Brocade clothing as the country

Chapter 442 Surpassing Worry and Defeating Peace
It’s a little warm at this time, but you still need to light a fire to keep warm in the house. Small households often build a brazier in the house, and some wealthy people build a stove to make a fire kang, but no matter what kind of smoke and fire gas Being heavy makes people feel uncomfortable in one way or another.

Wang Tong was not used to this when he was a child, and he got used to it slowly over the years. He got up and walked with Ma Fang to the side hall where the banquet was set up, only to find that there was no smoke in the room on the way.

"There is no smoke, but it is as warm as spring. I don't know how Mrs. Ma's house is kept warm!"

When he asked, Ma Fang and Ma Lin looked back at him, and the maids and servants around him also looked at him in surprise. This look was quite familiar to Wang Tong in his life. When he walked into a high-end place dressed in rags, the service staff would be surprised. It was this look, nothing more than mocking the poor who had never seen the world.

But everyone's status is here, so Ma Fang naturally wouldn't respond like this, and said with a smile:

"The ground dragon made in this house, the old man is old and afraid of the wind and cold, so he made this."

Speaking of the earth dragon, Wang Tong knew what it was. The rich and powerful people in the capital dug brick passages under their mansions. In winter, fires were lit, and hot air poured into these brick passages, baking the ground. The hot air was lighter than the cold air and kept rising. , the whole house will heat up.

However, the amount of firewood and coal consumed by this earth dragon is extremely huge, and ordinary wealthy businessmen and officials in the capital can't afford it, and some people may not be able to use it every day. Wang Tong still remembers what Chen Sibao told his family, making money in Tianjin Wei , Back in the capital, the earth dragon was burned every day, as was the case with Uncle Xiangcheng's family, let alone other people.And even in the imperial palace, there are several places like Nuan Pavilion with earth dragons, and you have to wear a sable hat and cloak when you go out of the room. In this horse mansion, there are even earth dragons in the corridors. Also don't feel the chill.

Wang Tong stomped his feet lightly. He had been wearing thick-soled leather boots since he came to Beidi, so it's no wonder he couldn't feel the temperature of the ground.It takes about [-] steps to walk from the living room where guests are welcomed to the dining room, and the others are fine. Ma Fang is supported by two servant girls on the left and right, but Wang Tong noticed that Ma Fang's steps are very steady and her body is very balanced. This doesn't look like he needs someone's support at all. This kind of behavior just shows that he is pampered and has a valuable status as an old man.

The two maids in front of the front door saw the host and guest coming, and quickly bowed and lifted the curtain. I have to say that when I came to this handsome mansion, I could see that the maids serving up and down were all pretty, and it is not too much to say that they are beautiful. , but the make-up is too heavy, and the clothes are too fancy. The maids in the mansion seem to be dressed like this. Wang Tong has never been in any rich family, but he also knows that this kind of dress is too gorgeous. It was still a place of fireworks, and the girls in it were much more elegant than this one.

Before entering the hall, there was a faint fragrance, which was like the fragrance of plum blossoms, but there was a bit of alcohol in it, which made people quite comfortable.

Walking into the hall, I saw several plum blossoms planted in large wooden barrels, placed in the four corners of the hall, presumably they were brought in from outside during the banquet.

The tableware on the round table is all made of silver. The bottom is about two inches square with a thick bottom, and the top is a disc. The discs are covered with lids. As soon as Wang Tong and others entered the room, the servants of the Ma family immediately lifted the lids. .

Needless to say, gourmet food and beautiful utensils, in the border town, Wang Tong would like to eat some special wild game from the Northland, but the banquet at the Li family is the high-quality noodles at the Jingshi restaurant, and it is still the same routine at the Ma family, nothing more than There are a few more delicacies, and the tableware is more exquisite and expensive, but it is very similar to what I ate in Fushoulou back then.

"Oh, there should be shochu on fire under this silver plate, no wonder it's still steaming hot now."

"Eunuch Cai is very knowledgeable. I heard that there is such a method in Duke Wei's mansion in Nanjing. The Xuan Mansion is bitterly cold, so it would be impolite to ask guests to serve the table, but the dishes are easy to cool when they are ready. That's why I came up with this method."

Hearing Cai Nan's words, Ma Fang's eyes lit up, and she said with a smile, with a rather reserved look on her face, Wang Tong followed suit with a smile, no wonder besides the smell of flowers, there was also the smell of wine.

However, the silverware is divided into two compartments and the spirits are lit to keep the temperature of the food. In this era, it is really a luxury. He has never heard of anyone doing this in the capital and Tianjin Wei. Wei Guogong is the world's number one noble family. It's amazing that Fang can be compared with him.

The atmosphere at the banquet was very good. After Wang Tong was about to explain in detail to Marin how to defeat and kill the Tartars on the grassland, Marin's hostility subsided a lot.

However, Wang Tong and Cai Nan's shock and admiration for the luxury of the mansion made Ma Fang's interest much higher, and his attitude towards the two of them changed from warm to cordial just now.

After being seated, the hors d'oeuvres and vermilion glazed porcelain plates were served. Cai Nan, who was still steady, stared at the porcelain plate in front of her for a long time, hesitated before saying:
"Master Ma, if our family is not mistaken, this is the Jun porcelain that was imitated in Jiangxi last year, tsk tsk, Tianjin Wei's side only came out at the end of the year. I didn't expect Master Ma to use it here..."

After saying this, Ma Fang was taken aback for a moment, but then burst out laughing. Ma Lin beside him also shook his head slowly with a smile on his face. Ma Fang stopped laughing, and then said:
"Eunuch Cai, this is not an imitation. This is the top-grade Jun porcelain produced during the Zhenghe period of the Northern Song Dynasty. According to experts, this is what Song Huizong and Li Shishi used..."

Wang Tong had a smile on his face, but he suddenly became very bored. Is this still the Nine Sides of Daming Ping Fan? It is extravagant, the military generals are dressed as scribes, and they all make a fuss about the enjoyment, food and use here. Think about the soldiers wearing tattered padded jackets on the street, think about the timid generals and soldiers in Zhangjiakou Fort, and think about the purpose of this trip .

Over there, Ma Fang had already talked about the affair between Song Huizong and Li Shishi. Wang Tong didn't want to listen any more, so he raised his glass and said:
"Before I came to Xuanfu, I heard people talk about Lord Ma's illustrious military exploits along the way. In the 29th year of Emperor Sejongsu, the Tartars entered Weiyuan, and Lord Ma bravely marched forward. One man killed the enemy and rode over a hundred. The power and influence are really admired by the subordinate officials."

The military exploits Wang Tong said made Ma Fang famous all over the world. It was this great achievement of beheading more than a hundred people that made Ma Fang rich and powerful today. When Wang Tong mentioned it at this time, Ma Fang was also very proud.

However, from the year of Longqing to the present, Ma Fang's achievements were nothing more than the fact that the Tartars invaded on a certain day, Ma Fang led the troops to attack, and the Tartars were defeated and fled, but there was no mention of beheading the head, nor the specific process.

The Tartars went south to plunder, and when they could not grab anything, they would always retreat to the grassland. The imperial court would not send people to check whether they were repulsed. Naturally, it can be said that they have won a big victory. On this point, Wang Tong naturally won't say it.

"At that time, the old man was young, and he fled back from the Tartars. He was full of blood and courage, so there was such an aggressive thing. These years, the holy grace has been so great, and the old man was sent to guard one side. Only then did the old man know that he must be safe. Everything is safe. It comes first."

Wang Tong and Cai Nan couldn't say anything at this time. They just nodded with a smile. Seeing how rich the mansion is, people would really be reluctant to rush in, but Marin next to him said:
"May I ask Mr. Wang to tell you how to kill the enemy on the grassland? I'm really curious about Mr. Wang's unimaginable victory?"

In this kind of military town, there are still people who want to know how to fight. Wang Tong saw a lot of Ma Lingao, so he nodded with a smile and began to talk about it.

However, this big victory on the grassland has little to do with intelligence and strategy. The calm response is one aspect, and the improvement of equipment is another aspect. The carts are the city, and the guns are far away. The bow and arrow shooting that the Tartars were good at lost its effect, and this was the root cause of the victory.

After explaining for half an hour, Ma Lin listened attentively, but Cai Nan bumped into Wang Tong and winked at the host, and Ma Fang dozed off there.

Ma Fang is in good spirits. From Datong border town to Xuanfu, he has spent decades fighting against the Tartars. He should be interested in the winning strategies Wang Tong said, and he should be more interested in listening to them than Ma. Lin was more focused, and Wang Tong's speech was wonderful, but he didn't expect Ma Fang to fall asleep...

***************
"Your Excellency invited Xiaguan to come to the mansion to share the worries of Xiaguan. I am here to thank you!"

Everything is luxurious, but Wang Tong was a little irritable, and he simply picked up the topic directly. Ma Fang, who was still drowsy just now, woke up at this moment, and said with a smile:

"Yunsheng asked for [-], but I don't know how much Huweiying wants to keep?"

Wang Tong was taken aback when he heard that, what the other party meant was that he would buy all the Ma family except his own, which was really bold. While he was pondering there, Ma Lin, who was sitting across from him, stood up with a stiff smile, fisted and said:
"Master Wang, I feel a little uncomfortable in my lower body, so I will leave first, please forgive me."

After finishing speaking, he left the table in a hurry. When Ma Lin left the room, Ma Fang smiled helplessly, and said:
"This son of the old man has the strategy of arching horses, but his brain is not very bright. He always likes to talk about righteousness, saying that he should take the head immediately. If it is so easy, what is the court going to do..."

"Huwei Camp keeps two hundred for itself."

Wang Tong pretended not to hear Ma Fang's emotion, and reported a number. Ma Fang nodded with a smile, and said:
"The rest of the old man will return to the old man's side!"

"300 taels each!"

Since Ma Fang's mansion is so extravagant, Wang Tong simply asked for more, 36 heads and [-] taels of silver, which is a huge sum of money. The smile on Ma Fang's face remained undiminished, and he said gently:

"That's easy to say, but the old man can't take out so much money at once..."
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Thank you for your support. Ma Fang did make great military achievements during the Jiajing period, but after Longqing, his military achievements were very vague, and the thieves often retreated, but the actual achievements were rarely described, and Ma Fang was extravagant in the Xuanfu. This is also recorded in the historical notes.

(End of this chapter)