Emperor Taizong's Growth Plan

Chapter 178 Training Card 【The Richest Man in the World】

Cloud Country, Huichuan Mansion.

This place, located on the northeastern border of Yun Kingdom, across the river from the border of Xia Kingdom, is one of the most important military towns in the northern border.When Xia Guo's army swept across the northern border before, only Huichuan Mansion stood firm to the end with its strong city walls and the danger of a great river.

Standing on the city wall of Huichuan Mansion, one can see the surging river not far ahead.

At this time, on this dangerous river, a small boat was crossing the river.

Dressed as a boatman, the man with an aged face due to the wind and sun, with a slightly low figure, led the young people around him, and bravely crossed the river with only two wooden paddles in his hand.

The river was turbulent, and a small boat floated on the surface of the water like a small broken board under the raging and rapid river waves.When people see it, they can't help but feel frightened.

But this boatman, relying on years of experience, commanded the young people calmly and manipulated the boat together.The boat was ups and downs in the Jiang Tao, but it was still bumping forward without any intention of capsizing.

In the small boat, seven or eight people in ragged clothes and in embarrassing figure could not help showing fear as the boat bumped, clutching the things around them, trembling and almost crying.

In the middle of the ship, there is an open space.

A man in his 30s sat cross-legged in the center of the boat, leaning on the rather gorgeous long sword in his hand.

The man's hair was a little gray, and the clothes on his body were made of high-quality brocade just by looking at the material.

But at this time, the precious clothes were already in dilapidated condition, and there was still a lot of blood stained on them.A faint killing intent flashed across his body, which made the ordinary people on the side not dare to get close to him.

In fact, the people present here are not too curious about the identity of this person.

It is not uncommon for people like this to be rich and noble in the past, but their families are ruined overnight.

After all, he is an old boatman who has lived by the river for decades, and his boat handling skills are really excellent.Following Jiang Tao's ups and downs, the boat gradually stabilized and slowly stopped at the riverside on the side of Dajiang Yunguo.

The old boatman's son opened the cabin door curtain and shouted loudly:
"It's landed!"

As soon as the words fell, the seven or eight people in the boat all let out a long sigh of relief.

"Great!"

"Thank you Daozu for your blessing, thank you Daozu for your blessing!"

"Hey, when we arrive in Yunguo, we will have to thank the Buddha for his protection in the future!" One person said hastily.

The commoner of the Xia Kingdom, who was talking about Daozu's blessing, changed his words without any hesitation:
"Yes, yes, thank you Buddha for blessing!"

The people in the boat were all Xia people who escaped from the counties in the southwestern part of Xia because they could not endure the war and chaos.

Everyone stood up one after another, and when they were about to leave the cabin, the man who had been silent with a cold face suddenly yelled and said:
"Wait a minute!"

Everyone was taken aback, and looked at the man in astonishment.

The man stood up slowly and glanced at the people in the boat. The murderous look in his eyes made the hearts of these people tense up.

Hearing the commotion in the cabin, the old boatman opened the door curtain and frowned slightly when he saw the man who prevented everyone from disembarking.After a while, the old boatman grinned and said:
"This guest officer was in a hurry when he boarded the ship before and didn't pay the ship's fare, but now he wants to pay the ship's fare?"

When the man came to the riverside, the pursuers were about to come after him, so he was naturally very anxious.

The man looked at the old boatman, killing intent flashed in his eyes, he tightly clenched the long sword in his hand, the aura of a high-ranking warrior revealed on his body, making the aura in the cabin even heavier, as if the next moment, he was about to draw his sword to kill someone meaning.

The people in the cabin were all ordinary people. Under the pressure of the man's whole body, he felt trembling all over, and he froze in place, not daring to move.

The old boatman forced a smile, his voice trembling slightly, and said:

"Five cents for a boat per person..."

Hearing this, the man paused in his hand, nodded slowly and said:
"Five coins are not expensive for a life-and-death deal with the Dragon King of the Great River!"

The man hesitated for a moment, and finally let out a sigh of relief. The killing intent in his heart dissipated. He looked at the people in the cabin, waved his hand and said:

"You all go!"

Now that the old boatman has the courage to let him aboard, it is a great kindness to him.Thinking about it, now that I have reached the border of Yun Country, I don't have to worry too much about someone leaking my whereabouts...

As if hearing the amnesty, the people hurriedly picked up the packages they carried with them, squeezed out of the cabin and left in a panic.

After a while, only the old boatman and the trembling young man remained on the boat, but he did not forget to protect his father.

The man drew out the long sword in his hand, revealing the sword body shining with cold light.

With sadness in his eyes, he stroked the blade of the sword with nostalgia.

Under the horrified eyes of the two, the man put the magnificent sword back into the scabbard, and then threw it at the old boatman.

The two old boatmen took a few steps back in fear, and let the gorgeous sword inlaid with pearls and jade fall to the ground.

The man took a deep breath and said:

"This is my family's treasured sword. It is worth a thousand taels of gold. I will give it to you, the boatman, as a fare for the boat!"

The old boatman was stunned when he heard the words, and after realizing it, he waved his hands again and again and said:

"No, no, no, I can't accept it! The boat fee is five cents, and I haven't charged more for decades. If the guest officer doesn't have one, I don't want it. Now there are poor people everywhere, I just help out, I would rather not, You can't charge too much..."

The man's throat moved, and he was silent for a while before he opened his mouth and said:

"In order to avenge my family, I killed countless county officials who did nothing and helped the rebellion. Now my head is worth 5000 taels of silver! If you don't accept this sword, I dare not let you go!"

Having said that, the man paused, then continued:
"And now in the Xia Kingdom, seeing that all the people are fleeing and going to the Yun Kingdom to survive, they have already taken action. From now on, you should not send people across the river, so as not to cause trouble to your upper body. You can sell this sword for exchange. Do something else."

When the boatman heard the words, he knew that if he refused to accept it with good intentions, he would be the real troublemaker.

With a wry smile, he picked up the sword on the ground and said to the man:
"It doesn't matter if you change your livelihood. It's a business for the Dragon King of the Great River to survive. It's just that I'm just a boatman, so I don't have the good fortune to bear such a precious sword. How about it, even if the guest officer deposits the sword with me today, In the future, when guest officials become famous, you can still come and ask me for it!"

Hearing the words, the man remained silent, and bowed solemnly to the boatman, then turned around and left the cabin, stepped on his foot, and his figure flew towards the city like an arrow from the string.

Seeing the man leave, the old boatman and the young people beside him just let out a long sigh of relief.

The old boatman wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, thinking he was lucky.

Now in the southwestern counties of the Xia Kingdom, the common people are often suffering from military disasters. He saw that there was a large group of officers and soldiers chasing and killing the man behind him, so he just thought it was some kind of rebellion and murder. The ship's passengers were in distress.

Fortunately, this man still had good intentions and did not want to kill.

The young man calmed down, subconsciously looked at the old boatman, and whispered:
"Father, it's good to change your job, but it's too hard to operate a boat. However, this man is a criminal wanted by the court of the Xia Kingdom. If someone finds out that he has kept this sword, he will be causing trouble for himself. It's better to sell it early and use the money to live a good life for us!"

The old boatman frowned and glanced at his son, saying:

"We are just ordinary people, selling such a precious sword is just causing trouble for nothing! Besides, to be honest, we are the people of Yunguo, and Xiaguo can lead troops to fight again What are you afraid of him doing!"

Having said that, the old boatman paused for a moment before continuing:
"This guest officer, it seems that he knows that his background is not simple. Maybe he will be able to achieve something in our cloud country in the future. At that time, this good fate will naturally fall on you..."

Hearing this, the boatman's son nodded suddenly.
-
Xiao Cheng was on the school field in the palace, watching hundreds of knights wearing light armor, holding long spears, and horses with long bows and arrow feathers galloping past.

In the line of sight that ordinary people can't see, the murderous aura emanating from the knights is faintly connected with the aura between heaven and earth, turning into black aura, wrapping around these cavalrymen.

Under the blessing of this black murderous aura, the speed of more than a hundred knights suddenly increased, a few points faster.

"Shoot!" There was a loud shout, and the knights all took down their longbows, bent their bows and set up arrows.

There was only a sound of "Zheng", and the feathers and arrows shot like rain.

Under the blessing of this black breath, each feather arrow is powerful.After a burst of shooting, the feathered arrows were poured with strength, facing a row of stainless steel shields piled up in front, the feathered arrows directly pierced the shields, and the arrows penetrated several inches.

Xiao Cheng was on the high platform, his eyelids twitched.

You call this a light cavalry?

Or should I say, this Youzhou Tuqi is indeed a top-level unit...

"Surprise attack!" Another shout rang out.

The black murderous aura surrounding the knights gradually condensed above their heads.The vision manifested, and turned into a faintly visible, blurred figure, which was vaguely seen as a strange phantom of a black eagle.

More than a hundred knights put away their bows and arrows, raised their spears, and raised their horses quickly again.With the help of the vision, the knights' horses were so fast that sometimes they left ghosts in people's eyes.

The knights harnessed the remaining horses and rushed forward.

There was only a "bang", and the shield array covered with feathered arrows, which had already been pierced like a hedgehog, was instantly broken through.

Di Qing, looking at the hundreds of cavalry in front of him, couldn't help admiring:

"If this cavalry has [-] troops, it will definitely be invincible in breaking through the enemy!"

Xiao Cheng nodded, and couldn't help feeling emotional in his heart.

After all, it is indeed a third-tier cavalry, a top-level unit, and this performance is really a bit exaggerated.

"I plan to train more than [-] cavalry first to serve as assault cavalry. If one day confronts the enemy army, they will definitely be able to break through the formation with one blow!" Xiao Cheng said in a deep voice.

"More than ten thousand?"

Hearing this, Di Qing was silent for a moment, then shook his head and said:
"Your Majesty, it is not easy to raise five thousand cavalrymen like this. First train a part of the cavalry, and then gradually develop it, and slowly expand it. I am afraid that the manpower and material resources required are too amazing. More!"

This Youzhou Tuqi, as a top-level unit, is not so easy to train.

Hearing this, Xiao Cheng said in a deep voice:

"The imperial court's finances are abundant now, enough to support them, so you don't have to worry. Now that you are General Wu Xiang, you are in charge of the camp on the outskirts of Beijing. The most urgent task is to strengthen the training of soldiers and horses, so that we can get the soldiers we need as soon as possible."

Hearing this, Di Qing hesitated for a moment, nodded solemnly, and said:
"I will live up to your Majesty's trust...but, apart from these, the horses I'm afraid are needed are also a problem!"

Xiao Cheng was taken aback when he heard this, and said:
"Is there a shortage of war horses in my cloud kingdom?"

"Of course there is no shortage of horses, but due to the breed problem in Yunguo, the original horses are short in stature. Although they have enough stamina, they are not fast, so they cannot be used as war horses!"

Di Qing paused, then continued:
"Because of the country's topography, my country of Yun actually doesn't need too many cavalry. And because of the tea-horse trade, there is no shortage of tall and powerful horses in my country. But if you want to maintain a cavalry force of more than ten thousand, Relying on the tea-horse trade alone may not be enough..."

Hearing this, Xiao Cheng pondered for a moment, then suddenly said to Feng Bao beside him:

"Send someone to call Shen Wansan!"

Hearing Xiao Cheng's words, Feng Bao immediately bowed and ordered the little eunuch beside him to summon him.

Di Qing's eyes moved, and he couldn't help wondering who this Shen Wansan was.

After waiting for a while, Xiao Cheng and Di Qing discussed the Youzhou Tuqi matter for a while, and then saw the little eunuch leading a young man of medium stature who was wearing a white brocade robe, with a gleam in his eyes from time to time, Come trotting.

In the line of sight that only Xiao Cheng could see, above the young man's head, the four characters "The Richest Man in the World" shone with white brilliance.

[White training card, the richest man in the world.

Card effect: has a follower Shen Wansan
Card description: Wealthy people have fun, but poor and humble people can't bear to worry about it.

Shen Wansan, the richest man in the early Ming Dynasty, led the villagers to open up fields and houses, and was rich in gold and jade. With the benefits of the Three Rivers, he collected goods and resources and became rich in the world.

Force 13, Literature 43, Wisdom 85, Morality 78, Age 28, Domination 60, Politics 22, Charm 77, Loyalty 100, Ambition 30]

In the card draw in November, a white card was issued as usual.

But now it seems that it is quite useful!
"Grassman Shen Wansan, pay homage to Your Majesty!" Shen Wansan saluted respectfully.

Xiao Cheng nodded and said:

"Be flat!"

Xiao Cheng waited until Shen Wansan stood up before continuing to speak:

"You are proficient in business, do you know the tea horse trade?"

Shen Wansan bowed and replied:

"Returning to Your Majesty, the grass-roots naturally know. The tea-horse trade road is our Yun Kingdom, Xia Kingdom, and Li Dynasty's business route to the Western Regions, Tianzhu and other places. At first, it was our Yun Kingdom merchants and the northwest countries, who traded tea for horses. , to make profits, so it is called the tea-horse trade road. After that, the trade road gradually expanded, and more and more things were traded, so that the treasures of the world could be exchanged with each other."

Hearing this, Xiao Cheng nodded and said:
"I want more war horses, maybe you can help me find a way?"

Shen Wansan's eyes lit up when he heard this.

He knew that the matter in front of him was his opportunity!

Shen Wansan showed a thoughtful look on his face, and after thinking for a while, he cautiously opened his mouth and said:

"Horse trading is all in the hands of the northwest countries. If you act too hastily, it will inevitably cause the countries to be greedy for money and increase the price of war horses, causing losses to your majesty and the court. If the grassroots can make the decision, they will first master many goods in the business road, and then artificially Create a shortage of a certain kind of goods. When the price of this kind of goods rises because of the shortage, choose a certain country in the southwest to lure them, and allow them to exchange war horses for the shortage goods and resell them for profit. Do this several times, and you can use the smallest price for your majesty. Get more horses!"

The corner of Xiao Cheng's mouth curved, nodded and said:
"Okay, I'll do it for you, and the money I need will be paid by me!"

Di Qing, who was on the side, couldn't help but said after hearing the words:

"If this is the case, don't forget to buy more war horses that have not been castrated. As long as they are carefully cultivated for a few years, there is no need to spend too much money on war horses."

"Yes, Shen Wansan, write it down!"

"Yes! Thank you, Your Majesty, for your trust. The grassroots will live up to your Majesty's trust!" Shen Wansan said loudly, suppressing the ecstasy in his heart.

　Cough cough, the person at the beginning of this chapter is the famous minister newly refreshed by Jixia Academy, everyone can guess who it is, it should be easy to guess...

　　
　
(End of this chapter)