Gospel of Lazy Cancer

Thousands of miles are frozen, the north wind cuts people like knives, and the snow squints.In this bad weather, a group of people marched hard against the wind and snow, leaving a string of dark footprints on the snow, which was soon covered by snowflakes, as if no one had ever walked by.

This is the place where the Mudanjiang River and the Songhua River converge. There are two medium-sized Jurchen tribes living here, one is the Huligai tribe and the other is the Wudoli tribe. Both are descendants of the Jin Kingdom. They live next to each other and have been married for generations. They are loyal Satun Hara (married tribes) who are allies to resist the aggression of other tribes and forces.In the previous dynasty, they were all ten thousand households. Although they were hit hard at one time, after successive generations of management, they are still a force that cannot be ignored in the Jurchen tribe.

Suddenly, the Wudoli Department received a personal visit from Wanyan Ahachu, the leader of the Huli Gai Department.

"Adventure, what's the emergency, how do you make your way in this snowy day?"

Aixinjueluo Menggetimu (you read that right, that Aixinjueluo), the leader of the Udoli tribe, greeted him warmly, led his brother into his tent, and ordered him to drink tea, serve the sweetest honey, and finally Precious tea.

The two were very close, and Aha didn't show any politeness to him, and went straight to the point: "I received a letter from the south, take a look."

"From the south?" Meng Getimu asked strangely. Since the previous dynasty retreated to the grassland, the relationship with the south was not good, and the contact was interrupted. Even if there was contact, it was mostly a war conflict.He took the letter and looked at it carefully. It turned out to be an invitation card. It was written in Manchu, to the effect that we have long admired the two illustrious names. We have been neighbors for so long, but we have never met. How about a certain host to invite you to talk about it? , signed by Yao Jingxing, General Soldier of Eastern Liaodong.

They have also heard about the name of the Liaodong General Soldier, and in the past few years, it has been like a thunderbolt, especially after he led his troops to attack the Yellow Dragon and seal the wolf to the Xuxu, his reputation can be said to be in the sky.There are many brave generals and warriors on the grassland, but there are not many who make Meng Getimu afraid. The main reason is not his military talent, but the means to win people's hearts.

Mengge Timu has a deep understanding of this. The Mongolian tribes in the west adjacent to them used to have exchanges and ambiguous relationships. However, since the restoration of Nuer Gandusi, the number of trades with them has become less and less in the past year. , faintly meant to draw a clear line, which greatly annoyed Meng Getimu. You must know that a few years ago, their tribal leaders planned to offer their daughters as vassal tribes to join the Jurchen!But now he has an arrogant attitude and is indifferent to answers.

General Yao's division to win over the hearts of grassland tribes is well known to passers-by, and his methods are not new, they are very old-fashioned. In the words of the Han people, it is a conspiracy. But after all, there are few tribal leaders with long-term vision, and most of them are dazzled by the immediate interests and obediently fall into the trap.Some of the smart ones probably have the idea of ​​taking advantage first and slipping away later if something goes wrong, but is this advantage so easy to take advantage of?The herdsmen who are accustomed to the convenience of trade, and the nobles who are accustomed to enjoying the silk tea in the south, when it comes to standing in line, can they still resolutely tear their faces with the Han people?Moreover, the military force of the Han army is not weak. How do you see the Tatars beaten this time?

What is even more frightening is that Yao Zongbing is only in his 20s now. As long as the emperor does not lose his head and the court does not fight among himself, he will become a lingering shadow on the grassland in the next few decades.

"Is it a trap?" Meng Getimu knew about the Tatars entering the country to communicate with other tribes. In fact, they had just sent away a team of Tatar envoys not long ago. There were a lot of gold and silver goods in the convoy, which were used to win over the Jurchens.The gifts received by the Huligai and Udolibu were pitifully small, probably the Tatars looked down on their tribe...

Aha took a sip of Mi'er wine and warmed himself by the stove. At this time, his frozen body had warmed up, and he shook his head: "It doesn't seem like he has to take the risk of collaborating with the enemy." This letter, If they were sent to the southern court, they might be able to frame him for the crime of colluding with the enemy.

"He really wants to see us?" Meng Getimu is also a smart man, very vigilant, "Is there anything worthy of his plot?"

"I'm afraid it's because of the Tatars. The Han people want to win us over and prevent us from joining forces with the Tatars." Aha Chu analyzed calmly.

"What's the use of looking for us?" The eight major Manchu surnames are Tongjia, Guarjia, Hesheli, Fucha, Nala, and Niuhulu. It's just a matter of location.

"I don't know, I'll know when I see it."

"What do you mean?" Aha's tone seemed to have moved, Meng Getimu was a little surprised, he asked: "In case someone else finds out..." They also have to take great risks, if they are caught by other tribes I know, I'm afraid I will become the target of public criticism.

Aha let out a long sigh: "Nowadays, the grassland is colder every year. Bolongzi (the great shaman) warns that the wind and snow will be heavier in the coming year, and the pasture will be less. If the cattle and sheep are not full, we will also starve. If there is no Tatar, we may have to go to the south to fight for Grass Valley. I want to meet this general and see what he can use to convince us."

"The gang of surnames are mostly stupid and greedy jackals. They have no shortage of pastures. How can we live or die?" The eight surnames are not polite to other small and medium-sized tribes, mostly oppressing and bullying. He suffered a lot, and he knew that complaining was useless, so he finally swallowed the rest of the words.

"Oh, on this peaceful day, I don't want to send my sons and daughters to the battlefield to make wedding dresses for Tatars."

"Ada, you are older than me and have more knowledge, I will listen to you." Meng Ge said woodenly, looking at Aha out trustingly.

Aha made a decision: "Order a few trustworthy sons, and come with me tonight."

On the eastern border of Nuergan, in an inconspicuous small tribe, the head accountant is sitting and stomping his feet, and the Liaodong General Soldier who shocked the Northeast. He wears a fur hat and scarf made of silver fox fur, lining his face like white jade. , Fengshen is handsome.He guarded the stove, fiddled with the tongs from time to time in the charcoal fire, and there were several catties of potatoes shipped from Peking in the charcoal fire.

This weather is the most suitable for eating baked things, especially freshly baked ones. One is fragrant and the other is hot. Recently, he has become obsessed with this kind of snacks. If he has nothing to do, he will bake two and give them to the people around him.When his subordinates heard that one potato could be sold for a lot of money, every time they ate it, they looked very painful, but they tasted very ferocious. In Lao Luo's words, they made money with every extra bite.

Aha Chu and the others searched the surroundings first, and found that there was no doubt that the soldiers were in ambush. They looked at each other and felt relieved.

Yao Chen greeted them affectionately in Manchu, using the etiquette of the prairie people. Aha Chu was sure that they were meeting for the first time, but it was as if old friends reunited.He thought to himself: Han people really have thick skins.As the saying goes, kindness does not make an official, and kindness does not command a soldier. He became more cautious in his heart.

However, this is a good sign, indicating that their use value is quite high, and they can ask for sky-high prices.

So, he replied with equal enthusiasm: "I have long admired the reputation of the major general."

Mengge Timu felt that he still had a lot to learn. Aha had discussed with him just now. If they couldn’t reach an agreement, he would dedicate the letter to the eight major surnames, and let them pour sewage on Yao Zongbing, accusing him of betraying the country. , but now it was as if he had met his dear friend, he was indeed too young and innocent.

Yao Chen didn't feel embarrassed either, he didn't mention anything serious, first he invited them to sit down, and after winking, the attendant brought some food.

Meng Ge Timu looked at it and was secretly surprised. It was canned fruit, and there were quite a lot of types. Some fruits he recognized, but some he had never seen before. He could recognize it as canned food. In fact, he had never eaten it himself, but I once glanced at a certain nobleman's banquet, and the other party was not a magnanimous person. I guess I didn't get much, just to show my wealth and status, and let others smell it.

Mengge Timu is very curious about its taste. It is said that it is as sweet as fairy dew, but it looks like it is iced. Inviting them to eat this in this cold weather, no matter how delicious it is, it will be frozen. With good intentions, he held his breath and planned to wait and see what happened.

Yao Chen warmly greeted them with baked potatoes, saying that he got them from the other side of the world.

Aha was out of curiosity. The Han people opened the sea ban, and there was a lot of noise, and the north also heard about it. He thought it was just selling spices, silk, ceramics, etc., but he didn't expect there to be food from Fanbang.

However, the appearance was really ugly, it was dark, and he followed Yao Chen's example, waiting for the so-called baked potatoes to cool slightly, and eating them directly with his hands.While eating, he muttered: Are the Han people so careless?

Mengge Timu felt that it was hot, and two rough and powerful hands directly opened the baked potato, revealing the light yellow inner core, and went to eat the soft, hot and clean part inside, and solved it from the inside out.After one bite, half of it was gone, the hot energy rushed out of the mouth, poured into the whole body along the esophagus and stomach, and most of the cold and exhaustion of the journey disappeared.

"You can put a little spice." Yao Chen picked up the small transparent jar next to it, and sprinkled some for him without hesitation.

Aha squinted his eyes. Just now he noticed these expensive glazed jars. One can be exchanged for ten beautiful slaves. There are different Chinese characters on the jars. "But he could read the characters, and he guessed that it marked the type of seasoning.He tried the seasonings one by one, some were spicy, some were sweet and sour, and in the end he said he still liked the salt and pepper flavor.

Yao Chen smiled and said, "Heroes see the same thing."

The three of them took care of more than a dozen baked potatoes in the stove. In fact, Yao Chen stopped after eating two. The main purpose was to show them that the food was non-toxic and reduce their vigilance. sweat.

The attendant came in with hot water and hot towels to help them wash their hands, and the three of them started eating canned food around the stove.After eating baked potatoes, my body is warming up, my mouth is still burning, and it is a bit dry, and the refreshing canned food just quenches my thirst.

It's cold and windy outside, but drinking iced drinks in the warm tent is like eating hot pot in an air-conditioned room, every pore exudes comfort.

Yao Chen enthusiastically introduced: "This is a lychee from Lingnan...that's a grape from the Western Regions..."

Mengge Timu was not polite, almost eating a bowl at a time. Aha made a rough calculation, they probably finished a year's production of a small tribe with this meal today.

"There are twenty catties of canned fruit outside, as a gift from me to you."

Ahachu and Meng Getimu looked at each other: If the purpose of the Han general's trip was to show off his wealth, then congratulations to him, he did it.

Wealth needs to be guarded by force. Yao Chen has already shown the strength of the Han army to the grassland tribes, so he dared to show it to others. Otherwise, he would just lure wolves into the house and seduce the northern tribes with the prosperity of the Central Plains.

No one knows what the two sides talked about in this meeting. Shortly after Aha Chu, Mengge Timu and Yao Chen said goodbye, they made a surprising decision. The Han people surrendered, and the imperial court gave the leader of the Huli Gai Department, Aha, the Chinese name Li Chengshan, and established Jianzhou Guard, Jianzhou Zuowei, and Jianzhou Right Guard.Appoint the heads of the various ministries as thousands of households, so that the customs will remain, and each will rule its own.

The eight surnames of the savage Jurchen expressed their anger, and immediately divided up the grassland at the confluence of the Mudanjiang River and the Songhua River, where the two tribes were originally stationed. They sharpened their knives in secret.

Jianzhou Wei and Jianzhou Zuowei were at the border between Jurchen and Goryeo. The appearance of Jianzhou Jurchen directly changed the relationship between Goryeo, Jurchen and the Han court. It is a solid ally, but at least when the Han people are fighting the Jurchen, they can be cautious and try to remain neutral.Between countries, one more ally is better than one more enemy.

More importantly, Jianzhou Youwei is near the sea. After the port is established, the navy will have a stronghold to go north to conquer the Jurchen. At the same time, across the sea, you can look at Dongying. The area of ​​​​the sea has expanded by thousands of miles, and the imperial court has stronger control over the northeast. .

The Jurchens in Jianzhou were newly descended, and it was too close to the border. Out of caution, the imperial court did not agree to open a meat canning factory, fearing that the recipe would be learned by foreigners, but approved the establishment of a port to express sincerity and conduct trade in a semi-official and semi-private manner.Merchants licensed by the imperial court purchase items in designated venues, and the type, price and quantity of the traded goods are strictly supervised by the government.

In fact, this is also the impact of the northern noble families on the sea trade, trying to take advantage of the opportunity of the imperial court to open the sea ban. Every businessman who trades in Jianzhou Youwei has powerful forces behind him.Even so, they behaved well when they arrived in the north, and acted according to the orders of the major general, because he controlled the Jianzhou Guard and the navy. Can not receive.

The Jurchen tribe was amazed to see the three-masted four-story ships carrying goods one after another, and they were full of Northeast specialties. They used to be inland, and they may have seen water transportation, but they had never witnessed the prosperity of sea transportation. scene.The tens of feet long ship, with a deep draft, greedily devoured the fur and medicinal materials they had hoarded like a giant beast, and continuously transported silk, cloth, salt and tea and many other goods they urgently needed.

For some herdsmen, the trading volume in this month is more than the sum of their previous half life.

It seems that I want to buy everything, and everything is very cheap, as long as two cars of leather can be exchanged for a small can of canned fruit!It's not long since the leader of his family ate it!The south is so rich, and there are so many novelties!

For the wealthy families, this is where they are, and their goal is farther away. Frankly speaking, only one of the family's wealth can easily eat up the Jianzhou Jurchen goods, not to mention the fact that so many people are now sharing , they are all looking forward to the major general's continued infiltration to the north. I heard that there are white bears further north, which is auspicious!Leather is the best of the best; there are sturgeon, which can be more than two feet long, and taste very delicious, and the sauce made from its caviar is the best in the world; there are also seal, sable, orchid fox fur, etc., which are all sought-after.

The Northeast is full of treasures!It's just that the distance is long and the transportation is inconvenient, so I can't sell any treasures.

How long has it been since Yingkou is now one of the largest distribution centers for Northeast goods? I believe that Jianzhou Youwei will also become a prosperous trade center soon. Some bold businessmen are already negotiating with the tribe to buy their goods. Land or lease use right to set up shop industry.Their move did not anger the Jurchen tribe. Instead, they felt that this was an expression of sincerity by the Han people. The eyes of the masses are discerning. If the imperial court does not have the determination to visit this place, or does not trust them to surrender, the Han merchants are as cunning as a fox and as sharp as a rabbit. There will never be such a move.

Jianzhou Wei Qianhu and leader of the Huli Gai Department, Aha Chu, oh no, now he is called Li Chengshan, and he personally went to Beiping to pay tribute, was appointed by the imperial court, received the imperial seal, and received the crown and clothes.

After the canonization ceremony was over, the emperor summoned him and invited him to have a meal together. He found that the emperor, like the major general, seemed to like baked potatoes very much. He ate them skillfully, without burning his mouth or getting ashes on his face. , he muttered while eating: Is this a new fashion among Han nobles?

He asked about the situation of this kind of grain by the way. The Han emperor personally told him the yield per mu and the results of the current trial planting. He secretly rejoiced that he accepted Yao Chen's conditions. The grains of Qibashi are very cold-resistant. They can be planted in the north in the future and can be used as a staple food to satisfy hunger. Even if the temperature drops and the climate becomes harsh, the herdsmen will not be starved to death.

The emperor asked him how the major general was doing.

He answered politely. When fooling the two leaders, Yao Chen was very energetic, healthy, articulate, and clear in thinking, but his appetite seemed to be smaller than that of ordinary men.

The emperor asked very detailed questions, so detailed that when they met, how many potatoes did Yao Chen eat and what kind of canned fruit did he use? Li Chengshan listened to the translator and almost thought that the translation was wrong. He pretended not to understand and repeated the question on purpose. After checking it again, and knowing that it was indeed the emperor's problem, Li Chengshan was silent for a moment.

The relationship between the monarch and his ministers is also amazing, a bit like an expert, very close, extremely trusting, he even suspected that the emperor deliberately played a show for him, proving that the imperial power and military power are closely related, the imperial court reused General Yao, and the foreigners took a break early to sow discord thoughts.

Seeing the emperor's Yin Yin eyes, Li Chengshan still recalled carefully and answered truthfully.

Li Chengshan and his party returned to Jianzhou loaded with the emperor's rewards, and he brought a message to Yao Chen by the way.

"Pass down the sage's words: Yao Aiqing should not be greedy for cold drinks, and should drink less iced drinks."

Yao Chen was expressionless.