After the song of the dynasty, it is officially entered the territory of Qingzhou.

In fact, the border between the two places is not very clear, and at the junction, there are no dense fortresses and beacon towers, and there are no murderous border guards like facing the enemy, but there are a few sentry posts on the border.

Ma Dai was still a little nervous at first, and secretly prepared to be interrogated by the other party, who knew that although those sentries were clearly dressed and armored, and they looked energetic, they were completely unconscious. They will answer when someone goes up to talk to them, or they ignore it even if someone passes by directly.

Ma Dai remembered his identity, and of course he would not take the initiative to find trouble.

In fact, the most obvious sign of the dividing line is actually seen from some aspects that have nothing to do with military affairs, the most important of which is people...... A lot of people!

Ma Dai once thought that the march of 300,000 troops was spectacular enough, but when the group arrived in Yanjin and saw the crowds of people around the pier, he was so shocked that his scalp was a little numb.

It wasn't fear, it was just that he had never seen and never expected to see such a dense crowd.

Around the pier, it has become a bazaar-like place. The overall layout is a bit scattered, but the first thing anyone will notice is the wide street that connects to the gallop road and runs parallel to the river.

The street is almost three times wider than the road, and the length is not much longer than the usual street, and there are all kinds of shops on both sides, and many of them are buildings, and there are even three floors on the second floor, and there are people and acquaintances at the door who are loudly greeting customers.

Pedestrians on the street can even be described by the word 'crowded', looking up. It's all heads. In addition to these shops, a circle was drawn on the street. There are also stalls selling special products, carrying a bamboo basket and shouting to sell food and snacks, which adds to this lively atmosphere.

Ma Dai is from Wuwei, one of the most inhospitable places in the Han Kingdom, and just a few months ago, he entered the city of Chang'an. Although it was Chang'an City after the war disaster, what he saw and heard still opened his eyes and amazed. But even the most prosperous Vermilion Bird Avenue in Chang'an City is not as popular as one-tenth of this nameless wharf.

Ma Dai and the guards were stunned, almost forgetting to dismount, and Ma Yunluo in the car also stared at the scene in front of him in amazement. I was stunned for a moment. The little girl reacted completely differently from her brother and the others, and she cheered. Jumped out of the carriage and rushed towards the crowd in front of him.

Ma Dai was also too shocked, and his reaction was half a beat slower, and when he reacted to stop drinking, he saw that the girl's smaller figure had disappeared into the crowd, where could he find it?

He just complained in his heart, hurriedly ordered a few people to stay behind, and chased after him. If you want to spy on the military. I didn't meet an enemy, but I lost my own people because of the excitement, which was really a big joke.

Squeezing into the crowd, Ma Dai quickly lost his way. There were so many people and things that he was dizzying, and there were so many noises that his ears were ringing. There are so many people in this place, and everyone is going out of their way to show themselves, so it has the effect of making him dizzy.

"Lotus seed soup, fresh lotus seed soup, pure West Lake lotus seeds, clear fire and delicious!" In addition to the sound and color effect, there is also the aroma, Ma Dai doesn't know what to pay attention to the West Lake lotus seeds, but the rich fragrance can really arouse people's appetite.

"Little brother, come and try my crab, it's a live sea crab, in this inland place, it's easy to eat!" Another vendor held in one hand a strange-shaped so-called 'crab', which Ma Dai had never seen before, and was skeptical that something so vicious could be eaten.

"Baked cakes, Lanzhou baked cakes ......"

The street vendors peddled mostly food, which was very attractive to those who looked like coolies in short costumes, and from time to time groups of people dressed up in such clothes would gather around.

If it is in Liangzhou, even if the poor haha are greedy, they can only watch it, or they will just rob it. And here, Ma Dai was surprised to see that those coolies dressed up didn't care about paying the bill, squatting on the side of the road with a bowl, and ate it in a big gulp.

Legend has it that Qingzhou is so rich, look at it now, it's really true, even these coolies can buy things to eat, and the food is all looking very expensive.

In fact, before leaving, Ma Dai had already made some psychological preparations for the prosperity of Qingzhou, but he believed that no matter how prosperous Qingzhou was, there could be no place too popular in the border area where military disasters would occur at any time.

The scene he saw in front of him was more than what he expected Gao Tang, even the small border port was like this, what kind of scene would the legendary Gao Tang be like?

Ma Dai couldn't think about it.

Finally, he was calm by nature, not blindly surprised and in a daze, and finally remembered the matter, but I am afraid that there are not thousands of people crowded on this street, and it is not easy to find a little girl in the sea of people?

Moving forward with the crowd, Ma Dai searched hard, and finally saw the familiar figure in front of a stall, he sighed, walked forward quickly, and before he could speak, Ma Yunluo turned around and pounced as if he had seen a relative.

Ma Dai was amazed, thinking that this little troublemaker was also afraid of getting lost, but as soon as he heard Ma Yunluo's cry, he immediately found a familiar feeling.

"Second brother, you're here, you must have money with you, right? Quick, quick, buy a few skewers of lamb to eat! Ma Yunluo looked impatient, and urged in a loud voice.

"......" Ma Dai was speechless for a while, and said depressedly: "What kind of mutton do you eat when you arrive in the Central Plains?" If you want to eat, you should eat something that you can't eat in the border area, such as lotus seed soup or something......"

He is now learning and selling, but what he said is not unreasonable, Xiliang is barely a part of the grassland, and the locals, regardless of Han Hu, also make a living from nomadism. Mutton is to the people of Xiliang what corn is to the people of the Central Plains, although not everyone can afford to eat it at once. But it's the main food.

"Second brother, I didn't say you. You are too old-fashioned, how is the mutton in Qingzhou the same as in Guanzhong? "Although he has just arrived in Qingzhou for less than a moment, Ma Yunluo has crossed his waist and looks like he is quite similar to the previous Yang Chao, living like a native of Qingzhou." You sniff, sniff carefully, can this lamb skewer be the same as the mutton you've ever eaten? ”

No matter how much they cover it up, the words and deeds of Ma Dai and his party can't be covered, so everyone shows people in the name of Guanzhong merchants. Anyway, it's far away, where can the people of Qingzhou tell the difference between the people of Xiliang and the people of Guanzhong?

Ma Dai came this time, and he didn't have a definite goal. I don't have to spy on any military information, just as eyes and ears. Let's see if Qingzhou is the same as in the legend for Ma Teng, and the customs are also partial, otherwise even if Ma Yunluo will pester people again, it will be impossible for him to take the other party with him.

Therefore, after arriving in Qingzhou, in addition to trying to avoid the army's interrogation, his mentality is still quite relaxed, even if there is no matter of Ma Yunluo going missing. He also planned to wander around the bazaar, and get some news from the peddlers' pawns.

In fact, Ma Dai has already smelled the aroma, since he entered the market. He was surrounded by all kinds of scents. However, there are too many unfamiliar things, and he was in a hurry to find someone before, and he didn't have time to distinguish it in detail for a while, and after Ma Yunluo reminded him, he found that the aroma of the so-called mutton skewers in front of him was indeed different.

"This meat...... It's strange, why don't you feel sick, and it smells like this? ”

"yes, huh?" Ma Yunluo pointed to the fat boss on the other side of the charcoal stove and explained: "Uncle said that there is a thing called pepper in the seasoning, which was brought back by the merchant fleet in Qingzhou when they went to the South China Sea. ”

"Let's have a few strings, then." Ma Dai has never been able to refuse this cousin's request, not to mention that he is also very curious about this so-called seasoning brought from overseas.

"That's good, objective, you wait." The boss of the kebab looked very rich, smiling and very kind, while answering, he was flipping the meat skewers neatly, Ma Yunluo stared at the oily and fragrant meat skewers on the charcoal fire without blinking, Ma Dai just lamented in his heart, fortunately, no one recognized him here.

After a short time, the skewers were grilled.

The boss didn't ask what Ma Dai meant, and directly divided ten skewers and handed them over, and the rest were handed to other diners who came earlier than Ma Yunluo, and then under the continuous urging of others, a new one was baked.

Ma Yunluo has been there for a while, and looking at her title, it is obvious that she is a little familiar with the boss, and she may have already made up her mind to take credit first.

"Hot, hot, hot......" got the meat skewer, Ma Yunluo couldn't wait to take a bite, but he was burned all of a sudden, and while calling it hot, his mouth was not idle, "Well, well, although it is hot, it is also very fragrant, second brother, don't look at it, eat it quickly, it's not delicious when it's cold." ”

Ma Dai shook his head, he couldn't do anything about her, so he picked up a bunch and ate it. The taste of the entrance made me understand the girl's feelings, the tongue was numb, but a fragrance directly dissolved, in Xiliang, where is very scarce in salt, where can you eat such a carefully conditioned barbecue?

Ma Dai only felt that the aftertaste was endless, and immediately called a few guards, planning to solve the lunch here.

The fat boss was not in a hurry to ask him to pay the bill at first, but when he saw the tall and tall appearance of several of his companions, and heard Ma Dai say that he was going to eat openly, he couldn't help but be a little worried, and asked, "This little brother, have you brought enough money?" It's not expensive, but it's not cheap either. ”

"Isn't it just a few skewers of meat, are you afraid that we don't have any money? It's really a dog's eye and people are low! Ma Dai didn't speak, but one of the guards was irritable, but he was annoyed, and turned over the blanket around him, revealing a large amount of yellow, orange, and orange five-baht coins, and said in a 'hey' voice: "See?" Do you eat white food? ”

Although their wealth is not exposed, they are pretending to be Guanzhong tyrants who came to Qingzhou to purchase, so they naturally have to pretend to be a little bit like this. Ma Dai is not a person who is flamboyant, and it is said that the guards will come out to support the scene.

The money in this jacket is not too much, but there are hundreds of thousands of dollars anyway, and I thought that even if I couldn't stop everyone, I could scare a vendor who set up a stall on the side of the road.

As a result, the coolie diners glanced at it and turned their heads disapprerovingly, and the boss rubbed his hands. A little embarrassed and said, "A few people, this money is really not good......

"Wouldn't it? Just these few skewers of meat. How expensive is it? Ma Dai was surprised, hundreds of thousands of dollars are not much, and when the price of goods in Guanzhong rose at its highest, he could only buy a few buckets of rice, but even then, a few skewers of meat would not be more expensive than a few buckets of rice, right? What's more, those coolies dressed up are obviously dozens of strings. Dozens of strings screamed, and I didn't see the boss suspect that anyone couldn't pay the bill.

"It's not that the meat is expensive, but the money is not good...... the boss explained a few words, seeing that Ma Dai and the others were still at a loss, they were also a little embarrassed, thought about it, and suddenly asked: "It's the first time you come to Qingzhou, right?" And also avoided the sentry post on the road? ”

"You...... What do you mean? Ma Dai's vigilance suddenly grew. Several guards also subconsciously pressed their hands on their waists. Qingzhou is really not a good place, and it seems that the guards are relaxed. But even a roadside vendor is so vigilant, this is tight inside and loose outside!

The Ma family guards are all elites in a hundred battles, and this tension became tight, and the murderous aura suddenly rose in the air, and the fat boss was startled, hurriedly shook his hand, and explained: "Don't, don't get excited." I just want to tell you that the sentry post is specially used to exchange coins, and people who often enter and leave the country know it! ”

"What?" There are too many new terms in this sentence, although Ma Dai thinks he has done his homework beforehand. Still confused.

"Fat Zhang, you are also redundant to ask, isn't this little brother coming to Qingzhou for the first time? People who have never been to Qingzhou, how many people have not hid when they see the sentry of the official family? Especially they came from Hanoi......"

Those diners were eating by themselves, and even the murderous aura revealed by the Ma family guards did not affect them, but it was interesting to see Ma Dai's confused and surprised look, so someone interjected.

"Look at my memory, don't you just haven't noticed?" The fat boss slapped his head, and when he turned his head, he changed to the smile he had before: "Recently, there are fewer and fewer fresh faces, even if they come back, they will probably inquire carefully, but Guanzhong has just finished fighting, so it's no wonder that ......"

After listening to his explanation, Ma Dai gradually understood.

In fact, he knows a little bit about this, since the Han Wu era, the mainstream of the Central Plains has always been five baht money. Later, Wang Mang, Dong Zhuo and others issued new coins, but in the end they failed to circulate, only Qingzhou was an exception.

As early as when Wang Yu defeated Yuan Shao and occupied Hebei, the shogunate began to try to build new coins, from scratch, from small to large, so popular.

When Ma Dai first heard about this, he still heard it from Han Sui, and the latter's news was also obtained from Zhong Xuan, and he sighed for a while, saying that it is no wonder that the Qingzhou army is so rich that it is so rich that it mints money and issues it, and finally succeeds, how can it not be rich?

It was because of Han Sui's evaluation that Ma Dai left the impression in his mind that Wang Yu was skilled in collecting money.

Before traveling, for convenience, he also wanted to find someone to exchange some Qingzhou money, and it was convenient to use, but he couldn't find it. discussed with Han Sui, and the latter said that it may be an exaggeration of the rumors, and the coinage in Qingzhou may be similar to what Dong Zhuo did back then, and those inferior coins are not used at all, so they can only boast that they have succeeded.

When he met Yang Chao and others on the way, they were all ordinary five-baht coins, or other bad coins, so Ma Dai didn't take the matter of coins to heart, and as a result, he made a joke.

It turns out that Qingzhou's coins have only been circulated internally, and when they are external, they are all used in the original currency. Why is this, the fat boss and the diners can't say why, and finally simply took a few Qingzhou coins to show Ma Dai.

"This is the general's palace coins, there are three kinds of coins, gold coins are the most valuable, one is worth ten silver coins, and one silver coin is worth a hundred copper coins...... Our money, the fineness is real, gold is gold, silver is silver, and there is no money in the copper coin, even if it is five baht coins, it can't be compared, let alone the white coins minted by others. ”

Like the five-baht coin, Qingzhou's coins are also round, but there is no hole in the middle. One side of the coin is engraved with the pattern of a golden dragon, and the other side is the four characters of Kaiyuan Tongbao.

Not to mention that the coin carving is quite exquisite, and the volume and weight are also larger than ordinary five-baht coins, it is no wonder that the diners and the boss think that the hussar general may not want to let the good money outflow and cheapen others.

Under the influence of this mentality, the attitude of the local people towards foreign coins is naturally self-evident, whether it is to respond to the call of the General's Mansion to unify the financial order, or simply unwilling to suffer losses, there are only two words for foreign coins: refusal.

Ma Dai was embarrassed at this time, and retreated, and before leaving, he said that he would pay back the money after changing the money, otherwise it would be okay to leave someone here.

The fat boss waved his hand very generously, saying that it was just ten skewers of meat, it was no big deal, even if it was his own treat. He also told Ma Dai that those outposts were not only exchange points, but also consultation points, so if there was anything he didn't understand, just ask. At the end, he added, jokingly saying that as long as it is not a military secret, everything will be answered.

The diners were all laughing, and Ma Yunluo sweetly thanked him, and made the fat boss's bones a little crispy, but Ma Dai was sweating profusely, as if his identity was completely exposed.

In fact, Ma Dai's feeling can't be considered wrong, after they left, the smile on the boss's face disappeared, and his brows were twisted together, looking very embarrassed.

"Yo, people say that being promoted to get rich and dying your wife is the three great joys of life, and you are in charge, what's wrong with you? Do you want to beg for a small one before you get rich? Don't forget it, that girl looks so thoughtful, why can't it be your turn to kill pigs and sell meat! It doesn't matter if he frowns in a daze, he is responsible for cutting meat on the side, and the proprietress who is also very round can be pantothenic.

"Hey, what do you know?" The boss stomped his feet, ripped off his apron, and admonished: "Lady, you take care of this side first, and I'll come when I go." ”

"Hey, hey, hey, your temper is really growing, what's the matter, you are allowed to stare at other people's daughters to death, and slap your swollen face and be fat, and the old lady can't say two cool words? Want to pick a pick? Who to threaten? Today, we have to make it clear! ”

"Yes, do you listen to me," the daughter-in-law was entangled, and the boss couldn't help but laugh: "Where do you think I'm going?" I'm going to the yamen......" he said softly, "yes, it's the Red Mansion." ”

The proprietress covered her mouth in surprise: "Isn't it?" That girl's character, can it be...... Scouts? ”

"Who's to say that? Always report it to be reassuring. ”

"Well, that's what the boss said."

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