The small hill on which Zhao Baishun and the others stood was only more than 10 meters high, but it was surrounded by an unobstructed plain, so the more than ten cavalrymen standing on the hill were all clear about the surrounding situation.

The convoy from the north was only half a mile away from the hill where they were. When Zhao Baishun and others found the convoy, the people in the convoy also saw them.

However, they obviously recognized the red military uniforms worn by Zhao Baishun and the others, so there was no change.

When Wan He rode down on horseback, one of the cavalrymen guarding the side of the convoy also came up.

Zhao Baishun stared closely at the scene below, paying attention to what kind of code Wanhe would make. Although this veteran soldier has a strange temper, he is the most experienced one in combat within their general banner.

It is rumored that Wanhe even participated in the bloody battle of the Hunhe River and was one of the few survivors of this great war.

However, Zhao Baishun was a little unconvinced, because at the beginning of the year, His Majesty sent people to Liaodong to ask for an inspection of the sergeants who had participated in several major battles, saying that they would be awarded medals and transferred to the rear.

But when the clerk came to register with their flag, Wanhe disappeared. If Wan He really had to participate in the bloody battle of Hunhe, how could he refuse this benefit.

Zhao Baishun looked at the two people talking in the distance, and was thinking about these things in his mind, but suddenly found that Wan He, who was talking to someone, suddenly drove his mount excitedly towards the convoy.

Zhao Baishun subconsciously raised his hand, but paused again. If there were fake Houjin cavalry on the other side, Wan He should turn around and flee instead of continuing to charge towards the convoy.

Before Zhao Baishun could figure out how to deal with the situation in front of him, Wan He in his field of vision had already dismounted and ran towards the carriage. The convoy, which was moving slowly, suddenly stopped.

Zhao Baishun saw Wan He lift the cover on the carriage, and then he suddenly knelt on the ground without knowing what he saw, and the subordinates behind him all looked at each other, not knowing what was happening.

Zhao Baishun looked at the cavalry on the side of the carriage and did not make any unexpected movements, he looked back at his subordinates who were also confused, and finally said: "Dagen, Xiaogui will accompany me down to have a look, and the others will continue to pay attention to observation, if there is anything wrong, hurry back and report to Ge Baihu." ”

After Zhao Baishun finished giving the order, he slowly ran towards the convoy with two subordinates. When he approached the convoy with vigilance, he found that the Ming cavalry guarding the convoy was an acquaintance he knew.

He finally relieved himself and said hello to his acquaintance, but when he turned his gaze to Wan He, who was kneeling beside the carriage, he found that the old army, who had always feared him for three points, was now kneeling on the ground and weeping bitterly.

Escorting the convoy was Li Hu, a small flag stationed in the fortress near the Sancha River, who drove his horse to Zhao Baishun's side and respectfully saluted him.

Zhao Baishun asked Li Hu who came up in a low voice, "What's wrong?" What's in the wagon? ”

Li Hu replied in a low and serious voice: "The carriage is filled with the corpses of the dead of our army on the edge of the Hunhe River. ”

Zhao Baishun subconsciously glanced at the carriages lined up, and said, "Are all of these carriages?" ”

Li Hu nodded and said, "Yes, all of these carriages are there, and it is said that the corpses transported here are less than one-tenth of those found on the banks of the Hunhe River." ”

While the two were chatting, a Jinyi lieutenant who accompanied the convoy back came over and said politely to the two: "It's not early, please go and persuade your subordinates, we have to enter Jinzhou before sunset, and now we don't dare to delay." ”

Under Zhao Baishun's persuasion, Wanhe finally stood up. It has been nearly three years since he stayed in the same general banner with Wan He, and it was the first time for Zhao Baishun to see this old soldier showing such a weak expression.

At the beginning, they followed General Man Gui to rescue his brothers in Jinzhou City, but Wan He was shot through an arrow in his left arm during the field battle, and he didn't snort.

The carriage soon continued on the road, and Zhao Baishun decided to escort the carriage back to the city first, and he ordered two of his subordinates to go back and report first, and he took people to join the cavalry escorting the convoy.

Wan He rode his horse tightly to the carriage, his red and swollen eyes skimming towards these carriages from time to time, and the expression on his face was sad and joyful.

When the convoy arrived at the north gate of Jinzhou City less than a mile, Zhao Baishun caught a glimpse of a plain white outside the city gate from a distance, dozens of white flags on top of it, standing two columns of sergeants with white scarves wrapped in their foreheads, and the front of this team stood with military attaches headed by Zu Dashou and Wu Anguo.

As the convoy got closer to Jinzhou City, the more depressed the crowd felt. The hundreds of sergeants standing outside the city gates to greet the convoy could not hear whispers, only faint sobs.

At the head of Jinzhou City, the soldiers in the city who heard the news also hurried over, they stood on the city wall, stopped their movements after seeing the convoy below, and just stood there silently watching it.

The coachmen who were responsible for driving these carriages, in the face of this solemn and heavy pressure, even the sound of driving and shouting involuntarily became quieter.

Each carriage had to stop in front of Zu Dashou and the officials in Jinzhou City, uncover the leather covering the carriage, and let these officials pay their respects. Of course, this is also a security check.

After that, these carriages were taken to a large mansion in the city, which was the four-entry courtyard vacated by Zu Dashou for Wu Anguo, and it could be regarded as a stronghold established by Jinyiwei in Jinzhou.

After ordering these coachmen to rest in the courtyard next door, Wang Qi, the captain of Jinyi who was sent back by Yang Hao to deliver the news, brought a person who looked like a steward in the convoy to see Wu Anguo.

Wu Anguo looked at the two of them, and then asked the two to go to the flower hall behind to talk. The flower hall is located in the back house, which is particularly quiet compared to the front house that is used as an office place.

After Wu Anguo beckoned the two of them to sit down, he asked, "Captain Wang, who is this steward?" ”

Wang Qi immediately got up and clenched his fists and said: "This is the Xu steward of the Second Belle Amin Mansion of the Later Jin Kingdom, and this time the bones of the fallen soldiers in Liaodong are collected thanks to the help of this Amin Belle." In order to express his gratitude, Lord Yang promised to help Amin Belle purchase some goods from the south. The Lord sent back from a humble position precisely to convey a message to the Lord. ”

Wu Anguo bowed slightly, and said politely to the middle-aged steward: "So what goods does Steward Xu want to procure?" Food, armor, and weapons are not available. ”

Xu Fan immediately stood up and bowed to Wu Anguo, before he said respectfully: "The villain doesn't dare to embarrass the adults, this time the master has already ordered, that is, he wants to buy some cloth and silk, and it would be better if there was porcelain."

The villain brought 400 pieces of various colors of fur this time, as well as 100 catties of ginseng and 20 good horses. These are used to purchase the principal of the goods, and I hope that the adults can help find a merchant with a fair valuation. ”

Wu Anguo thought about it, and then shouted outside the court: "Ah Si, you come in." ”

A capable-looking housekeeper immediately trotted in, and Wu Anguo instructed him: "You take this Steward Xu to meet the shopkeeper Zhang of the Four Seas Commercial Bank next door to us." Let the shopkeeper give him a fair price for his goods. ”

Ah Si immediately agreed, and left with Xu Fan. After listening to the footsteps and moving away, Wu Anguo whispered to Wang Qi and asked, "What news did Lord Yang let you bring back?" ”

Wang Qi said respectfully: "Lord Yang asks your lord to try his best to meet the needs of this Steward Xu, and if the goods he purchases exceed the value of the goods he brings, he may as well owe him credit." ”

Wu Anguo asked in some surprise: "That's all?" Don't have any other intelligence? ”

Wang Qi took out a booklet from his bosom and said, "And this, according to Your Majesty's request, we have collected the prices of all kinds of goods in the market in Shenyang. According to our survey, there is no shortage of food in Houjin now.

However, Houjin cannot produce silk and cloth by itself, so cloth and other goods are of high value, python satin is worth 100 taels per horse, and wool green cloth also needs 5 or 6 taels a horse..."

After listening to Wang Qi's report for a while, Wu Anguo suddenly lost interest, he waved his hand to interrupt Wang Qi and said, "In addition to these, is there anything else Lord Yang wants you to explain to me?" ”

Wang Qi put away the pamphlet and said: "There are two other things, one is that the corpses of the fallen soldiers south of Shenyang are good to be packed, but the number of fallen soldiers north of Shenyang is too large, if it is also transported back in this way, I am afraid that the time and financial resources consumed will be too huge."

Lord Yang hopes that he will go to the capital in person and explain the matter to His Majesty. The adults suggested: Either bury these bones in a chosen place and recover Liaodong in the future; Either the bones of the fallen soldiers north of Shenyang can be turned into ashes and transported back in clay pots, which can save time and financial resources.

Second, although the corpses of the fallen soldiers south of Shenyang are easy to collect, the number is also quite large, and I am afraid that it will not be able to be collected in a year.

And for such a long time, if you want Houjin not to stop it, I am afraid that you have to give benefits to some ministers of Jin Guobeile.

But Houjin has nothing to produce other than fur, ginseng, and horses. Therefore, your Excellency would like to ask your Majesty how to give these Baylor ministers benefits, and what the limit should be. ”

Wu Anguo thought for a while, and then said: "You have a good night's rest tonight, and tomorrow I will find two people to accompany you back to the capital and report these things to Your Majesty..."

In the guild hall, the merchant representatives of the provinces gathered again, and today they were going to decide before the emperor whether to reform the collection of commercial taxes.

According to the discussions in the past few days, the original price of 30 tax on all goods will be set at a tax ranging from 35% to 12% depending on the type of goods. In addition, if it is sold outside the borders of Daming, a 5% export tax will be added.

However, to the comfort of the business representatives present, the various customs in the country will be reformed, and the tax system will be adopted. In addition, the merchants' congress can elect a tax supervision committee to supervise the collection of commercial taxes in various localities.

If the local commercial tax collection department violated the tax policy, or if an official extorted money from the merchants, the committee could ask the emperor directly to inquire into the matter.