Lu Bu, God of War of the Three Kingdoms

Chapter 364 Peaceful City

On the vast prairie, the wind blows the grass on the field. Teams of soldiers are pressing captives in strange clothes. These captives are driving a carriage and are tied up with ropes in rows of seven or eight. The captive was a small Xianbei tribe captured by Lu Bu's army a few days ago. "Grandma, go, go." A soldier of the Han army waved a long whip in his hand, and slapped on the grass next to a group of prisoners, splashing countless broken grass, but kept yelling and cursing.

Being scolded by the soldier, the Xianbei people quickened their pace, but this temporary obedience could not conceal the hatred in their eyes.There were two Xianbei people looking at each other, and they both saw the anger in their eyes.

"These Han dogs are too arrogant. There is no way for us to go on like this. If we are taken back to the camp by the Han army, we will die." Suddenly a Xianbei man next to him suddenly said to the person next to him.

"Then what do you say? They have knives, and we can't fight them." Another Xianbei replied.

"We can't fight, but that doesn't mean we can't leave." As he spoke, the Xianbei man pouted angrily at the Han soldiers on the other side.

"That's right, we Xianbei people can't just admit defeat like this, I'll cover it, you kill that Han dog, grab his horse and leave, remember to bring reinforcements back to rescue us." The two Xianbei people quickly discussed The result came out.

"Ah." There was only a scream, and a Xianbei prisoner landed on the ground without warning, screaming continuously, as if he had encountered something extremely terrifying.

"What's going on?" Just as the Xianbei prisoner was screaming, a Han soldier came up on his horse and asked the pair of prisoners.

"My lord, this man suddenly became like this for some reason, please go ahead and save him." As soon as the Han soldier asked, the Xianbei man who had spoken before hurried forward and said.

"Grandma's made trouble for me." Although the Han soldier said it lightly, he jumped off the captive's horse and walked towards the group of Xianbei people, wanting to see what happened to the Xianbei people.

"Go to hell." Just as the soldier walked into the crowd, the Xianbei man behind him suddenly jumped up and locked the Han soldier with the rope in his hand.

"Bastard, what do you want to do?" The Han soldier didn't react until now, but it was obviously too late, and the Xianbei people around him suddenly became violent, and quickly controlled the Han soldier , "Stab!" At this moment, someone suddenly pulled out the saber from the Han soldier's waist, and just heard a "puchi", and the saber pierced through the Han soldier.The soldiers finally stopped resisting.At this time, these Xianbei people hurriedly cut off the ropes in their hands.

"It's not good, someone rebelled." At this moment, the soldiers of the Han army not far away saw the situation here, and they all shouted one by one, and moved closer to this side consciously, but each of them had a division of labor. Although seeing the situation here at this time, he had to ignore the captives he was in charge of, and could only yell for the patrolling soldiers to come and deal with them.

"Boom." At this moment, the sound of horseshoes sounded.A group of cavalry came on horseback, and everyone seemed to be none other than Cheng Lian, who was in charge of transporting the captives.

"General Cheng Lian, come here quickly. There are prisoners rebelling." Seeing Cheng Lian leading people over, the soldiers of the Han army greeted the prisoners they were in charge of while looking after them.

"Let's go, remember to bring someone to rescue us." Seeing Cheng Lian leading someone to come.A Xianbei man said to the previous man.

"Don't worry, I will definitely bring someone to rescue you." Knowing that the situation is urgent.The Xianbei man did not hesitate, and jumped on the horse left by the Han soldier before, and rode the horse away to the distance.

"Hmph, if you want to run away in front of me, you'd underestimate me, Cheng Lian." Seeing the Xianbei man galloping away, Cheng Lian bent his bow and set an arrow, aiming directly at the Xianbei man's vest. Cheng Lian is not a soft-hearted person, Don't show mercy to the Xianbei people.

"Whoosh" came the sound of a feathered arrow piercing the sky, and then the Xianbei people who had galloped dozens of battles away came in response.

"Come on, you go and chop off the head of that Xianbei man." Seeing that the escaped prisoner was beheaded by himself, Cheng Lian waved behind him.Called two soldiers and said.

"It's my lord." Then the two galloped away, took off the Xianbei man's head, and brought the horse back by the way.

"General, what should we do with these people?" As soon as Cheng Lian killed the fleeing Xianbei man, the soldiers had already brought a group of Xianbei people. Cheng Lian looked around and saw that these people were none other than the one who ran away just now. Xianbei tied to other Xianbei.

"General, this matter has nothing to do with me. We killed the Han army lord, and we didn't help him escape." These Xianbei people were brought to Cheng Lian by the soldiers, and someone rushed out first, bowed down to Cheng Lian and said .

"General, we are innocent." With this man's demonstration in front, the Xianbei people behind him all knelt down and begged for mercy.

"A bunch of spineless guys." Seeing the appearance of these Xianbei people, a soldier beside Cheng Lian said contemptuously.Hearing this, the surrounding Han soldiers all smiled contemptuously, paying no attention to these Xianbei people.

"Damn Han people, go to hell." Just when the soldiers of the Han army looked relaxed, a loud voice remembered that the Xianbei man who had knelt before suddenly jumped up, and pointed a cold dagger at the person in front of him. Cheng Lian rushed over.

"Dog thief, if you want to plot against this general, go to hell." Cheng Lian is so skilled, how could he be so easy to plot, at the moment when the Xianbei was violent, Cheng Lian reached out and pulled out the saber at his waist, and the saber Only a shining arc was drawn in front of his eyes, followed by a line of blood splashing out.A big head fell to the ground immediately, and this head was left by the Xianbei who wanted to attack and kill Cheng Lian.

"Damn it, you actually attacked your lord." Only then did the soldiers around Hou Chenglian come to their senses, and hurriedly stabbed the headless Xianbei corpse with the spears in their hands.Obviously, he hated the performance of this Xianbei person very much.

"General, what should we do with these people?" At this time, a general beside him asked Cheng Lian again, pointing at the Xianbei people who had been terrified by the scene just now.

"Kill them all." Cheng Lian said lightly.

"General, we are all innocent." Hearing Cheng Lian's verdict on their fate, these Xianbei people immediately exploded and cried.

"Hmph, you and the previous two are captives tied to the same rope. From now on, as long as one of the prisoners on the same rope makes a mistake, everyone will be guilty of the same crime. Two of you have committed a capital crime, so You are all going to die." Cheng Lian understood that Xianbei people and Han people have fought and killed all these years, and their hatred is as deep as sea.It is impossible to untangle the knots, and to send these captives back safely, Cheng Lian can only use extraordinary means, and the continuous sitting system is the best means.

"How far is it from Yanchi?" Cheng Lian asked the soldiers beside him after dealing with this matter.

"General Qi, there is still a day's journey to Yanchi City." The soldier thought for a while and said to Cheng Lian.

"Pass down the order and move forward quickly." After saying that, Lian rushed to the front of the team without looking back.

Not long after Cheng Lian's captive team left.A team of Xianbei scouts quietly approached the place where Cheng Lian killed just now.

"Captain, look over here. There are corpses here. They are members of our tribe." As soon as the pair of scouts arrived here, someone discovered Cai's corpse.

"These people didn't die for a long time. It seems that those Han troops are going in this direction. These Han troops must have met their camp. We have been busy on the grassland for so long, and finally we are going to find the camp of the Han people. "When the scout captain saw the Xianbei people dying tragically in front of him, not only did he not feel any pain, but a smile appeared on the corner of his mouth.

Originally, the Xianbei people thought that after Lu Bujun plundered Xianbei's population and goods, they would transport them back to Liangzhou, so they sent soldiers and horses to intercept them near Liangzhou, and they went to nothing.Later, people who inquired about Xianbei from various sources found out that after Lu Bujun obtained these goods and people, they did not directly transport them back to Xiliang, but transported them to a mysterious camp, and these scouts in front of them were here to find this camp.This camp was no other place but the salt pond that Cheng Lian was talking about.

The next day, when noon came, Cheng Lian and the others saw a city made of rammed earthen walls. This place was the Yanchi that Cheng Lian was talking about, but the name Yanchi was only known to those who knew the details of the earthen city. The real name of this earth city is "Heqi City". The reason why it is called Heqi City is because most of the city's business is carried out by the Heqi Chamber of Commerce.

"Hahaha, General Cheng Lian, you are here. I received news earlier that you have a batch of goods to be delivered. I have been waiting here for a few days, and now I finally see General Cheng Lian." When the team appeared, a fat-headed middle-aged man quickly jumped up from the stool at the gate of Heqi City, and ran over to answer Cheng Lian.

"Hehe, Boss Li, you must be so anxious because you smelled the fishy smell. I also have military affairs, so you should hurry up and order some goods for me." Cheng Lian smiled and said a few words to Boss Li, and then said He ordered the soldiers to set up camp outside Heqi City. For Cheng Lian, the task of transporting the goods has been successfully completed at this time. As for counting the goods, Cheng Lian just needs to check that the final list is correct and go later. , As for how to settle the final settlement and how to redeem military merits, that's not something Cheng Lian should worry about.

"General, please don't worry, I'll handle it for you, my little one." Speaking of Boss Li, he brought people from the Heqi Chamber of Commerce to start ordering goods. The boss here is one of the principals of the Heqi Chamber of Commerce in Heqi City. In the end, Cheng Lian only cares about the quantity of the goods. As for the value of these goods and how to convert them into military merits in the end, that is not his concern.

"General Cheng Lian, I'm sorry for you this time." Just when Cheng Lian was bored, a voice suddenly sounded behind him. Cheng Lian turned around and saw a tall and handsome figure appearing behind him. At first glance, it looks familiar, but after careful identification, this person is none other than Lu Bu, and there are a few people standing beside Lu Bu, but they are Xun Yu and Tai Shici, and next to Lu Bu is a young man with a thin figure and a clear complexion. We know each other, but Lu Bu knows that outsider is the real behind-the-scenes boss of Heqi Chamber of Commerce, Lu Bu's eldest wife, Cai Yan.And Lu Bu came to Heqi City this time because he wanted to come and see the development of the Heqi Chamber of Commerce here, and he also wanted to accompany Cai Yan.

"General Lu Bu." Seeing that it was Lu Bu, Cheng Lian immediately wanted to bow down, but was held back by Lu Bu.

"No one here knows me, so don't reveal my identity." Lu Bu said softly, grabbing Cheng Lian.

"Huh? Hehe" Although Cheng Lian had been under Lu Bu for a while, the two of them were not familiar with each other, which caused Cheng Lian to look at Lu Bu in front of him, but didn't know what to say.

"General Cheng Lian, I heard that you are very familiar with this Heqi City, why don't you take Mr. Lu and us for a walk." Seeing Cheng Lian was a little embarrassed, Xun Yu hurriedly said.

Although Xun Yu hadn't really joined Lu Bu's command yet, his attitude towards Lu Bu had improved a lot after these days, and Lu Bu was used to bringing him by his side so that he could ask for advice at any time.

"Okay, I'll take you around now, Mr. Lu, please." With Xun Yu's help, Cheng Lian nodded gratefully to Xun Yu, and then led the way.

"This Heqi City was originally small in scale, and there were very few merchants here, but after a period of development, it has become very popular recently, and more and more merchants have come to Heqi City. It was not enough, so the Heqi Chamber of Commerce built another earthen wall outside the original city wall, and this is the scale it is today." Cheng Lian introduced in front, Lu Bu and Cai Yan just smiled, and behind him Xun Yu and Tai Shici listened carefully.

"What kind of business does Heqicheng do?" Hearing this, Xun Yu suddenly asked.

"There is a lot of business. The reason why so many merchants can gather here in a short period of time is because the goods here are very rich. The main goods of the Heqi Chamber of Commerce are salt, ironware, and cattle, sheep and horses we bought from Xianbei, but cattle and horses The quantity is less, after all, we still need to use it ourselves, but even this small quantity is very marketable, many merchants have come all the way to buy war horses, and now that the princes are all together, war horses are very popular. But even if you can’t buy a war horse, you can still make a lot of money by transporting some private salt back.” Cheng Lian introduced it in detail, obviously familiar with the Heqi Chamber of Commerce.

"But I heard that the business of the Heqi Chamber of Commerce is more than that. It seems that there is also human trafficking. Can you take me to see it?" Xun Yu asked suddenly at this time.

"This?" Hearing Xun Yu mention this.Cheng Lian involuntarily looked at Lu Bu.One of the reasons why Lu Bu entrusted the Heqi Chamber of Commerce to take care of the business here is because there are some things that Lu Bu is not suitable for, such as the matter of human trafficking. Lu Bu's original goal was very clear. It's just that this matter can only be done secretly, otherwise it will have an impact on Lu Bu's image. Lu Bu has suffered from a bad reputation for so many years, and now he has to insist on this, and Xun Yu just doesn't open which pot. This made Cheng Lian a little embarrassed.

"Take us to take a look. I also want to know how the fellows from the Heqi Chamber of Commerce do this business." Seeing Cheng Lian's embarrassment, Lu Bu said indifferently.Lu Bu wants to come here to traffic people, which is a promising business, how can he give up because of a little resistance.

"That's right here. This is the population of Heqi City, a trading place. But the business here is not good. There are many people who come to see it, but few people buy it." Cheng Lian led the crowd into a large courtyard, looking at the deserted place said the scene.

There are many wooden cages in the middle of the yard, and inside the cages are crowded with prisoners, male and female, old and young.

"Why is it so deserted here?" Seeing the deserted look here, Lu Bu couldn't help asking.Lu Bu didn't handle the business in Heqi City, but he only knew about it roughly. Ling Lu Bu was surprised that the population business that Lu Bu wanted to come to, which had great promise, was actually done so lightly. This was not in line with Lu Bu's imagination.

"Let me tell you." Seeing Lu Bu's surprise, Cai Yan who was beside him ended the conversation. Lu Bu personally mentioned this business, and Cai Yan ordered his subordinates to do it. Of course, Cai Yan knew why the business was deserted. "Actually, as everyone knows, the most important thing we lack in the Han Dynasty is people. Now the entire Han Dynasty is full of refugees. These people are willing to do anything as long as they are given a bite of food. Who is willing to spend money on these things?" Those who are hostile are going home to work." Looking at Lu Bu, Cai Yan said helplessly.

"Then what do you do with these people?" Cai Yan said, Lu Bu already understood that the relationship business is really difficult now, but these captives were all brought back by himself, and they still have to eat. keep it?
"Uh, this young general doesn't know." As soon as Lu Bu said this, Cheng Lian hurriedly said with a wry smile.Cheng Lian didn't know that Cai Yan was the behind-the-scenes boss of the Heqi Chamber of Commerce, so he rushed to answer in embarrassment.

"Hehe, why would General Cheng Lian do this kind of thing. But I heard that the peace merchants can't take action when they meet with these people, so they can only digest it by themselves. The peace merchants will need a lot of people to mine, but there is not much waste. "Cai Yan said this very implicitly. Among these Xianbei people, not everyone is suitable for mining. For example, those old people, women and children may not be able to mine for a few days.

"In fact, mining is not the only way to go. Those old people, women and children can completely let them go back to their old profession. Aren't they good at herding? Let them herd for us. Anyway, war horses are always We need someone to raise them for us." Hearing Cai Yan's words, Lu Bu shook his head, thinking that it was too wasteful to employ people like this, so he said.

(End of this chapter)