The next day, just when Ouyang Feng had just left the sphere of influence of White Camel Mountain, the entire escort team on the surface of White Camel Mountain began to mobilize loosely on the outside and on the inside. Pen | fun | pavilion www. ｂｉｑｕｇｅ。 ｉｎｆｏ

At the same time, far away in the grassland, many people from the Southern Song Dynasty and the Northern Jin Dynasty in the Central Plains began to sneak secretly towards the Western Regions by day and night.

Ten days later, the once bustling town of White Camel Mountain began to be filled with camel caravans and horse caravans, and all caravans heading to the Western Regions were forced to stop for two months.

The caravans, including all the people and goods, were forced into the tavern of the mountain villa.

Fortunately, Ouyang Ke, who was aware of the adverse consequences of the coercion, had already ordered that not only the basic accommodation in the hotel be free of charge, but even all the goods brought by the merchants could be purchased fairly by Baihushan at the price of previous years, so it did not cause any uneasiness among these merchants.

After all, the merchant appeared to make money, and running farther was just to make a little more, and now that Baihushan has made it clear that he wants to make a big move, the risk has increased greatly at this time, and it is already a rare benevolent move to be willing to fairly buy the goods of the caravan.

These merchants, who were not of high status in both the East and the West, and who were accustomed to seeing the chaos of the world, dared to complain about anything! Instead, they were grateful to the young master of the White Camel Mountain, whom they had never met.

"It seems that White Camel Mountain is really going to make a move against the Western Regions. A blonde and blue-eyed Hu Shang sat in the hotel and looked at the guards who were not coming in and out, and said in an inexplicable tone.

"Yes, I just don't know how much appetite this young master of White Camel Mountain has. Another black-haired and black-eyed Han merchant at the same table said approvingly:

"I've made a rough estimate in the past few days, there are at least a dozen or so camel guards for every 100 people! This is a camel team of more than 1,000 people, plus the 500 horse cavalry, plus others, I think the force of the White Camel Mountain has at least an army of 3,000 people, of which about 2,000 are definitely cavalry!" a Hu merchant continued to whisper:

"This kind of military strength is probably second to none in this barren Western Regions, except for the large country Xiliao near the west, and the small widowed countries in the east and central should not be able to stop the White Camel Mountain. A Hu Shang who has been running in the Western Regions all the year round opened his mouth and said: "Unless they unite and pull the three bandits of the Western Regions to resist together, I am afraid that it will not be long before they will be swallowed by the young master of the white camel." ”

"Well, I also think about it, but now that the people of White Camel Mountain have not set off, they have already begun to block the news, and no one is allowed to pass in the direction of the Western Regions. ”

"In the vast desert for thousands of miles, there is no caravan supply, even if a few spies escape the blockade of White Camel Mountain, it is still a question of whether they can get out alive! ”

It seems that the eastern and central parts of the Western Regions will fall into the control of the White Camel Mountain, but I don't know if they will be able to block the interference of the Western Liao in the future. Han Shang opened his mouth and said: "Western Liao is a big country, with hundreds of thousands of troops, if you intervene, I'm afraid that Baihushan can only retreat." ”

"No, Li, your news is outdated, although the current Western Liao is still a big country, but their domestic situation is already very bad, as long as they are not specifically provoked, then I am afraid that they really don't have the time and energy to take care of the operation of White Camel Mountain?" said the blonde and blue-eyed Hu Shang at the beginning.

"Oh, I really haven't been to the Western Regions in years, what's going on, Akha, what's going on over there. The Han merchant named Li asked curiously.

"Well, it's been the past few years! The colt who was originally the most trusted by the king of Xiliao revealed his ambition and had a huge conflict with his father-in-law. Hu Shang, whose name was Aka, said: "Now in the Western Liao, because the horses control about sixty percent of the country's army, and the king only controls twenty percent of the army, the balance is a little unbalanced. ”

"If it weren't for the fact that the king of Western Liao was in control of the righteousness and had enough control over the royal city, and the army controlled by the two percent of neutral nobles was still wavering, I am afraid that the sky in Western Liao would have changed a long time ago. ”

The blonde and blue-eyed Aka sighed and said: "Over the years, although the two forces have not completely torn their faces, they have also made a mess of the entire Western Liao country, especially those greedy aristocratic pigs, taking advantage of the chaos of the country, to exploit us past merchants has become more harsh. ”

"In the past two years, many of my friends have disappeared into the desert unconsciously, and I was going to take a break for a few years after this trip, but I didn't expect that I just caught up with this side of the matter. ”

"Alas, who said no! Our Jin Country over there is also becoming more and more harsh, if it weren't for the fairness of the White Camel Mountain, and you can still make money by taking a trip, I also plan to rest for a few years before taking a look." Han Shang Li sighed empathetically.

"That said, both of them have plans to stop for the time being after this time. Another Hu Shang said with a slight frown.

As a caravan running outside all the year round, although they are competitors to each other, because the market is too big, it is impossible to be eaten by a few caravans, so if they meet friends who have a deep enough friendship and have cooperated for a long time, they will indeed retain eight points of trust, after all, in front of the sand bandits, robbers, and officials who are exploited by various countries along the way, they are naturally a group.

Therefore, once there is a chance to hold a group, it is a must. At this time, the three people at this table, Aka, Li and another Hu Shang were an alliance of interests.

Although the three of them all ran the Silk Road, Han Shang Li was mainly responsible for taking care of the two people in the Han Dynasty, Aka was responsible for the sales route after leaving the Western Regions, and Ah Jin, who had just frowned, was responsible for dealing with unnecessary troubles in the Western Regions.

It's just that at this time, there was a problem in the Western Regions, and Ah Jin's ability was questioned, but Han Shang Li and Aka had the intention of wavering.

After all, the three of them have earned a lot over the years, enough for the three of them to live a comfortable life, although they are greedy in their hearts, they also want to continue to earn, but when the risk has obviously become greater, Li and Aka naturally do not risk their lives to make this money.

Even if there is a choice, Ah Jin actually wants to stop, but he is also a well-known businessman in the Western Regions, and he has contacts with people from various countries and forces in the Western Regions on the Silk Road.

But if he wants to stop, then he must first find a strong enough backer, otherwise he will be killed when the person who peeps into his wealth will come to the door, and then the whole family will have to die.

However, where is it so easy to find a reliable backer, and if you find the wrong person, it is not just as simple as taking away most of your savings, but you will also be wiped out if you don't do it.

This is how many of Ah Jin's predecessors disappeared without a trace.

"Alas, Ah Jin, we also know your difficulties, but if you continue, it will be our own life, and you must understand us!" Han Shang Li opened his mouth and said with a sigh: "Now you should prepare first! Anyway, if it doesn't work, how about you take a look at this White Camel Mountain?"

"Well, you mean?" Ah Jin, who was originally gloomy, looked at his Han friend in surprise.

"Well, what Li said is right, the three of us know enough about this White Camel Mountain, the rules here are strict, and there are no messy aristocrats, and if you live here, you are no worse than the citizens of those big countries. ”

"Because only the owner of the village, the Ouyang family, is the absolute master, and the others are just domestic servants and supporters, plus the Ouyang family has always been well-behaved and has no vices, so it is still very reliable to take refuge in them. Aka nodded.

"But the forces of the Ouyang family's White Camel Mountain will not recruit people casually, they have been standing here for several generations, and they have enough loyal servants and enough wealth under them, I'm afraid that even if I want to lean on, people will not accept it!" Ah Jin said with a wry smile.

"But at that time, in the past, they only controlled the territory of hundreds of miles of Baihu Mountain, and there was naturally no shortage of manpower under the cultivation of generations. ”

"But this time they are going to expand outward, if they really gain a foothold, let alone swallow most of the Western Regions, even if they only swallow the eastern part of the Western Regions and most of the central region, it will be completely different. ”

"When the time comes, it will be necessary to establish the country, and at that time, it will be impossible to use all domestic servants, and the people under him will definitely not be so restricted, and they will inevitably accept outsiders to take refuge. Han Shang Li said affirmatively.

"That's right, if it weren't for the fact that my hometown is not here, and my relatives are doing well over there, I would have considered taking refuge here. Aka said with some regret: "At the beginning of the founding of the country, it was the easiest opportunity to mix with the status of nobility!"

"This, it's really true!" Hearing the persuasion of the two friends, Ah Jin thought a little excitedly in his heart.

"Well, and if the White Camel Mountain can really grow, then my business is not going to be interrupted, it's a big deal not to run further west, anyway, the rules of the White Camel Mountain are still reliable. Han Shang Li said with a hint of shrewdness flashing in his eyes.

"Alas, you're okay, I can't do it, the territory of Western Liao is vast, even if White Camel Mountain can stabilize after winning most of the Western Regions this time, it is impossible to collide with the tiger of Western Liao within ten years," Aka said regretfully: "Anyway, I will stop for a few years after this end, I hope this world will be more stable in a few years!"

"Hmm. ”

……..

At the same time, when the entire White Camel Mountain was moving, Ouyang Ke, who was in charge of all this, was also listening to the reports of the people below in the main hall.

"Because the young master is willing to buy the goods collected by those merchants at a fair price in the previous year, so no one makes trouble, although the inn is now full of many people, but with the common material reserves of the inn, we can support it for more than two months. A middle-aged servant spoke.

In White Camel Mountain, except for the absolute dominance of the Ouyang Clan, the subordinates originally divided their functions by the position of the villa, but since Ouyang Ke began to control the forces of White Camel Mountain four years ago and cultivated the dead, various functions and rights have begun to be divided and more detailed.

In addition to Afu, who is in charge of the dead soldier for Ouyang Ke himself, Ghost Shura, who is in charge of the Ghost Face Army, and several camel team captains who are in charge of the armed forces on the bright side of the mountain villa, there are two internal and external stewards, and the inner butler is in charge of the miscellaneous affairs of the entire White Camel Mountain, especially the control of various cultivation resources and precious medicines, which can be regarded as the one with the greatest jurisdiction in addition to the above team leaders.

The second is the external housekeeper, who controls all the commercial properties outside the Ouyang family, and at the same time assists the Ouyang family to collect a large number of materials for various needs through normal means, and can be regarded as a servant of important ministers with actual power.

Of course, in order to avoid the possibility of a big tail, the number of foreign stewards is uncertain, as long as the business they control reaches a certain level, they will divide the lower branches and give them to other promoted stewards, who can only become nominal leaders at most, and have no absolute decision-making power.

At this time, it was Pu Jin, the only foreign housekeeper who reported to Ouyang Ke.

"Well, you did a good job, this time my army of White Camel Mountain is about to be defeated, and the entire Western Regions is our target, even if we can't take all of them, but the east and most of the central part must be swallowed, so the foundation is absolutely not allowed to be chaotic. ”

"For this reason, I hereby promise that after the success of this operation, not only the soldiers who go with me will make meritorious contributions, but also those who fully support the forward material operations in the rear will also be duly rewarded, and I can grant you the status of retainer on behalf of my uncle at that time. Ouyang Ke threw out a motivating bait and said.

"Retainers?" Although the literal meaning was clear enough, the servants who had never stepped out of the Western Regions still looked at Ouyang Ke suspiciously.

"A retainer is a subordinate who is one level higher than a servant. ”

"In the past, in my Ouyang family, the lowest level was all kinds of slaves, and life and death were up to anyone, and the second was the family that had been loyal to my Ouyang family for many years, and because of their loyalty and ability, they were rewarded to get out of slavery and give the name of the servant. Ouyang Ke said lightly: "In the past, only a servant was enough to do things for my Ouyang family. ”

"But after that, we will swallow the Western Regions, or even the entire Western Regions, and at that time, it will not be enough for us to train the manpower ourselves, so I have set up the position of a retainer, as long as I make enough contributions to my Ouyang family and make an oath and family motto, I will be willing to live forever and be loyal to my Ouyang clan for eternity, then I can get the name of a retainer. ”

"Given surnames, manors and fiefdoms, as long as my Ouyang family does not fall for a day, then these loyal retainers can be treated like nobles for future generations. ”

"Food and clothing are worry-free, access is noble, and there is a way to go. ”

Of course, there was also a distinction between retainers, dividing the scope of the fief and the privileges they could enjoy according to merit and contribution, and at the same time, in order to avoid the degradation of future generations, the name of the retainer reserved only the basic aristocratic treatment for the incompetent, and gave the most important opportunity for promotion. ”

"This, it's a gift, young master, you are our reborn parents!" Hearing Ouyang Ke's explanation, several captains of the escort team immediately thanked them with tears streaming down their faces.