The sky was foggy. In the spring of Yunmeng Mountain, in the early morning, it is impossible to tell whether this gray feeling is the rising fog or the eve of the spring rain.

After a rooster crowed, the six sergeants who were keeping vigil at the city gate yawned and urged the brothers who had come to change their shifts with tired faces. They walked up to the tower, tiptoeing to the lightly clasped knocker. This is the residence of the office of Menyin. After a while, there was an impatient voice in the room.

"Got it. Go ahead. ”

The soldier who broke the door whispered:

"I'm tired of Lord Yin."

For fear of disturbing the rest of the door Yin in the house.

The six of them had been placed at the gates of the city for a month. Today and tomorrow, you can go home and rest for two days, and as a non-commissioned soldier of the Northern Army, you can be regarded as a regular army defending the country. Unlike those miscellaneous armies that could go home to work in the fields when they were busy farming, they would only be drafted into the army to make up their numbers temporarily when they were fighting.

The Patriotic State has a population of nearly a million, and the regular army like them is less than 40,000 people. Mainly because the office cannot afford the huge military spending. Ordinary soldiers had to plough as well as practice. Therefore, the combat strength and morale are not as good as the regular army that trains all day. On the battlefield, ordinary soldiers are basically used as cannon fodder, creating fighters for the main force.

The soldiers of this group excitedly marched towards the station in the valley. Most of their families have moved into the wilderness. Although they are close to their relatives, the military orders of the Yi Lord's Mansion are strict, and no one dares to violate them. Just after a hundred steps, one of the people in the team pointed to the looming fire not far away, and sighed.

"Hey! It's all the people of Yiye, look at what kind of life people are living. ”

"Envy what? It was the residence of Lord Nozai. What's so strange about lighting an oil lamp? ”

The captain who walked at the front of the team comforted:

"Bear with me. When the outer city is built, life will be better. ”

The beautiful little brick building looked a little undescriptive. The roof is flat, and it is not uncommon to see people sitting on the roof to cool off or dry herbs and clothes. There are rumors in the wild that the young man named Wei Xu is not from the Central Plains. Perhaps this is what made the village under his rule look like this. By the window on the second floor, there is a faint glow of the fire. A few people drifted away, and their eyes inadvertently and occasionally cast on the place where the lights were lit in the early morning.

Maybe if the outer city is built, they will also have a good life.

In the room where the light was swaying, there was a map on a wooden table. The map is spread out flatly, and the white fluff at the corners can be seen as a wide sheepskin, on which the houses and buildings in the field are densely marked with black charcoal. The area on the outskirts of town is painted with black crosses and strange question marks.

The man sitting in front of several desks, holding his chin in one hand and tapping the fingers of the other hand on the table in an orderly manner.

Since that day, he has teased the lord of the city. The next day, the cousin Baisifu issued an order to requisition two miles of cultivated land outside the village. Most of those fields belonged to the people of the village. Although he can support his family without plowing the land now, the good land acquisition to build a new city can't help but make him a little suspicious.

How big is the city? Two miles is a bit exaggerated. If it is really connected to the valley, it will become a big city of five miles. That will be able to replace the position of the northern economic center of Qicheng in the future. After the expansion of the city, it is closer to Qishui, and if the canal is dug again, it will be connected to the waterway. Xincheng will definitely become a transportation hub for defending the country in the future, and build a defensive line against the invasion of the Jin people in the north with Chaoge and Qicheng.

At this moment, Wang Xu was extremely entangled. On the one hand, it is doubtful that Ji Lan can really see the mystery. On the other hand, they suspect that the bad things that day made the other party haunt and take the opportunity to retaliate.

While he was meditating, he was gently slapped on the shoulder. He came back to his senses and looked at it, and it turned out to be Aji. I guess I was woken up by the light or the sound of banging on the table.

Ever since the two faked their marriage, the girl has become weird.

"How can a lover sleep early?"

is always commensurate with a good person, Wang Xu is a little uncomfortable. "Beloved" is an ancient title between husband and wife. The evolution of words is so magical. Liang Jia Er is Lang, and Jia Nu is a mother. So later, the affectionate title of Lang Jun or lady was derived.

"Think about something. Can't sleep... And he woke up. ”

Wang Xu smiled slightly. The charcoal pen in his hand drew a circle in the lower right corner of the map. It is the southeast, the closest place to Qishui. The girl sat upright, gently smoothing the folds of his robe. Then he put his hands on Wang Xu's waist and straightened his belt a little.

Since the two got married, they have lived together in order to hide their eyes. After all, nominally, Wang Xu is still Yezai, and he is a public figure here. His life was under the attention of the people. Although the husband and wife respect each other like guests, Qiu did not commit any crimes, but they both understood that maybe this fake show might have to be done.

As long as the marriage decree is still there, if the two have no children in two years. Ah Ji will be reduced from the status of the wife of the world to the concubine, and Wang Xu will marry another wife. As the leader of Ichino, it seems that he can only lead by example.

It is precisely because of this that Aji will suddenly change. In the past, the girl who climbed a tree to dig out birds' eggs and shot a hungry wolf with an arrow is now a good wife who has restrained her temperament and is ready to teach her husband and children.

Ah Ji got up and waved at Wang Xu.

"The concubine went to prepare the meal."

On this day, Wang Xu is not the only one who doesn't seem to have slept well. Li Cang came early in the morning to discuss with him about the affairs of Xincheng. The two looked at the marked map and whispered.

"Did you hear that?"

"Hmm. The Cousin Baisifu has begun to secretly buy and sell land in the new city. It is estimated that the government treasury is short of money and food, and I want the clan and businessmen to pay for it. I wonder if adults can make decisions? ”

Li Cang glanced at the circles marked on the map, looked at Wang Xu meaningfully, and waited for the other party's answer.

"Find a way to buy it all."

Wang Xu pointed to the place where the other party was staring, and tapped his fingers on it. Took a deep breath. Still a little hesitant, he sighed.

"Lan Gongzi shouldn't be so boring, right?"

Li Cang looked at him as if he didn't understand. I don't understand what the lord of the city is bored about? He still had some concerns.

"Such a big land, at least 200,000 yuan. I'm afraid the cost of construction is even higher. Aren't you a little anxious? ”

"Remember! First confirm that the cousin Baisifu is supervising the construction of the city wall, and then go to buy land. It's safer that way. ”

"Huh. I'm afraid our brick kiln business will be profitable again. ”

Then Li Cang left in a hurry. Presumably, there will be a lot of socializing in these two days. It is necessary not only to deal with those officials, but also to arrange for trustworthy villagers to go to the government to buy land. The last time she bought land, Ji Lan suppressed it and didn't agree. And this time, they learned smartly. It will no longer be purchased directly in the name of Wang Xu, but will let the villagers buy separately and then concentrate the land. In this way, the government will not be able to detect it. At most, they will think that the people of Yunmeng Village are relatively wealthy and know how to invest in advance.

A few days later, Wang Xu learned that his brick kiln factory had received an order of 20,000 yuan from the government. The other party also informed that they would be purchased one after another within half a year, and 300,000 green bricks might be needed, and they hoped that they would prepare in advance.

Soon after, the walls of the new city began to be built. The government transported the bricks and stones outside the city, and then craftsmen measured the original section of the wall at the mouth of the valley. They seem to have intended to connect the section of the wall at Taniguchi first, and then slowly expand it outward. Li Cang hired some people in advance to burn more bricks, for fear of delaying the construction of the city.

In the Cousin Baisi Mansion, Ji Lan was carefully checking the records of the purchase of houses and land. Every time she flipped through a scroll of bamboo slips, she drew a stroke on the white silk in front of the desk.

After a while, most of the names on the silk were ticked off. Like an executed prisoner, the crimson marks on the black name are extremely eye-catching. Ji Lan put down the brush in her hand. The nib of the pen is stained with dansha, and it is viscous and mixed together, like a brush that has been painted.

She has a very bad temper these days, either scolding her subordinates or throwing things around. Because Wang Xu got married, he hadn't invited her yet.

In the eyes of outsiders, the friendship between the lord of the city and Ye Zai is very unusual. And such a major event as Ye Zai's wife was neither informed nor invited. It really makes people suspect that these two are just general friends. Subsequently, the vacant Zaifu and the fact that the two had not seen each other since the marriage decree was issued confirmed everyone's speculation.

Since they don't meet again, Ji Lan doesn't bother to thrush all day. Although it is maintained in men's clothing, it still can't hide the beauty of the girl. At this moment, the girl's frowning eyebrows spread, and her long eyebrows rose. After a coquettish laugh, he began to talk to himself.

"Hehe, that's smart. You guessed wrong, though. ”

Ten days later, when Wang Xu and Li Cang stood under the city wall of the new city superintendent. They were dumbfounded.

"Why don't you build the walls to the southeast?"

At this moment, Wang Xu was pulling a government official and looked very anxious to ask. The other party had received a lot of benefits from him before, and he was considered the third-in-command position in the Cousin Baisi Mansion. The man laughed and said:

"Of course, it was built due south."

Wang Xu frowned.

"Why?"

The man smiled.

"To build an urn city, just one acre of land is enough. Why meander? ”

Suddenly it was like thunder. Wang Xu stared blankly at the city wall stretching straight outward. There was no outward extension in front of him, but an inward enclosure. He suddenly realized that he had been fooled. Shouted at Li Cang.

"Quick! Go to the brick kiln workshop. Let them stop rushing. Stop! Stop it all! ”

When Li Cang heard this, he pulled his legs and ran.

So many people were hired to rush to burn the bricks. No, the previous order of 20,000 yuan was just a bait. The more he thought about it, the more terrifying he felt.

In order to stock up in advance, the brick kiln factory has invested 50,000 yuan. If the development of the new city is all fake, then the cost of 200,000 yuan to purchase land will also have an accident? This time they invested all the savings in the village. As a result, the brick kiln factory is afraid to be closed. There are so many bricks that are estimated to be used up in two years for the construction of the village.

"What about the land that I bought before? Cousin Baisifu is not afraid of arousing public resentment by doing this? ”

Wang Xu still asked the official without giving up. He didn't believe that Ji Lan dared to openly embezzle the money for the people to buy land.

"Oh! The lord of the town confessed a few days ago, and he will build it again in two years. ”

Wang Xu snorted coldly and walked away.

"Humph!"

This man knew the inside story for a long time, but he never told him. Obviously, boldly accepting bribes was also Ji Lan's arrangement. He was slammed into the fight. If you don't leave now, it will only add to the laughing stock.

He could predict that even if he immediately organized the people to go to his cousin's Baisi Mansion to make trouble, the other party would never return the village's money. The incident was directed against him alone. Wang Xu was unwilling and scolded angrily.

"!"

I was worried about being retaliated against by Ji Lan, so I cautiously asked Li Cang to confirm that there were signs of building the city wall before buying land. Unexpectedly, his thoughts, the other party expected it early in the morning, and swaggered to build the city wall. Unexpectedly, after repairing more than 20 meters outside the valley, it was sealed inward. The new city of Erli suddenly became an urn city the size of an acre of land.

At this moment, I am really dumb and can't say that I have bitterness in eating Coptis chinensis. The business wizards of later generations were actually played by an ancient. Although this method is similar to fraud, under the constraints of the laws of later generations, no one dares to do such nonsense. But now in troubled times, the government wants to find an oil head to clean up the low-status businessman, which is as simple as stepping on an ant. And the party who is slaughtered cannot have any complaints.

Immediately, Wang Xu and Li Cang fought back.

"Raise the price of food by another 30%."

"That's right! There are also two pieces of land in the middle of the country, and all those green bricks are pulled to build houses. The craftsmen of the brick kiln workshop cannot be lost. Let them be in charge of the overseer's work first. ”

For now, it seems that this is the only way to go. Subsequently, Wang Xu made plans for the only two remaining plots of land in the village. One was built as a new town, and all two-story houses were built of bricks. On the one hand, the amount of green bricks can be accelerated, and on the other hand, some clan riches and some technical talents can be absorbed from Ji Lan's side. The last piece of land, the construction is quite weird. There are only two large courtyards, one with a temple full of greenery, and the other with a dense two-story building.

Wang Xu is fortunate to be in an era of scarce goods. As long as there is a product, there is no fear of not being able to sell it. At least the business in the middle of the country is profitable, and the lost money will not be able to be earned back in a few months. He riveted his strength and prepared to fight Ji Lan to the end.

A few days later, a huge team of horses loaded with goods entered Yunmeng from Qicheng in an endless stream. When sacks are carried to the long-vacant Nozai Mansion. The people of the wild immediately began to talk about it.

"Zaifu is used as a warehouse? I'm afraid that Lord Eup is at odds with Lord Nozai, right? ”

"Who knows?"

At this time, a group of people were eating in the restaurant. It looks like a worker in a workshop that they know each other. The food ordered was extremely light, and the price of food in the field has skyrocketed recently, but the price of food at the restaurant has not increased. Many people choose to dine here, sometimes with their families.

A young man in a green shirt circled around and whispered:

"You don't know. My brother told me a few days ago that the goods they were carrying were military rations. ”

The man in the linen robe beside him then asked suspiciously:

"Oh? Brother Ling is not serving in the army? Do you know about such confidential matters? ”

This man seems to have some culture. Ordinary people don't talk like this, as if they are infected by the other party. The man in green nodded.

"Hmmm! My brother is in the Northern Army. A few days ago, he was in charge of transporting grain. ”

Speculation sparked.

"Isn't there going to be a war?"

"Hey..."

Soon after, the worried people burst into laughter. They rushed to the morning market set up by the Cousin Hyakujifu, because the grain sold there was more than half cheaper than what was sold at the Nonaka grain store. I heard that in order to pacify the soaring grain prices in the wilderness, the lord of Yi specially transferred a large amount of rice grain from Qicheng. However, most of the grains sold are soybeans.

Whatever? It's the first time I've seen such a cheap grain price. It's stupid not to buy it. The people flocked to the place, and every household began to buy grain for stockpiling.

Wang Xu, who learned of this, found Li Cang as soon as possible.

"Organize the people in despisy to buy it. Just enough to squeeze the oil. ”

Li Cang frowned.

"There is no money left in the middle of the country."

"How so? The business in Fang City earns no less than a thousand dollars a day. ”

Apparently he overlooked something.

"The new square has been exhausted."

"Forget it. Never mind. Look how arrogant he is. ”

Wang Xu waved his hand helplessly. He immediately ordered Li Cang to charge for the public toilets and bathhouses in the middle school. It's really embarrassing to fall into such a field.

The brick kiln factory was destroyed. It seems that the grain store will also close its doors soon. Wang Xu didn't understand, he just added a little mustard powder to Ji Lan's meal, but it was only two spoonfuls. I secretly changed the bottle of high-altitude wine, and it was only 45 degrees. Is the other party retaliating like this? Thinking about those low-priced grains, they are all made up by his hard-earned money. Suddenly stomped his feet angrily.

In fact, the grain transported was all the grain of the Northern Army. Because the border towns will face a long-term siege once a war breaks out. In the Spring and Autumn Period, it can almost be said that there were no siege equipment, and it is just a matter of imagination that Lu Ban did not even invent a saw. Therefore, most of the attacks on fortifications are through long-term sieges, forcing the other side to surrender after running out of food.

Qicheng's reserve grain is enough to feed 12,500 soldiers of the First Army for a year. Wang Xu couldn't imagine how huge it was. In addition, in order to avoid mildew or insect damage to military rations, every year after the new grain is put into storage, the old grain stored last year will be taken out and sold to the people. Ji Lan did this by changing the location of the grain sale. As for the price reduction, the damage is actually minimal.

At present, the grain that Wang Xu secretly purchased is afraid that it will not be sold in a short time. Fortunately, the business of cotton cloth and oil is highly technical and will not be imitated by it. Wait for a while to turn around, and then make a plan.

A month later, Ji Lan made another ruthless move. This time he really couldn't resist.

"My lord! What to do? If this continues, I am afraid that all the business in the contempt will not be saved. ”

Li Cang is already poor in donkey skills. The new city imitated their business model, and also opened restaurants, wine stores, inns, cloth villages, etc. Although the restaurant is not as good as the food here, it is supported by a large amount of military food, and it is difficult to compete with the cheap ones. Wine shops, inns, and cloth villages are also taking the route of people's prices, and most of the customers in the middle of the country have been divided. The cloth village is even more excessive, selling only cheap linen imported from the Qi country. Since most of the people in the field were poor, since there was a choice of linen, it was natural that they would not buy kapok. Their business plummeted.

At this moment, Wang Xu was unusually calm.

"You contact the Noaka clan. The houses built in Xinfang can be sold first. ”

Now there is not a single copper plate in the treasury, and the empty ones can run horses. If this continues, I am afraid that the business of the main street can only be transferred to foreign merchants. Those people have long been salivating and want to insert a foot in the prosperous contempt.

"Is it cheaper?"

"Let's drop it by three."

Wang Xu could sense the impending crisis. If the capital chain is broken, it will be a fatal threat. He was anxious to get rid of the houses he had built.

"You follow the wind and inform me that those bronze ingots prepared for the tax burden will be used to make ten looms first."

At present, the construction of the two cities is in urgent need of funds, and if we continue to expand production, it is tantamount to playing with fire and self-immolation.

"There's enough cotton in the storehouse. It's probably not appropriate for adults to do this. ”

"I have my own arrangements."

Wang Xu's insistence on going his own way made Li Cang aware of the risk. He went on to persuade:

"Why don't you stop the fang market built in the west?"

"No, you can't. Don't worry, I've contacted the merchants of Chaoge. They were very interested in cotton. Since Yunmeng's business can't continue, we will go north. ”

He didn't believe that Ji Lan's power could cover the sky with one hand in defending the country.

"Good! I'll arrange it. ”

In fact, he was reluctant to expand the cotton cloth business too soon. That will be targeted, after all, those who have a heart can know at a glance that this flat fabric solves the problem that kapok is difficult to spin. In the current crisis, we can only take this step in advance. If Ji Lan takes the opportunity to cancel the order for cotton cloth, the supply of wool will be cut off. Then Wang Xu's last retreat will also be blocked, and he will be completely controlled by others.

Wang Xu's concerns were completely unnecessary. Because the cotton cloth produced by Yunmeng has long been spread throughout the country. The person behind the scenes is Ji Lan. It's just that cotton cloth is sold at a high price in aristocratic circles, and it is basically not seen in the market. And the courtsong merchant Jia who was interested in cotton cloth saw the huge profits and wanted to take advantage of it. It's just that Wang Xu doesn't know.

A few days later, something happened again, and their house in Xinfang couldn't be sold at all. The reason is that Ji Lan's side is also imitating them and transforming the house into a two-story building. At the beginning, those clans with a bit of family background wanted to move into the village because the living environment in the new city was too crowded. However, when the house is renovated, it doubles the living area. In addition, many of the population were already immigrants and slaves, and they did not own real estate, so they were concentrated in two-story buildings at this time. The space vacated instantly became larger.

The summer day in Yunmeng Mountain is no longer hot in the afternoon. A cool breeze blows the leaves rattling. Wang Xu leaned against the window, looking at the bustling pedestrians on the street, and the prosperity of the past was gone.

He's been here for a year now. In this year, too many unbelievable things have been experienced. There are ups and downs in the career, and there are twists and turns in the business. I didn't want to get involved in these things, but I was unknowingly swept in. Presumably it's a little stunned to do business, and it's back to the old state. When I think back to everything I have experienced, I suddenly feel at a loss.

Aji stood silently beside him. Today's girl wore a plain white brocade skirt, with a slender figure and a slender waist, and at a glance she thought it was a clan lady of which family. The imprint left on her by the poor life in the past has gradually faded. Although she thought she was a woman, she did not tie up her hair in a bun, and the wisps of green silk that fell down in front of her forehead to hide her identity were vividly set off the girl's youthfulness.

Recently, Aji has been very worried about her husband's health. He traveled around every day, getting drunk in a liquor store with those foreign merchants, and then being carried back. After sobering up, he discussed countermeasures with Li Cang and other neighbors. Whenever the girl cooks the meal, the other party just eats a few bites and continues to be busy.

Aji didn't know what her husband was so tired for? Even if those businesses are not done, everyone can still support themselves through farming, and they can live well with the savings they have saved before. Compared to the past, life now is better than that of the clan lords in the city. What's not to be satisfied with?

She is not good at words, and she does not know how to comfort the other party. It's just a few tears secretly shed at night. Now the girl moved closer to him and snuggled up to his shoulder. I felt a little sad and unbearable, my eyes were blurred, and I whispered:

"It's fine. It's going to be fine. ”