Standing in the rain, Xu Ping kept his face calm and did not speak.

Zhang Rong, who was standing on the side, sighed: "Judgment, it's really inconvenient to work in such a heavy rain." Why not take a two-day break and wait until the weather is good before we get back to work? ”

Xu Ping shook his head: "This is the rainy season, it doesn't end up, who knows when the rain will stop?" When the rainy season passes, and it's the sugar squeezing season again, one person can't wait to be used by two people, let alone free up. ”

Zhang Rong shook his head impatiently and stopped talking. The weather in this place is like this, and there is really no way, it is not easy to let God give face.

Xu Ping's personal soldier Wu Xiaoyi ran over from a distance, glanced at Xu Ping, turned his head to cover his ears, and looked nervously at the front of the road.

Frowning, Xu Ping also blocked his ears.

Zhang Rong looked at the two of them, shook his head, but ignored them.

After less than a cup of tea, there was a dull roar from the place where Wu Xiaoyi came, and the earth trembled restlessly like a beast that had been awakened.

"Oh my God, why is there such a big movement? If this is buried under the stockade and exploded, won't the entire inspection village be gone?! ”

Zhang Rong rubbed his ears vigorously, watching the debris rising in front of him tear through the rain curtain, and the huge roar rumbling echoed in the valley, and he couldn't help but change his face.

Wu Xiaoyi put down his hand and said: "We have blown up the mountain, what is a patrol village!" ”

Zhang Rong looked at Xu Ping and was silent. This gunpowder is much more powerful than the kind of gunpowder made in the capital that only smokes, and I really don't know how this general judge made it. If there were too many piles, wouldn't even the city walls be blown up? The inspection village built of bamboo and wood is just like paper paste.

Xu Ping dissipated the smoke and was about to ask everyone to go up and pick up the shattered rocks, Tan Hu ran over from the upstream and shouted from afar: "Official, don't be here!" It's raining too hard, and the torrent above is already rising, so it's not too long to rush here! ”

Xu Ping scolded in a low voice, and said to the people around him: "Forget it, rest today, and start work when the rain stops." Let's go back, all go back, and take this opportunity to take a break! ”

Walking on the wet stone road with his head down, Xu Ping was a little irritable. It's not that he has to insist on working in this weather regardless of everyone's life and death, but there is really no way. The road in this mountainous area is rugged, and the best section from Ruhe to Yongzhou can not be passed through ox carts all the way, and the goods can only be carried by horses on their shoulders. In the harvest season, the sugar in the cane is less than one minute a day late, and we must race against time day and night.

For convenience, immigrants from Fujian were lined up by Xu Ping along the road, and about 100 people were counted as a team, stretching out for dozens of miles, this road is the lifeline, which must be repaired before the end of the rainy season. Fortunately, these immigrants are now eating well, sleeping well, and although they are tired, they have no complaints.

The immigrants returned to their residences on the side of the road, and Xu Ping told them one by one to go back and rest well, because it rained heavily and there were many torrents around, so don't run around and catch small animals to satisfy their hunger. Seeing that everyone agreed duplicitously, Xu Ping also felt impatient, there were many strange people, and it was not so easy to manage.

From Yongzhou to Ruhe, and then from Ruhe to Guwanzhai, this road Xu Ping must be repaired this year, and then from Guwanzhai to Taipingzhai next year. As long as this road is passed, the barbarians along the way will no longer be able to make waves, and with the support of Shin Tong, Chungju and Sangsiju will be completely sealed in the mountains. At that time, Xu Ping will free his hands to slowly clean them up, and Xu Ping will dare to smash the letter in their faces.

Before he returned to his residence, he saw more than a dozen people in front of him braving the rain and spinning around by the pond from a distance.

Xu Ping was so angry that his teeth itched, this is not the time to be in Zhongmu, Sun Qilang is now the person next to him, and others look at him with their eyes. He didn't have any self-consciousness, his temperament became more and more jumpy, and he followed Huang Tianbiao, who was like a big child, to turn around the surrounding mountains, and he didn't know how to converge at all.

When he arrived at the door, Xu Ping was about to ask the soldiers to call Sun Qilang and a few people back, but a surprised voice came from the door: "It turns out that the general judgment is back, let the students wait!" ”

As the words spoke, several people came out of it, and the one who walked in front was Li Anren, who had not been seen for many days, and a middle-aged man about thirty years old next to him was wearing a shirt like Li Anren.

After seeing the ceremony, Li Anren introduced the person next to him to Xu Ping: "General judgment, this is the Huang Shimi Huang brother mentioned by the student, a native of Guangzhou, who has been doing business in the left and right rivers for generations, and has just returned from Guangyuan Prefecture." ”

Xu Ping saw that Huang Shimi's expression was a little cold, far less enthusiastic than Li Anren, and couldn't help but wonder in his heart, he was the god of wealth of these businessmen, why didn't he want to make friends. But he didn't think much about it in his heart, especially since this person had just been to Guangyuan Prefecture and was about to get some news from him.

When he arrived in the hall, Xu Ping asked the two of them to sit first, and he went back to the back to change his clothes, and when he came out, he saw that the two people were bowing their heads and whispering, and said to them with a smile: "Why did you choose such a day to buy goods?" It's really a person who doesn't keep customers, the first few times you came to buy didn't meet, if it wasn't raining, I'm afraid I'm going to miss it again today. ”

"The general judge is in an important position, busy all day long, we don't have important things, where do we dare to scratch."

It has now become Li Anren's most important purchase channel, but the grass market is gone, since the people of Fujian came, thousands of people gathered together, from Xu Ping's residence to Ruhe County, a few miles of road quickly appeared a lot of shops, a day of prosperity like a day, has become Yongzhou second only to the state city of the lively place, and Wuyuan County is also on par with the county.

After a few polite words, he returned to the topic, Xu Ping asked Huang Shimi, who had been sitting next to him without speaking: "I heard that you are from Guangzhou, I don't know what kind of business you do?" ”

Huang Shimi said: "Back to the judgment, Guangzhou is far away, the students are selling some light goods, from Guangzhou to transport satin, barbarians to exchange some gold, silver cinnabar, to make a little money." ”

Li Anren said with a smile: "Brother Huang said it too politely, the general judge is not an outsider, I have been taken care of more in the past few months, and my business is much better than before." General judgment, this Brother Huang is not simple, the barbarians I know are still here in Zuojiang, but Brother Huang's business is in Youjiang, where we ordinary people can go, and the interest rate is also high. I heard that Guangyuan Prefecture is full of gold, and one or two gold can only be exchanged for a good satin, and the interest is not comparable to our tea and salt business. Brother Huang, did you say that? ”

Huang Shimi nodded silently and remained silent.

Xu Ping looked at it coldly, knowing that Huang Shimi, unlike Li Anren, was not keen on cooperating with him. It's no wonder what business can be more profitable than buying and selling gold and silver? There is a large gold mine in Guangyuan Prefecture, and legend has it that dozens of taels of dog's head gold are not uncommon there, and I don't know if it's true or fake. Regardless of whether it is true or not, Guangyuan Prefecture is always the richest in all Tuzhou, and it is always true that if you are rich, you will be strong, and in recent years, you have vaguely become the leader of the barbarians.

The power of the Great Song Dynasty in the Zuojiang area is still reasonable, on the surface, all the barbarian chiefs claim to be ministers, although there are many small actions, but no one dares to make trouble about the big movements. The Youjiang area is different, and it is difficult for the imperial court to even maintain face. Places like Guangyuan Prefecture are all subordinate to both sides of the Great Song Dynasty and Jiaozhi at the same time, swaying in the middle to reap profits. When there is a benefit, you can recognize the Great Song, and when there is no benefit, you will be your own mountain king.

Li Anren also felt embarrassed when he saw Huang Shimi's indifferent attitude, so he had to drink tea to cover up.

Xu Ping asked Huang Shimi: "I heard that you just came back from Guangyuan Prefecture, how is the situation there?" ”

"Although the students made a deal with there, the specific situation is not clear. It's just that I heard that a few days ago, the leader there called the court a vassal, and the court had already agreed to make the leader a sanitation officer. Later, for some reason, he refused again, and did not go there. ”

Xu Ping said indifferently: "Natu is a minister to show loyalty to the imperial court, this leader Nong Cunfu, but his appetite is too big, and he even wants the imperial court to let him rule the surrounding states." Not to mention, Guangyuan Prefecture is Guangyuan Prefecture under Yongzhou of the Great Song Dynasty, and Emperor Taizong was already under his rule, so he was needed to accept the land? What is especially odious is that before he declared himself a minister to the court of the Great Song Dynasty, he actually presented his table to Jiaozhi. How did the officials of the Great Song Dynasty be? ”

Nong Cunfu's letter first arrived in Yongzhou, but Cao Keming did not have time to check it carefully, and agreed as usual. Reporting to the transfer envoy, Wang Weizheng asked Xu Ping's opinion, and Xu Ping was the first to object. With the insight of his previous life, Xu Ping will not take this kind of false name to heart, but look at the essence of things. Nong Cunfu annexed Guangyuan Prefecture by force, and the so-called Natu vassal was just a legitimacy from the Song Dynasty, not to mention other requirements. That is, Yongzhou's strength is not good now, otherwise this kind of person should be directly sent to destroy it, otherwise let him swallow it, then it will be okay? Sooner or later, he will develop a big trouble, but his son is called Nong Zhigao, Xu Ping remembers.

The rise of the Nong family in Guangyuan Prefecture is still in Jiaozhi. In the fifth year of Tiansheng, Jiaozhi coveted the wealth there, sent troops to destroy the original Zhizhou, and did not have the strength to garrison it for a long time, leaving this gap for Nong Cunfu to drill into. The Song Dynasty was a big country for Jiaozhi, but Yongzhou's strength relative to Jiaozhi was not worth mentioning, and the court was greedy for peace, and pretended not to know about it. If he recognizes Nong Cunfu as the lord of Guangyuan Prefecture again, he will take back Guangyuan Prefecture in face, but in fact, it will fuel his ambitions.

After weighing, Wang Weizheng rejected Nong Cunfu's request and asked him to return to Benzhou, and not to choose Ren Zhizhou, the descendant of the original Zhizhou, and the two sides had no more contact.

Huang Shimi listened to Xu Ping's words, his face did not change, and he said in a deep voice: "The students have not heard of what the general judge said. There, the student only knows a rough idea. ”

"It's probably enough to know. Then do you know that Nong Cunfu privately established his territory as an immortal country, pretended to be the emperor, set up the queen, and named his son Nong Zhicong as the king of Nanya? This is a clear rebellion! ”

Huang Shimi's face twitched, and he said stubbornly: "The student doesn't know. ”

Xu Ping stared at Huang Shimi, and said coldly: "Let me tell you, I give you businessmen all kinds of conveniences here, and even the taxes are not heavy. If the barbarians make any changes, you should consciously inform the court, instead of profiting from them! The affairs of Guangyuan Prefecture have long been known from far and near, you have been doing business there all the year round, and you dare to be sloppy with me! Hmph, Cao Zhizhou has not operated there for many years, and your courage is getting bigger and bigger! ”

Huang Shimi lowered her head, her eyes were cold, she looked at the teacup on the table, and said nothing.

"Li Anren brought you to see me, it was a good intention, but I didn't expect you to be such a person, and he wasted his enthusiasm. From now on, you should not do the business in Yongzhou, lest it lead to any disasters in the future. ”

Li Anren didn't expect this kind of result, and was dumbfounded: "General judgment, how can this be made?" How many generations of the Huang family have been doing this kind of business, and if it is banned like this, isn't it ruining their family's livelihood? When students go out in the future, how do they explain to their peers? ”

"Confess what? You also let them know that although it is a barbarian business, they are still my subjects of the Great Song Dynasty after all, don't forget what your surname is like this Huang Shimi! From now on, Yongzhou will be unveiled, and Huang Shimi's family will dare to trade with the barbarians in Yongzhou again, and be punished for collaborating with the enemy and treason, and kill! ”

Xu Ping didn't know that the Guangzhou Jinshi in front of him was the mastermind of Nong Zhigao when he raised troops in his previous life, and later Di Qing was in chaos and killed in the chaotic army under Kunlun Pass. But he knew very well that the power of the Nong family in Guangyuan Prefecture had extended to less than 200 miles outside the city of Yongzhou, and in terms of territory, it was larger than the places directly under the jurisdiction of Yongzhou. If it weren't for the fact that Tianzhou, which still has old qualifications in the Youjiang area, and Guangyuan Prefecture, and the Li family in Bozhou blocked Zuojiang, the Nong family would have encompassed the left and right rivers, and their power would have been under the city of Yongzhou.

At this time, if it is unclear with Guangyuan Prefecture, Xu Ping will be driven out of Yongzhou.