Lord: Start with a book of Water Margin

Chapter 375: Plan to buy more war horses for Shou Zhang (two in one, 400 monthly tickets)

Two days had passed since Zhao Zhen returned from Niutou Mountain. During these two days, Zhao Zhen took the newly acquired Shaolin Crescent Shovel to Baozhu Temple and showed it to Lu Zhishen and Guanghui. As expected, the two were very interested in it.

Guanghui, in particular, would often spar with Lu Zhishen in martial arts. In terms of weapons, his own sword was at a disadvantage compared to Lu Zhishen's newly forged 81-jin blood-flame iron water-grinded Zen staff, both in length and weight.

Guanghui also thought about practicing a long weapon, and got the secret book of "Little Yaksha Stick Technique" from Zhao Zhen. However, Guanghui disliked this stick technique because it was not to his liking, and he still used two swords to fight the enemy in daily life.

After seeing the secret manual of "Shaolin Crescent Shovel" and this 36-jin iron crescent shovel, I couldn't let it go.

When Zhao Zhen saw it, he gave the iron crescent shovel to Guanghui.

Zhao Zhen asked Tang Long from the Military Equipment Bureau to make him a crescent shovel weighing only 18 jin. Zhao Zhen's two 40-jin water-polished mirror-finished halberds were only used to exercise his strength. He couldn't do it on the battlefield.

On this day, Zhao Zhen, Lu Zhishen and Guang Hui were practicing a set of crescent shovels. The three of them were resting under the shade of a tree in the training ground when they saw Zhang Qi riding his horse up the mountain. He met Zhao Zhen, bowed and said, "Sir, the two heroes Shi Qian and Liu Qi have returned and are waiting for you at the farm."

Zhao Zhen said, "Go and invite the two military advisors and Brother Xiao Rang to the manor to discuss matters. Also inform Madam Liu. I will be back soon."

After hearing this, Zhang Qi rode down the mountain at full speed.

Zhao Zhen said something to Lu Zhishen and Guanghui, packed up his things, and took Zhao Ji and others to say goodbye and leave Baozhu Temple.

When Zhao Zhen returned to the hall of Baishi Manor, a group of heroes were already waiting in the hall. After greeting, Zhao Zhen asked, "Brother, what's the situation in Yuanbi Village?"

Liu Qi and Shi Qian told each other the news they had heard, and then took out two letters from Gou Huan, one to Zhao Zhen and the other to Liu Guang, both of which were unsealed.

Zhao Zhen first opened the letter to himself, which contained only some polite words of admiration. After reading it, Zhao Zhen handed it to Wu Yong. Liu Qi took out another letter written to his father and said, "Brother-in-law, I have read this letter on the way. You can also take a look." Then he handed the letter to Liu Hui Niang who was standing beside him.

Liu Hui Niang read it first and said, "I never thought that the Gou Huan brothers still cared about my father's kindness. In addition to informing my father of their recent situation and thanking my father, the rest of the letter is the same as the letter to the official. The two of them became bandits just to survive and did not dare to rebel. Therefore, they did not really want to surrender to Song Jiang in Qingzhou."

After everyone had read the two letters, Zhao Zhen asked, "It seems that Song Gongming is really gaining momentum. Apart from other things, the monk Li Er, who was killed by Yan Shude and his brother two days ago, once said that the abbot of Baijue Temple also went to Qingzhou to join Song Gongming. Now Qingyun Mountain is also attached to him. Yizhou is mountainous, so I'm afraid Song Gongming will gain a foothold between Yizhou and Qingzhou in the future."

Wu Yong said: "Sir, there is news from the old man. Yizhou Prefecture and Dongping Prefecture have already found out that the three armies will gather at Qingzhou Prefecture on July 6th. Let's see if he can deal with it."

Zhu Wu also said, "Sir, Dongping Prefecture has now mobilized 5000 imperial guards. In addition to the 1500 soldiers from Xucheng County, the prefectural capital, Pingyin, Dong'e, and Zhongdu counties have each mobilized 500 soldiers. Shouzhang and Yanggu counties are close to Liangshan County, and they have each mobilized 1000 soldiers. At this time, the counties will surely not dare to cause trouble. Why not take advantage of the opportunity to occupy the few villages that have been discovered now?"

Zhao Zhen heard this and asked, "Brother Zhu Wu, what do you think?"

Zhu Wu said: "Now between Heihu Temple Town and Jingmen Town is Shouzhang County. In terms of distance, Liangshan County is closer to Shouzhang County. Shouzhang County is a small county with only five townships: Zhaodui Township, Xiaolukou Township, Dalukou Township, Shouzhangji Township, and Shanglaozhuang Township. The total population is no more than 7000 households."

"Sir, the great sir, some time ago, he wiped out the [Iron-footed Toutuo] Li Erseng. The food and cloth he found were looted from Shanglaozhuang Township. I think Shouzhang County has already submitted a petition to the court, so why don't we take the opportunity to occupy Shouzhang County. Please cover it up and just say that it was Li Erseng who massacred Shouzhang County. We can present Li Erseng's head and get some rewards."

Wu Yong clapped his hands and said, "This is a good idea. The great master thought about the relationship between Li Erseng and Wu Qian, so he pickled Li Erseng's head with lime and hid it in the ice cellar. This way it will be used just in time. We can just pass the blame to Song Jiang and his gang in Qingzhou."

The two of them were talking animatedly, and everyone in the hall, except Liu Qi, looked as if it was the right thing to do.

Liu Hui Niang seemed to be worried that Liu Qi was loyal to the court and spoke inappropriately. She pointed out Liu Qi, "Nowadays, the court is full of swindlers. Those with connections and family background can easily occupy high positions. The chief of Shanglaozhuang Township, relying on the geographical advantage, was defeated by Li Erseng's less than 500 roving bandits. I heard that Li Erseng could only last more than ten rounds under Yan Shude's guard. It turns out that few of the chiefs of troops in various places are capable. My brother has practiced martial arts since he was a child and has acquired a lot of skills. He can't even pass the martial arts examination. But if he were to fight against Li Erseng, he would not necessarily lose."

After hearing this, Liu Qi patted his chest and said, "Sister, although we have never fought each other, I have sparred with Brother Yan Shude before. I can always hold out for twenty rounds, if not thirty rounds. The chief steward of Shanglaozhuang Township couldn't even defeat Li Erseng, let alone me."

"If Shouzhang County can be managed by my brother-in-law, who will dare to touch the tiger's whiskers in the future? Since I came to Liangshan County, I have not made any achievements. This time, my brother-in-law must take me with him."

Zhao Zhen laughed loudly and said, "Brother, please send the letter to my grandfather today. Jingmen Town has just been settled. You and your grandfather should be careful and train the troops and horses carefully. I will make a plan here, and I will invite you to come with me when the time comes."

Upon hearing this, Liu Qi said, "In that case, I will return to Jingmen Town today. My brother-in-law has set a date, so he can't forget me." After that, Liu Qi said goodbye to everyone and went to the Houmen Water Fort, asking Ruan Xiaoer to send a fast boat to return to Jingmen Town by water.

There is no mention of how Liu Qi responded to Liu Guang. It is only said that after a discussion among the people in the hall, they decided on the troops to go on the expedition.

In Shouzhang County, Zhao Zhen led half of the village's heavy front troops and 300 Pudao soldiers, with Bao Xu and Jiao Ting as the generals, and Lü Fang led half of the cavalry and Hu Sanniang's female cavalry to assist in the battle. Liu Qi and Liu Huiniang followed the army.

Military advisor Wu Yong led half of the [heavy front troops], 200 infantrymen from the small camp on the right side of Baishizhuang, and 200 archers, a total of 500 people, with Yan Shude, Lei Heng, Bai Sheng, and Shi Qian as generals, and Guo Sheng led half of the cavalry troops to assist in the battle. They attacked Xiaolukou Township and Dalukou Township.

Li Ying and Yang Lin were transferred as generals to lead 100 cavalry and 100 infantry from Jingyang Town, and 300 new soldiers were drawn from Wanzi City to attack Shanglaozhuang Township, which had just been attacked. This group of soldiers would serve as the garrison of Shouzhang County from now on to protect Shouzhang.

With military advisor Zhu Wu as the leader, 500 infantrymen from Baozhu Temple were withdrawn, and Lu Zhishen and Guanghui were appointed as generals, and they attacked Zhaodui Township, which was the farthest from Liangshan.

Zhao Zhen ordered the troops to assemble and attack Shouzhang County three days later. They captured five towns and villages in one go, and the remaining villages were naturally conquered by spreading the order.

Later, Xiao Rang would lead his men to redefine the land and population, and at the same time, Cheng Wanli from Mount Tai would write to the court to explain the reasons, identify Song Jiang and his gang as the culprits for the attack on Shouzhang County and the massacre, and offer the head of Li Erseng.

This operation mainly relies on sneak attacks, with less killing.

During these three days, Xiao Rang was asked to forge documents, and Jin Dajian was asked to make tokens and talismans. All the troops pretended to be soldiers and horses from Dongping Prefecture to protect the new county magistrate, and come to replace the old county magistrate who was demoted for failing to defend the territory.

As for the officials who were causing harm in the county, the evil gentry in the countryside, the wealthy families who harmed the people, and the playboys who oppressed the good, they were all accused of colluding with Li Erseng and were punished.

All villages were sealed off, with people allowed to enter but not leave. The ban would not be lifted until everything was settled.

After the discussion, everyone in the hall took their own actions.

Zhao Zhen took advantage of these two days to go back to the main world. Just as everyone was leaving, the Tiangang Disha Order in Zhao Zhen's arms responded. It seemed that Ji Qingwan was calling him back from the main world. It only vibrated once, not that there was anything urgent. Zhao Zhen decided to go back and took the output of these days with Huangfu Duan, Yang Xiong, Zheng Tianshou, and Lei Heng who were nearby and returned to the main world.

After conferring titles on the four people, Zhao Zhen left them to temporarily stay in the camp behind Bailiu Village. He took Ji Minghan, Ji Mingdan and the Hei sisters and rode to the county town.

When Zhao Zhen saw Ji Qingwan, he asked, "Madam, why did you ask me to come back to see you?"

Ji Qingwan said, "My dear, today a cattle and horse dealer named Zhai Yancheng came to our house to look for you. He said he brought the good horse you wanted. I thought that you once said that the fantasy world was short of horses, and he had made an appointment with you, so I called you back to the main world to meet him."

Zhao Zhen was delighted when he heard this and said, "Manager Zhai, can you please leave your address?"

"It is said that it is still outside the city fence. My husband has been there before."

Zhao Zhen heard this and said, "I will go there right away and buy this batch of war horses. Among the forces around my fantasy world, my cavalry is the strongest."

As he spoke, he had the horses harnessed again, and Ji Minghan, Ji Mingdan and the [Black Sisters], a group of six, rode their horses towards the fence outside the city where Zhai Yancheng was.

Hearing that it was Zhao Zhen who came, Zhai Yancheng apologized and asked the waiter next to him to receive the customers who came to see the livestock. Zhai Yancheng hurried to meet Zhao Zhen.

After greeting, Zhai Yancheng said, "Brother, I have brought you the advanced war horses you desire, a first-class Qianli Yinhe horse, four Shire horses, 150 war horses, and 300 pack horses. Can you take them?"

Zhao Zhen nodded and said, "Just for this Qianli Silver Horse, I will buy the horse you brought here. Shopkeeper Zhai, please name a price, and I will never bargain."

Zhai Yancheng said, "Brother, you are frank. Since you want to buy all the horses I have, I will ask these people who are looking after the horses to leave. These people are really bold. They heard that I have a Thousand Mile Silver Horse of the highest rank, and they want to buy it separately."

As he spoke, Zhai Yancheng ordered his servants to politely drive all the people watching the horses out of the fence. Then he took Zhao Zhen for a walk inside the fence.

After Zhao Zhen looked at all the horses, he said, "Manager Zhai, all the horses you have here are good."

Zhai Yancheng smiled complacently and said, "My family has inherited the horse breeding skills from our ancestors, so we are naturally good at training horses."

"This silver horse costs 1500 strings of cash. The shire horse is still 100 strings of cash, the war horse is still 80 strings of cash, and the pack horse is 10 strings of cash. The total is 16900 strings of cash. Give me a discount, brother, and just give me 16600 strings of cash."

Zhao Zhen nodded and said, "Tomorrow at noon, please ask Manager Zhai to drive the horse to Bailiu Village to take over and settle the account there. I was in a hurry today and didn't bring any gold or silver with me. I'll have to trouble you to go with me to get the deposit."

"We've known each other for such a long time. If you can't trust others, can you not trust your brothers?" Zhai Yancheng asked Zhao Zhen to go back first and settle the payment together tomorrow.

Zhao Zhen thanked Zhai Yancheng and rode away.

After returning home, Zhao Zhen told Ji Qingwan about it. Ji Qingwan listened and prepared the gold and silver. She planned to let Ji Xuan go to Bailiu Village to make the delivery tomorrow.

Zhao Zhen asked, "Where did Madam Ji Xuan go?"

Ji Qingwan said: "She went to various shops to check the accounts today."

Zhao Zhen nodded and said, "Business is pretty good lately?"

Ji Qingwan replied, "The bookshop is doing good business. Although there are not many books, the business has improved a lot since the books on Yuzhu paper were introduced. This set of enlightenment books is not only purchased by students from wealthy families, but also kept at home by many people. Did your husband bring back some new books this time?"

Zhao Zhen said: "We have brought back 800 sets of this set of enlightenment books. The other books are still being carved. I am afraid that the new books will not be completed until next month."

Ji Qingwan said: "Making plates is the slowest process, so we can only accumulate them slowly. I have never heard of a bookstore going bankrupt. If we can purchase woodblocks, this most time-consuming step can be skipped, and we can have more types of books."

Zhao Zhen said: "Who says it's not true? This set of good engravings can be passed down for generations. I'm afraid no one will sell it on the market. After all, this thing is also a golden goose that lays eggs."

After having lunch together, Zhao Zhen rested in Ji Qingwan's room for half an hour.

Afterwards, they all went to sit in the hall, and several people in the room each fanned themselves with a goose feather fan.

Ji Minghan said, "My dear, how about we go to the courtyard to compete later? My sister and I have been practicing the [Double-bladed Swords] swordsmanship hard these days, and we feel that we have improved a lot."

Zhao Zhen said: "I have never slacked off either. Let's have a fight later. If you can defeat me, you two can make any request you want."

Ji Minghan and Ji Mingdan cheered after hearing this.

The weather was a little cooler, and Ji Minghan and the other man couldn't wait to pull Zhao Zhen to the yard to set up their positions.

After another competition, Zhao Zhen still won against the twin sisters. Zhao Zhen said, "I have also learned your sword techniques. I am familiar with the changes in the moves, so I can naturally beat you two."

Ji Minghan and Ji Mingdan put away their frustration after hearing this. They pulled Zhao Zhen and continued to practice in the yard.

At dusk, Ji Xuan came back from outside, saw Zhao Zhen, and threw herself into Zhao Zhen's arms.

At night, Zhao Zhen rested in Ji Xuan's room.

The next day, Zhao Zhen, accompanied by his wives and concubines, took the gold and silver and returned to Bailiu Village. After the transaction, Zhao Zhen took all the horses and returned to the fantasy world.

(End of this chapter)