Lord: Start with a book of Water Margin

Chapter 238: Horses Eating Berries

After hearing what Shi Xiu said, Zhao Zhen couldn't help but ask about the situation in Liao. Shi Xiu didn't hide the truth and said, "Sir, the Khitans and Han people in Liao didn't live together. They lived separately. Jizhou where I live belongs to the Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun. After Shi Jingtang of the Later Jin Dynasty, it was ceded to Liao. Now most Han people there don't recognize Zhao and Song. The wealth of Han and Khitan households is determined by the number of sheep and horses they have."

"The official system is divided into north and south. The Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun are still based on the county system, and the Han people are managed in the county system. Further north is the tribal system, and the Khitan people are managed in the tribal form."

"The majority of livestock are sheep and horses, followed by cattle and camels. From April to August, the grass is lush and it is the golden season for grazing. In winter, the livestock are moved to the flat sandy areas facing the sun and sheltered from the wind. My uncle and I went to the north to buy sheep and stayed there for some reason."

"The Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun are not so bad, and are similar to where we are. But the difference is huge as we go further north. There are thousands of horses, and each herdsman has only two or three people. They are allowed to follow the water and grass without being restrained. When there is work, they are driven and used. They gallop all day without getting tired. As the proverb says: one part feeding, three parts riding."

Zhao Zhen heard this and said, "According to what you said, there is no shortage of Khitan soldiers who are good at fighting, and there are also Han people who make armor and sharp swords. There is no shortage of meat from raising cattle and sheep, and there is money from farming and weaving. No wonder the Song Dynasty does not dare to start a war lightly."

"Brother Shi Xiu, do you have any acquaintances in Jizhou? Can you get a war horse from him?"

Shi Xiu said, "Sir, I have met a good man in Jizhou. His surname is Yang and his given name is Xiong. He is a skilled martial artist with a sallow complexion. He is known as Bing Guansuo. He is currently serving as a jailer in the two courts and an executioner in the city."

"My acquaintance with Brother Yang Xiong was also accidental. He was originally from Henan Prefecture. Others saw him as a foreigner and his uncle who was the prefect had passed away, so many locals bullied him."

"One day, after the execution, a local soldier named Zhang Bao gathered a group of idlers to rob his red silk cloth. I ran into them. I was so angry that I rushed forward and beat them away. We became brothers."

Zhao Zhen said: "Brother, there is no need to rush. At this time, horses in the north are not necessarily easy to buy. Since you have sworn brotherhood with [Sick Guan Suo] Yang Xiong, why don't you ask for a job from him?"

Shi Xiu said, "Brother Yang Xiong has a father-in-law who is also a butcher. Seeing that I can butcher animals, he wanted to open a butcher shop with me. But I saw that his wife was not a decent person, so I hesitated for a while. I just happened to hear that the official was recruiting heroes here, and I thought that Jizhou was not the Song Dynasty after all, so I declined and came all the way here."

Zhao Zhen said: "It's good to come back. After all, that place is not the Song Dynasty. I also heard that the status of the Han people there is far inferior to that of the Khitan people. If the Fan clan beats a Han person to death, they will only be compensated with cattle and horses."

Shi Xiu said: "Yes, the Han people are inferior to the Khitan people there. However, cattle, sheep and other livestock are much cheaper than in the Song Dynasty. If the great official really wants horses, I am willing to go to the north."

Zhao Zhen said: "There is no rush. I will come back in autumn to ask you to go to the north to buy horses."

Shi Xiu said: "Your Excellency is right. Spring and summer are the breeding seasons, and herders are willing to sell their livestock in autumn. However, the shape of Khitan horses is not in line with physiognomy, and their hooves are not trimmed. People there believe that horses will reproduce more if they follow their nature."

"The Khitan horse is small, weighing less than 700 kilograms, with a curved body, a slender neck and a large hip. It has low bones, poor load-bearing capacity and a slow charging speed. Its advantages are good endurance for long-distance raids, tolerance to rough feed and good adaptability. I have come into contact with herdsmen in Jizhou. The horses can only carry about 140 kilograms, and they are usually dressed in leather armor at most."

Zhao Zhen sighed and said, "Brother, you don't know, this horse is also very good. There are only a thousand horses that can be used as war horses in the county, and less than half of them are tall and strong horses. The rest are mostly Khitan horses. Even so, there is nowhere to buy them."

Shi Xiu said: "I heard that the Jurchen horses of Liaodong are taller and stronger than Khitan horses. Unfortunately, I have only seen a few horses in Jizhou from the yamen masters, and I don't have any way to get them."

Jiao Ting also said: "I have seen Xixia horses, which are also tall and strong, but there are frequent wars there, so it is not easy to transport these horses here."

Bao Xu asked, "Is it better than the horse that the great official brought back from the outside world?"

Jiao Ting said, "Although it is slightly inferior, the difference is not big." Shi Xiu heard it and asked, "Are there any horses as good as this in the county?"

Zhao Zhen said: "These horses are all tall and strong horses from the Western Regions. Unfortunately, they are hard to buy and expensive. One horse costs 80 strings of cash and needs to be carefully taken care of."

Shi Xiu said: "A Khitan horse that can go to the battlefield costs no more than thirty strings of cash."

As they were talking, they didn't realize it was time to apply for the license.

Heroes from all over the country came one after another, and Zhao Zhen introduced them to Shi Xiu one by one. At the end of the card, everyone had arrived. Zhu Fu came forward and asked, "Master, are we going to have a feast?"

Zhao Zhen nodded and said, "Let's start the feast."

After saying this, Zhu Fu led his men to work hard, and soon the table was filled with boiled lamb, cooked chicken, goose and other dishes.

Everyone sat down, and as the farmhand placed a bowl of cold mulberries in front of each person, Zhao Zhen raised his glass and said, "Brothers, it's spring now, and we'll have fresh vegetables to eat in the future. There are two willow trees on the farm, which have produced many mulberries. Today, I'm going to treat you with these mulberries for your hard work last year. And now Shi Xiu, the "Desperate Man", has come to join us, so I'm going to welcome him back."

After hearing this, everyone raised their glasses.

Throughout the winter, in addition to all kinds of meat and eggs, the most eaten vegetables were pickled and dried vegetables. The only fresh ones were bean sprouts, and the raw Weixian radish was very popular. Although it tasted good, after eating it for a whole winter, I got a little tired of it. Not only Zhao Zhen, but everyone in the hall was looking forward to eating fresh vegetables as soon as possible.

Today, the dish of cold mulberries in front of everyone was slightly bitter, but it was warmly welcomed by everyone. The spiritual object's attribute enhancement was only secondary, and being able to eat vegetables and change the taste became the first priority.

Of course, there were also people like Bao Xu, who ate the mulberries in front of him in no time, and then started to eat the wine, meat and radishes on the table.

Speaking of Weixian radish, it is indeed a good thing. As the saying goes: Eat radish in winter and ginger in summer, and you won’t need a doctor to prescribe medicine.

Lao Pu said: Radish, one kind but has four names: spring is called ground-breaking cone, summer is called summer-grown, autumn is called radish, and winter is called earth-su.

"Er Ya" says: "Sunflower, reed." Another name is radish, and another name is Hail Tu. The northern ones are very crisp and have no appearance when eaten. There are those in the Central Plains, which are white in texture and taste spicy and sweet. They are especially suitable for eating raw and can remove the poison of noodles. The seeds can be used as medicine to relieve gas and digest food. It can be planted in all seasons, but it is better to plant it in the last ten days of summer and the beginning of autumn. After the armor is broken, it can be eaten.

Therefore, Huang Shangu said: The soil in Jincheng is as soft and clean as silk because of its purity.

It was probably because Zhao Zhen lacked experience and did not think of this point, and the stored vegetables were insufficient, resulting in only fresh radishes being left to eat later.

On that day, everyone drank and both the guests and the hosts had a great time.

(End of this chapter)