After sending off Qiu Jiejie, Zhao Chengshan stood at the door of the tavern and was stunned for a long time. After thinking about it, I had no choice but to go to Jin San.

What kind of identity is Jin San, it's not something that Zhao Chengshan can see if he wants to. After waiting for a long time, a Meng supervisor came out and greeted Zhao Chengshan: "Jiejie is a prominent figure in the state city, I don't know how I got here today?" ”

Zhao Chengshan said: "Director Meng, now that the matter is urgent, I won't talk nonsense." A few days ago, you borrowed more than 50 stone of grain from me, and said that you would return it in a month, and I would collect some interest. Now the state government suddenly wants to check the granary under his subordinates, there is no way, please return it immediately, I don't charge the interest. ”

Director Meng shook his head again and again after hearing this: "Section level, borrowing this kind of thing, you lend and I borrow, it's all said and useful." Those more than 50 stone of grain were given to the caravan by my master, and before the time came, where could I return them? ”

Zhao Chengshan said: "The supervisor wants to think of a way to return the grain." The state government checks the granary, and once there is a mistake, the punishment is extremely heavy! It's nothing if something happens to me, at most it's only a few years of assignment, and it involves business outside the staff, which is a big deal! ”

Director Meng smiled: "Section level, the staff is doing business with you seriously, where is there any big deal!" It's better to be like this, fifty stone grain, fifty yuan in the house and you, how about buying it in the warehouse? ”

Zhao Chengshan said: "Supervisor, more than fifty stone grains are not a large amount, but it is not easy to buy them on the market." Shengzhou grain and grass are all sent from the Central Plains on time, and there are not many grain stores on the market. Not to mention, the largest grain merchant in the area is the shopping mall, where the granaries have been sealed and ready to be audited. Even if you have money in hand, it is difficult to buy cash food. ”

Director Meng spread his hands: "What should I do?" I have borrowed your food, and now where can I get it! ”

Zhao Chengshan saw that Director Meng was cheating, and said, "Supervisor, where can I use more than fifty stone grains?" How much is left, let me take it back to the warehouse first, and then make up for it from other places, to deal with the past audit, and it will be easy to say anything in the future. ”

Director Meng shook his head: "Jiejie, it's not that I don't help you, but there really isn't so much food in the house." Now that I eat in the house, I have to go to the market every few days to buy food! If you have to, just this one way, we will pay you back, and this matter will not be mentioned. ”

Zhao Chengshan was angry when he heard this: "Director, I came to beg you this time, and I will definitely repay you after you do a good job." If this is the case, it will not be the same as before in the future, and it will be difficult to borrow food! ”

Director Meng smiled: "It's a joke at the festival level, in Shengzhou City, are you still afraid that you won't be able to buy food with money?" ”

Zhao Chengshan sneered, said goodbye, and went to other places to look for food. He only has more than 50 stones left in the warehouse, as long as he is willing to spend some money, he can make up for it. It's just that this time the business is at a loss, and the extra money spent is much higher than the interest here in Jin San.

Watching Zhao Chengshan leave, Director Meng shook his head and returned to the mansion. There is really no way to return those grains to Zhao Chengshan, and there are more than 200 merchants from the Western Regions this time. The grain merchants in the city have already asked, but now they are not able to give grain in advance.

The vicinity of Shengzhou was not cultivated and no grain was produced, so this is the case. There is no shortage of grain here, but there is not a shortage of grain in the warehouse, and the variety of grain is limited. Jin San is a rich and noble family, and he eats a lot of tricks and troubles.

When he got to the back, Jin Sanzheng was chatting with the guests, and when he saw Director Meng coming in, he casually asked, "What is Zhao Jiejie for?" ”

Supervisor Meng said: "A few days ago, I borrowed dozens of stones of grain from him, because the yamen recently checked the granary and wanted to go back in advance. ”

Jin Sandao: "There is not much food in the city these days, have you agreed?" ”

Supervisor Meng said: "How can you agree?" If you agree, what will the people of the caravan eat this time? It's nothing more than a trivial matter, and you don't have to worry about it outside the staff. ”

Jin San nodded and asked Director Meng to go about his own affairs and no longer ask about the matter. It's just a few dozen stones of grain, which is worth less than a hundred yuan, and for Jin San, it's really a small thing that can't be smaller.

Not to mention that Zhao Chengshan raised food everywhere, with his own relationship, he had to take a lot of money to get in. These have nothing to do with Jin San, in his eyes, these yamen officials say good things when they are useful, and when they don't use them, they just do whatever they like.

Director Meng left, and Jin San said to the guests sitting there: "This time I went to Shengzhou, I heard that you are still going north of Yinshan?" The Song army has already occupied Juyan County, which is the former Heishui City, and the train will be opened this year. From Yizhou to Juyan, it is only more than 1,000 miles, which is extremely convenient. In the future, when the caravan arrives in the Central Plains, it is not necessary to start from Gaochang and go to Yizhou instead. ”

The clerk who was sitting there said, "Where is it so easy. Yizhou broke away from Gaochang and became independent, and there were no merchants to buy, so there were no goods to buy. Only from Gaochang can there be enough goods to do trade here. ”

Jin Sandao: "A few days ago, the city lord of Yizhou entered the capital to pay tribute, and there were many merchants accompanying him, where did he come from?" ”

Liu Yuanwai said: "That is the goods purchased from the Black Khanate, and most of them are poisonous, which is different from us. The current Western Regions, in the north, Gaochang is stronger than the Black Khan, and it is friendly with the Western Black Khan, and the trade route can be all the way to Daqin. In the south, it was the other way around, and the black sweat was stronger than Gaochang, and the trade route to the body was always unblocked. In the south, you can take Qingtang Road into the Central Plains, and you don't have to go through the land west of the river, and it is not affected much. ”

Jin San nodded: "I see." It's just that the railway has been repaired to Juyan County, and the Song Dynasty will definitely enter the Western Regions, what do the countries there think? ”

Ren said: "Before we came, Gao Chang was still undecided. They were originally allies with the Khitan, and after Captain Yeluren entered Shangjing Road last year, he did a very good job of not borrowing, and the various departments were tamed. Starting from Gaochang, take the road north of Yinshan Mountain. Of course, if you go like this, you won't need the railway from Hezhou to Juyan. If the railway is built to Yizhou in the future, what the trade route should be like depends on what the king of Beiting in Gaochang thinks. ”

Liu Yuanwai said: "Yes, the king of Beiting thinks very highly of himself and does not want to live under the Song Dynasty. If the Song Dynasty occupied Yizhou, Gaochang would not necessarily surrender immediately. If there is a real fight, I wonder if the trade route will be cut off. At that time, you can only take the southern trade route, and the northern road will not be open for a while. ”

Businessmen naturally talk about business, and political turmoil is business risk. In the face of a large country like the Song Dynasty, there was little opportunity for political speculation, and this was even more so. After the initial victory of Hequ Road, Gao Changguo also changed his opinion, thinking of paying tribute to the Song Dynasty as soon as possible. Before sending envoys, the Song Dynasty got Juyan, and suddenly the troops came to the Western Regions, and Gao Chang's views changed.

The Khitan along the Shangjing Road once came to Gaochang, and Gaochang was completely unable to stop it. After that time, Gao Chang was extremely deferential to the Khitan, and the two countries had a lot of exchanges. The current trade route in the Western Regions is to use the trade route of Tongkhitan to go south from Fengzhou to Hezhou. Now that the Song Dynasty is approaching the Western Regions again, Gaochang is uncertain about raising the banner and cannot make up his mind to turn to the Song Dynasty.

The arrival of the city lord of Yizhou in Beijing this year has a great impact on the Western Regions, especially on Gaochang. Nominally, the country between Gaochang and the Song Dynasty was the country of uncles and nephews, and when paying tribute in the past, King Gaochang Beiting Khan once called himself so. But in fact, Gaochang is mainly Khitan and has not interacted for decades. Gao Chang had always been skeptical about whether the Song Dynasty had the strength to control the Western Regions.