After leaving Zongge City, the road to the northwest is smooth.
It's just that the further north you go, the colder the weather becomes.
So after leaving Zongge City, Kou Ji couldn't sit still on his horse, so he found a carriage and got in.
The second day after leaving Zongge City.
An Ziluo looked at Kou Ji with a very strange look.
Kou Ji knew why An Ziluo looked at him with strange eyes.
An Ziluo probably knew that he and Liu Heng conspired to stun Yilan but did nothing.
That's why I looked at him strangely.
Kou Ji didn't explain much about this, and he wasn't even interested in talking to An Ziluo about it.
Repeat for a few days.
The group arrived at Cuowenbu, which was later known as Qinghai Lake.
It was already evening when we arrived at Qinghai Lake.
So Kou Ji did not appreciate the beautiful scenery of Qinghai Lake, but instead enjoyed the vast starry sky.
A group of people set up camp on the edge of Qinghai Lake.
Accompanied by the cold wind, a bonfire was lit by the lake, mutton and wolf meat were grilled, accompanied by fine wine, singing and dancing, and the scene was very lively.
Wrestling is the favorite game of Qingtang warriors.
Even in the dead of winter, with the cold wind howling on the lake, the Qingtang warriors dared to go shirtless and challenge the men on patrol.
However.
The men on the patrol horse guard never responded to the challenge from the Qingtang warriors. They were all like civilian men. When the bonfire was lit, they took out the prey they caught during the day and gathered around the bonfire to compete in barbecue skills.
It seems that in their eyes, barbecue is far more attractive than wrestling.
The Qingtang warriors challenged the men on patrol but received no response. They could only choose one or two opponents from among the Japanese soldiers to compete with each other on their wrestling skills.
Kou Ji sat on a long dead tree trunk, wrapped in a thick fur coat, and yawned lazily.
Liu Heng brought a roasted wolf leg to Kou Ji and handed Kou Ji a small gold knife to cut and eat.
Wolf meat is obtained by hunting wolves.
On the third day after they left Zongge City, they ran into a pack of more than a dozen wolves.
The men on the horse guard jumped out immediately and killed more than a dozen wolves with their muskets.
The wolf became the food ration for Kou Ji and his party.
The small golden knife was seized from the horse thieves.
Those horse thieves who were entrenched in Qingtang seemed to have benefited a lot from the teams escorting the baggage from the Song Dynasty.
So after meeting Kou Ji showing up escorting grain and grass, he started to think about it.
However, when they saw An Ziluo leading the Qingtang Cavalry guarding the surrounding area, they gave up the idea of benefiting from Kou Ji and his party.
However.
They gave up on plundering Kou Ji, but that didn't mean that Kou Ji would let them go.
After the spies of the Imperial City Department under Liu Heng discovered their traces and discovered that they had robbed the Song Dynasty's baggage team.
Kou Ji asked Liu Heng to take someone out.
Some of the horse thieves were killed and some escaped.
Not much grain or horses were seized, but a box full of gold and silver was seized.
The small golden knife was one of the seizures.
Kou Ji used a small gold knife to cut off a piece of wolf meat and stuffed it into his mouth. After chewing it twice, he frowned and said, "The taste has changed..."
Liu Heng sat down next to Kou Ji, held half a leg of lamb, took two big bites, stared at Kou Ji in astonishment and said, "Didn't you like eating this very much the past two days?"
Kou Ji inserted the small gold knife in his hand into the wolf's leg, curled his lips and said, "I haven't eaten it before, so I'll give it a try. I just didn't expect that this thing would change after being stored for two days."
Kou Ji had eaten a lot of delicacies at Zhu Neng's house before.
Only I have never tasted wolf meat.
Probably Zhu Neng was tired of eating wolf meat, so wolf meat never appeared in Zhu Neng's house.
Now that he met a pack of wolves in Qingtang and killed them, Kou Ji naturally wanted to try them out.
I just didn't expect that the taste would change after two days.
"I'll give you something else..."
Liu Heng glanced at Kou Ji and suggested.
Kou Ji shook his head, "Forget it... I'm a little tired of eating meat every day..."
Liu Heng asked: "Why don't I get tired of eating it?"
Kou Ji rolled his eyes, "How did I know..."
Liu Heng smiled softly, glanced left and right, and saw An Ziluo sitting far away, so he whispered to Kou Ji: "Since leaving Zongge City until now, An Ziluo has secretly sent people to contact your people.
.
He seems to be obsessed with muskets..."
Kou Ji said calmly: "He is not only thinking about getting a musket, he is also thinking about getting a heavy armored cavalry."
Liu Heng raised his eyebrows slightly.
Kou Ji explained: "If he was just thinking about the muskets, he would not contact the people under me. Instead, he would look for you and me. Now he does not look for you and me, but keeps staring at the people under me.
He is clearly thinking about muskets and heavy armored cavalry."
Liu Heng said thoughtfully: "Do you want to remind your people?"
Kou Ji shook his head and said with a smile: "You think my subordinates are just sticks, can't you see what An Ziluo is thinking?"
Liu Heng said thoughtfully: "No wonder those Qingtang warriors repeatedly provoked your men, but your men ignored them."
After a pause, Liu Heng looked at Kou Ji and said: "But people have weaknesses. If An Ziluo seizes the weaknesses of your people and uses this to win over them, it will not be good. So you still have to be on guard.
"
Kou Ji glanced at Liu Heng and said calmly: "Don't worry about people who are suspicious, but don't be suspicious when you employ people..."
Liu Heng said in astonishment: "That Zhang Yuan is also your subordinate. Why are you so strict with him?"
Kou Ji said faintly: "Zhang Yuan is different from them. Zhang Yuan is the person who I convinced with my methods. I only control Zhang Yuan's people, but not Zhang Yuan's heart. So Zhang Yuan must guard and defend to the death.
They came from Baozhou, and I was able to save their lives.
They were willing to risk their lives to repay me and were loyal to me.
Their hearts are with me, so they don’t need to be on guard.”
Kou Ji looked at Liu Heng and continued: "Moreover, if Zhang Yuan betrays me, it will cause far greater harm than if they betray me."
Liu Heng nodded thoughtfully, and then said: "Then why didn't you find someone to guard Zhang Yuan secretly, instead of sending someone to guard him openly?"
Kou Ji said in a deep voice: "Zhang Yuan is very smart. If I don't have a smarter person to check and balance him, then I can only send people to guard him openly.
If I send someone to guard him secretly, it will be easy for him to see through and be beguiled by him, and it will also arouse a lot of suspicion from him.
On the contrary, it is easier for him to betray me.
So guarding against him secretly is not advisable.
I sent people to guard him openly, but he didn't dare to be easily confused, and he didn't have a lot of suspicions.
He will remind himself all the time that I am guarding against him.
My people will always remind him that I hold his life in my hands.
On the contrary, it is not easy for him to betray me."
Liu Heng pondered for a moment, stared at Kou Ji and said: "Smart people always think more than others, so they do more stupid things. To deal with smart people, open and aboveboard methods are more effective than secret methods.
?”
Kou Ji nodded slowly and said, "If your aunt could implement this principle, she would not have ended up like today."
During the days when Liu E consulted the Political Affairs Office, Liu E held the best card in the power struggle of the Song Dynasty.
If she could use fair and just means to deal with dissidents in the court, she would not be doomed.
It's a pity that she was only smart once, and that was to defeat Kou Zhun with an upright conspiracy.
Since then, I have never been smarter.
All kinds of stupid tricks and all kinds of insidious methods were used, but with a good hand of cards, the worst ending was achieved.
"Why……"
When Liu E was mentioned, Liu Heng also had mixed feelings in his heart.
He couldn't comment on Liu E, so he could only express his feelings with a long sigh.
Liu Heng looked at Kou Jida and said: "My aunt has passed away, so don't mention her. Let's talk about An Ziluo's plot of muskets and heavy armored cavalry. Will you sell the muskets to Qingtang?"
"Probably... yes."
Kou Ji said something unsure.
Liu Heng's eyes widened in astonishment, "Do you really want to sell such a sharp weapon to Qingtang?"
Kou Ji pondered: "You can sell it, but it depends on the timing."
Liu Heng asked, "How to say it?"
Kou Ji smiled and said: "If Qingtang can become my pawn in the Song Dynasty, I naturally don't mind selling the musket to them. If not, then I will have to wait a long, long time."
"how long?!"
"Maybe three to five years... maybe three to fifty years..."
Liu Heng said blankly: "The span is so big? Why?"
Kou Ji said calmly: "Of course it depends on my mood. If I am in a good mood and take the time to make better things, I will naturally sell the bad things to them. If I am in a bad mood and cannot make better things, then
Qingtang may have nothing to do with muskets."
Liu Heng opened his mouth, not knowing what to say.
"So... you can make something better?!"
After a long time, Liu Heng asked in surprise.
Kou Ji gave an uncertain answer, "Maybe...probably..."
Liu Heng almost fainted from anger at Kou Ji's words.
Liu Heng curled his lips and said: "So... Qingtang may not have a chance with the musket... Is everything An Ziluo is doing now in vain?"
Kou Ji pondered: "That's not necessarily the case."
Liu Heng frowned in confusion.
Kou Ji's words are obviously inconsistent.
Kou Ji glanced at Liu Heng and said with a half-smile: "Since I am unwilling to sell the muskets to Qingtang, it is not impossible for Qingtang to get muskets. But the quantity will not be too many."
Liu Heng was stunned for a moment, his face darkened, and he whispered: "Fourth brother can't trust me?!"
The meaning of Kou Ji's words was so obvious that Liu Heng couldn't understand it.
Since Kou Ji was unwilling to sell the musket to Qingtang, and Qingtang could not get the musket through diplomacy, Qingtang had no choice but to use nepotism if he wanted to get the musket.
Liu Heng is Qingtang's son-in-law and Kou Ji's best brother.
Kou Ji does not need to sell the musket to Qingtang, but he will definitely give the musket to Liu Heng.
As long as Qingtang conquers Liu Heng, he can still get the musket.
Kou Ji shook his head and said, "It's not that I don't believe you, but I'm just giving you a warning."
Liu Heng said with a gloomy face: "How can fourth brother be so sure that if Qingtang follows my path, I will definitely get the musket."
Kou Ji smiled and said, "If I can't get it from you, how can I not get it from your wife?"
Liu Heng pondered for a moment, gritted his teeth and said, "An Ziluo loves his wife very much, and he will never embarrass his wife."
Kou Ji shook his head and said: "Family love is indeed valuable, but compared to the important matters of family and country, family love is worthless. You should understand this truth."
When Liu Heng heard this, he fell into silence.
The mutton in my hand also became tasteless.
If one day his wife comes to him for a gun, he really doesn't know how to refuse.
He knows how cruel the battle in the power arena is.
He also adapted to the cruelty of power.
You can also be ruthless.
But deep in his heart, there is a particularly soft place.
That's emotion.
He can remain rational in the face of anything, but not in the face of emotions.
He didn't want to see that one day, because of things in the power field, he and his wife would be on opposite sides.
Kou Ji saw that Liu Heng was unhappy and laughed in a low voice: "You don't have to think so much. The muskets I made are difficult for others to imitate. Even if three or five muskets are exposed to Qingtang, there will be no change."
If Qingtang really wants to make muskets, it will be a good thing for us, the Song Dynasty.
From the time they got muskets to the time they made muskets.
The manpower and material resources that need to be expended in the middle are much more than those of our Song Dynasty.
It won't be possible for more than ten years.
By the time they made the musket, I, the Song Dynasty, must have made something better.
During this period, Qingtang will definitely be unable to expand and pose any threat to our Song Dynasty."
Liu Heng gritted his teeth and said, "But..."
Kou Ji interrupted Liu Heng, "There is nothing good about it. You don't have to be estranged from your wife because of this. The reason why I tell you this is to avoid estrangement between you and your wife.
It was already very difficult for her to abandon everything and marry far away from me, the Song Dynasty.
If it's because of the musket thing, I'm caught between you and An Ziluo, I'm afraid I won't be happy for the rest of my life.
If you and your wife part ways because of the musket incident, that's not what I want to see.
If you really love her, you should treat her well.
Just a musket.
If she is entrusted by An Ziluo and asks for a musket, give it to her."
Liu Heng said with some discomfort in his heart: "Fourth brother, you are still guarding yourself tightly. If the musket is exposed because of me, how will I face you in the future?"
Kou Ji rolled his eyes and whispered: "Are you stupid?!"
Liu Heng looked at Kou Ji in shock.
Kou Ji continued: "Actually, I developed the musket a long time ago, but I never took it out. Because I knew that once I took it out, it would be revealed.
After people in the world see the power of the musket, they will definitely remember it.
At that time, it will not only be Qingtang, but also Xixia, Liao, Japanese, Dali, Goryeo, etc.
Anyone who sees a musket will try their best to get a musket out of Da Song.
When everyone in the world is thinking about the muskets, do you think we can hold on and prevent the muskets from being exposed?
Maybe then people won’t need to worry too much.
I, a member of the Song Dynasty, will steal the muskets and sell them."
The human heart is the most complex.
As long as huge profits are promised, there will always be people who take desperate risks.
Now that Kou Ji has taken out his muskets, it is only a matter of time before he equips the entire Song army.
After the muskets were equipped in large quantities to the entire army of the Song Dynasty, there would always be people who took the risk and sold them out.
No matter how strict the confidentiality law is, it can't stop the greedy people.