Since Liangshan, all the thieves gathered in Daming Mansion. Chao Gai and Song Jiang raised the banner and invited heroes from all over the world. All the monsters and ghosts in Hebei and Shandong were inspired by the news.
There were hundreds of people in Hebei who rushed to Guantao to pay homage to King Chao Tianwang and Hu Baoyi.
Handan City is located in a pass and is an important town in Hebei Province.
Those bandits did not dare to take the official road, so they bypassed this important town. It is not that this thousand-year-old city has been burdened by banditry, and the people live in peace, just like ordinary people.
Gao Kan and Lin Chong entered Handan City and found an inn to stay, eat, drink and rest.
Lin Chong didn't know why Gaokan took a detour thousands of miles away. He was obviously going back to Bianliang, Tokyo, but he came to Handan instead. He was suspicious all the way and didn't bother to ask. Only when he settled down did he start to care.
After eating and drinking enough, he opened his mouth and asked: "Master, if you go back to Bianliang this time, you can reach it in a few days by going straight on the right road. Why do you go around Handan and waste so many hours?"
Gao Kan smiled to himself and looked at the surging crowds in the lobby of the inn. It was so lively and business was booming, not inferior to Daming Mansion.
After pausing for a moment, he asked back: "Instructor Lin, you are well-informed. What do you think of this famous palace in Handan City?"
Lin Chong didn't know why, but he still responded: "Handan is a famous city for thousands of years, and it is also an important pass in Hebei, connecting the north and the south. Although it is not as close as Daming Mansion to Bianliang, it is still a good place to go."
Gaokan nodded slightly and said: "Handan is rich in sheep coats, which are the best thing to keep out the cold. In previous years, during the cold winter, people from all over the world came to buy them. Even in the south, there were many merchants who traveled thousands of miles to do this business. "
"Now that winter is approaching, the north wind is howling, and it's another year of ice and snow. It's time for merchants traveling from south to north to gather here."
Listening to Gao Kan's words, Lin Chongduan, Zhang Er's monk, was confused.
After thinking about it for a long time, I had no clue, so I had to ask again: "What do you mean, Master?"
"Handan is prosperous, and the city is full of fish and dragons. Hebei Road calls Liangshan bandits to stir up trouble. Bandits are everywhere. Others have gone to Daming Mansion, and then to Liangshan. North of Handan, there are no more bandits in the past."
Gao Kan looked stern: "At this moment, if a thief takes advantage of the situation and rises up, then the north wind blows and the snow rolls, carrying the thief Xiao Xiaoxiao, attacking the city and the stronghold, who can guard the mountains and rivers unharmed?"
Hearing this, Lin Chong was startled and said hurriedly: "Master, I'm afraid this is unlikely to happen, right?"
"Why?"
Gao Kan glanced at him and continued: "Coach Lin, you still remember that I told you that sooner or later, the Kingdom of Jin would betray the alliance and send its army south. Shandong, Hebei, and Shanxi would be the first to bear the brunt."
"Although it seems to be a prosperous and peaceful time now, in fact, the world is suddenly in chaos."
"Hebei is the most important pass for our Song Dynasty to resist foreign enemies and defend the important areas of the capital. If the internal thieves are not eliminated, how can we determine the strength to resist the enemy?"
When Lin Chong heard this, his mind was still in chaos.
Based on his experience, he is one of the rare clear-sighted people among the Song Dynasty people, but he still has a foresight on high places, as if he had read a book from heaven.
After being silent for a while, he said straightly: "Young Master is far-sighted and far-sighted, but my subordinates are stupid and it's really hard to understand."
Gao Kan smiled when he heard this, patted Lin Chong on the shoulder, and said straightly: "Coach Lin, there is no need to be humble. The general situation of the world is inherently unpredictable. Who dares to say that everything can be predicted?"
"What I'm saying is just for you. I want others to listen, lest they say I've lost my mind and gone crazy."
"Young Master..." Lin Chong was speechless for a moment.
As Gao Kan said, that is to say, he knew very well that Gao Kan was an extraordinary person, and he knew what he was doing. Nine times out of ten, he knew what he was doing, so he didn't do what he thought.
Unbeknownst to others, just a few words could land him in a huge lawsuit.
However, Lin Chong still didn't believe in his heart that there were really bandits in Hebei who could be so capable, and in the blink of an eye, the mountains and rivers fell.
Gao Kan did not say much and only said: "This time I asked Coach Lin to take the trouble to go around this big circle with me. In fact, he wanted to see the situation in Handan City first, see the big from the small, and make inferences about other places in Hebei."
"By the way, find a suitable opportunity here and make arrangements first to prepare for the future."
Lin Chong understood what he said and hurriedly clasped his fists and said, "Young Master, I have an order, and Lin Chong is willing to die for it."
"Ask Coach Lin to worry about it." Gao Kan said with a smile.
After the two of them talked, they called the waiter to pay for the meal, and asked to reserve a room before they came out of the inn.
So I just walked along the street and looked at the various sceneries in the city.
After walking for a long time, I saw a shop in front of me from a distance. People were coming and going in the shop, and the business was very lively. But everyone who came out looked happy and held cashmere cotton jackets in their hands. They were overjoyed.
Seeing this, Gao Kan felt moved, raised his hand and said: "Teacher Lin, let's go over there and have a look."
"It's Young Master." Lin Chong responded, his face calm but secretly on guard.
There were a lot of people there and the situation was complicated, so be careful not to let Xiaoxiao disturb Gaokan.
After arriving, I finally squeezed through the crowd and saw that this shop was a cashmere store. The shop was quite large and there was a spacious backyard behind it as a warehouse.
There are a large number of exquisite cotton-padded jackets on display, as well as raw cashmere for sale.
Gao Kan squeezed in among the people. After listening for a while, he realized that this shop not only bought cashmere jackets, but also specialized in making cashmere items.
If someone wants to buy cashmere and make some quilts and mattresses, the store will do the same.
From this, Gao Kan couldn't help but sigh, the owner of this store is actually a shrewd businessman, no wonder the business has been so big.
Just when he was thinking about it, a man came out from the backyard corridor of the store, dressed as a shopkeeper. He came in and glanced around, settling on the two of them.
After looking up and down for a few times, he came forward to greet us: "You two distinguished guests don't seem to be locals from Handan. Do you need to buy cashmere?"
Lin Chong was about to answer when Gao Kan reached out to stop him and answered with a smile.
"The store owner is sharp-eyed. We are indeed from out of town. We heard that Handan City has the best cashmere in the Song Dynasty, so we came here to see it."
"As a distinguished guest, would you please come to the backyard to talk?" the shopkeeper extended his hand to invite.
Gao Kan did not shirk himself, but followed the good advice and said: "Please lead the way."
Immediately, the two of them followed the shopkeeper through the front of the store until they sat down in the backyard.
The shopkeeper asked someone to bring tea, and after he had done so, he asked again: "I wonder how much cashmere you two distinguished guests would like to buy? Do you need anything else?"
"I want the store to know, but I wonder how much is left in the warehouse?"
Gao Kan asked with a smile.
Upon hearing this, the shopkeeper's expression changed slightly, and he immediately responded: "My master buys cashmere from all over Hebei. If the distinguished guests need it, I will have some."
"So, don't bring any precious money when you go out this time. Let's bring the 50,000 guan first."
Gao Kan didn't waste any time. He raised his hand and asked Lin Chong to take out the treasure notes he was carrying and put a wad in front of the shopkeeper.
"Here are treasure notes with a total value of 8,000 guan. They are counted as deposits. Please check them."
The shopkeeper really didn't expect that the person in front of him would be so generous with his money, and he could take it as soon as he asked for eight thousand guan.
