Chapter 746 Pulled to the gambling table
Yizhou, Xishui Village
It was morning, the sun was getting hotter, and countless farmers in shorts were still busy in the fields.
What a beautiful rural scene with roads and paths connected and the sounds of chickens and dogs coming and going.
But at this moment, a voice broke this scene.
"Auntie Lin, are you still chopping branches?"
"Yes, these branches are dry, just right for tying them up for the fire. What's the matter?"
"I just saw Xiao Linzi hurrying towards the village entrance carrying a bag of food. It looked like food. Go and follow him."
"What? This bastard!" Aunt Lin dropped the work in her hands, grabbed the sickle and chased after him towards the village entrance while cursing.
When others saw this scene, they couldn't help but shake their heads.
"That kid probably traded his food for gambling money again. How pitiful."
"It's not just Aunt Lin who's pitiful. Aren't there many families like her in our village?"
"Yeah, these gamblers gamble every day, every day, and their houses are about to be gambled away!"
"Horse racing is very harmful to people, and the government is also condoning it. It's very difficult for us ordinary people."
"Ah, what kind of monsters are in power now?"
The same scene happened in various places of Dali and Xianbei.
There are too many people gambling, and almost every family has someone who gambles on this. Those who don’t gamble now have gambled before, and they stopped gambling because they were desperate.
Anyway, basically all the family's belongings were looted. Many families even owed debts, and the grain was used to pay off the debts as soon as it came down. What's worse, some people even sold their children.
In short, since underground gambling became prevalent and dealers appeared everywhere, the already difficult lives of ordinary people have become even more miserable.
As the saying goes, there are people who freeze to death on the road while the rich have wine and meat.
Even though ordinary people had such a hard time, when the news of a two-month polo tournament to be held in the Qing, Yan and Xu Free Trade Zones spread, it still attracted the attention of countless powerful and wealthy people from the three parties.
At the same time, the three parties jointly proposed a football betting competition system, which aroused the great interest of these middle and upper classes.
All three parties selected cavalrymen with excellent horse and ball skills, and each formed three teams to participate in this game.
The nine teams from Dali, Pingzhou and Xianbei, most of the team members came from the army, and each of them was the best in the army.
There are nine polo teams, and the odds for each team are different.
Compared with the simple and crude horse racing in Qingzhou District, the gameplay is more diverse, more complex, more exciting, and more suitable for middle and upper class intellectuals.
This competition involves the ownership of Qingzhou, Xuzhou and Shengle, and all three parties attach great importance to it.
As the news spread, countless people rushed to the Tri-State Free Trade Zone, including the rich and powerful and the poor.
For the powerful or wealthy, polo is a very thrilling sport. This time it is jointly organized by three parties, with three teams each from Dali, Pingzhou and Xianbei. Although it is called a competition, it also clearly reveals the competitive relationship between the three parties.
As citizens of the three parties, we must support the team of our own forces.
This is no longer just gambling.
For ordinary people, a tree that is moved will die, but a person who moves will live.
Where there are many people, there is wealth and opportunities.
Therefore, some people who felt that they could no longer survive in their hometowns sold their meager fields and fled north with their families, carrying their luggage.
As a result, the Tri-State Free Trade Zone was very lively throughout the summer, with countless people spending huge sums of money here, creating a sense of decadence and extravagance.
It is totally unimaginable that people's livelihood is in decline in many places in Dali.
Regarding this phenomenon, Xie Zhan murmured, "When the people are squandering money, they will plunder the people. When there is a popular uprising, they will plunder the merchants."
Fan Yang sat aside with a serious look on his face. The current development of the situation was just as the head of the family had expected.
"Master, now it is only possible unless the emperor personally orders a ban on gambling and cleans up the secret casinos in Dali..." But the news from the palace was that the emperor had been in a coma and had never woken up, relying on secret medicine to stay alive.
If he is forcibly awakened, there will be only one result, and that result is not what the head of the family wants to see, at least not what he wants to see at the moment.
"It's too late. Never mind, let's put this matter aside."
Fan Yang also felt that the current situation was unsolvable.
"What do you think of the news from Zuo Anmin?"
Fan Yang hesitated and asked, "Can Zuo Anmin really get the formula for explosives? I'm not questioning his ability, but Lu Songli is as cunning as a fox. Could this be a trap set by Pingzhou?"
"Your speculation is also my speculation. The question now is, should we take this gamble?"
After Xie Zhan finished speaking, he stood up and paced back and forth in the military tent.
Fan Yang was also thinking deeply, should they gamble?
At this time in Pingzhou, Xue Xu was also asking Lv Songli this question, "Governor, do you think Xie Zhan will be fooled?"
"Yes." Lu Songli replied calmly.
Xie Zhan had been dragged to the gambling table by her without realizing it and had no choice but to gamble.
No, it should be said that Dali had been dragged to the gambling table by her without her knowing it, and Xie Zhan was just one of the few smart people in Dali, and he just noticed it.
At this moment, it was as if she and Xie Zhan were already sitting at the five-card stud poker table.
She had a pile of chips in her hand, but Xie Zhan had fewer chips than her.
The card game has already begun, and both sides have passively placed their bets.
Now, she asked for a card, and it depended on whether he would follow.
If she doesn't follow, the bet belongs to her.
If he follows, Xie Zhan might still win.
In other words, now, if you don't gamble, Dali will continue to lose blood. If you gamble, there may still be a chance to turn the tables.
Southland
At this time, Xie Zhan had already sat back down, having made up his mind.
Although the people he organized to research explosives kept telling him that it would be almost done, that they had already made some progress, and that it would probably not take long to develop it.
But Xie Zhan had heard such words too many times and didn't really believe them.
If there is no opportunity, then he will just wait.
Now that Pingzhou has a loophole, he must seize it. As the saying goes, once you lose an opportunity, it will never come back.
"I decided to take this gamble." Xie Zhan said.
"But the price that Zuo Anmin mentioned is too high." Fan Yang felt that the number was too high.
Xie Zhan was silent.
He had gritted his teeth and refused to give up the hidden wealth before the Xie family was exiled. He had used up part of it when he followed the Pingzhou uprising. This time, he would probably have emptied out the last bit of his family fortune.
But Xie Zhan knew very well that he had to pay the money because the situation was pressing.
Not to mention that this is the key to defeating the enemy, at least by getting the formula of the explosives, Dali will no longer be suppressed by Pingzhou's weapons.
For example, Dali, Pingzhou and Xianbei are currently trading freely in the three states and holding gambling matches, with the stakes being so high.
Anyone with a keen eye could see that once the tournament was over and the time came to fulfill their promises, military deterrence would likely be necessary. The three parties were very likely to engage in renewed hostilities.
As for the current situation, Pingzhou has the advantage, so he has to go to the gambling table.
If you don’t gamble, there is no chance at all, but if you gamble, there is still a glimmer of chance.
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