There is a kind of scholar

Chapter 335 Youzhou, Pingan City
Youzhou, one of the nine ancient states and the seat of the ancient Yan Kingdom, has been a natural barrier to defend against the barbarians in the north throughout the ages and is a battleground for military strategists.

In the former dynasty, Youzhou was once named "Zhuojun".

A talented and strategic emperor once built a palace here, gathered troops, horses, grain, grass, and equipment to conquer the small peninsula countries three times.

It was also the emperor who built the "Yongji Canal", connecting Zhuojun in the north, Shendu in the south, and even Chang'an. It is still the main artery of north-south transportation in the Liang Dynasty.

Especially after the trade with Liao Dynasty, the Grand Canal played a huge role.

Liao's specialty furs, dairy products, deer antlers, etc. could be transported to Shendu in a short time through the Grand Canal.

It was a busy "freight waterway" and also a "passenger line."

But Su Xian went north to Youzhou and did not take the water route.

Because he was a little seasick.

In comparison, horse carriages are more comfortable.

in the city.

A restaurant.

Su Xian and his party have already checked in.

Su Xian immediately took a hot bath to get rid of fatigue and put on clean clothes. After walking out of the bathroom, he felt refreshed and like a new baby.

In his opinion, although the investigation of the case is urgent, it is not urgent. There is always a sense of stagnation in the body...

Yan Dashan also took a shower immediately.

In the steaming bathroom, while taking off his embarrassing Confucian shirt, he recalled how dumbfounded he was when the Zhou Dynasty Office saw him at the gate of the city just now.

Shame!
Because of his roughness and the experience of walking out of a mountain of corpses and a sea of ​​blood, at that moment, he had the urge to dig a big hole and jump into it.

I took a quick shower and put on a brand new outfit.

All the makeup the maids put on him had been washed away. He tied up his hair and looked at the strong face in the bronze mirror. Yan Dashan nodded with satisfaction.

This is him.

After taking care of myself, I went to Su Xian's room next door. Su Xian, Yang Zhilan and Zhou Ji's room were waiting for a long time.

They planned to take a walk around the city, casting a wide net and looking for a needle in a haystack. It was said that Dashan was very familiar with the Liao people and might be able to find some clues.

It's really a needle in a haystack.

But there is no other way.

However, this method is not nonsense. Su Xian has his own considerations——

No matter where the 1 missing Liao troops are hiding, there will definitely be clues, because there are [-] of them.

It is foreseeable that they must be well hidden and will not reveal themselves easily.

Unless there are people who are very familiar with them and know their habits well, it is possible to find some subtle clues that ordinary people cannot notice.

Yan Dashan is such a person.

This was also the fundamental reason why Su Xian took the risk to write down the contract and finally decided to come to Youzhou to gamble.

Youzhou.

Battleground.

It has been baptized by wars throughout the ages. It stands to reason that Youzhou City should not be very prosperous.

But when Su Xian and others were walking on the streets of the city, they saw a noisy and boiling scene.

Not to mention the crowds of pedestrians and the rows of shops, but in terms of liveliness, it is far better than Yingzhou, Mozhou and other places, and cannot be compared to the same.

Incredible.

It turns out that since the current queen ascended the throne, Liang and Liao have had a truce for more than ten years, and border trade has been opened between the two countries.

Tea, silk, ironware, salt from Daliang, furs, medicinal materials, dairy products, horses, cattle and sheep from Liao Kingdom, etc. With the circulation of these commodities, Youzhou made a lot of money as a transit station and trading place.

Large numbers of people come here to make a living.

Wherever there are people, there are various needs.

With demand, business will naturally prosper.

"Youzhou City is very large. Although it is not as big as Shendu and Chang'an, the 'Ping'an City' within the city is several times larger than the three cities of Shendu and the east and west cities of Chang'an!"

A few people strolled leisurely in the street, and the Zhou Ji office made an introduction.

The "Ping'an City" he refers to is the border market between Daliang and the Liao Kingdom. It is located in the middle of Youzhou City and covers an area of ​​​​large enough to be three or four square meters in Chang'an or Shendu City.

"I was in a hurry last time when I came to Youzhou. I never went to Ping'an City. I decided to go there this time." Su Xian had a slight yearning and was full of curiosity about the ancient border market.

"Why don't we go now?" Yan Dashan, who was on the right side behind Su Xian, suggested: "Ping'an City is a border city that trades with Liao Tong. The situation inside is complicated. Maybe we can find something."

Yan Dashan was eager to give it a try, thinking of making great achievements as soon as possible, showing his own value, and gaining a firm foothold in Su Xian's heart.

He is more anxious than anyone else.

"go with!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Yang Zhilan, who was on the left behind Su Xian, suddenly spoke up.

Yang Zhilan rarely takes the initiative to speak unless the situation is very urgent...

Su Xian paused and looked at Yang Zhilan and Yan Dashan, who were right and left behind him, and he understood. He shook his head with a smile and made a decision:
"Okay, then let's go to Ping'an City and take a look at how complicated the market is, which is as big as three or four squares."

"..."

Not long after, everyone came to the legendary Ping An City.

There are high walls built around it, and there are people patrolling the walls. The walls are still in the shape of a female wall... This is clearly a city within a city.

Entering through a tightly guarded city gate and stepping onto the bluestone streets of Ping'an City, Su Xian felt that it was indeed very different. The most intuitive feeling was——

There are many Liao people in Ping'an City.

The Liao people dress very differently from the Han people and it is easy to tell them apart. They walk around in the market and seem to be very familiar with the things around them.

"When we were in peace talks with the Liao State in Daliang and discussing the location of the border market, there was some controversy. Some people suggested setting up a border market outside the Great Wall."

Everyone was walking on the street, looking around, especially Yan Dashan, whose eyes were like light bulbs with hundreds of watts.

Not to be outdone, Yang Zhilan also kept her eyes open, as if she wanted to discover the clues of the Liao people before Yan Dashan did, but she did it very covertly.

Zhou Jishi continues to act as the commentator:

"But in the end, after many considerations, Her Majesty the Queen personally decided to build the border city in Youzhou City and name it 'Ping'an City', which means peace and stability."

"The most important basis for Her Majesty's decision is the Yongji Canal, which leads directly to Youzhou City."

"Look, Su Wenxue, that's the Grand Canal."

"..."

Everyone just happened to arrive at a place, and following the guidance of the Zhou Ji Office, they saw a broad river with sparkling waves and thousands of sailboats racing against each other. It was a lively and busy scene.

Su Xian and others walked to the canal and leaned on the railing to look out. They were deeply shocked by the scale.

The two countries trade and exchange what they need. Even if it is just a border market, its size is unimaginable to ordinary people.

But compared to the size of the entire Ping'an City, the busy canal seems insignificant.

Zhou Jishi continued to explain:

"Ping'an City is huge. The Yongji Canal runs directly into the city and has three docks... However, most of Ping'an City are warehouses with a wide variety of categories. Only one-third of the places are actually crowded with people."

"storehouse?"

Su Xian and Yan Dashan turned to look at Zhou Ji's Office at the same time, their expressions changing slightly.

Seeing this, Yang Zhilan raised her eyebrows slightly. Although she did not say the word "warehouse", she turned to look at Zhou's office.

(End of this chapter)