MTL - Poor Family-v2 Chapter 925 Helan Old Sword
Chapter 925 Helan Old Sword
Although the Jingzhao City in the Song Dynasty no longer had the East Market and West Market in Chang'an City, the Song Dynasty had already demolished the square walls, and shops could be opened along the street. Also more prosperous.
However, in addition to the shops along the street, the Song Dynasty also had commercial centers, and tiles played this role. It is more of a complex of later generations, where eating, drinking, and entertainment are gathered together, but it is larger and more colorful than the complexes of later generations.
There are six tiles in Jingzhao City. Among them, Wanjiawan tiles in Xicheng is the largest Goulan tiles in Jingzhao City. It covers an area of more than 300 mu. There are thousands of shops of various kinds. There is also a Cuju court in the northwest corner , there is also a singing booth that can accommodate thousands of people. Seeing that the New Year is coming, Wanjiawan Wazi is crowded with people, and various shops are selling various goods from all over the world, which is very lively.
Li Yanqing walked casually in the tiles as usual, he did not travel in low clothes, although he was an envoy of the Sichuan-Shaanxi Economic Strategy and the highest military and political officer on Shaanxi Road, but he also had a normal life like an ordinary official, strolling around Going shopping, having a drink in a restaurant, or sitting in a teahouse are all normal things, and the people are not particularly afraid of him because he is the highest official.
The Song Dynasty was a typical civil society. The gap between the officials and the people was not very deep.
Li Yanqing wears a horned headband, a white blouse, a leather belt around his waist, and a folding fan in his hand. He is dressed like a typical scholar. Although he is tall, his appearance is very ordinary. Putting on an ordinary person Dressed up, no one on the street recognized him as Li Jinglue. Along with Li Yanqing was Bo Caoye, the new head of the Jinglue Mansion. Cao Ye was the son of Cao Yan. He completed his studies in Taixue three years ago and was born as a Jinshi. , served as an assistant professor of Huangzhou official school, because Jingzhaofu school was upgraded to Taixue and needed a large number of professors, Cao Ye was transferred from Huangzhou to Jingzhao as a professor of classics.
However, because a large number of officials under Li Yanqing went to work on Hedong Road, and the Jinglue Mansion was seriously short of people, Cao Ye was transferred to the Jinglue Mansion as the chief secretary, from Huangzhou when he was promoted from Jiupin Wenlin Lang to Qipin Chao Sanlang can be regarded as a skill for promotion.
Cao Ye has a cheerful personality and a stable workmanship. He is also a son of the Cao family, and he is highly regarded by Li Yanqing. Every time he travels, he will take him behind him. He is equivalent to the post of secretary for future generations.
Not far behind were a few personal followers, and if they encountered any trouble, they had to rush forward.
"The officials still go to Guangji Rice Shop today?" Cao Ye asked with a smile.
Five days ago, Li Yanqing heard the housekeeper complain that the price of rice had risen too fast, so he went to a rice shop in this tile shop to buy rice by himself. The price increased by 50% because there were rumors that Song Xia The resumption of war will cause the people to panic and hoard food, leading to a general increase in food prices. On the one hand, Li Yanqing tells the government to avoid rumors, and on the other hand, he orders Zhang Shun to investigate the source of the rumors.
Now that the rumors have subsided, Li Yanqing came here again today to check on the price of grain.
"Let's just take a look!"
Li Yanqing smiled and said: "I can't ask about everything, otherwise the magistrate should be dismissed from office."
"Jing Lue is right, it is not a good thing to meddle too much in these small matters."
At this moment, there was a sudden explosion of firecrackers not far away, and many people ran over, "It seems that a new store has opened!" Cao Ye laughed.
In recent months, a lot of shops have indeed opened. The main reason is that the Song army seized Hedong Road, which made Shaanxi Road safe. The first consideration of merchants was safety.
A fur shop opened today. The name of the shop is 'Helan Old Sword', which is really eye-catching, and the name makes one guess that this shop may have something to do with Xixia.
Li Yanqing immediately became interested. You must know that in addition to furs, livestock, medicinal materials, and wine, Xixia's weapons and harnesses are also very famous.
The products that are famous for later generations include gold-decorated saddles, cold-forged armor, and Xia Guojian. Xixia’s sword-making skills were once the best in the world. Even the sword of the emperor of Song Dynasty was Xixia’s sword. Although Xixia’s saddles are not as famous as good Khitan saddles, But it is also exquisite in workmanship, and pays great attention to the feeling of the knight. It is more comfortable to ride on a horse and can travel long distances.
In addition, Xixia's iron armor is also very famous, and the cold-forged armor worn by the iron kite is even more famous all over the world. This is mainly because Xixia uses a large vertical double-fan bellows, which can make the furnace temperature higher and the quality of the ironware produced is better. good.
However, the production of iron ore in Xixia is very low, and the Song Dynasty imposed an embargo on pig iron for Xixia. Therefore, although the quality of Xixia swords and armor is high, the output is extremely low. Only nobles in Xixia can wear them. In addition, cold forging armor is only available for Xixia princes. Three thousand core guards wear.
So Li Yanqing saw that this shop was actually called 'Helan Old Sword', and it is understandable that he was deeply surprised. You must know that Helan is almost another name for Xixia.
There are all kinds of silk flowers tied with red satin on the door of the shop, and several clerks are warmly greeting customers. There have been wars in recent years, and people generally lack a sense of security. The weapon business is really good, as long as you don’t buy and sell long weapons and military crossbows Waiting for contraband, the government does not interfere.
Li Yanqing walked into the shop with great interest. The layout of the shop was no different from that of an ordinary weapon shop. There were all kinds of swords and bows on the shelves and walls. Although it was called the Helan Old Sword, Li Yanqing did not see a sword from Xixia's sword.
At this time, the shopkeeper came up to greet him with a smile and said, "What do you want to buy, sir?"
Li Yanqing took a look at him and saw that he was not a member of the party, but an authentic Han with a Sichuan accent, so he smiled and said, "Since it's called Helan Old Sword. Is there Xia Guojian here?"
"Yes, there are, but the quantity is very small and the price is very expensive, so they are not displayed."
"Can you take it out and have a look?"
The shopkeeper hesitated for a moment, and he and his staff carried out a box from under the counter. Several customers nearby gathered around after hearing that there was Xia Guojian.
The box was opened, and eight precious swords were taken out. The scabbards were made of wood, and a layer of luxurious leopard skin was sewn on the outside. The swords were of moderate length. Li Yanqing picked up a sword and pulled out half of it, feeling a chill rushing towards his face. The blade of the sword was shining coldly, and he lightly hit the wooden stake for testing the sword, and the blade sank into the stake.
"Good sword! Good sword!" Li Yanqing repeatedly praised.
The other guests saw the sharpness of the sword with their own eyes, and rushed forward to grab it. The shopkeeper pressed the lid of the wooden box and said loudly: "I'm ugly, this sword is expensive, and I can't afford it if I lose it. If you want to see the sword , let's go inside and talk!"
"Shopkeeper, how much is this sword!"
Li Yanqing returned the sword to the shopkeeper, he wanted to see the other seven.
"This is the authentic Xia Guojian. My proprietor also took great pains to transport it to the Song Dynasty. It is five hundred taels of silver, and it will not give up a penny!"
Everyone gasped suddenly, two thousand and five hundred guan, if it was iron money, it would cost five thousand guan, and silver, which is rarely seen in the market, who could afford it, everyone shook their heads, then turned and left, waiting for everyone to leave , Li Yanqing smiled at the shopkeeper: "Let's go inside and talk!"
"Is the official interested?"
Li Yanqing nodded with a smile, and the shopkeeper immediately invited Li Yanqing into the back room.
Li Yanqing tried the swords one by one from the box, and each sword was so sharp that he couldn't put it down. Li Yanqing smiled and said, "I want all these eight swords, and the price is slightly lower, how about it?"
The shopkeeper was stunned, and asked after a while: "Do you want all eight swords?"
"This kind of Xia Guojian can be encountered but not sought after. Since I have encountered it, how can I let it go?" Li Yanqing laughed.
The shopkeeper pondered for a while and said: "If the guest officer is willing to pay gold, then four hundred taels of silver is the lowest price."
Li Yanqing also knows that Xixia gold is valuable. If you pay for the gold yourself, it will actually become six hundred taels of silver. This is also to make money from the difference in gold prices between the two countries. The country strictly prohibits gold and silver from leaving the country, and if caught, they will be beheaded.
But the other party was able to transport the Xia Guojian, which is strictly prohibited from export by Xixia, to Song Dynasty, which is indeed a bit capable.
He nodded, "That's three hundred and twenty taels of gold, and I'll get someone to send it later."
He gave an order to the two soldiers, and they went back immediately.
Li Yanqing sat in the shop and waited. The shopkeeper served him a cup of tea and asked with a smile, "From the accent, it seems that the official is not from Jingzhao either?"
"I am from Xiangzhou, Hebei. Now the world is in chaos, and everyone is leaving their homes."
"Yes! Xixia suffered a rare snow disaster in a century last year, causing heavy losses in various places, and it has not recovered yet."
"The shopkeeper is a party member?" Li Yanqing asked tentatively,
The shopkeeper shook his head, "I am a Han Chinese. I have lived in Xixia for several years, and I only came to Jingzhao this year."
Li Yanqing pondered for a while and said: "I want to order another hundred Xia Guojian, is it possible?"
The shopkeeper quickly shook his head, "Xia Guojian is also very difficult to buy in Xixia, let alone smuggled to Song Dynasty. Forgive me for not agreeing to this."
Li Yanqing smiled again: "The four forbidden products of Western Xia, Xia Guojian, cold forged armor, bamboo horns, and Helan horse, I am interested in them all. Can we cooperate?"
The shopkeeper got up and closed the door, and said in a low voice: "Xia Guojian and Leng Duanjia are under the control of the palace, so they are basically out of reach, but Zhu Niujiao and Helan Horse are possible. If the officials are willing to trade with gold, let's find a way. "
Bamboo ox horn is a kind of horn called bamboo ox. It is only produced in Xixia. It is the best raw material for making bows. If you give it to a good craftsman to make a bow, one stone bow can reach the lethality of three stone bows. There are no good bowsmiths in Xixia, and Song Dynasty has The best bowsmiths don't have this kind of bamboo horns, so everyone tries to solve it by smuggling.
As for the Helan horse, also known as the mountain horse, a war horse that can run in the mountains, it is also of great strategic value, especially for scouts, and is called the treasure of scouts.
Li Yanqing nodded, "How much of these two items can you get?"
The shopkeeper thought for a while and said: "I can't answer the officer now, let's wait a few days! The officer will come again, maybe I will have news."
At this time, two soldiers brought two packs, thirty-two ingots of yellow gold, Li Yanqing pushed the gold to him, "We deal!"
Looking at the yellow gold, the shopkeeper narrowed his eyes with a smile, cupped his fists and said, "I believe that in a few days, there will be news of interest from the officials."
Li Yanqing bid farewell and left. He stopped shopping in the market and went directly to Jinglue Mansion. He sent someone to find Zhang Shun and said to him, "Wazi in Wanjiawan has a newly opened weapon shop called Helan Old Shop. , You send your capable men to keep an eye on them, I suspect they are smuggling pig iron to Xixia."
This kind of contraband smuggling is mutual. Since they can transport the prohibited items from Xixia to Da Song, they can also transport the prohibited items from Da Song to Xixia. The first embargoed item from Da Song to Xixia is pig iron.
(end of this chapter)
