Chapter 1512 A road
Han Yanping four years.
September twenty-fifth.
In the city of Chengdu, every five days is the temple fair season. Generally speaking, on this day, even if the family is poor, they have to shake out two coins and go to the temple fair market. Even if they can''t eat Long Chao Shou oily onion pancakes, they can drink a bowl of fermented glutinous rice water. It can be regarded as the festival is over, and those who come back to the neighbors at home can set up a dragon gate array, which is somewhat talkative.
Today is another sunny day, with crisp autumn air and pleasant temperature. In the streets and alleys near the temple fair in Chengdu, there are crowds of people everywhere. The small stalls and vendors occupy their own territory, sneaking in and yelling loudly to attract voices. Even the voices reflect the joy of being busy.
Although the war in Sichuan and Sichuan has not completely ceased, and the entire Central Plains is also in turmoil, like a pot of porridge with a few or a dozen mouse droppings, but Chengdu is still Chengdu, and the noise of this temple fair , still not reduced by half, in the teahouse, those who drink tea or drink wine are still crossing their legs and setting up the dragon gate leisurely, contentedly.
At the water gate of Chengdu, where the shacks of Bangbanger and coolies originally belonged to the wharf outside the city, there was even a flowing water table around a small shop, which stretched for a long time.
It was set up on the open land of Shuimen, a few wooden boards were placed on the left and right, and a tent was erected on the top. It was a snack shop with two entrances. Behind it was a large pot built directly on the ground, which was simmering without knowing it. What, there is a steaming big steamer on one side, I don’t know what is being steamed, and on the other side, there are three newly added pots, which are cooking some meat and vegetables, and the five big stoves are burning hot, so that the person in charge can’t wear single clothes Standing still, shirtless, and sweating profusely, one by one fell into the pot.
There are no wooden boards in the store. All the small tables and small stools are placed on the ground, which has been trampled for a long time. Although the height of each small pit is not very smooth, it is extremely hard and it is not easy to walk. What dust. Naturally, such a storefront is not for high-end merchants, and the people who come and go are just ordinary people, and the food is naturally not very good, as long as the quantity is large, of course, there must be enough salt, otherwise the store will be full Some people will shout, "Are you sick or crazy inside, why do you eat such a tasteless thing..."
At the edge of the shop, near the water, some half-sized boys were processing river fish.
There are a lot of freshwater fish bones, and the general gentry children don''t like to eat them, but these coolies and sticks are not so particular. Even the fishy smell that comes out of the nostrils is very pleasant. A little closer to the table, while watching Xiaogong pack the fish, he calculated how could one person get two pieces in his own seat, right?
This kind of banquet is considered excellent here at the water gate, even considered a luxury. Many beggars smelled the smell and gathered over one after another, sitting far away, waiting, hoping to finally be able to Share some residue or something.
There are also many idlers pointing around in the distance, just swallowing. But no one dared to come forward to disturb, there is no other reason, today''s scene was arranged by Shuimen Master Chen, who would dare to make trouble in front of him?
What is Minato Chen''s name? I''m afraid even he himself doesn''t know it very well, but this does not prevent him from being successful in Chengdu''s Water Gate. He is also a powerful character, with hundreds of outlaws under his command , he can be regarded as a bold person. Here in Chengdu Water Gate, people in the market will sell him three points of face.
It used to be fine, but in the past two months, Minato Chen seems to have a lot more manpower, with a bigger hand and a bolder attitude. In addition to the original hundred or ten coolies, some additional manpower was recruited. In the water gate of Chengdu, there is a fixed number of sites, and there is no increase in the number of merchant ships. When there are more people, you have to post a copy of the water gate Chen''s own home for food and drink. Usually, I secretly want to work as a small worker and work on the pier. Those who carry the goods on their backs and get some coolie money for the lottery will lose Minato Chen''s income, and they will also bear the risk of being accused and beaten. Now Minato Chen doesn''t seem to care about these at all, and how many idlers he has raised for nothing.
But there are also advantages. The more brothers under his command, the more powerful he will be. Coupled with the fact that he has a lot of power, Shuimen Chen has become a hero in the city of Shuimen 1 in Chengdu. Even the patrolling military marquis above the water gate, and the small officer in charge of the county soldiers, smiled a little more when they met, and greeted them politely.
Everyone also guessed in private, what happened to this Minato Chen, and he became prosperous all at once?
At this moment, Minato Chen was wearing a newly made long robe, standing decently at the door of the shop, greeting the invited guests with a smile.
Today, in addition to the more than 300 men under his command, he also invited some soldiers from Shuimen County who had a lot of contact with each other and had a more or less recognized face. Although these county soldiers usually have some military pay, they can fool their own stomachs if they are tight, but there are not many meaty ones, so when they heard that there was a water feast here at Shuimen Chen, and there were fish to eat, there was no one on duty immediately, so they A swarm of bees came.
If it is a banquet between the gentry, not only must the post be prepared in advance, but also the gift for visiting and thanking, and then the host must not only accept it, but also prepare the guest''s accompanying gift in return. The etiquette is extremely complicated, but for the poor, there are not so many It''s good when people are here. In addition, these county soldiers near the water gate, some of them have the habit of visiting casinos and kilns, and their stomachs are empty. Even if they don''t know each other, they bite the bullet and come over with a haha.
Minato Chen was also bold and didn’t care about it. He would at most ask for his name when he saw someone, and then greeted him to sit down, and asked the helper inside to bring some hot soup and hot pancakes to fill his stomach. Such a style naturally attracts more and more people, and the original mats can no longer sit, and they are temporarily spread out on the street.
Minato-Chan circled among the crowd, talking loudly and laughing loudly, with the bold appearance of a big businessman. But no one thought that under his robe, he was already drenched in sweat.
Today is the day to do it...
………………
The bustling situation at the Watergate was naturally spread to Captain Minato, who was in charge of the security and defense of the Watergate. After all, in the water gate, there are some powerful sticks. If a manager accidentally makes a fuss, he will naturally be punished. Therefore, the captain of the water gate also has a few eyes and ears. The situation of the investigation was reported to Captain Minato.
Captain of the Water Gate, it’s not a good position, but it’s not too bad. Among other things, there is always a first-come, first-served merchant ship that wants to enter the Water Gate to unload cargo, right? What if it is too late and the goods on board cannot be delayed? Isn''t this deal just here? Coupled with the daily filial piety of the coolie bosses in the surrounding area, it is somewhat stronger than those low-level civil servants who can only receive some salaries...
After hearing the report from his subordinates, Captain Minato frowned slightly.
There are four or five hundred people?
The number of people is not too many, and it is not too many. If it is normal, some soldiers should be dispatched to control the situation, but this is Minato Chen holding a water banquet. Minato Chen also mentioned such a thing before. It just didn''t say there would be so many people.
This Minato-Chan, want to do?
I heard that old man Yang, who is on the other side of the water gate, is not in good health?
Chen Minato is trying to grab the territory?
Captain Minato thought about it, and subconsciously touched the hard silver beans in his waist pouch. This was offered by Minato Chen, obviously much richer than the old man in the east, so he waved his hand and said, " Got it, let him go, what about the flowing water feast, it''s normal if there are more people...don''t worry about it..."
………………
Several ships approached slowly from a distance while eating the deep waterline. On the bow of the ship, a flag of the Wu family was waving in the wind.
A brat guarding the soldiers of Shuimen County was still waiting to shout, but was dragged aside by the veterans on the side, rushed forward and shouted with a smile: "This is General Wu''s boat? I don''t know what it is pretending to be? Let the old man register..."
A middle-aged man in a brocade robe stood at the bow of the boat, who seemed to be the shopkeeper. Hearing this, he smiled and said, "What could it be? The salt for the envoy is here..." As he spoke, he took out a The small cloth bag, only the size of two or three fingers, was bulging with some salt, and casually threw it to the veteran, "... find a good place... the water is deep, don''t hit the bottom shell..."
Ordinary soldiers, just give some salt. If you give gold and silver directly, I am afraid it will be even more suspicious.
The veteran grabbed the cloth bag with a sharp slap, put it in his arms immediately, and licked his fingers by the way, without any intention of boarding the boat to search, nodded and bowed and said: "Don''t worry! Don''t worry! Absolutely, absolutely Alright, I won''t miss the nobleman''s business..."
………………
Guan Yu was in the cabin, a little stuffy.
The main reason is congestion, people and weapons are everywhere, and when there are too many people, there will be all kinds of smells, smelly feet, bad breath, farts, and merchant ships are not cabins, and they don’t pay attention to ventilation. Once the smell is covered in the cabin, it is really sour and refreshing.
Guan Yu is still in good condition. He is somewhat closer to the cabin door, and the air is still fresh. If he is in the innermost part, his red face may be covered with the same color as his clothes.
Business Manager Wu also knew that the cabin smelled bad, so he was a little worried. After passing through the water gate, he reached the cabin door and whispered, "General Guan, you have already come in... It will be dark in a certain hour..."
Guan Yu still closed his eyes and meditated, but hummed softly to show that he heard it.
………………
Wu Yi is not in his own house at the moment, but in another house in the city.
Since it is not a serious Wu family house, it is naturally impossible to be so big, with only three exceptions, and at this moment, it is full of people inside and out.
Although the Wu family has severed the relationship with Liu''s relatives since Liu Yan and Liu Mao died, but the thin bones are still there, and some old officials in the army are still there.
And because Wu Yi was squeezed out of the ruling class of the Sichuan and Shu army, even these sergeants in the army who originally followed the Wu family were more or less implicated, some were demoted, and some were even expelled from the army. Fortunately, the Wu family still knows how to be a man, and took some money out to give these people their heads, and gathered a group of such soldiers.
But for the Wu family, breaking some money is not a big deal. Losing power is the crux of the problem. Before the Wu family and Wu Yi went to Guanghan, they originally wanted to discuss the conditions with Zhengxi and weigh the price, but they didn''t expect to be humiliated by Wei Yan before seeing Zhengxi...
In the past few days, the situation in Chengdu is turbulent.
It''s not that Liu Zhang did anything about the Wu family, but that Zhengxi sent a former Hanzhong Biejia, and the current Zhengxi Jijiu, Yang Song, as an envoy, even brought a bachelor of agriculture and a bachelor of engineering to the Wu family. to Chengdu.
Wu Yi still clearly remembers that when he heard that Zhengxi was going to teach the people of Sichuan and Shu the farming skills, those Chengdu surnames who were originally like woodcarvings all moved involuntarily, with the kind of or in their eyes. red or green light...
Nima, a fairy shovel!
Wu Yi could even imagine that if Zhengxi really controlled Sichuan and Shu one day, then the first unlucky family with a big surname would not be Liu Zhang, but Pang Xi. It''s not difficult, but Pang Xi is definitely doomed...
And what next?
It was Wu''s turn.
As the former relative of the Liu family, the Wu family did not completely break away from the relationship with the Liu family on the one hand, and on the other hand, he had close contacts with Jingzhou soldiers and horses. If Zhengxi really won Sichuan and Shu, could he let it go so easily?
Wu Yi persuaded Liu Zhang to completely ban the big families in Sichuan and Zhengxi from engaging in such farming techniques, so as to prevent Zhengxi from eroding Sichuan and Shu, but on the other hand, the rest of the big families in Chengdu kept talking to Liu Zhang about the benefits. , and even did not hesitate to send private soldiers to protect the envoys who marched to the west. Such a situation naturally made Wu Yi feel the urgent crisis.
Although Liu Zhang is still hesitating and has not made a decision, Wu Yi can tell that Liu Zhang has gradually turned to the other side. After all, more money and food means that more soldiers can be recruited, and the potential crises in the future are also future, potential, haven''t they happened yet?
Others can wait and see again, but Wu Yi can''t wait any longer.
It is necessary to control the entire board before the situation changes to the worst. If you want to control the situation, you must have military power, and it is obviously impossible for Pang Xi to let go of the military power in his hand, because those military powers are Pang Xi At the same time, there is no basis for Pang Xi and Wu Yi to cooperate. After all, it is none other than Pang Xi who drove Wu from his status as a former relative and pushed him out step by step.
So, there is only one way now!
There is no way back!
(end of this chapter)