Chapter 115: Killing Hukou and Buying Horses

The branch office opened, and the rest of the work began.

That passenger station, when it was originally in Yaogang, Yang Jing and others had a rough plan. At this time, combined with the specific characteristics of the shop, the plan was modified, and the plan was more reasonable. Zhang Zhimu told Yang Jing, "It's best to completely determine the plan before leaving to kill Hukou." In this way, when the brigade leaves, the rest of the work here is left to the branch to continue to complete itself. When it really opens to traffic, it will be the beginning of spring next year. In winter, it snows heavily, and you can't walk. ”

Yang Jing said: "Li Yunhe said that you can make a large steel climbing plow in winter, as long as you add a few knives to drag the ground before and after, and do not let the climbing plow slide sideways." ”

Zhang Zhimu said: "Let's talk about it then." I'm afraid that when the snow is too heavy, the horse won't be able to run. So what to do? ”

Yang Jing said: "I have to try it in winter." ”

Lu Chengxiang is now starting a large-scale procurement work. He has already been to Jiangnan once, and he knows very well what things are good to sell in the south. This time he was very attentive to those humps and the like, and almost bought out the humps that killed Hukou.

Zhang Zhimu, Chen Yufeng and others also went to the market and found that this year's sheep were very cheap. When I asked, I found out that it was correct to estimate that the grassland was also plagued by locusts, and this year's grass was scarce, and I couldn't raise too many sheep for the winter, so this year's sheep were sold at the price of turnips. Zhang Zhimu directly told Lu Chengxiang to buy 10,000 sheep according to the original plan. Yang Yulin said: "You buy 10,000 sheep at once, what do you want to do?" ”

Zhang Zhimu smiled and said: "Here, the price of this sheep is the same as the price of a piece of skin." We transported the sheep back from the kiln, ate the meat, and then worked hard to cook the skin, which was equivalent to eating the mutton for nothing. We have thousands of people at the smelter. This sheep is not enough to eat. On the way back, leave a thousand sheep on Niutou Mountain, so that they can also have meat to eat this winter. Besides, if you go back and sell it, the sheep can be sold for several times the price. ”

"Cattle are also cheap this year, and if they are raised until next spring, they will definitely be sold at a good price." Chen Yufeng said.

"We bought some land, and we will need cattle to cultivate the land in the future." Yang Yulin took over and said.

Zhang Zhimu, Lu Chengxiang and others discussed, this year's cattle and sheep are too cheap. He bought 10,000 head of sheep and 1,500 head of oxen. This cattle are sold well in the north of the Yangtze River, and this kind of cattle is generally not used in the south of the Yangtze River, where there are all buffaloes.

Zhang Zhimu said: "We also have to pick some cows that specialize in milk production. And we must breed our own cows that produce high milk. I'll leave this matter to Uncle Yan. ”

Yan Boju was also very cheerful, "Okay, leave this matter to me." However, I just said that the cattle and sheep were half a day. What about the horse. ”

Everyone in the room laughed, and this Yan Boju finally couldn't help it. His main concern is the horse.

Zhang Zhimu said: "Uncle Yan, don't worry. We came here, and the big head was still buying horses. When everything else is done, how many horses do we decide to buy here? Because we still have to go to Zhangjiakou. ”

Lu Chengxiang said: "Now, our bulk goods are not fully prepared. Cowhides, sheepskins, horse skins, and camel skins are still a little worse. Recently, the shopkeeper Pan went to the grassland again. I asked him to bring back some lambskins. The horns and tendons will arrive both days. These things were shot out last time in Jiujiang. How many can be sold. Lu Chengxiang has not forgotten his great achievements in Jiujiang.

"Come on. You Lu Xiaojiao. If you don't hurry, we won't have any good horses when we get to Zhangjiakou, and it should snow. Only Yan Boju called Lu Chengxiang Lu Xiaoluan, and Lu Chengxiang was not angry.

Lu Chengxiang said: "I said 'Cybernaut', I have been in Zhangjiakou for decades, and I am more familiar with it than you. That's where horses are traded. At its peak, more than 35,000 horses were traded there. It's good to have one or two thousand of these killers. ”

"You don't have to tell me about the horses. No matter how many horses there are in Zhangjiakou, it is useless. We only bought so many horses, and it was useless to have more horses in Zhangjiakou. And the official horses are all sold in the whole column, and you can't pick them. We're going to buy it right here. Yan Boju hated to buy the horse right away.

Lu Chengxiang did not buy these cattle and sheep little by little, but negotiated the price and rented the fence. On the first day, several groups of people worked together at the Mongolian merchants they had negotiated and bought 10,000 sheep at once. The next day, while they were still talking about the sheep, they bought fifteen hundred cattle at once. This does not give them the opportunity to collude with each other to raise prices when they find out that there are large buyers.

By the time these people came to their senses, the kiln people had already completed the transaction. Just send someone outside the city to watch the cattle and sheep. The speed of the kiln gang shot once again shocked Hu Kou, and in the next few days, people talked about the affairs of the kiln gang people, and they all felt that this was a big businessman.

By the time Lu Chengxiang's goods were almost ready, they were almost ready. Zhang Zhimu knew it was time to buy a horse. As for how many horses to buy in Kill Hukou, there is a debate. Yan Boju means that 5,000 horses are bought here. Lu Chengxiang said, it's better to stay half of it and go to Zhangjiakou to have a look.

Zhang Zhimu thought about what would happen to Zhangjiakou, and he was not sure that there were too many factors, and a large number of horses were still bought here. But Zhangjiakou can't afford not to buy it at all. It was decided to buy 4,000 horses in Hukou, and the rest went to Zhangjiakou to talk about it, even if they couldn't buy horses, it would not affect the overall situation. When you can't come back, it's okay to go back to kill Hukou to buy it.

Everyone saw that Zhang Zhimu had already decided. It's all about opinions.

In this way, it is time for Zhang Zhimu to do the horse introduction. Yan Boju suggested that it was best to buy a thousand high-class horses, two thousand medium-class horses, and a thousand low-class horses. It's easy to sell like this.

When Zhang Zhimu went to see the garrison Wang Shichang to handle the horse introduction, he took two cars with him. One was a four-wheeled carriage, which Zhang Zhimu, Chen Yufeng, and Yang Yulin were riding, and the other was driven by Li Jing dressed as a coachman and two people, and Li Jing was pulling several boxes containing three thousand taels of gold. These three thousand taels of gold are equivalent to thirty thousand taels of silver.

When Zhang Zhimu saw the garrison Wang Shichang, Wang Shichang greeted him and said: "My brother is really generous, I have heard about you a lot these days." I'm so happy for you. ”

Zhang Zhimu said: "You are so busy with military affairs, and you even sent people to send congratulatory gifts when you opened, which really gave me a lot of face." ”

Wang Shichang said to Zhang Zhimu very indifferently: "Come on, don't be polite to both of us." How many horses can you really want this time? I've written it all for you, and I'm waiting to add a few more. ”

Seeing that, Chen Yufeng and Yang Yulin all went out under the pretext, and the people also went out after serving tea. Seeing that there was no one, Zhang Zhimu pointed to the boxes brought in and said, "There are a total of three thousand taels of gold in here." ”

When Wang Shichang heard this, he immediately stood up and said, "Brother, this is not okay, this is too much, you want your brother's life." ”

Zhang Zhimu said, "Brother, sit down." I'm not done yet. What's the matter? Sit down, and listen to me speak slowly. ”

Wang Shichang sat down at this time.

Zhang Zhimu said: "I want to buy 4,000 horses this time, one horse and two taels of silver, which is 8,000 taels." In addition, one is for my brother to go back and dredge and take care of a good future; There is also a part, which is what I said last time about asking for a map of the Ming Dynasty. You say, these items add up, isn't it too much? By the way, there is also a little bit of horse introduction fee. ”

Wang Shichang said: "That's too much. You have earned some money, but it will not be easy. ”

Zhang Zhimu said: "You haven't gone back yet, when you get to the capital, those adults will see you as a fat sheep, and the powerful will come to bite it." This silver will be able to block you for a while. Do you say that this is a lot of silver? You can rest assured. Don't be too stingy with your money when you go back, if it's not enough, I'll find a way. With you in Beijing, I can have a good future, and I am also sure. Sooner or later, I will go to Beijing to do business. My brother is just going to stand up for my brother. By the way, after you go back, I will send you to your house regularly to visit you if you have anything to do. If there's anything, just tell them. ”

Wang Shichang really didn't expect that Zhang Zhimu would be able to give him so much gold at once.

Zhang Zhimu said: "My brother has stepped down, your gold and silver are soft, but you have to send someone to send you away first." Don't go back to Beijing together. ”

"Don't worry, the gold and silver from last time have already been sent back to the capital. The army has its own transportation channels, which are very safe. I can arrange for these to be sent back to the capital right away. Wang Shichang said.

"That's good." Zhang Zhimu said.

"There are two letters here, one is addressed to the Datong General Soldier Jiang Jiu Jiang, and the other is addressed to Li Qing, the garrison of Zhangjiakou. Li Qing and I have a very good relationship, and our two families are world friends. You take my letter to him, and he will treat you like me. Also, the new guard who came to pick me up is probably already on their way to kill Hukou. I'll tell him about you when he's down. is an official in the capital, he will definitely give me face, he will go back in a year, and everyone will work together. ”

The two talked about a lot of other things together. Since there were no outsiders, Wang Shichang also expressed concern about the future of the Ming Dynasty. He said: "If it weren't for the elder brother, you would have relieved the siege of Kaifeng by sending grain." Then the thieves are already on the Yellow River. There was just a defeat of Songjin in the north. The Ming Dynasty is about to face enemies on both sides, and it will be even more dangerous. ”

Zhang Zhimu said: "I met the King of Jin before I came, and no one in the whole Shanxi was prepared to fight against the thieves. The thieves took Shaanxi, and the next one must be Shanxi. This thief already hates me to death. A while ago, a team of more than twenty people was sent to assassinate me. Thankfully, I was able to avoid it. Otherwise, I won't be able to see my brother. ”

Wang Shichang was taken aback when he heard this, and said, "Brother Xian must take care." Life and death are big things, and they can't be child's play. ”

Zhang Zhimu said: "Don't worry, I still have too much to do. It's not going to be over so soon. ”

"Good brother, take care. I went to Beijing to be an official this time, and it was worth it to be able to hand over your brother. Our Ming Dynasty is coming to an end, but our brothers also have to live. Wang Shichang said a little gloomily.

Zhang Zhimu let out a sigh and said, "Now I don't want the Ming Dynasty to end like this." I don't have the strength to protect myself, and I still need the Ming Dynasty to cover it. ”

"It's not up to you." Wang Shichang said.

Zhang Zhimu said: "Look. I helped King Zhou relieve the siege of Kaifeng, which caused Li Zicheng to temporarily lose his vitality. There will be no threat to Beijing in the short term. The Ming Dynasty had the energy to deal with the Manchus in an all-round way. If I can help the imperial court cut off the food supply channels of the Manchus this time, then the Manchus will not have the strength to attack. In this way, the imperial court will have a chance to breathe a sigh of relief. ”

"Alas! The elder brother is worried about the country and the people, and he really contributes strength to the court. But you don't know the situation of the imperial court, everyone up and down is thinking about making money, and no one is thinking about the safety of the imperial court. Even if you do it. I think it's a little more delay. Wang Shichang said.

"I don't need the court to stand up for too many days. In two years, I will have the power to protect myself. At that time, I will not be afraid of anyone who messes with me. Zhang Zhimu said.

Wang Shichang said: "Today, you and I are saying some disrespectful words. I see that you are definitely not an ordinary person, you tell me the truth. Do you have the idea of dominating one side? ”

"I don't have that much ambition, I just want to think that one day, the court can't protect us. We need to have the power to protect ourselves. If the court can protect us, we will do business well. Why that heart. Zhang Zhimu thought to himself, he couldn't tell him too much now.

"Tell me about what's in front of you. What exactly do you want from those horses? Wang Shichang asked.

"It's better to have a thousand good horses, two thousand medium horses, and a thousand inferior horses this time." Zhang Zhimu said.

"That's twenty columns of prime horses, forty columns of medium horses, and twenty columns of inferior horses." As he spoke, Wang Shichang came to the table and wrote down the numbers with a pen.

Then he said, "To-morrow you will go to the horse farm and pay the money to collect the horses." It's still the old rule, you just use those stalls. Those who watch the horse farm are still you take care of it. When the time comes, I'll go over and they'll be able to do things faster. ”

"That's great." Zhang Zhimu said.

Back at the inn, Yan Boju saw that Zhang Zhimu had brought back Ma Yin, and he was as happy as a child. He took the horse and looked at it carefully, as if he was looking at a horse. Zhang Zhimu felt that Yan Boju was born for horses, and he couldn't do without horses every day. Zhang Zhimu even had the illusion that Yan Boju looked at the horse's nourishment, a bit like looking at a lover's eyes.

In addition to leaving some people to watch the cattle and sheep, Fan Chengkun brought other people to help take over the horses. Since the horses that Zhang Zhimu asked for were not next to each other, after picking the horses, in order to facilitate care. The horses are to be driven into the stalls next to each other and then re-encircled outside. So as not to mix with those official horses that have not been sold. So it takes a lot of people to work together.

This time, Zhang Zhimu and others came to the racecourse early. The man in charge of the horses also knew that the number of horses sold today was very large, and the horses were bought by the owner of the kiln gang who had a good relationship with the garrison. So they didn't dare to come late today. After reading Ma Yin, these people began to settle accounts. The old rule is that a high-class horse is twenty-four taels of silver, a medium-class horse is fifteen taels of silver, and a low-class horse is ten taels of silver. Thus it was sixty-four thousand taels of silver.

These officers and soldiers in charge of the horses were also busy, because the counting of more than 60,000 taels of silver was not an easy job, and both sides had to count it very carefully. When the silver was counted, the garrison lord Wang Shichang also arrived at the horse farm. He didn't expect that today's subordinates, who are usually hanging, can do things so quickly. Wang Shichang and Zhang Zhimu watched Yan Boju pick a horse. The rules of this horse farm are that when buying a horse, you must buy it in the whole column, and it is impossible for Yan Boju to pick carefully, that is, to see which one or two horses in the column look good, and choose it. This is because of Wang Shichang's face, otherwise there may be no chance to choose. This officer and soldier have already been assigned to you directly. Despite this, the eighty horses were picked together after the selection. These people were busy until the evening. Of course, Wang Shichang watched it for a while and left. Zhang Zhimu told those officers and soldiers that they drank together in the evening after being busy. The officers and soldiers were overjoyed. Those who managed the horse farm, Zhang Zhimu also gave them silver according to the old rules. These people also cheered, saying that they had been looking forward to Zhang Dongjia coming to buy horses, so that everyone could still have some oil and water.

With the horses, Yan Boju had already asked people to move their luggage to the horse farm. This Yan Boju began to toss, and all the horses had to be re-classified. Because of the reputation of this 'Cybernaut', his qualifications in the kiln gang are old and high, and even Mr. Zhang gives three points of face. So Liu Chenghuang and these people were tossed enough by him.

Yan Boju was tossing over there, and Zhang Zhimu was also choked by Prince Tori who came from the grassland.

This Prince Tori originally wanted to buy more steel spring carriages from Zhang Zhimu. Because the steel spring carriage he bought last time brought him a great honor on the grassland. His carriage could run with the horses, and the news soon spread in the steppe. And this steel spring carriage is indeed very safe and reliable to use, and it is also very comfortable for people to ride. So Prince Torrey, this time he must buy a lot of steel spring carriages, he wants all his carriages to be replaced with steel spring carriages. But when he saw the carriage, he had to go up and sit in a circle. After this lap, he began to ask for the four-wheeled carriage again. Especially the glass carriage that asked Zhang Zhimu. Originally, Zhang Zhimu didn't want to use the glass carriage, so he gave it to them. But Chen Yufeng said: "They can't get used to what they want." ”

Therefore, Zhang Zhimu did not agree to give him the glass carriage, but this Prince Tori had to ask for it. In this way, Zhang Zhimu can't give it to him. So they told him that the carriage was for themselves. If you want that, bring him one the next time you come. But you can sell him other carriages.

There was no way, so the prince had no choice but to buy two other four-wheeled carriages. But he said he would still have to buy a lot of steel-spring carriages like the one last time. Zhang Zhimu said that the steel used in the current steel spring carriage is better than the steel of the last carriage, and welding technology is now used to make the carriage stronger and more reliable. If you want more this time, you can give him a cheaper price.

Prince Tori said he wanted to buy a hundred. Zhang Zhimu said: "One hundred cars can be three hundred and two. The last steel-reed carriage was five hundred taels a piece. The four-wheeled carriage was five hundred taels each. ”

Prince Tori has a lot of dealings with the Han Chinese and is very good at bargaining. In the end, the steel spring carriage was two hundred and fifty taels each, and Zhang Zhimu resolutely did not reduce the price of the four-wheeled carriage, so Prince Tori asked for one or two four-wheeled carriages.

The two sides made an agreement, and the next day they took the money and picked up the cart. Zhang Zhimu invited them to a meal at noon, because they had to go out of the city before closing the city gate. So I had to invite him to lunch at noon.

These Mongols got drunk when they drank wine, whether they were princes or commoners. Taking advantage of Prince Tori's drinking too much, Zhang Zhimu also pretended to drink too much, and deliberately said: "Prince Tori, we are good friends." As a good friend, I would like to say. You shouldn't have spent so much silver on a steel spring carriage. I've heard that your Mongol cavalry is coming. At that time, can't you just grab it? Why spend money. ”

This Prince Tori thought that Zhang Zhimu was talking about the Mongolian cavalry crossing the border in Zhangjiakou a while ago, and he said: "The cavalry who crossed the border this time are no longer the descendants of Genghis Khan, they are scum who surrendered to the Manchu Qing Dynasty and lost the face of their ancestors. Don't worry, we won't be calling us anytime soon, and we'll call when all the tribes over there are unified again. This is the mission of the descendants of Genghis Khan. ”

Zhang Zhimu deliberately spoke incoherently and asked, "Is it just for your golden treasure?" You're just calling? ”

"No, no, not just for the golden treasure. We also want to be the masters of the Han people. "Prince Tor doesn't even know what he's talking about.

"And where is the location of the treasure assigned by your tribe?" Zhang Zhimu asked him deliberately drunk.

But I didn't ask. When it comes to this issue, Prince Tori, who has drunk too much, is still alert. said, "You are Han, I can't tell you." Even the Mongols are known only to a few. This is the secret that the Immortal Heaven has given us. Won't tell you. ”

After drinking this wine, Zhang Zhimu knew. The Mongol tribes on the opposite side were fighting each other, and they were temporarily unable to attack the Ming Dynasty. In the past, it was the tribes that had surrendered to the Manchus who had been conquered by the Manchus. It is also proved once again that these tribes have treasure maps left by the Yuan Dynasty when they withdrew to the grassland, which means that the gold treasures left by the Yuan Dynasty exist.

This 'Cybernaut' didn't know that he was tired when he met the horse. It took three days to re-divide the horses. In the past three days, Lu Chengxiang's goods have also been prepared.

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By the way, I recommend "Memories of the Southern Song Dynasty", similar to this article, it is also a "technology flow" through the novel, but it takes place in the Southern Song Dynasty, Yashan, Anti-Yuan, Restoration, and European World Wars.