In Jizhou, a caravan is slowly lining up into the city.

"Ma Daochang, this Jizhou guard is the group of people who were going to take the opportunity to attack Cangzhou last time, right?"

Shi Xiu asked Ma Ling on the side with a smile, Ma Ling knew a lot about the land of Yanyun.

"Yes, Yelu Dezhong, brother of Lord Liao!"

Ma Ling nodded.

"Where are you from?"

The city guard saw that Shi Xiu and the others were wearing southern styles, and immediately stopped them.

"We came to Yanyun from Jiangnan Jiankang Mansion to sell sheep and horses!"

It was not the first time Shi Xiu had pretended to be a caravan, and said naturally, with a southern accent.

"Jiankang Mansion?"

The city guards clearly didn't know about this place.

"The south bank of the Yangtze River!"

The lieutenant on the side hurriedly said.

"So you're from Song?"

Only then did the city guard react, and then looked at Shi Xiu with an unkind expression.

"What's the problem? The laws of the Liao Kingdom do not prohibit southerners from doing business! ”

Shi Xiu said.

"Of course it's okay to do business, but southerners have to pay taxes when they go to the city!"

The city guard rubbed his fingers and smiled.

"I want money!"

Shi Xiu sneered in his heart, but he didn't refuse strongly, but took a silver ingot of five taels and handed it over.

"Count yourself sensible, go into the city!"

The city keeper smiled and accepted the money, waved his hand and let him go.

"The Song people in the south have a lot of oil and water!"

When Shi Xiu led people into the city, the city guard touched his chin and thought, the Great Song Dynasty was rich, and everyone knew that the merchants were rich.

"Big brother, I see that those people are very angry, they seem to be newcomers, and they are also generous, so it is better to squeeze them again! If we can get a few hundred, we can also enjoy some days! ”

The soldiers on the side immediately picked up, the rise of Liangshan had defeated the Liao army several times, they had not gone south to fight the grass valley for a long time, and the Song caravan had always been rich.

"Yes! Big brother, those few salaries are not enough to drink! ”

The rest of the people also coaxed, in the past, they relied on guarding the city gate, and they were not less filial piety from the southern caravan, and their lives were so comfortable.

But since Liangshan killed 30,000 Liao troops in Cangzhou two years ago, and killed his brothers who went south to fight Caogu last year, under the tension of this relationship, there are very few strange caravans, and the caravans that dare to come are all related, and they dare not ask for money.

"It's not easy to do!"

The city guard is also excited, and he doesn't want to let go of the fat sheep when he encounters a rare one, but he is a city guard, and there are some things that are difficult to do in the city.

"Big brother, let's find someone to partner with!"

A sharp-beaked monkey leaned over to the city guard and whispered.

"Looking for whom?"

The city guard hurriedly asked.

"Kick and kill the sheep Zhang Bao, he is the best at doing this kind of thing!"

The sharp-beaked monkey-cheeked man spoke.

"Zhang Bao? Yes, extremely! Yes, extremely! Look for him! ”

"Zhang Bao? Yes, extremely! Yes, extremely! Look for him! ”

The city guard was overjoyed, kicked and killed the sheep Zhang Bao, who was a well-known local pimple in Jizhou, and later joined the army, and also had a continuous lawsuit, and his reputation in the city was stinky, and he led a group of broken soldiers to oppress the good in the city all day long.

Shi Xiu didn't know that he was in trouble as soon as he entered the city, originally Shi Xiu's temper was more impulsive, and he would never compromise when blackmailed.

But this time he was probing for intelligence, thinking that more things are better than less, and learning from Sun Lei to spend money to avoid disasters, but he didn't expect that this show of weakness became a fat sheep in the eyes of some people.

Shi Xiu found an inn to live in, and pretended to ask Xiao Er where the sheep and horses were trading in the city, so he ordered a table of wine and food to eat by himself.

"Jizhou is far worse than Liangshan Town!"

Shi Qian looked at the street outside the restaurant and shook his head, how can Jizhou be a big city, but the streets are too depressed compared to Liangshan Town.

"Now that the Jurchen army is pressing, the destruction of the Liao State is just around the corner, and it is difficult not to be depressed!"

Ma Ling took a sip of wine and shook his head and said, the five capitals of the Liao State have lost three capitals, most of the country's land has been lost, and there are not a few people who have fled.

On the second day, Shi Xiu pretended to buy horses, cattle and sheep, and went to the Jizhou livestock trading market with a few entourages, while Ma Ling went to investigate the news alone.

Shi Xiu arrived at the livestock trading market and began to ask for prices, select sheep and horses, and finally bargained.

"One hundred and fifty a horse? You're crazy! It's not the first day I've sold sheep and horses, and horses are usually more than 20 years old! ”

As soon as Shi Xiu inquired about the price, he immediately pointed to the horse buyer and scolded, he also came to buy a horse last time, how could there be such an exaggeration of one hundred and fifty horses.

"This brother, you were the price of the year before last! Last year, the price of horses has risen to 50 per horse, and this year's price is 150 yuan! If you don't believe me, you can ask somewhere else. ”

The seller didn't care, and said directly.

"Do you know how much it is for one hundred and fifty times? A horse? ”

Shi Xiu asked with a gloomy face, if he had one hundred and fifty yuan in Jiankang Mansion before, he could buy a shop on the street and add a small courtyard.

"You southerners don't understand, this time is different from the past, the horses are now very strictly controlled, now it is one hundred and fifty guan, and in two months, maybe it will be two hundred guan!"

The seller said with a smile.

Shi Xiu then thought of the Jinliao War, the Liao State lost a lot of territory, which was a place to produce horses, and now the Liao State estimated that the war horses were also nervous, so they rose so much.

"Your price is too outrageous, I don't have that much money at all, just buy a few horses and bring them back, two hundred yuan a horse, where can I sell it!"

Shi Xiuyi waved his hand and said directly, this kind of price is too outrageous, there is no need to buy it.

"I can't help it! Cattle and sheep are still cheap, do you want to take a look? ”

The seller said again, now that prices in the land of Yanyun have skyrocketed, all industries are in depression, and the southern caravans dare not come, but these are not things he can change.

"The price of cattle and sheep is appropriate, I'll go back and discuss!"

Shi Xiu nodded.

Leaving the livestock market with people, Shi Qian wandered to the vicinity of the military camp in Jizhou City.

"The barracks are well guarded!"

Shi Xiu didn't dare to approach, but just circled around from a distance, listening to the shouts of drill training in the barracks.

As soon as I turned into a street, I heard a group of drums in the distance, and a person was coming.

Shi Xiu and the others lined up on the side of the street, only to see two small prisons in front, one carrying many gifts and bonuses, the other holding a number of pieces of money, and a prison executioner under the Qingluo umbrella in the back.

The man was born a good character, revealing a blue indigo-like embroidery, two eyebrows into the sideburns, phoenix eyes facing the sky, pale yellow skin, and a few thin mustaches.

"This looks like a character!"

Shi Xiu said in a low voice, the person who came to him looked dignified and seemed to have some ability.

"Seems to be the executioner!"

Shi Xiu's pro-soldier next to him whispered, the executioner's big knife was easy to recognize.

"It's none of our business!"

Shi Xiu shook his head and said, they are here to investigate intelligence, the war will break out at any time, and he has no time to get in touch with the people in the government. (End of chapter)