Dawn of the Empire

Chapter 45 The War Is Not Forgotten (3)

On the fifth day of the eighth lunar month, Xuan Yu ordered the staff of Xingyuan and the officials of the supply team to stay in the camp of the Zhenbei Army. Zhao Xingde was also in the camp, but he did not have the chance to see the grand scene where the Hebei army lined up to welcome the prince Wei Wang.Because the control of the supply camp was a little looser, Xingyuan's aides met to go to the women's camp for a drink at noon, which allowed Zhao Xingde to meet Li Hongyu occasionally.Tong Guan's attitude towards Zhao Xingde is quite puzzling, most of Xingyuan's aides don't know the details, and they don't dare to offend him at will. When they came to the women's camp, Zhao Xingde ordered Li Hongyu to serve wine, and no one argued with him.

"Young Master Zhao." Li Hongyu lowered her head and poured a glass of wine for Zhao Xingde, she already knew Zhao Xingde's identity from Li Shishi, if she hadn't already favored Han Shizhong, a reckless man, a scholar like Xingde would be a good choice for a prostitute.

Zhao Xingde took the wine glass with a smile, drank it down, and asked in a low voice: "Where is the girl's hometown? What was her original name? Hongyu was named by her parents?"

Li Hongyu froze for a moment, frowned and thought for a moment, then said: "My family was sold to Gonglou since I was a child. According to the deed of sale, my family's surname is Liang. I heard from the old sisters in the building that the kidnapper who sold my family to Gonglou came from Huaibei. Yes, I can't remember anything else."

"That's it." He didn't say much anymore, he just comforted Li Hongyu that he didn't have to worry about the future, and with Han Shizhong running around in many places, the clouds would clear up one day.

Zhao Xingde secretly thought that although the matter of fate was vague, it was like an invisible thread, the two of Han and Liang were still touching each other.The general situation of the world has been so different. In the Song Dynasty during the Xuanhe period, people said that "traitors" were in power, and the national situation was just like flowers blooming, and fire cooking oil. A few years later, will there be Jinren invaded, and will Jingkang be ashamed?

While he was meditating, a soldier named Zong Bao came over holding the table, breathing alcohol, and laughed loudly: "Come, I offer a glass of wine to the gifted scholar with the first name." When he approached, Suddenly, like a slip, he fell on Zhao Xingde's shoulder.Xingde was startled, and was about to help him up, but a small voice like a gnat came to his ears: "If you want to return to Beijing safely, you must go to Sihai Tower at three quarters of the unitary hour." Xingde still didn't understand what it meant, this Bao stood up on his own support, held up his empty wine glass and said with a drunken smile: "Good wine, good wine!" The other officials made fun of him for his shallow drinking capacity.

Zhao Xingde watched this person staggering back to his seat, he was puzzled, the imperial wine that rewarded the army in Hebei was tasteless even after drinking it.After entering the city, he found out that the Four Seas Tower was the busiest restaurant in Daming Prefecture. After much deliberation, he finally decided to go to the meeting. After reporting his name, the staff immediately took him to the Qichu Pavilion on the fourth floor, where there was a scent of tea. Coming towards him, next to the exquisite red clay tea stove, a thin-faced gentleman was holding a cup of tea and looking at the bustling market downstairs from the window. Hearing the voice of people, he raised his head, smiled at Zhao Xingde, and raised his hand to signal him Sit down opposite.

"Master Shen Yun, I will bring you back to Bianjing intact." Wang Yan supported the wide sleeve of his robe with one hand, and cleaned Zhao Xingde's teacup with the other hand, and filled it with tea.Seeing this, Zhao Xingde also picked up the teacup, took a sip from his nose first, then drank it down in one gulp regardless of the boiling water, closed his eyes and savored the tea fragrance transpiring and spreading in his mouth and nose, he felt refreshed all over his body, and his spirit doubled. After a while, Fang opened his eyes and praised: "Good tea!"

Wang Yan saw that the place of morality had not changed, and praised: "In Hebei Daying, it is rare to meet a tea ceremony man like Yuan Zhi." He drank a cup by himself, and then slowly said: "I am Wang Yan, the Sima of the Hebei Camp and Marching Army. He is also the governor of Hebei Province in the Jinyan Mansion of the Imperial City Division." The Imperial City Division and the Jinyan Mansion are unheard of by ordinary people, but Zhao Xingde knew something about the Imperial City Division from Song An, so he didn't make a fuss when he heard it. He just raised his glass and said: "Zhao Xingde, a late-born Taixue Confucian, served in the Hebei Army, and I hope Mr. Wang will take care of him." The name Wang Yan always feels vaguely familiar to him, but he can't remember where he heard it.

Wang Yan smiled slightly and said: "There is no need to be too polite, I have been friends with Chao Buzhi for many years, and I have also met your father Zhao Shizhi on several occasions. You are regarded as your elders. Without Master Shen's care, I would not ask you to come here." Hebei was framed by people." Next, Wang Yan explained to Zhao Xingde that Zhao Xingde, as the top student in the Imperial Academy, was sent to serve in the Hebei Army without an official position. The official Shen Yun knew clearly that the officials had the intention of cultivating Xingde, so he signaled Wang Yan to take care of Xingde during his stay in Hebei, and don't let him be killed by others.

Liang Shizhong, Tong Guan, and Shen Yun were all eunuchs, so they couldn't help being jealous of each other.The prime minister Cai Jing and the political adviser Zhao Zhifu both recommended Tong Guan to be in charge of Hebei Daying, and Shen Yun wanted to save this young man who was suppressed by the two prime ministers.If Tong Guan upholds the intention of others to harm Xingde, the Secretary of Huangcheng must at least take him as an excuse for future use.However, Wang Yan, the Hebei governor of Jinyan Mansion, is an old friend of Zhao Xingde's elders, so he took advantage of the situation to settle the matter. The affairs of Jinyan Mansion are extremely complicated, and the handover can be done in a day or two, or in a year or so, as long as the children Without urging him, Wang Yan planned to bring Zhao Xingde back to Bianjing himself in a year.

Coming out of Sihai Tower, the night wind blows, carrying a smell of 'tide' and fishy pickles, and the hammers of blacksmith shops are heard everywhere in the city. Zhao Xingde looks back at the brightly lit, tall and majestic Sihai Tower Next to it, the surrounding houses only have two floors at most, and most of them are one-story houses. There are also many simple shacks built along the street. There are no lanterns on the dark street, and the road is only illuminated by the windows of the houses. There are faint lights, and the roads in Damingfu are also full of potholes, stinky puddles can be seen everywhere, and there is always a smell of 'piss' and 'soo' by the remote walls.

Daming Mansion can also be regarded as a famous city, Dayi. Looking at this sparsely populated street, it is far from the bustling Bianjing.No wonder all the officials are attached to the capital city and don't want to be an official in another place. Zhao Xingde shook his head, although he didn't live in Bianjing for too long, but he also had a feeling of nostalgia for that bustling city.

"The scholar is finally back, no matter how late it is, don't say that Lao Han has good things and didn't take care of you."

As soon as the curtain of the barracks was opened, Zhao Xingde smelled a pungent smell of alcohol, "High liquor?" Zhao Xingde was a little surprised to recall the familiar smell, looked up, and saw Han Shizhong and several other officers Sitting around the room, a pot of fragrant meat and vegetables was placed on the charcoal fire in the middle, and a wine jug was placed in front of each person.

Han Shizhong introduced the officers present to Zhao Xingde, Zhou Dingchen, the secretary in charge of the distribution of supplies for the Zhenbei Army, Xu Wei, the commander of the First Battalion of the Cavalry Army, Yuan Guangfu, the commander of the Second Army of Yunqi in Daying, Hebei, and Pei Yan, the deputy commander.

"This is Mr. Han's brother, Zhao Xingde." Han Shizhong stretched out his big hand and said proudly, "It's no different than Mr. Han who only knows a few words. Xingde is the status of a person. How much, after this experience in the Hebei army, the officials will entrust them with important tasks."

"Brother Han, thank you!" Zhao Xingde quickly stood up and thanked him. He usually stays in Tongguan's shogunate, surrounded by scheming subordinates and officials, and these battalion commanders who are really grasping the soldiers. There is communication.These military officers have always known that although Han Shizhong looks rude, he never speaks falsely. Hearing that Zhao Xingde is the top name in the Imperial Academy in the capital, they were all terrified, and raised their wine glasses to toast him. way.Fighting for half his life with his head hung on his trouser waist is not as good as an article written by a leader of the examination room like Zhao Xingde.

When they met for the first time, Zhao Xingde was naturally drunk to the brim.When the wine was hot, Han Shizhong smacked his lips and said, "What's the name of such strong wine?"

"Although Tokyo is good, there are a few things that are not as good as ours in Hebei. This 'wine sweat' is one of them." Yuan Guangfu smiled while holding an open bowl, sniffing the aroma of wine.

"Good name," Zhao Xingde praised. It has been a long time since I have tasted the feeling of burning my throat to my stomach after drinking such a glass of wine. "The sweat of fine wine."

"Young Master Zhao is Yaxing," Yuan Guangfu said with a slight smile, "The name of this wine sweat is due to the re-condensation of the wine sweat after repeated steaming. Normally, ten liters of good wine can make one liter of such good wine."

Zhao Xingde was taken aback, and the faces of several generals of the Zhenbei Army froze. The high-grade wine made from repeated steaming was very popular in Liao and Xia, but it was strictly forbidden to brew in the Central Plains because of the waste of food. The wine produced in China is made by steaming and boiling wine, known as "blood and sweat", just like sweat and blood BMW, only the rich and powerful can taste it.

Seeing this, Yuan Guangfu took a sip of wine confidently before smiling and said, "Don't panic, this is Daying, Hebei. There are bootleg alcohol sold all over the streets of Daming Mansion, and the liquor supervisor himself is in the Liao Dynasty liquor business."

"The Jiuhan sold privately in Hebei is actually produced in Liao?" Zhao Xingde wondered, "Could it be that the people of Liao have so much food?"

"No," Pei Yan seemed to be a scholar who had joined the army, put down his wine bowl, and sighed, "Nanjing Daoguang in Liao Kingdom used Han slaves to cultivate the fields. The amount of grain is huge, it is inconvenient to store, and the long-distance sales make little profit. Brewing wine is good for both storage and sales. I heard that the five kingdoms, Mongolia, and Jurchen tribes in the northern kingdom are all very fond of this product."

"So that's how it is," Zhao Xingde smacked his lips, his tongue seemed to taste a little salty, and most of the alcohol dissipated.The Zhenbei Army and the generals of the Hebei camp soon left Xingde behind and began drinking together.

As the saying goes, drinking the truth, Yuan Guangfu and Pei Yan originally intended to make friends with the generals of the Zhenbei Army, and gradually introduced several methods of the Hebei Army to supplement the military.In addition to trafficking in high-grade bootleg alcohol from the Liao Kingdom, illegal salt can also be trafficked in the Liao Kingdom, and military households are used to make extremely salty pickles and cured meat instead of table salt.Because the state capitals in the inland provinces implement salt monopoly, the price of salt is extremely high, so the business of pickled vegetables and cured meat is naturally making a lot of money every day.In addition, the Liao Kingdom and the grasslands were rich in cattle and sheep, but the tanning and processing of leather was extremely crude. Many people in Daying, Hebei also trafficked raw and cooked leather from the Liao Kingdom, and the mercenary households processed it meticulously.The bootleg wine, pickled vegetables, and leather were all transported to various places by the mules and horses in the yamen.

At the end of the drink, except for Xingde, the others were all drunk and fell asleep in Xingde's room.The ground was cold, Zhao Xingde supported these people and lay down on the kang.

"Xijing is next to Xiaguo, and there are many rich and noble people. Xijing sells sugar, green salt, white cloth, wine, chariots and horses, and all kinds of odd toys. The profit is bigger. Our Hebei camp is not enough. It's more than inferior, although it's not as good as Xijing, but it's better than camping in the east of the river." Yuan Guangfu said with his tongue tied.Han Shizhong was snoring, talking drunkenly in his sleep, "Good brother, get rich, get rich, get rich together!"