And of course. Han Gang took it for granted. His own son is an old Fengweng, his mother is an old Fengjun, and he is one of the largest families in Longxi County, and someone will give him face wherever he goes. What's more, there is also his son.

Feng Congyi took a sip of tea and cheered up: "Third brother, you haven't been back for many years, I don't know how much Longxi has changed now, the city has long been crowded with people, and the original field outside the city has long been surrounded by houses and merchants. The combined population of Fangkuo inside and outside the city is about to catch up with one-third of Qinzhou's Fangkuo. Now they all say that they want to expand the city and include all the residents outside the city, and the state government says that they will apply to the imperial court after the New Year. In a few days, maybe there will be a letter to you, please help the third brother. ”

"Listening to what you say, if you have the chance, I really want to go back and have a look." Han Gang said: "As for expanding the city wall for Longxi, how could this foolish brother not help? Needless to say, they will definitely make a move. However, how exactly the expanded wall is planned to be repaired, this will have to be explained to me first. Where the people, money, and materials are prepared, how big the scale is, and what the shape of the city wall is, you have to tell the foolish brother. ”

"Needless to say! If the third brother agrees to come down and help talk inexplicably, once the repair is not good, the third brother will not be blamed in the end. Feng Congyi immediately said, "When the time comes, I will definitely let the state yali explain it to the third brother." ”

Officials will also care about the affairs of their hometowns when they are away, and it is very common for the prefectures and counties to invite those important ministers in the townships who are officials in the court.

After saying everything that should be said, Feng Congyi inadvertently glanced at the desk and saw a piece of paper that Han Gang had placed on the table.

"Qingtang Qiang, Shayuan Supervisor, Baoma Law, Zhouyu ......" Feng Congyi frowned and looked at it, then turned around and asked, "This is the source of the military horses, right?" ”

"Hmm." Han Gang responded, "As a herdsman in the same group, although I don't want to take care of things, I always have to care about the situation in this regard, it's too ugly, and the foolish brother can't escape the responsibility." ”

Feng Congyi sat down with the paper, looked at it a few more times, and then raised his head and asked, "Third brother, how can the source of this military horse be left out of that place?" ”

"Where?"

"Female straight."

The so-called female straight is also a Jurchen. The barbarians entrenched in the northeast, the Jurchen who will cause trouble in the Han land and bring great disasters to Chinese civilization in the future.

"It's not that I didn't expect that the horse in the hands of the female straight, of course the foolish brother wants it. But how did Goryeo get around? Han Gang shook his head, "If Ma Zheng has foreign countries involved in it, it will be too much of a rebellion." ”

Speaking of the Jurchens, it is necessary to mention Goryeo. The Great Song Dynasty was separated from the Jurchen landscape, and the communication was inconvenient, and in most cases, it was necessary to transit through Goryeo.

"At the beginning of the year, didn't you send envoys to Goryeo, and what were you afraid of them doing?" Feng Congyi asked.

"It's An Tao who sent it, and now the judge of the Department of Health and Welfare. But it's useless, businessmen who do business don't do whatever the government says. ”

Since the eighth year of Xining, the imperial court has had formal contacts with Goryeo, a vassal state of the Liao State. Just last year, in order to deter Goryeo and boast of the strength of the Great Song Dynasty, the Son of Heaven Zhao Ji also deliberately asked the Mingzhou Shipyard to build a sea ship of ten thousand materials, and personally titled it 'Lingxu Zhiyuan Anji Shenzhou', at the beginning of this year, for the current judge of health and welfare Si Antao to envoy Goryeo.

Goryeo merchants acted as middlemen to earn the difference in trade between China and Japan, as well as between China and the Jurchens, from the founding of the country.

Nowadays, there are Chinese merchants and more often Goryeo merchants who do business with the Jurchens. It was not a day or two for the imperial court to get war horses from the Jurchens, but in the end, most of the treasures that these merchants got were Dongzhu, mink, deer antler velvet and other treasures, but there were few war horses.

"That's why businessmen are unreliable, and their eyes are in the eyes of money." Han Gang sighed.

Feng Congyi laughed and added two words to the paper, "Everything only looks at money, this is the duty of a businessman, and it can't be more reliable." The younger brother donated money and materials in various places, built bridges and paved roads, not for the sake of fame and good money. War horses are indeed of high value, but they are living creatures after all, they have to eat and drink on the ship, and if they pretend more, they will die of illness, and if they waste less space, they also violate the ban of the Khitans, but they are not as profitable and insured as the specialties of the north. ”

Han Gang looked at the word female straight on the paper and frowned for a long time. Today's Jurchens don't need to take it to heart, and with the current development of the Great Song Dynasty, they don't need to take it to heart in the future, but they have no one on the war horses in their hands

I heard that the number of tribute horses collected by the Liao State from the Jurchens every year is amazing, some say 10,000 or 20,000, some say 50,000 or 60,000, and some say 100,000 or 200,000 - of course this is impossible, but in terms of the minimum number, it is already very enviable to have one or two thousand - tribute horses do not cost money.

Moreover, the Liao State is not the court of the Song Kingdom, meat and vegetables are not taboo, large and small, nomadic origin, from the Khitan people on the grassland, their requirements for horses are more than ten times, dozens of times, and it is impossible to accept the slightest difference in quality. And in addition to the Jurchens, they also have the big horse farm of the grassland. The Khitans did not only squeeze the war horses from the Jurchens, but let go of the divination people on the grassland. I will not let go of other subject countries, Wu Duwan, Tide, Dongdan, Zhibugu, these big subject countries, Yueli Du, Caiali, Orimi, Punuli, Tieli These small tribes, and even Western Xia, which one dares not to pay tribute to the Khitans?

It's really enviable to say.

"Look at the little brother." Feng Congyi continued, "Let's see if you will be rewarded with an official position, and at the same time set up a special city department to be responsible for handling the business of the Jurchen tea and horse market." If you can occupy one or two islands and get close to the border of Liao, maybe you can get in touch more conveniently. ”

"It's about Liao, the court is not afraid of exploiting the people, but it is worried about extraneous branches. You can only buy small quantities. ”

"Then it can't be helped." Feng Congyi shook his head, "If it's just a small amount, it's not impossible to buy Tianzhu horses and big food horses, how many merchants live in Guangzhou Fanfang, but it's a pity that they are bought, and they can't raise good horses by relying on the group of people in the pastoral prison." ”

Ma Zheng's corruption is not caused by a single cause, but a collection of internal and external factors, which in Han Gang's view is almost insoluble. If you want to say that the official pastoral supervisors are not good, but the hundreds of thousands of war horses in the early Tang Dynasty were all from the pastoral supervisors, not private individuals. But if you want to talk about how good the official camp is, the current example can make people speechless - this is a problem of control, so that the wealthy and wealthy families regard the official pastoral supervisors as fat, and the court did not stop it from the beginning, and it has accumulated over time, and it is difficult to correct it now. Wang Anshi presided over the removal and merger of the pastoral superintendent, but he only admitted the reality.

The pastoral supervisors have all been removed, and there is only one sand garden prison left, which is of no use at all. Han Gang also did not have the power to return to heaven: "The rich are more than the law, and the poor are poor." Since the real war horses still have to be bought, it is better to simply use a small number of cavalry troops to cooperate with a large number of infantry, this is the right way for the Great Song Dynasty officials and troops to deal with the enemy, and it is better to continue. ”

Feng Congyi could also hear his cousin's helplessness, and echoed: "If you have any food in your hand, then you have to cook something." It's really a no-brainer. ”

"yes, that's the only way to do it." Han Gang tilted his head and said to Feng Congyi: "It's funny to say, there are people in the Herding Division who are now making up their minds, and they are going to plan some kind of horse farming method to force the rich to raise horses." ”

"Forcing the rich? I guess it was changed from the Baoma Law. ”

Han Gang corrected: "Protecting horses and raising horses are all voluntary. ”

Feng Congyi smiled, "The third brother has been a transfer envoy, why don't you know what is going on in the road?" Many places were forced to come when the horse protection law was implemented, and now the horse law has been changed, but it is just a correct name. ”

"It's just not right!" How could Han Gang not know about the bad methods of the local officials to improve their political performance, "As long as the imperial court does not recognize it, there is room for correction in the future." Once the name is corrected, everything that is wrong becomes right, and it is difficult to correct it. ”

He sighed, "Actually, you can't blame them, if it weren't for the abolition of all the pastoral eunuchs and the use of troops by the imperial court, where would people be forced to think of such an idea of infamy." forced the rich to raise horses, and the eight generations of ancestors didn't want to live in peace. ”

Feng Congyi suddenly narrowed his eyes: "Third brother, in fact, it's not impossible for someone to take the initiative to raise horses......

Han Ganghu looked at the sinister smile on his cousin's face suspiciously, "What can you do?" ”

Feng Congyi pursed his lips slightly, very proud, mysterious and secretive, "Third brother, do you know that Lu Dao, the rich family in Gongzhou, who has a lot of money, directly raises a team, and if he has less money, several families join forces to raise one." There are not many companies that do not hold the shares of a team, and the dividends of tickets and gambling money alone are a large amount. ”

Speaking of this, how could Han Gang not understand, his eyes lit up, and he blurted out, "Bet on horses?!" ”

"It's a polo ......" Feng Congyi was stunned for a moment, and then woke up, "It's betting on horses!" Now there is no gambling in the Keju League outside, there are thousands of gambling funds coming in, and in the playoffs and finals, I have never seen less than 10,000 yuan! ”

Han Gang Zhilu's cousin misunderstood, and he didn't say anything: "To form a polo team, there are more than a dozen pairs of horses and riders, and few families can afford to raise them." If it's just racing, long-distance and short-distance horseback riding, the family only needs to raise one or two horses, and the participants can be a little more. He stood up and walked briskly back and forth in the study, "Of course, it's good to have a polo team, and if you can afford it, you can play polo league." If you can only afford one or two horses, let them play and compete for the bid. Each has its own place to go. ”

"Then the little brother will arrange it!" Feng Congyi also jumped up, "After the third brother you go to the capital, you will organize the horseback riding competition in the capital." ”

"No, it's up to you to bring it up." Han Gang shook his head, "This is what you came up with by Brother Yi, how can Brother Fool take your credit?" After you mention it, the foolish brother will go to the book to approve it. ”