Brother Song Taizu

Chapter 186 Heroes
Soon, the sound of regular armor scraping could be heard on the street. Soon, at least a thousand soldiers had surrounded this small wine shop, with three floors inside and outside, and people from several houses next door. The commanding heights were all occupied by the Song Army's elite crossbowmen.

Quan Shixiong, who has been in the army for a long time, can tell that the sound must be from the brand-new Shanwen armor. He can't help but sigh, this Song Army is really damn rich, and the processing capabilities of the trading company are really... Mother's horror.

Then he smiled bitterly: The Song Dynasty was a big country, but Zhao Kuangyin heard that he was extremely frugal. Once the queen was scolded by him in public just because she wanted to decorate the carriage with some gold. The money she had was basically spent on the imperial army, and she gave the general who commanded the army absolute support. Trust me, the supervisory army is just like a decoration.

On the contrary, the Shu Kingdom was originally a small country, and it had accumulated some wealth only because there had been little civil strife in the past 20 years. However, Meng Chang only used the hard-earned money to expand the palace, marry all the beauties around Chengdu, and live a peaceful life. He was extremely extravagant, and even ordered the people in the city to plant colorful flowers and put them on the roofs, just to make him look happy when he stood on a high place, and some said it was to make his wife happy.

Life is so extravagant, but armaments have long been relaxed. Civil servants are reused and generals are suppressed. Almost none of the 13 Shu troops can be paid on time, and some are not even paid once every few months. They do not trust the Forbidden Army at all. The so-called Shu army The main force of the army was the so-called evil boy with a carved face who was created later.

That is, prisoners.

Undefeated is the devil.

After a while, the door of the wine shop opened, and a group of tooth generals entered the room to check it out. Then, wearing casual clothes, Zhao Guangmei, the star of Jianmen, walked in leisurely, leaning on a jade ax and looking at him.

Wang Quanbin looked at his young and somewhat exaggerated face and couldn't help but feel a little lost. He sighed: "You are His Highness the King of Qin, right? You are really similar to my master back then."

Cao Bin frowned and shouted angrily: "Who is Meng Chang, worthy of being compared to my Highness?"

Zhao Guangmei waved her hand nonchalantly and said, "Meng Chang also ascended the throne as a young man. He must have been as old as me at that time, right? The old general Quan must have seen things and missed people. I heard that Meng Chang was also called a man when he first succeeded to the throne. A promising leader who organized the army, governed the officials wisely, eliminated corruption, and saved money and food. Among the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms, there were not many who could compare with him. Unfortunately, after middle age, he became addicted to women. Extravagant enjoyment has led to the ruin of the political and military affairs. Old General Quan, this is reminding me to learn from Meng Chang and remember that there is no beginning and no end. How can you be angry because of this? "

Unexpectedly, Quan Shixiong snorted coldly and said: "It's all the demon concubine who brought harm to the country and confused the Lord. Otherwise, why would it be like this? It is not that I, a man from Sichuan and Shu, cannot fight, but most of the civil servants are greedy and despicable. I know nothing about war, and I hate that although our troops are brave, they cannot use it. The Kingdom of Shu will not be destroyed by the hands of your Song Kingdom, but by the hands of this demon concubine!"

Zhao Guangmei waved everyone to leave, and then said: "Don't have one demon concubine for one mouth and one demon concubine for every two people. Madam Huarui is now my eldest brother's favorite concubine. I have to call her sister-in-law. I don't like it when you call my sister-in-law like that." , and when it comes to things like the collapse of a country and the destruction of a family, it would be too disrespectful to put the responsibility on a woman. Meng Chang, he is not the material of a wise king at all. To put it bluntly, doesn’t he just have no self-control and die of laziness? What does it have to do with my sister-in-law, it’s not her fault that she is beautiful.”

But I have to say that this Mrs. Xu is really not ordinary beautiful. Her eldest brother is so confused that she is fascinated by her. Now she can be said to be loved by thousands of people. Her eldest brother feels uncomfortable if he doesn't go to her for a day. Even this bitch He was so arrogant that he started riding horses in the palace.

You know, even his biological brother doesn’t dare to ride a horse in the palace!

Even if he is as frugal as Zhao Kuangyin, he has indeed begun to spend a lot of money on this woman since she entered the palace. This woman also has many ways to spend money and is very good at spending money.

Historically, it was his second brother Zhao Guangyi who couldn't stand it and shot the witch to death with one arrow. To be honest, the second brother might not kill the witch again in this life. He is a concubine, but sometimes he, the third youngest, can't help but want to stab this bitch to death.

Of course, you can't say this in front of Quan Shixiong, and you must put all the responsibility on Meng Chang.

That's what Quan Shixiong mentioned. He didn't dwell on the matter. When he saw Zhao Guangmei coming, he simply said: "The rebel leader is here. Your Highness, King Qin, do you want to kill him or arrest him?"

When Zhao Guangmei saw this, she burst into laughter and said, "The old general trusts me and thinks highly of me, so he invited me to meet here. How can I not be moral? I am here today just to meet with the old general. Make friends, eat wine, and never miss him at all, hahaha."

As he said that, he took out another piece of gold from his pocket, placed it on the table and said, "Shopkeeper, I'll serve you with good wine and good food."

Quan Shixiong was slightly surprised when he heard this and said: "Your Highness, you really don't want to arrest me? If you don't arrest me, I will finish my meal in a while and leave."

"If you don't arrest me, I won't arrest you if you say I won't arrest you. Just leave after you finish your meal. No one in the whole city of Chengdu can touch a hair on your head. I will also give you a big gift."

"His Highness's mind and courage are truly admirable."

"Old General Quan is a rare hero in Sichuan and Sichuan. We, the Song Dynasty, have always valued heroes and heroes, and this is what we should do."

Of course, the main reason is that catching him is useless.

In fact, the rebels in the middle of Shu were all the officers and soldiers of the original Shu regime. They were not a ragtag group of people who were only supported by a certain hero and power. To put it bluntly, the reason why he became the king of Xing Shu was entirely because of him. The oldest and the most senior.

Then what's the use of killing him? They can always replace him with another one, but it will make the rebels full of righteous indignation. This is too much of a loss.

So why not have a chat with this old general? Zhao Guangmei is really curious about what Quan Shixiong wants to talk to him.

"A defeated general does not dare to use the words "hero" and "hero". In this life, he is just drifting with the crowd. However, he must be cautious about the word "traitor" in the end.

"Traitor?"

"Qingtang and Tubo want to buy saltpeter from us."

"I see, it's the Khitans who took action. I've also heard that you seem to have saltpeter in your hands."

"Sichuan and Sichuan are mountainous. If there are mountains, it will naturally be easier to find saltpeter. I heard that this substance is the most important raw material when making firearms?"

"Not only firearms, but also used to make ice and chemical fertilizers. I really didn't know in advance that the Liao Kingdom would really pay such a high price for such a small amount of salty soil. So, have the Tibetan soldiers entered Sichuan? "

Quan Shixiong shook his head: "I don't know. I received a letter from Lu Han. He told me that they wanted to invite me to fight Mianzhu together."

"Thank you." Zhao Guangmei nodded, knowing it well, and then couldn't help but look at Quan Shixiong up and down. The more he looked at him, the more he liked him.

In any case, at least he did not collude with the Khitans and Tubo people, which was actually quite rare during the Five Dynasties period.

In other words, fortunately, Sichuan and Sichuan seem to be close to Tubo, and the Khitan is actually not that easy to help and has to rely on others. Otherwise, it would be really hard to say.

In fact, there are really many people who are willing to be traitors to the Khitans these days, and the Khitans do have a good way of treating the Han people. Of course, there should not be many people in the world who are willing to be traitors to the Tubo people.

Just as he was thinking this, he heard someone outside shouting: "Father." Then a young girl wearing a white shirt pushed the door in and cried with Quan Shixiong.

Zhao Guangmei said: "People cannot be resurrected. All the men in your family are gone. This is all due to Mi Guangxu's cruelty and recklessness. But fortunately, the women can still be saved. In any case, their lives are saved. I have killed Mi Guangxu." Now, the corpse is still hanging on the city tower. I think you must have seen it. Here, on behalf of the Song Dynasty, I would like to apologize to you."

After saying that, Zhao Guangmei stood up and saluted the father and daughter.

"Thank you. Your Highness is indeed unique in what he does. No wonder the Song Dynasty has become so powerful in just a few years."

"How about the two of us cooperate and set up a trap to lure the Tubo people into hiding and kill them?"

Quan Shixiong said: "Your Highness, you have misunderstood. I have no intention of surrendering to the Song Dynasty. The Song army killed nearly a hundred members of my family. Although Mi Guangxu died, my heart is still broken. In this life, I have no intention of surrendering to the Song Dynasty." , I am destined to fight to the death. If Your Highness doesn’t catch me or kill me today, I will still have to fight with you on the battlefield after I go back next time.”

Zhao Guangmei was stunned for a moment, then smiled and said: "Okay, Old General Quan is indeed a hero. I know that if you don't have the Qingtang Tubo and the Khitan assistants behind you, you will be dead in a fight with me, but you are still willing to remind me I refuse to be a traitor, a good man, a good man. For this reason, even if you and I are enemies, you are worthy of drinking with me, old general, please."

"Your Highness, you are so heroic."

As he said that, Quan Shixiong also laughed loudly and started having sex with him using a big bowl.

Zhao Guangmei stood up and was about to pour him a second bowl of wine, but Quan Shixiong stopped him and asked, "Does Your Highness really want to let me go?"

"Of course, can I go back on my words? Does the old general look down on me?"

"I dare not, but Your Highness, I am a Chengdu native. I have grown up in Chengdu since I was a child. I have nostalgia for Chengdu. I would like to ask Your Highness, can Chengdu's prosperity today be sustained?"

"Continue? Where is this?"

Zhao Guangmei poured wine for Quan Shixiong and said: "Chengdu will definitely be one of the biggest cities in the Song Dynasty in the future. At least, it must be comparable to half of Kaifeng. Don't look down on this half of Kaifeng." , Do you know what the taxes, the income of the people, and the number of people in Kaifeng this year are? I’m afraid I’ll scare you if I tell you.”

While talking, Zhao Guangmei casually took out a simple small administrative division map of Chengdu from his pocket and said: "Here, I plan to build a textile district, and I want to develop Chengdu into the most important city of the Song Dynasty in the future. As a textile center, especially mulberry, linen and dyeing, Chengdu has natural advantages in this area of ​​craftsmanship."

"There is also logging. There is a large amount of high-quality wood in the Sichuan and Shu regions, which can be sent down the river to Jinghu. The trading company has long wanted to expand the shipyard in Jinghu. You don't know that now the Song Dynasty's Shipping is so tight. It is no exaggeration to say that if you just keep a merchant ship, you can feed and feed the whole family with your eyes closed. The reason is that there are not enough excellent and easy-to-access giant trees. Shipbuilding in Jingzhou The factory has never been able to expand, and it’s hard for a clever woman to make a meal without rice. As for tea, that goes without saying, people from the Central Plains, Hebei, and even Khitan drink more tea than you people from the south."

"Both of these are industries that can produce immediate results and can greatly increase employment. In addition, I also want to start big projects in Sichuan and build a lot of roads in the Chengdu Plain. It was built in all directions. Use gunpowder and cement to build a brand new plank road. At least it can no longer make it difficult for the Shu Road to reach the sky. Finally, a large amount of cement is used to build a tube tower in Chengdu. Do you know what a tube tower is? Kaifeng has already built another one. Yes, I can draw it for you."

"Finally, and most importantly, I want to practice steelmaking in Chengdu. The transmission area has the richest iron ore in the country. It is relatively easy to make coke. The conditions for iron production are unique and are actually much higher than those in Kaifeng. "

"This is business. In addition, I have already written to my elder brother to set up the largest foreign forbidden army in Sichuan and Sichuan, with at least 5 people. The food, drink and shit of these 5 people is all economic. With these [-] people People are here to conquer Dali in the south and Tubo in the west. The imperial court does not collect taxes from Chengdu. Commercial taxes from Chengdu are intercepted on the spot for military purposes. As for the people in the Sichuan and Shu areas, they will be exempted from all taxes for three years. After two years, maybe the New Deal will be completely implemented here, and the agricultural tax may be permanently canceled by then."

"Look, within ten years, our Song Dynasty will not only make Chengdu prosperous and Sichuan and Shu rich, but also use this as a basis to pacify all the barbarians in the southwest, lay down a large territory, and open up a peaceful and prosperous age for at least 200 years. !”

Zhao Guangmei, the only fault in her life was that she was greedy for drinking. She drank while blowing water, and soon got good at blowing. However, she had to drag Quan Shixiong to the development zone to see his new improved textile machine, and then took him I saw how cement is constructed, etc.

Quan Shixiong did not refuse, and just stayed with Zhao Guangmei for the whole afternoon. At the same time, he was so excited that his face was as red as blood while listening to the various plans Zhao Guangmei had made for Chengdu.

Zhao Guangmei, who was a little confused after drinking, put her arms around Quan Shixiong's neck and whispered to her confidant, half truthfully and half falsely:

"Lao Quan, let bygones be bygones. Brother, let me tell you something from the bottom of my heart. Why did I come to Chengdu in person? I'm anxious. You have short eyelids and can't see. I, Da Song In the northwest, we are still at loggerheads with the Khitans. Don’t you know that the situation in the northwest is very complicated? So why do you think I’m here? I’m just here to pacify you.”

"My elder brother and I have made an agreement long ago. Three months, three months, including the time spent on the road, two months have passed. Tell me, why don't you surrender?"

"Yes, all the men in your family are dead, and I can't advise you to be generous. It's really inappropriate for me to put all the responsibility on Mi Guangxu at this time. But these days, don't you have to look forward? , immersed in the hatred of the past, dead people cannot survive. You can live a human life, but life is worse than death. You are a veteran. You have also seen the situation in Chengdu. The people of Chengdu, I believe You must have already figured it out in your heart. Why, do you really think you can still win? Even if you have the Khitan and Tubo behind you, so what, can you win? Touch your own conscience, do you really still want to win? Is there even half a chance or one in [-] of winning? Come down, I won’t treat you badly. Do you just don’t trust me so much? I smashed these millions of sticks without blinking my eyes. Do you think I Will it harm you?"

When Quan Shixiong heard this, he didn't refute, but took out a piece of tissue paper from his pocket and handed it to Zhao Guangmei.

"what is this?"

"Gauntlet."

"War book?"

"Isn't Your Highness anxious? Within ten days, I will form a decisive battle with your Song army on the plains three miles south of Chengdu. They will fight to the death. May I ask if Your Highness can respond?"

When Zhao Guangmei heard this, she shook her head vigorously, slapped her face, and said, "You and I will fight in the field and win?"

"right"

"You just don't want to live anymore, so why don't you take the initiative to die?"

Quan Shixiong laughed loudly and said: "You asked me to surrender to the Song Dynasty. After all, I couldn't pass the test in my heart. I have fought all my life. If I can die for my motherland and be buried in a horse-hide corpse, it is not a bad way to die." Of course, I don’t dare to delay His Highness’s great cause because of my petty willfulness.”

"You... hey~"

Zhao Guangmei let out a long sigh and didn't know what to say, so she could only say: "If the old general is determined to leave, then I have no choice but to help you, but you can rest assured that I will take care of your wife and daughter."

"Then thank you, Your Highness. Your Highness, if you don't arrest me, I will go back and reorganize my troops right now, and prepare for a life-or-death showdown with you in ten days."

(End of this chapter)