Chapter 664 Is this fake?!
On the streets of Kyoto, pedestrians are shoulder to shoulder and the shops are filled with the sounds of hawking.
As the New Year approaches, no matter whether they have saved any money this year or whether life has been difficult or not, the people of Kyoto will start stocking up on New Year's goods.
As the relationship between the Great Zhou court and the Duke of Yun in the north became tense again, fruit wine on the market became increasingly scarce after the caravan from Yunzhou sold its goods.
Common people had to settle for the next best thing and buy Tu Su wine.
"But I will use my poverty and sorrow to gain longevity, and I will not hesitate to drink Tusu wine at the end. This year, there are many people suffering from typhoid fever, so drinking more Tusu wine can also be a preventive measure."
Tu Su wine is not as delicious as fruit wine, but fortunately it also has other benefits.
People who buy wine are particularly open-minded. Having wine to celebrate the New Year is enough. What else do they want?
"I want to buy some soba cakes, want to come with me?" The man who was buying wine told the wine shop waiter his home address and asked them to deliver the cakes to his door, then asked his companion if he wanted to buy some soba cakes.
Sobi is a deep-fried dough ring that is one of the staple foods of the people of Kyoto and is occasionally used for trading.
His companion was puzzled: "There are still many days before the festival, why are you in such a hurry?"
The man shook his wallet and said, "The cake can be stored for more than a month. If we buy it during the New Year, the price will definitely go up."
"Oh, is this how you live?" The companion glanced at the man and teased him.
The man didn't care, and the two of them walked towards the cake shop together: "It's hard at the end of the year, so of course we have to save some money. We've been busy all year, and obviously we've earned more than last year, but we can't resist the rising rice prices."
The two of them worked together in business and made quite a bit of money this year. However, when they counted the accounts at the end of the year, they found that they only made enough to support their family for a year.
"We are still doing pretty well. Old man Wu who was traveling with us wanted to do something bigger, so he went to Hanzhong, but he didn't even come back with the goods."
The man sighed and said, "I told him a long time ago not to go south because the road is not safe. Since the flood, more and more people have gone up the mountain to become robbers."
The two arrived at the cake shop and asked for two loads of cake. Because they wanted to fry them fresh, they went into the shop and waited.
There was no charcoal basin in the shop, but the stove for frying rice cakes was never extinguished, so the shop was quite warm.
"Which route should we take next year? We can't go south, and there's a war in the north." The companion looked worried.
The whole family needs money for food and clothing, rent, and everything else. We can't just live off our savings.
You can go to Xiangzhou, but there is not much profit.
Han ate the fried beans sent by the shopkeeper and drank a sip of warm water: "Let's be patient and wait. After the New Year, maybe the war in the north will have a result."
The customer who was waiting in the shop asked curiously, "It can't be that fast, right? Yunzhou, Shuozhou, Hezhong Prefecture, plus the grasslands in the north, it's such a large area. If the government wants to recover it, it will take several years, right?"
The man burst out laughing: "Why do you think so? It would be great if the government could take back Hezhong Prefecture."
The guest didn't believe it and questioned, "This time the emperor is personally in charge, which is almost like the emperor leading the army in person. After all, Yunzhou and other places are remote and poor. They have fought several battles this year and are now at the end of their strength. How can they compare with the emperor?"
The man smiled faintly and said nothing, but the smile on his face was unpleasant no matter how you looked at it.
The guest said dissatisfiedly: "If you have any ideas, just say it. The Imperial City Bureau is busy with the front line and has no time to arrest us."
The government commanded the frontline operations like a puppet, and the Imperial City Department was the one who controlled the puppets, so busy that they had no time to rest.
There were dozens of messengers traveling between the capital and the front lines every day.
The man did not want to argue with the other party, but the other party kept pursuing him, so he had to say: "I have been to Yunzhou. Yunzhou is not as dilapidated as you think. In my opinion, there is no other province in the whole Great Zhou that is as vibrant as Yunzhou."
The guest was not convinced: "Can it be better than our Kyoto?"
The man thought for a moment and said, "Kyoto is at its peak, but it is in decline. Yunzhou is the rising sun, and it has a bright future."
This really touches people's heart.
How could there be a place better than Kyoto?! Impossible!
The guest snorted coldly: "No matter what, they can't beat the government or the Great Zhou!"
Just as the two were about to start a quarrel, the sound of hurried horse hooves was heard outside the shop. It must be the messenger again.
The sound of hooves faded away, the door curtain was lifted, and a strange face appeared, with a pair of eyes emitting gossipy light.
"Boss, two biscuits in exchange for some great news!"
The shopkeeper was both angry and amused. He took out two cakes from the bamboo basket and handed them over: "You are obviously an official, why are you still greedy for such a small advantage?"
The man took the cake and put it in his arms without eating it. He said, "You don't understand. This is fun. The civil unrest in Henan County has expanded. They have captured three counties in Henan County and are now besieging Xinzheng County."
"Oh!" Everyone in the shop exclaimed in unison, as if they couldn't believe the news.
"This is too fast. Didn't they say that Henan County was snowing heavily? Why are those chaotic soldiers so powerful?"
"How could they be rogue soldiers? They must be Duke Yun's men!"
"Isn't Duke Yun trapped in Hezhong Prefecture? How dare she send troops to Henan County?!"
The visitor chuckled and said, "This is really the second big news I mentioned! Shopkeeper, you are getting a great bargain today!"
"Don't hesitate, just speak quickly."
The visitor said mysteriously, "The twenty ships, dozens of warships, and tens of thousands of sailors we sent to attack Hezhong Prefecture were all sunk without even scratching a piece of the city wall!"
The shopkeeper's eyes widened, unable to believe what he heard: "Is this true?! How did you do this?"
Even the men who had confidence in Yunzhou were shocked. This record sounded like it was fabricated.
The visitor was very proud. Look, everyone had the same reaction. He couldn't be the only one to be shocked.
"It's true. It's said that it was sunk by Yunzhou's cannons. The story was even published in Yunzhou Weekly. But the incident had such a big impact that the court banned the sale of Yunzhou Weekly. However, some of it still made its way to Xiangzhou."
Seeing him speak so confidently, everyone gasped: "Oh my god!"
As if the shock to everyone was not big enough, the visitor dropped another bombshell: "The government attacked Hezhong County, which completely angered Duke Yun. Duke Yun immediately led his troops south, and it is said that they have already reached Anwu County in Guangde Prefecture."
"What?!!"
Hezhong County and Henan County are relatively far away from Kyoto. When the people of Kyoto heard that there was going to be a war, they didn't feel it was real.
But Guangde Prefecture is like the northern gate of Kyoto. If Duke Yun attacks Guangde Prefecture, isn't that the same as attacking his own doorstep? !
Without saying anything, the man added the order: "Boss, give me another ten loads of biscuits!"
The companion realized something and said, "Me too!"
Other guests placed additional orders.
The shopkeeper was so busy that his heels hit his head. Seeing the visitor still standing at the door to watch the excitement, he urged him, "Such a big thing has happened, why don't you hurry back to the government office?"
The visitor yawned and said, "I won't go back. I will definitely be scolded if I go back now! I have to wait until the officials and the gentlemen have discussed countermeasures before I go back."
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