Because of the mistake in his own food, Xiaohu apologized to the old general, and by the way, he said about the food that the king of the Northern Herdsman said.

General Qin said: "It's not that the imperial court doesn't send them food, the problem is on themselves. At the beginning, our envoys and they had already agreed that as soon as the things from their side were delivered, we would send them a lot of grain according to the amount. But they don't know why, they haven't sent anything to exchange food, and of course we won't send food over. Don't meddle in this matter, this is a transaction between the two countries, and you can't afford it as a small farmer. ”

Xiaohu said gratefully: "Thank you, General, fortunately, I didn't respond to the king's request recklessly." So if I open a grain store in a border city, is it appropriate? The best way for me to discuss with Li Dangtou and the Chen family is to open a grain shop here and let them cross the border to buy it themselves! Do you think this is possible? ”

Old General Qin nodded and replied to Xiaohu: "If you don't send a grain of grain yourself, let them come by themselves, this thing is feasible." It's just that the people who open grain shops here are not simple merchants, and the old man can still maintain some of you during his time here, if the old man is not here, you have the ability to resist their trouble. Maybe you won't be afraid of them in terms of force, but what you're afraid of is that they will come to you. ”

Xiaohu listened to the old general's words, was stunned for a moment, and then replied: "Thank you for the general's reminder, I'll go back and discuss with my daughter-in-law to see what her opinion is!" ”

Old General Qin scolded in a loud voice: "How can a woman be allowed to decide such a big matter!?" ”

Xiaohu smiled and didn't answer anything. He didn't want his daughter-in-law to be looked down upon by the general, but he couldn't explain it too much to disgust the general. So, stop there. It's best not to say anything.

The old general thought about it and said, "However, the old man thinks that even if you open a grain shop here, it will be useless for them. They crossed the border to buy grain, and one person was not allowed to cross the border with too much grain at a time. In addition, they came to buy grain, first, the price of all grain shops was twice as high, and the highest price was twice as high. The second is. They have to pay additional customs duties after passing the customs, and these add up to four to five times the normal price of a pound of grain for them. So. They usually prefer to eat barley noodles rather than come and buy food. Therefore, the old man thinks that if you want to open a grain store here for their sake, it is better to forget it. ”

Xiaohu rubbed his temples with two fingers, and he really felt a headache when he heard this. From the heart. He really wanted to help Buhe, Batu, and Bayar who were so good to him. But the facts made him see that his strength was too weak, and this matter was too difficult for him.

Thinking about the many drawbacks that this matter would lead to, he asked puzzledly: "General, if they are forced to have no food to eat, once they encounter a snow disaster or famine, then they are hungry and must not cross the border to rob?" ”

General Qin replied with a smile: "Isn't it! In the past, when the dynasty was just established. The military strength of the border passes is relatively weak, and those alien races who have been driven back still want to regain the dominance of our Central Plains. Every year, they have to organize people to come and rob them twice, and there is nothing they don't do to kill people and set fires.

Later, the imperial court on our side gradually stabilized, and the military strength of the border passes gradually stabilized, which was able to resist them crossing the border. And they may be less and less hopeful, maybe the new generation is not so obsessed with ruling the Central Plains, anyway, they don't cross the border to rob much later.

Thirty years after the founding of the Great People's Dynasty, they also took the initiative to send envoys over to ask for trade between the two borders. Our dynasty also took advantage of the trend and opened up trade between the two realms. Otherwise, you won't be able to do business over there now!

It's just that this grain is a relatively sensitive thing, and 'when the two armies are fighting, the grain and grass go first', so it can be seen that it is very necessary to control the other side in the grain. Boy, it's good that you have a good heart, but you have to stand firm! ”

Listening to the old general's profound words, Xiaohu was startled, raised his head and said to the old general very solemnly: "General, you can rest assured about this. Although the kid wants his friends to live well, he is not a bad person who doesn't care about everything. If they threaten the safety of my pilgrimage, I will not let it go if I know about it. ”

Old General Qin laughed very happily, nodded, patted Xiaohu's shoulder and praised: "Okay! This is a good man for my people! ”

Xiaohu said modestly: "The kid doesn't dare to be, don't dare to be!" ”

Then Xiaohu mentioned the purchase of military rations to General Qin. General Qin had a simpler and safer way, he said: "Actually, you don't have to collect grain specifically for the army, you just need to build a few more granaries, pay your own money, and collect the surrounding grain for preservation." When the old man needs to replenish food, he will go directly to your house to buy it, so as to save trouble and not take responsibility. It's only better for you! You don't want to learn what those big grain merchants do to buy on behalf of others, although you don't need to take the capital yourself, you can earn more, but the things in there are not things that a small family like you can afford. ”

Although General Qin didn't say it in more detail, Xiaohu still understood what the old general meant, no matter how much grain there was in his family, the old general would bring all the grain, but he couldn't say it to the outside world, he helped the army collect food. Why? Xiaohu didn't understand, but he didn't dare to ask more.

Then the two talked about the farming of Xiaohu's family, how many ducks, how many fish, how many fields, what they produce, and what other fields are produced. When it comes to Xiaohu's field, there are many varieties of this. The old general admired and admired: "This ordinary paddy field has made you grow silver!" How did you come up with the idea of planting like that? I heard from my grandson that you still raise fish, ducks, loaches, and yellow eels in the rice fields, and you also say what baskets you use to raise fish and shrimp! I've never heard of it, and I've never seen it before, so why did you think of raising it like that? It's so weird! ”

Xiaohu smiled embarrassedly and replied, "I don't know either!" I wasn't at home at the time, but my daughter-in-law was directing the workers to do that. Raising fish and ducks in the rice fields was also my daughter-in-law's idea. She is very capable and intelligent, and always has strange and very practical ideas and things in her head. ”

Old General Qin immediately took Xiaohu's words. "That's why you seek her advice on everything?" ”

Xiaohu looked at Old General Qin, hesitated for a moment, and still said what he wanted to say the most: "The head of our Wang family's entire family is my daughter-in-law!" It was my great-grandfather, our patriarch, who decided. ”

Old General Qin heard this. There was no squeak for half a day. It's not like a woman in his family is in charge of big and small things, but that's because his head family is not at home all the year round. But this Wang family is too out of line, and it is a bit too much for a man to let a woman be in charge. Ay! Other people's affairs, why do you take care of so much yourself!

"Oh! Is it? The old man hasn't heard my grandson talk about this, and I guess he doesn't know either. However, thanks also to your daughter-in-law, this time they passed. Your royal family was so hospitable that they didn't want to come back from what they had eaten. clamoring to say that they would be sent next year, and the old man wanted to go over. Look at what is delicious and makes them so embarrassed. ”

"Hey! Our family is nothing more than chickens, ducks, geese, pork, and nothing else! Maybe they are polite and talk about the scene. Don't let our Wang family lose face! Xiaohu did not become complacent. After all, he wasn't there, and he didn't know what the hospitality was like. If the general said kind words, and he believed it in a daze, it would be a shame!

Xiaohu chatted with the old general until it was dark, and then got up to say goodbye and go back to the inn. When he arrived at the inn, he asked several members of the Peng family, the children who followed him, the coachmen, and the entourage to prepare, and Ming'er set off early in the morning.

The Wrangler that Xiaohu found had been sent by General Qin Lao to send them to Daman first, and they also had to get the receipt document from the county government over there. Make a good handover with the county government where the previous exile was located, and record it in the official archives. The change in the penal colony of these people is a completely legal change.

I got up early in the morning, walked for a day, and as soon as it was dark, Xiaohu rested at the inn where he usually stayed. They pulled the carriage into the courtyard, put the things away, and were about to go back to the house to rest, when they saw the leader of the Jiangnan salt merchant Zhao leading the convoy into the courtyard. As soon as Leader Zhao saw Xiaohu, he shouted, "Ah! Little brother, when we were separated last time, didn't we say okay, let's go to the grassland together this year! Why didn't you send me a message and run away yourself? It's not righteous enough! ”

Xiaohu was also very happy to see Leader Zhao, and when he heard Leader Zhao's complaints, he was not angry at all, and explained with a smile: "Brother Zhao, I'm really sorry for you!" It was also because of the temporary change that we thought about going to the grassland early, and we didn't write to you because we didn't know if you couldn't catch up temporarily. Big brother, why don't you take the waterway? If you take the water, you might even be able to get there before us! ”

When Leader Zhao heard Xiaohu ask him this, his face was indignant, and he said hatefully: "Take the waterway? Just my little thing, taking out more than half of it may not be able to fill their water rats. What ferry doesn't treat us salt merchants as fat now? One bite can make you break your muscles and bones. Lao Tzu wants people and horses, why be stupid and stick his head out and be slaughtered by others?! ”

Xiaohu never knew this, his face turned white when he heard it, and he asked, "Can they still want as much as they want?" Does no one care? ”

Leader Zhao snorted from his nose: "Hmph! Tube? Who cares? How? After crossing a river boundary, there is a local government to collect the road money, and one asks more than the other, for fear that others will collect more and collect less for themselves, and it seems that they will suffer a big loss. Now that the official salt is being sold in a regular manner, it should be lucky if you don't fill it with money. Lao Tzu is not used to the problems of these water rats, Lao Tzu takes the land route, although he suffers a little bit and takes a longer time, but Lao Tzu is happy. ”

Xiaohu didn't understand what Leader Zhao meant at first, and he thought about it in his mind before he thought it out. It turned out that the government along the waterway relied on the merchants who came and went in the river to generate income. No one can control anyone, only the emperor can manage it, but there are too many officials involved in this river, and it really needs to be strictly managed, but there will be chaos.

Xiaohu figured out these joints, and secretly rejoiced in his heart that his home was too far away from the river and could only take the land route, so he didn't have to be angry and angry for the sake of having a river. In the past, I envied Leader Zhao's proximity to the river, and the waterway was fast and comfortable. Now I don't envy it, but I feel a little sympathetic to the depressed and depressed Leader Zhao.

Here, Leader Zhao saw that his subordinates had put away all their things, so he pulled Xiaohu into the hall together, and said: "A few days ago, I met Li Daotou and Chen Gongzi, and I wanted to have a drink with them, but those two who were not brave were unwilling, what are you doing today, you have to have a drink with my brother." ”

Xiaohu was so frightened that he hurriedly waved his hand, and begged in a panic: "Brother Zhao, don't hurt me, I have to go back with so many goods, I wish I had a few more eyes, where do I dare to drink and make mistakes." If the eldest brother is really good friends with the younger brother, then don't force the younger brother to drink. (To be continued......)