The evening in the city is indeed a bit beautiful, the snow-capped peaks of the Tianshan Mountains in the distance stand under the blue sky, the flowing clouds between the mountains seem to be close at hand, and the uneven rammed earth walls of the highlands are like a picture frame of beautiful scenery. The three-storey mottled earthen building, the lines of the eaves of the hanging mountain are hard, the white long flags of the inn are fluttering in the wind, and when the vigorous branches of the poplar trees are hung, the little maid of the inn hurriedly erected a ladder to climb up and pick it up.

Li Siye walked along, Tian Zhen and Fujimu followed behind him. As far as the eye can see, there are caravans of caravans along the streets, and herds of camels line up to unload their goods at the entrance of the caravans.

This exchange city is an important transit point on the Silk Road, and the annual commercial tax will definitely collect a lot of money, but this is all a matter under the jurisdiction of the city envoy, and it is not his turn to worry about it.

Tian Zhen guessed his thoughts behind him, and followed him to ask, "Should you come to this kind of place, and think about how to make money?"

"How so!" Li Siye was amused by him: "This city is located on the main transportation route between the Anxi Metropolitan Protectorate and Shule and the two towns of Khotan, and it is necessary to pass through this place to travel official documents, officials take office, and the army changes its guard and goes out to inspect the expedition, how dare I do such a thing under their noses?"

"Besides, I'm just a regimental captain, not a city envoy, and I can't do anything with limited power. At the beginning, it was just an expedient measure, and the soldiers lacked armor and weapons, so I came up with a way to do business, and now the eighth regiment lacks nothing in armor and weapons, so why should I bother with this leisure. ”

"It's right to worry about it," Tian Zhen said: "When you were in Green Ridge, you handed over the training to me, and you focused on business, but now that you are in the Eighth Regiment, there is no business to do, and you have to do a good job in training and leading the troops." I heard that this city is close to the Turgish Sh, and the Sulu Khan will be able to kill the city the next day, and you and my brother will be able to kill the enemy in battle, and you and I will earn a lot of merits. ”

Li Siye stopped, looked up at the snow peak in the distance, and said thoughtlessly: "Fighting is a death."

"Look at what you say, it's as if you don't fight and you don't die."

They wandered from the east gate of the city to the west gate of the city, and as far as Li Siye could see, they did not find a carpentry shop.

"What the hell are you looking for?"

Tian Zhen and Fuji Mu also followed his gaze, as if they couldn't see through the answer.

"I'm looking for a few craftsmen who can do carpentry."

Tian Zhen clapped her hands and said, "Can't you just find a coffin shop?"

"Coffin shop?" Li Siye looked stunned, and then nodded: "It makes sense."

They inquired with the local Hu people, and found that there was indeed only one coffin shop in the city, which was on the southeast corner of the city wall.

Follow the instructions to the door of the coffin shop, only to find that the scale of this shop is not small, there are two thatched huts on the left and right, and the wooden frame house in the middle, standing on tiptoe to look at the adobe wall, the backyard is the place to work, and the new coffins are neatly stacked in the yard.

The two thatched huts were lifeless, and the feet of the people were faintly visible from the straw mats that were visible from the open doors, and it seemed that this place was not only a coffin shop, but also a village where the dead were parked.

Fujimaki was stunned behind him and asked, "What are you doing in the coffin shop?" For whom? ”

Li Siye ignored him and walked straight into the shop, where there was a lot of space, with five or six finished coffins stacked, white flags hung at the four corners, and the windows were covered with straw curtains. Two old craftsmen leaned over the board with axes and chisels in hand.

They entered the door and stood for a moment, but no one came up to greet them. It's understandable to think about it, they can't come up to you enthusiastically to ask how many of you are in the business of the dead? What kind of wood do you want?

Li Siye looked around for a week before asking, "Where is the owner of the store?"

One of the carpenters stopped what he was doing and came to them with his back on his back: "Three military masters, can you be sent?"

Li Siye took his hand and said, "I want to ask you to make something."

The shopkeeper replied very dryly: "The coffin shop only makes coffins."

"So-and-so will add money to you."

"That's fine." The shopkeeper nodded and said, "As long as the military master doesn't think we are unlucky, what do you want to do, say it, and we will do it."

"Not here, you need to go with me to inspect the field, and you have to do things in the barracks."

The shopkeeper picked up his leather apron and wiped his hands, and immediately agreed: "Okay, military master, please ......"

They returned along the road, and the shopkeeper was silent and did not like to speak, but only bowed his head and followed. Fujimaki fell to the side and asked, "Shop, business has been good lately."

The shopkeeper looked up at him timidly, shook his head, and said, "It's hard to say."

"Why can't you say?"

Li Siye didn't look back, and refuted Fujimu: "Fujimu, don't ridicule the store!"

"Exactly!" Tian Zhen immediately opened his mouth and stabbed: "He is a dead man business, you ask him if his business is good?" How shall he answer you?"

The shopkeeper glanced at Tian Zhen gratefully, and had to say, "Master Jun, I am doing this business to support my family, it doesn't matter if it's good or not." Except for the heavenly immortals, everyone in the world cannot escape death, and it should be taboo and do not have to be taboo. The people who can buy coffins in Xiao Lao'er's store are all wealthy families in this city. Those poor people, as well as ordinary soldiers who died on the battlefield, they were lucky to have a roll of straw mats and a horse leather shroud to be buried. If a strong enemy attacks the city, a great war comes, and hundreds of soldiers and civilians die, can there be a shroud everywhere, and don't they all bury it together? If you want me to say that my coffin shop business is good, it is a good thing, which means that the people of our city are rich and can be buried in a beautiful way. ”

"That's right." Li Siye nodded, turned around and asked him: "Three years ago, the Turks invaded the city, and the shopkeeper are you in the city, right?" Do you remember that?"

"Of course I do!" Talking about the battle of defending the city three years ago, the old shopkeeper still remembers it vividly, and it can be used as a lifelong conversation: "At that time, Sulu Iron Cavalry invaded and concentrated on attacking the West City Gate and the North City Gate, and the North City Gate was garrisoned by the Sixth Regiment Captain Xiao En, the Tenth Regiment Captain Jiang Chengsi was stationed in the West City, and the Eighth Regiment Captain Zhu Renhui was guarding the Fengsui Fort outside the city."

"It's been twenty-one days, and fortunately, there is plenty of food and grass in the city, and the Sulu army can't move an inch under the city. When Gai Jiayun, the deputy envoy of Beiting Jiedu, led his troops to rescue, there were only more than 30 people left in the 10th regiment, Captain Jiang Chengsi died in battle, only 16 people left in the 6th regiment, Captain Xiaoen died in battle, and the worst was Captain Zhu Renhui's 8th regiment, the whole regiment fought to the death, and only nine people were left to return. ”

Fujimaki narrowed his eyes vigilantly, pressed his right hand to the hilt of the knife, and interjected and asked, "How do you know so clearly as a coffin seller?" Hmmm!"

The old shopkeeper was startled, and his mouth trembled and argued: "Little Lao'er not only opened a coffin shop, but also the leader of the support team of the people in the city.

Li Siye realized it later, and glanced back at Fujimu: "Fujimu, don't be unreasonable, frightening the old shopkeeper."

Fujimaki crossed his hands on his chest and hurriedly apologized to the shopkeeper: "Don't blame the old man, it's me who is too careful."

"Forget it," the old shopkeeper waved his hand heartily, and sighed, "I can always remember the scene of that day, when I hid behind the earthen wall of the house on a stretcher. The two captains have been killed in battle, and only Zhao Lushui Brigade Marshal is left to command the soldiers to fight to the death on the head of the city, and cut down the Turks who climbed up to the top of the city, he has not slept a single sleep for nineteen days, his eyes are already red, but the shouts are still full of energy. I also approached Zhao Lushuai, and after the retreat of the cavalry and horses, I was about to go and deliver saliva to him, but he fell asleep against the flagpole at the head of the city, and I didn't dare to wake up, so I quietly retreated. ”

Li Siye's mind wandered, the original three regiments that survived in the exchange city were gathered under his command, is this the reason why their hearts are scattered?

Zhao Lushui is a loyal and brave man, and the remaining sixteen people in the whole regiment are still fighting on the city wall, will such a person swallow up the salaries of his subordinates?