On February 2nd, the dragon raised its head.

From Shuzhong to Yinyang, the nearest road is to take a mountain path through the geese and return to the mountain, and you can also appreciate the scenery of the Great Snow Mountain. If you are lucky, you can also see the wonder of tens of thousands of geese returning like thousands of troops passing by the geese when they return to the north.

However, Zhao Langjiang insisted on leaving Shu through Jianmen.

He is visiting an old friend.

Zhao Langjiang doesn’t have many friends, Xiao Jinyan is one, Li Qingcheng is at most half, and there is another one in Jianmen.

The peaks on both sides of the sword gate are leaning against the sky like swords, and their shapes are like doors, so they are called Jian Gate.

This is the place that must be passed from Hanzhong to Shu, which is easy to defend and difficult to attack. It has been a place that military strategists have fought for since ancient times.

When the three of them arrived at Jianmen, it was noon and they sat down in a teahouse downstairs.

Zhao Langjiang ordered four dishes and soup: steamed tofu, fried tofu, stuffed tofu, stinky tofu, and tofu soup.

Xiao Jinyan said, "Even if Jianmen tofu is famous all over the world, he doesn't even have some meat and fish. Lao Zhao, are you too stingy, right?"

Zhao Langjiang said, "At that time, at the border post, I opened up wasteland and farmed during the day. At night, I could eat a piece of tofu. That would be a delicious food on earth. Do you still ask for so much?"

"Aren't you scouts, why do you have to open up the land?"

Zhao Langjiang said angrily, "Do you think guarding the border is just a war every day? In a year, it would be too much to fight five or six battles. If the rest of the days are not opened, will the brothers all drink the northwest wind?"

This is true. The border troops of the Ming Dynasty implemented the military garrison system. These soldiers were soldiers in wartime and reclaimed fields during rest. If there were no major wars, they would be able to survive.

Once there is a major military operation, food and grass must be transported from the mainland to the border. Each provincial highway has granaries, and special troops will transport grain through post stations along the way. Shuzhong and Hanzhong are the first batch of supplies for wartime supplies.

The situation in the western region is now tense, and along the way, they have encountered many teams of transporting grain, which ensure the supply of the army.

Yinyang City is a major trade place for borders, but not a major grain production place. Every year, grain merchants sell grain from the Central Plains to Yinyang. After trading, they transport cowhides, sheepskins, Western Region pearls, spices, etc. from Western Chu and Northern Zhou back to the Central Plains, thereby obtaining greater profits.

Now that the war is about to begin, the grain prices in Yinyang City soar. Although the food road is not peaceful, wealth and honor are in danger. In addition to Jianmen, many grain teams have gathered together, hiring experienced high-ranking officials and escorts who have been running the Western Front all year round, preparing to earn a vote before the war begins.

In the teahouse, there is a storyteller telling the story of Jiang Boyue, a general of Shu Kingdom, who refused to guard Jianmen Pass and trapped 100,000 Wei troops outside the pass, which made the three of them fascinated.

Xiao Jinyan asked the two, "This Jianmen Pass is a man who can pass by ten thousand men. If you are Zheng Ai and want to attack Shu, how should you do it?"

Li Qingcheng came from a family and was familiar with military books since childhood. He said, "It is almost impossible to conquer Jianmen head-on, but you can break Langzhong first and attack from the slower east, west and south routes, cut off the Jianmen and the supply behind, and the Jianmen can naturally be broken."

Zhao Langjiang sneered beside him, "It's just a talk on paper."

Li Qingcheng was dissatisfied, "Then General Zhao, tell me, how can you break this Jianmen Pass?"

Zhao Langjiang thought for a moment and said, "The Sword Gate Pass cannot be broken, but guarding the Sword Gate Pass is a human being. If you are a human being, you will have weaknesses. If you break a human being, you will naturally be able to break the pass."

Xiao Jinyan asked casually, but he didn't expect Zhao Langjiang to answer like this, and he couldn't help but become interested, "How do you say this?"

Zhao Langjiang said, "There are two kinds of people in this world. One is greedy for money, power, and sex. This kind of people are easy to deal with. As long as they satisfy their desires, they will naturally rely on you. The other kind of people adhere to loyalty, filial piety, and righteousness. This kind of people are easier to deal with."

Xiao Jinyan said, "Aren't such people willing to die than surrender? What method do you use to deal with?"

Zhao Langjiang smiled slightly and said, "The principles that support such people are nothing more than the belief in their hearts. As long as they shake their faith, they will defeat them. If you are loyal to the emperor, you will find a way to make the emperor lose trust in you. If you abide by filial piety, you will become an unfilial person. As for righteousness, find a way to make your friends betray you. Do these three things: I can break the sword gate and the ghost gate!"

Li Qingcheng also said, "This is not like Zhao Langjiang's style. I thought you would say, give me a knife and I will kill you from the front."

"The sword and the military path are two completely different paths. The sword and the martial arts emphasize moving forward, while the military path emphasizes the right and strange dependence. After all, the two are different paths and the final opponent is still the human heart."

Xiao Jinyan said, "He looks very profound."

"However, if you were the one who was guarding the gate, I wouldn't know how to deal with it."

"Why?"

"We have known each other for so long, but I haven't seen through you. What exactly are you asking for?"

Xiao Jinyan smiled, "Actually, if I come to guard the pass, it will not be difficult to break through. As long as I send me ten jars of Chishui wine, I will open the city gate and surrender. Haha! By the way, didn't you say that your friend will definitely welcome you when he hears you come? Why did you come for so long and didn't even see a figure?"

Zhao Langjiang said I didn't tell him in advance.

"Then what exactly did he come from?"

Zhao Langjiang said: "The young owner of Leijiazhuang, Lei Zhenyu."

Xiao Jinyan suddenly realized, "I have always heard of Leijiazhuang, but I don't know that they are in Jianmen. I heard that their small objects are quite famous."

Leijiazhuang is not a martial arts family, but it is quite famous in the world. They are good at building institutions, strange and erotic skills, and are very popular in the world.

Some major sects and aristocratic families have insufficient martial arts skills and equipment to get them. Many essential sets for walking in the world are produced in Leijiazhuang. Especially the leather masks in Leijiazhuang are used for a long time, breathable and not rashes, can also replenish huge water, and can even control micro-expressions, which is even more unique in the world.

However, compared with Yujian Villa, which has a wide range of business, the layout of Leijiazhuang seems a bit small. First, these strange and lewd skills are not very helpful to the advancement of martial arts, and the audience is not wide. Unlike swords and swords, they are almost the first choice for martial arts practitioners. Second, this craft is passed on to men but not women, and it is limited to direct descendants, which leads to the inability to operate on a large scale in the world. Third, it is Lei Ming, the owner of Leijiazhuang, who is famous for his bad temper in the world and does business.

He was picky and based on his mood, and even the prince did not give him the face. When His Highness of the King of Han wrote a letter to customize a mask, Lei Dazhuang directly refused, saying that the King of Han had to interview in person. You should know that the Ming Dynasty had extremely strict control over all princes and was not allowed to go out of the vassal without being recruited. This request almost brought disaster to Leijiazhuang to the family. Later, with the mediation of a senior in the martial arts world, it was barely calmed down. Even so, the owner of Lei Zhuang did not agree to the King of Han's conditions.

After eating the tofu banquet, the three of them walked towards the inner city of Jianmen Pass. At the beginning of the founding of the Ming Dynasty, the court set up thousands of households in Jianmen Pass. Due to the lack of war, they gradually gathered in towns, which was also considered a larger town on the Shu Road.

Along the way, I saw a light on the road, blocking a person who was walking in a hurry, "What are the happy events in the city today?"

The man said, "Today is the day when Lei Zhenyu, the young owner of Leijiazhuang, married Yu Jiaxue, the eldest lady of Yujiazhuang. Everyone with outstanding figures in the city went to congratulate me. I was about to go there to ask for a wedding wine!"

"Which Yujiabao?"

The man smiled and said, "Of course it is Yujiabao, known as the number one grain merchant in Shu! Even the Qianhu here is located in the eldest lady and uncle!"

No one knows about the Yu family in Jianmen in the Central Plains, but he is a famous grain merchant in Shu. Because he is close to the capital of Tianfu and has a nepotism of thousands of adults, the Yu family has made a fortune by transporting grain to the west in recent years. When the three of them came, they met several convoys of grain transport on the road, all of which gathered together, either paying a considerable tariff or selling it directly to the Yu family at a discount.

When Zhao Langjiang heard that his good friend was about to get married, he was happy for him and couldn't help asking, "What is this a lady's character?"

The man smiled and came over and whispered, "This is located in the eldest lady, but the most amazing woman in Jianmen. There are not ten men who have died from her in the past two years, and there are still half a dozen."

Zhao Langjiang suddenly said, "It turns out that he is still a passionate beauty."

"Haha!" the man smiled, "That's not. Miss Yu's appearance is extremely ugly and his temper is very irritable. If the man she likes, if she doesn't follow him, she will either commit suicide or be beaten to death by her. This young master of the Lei family was accidentally caught by Miss Yu while watching the lanterns on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, and blocked the bridge. At that time, he was forced to go to the end and jump into the river. Unexpectedly, Miss Yu had a very good water personality and rescued him. He had to marry him. It was also considered that their Lei family was unlucky!"

Zhao Langjiang asked, "Who is the owner of Lei willing to agree to this marriage?"

"What if I don't agree?" said the man, "He is the richest businessman in Jianmen, and his uncle is the Qianhu General of Jianmen. He has money and power. You, a craftsman, can you fight with him? You can't bear to swallow your anger and submit. Let's not talk about it, Lord Qianhu posted a post. If we go too late, we will have to eat."

Zhao Langjiang sighed.

Xiao Jinyan comforted, "In fact, it may not be a good thing. The Lei family's mask is known as the best in the world. Even if the other party is a salt-free woman, there is still a way to make Diao Chan look like."

Li Qingcheng also said, "It's just that the daily dressing time is a little longer."

However, no matter how much you sigh, it was the good brothers who got married. What you should say was that Zhao Langjiang went to the antique shop in the city and picked it for a long time, but he didn't know what to choose.

Xiao Jinyan saw a painting hanging in the inconspicuous corner, with a big red carp running through the pond, and in the air, dozens of lightning flashed into the sky, slashing at the carp. The signature line reads, "The picture of the fish leaping on the Thunder Pond, and the painting is made by Mingcui Lake."

Dan Qingsheng? He felt a little familiar. It seemed that Wang Banxian mentioned him back then and lived in seclusion on the banks of Mingcui Lake. He was also a generation of painter masters of the dynasty. He didn't expect to meet his painting here, so he said, "I think this painting is good."

The guy sneered in his heart. There have been few people who have been interested in this painting since he entered the store. It has been seven or eight years since then. Unexpectedly, someone asked about it today. He smiled and said, "This guest official has such a good eye. It was written by a senior from the Jianghu when he passed the Jianmen decades ago. To be honest, this painting is a bit strange!"

"Speak and listen."

The guy said, "You don't know that when this painting is cloudy and rainy, the crucian carp in the painting will come alive and can avoid lightning strikes." He pointed to the carp in the painting and said, "Last time the thunder was thunder, the fish was still on the left, you see, it's now on the right."

But I thought to myself, it won’t rain anyway, so why is it so mysterious? These three fools are not locals when they hear that they are not locals, and they will be cheated on them later. When it really comes, they will leave long ago. They will never run back to Jianmen to confront him for a painting?

Although Li Qingcheng did not know how to paint, he still had the appreciation of the famous paintings in his home. He looked at the painting carefully, and wrote the brush and ink, which were all excellent works, which were better than some of the famous artists in his home. So he said, "I think it's good too!"

The guy said, "This painting is the treasure of the shop in the small shop. We usually don't sell it to him!"

Zhao Langjiang was a little disappointed, "So that's how it is. A gentleman does not take away what he loves, and it seems that he can only bear the pain of giving up his love."

When the guy heard this, it was so great that he changed his words, "Don't tell me, I saw that three of you are destined to be a good person. Otherwise, if you sincerely want to buy it, I'll report to the boss and give you a discount price, how about it?"

As he said that, the guy came to the back hall. Of course, he would not really ask the boss for such a bad painting. He just pretended to behave and would be able to draw it later.

The shop owner was sitting on the Taishi chair and brewing Kung Fu tea. Tea is good tea. Three years ago, the water was good water. The second slurry water was used when brushing the pot. Lu Yu's "Tea Sutra" says, "Soup" of Longjing, the more you drink, the more you drink it, the more you become clearer and brighter you will be.

He saw the guy coming in and frowned, "Let's go, why don't you take care of the guests in front of you, why do you do when you go to the back hall?"

The guy smiled, "Three guests came to the store today and took a fancy to the fish thunder map. I'll stretch them first and sell them for a good price later."

"What fish thunder map?"

"It's the picture of fish leaping on the thunder pond!"

When the boss heard this, he suddenly sat up and asked, "What year is this?"

Upon hearing this, the guy thought to himself what happened to the boss today. Did he drink that unique sausage tea and drink it stupidly, saying, "It's been the ninth year of Tiantong!"

The Ming Emperor ascended the throne for twenty years, and the first year still adopted the year name of the previous tenth year of Shunde. From the second year, the year name Yuanhua, and by the tenth year, the year name was changed to Tiantong. Now it is the ninth year of Tiantong.

The boss said, "The ninth year of Tiantong, the second day of the second month. No, it's ten years now!"

Ten years ago, he was a friend of the restaurant. An old man was unwilling to pay for it. Seeing that the old man was ragged and a little bookish, he helped him pay the bill. The old man felt happy and drew a picture of fish jumping on the thunder pool to give it to him, and told him that in ten years, three young people would pay a lot of money to buy it.

At that time, he saw that the picture was very simple and the brushwork was quite casual. He took it seriously. Later, when he opened a cultural relics shop, he found the picture. When he was mounting it, he seemed to be alive. The fish moved a little. He thought it was an illusion. Later, when it was cloudy and rainy, the painting became more vivid. Now, it has been ten years.

For the past ten years, this painting has been hanging on the wall and never seemed to exist. No one has ever asked about this painting. Unexpectedly, three people came to inquire today, so they asked, "What do those three people look like?"

"man."

"Nonsense! I'll ask you how old you are and how you look."

"I was in my twenties, and one person had a good appearance and was beautiful than a woman. The other two were just average, not as good as me. However, looking at their clothes, they didn't look like rich people!"

The boss said, "What do you know? People should not behave like to behave like a person. These days, rich people like to travel in a low-key manner. Do you want to stick to your forehead like you, with two money?"

The guy smiled embarrassedly, "So, I made a pot of tea for them and was waiting in the front hall."

The literary and calligraphy industry is very deep and the price is relatively casual, and it depends entirely on the thoughts of the buyer. After working for so long, this guy first judged that these three people did not look like rich people, but they still made a pot of tea, which was very knowledgeable.
To be continued...