The First Great Ancestor of the Five Dynasties

Chapter 49 Isn’t it just salt?
The master and servant squatted at the inner gate of Guancheng, waiting boredly for the team returning to Jingzhou.

Ma San's big head looked left and right, holding the two bundles tightly in his arms, watching everyone who passed by him warily.

Zhu Xiu was in a daze, still thinking about the two young soldiers who picked up black pancakes just now.

It was obviously just a piece of crusty cake that was hard to swallow, but the two young soldiers felt like they had found a treasure. The joy from their hearts and the gratitude in their eyes made Zhu Xiu feel heavy.

He remembered what Shi Lingyan said. The soldiers who were fighting bloody battles in Guancheng only had two black pancakes like this for their daily food.

"They must be very hungry." Zhu Xiu muttered to himself and sighed.

After being silent for a while, Zhu Xiu said: "San, how have you been these days?"

Ma San grinned and smiled silly: "Thanks to Hongfu, the little official, Shi Jieshuai and the soldiers of the Zhangyi Army took good care of me. They gave me a steamed cake, a bowl of glutinous rice every day, and also gave me a leather jacket."

Zhu Xiu took a look at the jacket Ma San was wearing. The wool was black and yellow, and it was greasy, as if it had been smeared with lard. A rancid smell could be smelled from a distance.

The cloth shoes on his feet had several big holes, and his big toes were arched outward.

The cold-weather clothes provided by Zhang Yijun already made Ma San burst into tears of gratitude.

Zhu Xiu didn't say anything, sniffed, folded his sleeves with his hands, squatted under the inner gate of Guancheng, and looked at the passers-by with dull eyes.

Ma San hesitated and said: "Young official, actually I think there is nothing wrong with eating steamed cakes. At least it can fill your belly. It is better than drinking water to make you full."

Zhu Xiu curled her lips and muttered: "It's made from chaff ash. When it's hard, it can hit someone to death, and it's not afraid of scratching the belly."

Ma San smiled bitterly: "My little official, you have never suffered from hunger. You are so hungry that you don't care whether it has a rough mouth or not!"

Zhu Xiu said firmly: "It would be nice to add two more handfuls of white noodles."

Ma San shook his head and sighed: "The army is short of food, so those who stutter are considered good."

The joy of the two young soldiers picking up the black pancakes reappeared before Zhu Xiu's eyes, and he said in confusion: "I remember when I was in Cangzhou, Lao Shi said that last year there was a good harvest in the two prefectures of Jingyuan, and there was a lot of old grain. How could there be a shortage?" grain?"

Zhu Xiu always believed that Shi Kuangwei deliberately used that rough food to humiliate him, just to force him to submit and stay.

It wasn't until two young soldiers picked up and ate the piece of black pancake he had thrown away in front of him that Zhu Xiu realized that the life of Zhang Yijun was more difficult than he imagined.

Ma San scratched his head: "I don't know the specific situation. I just heard that since the salt wells in Weizhou were occupied by the Tubo people, the entire Changyi Army began to lack salt. Jingzhou and Yuanzhou don't produce much salt, so Shi Jieshuai used grain and went to Qizhou and Longzhou to exchange for salt with Fengxiang and Jingnan."

After hearing this, Zhu Xiu opened his mouth in surprise and murmured: "There are no salt ponds in Jingzhou and Yuanzhou, let alone salt wells, but there are a lot of natural rock salts! I remember that when I entered Longshan Pass a few days ago, there was a lot of salt outside the pass. There is a stream within a mile, and there is a salt mine next to it! Those exposed rocks have a high salt content! When Black Egg and a group of war horses drank water by the stream, they even licked the stones!"

The obedient gray donkey stood aside, turned its big head, and called out to Zhu Xiu, "Hungry, hungry," twice, as if to testify for Zhu Xiu that it was indeed licking stones and eating salt by the stream that day.

The gray donkey had a big black butt, so Zhu Xiu named it Black Egg.

Ma San said helplessly: "Brine salt is poisonous, so don't dare to eat it!"

Zhu Xiu looked at him as if he were an idiot: "I didn't ask you to eat rocks directly! We won't be finished until we remove the toxic substances from the brine salt!"

Ma San's eyes widened: "That's a skill that only the salt workers in Yanchi Prison with more than ten or twenty years of experience have!"

Zhu Xiu was speechless, just a simple tempering method, nothing good!

A group of cavalry came to the inner gate, and the leader, Zhu Xiu, knew him as one of the eight soldiers who followed Shi Kuangwei to Cangzhou. His name was Guan Tieshi, a native of Guangwu County, Lanzhou.

"Hmph~ You two are following behind!"

Guan Tieshi glared at Zhu Xiu fiercely, as if looking at a traitor who had deserted them and fled, full of disgust and contempt.Zhu Xiu gritted his teeth and handed over his hand: "Brother Guan"

"Don't get too close!"

Guan Tieshi interrupted coldly and said with a straight face: "Since Commander Jie has given the order, I will escort you safely to Anding (Jingzhou Administrative Office). Don't say anything else! Just treat it as if you haven't met me before!"

Guan Tieshi sneered: "The Zhangyi Army Temple is small and cannot accommodate you. I hope you can survive somewhere else!"

Having said that, Guan Tieshi ignored him and urged his horse forward to lead his soldiers out of the gate.

Zhu Xiu had a wry smile on his face, remembering that when he was in Cangzhou, Guan Tieshi followed Shi Kuangwei and did not hesitate to contradict Liu Chengyou in order to protect him.

The scene where a few Hexi soldiers stopped a dozen left guards and Liu Chengyou was still fresh in his memory.

Lao Shi and these Hexi guys were really nice to him at that time. They never forgot to call him one when they ate meat and drank wine.

Zhu Xiu also spent the most time with them. With these big men from Hexi around, he had no worries about Liu Chengyou and Zuo Weibing coming to him.

Zhu Xiu trotted forward and stopped Guan Tieshi with open hands: "Brother Guan, is this trip back to Jingzhou just to transport salt?"

Guan Tieshi said bluntly: "It's none of your business!"

Zhu Xiu said hurriedly: "If it is just to transport salt, there is no need to make this trip! I have a way to make brine salt!"

Guan Tieshi was stunned for a moment, his eyes filled with ecstasy, and his lips were trembling: "You, say it again?!"

Zhu Xiu cupped his hands and said with a smile: "I have a way to make table salt from brine salt!"

Guan Tieshi's chest was obviously rising and falling violently. He bent down, stretched out his hands, and grabbed him all at once, and directly slipped Zhu Xiudi onto the horse's back!
"Follow me! Drive!"

Guan Tieshi roared angrily, whipped his riding whip as hard as he could, turned his horse's head and rushed into Guancheng.

Zhu Xiuheng lay down in front of the saddle, hugging the saddle tightly, screaming in fright, and his face turned pale.

"Little official!~"

Ma San got on the gray donkey, shouted and chased after him.

The horse galloped to the front of the military tent. Guan Tieshi jumped off the horse with Zhu Xiu under his arm, and rushed into the tent like a gust of wind.

In the tent, Shi Kuangwei and the black-faced general were discussing around a defensive plan. Shi Lingyan sat aside glumly, playing with a fine and sharp dagger.

"Shitou, what are you doing?" Shi Kuangwei looked surprised.

Guan Tieshi let go of his arm, and Zhu Xiu staggered a few steps and almost fell to the ground. He held his belly and retched, and ran all the way, almost knocking him apart and hurting his stomach.

"Handsome, this guy said he can make salt!" Guan Tieshi pointed his hand and yelled eagerly.

Everyone turned to look. Shi Kuangwei had a dark face and was surprised. He rushed to Zhu Xiu in three steps at a time, clamped his arm, and said impatiently: "Seriously?!"

Zhu Xiu was so shaken that he almost rolled his eyes. He reluctantly nodded and hummed feebly: "What's so difficult about just making salt? I'll give you as much as you want. I'll kill you, you charcoal-headed bastard."

Shi Kuangwei glared and laughed suddenly: "If you dare to talk like this, I will believe you!
I saw the right person, you are really the lucky star of my Zhang Yijun! "

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(End of this chapter)