The southerners rode boats, and the northerners rode horses.

People have been saying this since the Warring States period.

For Chinese merchants, the boat has always been the most cost-effective, but also the most load-bearing tool, the water network in the Yangtze River basin, making it possible to trade bulk goods, the stronger the ability to tame the rivers and lakes, the stronger the ability of the merchants, the stronger the strength of human beings.

Xu Yongzhi's convoy arrived in Ezhou, and the guys left part of the supplies and all the horses except the white horse and the black horse to the Ezhou branch, and loaded the remaining medicinal materials and materials onto the cargo ship and went up the river.

When I arrived in Yuezhou, I walked Dongting Lake and Xiangjiang River, and went all the way upstream, going straight to Tanzhou.

Linquan Town is located in Tanzhou, that is, outside the city of Changsha.

Linquan is a land and water wharf, next to the official road, this town has six or seven thousand inhabitants, Linquan has a city wall, but it is different from most cities.

She had walls, not rough logs or earthen walls, but serious walls made of rammed earth and brick on the outside, with battlements of arrows, towers, and even four crossbow beds.

This thing can break the hand-pulled trebuchet in the army with an arrow, and most siege equipment such as ladders and wells cannot reach it at all, and if the attacker has a naval army, the crossbow bed can also be aimed at the river.

This is the masterpiece of Xu Yongzhi's father, Xu Zhixun.

Speaking of Xu Zhixun, this is a strange person who was born out of thin air.

When he was in his early twenties, he brought his pregnant wife, Tian, to Linquan. At that time, in Linquan Town, the merchants were intrigued, and every time the warlord came to plunder, it would become fish on someone else's knife board, no, to be exact, leeks, because the soldiers would leave the lives of the merchants and let them recuperate for another year or two, and then come over and harvest predatorily.

After Xu Zhixun came, he used his own funds and skills to successfully unite the lodging, water transportation, medicinal herbs and rice grain merchants of Linquan, bribed Ma Chu's officials, and built a town that could protect itself.

Xu Zhixun has used his mouth, made money, and used knives, and used all kinds of light and dark means.

By the time local officials and warlords understood, it was too late.

The merchants suddenly put a castle at a critical juncture, right under their noses.

Next, Xu Zhixun went around to persuade warlords and officials to accept reality.

There is a word called long-sleeved good dancing, Xu Zhixun can always find what others want.

Eventually, he succeeded in getting the surrounding forces to accept Lin Quan and tolerate it as a neutral trade market.

According to Xu Zhixun's own words:

"I've had the blood of ordinary people on my hands, but I've made people pay the least."

Lin Quan has always paid taxes to Ma Chu.

Later, the Southern Tang Dynasty defeated Ma Chu, and Liu Liuhou (acting Jiedu envoy) occupied Tanzhou, and this old man who stayed behind once hoped that Linquan Town would send 500 bows and 1,000 guns (1,500 people) to follow him to regain the lost territory.

This incident caused the town of Lin Quan to be divided for a time, and a group of elderly merchants believed that Lin Quan was close to Ma Chu's retainers and treasury, and thought that they should help Ma Chu's remnants after his demise, that is, Liu Liuhou.

These people have a natural wariness of the Jiangdong people, and feel that the Jiangdong people are too shrewd and calculating, in addition, the Southern Tang Dynasty is an external force, and the strength is too strong, and it will definitely destroy Lin Quan.

Xu Zhixun and the businessmen who supported him always insisted that it was okay to pay next year's taxes in advance, but it was absolutely not okay to send troops, and directly interfering in the melee between warlords would lead Lin Quan to destruction.

In the end, Xu Zhixun's side had the upper hand, and Lord Liu had no choice but to take the money and figure out a way by himself.

Xu Zhixun has his confidence, in addition to defending himself with a few nearby towns, his relationship with Hou Zhou and Hou Shu is also quite good, international trade has brought him amazing profits, his money comes from Shanzitang, and his strength comes from Lin Quan and the Bow and Arrow Society.

The Bow and Arrow Society is another invention of Xu Zhixun, which is a militia organization.

Xu Zhixun organized merchants, craftsmen, and some children of yeoman farmers and taught them bows and arrows.

From ancient times to the present day, the most expensive infantry was the archers. Many of the so-called "200,000 troops" had a maximum of 3,000 archers.

But Xu Zhixun's training method is different from that of the army.

He told the soldiers to shoot at the sky with birch longbows, as long as they could shoot far.

Shooting without pursuing accuracy, most people can do it.

The archers of the Bow and Arrow Society rely on the eyes of the commander to judge the distance and give orders, let the rain of arrows like death cover the ground, and nail the enemy's infantry to the ground.

The Bow Club also has an elite elite, and the best archers are basically hunters, and these hunters will use horned bows to shoot directly, and they will aim at the enemy's officers.

The armies of the five dynasties of the Tang Dynasty, even the so-called government army, were a little better than the rabble, and once the officers fell, they could easily collapse and disperse.

Lin Quan's strength in being able to easily mobilize a thousand archers and a thousand spearmen was already considerable among the various forces.

The status of the Xu family in Tanzhou, and even in the rivers and lakes of Jinghu South Road and North Road, is quite high.

First, the Xu family is rich, and it takes money to make friends with heroes; second, the Xu family was able to mobilize thousands of elite soldiers; The third is that Xu Zhixun's martial arts are good (we don't know how good it is, few people fight him directly), or a famous doctor in the south of the Yangtze River, walking the rivers and lakes or an emperor and general, which family doesn't want to have a doctor friend?

The sluice opened, and Xu Yongzhi's fleet entered Linquan Harbor.

The port has been in a recession recently because of the plague, and the guys on the dock are all acquaintances, and they are also militiamen from the Bow and Arrow Society, helping Xu Yongyi and his party to transport the goods onto the truck and come directly to the east gate of the town wall.

Xiaogui and Xu Yongzhi were riding in front, and as soon as they arrived at the east gate, they suddenly saw people surrounded by people outside the red paint impasto east gate.

Look at the big golden characters on it.

"Childe, I'm here."

Xiaogui's eyes are sharp: "This word!" ”

This word is exactly the same as the word "little woman is not talented".

Xu Yongzhi shuddered for a moment, looked around, and felt that there were eyes all around him.

In fact, in Linquan Town, there are not even one or two hundred serious sons, in terms of appearance and ability, Xu Yongzhi is first-class, but when it comes to all kinds of romantic affairs, he is only afraid that he will have to accompany the last seat and bow to the wind.

The weather was already hot, but Xu Yongzhi still suddenly felt cold.

"Arrange for someone to erase these words, and don't stop the car." Xu Yongzhi instructed the convoy.

"Childe, have you paid attention to the location of the words on the town gate?"

"How."

"You don't think that your girl hired someone to move a ladder and climb it to write while there was a guard."

"Hmmm......"

"She's martial arts, and she's lied to you."

"What the hell is she trying to do?"

"She's showing off."

Xu Yongzhi felt that Mo Yuan was following him in a corner, looking at herself?

The convoy unloaded the goods at Shanzitang, and the doctors and the guys took away the medicinal materials they needed.

Xu Yongzhi took Xiaogui back to the house across the wall, and found his father and mother sitting in the hall talking, and the six-year-old little sister Xiao Duo was pestering her mother to play with her.

"Father, mother," Xu Yongzhi knelt down and kowtowed, "My son is back." ”

Xiaogui also knelt down and saluted, he followed Xu Zhixun to learn medicine, so he called Xu Zhixun and his wife "Master and Master".

These two people are the people who give him the most warmth outside of Xu Yong.

"Jin'er, Gui'er, get up quickly." The couple was very happy to see the two young men come back safely.

Xiao Duo stuffed an orange into her brother's hand, turned her head and went to pester Xiaogui, in the eyes of this sister, her brother was too serious, but Xiaogui's brother liked her more.

Mrs. Xu's face was happy, "I will tell you a good news, the medicine that your father has been studying has been made." ”

"Great!" The two young men were happy.

"I'll cook you some dishes, and you listen to your father." Mrs. Xu asked the old mother to take Xiao Duo out to play, and she went to get busy.

"For my father, I'm here to tell you about the pharmacology of the Red and White Life-Saving Formula and the Bezoar Soul Turning Pill," Xu Zhixun was slightly proud.

Xu Zhixun is in his early forties, with white skin and a long beard for three times.

This is a proper winner in life.

Wealth, fame, and a beautiful wife were already enjoyed in youth.

Now the only thing that can stimulate him is the exploration of all things in the world and the desire to save the world, he has been busy accepting apprentices in recent years, many famous doctors from all over the world are from his disciples, behind the mountain word hall, there is a pharmacy academy.

He is the actual controller of Lin Quan, and he is also the savior and benefactor of Chudi, Xu Yongzhi often thinks about how he can surpass his father, ability, character and merit, just one is good.

Ah, maybe in terms of swordsmanship, he is above his father, after all, he is a disciple of Zhang Huan of Longhu Mountain, but this master is also an old friend of his father.

Thinking of this, Xu Yongzhi will feel that he is not good enough.

"Look at this human meridian diagram." Xu Zhixun demonstrated to two young people.

Xu Yongzhi calmed down and listened carefully to Xu Zhixun's explanation.

"The lung epidemic uses breathing as the way to infect the disease, and it still harms the nose, pharynx, and lungs, and if the weak are weak, the lung poison will eventually attack the heart, and the person will die of heart failure."

"We use drugs such as forsythia, skullcap, calendula, banlan root, and Xia Sangju, but I just think that if we can use heavy drugs such as cinnabar and white lead, we can really reduce people's vitality."

"Teacher, I don't understand, isn't this going to poison people?" Xiaogui asked.

"I think that's what Father is for, Father, do you want to fake people with minerals?"

"Yes, if the lung epidemic is severe, our practice in the past is to insert a microduct in their throat for ventilation, and we have to cut their throats, which is very contagious. If you can use minerals to make patients fake their death, their limbs and brains will still have blood flowing, but their hearts and lungs can be rested, and in this rest process, people may be resurrected from the dead after a serious illness. I'm going to show you how to do it. ”

The two young men looked at the prescription with wide eyes.

"Wonderful, but what about awakening?"

"Then you have to use this flavor of bezoar soul turning pill. This is how this flavored medicine is concocted. ”

Both of them silently wrote it down.

"It's not a secret, I've asked them to engrave the engraving, this is the epidemic, we can't monopolize the prescription to make money, but this medicine is quite risky, you have to have an experienced doctor to control it."

The three of them talked lively, and they couldn't help but feel that it was getting dark, and Mrs. Xu's meal was ready, which was nothing more than fathead fish roasted in sauce, steamed small taro poured with autumn oil, braised pig's feet in bean paste, glutinous rice and pearl balls, vegetarian fried lettuce leaves, and sweet wine stuffed with these home-cooked dishes, and the whole family sat down to eat.

"Father, mother," Xu Yongzhi raised his glass, "I have learned a lot from this trip, I just feel that my son still has a lot of things that are not good and inappropriate, and I am very happy when I come back to see that the second elder is in good health." ”

As he spoke, he felt his throat tighten.

"What's wrong?" Xu Zhixun has grown up more and more fond of his son in recent years. "You don't think you're in a good mood, huh?"

"No, I just feel that the pneumonic epidemic is raging, and this world is like a mustard."

"It's a good thing, people suddenly have this thought, it's your compassion." Xu Zhixun said.

"We're all going to see many, many illnesses and deaths, don't think about it, come with me tomorrow to see the patients in the wards outside town, there's a lot you can do for them. We don't have time to hurt because we still have a lot of people to help. ”

"Okay." Xu Yongzhi nodded.

The disgusting thing about middle-aged men is that they love to tell big truths.

They may be respectable when they speak the truth, but they must also be immersed in pride, staring at the pitiful crystallization of wisdom and missing many details, such as the deep meaning of their children's words.

After everyone finished eating, the next person put away the cups and plates, Xu Yongzhi and Xiaogui said goodbye and went back to their rooms.

Xiao Gui was walking across the courtyard to the west, and suddenly heard someone calling to him softly, but when he looked, it was Mrs. Xu.

"Master!"

"Tell me, tell me."

"What?"

"What did you encounter when you went to Anguo this time?"

"I shouldn't have betrayed my son."

"He could ask him, but he was older, so I decided to leave him a little bit of decency."

"He's going to blame me."

"He's a good-natured man, he only hurts you. Say it, for the sake of Shanzitang, for this family. ”

This sentence is to the point.

"Childe, he has a woman."

"Who is it, is it that Duan Meimei from the mountain house?"

"If only it were. He's a little suspicious. ”

Xiaogui honestly told the master about meeting the eldest lady and Xu Yongzhi to stay overnight.

Xiaogui has never been able to lie in front of his master.

Because Shi Niang is really good to Xiaogui.

When Xiaogui was first brought back by Xu Yongzhi, Mrs. Xu saw it for the first time: "What a beautiful child." ”

Mrs. Xu loves him because of his beauty and because of his suffering.

Xiaogui wanted to call Duke Xu and Mrs. Xu "master, lady".

"That's not going to work." Mrs. Xu did not agree.

There are no slaves and maids in Lin Quan, everyone is a free man.

This is the rule set by Xu Zhixun, and it is also the common covenant of the thirteen elements of Linquan.

There are servants in Linquan Town, but everyone is a living contract.

Even the singers and prostitutes in the wine shop are all living contracts, and there is no deed of sale.

Mrs. Xu thought for a while and said to Xu Zhixun: "Xianggong, this kid is a clever person, he must have talent when he learns medicine and medicine, so it is better for us to accept him as a disciple, and let him call us master and mother." ”

Xiaogui knelt down and kowtowed at that time, he was the most observant person, he knew what others did to be good to him.

In the first three days of Xiaogui's visit, he still wore women's clothes, and on the fourth day, Mrs. Xu came to talk to him.

"Xiaogui, if I want to pick a maid to accompany Jin'er, I will choose for him, I will let you accompany him to study, not for you to dress up like this."

"I think maybe Childe will like this," Twelve-year-old Xiaogui looked aggrieved, "Master, are you worried that Childe is accompanied by a girl, and others will laugh at him?" ”

"I'm not worried about that," said Mrs. Xu, "but it's not good for you, I don't know what you think of yourself in your heart, do you think you're a boy or a daughter?" ”

In fact, Xiaogui himself didn't understand it at that time.

"If you want your son to like it, it's not the clothes that decide, and you shouldn't change yourself for the person you like. If you are the way you are, you are very good, cater to him, he may not like it, if he does, he will adapt to you. ”

Xiaogui felt that Shi Niang was too cool at that moment, and he should also become a woman like Shi Niang. He told himself that he would always tell the truth to his sister, in everything.

After Xiaogui said what happened this time, he didn't even hide the matter of the woman wearing it into the bathtub.

"Very good, you have done your best," Mrs. Xu said, "My judgment is the same as yours, this woman is unusual, but I don't know if she is friend or foe, besides, my judgment, Linquan Town should be safe, in the short term, I will not let Jin'er go to Anguo again." ”

After saying these things, Xiaogui returned to his room, thinking of Xu Yongzhi, and a little worried, so he went to the son's room in the next courtyard to look, only to see a light like a bean, push the door in, and the back window of the son was open.

Damn it!

Just as Xiaogui was talking to Mrs. Xu, Xu Yongzhi went out of the window.