"Brother Zhong, today a certain family and this Brother Qing are looking for Mr. for your surname. Is the sir available? ”

As soon as Ma Zhi's words came out, the "Great Confucian" Brother Zhong (you can't call him Brother Zhao Zhong now, because he is not worthy of the surname Zhao) immediately stopped making trouble. His expression became very serious, and he looked at Ma Zhi and asked: "Second Brother Ma, you don't want to be happy, the word (referring to the surname) of a certain family is the son of heaven of the Yelu family, and it is not easy to ask, what can you do with this Ximen Qinghui?" ”

Hearing Brother Zhong call himself Ximenqing, Wu Haogu also frowned. In this day and age, it is extremely disrespectful to say that people are called by their names. Although the rules here in Liao may not be so big, but this Brother Zhong is a Confucian after all, why is there no rules?

Thinking of this, Wu Haogu took over the question with some unhappiness: "Second Brother Ma can't help it, but a certain family has a way!" ”

Zhong Ge'er's one-word Yelu family's son of heaven is not easy to ask, but the prince of the Zhao family will definitely be able to speak. After all, the Great Song Dynasty is not a gate valve society, and the problem of "one word" is not so rigorous, and sons like Zhong Geer can enter the family tree.

"What can you do?" Brother Zhong asked with a disdainful expression.

"Someone is rich!" Wu Haogu replied.

Ximen Qing added on the side: "This cousin of the slave is a real estate developer in Kaifeng Mansion and is extremely rich. ”

Brother Zhong sneered: "It turned out to be a businessman." ”

Twenty or thirty young men from Liao families also laughed when they heard his words.

In later generations, some people thought that the merchants of the Song Dynasty, who valued literature over martial arts, had a low status and could be bullied and played by scholars at will. In fact, since the scholars of the Song Dynasty had been bubbled, the scholars were not a class. And the status of the merchant is actually higher than that of the farmer - those who believe that the ancient farmer was better than the merchant must not have long brains! Moreover, the people who took the urban hukou of Kaifeng Prefecture, except for generals like the Pan family, and the sons of the Zhao family, were the red guys and industrial and commercial households of the forbidden army. For example, Guo Jing is a red guy in the forbidden army, and Wu Haogu was an industrial and commercial business before he became an official, so Guo Jing will have a status compared to Wu Haogu? In the eyes of the officials of the Great Song Dynasty, the industrial and commercial households in Kaifeng Mansion will not be as good as the farmers who farm outside the city?

As for the imperial examination, industrial and commercial households can also take the examination, and there are no restrictions. It's just that the number of industrial and commercial households is much smaller than that of farmers (landlords), so there are fewer people in the middle jinshi, and the power in the Song Dynasty is mainly the landlord class bureaucracy.

And in the Liao State, which was ruled by the big clans of the same period, the industrial and commercial households were the real untouchables!

Most of the craftsmen of the Liao State are official and private slaves and maids, and they have no human rights. The merchants are mostly attached to the big families and are also domestic slaves in name. Only a very small number of industrial and commercial households are independent free people - this situation is unimaginable in Kaifeng Prefecture, and millions of industrial and commercial households are domestic slaves of Jiangmen? Can the Emperor of the Zhao family still sleep?

Now a lowly businessman actually claims to be able to solve Zhong Ge'er's "one word", which is really an international joke.

It was the first time that Wu Haogu was ridiculed like a person, and he was also ridiculed by a group of poor ghosts in the Liao country, it was really unbearable for aunts and uncles.

At this moment, someone suddenly coughed, and the little poor ghosts who were laughing were all silenced and became decent.

Brother Zhong didn't mock Wu Haogu anymore, turned around, and respectfully saluted the place where the cough came from: "Sir." ”

Ma Zhi also saluted respectfully: "Sir, student Ma Zhi brought friends from Nanximen to worship." ”

The person who can be called a teacher by Ma Zhi and Zhao Zhongge is naturally Murong Xiangshan.

Wu Haogu looked intently, and saw a thin old man wearing a faded cyan robe, gray hair, and a messy goatee under his chin walking slowly. The old man came closer, and Wu Haogu found that his back was a little rickety, his eyes were a little cloudy, more white and less black, and he looked like an old fool.

"It's from Nanximen." The old man said slowly, "Then come with the old man." ”

After speaking, the old man turned around and walked towards the fort dock tremblingly: "Brother Zhong is also here, and the others continue to practice bows." ”

"Whoa."

The sons of the "little poor ghost" family all respectfully agreed.

"Let's go." Ma Zhi said to Wu Haogu, "You and I go to see Mr. and let the others stay here." ”

Wu Haogu glanced at Brother Zhong with some concern, and Ma Zhi smiled: "Don't worry about him, you really have a way to make him surnamed Zhao." Come on...... Meet Mr. Murong together. ”

Wu Haogu followed Ma Zhi into the fort dock, within the high wall is a circle of low houses, not brick houses, most of them are rammed earth thatched huts, all built according to the city wall, probably want to borrow the city wall as a wall of the house, right?

By the way, the walls of this fort are also rammed earth, and there are no bricks on the outside, so it looks very rudimentary.

The hut built against the eastern wall was a barn for cattle with many horses, and it smelled of coaxing.

It seems that there are several classrooms built against the west wall, and when Wu Haogu entered, the sound of reading came from inside.

Mr. Murong staggered to one of the long rows of thatched huts built against the north wall. When I walked into Wuhao Gu, I found that it was a room built with stones layer by layer, the surface was overgrown with creepers, the wooden door was half-hidden, and a chubby scholar of twelve or thirteen years old was leaning against the corner of the wall and napping.

"Vajranu, wake up." Brother Zhong roared.

Xiao Chubby Dun opened his eyes, there was still some sauce sticking under his lips, he stretched out his tongue and licked it, before he slowly stood up and saluted the old man Murong: "Sir." ”

"Guest, go get some refreshments." Mr. Murong gave an order, pushed open the door by himself, and walked in.

Wu Haogu, Ma Zhi and Zhong Ge'er then followed, but Ximen Qing stayed outside.

The room was dimly lit, and there were thick straw mats on the floor, and a few futons and low tables were set up, which seemed to be intended for sitting on the floor.

So everyone who entered the house took off their shoes, and the smell of smelly feet suddenly spread. Wu Haogu glanced at Brother Zhong, who was like an iron tower, and said in his heart: "I am still a big family, and my feet are not clean......

"Sit down."

Mr. Murong himself first knelt down on a futon, and then pointed to a few futons on both sides, and told Wu Haogu, Ma Zhi, and Zhong Ge'er to sit down.

"Old man Murong forgets his worries," the old man Murong smiled and arched his hand at Wu Haogu, "I don't know the name of the distinguished guest, what position he lives in the Southern Dynasty?" ”

"Forget worries" should be the old man's "number", or it may be the road number, that is, forget worries.

"...... at the Lower West Gate"

As soon as Wu Haogu spoke, Mr. Murong burst out laughing, "This little brother, although the old man is confused, he also knows that you are not Ximenqing. ”

Wu Haogu glanced at Ma Zhi and saw that the other party shook his head, so he said again: "Don't hide it from the old man, in Xia Pan Xiaoyi, the official worships the right class hall straight, and the gate is the marquis." ”

"So your surname is Pan? But after King Pan Zheng of the Southern Dynasty? Brother Zhong shouted, and his tone was a little more respectful.

King Pan Zheng is a prince, and Zhao Weigong is only a duke...... In Kaifeng Mansion, the Pan family is more noble than the Zhao family.

And people's "Pan" is really talented, and his "Zhao" is a bit empty.

"Exactly." Wu Haogu arched his hand at Brother Zhong, "Xia Guan entered Liao under a pseudonym, so he has offended a lot, I hope to forgive me." ”

"Huh." Murong Xiangshan smiled, not knowing if it was okay.

"Sir," Ma Zhi added, "Pan Dianzhi already knows what we are up to. ”

It seems that this old man was originally the mastermind behind Ma Zhi! Wu Haogu thought to himself: Maybe Ma Zhi's opinions come from the old man Murong, but unfortunately this old man is too old, and it is estimated that he will no longer be alive by the time of the chaos in the Liao Kingdom.

This is really "the world dies before the chaos happens"!

What's even more tragic is that in his strong era, in the Daliao political arena monopolized by the family and the Khitan clan, there was no place for Mr. Murong, the "retainer of the Zhao family".

A "forget worries" number, there should be unspeakable helplessness behind it, right?

"And," Ma Zhi continued, "Pan Dianzhi has another suggestion. ”

"Oh?"

"He hopes that we can take the position of envoy of the Suzhou Anfu Army," Mr. Ma said, "and he is willing to sponsor us to go to the official position of the movement." ”

"Suzhou Anfu Army Festival Envoy?" Old man Murong squinted his cloudy eyes and looked at Wu Haogu. "Zhang Xianggong wants to cut down Liao from the sea?"

"Var Liao?" Wu Haogu smiled, "Does Mr. think Liao still needs to be cut?" ”

He asked himself, and then replied to himself, "Sir, I don't think so...... The Great Liao is now falling apart, and it is better for our dynasty to join forces with the powerful family of the Great Liao instead of its Northern Expedition. ”

Before arriving in Yanjing, Wu Haogu thought that the only reason for the demise of the Liao State was the weakening of the Khitan nation due to the great rise of Buddhism.

But now he knows that the Liao State, which is monopolized by a few countries and families, is actually in a state where the land, people, and wealth have been divided. Even without the flourishing of Buddhism, the resources that are now in the hands of monasteries will soon become the pockets of the nobles and families.

The current Liao State is very similar to the last days of many Han dynasties in the Central Plains, the social wealth has been divided, the people are extremely poor, and the court has few sons available.

Such a country is actually waiting for someone to light the fuse of chaos.

The rise of the Jurchen tribe was the fuse that ignited the chaos in the Liao Kingdom. And once this fuse is lit, the Liao State will inevitably be chaotic both inside and outside, and it is only a matter of time before it falls apart.

However, since the power of the Liao State was divided, not disappeared, once this power was unearthed by the newly rising powerful regime, the Great Song Dynasty would be unlucky.

Therefore, the way that Wu Haogu can think of now is to do everything possible to prevent or delay the Jurchens from "unifying" the homeland of Liao.

The Xuanhe Northern Expedition and the Lianjin Expedition to Liao were actually helping the Jurchens to speed up the pace of unifying the "Liao State", and both seemed undesirable.

However, the ostrich route of sitting back and watching the Jurchen unify the "Liao State" is also waiting for death. The only way is to actively participate in the separatist war of the Liao State.

Just as in the later turmoil of the Republic of China, various external forces actively supported China's local warlords to rebel against the central government......