Defend the Tang Dynasty

Chapter 76
The annual parade in Yele Town officially kicked off, and Yele City and Tuncheng were empty.

Almost all the soldiers and people of various ethnic groups who guarded this place gathered on the river beach outside the military city, and merchants would not miss this good opportunity to do business.

Sogdian wealthy merchants such as Bai Zuojian and Ashina Mountain occupied Haoshikou through the City Lord's Mansion early on, and asked their family members to move almost the entire store here.Small vendors with no connections came in the middle of the night, and those who came late had to find a place to set up a street stall.

Like last year, Changsheng Casino opened six stalls, accepting bets from soldiers of Yele Town and people of all ethnic groups.

The silver and copper coins used in the manor are packed in a big box with the lid open, which makes people feel itchy. Those who have money want to gamble for luck, and those who have no money really want to rush to grab it.

But I can only think about it, there are frontier soldiers all around, anyone who dares to reach out will be chopped into meat in a blink of an eye.What's more, in order to ensure everything is safe, the gambling house not only hired more than forty warriors, but even paid a lot of money to ask night watchmen to help guard it.

Betting more pays more, betting less pays less.

If you have money, bet on money, but if you don't have money, bet on cloth, cattle, horses, fields, servants and even wives.

The odds kept changing, and the clerk yelled at the top of his lungs to let everyone know.

Several Sogdian Yalang who specialize in valuation, because their hands are sore from haggling with their sleeves, they are all so busy that they are really making money every day.

The terrain of the military city is high, and the view from the tower is wider.

Yele town envoy Zuo Xiaowei Zhonglang Wang Qingxiang sat on the tower surrounded by the leaders of the Jimi tribe.

Looking around, there are crowds of people and colorful flags waving.

The river beach surrounded by soldiers and common people was even more dusty.

Among the rushing hoofbeats, there were one or two shouts from time to time.

The sweaty soldiers raised their clubs high, and raised their arms to fly the carved polo. The steeds were tightly reined in and turned, with their mouths wide open, breathing hot air and saliva. The surrounding soldiers and people of all ethnic groups shouted cheers.

At the middle of the game, the flag officer who acted as the judge and scorekeeper waved the flag and ordered to rest for a while, and change horses later to fight again.

This is a contest between Tuncheng soldiers and Juncheng soldiers.

Wang Qingxiang bet on Juncheng to boost morale, but the Juncheng polo team suffered a complete defeat in the first half, which made his teeth itch.

Several big bosses were betting on Tuncheng, and seeing that they were about to win money, they all smiled happily.

A group of small leaders of the Yele tribe were not qualified to enter the city tower, so they could only stand on the city wall and watch.

Wudamu took a sip of his wine, looked in the direction of Baisha City, and asked in a low voice, "Han Shimei and Mad Saburo will regret not coming, right?"

Waiting left and right and waiting to see no one, Wu Tumu had no idea in his heart, and pondered: "Repenting is going back on your word, and your reputation will be ruined."

"It's best not to come." A little leader felt relieved.

An old leader who asked his son to support him was deeply convinced, and looked at the polo team soldiers who were resting under the river beach: "If it's just Han San being crazy, there is nothing to be afraid of a lunatic. The hardest one to deal with is Han Shimei."

"Uncle, don't worry too much, Han Shimei won't be able to do this for a few days."

"How long will it take?"

"My nephew has inquired about it, but there is no one available for An Fuyan to open the mansion and build teeth. He had long wanted to appoint Han Shimei as the judge of Jiedu, but now this envoy is concurrent, and he will go to Guishu for a year at most."

"Who did you ask?"

"I inquired about it with friends in the General's Mansion. It's not a secret, and many people know about it."

"I'm relieved. As long as Han Shimei doesn't stay for long, even if Han Sankuang dares to borrow money and food, we have nothing to worry about."

……

It's not that Han Pingan didn't dare to come, it's just that he didn't remember it so early.

At this moment, he was on his way to Juncheng with his father.

Han Shimei was not at ease after thinking about it, but couldn't help asking: "Sanlang, borrowing money and food from them to help them raise slaves and maidservants, is this a good deal?"

Han Pingan smiled and said: "It's a good deal, as long as you eat our food, you are our people, at least your heart is with us."

"You can borrow so much money and food, what will you have to pay back when the time comes?"

"Father, don't worry, there will always be a way."

"Even dad can't tell?"

"I can't explain this matter for a while, Dad, in two months, I will take you to see something, and you will understand after reading it."

"Row."

Han Shimei looked back at the group of guards who followed him, and asked again: "If they really send three or four thousand slaves to school, can you teach them?"

Han Ping'an thought it over a long time ago, and said lightly: "You can add a labor class."

"Work class..."

Han Shimei was stunned, and couldn't help laughing: "That's a good idea. Yele people are not good at farming. Many fields need to be leveled, and many places need to be repaired to divert water. Let's discuss how to arrange this course."

"Ok."

"But since the book is opened to break the school, this gift cannot be discarded!"

"I know, you have to dress straight, perform the ceremony of worshiping a teacher, clean your hands and clean your heart, and cinnabar enlightens your wisdom."

"It is estimated that those slaves and maidservants don't even have decent clothes, so how decent they are to go to school like this."

"Then help them all put on decent clothes."

"Where is the pen, ink, paper and inkstone?"

"Save as much as you can. Let them practice writing on the sand with willow branches first, and then reward them with pens, ink, paper and inkstones if they do well in their studies."

"It can only be this way."

"Father, today I am not only going to borrow money and food from those little chiefs, but also to attract business."

"Investment attraction?"

"Borrowing so much money has to be spent. I have already asked Shi Xianning's second son to inform the Sogdian merchants in Yele City. When I borrow money, I will invite them to start papermaking, pottery and iron making in my Yele department. Workshops, charcoal and copper-iron ore also need to be mined by people.”

Han Shimei came to her senses and subconsciously asked, "Are they willing to go?"

Han Ping'an was confident: "If there is no place, I will give them a place. If the capital is not enough, I will lend them money. The paper made, the clay pots and jars fired, and the iron ware made, together with the coal and copper iron ore mined I will buy from them at the market price. They will definitely be willing to make a deal without losing any money.”

The Yele tribe was just a self-sufficient tribe before, and money was almost useless in the Yele tribe.But if you want to really gain a foothold in the Yele tribe, you must make the people rich, which is inseparable from those Sogdian businessmen who "promote production and do business for profit".

Han Shimei nodded: "Okay, how many can be recruited, and how many can be settled for you."

The current Metropolitan Governor's Mansion is a bit like a decision-making body, while the Guarding Envoy's Mansion has become an executive body, and the father is responsible for implementing almost all major and minor matters.

He loved him so much in the past, but now he supports him unconditionally... Han Ping'an felt emotional and thought to himself that it was a blessing to have such a father.

Unknowingly, the military city is close at hand.

Looking at the bustling scene in front of him, and thinking of the passers-by who had lost their fortunes and had to go home, Han Shimei couldn't help but think of a poem:

"In September, the wind in the Tianshan Mountains is like a knife, and the hunting horses in the south of the city shrink their hair. The general wins every game, and the betting is only as good as the ermine robe."

This poem really fits the occasion.

Han Pingan was racking his brains to figure out who did it. A group of soldiers from Yele Town came up to greet them, and immediately saluted the pair of guards and the chief governor of the governor, Shi, and then cleared the way in front of them, leading them all the way to the Watchtower.

Although General Wang lost the money, he was still very happy to see Han Shimei. He pulled Han Shimei to sit next to him, and calmly reminded: "Brother Han, this money and food are not so easy to borrow, you have to think clearly."

"I didn't borrow this money and grain, it was the dog who borrowed it."

"What difference does it make?"

"Children and grandchildren have their own blessings, and they can't control so much."

Han Ping'an is now the long history of Yele Metropolitan Governor's Mansion, so he will naturally go to the little leader of Yele Department.

General Wang looked back at Han Pingan, who was greeting Wutumu and other small leaders, and leaned into Han Shimei's ear: "He pulled me and so many leaders of the Jimi tribe to testify, and he planned to use my Yele Township to handle this matter." Make it public, and if you repent at that time, you and I will not only lose face, but my Tang Dynasty."

"Brother Wang, don't worry, my Han family values ​​credibility the most."

"Why are you bothering?"

"The matter has come to this, we can only bite the bullet and borrow."

"Well, I can't stop it even if I want to. I can only collect some food to buy the Governor's Mansion in Yele City, and send the food to you for emergency."

"Thank you."

"Who made us colleagues? We should help each other."

General Wang looked back again, and saw that Han Ping'an seemed to have reached an agreement with those little leaders of the Yele tribe. He was asking Bai Zuojian and Ashina Shan to write a contract, and muttered: "Gambling, betting, compare with your father and son." , I lose a few hundred silver as a ball."

It is indeed a big gamble...

Although Han Shimei didn't know where his son's confidence came from, he believed that his son would not lose, and said with a smile: "The general really knows how to joke."

"Liu Er, this team seems to be able to win, hurry up and bet [-] yuan for this general!"

General Wang glanced at the polo team that was playing, then turned around and sighed: "Big betting hurts your health. I don't have as much money as your Saburo, so I can only gamble for fun."

(End of this chapter)