horses of the Hu people ate the added medicine. The red clay salt used in the medicine is normal at first, but over time it will become addictive. If you don’t take the red clay salt for a day, you will become irritable and disobedient. Over time, your bones will become weak and your muscles will become weak, and you will be unable to walk.”
King Huai and Deng Quji looked at each other and were secretly shocked. They guessed how the Han soldiers restrained the Hu people.
"The red clay salt imported into the Hu land is within the limits of one's own means, and what the Hu people and horses are allowed to enter is measured as what is taken out. They are strictly controlled and will never be allowed to hoard. If the Hu people dare to disobey the order, stop using the red clay salt for ten days." They can only walk on two legs. Without horses, the barbarians are just a bunch of useless people. They are accustomed to riding horses with bow legs, no matter how many iron tools they have, they are not afraid!"
King Huai said: "There are many smart people among the Hu people. Are they not on guard?"
"The medicinal properties of Mushu grass are overbearing, and the red earth salt works very quickly. By the time they notice it, it is already too late. Once the horses are addicted, they will find it difficult to quit until death. If they don't eat the red earth salt, they will become languid and have few offspring. There is no solution. It's impossible to save the family with human power." Guo Chuanlin didn't say it to death. Human power is irreparable. Immortals and mortals have different paths. If there are monks with great supernatural powers among the Hu people, they may not be able to find a way to solve it.
King Huai sincerely sighed: "What a good plan and good means, I feel inferior! The imperial court has been a serious problem for so many years, and it can be eradicated with a bag of red earth salt. I really should learn from it!"
Deng Quji thought carefully, and the more he thought about it, the more he realized that this plan was a "conspiracy" to block the throats of the barbarians and take them alive and kill them, without allowing resistance. He was always cautious, so he interjected and asked, "Has Coach Guo seen the effectiveness of red clay salt with his own eyes?"
By impressing King Huai and Deng Quji, most of the tasks entrusted by Mr. Han were successful. Guo Chuanlin smiled and said: "If General Deng has any doubts, you might as well try this bag of red earth salt. Although the amount is not much, It’s enough to feed a young horse, and the results will be seen in three to five meals. If it’s a strong horse, it will take about ten days.”
King Huai stood up and said, "General Deng, this is a serious matter, so we must not be careless."
Deng Quji understood, put away the salt bag, coughed, and said: "Master Guo, you are talking nonsense. If Zhao Bohai can really defeat the Huai army and destroy the Han family, I can investigate to the end."
"Thank you, King Huai, and thank you, General Deng!" Guo Chuanlin breathed a sigh of relief and beamed with joy, showing off his role of respecting his teacher.
Deng Quji said: "It's getting late, and there are many eyes and ears in the Jiangdu camp. It's not advisable to stay for a long time. You can go back to Yangzhou. Wei Tongpan will contact you in the future. If you have any difficulties, you might as well discuss it with him. A strong dragon will not suppress a local snake. , the magistrate of Yangzhou...after all, he is separated by one layer. This person is keen on official career and should not be trusted easily."
Guo Chuanlin was shocked. He didn't expect Wei Tongpan to be Deng Quji's man. Sure enough, Deng Quji had been running the Jiangdu camp for more than ten years. He had already regarded Yangzhou City as his own and had mixed in a lot of sand. , deep-rooted, it seems that they knew the relationship between Magistrate He and the Han family from the beginning, and even the Han family's "unfounded" treason charges were clearly seen. He guessed that King Huai and Deng Quji were the insiders of the Han family's tragedy. The reason why they let it go without mentioning it was because the murderer had too much background and would rather stay out of it if there was not enough reward. Or, the murderer's The background is so big that even King Huai dare not provoke him. Only by changing his circumstances and ascending to the ninth position can he have a chance to reverse the case.
King Huai had no intention of continuing the conversation, so Deng Quji winked. Deng Mao understood and sent Guo Chuanlin out of the tent and out to the camp.
At three o'clock in the morning, patrols were going back and forth in the camp, just like in war. Guo Chuanlin coughed lightly and asked: "Just now, King Huai stood outside the tent and listened. Not a single feather fell, and the birds and insects did not frighten. His lightness skills were really great. I don't know why." Where did you learn it?”
Deng Mao had a strange expression on his face, and sent him out of the "Fengzi Camp" with a dull head. He said before leaving: "How noble the King of Huai is, how can he practice martial arts in martial arts?"
Guo Chuanlin pondered for a moment and realized. The Taoist cultivators of the Liang Kingdom gathered in the fairy city to support the country's destiny. There are nine out of ten immortal talismans hidden in King Huai's body. His actions are so secretive, it must be due to magic. Although he has practiced martial arts well, both internally and externally, and has gained the strength of the two sects in Huashan and Qingcheng, he is able to dominate for a while, but when he encounters Taoists, he is no different from a chicken or a dog. Thinking of this, he felt a little disappointed. Jianghu was not a world of martial arts. In the Jianghu, there were Li Shi, Du Wei, and those monsters in human form.
