With Su Ren's guarantee, Lu Yi gave up the idea of continuing to follow the caravan to the Western Regions. She believed that with Li Danghu's army taking care of her, this business trip would only make money and would never lose money. So Lu Yi asked Abang to take the lead.
After leaving with the caravan, he followed Su Ren back to Chang'an.
After passing Sanguan, we entered Guanzhong. When we left, the willows were lingering, and when we came back, the mountains were already golden. On the Hengshan Mountain was a lush broad-leaved forest. At this time, all that was left were gray and bare tree trunks. Occasionally, there were still trees.
A bird's nest could be seen. In order to show off their archery skills, Huo Jin and Huo Qubing shot down all the bird's nests they could see, frightening a large group of wild birds. The nests they spent the whole summer and autumn building were now being destroyed.
Destroyed, they will only freeze to death in winter.
Haoshuichuan is the largest river mouth in Hengshan. Only after passing here can you truly enter the boundary of Guanzhong. There are gradually more pedestrians on the road, and many people have been staring at this team all on horseback, because these people and the Han army cavalry
It's different. There is no uniform uniform, and even the weapons they carry are different. They look more like the Huns cavalry.
The people of Guanzhong are all tough. I think it was because of the toughness of Guanzhong that the Great Qin Empire was able to defeat the six kingdoms and unify the world. Although the Qin Dynasty has been destroyed for a hundred years, the spirit of Guanzhong is still there. The people of Guanzhong are proud.
Before that, King Wen prospered in Guanzhong, and King Wu conquered Zhou and founded the Zhou family for 800 years. From then on, the political center of China moved westward, and it has not changed for a thousand years.
Someone with good intentions reported the whereabouts of Su Ren and the others to the government. Soon Su Ren discovered that more than a dozen officials had appeared on the official road in front of him. This area was under the jurisdiction of Chencang, and the county magistrate of Chencang led several of his subordinates to get there.
He didn't know who gave him the courage and confidence to stop five hundred vicious men from moving forward.
The county magistrate is a conscientious magistrate, at least much better than the captain who had already escaped. Facing Hawking's halberd, he still stood in the middle of the road and refused to give in. He had the determination to pass by me unless he stepped over me.
Hawking suddenly lifted Hei Feng forward, and the strong horse's chest hit the county magistrate's chest hard, knocking the magistrate to the ground. Everyone quickly covered their eyes, they had already guessed what would happen next.
However, Hei Feng actually raised the horse's hoof and was unwilling to step down. Hawking sat on the horse and laughed loudly: "Look at how scared you are. You are the only one who wants to stop me? You don't need anyone else, sir."
If you dare to break into the Xiongnu camp alone, your young master will not notice."
Although the head of a county was not a high-ranking official, he was appointed by the imperial court. Huo Jin could do this, but Su Ren could not. He quickly got off the carriage, ran over to help the county magistrate up, glared at Huo Jin and said, "You bastard, why don't you do it yet?"
Come down and apologize to the county magistrate? Do you know what you just did? It’s treason!"
Huo Jin chuckled: "What kind of rebellion is this? Brother, this guy doesn't get in, even if he says nice things, he won't get out of the way. Why does he want an order from the lieutenant or your majesty? We are in a hurry to get something there?"
Su Ren waved his hand: "Go away, as far away as you want. If the county magistrate has any good intentions, I will deduct it from your money!"
Magistrate Chencang patted the dust on his body and bowed respectfully to Su Ren: "I have met General Su! General Su has worked hard for the country, but I dare not show favoritism in my duties. Please forgive me, General Su."
Hawking sneered and said: "So you know! You are still so stubborn. Get out of the way quickly. It is delaying my elder brother's affairs. You can see it better!"
Su Ren was speechless and winked at Shi Bao. Shi Bao quickly pulled Huo Jin away. Su Ren turned around and said to Magistrate Chencang: "What the magistrate said is very true, but the rush of coming back this time is really not good."
Regarding the orders from the Lieutenant or His Majesty, do you think it would be better to wait until we return to Chang'an to complete these?"
Magistrate Chencang thought for a moment: "It's okay, General Su is returning to Beijing on orders, and I should respect your Majesty's orders. Naturally, I have nothing to say!"
"Hehehe, then I would like to thank County Lord Lao. These men of mine have come all the way back from Yumen and have not rested yet. I would like to ask the County Lord to prepare a place for them to rest. Don't worry, County Lord, we will never need the County Lord to prepare food and grass. Tomorrow morning
Then we will rush to Chang'an."
Chencang belongs to Fufeng County, which is also considered an important place in the capital. It is not surprising to have such a county magistrate. Chencang is two hundred miles away from Chang'an, the capital of the Han Dynasty, and can be traveled back and forth in a day by a quick horse. The county magistrate of Chencang is a good county magistrate, otherwise he would not
Not here. There are advantages and disadvantages to the officials near the capital. For example, other county governors can count the number of opportunities to see the emperor in one term, but Jingzhao, Zuo Fengyi, and You Fufeng
The county magistrate of a county has the opportunity to go to court. Even the county magistrate of a lower county has more opportunities than the magistrates of other counties.
And Chencang is the chief minister of Fufeng County. After working here for a few years as a county magistrate, he could even become an official in the court. Naturally, he knew that Su Ren was the emperor's favorite, but others didn't care. Maybe it was because he acted in accordance with the law.
, it is possible to register in front of the emperor and be sent to another county to become a prefect.
The county magistrate Chencang arranged a place for Su Ren outside the city. As Su Ren said, nothing was prepared except for the land. He also sent a county magistrate to help, which actually served as a surveillance function.
The camp was set up, and Su Ren sat inside to talk to his men. Chencang was where they parted. Those who were going back to Shu County should go south from Chencang, cross the Qinling Mountains and take the plank road into Shu County, and those going to Chang'an should follow Su Ren eastward. This is
I went out, experienced risks, and lost some brothers, but also reaped huge rewards.
Su Ren said sternly to the Vultures and Leopards: "Remember, the profits of those brothers who died in the battle will be doubled. This must not be mistaken! If you let me know who is causing trouble inside, you can think of the consequences yourself.
!”
The Vulture and the Leopard stood up quickly: "Don't worry, sir, brothers, you can save it!"
Su Ren nodded: "Live your life well this time when you go back. This money is earned by everyone's hard work. Don't make money all at once. Those who don't have a family should build a family. Those who have a family should think about their parents, wives and children."
, I have been working hard outside for more than a year, and I finally came back. I won’t have such a good opportunity next time, so I will plan carefully and buy a house and land. Whoever lives a good life will go to his house when I go to Shu County."
"Don't worry, sir, our brothers will take care of these guys!"
After settling things back to Shu County, he talked about the people who were going to Chang'an: "Old Wang will make statistics on the merchants who went to the Western Regions with us this time. Regardless of profit or loss, the numbers will be revealed. Those who make profits, don't worry about making too little money. If you lose money, don't worry about it.
I will be responsible for making up for you, as much as those who make a profit. In addition, the Chamber of Commerce has paid a lot to build the city in Yumen this time. You and Lao Cui will also come up with a charter, and I will not be less than a penny.
The main thing is this trade route. I am going to hand it over to Your Majesty. Whether it is given to our Shuzhong Chamber of Commerce again or His Majesty sends the caravan yourself, you don’t need to tell me. Everything will be done according to His Majesty’s wishes. You can explain this to Lao Cui clearly.”
Lao Wang nodded quickly: "I understand, I just..."
"It's just whatever, if you have something to say, just say it!"
Lao Wang glanced around a few times: "I just heard that my husband is planning to re-establish a chamber of commerce. I wonder if we from the Sichuan Chamber of Commerce can join?"
"No, there is no discussion on this matter!" Su Ren replied decisively: "The good things in the world cannot be taken by one person. If you want to join my new chamber of commerce, you have to withdraw from the Shuzhong Chamber of Commerce. It's the same back and forth. I can only
Join one! When my affairs are settled, I will also withdraw from the Shuzhong Chamber of Commerce. Don’t worry, there will definitely be all the industries, including Cuixiang Building, if you want, you will have money ready and waiting!"
The merchants below burst into laughter. Lao Wang asked again: "I wonder if your new chamber of commerce is..."
Su Ren smiled: "You old guy always speaks half of your words. Don't worry, I will never interfere with your Sichuan Chamber of Commerce, nor will I compete with you for food. Are you satisfied now?"
Lao Wang hurriedly saluted: "Sir, don't be surprised, it's just that someone has asked about it in the past few days, so I dare to ask!"
Su Ren nodded: "That's good. Everything should be made clear to avoid disputes in the future! As for what we do, you don't have to ask, and I won't tell you. It's a commercial secret."
The big things were discussed, and all that was left were the small ones. A large number of people crowded into the small tent, almost summing up the success or failure of this trip to the Western Regions. Seeing that the sky was about to break, everyone then
Dispersed. When Su Ren returned to the back tent, Lu Yi had already fallen asleep. In order not to disturb Lu Yi's sleep, Su Ren washed his face with cold water and walked out of the tent.
The sky in the east has turned white, and it is impossible to leave today. All the important people in the team stayed up all night and could only sleep during the day. So Su Ren first sent someone to say hello to the Chencang County Magistrate, and then sent someone back to Chang'an.
The news came. The crow of roosters came from inside the city wall, and the gate of Chencang slowly opened. Soon the crowd gathered at the gate of the city thinned out. Although these travelers were a little strange about the military camp on the roadside, the pressure of life still made them reluctant.
Don't dare to stop for any length of time.
Since Su Ren was not going to leave, a tour of the city was unavoidable. All soldiers were restricted to the camp, except Su Ren himself. Chencang City was not big, with a radius of three to three to five miles, which was different from the square shape of Chang'an City.
, Chencangcheng spans both sides of the Wei River, half in Henan and half in Hebei. The dock at the east gate is the busiest place in the whole city.
Su Ren didn't bring any extra people with him. He only took Huang Shisan and Man Niu to wander along the streets. After staying in the Western Regions for a long time, everything in the Central Plains felt fresh again. Exquisite silks, exquisite porcelain, and
The aroma in the wine shop could attract Su Ren. Soon Huang Shisan and Man Niu were covered in parcels, big and small, and the three of them entered a wine shop talking and laughing.
Throwing a handful of money over, the waiter waited attentively. Good wine and food were served quickly. Not to mention, although it was simple, the taste was indeed better than that of the Western Regions. Because it was early in the morning, there were very few people in the wine shop, except Su.
Apart from the three of them, there was only a fifteen or sixteen-year-old child on a table in the corner, eating a large bowl of soup cakes. The food was simple, but what the child ate was delicious. (To be continued)