Luoyang.

It is still bustling with people, shoulder to shoulder, busy traffic, and a prosperous scene. The peonies in April are in full bloom and the fragrance of the flowers is intoxicating. Under the reflection of the bloody sunset, what Liu Ze saw was not the majestic capital of Luoyang, but the sunset of the Han Empire.

Liu Ze's caravan entered Luoyang City at sunset, Zhang Fei, Jian Yong and others had never been to a larger place than Zhuojun City, and they were amazed by the prosperity in front of them, and they were already dumbfounded, and no one had the heart to pay attention to Liu Ze's sunset sigh.

This is 179 AD, the second year of Emperor Guanghe of Han Ling, less than five years after the Yellow Turban Uprising, and only eleven years before Luoyang City was burned by Dong Zhuo. Liu Ze pinched his fingers and calculated the time left to him by history, the coming of the troubled times was only five years, what could he do in just five years? However, this qiē is not important, the important thing is that Luoyang, I came? From a bystander of an era, to a participant of an era, and finally to become a master of an era, although there must be a lot of twists and turns, there are many ways to go, but this first step has finally come out!

Found an inn and settled the convoy, Liu Ze said to Zhang Fei: "Brother Xian, you have worked hard all the way, when you arrive in the capital, you should be safer, you sleep in the guest room tonight, and your brother will guard the meeting for you." ”

Before leaving, Liu Ze made a division of labor, Jian Yong was in charge of the account books, and Zhang Fei was in charge of the convoy guards. Since leaving Zhuo County, along the way, Zhang Fei has fulfilled his duties, never leaving the team for a moment, and sleeping in the car every night. Liu Ze saw it in his heart and was very grateful, Zhang Fei's family was wealthy, and he was an only son at home, and he was pampered, where had he ever suffered from sleeping in the open, but he looked happy and didn't complain.

"No, I don't. Big brother, if you feel sorry for your brother, find me some wine. In the past few days, I have been suffocated," Zhang Fei stuck out his tongue, "Look, the gluttony has come out." However, when it comes to safety, you say it, and it's not bad for me to go wrong. ”

Liu Ze patted him on the shoulder and said, "Okay, no problem." There is no good wine in the inn, so I'll go outside and buy you a good wine. ”

Out of the inn, turn to the east, is the bustling Kaiyangmen inner street, countless restaurants stand up, even when the last watch, it is also brightly lit, the voice of the people is boiling. Liu Ze found a larger restaurant, and as soon as he walked to him, the clever guy greeted him early, and almost half-pulled and half-supported him into the restaurant.

Liu Ze casually ordered two dishes, and said, "Is there any good wine?" ”

The guy had a smile on his face. "Guest officer, you can ask, the good wine of our store is the first in the capital, Du Kang, Yanghe, Daughter Hong, Fenjiu from Bingzhou, Qujiu from Jiangnan, and Wine from Anxi, do you want that?"

Liu Ze thought that Cao Cao once had a poem: how to solve worries? Only Du Kang. Presumably, Du Kang was the most famous wine at that time. "Let's have a jar of Du Kang."

After a while, the wine and food were served, and Liu Ze only ate a few bites, and then wanted to pick up the wine and leave. Suddenly, the words of the adjacent table floated in his ears: "Now the business is becoming more and more difficult to do, the road to Yizhou is already difficult to walk, now it is good, it can't be done at all, the rest of the merchant is too picky, not Shu Jin at all, I pressed a warehouse of silk, when will it be sold." ”

Liu Ze heard it, turned around and saw that there was a long table next to it, and there were four or five guest officers dressed as businessmen sitting on the floor at the table, drinking and talking. He got up and bowed deeply, and the merchant was stunned at first, and politely returned the salute.

"Dare to ask this uncle, is it a Shu brocade business?"

"Exactly, what advice does the little brother have?"

"I heard my uncle's words just now, and I know that the road to Yizhou is cut off, somehow?"

"There was a flood in early spring this year, and the mountains in the valley and the valley collapsed, and the roads in the former Hanzhong were cut off, so it was even more difficult to go to Chengdu."

"The road between the slope valley and the Kei valley is blocked, isn't there still a meridian valley that can lead to Hanzhong?"

"You don't know this, Meridian Valley is difficult and difficult, and there are robbers infested, killing people and goods, we are doing a small business, so we won't have to pay for our lives." As he spoke, he looked Liu Ze up and down, and said, "Isn't the little brother also doing Shu brocade business?" ”

The peer is an enemy, Liu Ze denied it without thinking about it.

"No, there is a distant cousin who is doing business in Yizhou, and he is about to defect, thinking that if he can sell some pear fruits and the like, he can also earn a few entanglements."

Another merchant shook his head and waved his hand: "Wrong, wrong, the road is so far away, the road is bumpy, and before I reach Yizhou, the pear fruit will all rot." Little brother, if you really want to do business, I'll give you a trick, Yizhou has backward production and a shortage of iron tools, you have to sell these farm tools from plows, hoes, shovels and rakes, and you will definitely make a lot of money. ”

Before Liu Ze could speak, the short and fat merchant smiled and said, "Han Lao Liu, don't blow it blindly, you have been to Chengdu many times, and I haven't seen you bring a few hoes over?" ”

Han Lao Liu blushed and said: "The main thing is that the iron tool is too heavy, and it is not worth it if you take less, and you can take more mules and horses and do not move." I tried it once a few years ago, and I was so tired that I threw them all away before I even reached the Sword Pavilion. But I'm telling the truth, Jia Laosi, right? ”

Jia Laosi, a short and fat merchant, nodded and said, "That's right, the price of iron tools is at least five or six times the price over there, but now let alone transporting iron tools, even if you want to transport chicken feathers, it will be in vain." Little brother, I heard that your accent is Yandi, right? ”

"Exactly, it is from Zhuo County, Youzhou."

"Then you better go back, and come back next year when the road is open."

"There are important things to do in Yizhou, and I can't wait for next year, if the Meridian Valley is still passable, I have the heart to try it down."

Jia Laosi shook his head and said: "Last month, Boss Wang of the Yuantong Warehouse hired more than a dozen bodyguards with strong martial arts to break into the Meridian Valley, and was robbed by robbers in Taibai Ridge, leaving no one alive. ”

Han Lao Liu continued: "Sixty-four people went out, and when they came back, the carriage pulled back sixty-four heads, one word, miserable!" ”

Liu Ze was indignant and said: "Lang Lang Qiankun, peaceful and prosperous, these thieves are too rampant, don't the government care?" ”

"Today's government is only obsessed with selling official positions, building a large number of buildings, often being in power, virtuous and difficult, and even good officials like Cai Yilang who dare to speak out, have been deposed, who still has the heart to deal with a few bandits who rob the road in a deserted place." Speaking of this, Jia Laosi sighed.

The merchant of the East Seat, who had not spoken, said: "Don't talk about state affairs, don't talk about state affairs!" ”

Jia Laosi also felt speechless, kept silent, picked up the wine glass and drank it all.

Seeing that Liu Ze had been standing, Han Lao Liu said, "Little brother, sit down and have a drink." ”

Liu Ze arched his hand and said: "Thank you for your advice, I'm sorry to bother, I still have something to do next, and I will leave." So he paid for the wine, carried the wine jar, went out of the restaurant, and looked at the inn.

During the reign of Emperor Ling, Liu Ze was not unaware of the corruption of the imperial government, the eunuchs were in power, the officials were betrayed, the loyal and virtuous were all slaughtered, the construction was carried out, the land was occupied, the people were not able to make a living, and the social contradictions were further intensified, which led to the Yellow Turban Rebellion. These are all from the history books, and you won't feel this atmosphere without experiencing it yourself. The singing and dancing in front of him are leveling, and the drunken gold fans are in stark contrast to the displacement of the people on both sides of the Yellow River, and the sale of children and daughters. This court has rotted from the roots, there is no cure, and its demise is an inevitable end. Liu Ze felt more and more that time was pressing, he didn't have time to wait, and he really didn't pay attention to the few thieves on the Qinling Mountains.

Speaking of ironware, this made Liu Ze's heart move, he never thought of going to Yizhou to bring some goods, but the words of a few merchants gave him an idea. Iron tools cannot be transported to Yizhou, and Yizhou iron tools must be at a high price; Shu Jin is not out of Yizhou, and Shu Jin is naturally profitable in Luoyang. If others can't do it, maybe God is giving itself a chance.

As soon as Zhang Fei saw the wine, he snatched it up, and poured half of the jar in one go, only then did he breathe a sigh of relief, and said with a smile: "Good wine!" The wine in this capital is good, mellow and fragrant, I haven't drunk it so happily for a long time. Big brother, why don't you have some too? ”

Liu Ze shook his head and said, "No." ”

Zhang Fei looked at him with the wine jar and said, "Big brother, it seems that you have something on your mind?" ”

"Nothing. Just now in the restaurant, I heard a few silk merchants talk about how several roads leading to Yizhou have been blocked by landslides. ”

"How's that for good?" Zhang Fei was anxious when he heard this.

"Nowadays, only the Meridian Valley is still passable, but this valley is difficult to navigate, and there are even thieves infested with it, which has killed many people."

Zhang Fei laughed and said: "Just go, if he doesn't meet a few thieves, Grandpa Zhang counts him lucky, and if he does, he can only blame his father and mother for letting him cast the wrong baby." ”

Liu Ze also smiled slightly, Zhang Fei was a first-class fierce general in the Three Kingdoms, and he drank Cao Cao's million male soldiers in Dangyang Changhan Slope with a broken drink, although he is now young, but he is brave and brave, how can he be afraid of a few bandits.

In the early morning of the next day, Liu Ze and his entourage went straight to the blacksmith shop, and Liu Ze used 8 million of the 10 million yuan of all the funds to buy a number of agricultural tools such as plows, hoes, shovels, and rakes. It is rare to meet such a big buyer, the owners of these blacksmith shops are happy, and after some bargaining, they also happily gave away dozens of high-quality steel ring head knives, and Liu Ze also specially picked a jade-inlaid sword for himself. Entering the Iron Age, the knife gradually replaced the sword as a close-quarters weapon on the battlefield, but Liu Ze still likes to use the sword, perhaps this has something to do with the martial arts novel complex of his childhood, in his opinion, the lightness and elegance of the sword is more poetic.

Zhang Fei and Jian Yong were confused, and it was not until the convoy left Luoyang in a hurry and Liu Ze had time to slowly tell the truth that the two suddenly realized. Zhang Fei said: "For a long time, my eldest brother wants to sell iron tools to Yizhou to sell, I thought that my eldest brother was going to take us to Yizhou to open up wasteland." It made everyone laugh.

Out of Luoyang all the way to the west, through Hongnong through Tongguan, straight to Chang'an. However, Liu Ze did not enter Chang'an, and turned south at Baling, east of Chang'an, and went straight to the Meridian Valley. In the past few days, most of the roads were flat and spacious, and the speed was relatively fast, but the closer to the Qinling Mountains at this time, the terrain increased sharply, and the roads became bumpy and narrow.

On this day, the unreachable Qinling Mountains have clearly appeared in front of you, and the towering peaks are majestic and steep, which is daunting. Liu Ze knew that he was about to enter the deserted Meridian Valley, so he ordered the convoy to enter a town at the foot of the mountain to make a sharp point, and replenish enough drinking water and dry food for ten days.