Volume 1 Nightfall Border City Chapter 55 Interview

  Di Zhe entered Sai on the second day, Geng Guang rushed back to kill Hu Kou to pay his respects, he is now stationed outside Hei Hu Shan in Chen Lao Da's old home Chen Jia Zhuang.

  Thanks to Meng Kang's cooperation outside Hei Hu Shan, Geng Guang has been doing a thriving business in smuggling goods recently. Meng Kang kills people without blinking an eye, and almost all the smuggling merchant teams he encounters are slaughtered clean, except for Geng Guang's team, no one dares to leave Hei Hu Shan again.

  Killing is too cruel, making too many enemies is not a wise move. Geng Guang had a lot of opinions about Meng Kang, but there was nothing he could do. Indeed, some people suspected that he had colluded with the horse thieves outside the pass, but they couldn't get any evidence.

  Seventy or eighty pack horses carried goods from the small path of Hei Hu Shan Mountain to the gathering place of Chahar people in Liang Cheng, where they exchanged for furs and even livestock. Although occasionally encountering savage and unreasonable Chahar people who forced them to buy and sell, the heads of various small tribes had learned to treat Han merchants kindly.

  After meeting Di Zhe, Geng Guang made a detailed report of the recent situation.

  "Boss, for several months now, Manager Ning has been a great help to me. The operation of Hei Hu Shan is also slightly profitable."

  While reporting, Geng Guang also added Ning Sheng's merits.

  Di Zhe found him, but it wasn't to listen to these things.

  "Take care of the Hei Hu Shan matter yourself, I want to make a trip to Datong Prefecture, find a few people to guide me."

  "Ah, I brought some attendants with me today, including You Yuren, who are all familiar with the roads of Datong Prefecture." It was only then that Geng Guang noticed that Di Zhe seemed a bit distracted.

  "That's great, let's go now!" Di Zhe didn't want to waste a single moment.

  Geng Guang saw Di Zhe getting up and wanting to leave, and hastily said: "There is still one more thing I would like to ask the master of the house to decide!"

  "What's wrong?"

  "Recently, Meng Kang killed too many people in Heihu Mountain, and now our reputation is not good in Youyu. Coincidentally, there is a severe drought in Youyu, I want to spend some silver to relieve the suffering of some people, expand our strength, and possibly change the attitude of the people of Youyu towards us." What he said was not referring to ordinary civilians, but those bandits and mountain lords.

  "These things you can take charge of yourself! I don't want you to make money, just as long as you keep the Green Forest of Youyu County in your grasp!" Di Zhe stretched out one hand and clenched it into a fist.

  "I understand!" Geng Guang nodded heavily.

  Geng Guang brought eight people back to kill Hu Kou, four of whom were local people from Youyu County.

  Duan Xiake led five personal soldiers and called two right jade people to lead the way. They set off immediately and rushed to Datong.

  Out of the Kuhu mouth, there is only one mountain road, winding through the mountains and forests directly to Youyu County. Arriving at Youyu County, heading east on the official road leads directly to Datong Prefecture, while heading south on the official road leads to Taiyuan, Shanxi.

  Di Zhe and his eight companions set off at 4 pm. The mountain road was narrow, and the horses couldn't go fast. They didn't arrive in Youyu County until 2 pm. Several people found a restaurant to fill their stomachs quickly and then took the flat official road.

  In the first half of the journey, there were few pedestrians on the road, and everyone was galloping. When they were about 20 or 30 miles away from Datong, people could see famine refugees supporting each other in tattered clothes on both sides of the road. Di Zhe was worried that the horses would trample people, so he ordered everyone to slow down and proceed with caution. As they approached the city gate, there were more and more famine refugees, and the government had set up porridge sheds outside the city wall of Datong, where famine refugees came from all over to eat.

  Arrived at the gate of Datong Prefecture, the sky had already darkened.

  At the hour of You, the city gate of Datong closed, and a group of people almost stuck to the time and entered Datong. Di Zhe secretly congratulated himself that he didn't delay in the first half of the journey.

  A few people found an inn to stay in, rushing and hurrying for a day. Di Zhe asked for several quiet rooms in the backyard, and then asked his colleagues about the location of Dasheng Quixiang Commercial House, and rested early.

  The next morning, Di Zhe found his partner to come and get paper and ink, wrote a letter, and let the escort Shi Hong go to Da Sheng Kui to give it to Ke Zhanggui. He himself waited in the house.

  About half a time later, footsteps sounded outside the courtyard. The guard stopped and asked questions, Zhai Zhe had already given instructions, and after a moment, one person pushed open the door and entered.

  Di Zhe sat with his back to the door and faced inward, waiting for someone to enter before turning around.

  The person who came in was indeed Ke Zhanggui. After taking a closer look, he almost fell to the ground with a thud and exclaimed, "Is it you?"

  "The people of Hexi will meet those by the sea!" Zhai Zhe's face was filled with a smile.

  "Did you run off to the Tumet tribe?" Old Man Ke looked as if he had seen a ghost.

  "Ou Mu Buhan ordered me to enter the border and meet with Fan Dongjia!" Di Zhe didn't have any intention of chatting about old times.

  Ke Zhanggui still hadn't come back to himself, and it wasn't until half a day later that he asked: "Why did you leave Zhangjiakou without leaving any news?"

  "It happened suddenly, there's no time, I want to see Fan Dongjia!" Zhai Zhe didn't want to explain.

  "Alright! You wait here for me, the East family is in Xuan Town, I'll go and inform them, we can arrive tomorrow!" Ke Zhuang said a few words of reminder, turned around and left. The matter involved Zhai Zhe, and was related to the East family's household affairs, which were much more troublesome than he had imagined.

  That day, Di Zhe stayed in the inn all day long, and even his guards were forbidden from going out, lest they stir up trouble.

  Fan Yongdou didn't arrive in Datong until the next afternoon. After receiving Ke's urgent report, he didn't even have time to inform Lianqidang.

  Di Zhe left without warning, and his appearance was even more sudden. The key is that it involves the entrustment of the Liaodong people to him, as well as his sister Fan Yi. Even Fan Yongdou, who was usually calm and composed, was momentarily flustered and indecisive. It wasn't until he entered the Dashengju teahouse, drank a few cups of tea to calm down, that Fan Yongdou finally regained his composure and instructed Ke Zhuanggui to lead the way to the inn.

  On that day, Di Zhe found the shopkeeper and negotiated with him to rent out the entire courtyard where he lived, ordering Ji Hong to guard it and prohibiting anyone from entering casually.

  Fan Yongdou arrived with a very relaxed demeanor and didn't even bring a single bodyguard. Ke Zhanggui was left outside the courtyard.

  "Big brother!" Di Zhe cupped his hands in greeting. Seeing Fan Yongdou's composure, Di Zhe secretly admired him, without surprise or anger, and couldn't guess what he was thinking at all.

  Fan Yongduo carefully looked at Di Zhe and said: "Darkened a bit, solidified a bit, more like a man now!"

  "Great brother is wrong!" Di Zhe invited Fan Yongdou into the house.

  "What brings you here?"

  Fan Yongdou changed one sentence from passive to active.

  "I," Zhai Zhe hesitated for a moment, saying: "Two months ago, Ke Zhuanggui sent a message to the Tumet people. I have been ordered by Ewenke Khan to come and discuss something with Big Brother!"

  "Speak!" Fan Yongdou never mentioned the matter of escaping marriage again.

  "The grassland is experiencing a severe drought, and the Tumote people can't hold on any longer. They want to seek help from the Liaodong people!"

  Fan Yongdous shifted his buttocks and changed into a more comfortable posture, saying: "What does this have to do with me?"

  "You!" Di Zhe was speechless.

  Half a day later, he calmed down and took a deep breath, saying: "I am ordered by Orumbu Khan to seek help from the people on the coast. If you just watch with folded arms, then so be it."

  "Tumet people?" Fan Yongdou sneered and said: "I only help my own family!"

  Di Zhe licked his lips, and in front of this person, he felt a sense of powerlessness.

  "You went to the Tumote Department, why didn't you greet me?" Fan Yongdou asked calmly on the surface, but his heart was filled with anger like a raging storm. Given the status of the Fan family, being abandoned by Fan Yi was a great humiliation. But he couldn't show it, one angry outburst and he would lose.

  "It happened suddenly!"

  Di Zhe's voice was weak and powerless. This matter was indeed unreasonable for him. Although the marriage itself was not his own intention, the engagement was real.

  "I'll only help my own family!" Fan Yongdou said with a heavier tone.

  In fact, he didn't dare to, as long as the news reached Liaodong, his clan would have to help, whether they wanted to or not. Dashi Qi had no room for negotiation in front of the Jurchen people. It was clear that the Jurchen people wanted to form an alliance with the Tumet people, but he didn't want to miss out on this marriage opportunity with the Di family.

  Zhangjiakou has been controlled by the eight families. Looking at it now, Di Zhe can be entrusted by the Tumote tribe to negotiate and set up a business, and when the Chahar people are driven out of the south grassland, Zhangkou will not be able to escape his grasp, this marriage cannot be let go.

  The West and East ports are controlled by the eight families at the same time, and the Fan family is also the first of the eight families. This is the result of Fan Yongdou's careful consideration.

  Stillness, time passes, for a long while.

  "Twenty thousand stones of grain, three hundred sets of armor," Zhai Zhe thought for a moment and said: "And three hundred catties of gunpowder!"

  He stretched out four fingers and said: "Exchange for 4,000 horses!"

  This is absolutely the biggest deal of the year for the two parties, and only eight households can digest so many horses. The price leaves a small profit margin for the eight households, but this is not entirely a business deal.

  "When will you get married?"

  "The drought is over!"

  Fan Yongdou nodded and said: "I believe in your promise!"

  Seeing Fan Yongdous departure from the courtyard, Di Zhe leaned on the chair at the door, what kind of world is this! The life and death of the Tumet people actually had to be exchanged for his marriage.

  He thought of Fan Yi, the woman who was already engaged to him, perhaps everything was destined by heaven.