Huan Rong

In the third year of Taihe, at Renzi in November, Qin Jing left Yandu and returned to Luozhou.

Due to continuous winter rain and poor roads, the departure date was several days later than expected.Taking this opportunity, Shi Shao once again used his business acumen to persuade Qin Jing to recruit skilled slaves from the north and send them to the south with the merchant ship.

"Under the years of war, it is hard to find great craftsmen, but ordinary craftsmen are also available. If there are craftsmen who can build ships, they can thank them with rice, wheat, salt and silk."

Before the contract was signed, Huan Rong specifically asked for two additions, hoping to focus on finding boatmen and carpenters, blacksmiths and the like would be the best, and it doesn't matter if they don't.

Princess Nankang's net worth is extremely rich, and Mrs. Li fills in at any time, so Huanrong is neither short of money nor manpower, and naturally there are skilled slaves.

The guard and Lu Ben had no choice.

Under Huan Da Sima's strong pressure, even the slightest sign of trouble will be discovered.It's okay to train a few confidants, but don't even think about guarding more than 30 people, not even Princess Nankang.

Three of the artisan slaves who accompanied him were good at forging iron tools, which should be enough for now.What Huan Rong needed was a large number of boatmen and craftsmen who could cooperate with skilled slaves to make various agricultural tools.

Another reason is that Qin's Wubao has strong neighbors on both sides, so the demand for weapons can be imagined.If you find a blacksmith, especially a master craftsman with superb craftsmanship, you must keep it for yourself, and you will never send it to Yandu.

Instead of causing all kinds of "unpleasant", it is better to correct your attitude in advance.

In this way, the relationship between the two parties will be more stable, and there will be no major problems in the short term.

"Brother Qin, please trouble me."

The bamboo slips engraved on the deed were also made in duplicate, one was left in Yandu, and the other was brought back to Qin's Wubao.Qin Jing can decide the deal, whether it can last for a long time or not, the Patriarch of the Qin family still needs to nod and agree.

He ordered the little boy to fetch the silk cloth, and Huan Rong wrapped the bamboo slips with his own hands and put them in the wooden box prepared in advance.

The bamboo slips are bulky, and it takes three volumes to engrave a deed.If the content increases, more volumes are required.But again, once it’s processed, it can be stored for a much longer time than paper rolls.

Nowadays, most of the paper is rough and yellowed. Due to the materials used, it is not tough enough and a little brittle, which is not durable for long-term storage.

Of course, the paper used by the gentry is high-quality, which is close to the level of papermaking in Tang Dynasty.It's a pity that the price is too high, the price of a piece of paper is enough to make five or six scrolls of bamboo slips, in comparison, Huan Rong resolutely gave up the former and directly chose the bamboo slips.

Qin Jing put away the contract and promised to find craftsmen from various sources and send them to Yandu as quickly as possible.In exchange for this, please ask Huan Rong to draw another map of trade routes.

"Brother Rong, please help."

Huan Rong used the excuse that he had never been to the Northland, that he didn't know the mountains and rivers, and that he couldn't draw a map, so Qin Jing naturally didn't want to embarrass him.But he has already drawn the terrain from Yandu to Ruyin, so it's hard to refuse.

"To tell you the truth, brother Rong, in the past years, Wubao often went to Jiankang City for food, and we are already familiar with the state and county. The trade route to Yandu is newly opened. Except for this accompanying ship, no other Fort residents have traveled. There is a lot of food, there will be no less than five merchant ships, and you can have a topographic map in hand, so you can save a lot of trouble."

With such a good reason, Huan Rong had no room to refuse at all, so he could only take plain silk cloth, draw a map overnight, and give it to Qin Jing after drying.

This map is more detailed than before, and many counties along the way are marked.If there is something missing, Huan Rong can only spread his hands and express: the knowledge reserve is insufficient, please forgive me, Brother Qin.

In order to ensure that the location on the map is correct, Huan Rong specifically asked Shi Shao.

Knowing that the map was given away for free, Shi Shao had a strange expression on his face. He stared at Huan Rong for a long time and asked, "Do you know how much this map is worth?"

Huan Rong shook his head.

Shi Shao took a deep breath, carefully put down the silk cloth, and said seriously: "If it flows into the Northland, this picture will be worth thousands of gold!"

Huan Rong was stunned.

As if thinking that Huan Rong's heartbeat wasn't fast enough, Shi Shao continued: "Fortunately, we only went to Ruyin. If we go through Qin's Wubao and go deep into the place where the Di people live, this picture is priceless."

"Really?"

"I dare not make jokes." Seeing Huan Rong's expression, Shi Shao sighed twice, and began to explain to him in detail.

In today's military operations, knowing the way is a big problem.Familiar territory is fine, if you break into someone else's territory, you may get lost at any time.

From the Yellow Turban Rebellion at the end of the Han Dynasty, to the three kingdoms of Wei, Shu and Wu, and then to the Jin Dynasty's takeover of Wei, the Five Hus caused disasters, and the Central Plains fell into chaos. The war never stopped, and the people suffered a lot.

By the time Emperor Jinyuan crossed south and established imperial power in Jiankang, the population counted by the imperial court was only 800 million!It should be known that during the Han Dynasty, the population of the Central Plains reached more than 5000 million at one time, and nearly 6000 million at the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty.

Affected by the war, the population suddenly decreased, and the vegetation gradually invaded the fertile land.Many remote villages were devastated by the rebellion and were swallowed up by weeds for decades.

Encountering such an environment is a great test for the general who leads the battle.If the scout is not strong, it happens to be someone who doesn't know the way, and he will be in danger before he meets the enemy.

In this way, the map becomes extremely important.Especially the maps drawn in detail are indeed worth a thousand gold.

If Huan Rong really completes the map, what Qin Jing brings back during this trip is not rice and sea salt, and more than [-]% of them may directly kidnap people.

After hearing Shi Shao's words, Huan Rong's face turned pale, and he couldn't help being afraid for a while.

Misunderstood him because of Qin Jing, Shi Shao comforted him: "Your Majesty, there is no need to worry, Qin Silang is a trustworthy person."

Huan Rong shook his head, but did not explain further.

What he was afraid of was not Qin Jing, but the scumbag father!

In Jiankang, if he hadn't told Huan Yi to keep the secret, if the map hadn't been burned but had fallen into the hands of the scumbag, what would happen to him now?

His life might be saved, but nine times out of ten he would be locked up in a small black room to draw pictures day and night.When the map is drawn and the scumbag is satisfied, that is when his head falls to the ground and his life is over.

Unlikely?

Based on his understanding of the scumbag father, it's normal to click away after using him, but it's unbelievable to keep him.As an unpopular and potentially threatening legitimate son, the higher his talent, the faster he would die.

After receiving the map, Qin Jing solemnly thanked Huan Rong, and set off to return to the north the next day.

From Yandu to Sheyang, it is necessary to travel by land. For the sake of gold, Huan Rong made it to the end, ordered the servants to harness more than ten horses, drove out several carts, and sent Qin Jing and his party to the pier to board the ship.

Before the convoy set off, the black-and-brown goshawk soared high in the sky, and disappeared among the clouds with a long cry.

Huan Rong never noticed.

Ever since Brother Raptor settled down in the county yamen, he often sees the dragon but never sees the end, but the prepared fresh meat never stops, and he never sees it at a fixed time.

"Brother Qin, the journey is smooth."

Dispelling the worry of being poached, Huan Rong hoped that Qin Jing could come and go frequently.

"Brother Rong, take care."

Qin Jing returned the gift, still wearing dark black clothes, with only an extra cloak on her shoulders.The black fur is inlaid on the neckline, making it more and more handsome and handsome.

Team Chen was about to set out on the road, when a hawk sounded above his head, and then a shadow fell in the air, hitting between Huan Rong and the carriage with a bang.

Huan Rong was quite surprised, and instinctively took a step back.

Qin Jing supported the railing with one hand, saw the elk falling on the ground, and then saw the goshawk hovering in mid-air, couldn't help laughing out loud.He raised his right arm, let the goshawk fall, stroked the eagle's back with one hand, and said, "I'm so lucky to stay here, and when I return to Luozhou, I will find a female eagle for you."

The goshawk chirped, rubbed against Qin Jing's side face, fluttered its wings, and landed on Huan Rong's shoulder.

The latter was staring at the elk under his feet with wide eyes, feeling the weight on his shoulders, turned his head carefully, and looked at Brother Raptor who was combing his feathers, his face was full of awe.

Although this elk is not big in size, it weighs at least thirty or forty kilograms by visual inspection, so it flew all the way so easily?

It was the right decision to give up keeping pigeons.

As a parting gift, Qin Jing took off a deer leg and left the rest for Huan Rong.

"Brother Rong, take care, when you go north, Jing will come to meet you in person!"

Huan Rong bowed his hands first, watched the convoy go far away, turned around and remembered Qin Jing's words, and couldn't help frowning.

When did he say he was going north?

Is there something wrong with Qin Jing's expression, or is his understanding wrong?

Really couldn't figure it out, Huan Rong simply threw it away and ordered the health servant to take the elk to the kitchen for cooking.

"Leave the cook a hind leg."

"promise!"

The servant brought up the elk and walked away, Huan Rong carefully stretched out his finger, and lightly poked the goshawk's chest.The latter squinted his eyes sharply, but luckily he didn't leave another wound on him.

"Peaceful coexistence?"

Huan Rong walked into the inner room, tilted his shoulders, and signaled the goshawk to move to the wooden frame.

"Don't peck me, don't catch me, I have enough fresh meat every day."

It is indeed surreal to bargain with an eagle, but Huan Rong feels that the other party can understand.

"Hey——"

As soon as the hawk crowed, the goshawk turned around, turned its back to Huan Rong, raised its wings to cover its head, and made it clear that it didn't want to talk to it.

The little boy came in with hot soup and fresh meat, just in time to see Huan Rong leaning out to poke the eagle's back.

"Lang Jun," the little boy quickly put down the lacquer plate and stopped him, "Have you forgotten Qin Langjun's words? You can't touch it from behind."

Sure enough, before the words were finished, the goshawk suddenly spread its wings, and the feathers on its neck stood up.Huan Rong withdrew his hand with a smirk, not daring to provoke Brother Raptor anymore, picked up a piece of fresh meat and brought it to Goshawk's mouth.

In the next few days, Goshawk gradually got used to staying in the county office, but would go out for two or three hours every day, and would bring back prey every now and then.

Sometimes it is a half-grown elk, and sometimes it is a bird that goes to Yandu to overwinter.Apart from the tall and long-legged red-crowned crane, Huan Rong hardly knew any of them.

"I heard from the old people in the county that as early as a few decades ago, such herds of deer could be seen everywhere, but now there are fewer and fewer, and occasionally a small herd can be seen, and it is difficult for it to catch."

"There are also these birds, which come every winter. This year is a little later, and you can see many in October in previous years."

Ah Mi took her servants to tidy up the suitcases, Huan Rong had a rare day of leisure, after listening to the boy's words, he immediately made up his mind that when the weather was better, he must go to the seaside to have a look.

Seeing that the two boxes containing the spices were put aside, he immediately became interested and called the little boy to fetch clean porcelain pots and utensils, planning to mix some spices according to the booklet Mrs. Li gave him.

"Lang Jun, mixing fragrance is not easy."

"I know."

Huan Rong unfolded the booklet and spread out the utensils one by one. He didn't intend to challenge the difficulty. It should be no problem to simply mix one or two.

It's a pity that reality will always give people a heavy blow.

There are only three ingredients, and they are weighed in advance, and mixed together, the taste is more pungent than chili noodles.

"Cough, cough!"

Huan Rong coughed badly and hurriedly tried to cover his mouth and nose.I didn't want my sleeves to be too long, so I swept across the table, and the prepared spices spilled all over the floor.Part of it flew into the brazier, and a burst of white smoke rose immediately, and the pungent smell permeated the entire inner room.

"Come on!"

Huan Rong grabbed the book and stuffed it into his bosom, then pulled the boy away.Ah Mi and the servants heard the movement and saw the situation in the inner room, they opened the doors and windows quickly, and blew the white smoke away with the help of the draft.

"Lang Jun, it's not easy to mix fragrance."

Huan Rong nodded, sat down on the porch, faced A Mi's disapproving gaze, and twitched the corners of his mouth in embarrassment.Sure enough, he didn't have the qualifications to blend perfume, otherwise, no matter how he followed the steps, he would make mistakes.

When the white smoke dissipated, Ah Mi went back to the inner room to tidy up, ordered the servants to replace the brazier, and then invited Huan Rong in.

"Your Majesty, if you have time, you might as well take a walk in the city." A Mi locked the wooden box and reminded intentionally, "Recently, several groups of Hu merchants have come to the city, bringing a lot of goods from the Northland."

Hu merchant?

"Do you know if it's Xianbei or Di people?"

"It looks like a Xianbei Hu."

Huan Rong nodded, took out the book in his arms, put it in a wooden box, and handed it to Ah Mi to lock it up.Then he leaned against the low couch and thought about it a few times, always feeling that these Hu merchants appeared strangely.

Most of the merchants from the north came to Jiankang City, and rarely appeared in Qiao County.He has been in Yandu for several months and has hardly heard any news about Hu merchants.

Why did these barbarians suddenly appear? Judging from what A Mi said, there seemed to be quite a few of them?

"Ah Nan, go invite Shi Sheren and tell me that I have something to discuss."

"promise!"

The world is not peaceful, because of Hu Shang's sudden appearance, Huan Rong immediately became alert.

He intuited that the timing of Hu Shang's appearance was not right, and there must be an article behind it, but he couldn't figure out what article it was.It would never have occurred to them that most of these people were ordered by Murong Chui to go south to Yandu to inquire about news in the name of doing business.

As the news is sent out one after another, Yandu will soon enter Murong Chui's eyes and become a piece of "fat meat" with saltworks that can produce grain.

Two years ago, Murongchui would never have easily attacked Yandu.After all, it is in the territory of the Eastern Jin Dynasty, which may cause unnecessary troubles.

But now, he is no longer willing to let go of military power, let alone return to the capital to be oppressed by other royal nobles.Therefore, it is very important to win a piece of land that belongs to you.

Yandu is separated by waterways, so rashly leading troops to attack is definitely not the best policy.

Murong Chui's original intention was to do business first, and then start the robbery.The Hu businessman who was in charge of inquiring about the news just happened to lead the way and snatched enough salt and food, so that he would not worry about not being able to develop in the North, and then separatist and self-governing.

At that time, there was heavy snowfall in the north, and Diren and Murong Xianbei couldn't cut each other in the blizzard even if they were resistant to the frost.

The north wind blows snowflakes, the scabbard will be frozen, and the spear will be cracked.

How to start a war without weapons, fight each other with fists?

When Qin Jing arrived in Ruyin, Murongchui and Wang Meng ordered at the same time that the battle-free card be hung up in front of the camp.Even so, the number of attrition of soldiers continues to increase.Although some did not die, due to lack of medicine, the frostbite on their hands and feet began to fester, and their combat effectiveness approached zero.

Qin's Wubao's convoy entered Luozhou, and the northern land had not seen war for half a month.

Qin Jun, who was guarding Wubao, rode out to meet Qin Jing. When he saw Qin Jing, he immediately flicked his whip and said with a smile, "Xuanmin, why are you coming back now? My father asked me several times. It’s almost full. By the way, Ah Hei was taken away by you, why didn’t you bring it back?”

"Brother."

Qin Jing jumped down from the shaft of the chariot, took the reins from the servants, and jumped on the horse, his movements were crisp and neat.

"There is another story about this matter. I plan to rush to Xihe County tomorrow and explain it to my father in person."

Qin Jun raised his eyebrows, and a look of thought flashed across his face, which was five points similar to Qin Jing's.

"But it has something to do with the goods you brought back?"

"Yes." Qin Jing didn't intend to hide it, nodded and said, "Going to Yandu will gain a lot. In addition to the annual salt grain, there is another thing worth thousands of gold."

"What?" Qin Yu became more and more curious, rode in and asked, "Can you take it out and let me have a look at it?"

"No."

Qin Yu: "..." Can you still be brothers happily?

"I can tell brother, this thing is a map."

"Map?"

"From Ruyin to Yandu, including counties and counties occupied by Xianbei."

"really?"

"really."

The brothers looked at each other, and Qin Jun immediately said: "Don't wait for tomorrow, today you and I will go to Xihe!"

"What about here in Luozhou?"

"Don't worry, there is your third brother."

The so-called Brother Keng is not here sooner or later, Qin Yu's words are known to Qin Yu, so I don't know how he will feel.

Qin Jing said no more, and rode back to Wubao with Qin Jun.

After a short rest, the brothers set off for the north.

In the wind and snow, the horse spread its hooves, chasing the wind and lightning.Immediately, the knight held the reins tightly, and his cloak fluttered with the wind, like a black streamer, instantly piercing his eyes with silver.