Prince of Song Dynasty

Chapter 346 How is the arrangement going?

After kneeling down to salute, Ye Chen took a gift in a long box from Zhou Xin, and before Zhou Xin could finish some flattering words, he sat him down and asked straight to the point: "What about the bank? How are the arrangements going?"

As soon as he talked about the business, Zhou Xin's slightly obscene flattering smile disappeared immediately, and he said solemnly: "My lord, according to your instructions, the capital city of Wuyue Kingdom, Hangzhou, and the big city of Suzhou already have two of our brothels and one bank. , the people brought by Mr. Hu have also been hidden as servants and guards of the brothel. And the bank has now opened up the situation, except that the money is paid by us, and everyone who uses it is King Zheng of the Southern Tang Dynasty... ...It should be said that he was sent by Zheng Guogong Li Congshan, and the big shopkeeper of the bank is also Li Congshan's confidant. As long as it is arranged by his subordinates, this big shopkeeper will do it well without any discount. Therefore, even if someone wants to check the details of the bank, it is absolutely We can't find the head of our Huaxia Weifu."

Saying this, Zhou Xin was also secretly filled with infinite admiration for his chief envoy.He personally contacted Li Congshan to handle this matter. Li Congshan's attitude of absolute obedience to the Commander-in-Chief shocked him a lot at that time.After all, Li Congshan was the younger brother of Li Yu, the lord of the Southern Tang Dynasty.

As for Qianzhuang, which is similar to the existence of banks in later generations, Ye Chen remembered that it should have appeared in the late Southern Song Dynasty in later generations, but he did not expect that it actually appeared in Jiangnan now.It's just that it is extremely rare in the Song Dynasty, and it is the Wuyue Kingdom and the Southern Tang Dynasty that really prevailed in the world.

According to the information learned by geniuses like Ye Chen, the first bank first appeared in Hangzhou City, the capital of Wuyue Kingdom, about 20 years ago.

In fact, after learning more about Wuyue Kingdom these days, Ye Chen realized that Wuyue Kingdom is located in the entire territory of Zhejiang Province and the northeast, east and south of Taihu Lake in later generations.It is much smaller than the Great Song Dynasty and Southern Tang Dynasty, as well as Khitan in the north, but it is actually the richest country in the world.

There is a reason for all this.At the end of the Tang Dynasty and the Five Dynasties, feudal vassal regimes were separated, and wars continued frequently. Qian Liu, the founding emperor of the Wuyue Kingdom, adopted the strategic policy of protecting the environment and the people and "resting the army and resting the people". The two Zhejiang provinces where it is located have a relatively long period of stable development.It can be said that in the chaotic times of the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms for more than 50 years, Wuyue Kingdom was the only piece of pure land. After the founding of the country, there was almost no major war.It also made Wuyue Kingdom's commerce extremely developed, far more developed than any other country in the era of the Land of China, which had a direct impact on the people's living income.Of course, this is also directly related to the great importance attached to business by the successive rulers of the Wuyue Kingdom.

Every year, Wuyue Kingdom paid 10 taels of silver, [-] bolts of silk, and countless other treasures to Song Dynasty.Ye Chen originally thought that this would be a great burden to Wuyue Kingdom, but now it seems that this is not the case at all.

Ye Chen remembered that Zhejiang people were good at doing business in later generations, but he didn’t expect it to be the same in this era. When Ye Chen learned about this a few days ago, he couldn’t help but wonder if the reason why Zhejiang people in later generations are good at doing business is because of his ancestors. For the sake of being passed down from generation to generation.

Ye Chen nodded slightly, expressed his satisfaction with Zhou Xin's work without hesitation, praised Zhou Xin a lot, declined Zhou Xin's extravagant preparations in Sizhou City, and arranged some things for him, and then Let Zhou Xin disembark and leave.

After Zhou Xin left, Ye Chen picked up the rectangular sandalwood box beside him and opened it curiously.

This was a gift that Zhou Xingang gave him very carefully, but before he could introduce what was inside, he was interrupted by Ye Chen and started talking about business, and he didn't mention it again until Zhou Xin left.

The box opened slowly, revealing the true face of the things inside.

Ye Chen narrowed his eyes.It's a sword, a sword that doesn't look out of the ordinary, but has a sense of antiquity all over its body.

Taking out the long sword, Ye Chen held the hilt steadily with his right hand.Pull slowly.

Quietly, the sword edge was unsheathed.

Just like the layer of snow on the Cangshan Mountain, like the smear of blue in the North Lake, like a ray of wind from the south of the Yangtze River, the clear and bright sword light is rippling in the study, extremely gentle, but in the gentleness there is With a bitter chill.

Ye Chen was slightly moved, seeing the preciousness and sharpness of this sword, even sharper than the dagger he brought from later generations.

He flicked his wrist lightly and waved it casually twice.Feeling that the weight was also very appropriate, the sword edge broke through the wind silently, and brushed the candle on the table next to it three times, but the candle did not move at all.

Ye Chen learned swordsmanship from Bai Canghai last year. If there were no special circumstances, he would practice swordsmanship every morning or evening. It can be said that he practiced swordsmanship extremely hard regardless of the weather. Even Bai Canghai once lamented this point.

Because of this, coupled with Ye Chen's unique talent and abnormal body, his kendo level has been improving rapidly. Now he may be weaker than Bai Canghai in kendo, but he is already considered a first-class swordsman in the whole world.

It's just that although the sword he has been using is not bad, it can be regarded as a precious sword in the eyes of ordinary swordsmen, but it is nothing compared to the sword in front of him.

Ye Chen never believed in the bullshit saying that a real master can win without a sword, that flying leaves can hurt people, and that branches can be used as swords.He only knows how important it is to have a weapon at hand, a set of more powerful bows and arrows, and a stronger and sharper sword to improve his strength, especially if he wants to fight head-on with a real master. The strength of the two is equal, whoever has the superior weapon is the key to victory.

In other words, although Ye Chen possesses all the strength and the hundred-step piercing arrow technique, he only has an ordinary stone bow and an ordinary iron-tipped arrow with a bamboo pole in his hands. At most, he is just an ordinary army sharpshooter. , can't play his incomparable Hercules arrow at all, only two or three people in the world dare to fight head-on.

Now that he can have a real sword, it is obvious to him that his strength has improved, so Ye Chen is naturally very satisfied.

Ye Chen flicked the blade lightly, listening to the slight buzzing sound.He couldn't help but nodded appreciatively, thinking that Zhou Xin's flattery was really suitable.

Picking up the piece of paper in the box, he saw the origin of the sword was written on it.

Yuchang sword is one of the five great swords cast by Ou Yezi, a metallurgist of Yue State in the Spring and Autumn Period.Han Yuan Kang's "Yue Jue Shu Wai Zhuan Ji Bao Jian": "He Lu stabbed King Liao of Wu with a sword of fish intestines."

Zhu Zhu put a dagger in the belly of the fish to assassinate King Liao of Wu, so it is called the Fish Intestine Sword, and it is the sword of bravery.Published in "Historical Records: Biographies of Assassins".Fish Intestine Sword, also known as Yuzang Sword, is said to have been made by Ou Yezi, a master swordsmith, for the King of Yue.When the black iron-like eagle was flying swiftly, Zhuan Zhu was also walking up to the hall carrying the plum blossom and phoenix anchovy that he had cooked himself.The sun is flickering in the sky, and the big eagle is flying fast.The soldiers in the main hall are displayed, and Zhuan Zhu moves forward steadily.Yun Duo was stunned by Flying Eagle's aura and swam away one after another.

Attracted by the aroma of the vegetables in Zhuan Zhu's hand, Wang Liao raised his nose and leaned forward. He only saw the vegetables but not Zhuan Zhu.The dish is called Plum Blossom Anchovy Sunburn. Plum Blossoms are cold plums in severe winter. Anchovy anchovy is an anchovy fish that only appears in the hot summer in Taihu Lake. Sunburning is to use the branches of cold plum blossoms in severe winter to roast the anchovy fish in Taihu Lake in midsummer. Roasting is to use the branches of Yandong Hanmei to roast the anchovy fish in Taihu Lake.

Feiying had already seen the outline of the main hall, and the sky suddenly darkened.Zhuan Zhu had already come before the king, put the dishes on the table, and the lights in the hall were still on.Dark clouds rolled in the sky, and the eagle had already folded its wings.Wang Liao swallowed his saliva, looking at the delicious food in front of him.Zhuan Zhuwendi was breaking the fish with his hands.Accompanied by a thunder, the flying eagle volleyed down towards the main hall.Wang Liao suddenly felt a murderous aura shoot out from the belly of the fish, and he was stunned.

The Yuchang sword has been unsheathed (fish belly), it is nestled firmly in Zhuanzhu's hand, and it moves forward rapidly, two well-trained iron spears cross in front of it to block it, and the Yugu sword passes through the gap, Still moving forward.There are three layers of suanni armor in front of him.The first layer penetrated, the second layer penetrated, and when it penetrated the third layer, the Fish Intestine Sword had become a broken sword.The sword is broken, but the murderous aura remains.Yuchang Sword is still moving forward.When the flying eagle crushed the hall, the Yuchang sword also entered Wang Liao's heart.

It is the fish intestine sword.

I don't know how this saber fell into Zhou Xin's hands, and what price or money Zhou Xin paid to get this sword.

"It turned out to be a legendary sword..." Ye Chen looked at the sword and laughed with satisfaction.

After blowing out the candles and leaving the cabin, Ye Chen was going to the bow to see the night view.

The cabin door is closed, the moonlight is quiet, the candle is broken into four pieces, one is stuck on the table, and the three pieces are rolling and restless.

Standing at the bow of the boat, Ye Chen thought of the Dajiang Gang that Zhou Xin mentioned just now when he left, and some thoughts came to his mind.

After the Huainan Gang was annihilated by the Song court last year, there was a vacuum in the power of the Yangtze River Basin and the Jianghuai area. The Dajiang Gang took advantage of the situation and rose under the leadership of the gang leader Liu Jinyuan. In just three months, it annexed fifteen gangs in the Yangtze River Basin and the big and small water villages. There are more than 2000 people and more than 300 ships of various sizes.The main source of income is the collection of protection fees for passing ships in the Yangtze River Basin and the canal south of Sizhou.Occasionally, according to the situation, he would do some murderous things.

These materials flashed through Ye Chen's mind one by one, and Ye Chen remembered another matter related to the Dajiang Gang.At the beginning of the year, he designed to divert people's attention with a fake Heavenly Star Jade Pendant. In the end, the fake Heavenly Star Jade Pendant was snatched by the Dajiang Gang. Later, Bai Canghai led a hundred swordsmen from Jianzhuang to forcibly snatch it back, and fought all the way to send it to him. When you arrive in Kaifeng, return it to Ye Chen.At that time, Ye Chen casually threw it to the people of Wu Desi who were coveting beside him, and it was regarded as handing it over to the emperor.

According to what Bai Canghai said, plus the information collected by the Intelligence Department of the Huaxia Weifu, this Dajiang gang is not simple. The gang leader Liu Jinyuan is also a top-notch expert, and he is very methodical and quite scheming.It is a hero.Basically, it replaced the Jianghuai Gang's position in the arena.

(End of this chapter)