after being kidnapped by the general

Zhang Mi and Zhong Ji were waiting outside to be summoned by Yuan Li.

Zhong Ji looks handsome, but now he is extremely haggard, his eyes are black and blue.He felt uneasy and looked inside the door from time to time.Not long after, he couldn't bear it any longer, he paced back and forth, looking extremely restless.

Zhang Mi comforted him in a low voice, but Zhong Ji couldn't calm down, he really had no choice but Yuan Li was Zhong Ji's last straw.

When Zhong Ji thought of the tragic death of his wife and daughter, he felt despair and anger.He even prepared for the worst, if even Yuanli couldn't help him, he planned to join Bai Mizhong with all his wealth and beg Bai Mizhong to avenge him.

Zhang Mi has great confidence in Yuan Li, he said: "Brother Zhong, don't worry, Mr. Yuan will not ignore your matter."

Zhong Ji smiled wryly, but did not tell him the worries in his heart.

Those bandits were so vicious that even Che Kangbo, governor of Yanzhou, could only avoid the limelight.Although Yuan Li had the reputation of benevolence, but when he first came to Youzhou, even if he wanted to help him, would he really be willing to face those bandits?

Even if he really wanted to face those bandits, did Yuanli have soldiers in his hands?

Although Chu Hechao, the great general in Northern Xinjiang, has an army of 13, is he really willing to borrow troops and horses for Yuanli?

The more Zhong Ji thought about it, the more uneasy he became, and all kinds of "impossibles" weighed heavily on his heart.Just when he was in this ups and downs, a servant finally came over, "You two, please come with the villain."

Zhong Ji and Zhang Mi looked at each other and hurriedly followed.

As soon as they entered the main hall, they saw Yuan Li sitting upright above him.The two saluted and said: "The villain pays homage to the young master."

"There's no need to be too polite," Yuan Li said with a smile, "Please sit down, both of you."

Zhang Mi got up and sat down, but Zhong Ji still bent over and refused to get up.Yuan Li frowned and said, "You are?"

Zhong Ji bent his knees and performed a big gift to Yuan Li. His voice was choked with sobs and he said, "Young man, Zhong Ji, Jiyin County, Yanzhou. Please forgive me for being reckless, but the villain has no other way out. I ask Mr. Yuan to be my wife. A woman avenges her revenge, and the villain is willing to pay with his wealth and life."

Yuan Li walked over to help him up, pushed him to the chair and sat down, "please get up quickly. Just tell me if you have any difficulties, why do you need to do such a big ceremony?"

Zhong Ji swallowed his grief, calmed down, and told about the killing of his wife and daughter.

The tragedy told by the person himself was completely different from what others said. After he finished speaking, Yuan Li had a cold face, and the vague anger rolled under it, "Where are these bandits from?"

Seeing his angry appearance, Zhong Ji felt much more at ease.He got up again and saluted Yuanli, "The bandits are in ambush in Yishan Mountain, and they call themselves the Yishan Army. They are numerous and stretch across several hills. Not only are they powerful, they are also ruthless. They have harmed countless people passing by like me. Mr. Yuan, I beg you, my villain, to make the decision for me!"

Yuan Li opened his mouth and was about to speak when the system in his mind jumped out.

[The Encyclopedia of Everything System has been activated. 】

【Mission: Pacify the Yishan Army. 】

[Reward: Coal mine distribution map. 】

If Zhong Ji's wife and daughter were killed in Youzhou, then Yuanli would agree to suppress the bandits without hesitation, because this is in Youzhou's territory, and he has the right and morality to do so.

Too many people died in the troubled times, and Yuan Li had already seen too much life and death.He sympathized with Zhong Ji's experience and was angry with what happened to his wife and daughter.Sympathy is real sympathy, and anger is real anger, but because of his pleading, he overstepped into Yanzhou and sent troops to suppress the bandits for the governor of Yanzhou, not only relying on sympathy and regret.

This is a very realistic question, and it basically depends on whether Zhong Ji has value for Yuan Li to do this for him.

If possible, Yuanli didn't want to weigh the pros and cons like this.But he understood rationally that he had to press his conscience, think calmly and make a choice.

Since Zhang Mi brought Zhong Ji to him, it meant that Zhong Ji had a certain value.But even if Zhong Ji entrusted him with his wealth and life, Yuan Li couldn't make an immediate decision.

But at this moment, when the system made a sound, Yuanli's inner struggle was perfectly resolved, and Yuanli couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.

He thought to himself, "Thank you, System."

With enough reasons, Yuanli didn't have to refuse Zhong Ji, he agreed, "Any insightful person can't accept this matter. Since you have asked me, I will definitely agree."

Zhong Ji raised his head suddenly, his eyes were hot.He knelt on the ground and kept thanking, "As long as the young master can avenge the villain's wife and daughter, the villain is willing to work for the young master and send a big gift to the young master."

Zhan Shaoning asked curiously: "What kind of gift is it?"

Zhong Ji said forcefully, "Iron mine."

Several people present gasped, even Yuan Li's eyelids twitched when he heard these two words.

"You have iron ore?" Zhan Shaoning jumped up, "Hey, you have iron ore, but Che Kangbo is not willing to hunt down the bandits for you?"

Is Che Kangbo a fool? !

Zhong Ji smiled wryly and said, "Master Che drove the villain out of the house before he had finished listening to the villain."

Che Kangbo is certainly not a fool, he just doesn't know.And Zhong Ji is not an idiot, so naturally he would not casually tell others about iron ore.

Iron ore is a good thing, but it is a government system.Aristocratic families and powerful landlords dare to secretly send slaves to mine, but merchants like them don't have much confidence to touch them.This iron ore was also obtained by Zhong Ji by chance, and he has never dared to say anything about it, using it as the last resort to save his life.

When he went to beg people from all walks of life to avenge him, Zhong Ji didn't know whether these people would keep their promises. He originally planned to tell him about the iron ore after he promised to put down the bandits for him. Thank you as a treasure.

It's just that Zhong Ji didn't expect that he found all kinds of forces, and until Yuanli, everyone sent him away with a few words before they knew that he had iron mines.

Zhong Ji laughed at these people's short-sightedness and absurdity, but also lamented the desolation of the world.

But now, he has finally found a person who has said categorically that he will be the master of the mine before he tells the mine.

"Zhong Ji, how big is your iron mine?" Yuan Li mused, "I want to borrow some iron ore from you in advance to build weapons and equip soldiers and horses to suppress bandits. Are you willing? You can rest assured that I am not Those who take by force. If I hadn't done what I promised you, I would never have asked for this great gift from you."

Zhong Ji said without hesitation: "I am willing."

After finishing speaking, he stood up and asked anxiously, "When will my lord go to mine iron ore with me?"

Yuanli sent Guo Lin to take Zhong Ji to find Zhao Ying, and ordered Zhao Ying to go to the iron mine to dig iron with five thousand Baimi prisoners.

After they left, Zhang Mi still stayed here.

Yuan Li sighed, "Zi Bo, I'm really sorry for making you wait for me in Ji County for so long."

Zhang Mi hurriedly said that nothing happened, and immediately stated his intention of coming, "Young Master Yuan, the Zhang family of Youzhou wants to take refuge in you."

Hearing this, Zhan Shaoning blinked at Yuanli, proud of "I'm right".

Yuan Li smiled lightly, and ordered herbal tea to be served, "Zi Bo, there is something I have to ask you in advance."

Zhang Mi said: "Sir, please tell me."

Yuan Li asked: "Do you want to take refuge in me, or do you want to take refuge in Chu Palace?"

Zhang Mi was stunned.

Not only Zhang Mi was stunned, Zhan Shaoning was also stunned.

Yuan Li still looked calm and relaxed, waiting for Zhang Mi's answer.

He does not lack the support of a merchant, but there are some things that must be clarified.If Mrs. Zhang relies on him, then the secret things he will bring out in the future can be handed over to Mrs. Zhang to do.If Mrs. Zhang wanted to take refuge in Chu Palace, Yuanli would treat Mrs. Zhang and Mrs. Zhang as normal, but it stopped there.

Zhang Mi opened his mouth, wanting to say that taking refuge in you is the same as taking refuge in Chu Palace?But before he could say it, there were beads of sweat on the top of his head.

Of course it's different.

The surname of Yuanli is Yuan, and the surname of Chu Wangfu is Chu.At this moment, Zhang Mi clearly realized the difference between the two.

So which one should he choose?

Zhang Mi was so nervous that his heart was about to jump into his throat.

It stands to reason that he should choose Chu Palace.

The Chu Palace is powerful, and Youzhou is the fiefdom of the Chu Palace.With Chu Wangfu as the backer, what else is Zhang afraid of?

But at this moment, it is Yuanli who sits in Youzhou. Yuanli is in charge of the rear for the Chu family. No matter who owns the land, the power is in Yuanli's hands. What about ten years?

But Chu Hechao is a prince with an army of 13!He is the next king of Chu in good name!Having soldiers and horses is now the right to speak.

Is the yuan bad again?

Yuanli's reputation is much better than Chu Hechao's reputation, and his temper is also much better than Chu Hechao's.Dealing with Yuanli is much better than dealing with Chu Hechao, and being backed by Yuanli is equivalent to being able to gain the power of Chu Palace, isn't this also very good?

What's more, Yuanli hasn't established a crown yet, but he is so experienced in doing things. Is his future achievements really inferior to Chu Hechao?

The sweat on Zhang Mi's face had already dripped onto the ground, he looked up at Yuan Li, and saw that Yuan Li had finished drinking a cup of tea.

Zhang Mi was shocked, only to realize that he had been thinking for too long.

As if a basin of cold water was poured on his head, Zhang Mi woke up instantly.He bowed deeply to salute, and said loudly and authentically: "Zhang Mi pays his respects to the lord."

Yuan Li shook his head and smiled, "You can tell the truth, don't be afraid of offending me."

Zhang Mi shook his head, "You who can think about the future for the two beauties of the Yu family who don't like it, and who can see the injustice for Zhong Jilu, I know that you will not blame me for who I turn to. Please rest assured, this is just right. It's what's on my mind."

Yuan Li smiled, "I told you before that I asked you to find horse buying channels as much as possible. I will use something better than soap to do business with Karasuma people, do you remember?"

Zhang Mi nodded again and again, "Remember, I was just about to tell you about this. Because autumn is coming, the grass on the grassland is about to wither, and the livestock have no food and grass to use. The transactions between the Karasuma people and us have become increasingly More, since your last order, I have bought nearly [-] horses from Karasuma, and I will send them to you in a few days. When the weather gets colder and the food becomes scarcer, There will be more horses sold by the Karasuma people."

Yuan Li applauded immediately, "Just tell me how much money the horse has, I will never send you a penny."

Zhang Mi declined and said, "Just treat these horses as my dedication to the lord."

Yuan Li laughed, "Can you dedicate it to me once, and can you dedicate it to me a second time? Five hundred horses, this is a huge number. I can see how much thought and money you have spent. In this way Your hard work is not something that can be erased by a sentence of devotion to me, you still have to take what is yours."

What he said touched people's hearts very much, Zhang Mi only felt that he had chosen the wrong protagonist, and besides being moved, he became more sincere.

After these trivial matters were dealt with, Yuan Li brought Zhang Mi to the study alone, and asked him to serve fine salt.

Zhang Mi's reaction when he saw Xiyan was no different from others.Even because he is a businessman, he is even more excited and knows the value of this fine salt.

Yuanli sent another coarse salt.

Zhang Mi suddenly showed a horrible expression, "I don't think coarse salt is so bad on weekdays, but compared with fine salt, the quality is really different."

Smiling, Yuan Li picked up a bowl of coarse salt and poured it into the bowl of fine salt amid Zhang Mi's shocked and distressed expression.Then he mixed the two together, "Zibo, you have to remember what I said. Mix the same amount of fine salt and coarse salt, and sell it to Karasuma people at this price."

He said a slightly lower price than when he sold it to Dadan.

The fine salt and coarse salt sold to Dadan were mixed at a ratio of [-]:[-], and the asking price was still so high.Judging from Dadan's proud and complacent personality, many people in Karasuma probably already knew about this matter.

When Zhang Mi sells whiter, cleaner, and cheaper fine salt to the Karasuma people, the Karasuma people will only feel that they have made a bargain, and they don't care that the salt is more expensive than coarse salt.

Zhang Mi nodded to express that he remembered.

After seeing him off, Yuan Li returned to the bedroom, took off his outer robe and washed his face.Lin Tian brought him a bowl of fruit, "Master, do you want to eat?"

"I don't have much appetite now, let's wait a little longer," Yuan Li lay on the table, cooling his face with the cold table, "How is Xiao Ce during the days I've been away?"

"He has been recuperating in his room peacefully," Lin Tian fanned Yuanli with a fan, "My lord, our people have been secretly watching him. Except for the sick doctor who brings him meals and sees a doctor every day." , no one else has contact with him again."

Yuan Li yawned, with marks on his face, he changed his face and continued to lie paralyzed, and asked, "Did Zhan Shaoning visit him?"

"Mr. Zhan has been there twice, but they 'coincidentally' happened to be when Mr. Xiao fell asleep. Therefore, Mr. Zhan and Mr. Xiao have not really met each other yet."

After a pause, Lin Tian asked hesitantly, "Master, do you not trust Mr. Zhan?"

They are all loyal to Yuanli, so they need to adjust their defenses against other people according to Yuanli's attitude.

"It's not that he doesn't trust him. It's just about fine salt. The less people know about it, the better."

Yuan Li closed his eyes, and said softly: "If Xiao Ce can lie on the bed all the time, it's not impossible to give him a chance to live..."

Within ten days after that, basket after basket of iron was pulled to Ji County.

Yuanli drew the pattern of the stirrup on paper, and found a blacksmith to try to make a few finished products.

In the Northern Zhou Dynasty, there were only saddles and no stirrups.The saddle is a harness placed on the horse's back, which is high at both ends and low in the middle, which can effectively prevent the cavalry from slipping back and forth from the horse, but even so, without the support of the stirrups, riding is still a high-risk thing.

Today's cavalry needs to hold the horse's belly tightly with both legs when riding a horse. In battle, the cavalry has to hold the rein tightly with one hand to prevent slipping off the horse from left to right, so there is no way to use broadswords and spears to kill the enemy at will. Using slashing or forward stabbing movements, you will be torn off the horse by the enemy if you are not careful in melee combat.It is simply impossible to free your hands and give full play to your advantages.

Not to mention if you want to shoot arrows, the cavalry must either stop the horse or simply dismount, otherwise they will not be able to complete the shooting on the horse.

The battle that Chu Hechao became famous for was because he could clamp the horse firmly and control the direction of the horse with only the explosive strength of his legs, so as to free up his hands to chop down the enemy leader under the horse. If other people didn't have Chu Hechao's explosive power, they wouldn't be able to do this at all.

But with stirrups, it can be done.

Stirrups will make riding easier, and the number of cavalry will be greatly increased.

During the battle, the cavalry can also rely on the stirrups to fight with their hands free, which will achieve a qualitative leap in combat effectiveness.

With this little stirrup, it is possible to train an invincible devil cavalry in this world without stirrups.

Just thinking about it, Yuan Li felt his blood boil.

The finished saddle was built three days later. It took so much time because it was the first time, but the final effect was almost exactly the same as the drawing given by Yuanli.

After Yuan Li put the saddle on the horse, he got on the horse and turned around, feeling good.He found two more people who were not very good at fighting on horseback, and asked them to try riding a horse.

These two people are Liu Jixin and Wang Er.

They were very curious about what Yuanli made. After stepping on the stirrups and easily getting on the horse under Yuanli's guidance, Liu Jixin's eyes lit up immediately. He tentatively drove the horse for a few steps without clamping the horse with his legs. belly, but still sitting firmly on the horse, there is no tendency to slip down, and it is even much easier and simpler than usual.

Good stuff, definitely good stuff!

Liu Jixin was taken aback, he didn't expect such a small thing to have such a great ability.If it were possible to equip each cavalry with a set of...

Liu Jixin, who was immersed in his imagination, was breathing more and more quickly. Suddenly there was a sound of breaking through the air behind him. Liu Jixin turned his head to look, and saw Wang Er raised his arms and shot an arrow to a tree trunk in the distance.

"Okay!" Liu Jixin shouted enthusiastically.

Wang Er was full of energy. After he got the stirrups, his riding skills improved by leaps and bounds, and his bravery was instantly revealed.He put away his bow and arrows, drew out his broadsword and waved it twice, then suddenly he rode his horse and ran forward. When he ran under the tree, he stepped on his pedals abruptly and stood up, cutting off the branch above his head with one blow.

There was an exclamation all around.

There were four or five people who followed Yuanli to observe the function of the stirrups. They were ordered by Yuanli to take paper and pens to write down the areas that could be improved. Seeing this scene, several people's pens fell to the ground abruptly. He looked at Wang Er in disbelief.

After reacting, it was ecstasy.

"My lord!" Wu Kai stepped forward immediately, his eyes burning with fighting intent, "Please let me fight Wang Er on behalf of Mr. Liu."

Yuan Li let out a foul breath, with a smile all over his face, and he was also looking forward to it, "Go."