The Zhenbei Army's military pay has been tight for many years. Even now that the Crown Prince is overseeing the country, the Ministry of Revenue cannot be too harsh and it is impossible to fill the previous hole all at once.
Moreover, with the end of the year approaching, every garrison had to find its own way to raise military provisions and pay wages, including the Guangbao Garrison where he was currently stationed.
Of the major garrisons, only the Suijin Garrison had the most abundant silver reserves.
The newly built military households' houses were the envy of every soldier.
Xiao Zongqi knew what Suijinwei used to be like.
He witnessed firsthand how the Broken Gold Guards couldn't even afford fifty taels of silver for their wages and had their camp gates blocked. Now, only a year later, their military pay is no longer delayed, and they can even buy wives and have lavish weddings.
If he hadn't already been a powerful figure in Guangbao, he would definitely have regretted it.
The good life in Suijin Town is largely due to the Song family, aside from the imperial court's military pay.
Song Liyun was the one who initially helped the garrison sell furs.
“Miss Song, if you’re coming to the grasslands to buy furs, why don’t you have Luo Baihu issue a warrant? That way, the patrolling brothers can help you take care of things, and you won’t have to worry about it.”
General Xiao led Song Liyun and Song Dekui into a nearby tent, his attitude amiable and approachable.
Wu Dong and the others were dumbfounded. Commander Xiao was transferred from the Broken Gold Guard. He was always arrogant and domineering, and rarely spoke to people so kindly.
Song Liyun couldn't bring herself to say that she wanted to go to the Mida River Valley to inquire about her lover, so she could only say, "Besides buying furs, I also want to contact some suppliers of beef and mutton, so that we can buy large quantities of them next month."
When General Xiao left Suijinwei, the Song family was still only selling vegetables and acorn flour, and then reselling some leather goods; they had not yet started operating Tianxianglou.
Hearing that he wanted to buy mutton, he couldn't help but ask in surprise, "The mutton that Sui Jinwei wants to eat has its own source. Why do you need to come all the way to the grasslands to buy it?"
He knew about the Wuda tribe, but he didn't know about Zhao Tingduo's marriage proposal.
Song Liyun smiled faintly: "I am now the manager of Tianxianglou in Qili County. Tianxianglou is under the jurisdiction of Suijinwei and the county government. Business is good. We need fresh mutton every day. The live sheep sent by the garrison alone are not enough."
Xiao Zongqi's eyes immediately flashed with a sharp light. Of course, he knew about Tianxianglou in Qili County. It was a well-known restaurant.
In the blink of an eye, Commander Xiao recalled the military report from a few months ago, which mentioned that Tianxianglou had colluded with bandits and committed the massacre in Suijin Town.
Tianxianglou has been taken over by Suijinwei!
The cattle and sheep of the Uda tribe are not enough to sell; what a huge way to make money that is!
At this moment, Xiao Zongqi was filled with excitement, and he looked at Song Liyun as if she were a god of wealth who could turn stones into gold.
Guangbao Garrison is about 100 to 200 miles away from Suijin Town. Like Suijin Garrison, it also guards the two mountain passes leading from Wu Dynasty to the grassland.
Similarly, this place, located near the garrison, also has a small market.
In Xiao Zongqi's eyes, although the small market was not as good as Qili County, it was still better than the dilapidated Suijin Town.
As soon as he arrived in Guangbao, he took over the shop and had his family manage it.
It's neither good nor bad; I can barely make a little over one or two taels of silver a month.
Xiao Zongqi calculated that if he could get the mutton purchase business from Song Liyun, he would have a lucrative business with guaranteed profits regardless of the circumstances.
This place is also called Xiaoba Grassland because it is a pasture. Not only were there herders from the Wu Dynasty, but also herders from the Di people. The Zhenbei Army patrolled here year-round.
It's just that it's cold now, and the herdsmen of the Wu Dynasty have already returned to the mountains for the winter. Di tribes still remain on the grasslands, and where there are tribes, there are cattle and sheep...
He didn't consider whether the Di tribe would be willing to hand over their cattle and sheep. In any case, the fact that these barbarians had survived in Xiaoba until now was already a testament to the Wu Dynasty's leniency.
Alternatively, they could simply keep the people there to raise sheep for the garrison...
The Broken Gold Town and the Uda Tribe are just like that; I can do the same.
"Don't worry, Miss Song. Your Uncle Xiao is influential in Guangbao now. All the cattle and sheep on this land will be mine in the future. Just say the word if you want them, and you can come and get them anytime," said Commander Xiao, patting his chest.
Song Liyun raised her eyebrows. She had heard Abu say that the herders' daily lives depended mainly on dairy products. Except for old cattle and sheep that could no longer reproduce, they could not easily slaughter cattle and sheep unless there was enough food.
Now, General Xiao wants to buy up all the cattle and sheep of these Di tribes. If the problem of food is not solved, the entire tribe may starve to death.
However, since General Manager Xiao was currently in the midst of taking on all the responsibilities, she couldn't say too much and simply nodded in agreement: "Okay, if Tianxiang Restaurant needs mutton in the future, please ask General Manager Xiao for help."
After finding the person, Commander Xiao was not in a hurry to return to the garrison. Instead, he had the Kun tribe slaughter a sheep and stew it in a pot.
That evening, a long table was set up in the tent specially cleared for Song Liyun, piled with large chunks of cooked mutton and milk wine.
Apart from the two distinguished guests, Song Liyun and General Xiao, Song Dekui and Wu Dong were also seated with them.
The chieftain of the Kun tribe was named Balin, and he was in his thirties.
He was with his wife, a beautiful woman, who was attentively serving the guests mutton.
Use a knife to slice the mutton off the bone, then coat the slices with some dark green grass sauce from the wooden bowl, and it's ready to eat.
Song Liyun had tried this way of eating before, at the Wuda campsite at the mouth of the Huangsha River Valley.
Grandma Qi said this is a wild chive blossom sauce unique to the grasslands.
Salt and tea are precious commodities on the grasslands, and small tribes cannot easily purchase them from caravans.
These wild chive blossoms, which bloom all over the grasslands in August, have a unique spiciness that can replace salt and also help meet the vitamin deficiency caused by a lack of vegetables.
Each tribe gathers and mashes the ingredients into a paste during this time, enough to last them a year.
It was Song Dekui's first time on the grassland. He was attracted by the novel food and didn't want anyone to serve him. He took a small knife and cut the meat to eat himself.
Chief Balin respectfully placed the slices of meat he had cut in front of Song Liyun and said in stiff Wuchao dialect, "The fattest and most delicious mutton is offered to the most honored guest."
Song Liyun nodded in thanks: "Thank you for your kind hospitality!"
Bahrain then presented General Xiao with mutton, using the same words, and added, "General Xiao, I hope you will take good care of me in the future!"
Commander Xiao laughed and said, "Don't worry, you can just stay here. I'll send you food if you need anything."
Bahrain was overjoyed and thanked General Xiao repeatedly.
Song Liyun glanced at him: What does this Balin mean? Doesn't he know that Commander Xiao is already plotting against him?
After several rounds of drinks and dishes, Bahrain revealed his intentions during the conversation.
Bahrain was young and vigorous, much bolder than the old man from the Red Stone tribe.
When chaos broke out in the Mida River Valley, he led his family and tribe to the Xiaoba Grassland.
This place is both a grassland and under the blade of the Zhenbei Army.
Balin knew that the Uda tribe, which was now thriving, had been defeated in the struggles on the grasslands and was even worse off than his current tribe. In the end, it was only by relying on the Shangwu Dynasty that it survived and grew stronger.
That was his intention.
The Kun tribe currently has over fifty men, women, and children. If they settle down and the women have children, the tribe's population will definitely double in twenty years.
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