Standing on the walled wall and looking down, the flat area on the bank of the Guan River is crowded with people, and it is very lively. Some vendors carry loads and baskets to sell all kinds of food. Several bonfires were lit in the clearing. Half of the sky was red.

Today is Chinese New Year's Eve, tomorrow is New Year's Day, and the new year is coming. In this year, the Volcano Army had a lot of good things, the population increased, commerce became more prosperous, and as the Song army advanced out of Tanglong Town and Yatou Village, the conquest between the Tibetan tribes was controlled. With the prosperity of the market, the small tribes in the mountains can exchange their cattle and sheep for much-needed grain to survive the harsh winter.

After the end of the war, with the establishment of some small forts, some small tribes began to gather near the partial head villages, and slowly formed settlements. There is a wide river valley that is rare to see for hundreds of miles around, and it is related to the river flowing, which should be a densely populated place.

With a whistle, an artillery battle burst into the air and suddenly exploded, leaving a trail of fire. Then several fireworks were set off in the crowd and flew into the air, dotting the night sky in a colorful way, which was particularly beautiful. The crowd outside the village cheered and danced around the bonfire.

Gao Jianu looked at the fireworks in the air and said to Du Zhongxiao beside him: "There are many strange skills in the southern country, and they are honest and do not deceive people. Like this kind of fireworks, it is rare to see in the Northern Dynasties, but I didn't expect that a few could be put in this remote place. ”

Du Zhongxiao said: "Do you celebrate the New Year, you should be happy with the people." Tomorrow's New Year's Day, I will go to Dongjiazhai with the envoys to see the excitement. ”

New Year's Day in this era refers to the first day of the new year, when all the people rejoice together.

The negotiations with Gao Jianu have ended, the official document of the Economic Strategy Division has returned, and the official business has been completed. The Khitan's relationship with the party was strained, and the previous year it was too badly defeated, and it was eager to calm the border. In particular, after the Khitan had decided to freeze the Yellow River in the spring, it used troops on a large scale against the party, and made some concessions out of the consideration of stabilizing the rear. Except for some details, he basically agreed to Du Zhongxiao's proposal.

When the war between the Song Dynasty and the party was fierce, the Khitan mediated and received many benefits, such as increasing the number of coins. Now the Khitan is fighting with the party, and it is the turn of the Song Dynasty to take advantage, and the Gao family slaves who come to negotiate are helpless.

Outside the city gathered the nearby Fan people, and the Song Dynasty rebuilt its power nearby, which meant the end of the previous turmoil and the all-night revelry.

A few fireworks were set off outside, and there was no movement, and Yelu Buhua was a little unpleasant. I wanted to buy some back, but the flame nitrate was a forbidden thing in the Song Dynasty and was not sold at all. Thinking of Tanglong Town, which will be open to free trade in a few months, I can't help but feel hot in my heart. He is a businessman, and he knows the doorway better than Gao's slaves. Why Free Trade? Duty-free is secondary, and the most important thing is that the goods prohibited by these countries will be smuggled to Tanglong Town. The Song Dynasty was in dire need of horses and would definitely try to open up smuggling channels. Correspondingly, as soon as the smuggling channel is opened, some goods that were prohibited from being sold in the Song Dynasty will also be sold outside, which cannot be stopped in any way.

Of course, Du Zhongxiao knew that the free trade in Tanglong Town was a double-edged sword, and there must be an outflow of strategic materials in the Song Dynasty, and the first thing to bear the brunt of was iron tools and grain. There is no way to do it, but to try to make up for it. Food is not really important, as long as the surrounding area is widely opened, it can be supported, and the most important thing is iron. The Khitan does not lack iron, but what it lacks is party items, and the two countries can only cooperate to prevent smuggling into party items. As for the steppes further north, the flow of iron tools increased the strength of the nomads, and the chaos caused was a matter of the Khitan. When it was the turn of the Song Dynasty to have a headache, the battlefield was more than guns.

Looking at the carnival of the Fan people outside, Du Zhongxiao said to Gao Jianu and Yelu Buhua: "There is a wine feast in the village, let's go back and have a drink." According to the custom, I can't sleep all night tonight, called Shou Sui, I wonder if the same is true in the Northern Dynasty? ”

Yelu Buhua said: "There are also some, but not everyone is like this." ”

The ancestors of the Gao family slaves were Han slaves of the Khitan, and after making a fortune, they learned from the Khitan people in everything, and these topics should not have been heard.

Entering the village hall, several people sat down as guests and hosts, a few pots of charcoal fire were lit around, and the soldiers served wine and food, and brought up a few plates of dumplings.

Du Zhongxiao pointed to the dumplings and said to Gao Jianu and Yelu Buhua: "This thing was originally called slots, and it is the most delicious." Tonight in addition to the New Year, the old year and the new year are replaced, eat this thing is just homophonic 'Jiaozi', take a pick. I wonder if there is such a thing in the Northland? ”

Gao Jianu nodded honestly: "Yes, but I don't boil it with water, and I don't eat it during the New Year's Festival, which is not as common as in the south." ”

Many common foods in later generations were matured in this era, such as dumplings, noodles, buns, and so on. However, the way of eating is different from that of later generations, the most popular dumplings in this era are fried, followed by steamed, and most of them are boiled wontons, boiled dumplings are not popular, and the most popular is wontons. Because of the historical Song Dynasty's southern crossing, the eating habits of the Central Plains at this time were more similar to the Jiangnan in Du Zhongxiao's previous life. For example, the houses, including the Imperial Palace, are all white walls, not in the style of the later red and yellow of the Forbidden City. The clothing and ornaments advocate grace, and the food is also exquisite.

The so-called homophonic "Jiaozi" is just a casual compilation of Du Zhongxiao according to the sayings of later generations. The real reason is that in the cold winter in the north, dumplings are indeed a rare delicacy. This kind of frontier place is not comparable to Jingshi, where is so luxurious that it is fried in sesame oil to make snacks. If you want the Volcano Army to become the center of this area and make everyone yearn for it, you must start with these details of food, clothing, housing and transportation.

In the era of shabby life, the secret of the appeal of dumplings is the unique taste formed by the fat and thin fillings inside. The popular flavors of this era are very different from the era when later generations were accustomed to eating big fish and meat, such as vegetarian dumplings and mutton dumplings, which will not be popular. The dumplings in the village tonight are filled with selected pork, green onions, ginger, and some blanched cabbage. At this time, the cabbage is famous, and there is no variety of cabbage, but after all, it is a rare green leafy vegetable in winter, and it tastes exceptionally fresh in this season.

Yelu Buhua ate one, and his eyes lit up: "It's really delicious!" I don't know what kind of stuffing is inside? ”

Du Zhongxiao said: "The selected good pork, finely chopped into cheeks, and some vegetables are added to it to have this taste." ”

Jerod didn't spend time praising and praising him, and ate several in a row. The Khitan also raised pigs on a large scale, but Yelu was not used to eating large pieces of meat, but he rarely ate them so finely. In particular, there are all kinds of flavors inside, which I have never tasted before.

The good thing about dumplings is that the skin and filling are troublesome to prepare, but they are very simple to cook. The weather in this area of the Volcano Army, wrapped in winter, is a quick-frozen dumpling, which can be stored for a long time. Du Zhongxiao also thought about waiting for Tanglong Town to become lively, and sell these foods from this area in winter. A free trade city, there will be a lot of money there in the future, and the Volcano Army is trying to find a way to earn it back.

After drinking hard all night, several people were groggy on the second day, escorted by soldiers, to Dongjiazhai. Gao Jianu knew from Yelu Buhua that there was sugar for sale here, so he went out early in the morning to buy gifts to bring back.

Du Zhongxiao was alone in the Walled City, taking out all kinds of official documents with the Economic Strategy Department and the imperial court since the occupation of Tanglong Town last year, and carefully combing through them against the documents agreed with Gao Jianu. It's a big deal, and it doesn't end there. Until now, the imperial court has not raised any objections, because the strategy made Zheng Jian the master, and the Song Dynasty took advantage of it. The negotiations with the Khitan are over, and many questions will emerge, waiting for Du Zhongxiao to answer.

For example, Zhang Qi used muskets and artillery to defend Tanglong Town, and blasted the Khitans away after a few rounds, what is that? Tanglong Town has been opened up as a place of free trade, can the Volcano Army support it, can it be controlled? If you can buy horses from there, how will the money come from? How do you transport a horse back to the Central Plains after buying it? All these questions, Du Zhongxiao must give the imperial court a clear answer.