King of Song

Chapter 380
"Thank you, General, for your kindness, otherwise the consequences today would be disastrous...Donglin is very grateful for your kindness!" Li Donglin, the young proprietor of the caravan, had several wounds on his body, which were not very serious. Thanks benefactor.It can also be regarded as gratitude, with a very humble and polite attitude.

"You don't have to be polite, Mr. Li. It's the duty of the officers and soldiers to catch the bandits, and it's right to draw your sword to help when the road is injustice... I just happened to meet you today!" Lin Zhao smiled, and looked up and down this special young owner.

Young, in his 20s, he looks very elegant, but he has good swordsmanship, which is a bit interesting.Xizhou businessman?
Lin Zhao looked at Li Donglin, who was handsome and somewhat refined, and couldn't help shaking his head slightly.No matter how you look at it, he doesn't look like a businessman. He doesn't have that mundane smell of copper on his body. On the contrary, he looks more like a scholar who has read poetry and books, or an elegant and agile ranger.

Is he really just a businessman?Lin Zhao was a little curious, inevitably a little confused.

Li Donglin was also a keen observer. He seemed to have sensed Lin Zhao's doubts, and immediately said, "General, don't misunderstand. I was born as a scholar. I intended to make some achievements in the imperial examination. Unfortunately, my family is unfortunate..."

It turned out that the Li family was a well-known wealthy businessman in Xizhou, who mainly traveled to Tubo to sell fur, medicinal materials, jewelry, and unique products from the Western Regions.Because of the good management, the Li family is also very diligent and has benefited a lot. Over the years, they have accumulated a lot of wealth and are considered number one in the local area.

There is a characteristic of ancient society, the four lines of the world, scholars, farmers, businessmen, and businessmen are at the bottom.Although the Li family is rich, their status is not very high, especially after they become rich, they are still not valued by the traditional "famous family", and this problem becomes more and more acute.

Later, there was also a very real problem, that is, it is inevitable to deal with the government when doing business, especially in places like the Northwest where the sky is high and the emperor is far away, and they are often exploited and hindered.This also makes the Li family hope that there will be someone of their own in the government to escort the family business.

Therefore, out of various considerations, the old proprietor of the Li family hoped that one of the younger generations could produce a scholar or an official to enhance the family's influence and prestige, as well as escort the future development of the Li family.

At that time, Li Dongzhu's eldest son was already sixteen or seventeen years old. He missed the good time of studying, but he had great potential in business. At the same time, he was also his right-hand man.

But the second son, Li Donglin, was only five years old at the time, and it was a good time for Kaimeng to enter school.So Li Dongzhu specially invited a teacher for his son to teach him how to read and write.

Perhaps it has something to do with his upbringing. Li Donglin is also talented, diligent and studious, and he passed the examination of scholar in his teens.If this rhythm continues to develop in a consistent manner, maybe one day, Li Donglin will be able to pass the examination, and even high school Jinshi is possible.

But there are always many accidents in life. During the years when Li Donglin was studying, the bandits in the northwest became more and more rampant, becoming the biggest threat to the caravan.The Li family's business has also been affected to some extent, but the old proprietor Li didn't want to affect his son because of some things, so he never informed him.Until one day, an unfortunate incident happened to Li's family. Li Donglin's elder brother was killed by bandits while delivering goods, but the government was helpless.

After Li Donglin knew about it, his psychology was affected to some extent, and he thought it was useless to study and become an official.If you want to protect your family, the most direct way to deal with bandits is to practice martial arts and keep fit.So he abandoned literature and went to martial arts, and learned fencing from famous teachers.He is inherently talented and intelligent, coupled with his hard work, he can be considered to have achieved something in a few years.

Although the old proprietor Li was not very satisfied, but the eldest son passed away, and he was old, he needed the second son to set up a household and take over the family business, so he had no choice but to agree.

It has been seven or eight years since Li Donglin took over the business in his teens, and he has managed the business in an orderly manner.The Li family, which was already dilapidated, was rejuvenated here because of this, but it did not want to, but it aroused the concerns of those with ulterior motives.

This time Li Donglin bought treasures in Tubo, but he didn't want to be missed because of this, and was attacked by bandits.If it weren't for Lin Zhao leading the officers and soldiers to pass by, the consequences would be unimaginable...

So it is!In this way, everything is logical, and I even have a little admiration for Li Donglin in my heart.

"This business is really important to my family. Thank you General for today's matter!" Li Donglin expressed his thanks again, with full sincerity.

Lin Zhao smiled and said, "A few trivial things are nothing...but you have to be careful in the future!"

"Yes..." Li Donglin replied weakly, looking very unconfident.The old servant next to him also showed embarrassment and frowned, as if there was something particularly embarrassing...

"What? Is there a problem?" Lin Zhao asked after seeing it.

Li Donglin hesitated for a moment, then said in a low voice: "Today is definitely not an ordinary robbery. There were people staring at us all the way back from Tubo. There were several dangerous situations that we avoided. Today is inevitable. I think there is an enemy who is eyeing us and wants to put us to death... This time, the general rescued us and escaped, I am afraid they will make a comeback... There are many casualties in the caravan guards, and I myself... ..." Before he finished speaking, the meaning behind his words was already very obvious, and his eyes were full of worries that could not be concealed.

While speaking, blood oozes from the white cloth strip on his arm, and it is estimated that he was seriously injured.Looking around, almost everyone of the caravan's retinues is in danger. If it is really the situation he said, the future of the caravan is really worrying.Li Donglin looked worried, and the old man sighed and worried.

"Speaking of which, it's really troublesome!" Lin Zhao was quite sympathetic, and then asked, "How do you plan?"

"Hey!" Li Donglin sighed softly, and said, "It's better to follow the official path, there are fewer bandits after all, maybe we can escape the catastrophe, and we'll talk about it when we get to Yanzhou Mansion!"

"Yanzhou? Are you going to Yanzhou?"

"Ah, no... yes!" The old man may have been confused, and seemed to have said something wrong in a hurry, so he hurriedly changed his words.

Lin Zhao's brows suddenly had a trace of doubt, this caravan really reveals a lot of weirdness!It's not Yanzhou, so where are they going?
"Ah, we will go to Yanzhou from now on, and then cross the river to Hedong, or even Daming Mansion!" Li Donglin hastily added.

The old man replied: "It's a long journey, the journey is not smooth, mainly to Yanzhou, where there are bandits and bandits, what should I do?"

Li Donglin closed his eyes and said nothing, obviously extremely worried!

"Hey, I don't know where the generals are going? Can I go with the army? With the protection of the army, the bandits don't dare to make up their minds." The old man seemed to be a little whimsical, and suddenly thought of this question, and he was a little bit nervous. With joy, she looked at Lin Zhao expectantly.

But I didn't want Li Donglin to shout and curse immediately: "Uncle Gen, you can inquire about the movements of the officers and soldiers casually? Don't think so..."

Before he finished speaking, Li Donglin noticed that Lin Zhao's eyes were much more serious, a little persuasive and a little suspicious.

That's right!Lin Zhao was really full of doubts at the moment, and he raised his vigilance.

What happened today is a bit weird. I just met a bandit who was robbing me. Is it really just a coincidence?Could it have been deliberately arranged by someone with ulterior motives?
Especially this Li Donglin is so special, it is inevitable to make people a little suspicious.It was for this reason that Lin Zhao deliberately kept an eye out and asked a few more questions.

Judging from the current situation, there is nothing special about it, so I never cared about it, so it doesn't matter if I leave it.

But the conversation between the old man and Li Donglin just now immediately made Lin Zhao a little suspicious, to inquire about the movement of the army?Want to go with the army?

Who are they?What exactly do you want to do?Lin Zhao suddenly became suspicious.After all, this matter is a bit weird, and I have a heavy responsibility on this trip, especially with an important person like Liang Yibu, so there must be no mistakes, so any suspicious things must be cautious.

Be careful when sailing for thousands of years, you are right at any time!

"Who are you guys? Tell the truth!" Lin Zhao's expression suddenly became more serious, the smile he had just lost on his face, and his tone became more severe.The matter is of great importance, and sometimes it is better to kill one by mistake than to let one go.If they really had ulterior motives, Lin Zhao would definitely not be relentless.

The old man was a little puzzled, and looked at Lin Zhao in horror. He really didn't know why the good-natured general had such an attitude all of a sudden?Did you say something wrong?Wasn't it just a random question?Why?I don't know whether it's because of his superb acting skills or his old age, I really don't know the relationship between this kind of power.

Li Donglin is a scholar, and his resourcefulness and sophistication seem to be very good, so he understood the general idea in an instant.Knowing that the old servant said something wrong, which aroused the suspicion of the officers and soldiers, he hurriedly defended: "General, don't misunderstand, Uncle Gen is also talking nonsense in a hurry. He is old and doesn't know the rules, so he accidentally said something wrong. If so, please forgive me, General!"

Was it really just the wrong thing to say?Lin Zhao shook his head lightly and said, "Young master, it can be seen that this old man's status is not low. Your father sent him out to help you. How could he just appoint someone casually? The old man answered well just now, and he doesn't seem like a confused person. , why did you become confused all of a sudden?"

Lin Zhao was indeed full of doubts, and felt that the master and servant, as well as the entire caravan, were so weird.Liu Changzuo on the side also seemed to notice the abnormality, shook his head and said: "Now the war with Xixia has not stopped, could it be the war spies sent by Xixia?"

"General Mingjian!" Li Donglin was obviously a little anxious. It seemed that he didn't expect such a big misunderstanding caused by a wrong sentence, and he was even promoted to the level of Xixia spy. This is a heart-breaking statement!So he hurriedly explained: "General, don't misunderstand, Uncle Gen is only good at identifying jewelry and jade, not a sophisticated person, otherwise he wouldn't have asked the general so rashly just now!"

Such an explanation of reverse thinking seems to make sense. If someone is truly wise and sophisticated, he would definitely not ask rashly like that.Especially the military secrets involved, it's completely uncomfortable for yourself.

Is it really that simple?Lin Zhao still had some doubts in his heart. He stared at the two of them seriously and said, "What are you? Where are you going? I'm sure that your goal is not Yanzhou Prefecture, let alone Hedong..."

The main activities of Northwest merchants in the Western Regions were in Guanzhong and Guanbei to the west of the Yellow River, and to Hehuang and Hexi in the west.Even if there is any treasure, if you want to sell it for a good price, you should go to Chang'an, or Bianjing.Especially when it comes to going to Damingfu, it seems very inconvenient to take this road. Isn’t it good to go from Bianjing along the big river?
You know, after the Yellow River diverted, it flowed through Daming Mansion.Why do they want to give up the near and seek the far, and give up the easy to seek the difficult?Isn't there anything weird about it?It is completely reasonable for Lin Zhao to have doubts.

Now that you have encountered it, you must break the casserole and ask the end!The matter is of great importance, and I dare not be negligent in the slightest.

The old man was a little stunned. He didn't expect this kind-looking young officer to have such an attitude. He didn't even know what happened, so he couldn't respond.Of course, you may be overwhelmed, or you may not know how to answer.

Li Donglin is a sensible person, he can see that if he can't explain why today, he won't be able to leave, and he may even be in danger.Ever since, there was involuntary confusion in his expression.In Lin Zhao's view, the more entangled, the more it means there may be something tricky...

Pressed and waited by Lin Zhao's gaze, Li Donglin hesitated for a long time, then said in a deep voice, "That's right, we are not going to Hedong, but going to Suizhou via Yanzhou!"

Suizhou?Western Xia?
Liu Changzuo on the side suddenly moved, obviously a little angry.It is the time when the two countries are at war, so why go to Xixia properly?Could it be that Lin Zhao was right in saying that he was a Xixia spy?

"The two generals don't get me wrong. We have nothing to do with Xixia, and we went to Suizhou to do business!" Li Donglin hurriedly explained: "We businessmen in the Northwest have always traveled all over the place, Tubo, Uighur, Song Dynasty, Xixia It's no exception, it's normal to do business with Xixia people...

Now that the two countries are at war, logically speaking, it shouldn't be... But these jades and precious stones were ordered by Xixia people, and we were appointed to send them to Suizhou, so..."

That's right, since he is carrying a priceless treasure, although it will take longer to take the official path seriously, it will be safer.To put it bluntly, there is no difference between them taking small paths and smuggling, in order to avoid the government, but in the end it is still inevitable...

After Li Donglin finished speaking, he remained silent, as if he was waiting for the final judgment.Liu Changzuo also hesitated to speak, apparently waiting for Lin Shilang's judgment...

Suizhou?Lin Zhao remained silent, his thoughts turned rapidly, as if he had thought of something!
(End of this chapter)