The folk customs in Guazhou and Shazhou have always been strong, and the family clans are powerful. For example, the Zhang family and the Suo family were the wealthy families in Dunhuang during the Northern and Southern Dynasties. Although the Suotong family moved to Guazhou, they still had close ties with the Suo family in Dunhuang.
This is why the Suotong family has been able to escort traders in the desert for a long time, but others dare not come up to share the pie.
In the moral concept of the Han people, kindness is usually greater than hatred. For a prominent family like the Suo family, they could endure having their business robbed for more than a year. It was all thanks to Li Siye who killed Zhang Kuo in the desert in exchange for the Suo family.
It's a huge favor. If it were anyone else, not to mention the guardian, even the school captain, Zhechong captain, and Suotong could make them spit out these cakes obediently.
Suo Tong did not explain these situations to Li Siye, and Li Siye did not know how great the Suo family's ancestors were, and they were no different now. He just thought that the Suo family's gratitude could not be consumed in this way, as it was too unworthy.
Moreover, the ancients attached great importance to virtue, and taking away favors based on kindness is actually destroying connections.
When Li Siye saw Suotong tugging on his beard and lowering his head without saying a word, he felt that the old man was cute and honest. Besides, he was a straightforward and honest person. At least if he came to visit him in the future, he should be nostalgic for his old friendship.
"Mr. Suo, the actions of the Congling Guards have really harmed the interests of your Suo family." When Li Siye said this, his face did not turn red, as if the Congling Guards were not under his rule.
Suotong coughed, raised his head and said, "Why did Mr. Siye say this? This vast ancient silk road was not opened for my family. Congling Shouchuo Kuhan, you open up a way for the military households in Congling Shouchuo to make money.
, how can it be stopped because of our Suo family's escort team? If this reputation of repaying kindness with revenge spreads, wouldn't the entire Longyou Road drown me with their spit."
Li Siye held his knees with both hands, leaned back, and said with a smile: "Unfortunately, I will no longer be the envoy of Congling. The Anxi Protectorate has sent an official letter, appointing me as the captain of Zhaowu."
"Oh, is that so?" Suotong quickly sat upright and clasped his hands together: "Congratulations, Si Yelang, I'm very happy."
Li Siye waved his hands calmly: "There is nothing to congratulate, this is just the first step of a long march of thousands of miles. Above the captain, there are guerrilla generals, Zhonglang generals, generals, great generals, Jiedu envoys, and above them... no more
.”
Suotong raised his hands and was stunned. He didn't know how to answer these words because he had never met anyone who said such things.
He quickly adjusted his thoughts and said seriously: "Let's talk about business matters. Since Congling Shouchuo will no longer be under my control in the future, I still need to make arrangements. Congling Shouchuo will no longer escort the caravan.
business, and focus on the development of local industries.”
"When I was looking down on the city wall just now, I suddenly thought of an idea. Whether it was the Pulu and wool felt blankets from the Shiji Department, or the cotton-padded jackets and quilts produced by the military households in Congling, just put them on the wall.
There won't be much profit from selling them in Anxi. Only by sending them far away to Chang'an and Luoyang can we get doubled dividends. Therefore, Congling Shouhuo will no longer engage in the business of escorting caravans in the future. They will only organize caravans.
, Escort Congling’s own cargo.”
Seeing Li Siye talking about business in front of him, Suotong had a ridiculous feeling. This young man had taken the road of becoming an official astray. From the end of the Han Dynasty, the Wei and Jin Dynasties to the Sui and Tang Dynasties, the status of business travelers gradually declined, and now in the Tang Dynasty
It has been stipulated that officials of the fifth rank are not allowed to enter the market, and merchants are not allowed to wear silk, except those Sogdians who are not afraid of meat and fish. Most people in the Central Plains are not willing to do business.
For example, the disciples of their Suo family, the eldest son of the family, are either scholars or practicing family members. As a branch of the family, he uses force to protect business, which is not considered lowly. The lowest is Liufang, who runs a shop and does business all year round.
The money they earn on the Silk Road every year supports an entire family, but during festivals they cannot even enter the ancestral hall.
Suotong couldn't help but tactfully advised: "Si Yelang, the court dislikes the pursuit of financial gain. You have a bright future. You can do this kind of thing behind the scenes, but don't do it openly, so as not to delay it.
Your achievements are in the right direction."
Li Siye knew what Suo Tong was thinking, raised his hands and clasped his fists and said, "Thank you so much, Suo Tong, for your point. I can take care of this myself."
…
After the meeting between the two parties, Li Siye ordered Sanlejiang to be brought to him in the wine shop to entertain the guests. Suo Tong settled the matter here and agreed to return to Guazhou tomorrow with Suo Yuanyu and Li Twelve Niang. Li Siye also
He happily proposed that he would leave for Kucha to accept the appointment tomorrow, so why not give them a ride along the way.
Generally speaking, the banquet was lively. The guests and hosts sat in front of the table and toasted to each other from afar. During the banquet, Suotong proposed to perform the drinking order. It was not punching or guessing dice, but playing word games and rhymes. This was simply
Li Siye's nightmare was those lines of Tang poems that he kept turning over and over in his memory. In the Tang Dynasty, which was the pinnacle of poetry culture, he had not yet had the shame to plagiarize verses from other people's poems.
Besides, we, Li Siye, are just a martial artist, so we would not join forces with the scholar Wuda, which is not in line with our character.
So he was probably in a drinking state, and soon became tipsy. He lowered his head and looked at Li Twelve Niang, who was sitting at the bottom.
She was sitting at the table with no interest, and her mind seemed not to be here. Maybe she had a cold temperament. When someone frequently raised a lamp, she just held it with both hands to deal with it. When Li Siye looked over, her eyelashes were lowered.
She seemed to be able to feel it. She lowered her eyelids even lower, then raised her head pretending to be careless, her eyes reached Li Siye, and then quickly lowered her head, with a slight blush on her cheeks.
Li Siye didn't even notice this abnormality, he only knew that strangers should keep away from her.
After the banquet was over, Li Siye called his soldiers to arrange accommodation for the guests, and the drunken men were helped into wine shops or building houses by the soldiers.
The sky was green and dark, the bright moon had risen in the sky, and the blue dome covered the four corners of the city. Li Siye stood under the pillars of the thatched hall and couldn't help but feel a little sad. He would soon leave this place and go to a bigger bad environment.
There was a lot of reluctance in my heart as I used my fists and kicks.
Before he came to take office, Congling Shouchuo City was still remote and simple, far less lively and prosperous than it is now. Wine bars, shops, and newly built houses made this small city even more cramped, but its popularity has increased, and its inherent charm has
Wealth also snowballed and became more and more abundant.
If he were allowed to stay here for another five years, he would be able to build a new city, but his journey is not here. Thinking of this, Li Siye couldn't help but sigh quietly.
"Can a rough man like Li Shou also express his emotions and secretly feel melancholy?"
Li Siye turned around and saw Suo Yuanyu leaning on the pillar on the other side with a teasing tone.
"After staying here for a long time, I naturally feel nostalgic. What are you doing leaning here? Could it be that you can't bear to leave?"
Suo Yuanyu raised his eyebrows and looked around: "Everyone misses people when they see things, but you are nostalgic for things. Don't you have no one to miss?"
"Why not? I miss my sister who is far away in Chang'an. After I leave, I will miss my brothers who guard the city in Congling. I will also miss..."
Suo Yuanyu opened her big eyes as bright as obsidian and asked seductively: "Who else will I miss?"
Li Siye shook his head: "No."
"Ha," Lady Suo rolled her eyelids and quickly left the thatched hall. Li Siye watched in astonishment as she walked away with her green skirt floating in the air, thinking to himself that this woman was really out of touch, coming and going like the wind.
The night was long and the day was coming soon. Suo's team at the door of the restaurant was ready to go. Suo Yuanyu and Li Twelve Niang got into the carriage wearing cloaks and curtains. The two sat opposite each other in the carriage. Twelve Niang opened the door.
After opening the gauze in front of the curtain and lifting a corner of the carriage curtain, I felt relieved to see Li Siye preparing the horses and settling his subordinates in front of the thatched hall.
Suo Yuanyu suddenly stood in front of her and said with a sly smile: "What's the point of peeking like this? If you have something on your mind, you can go down and tell him."
Li Twelve Niang hurriedly threw down the curtain, covered her face with gauze, and spat shyly: "Nonsense, I have nothing on my mind!"
"Don't worry, who is secretly looking over there? Otherwise, I'll call him over and let you see as much as you can."
Twelve Niang stretched out her claws in embarrassment and reached towards Suo Yuanyu's chest and armpits. Yuan Yu smiled and dodged while saying, "Twelve Niang, please forgive me, I accidentally told you what was on your mind."
"You still said that!"
The two young ladies were wrestling and playing in the car, causing the car body to shake.
Li Siye glanced here in surprise, and told Tian Zhen, Teng Mu, Song Heng, and Shi Jiang who were standing behind him: "Teng Mu and Song Heng, follow me to the Anxi Protectorate to receive orders. Tian Zhen and Shi Jiang will stay in the city.
, you two will discuss all matters in the city, and that’s it, let’s go.”
"Li Shou caught the envoy," Shi Jiang hesitated, then suddenly asked: "Are you going to take office somewhere else?"
Li Siye hesitated for a moment, nodded and said: "I just went to accept the order. I haven't decided where to go yet, but I will definitely leave. But don't worry, I will hand over everything before the new commander comes down."
His thoughts turned to Yu Gou. This guy had been working under Wu Sangao, a member of the Cangcao Army, for a while. This time when he went to the Protectorate, he didn't know if he could be placed in the position of guard.
He must be able! No matter how much gold is thrown at him, he must be the guard of Congling. The fortune that Li Siye has saved cannot be lost to outsiders.
In front of them, Song Heng and Shi Jiang knelt on the ground with a bang, and shouted out of thin air with red eyes: "Brothers, Commander Li is leaving! He doesn't want us anymore!"