Traveling through time and space to become a child, supporting the family by catching fish and shrim

In order to ensure a smooth journey, Manager Hong also hired two bodyguards to protect him throughout the journey.

Have a safe and smooth journey.

In the evening, the group arrived in Linshui County, exhausted.

Among the several counties under the jurisdiction of Guangling Prefecture, Linshui County has the strongest comprehensive strength. Tianshangju started here and then slowly radiated to other counties.

However, as the strongest county in Guangling Prefecture, the streets of Linshui County are much narrower than those of Chen Lang's hometown, Nanhe County. Even the main road in the county can only allow two horses to pass side by side.

The rest of the main roads can only allow one horse to pass through. Some main roads even only allow thin people to pass through, and it is difficult for fat people to pass through.

As the saying goes, to get rich, you must first build roads. If the roads are not good, economic development will inevitably be affected.

Linshui County is so rich, why doesn’t it think about widening the roads?

Chen Lang consulted Shopkeeper Hong about this issue, and Shopkeeper Hong cheerfully explained, "Because Linshui wasn't originally a county, but a trading post."

[咖場, a place established by the ancient Central Plains dynasties to trade with nomadic peoples outside the Great Wall].

"In the early days of our dynasty, the Liao Kingdom in the north frequently invaded the south, causing great suffering to the people living on the border. At the time, our dynasty was busy pacifying the south and had no time to care about the nomadic people in the north. Following the advice of our ministers, we signed a contract with the Liao Kingdom."

"In addition to paying large amounts of tribute, cloth, and brocade to the Liao Kingdom, we also established sixteen trading posts on the border to trade with the Liao Kingdom."

"After that, the two countries entered a period of stability for about ten years, and the scale of Linshui's trading post gradually expanded. Back then, the streets of Linshui were much wider than they are now."

"But twenty-three years ago, the Liao monarch unilaterally broke the contract and brazenly sent troops south, burning, killing, and looting along our border. Sixteen trading posts bore the brunt of the attack and were completely destroyed."

"After the war ended and the two countries resumed peace talks, trade resumed. However, since then, the streets of Linshui County have become narrower."

"Because the narrow streets not only restrain the Northern Liao cavalry, but also make it easier for ordinary people to hide and even launch sneak attacks."

“This custom continues to this day.”

Chen Lang suddenly realized, "So that's how it is. I'm just too ignorant."

Shopkeeper Hong, who had opened up his chatterbox, suddenly sighed and said, "As a witness to that war, I always feel regretful when I recall it."

"If it weren't for the emperor's incompetence and the corrupt officials in power, twenty-three years ago, our dynasty would have had a great chance of resolving the hidden danger of Northern Liao in one fell swoop."

"The Liao Kingdom has been making some moves again in the past two years. If war breaks out again, the common people will suffer."

Chen Lang was a little curious and asked Manager Hong about the details.

After reminiscing for a moment, Shopkeeper Hong said, "The commander of Guangling Prefecture at the time was Li Shirong, the General of the Left Guard and Grand Commander of Qinzhou. The Zhongwu Army under his command was the most powerful army in our dynasty."

"The Liao Kingdom mobilized its entire nation's military and divided them into three routes to march south. The other two routes advanced smoothly, but the Liao army that took the Qinzhou route suffered heavy losses and was driven back outside the Great Wall."

"Just then, Northern Liao's Eastern Route Army approached the capital, and His Majesty ordered the Grand Commander to return to the capital. However, the Grand Commander did not do so. Instead, he led the Zhongwu Army and marched directly into the heart of Northern Liao!"

Hearing this, Chen Lang couldn't help but applaud: "Besiege Wei to save Zhao! This problem-solving idea is invincible."

"If the entire Northern Liao army attacks, their hinterland will inevitably be left empty. If they do not want to be destroyed, the Liao army must retreat!"

"But these two Liao armies have already penetrated deep into our dynasty. It's not easy to retreat. The defenders along the way are constantly harassing us. There's a high probability that we can wipe them out completely."

"By then, the Grand Commander's Zhongwu Army will be able to completely annihilate the Liao Kingdom's heartland and resolve the hidden dangers in the north in one fell swoop."

Shopkeeper Hong said, "It is said that this is what the Grand Commander wrote in his memorial to His Majesty."

"The capital city has high walls and thick supplies, so it can easily drag on for several months or even half a year. This period of time is enough for the Grand Commander to turn the Liao Kingdom upside down."

"However, this plan to completely resolve the Liao Kingdom failed to materialize."

"The treacherous factions at court believe the Grand Commander's refusal to return to support him is a pretext for ascending the throne. The idea of resolving the Northern Liao issue is just an excuse; he simply wants to wait until the capital falls before ascending the throne in Guangling Prefecture."

"His Majesty was furious and issued twelve golden orders, forcing the Grand Commander to return to the capital. He also ordered the then Guangling prefect to detain the Grand Commander's family as hostages."

"The Grand Commander had no choice but to do as he was told."

"After returning to Guangling Prefecture, the Grand Commander was apprehended. The eunuch who delivered the imperial decree read out the twenty charges against him on the spot, stripped him of his military power, and escorted him back to the capital."

"On the way back to the capital, they were attacked by unknown forces. Although they were eventually defeated by the Imperial Guards who were escorting the Grand Commander back to the capital, the Grand Commander's wife has been missing ever since."

"After the Grand Commander returned to the capital, he was immediately imprisoned in the Dali Temple Prison and no news has been heard from him since."

Chen Lang sighed and said, "This force...I'm afraid it's the Grand Commander's men. They launched a surprise attack to save him."

"Unfortunately, it failed in the end."

Shopkeeper Hong warned, "Brother Chen, just treat these things as stories and don't tell them around."

Chen Lang nodded: "Don't worry, boss, I know what to do."

At this time, the carriage also stopped, and the driver said, "Boss, we have arrived at Tongfu Inn."

Manager Hong, Chen Lang and the accompanying apprentices got off the carriage.

"Brother Chen, let's stay here tonight."

"Linshui's curfew is an hour later than Nanhe's, so it's still quite lively at night. You can go out for a walk and experience the local customs and culture of Linshui."

That’s exactly what Chen Lang meant.

It would be a shame to sleep the whole time when visiting a new place.

More importantly, the night market is the best market to investigate a local economy. Chen Lang also wants to see if it is possible to do business in Linshui County.

Whether in ancient times or now, places that engage in foreign trade can be said to be full of gold.

As a trading post, the commercial value of Linshui County may even exceed that of Guangling Prefecture.

If the business can be developed to this point, making a fortune every day may be a bit exaggerated, but making hundreds of silver dollars a day is really not a problem.

After resting for half an hour and having a meal, Chen Lang walked into the night market by the water alone.

Chen Lang walked around until the clappers sounded twice before returning to the inn.

The biggest gain for Chen Lang from this hour-long stroll was that he gained a general understanding of the prices in Linshui County.

The productivity of the Liao people was far inferior to that of the Central Plains dynasties. All they could show off were cattle and sheep.

Exchanging a piece of cloth for a sheep is a common practice in Linshui County.

In winter, a piece of cloth could be exchanged for two sheep or even a cow.

Chen Lang asked a vendor if he could change horses, and was then looked down upon by the vendor.

Horses were a strategic resource for the Liao Dynasty, and their importance was equivalent to salt and iron for the Central Plains dynasties.

The herders dare not sell even the lowest quality horses, because if they are discovered, the whole family will be killed.

But Chen Lang just asked casually and didn't really want to change horses.

In Linshui County, which has such abundant beef and mutton resources, the tofu market is extremely vast.

Because stewed lamb with tofu is a dish that can be served at a state banquet!