Crazy at the end of the Ming Dynasty

When approaching Tongzhou City, Wu Shigong did see a large number of refugees.But these refugees saw that Wu Shigong and his party were all soldiers, and no one dared to approach.

The miserable appearance of those refugees is almost like the appearance of African refugees on modern TV.Wu Shigong has traveled to the Ming Dynasty for a while, and to be honest, it is not surprising to see a person like this.But what surprised Wu Shigong was that there were simply too many of these refugees, and the shacks were almost endless.

Wu Shigong asked Steward Deng: "Why are there so many refugees? The last time I was in Tongzhou, I haven't seen them like this yet."

Butler Deng replied: "That's all to blame for that damn Tartar. After the Tartar army arrived in Tongzhou City, it literally walked around Tongzhou City. Those days, I was scared to death. But Although the Tartars did not attack the city, they almost flattened the surrounding villages and towns, and the refugees all escaped from the vicinity."

Wu Shigong nodded. He thought of what he saw in the four cities of Yongping, those people who died by the roadside and were killed by the Tartars, and felt that the refugees in front of him were quite lucky.

The soldiers guarding the city gate of Tongzhou saw that Wu Shigong and his group were about to enter the city, and shouted for Wu Shigong and others to stop.Butler Deng hurried forward, stuffed something into the hand of the little flag guarding the city gate, and whispered something in his ear, the little flag waved his hand and let Wu Shigong and the others in.

Housekeeper Deng explained to Wu Shigong: "Now around Tongzhou City, there are large armies waiting for the ship to return to the south. The yamen has stipulated that no soldiers are allowed to enter except for scattered soldiers who go to the city to buy things. Your guards are also welcome. It's too much, but fortunately our master still has some face in Tongzhou City, so we let it in. But sir, you must be careful, and let your brothers not cause trouble in Tongzhou City."

Wu Shigong knew the important position of Tongzhou City in the Ming Dynasty, and it was also an important barracks in the Beijing camp.In addition, there are a lot of officials traveling from south to north, so I really can't be too arrogant as a small military officer.Therefore, Wu Shigong immediately asked Shumo to tell all the guards not to cause trouble in Tongzhou City. <Yu himself opened a restaurant in Tongzhou City.Steward Deng introduced to Wu Shigong boastfully: This restaurant is also one of the largest restaurants in Tongzhou City.

Wu Shigong took a look at this restaurant, the appearance is indeed magnificent.Wu Shigong asked the guards around him to leave only a dozen or so people, and the rest followed Butler Deng to the inn to settle down.Otherwise, there were two hundred guards with knives and guns standing at the entrance of the restaurant. After Zhang Yu knew that Wu Shigong had arrived, he would personally greet him at the entrance of the restaurant and welcome Wu Shigong to the private room on the second floor of the restaurant.At this time, there was a thick, dark-skinned, muscular man who followed Zhang Chunyu. Although he was also wearing a long gown, he could be seen as a man who had been traveling in the wild for many years. < Yu then introduced to Wu Shigong: "Master Wu, this is my good brother, Tang Liu, the leader of the Cao Gang. This time, Master Wu is returning to his hometown. Brother, I asked Mr. Tang Liu to help."

That Tang Liu hurriedly bowed his hands to Wu Shigong and said: "In front of adults, I can't bear the word 'grandfather', and adults can call me Tang Liu or Xiao Liu."

Wu Shigong also quickly smiled and cupped his hands and said: "Brother Tang, you are welcome. There are no adults or adults here. They are all friends." Yu then introduced to Tang Liu: "Master Tang, don't look at Brother Wu as young , but he is both civil and military. He is also a scholar, and his martial arts are also very strong. This time when he beat the Tartars, Brother Wu also chopped off the heads of many Tartars, and his reputation has entered the ears of the emperor. Moreover, Brother Wu's identity He is still very noble, he is a young master. Later, Master Tang Liu wants to toast Brother Wu with a few more glasses of wine!" <Yu said this, on the one hand to praise himself, on the other hand to rely on his own Identity, to increase Zhang Chunyu's status in Tang Liu's mind.So Wu Shigong just smiled and remained silent.

Sure enough, Tang Liu put on an expression of admiration, saluted Wu Shigong again, and said, "Brother, I admire the hero who can beat the Tartars the most. Brother Wu is worthy of being honored, and he will definitely worship the general in the future Ah. Bah, bah, bah. Look at my mouth, Brother Wu is a marquis who can't get away, so he should be worshiping the general and sealing the duke."

I have encountered old Jianghu today, and they are all old Jianghu acting school.However, this kind of mutual flattery really made people feel happy physically and mentally. The three of them smiled and gave way to each other, and each sat down comfortably. <Yu’s arrangement was really thoughtful, the dishes on the table were full of beautiful things in eyes, and next to the private room, separated by a layer of gauze curtain, a team of silk and bamboo troupe was playing music. <Yu said: "Brother Zhang and I haven't seen each other for several years, and I miss them very much. At that time, I also asked Lu Jianchen, a salt merchant in Yangzhou, about Brother Zhang. He said that Brother Zhang was a rich source of money in Tongzhou City. Come on, the business is getting bigger and bigger." <Yu quickly smiled and shook his hands and said: "Rumors, rumors. It's just a casual meal. Then Lu Jianchen came to Tongzhou once last year, but it's spring I haven’t seen him since. Brother Wu also knows that we in Beizhili eat Changlu salt, not Yangzhou salt. Their Lu family went to Tongzhou to do some north-south goods business. However, I I heard a saying that their Lu family is in some trouble now."

"What's the trouble?" Wu Shigong asked curiously.

"I don't know the details. It seems to be related to the salt business." <Yu also looked like he didn't know the details, so Wu Shigong had no choice but to put this matter aside. < Yu went on to say to Wu Shigong: "This time Tang Liuye happened to escort a batch of grain to Tongzhou. But now those troops who want to return to the south are robbing the boat like crazy. Fortunately, Tang Liuye gave me face and knew that Brother Wu needed it. If you don’t have a boat, prepare your own boat and wait for Brother Wu’s arrival.”

Tang Liu smiled and waved his hands and said, "Transporting those large troops is a lot of trouble. Needless to say, if you can get it or not, these soldiers are going crazy, and they may beat and scold our Cao Gang brothers. Knowing Brother Wu Having an old relationship with Boss Zhang, we Cao Gang brothers are just looking for safety."

Wu Shigong hurriedly said: "There is absolutely no problem with the cost of the boat. Brother, I want to go home earlier. It's been almost a year since King Qin left home. However, I have one more thing to ask you two. Brother still has 8000 yuan in the capital." There are many stones of grain and some supplies, and I would like to ask you two to deliver them to Henan when you are free in the future." <Yu asked strangely from the side: "Brother Wu, the price of grain in the capital is actually high. Why do you want to transport it to Henan, where the price of grain is low? You won’t sell it here first, and then go to Henan to buy grain?”

Wu Shigong waved his hands and explained: "Brother, there is a shortage of food here, and the price of this food is not too low. Besides, I have a lot of people to support. Besides, brother does not only want this food, but also wants to buy some more food." "<Yu and Tang Liu glanced at each other, and immediately made a suggestion to Wu Shigong: "Brother Wu, can you see if this works. I will sell your food and supplies in the capital, and let Tang get the money. Liu Ye went to Huguang to buy grain, and then shipped it to Henan. In this way, Brother Wu will save some trouble, and we can earn some expenses." <Yu and Tang Liu discussed the details.In the end, the three of them agreed that Zhang Chunyu would help Wu Shigong sell the grain and supplies that Wu Shigong kept in the capital.And Tang Liu will transport the same amount of grain to Henan.

As for those materials sold for silver, Tang Liu will also collect [-]% of the difference, go to Huguang to buy grain for Wu Shigong, and then transport it to Henan.As for how to buy grain in the future, let's wait until the business is completed. <How Yu and Tang Liu should distribute the profits, this left them to discuss on their own. <Yu will also prepare Beidi specialties in Tongzhou, Tang Liu will be responsible for the delivery, and the three will make money together. <Yu called a singer, and with the accompaniment of the silk and bamboo troupe, she sang a ditty.The three of them also returned happily. <Yu invited the two of them to the brothel to relax.Wu Shigong was tired from the journey and wanted to rest earlier, so he declined with a smile.

And Tang Liu also wanted to arrange people to report to his fleet so that they could rush to Tongzhou as soon as possible.Because Tang Liu was afraid that the fleet would be forcibly requisitioned, so he kept his ship waiting somewhere other than a day's journey away.Therefore, Tang Liu also declined Zhang Chunyu's invitation.