It's snowing, and the vast land is completely white. Adults in thick fur clothes are preparing to celebrate the New Year. The railway lines that usually transport coal and goods are now occupied by people coming and going to pay New Year's greetings. They say they are paying New Year's greetings, but in fact they are.
Debt settlement, coal for coking at Liguo Iron Mine, daily rice, noodles, meat, eggs and fruits, firewood, rice, oil, salt, soy sauce, vinegar and tea are mostly provided by merchants from Xuzhou Prefecture, which is located eighty miles south of the iron factory. Luxury goods from the south are flowing through the canal.
It is constantly transported to Xuzhou Prefecture and then sent to various places. It is like a transportation center and a thoroughfare for the four provinces. Although it is also said that military strategists must fight for it, as the war moves northward and Xuzhou Prefecture is heavily guarded, this place
It can be called a resort in troubled times.
Merchants in Xuzhou Prefecture obtained the contract from the iron factory through bidding, supplied these daily necessities on time, and settled accounts at regular intervals. The pig iron, steel, various iron products, and weapons produced by the iron factory were also sold to various parts of the south through the merchants.
As the New Year approaches, businessmen come to settle their accounts and work hard for next year's contracts. They go out of their way to give out gifts.
The second young lady decided to go to Xuzhou Mansion for a walk. The iron factory was full of mud, soot, black smoke, and vulgar and barbaric men. For girls, it is necessary to change the environment and cultivate their mood every once in a while.
After the last gladiator match, the second lady never let Liu Ziguang off the field again. She also moved him out of the gladiatorial camp and moved him into a house with wooden beds and quilts. He could also eat white rice every day. He enjoyed the treatment of a servant.
, has not slept on a decent bed for more than a year. Liu Ziguang is very emotional. Although his living environment has improved, he is still always thinking about escaping. He has no choice but to be heavily guarded and knows nothing about the outside world. He still looks for opportunities and
Let the three brothers run away together, he thought to himself.
The second lady lacked characters who could fight. Although gladiators could win money and be fun, she suddenly felt reluctant to let this young man die in the arena, so she gave Liu Ziguang the status of a servant. It would be good to let him fight with her to gain limelight.
The Ministry of Transportation arranged a special train. The second lady took several servants and maids to Xuzhou Prefecture to purchase new year's goods. Yu Xiaolong was busy with official duties and could not accompany him. In order not to lose face at the necessary moment, the second lady specially sent her love to Xuzhou Prefecture.
I took the general in red with me. What is called a necessary moment? Of course it was a fight, which was the second young lady’s favorite.
Liu Ziguang put on the clothes of an ordinary servant, a black cotton robe and a corrugated hat, and took shelter from the wind on the plank road outside the carriage with three other servants. The second lady and the maid were resting in the greenhouse. The train arrived at Xuzhoufu Station an hour later
, the station has the transfer office of the ironworks stationed all year round. The office prepared a green woolen sedan. The sedan bearers carried the second lady, and the others walked, and the group walked towards the city.
The second lady did not visit the rouge shop and the silk and satin shop, but first went to the iron shop opened by the iron factory to inspect. The iron factory has a workshop that specializes in making steel knives and long swords. The name is "Lian Feng Hao", which is everywhere.
With a semicolon, the Lianfenghao's weapons are made of hundreds of refined steel and are expensive. However, bodyguard agencies and martial arts schools from all over the country still flock to them, and heroes in the world are also proud to own a Lianfenghao's steel knife.
.Swords are short-term weapons, and the government does not prohibit them from wearing them. As for spears and halberds, Lianfeng Hao also produces them, but they are custom-made for the army and ordinary people cannot buy them.
The owner of the shop was a middle-aged man with a scar on his face. When he saw the host lady coming, he was busy making tea and waiting. The second lady was laughing and joking in the Lianfeng for a while.
We went to Ma Market Street, which specializes in selling dogs and horses.
Ma Shi Street was originally a place in Xuzhou Prefecture that specialized in selling horses. Later, it gradually evolved into selling everything from dogs, horses, owls, eagles, and monkeys. It is the favorite place for the dandy kids from several surrounding cities besides Hua Street and Willow Alley.
There were many people on the street. The second young lady got off the sedan and was walking. The sixteen-year-old girl was wearing a brocade cloud-satin jacket, a white fox feather cloak with floral feathers and gauze, gold-plated cloud-digging suede boots under her feet, and silver earrings.
The rat warmed his ears, holding the candied haws in his hand and chewing on it as he walked. The two blushes on his pink face were particularly cute, and he looked like the charming young lady from a wealthy businessman.
The second lady saw a bunch of people gathered around to watch something happening, and her curiosity aroused. She pushed through the crowd and got in. It turned out that a businessman who spoke a northern dialect was selling dogs. The businessman was wearing a sheepskin robe and a fur hat on his head.
With two fox tails hanging down, his dress is very different from that of the Central Plains. It seems to be from outside China.
There were two dogs in front of the merchant. They were of medium build and covered with thick gray fur. They had blue eyes in the shape of apricot kernels and high erect ears. They looked like wolves, but were as docile as pugs and were not afraid of animals at all.
Friendly licking the hands that people around her stretched out to caress, she looked so graceful and cute compared to the stubborn and savage dogs at home. The second lady's eyes immediately straightened, and she stroked one of the dog's heads generously.
He feeds the candied haws in his hand to the dog.
The merchant spat: "This kind of dog, whose name is Husky, comes as tribute from the Rakshasa Kingdom thousands of miles away. In Dajin and Daliao, only the royal family and nobles can afford to keep it. It can be played in peacetime and can be used to pull sleds in winter.
They are docile and cute, and can interpret people's speech. Not to mention the Central Plains, they are rare even in the Yanyun area. These two were obtained from the sixth prince's house in the Kingdom of Jin. The cost is huge, so I want to sell them at a good price today. Listen
It is said that Xuzhou Prefecture is full of rich and powerful people, I believe you will not disappoint me."
"Okay, no need to say any more, I want it all, you can make an offer." The second lady hugged the dog's head, reluctant to let go, and waved the maid over to pay the bill.
"Miss, the price of two husky tribute dogs is two thousand taels of silver." The merchant bowed his head humbly and replied.
"Qiuxiang, give me some money." The second lady's tone seemed very casual, as casual as buying stinky tofu on the street for two cents.
The onlookers all around exclaimed, "A thousand taels of silver to buy a dog is simply too expensive. An ordinary yamen clerk only earns a hundred and ten taels of silver a year, and this hundred taels of silver can make the life of a middle-class family a whole lot easier."
The New Year has been very prosperous and prosperous.
Liu Ziguang stood behind, and his expression changed in surprise when he heard such an outrageous price. You must know that the iron factory originally paid twenty-five taels of silver for these slaves, and it would take forty slaves to exchange for one dog.
Surprised. The onlookers are experts after all. This kind of husky tribute dog is indeed rare. It is rare and expensive. The asking price is reasonable. This little girl is not simple. She doesn't seem to understand. Asking for a high price only to sit on the ground and pay back.
It makes sense. He agreed without even frowning. It seems that he is destined to be rich.
Qiuxiang is the second young lady's maid, and she also looks like everyone. She also casually took out two banknotes with huge denominations from her purse and was about to pay the bill.
"Wait a minute, our young master took a fancy to this tribute dog first. Whose girl are you, dare to compete with our young master for something?" said a domineering butler-looking guy among the spectators. Behind him was a young master wearing a fox fur cloak.
, wearing a square scarf on his head, his two wretched eyes were staring at the second young lady's fair and rosy face.
Qiuxiang is worthy of being the second lady's personal maid, and she carries the arrogance of the second lady in every move and every move, "Are you a few worthy of my family's competition? Not to mention that my lady asked the price first, and I asked you to buy it, so you buy it.
Can you afford it?
"
The housekeeper was about to open his mouth, but the wretched young man reached out and held a folding fan to stop the housekeeper. He said with a smile: "What a pretty maid with sharp teeth. Xiaosheng is going to compete with me today. If not for my own face, I won't do it for my own sake."
To save my father's face and make money, I need to take three thousand taels of silver."
"Here, young master," the steward named Wangcai took out three banknotes and threw them on the counter of the Northland merchants with great pride, "my young master is from Haizhou, his surname is Huang. I advise you not to argue.
"
There are many salt merchants in Haizhou, and the wealth of salt merchants is rare in the country. The richest among the salt merchants is Huang. The housekeeper showed off in a mysterious way. Firstly, he wanted to suppress the other party and win without a fight. Secondly, he wanted to give the other lady to the other party on behalf of his master.
Let me tell you, what girl doesn't love money, let alone such a handsome and suave young man.
Hearing that there was going to be a fight for wealth, the second lady became interested. Within a hundred miles, including the palaces of the princes, there were very few people who could compete with the iron factory in terms of funds. Since the wretched boy in front of him wanted to play an ax in front of Lu Ban, then
Just play with him.
"Qiuxiang, take five thousand taels of silver notes."
"To make money, take six thousand taels."
"Qiuxiang, eight thousand taels!"
"Prosperous wealth, ten thousand taels!"
The idle men onlookers clapped and cheered, and Qiuxiang's little face turned red. She approached the second lady and said, "Miss, this Haizhou guy is having sex with us. Look in his eyes. He is looking at you, miss."
He's so nasty...Should I ask the red-coated general to chop him down?"
The wretched young man unfolded his folding fan with a cool clatter, looking elegantly at the second lady with his little eyes.
The second young lady waved her hand in a general-like manner, "Bring them all."
Qiuxiang handed over a thick stack of banknotes, and the second lady took it and slapped it on the table, "One hundred thousand taels, Rishengchang banknotes are payable on sight. I don't believe you can come up with so much."
The expression of the wretched young master changed, and he waved to Wangcai. After a while, there was no movement. Wangcai leaned close to the young master's ear and said, "I only brought thirty thousand taels today. They seem to have a lot of background. Young Master, please be careful."
"You dog slave, what do you know? No matter how big your background is, you can be bigger than my uncle? You will look at my eyes and act after a while."
The wretched Mr. Huang laughed dryly, closed his folding fan, took two steps forward, cupped his hands and said, "Young lady is really rich and spends money like water. I admire you. I would like to ask you to go to a nearby restaurant for a casual meal. Please give me a favor."
"
The second young lady snorted, "I don't have enough money to act like others, but I don't want to deal with the poor." She didn't pay attention to the merchants from Northland who were looking at the banknotes in a daze, so she took the two huskies and left.
"Hey~~~, you have to go today, you have to go, you have to go even if you don't, from Haizhou Prefecture to Xuzhou Prefecture, no one dares to refute our Mr. Huang's face!
Young ladies!" Wangcai saw the young master's signal and stepped forward with both hands to stop the second young lady. Behind him stood a few big men, holding steel knives in their hands. They were holding lanterns in the clear sky in broad daylight. Two pairs of lanterns read "Haizhou Patrol" on each pair.
Vice-History of Salt, another pair of words is written in the main hall of Xuzhou Mansion. When the idlers saw that they were about to rob people, they jumped out of a large open space.
"Ah, the main hall of Xuzhou Mansion, you are..." Qiuxiang is very suitable for acting, pretending to be at a loss. It seems that this is not the first time for Zuo to pretend to be a pig and eat a tiger like this. The second lady also pretends to be timid.
, Bai Shengsheng's little hands covered his mouth. The performances of the four servants were very amateurish, and they sat stiffly in a state of shock. Only Liu Ziguang had an angry look on his face.
Mr. Huang laughed and said: "Put the knife away, don't scare the little lady." Then he said to the second lady: "Today I want the little lady, and I want the dog too. I get both. Haha, follow me obediently."
Let me go and be happy."
After saying that, he raised his hand and the wolf-like servant rushed towards the second young lady and Qiuxiang. Before the second young lady could wave, Liu Ziguang, who was already extremely angry, rushed towards them.
After a few heavy blows, the servants turned into panda eyes.
"Rebellion, rebellion, murder in the street, come on!" Mr. Huang was furious.
The rest of the servants rushed forward. These bullies were no match for Liu Ziguang. They were beaten to pieces by him and cried for their father and mother. Seeing that his family was not in an advantage, Mr. Huang quietly retreated with Wangcai.
The feeling of fighting in the street is different. You can smash the surrounding things to pieces. In no time, a few servants lay on the ground, groaning, and blood flowed all over the ground. People on the street hid far away.
Watching the crowd, the second lady saw that the beating was over. She clapped her hands with unsatisfied feelings, shook off the melon seed shells on her cloak, hid the remaining melon seeds in her purse, and greeted the thugs and actors.
"Let's go and eat."
There is a hill to the south of Ma Shi Street. Because the ancestral home of the former Hube Minister was on the hillside, it was named Hubu Mountain. There is a hotel at the foot of the mountain called Tongrenju. It is one of the largest restaurants in Xuzhou Prefecture. The second lady won the street fight today.
, my heart is filled with joy, and I am ready to have a feast at the hands of my colleagues.
When the waiter saw the distinguished guests coming, he hurriedly greeted them and said, "Please take a seat upstairs for some distinguished guests."
"What kind of private room! Our lady wants a private room with a big name!" Qiuxiang turned her nostrils to the sky and threw out an ingot of silver worth one or two pounds. The waiter caught it, "Okay, a private room with a big name, eight guests, please, eh.
, No, should your two precious dogs be tied up in our backyard first? Guest."
"Open a special private room for my two dogs." The second lady said. Qiuxiang threw out another silver coin after hearing this. The waiter caught the silver and did not dare to put it in his arms. He said in danger, "This...
．．Di Zi Hao is a private room for entertaining distinguished guests. If we entertain your two beloved dogs today, I’m afraid we won’t be able to do business in this private room in the future.”
"What nonsense are you talking about? Call your shopkeeper here." Qiuxiang said.
A group of people walked into the Tianzihao private room and sat down. The shopkeeper walked in with a smile on his face. Before he could say anything, the second lady placed a gold ingot on the table, "Two private rooms, two good banquets on the tables, don't wait."
I don’t want to hear that nonsense.”
Looking at the gold ingots weighing one or two pounds, the shopkeeper's eyes shone, "Okay, sir, what kind of dishes would you like to order? Well, waiter, I will take two special guests to the private room."
Dried fruits, candied fruits, and Pu'er tea were put on the table. The second lady took the menu and looked at the ten lines, pointing and poking at, this, this, and this. She ordered more than thirty dishes, two jars of good wine, and the waiter went down.
.
There was a noise downstairs, and there was a sound of pedaling up the stairs. The door curtain was raised, and Mr. Huang walked in. Behind him were two people dressed in Fuso warrior uniforms, with three long and short swords on their waists. The three of them walked into the Tianzihao private room.
He sat down boldly. The two samurai were too short and felt awkward touching the ground with their swords after sitting down, so they slapped the swords on the table with a majestic bang. It was really majestic.
Mr. Huang smiled evilly and was about to speak. Qiuxiang said first, "Miss, it turns out that this man named Huang is in the same family as ours and sells knives. Look at those two dwarfs, their waists are full of knives, hehe."
There was a burst of laughter.
Huang Gongzi slapped the table and said: "Little lady, don't toast me and eat the fine wine. It's just that you and I rush to buy a tribute dog. But if you instruct your evil slaves to hurt my family members, this matter is really big."
.Have you heard about the Huang family in Haizhou? Today..."
The second lady was waiting for the food to be served and was very impatient. Before Mr. Huang could finish speaking, a plate with dried fruits was thrown at her head, "What nonsense are you talking about? Bring someone to restore the situation, right? Let's start the fight."
Fuso Ronin was furious when he heard this. Before he could take action, Liu Ziguang grabbed the handle of the knife on the table. Fuso Warrior stretched out his hand and only grabbed the scabbard. Liu Ziguang took advantage of the situation and pulled it, and the sharp long sword was unsheathed.
The samurai hurriedly pulled out the waistband, but he was a step too late. The sword flashed past and one of Fuso Samurai's arms was chopped off.
"Baga" Another Fuso Ronin saw his companion being hacked and swung his knife to chop Liu Ziguang. The two of them started hacking across the table.
At the same time, the second lady had already picked up the stool and threw it at Mr. Huang's head. Suddenly, Mr. Huang's face was covered with blood and he fell to the ground. The second lady stomped on Mr. Huang's face with her foot. When she turned around, she saw Mr. Huang's hand was cut off.
Fuso Ronin was picking up the arm. The second lady smiled evilly and winked at Qiuxiang. Qiuxiang understood, ran over and kicked the broken arm out of the room. The two tried to repair Mr. Huang again, but found that he was gone.
traces of.
There was a series of squeaking sounds coming downstairs. It turned out that Mr. Huang took the opportunity to slip away. Within a moment, a group of servants dressed in green robes and hats rushed upstairs with sticks. The two groups started fighting in the private room.
The second young lady and Qiuxiang hid aside, throwing stools, plates, vases, etc. into the crowd from time to time.
Several waiters from the hotel shop were crying and begging at the door: "Dear guests, please give the shop some thin noodles. Stop it, stop it." A rosewood stool flew out, and the shopkeeper hurriedly avoided it.
I caught a waiter and gave some low-pitched instructions, and the waiter left the store to look for reinforcements.
In less than a moment, a burly man rushed into the door with a group of his men carrying knives and sticks. He had a purple bald head, his arms were open in the cold winter, and he took the lead with a huge copper plate on his waist exposed. He had a chain hammer in his hand.
, when I entered the door, I saw about ten people fighting lively. The room was almost smashed, and now it had reached the lobby. The shopkeeper came over and said: "
Master Zhen, your old man runs this shop, look at this..."
"Stop the damn thing, the mayor of Zhennanguan is here!" the mayor's followers yelled.
A vase flew out of the battle group as an answer. The town master asked the shopkeeper: "What's the number?"
"I don't know, both groups are very unfamiliar." The shopkeeper wiped the sweat from his fat face.
The powerful dragon has not suppressed the local snakes. If you dare to run wild on my Zhennanguan land, you guys, fight me.
Master Zhen wields the chain hammer and leads his gangsters to join the battle group.
Liu Ziguang had a great time fighting. This kind of street fight was not as life-and-death as in a gladiatorial arena. It could not be said to be intense, it could only be regarded as lively. It was similar to a Jackie Chan movie. The Fuso warrior jumped around like a giant monkey.
, but it was a bit intrusive. The other gangsters and servants were just general minions. They went back and forth and cut holes in their weapons. In fact, not many people were killed.
Tongrenju, the shopkeeper, was about to cry without tears. He saw that the shop was smashed to pieces and all the customers had fled. He wanted to chase out the customers who had not paid the bill, but saw fifty or sixty government servants walking away in a hurry.
Come over. The shopkeeper hurriedly grabbed the leading officer and said, "Officer, come and take a look. There's a chaos inside."
The leading officer pushed the shopkeeper away, and shouted to the officials behind him: "This is it, everyone, take action, don't get away and kill the important criminal!"
All the government officials shouted and rushed into Tongrenju with a single sword and an iron ruler. When Mr. Huang saw the reinforcements arriving, he was determined. He covered his bleeding head and pointed at the second lady from a distance: "Catch that little hoof for me.
, I will reward you with a hundred taels of silver."
With the arrival of the government officials, the gangsters were a little timid and planned to take advantage of the chaos to sneak away. The government officials couldn't figure out who was among them, so they attacked them all except Huang Gongzi's followers. Liu Ziguang was entangled by the Fusang warriors and couldn't escape.
Chance.
Two of the servants brought by the second lady had been cut down, and the other one was missing. There were many people in the government office, and they gradually gained the upper hand. The second lady and Qiuxiang each picked up a knife, and the four of them retreated to the door.
Outside, while fighting and retreating, the people of Xuzhou Prefecture liked to watch the excitement. Many onlookers had gathered on Hubu Mountain. Children climbed on the trees, young people climbed on the roofs, and the hawker took the opportunity to sell small benches, melon seeds and peanuts.
The crowd suddenly opened a passage, and a hundred men ran over, panting. Half of them were covered in various types of armor, scale armor, chain mail, and mountain pattern armor. They had stainless steel swords in their hands. It looked like
He was much more professional than the local gangsters. There was a servant of the second lady in the crowd. It turned out that the Lianfenghao heard that the lady was having a group fight and gathered all the servants to come over to help.
The second lady and her group were surrounded by the gangs. The two gangs began to confront each other in the square where the carriages were parked in front of Tongrenju. There were a lot of swords pointing at each other and a lot of curses. It must be that the yamen and Lianfenghao were not there at ordinary times.
They had fought each other for a long time, and they had always been at odds with each other. Taking this opportunity to stand up for the master, they simply settled all the old and new grudges. As the vocabulary of both parties greeting each other's female relatives became richer, the intertwined weapons began to cut into each other.
The place where colleagues are in front has become a battlefield.
While the fight was in full swing, there was a sound of footsteps, and a large group of troops wearing red cherry felt hats came over, divided into two groups and surrounded the fighting crowd. With their spears thrust out, Qingqing shouted "Kill!"