Survival Three Kingdoms

Chapter 26 Zhongshan Rich Businessman

The four of Zhou Cang breathed a sigh of relief and continued to travel northward all the way, admiring the scenery of the northern country along the way, without rushing on their way.When we arrived at the bank of the Yellow River, we were delayed for an extra month. There was nothing we could do about it. The boat could not sail until the ice completely melted.

It was already spring when we entered the border of Jizhou, Hebei. On the road, we could always meet people who died of freezing and starvation in winter. There were also many surviving orphans howling among the dead. Zhou Cang wanted to choose a few skeletons as his next The first generation of training, suffering from their own lack of ability, had to ask Dian Wei, but Dian Wei shook his head and said, "No, there are not many who can become weapons, and even the better ones will be starved to waste." Zhou Cang told Dian Wei to meet in the future. Be sure to stay when it is appropriate.There were too many people in need of help, Zhou Cang couldn't show kindness, so he could only sigh and continue on his way.

When he arrived in Zhongshan, Zhou Cang was planning to buy a horse for each of them. Chen Zhong touched the few hundred dollars left in his pocket. Although Zhou Cang still had hundreds of dollars in his pocket, he thought to himself It would be nice if the money could buy a donkey, but he could only smile bitterly and dare not speak, but Zhou Cang was full of confidence.

Zhongshan has been a relatively independent existence since the Spring and Autumn Period, so merchants gathered there.Zhou Cang led the three of them to find a restaurant to rest their feet, drink some wine and eat some food.The few people had just had two drinks when they saw two more people coming in from outside the wine shop. They were dressed gorgeously and asked the store owner to warm a jar of wine and start talking.

"Brother Shiping, when do you plan to leave this trip?" one of them asked.

"Let's wait for summer, it happens to be fat, I wonder if Brother Su will go with you?"

"Brother Shiping was joking, which trip is still missing me. It's just that the grassland is getting more and more uneven. Let's make this trip a bit bigger, and then stop for a while to see what's going on. How about it?"

"Yeah, the grassland is not peaceful. Business is easy to do, but safety is difficult to guarantee. If you don't do it, you will lose your personal wealth. In addition, I have been thinking that every time I come back, there will be wear and tear. I wonder if you have a good plan?"

"Yeah, I haven't found a good solution for so many years."

Hearing this, Zhou Cang signaled the three to wait, got up and came in front of the two, and said politely, "I'm bothering you two, dare to ask the two brothers, but Zhang Shiping and Su Shuang?"

"Exactly, this is Zhang Shiping, this is Su Shuang. I don't know who your lord is, how do you know us?"

"I'm in Zhoujiabao, Xuzhou. I've heard about these two great names for a long time, and I don't want to meet here. I talked with the Mi brothers in Xuzhou a few days ago, and I mentioned them many times, so I know the two great names." Zhou Cang said casually. Tiger skins are used as banners, so there is no need to pay taxes anyway.

"Well, I've also heard of the Mi brothers' names, but I've never had the chance to meet them." Zhang Shiping said, "A few days ago, I received a letter from Mr. Mi Fang, asking us to help find some good horses. The price is very generous."

Zhou Cang stopped talking, and changed the subject if he talked too much. "It's not that I intend to listen to the two speeches, but I just listen to the difficulties you encounter. I wonder if I can help you?"

"This?" Zhang and Su looked at each other.

"Can I let you guess the next one?" Zhou Cang said, "But it's a horse?"

"How does Xiongtai know?" The two were taken aback.

"To tell you the truth, when my father traveled around, he was also very troubled by this matter, and finally came up with a solution."

Zhang and Su's eyes widened, "I would like to hear the details."

"This is not a place to talk. I wonder if the two of you have a convenient place to talk?"

"You can come to my house." Su Shuang replied.

Several people stopped drinking, and Gan Chen came to Su Shuang's house together with the wine jar in his arms.Zhou Cang asked with the package in his hand, "I wonder if the two of you have good iron?"

Zhang Shiping saw that Zhou Cang couldn't hide the details of his family, so he told the truth. "The two of us trade horses as a profession, and we often carry good iron with us."

"It's so good." Zhou Cang took out another iron tool made by blacksmith Zhang from the package. It was palm-sized and ring-shaped with small holes in it. "This thing is replaced by a horseshoe and nailed to the horse's hoof to prevent the horse's hoof from wearing and tearing."

After Zhang Shiping took it, he looked at it carefully for a long time and then handed it to Su Shuang, doubting the letter, "Really?"

"My father rode a horse, and found that if the horse's hoof was worn out, if the treatment was not done properly, the horse's toe would be rotted. After thinking hard, he made this thing like a human wearing boots. After trying it out, the problem will be solved immediately. Just replace the shoe. What is it? Just try it out."

"Even so, I'll give it a try later." Zhang Shiping immediately recruited his own blacksmith to build a few of them, and they continued to talk in the hall.

"If this happens, we will have no worries." Zhang Shiping said. "I don't know why brother Zhou came to Zhongshan, maybe the two of us can help?"

"I'm going to Youzhou via Zhongshan." Zhou Cang hit the nail on the head. "I was recommended by the governor's father-in-law to go to the governor Taoqian's tent to take orders. It was a fluke. When I crossed the Yellow River, I encountered a storm and the boat I was on capsized. Fortunately, the four of us were rescued and we were saved. "

"Congratulations, brother Zhou. There must be good fortune after suffering such a catastrophe. This time, I will be able to show my ambitions with the governor."

What was left was a few people chatting in different places. Under Zhou Cang's flickering, the two cast their eyes on Zhou Cang's talent and learning; Zhou Cang asked about the situation of the various ethnic groups in the north.Zhang and Su entertained several people for dinner, and after arranging a place to rest, they gathered together to discuss.

"If the horseshoe succeeds, we will gain a lot. It's just how to thank us?"

"I think this talent is very knowledgeable, and the servants he leads are all strong, and they are definitely not ordinary people. Now he is going to the governor's place again, to be appreciated by the governor, and he will surely gain power. If we can make friends, it will be good for me. It will be of great benefit to people in the future.”

"This statement is very true. Give him a generous gift."

"We have no shortage of horses. Seeing that they don't have any horses, why don't you give them to him?"

"If you want to give it, give it four. Seeing that he has weapons under his command, and he still has good iron at home, why don't you give him a few pairs of weapons?"

"I heard from him that the ship capsized. I think he didn't have much luggage and probably lost all his belongings, so I'll give him some money so that the Mi Brothers won't look down on us."

As successful businessmen, the two are well versed in the ways of observing words and expressions, offering bribes and giving gifts.After discussing properly, they rested separately.

The next day, after breakfast, the blacksmith came to report that the shoe had been made.Zhang and Su invited Zhou Cang to come to the backyard of the Su family. The yard was very large. They said that the yard was actually a big stable. Dian Wei and the others were very excited.After selecting a horse, the blacksmith and the groom, under the guidance of Zhou Cang, fixed the horseshoe and took it out for a test. Sure enough, the horse did not have any adverse reactions, and the horse's hoof was not worn out on the gravel road. They were overjoyed.

Zhang Shiping saluted and said, "I won't worry if I get this artifact from Brother Zhou."

"Zhou Cang is very relieved to be able to solve the worries of the two of you." Zhou Cang said again solemnly, "Just keep this matter a secret. In addition, please don't spread the art of horseshoes to outsiders, especially not to other races." Zhou Cang said It is not extravagant to hope that the secrecy can be kept, as long as it can be kept.

(End of this chapter)