Chapter 30
After pondering for a while, Wen Yi summoned a merchant who had once passed through the village and was now adept at traveling north to collect large quantities of wool and livestock. The merchant had just returned from a caravan a few days ago. Furs were very cheap at this time of year, and a small amount of grain or tea could be exchanged for a large amount.
He knew there was a way to transform those smelly furs into fluffy, soft, and warm clothing. Not only could they be sold cheaply to people in the city, but caravans out in the city would also carry some, though the prices were much higher. It was also the kind of thing that was in short supply, so whether one could snag one depended entirely on luck.
Of course, as a major wool buyer, he could buy wool in the city and bring it to Xinyi for his family. He even went back in the autumn and after discussion, they decided to move their family here.
Life in Pingyi this winter has been wonderful. Even the elderly family member who has suffered from chronic leg pain has felt much better and has praised this place as a truly wonderful place. The city's public security is also excellent, with rotating patrols on the roads.
Naturally, he worked harder and finally saved enough copper coins to register the house he had originally rented under his own name.
"Thank you for your hard work. How was your trip?" Wen Yi looked up and asked the person who came in.
The visitor still smiled and lowered his head slightly:
"Not bad. This time we encountered several groups of guys we hadn't seen before. We exchanged those not-so-good goods for a lot of things." He handed over the list.
The warehouse naturally also had a copy, but the specific contents of both sides needed to be verified before the process was complete. The two parties had no intersection, and most of the time they didn't even know who each other was.
Wen Yi took the list, checked it briefly to determine the approximate quantity, and calculated the materials he had accumulated. If he continued to purchase, it would be enough before winter.
"I'll have to trouble you to buy more next time, but please pay attention to safety." After all, people are more important than those dead things. Even if there are not enough, burning more charcoal braziers will not allow them to survive the winter.
Perhaps the environment is still relatively primitive. Not only Pingyi, but also the resources around several cities in Shangyong are relatively abundant. The open-air coal is enough to last for a long time.
After being cleaned, the coal was stored at the northernmost end of the city, away from residential areas. At the same time, great care was taken to prevent accidents from causing excessive losses.
The account books brought by the vendors were kept in duplicate. After Sang Yu registered the newly brought list, he began to count the amount that could be allocated.
Song Jin sat on the side and watched the busy figures with interest. She certainly didn't come here to watch the fun, but it was not the time to ask for help. It would be better to watch from the side first, and then decide what to do when she understood the situation.
She knew Yao Wenjun and had great respect for He Xuan, but Wen Yi only mentioned him in that letter.
*
Yao Wenjun felt a little guilty after receiving the somewhat resentful letter, but he quickly accepted the batch of supplies and the people who were packed there, and began to devote himself to the construction of Shangyong.
The previous caravan did work. At least many people here were using the farm tools, which saved the trouble of replanting.
The people in the city were still in a state of nervous tension. Normally, when they saw Yao Wenjun and others, they would quickly close the door and not look at them. However, the merchants who had done business with them before bravely came out and led the way.
"My Lord, come this way."
Shangyong was more prosperous than Pingyi before they took control, and the treasury had accumulated a considerable amount of money and grain. Yao Wenjun only glanced at these and handed them to the accountant accompanying the army, then went to the study to check if there was anything important.
The person in charge here did not escape, and Yao Wenjun did not deal with him for the time being. Under her gaze, the man carefully opened the wooden box with a mechanism lock, and took out the seals that did not belong to him and the bamboo slips and brocades that he had exchanged during this period of time.
The study was kept very clean, but one could only kneel on the mat.
Yao Wenjun placed the silk that the man handed over on the table and unfolded it casually.
The handwriting was a little sloppy, but it was still legible. After all, it was written in a language she was familiar with, and there were signatures from several parties at the end.
"Ah... I didn't expect to see this thing here."
Yao Wenjun took off the dagger he had acquired some time ago. It was made with the latest technology, and while it wasn't sharp enough to easily chop through a copper knife, it was much sharper than the original dagger.
She carefully used the blade to pick up the threads that sewed the brocade together. The person who was being pressed down by the soldiers next to her subconsciously wanted to take it back, but was pushed back down as soon as he stood up.
There was indeed a layer in the brocade, on which were written detailed plans and actions in a special light ink, but some of the contents had not yet been implemented.
Yao Wenjun didn't expect these people to be so bold. They were probably sure that no one would take it apart. After all, the content on the surface was shocking enough.
She sighed and put the things back.
"Actually, you don't have to be so excited." Yao Wenjun put the things back and handed the box to the soldier beside him. "Actually, I don't care too much. I'm even happy to see you deal with those stubborn guys."
"However, you traded the people of several cities for nothing more than silver and fine horses. This was a truly awful deal."
Yudi was not the richest land, but it had the weakest defense. That group of people were able to go straight to the vital points and initially divided and annihilated her and her subordinates, but later due to uneven distribution of benefits, they each occupied the territory and now it has been divided into small pieces.
She came to threaten the people around her because they were short of food and supplies, and their lives were worse than before. It was no wonder that the people on Shangyong's side were very conflicted when they saw her.
They hope that someone can change, but they are also afraid that it will be like what happened in the past, where the city officials will plunder the person and send him away, and the only unlucky ones are those living in the city.
"Forget it, take this person away first and deal with him when we are free."
The two people who had originally followed her had already stayed in another city to take charge of affairs, so Yao Wenjun had to handle this matter herself.
Fortunately, the most important thing was to build fortifications. Under the temptation of food, people who had been staying indoors gradually came out and began to help repair and reinforce the city walls.
In the past, they were also required to do these things, but they were not paid. If it was the busy farming season, they would even have to work in the fields in the middle of the night, otherwise the whole family would have nothing to eat.
Yao Wenjun's offer was less than 20% of the reward offered in Pingyi, and even then, some people started fighting over the quota, only to be separated by the mediation of soldiers. Ultimately, neither of them was allowed to join, and the people who wanted to kill their competitors finally calmed down.
But there were also advantages. Many basic equipment in Shangyong were not destroyed. Yao Wenjun also found a very advanced jacquard loom in the treasury, which she sent back to Wenyi and gave to the craftsmen there to imitate.
Kilns were soon built outside the city, and in addition to firing cement, they also produced a lot of primitive porcelain. This thing itself was not very valuable, but considering the transportation costs, it was better to use ordinary pottery bowls.
Yao Wenjun used this thing as a reward for building the city wall, and it was surprisingly popular.
Shangyong's household registration statistics were relatively complete, making it much easier for Yao Wenjun to find craftsmen. She hadn't touched anything else yet, simply calling these people over to take charge of minor steps, and would only make decisions if they proved particularly outstanding.
After receiving a loom, Wen Yi was silent for a moment before waving his hand. After registering it, he sent it to the workshop. Although they only needed ordinary fabrics right now, those exquisite items could fetch a high price and be exchanged for more goodies. In a sense, it was quite useful, but it consumed more manpower.
Song Jin had been sneaking off to the training grounds these past few days, seemingly developing a certain interest in the area. She wasn't frail, though her legs were a bit awkward. Her most common weapon was a small crossbow, which was accurate but lacked power.
There are many bows of different weights on the rack next to the training ground. You can try to choose the size that suits you best, but you cannot shoot empty arrows.
When an arrow is shot, all the force is released through the arrow body. When it is released without any force, all the force will act on the bow body, which is easy to cause damage.
Wen Yi also tried to use the heavy bow that Yao Wenjun had used, but unfortunately, he couldn't draw it at all. Of course, there were only a few people in the entire training ground who could draw it.
Nan Xun could barely pull away, but it was impossible for him to aim steadily.
Song Jin knew Nan Xun, but he didn't expect him to be so interesting. Every morning he would try to draw the bow before the soldiers arrived.
"When I mentioned you in the previous letter, I thought it was an exaggeration. I didn't expect you to be so interesting in real life."
Song Jin's voice echoed faintly behind him, frightening Nan Xun so much that he almost dropped his bow. This man, despite having difficulty walking, walked without making any noise, so suddenly speaking behind him was truly terrifying.
"call--"
Nan Xun adjusted his breathing and did not argue with this man. He was too elusive and he was startled every time.
A warrior's intuition isn't solely based on a sixth sense; it also involves judging appearances and sensing information in the air. While he wasn't as good as the top fighters in this regard, he never failed to detect this person's arrival.
There was no sign of martial arts training on Song Jin's body, and he looked more like a scholar who handled menial affairs - in fact, he was like that, and he was very skilled when he occasionally helped out.
But she also seemed to have a special ability. When she didn't want to be discovered, she could minimize her presence. This was why even though Wen Yi was in the situation most of the time, he would sometimes forget her existence, even though he was the one who went out to greet her at the beginning.
"If you're bored, why not go and help them?" Nan Xun was referring to Sang Yu and the others, but Song Jin didn't respond, just spread his hands.
"I'll naturally go back and help when the time comes. For now, it's so fun to just walk around here."
Although she had some freedom before, she was restricted by various family matters and her mobility problems meant she was often looked at strangely when she walked outside. She would also be met with malicious glances from people in tattered clothes.
Not so in Pingyi.
Everyone was talking about the notice, and even if they saw her, they didn't pay much attention. After all, there were many people left behind due to injuries in the city. Although everyone's clothes were not fancy, they were clean and tidy.
Yao Wenjun would send the more seriously injured back for medical treatment, so there were actually many retired soldiers with some physical disabilities on the road. There were many jobs in the city that they were capable of doing, and they would also receive subsidies and discounts on clothing and drinks.
In addition, the vast majority of residents are families, so naturally no one would use this as a topic of conversation.
Even children don’t find it strange. When they pass by, they will seriously ask if you need help. After confirming that you don’t need help, they will leave happily.
Sometimes what she needs is not special treatment, but to be treated as an ordinary person in some sense.
Song Jin naturally would not say these words out loud. She came to the training ground just to try out her archery skills.
Seeing that it was already late, Nan Xun did not try to persuade him any further. He got up and walked towards the training ground to start his daily morning training.
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