turmoil

Firecrackers are not a rare item. As early as two or three years ago, firecrackers loaded with gunpowder and projectiles appeared one after another in the army.It's just that this thing is very cumbersome to use. Every time you use it, you have to reload the bullets, you can't fire continuously, and it's easy to explode and hurt people.Even the most advanced matchlock guns have a long matchlock at the end, which is cumbersome to use, so the nature of appreciation is greater than practicality.

This one in front of me is different from ordinary firecrackers, not only is it carefully polished and well-cast, but it also omits the obstructive tail.Before the Hu businessman could inquire, Hu Nu picked up the firecracker with a smile, and loaded the projectile with a "click".

"The material used for this thing is not expensive, it's just a blueprint drawn by my master himself, and a famous craftsman is invited to cast it carefully. Speaking of it, it is more rare than ordinary gold jewels and jade," Hu Nu said with a smile, "Everyone here I'm afraid I haven't seen it before, why don't I have a live demonstration by the slave family."

She made a gesture, and someone in the back hall had already lifted up the wooden frame prepared in advance. There were ten red candles standing on the frame, and the shadows of the candles shook red, illuminating the whole room.

Hu Nu weighed the firecracker in her palm, and turned around under the suspicious or disdainful gazes of Hu merchants.In the next moment, there were explosions, crisp like fried beans, and the timid couldn't help but cover their ears, and slid under the table, shaking into a messy quail against the wind.

For a moment, the stage was so quiet, all the red candles on the shelves were extinguished, and there was a row of small thumb-sized holes on the stone bricks in the back hall, which were still smoldering. white smoke.Everyone held their breath, and after about half a stick of incense, the pot exploded with a "buzz".

Hu merchants are all well-informed people, so they can naturally see the value of firecrackers - ten shots in a row without exploding the chamber, splitting rocks and wood like searching for something, this kind of firecrackers, it is not an exaggeration to say that they are magic weapons, On the battlefield, it is definitely the best weapon for charging.

Zhuo Jiusi was particularly shocked, and it took him a long time to recover his voice: "This, this is really a firecracker? My Great Yin Army also has a Shenji Battalion, but compared with this... even flattering can't keep up with it? This firecracker... Where did it come from? Is it really designed by your master himself?"

Ding Ru'an peeled two fried beans, and threw them into his mouth nonchalantly: "Yeah...why, General Zhuo is interested? That's okay, I'll meet my master later, and ask him to lend you the blueprint. "

Zhuo Jiusi turned his head and stared at him, his eyes were like a wolf seeing a fat sheep.

Several old gentlemen on the stage also knew the value of firecrackers, and after discussing with each other for a while, they quickly came to a decision.The old gentleman dressed as a scholar sighed: "This time, Zhang Kui is still the winner."

From the moment the firecracker appeared, the uproar in the hall gradually subsided, only a few stunned young men who couldn't read people's eyes shouted: "This firecracker is made of gold and iron at best, what's so rare? Bide Are you looking for priceless jade and rubies?"

The old scholar shook his head and reprimanded: "Ignorant idiot! No matter how valuable beautiful jade and precious stones are, they are only 'Liancheng'! If you get this thing... you don't need too much, as long as you have a hundred or so, you can equip a whole A strong army, when the time comes to attack the city, even the powerful cavalry in Beile will have to stay away!"

Leng Touqing didn't dare to say anything.

The old man's words were sonorous: "At that time, the thousands of miles of grassland will be in other people's pockets... Tell me, is a city more valuable, or is it more valuable to surrender Beile and own all the fertile land for thousands of miles?"

All the barbarians were speechless.

The competition for treasures came to an end, and the dominance of this year's business routes still undisputedly fell on Chief Zhang.However, the Hu merchants did not come home empty-handed. After a lot of bidding, they found out the details of the people from all walks of life. Those who were active were already thinking about how to communicate with each other and exchange the goods they needed.

Just before leaving, several Hu merchants turned their heads secretly thinking that they glanced at the wooden box containing the pistols, both secretive and greedy.

Zhuo Jiusi took this scene into his eyes, and his heart sank slightly.

After all the outsiders left, Ding Ru'an put away his long legs, pulled Zhuo Jiusi Shi Shi forward, and gave a disrespectful fist to Hu Nu, who had just presided over the scene: "It's really a girl's eighteen changes... just now When I saw you, I was still a timid little girl, but in a blink of an eye, the little girl became a great beauty, with a demeanor of lifting weights lightly, it seems that following the master all these years has not been in vain."

Hu Nu just laughed at Yan Yan, when she saw Ding Ru'an, her pretty face was long, her nose was not her nose, her eyes were not her eyes, she said: "What are you doing here?"

Ding Ru'an pretended not to see the disgust that was about to emerge from the corners of her eyes and brows, and suddenly he calmed down, and took out the green emerald plaque from his waist: "The master has an order, this Mr. Zhuo is a distinguished guest, and he ordered me to try to send him out of the city .”

When Hu Nu heard the word "Master", her expression faltered slightly, and when she saw the emerald plaque again, she didn't dare to joke anymore: "Yes, the maid takes orders."

Zhuo Jiusi settled down, and only after he settled down did he realize that this was originally a trading firm, and the Hu girl's name was Mei Niya, and she was the confidant maid next to Chief Zhang.This trip, leader Zhang delayed for some reason and asked her to bring the treasure to the meeting first, and ordered her to preside over the treasure competition meeting, which shows that she trusts her.

Zhuo Jiu thought about the look in the eyes of those Hu merchants before they left, and he was always a little worried. He reminded him gently: "It is said that wealth is not revealed, and the girl's firecracker is indeed a good thing. If it can't stand people's eyes, I'm afraid it will be remembered by those who care about it." Come on...you better be careful, girl."

Mei Niya looked him up and down, and said with a sweet smile: "Mr. Zhuo, don't worry, I have been with my master these years, and I have met eight hundred little thieves, if not one thousand. In the end, I still kowtow obediently? I have something to say. It’s just a waste of time, it’s better to let them try it themselves, and if they get hit hard, they will naturally retreat when they face difficulties.”

Zhuo Jiusi then stopped talking.

He could clearly see that the person behind the chamber of commerce was quite prestigious in the Tao, perhaps because of strong financial resources, perhaps because of amazing force, or even more likely because of both. Sell ​​three points of affection.

For example, in this treasure competition conference, merchants from all over the world were convened, and there was such a big commotion, but even the officers and soldiers who made routine inquiries were not disturbed, which shows that the foundation is deep.

But no matter how difficult it is to provoke, this is the territory of Huihe after all, and there is a saying that a strong dragon will not overwhelm a local snake, Zhuo Jiusi really doesn't know how they plan to send him out.

"Could it be possible that you want to force your way?" Zhuo Jiusi thought with trepidation, "It's not impossible... It's just that the fight is too loud, how will they do business in the future?"

Zhuo Jiu couldn't figure it out, and soon, his doubts were answered—Ding Ru'an really didn't intend to force his way in, he hooked up with the Persian mission early in the morning, and planned to use their east wind to sneak out of the city.

After hearing Ding Ru'an's plan, Zhuo Jiusi was completely dumbfounded.

"Persia... Mission?" General Zhuo's eyes widened, "Why do you do this for you? It's not good, but if you don't do it, you will offend Huihe, a local snake... Are they crazy or are you crazy? gone?"

Ding Ru'an waved the jade plaque "attracting wealth and treasure" in front of Zhuo Jiusi's eyes, and smiled without saying a word.

Facts have proved that Ding Ru'an is very clear-headed and shows no signs of going crazy.He didn't know what method he used to find out where the Persian mission was staying, and without saying hello in advance, he brought Zhuo Jiusi directly to the door.General Zhuo was terrified, fearing that Ding Ru'an would be beaten out as a lunatic, but Ding Ru'an showed the emerald sign and shook it again.

The guard at the gate of the post house suddenly changed his face, and rushed in to report the news.

Zhuo Jiusi was amazed: "Who on earth are you guys who even have friendship with the Persian mission?"

Ding Ru'an chuckled: "It's not about friendship, it's just that they have traveled smoothly all the way, and my master has contributed a lot... This trip is just a little effort, of course they will not refuse."

Zhuo Jiusi secretly made a note in his heart.

Persia is also a big country, and it has also been in contact with Huihe in recent years. Huihe dared to stop the caravans of various countries, but did not dare to stop the Persian missions, and watched them swagger out of Gaochang City.

At that time, Ding Ru'an took Zhuo Jiusi to hide in the cargo box of the mission. Seeing that the gate of the city was left behind, he let out a sigh of relief.

After traveling for about five or six miles, I guessed that I could completely throw off the eyes of the Huihe people, and two Persian soldiers invited them out, and respectfully led them to the elephant of the Persian princess.

The Persian princess met Ding Ru'an, but she was very curious about Zhuo Jiusi, she stared at him several times, and finally pulled Ding Ru'an and chatted.Zhuo Jiusi couldn't understand Persian, so he could only look at Ding Ru'an half puzzled and half questioning, Ding Ru'an smiled: "It's nothing... Princess Susan is very curious about the customs of the Central Plains, so she just asked me the emperor of the Central Plains Is it as handsome as you?"

Zhuo Jiu remembered that this princess went to the Central Plains to marry her. Even though he had followed Dingbianhou for many years and his skin was as thick as a city wall, he couldn't help but blush a little at this moment.

He gathered himself together and blew the new emperor from head to toe: "My emperor is the appearance of a heavenly man, how can I be compared with ordinary people? When he goes to court, the morning sun will be eclipsed, and auspicious clouds will rise. Surrounding him non-stop, no matter how unruly a beast is, it has to surrender at his feet!"

The Persian princess can't speak Chinese very well, but it's no problem to hear it.Hearing this, she pouted, looking very unhappy, and muttered something in Persian.

Ding Ru'an was a little embarrassed. Seeing Zhuo Jiusi staring at him, he had the intention of getting to the bottom of it, so he had no choice but to say: "Princess said, you are boasting! She has seen the most beautiful man in the world, so she doesn't believe that the Emperor of Central Plains can compare to him." It's pretty good!"

Zhuo Jiusi asked curiously, "The most handsome man in the world? Who is it, a Persian?"

Ding Ru'an's expression became more and more strange, and he scratched his head embarrassingly.

The Persian princess held Zhuo Jiusi back, and asked a lot about the local conditions and customs of the Central Plains and what he had seen in the capital.At the end, the Persian princess sighed and muttered a few words in Persian, with a look of sadness and resentment on her face.

Zhuo Jiusi was a little surprised: "What did she say?"

Ding Ru'an smiled: "It's nothing... The princess is just emotional, this trip is so far away from home, if she really marries the emperor of the Central Plains, I don't know if I will be able to see my homeland in my lifetime."

Zhuo Jiusi stroked his chin, and looked at the Persian princess calmly. Even with the eyes of Vice General Zhuo who read all over the flowers, this princess was a rare beauty—skin as white as snow, hair as red as gold, eyes glowing With the azure blue like sea water, it is a bit more exotic than the harem beauties.

He then said with a smile: "His Royal Highness is peerless, I will definitely like it...Maybe, I will build a Persian-style palace specially for you. If you live in the palace for a long time, it will be like returning to your homeland."

The Persian princess looked gloomy, and she didn't feel much better because of his relief.

Zhuo Jiusi was about to say a few more interesting things about Beijing to divert the princess' attention when he heard the startled horse neighing.He looked up and saw smoke and dust billowing in front of him, as if a large group of people were rushing towards him.After a while, the visitor got closer and formed a fan-shaped queue on the path that the mission must pass, blocking the way intentionally or unintentionally.

Zhuo Jiusi was slightly startled, the captain of the guard of the Persian Mission had already shouted loudly: "Who? How dare you block the car of His Royal Highness the Princess!"

After a while, the smoke and dust gradually dissipated, and the distance between the two sides was less than a hundred feet, and it was vaguely seen that it was a group of knights in robes and strange costumes.Immediately afterwards, the uninvited queue withdrew to both sides, and the three riders came out in a row, riding forward unhurriedly.

Ding Ru'an took a slight breath: "This is not so good..."

Zhuo Jiusi was stunned: "What?"

Ding Ru'an pointed at the three riders who came out of the crowd, and whispered, "Did you see their clothes?"

Zhuo Jiusi took a closer look, and saw that the three people were of different ages, male and female, all wearing white robes, with fiery red patterns embroidered on the robes, the patterns were strange and indistinguishable, only one of them could be vaguely recognized One is a dancing flame, and the other is like a flowing water wave.

He thought of the rumors in the Western Regions, and had a vague speculation in his heart: "They are..."

"They are from the Manichaeism!" Ding Ru'an confirmed his guess, "Persia and Huihe have a good relationship not only because of the business in the Western Regions, but also because they also believe in Manichaeism. The three people in front of me have a lot of background. If I didn't guess Wrong, it should be the three of the five wise men of Manichaeism—Miaoshui, Miaohuo and Miaofeng!"

Zhuo Jiusi's eyes darkened slightly.

He has been stationed in the Northwest for many years. Of course he knows that Manichaeism is a popular sect in the Western Regions. The believers worship the Great Bright King. Under Zi Mingzun, there are five Mingzi and twelve messengers.These people are called believers, but in fact they have considerable influence on the rulers of the countries in the Western Regions. In some countries, the king's appointment to the throne even requires Mingzun to nod.

"People from the Manichaeism, what's the mess?" Zhuo Jiusi had a vague premonition because he was too tense for a while, "You said...they won't come after us Bar?"

Ding Ru'an gave him a look back, which probably meant: Brother, don't you make a crow's mouth?

It is a pity that General Zhuo has been fighting on the battlefield for a long time, and the skill of Crow's mouth is also perfect.Almost as soon as the words were finished, the three riders in front of them had already approached, and the lips of Miao Huo in the middle moved. The voice was not very loud, but it pierced through the sand wind strangely and reached everyone's ears.

He spoke fluent Huihe language, and Zhuo Jiusi could understand a thing or two: "We have no intention of stopping Your Highness the Princess, but there is an envoy of the Demon King mixed into your team, Mingzun sent us to capture him back, please It's convenient for everyone."

General Zhuo turned to look at Ding Ru'an with a stern expression on his face: "The 'devil king's messenger' he mentioned...couldn't be the two of us?"

Ding Ru'an stretched out a slap, and slapped his face aside in embarrassment.

The influence of Manichaeism in the Western Regions was even greater than Zhuo Jiusi expected. Hearing that they were Mingzun's subordinates, a group of Persian warriors looked at each other in blank dismay, and at the same time they all looked at the leader of the guard captain, obviously a little undecided.

The captain of the guard was also undecided - of course he knew why these Mani believers came here, he didn't want to turn against the people of the Western Region Chamber of Commerce, and he didn't want to violate the Mingzun he believed in, so he was in a dilemma, so he had to turn around and come to Beside the elephant, the probe said something.

Zhuo Jiusi did not understand Persian, so he could only pay attention to the expression of the Persian princess.In the next moment, the princess, who was still full of sadness just now, stood up, her beautiful eyebrows and eyes showed sharpness, and she replied something in Persian.

Ding Ru'an breathed a sigh of relief calmly, and leaned into Zhuo Jiusi's ear and whispered: "The princess said that she believes in Mingzun because Mingzun can save the world, not to indiscriminately hurt innocent people! Her guests depend on the Let's see who dares to move a hair!"