The shopkeeper was not hypocritical, and immediately stood up and sat on the chair next to him, and said with a smile: "Excuse me, handsome!" The small one knows everything. ”

"Mr. Chang's surname?"

"A cheap name is insulting, and a single word is an autumn."

"Spring and autumn is a good mouthpiece!" Wu Shigong heard the name of the shopkeeper and immediately joked.

And Chang shopkeeper was stunned by this joke, and then immediately understood what Wu Shigong meant, Wu Shigong was talking about Chang Qiu's family, the famous general who founded the Ming Dynasty - Chang Yuchun.

So Chang Qiu hurriedly said: "I don't dare to compare with King Kaiping, but I have the same surname, and I am ashamed to be from the same family." ”

"Oh? Are you really the same clan as King Kaiping? ”

"It humiliates the ancestors, and I am ashamed to hold this cheap business. However, the big handsome defeated the Tartars in the river, and the little one had also heard of the great handsome's prestige. In the future, he will have the same reputation and title as King Kaiping. "After Chang Qiu met Wu Shigong, he has always had good words.

"Haha! Lend you auspicious words! Wu Shigong laughed again and said, "But this official has just arrived, and he doesn't know a lot of things in Liaodong, and he is looking for a local." I hope that the shopkeeper should not hide his secrets, and hope to give advice? ”

"Where! Where! The handsome man is too polite. The little ones will know everything. ”

"That's good! Sir, do you know the number of Tartars besieging Jinzhou? ”

“……”

"Does the gentleman know how many officers and soldiers? How many officers and troops are there in this Shanhaiguan and other places in Liaodong? How many officers and troops were there inside and outside the city? ”

“……”

"Sir, do you know how many imperial forts and villages there are outside the city? What is the geometry of artillery and firearms? ”

“……”

After Wu Shigong's questioning, he also knew some information about the enemy and us. Although Chang Qiu didn't know much as a folk shopkeeper, some of what he knew did help Wu Shigong a lot. There are some things that even involve military secrets, and these will never be known to the outside world in Runing, so Chang Qiu's answers made Wu Shigong a little surprised.

After asking the questions he was concerned about, Wu Shigong pretended to be very casual and asked, "Thank you, Mr. for your help!" What the gentleman said has helped me a lot. However, the officer has some doubts. Listen to Mr.'s accent should not be from Liaodong! How does Mr. know so much about Liaodong's local customs? ”

But Chang Qiu didn't care about Wu Shigong's temptation at all, he replied briskly: "The little one is indeed not from Liaodong, and his hometown is Pingyao, Shanxi." The younger one failed to succeed in his studies when he was young, and when he became an adult, he could only do business in the clan to make a living. The little one has been in Liaodong for more than 20 years, and he has been fortunate to preside over this place for seven or eight years, and he has followed the caravan out of the customs dozens of times, so he is quite familiar with the inside and outside of the pass. ”

These words made Wu Shigong even more strange. From the Wanli year to the present, the war between the Ming and Qing dynasties has been more than 20 years, could it be that in Liaodong, which is at the forefront of the battle, the two sides have not stopped doing business?

So Wu Shigong asked: "Could it be that Mr. Chang has been doing business with Tartars all these years." Aren't you afraid of the imperial court investigation? ”

That Chang Qiu smiled disappreciatively, and then laughed quietly: "Where did the leather goods, Dongzhu and ginseng in the pass come from?" What kind of business do the trading houses all over the city do? Of course, these small merchants would never have anything to do with Jiannu, they were all in contact with some Mongolian tribes, and they would never dare to violate the rules of the imperial court. "After that. Chang Qiu showed Wu Shigong a expression: "You know! The mysterious smile.

Wu Shigong tacitly smiled back and understood what Chang Qiu meant. The caravan leaving the customs did not know where to go at all. Who knows if they were going to the Manchus or Mongolia? Again. The Mongol tribes in Liaodong were also vassals of the Manchus, so doing business with the Mongols was doing business with the Manchus, and there was no difference between the two.

But after understanding, Wu Shigong was even more surprised, he and Chang Qiu met for the first time, and they should have been shallow. But Chang Qiu did not hide it like an old friend, as if he was not afraid at all that Wu Shigong was an "upright" and "principled" court official. I am not afraid that Wu Shigong will turn his face on the spot.

And while Wu Shigong was not paying attention, Chang Qiu secretly lowered his eyes and looked at Wu Shigong's face. Finding that Wu Shigong was calm, he secretly relieved himself.

As a shopkeeper of a commercial bank in Liaodong who is in charge of the market. As a local businessman who can extend his connections to high-level officials in Liaodong and will lend his mansion to the general army, every word Chang Qiu said must have a purpose, and he would definitely not talk nonsense in the first conversation with Wu Shigong.

The reason why this is the case is that Chang Qiu wants to test Wu Shigong's attitude towards this kind of forbidden business inside and outside the Guan, and wants to further win over the relationship with Wu Shigong.

Although he knew that Chang Qiu's enthusiasm was a bit excessive, Wu Shigong would not bother to guess what kind of scheming Chang Qiu was doing? After all, the difference between their status is too great, and it is impossible for Wu Shigong to be swayed by Chang Qiu.

So Wu Shigong then asked: "This official has thanked Mr. Chang first. Many of what Mr. Chang said are military affairs that outsiders cannot know. And Mr. Chang can tell him frankly, which shows that Mr. Chang is a Liaodong Tong!

In fact, Wu Shigong asked tactfully: How did Chang Qiu know so many secrets in the army.

Unexpectedly, Chang Qiu still waved his hand indifferently and said, "The handsome man is too famous." Outside the border is a wild place, and it is not surprising that the caravans of the merchants will always camp in the military forts. And it is not a secret that the small one informs the big marshal in the city, as long as the big marshal sends someone to inquire in the city, he can know it completely, and the small one is nothing more than to tell one or two in advance. ”

Wu Shigong was surprised too many times today, so he was also a little numb after hearing this. If, according to Chang Qiu, these secrets in the army have been widely circulated among the people, then what other secrets are there on the side of the Ming army? As long as the Manchu Qing sent a few secret agents, they didn't need to venture into the army to investigate, and they could learn everything about the Ming army from the people, so the Ming army really became a sieve.

If that's the case, with transparency on one side and secrecy on the other, this battle will be difficult to fight. But seeing Chang Qiu's usual attitude, Wu Shigong knew that the Ming army was accustomed to this situation at all, and the secrecy of the battlefield seemed to be difficult to reverse, after all, Wu Shigong was just a general soldier with troops, not the commander in command of the Ming army in Liaodong, and his hand could not be stretched out so long, it was impossible to grasp the secrecy in the army.

And Chang Qiu saw that Wu Shigong was distracted, and he felt that it was time to strike while the iron was hot, so he continued to laugh and said: "Handsome! The servants in the house may not be in the mood of the great commander. The little one happens to have a daughter by his side, who has been virtuous and smart since he was a child, gentle and understanding, should he send her into the house now and let her serve by the side of the big handsome? (To be continued......)