Nanjing, the state of Chu, is prosperous and wealthy, and it should be the crown of the world.

Because it is located in the place where the summer water enters the sea, the Cao River has been developed since ancient times, and there are so many fish, rice, grain and millet that the other three countries are blushing.

The annual grain output of Wangji alone is worth more than half of the annual harvest of the Qin State.

Therefore, the state of Chu is not only strong in soldiers and horses, but also rich in the country and strong in the people.

Moreover, the people of Chu are good at business, and only about 20% of the people are bound to work on the land.

The remaining seventy or eighty percent of the people are mostly businessmen, who travel all year round to communicate with each other in various countries in the world.

Generally speaking, there are no strong soldiers in the land of merchants, but the state of Chu is obviously an exception.

Going out to do business is an extremely high-risk thing, maybe you will encounter strongmen and gangsters who will come out to intercept and kill the caravan, not to mention the terror that the whole country of Qi was persecuting and killing the people of Chu half a year ago.

Therefore, the people of Chu have practiced martial arts since ancient times, because they want to defend their property from being violated.

For a long time, this has also formed the strong folk customs of the Chu State, and the people of the whole country are not as fierce as the people of the Qin State like ignorant and reckless people, but a kind of ranger character with family and country feelings.

Therefore, there has been a situation in which the state of Chu has continuously expanded its territory and benefited thousands of miles in the past 500 years.

At present, although the population of Chu is not much larger than that of Qi, which is developed in agriculture, its territory is not much less than that of Qin, Qi, and Shu combined.

And all this is due to the adventurous and pioneering spirit of the people of the whole country.

Even every time Rong Di knocks on the pass, Xiao Guan will always have some more chivalrous figures from the Chu State.

Xiao Jin walked along Nanjing's Suzaku Street, constantly responding to the kind eyes of the people who came and went to him.

Half of his injuries have healed in the past six months, and now he is able to get up and walk on his own, and no longer needs help from others.

After being taken out of the Qinglong Hall of Qi by Gu Daoyuan half a year ago, he was sent to Chu State.

Because according to the agreement reached between Zhao Zhihai and Mi Xiao, there was a clause to hand him over to the Chu State.

After coming to Nanjing, Mi Xiao obviously treated him as a national soldier, not only sending people to take care of his daily life, but also sending the best medical officer in Chu to treat his physical wounds.

In order to allow him to recover from his injuries, Mi Xiao did not lose his blood.

Half a year later, his body was basically fine, but the trauma in his heart was getting worse.

Perhaps, he deliberately tore off the scar from the sore and left the wound dripping with blood.

The wide Suzaku Street is full of traffic and people.

Xiao Jin looked up and looked carefully, which was enough to make the carriages and pedestrians on the street where three cars were running in parallel actually hit each other, shoulder to shoulder.

The shops on both sides of the street are also bustling, shouting and selling.

And the chaos caused by the hustle and bustle of the streets and the bustling shops on the street is exactly what Xiao Geun desperately needs.

He has been planning for this day for more than a month.

Xiao Jin pretended to stop and go, as if he was particularly interested in the customs of the Chu Kingdom, and almost every store would go in and patronize it.

After a few hours, he was in one of the most crowded pastry shops.

Xiao Jin didn't talk to the diners in the pastry shop, but just took out the money to buy a pastry and squeezed into the shop to eat.

Halfway through eating, he put the pastry in his hand on the table for the guests to eat, and walked to the back of the shop with his stomach in his hands.

There was a sign in the shop that indicated that there was a back door leading to the latrine.

It's just that Xiao Jin found out the last time he came to find that there was a small alley outside the back door, but the alley was not flat, but a long waterway.

The waterway meanders, but it leads directly to the summer water.

In this place of the water town of Xiannan, almost every city is so close to the mountains and rivers, and the people in the city mostly rely on ships to transport goods and turn around.

There were several people in the cake shop who were scattered all over the place pretending to eat the cakes, but when they saw that Xiao Jin had been gone for a long time and had not returned, they all threw away the cakes in their hands and rushed to the back of the shop together.

In the rather dissatisfied nagging of the owner of the pastry shop behind them, these people looked at the winding and deep waterway in front of them, and their eyes widened and they looked at a loss.

In the city of Nanjing, there seem to be thousands of such waterways, and where Xiao Jin went, I am afraid that only God will know at this moment.

(One hundred and fifty-seven chapters in Baidu have not been updated completely, so I will resend the rest before the one hundred and fifty-eight chapters, forgive me.) ）

Chapter 158: In the Summer Water

"Ling Yin, Lord Taijian.

Let Yin repay his grievances with virtue and treat Jinjin with all his heart, and Jin's teeth are unforgettable.

However, Jinshi is a common man, and he does not want to enter the sea again.

The lesson of Qi has died in Jin's heart, and it is really difficult to make Yin love alone,

Ling Yin lived in the temple, and then Jin forgot about the rivers and lakes.

I said goodbye to Ling Yin today, and I left this note for only one thing, and I asked Ling Yin to think about it.

Ling Yin was captured by the Qi State, but there was no turmoil in the state affairs of the Chu State.

The government decrees and military affairs are all smooth, even more than before.

Ling Yin has held the government of Chu for more than 30 years,

But there he is

I don't know how powerful the situation is,

Jin persuaded Yin to take the initiative to retreat bravely, or to ensure that Yin's fame would be known for centuries and pass on the history of Chu Qing.

If Yin is obsessed with power, it will not take half a year, and disaster is coming.

......”

Mi Xiao put down the note left by Xiao Jin in his hand and sighed.

"It's a pity that such a genius can't be used by me."

When a man behind him heard this, he immediately leaned forward and said:

"Father, do you want to send some more people after him?"

Mi Xiao shook his head gently, picked up the note in his hand again, and thought for a moment before saying:

"No need, if people want to leave, we won't be able to keep them after all."

"But father, we saved his life, and treated him with the courtesy of a countryman, but he left without saying a word, and the child couldn't bear this breath, when can the common people be so rude."

The person behind Mi Xiao complained a little angrily, but before he finished speaking, he suddenly saw his father looking angry, and he couldn't help but feel timid and lowered his head.

Seeing that his son was still at a loss, he just bowed his head because of his majesty, so he sighed and asked:

"You also lived to be in your thirties, but you can't see that Mr. Xiao saved the lives of our whole family?

When I was imprisoned in the Qi State, did the monarch promote more than a dozen people to lead the country? ”

The person behind him immediately replied, "Yes, Father.

It's just that after you returned to China, the more than a dozen people were relieved of their heavy responsibilities.

The king has also returned the affairs of military affairs to you.

Is Mr. Xiao a little alarmist? ”

Hearing this, Mi Xiao nodded slowly, and continued: "That's it.

At the beginning, although the king mobilized the whole country to save me, let those young people with outstanding talents lead the government and take charge of the army.

But the wolf that tasted the smell of blood could no longer be raised as a dog.

Chang'er, let me ask you.

You say that it is better for the monarch to continue to use me as an old fellow, or to divide the power in my hands among more than a dozen young people whose abilities are not inferior to mine. ”

After hearing this, Mi Chang's heart suddenly shocked, and he had completely understood what Mi Xiao meant.

For the monarch, Mi Xiao has been in power for 30 years and has already dominated the Chu family, even though his father is loyal to the Chu State, but the public can never pin the success or failure of a country and a family on personal loyalty.

In the past, the monarch did not have the opportunity to try to divide the power of the Mi Xiao, so naturally he had no other ideas, so he could only bet the burden of the country on the Qi Xiao.

But this time Mi Xiao was imprisoned, and more than a dozen people immediately appeared in the Chu State to share the burden of Mi Xiao, and unexpectedly, those people were quite efficient.

In this way, the monarch will have a whimsical idea to completely take down the huge political power of the Devil.

Moreover, after those young Zhuang factions tasted the sweetness of grasping the power of the country, they could not guarantee that one day they would covet it and instigate the monarch to attack their own family.

Thinking of this, Mi Chang suddenly sweated.

He looked at his father with a gloomy face, but for the first time he had respect for Xiao Jin.

But Mi Xiao suddenly thought of something that his son had never thought of,

It is those young Zhuang faction, perhaps the monarch has secretly cultivated to replace him.

Otherwise, his imprisonment was a sudden occurrence, how could the monarch allow these people to smoothly take over all important positions in such a short period of time.

Thinking of this, Mi Xiao immediately asked Mi Chang to invite the guests of the Mansion to discuss his plan to withdraw from the court and return to the fiefdom to live for a long time.

In the face of Mi Chang's unwillingness, Mi Xiao just smiled and patted his son's shoulder and said: "For me, quitting the court is to save my life and retire for the rest of my life.

But for you, how can it not be a matter of Taoguang.

If you are lucky enough to see Mr. Xiao Jinxiao again, you must convey your father's gratitude, it was he who saved our family. ”

"Father, Mr. Xiao's kindness to my Mi family, Chang'er knows that he will repay him, but is it too alarmist for the gentleman to do something to my Mi family.

Not to mention that his father has made great contributions to the Chu State Lingyin for 30 years of expeditions to the east and west.

is that the father and the king are the same grandfather, so how can the king bear to attack you. ”

Faced with Xiao Chang's puzzlement and questioning, Mi Xiao suddenly remembered the scene of Xiao Zishuo carrying Xiao Ziyan's head outside Tokyo that day.

He smiled and told Mi Chang about the past of the dispute between the sons of Qi State, from Xiao Qian's Rangjun to Ziyan's killing.

"Chang'er, you have to remember that it is only the way of a saint to defend your brother from being insulted outside the wall.

That is, the way of the saint shows that there are very few people in the world who can do it.

Even the brothers of ordinary people's families can turn against each other for a wall and a tile, let alone this thousands of miles of splendid rivers and mountains.

Go, go and invite everyone to come over, our Mi family has been prosperous for 30 years, and people say that this is won back by my father's life sacrificed his life, but I know that this is given to me by the king after all.

It is not a matter of a thought

We should also know that we are satisfied. ”

Looking at the figure of Mi Chang leaving gloomily, Xiao Jin's appearance appeared in Mi Xiao's eyes.

On that day, he drove a carriage in the afterglow of the sunset on the battlefield after the ten-mile bloody battle, and his whole body was shining with dazzling eyes, and he was afraid that he would never forget it.

And such a god-like character suddenly left after half a year of friendship with him, which made him wonder whether to be happy or sad.

Mi Xiao faintly felt that when Xiao Jin appeared in front of the world again, the world would be stirred into another appearance, although he could never guess what kind of appearance it was, but he knew that the mountains and rivers would change color because of him, and the sun would also emit a dazzling red light.

He'd seen the red light before.

On the battlefield outside Tokyo that day, when Xiao Jin was recuperating in his house after being injured, his eyes were in his eyes.

It was the light of vengeance, the light of vengeance like a monstrous sea of blood in hell.

……

"Jin Xing, I see that you are very proficient in literacy and arithmetic, why don't you stay with me and be a bookkeeper, it is easier than you to carry goods and do some manual work, how about it?"

Facing the sincere gaze of the bearded man on the boat, Xiao Jinxing, who was alias Xiao Jinxing, just smiled and nodded to him, and then continued to lower his head to fiddle with the canvas torn by the wind and rain.

This bearded man's name is Qu Bao, and he is a person from Zheng County of Chu State.

Like most Chu people, Qu Bao was also engaged in the rice and grain business, and traveled back and forth between the Qin, Qi, and Chu states for a long time.

Because he happened to have just left Qi when Qi slaughtered the Chu people half a year ago, Qu Bao luckily escaped the crisis and saved his life.

After waiting for more than half a year, he heard that the State of Qi had declared himself a vassal to the State of Chu, so Qu Bao raised money again, saved a boatload of grain and rare items in the north such as jade jewelry and tortoiseshell ivory from Southern Chu and prepared to go north again to go to Qin to do business.

It was also on the wharf in the north of Nanjing that Xiao Jin assumed his name and joined the Qu Bao caravan that was just recruiting people as a coolie.

Originally, there were three ways to enter Qin from the state of Chu.

One is to enter Shu and then go north through the Sword Pavilion Changkong Plank Road to enter Shubei County of Qin State, but this road is the farthest and most difficult of the three roads, unless it is to do business with the people of Shu, otherwise Chu merchants generally do not choose to take this road.

The second is to enter the Xiazhong County of the Qin State through the west of Wangji, and this road can go directly to the Qin State by water from Xia Shui, which is the shortest and easiest way among the three roads.

However, there are few business opportunities along the way, and it is not the best choice for traders.

The third is to go north to the Qi Kingdom, and after arriving in Tokyo, go west, and enter the Xijing of the Qin State through the Xieyu Pass.

This route starts from Nanjing, passes through Qi Tokyo, and then arrives at Xijing of Qin, all the way merchants can do business, communicate with each other, and the profits are more lucrative than the first two roads, so most of the Chu merchants will choose this road.

This time, Qu Bao's original intention was also to pass through the Qi State and enter Qin in the west. But who would have thought that when they came to Luyun County, which was originally the State of Qi, after walking for ten days, they were stopped by the Chu ** who took over Luyun, and bluntly said that Qi and Qin were at war, and the soldiers were as far as Xiyan City in Tokyo City, so the monarch strictly ordered merchants not to enter Qi.

In desperation, they had no choice but to turn back and enter Qin through Wangji by water.

The road that should have been smooth sailing suddenly changed, which made Qu Bao, who had been in business for many years, depressed, and he had never walked by himself by waterway through Wangji, so he was also frightened in the past ten days.

Fortunately, after more than ten days, Tiangong was still beautiful, and the Xiashui River was also calm, and everyone finally came to Wangji without danger.

But early this morning, they encountered the interrogation of Wang Ji's sailors. If it weren't for Xiao Jinxing in his caravan to come forward and check the accounts with Wang Ji's sailors and explain his identity, I am afraid that he would have to go through a lot of trouble.

So when the sailors left, Qu Bao came to the deck and talked with Xiao Jinxing.

"When I saw your fine skin and tender meat, I knew that you were a scholar, but I couldn't understand why you, a scholar, didn't live a good life, but came to my caravan to be a coolie?"

Qu Bao was obviously curious about Xiao Jinxing's past, so he asked Xiao Jinxing.

Xiao Jinxing smiled when he heard this, and did not stop the work in his hand, but replied while doing the work at hand:

"If you go back to the eldest brother, I am from Qin, not Chu, I guess you have already seen this.

It's just that when I went to Qi Province with my clan father, I didn't expect to encounter the changes in Qi State, so I ended up on the streets.

At that time, those Qi people chased and killed us as Chu people, but I took advantage of the chaos to escape to Chu State, so this time I came to your caravan to earn some money and go home. ”

Xiao Jinxing, who had already prepared his rhetoric in his belly, told Qu Bao about the miserable experience of a rich son in exile, and the more he talked, the more pitiful he became.

The look and tone of his voice made the listener feel sad when he heard it.

Because what Xiao Jin himself encountered in the Qi Kingdom was far more tragic than the story he made up.

Qu Bao, who listened carefully, saw it in his eyes and immediately believed Xiao Jinxing's words.