Posthouses, also known as posthouses, were subordinate to the Department of Driving Affairs under the Ministry of War and were the main component of the imperial postal system.
Whether the emperor issued an edict or the court issued an official document, it was all delivered back and forth by postmen from various places riding fast horses, forming a huge information transmission system.
At the same time, the posthouse is also an official building in the form of an inn where officials (public officials) rest, stay, and eat on the way.
According to the scale of the inn, it can be roughly divided into three levels: "pavilion", "station" and "pavilion".
The post house is the smallest one, with maybe only two or three mud-brick houses, and there are not too many defense forces stationed here. Generally, there are only a few veterans to look after them, and the horses in the stables are also
There will be no more than five horses, and they are usually located in some unimportant rural places. They are the kind of places where "although there are post offices, not many postmen pass through them all year round."
In comparison, the post station has a certain degree of defense power.
Basically, the post station will be located next to the official road (post road) between counties. It is like a large house. There are about a dozen rooms in the house, and there is an arrow tower (watchtower), which is stationed here.
The soldiers on the border range from about two dozen (twenty people) to a group (fifty people). They are generally retired soldiers and have certain defense capabilities.
As for the post house, it is of a higher standard. It generally refers to the post station built in the city. Regardless of the scale, the grade of the building, and the guard strength, it is better than the post station.
Generally speaking, the functions and meanings of existence of the post pavilion, post station and post house are the same, but the scale is different.
Zhao Hongrun and his party followed the official road and arrived at a post station before dark that day.
Because of the imperial decree, private construction facilities are not allowed near the official road. Therefore, on this section of the official road, there is only this lonely inn with a good surrounding view.
"Lulu——"
After reining in their horses, Zhao Hongrun and his party stopped in front of the door of the inn.
In front of the door of the post station, there were two soldiers from the post station, an old man and a young man, on duty. After seeing Zhao Hongrun and his party, the old soldier came over with a long gun in his hand.
Whether it is a post house or a post station, these posts located in the wilderness are generally not open to civilians, unless there are special circumstances, such as some hungry and desperate civilians. The soldiers in the post station look at him pitifully.
Help is sometimes given.
But usually, inns are not open to non-public employees. After all, inns are not inns after all.
However, facing Zhao Hongrun and his party, the old soldier did not rush to tell Zhao Hongrun and his party to find another place to stay. The reason was because of the mounts driven by Zhao Hongrun and his party.
You must know that there are a total of fifteen horses in Zhao Hongrun's group, and it is obvious at a glance that these horses are not ordinary beasts (bad horses) used to carry goods or pull carts. But from this, the old pawn can tell
Zhao Hongrun's identity is unusual.
After all, in the market of Wei State, only the horses used for carrying goods and pulling carts are circulated, and those so-called tall horses will be used as military horses. If they do not have a certain identity, they will definitely not be able to get them.
In the eyes of the old soldier, Zhao Hongrun and his team saw that each of the fifteen horses was a good horse with a horseback height of seven or eight feet.
I have to say that this old soldier still has a good eye. After all, Zhao Hongrun's horses are all produced in Sanchuan, and they are even better than the military horses of the Junshui Army.
"What do you guys have to do?" the old soldier asked respectfully.
After hearing this, Shen Yu stepped forward and said in a deep voice: "Tonight, I will commandeer this place to stay for the night."
"requisition?"
The old soldier was stunned for a moment. Before he could react, he saw Shen Yu taking out a token from his arms and displaying it in front of him.
I saw the three seal characters "Prince Su's Mansion" clearly carved on the token made of ebony.
"King Su...?" The old soldier was so horrified that his eyes almost popped out. You must know that although this inn is located near Yu County, it is still in Yingshui County, and in Yingshui County, King Su Hongrun has such a reputation. Magnificent.
Most Wei people living in Yingshui County know that Su Wang Hongrun is the prince who led his army to defeat the invading army of Chu two years ago and counterattacked all the way to Chu.
"Everyone please, everyone please."
The old soldier quickly welcomed Zhao Hongrun and his party into the inn, and shouted to another young soldier: "Second boy, what are you doing standing still? Help take the mounts of these adults to the stable at the back."
"Remember to feed him some water and fodder." Shen Yu took out a small piece of silver from his arms and put it in the hands of the old soldier.
"I understand, I understand...please, please."
The old soldier invited Zhao Hongrun and his party into the post station, and guided them to a large room. He turned back to Zhao Hongrun and others and said, "You guys, please rest here for a while. I'll go ask our postmaster here."
The so-called postmaster, that is, the person in charge of the post, is the person in charge of the affairs of the post.
"Let's go." Zhao Hongrun nodded, then put his hands behind his back and looked at the decoration of this room.
In the past, Zhao Hongrun had almost never left Daliang except for war expeditions. Naturally, there was no need to mention the inn where he stayed in the wilderness. However, Zhao Hongrun had visited the inn in Daliang two or three times when Xiong Tuo, Lord of Chu Yangcheng, arrived in Daliang. .
It is undeniable that compared with the one in Daliang, the inn here is quite dilapidated. Broken bricks and tiles can be seen in the house, and the wooden facilities are also quite simple. For example, this room only has a table and a few chairs, and look at these The tables and chairs are in such good condition that they have been there for who knows how many years.
Other than that, the walls of this room are empty, no more than Daliang's inn. There are landscapes and calligraphy hanging on the walls everywhere.
But think about it, the post houses in Daliang usually receive important people, either officials, princes, or envoys from other countries who come to Beijing. How can they be compared to the local post houses?
After a while, the old soldier left and returned, followed by a middle-aged man who was about forty years old. I saw that this middle-aged man was not wearing an official uniform, but was wearing a soapy green brocade suit. Wearing a cloth crown on his head and a belt around his waist, he looks like a country gentleman.
Although this person's clothes look a bit old, for some reason, this person looks quite energetic and upright when wearing them, giving people a handsome and steady feeling.
"I, He Zhirong, am the postmaster of the post station here. Are these the distinguished guests holding the 'Prince Su's Mansion' token?... Can you let me have a look at the token?"
This person didn't speak very fast, but his words were clear, and judging from his conversation, Zhao Hongrun felt that he was a scholar.
After listening to this man's words, Shen Yu took out the token from his arms again and handed it to He Zhirong.
I saw He Zhirong, the postmaster, taking the token with both hands and looking at it carefully, which made Zhao Hongrun feel a little puzzled.
Therefore, Zhao Hongrun couldn't help but ask: "Postmaster, do you suspect that this token is fake?"
He Zhirong waved his hands quickly after hearing this, and after respectfully returning the token to Shen Yu, he smiled and said: "Your Excellency, I misunderstood. I am just curious about what the token of Prince Su's Mansion is, whether it is true or false, I have little knowledge. , you can’t tell...but thinking about it, no one would dare to impersonate His Highness Prince Su.”
After saying that, he looked Zhao Hongrun up and down a few times and asked with some uncertainty: "I'm sorry for my poor eyesight, but is your highness Prince Su Hongrun?"
Zhao Hongrun felt that anyway, their whereabouts were known to the group of thieves who were trying to assassinate him, so there was no need to worry about whether their identity was exposed, so he nodded frankly and admitted: "It is this king."
After hearing this, He Zhirong's face straightened, he walked quickly to Zhao Hongrun, bowed his hands respectfully and said: "I, He Zhirong of Yu County, pay my respects to His Highness Prince Su."
"He Yichang is exempt from the courtesy." Zhao Hongrun gave He Zhirong a weak hand, and then looked up and down at He Zhirong.
In his opinion, He Zhirong, who looked like a teacher, did not look like he was from the military. However, this person was serving as the postmaster of the post station here, so there was no doubt that this person must be a nobleman from Yuxian County.
"Old Li, you ask the kitchen to prepare some good dishes, and also ask someone to clean a few rooms." He Zhirong slowly ordered the old soldier.
"I understand."
The old soldier nodded repeatedly and left as ordered.
At the same time, He Zhirong invited Zhao Hongrun to sit down at the table and said apologetically: "This inn is shabby. Please forgive me, His Highness Prince Su."
Zhao Hongrun smiled slightly and said: "It's okay...He Yichang, please take a seat too."
"This..." He Zhirong hesitated for a moment, then declined politely: "There is a difference between superiority and inferiority. How can I be so virtuous and capable? How dare I sit in front of His Highness Prince Su?"
Seeing this, Zhao Hongrun asked him to sit down again, but He Zhirong politely declined again. After repeating this three times, the latter sat down, but he did not sit down completely, just sitting on the outer edge of the seat.
Seeing this, Zhao Hongrun nodded secretly in his heart: Although this person is a noble, he is obviously a clean and well-educated noble.
It is true that even if they are both nobles, there are differences between them. Some nobles will make Zhao Hongrun feel disgusted and disgusted, but Zhao Hongrun is not disgusted with the one in front of him. On the contrary, he feels that He Zhirong is like a teacher. of.
"How long has Yichang He taken over this inn?" Zhao Hongrun asked.
"It's been six years."
"What did Yichang He do in the past? Did he teach?" Zhao Hongrun asked curiously.
He Zhirong was stunned for a moment, then his face showed a bit of embarrassment and shame, and he said: "I am not very qualified. I have studied for more than twenty years, but I failed the high school imperial examination many times. This made my father humiliated, so I had no choice but to return to my hometown shamelessly. Teach the younger members of the family how to read and write... My father passed away a few years ago, and I recommended that I take over the management of this inn, so that I can finally have something to eat."
Zhao Hongrun was silent when he heard this.
Although his impression of the domestic nobility is not very good, it is undeniable that there are also people who follow the rules among the nobility. For example, nobles like He Zhirong in front of him. Although they are nobles, in fact, they do not have much wealth in their families. They serve as Wei It seems to be a small but actually very important position in various local counties in the country.
The so-called "nobles are the cornerstone of the country" actually refers to this kind of people, not those nobles who have millions of dollars but still pursue profits.
Because he had a good impression of He Zhirong, Zhao Hongrun started chatting with him.
During this conversation, the reason why Zhao Hongrun appeared here was inevitably discussed.
And when he learned that the reason why His Highness King Su stayed at the inn was because he was assassinated, He Zhirong was shocked and angry. He couldn't help but cursed: "What a thief, how brave, dare to assassinate Su?"
Your Highness?"
In response to this, Zhao Hongrun smiled bitterly and said: "It seems that I am also confused. I don't think I would offend anyone to this extent..."
Hearing this, He Zhirong stroked his beard and thought: "Have King Su ever considered that the gang of thieves who assassinated you might not be motivated by personal enmity?"
"It's not because of personal hatred?" Zhao Hongrun was stunned for a moment, then frowned.
He Zhirong's words awakened him.
Because if the assassination was not motivated by personal hatred, then the problem for the group of thieves who assassinated him would be even greater.
In other words, this was an assassination of important people in Wei.
It's not that Zhao Hongrun is boasting. In fact, the court has to admit that His Royal Highness Prince Su, who has always had a bad temper and is difficult to get along with, has gradually made the Wei Kingdom become more powerful. This change is obvious to all.
If anyone didn't want Wei to become stronger, they would definitely try to assassinate him, Zhao Hongrun.
When he thought of "people who do not want to make Wei strong", Zhao Hongrun immediately thought of the group of murderers who attacked Xiong Fen, the Chu envoy in Yongqiu.
It seems that the methods of these two groups of people are quite similar, both are so ruthless and decisive.
"It turns out that it's not that I have offended anyone, but that someone wants me to die..."
Thinking of this, Zhao Hongrun narrowed his eyes.
He felt that it was necessary to get in touch with those so-called "hidden thieves" in order to follow the clues and find out the mastermind behind the group who hired these hidden thieves.
Of course, before that, he had to escape this assassination along the way. Since the purpose of the thieves' attempt to assassinate him had risen to the level of "weakening the Wei State", it would obviously not end with a few failures.
The act of assassination.
In other words, the thieves are likely to attack this inn again.
"Hmm."
Zhao Hongrun snorted softly and had an idea in his mind.