Huan Rong

After finishing the three plates of New Year's dishes, Huan Rong was about to ask the boy to pour water, but A Mi stopped him.Afterwards, a cup full of Tusu wine was brought to him.

"Lang Jun, please drink up."

"..."

Looking at the wine cup, then at Ah Mi, Huan Rong burst into tears twice.

People will die, people will really die!

However, this is the custom in the Eastern Jin Dynasty during the Chinese New Year, it is really impossible not to drink, Huan Rong can only grit his teeth, take a few sips from the wine cup.

Putting down the wine cup, Huan Rong's expression became numb and he had already lost his sense of taste.

The maid took down the lacquer bowl, A Mi took out a pill made of wax and realgar, wrapped it in silk thread, and hung it under Huan Rong's belt.

"Lang-jun, this is Kekimaru, please don't take it off before tomorrow."

Huan Rong nodded, and finally waited until the little boy handed over the water cup, drank it dry in one gulp, breathed a sigh of relief, and finally came back to life.

"On the day of Yuanzheng, the door should be closed, and a Chongming bird should be erected at the front door, and peach trees should be hung to scare away ghosts and ghosts. Please stay in the mansion and don't go out."

"I know."

Ah Mi Fu stepped back, and a moment later, a servant brought a lacquer bowl containing freshly boiled peach soup.This time without Ah Mi and Xiao Tong staring at him, Huan Rong drank the whole bowl and licked his lips, the bitterness and spicy taste were all diluted, but he still felt a little unsatisfied.

After finishing the peach soup, Huan Rong got up and walked around twice. Since he couldn't go out, he simply spread out the paper and re-listed the plans.

Saltworks remain a top priority.

The people of Shishao are in Jiankang, busy with the business of selling salt.

If a mother comes to Taicheng to talk about something, the Queen Mother will definitely not stop her.The queen mother has no intention of embarrassing, let alone the emperor.The only variable is the Jiankang gentry.

The problems that Huan Rong and Shi Shao can think of, naturally these high-ranking families will not ignore them.

It is not a big problem if the salt boat does not pass through Jiankang and saves the port fee.Setting up shops in both large and small markets, and buying and selling goods on a quarterly basis, will impact the salt price in Jiankang, disrupt the existing business structure, and harm the interests of some people.

Before leaving, Shi Shao specifically asked someone to find out that Jiankang's salt market was controlled by three surnames, and the Taiyuan Wang family was one of them.

Considering Wang Tanzhi's status in the court, Huan Rong had to act cautiously.

Compared with the Taiyuan Wang family, the Yu family is not enough.

Huan Rong was able to bring a healthy servant to Yu Xi's house, but he couldn't easily go to Wang Tanzhi's house to make trouble.He and Yu Youzhi started a fight, and public opinion in Jiankang tended to blame the Yu family.If it were Wang Tanzhi, I'm sorry, he is not in the same rank at all, and he would be trampled on the soles of his feet in the blink of an eye.

It's not that Huan Rong is not confident, but that the world is like this.

Without hard power, you have to hold your breath in front of the scumbag father; without soft power, you still have to kneel when you meet a noble family like the Taiyuan Wang family.

Thinking of all the things in the past few months, Huan Rong couldn't help sighing, "I can't be proud, I can't raise my tail!"

He is currently in his infancy, and if he relaxes a little, he will cause big trouble. He must act cautiously and step by step.Otherwise, you can play yourself to death without your scumbag doing anything.

But if you want to strive for the upper reaches and strengthen yourself, sooner or later you will touch the interests of others.

Several big mountains were pressing down on his head, and Huan Rong suddenly felt tremendous pressure.

I thought I would be able to relax for a while by eradicating the tyrants in the county, taking back the Yanting, and setting up a business with Qin's Wubao.

Unexpectedly, first there were Hu merchants with unknown motives, and they wanted to take the risk to compete with the Jiankang gentry for the market.Go dreaming.

Ah Mi was busy in the county government office with her servants, making sure that the doors of all the houses were tightly closed, especially the back hall where Huan Rong lived for a long time, and that there were no mistakes today.

The servant polished the flint and lit the last two firecrackers.

Accompanied by the sound of crackling, the chef carried out the altar of Tusu wine, as well as a large plate of five-spicy vegetables, baskets of eggs, large pieces of steamed meat and salted crabs hidden in autumn.

Huan Rong gritted his teeth and devoured the new year's food, but it was delicious for everyone, especially suitable for drinking.The healthy servants did not go back to the house, they piled up a few stone piers, spread wooden planks on them, arranged all the wine and dishes, and began to sit around and drink.

The ancients were in awe of gods and ghosts, and firmly believed that the abundance of yang energy could drive away evil spirits.

More than fifty health servants and guards sat in the open air, not afraid of the cold winter wind at all, and drank happily. No less than ten people opened their skirts, showing their strong chests, and held up their bowls to drink again.

The young man from Gushu was placed in the military camp in the west of the city, less than two miles away from the county government.

Dozens of people get up early for training every day, and follow the master of the Beifu Army to go out for exercises. The intensity is increasing day by day, and no one complains.

For one thing, they were born as refugees, and it was not easy for them to re-register their household registration and get the land.

Secondly, the treatment given by Huan Rong was quite good. All clothes, shoes and socks were newly made, and two meals a day were changed to three meals a day. There was a meat meal every day, which was either wild mutton or steamed sea fish.

How difficult it is to have enough food and clothing in troubled times.

Everyone was grateful for Huan Rong and made up their minds to repay them, but they were afraid that their performance would not be as good as others and they would be driven away. They practiced hard every day, and in just two months, they became elite.

Some of the homeless villains who took the lead in rushing into the Chen family and took down Chen's father and son were willing to be recruited and join the military camp, willing to serve Huan Rong.In this way, Huan Rong's private soldiers steadily exceeded eighty, and began to move towards three figures.

Among the young and strong and the refugees, Dian Kui and Qian Shi are the bravest, and they have never lost a single fight with others.According to the words of the owner, he can be a strong general in the army.

After seeing the drills twice, Huan Rong was very impressed with the two.

Qian Shi's ancestor was the Southern Xiongnu who had naturalized in the Han Dynasty, and he also protected Emperor Xian of the Han Dynasty from the rebellious soldiers.

Since the great-grandfather of the Qian family had intermarried with the Han family, after several generations, they were no different from the Han family in terms of appearance and living habits.Qian Shi considers himself a Han, and anyone who dares to ridicule him face to face that he was born in the Huns will definitely get a good meal.

Both of Dian Kui's parents died, his family was in decline, and he was exiled from the north to Qiao County.Regardless of his desperation now, looking back at his ancestors, he was a fierce general at the end of Han Dynasty—Dian Wei, the fierce man in front of the old guard Cao Cao's tent!

Looking at the strong man over two meters tall, with arms thicker than his own thighs, Huan Rong only had one thought in his mind: get rich!

At the end of the day's drill, Huan Rong selected Diankui and Qian Shi as Sima Cheqian, and told everyone that after April there will be a martial arts competition in the camp, whoever wins three matches in a row will be selected as the guard, and whoever wins more than five matches will be the Luben.

Guards can get clothing, food and silk cloth, Lu Ben has more food and salary!

The young and strong people's eyes lit up immediately, and they were all gearing up, hoping that the day of the competition would come soon.

At that time, Liu Laozhi had not yet returned to Jingkou, and he couldn't help admiring Huan Rong when he saw Huan Rong's actions.

Heroes don't ask where they come from. It sounds good to say, but it's hard to put into practice.

The Beifu army is mostly composed of refugees, and the selection of generals is still restricted by family background.As his family background is ordinary, he was born as a commoner, so being able to join the army is already a great favor of Xi Shijun.If you want to go a step further, you must have impressive military exploits.

In contrast, these young men had only trained for a few months and had never been to the battlefield. They had the opportunity to become the county magistrate Luben and even Cheqian Sima. Liu Canjun couldn't help but feel a little envious.

Huan Rong was so engrossed in the joy of "fighting with a strong general" that he didn't pay attention to Liu Canjun's expression at the time.If you see it, you will definitely strike while the iron is hot and loosen the soil in the corner of Xi Jishi's wall.

However, a missed opportunity is a missed opportunity, and there is no room for regret.But if there is one thing, there will be two, and if there is two, there will be three. Huan Rong and Xi Yin have temporarily formed an alliance.

On the day of Yuanzheng, the barracks rested for a whole day, and the healthy servants brought festival vegetables and Tusu wine, and two carts of cured meat, so that the cooks cooked them all and served wine to the young and strong.

"Thank you, Lord!"

Dian Kui and Qian Shi were the leaders, and everyone clasped their fists in salute.

The two have the same official positions, and their military strength is not much different.Now they have begun to distinguish each other and compete for the future front row position.

Among the young and strong, those who disagreed with the two of them held their breath in secret, leaving aside the time of practice, when they met in private, they would all have murderous looks on their faces.Intensify the training every day, just wait for the day of the competition, to kill one and kill two people.

There was no martial arts competition today, so everyone simply slapped the wine jar away and began to compare their drinking capacity.

Dian Kui Qian Shi had one pot for each person, raised his head and poured water, and soon three more people joined him.

The young and strong people sat on the ground, drinking in big bowls, and eating vegetables in big bowls. Soon the smell of alcohol rose, and a few people stood up unsteadily, holding their wrists to compare their physical strength. The rest of them applauded loudly, and the camp was full of noise.

After delivering the food and drinks, the guards quickly returned to the county government office, avoiding the main entrance and directly climbing over the wall.

Shut the door to prevent ghosts, and no one opened the door when they shouted loudly.The guards were prepared in advance. The two put their arms together, and the other stepped on one foot, leaped upwards, supported them with both hands, and jumped over the wall in the blink of an eye.

Fortunately, there was no one on the road, and the doors of every house were closed.Otherwise, seeing a group of guards in short robes climbing over the wall, eyeballs would roll all over the ground.

Unlike the people in Jin, Xianbei people don't have the rule of not going out on Yuanri.

Knowing that the city is closed and busy celebrating the new year, seven Xianbei Hu merchants gathered together, and after some discussion, they planned to take the opportunity to go to the saltworks.

"I've looked carefully. The salt boats enter and exit through the fence gate in the east of the city. The largest salt field should be in the east of the city."

"There are so many people on weekdays, it's not easy to approach casually. Today, every house in the city is closed, so I just went to have a look."

"What if someone finds out?"

"Just say I'm getting lost!"

"..." Would anyone believe such a lame excuse?

"His Royal Highness sent people south twice, and you all heard what they brought." Hu Shang, the leader, said.

"His Royal Highness led the army outside, winning consecutive battles, but the emperor wanted to praise him but was stopped by others! Even if he holds the military power in his hand, once he returns to the court, it is hard to say that the villain will not use ghost tricks again."

As soon as this remark came out, the six people were all silent.

"Your Highness has the heart to take Yandu, not for the land but for the profit. We have been in Yandu for two months, and we all know that the salt in the city is huge, and there is not only salt here, but also rice!" Hu Shang's voice slightly Suddenly, with a ruthless face, he clenched his fist and said, "If Your Highness can take advantage of this, why should you be afraid of the villains!"

Needless to say the words too clearly, everyone knows the meaning behind it.

They are all under Murong Chui's command, if Murong Chui gains power, they will be fine, but if Murong Chui falls, they will all suffer.If he wanted to keep his current status and wealth, he had to put Murong Chui first in everything.

The sea salt and rice in Yandu County made them jealous, and they wished they could snatch them all. It would be best if the population could also be looted along the way and transported back to the Northland as slaves.

Huan Rong, the county magistrate of Yandu, and the dozens of people in the military camp in the west of the city were completely ignored by them.

"That's how it works!"

The Hu merchants reached an agreement and immediately split up.

The two were exploring the way ahead, the three were in charge of spying on the saltworks, and the remaining two were in the rear.

Once the spying operation fails and the guard finds out, no matter who escapes, they must leave Yandu immediately, go north and return to Yandi, and send a letter to Murongchui as quickly as possible.

"The road from Sheyang to Yandu has been drawn, only a few salt fields are missing."

Huan Rong knew that the Hu merchants had evil intentions and was eyeing the salt field, but he would never have imagined that there were Han Chinese who were proficient in drawing in the Hu merchants' team, and during the time they stayed in Yandu, they meticulously mapped out a route to "advance the army"!

"go!"

The Hu merchants quickly walked through the streets and approached the salt field.

Huan Rong and Shi Shao took a lot of precautions, but there are still short-sighted people who leak information for their own benefit.The Hu merchants easily avoided the guards at the salt pavilion and headed east along the river. They saw a swamp not far away, and immediately confirmed that they were not far from the salt field.

Just when they were happy, there was a sudden commotion on the south side of the swamp. Five or six elk rushed out from the tall grass. The leading stag neighed repeatedly, with its antlers lowered, and rushed towards them without dodging or evading.

"What is this?!"

The elk are originally native to the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River. Due to natural disasters and man-made disasters, the number dropped sharply at the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty. By the Eastern Jin Dynasty, it was rare for people in the south, let alone the Xianbei people who originally lived in the north.In addition, the elk has a special appearance, with a horse face, antlers, a camel neck, and a donkey tail. The Xianbei people were really taken aback by the rampage.

Before he could react in time, the pathfinder was sent flying by the antlers, flew a full three meters, fell to the ground with a slap, and managed to get up!

If Huan Rong was present, he would give a thumbs up and say in admiration: He is a man!

The deer group was obviously frightened and rushed forward. Hu Shang didn't dare to be dazed any longer, so he turned around and ran away.

There was a loud eagle cry in the sky, the deer herd became more frightened, and the herd fell into a state of "madness".

In recent months, every time this voice is heard, the deer herd will face attrition.

The newly added young deer will be caught, and this damn eagle will turn to the adult deer!The most unbearable thing is that it doesn't bother other deer herds, but focuses on one deer herd to catch.

The Hu merchants were really unlucky. When encountering goshawks preying on them, the deer flocked for their lives.To make matters worse, the location chosen by the few people was not very good, just blocking the route of the deer running.

In a panic, Hu Shang became the target of the deer group to vent their anger. Whether they were running in a straight line or around a diagonal line, they would be pushed up to their buttocks by the antlers, and they would fly in the air.

"Hey——"

There was another loud eagle cry, the goshawk swooped down from high altitude, the shadow passed over the head, and the deer herd became even crazier.

A Hu merchant tripped over a stone and couldn't get up in time. Suddenly, he felt a sharp pain in his scalp, and his companion shouted in his ear, "It's the black eagle, it's that black eagle!"

Black Hawk?

"The black eagle of Qin's Wubao!"

The Hu merchants were terrified, and their expressions changed when they were frightened by a goshawk.

It's not that everyone is too timid, but the goshawks of Qin's Wubao are too famous, especially the one brought by Qin Jing's side, which is both vicious and vengeful. When encountering Xianbei people, no matter which tribe they come from, they must rush up and grab them a few times.

Several Hu merchants often walked outside, and happened to meet this goshawk. The scene at that time was still fresh in their memories, and they dared not forget it even in their dreams.

"Come on!"

The goshawk seemed to be hanging open, flying extremely fast, ordinary bows and arrows couldn't help it at all.The strength is also great, and it can grab a full-grown deer and fly hundreds of meters without stopping.

Now that I met these Xianbeihus, I naturally wouldn't be too polite. I just scratched the head with my claws, which made blood flow from the opponent's scalp. I croaked a few times happily, and continued to claw at the next target.

Hu Shang's screams overwhelmed Lu Ming, and the elk took the opportunity to scatter and flee.

A Yanting guard heard the sound and rushed to check it out. He was a little dumbfounded when he saw the Hu merchants who were dodging with their heads in their hands.Looking at the direction of the footprints of several people, remembering what the head of Yanting Pavilion said before, his expression changed immediately, without saying a word, he drew out the ring head knife and slashed at Hu Shang's leg.

"Ow!"

Hu Shang screamed repeatedly, changing from hugging his head to hugging his legs.

After hearing the sound, guards rushed over one after another, and when they saw the situation in front of them, they still didn't understand what was going on. They immediately rushed forward, tied up the Hu merchants, and sent them to the county government.

The goshawk did not continue chasing the herd of deer, but flew around Hu Shang a few times, selected the lightest one, grabbed it with two claws, and flew into the air with its wings flapping.

No matter how strong the goshawk is, it will take some effort to catch a living person.In the middle of the flight, the goshawk lowered its altitude, and Hu Shang's knees fell to the ground, completely being dragged away.

The Yanting guards were a few meters behind. Hearing the screams of Hu Shang, they collectively rubbed their knees.

In the county yamen, Huan Rong was spreading out a piece of paper, planning to write a short message to Qin Jing, congratulating the New Year, and by the way, asking if he had found any skilled goldsmiths.

The gold hairpins given to Princess Nankang and Mrs. Li were made by skillful slaves. Not to mention novel styles, the inlaid colored treasures and pearls are extremely rare.

This is for others.

As for Huan Rong, as long as there are originals, there will always be a steady stream of copies, but it will take some time.

When this kind of gold hairpin comes out, the royal family and the women of the gentry will flock to it, and it will be lowered by a grade and transported to the north, and the price will probably increase several times.

Therefore, goldsmiths and shipwrights and carpenters are in short supply, and both need Qin Jing's help.

Just after writing two strokes, a blunt sound was heard outside the door.

Huan Rong thought Brother Raptor had come back from predation, but when he opened the door, he found a big living person lying in the yard, his face was full of scratches, and he couldn't recognize his face.

A Mi and Xiao Tong heard the movement and saw a stranger lying in the courtyard, they did not show any surprise.

"Your Majesty, the Yanting guards have caught several Xianbei Hus, saying that they are trying to get close to the salt field and intend to do something wrong."

Huan Rong didn't speak, but turned to look at Goshawk.The latter rubbed its claws on his shoulder, and flew away directly to look for fresh meat under the kitchen.

"I'm so stupid."

Goshawk can't speak, so what can he ask.

"Lang Jun, do you want to let them in?"

Huan Rong nodded and said, "Bring it to the front hall."

"promise!"

Ah Mi agreed, and turned around to give instructions to the healthy servants.

The health servant carried the thick rope to the front door, and the Yanting guards tied up the Hu merchants, sent them one by one into the courtyard, and then began to climb over the wall.While rummaging through secret passages, entering the county government office for the first time, instead of going through the door but over the wall, it is really strange.