Wang Rong and Ma Shizhou have known each other for a long time, after all, Wangjia Village is actually under the jurisdiction of the same thousand households. In the first year that Ma Shizhou was arranged in the Thousand Households, Wang Rong knew him, and he had helped Ma Shizhou a lot over the years.

Over the years, the two have also become friends, and sometimes when Wang Rong goes to Qianhu to do business, he often goes to Ma Shizhou to sit down, not to bring him something, or to drink two sips of wine together, or even stay at his house for one night or something.

A few years ago, Zhu Shencone and Wang Rong said that they planned to go to the grassland, and Wang Rong had been thinking about this matter and wondering how to arrange it.

No, he thought of Ma Shizhou when he thought about it, and when he came to Ma Shizhou, he was taken to the grassland and stayed there for several years, not only familiar with the situation of the grassland, but also able to speak Mongolian. Second, Ma Shizhou was born in the border army, although his left hand is now disabled, but his ability is still there, he has led soldiers to fight and killed people, and there is such a person who follows Zhu Shencone, naturally much stronger than ordinary people.

Wang Rong and Ma Shizhou have known each other for many years, and they can also trust Ma Shizhou. In this way, as early as a year ago, Wang Rong took the opportunity to go to the Thousand Households Institute and mentioned this sentence to Ma Shizhou, and Ma Shizhou agreed without asking too much, and the matter was preliminarily decided.

This time Zhu Shencone came to Wangjia Village, Wang Rong remembered this again, and deliberately went to a thousand households, found Ma Shizhou and brought him over, so that he and Zhu Shencone could meet and chat.

"Uncle Ma, you drink tea." Zhu Shencone lifted the teapot and poured tea for Ma Shizhou, while carefully looking at the person in front of him.

Ma Shizhou's stature is not tall, he is slightly shorter than ordinary people, and he is older, after all, he is over forty years old, and the life span of ordinary people in this era is not long, and he can be called an "old man" above forty, not to mention that Ma Shizhou has been in the grassland for so long, and he has suffered a lot when he was a cow and a horse for the Mongolians.

"Sixth Master Xie......." Ma Shizhou thanked him, and then he didn't talk much, looking taciturn.

"Your Uncle Ma has been used to living alone all these years, and he doesn't like to talk much." Wang Rong explained on the side, Zhu Shencone nodded, and then turned his eyes to Wang Rong with an inquiry, seeing that Wang Rong gave him a reassuring look.

"Uncle Ma, did my uncle tell you about that?"

"With that in mind, you're going north?" Ma Shizhou asked rhetorically.

"Yes!"

"When are you going?"

"I plan to set off in March, and I estimate that the grassland should also be rejuvenated at this time, but it is the first time I have been back to the north, and I don't know much about the situation over there, Uncle Ma, what do you think of this arrangement?" Zhu Shencone pondered and asked.

Ma Shizhou frowned slightly, thought for a while, and said, "March? It's a little early, but it's not impossible, how long will you go? How many people are there? ”

Zhu Shencone said: "About four or five people, in addition to people, I also have to bring some goods, this time I used to explore the way, feel the situation in the north, and then see what business can be done over there." As for how long they will stay there, it's uncertain, maybe it's a month, or maybe longer. ”

Ma Shizhou thought for a while and nodded: "This is no problem, I can lead the way, but you also need to bring some things in addition to the goods, the sky of the grassland is not like the Ming Dynasty, the sun is shining one moment, and the next moment it may have to change the sky. ”

"I don't understand this matter either, I have to trouble Uncle Ma, what do you think you need to bring, just mention it, I must arrange it in advance." Zhu Shencone said with a smile.

Ma Shizhou was much more relaxed when he heard him say this, and immediately said that he would tell Wang Rong the specific things he needed to bring, and they would be ready in advance. As for the departure time, just notify him a few days in advance, anyway, he is alone, and he can set off at any time, just look at Zhu Shencone's convenience.

Maybe it was the first time they met, or as Wang Rong said, Ma Shizhou didn't talk much to strangers, so he didn't say anything anymore after chatting about business.

Wang Rong knew his temper, and said with a smile on the side that since this is the case, this matter is so decided, and he will arrange what he will prepare next, and then he will leave Ma Shizhou to drink at home, Ma Shizhou waved his hand and said that there is no need for this today, he has to rush back while the time is still early, and when they are almost here, he will greet himself in advance.

After sending Ma Shizhou away, Wang Rong and Zhu Shencone returned to the house.

"Don't worry, Lao Ma, although he doesn't like to talk much, he is absolutely reliable, and he has been in Mongolia for many years and is very familiar with it." Wang Rong was worried that Zhu Shencone would not look down on Ma Shizhou, so he deliberately said this.

"Uncle, I am naturally relieved about the person you are looking for, since I have seen him today, please trouble Uncle Ma. By the way, uncle, you can tell me about this Uncle Ma's situation carefully, after all, let him lead the way to the grassland next, you can understand more, and the contact will be smoother later. ”

Wang Rong smiled and nodded, and immediately told Zhu Shencone about Ma Shizhou's experience in detail. The general situation of Ma Shizhou was mentioned when I met before, and now Wang Rong is talking about what he didn't mention before.

Listening carefully to Ma Shizhou's experience, Zhu Shencone couldn't help but feel a little emotional. Originally, a promising border army officer not only suffered for so many years because of a sudden skirmish, but also ended up in the current situation.

After returning to Daming, Ma Shizhou has been single all these years, and has not married a wife or children. Regarding this matter, Wang Rong persuaded him a long time ago, but Ma Shizhou never had this idea, and after a long time, this matter has been so faded until today.

"It's a pity for Lao Ma, he became a captain of Zhaoxin in his twenties, if it hadn't been for that back then, maybe a deputy staff general would be stable now, and even going higher is not impossible." Wang Rong shook his head and sighed as he spoke.

When the Mongols crossed the Great Wall, Ma Shizhou led the army to meet the enemy but was outnumbered, and the responsibility for the defeat did not lie with him. Moreover, after the defeat of the army, Ma Shizhou was injured on the battlefield and was taken away by the Mongols, captured and became a slave on the grassland, and stayed for many years.

During those years, Ma Shizhou suffered a lot, which is one of the reasons why he seems to have been weathered. When he finally escaped back to Daming, Daming had already cancelled his military registration here, in other words, after he was taken away, Daming reported a death in Ma Shizhou, and now a few years ago on the roster of the dead person suddenly returned, which makes the top and bottom embarrassed?

It is impossible to restore the military position, and the bereavement pension for the dead has long been privately distributed to the above, and it stands to reason that there is no longer such a person as Ma Shizhou in this world, so the return of Ma Shizhou has become a problem for the border generals.

Finally, there was an old superior who remembered the old feelings, placed Ma Shizhou in Qianhusuo and became a military household and gave money and food, so that Ma Shizhou, who fled back to Daming with enthusiasm, was discouraged by the cruel reality, and could only accept this fact, so he became an ordinary person in Qianhusuo.

"Lao Ma is cold on the outside and hot on the inside, you will know it after you have been dating for a long time. When you get to the north, listen to the old horse in everything, don't be good at making claims, after all, the grassland is not the Ming Dynasty, you don't know many situations, there are old horses, and I can rest assured that this trip will go. ”

Wang Rong's words are reasonable, not to mention that the current grassland is not the grassland of later generations, and he is not on vacation when he goes north this time.

What is the situation on the steppe and how to deal with the Mongols, even if Zhu Shencone has thought about it carefully, it is just talk on paper.

Now there is Ma Shizhou, a person who understands the grassland, has lived in the grassland for many years and knows Mongolian, it is much stronger than going north with his own eyes. As for how to communicate with Ma Shizhou along the way, Zhu Shencone is not worried, since Ma Shizhou is a friend of his uncle Wang Rong, then he is a trustworthy person, just ask more and listen more along the way.

I didn't stay in Wangjia Village for too long, and I only stayed for a few days.

On the fifth day, Zhu Shencone took Zhang Xijun and two young men selected from Wangjia Village to leave Wangjia Village with the sorted out salt goods and returned to Pingyang Mansion.

Zhang Xijun has long stopped wearing the previous shirt, wearing an ordinary cotton robe, with his slightly rounded face, coupled with the square scarf on his head, he really looks like a shopkeeper.

The group left Wangjia Village and headed towards Pingyang Mansion, and arrived at Pingyang Mansion in the afternoon and entered the city smoothly.

After entering the city, Zhu Shencone led them directly to the store, and when they arrived at the place, Zhang Xijun saw the signboard hanging outside the store from a distance - Hengtong.

This name was suggested by Kang Youfu, and it was originally intended to be called Hengtong, which means to be prosperous in terms of wealth. However, it seems a little inappropriate to use Hengtong as a business name after thinking about it carefully, so I changed it and used the current name of Hengtong.