After saying goodbye to Ruan's three heroes and walking for a while, Chao Yong remembered that he only knew a general direction, but he didn't know how to go, so he had to ask: "How many miles are there to get to Tokyo?" ”

Chao San shook his head and said: "I'm just familiar with the ground of Jingdong, but I haven't been to Tokyo, but I heard that it is about a thousand miles." ”

If you walk thousands of miles, you will have to go back and forth for twenty rì, but you will miss your own Tai'an Prefecture.

"Where can I buy fast horses?"

"Young farmer, slow to talk about fast horses, even horses can not be bought all the time. Shi Jingjiao ceded the sixteen states of Yanyun to Liaogou, and after the Western Xia reversed, the Great Song Dynasty had no place to raise horses. The five members of the imperial court horse army may not have a horse. Jeju Horse Market Sangpyeong Rì is just some stupid donkeys and mules, but there are very few horses. Only when there are horse dealers who come from the north to sell horses, but many good horses are bought by the state capital in the north along the way, but our Jingdong is a rare good horse. The owner of the black horse took a lot of effort, and it took more than a dozen to buy it in Jeju, and the young village mainly rode a horse, so it was better for us to go back to the village to get it, and the province went for nothing. ”

Chao Yong also knew that the Song Dynasty had young horses before, but he didn't expect that even the horse market was so depressed, so he thought about it and returned to Zhuangzhong, if he let his mother know that he was going to Tokyo to extract his teeth, he was afraid that it would be difficult to make the trip, so he had to say: "Anyway, we want to go south, so we will go to Jeju to try our luck, even if we buy two horses." I really can't do it, so I buy it while walking in the state capital along the way. ”

There was nothing to say all the way, and the two of them arrived at Jeju City at noon, but this horse market was outside the city, and the horses and donkeys could be heard neighing from a distance.

Although Chao San is accustomed to going south and north, after all, the young man's heart is xìng, and he heard the neighing of the horse, and said happily: "The young owner is lucky, listening to the neighing of this horse, it must be a good horse in the north, and there are a lot of them, but this is coming." ”

Chao Yong is also very happy, if he can buy a good horse, the trip to Tokyo will be much faster, and at the same time, he can cultivate tacit understanding earlier, and he will also have a good helper when he goes into battle.

The two of them walked a few steps briskly, came to the horse market, ignored the pungent sāo smell, and walked to the crowded place.

"It's been a long time since I've seen such a wonderful horse, but the asking price is a little higher."

"Yes, there are only twenty ordinary horses, but the people of Zhuozhou offer fifty yuan, but they are worth the money, and these horses are rare miracle horses. They are carrying their heads again and selling them from the Khitan, and it is inevitable that the price will be higher. ”

In order to maintain the advantage on the battlefield, the Liao State forbade the trafficking of war horses to the Song Dynasty, while the Song Dynasty was very generous to cross-border horse dealers, not only did not charge taxes on the horses trafficked, but the horse dealers carried other goods for trafficking, and the border soldiers also turned a blind eye, which was regarded as encouraging them to sell horses to the Song Dynasty.

It took a while for the two to squeeze to the front. I saw more than a dozen good horses tied there, Qingqi, Zilu, Chitu, Wuqi, and Huangbi, several of which were not inferior to Chao Gai's horse.

Chao Yong only glanced at one of the black horses, which was black satin-like, shiny, and strong, and the joints and tendons of the limbs were strong, and when he was standing, the other horses also gave way to the horse, as if he was the leader.

Chao San took a fancy to a yellow horse, although it was not as strong as the black horse, but it was also a rare good horse.

After the two of them picked out the horses, Chao San said, "How much do those black horses and yellow horses sell?" ”

The horse dealer cāo said with a northern accent: "This black horse is the first horse, even in the north, and it can also be said to be a good horse in a thousand." It really takes a hundred, and the rest of the horses are fifty. ”

Chao San said: "The good horses in the north are only sold for thirty yuan, your price is too high, right?" ”

"The guest officer doesn't know, now that the war between Liao and Dajin is tight, the country is strictly forbidden to traffic horses, and there are soldiers everywhere who are checked. And these horses are all one in a hundred, even in the Liao country, they are also good war horses. ”

"Having said that, the asking price is still a little higher, two horses for a hundred times."

The horse dealer obviously wanted to make this business too, after all, he had come from a long way, and the entanglement had been exhausted, and everyone had to eat and drink. After thinking about it for a while, he said, "Wait a minute, my eldest brother has to decide this matter." ”

After saying that, he ran to the pergola in the distance. After a while, he was seen following a red-haired and yellow-bearded man.

Chao Yong looked at the man carefully, although he was skinny and thick, he was also unconventional. I thought that Liang Shan came alone, and Duan Jingzhu, the golden retriever, was the culprit who caused Chao Gai to hit Zengtou City and was killed by an arrow.

Under the leadership of the horse dealer, Duan Jingzhu walked up to the two of them, hugged his fists and said: "The two sons are polite, it is indeed not easy for me to wait for this trip, if it is to rì, it is indeed the price of thirty yuan." But now the investigation in the Liao State is tight, I waited all the way to copy the trail, and on the way I still encountered a Khitan investigation, a brother sacrificed his life to entangle the Khitans, and we were able to escape. I think the two of you are also sincere to buy horses, if you can produce one hundred and twenty runs, the two horses are yours, otherwise I would rather send the horse to Dongxi Village Chao Tianwang Mansion to try their luck, I just heard that he is a person who loves to walk horses and dance guns, and he is righteous and squandering money, and he often came to this horse market to see horses before. ”

When Chao San heard this, he smiled proudly: "Then you don't have to go a long way, Chao Tianwang is the owner of my family, and this is the young owner of my family." ”

Duan Jingzhu had already seen that Chao San was just a servant, and Chao Yong was the master of the money, but he didn't expect that Chao Yong was the son of Chao Tianwang, so he hurriedly hugged his fists and said: "It's a joke for the young owner, Duan Jingzhu has eyes and doesn't know Mount Tai, Duan Jingzhu has just come to Jeju on the ground, and he has not had time to go to Tianwangzhuang to pay a visit, and he also invited the young owner Haihan." This horse has met the master today, and the villain doesn't want much, a hundred times, and the two horses are owned by the young owner. ”

When businessmen from the rivers and lakes arrive in Jeju, they usually go to Chaogai Village to post stickers in exchange for Chaogai's mark to ensure that there are no ruffians and scoundrels in Jeju.

This is not a forced thing, it is all voluntary, and spending some money to do business saves a lot of trouble, and local idlers can also go to Chaogai Village to get some when they have no money, and they don't have to go to sāo to disturb the merchants, and the government also saves a lot of trouble, which can be said to be an unspoken rule in ancient times.

Chao Yong also knew some inside information, and knew that Duan Jingzhu had asked twenty taels more to pay protection money, so he shook his head and said: "You are also making a living on the knife edge, this time you broke another brother, and the worship post will be exempted, so according to your previous words, I will buy these two horses for one hundred and twenty yuan." Chao San, take the money. ”

Duan Jingzhu still wanted to excuse himself, but when he saw that Chao Yongzhen meant to confiscate the sample money, he accepted it with peace of mind, hugged his fists and said: "The young owner is generous, I thank the young owner for my brothers." If the young owner does not dislike it, I will let the original harness be installed. ”

Chao Yong's purchase of horses came in handy, and he didn't pay so much attention to it, so he smiled when he heard this: "Then thank you to Brother Duan, I can't respect it, how about the younger brother invite my brother to eat a few glasses of wine?" ”

Duan Jingzhu hesitated slightly, looked at the crowd around, and thought about it, the rest should not be sold, and Chao Tianwang was famous in Jingdong, and he had a friendship with Chao Yong, and it was much more convenient to walk in Jingdong after rì.

Thinking of this, Duan Jingzhu called a horse dealer, gave a little command, and went into the city with Chao Yong to eat and drink.

Chao San was familiar with Jeju, and led the two to find a big restaurant to sit down, and after a few bowls of wine, the two of them felt that they had lost so many raw points.

Chao Yong said: "I don't know where my brother has always sold horses? ”

"We are not afraid of jokes, but our brothers are different from ordinary horse dealers. The horses we sell are all good horses stolen from the Khitan horse farm. After that, all the way to the south, if the Khitan people investigate tightly, they will be arrested in Hebei. Let's sell it to Jingdong, if the investigation is not strict, it will be sold in Hebei. It's not that we boast, this means of horses and horse taming, I don't lose to those Khitans who grew up on horseback, so I dare to go to the tiger's mouth to extract teeth, and this trade is also unique in the north. ”

After a few bowls of wine, Duan Jingzhu also found that Chao Yong had no strong sons in all places he had seen before, and he was also a corporal of Lixian for such a reckless man, so he also told the truth.

"Brother, good ability, good courage. Chao Yong salutes you a bowl. ”

Chao Gai fights righteousness and squanders wealth, and his prestige is also made with a pair of fists, which can be said to be a powerful Jingdong, so friends in the rivers and lakes are also willing to go to him to pay homage in exchange for his protection in Jingdong, which can be said to be a big man in the rivers and lakes. However, the eaves and walls, jumping fences and cheating horses are the ninth rate of the rivers and lakes, and they are most looked down upon, so Duan Jingzhu did not dare to take the initiative to go to Chao Gai to pay his respects, for fear of making Chao Gai unhappy.

Hearing Chao Yong's praise, Duan Jingzhu was flattered and raised the bowl, drank it all, and said: "The trick is not worth mentioning, it is not worth mentioning." The younger brother came all the way south, and heard that everyone in the rivers and lakes said that there was a Chao Tianwang who fought for righteousness and squandered money, and a pair of iron fists beat all over Jingdong invincible. There is also a timely rain Song Gongming, who specializes in saving people in danger, but unfortunately he succumbs to the official office as a small official. ”

In the middle of the Water Margin, Duan Jingzhu was somewhat suspected of conspiring with Song Jiang to kill Chao Gai, but Chao Yong didn't want to talk to Duan Jingzhu about Song Jiang, and said with a smile: "Everyone has their own ambitions, the younger brother heard that the Liao State was fighting with the Jin Kingdom, but I don't know what is going on now?" ”

"The Jin Kingdom was established by the female straight people in the north, and the leader called Yan Agu to fight, and the army was only 2,500 people at first, but then it fought more and more, captured many places, and defeated the 700,000 army of the Liao State with 20,000 troops in Hubu Dagang. Therefore, there is a saying that women are not more than 10,000 and are invincible. After this battle, the Liao State was completely lost, and it no longer had the strength to attack, but only divided its troops to guard the key places. The Jin State has become stronger and stronger, and has almost captured the western Liaoning region in recent years. I saw a female straight man in the north once, born xìng barbaric and untamable, fighting to forget about life and death, often with injuries and fighting, I am afraid that it will not be long before the north of the Song Dynasty will change to a country of tigers and wolves. ”

Chao Yong originally thought that Duan Jingzhu was only familiar with the geography of the north and could sell war horses that were in short supply in the Song Dynasty, but he didn't expect him to have such knowledge.

"What my brother said is that the Khitan people have been founding the country for a long time, yearning for the prosperity of our dynasty and learning from my Han etiquette culture, but the wild xìng has gone a lot, and the frontier has been much calmer over the years. If it is replaced by the Jin country, I am afraid that the people on the frontier will suffer a lot more. It's a pity that those people who live in the court are not as good as you and me, and they set up the plan of Lianjin to destroy Liao, and they also wanted to take advantage of the situation to recover the sixteen states of Yanyun, but they didn't know that they would lose more in the future. ”

Duan Jingzhu also looked at Chao Yong with some consternation, he had seen the cruelty of female straighteners, so he knew that he was keeping the benefits of Liao. Unexpectedly, this seventeen or eighteen-year-old Chao Yong guessed so much just by hearing about it. However, the incident of Lianjin's destruction of Liao made him even more stunned, he didn't expect that the talented Song State would actually make such a reckless strategy.

Duan Jingzhu knew that the female straight people regarded human life as a mustard, and the Liao State was destroyed for a few years, so he was unwilling to hand over life and death to the female straight people, so he had the intention of moving to the Song State, but he didn't expect the Song State to actually want to form an alliance with the Jin State to attack the Liao State. The Jin State fought the Liao State like a bamboo, and the war between the Song State and the Liao State was more defeated and less victorious, and the Jin State could not help but see through the reality of the Song State, and it would inevitably give birth to a covetous heart.

"Song wants to form an alliance with Jin to attack Liao?"

The alliance at sea is Chao Yong knows from later history that the two countries should have begun to contact now, and have not yet formally formed an alliance. In the Song Dynasty, the people's discussion of politics was relatively zìyóu, but because Chao Gaizhuang was full of people in the rivers and lakes, few people cared about the political affairs of the court, so Chao Yong did not know whether this alliance had spread.

Chao Yong pretended to smile mysteriously: "An alliance will inevitably be formed in a year and a half, and you will know it then." ”

Duan Jingzhu saw that Chao Yong didn't want to say more, so he didn't ask anymore. However, he was ready to move south, and he saw that Chao Yong had a lot of knowledge, and his path seemed to be very wide, and he was even more willing to make friends, and there was a lot of flattery in his speech.

Chao Yong ate a few more bowls and said: "The younger brother loves horses, and he is willing to buy some horses at a high price, but this time he has something to do when he goes out, and he doesn't have a lot of money with him, otherwise he will buy all the horses of his brother." After three months, no matter how many horses the elder brother sells from the north, the younger brother is willing to buy them for fifty taels each. ”

Duan Jingzhu felt that Chao Yong's path was wider, and his heart to make friends was more determined, and said with a smile: "Brother Yong'er saves us from running around to sell again, and I can't help but be interested." If you get a horse, you must send it all, no matter how difficult the journey is, and the price will be at the market price, thirty times a horse. ”

Chao Yong took out a bronze medal engraved with the word Chao and said with a smile: "This is my father's number plate, and it is more convenient for my brother to walk on the ground in Jingdong." ”

Duan Jingzhu often walks the rivers and lakes, and has also heard of Chao Seal. The Jianghu worship post is exchanged for a wooden token with a rì period written on it, and it will be invalid if it expires. Chao Gai's subordinates walk the rivers and lakes with an iron medal, but the bronze medal represents Chao Gai himself.

Duan Jingzhu saw that Chao Yong took out the bronze medal of Chao Gai, and couldn't help but exclaim: "The bronze medal of the Heavenly King, but the younger brother didn't dare to use it without permission, and asked Brother Yong to put it away." ”

Chao Yong took Duan Jingzhu's hand, put the bronze medal in Duan Jingzhu's hand, and said with a smile: "You and I are like each other at first sight, and my brother will accept it." ”

Duan Jingzhu has been walking the rivers and lakes for many years, how can he have been treated so kindly, looking at Corporal Lixian's Chao Yong, he also gave birth to the idea of the death of a soldier as a confidant.