I studied in modern times

Chapter 718 Window Guidance
Seeing Zhao Xu's confident look, Xing Shu wisely stopped dwelling on this matter.

However, he still had doubts in his heart - the so-called firearms had only been used once on the battlefield of Jiaozhi.

Although, it does look good.

But what was the strength of Jiaozhi? What was the strength of the Liao people?
Can the Jiaozhi people compare with the Liao people?

joke!

Believe it or not, the Tibetans, who were at the bottom of the combat power in the northwest, could defeat the Jiaozhi people with just three punches.

This is also the reason why many court officials today criticize and belittle Zhang Dun's achievements.

In the eyes of these people, Zhang Dun's great victory in the southern expedition was nothing special.

I can do it too!
What's more, Zhang Dun allowed the chieftains in Jiaozhou to be indulged and slaughtered the officials.

Sinner of orthodox religion!

He is indeed the Shao Zhengmao of our time!
Zhao Xu could smell the sour and stinky smell even in the palace.

Xing Shu calmed down a bit and then asked, "If it is as Your Majesty is thinking, what is our bottom line in this negotiation?"

Zhao Xu smiled and said, "Let's wait and see what the Liao Lord says!"

Last year, the Liao people proposed to use the silver, gold and antiques they found in the Pyongyang treasury and send them to the Song Dynasty as a deposit for the additional issuance of Jiaozi.

According to the information Xing Shu had extracted from Yelu Ju, the Liao people had seized about 200,000 to 300,000 taels of silver and more than 10,000 taels of gold from the Goryeo treasury. Other items such as pearls, gems, and spices were estimated to be worth about 100,000 strings of cash.

This is naturally a huge fortune!

However, perhaps less than half of the Liao people are still in their hands.

Maybe even all of it has been spent.

Because the Liao people were using troops.

Soldiers must be rewarded for their efforts. Isn't this what the soldiers want after fighting so hard?
So, it depends on how much gold and silver Yelu Hongji has in his hands.

After all, Zhao Xu is not doing charity.

Xing Shu nodded and said, "I understand."

……

When Li Erhu returned home, the servants came to report that Mr. Tian had sent someone to pick up his wife, children and parents in the afternoon.

After listening to this, Li Erhu said nothing and returned to his room silently.

Then, with red eyes, he closed the door and looked at the empty room where his wife and children were no longer there.

"Tian Qi!" he roared in a low voice.

But he was powerless and could only bite the bullet and take the risk for others.

After venting, Li Erhu came to his senses.

He began his preparations.

First, it’s about choosing a location!

He wanted to choose a location outside the city, but unfortunately, the people in the guild would not allow it.

As for the city of Bianjing, all the wing quarters in the inner and outer cities were excluded.

Because these places are not only crowded with people, but also have very strong control over the government, and basically there are officials in every district.

Therefore, the only places left to choose from were the Nine Lanes and Fourteen Blocks outside the new city.

The so-called nine wing and fourteen wards outside the new city were originally places where disaster victims from other prefectures and counties who fled to Beijing for disaster relief lived.

Over time, these people built houses on the unowned land outside the city and formed settlements.

The government was reluctant to admit it and had driven them away many times.

However, the people outside the city could not be driven away, and their numbers were increasing.

When the Kaifeng Prefecture was still worrying about things outside the new city, they soon discovered that they no longer needed to worry.

In the first year of Jingde, the Liao army marched south, and the Song and Liao held a hunting meeting in Chanzhou.

And everyone knows the result.

The Song Dynasty was defeated without being defeated, and the Liao people won without being victorious.

From then on, the Song Dynasty suffered from Liao phobia and gradually became terminally ill.

Although the imperial court whitewashed it, they all said that this was the Siege of Baideng Mountain and the Alliance of Weishui of the Song Dynasty.

Revenge will surely be taken in the future.

But the reality is that everyone knows it - even the idlers in the city of Bianjing know it.

That is impossible!

At least it was impossible during the reign of Emperor Zhenmiao.

Therefore, Zhen Miao, who returned to Beijing from Chanzhou in disgrace, created the Heavenly Book in order to save his reputation.

Then he went to Mount Tai in a hurry.

The original intention was to put on some makeup, but in the end, I couldn't even deceive myself.

There was a lot of discussion inside and outside the city of Bianjing.

no solution anymore!

He had no choice but to extend kindness to the people, pretend to be magnanimous, and acknowledge that the neighborhoods spontaneously built by the victims outside the city were also part of the Bianjing city.

This is the origin of the Nine Chambers and Fourteen Blocks outside the city of Bianjing.

And these wing-houses have one advantage.

That is, although they belonged to the city of Bianjing, there were officials and soldiers in the wing-fangs.

but……

The number of people is relatively small, and the management is very lax. As long as it is well managed, even if Li Erhu kills people or sets fire, Kaifeng Prefecture probably won't know about it.

So, there is only one question now - which of these nine wings and fourteen blocks is the most suitable?

Li Erhu only thought about it for a moment and came up with the answer: "Anjie and Mingyi Lanes in the south of Beijing!"

why?
Because the South Wing of Jing directly faces Nanxun Gate, the south gate of Bianjing.

Where is Nanxunmen?
The beasts of the capital!
Every morning and evening, groups of pigs and sheep would be driven by pig traders into the city through Nanxun Gate.

There are thousands of them, and perhaps tens of thousands at their peak!
To the extent that the government built a special animal path under Nanxun Gate to facilitate the entry of livestock into the city.

Thus, Nanxun Gate became a special livestock gate in Bianliang.

Generally speaking, no matter whether it is scholars, common people, officials or merchants, no one would enter or exit through Nanxun Gate.

Even if you want to go out of the city and head south to Zhuxian Town, you would rather take a detour through Xinfengqiu Gate.

This was true even for the residents of Anjie and Mingyi quarters in the southern part of the capital, just outside Nanxun Gate.

Under such circumstances, Anjie and Mingyifang outside Nanxun Gate became the quietest places in Bianjing City.

It has also become the first choice for those who want to do something shady under the nose of the government.

……

Early the next morning, Li Erhu took a few shop assistants with him and set out from home to Jingnan Erfang outside Nanxun Gate for an on-site investigation.

When passing by Daxiangguo Temple, Li Erhu bought some meat patties from Shaozhuyuan for breakfast.

The so-called burning of the Zhuyuan means burning pigs.

In fact, it is a place that sells barbecue, and it is the most popular barbecue shop in Bianjing City.

It was once reported in the Bian Jing Xin Bao, and was praised by the Bian Jing Xin Bao as: The best barbecue in Beijing is the one at Shao Zhu Yuan!

Of course, being able to be published in the Bian Jing Xin Bao and being praised so highly, this Shao Zhu Yuan is naturally quite legendary.

Its founder was a monk named Huiming from Daxiangguo Temple decades ago.

A monk in a robe was standing in a barbecue grilling meat.

This style of painting is indeed amazing, and it is very worth buying.

Therefore, it caused a sensation as soon as it opened, and today it has become the most famous restaurant around Daxiangguo Temple.

After being promoted by the Bian Jing Xin Bao, it became a must-eat shop for outsiders visiting Beijing.

As a result, the business became more and more popular, and now it is open every day, running around the clock.

There were dozens of monks grilling meat in the shop.

Even so, they were still too busy and the entrance to Shaozhuyuan was often blocked.

Li Erhu was also passing by and found that there were not many customers, probably because it was too early, so he sent a waiter to buy some barbecue to satisfy his craving.

Soon, the guy came back with the barbecue.

"Boss, this barbecue in Shao Zhu Yuan is too expensive, isn't it?" The waiter came back and said, "A pound of barbecue costs two hundred coins..."

"Even the restaurants under the State Bridge don't dare to sell at such a high price!"

Li Erhu laughed and said, "You don't understand. The barbecue at Shao Zhu Yuan was what the senior scholars had to come all the way to buy back then!"

"Mr. Da Nian is a man like Wen Qu Xing!"

"It's normal for the food he likes to eat to be a little more expensive!"

The Bachelor Da Nian mentioned by Li Erhu is one of the three giants of the Xikun School of Poetry at that time - Yang Yi.

The name of Shaozhuyuan was given by Yang Yi.

However, nowadays, very few people know about this matter. Only businessmen like Li Erhu will pay special attention to these stories and allusions.

This way you will have something to talk about when dealing with people.

This was also the reason why he was able to succeed in business and even won the appreciation of Tian Qi, who married a daughter to him.

As he spoke, Li Erhu took the barbecue and took a bite. Then his eyes lit up: "Good! Tender! Juicy!"

"As expected of Shao Zhu Yuan's barbecue, it tastes even better, and has a sweet taste!"

"These two hundred coins per pound are really worth it!"

……

The rear house of Shaozhuyuan is connected to the Daxiangguo Temple.

A dozen monks were slaughtering and cutting the pork they had just bought from the morning market this morning. After washing it, they put it into large basins to marinate.

In the Daxiangguo Temple, Yuan Hui, a monk specially sent to supervise the Shaozhuyuan, took out the prepared marinade from a large jar.

This was the unrevealed secret left behind by the monk Huiming when he passed away, and has always been known by the top leaders of Daxiangguo Temple.

But the secret recipe is actually very simple. It consists of adding a little honey and brown sugar to the normal barbecue marinade.

In the past, both honey bees and brown sugar were scarce.

Only royal temples like Daxiangguo Temple could obtain them in large quantities.

But nowadays, there are more and more brown sugars on the market.

Especially after New Year's Day, shops specializing in selling brown sugar appeared on Ma Xing Street.

These shops even sell crystal clear frosting that looks like crystal!
As a result, all the restaurants in Beijing, big and small, heard the news and rushed to buy candy.

Therefore, Shaozhuyuan’s barbecue is no longer unique.

These days, more and more customers are choosing to buy meat nearby.

Shaozhuyuan's business was gradually affected.

This made Yuan Hui look a little worried.

If she didn't find a way to turn the situation around and get the deal done, Yuanhui felt that the abbot might order her to return to the temple.

From now on I can only follow the green lamp and ancient Buddha, and can no longer rely on beautiful women.

Thinking of this, Yuan Hui couldn't help but sigh: "Amitabha!"

"I'm afraid I'm doomed to fail. I must go to Zhong Taiyi Palace outside the city to find Taoist Wang to get rid of the bad luck!"

The past few months have been a nightmare for him.

First, the pawnshop was ordered to be handed over and merged into the pawnshop because it violated some taboo of the government.

Although Daxiangguo Temple was able to retain 30% of the shares, most of the monks who originally managed the pawnshop were sent back to the temple.

Only those monks who were good at arithmetic, good at using the abacus, and familiar with accounts were hired by the pawnbrokers with high salaries, signed contracts, and from then on ate the government's imperial salary. It was said that they would even have the opportunity to become officials in the future!
In a situation like him, who only relied on his uncle who was a high monk in Daxiangguo Temple, he had no choice but to pack up his bedding and return to Daxiangguo Temple.

Fortunately, his uncle was very helpful and soon found him a lucrative job - to manage the barbecue business in Shaozhuyuan.

This business is not as free and enjoyable as the one I had in the past working in a pawnshop.

But his life was also very lucrative. Apart from other things, he had enough food and wine every day. When he wanted to meet his lover, he had enough money in his pocket to pay for it. He could also go to Sangjia Wazi and Panlou to make donations every now and then.

But if the business of burning Zhuyuan was also messed up by him, Yuan Hui knew that his uncle probably would not be able to find him another lucrative job.

Yuanhui was worried about how to report to the temple.

A monk came running in, shouting, "Brother, brother, something is wrong!"

“Someone is going to open a new BBQ restaurant across from us!?
Yuan Hui raised her head, her eyes full of disbelief.

Opening a BBQ shop opposite Shao Zhu Yuan?
This was unimaginable in the past.

Because no one can compete with Daxiangguo Temple in barbecue and roasted meat.

It’s not just because the marinade used in the Shaozhuyuan of Daxiangguo Temple is beyond the control of outsiders.

That’s because Shao Zhu Yuan is legendary enough!

But now, someone dares to stroke the tiger's whiskers?
What a courage!
Do you really think that the monks in Daxiangguo Temple are just kept for free?

Yuanhui immediately put down what he was doing and hurried out with the monk.

As soon as he went out, he saw that, as expected, on the other side of Imperial Street, at the intersection of Naduting Posthouse, a new barbecue shop had already hung up a wine flag.

There were large characters on the wine flag. Yuan Hui whispered the name of the shop on the flag: "Sun's BBQ!"

"The business of Sun Jiazheng Store?!"

Sunjiazhengdian is one of the most prestigious zhengdian in Bianjing City today.

Its popularity has surpassed that of many old-fashioned stores. It owns thousands of stores throughout Kaifeng Prefecture, and the farthest one is even located in Huazhou!

Sun Ci, the owner of the main store, is the spokesperson for the legend and dream of Bianjing.

The Bian Jing Xin Bao once published a special article about this person's life.

He came from a humble background, being just the son of a ruined family, and started out as a doctor of wine.

Because of his diligence, honesty and generosity in business, he was deeply praised by his employer.

So, he funded him to open a shoe shop and even invited him to be his son-in-law, and he did not disappoint his employer's praise.

In just over ten years, he developed from a small foot shop into the owner of one of the 32 main stores in Bianjing.

Today, it is taking advantage of the trend and is not only one of the five official stores that have obtained government permission to brew Yuye wine.

It has even begun to get involved in multiple industries.

Including but not limited to kiln firing, smelting, furniture, etc. It is said that he may also be involved in buying pawnshops.

The size of the stall is shocking!

He took out almost all the money he earned from the original store and used it for expansion and operation!

The degree of madness is staggering!
Logically speaking, this kind of madman is either set up by someone or loses all his money.

Otherwise, someone would put you in a sack and throw you into the Bian River.

But here’s the weird thing.

Sun Ci expanded wildly and constantly crossed industries, but his business was still booming.

He himself was still alive and well and was not in any danger.

Now, he has even ventured into the food industry, and even blatantly opened a business opposite the Shaozhuyuan of the Daxiangguo Temple.

It was obvious that they were here to clash with Shaozhuyuan.

He even wanted to surpass Shao Zhu Yuan and become the most famous barbecue shop in Bian Jing!
Just thinking about this, Yuan Hui was furious: "How can this be possible?"

"Do you really think that I, the Buddha, don't have a wrathful Vajra?"

Daxiangguo Temple is not only a royal temple, but also the largest temple in Bianjing City, and the richest temple in the entire Song Dynasty!
I can’t even count how many industries it has!

Shaozhuyuan and even the pawnshop are just one of the industries.

Not to mention anything else, just the Wanxing Trading Conference held in Daxiangguo Temple on the first and fifteenth of every month can attract the attention of almost the entire Bianliang.

Countless items of heroes and gains of heroes were successfully sold out at this Wanxing Trading Conference.

Naturally, Daxiangguo Temple will take a cut of the profits.

And the good men and heroes also need the cooperation of Daxiangguo Temple.

With a call from Daxiangguo Temple, all the heroes in Bianjing will become active.

Not to mention a mere merchant, even if he was a minister in the court, he would be in big trouble if he offended the Daxiangguo Temple.

But now, Sun Ci opened a barbecue restaurant opposite Shaozhuyuan of Daxiangguo Temple.

Yuan Hui looked at this, her heart burning with anger, and her face suddenly turned red.

……

Sun Ci personally hung the wine flag of the newly opened barbecue restaurant at the door of the store.

Then he looked up at the wine flag fluttering in the air.

Several hired workers were already standing at the door of the store, holding firecrackers and ready.

As soon as the auspicious time arrived, they lit firecrackers to celebrate the opening of the new store, and also to celebrate the Sun family's entry into the barbecue industry and the combination of barbecue and fine wine to promote it to the public.

But at this moment, Sun Ci did not show any joy.

There was even a hint of worry on his face.

"This time, we are really going to offend Daxiangguo Temple!"

Daxiangguo Temple is a giant in Bianjing.

If you offend it, no good consequences will come!
But there is no way!

Today, he owns more than a dozen workshops of various sizes, including kilns, porcelain factories, forges, and smelters.

In addition, his main store’s wine brewing and wine sales business.

Now, he has more than 3,000 employees!

This does not include the more than one thousand foot shops in and around Bianjing.

Having employed so many people, every time he opened his eyes every day, he had to worry about the wages of more than 3,000 employees. He also had to think about buying and selling, and management, to maintain his huge and bloated industry and move forward steadily.

Even so, the palace was still not satisfied.

They are still sending people to urge him to recruit, recruit and recruit more workers, and expand, expand and expand again.

The meaning in the palace is very simple - I support you, and you recruit workers for me!

It was under this pressure that he expanded his employees from less than three hundred to more than three thousand today.

It expanded tenfold in just one year!
But the palace was still not satisfied.

The pressure is decreasing!

Therefore, under pressure, Sun Ci had no choice but to continue to make additional investments, expand production scale, and hire more workers.

Not only the money earned from Sun Jiazheng store, but all of it was invested.

Even all his old savings were taken out!
The only good news is that although the palace puts pressure on us, it also provides policies and treatment!
Not only did it make him one of the only five designated brewers of Yuye Liquor in Bianjing.

Even the sales of his industries and products were directly arranged by the palace.

One by one, they point to the orders and are continuously issued.

Along with the orders come various technologies.

For example, his kiln had workers from various kilns who were transferred by officials to provide guidance.

Ding kiln, Ru kiln, Ge kiln, Jian kiln, Longquan kiln and even Changsha kiln...

These kiln workers taught their workers how to fire porcelain in various shapes.

And these orders come from all directions.

Some were sold to the Liao Kingdom, some were used by the government and some were needed by the imperial guards.

It is thanks to these orders that he is able to support so many workers.

In addition to orders and technical support, there is naturally official protection.

His name was directly registered with the Kaifeng Prefecture.

For the legal proceedings related to him, Kaifeng Prefecture directly followed the fast-track trial process.

As long as he doesn't go too far, the government will turn a blind eye to his actions.

However, all of this is based on his ability to continuously recruit workers and expand the scale of production.

Sun Ci knew very well that if he failed to satisfy the palace.

Then the things given to him now may be taken back by the palace and given to someone who can satisfy the palace.

However, for the time being, the workshop is restricted by various conditions and cannot expand as wildly as it did last year.

He could only fight his way back to the food area.

By opening a shop, he could hire people and satisfy the palace's seemingly endless pursuit of more employees.

Sun Ci was thinking about his own things when he suddenly heard the voice of a passerby.

"what!"

"There's a new store, and it's a yakiniku restaurant?"

"Sun's barbecue?"

"Interesting, interesting, someone actually dared to challenge Shao Zhuyuan's business!"

Sun Ci listened, turned around with a smile on his face, and bowed to the passerby: "Sir, the barbecue meat in my family's restaurant is not only more tender and juicy than the barbecue meat in Shao Zhuyuan, but also cheaper than theirs!"

"If you have time, you can come and try it!"

After doing business for more than 20 years, Sun Ci's greatest strength is that he treats his customers well.

This has brought him from a small wine doctor to where he is today.

It is the root of his livelihood!

The passerby was slightly startled when he heard this, and then he responded: "Of course! Of course!"

Sun Ci nodded, then signaled to the employees holding firecrackers to wait for the chosen auspicious time to arrive and fire the firecrackers to open the business immediately!
……

Crackling!

Behind me, I could hear the sound of firecrackers exploding continuously, and smoke filled the street.

Li Erhu couldn't help but look back.

"Sun's barbecue..."

"Someone actually dared to open a barbecue restaurant across from the Shaozhuyuan of Daxiangguo Temple!"

"How brave you are!"

"Wait..." Li Erhu seemed to remember something: "Could it be that the Sun family of Sunjiazhengdian opened it?"

"If it's him... then he can stroke the tiger whiskers of Daxiangguo Temple!"

Sunjiazhengdian is now the iconic zhengdian in Bianjing.

Its owner, Sun Ci, was a recognized extravagant official in the city of Bianjing.

It is said that even when he visits the homes of princes and prince consorts, this former wine doctor is now an honored guest, sitting at the same table with those nobles!

It’s really the envy of others!
As a result, Sun Ci became the idol and role model for countless Bianliang merchants, including Li Erhu!

Everyone wants to be the second Sun Ci.

But everyone knows that their chances of becoming Sun Ci are extremely slim.

Because Sun Ci was not just a businessman.

He is also a righteous businessman approved by the current government!
A small businessman like him who is so insignificant that he can't even protect his parents, wife and children is just a tiny speck of dust in the city of Bianjing.

I guess I can only look up to the name Sun Ci for the rest of my life!
(End of this chapter)