A powerful minister of the Song Dynasty

Chapter 125: Submarine Fire Team (Part )

Song Xuan responded and said that they had accomplished many things during the three days he was in prison.

"Then we need to maintain the well in our yard and get some water-drawing equipment. When the time comes, you can go and treat the members of the Fire Squad to a meal to build some ties."

"it is good."

Tao Hong naturally agreed.

During the Northern Song Dynasty, the urban economy was prosperous, the population was dense, and the buildings were mainly wooden structures, which posed a great fire hazard.

Especially in Tokyo Bianliang, as one of the most prosperous cities in the world at that time, the fire problem was particularly prominent.

In order to deal with fires, the Northern Song Dynasty court established a special fire-fighting agency in the capital Bianliang, called the "submerged fire brigade" or "submerged fire soldiers."

Compared with the fire watchtowers in Tokyo, there are not many fire watchtowers in Nanjing.

Moreover, the fire squad was composed of people drawn from the local army and directly managed by the local government.

They charge a fee for every trip!

These people belonged to the Guide Army. Shangqiu was the place where Song Taizu Zhao Kuangyin made his fortune. Later, elite soldiers were transferred to the imperial guards, and the Guide Army became a local wing army.

In addition to being responsible for opening and closing the city gates and daily patrols, these soldiers are often dispatched to participate in water conservancy construction, city wall repairs and other matters.

It's just pure hard labor to make a living, but I'm not starving to death.

Song Xuan confirmed that the seals were usable and thought for a moment:
"Tap these four sets of ten digital seals randomly to create unique signs of damage, so that others can't easily imitate them."

There is no unique barcode now, and Song Xuan never doubted that someone could copy a lottery ticket and exchange it for money.

We must take precautions when necessary.

Tao Hong and others naturally did as Song Xuan asked.

After so many years of getting along with each other, Song Xuan came up with many clever ideas from time to time, which had already impressed them.

In the county government office.

Tongpan Gu Zimo looked at the documents sent down from below. Song Xuan wanted to open a bookstore, and it had already been sent to the government for registration.

He was in charge of some tax work, and Song Xuan's business ventures actually ran into his arms.

As for the Dou family's request to find someone from the prison to break Song Xuan's legs, Gu Zimo directly refused.

Song Xuan is currently at the peak of his popularity. If any accident occurs, the suspicion will be placed on the Dou family, especially with such an obvious sign as a broken leg.

Gu Zimo had directly approved the bookstore that Song Xuan reported to. Even if the owner wrote about Tao Hong, looking for an opportunity to cause trouble for Tao Hong would be causing trouble for Song Xuan.

They came from a small place together. If Song Xuan could easily abandon the person who had followed him for several years, then the people around him would completely fall apart.

When his bookstore makes some money in the future, he will agree to the Dou family's request and hire some strong men to rob it, so that he can have a justification.

Yao Yunfan, the commander of the Submarine Fire Team, was shocked when he learned that the young shopkeeper in front of him was Song Xuan's subordinate.

As a local who had lived there for many years, he climbed to the position of Yu Hou, was in charge of fifty people, and the external staff was three hundred people. He lived a good life.

After all, winter and spring are the peak seasons for fires. In the other two seasons, his men all go out to work, leaving only a few people behind.

Otherwise, we really can’t support this group of people.

"Yu Hou."

Tao Hong also told General Yao Yunfan that his young master had opened a bookstore. Upon hearing that the Fire Squadron was nearby, he naturally wanted to treat everyone to a banquet.

Yu Hou was ranked below the commander-in-chief and the deputy commander-in-chief, and was a high-ranking official.

But in addition, there are lower-level military positions such as Jiang Yuhou, and this title is also a compliment to others.

When Yao Yunfan heard that Song Xuan wanted to treat their Fire Team to a meal, he readily agreed.

No matter what others think, Yao Yunfan feels that Song Xuan, having just arrived, can make the local tyrant, Chief Constable Ding Zhe, bow his head voluntarily, and can also force the current Hanlin scholar to death and escape unscathed.

Such a person, who knows what kind of background he has!
Otherwise, how could a commoner force such a noble scholar to death and get away with it?

Now people actually took the initiative to invite us, a bunch of bandits, to dinner. That must be a huge honor.

After seeing Tao Hong off, Yao Yunfan immediately sent a few of his men to deliver a letter to the workers:

"Tell them to gather at Sun's Foot Shop at noon tomorrow and eat and drink to their heart's content. No one will be served after their time."

"Yes."

After Tao Hong made an appointment with Yao Yunfan, he went directly to Sun's Foot Shop and told him that about sixty people would come to eat tomorrow, so they needed to reserve a table and paid a deposit.

When the shopkeeper saw such business coming in, he immediately patted his chest and said that it was no problem, as they were not there to cause trouble, so he was welcome.

At noon the next day, Song Xuan brought Tao Hong to Sun's shoe shop.

The difference between a foot shop and a regular store is whether they can brew their own drinks, but many foot shops are no worse than regular stores.

Different market positioning means each has its own customer base.

At this time, the horizontal plaque of Sun's Foot Shop read "New Wine", and there was also a colorful pavilion and a welcoming gate.

As soon as Song Xuan walked in, he saw that there were only a few tables of customers, so he greeted the waiter.

The waiter immediately brought him in and shouted to the shopkeeper, who rushed over and warmly greeted Song Xuan to chat.

After all, this young man is not only the financial backer today, but may also make further progress in his official career in the future. He is also a fellow villager and has great talents, which has won the praise of Liu Sanbian.

If he leaves some calligraphy in his own shop, it would be a huge profit.

Yao Yunfan cleaned up very well today. It was rare for someone to attach so much importance to their fire brigade, and they must not lose points.

He had originally planned to arrive earlier today and wait for Song Xuan.

But when he entered the door, he found that the shopkeeper Tao Hong, who had communicated with him yesterday, was standing on the side, and the shopkeeper Sun next to him was talking to a tall young man.

Could this person be Song Twelve?

Yao Yunfan hurried forward and greeted him. It turned out to be the famous Song Twelve. He suddenly felt embarrassed.

This outstanding student in Yingtian Academy actually values ​​me so much and arrived early. I am really flattered.

The two sat down and chatted for a while, and then more people arrived.

Yao Yunfan felt a little embarrassed for a moment. Except for a few of his men who were dressed neatly, most of them were in rags or were shirtless.

Some people even brought their entire family. How could that be so embarrassing?
Yao Yunfan couldn't hold it in for a moment, with an embarrassed look on his face. The bandits under his command were really not presentable.

It's really embarrassing to come to Sun's Foot Shop to eat.

It would be better to go to the stall outside and give everyone a bowl of rotten meat noodles.

"Don't be surprised, Twelve Lang, they really do."

"Hey."

Song Xuan then asked the waiter to prepare a few more tables. "How can we hire people to work without ensuring they have enough to eat? Today, anyone under you, Yao Yuhou, who brings their families to eat, must eat their fill."

"If my bookstore goes bankrupt in the future, I'll have to count on you brothers to help me."

Generally, people who are particular about this will not only pay money but also treat the rescue team to a meal after a fire breaks out.

Unlike Song Xuan, he treats everyone to a good meal before anything happens.

After hearing Song Xuan’s request for an extra table and then hearing these words, Yao Yunfan could only point his finger and say “hit the mark!”

Before noon, everyone had arrived. They said there were fifty people, but in fact some people brought their entire family. Since they had finally gotten to have a feast, they had to have a big meal.

Yao Yunfan knew the character of his subordinates' gang of thieves, so he specifically asked them not to pick up their chopsticks until the food was served, so as not to lose face.

Today, the scholars have finally invited us, a group of bandits and soldiers, to have a meal. It's okay for us to bring our families, but at least we should listen to what they say and remember who invited us to dinner.

Yao Yunfan stood up and asked everyone to look at him, and asked Song Xuan to speak a few words.

So everyone swallowed their saliva and turned to Song Xuan numbly, but all they were thinking about was which dish to grab first.

They have seen such situations before, and the hosts who treated them to a meal always had to give long speeches of thanks.

However, no one had the courage to invite them to Sun’s Foot Shop for dinner.

Song Xuan looked at these bandits who were no better than beggars and stood up.
"My name is Song Xuan, I'm the twelfth in the family, and I live in the third house in the third lane of Nanhufang. I'm your host today, so let's eat!"

As soon as Song Xuan finished speaking, the people in the Fire Squad felt that it was a little unreal.

The young man in front of them just revealed his name and home address, and that was it. It was not until the quick reaction of the young man to immediately tear off two chicken legs that most people woke up.

For a moment, everyone on the table staged a full-scale fight.

Fortunately, Yao Yunfan had instructed us not to finish every dish.

Song Xuan sat down and didn't even look at this group of people, but Yao Yunfan felt a little embarrassed because of these unpresentable people under his command.

"Shi Er Lang, I'm sorry to have embarrassed you."

"What's so funny about this?" Song Xuan picked up his chopsticks and said with a smile:
"This shows that Yao Yuhou's subordinates are all genuine people. If they are hungry, they should eat. The more they eat, the more energy they will have to help me in the future."

Yao Yunfan immediately felt that Song Xuan was indeed a scholar, and what he said was pleasant to the ear.

But Song Xuan was not like other scholars. He frowned and was disgusted by the behavior of these bandit soldiers. Instead, he comforted him and told him not to worry about it.

The sky is big and the earth is big, and eating is the biggest thing.

The owner of Sun's Foot Shop looked at the famous Song Twelve sitting around a group of thieves' soldiers and didn't care at all. According to the waiter, the famous Song was talking to Yao Yunfan and the people around him while eating, asking about some things about the Fire Team.

This boy is truly extraordinary. It seems that the reason he confronted the Hanlin scholar so harshly that day was definitely out of justice in his heart, and not for fame.

Because scholars have a high status, there are very few people like Song Xuan who don't mind the existence of such scholars at all.

However, today his own shop suddenly got so many tables, and Song Xuan was not stingy at all, so he made a lot of money.

The meal lasted for an hour. After everyone had eaten and drunk their fill, they came over with a smile to thank Song Xuan and talk to him.

They had been working in the Fire Squad for so long, and this was the first time they had encountered such a generous employer.

The key point is that nothing happened, and these people had a meal first.

"Good good."

Yao Yunfan found that Song Xuan had not sat down either. When someone came over, he would chat with him and ask what he was doing now.

A "scholarly husband" is so polite. From now on, brothers must increase patrols around his house. If a spark ignites Song Twelve's shop, it will be our dereliction of duty!

After most people had left, Song Xuan signaled Tao Hong to go and settle the bill. It must be said that this group of people didn't even ask the shopkeeper to stay and order some soup.

"Marquis Yao Yu, I just saw a few people with their families coming to eat. Their children look pale and skinny. Don't they usually have enough to eat?"

Yao Yunfan nodded awkwardly. Although there weren't many people in their group, it was the off-season and many families didn't know how to make fires to cook, thus saving money on firewood.

If no fire occurred, these people would not earn any money, and it was impossible for them to deliberately set fire to the villagers' houses for a little money.

The neighbors have lived here for so many years. If they are discovered, won’t even their ancestral graves be dug up?
"What are Yao Yuhou and his men, who have children to support, doing now?"

“Most of them make a living by doing hard labor at the docks.”

"Ah."

Song Xuan thought for a moment:
"I wonder if Dayao Yuhou could tell me in detail about the situations of those businesses. I want to open a bookstore, so I need to hire two or three people."

"That's great!"

Yao Yunfan never thought that Song Xuan could do things in this way. It was really appropriate.

"I'll go back and sort out the details of these families and tell you about them. If you need a cook, that's no problem."

When Song Xuan saw Tao Hong coming back after paying the bill, he stood up and saluted:

"Thank you, Yao Yuhou. Come straight to my house later. Take your time eating. I'm going back to review my lessons."

"Good good."

Yao Yuhou watched Song Xuan leave, then turned to his companions at the same table:
"What are you all standing there for? Hurry up and eat. Stop pretending and eat everything up."

"Yu Hou, regarding the hiring that Twelve Lang mentioned just now, can my wife go? She cooks delicious food."

"Go! Go! Go."

Yao Yunfan scolded him: "Even eating can't shut your mouth."

Song Xuan has already named and mentioned the names of those people. He must have written them down, but you still want to use your connections to jump the queue. Do you really think that they are so open and honest and are scholars who can be fooled by you?

"It makes money, it's not shabby."

"Song Twelve has already said it clearly, and you still want other things. Do you really think he is a sucker?"

Yao Yunfan picked up his wine glass and said, "They are using courtesy first and then force. If you want to cause trouble for them, I wonder if they will punish you."

"That's right, we're at least having a good meal at Sun's Foot Shop, so don't be ungrateful."

"That's me, that's me."

"You just can't get enough of taking advantage!"

Yao Yunfan naturally knew what kind of person his trusted subordinates were.

After leaving the house, Tao Hong finally understood the situation:

"Master, are you planning to tie the members of the Fire Squad to our ship?"

"We're new here, so it's inevitable that we'll run into trouble. This place is close to the county government office, so we're a bit more restrained. Unlike back in the countryside, where many things can be done directly without going through the government, we still have to be careful here."

Song Xuan held out his folding fan to block the sunlight:
"Has Qu Ze thoroughly investigated all the information regarding Gu Zimo, the Tongpan of Yingtian Prefecture?"

(End of this chapter)