Chao Wen hurriedly asked, "How is it?" ”

Doctor Chao wiped the sweat on his forehead and said: "Don't worry, everything is going well, the back sores have been removed, the person is still under anesthesia, after being sent back to the ward, what to eat and what medicine to use must be arranged by the doctor and the nurse, you must not make your own decisions, if the wound does not suppurate after three days, it will basically heal." ”

Chao Wen thanked his family for helping the nurse and pushed his father back to the ward, and Chao Gai said goodbye when he saw that it was no longer a big problem, after all, there were still many things.

Chao Gai rode to the Yuncheng Horse Market, and Liu Liang sent someone to report that his caravan had purchased more than 230 mules from the Shangqiu area, and another caravan had trafficked 500 horses, so that Chao Gai could go over and have a look.

Seeing that Chao Gai was going out again, Wu Yong said: "Although Yuncheng is our own territory, we can't be careless, my brother is our head, safety must be guaranteed, at least one capable general and four entourage, and we must be cautious when going far away." ”

Chao Gai smiled: "Okay, you're right, you can't be careless in terms of safety, we have just started, but there are a lot of enemies, there are four elite guards, but there are no capable generals." Liu Tang is also highly skilled and careful, he has to stand alone, Chao Zhang and Chao Ran have average skills. Li Kui practiced hard, and a pair of big axes rarely had opponents, but he couldn't be a bodyguard, and the Ruan brothers were not suitable. ”

Wu Yong was also helpless, shook his head, and said, "Let's talk about it when I meet the right one." Wu Yong also knows that it is not easy to choose a bodyguard, if he is good and famous, people may not be happy, Li Kui is not smart enough to dare to fight, and he is slow to find danger. The skills are average and not useful.

Chao Gai took Li Kui and four guards and a group of six people to rush to the Yuncheng horse market, today's horse market is already different from the past, and it is becoming more and more prosperous. Horses, cows, mules, donkeys, and even the occasional camel or two.

Li Qingzi, who was in charge of livestock farming, also arrived with two veterinarians, who were there to inspect the mules that had been trafficked back from Henan.

"The owner is here." Li Qingzi said.

"These mules look good, tall and powerful." Chao Gai said.

Li Qingzi said with a smile: "It's good, but the owner of the village still distributes these mules to the caravan and farmland, our farm doesn't want this, just waste forage." ”

Li Kui was puzzled and asked: "Why don't farms want it?" ”

"Mules can't give birth to baby mules, and the probability of breeding offspring is too low. They eat less than horses and dry more than horses. He can pull carts, plough the land, and carry things, and is an all-rounder, which is more useful for caravans or farmland. Li Qingzi explained.

Li Kui didn't know why, and looked at the huge little brother of the mule in a daze.

"You ask the veterinarian to select 200 horses, and the remaining 30 or so are left on the market." Chao Gai said.

At this time, Liu Liang arrived, pointed to a large group of horses not far away, and said, "Look, the owner of the village, this is a full five hundred horses, and the same is the Northern Prairie Pony." ”

"It's the same as Duan Jingzhu and their dealers, where did this horse dealer come from, and his strength is not small." Chao Gai sighed.

Liu Liang said with a smile: "This boss's surname is Shi, he is less than twenty-seven or eighteen years old, and his strength is not small, but he is about to die." Although our Great Song Dynasty lacks horses, whether it is farmers plowing land, pulling carts, or the army choosing war horses, all choose tall horses, so the grassland pony is very difficult to sell. Of the 600 horses sold by this caravan, it took half a year to sell 100 horses. ”

Chao Gai also understood that the Mongolian horse is not yet famous, the Mongolian horse is with the rise of Mongolia, with Genghis Khan swept the world to become famous, at present, the Liao State and the Jin State that rose after the rise also like tall horses, Yanyun Sixteen Prefectures are rich in horses are basically high-headed horses.

Although Mongolian horses are short, they are fast and enduring, resistant to roughage, strong disease resistance, not afraid of severe cold in winter, not afraid of scorching heat in summer, and can be done in a straw hut without any comfortable stables.

"Where's the boss of the horse dealers?" Chao Gai asked.

"At the Tianya Inn, I'll take the owner of the village."

Chao Gai said: "No need, you have a lot of things, go and get busy." Li Kui and I went over and it was done. ”

Chao Gai arranged for guards to be outside the store, and took Li Kui to the guest room to find the owner of the horse seller.

Under the guidance of the shopkeeper, Chao Gai knocked on the door of the boss's room, and the person who opened the door was a young man of twenty-seven or eighteen, about one meter seven tall, but very strong, his fists and faces were smoothed, and he looked like a practitioner.

Chao Gai clenched his fists and said, "Are you the owner of the five hundred horses in the horse market?" ”

"Exactly, are you buying a horse?" The man asked.

Chao Gai said: "Don't invite us in to sit." ”

This person is tall and burly, with thick eyebrows and big eyes, and he is not a mortal at first glance, and the man who follows him is also unusually strong, with a beard like steel needles.

"It's rude, two of you, please."

The guest sat down, and this person said: "Below is the Jiankang Mansion people's clan, called Shi Xiu, this batch of horses was sold by my uncle, but my uncle was sick and stayed in Zhending Mansion to recuperate." We met Duan Jingzhu, who went to Northland to do business, and he saw that I had a lot of horses and asked me to try my luck at the newly opened horse market in Yuncheng. ”

Chao Gai hugged his fists and said: "It turned out to be Shi Xiu, who is known as the desperate San Lang, disrespectful and disrespectful, and below is Yuncheng Chao Gai, this is my brother Li Kui." ”

Shi Xiu heard that it was Chao Gai and hurriedly returned the salute, but he didn't even dare to say it.

"It's better to meet by chance, since meeting is fate, I love to make friends with heroes and heroes in the world, why don't you go to the hall for a drink." Chao Gai said.

Shi Xiu said: "I can't ask for it, it is a blessing to be able to drink with Brother Chao Gai and Brother Li Kui." ”

Li Kui was a little proud and asked, "Do you still know my name Li Kui." ”

"I heard Duan Jingzhu talk about you, Hei Li Kui has infinite strength, and he uses a good axe."

Li Kui laughed, and said in his heart that he was also a celebrity, and he was a little proud.

I ordered a few dishes and a jar of wine, and because there were many people eating here, I had to wait for a while.

"Brother Shixiu, there are no good gifts when we meet for the first time, I have a hundred Tang knives of stainless steel and 100 refinements here, you can see how it is." Chao Gai took a delicate Tang knife from Li Kui's body, the blade and handle were less than a meter long, and the cowhide scabbard was simple and unpretentious. I only felt a chill when I pulled it out, and the knife body was a delicate cloud-like pattern. The handle of the knife is also engraved with seal characters.

"This." Shi Xiu looked at Tang Dao's eyes straight.

Li Kui said: "Don't underestimate this knife, I'll let you open your eyes." Saying that, Li Kui took out a few copper coins, put one on the table, and the Tang knife was cut into two pieces with a wave, and then put it again, and when he was about to cut the fourth time, Shi Xiu got up and grabbed Li Kui's arm, and said: "Brother Li Kui, don't cut it again, this kind of treasure knife needs to be carefully maintained." ”

Chao Gai Knife: "The gift of the sword to the hero is the place to go, and this treasure knife will be given to the Shixiu brothers." ”

"This, this, is too precious, my brother doesn't dare to ask for it." Shi Xiu shirked.

Chao Gai said: "Brother Shixiu, don't be like this, what is a knife worth." Brother wandering the rivers and lakes, how can he defend himself without a sharp weapon. ”

"In that case, Shi Xiu is ashamed."

This year, the iron-smelting technology is not advanced enough, a steel knife often has to be repeatedly beaten and quenched for several months, or even a year to build a good one, not with money can be bought, the original blacksmith is not able to create this kind of good knife, recently Tang Long came, with Xie Gang's super steel test products to build this Tang knife, not first-class, but at least second-rate, sell hundreds of pieces or have. And with steel, it doesn't take so much effort to build this knife.

Chao Gai said: "I guess you also know that I am the owner of this Yuncheng Horse Market, and you don't know what price you plan to sell for this horse?" ”

"This horse is a horse that my uncle bought from the local military horse farm from Zhending Mansion, because the Northern Army doesn't look down on this short horse, a horse was bought for twelve guan money at the time, and it has been raised for a year, and the various costs are added together to a horse at least fifteen guan, I don't know how many horses my brother can want." Shi Xiu asked.

Chao Gai said: "You lost money when you bought this horse, and when you crossed the border to Liao, this horse is only seven or eight times, and it is sold for thirty times in bulk and sold in batches for fifteen times. I can't let you lose money, I'll give you sixteen pieces of horse, all of them, you see how it is. ”

Shi Xiu was teary-eyed and said, "My brother is my family's great benefactor, if this batch of horses can't be sold, my uncle will have to suffocate to death." Brother Chao Gai is so righteous, Shi Xiu really dares to covet gold and silver, so he will pay fifteen yuan a horse according to the cost price. ”

"Okay, that's the deal. Wait for the future business you will talk to Liu Liang Liu shopkeeper, how many of this kind of horses you have, I buy as many as I want, of course, the main thing is to need small-tongued mares, geldings, big-tongued horses try not to. In addition, I have all kinds of cheap tea cakes, tea bricks, porcelain, and silk here, and you can bring some with you when you go back to Zhendingfu, if you can transport them to Liao or Jin, you will definitely make a lot of money. ”

Shi Xiu said with a smile: "Now that the world is chaotic, it's okay to make a lot of money, but I don't want to make a lot of money." However, we are not familiar with Liaodi, I'm afraid it will be difficult to do, so I'll bring some less goods back this time to try. ”

When the wine and food came up, Chao Gai, Li Kui, and Shi Xiu drank in a big bowl, chatting very speculatively, and drank for more than an hour, Shi Xiu was dizzy, Li Kui was also dizzy, only Chao Gai was sober.

Liu Liang turned around and talked to Shi Xiu about some relevant details, settled the horse money, and the five hundred horses returned to Chao Gai.

Liu Liang said: "Five hundred horses are sold in Yuncheng, I'm afraid they will be sold for a year, after all, it is impossible for us to have a big sales in this small place, so it is better to ship them to Tokyo to sell them quickly." ”

"Don't sell it, give it out on credit. I intend to leave two hundred geldings for the cart or as a reserve horse, and the remaining three hundred mares will all be given out on credit, and we will equip a few more big donkeys to breed these mares, and only return the three mules and foals, and the horses will be completely theirs. Chao Gai said.

"It's a good way, we can't take care of everything ourselves, but the time cycle is a bit long, and the people who buy horses on credit also need to be carefully selected and make strict contracts." Liu Liang said.

"I'm only responsible for the general direction, and you can decide the details. Horses, cows, and donkeys can all come in this way, of course, mainly horses, and this year at least 3,000 horses, 1,000 oxen, and 1,000 donkeys will be sent out on credit. I need to train a large number of mules. ”

Li Kui next to him was puzzled: "Why do you want so many mules, you can't run fast." ”

In fact, Liu Liang didn't understand, but he thought that Chao Gai also wanted to expand the car dealership or caravan, and Chao Gai didn't explain: "You'll understand when the time comes." ”