Zhao Xingde returned the list to Du Blowhorn, and personally summoned the soldiers of Ming Hongdu to explain the huge risks that needed to be taken to open up trade routes, so that they could make a decision after careful consideration, so as not to lose the money earned by blood and sweat. Early the next morning, two other centurions, Deng Xi and Liu Shangyou, came to the door.

"Okay, you're too uninteresting," Liu Shangyou said, "Brothers in the same battalion, don't take care of it?" After speaking, he took out a list from his bosom, and more than 30 sergeants gathered more than 4,000. Deng Xi also took out a list, and the sergeants in his capital also made up more than 5,000 yuan.

Zhao Xingde took it with a wry smile, and explained to the two of them the risk of losing the capital, the two centurions both said that there will be deaths in the war, as long as Ming Hongdu is not afraid of the loss, then we are not afraid. I had to leave the list of the money that had been pooled, so I thanked and left.

In the afternoon, Duan Huaixian looked for Zhao Xingde.

"I heard that you have found a way for the sergeants to make a fortune? Duan Huaixian seemed to be smiling, looking at a military book, it was this trip to protect the merchant that Zhao Xingde brought back from Haixi Port by the way.

"The last general is ashamed," Zhao Xingde was a little uncomfortable when he looked at him like this, and explained embarrassedly, "Yesterday, several businessmen held a banquet to thank him, and one of them proposed it, and the last general also felt that it seemed a little inappropriate, but everyone seemed to be very enthusiastic. ”

"Well, it is not easy for sergeants to save their savings." Duan Huaixian nodded, his fingers lightly tapping on the paperwork, "It is indeed a great risk to open up new trade routes through the place where the green clothes are eaten," he paused, and suddenly asked, "Zhao Dutou, calm down, if it were you, would you invest the money in this caravan?" ”

Zhao Xingde was slightly stunned, and then replied without thinking: "The end will be." "The riches of Africa, almost infinite for a caravan, are worth trying anyway.

"That's good," Duan Huaixian said with a smile, taking out five hundred Jiaozi from the drawer and putting it on the table, "Count me in as one." ”

"General Duan," Zhao Xingde couldn't help but be slightly surprised, in his impression, Duan Huaixian was not a person who valued money very seriously.

"The risk of opening up trade routes, you have made it very clear to the sergeants, they all know it," Duan Huaixian pressed his finger and pushed Jiaozi forward, and said slowly, "You don't have to worry about joining the gang, if you lose the capital, the sergeants can't afford to lose." At least, I'm not going to bother you. He looked up at Zhao Xingde with a hint of a smile in his eyes.

Zhao Xingde's heart was slightly moved. Duan Huaixian really doesn't take money too seriously, in order to dispel Zhao Xingde's concerns, he has come out with these five hundred elements, even if the capital is lost and the sergeants complain, Duan Huaixian will have a position to speak for Zhao Xingde. Zhao Xingde put the Jiaozi away, bowed down, and said in a deep voice: "Thank you General Duan for your care." ”

"Okay," Duan Huaixian waved his hand, picked up the military book on the table, and looked up, "There is one more thing." He handed the military book to Zhao Xingde, "This is the decree of the Prime Minister's Mansion, the chief of the Jin Lord." With a smile in his eyes, he said, "Congratulations." ”

Zhao Xingde commanded Ming Hongdu, and he did a good job in several detachments of military affairs, with many beheadings and small losses. Although he was the last centurion to be promoted to the rank of lord, this was his third promotion since the expedition. The higher you go, the harder it is to move up the ranks. Duan Huaixian's own knighthood is a hereditary title that has been piled up by many military merits, and his eldest son can become a doctor as soon as he becomes an adult. In the Xia Army, each level of the title of the knight, the military robe mark, are different, if the commander of the army dies in battle, then all the sergeants automatically obey the highest title, and the general's palace in the promotion of generals, the title that reflects the size of the military merit is also the most critical factor.

"Go to Jin Sima and get the chief's badge." Duan Huaixian lowered his head again, and looked at the military report carefully, recently, with the help of Sergeant Chengying, the barbarian tribes of Taiheling have won several battles in a row. The Rus' people suffered a lot of losses in Taiheling in a row, and even the generals who commanded the army were killed in ambush. The Rus' king Musti has already chosen another general and added troops to the direction of Taihe Ridge to attack.

"Thank you, General." After Zhao Xingde retreated, he came to the marching Sima Jin Changtai, and Jin Changtai handed him the chest badge of the title of the chief of the concubine, and said with a smile: "How much do you plan to make for this trade to open up trade routes?" Zhao Xingde smiled bitterly and said: "It's not richer than Brother Jin, you are rich, squeeze it, and you can get four hundred yuan." ”

"That's it?" Kim Chang-tae sneered, "Take out the money you used to get rid of the pirate's lair." After a pause, he added, "By the way, there seems to be a bit of a problem with the money that Ming Hong sent to the families of the fallen soldiers." "What?" Zhao Xingde's face changed slightly, "Is there a shortcoming?" ”

"That's not it," Kim Chang-tae pulled out the camp's account books. Although the silver was sent back by the centurions, the merchant house that exchanged the money would send a copy of the bill to the marching Sima to prevent mistakes. "It's a lot more, you can't be miscalculated, right?"

Zhao Xingde breathed a sigh of relief and said with a smile: "In this matter, Brother Jin still needs to do a small favor, and it is good to keep secrets." Then he explained what he had added to the family of the fallen soldier.

"I see," Kim Chang-tae nodded, and said in a deep voice, "If Xingzhi has this intention, I will never leak it out." "A little embarrassed," the name will be wrong, but the nickname will not be wrong." It seems that the sergeants call you General Li, and it is not unreasonable. Zhao Xingde shook his head and said with a wry smile: "Let them call it, I don't expect to pay homage to the marquis." ”

As a result, in the next few days, the sergeants of the other 100-man teams of the 7th Battalion of Chengying heard the news, and they came up one after another, and there were more than 35,000 yuan, and Kim Chang-tae even added 5,000 yuan of silver to the gang. "I can trust the character of 'General Li'." He squeezed his eyes.

Li Yong's mansion is near Theodosius Square, and it is particularly eye-catching among the mansions of the surrounding Lumei princes and nobles. The green tiles are heavy, the walls are covered with red mud, the garden is arranged with small bridges and flowing water, and there is a group of goldfish in the pond. Zhao Xingde found this place without difficulty.

When Zhao Xingde informed Li Yong of the amount of money he had entered, Li Yongpo was a little surprised and sighed: "Brother Zhao, it seems that your robe is very trustworthy to you." "The 35,000 Jiaozi of the Xia Kingdom are worth about 35,000 taels of silver. Li Yong is the third son of the hereditary Bowang Marquis Li family, and after setting up his own door, the capital has rolled to the present, and it is only more than 50,000 yuan.

"Today is just the right time, and I will introduce a few friends to Brother Zhao who are partnering in this transaction." Li Yong's face immediately returned to normal, he was born in a family of liehous, and he was used to seeing wealth and nobility, but he was only slightly amazed that this Zhao military envoy was able to gather so much money.

"This is Manjur the Noble." Manshur Komnenos was the eldest son of Crown Prince John of Lumei, and when Zhao Xingde greeted him, he only nodded slightly arrogantly.

"This is Manshur's cousin, the most beautiful flower of the reed eyebrows, the noble Natalia Brynius." Li Yong introduced Zhao Xingde with a smile. Zhao Xingde thought with regret: "Now that you know your identity, it's not easy to listen to your tone." Greeting her, a hint of surprise flashed in Natalia's eyes at the same time, and then she frowned slightly, and looked to the side, as if she hated such a meeting.

"Both noble beings are our patrons." Li Yong looked at Zhao Xingde apologetically, and whispered in his ear, "Sponsor 10,000 gold sul." Zhao Xingde nodded, the military salary of the Chengying Battalion in Lumei is also this kind of gold coin, and one gold sule is about worth a lot of money. This expedition to the southern trade routes was conducive to breaking the monopoly of the Great Cannibals on the southern trade routes, and if it was possible to strengthen ties with the princes and nobles of the southern Sahara Desert and weaken the influence of the Sultanate of Rum on these princes, this more than 10,000 patronage was indeed not much. Like the ancient civilizations in the East, the princes and nobles of Lumei were both proficient in and fond of the trick of razing and razing.

"This is Liu Zhiyuan, the word Guangzhi." Li Yong pulled a thin and dark-skinned Xia Guoren and said with a smile, "Guangzhi also retired from the Chengying Army, not only that, but he is also a great expert in identifying the terrain of mountains and rivers and exploring mineral veins. ”

"Fortunately." Liu Zhiyuan arched his hand to Zhao Xingde, and then Zhao Xingde realized that his left hand was wearing a black leather glove, which seemed to be a prosthetic leg. The sergeants of the Chengying Army have fought many battles, and it is common for them to be killed and wounded in battle. Zhao Xingde couldn't help but look solemn, and he also bowed his hand, and said in a deep voice: "Under Zhao De, I am fortunate to meet." Liu Zhiyuan knew why he had such an attitude, and smiled slightly, he had always been taciturn, and he didn't say anything more.

After the introduction, Li Yong introduced everyone into the flower hall, the guests and hosts sat down, and the servants served fresh Shu tea. Before talking about business, Li Yong once again talked about what he had seen and heard in the hinterland of the Great Food, and gradually brought everyone's thoughts to that mysterious region.

"In Baghdad, with whom I am a good friend, I once saw Lang Zhong treat a sick man with a sore hand and foot, and with a touch of a copper rod drawn from two clay pots, the whole area around the affected area was numb, and the witch doctor carried a knife like a fly, and whenever the patient cried out in pain, he would touch the copper rod next to him. After the bandage was complete, the patient's wound slowly regained consciousness. The temple used the clay pot to gild the statues of the gods, which was very uniform and far more than ordinary. I couldn't figure it out, what was going on? ”

Li Yong's mouth was gushing, and he even drew pictures in his hands, attracting Liu Zhiyuan, Manshuer, Natalia and others around him, and he was even more surprised.

Zhao Xingde pondered for a moment and said secretly: "Could this clay pot be the battery of the ancients?" Then he asked, "The two clay pots, one for sour water, the other for alkaline water, and so on." ”

Li Yong shook his head and said in a low voice: "It's rare for idlers to get close, and the big cannibals are secretive, and I don't know." Asked Zhao Xingde rhetorically: "Does Zhao Junenvoy know the mystery?" ”

Zhao Xingde nodded and said in a deep voice: "I have read in the book that yin and yang are combined to give birth to all things, if yin and yang are separated, then if the potential of high and low is called electric potential." The guide generates electricity, and many miraculous effects, such as causing numbness and gilding copper and iron, are all in it. Therefore, it is guessed that the metal rod is numb and gold-plated, which is due to the anion and cation and electric potential. He paused, looked at Li Yong and said with a smile, "It's also a family's words, and I can't count them." ”

"It's a strange book." Li Yong sighed, "Can Brother Zhao take it with you?" ”

Zhao Xingde shook his head and said: "I saw it when I was young, but I only thought it was the Classic of Mountains and Seas, and I didn't know where I was going for a long time." But remember some strange theories. ”

"Alas! It's a pity," Li Yong sighed, "Brother Zhao will copy the part he remembers to me in the future, and when this trade route is opened, I will sink my heart and study the way of yin and yang clutch and electricity." ”