The rise of the prince

Chapter 263

Wang Lun is the head of the Wang family, a big merchant in Suzhou. He is very old. He is in his 60s, with gray hair and beard. , at such an advanced age, he had to go out in person.

He was sitting in an ox cart, which was slower but less bumpy than a horse cart.He was a little absent-minded and lacked energy. He shouldn't have believed in Ding Yi in the first place.

They, Wang, Fen and others were fooled by Ding Yi's son.

When Su Banchuan and Su Ban'an died as promised at the beginning, several major merchants in Suzhou would be exempted from taxes, and there would be no checkpoints in Ansu Mansion, and these major merchants would be protected forever.

That's why a few of them donated money and food to feed the Misty Mountain bandits, and also contributed money to set up porridge sheds, released food to help the farmers, privately courted them, and bribed Su Ban'an to turn back.

The few of them have been earning grain at a high price for the past few years. Su Banchuan is ambitious and obsessed with hoarding arms, and he is happy to see them doing so. He even traded the grain in the treasury of Suzhou with them for silver and bought iron from Jiangzhou and Jingxi Road.

Su Banchuan is ambitious, capable of doing things, and acts decisively, but unfortunately he has no vision.

Su Banchuan didn't want to understand at all, no matter how many knives, guns, bows and crossbows he had, no matter how many armors and weapons, in the end it was people who helped him fight, hundreds of thousands of people from Suzhou.

The people depend on food, and the people will listen to whoever has food in their hands. If you can't control people, then no matter how sharp the sword is, no matter how thick the armor is, it will be nothing more than a pile of broken copper and rotten iron.

Su Banchuan didn't want to understand this truth, he was less concerned with people's hearts, let the bandit leaders Fang Shenggong and Ding Yi do things to buy people's hearts, while he was obsessed with hoarding weapons, he really put the cart before the horse.

Ding Yi, who was young back then, knew this truth long ago, so he planned to plot against Su Banchuan a few years ago, but what about Su Banchuan?It is also sad that he will not understand this until he dies.

Thinking about it now, Wang Lun still has a chill down his spine. How old was Ding Yi at that time, probably eighteen or nineteen years old, but he had already thought so thoroughly.

People often talk about natural prodigies, child prodigies, and they are willing to compare and brag about them. He never believed in them, but Ding Yi.

At such a young age, with such knowledge and wisdom, I can only say that God bless the Ding family
However, he still hated Ding Yi in his heart. There was nothing that was agreed at the beginning. After Ding Yi took charge of the army, he reset the checkpoints in the four cities and collected business taxes, just like Su Banchuan at the beginning, and even worse.

By the time they realized it, scolding was useless.

The military and political power has fallen into the hands of Ding Yi. They have worked hard for several years to make a wedding dress for Ding Yi, but in the end they didn't get any benefits, and they were beaten by Ding Yi's children, causing heavy losses.

In desperation, several families had no choice but to try their best to please the Ding family regardless of the cost.There are still some who are still dissatisfied with Ding Yi, such as Wang Lun, who is not young and has always had a bad temper.

This ancient horse road is one of the ways.

This horse path was walked by him and his father when he was a child. Although it is not as spacious as the official road, it is still passable, and he can guarantee that no one in Suzhou knows about it except him, Wang Lun. Ding Yi will never think of setting up a card here and going from here Luzhou can escape the control of the Ding family.

Luzhou has been in a mess recently, and the price of food has skyrocketed, as have the daily utensils.

Smart businessmen can understand the truth of this. When the world is in chaos, the people have no intention of farming and cannot work.

No one labors to produce output, but the demand remains the same. Naturally, the necessities of life are more expensive, among which food is the most obvious, and those gorgeous objects that are usually expensive are not wanted.

This is your chance to make a fortune!

A few days ago, the convoy of their Wang family used one stone of rice to exchange five pieces of Ruzhou official kiln fine porcelain. Well, those Ruzhou official kiln fine porcelain worth hundreds of taels in the past have become rubble and waste, people are starving to death, and these tiles can’t be eaten, so what’s the use?
They exchanged it for only one shi of grain, and then shipped it back to Suzhou, which was worth hundreds of taels of silver, and they could buy hundreds of shi of grain!
This is a huge business opportunity. Although it is relatively dangerous, wealth and wealth can be found in insurance!
"Master, why are there no birds chirping in the woods?" asked the porter driving the car.

Wang Lun glanced around and cursed: "If the bird doesn't scream, it won't scream. Do you still care? You think you are the mountain god of this land, so troublesome!" Please, say some bullshit to annoy people.

The concierge was too frightened to look up, and the convoy continued on. Most of these carts were filled with rice, and there were also some quilts, flint and other things. As long as these things were transported to Luzhou, they would surely sell well.

"Master, I heard that a son of Avalokitesvara came out of Luzhou recently, who claimed to be a universal immortal. Everyone believed in him, and even Avalokitesvara appeared." After a while, the porter came over again and said.

Wang Lun looked at him impatiently again: "I don't care about Guanyin or Universal Immortal. When I get to that poor place in Luzhou, I remember that I can only rely on myself, and sleep with one eye open at night!"

The porter nodded quickly.

"Avalokitesvara manifested, if Ling would have sent a god to take over that little beast of the Ding family!" Wang Lun spat as he spoke.

The convoy was moving forward slowly, the sun was not visible all around, and the woods were silent. Slowly, Wang Lun also felt that something was wrong.
The woods are relatively dark, but from the light spots on the ground, it should be around noon. As the coachman said, it’s broad daylight, and in such a deep forest, why can’t you hear the chirping of birds? How quiet is the woods? None, it's so abnormal.
Could it be a ghost?
Thinking about it, Wang Lun couldn't help shivering in his heart, and felt that the surroundings were also getting colder.

"What the hell, scares labor and capital." He muttered in a low voice, not knowing who he was competing with. At this moment, the car in front of the convoy stopped suddenly. Wang Lun raised his head and said angrily, "What's going on! Didn't you tell you to go on your way? Why? .”

There was no reply in front of him, he jumped out of the carriage in a hurry, leaning on his crutches and striding over the carriages in front of him, the coachman followed him for fear that he would fall.

Wang Lun rushed to the front of the convoy and was about to curse, but suddenly froze.

The road ahead was blocked by some people, and there were dense figures all around. They were staring at them, and they couldn't see the edge at a glance. They were all in the left and right forests, between the leaves of the bushes, and behind the trunks. He subconsciously wanted to run, but when he turned around, he found The back was also surrounded, and the servants were all stunned.

I don't know how many dense figures there are, all of them are wearing armor and knives, and carrying strange sticks on their backs, and they can't see the end at a glance.

Everyone was so scared that they didn't dare to speak out. This deep mountain and wild forest, the ancient road that no one except him, Wang Lun, unexpectedly appeared so many people at once.
Wang Lun felt chills in his heart, I'm afraid he really saw a ghost today, and it's not an ordinary ghost, this tm is an excuse from the evil soldiers!

At noon on Mount Pi in the outskirts of Shangjing.

Pishan is the royal hunting ground of the Liao Kingdom. Every March for spring hunting, Tongtian and the Khan of the Great Liao Kingdom will move to Pishan according to the ancestral rules. Many royal children, accompanied by court nobles, camp in Pishan for at least half a month.

At the foot of Mount Pi, many imperial guards of the Liao Kingdom guarded the main roads and sealed off the entire mountain. On Mount Pi, flags of various colors fluttered to welcome the March spring breeze.

The royal family of the Liao Dynasty was not like that of Jingguo. There were many clans, which were very independent and complicated.

Under the emperor, there were two courtyards, the North and the South, plus "King of the South Court" and "King of the North Court".

The South Court was in charge of matters concerning foreigners. The Liao Kingdom, like the Jing Kingdom, had a vast territory, inhabited not only by the Khitan tribe, but also by Han, Xixia, Jurchens, Koreans, and other ethnic groups. The South Court was in charge of the foreigners.

Unlike Jing State, Liao State is very nationalistic. Except for the six Khitan tribes, even Khitan people are considered foreigners. The status of foreigners is low, and they are like slaves.

The tent lives in the south of Khan's golden tooth tent, so it is called the South Courtyard, and the first official is named "Golden Teeth Tent Khan's seated king of the South Courtyard".

However, most of the flags on Mount Pi were not from the Southern Academy. Excluding the Khan Golden Banner, [-]% of them belonged to the tribes of the Northern Academy.

The North Court is the core of the Liao Kingdom, because the North Court is in charge of the affairs of the six Khitan ministries.

The six Khitan tribes were the main force of the Liao Kingdom, and they were also the upper echelons of the Liao Kingdom's pillars.

Xiao Baoji, the current King of the Northern Academy, is the former emperor's wife and younger brother. He is now 54 years old, and his status in the Liao Kingdom is second only to Khan Yelu Shulie.

The six tribes of Khitan: Yanmufang tribe, Luwangfang tribe, Yila tribe, Jiuzhang tribe, Sanying tribe, and Yinma tribe are all nominally under the management of the King of the North Court. Of course, most of them are in name of.

The Jiuzhang clan is a royal family, and the patriarch is "Tongtian and born Daliao Khan Yelu Shulie", so naturally he is not under the control of Xiao Abaoji, the king of the North Academy.

At the same time, the Yinma Tribe thrived in the northernmost Yinma River basin of the Liao Kingdom. They were very tenacious. The upper reaches of the Yinma River were freezing cold, and few people could survive. Even the emperor of the Liao Kingdom could not defeat them. The tribal chief only agreed to submit to the Liao Kingdom, but he still does not pay tribute to the royal court every year, nor is he under the control of the king of the North Court.

The Sanying Tribe is the tribe with the most sheep and horses in the Liao Kingdom. The Sanying Tribe is in charge of [-]% of the country's army and horses. The Liao Kingdom has been able to fight back and forth with Jing Guo for hundreds of years, all thanks to the horses of the Sanying Tribe. The khans of the past dynasties have increased their trust, so the tribal chief of the Sanying tribe has a high position and power, and in fact he is not under the control of the king of the North Court.

The Yila Tribe is located in the far west of the Liao Kingdom, at the foot of the beautiful Jinshan Mountain. The place is remote, and the King of the North Court can't control it.

In the end, only the Yanmu Fang Clan and the Lu Wang Fang Clan could be managed by the North Court.

Because Xiaobaoji was originally the patriarch of Lu Wangfang clan, and Yanmu Fangbu was weaker than the other five clans, so he could only rely on the protection of King Beiyuan, so he was very close.

Excluding the six major tribes, there are still many tribes of different sizes below, but there are few who can go to Pishan.

There are joyful voices and laughter everywhere on Pishan Mountain, war horses neighing, dust flying, and flags of various shapes and patterns fluttering everywhere.

Some people show off their horse riding skills, while others drink and have fun and talk high-spirited.

Holding the yellow on the left, Qing Cang on the right, the brocade hat and the sable fur, and the thousand riders rolling up the Hiraoka, all of which are the spectacular scenes of group hunting.

On the top of Pi Mountain, there is an open and flat ground in the middle. Khan’s golden tooth tent has a radius of [-] steps and is more than two feet high. It stands in the center and is surrounded by smaller tents of various princes and princesses. , the golden felt blanket in the middle belongs to the Khan family, and no one else is allowed to pay within five hundred steps.

Yelu Yali, Princess of Wei State, was riding a docile filly, galloping in the center of the arena, applauding from all around. Her light body swayed with the horse, in line with the rhythm, and beautifully maintained her balance. When the arrow opened the bow, the horse raised its hoof over the target, and the soil under the hoof flew up. The moment it passed by, the horse blew and the arrow stably hit the target.

"Okay!" The surrounding royal relatives cheered and cheered. Many people cast their admiring eyes on Yelu Yali in the field, and several princes were dejected: "Young girl Yali shoots better than us."

In fact, the physical strength of girls is generally not as good as that of boys, but their flexibility is generally better than that of boys. Therefore, it is not surprising that they can easily balance on horseback, open a bow and shoot arrows, but children do not understand. It's really shameful to be inferior to women.

Yali proudly rode her horse in circles, accepting everyone's praise, then rode towards the golden tent, raised her chin, and proudly showed off to her elder brother Yelu Dun.

"Don't be complacent, I can shoot just as well after two more days of practice!" Yelu Dun, who was two years older, said unconvinced.

"Hmph, you said this two years ago, let alone two days, two years of practice is still not as good as me." Yali counterattacked, Yelu Dun blushed, and for a while he didn't know how to refute.

Khan laughed loudly: "Okay, you brothers and sisters, don't make trouble, come and have a rest."

A servant handed over a wet towel soaked in petal water to wipe Yali's sweat, and then the two happily ran back to the golden felt blanket in front of the big tent, drank milk wine, and placed many fruits and dairy products on it.

"This is the spring peach that Iwakiyabu newly tributed. I can't usually eat it." Khan said with a smile. Most people in the Liao Kingdom eat milk and meat, and they also have rice noodles, but not many. Fruits include peaches, plums, apricots, grapes, etc. , but relatively rare.

Yelu Shulie likes his pair of children very much. He has only inherited the inheritance from the former emperor for only five years. He is in the prime of life, ambitious, and ready to show his ambitions. That's why he joined forces with the Jurchen last fall to invade Jingguo Guan Bei.

Daughter Yali asked while eating peaches: "Father, do people in Jing Dynasty really know how to use water to fight swords? You don't need to use your hands."

"It would be nice to have my Daliao iron sword!" Yelu Dun said disdainfully, pulling out the sword at his waist. The handle is inlaid with gemstones. The blade is silvery white, reflecting light in the sun. The blade has exquisite and beautiful patterns. That is the trace left by the continuous overlapping and layer upon layer forging.

Khan was very happy. He patted his son on the shoulder and said, "Yes, how could it be better than my Daliao iron sword? Forging iron with water is just an opportunistic trick, so it's nothing to worry about."

Yelu Yali thought about it for a while: "I think this Jing Guoping Nanwang is a fool. It's quite interesting. He actually wants to use water to strike iron."

Yelu Shulie laughed, and pinched his daughter's face: "Men in Jingguo are all useless and useless, not worth mentioning. When I break through Kaiyuan this year, I will capture that Pingnan King and give it to you. Then I will wear a mask for him." Dog ring, Yali can do whatever he wants."

"Okay, okay! When the time comes, I'll let him show me the iron with water." Yelu Yali said excitedly.

His son Yelu Dun's eyes widened, and he jumped up high: "Father, are you going to fight Jing Kingdom?"

"Hmm." Shu Lie Khan stroked his beard and nodded, "I have received news that Jingguo's Ansu Mansion rebelled, and the army has been transferred to the south. This is an opportunity given to us by God. If we gather the Daliao army to go south at this time, Emperor Jingguo will be attacked on both sides, and then he will be able to fight all the way to Kaiyuan."

"Then when shall we set off!" Yelu Dun asked excitedly.

"Don't worry, this spring hunting is to take the opportunity to gather all the ministries so that we can talk to them. After the spring hunting is over, wait another month to gather troops for each ministries. In May, we can go south and flatten the Kaiyuan Mansion." Shu Lieke Khan stroked his beard confidently.

Yelu Dun and Yelu Yali were very excited when they heard it. At this moment, the imperial guard came to report that the Liao people who had gone to get some "general brew" at home had already returned.

Princess Yali immediately became sexually interested, and said happily: "Bring him here quickly, if it's fake, I'll feed him to the wolves." For her, good wine is a fun thing, and so is feeding people to wolves. Choose one of the two, of course she is happy
(End of this chapter)