You have truly caused me great suffering!

Chapter 11 A Meeting of Deep Friendship
Qingyuan Military City is not exactly a prosperous place.

Compared to Fuzhou, it was like a village, surrounded by rammed earth and thatched houses.

Occasionally, there are some decent houses, but they are all places where military officers keep their mistresses.

Chen Shao led Dong Dahu and another personal guard, Zhao He, out, leaving two others to guard the gate.

"Zhao He, how much money do we have left?"

Zhao He opened the money bag and glanced inside. "Boss, there are still three strings of cash left."

Upon hearing this, Chen Shao frowned. Three strings of cash.
We're dirt poor.

After arriving at the military camp, he did not exploit his soldiers like other military officers.

He even paid for several meals for Li Yan, and he had almost spent all the money his aunt had given him when he came.

He was certain that Tong Guan wouldn't let him have a moment's peace, and that he would definitely take Da Hu with him when he went out.

Then we'll have to buy him a horse.

As I recall, the price of a horse at that time was about one or two strings of cash, and better ones could sell for five strings or even more.

The three of them inquired along the way and arrived at a market. The market was quite crowded, but Chen Shao looked around and did not see any horses for sale.

There happened to be an inn nearby, so I went into the inn's lobby and asked the innkeeper about rooms.

After hearing the purpose of the visit, the shopkeeper glanced at Chen Shao and asked with a smile, "Young man, what brings you to buy a horse?"

"Go on a long trip and work as a porter."

The shopkeeper glanced at him again, hesitated for a moment, and then said, "If you are serious about buying a horse, you can go to Shihao Village outside the city. Go west after leaving the city, and it will be about ten miles away."

"Thank you."

After Chen Shao came out, he immediately understood that this great war, which started in Hengshan, had been going on for five or six years.

Between the Song and Xia dynasties, trade routes were cut off, and horses were something the army desperately needed.

If there were people in the private sector who sold horses, they probably wouldn't dare to do so openly, otherwise they would definitely be requisitioned by the imperial court.

Especially Tong Guan's victorious army.

Following the innkeeper's directions, the three walked for half an hour and arrived at a manor.

There was a big tree on the road, and a man was lying under it, his face covered by a straw hat, sleeping.

"Is this Shihao Village?"

The man removed his straw hat, glanced at the three men, and nodded, saying, "Indeed, what brings you here?"

"Here to buy horses."

Upon hearing this, the man stood up and said, "Come with me."

The group entered the village, led their horses along the rammed earth road for a while, and arrived at a secluded house.

This place is surrounded by mountains and forests, covering a considerable area, with high earthen walls.

Once inside, I discovered it was a completely different world; it was actually a huge market.

Grains, tea, medicinal herbs, horses, cattle, and sheep.
You can even buy a divine crossbow if you have the money.

The Song and Xia dynasties fought for five or six years, cutting off trade channels between the two sides, but the demand did not disappear.

The owner of this market must have powerful connections to dare to engage in such blatant smuggling and trading.

Chen Shao looked on with envy; this was a project that could make a lot of money.

"Look, that's where they sell horses. Go ahead."

There was a row of stables in front of me, with no fewer than twenty horses tethered, of various kinds.

Dong Dahu was immediately captivated.

He scanned the stables and spotted a chestnut horse with a thick, cascading mane, strong and well-proportioned bones, an undulating back, and high shoulders that exuded a robust physique.

"Young man, are you here to buy a horse?"

The horse seller's eyes lit up when he saw Dong Dahu. Dong Dahu was tall and stout, and although he didn't look very muscular, he was the fiercest fighter.

You could stab him with your gun and it might not even break through his fat.
Dong Dahu glanced at Chen Shao, who nodded. Dong Dahu then happily agreed, saying, "Buy! How much for this horse?"

"Hehe, no rush, you can try riding it first." The man selling the horse laughed, "Could you move this horse post for me, I'll lead it out for you."

Without thinking much, Dong Dahu bent down and gently lifted the stone pillar from which the horse was tethered.

The man selling the horse's eyes lit up even more, and the way he looked at Dong Dahu was exactly the same way Dong Dahu looked at his horse.

Chen Shao, standing to the side, noticed something was amiss; this didn't seem like a legitimate businessman.

The man selling horses was tall and burly; he smiled and said, "There's an open space over there; you can try out the horses there."

Dong Dahu looked at Chen Shao again, and Chen Shao waved his hand and said, "Go, be careful."

He had great confidence in Da Hu's riding skills; the boy had taken the initiative to look after his horses since he was a child and would occasionally sneak a ride.

"Young man, where are you from?"

"My name is Chen Shao from Fuzhou. May I ask who you are, sir?"

"His surname was Li, his given name was Xiaozhong, and he was from Pengyuan, Ningzhou."

"Nice to meet you."

The two sat there and chatted idly.

As they chatted, the topic naturally turned to the Song-Xia War, and Chen Shao was surprised to find that this man was quite knowledgeable about military affairs.

He spoke eloquently and logically, and his views on Tong Guan were very insightful.

Even between the lines, one can sense Tong Guan's lack of military knowledge and his fear that he might ruin a good situation.

Li Xiaozhong was also surprised by Chen Shao; this young man's insight far exceeded that of ordinary people.

He clearly saw not only the shortcomings in the Northwest, but also the shortcomings of the entire Song Dynasty.

Don't assume that the knowledge points in history books are common sense that everyone knows; they are wisdom summarized by later generations.

I don't know the true face of Lushan, I am only in this mountain.

How many people living in the Song Dynasty today can truly understand the general trend of the world?

Seeing that Li Xiaozhong's words were becoming increasingly outrageous and the conversation increasingly dangerous, if this continued, he would be committing the serious crime of criticizing the emperor and his ministers.

Chen Shao quickly asked with a smile, "I think this horse is really good. I wonder how much Brother Li is asking for?"

Li Xiaozhong laughed heartily, "It's fate that we met. Brother Chen and I had a very pleasant chat today, so this horse is for you!"

"How dare I?" Chen Shao wasn't really keen on taking it for free.

In his mind, things that are free are often the most expensive.

Li Xiaozhong patted him on the shoulder, "Brother, no need to doubt. To tell you the truth, I stole this horse!"

"Snatched?"

“That’s right.” Li Xiaozhong laughed, “I was born in Gongzhou and fought with the Qiang people since I was a child. I often went to the Qiang people’s pastures with three or five friends to steal good horses!”

“I get along well with you, young man, and I’d like to make friends. A mere horse is nothing to worry about.”

This was the first time Chen Shao had seen such a situation since he transmigrated here, and this man certainly exuded an undeniable heroic aura.

Now it is the Northern Song Dynasty, and this place in the Northwest still retains some of the style and chivalrous spirit of the Han and Tang dynasties.

In the aftermath of the Jingkang Incident, countless heroes emerged in the north. These generals were in no way inferior to those of ancient times; it was only the incompetence of the Song Dynasty that dragged them down.

Li Xiaozhong is a man who hides his extravagance.

Chen Shao was also eager to make friends, so he stopped refusing and clasped his hands in greeting, saying, "In that case, I will accept your offer without being impolite."

"I'd like to invite Brother Li for a drink. I hope you won't refuse."

(End of this chapter)