Three Kingdoms

The great Han Dynasty was in the fourth year of Yan Ping's reign.

September twenty-fifth.

In Chengdu, every fifth day is the temple fair season. Generally speaking, on this day, even those from poor families still have to spare two dollars to go to the temple fair. Even if they can't eat Long Chaoshou oil and green onion pancakes, they can drink a bowl of glutinous rice wine. It can be regarded as a festival, and when I return home to my neighbors, I can set up a dragon gate array, which is somewhat convincing.

Today is another sunny day with crisp autumn air and pleasant temperature. The streets and alleys near the temple fair in Chengdu are filled with crowds of people. The stalls and vendors occupy their own territory and shout loudly to attract people. Even their voices reflect the joy of being busy.

Although the war in Sichuan and Sichuan has not completely subsided, and the entire Central Plains is still in turmoil, like a pot of porridge with unclear numbers or dozens of mouse droppings, Chengdu is still Chengdu, and the hustle and bustle of this temple fair , still not reduced by half, in the teahouse, some tea drinkers, or those drinking Shama wine, still crossed their legs and placed the gantry leisurely, contentedly.

At Shuimen in Chengdu, where the shacks originally belonged to Bangbang'er and the coolies at the wharf outside the city, there was actually a flowing table spread out around a small shop, which stretched for a long time.

It is set up on the open land of Shuimen. There are a few wooden boards set up left and right, and a tent is erected on the top. It is a snack shop with two entrances. Behind it is a large pot set up directly on the ground. It is simmering. What, next to it is a big steamer that is steaming with steam. I don’t know what is being steamed. On the other side, the three newly added pots are cooking some meat and vegetables. The five large stoves are all burning so fast that the person in charge can’t even wear a single coat. He was naked, sweating profusely, and fell into the pot one by one.

There are no wooden boards in the store, and all the small tables and stools are placed on the ground. The ground has been stepped on for a long time. Although the height of each small pit is not very smooth, it is extremely hard and it is not necessarily difficult to walk on it. There is some dust. Such a store is naturally not a business for high-end merchants. The people who come and go are just ordinary people. The food is naturally not very good, as long as the quantity is large. Of course, there must be enough salt, otherwise the store will be empty. Some people will shout, "Are you sick or crazy inside? How can you eat such tasteless food..."

Next to the shop, near the water, some young men were processing river fish.

There are many freshwater fish bones, and most nobles don't like to eat them, but these coolies and sticks are not so particular. Even the fishy smell that hits their nostrils is very pleasant, and many people even sit on it specially. I was sitting closer, watching the workers collecting the fish, and thinking about how one person in my seat could get two pieces, right?

Such a banquet here in Watergate is already considered excellent, even luxurious. Many beggars smelled the smell and gathered over, sitting at a distance, waiting, hoping that they would finally be able to eat. Share some leftovers or something.

There were also many idle people standing around in the distance, pointing and just swallowing their saliva. But no one dared to come forward to disturb, for no other reason. Today's scene was arranged by Mr. Minato Chen. Who dares to cause trouble in front of him?

I'm afraid even he himself doesn't know the specific name of Minato Chen, but this does not prevent him from being very successful in Minato's place in Chengdu. He is also a powerful character, with hundreds of desperadoes under his command. , he can be regarded as a generous man. In Shuimen, Chengdu, all the people in the market would give him three points of face.

It was just repayment before, but in the past two months, Minato Chen seems to have a lot more people, bigger hands, and more magnanimous temperament. In addition to the original hundred and ten coolies, some additional people were recruited. In the Shuimen area of ​​Chengdu, the territory is fixed, and the number of merchant ships has not increased. When there are more people, Shuimen Chen has to make his own posters for food and drink. He usually secretly wants to work as a small worker, and works on the dock. Those who carry goods on their backs and receive some coolie money from the lottery will bear the risk of being reported and beaten if they shortchange Minato Chen's income. But now Minato Chen seems to not care about this at all, and he has raised so many idle people in vain.

But there are also advantages. With more brothers under his command, his power will be greater. In addition, he also has a lot of money. Shuimen Chen has become a heroic figure in the city of Shuimen in Chengdu. Even the patrolling military lords above the water gate and the small officers in charge of the county soldiers smiled a little more when they met and said hello politely.

Everyone was secretly guessing, what happened to Minato Chen that made him so prosperous all of a sudden?

At this moment, Minato-chan was wearing a newly made robe and was standing at the door of the store, smiling and greeting the guests.

Today, in addition to the more than 300 men under his command, he also invited some Shuimen County soldiers who he usually has a lot of contact with and whose faces he recognizes. Although these county soldiers had some military pay on weekdays, and they could make a fool of themselves even if they were so tight, they didn't see many meat dishes. So when they heard that Shuimen Chen was holding a flowing banquet here, and there was also fish and meat to eat, there were no people on duty. A swarm of people came.

If there is a banquet between noble families, not only the post must be prepared in advance, but also the door-to-door and thank-you gifts must be prepared. Then the host must not only accept them, but also prepare the guests' accompanying gifts in return. The etiquette is extremely complicated, but for poor people, there are not so many. Things have come to a close, as long as people arrive, and these county soldiers near Shuimen, some of whom have the habit of visiting casinos and brothels, are even more hungry, so even if they don't know each other, they still have the courage to come over.

Minato-chan was generous and did not care about anything. He would only ask the name of someone he met, and then he would greet him and sit down, and let the helper inside bring some hot soup and hot pancakes to fill his stomach. This kind of behavior naturally attracted more and more people, and the original mats were no longer available, so they were temporarily spread out on the street.

Minato-chan was walking around in the crowd, talking and laughing loudly, looking like a wealthy man in the market. But no one thought that under his robe, he was wearing a middle coat and small clothes, which were already soaked with sweat.

Today is the day to take action...

…………………………

Naturally, the bustling situation at Watergate was also reported to Captain Minato, who was in charge of the security and defense of Watergate. After all, there are some powerful sticks in Minato. If a manager accidentally causes trouble, he will naturally be slapped. Therefore, Captain Minato also has a few eyes and ears. Today, he has done his duty and will be punished early. The investigation was reported to Captain Minato.

Captain of Minato, it's not a good position, but it's not too bad either. Apart from anything else, there is always a first-come, first-served basis for merchant ships that want to enter Minato to unload their cargo, right? What should I do if I arrive late and the goods on the ship are delayed? Isn’t this deal just here? Coupled with the daily filial piety of the surrounding coolie bosses, it is generally much better than those grassroots civil servants who can only receive some salary...

After hearing the report from his subordinates, Captain Minato frowned slightly.

There are four or five hundred people?

This number of people is neither too large nor too small. If it were normal, some soldiers would have to be dispatched to control the situation. But this is Minato Chen holding a flowing banquet. Minato Chen also mentioned such a thing before. It's just that I didn't say there would be so many people.

What does Minato-chan want to do?

I heard that the old man Yang, the boss on the other side of the water gate, is not in good health?

Could it be that Minato-chan wants to grab territory?

Captain Minato was thinking, and subconsciously touched the hard silver beans in the money bag at his waist. This was provided by Minato Chen, who was obviously much richer than the old Yangtou in the east, so he waved his hand and said, " Got it, let him go, it’s a flowing banquet, it’s normal for there to be more people...don’t bother with it..."

…………………………

Several ships were eating the deep waterline, slowly coming from a distance. On the bow of the ship, a Wu family's recognition flag fluttered in the wind.

A young boy guarding the Shuimen County soldiers was about to yell, but was pulled aside by a veteran on the side. He rushed forward and shouted with a smile: "This is General Wu's ship? I don't know what it is packed with?" So that the old man can register..."

A middle-aged man wearing a brocade robe stood on the bow of the ship, who seemed to be a shopkeeper. Hearing this, he smiled and said: "What could it be? The salt for the envoy is here..." As he said this, he took out the A small cloth bag, only the size of two or three fingers, was filled with some salt. He casually threw it to the veteran, "...find a good position...the water is deep, don't hit the bottom shell." …”

Ordinary soldiers can just give them some salt. If they give them gold, silver or something directly, it might be more suspicious.

The veteran grabbed the bag with a quick slap and immediately put it in his arms. Then he licked his fingers and showed no intention of boarding the ship for search. He nodded and bowed and said, "Don't worry! Don't worry! It's absolutely fine, absolutely." Okay, I won’t miss the honorable person’s business…”

…………………………

Guan Yu was feeling a little stuffy in the cabin.

The main reason is congestion, there are people and weapons everywhere, and when there are more people, there are naturally all kinds of smells, including stinky feet, bad breath, and farts. In addition, merchant ships are not cabins, and they don’t pay attention to ventilation. The smell lingered in the cabin, not to mention how sour it was.

Guan Yu was doing relatively well. He was closer to the cabin door and the air was still fresh. If he had been inside, his red face would have turned into the same color as the clothes on his body.

Shopkeeper Wu also knew that the cabin smelled bad, so he was a little cautious. After passing the water gate, he went to the door of the cabin and whispered: "General Guan, you have come in... It will be dark at a certain hour..."

Guan Yu still closed his eyes to rest, and just hummed lowly to indicate that he heard it.

…………………………

Wu Yi was not in his own house at the moment, but in another house in the city.

Since it is not a serious Wu family residence, it naturally cannot be that big. There are only three exceptions. At this moment, both inside and outside are crowded with people.

Although the Wu family has severed the relationship with the Liu family's relatives since Liu Yan and Liu Mao died, the skinny bones are still there, and some old officials in the army are still there.

And because Wu Yi was squeezed out of the Sichuan-Shu army ruling class, the military sergeants who originally followed the Wu family were more or less implicated. Some were demoted, and some were even expelled from the army. Fortunately, the Wu family knew how to be a good person, so they took some money to give these people something to chew on, and also gathered a group of such soldiers.

But for Wu, losing some money is not a big deal. Losing power is the key to the problem. When Wu Yi of the Wu clan went to Guanghan, he originally wanted to discuss terms with Zheng Xi and weigh the price, but he never expected that Wei Yan would disgrace him before he even met Zheng Xi...

In the past few days, Chengdu has been in turmoil.

It's not that Liu Zhang did anything to the Wu family, but that Zhengxi sent a former Hanzhong farewell, the current Zhengxi Jijiu, Yang Song, as an envoy, even brought an agricultural bachelor and an engineering bachelor with him. to Chengdu.

Wu Yi still clearly remembers that when he heard that Zhengxi was going to teach the people of Sichuan and Sichuan the art of farming, the Chengdu surnames who originally looked like wood carvings moved involuntarily, with a kind of ordeal in their eyes. Red or green light…

Damn you, what an immortal!

Wu Yi could even imagine that if Zhengxi really took control of Sichuan and Shu one day, then the first unlucky family with a big surname would not be Liu Zhang, but Pang Xi. After all, no matter what, as long as Liu Zhang did not commit suicide, he could save his life. It's not difficult, and Pang Xi is definitely doomed...

And what's next?

It was Wu's turn.

As a relative of the former Liu family, the Wu family did not completely break away from the relationship with the Liu family. On the other hand, she had close contacts with Jingzhou soldiers and horses. If the Zhengxi really captured Sichuan and Shu, could they let it go so easily?

Wu Yi persuaded Liu Zhang to completely ban the large households in Sichuan and Sichuan and Zhengxi from engaging in such farming techniques to prevent Zhengxi from encroaching on Sichuan and Shu. However, on the other hand, the other large surnames in Chengdu kept telling Liu Zhang about the benefits of this , and even sent private soldiers to protect the envoys conquering the West. Such a situation naturally made Wu Yi feel an urgent crisis.

Although Liu Zhang was still hesitant and undecided, Wu Yi could see that Liu Zhang had gradually moved to the other side. After all, more money and food means that more soldiers can be recruited, and potential crises in the future are also in the future and potential, haven't they not happened yet?

Others can wait and see, but Wu Yi can't wait any longer.

The entire situation must be controlled before the situation changes to the worst. If you want to control the situation, you must have military power, and it is obviously impossible for Pang Xi to give up the military power in his hands, because those military powers are also Pang Xi At the same time, there was no basis for cooperation between Pang Xi and Wu Yi. After all, it was Pang Xi who drove Wu away from her status as a former relative and squeezed him out step by step.

So, there is only one way now!

There is no way back!