Quanzhou in the south and Dingzhou in the north, these are two very special cities in the Northern Song Dynasty.

Dingzhou is located in the north, in the border area of the Liao-Song Dynasty, where there is a field, and it is an important trading city of the Liao-Song Dynasty. In the Song Dynasty, grassland products such as war horses, furs, and iron could be exchanged from the Liao State; And the Liao State could also exchange grain, tea, salt, silk and other items from the Song State. The huge border trade enlivened the city, thus giving birth to a commercial group, the Dingzhou merchants, which can be regarded as the primary version of the Jin merchants.

And with the prosperity of border trade, smuggling is also popular. Some Dingzhou merchants relied on money to open up relationships and sold prohibited items to the Liao State, Western Xia, Jin State, etc., and the Song State's divine arm crossbows, gunpowder weapons, etc., all flowed into the grassland country in a steady stream. At the time of the Liao-Jin War, the Jin State was able to annihilate the Liao State in more than ten years, of course, because the Jurchens were brave and good at fighting, and there were also blood transfusions from Dingzhou merchants.

In the south, Quanzhou was the largest maritime trading port.

With the rise of Western Xia, the Hexi Corridor and Yumen Pass were cut off, and the overland Silk Road of the Song Dynasty was cut off, which was fatal to the Song Dynasty. One of the reasons why the Silk Road is very important to China is that through the Silk Road, silver and copper can be imported from other regions.

Copper and silver played the role of currency in ancient times, and with the development of the economy, the demand for copper and silver is also increasing, but China has always been a country that lacks copper and silver mines. In ancient times, there was a shortage of minerals such as copper and silver in China, and iron tools had to be prioritized because of the lack of copper. Because of the lack of copper mines, silk had to be used in the Tang Dynasty to implement the function of currency. Because of the lack of copper mines, the Song Dynasty had to implement iron money in the Sichuan area, and even sent letters to Jiaozi with a very bad reputation.

And silver ore is even more scarce, because there is little silver, in the Song Dynasty has always been the copper standard. In the market, the popular currency is copper money, and the transaction is mostly consistent money, double money, etc.; Only in the middle and high levels, on some special occasions, silver is used. It was not until the Ming Dynasty that Europe opened up new shipping routes, plundered gold and silver in the Americas, and finally flowed into China through trade, which alleviated the pressure of silver shortage.

There are many reasons why the Song Dynasty fought fiercely with the Western Xia for a hundred years, one of which is to open up the Silk Road in the west and obtain channels for gold, silver and copper imports. But after a fierce battle for a long time, Xixia was still like an immortal little power, towering there, but he couldn't die.

Because the Silk Road to the west was broken, we could only vigorously develop the Maritime Silk Road. Under these conditions, Quanzhou became increasingly prosperous and became an important maritime trading port in the south.

And the Song Dynasty has not suppressed merchants, which has brought a lot of harm, but the benefits are also obvious, the Song Dynasty was the richest country in history.

In the Song Dynasty, merchants, landlords, officials, scholars, etc., were themselves four in one. There are no pure merchants, no pure landlords, no pure officials, and no pure scholars, who are often linked to each other at many times, or even appear as one.

Scholars, if they are selected for the examination, are promoted, or even jinshi, etc., they will be granted many privileges, and they can be exempted from food tax, and those who do not need to serve in the military do not need to serve in the military. As a result, many peasants tend to be attached to the scholars in order to be exempted from grain taxes, conscription, military service, and so on, so the scholars are often rich peasants, landlords, and the like.

Scholars also believe in "supporting their families with their roots and making a fortune from the end", which involves business and businessmen.

In order to maximize profits, businessmen often rely on money to open the way and obtain the support of officials; In order to obtain more money and honor the officials, the officials also accept the courtesy's solicitation.

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And among all the strata and groups, the one at the top is the royal family.

I have to say that the royal family of the Song Dynasty in this era was tragic, they were kept in captivity like pigs; But they are happy, enjoy all kinds of privileges, and as long as they are not rebelling, they can live a very nourishing life. With political advantages, as long as you are not too incompetent, as long as you are not too loser, as long as you are not too wasteful, you can often earn a large piece of family business.

And Zhao Pu is one of such characters.

As the son of Song Huizong, as the current His Royal Highness King Yi, not only has the tax income of the fiefdom, but also can annex a large amount of land, and can occupy the store unscrupulously, as long as it is not too much, no one will pay attention. The imperial history will not say that so-and-so is wrong, and the local prefect and the governor are often blind to one eye.

With political advantages, in many moments, there is no need to force a move, often as long as you nod your head or say hello, someone will obediently send it to the door and be slaughtered.

As a prince, Zhao Pu not only occupies a large number of fields and more than a dozen shops near Bianliang. In some areas of the south of the Yangtze River, there are also a lot of fields, and there are more than a dozen big ships in Quanzhou, walking all over the South China Sea, obtaining huge profits.

At this moment, the two women stepped out of the carriage and looked at this strange city, Quanzhou.

"Sister, is this Quanzhou?"

"Quanzhou, far from Hedong and far away from Bianliang, there should be no war here!"

These two women are Shu Wenxiu and Ruixue who came from afar.

At this moment, in Hedong, Hebei, Henan and other places in the north, the killing is dark, countless people have died, and there is a scene of apocalypse. However, thousands of miles away on Fujian Road, in the ancient city of Quanzhou, everything is so peaceful and calm, and it seems that it has not been affected by the war at all.

The Northern Song Dynasty was too big, and the isolation between the north and the south was too great, and Quanzhou at this time had not yet launched a war mobilization, and everything was calm. Many ordinary people should still eat, drink, and sleep, everything is business as usual, and many ordinary people do not know that the war has broken out. Only some scholars and some officials knew through Di Bao that the Song and Jin Wars had broken out.

So, the scholars in some restaurants, in some flower buildings, scolded constantly, scolded the six thieves, scolded Li Gang for incompetence, scolded back and forth, scolded constantly, after scolding, everything was still business as usual.

"I just don't know what's wrong with the prince?"

"Lord Wang, it's true, why did you want to join the army. Joining the army is deadly! ”

Shu Wenxiu and Rui Xue both complained and complained, and at the same time some were glad that they were finally safe, and when they arrived in Quanzhou, no matter how powerful the Jin Army's iron cavalry was, they couldn't beat it!

After the first siege of Bianliang was lifted, the two left, and after several twists and turns along the way, they finally arrived in Quanzhou. And in Quanzhou, there is Zhao Pu's industry, and they will temporarily settle here until the end of the war.

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With the twists and turns of the war and the turmoil in the north, many nobles also fled south.

It's just that in this era, there are no cars, no trains, and there are no smooth roads in many places, which is destined to flee south, which is extremely difficult. may not adapt to the soil and water, encounter disease and die; may be calculated by evil servants and eventually die; They may also be robbed by bandits and end up dying or dying.

In troubled times, life is so worthless.

And on the way south, it is also thrilling step by step. If it was in the peaceful years, relying on their status as the prince's family, no one would move them, even some bandits would have taken a detour. It's just that when the war arrives, people's hearts are already in chaos, and their identities are no longer useful, and they must be careful and careful along the way.

Shu Wenxiu and Rui Xue, escorted by more than a dozen generals, also went south in a thrilling way, and along the way, they encountered bandits many times, officials blackmailed, and soldiers and bandits were rampant, and they almost died several times. Thanks to the wit of the housekeeper, he avoided danger again and again, and finally reached Quanzhou.

And after arriving in Quanzhou, she was finally born, which made the panicked two daughters breathe a sigh of relief.

In a courtyard in Quanzhou, the two lived temporarily.

"This is the bag that the prince handed us when he left!"

"When you say that when you arrive in Quanzhou, open the bag, and there is the king's advice on it!"

"Now that we're in Quanzhou, let's open it!"

Under the light, Shu Wenxiu and Rui Xue opened the bag, on which Zhao Pu's instructions before parting were written.

"I see, Quanzhou, it turned out to be the last way for the prince............"