I served as an admonisher in the Song Dynasty

Chapter 423: Business without capital! This is not trying to plunder the imperial court's wool. This is digging into the foundation of the Song Dynasty.
It's nearly dusk on the eighth day of April.

Qingzhou, Linqu County, beside a stream in the township.

Su Liang, Du Lei, and Sun Sheng all looked like farmers in gray short coats and linen trousers.

At this time, the three of them had gray faces and messy hair with grass blades attached to them.

My hands, clothes, and shoes were covered with mud.

While Su Liang was cleaning, he said excitedly: "In the past two days, the three of us have earned half a pound of money. Let's go have a good meal tonight!"

Du Lei and Sun Sheng were both dumbfounded.

Who would have thought.

The three of them actually worked here for two days.

On the first day, I smashed stones on the embankment, and on the second day, I picked mulberry seedlings in the mountains and forests.

A woman saw that Su Liang had a Pan An appearance, looked like he was in his twenties, and was eloquent. She asked Su Liang if he was a match, and she was almost going to be a matchmaker for him.

In Dengzhou, Su Liang would not patrol in such detail, and would only do a brief inspection.

The setting sun also completely set, and the sky almost suddenly became dark.

then.

this moment.

Su Liang worked as a laborer.

The daily allowance per person is eighty cents.

Although Su Liang felt very tired, he felt very sweet. The results of the two days' investigation made him very satisfied.

Su Liang likes this kind of country shop very much.

Su Liang and the other two strode into the restaurant.

Most villagers eat dinner before dark.

The destination is Linqu County, more than ten miles away.

After the three of them finished cleaning, they walked onto the country road and got into the carriage that had been waiting in front of them.

Su Liang's plan was to go straight to Dengzhou after finishing the meal.

"parking!"

Some industrious people start working at the fourth watch.

The carriage was driving on a country road.

On a high slope not far away, there is a house with smoke coming from the kitchen. On the signboard in front of the door are written four characters: Gaopo Restaurant.

He mingled with the people, drank and ate together, and talked a lot.

Due to Du Lei and Sun Sheng's outstanding performance, they were given an additional twenty cash when they were completed today, making a total of five hundred cash.

The carriage slowly stopped.

"It smells like meat!"

In order to save lamp oil and candles, they had almost no nightlife. At this time, many people had already fallen asleep with their wives in their arms.

The carriage moved forward.

He will focus on the return of "human trafficking" in Korea.

These two days.

The main purpose is to inspect the mulberry cultivation, fishery and labor situation of the people in Qingzhou, and to see the implementation effect of the new laws and regulations.

A quarter of an hour later.

They were also hungry and could smell the aroma of meat.

At this moment, Su Liang was very hungry.

Su Liang opened the curtains and looked forward.

Most of them taste very good, and there is also home-brewed rice wine, which is very sweet.

If everything goes well, he will visit Cao Hu's base camp and then return to Bianjing.

Immediately, the three people parked the carriage at the hitching post and strode towards the restaurant.

Su Liang opened the door curtain and said: "Let's go to the Gaopo restaurant in front to have a taste. After eating, we will return to the city. There are often delicious food in the countryside."

Du Lei and Sun Sheng nodded at the same time.

He shouted to Du Lei and Sun Sheng who were driving outside.

And I tend to eat whatever I encounter, and there are always surprises.

sunset.

In the car, Su Liang was taking a nap when he suddenly smelled a strong aroma.

……

The meaty aroma is more intense.

In front of the counter, a dark-skinned, sturdy middle-aged woman saw the three of them and greeted them excitedly: "Three guests, what a coincidence, we just stewed a chicken."

Su Liang smiled and said, "Then let's eat chicken."

In rural restaurants, the most common meat is fish, chicken, rabbit, and pig.

Pork is too fishy, ​​fish is too bland, chicken and rabbit are always the first choices. As for mutton, it is a meat only for the rich.

There are generally no such restaurants.

"Okay, three bowls of chicken!" the female shopkeeper shouted towards the back room.

Su Liang shook his head.

"No, not three bowls, but the whole one!" Su Liangdang put the five hundred coins on the counter.

A stewed chicken costs at most 200 yuan.

When the female shopkeeper opened the purse and took a look, she immediately became happy and said: "No problem, no problem!"

On weekdays, when I come to her place to eat chicken, I order it by the bowl, not many whole chickens.

In addition, Su Liang and the others were dressed in ordinary clothes, so the female shopkeeper thought that the three of them were just ordering three bowls.

"What other meat dishes are there?" Su Liang asked.

"There's also half a steamed rabbit and two pounds of pig offal."

"Then I want half a steamed rabbit, a plate of steamed buns, three kilograms of rice wine, and two plates of side dishes." Su Liang said, looking at the rice wine in front of the counter.

A steamed rabbit costs about 100 yuan.

Su Liang's five hundred coins were more than enough to buy the food and drinks.

"Please sit down, you three. I'll get you some drinks right now!" The female shopkeeper shouted towards the back while getting drinks: "Master, bring out the whole stewed chicken!"

"Okay!" A loud voice came from behind.

This kind of shop is often a mom-and-pop shop that closes during busy farming periods and opens during slack periods.

There are mostly regular customers, and passers-by like Su Liang are very rare.

soon.

Rice wine was served, along with a large plate of steaming steamed buns and two plates of side dishes.

Su Liang looked at Du Lei and Sun Sheng who had started to swallow their saliva, picked up a steamed bun and said, "Eat!"

Immediately, the three of them started eating hungrily.

After doing physical work for a day, Su Liang had a very good appetite and felt that he could eat three times more food than before.

at this time.

Two men in their twenties walked into the restaurant.

One was wearing gray clothes, tall and thin, and the other was wearing black clothes, slightly short and strong, and carrying a sack filled with 30% of items.

Du Lei glanced wide.

After seeing the boots under their feet, he couldn't help but be stunned, and then whispered to Su Liang: "Boss, they are soldiers, soldiers of the Forbidden Army."

Su Liang also looked over.

The boots of the soldiers of the Imperial Army of the Song Dynasty were all custom-made. The boots had unique patterns and the back was gray-black, making it difficult for civilians to imitate them.

All three of them had spent time in military camps, and they could all be seen at a glance.

There has always been a Forbidden Army garrison in Qingzhou, named Qingzhou Town Navy. It is not surprising that there are Forbidden Army soldiers.

Su Liang guessed that these two people should be soldiers on leave.

"Shopkeeper, I can smell the fragrance from all the way. Here comes a chicken, another rabbit, five kilograms of rice wine, and ten steamed buns!"

The female shopkeeper smiled and said: "Two guests, I'm really sorry, the chickens and rabbits are gone, and the only meat left is two kilograms of pig dirt!"

"No more? Then I'll give you two kilograms of pig's guts and two side dishes. Watch and make them!"

"Okay, wait a minute, you two."

at this time.

The man from the female shopkeeper walked out of the back kitchen and brought out a large pot of fragrant stewed chicken.

The two soldiers on leave followed the stewed chicken with their eyes to the table where Su Liang and the others were sitting.

Followed by.

The female shopkeeper also brought over half a steamed rabbit.

"Snapped!"

The tall, thin man in gray clothes suddenly slapped the table, then stood up and looked at the table where Su Liang and the others were sitting.

"Shopkeeper, aren't there any chickens and rabbits? What are they eating?"

"Sir, it's... they ordered it first, and then it was gone after they ordered it!" The female shopkeeper was a little scared and leaned closely next to her man.

The tall, thin man in gray clothes ignored the shopkeepers and came to the front of Su Liang and the others.

"You three, we are out for a while. Our brothers also want to eat meat tonight. How about giving us a share?"

Although he was not very polite, Su Liang thought he was a soldier and didn't mind.

I was immediately ready to give away half of the steamed rabbit.

Never thought about it.

Before Su Liang could nod, the tall and thin man in gray clothes wanted to take away the pot of stewed chicken.

The amount of stewed chicken is much more than half a steamed rabbit.

"Snapped!"

Su Liang picked up the chopsticks and hit his hand, saying coldly: "No!"

The other party was rude and wanted to take away the stewed chicken without Su Liang's consent. Su Liang naturally wouldn't let him.

"Yo? You won't let me?"

"Don't look at the three of you. Grandpa, I can beat all three of you. Believe it or not, you won't be able to get out of this door tonight!" The tall, thin man in gray glared.

The short, stocky man in black also walked over and raised his fist.

The male shopkeeper said with a nervous look on his face: "Gentlemen, please do your best. We are a small business and we cannot afford to be smashed. How about I... I divide the stewed chicken and steamed rabbit equally?"

"We can't split it equally now. The stewed chicken and steamed rabbit are both ours, but they can't get out until they pay!" The tall, thin man in gray clothes said menacingly.

Su Liang smiled helplessly.

It had been a long time since he had seen such a vicious fight. Such an opponent is too low-end and cannot be touched according to his rank.

Su Liang glanced at Du Lei, then picked up the chopsticks and started eating the chicken on the table.

"You...you...you really don't want to live anymore!"

Just when the tall, thin man in gray clothes was about to knock off Su Liang's chopsticks, Du Lei suddenly grabbed the arm of the tall, thin man in gray clothes and slapped him across the face.

As an army instructor, Du Lei's favorite thing is to teach such rude and barbaric soldiers.

"Snapped!"

The slap sounded loudly.

The tall, thin man in gray clothes was slapped into confusion.

At this moment, the short, stocky man in black behind him suddenly pulled out a sharp dagger from his waist.

"I stabbed you!"

At that moment the short, stocky man in black rushed towards Du Lei.

Sun Sheng on the side suddenly took action and snatched the latter's dagger away.

Daggers are controlled weapons, and even soldiers are prohibited from taking them outside.

This alone is already a punishment of "forty sticks", plus attacking the people, it is the beginning of "two years of apprenticeship".

After the short man in black lost the dagger, he touched his lower back and took out a sleeve crossbow.

Although it is obvious at first glance that it is a homemade sleeve crossbow, it is a privately made crossbow plus a hand-held crossbow for attack.

This crime is directly related to "exile to Lingnan".

If you include attacking court officials, you will be punished with death.

At this moment, the two of them had no idea that they had committed the crime of beheading.

When Du Lei saw the sleeve crossbow, he immediately became angry.

Without saying a word, he rushed directly in front of the short man in black. Before the other party could launch a crossbow attack, he threw the short man in black to the ground and stepped on his wrist first.

"Ah...it hurts...it hurts...it hurts!" The short, stocky man in black cried out in pain.

Subsequently.

There was only a "click" sound, and the homemade sleeve crossbow was stepped into pieces by Du Lei.

He would never allow anything that threatened Su Liang's life to exist near him.

After Su Liang ate two pieces of chicken, he frowned slightly.

He suddenly realized that during his inspection, he had overlooked the most important part: the local garrison.

Military reform was also an important part of the reform movement throughout the Song Dynasty.

Although the execution ability of the soldiers is very high, what is going on at the bottom still needs to be monitored to know clearly.

at this time.

Another tall, thin man in gray clothes got up, rushed to the sack in front, picked up the sack and ran away.

How could Sun Sheng let him escape?

Immediately, he picked up the short stool beside him and threw it over.

"boom!"

The short stool hit the tall, thin man in gray clothes on the back, causing him to fall to the ground.

Then, both of them were captured. Sun Sheng pulled out two hemp ropes from the side and tied them up.

The restaurant couple hid behind the counter, shivering and not daring to raise their heads at all.

Su Liang slowly stood up.

What he was curious about was what was in the sack.

He actually allowed this tall, thin man in gray clothes to escape while carrying a sack while he was about to be seriously injured.

That sack is not light.

When Du Lei saw Su Liang looking at the sack, he immediately walked over quickly, untied the fine hemp rope, and looked down, his face full of surprise.

Then Dooley poured out the contents of the sack.

Wow! Wow! Wow!

Su Liang looked down and was very surprised.

The sack was filled with lumps of beef tendon and ten horns.

Beef tendons and horns are military materials.

Beef tendon is the best raw material for making crossbows, and is of better quality than sheep tendon and horse tendon.

Horns are the raw material for making military horns, and cowhide is also the main material for making military armor.

Since the end of the Song-Xia war during the Qingli period, the Song Dynasty banned the private sale of cowhide, tendons and horns in order to expand its armaments.

In the Song Dynasty, killing cattle required official certification.

Beef can be sold, but most people don’t eat beef because of the functions of cattle in farming and hauling goods.

After the cow dies.

Beef hides, tendons, and horns all need to be sold to the county government’s tendon warehouse.

For those who buy and sell privately, the rod will be sixty, and the apprenticeship will start from one year.

The beef tendon in this sack weighs at least twenty kilograms, and a cow can produce at least half a kilogram of tendon.

Su Liang didn't understand.

What is the intention of these two Qingzhou soldiers showing up here with so many military supplies in sacks?

It seems that it is time to investigate Qingzhou Town Navy.

At this time.

The tall and thin man in gray clothes looked at Su Liang and said: "We are the Imperial Guards of the Song Dynasty and are affiliated with the Navy of Qingzhou Town. This time we are going to carry out a top-secret mission. Let us go quickly, otherwise you will be guilty of serious crimes!"

Su Liang smiled faintly.

In this way, you can also deceive the illiterate old people and women in the countryside.

He looked at the two of them and said, "I don't care who you are. In accordance with the Song Dynasty's decree, you privately bring weapons and crossbows out and attack the people for at least two years. You also bring such a large amount of military supplies. I'm afraid you will be exiled at least." "

Su Liang did not scare them.

A few years ago, in the Song and Liao dynasties, someone secretly traded two horns. The qiang market was closed for five days. It was only reopened after the culprit was found.

The Song Dynasty had very strict management of military supplies.

Especially beef tendon.

If one leaks out, the opponent will create an extra crossbow that can kill people.

The Song Dynasty exerted great control over it.

The two soldiers were stunned. They didn't expect that a man dressed like this in the countryside knew so much about the laws of the Song Dynasty.

If they hadn't seen that Su Liang and the others were wearing ordinary clothes, they would never have been so arrogant.

"Then...how much money will I have to give you to let us go?" The tall, thin man in gray clothes suddenly became frightened.

Su Liang looked at Sun Sheng.

"Gag their mouths, let's eat first, and then take them away for interrogation after eating!"

Immediately, Sun Sheng stuffed their mouths with rags, and then the three of them sat at the table again and started eating and drinking.

The three of them were not affected by the two at all.

Gobble it up and eat it deliciously.

Not long after.

Then he wiped out all the stewed chicken, steamed rabbit, steamed buns, side dishes, and rice wine on the table.

immediately.

Sun Sheng asked the invisible guards outside to take the two of them out as well as the horns and tendons in the sacks, and also took away the horses that the two had tied outside.

Su Liang walked to the counter, looked at the store owner and his wife who were still shivering, and said with a smile: "Shopkeeper, your stewed chicken is so delicious. Do I give you enough money?"

"Enough! Enough! And... there's more! I'll ask you for the money right now!" the female shopkeeper said with a trembling voice.

"no need!"

Su Liang strode towards the door. When he reached the door, he said again: "Shopkeeper, if anyone comes to ask about the whereabouts of these two people, you should answer truthfully, and then say that we have gone to the county seat!"

Su Liang hoped that someone would take the initiative to find him.

After a while.

As the night grew darker, Su Liang's carriage stopped in front of a ruined temple.

Su Liang looked at the two people huddled on the ground and asked, "Where are you soldiers?"

"The Second Command Battalion of the Navy in Qingzhou Town, also called the Huwei Command Battalion."

"What are you doing with these tendons and horns? Who asked you to bring them?"

"It was our battalion deputy commander Zhu Jingye. He asked us to deliver these things to his father Zhu Taigong in Linqu County."

"What does Mr. Zhu need for these?"

"I...I don't know, I'm just responsible for delivering."

Su Liang frowned.

"It is impossible for a soldier to not know the crime of smuggling military supplies and dare to send them without knowing the reason?"

"Deputy Commander Zhu promised to give each of us three dollars."

"You really don't know what it's for?" Su Liang asked again.

On the side, Du Lei clenched his fists again.

He had already beaten the two of them just now, otherwise they would not have answered Su Liang's questions so honestly.

"I really don't know. However, I guess that Deputy Commander Zhu took out these horns and tendons from the arsenal, and then asked his father to sell them to the county government's beef tendon warehouse to make money. Deputy Commander Zhu Very good at doing business!”

Hearing the words "doing business", Su Liang's expression turned gloomy.

Since the founding of the Song Dynasty, the military generals of the Song Dynasty have focused on doing business in order to prevent the court from suspecting that they were relying on their own troops and being suspected of rebellion.

Then, this trend spread to the army.

The military's business has become a common practice.

When Di Qing put down the Nongzhigao Rebellion, there were troops transporting supplies, carrying private goods, and selling northern goods in the south. This not only saved transportation costs, but also commercial taxes.

However, in the past two years, the court's management and sanctions on military business have become increasingly stringent.

Su Liangben thought the situation had improved.

Unexpectedly, in Qingzhou, which is an important military center, something like this was happening with nothing but military materials.

If military supplies dare to be sold like this, then the private sale of other commodities must be even more serious.

This is no longer about trying to plunder the imperial court, but about digging into the foundation of the Song Dynasty.

With their privileges, the army could cause great damage to the business environment of the Song Dynasty. If they were not punished, there would be great chaos.

Su Liang was sure that Qingzhou Town Navy was definitely not clean.

(End of this chapter)