The strange behavior of his master and servant made everyone laugh. Immediately, the shopkeeper took out a pen and asked the butler to sign the contract. Then, he neatly wrote the name of the guarantor in one corner of the contract.
Li Xu kept the contract, then withdrew the money to reward the shopkeeper of Yafang. However, the shopkeeper thought that he was doing a bad job and refused to accept any money.
Seeing that the shopkeeper of the Yafang was honest, Xuzi simply left the job of hiring cooks and gardeners to him. The shopkeeper was overjoyed, thanked him and ran out.
Li (Zhao) Wu Jiu took office immediately and was busy with the shopkeeper. He had worked as a cashier in a jewelry store, and his eye for reading people was naturally extraordinary. After a while, Li Xu had been selected and led forward.
Waiting for the master of the house to make the final decision. Li Xu has always been a casual person, and seeing that the housekeeper was useful, he accepted his suggestion with a smile.
Housekeepers, cooks and gardeners are not complete slaves, so they have to be introduced through Yahang. The remaining servants and handymen are completely sold to the Li family and are not within the scope of Yahang's business. They have to go to the shanty towns outside the city.
Selection. Li Xul ordered the housekeeper, cook and gardener to go home and tidy up, and report to Li Mansion the next afternoon. Then he took the horse and prepared to go out of the city to buy a servant.
"Let me follow you. I have nothing to arrange. The master is very kind to me, and I don't dare to be lazy." The steward requested while pulling the reins for Li Xu.
"That's fine, you can walk slowly behind the horse!" Li Xuzheng nodded in agreement as he had no experience in this field.
Not far from the east gate, there is the slum area of Licheng. Compared with the slum areas that Xuzi had seen along the way, the slum area here is larger, and the "human market" inside is also more lively. Many people came here because of their escape.
, couldn't afford to rent an inn in the city, so they had to live in a shack outside the city. After they spent all their savings and couldn't find a suitable way to make a living, the next step was to plant grass and sell it themselves to the local wealthy households.
A slave is a maid.
Qin, Luo, and Dugu are all children of a wealthy family, so they are not used to the scene in front of them. If the housekeeper Zhao Wujiu cannot find an employer within two months, he will inevitably end up here, so he has no sympathy. Only.
Xuzi, looking at the sorrow in the world in front of her, and thinking about what she saw on the way to the south, felt a little dazed.
"Is Your Majesty a wise king?" Li Xu asked himself in his mind as he walked. He did not dare to delve into this question, but every time he saw the ragged people around him, he would feel inexplicable sadness in his heart. Those people were very
Eight of them had similar origins to him. It was because the imperial court did not know how to show sympathy that they lost their homes and their dignity. If they had not left the country, without Liu Hongji's recommendation and Li Yuan's support, Xuzi would have known that he and
It is inevitable that his father and uncle will become one of them. Just like the goods on the "human market", they have stickers on their heads and are full of food on their faces.
"But your Majesty treats me well, and the court treats me well!" The same answer appeared in his heart again. It was his wish when he was young to obtain fame immediately. Now, this wish has been basically achieved. It is the Sui Dynasty,
It was His Majesty's expedition to Korea that gave him this opportunity. As he drank from the well water, he really could not turn his head and scold the person who ordered the well to be dug. Even not far from the wellhead, there were piles of bones of the digger.
Several people moved forward slowly, picking slaves like radishes. After half a column of time, eight young men who looked neat and nimble were led to Li Xu by the housekeeper. This was considered a big deal, and the trafficker was sincerely trying to please Qin Shubao.
, so I gave Xu Zi a 30% discount. The original value of 1,600 fen was reduced to 1,100 fen. Looking at the pile of deeds of sale, Xu Zi felt even more panicked. He took out the money to pay the bill, and then
He took a handful of money from the horse and put it into the steward's hand: "Take them back home first, buy them some food on the way, and then sell your clothes!"
"You lucky boys, you have met a noble man this time, why don't you kowtow to me!" the trafficker shouted while untying the leather rope tied around the neck of the "cargo".
The few boys who were bought immediately knelt down and kowtowed to Li Xu, praising his kindness. Xu Zi was panicked and quickly ordered the housekeeper to take them back to the house.
"You, the housekeeper, have good eyesight. These half-grown boys are the most loyal when they are raised." Watching the housekeeper go away, Qin Shubao patted Xu Zi on the shoulder and commented.
"I don't quite understand. It turns out that I only have an old housekeeper and a maid in my family!" Li Xu shook his head and answered carelessly.
"My family didn't have many servants at first, but then I joined the army and got to where I am now with one sword and one shot, and then gradually I got land and a house!" Qin Shubao thought that Xuzi was sentimental about his life experience, so he comforted him with a smile. There was something in his words.
He has no pride, he should get fame immediately. Although he is already in his forties this year, compared to his peers in his hometown who have not yet reached a full-time official position, his position as a fourth-grade lieutenant is already enviable.
.And in the past two years, he has fought more and more battles, and the battles have become smoother. It can be predicted that his position will rise again in the near future.
"Where are Shixin and Chongmu?" Li Xu suddenly found that two companions were missing from his side and asked in surprise.
"We went to the military market. All the people sold there are strong laborers. Unlike here, most of them are half-grown men!"
"Military market?" Li Xulu was stunned for a moment and asked. He vaguely remembered that when drinking tea at his home, Luo Shixin mentioned a topic about the military market. He also complained that a man named Xu moved quickly and shipped goods too quickly. Yes.
Asahi, who knew nothing about the operation of the county army, took it for granted that Jiangjun City was a market for handling stolen goods, but she did not expect that this market would also be opened in a slum area.
"Let's go and have a look together. I've been so busy these days that I haven't bothered to tell you about the operating rules of the county soldiers. You should know that the emperor has decreed that we can handle the stolen goods ourselves!" Qin Shubao saw Li Xu's face full of confusion.
, explained to him with a smile.
"I know this, our county soldiers also need supplies!" Li Xu nodded and replied. Deep down, he did not agree with similar imperial edicts. The stolen goods should be handled by the local government, and the property of those who collaborated with the thieves could be confiscated and brought into the official position. If he encounters a greedy person,
If some officials turn good men into thieves, the people will be in bad luck. (Note 5)
"That's the origin of the military market!" Qin Shubao nodded, pulled the reins of the horse, and led Xuzi towards the end of the "human market". The traffickers and people in the slum area were obviously very familiar with this great hero Qin Shubao. When they saw him, they
While saying hello warmly, he took the initiative to make way for a passage.
Just as he was about to reach the end of the "Human Market", suddenly, a prison made of wooden fences appeared in front of Li Xu. Surrounding the prison, there were county soldiers with guns and swords standing, and they all looked like they were facing a formidable enemy. The door of the prison
It was small and black, like a mouth devouring life. Blocking the door of the prison was a wooden platform, and groups of prisoners tied with ropes were led out of the prison like animals, and were placed one after another on
Appear on the platform.
"The government sells bandits, the price is favorable, buy more and calculate less, no one can bully you!" Sicang Junjun, a famous six-foot-tall man with a butcher-like appearance, stood on the edge of the wooden platform and shouted loudly. Under the wooden platform, people gathered around him
Traffickers, big and small, were noisy and flushed with excitement.
"Is this the military market?" Li Xu felt that all the blood in his body was rushing to his head, and the ground under his feet was constantly undulating. Before Qin Shubao could understand the meaning of his question, a pungent smell of burnt pepper suddenly floated from a distance.
come over.
Li Xu turned to look and saw a group of prisoners who had not yet been sold being led to several huge braziers. The shirtless county soldiers held branding irons and successively placed marks of shame on the foreheads and shoulders of the prisoners.
Lord Pei, the prefect, had a good life and did not order the execution of those who followed the thieves. However, he turned all the nearly 10,000 prisoners captured in the two battles into slaves. The proceeds from the sale of these slaves were shared by civil servants and generals.
, the soldiers also participated. So, everyone’s face was full of smiles.
A trafficker and his entourage placed a heavy bag of money on a wooden platform. Then, he took away all the slaves on the wooden platform. This person was a big customer, but Lao Xu, the human trafficker, was not careless at all and ordered people to
After the money was counted and recorded in the account, the official mark was heavily stamped on a stack of selling contracts and handed over to the trafficker.
"The official sells the bandits, the price is favorable, buy more and calculate less, no one can bully you!" Lao Xu completed a transaction, shouted loudly, and started the next transaction. Another group of prisoners were led to the stage, all in their thirties.
A man of about 10 years old is in the prime of life.
The quality of this batch of "goods" was much better than the previous batch, so countless buyers rushed forward, speaking in various local dialects, and actively snapped up purchases. The price of each prisoner was only 200 yuan, which was cheap. In the market north of the Yellow River, it was very cheap.
More than this price. Although it is getting cheaper now, such a young laborer still costs 400 coins. The dealers buy them from Licheng and sell them to the counties in Hebei, where they can make double the profit.
Although the road is not peaceful at the moment, a large number of captives will die on the way to being resold.
Xuzi stood there, shivering all over. He found himself back in the Su Chuanbu tribe, watching helplessly as the barbaric herdsmen put lead or iron collars around the necks of the captives, making them their own from then on.
private property. "Oh my God, what have I done?" he asked himself, feeling the blood in his stomach churning and everything rushing to his throat.
"If we let them go, they won't be able to survive. They will either starve to death or continue to be thieves until they are killed. So what Zhang Juncheng did can be regarded as giving them a way to live!" Qin Shubao saw that Li Xu's face was frighteningly green and whispered to him.
he explained.
"Yes, brothers, armor and Hengdao. Our supplies are all here!" Li Xu replied quietly, with both anger and helplessness in his voice. It was hard to tell whether he agreed with Qin Shubao's words or was making up reasons.
Comfort yourself.
"After all, we have left them a way to survive!" Qin Shubao said helplessly, holding Li Xu's shoulders. He was a little afraid of this young general. His martial arts skills were not as good as his, but his background was unfathomable. In case this person was unintelligible.
Qin Shubao really didn't know which side he should stand on because of the misunderstanding he had with Zhang Juncheng and Prefect Pei over this matter.
"Yes, after all we have left them a way to survive!" Li Xu's answer made Qin Shubao's heart feel a little more peaceful.
But soon, he discovered that Li Xu's idea was not there. His eyes were attracted by an old newspaper posted at the entrance of the military camp. The wind-blown newspaper said that the imperial court was against
Yang Xuangan's rebellion was the result of the rebels' final downfall.
After His Majesty the Emperor returned to the Eastern Capital, he put a wheel on the neck of the captured general who had no backing at home, and ordered all civil and military officials to shoot with arrows. Only when the corpse was turned into meat paste did he give the order to stop.
Yang Xuangan's younger brother Yang Jishan and Wei Fusi, a counselor who had always been the leader of both sides of the family, were sentenced to death by being split into pieces. After their death, their bodies were turned into bones and scattered to ashes.
Those children from aristocratic families who turned to thieves and returned astray were pardoned and were not allowed to serve as officials again. Their parents took them back home for education.
"Are you willing to atone for your sins?" In a daze, Xuzi heard Su Chuo ask in his ear again. He saw the barbaric Su Chuo tribesmen raising their knives and singing hymns to Changshengtian while cutting them.
Open the throat of the elder of the Xi clan.
He saw the civil and military officials of the Sui Dynasty bending their bows and setting arrows, killing the unfounded traitors one by one in front of the emperor.
He felt his anger growing and wanted to rush forward, tear off the newspaper, and rescue all the prisoners. At this time, a hand gently patted his shoulder. "Are you feeling uncomfortable, Zhong Jian?"
Instead of Xu Dayan, Li Xu looked back with a sad smile and saw Qin Shubao's concerned eyes.
Note 1: Niushan is near Zibo, Shandong today. Jibei County is around Pingyin, Shandong today. Changqing County is today’s Changqing County, less than a hundred miles away from Licheng.
Note 2: Qin Shubao was born in 571, and the story in the book takes place in the ninth year of Daye. Therefore, he is forty-three years old. This battle is a real event, and it specifically took place in the spring of the ninth year of Daye. The author moved it to winter, which is the song of the novel.
Don’t be surprised by the pen, experts.
Note 3: According to historical records, at the beginning of the battle, Zhang Xutuo had no time to gather troops and horses, so he only led four men to fight. The soldiers from the rear county arrived and defeated the enemy army. This is not a random fabrication by a drunkard.
Note 4: During the period of Emperor Wen of the Sui Dynasty, the price of a dou of rice was about five cents. Before Emperor Yang launched his expedition to Korea, prices rose slightly, but they did not rise to ten cents. In the fifteenth year of Zhenguan, the price of a dou of rice was two cents, while in the Tang Dynasty
The weight of the money was only half that of the Sui Dynasty, so it was a period of great prosperity.
Note 5: The decree that thieves' viscera should be dealt with locally, and that officials can confiscate the property of those who have collaborated with thieves began in the ninth year of Daye. The relevant records can be found in "Zi Zhi Tong Jian". (To be continued)
