Chapter 302: A city made of jade

Zhao Xing shook his head and replied: "I am indeed the first time I'm here, but I do know this old man, look..."

Zhao Xing pointed to the door plaque. The house was made of bricks and stones. In Guangxi, it was a complex of bamboo buildings, which looked particularly eye-catching. In front of the bricks and stone gatehouse, a stone archway similar to the Mainland Zhuangyuanfang was built. There was a large copper plaque embedded on the archway with four large characters: "The Grand General's House".

Sun Cong had heard of the rumors about Zhao Xing's demon army and the "general" army. He said with a oh: "It turned out to be a soldier of the Guangdong Musket Team. Why? The Musket Team is so rich that it can build such a big brick house in Guangxi."

The boss smiled and bowed to Sun Cong, saying, "It turns out that this is also an adult. Haha, my boy served in the army of the 'general general', participated in the Champo Kingdom's expedition, and also participated in the Dali expedition not long ago. Lord Zhao came to Xiao Lao'er's house, so Xiao Lao knew him. The little man's son made great achievements in both battles and sent the rewards back. At the beginning of this year, he told the little man to move to the Yongzhou Wharf.

Look, the house of the young man was built with the child's salary - not expensive. A car of bricks in Guangxi costs only twenty cents. This house is the salary of the child for three to five months. The spoils rewarded by the two battles in the house are not useful yet, so I just wait for the child to retire and marry the head's second daughter."

Sun Cong nodded: "What? People say that Guangxi is a malaria-stricken place. An old man speaks so elegantly, and his sentences are smooth and he is quite organized."

The old man smiled proudly: "Look at what the adults said, we are also a family of officials. My son retired next year and was going to be a county lieutenant. For this reason, the young man specially hired a village master. After several years of influence, if he still couldn't say a complete word, he would be underestimating our family."

Zhao Xing spread his hands and said with a smile: "This is the charm of culture, this is the conquest of civilization. Let's not say much. When this child was serving, I came to his house to deliver plaques. I remembered it. This house seems to be from Pennsylvania."

Zhao Xing pulled Sun Cong away because of the archway. Although this family tried their best to imitate the demeanor of officials, their cultural heritage was still terrified. The archway he built was a Zhuangyuanfang, and it was imitated. According to the Song Dynasty ritual system, this kind of archway was only allowed to be built by a family with the title of Jinshi.

Zhao Xing could guess the origin of this archway. It was probably because the soldier of the demon army had been in Guangzhou for a long time and knew that such a archway was extremely noble. There were few Jinshi in Guangzhou, and there was only a "Jidifang" in front of Zhao Xing's mansion. Zhang Shi left before he could build it. The current governor of Guangzhou Li Gefei had always lived in the government office and had no intention of buying property in Guangzhou. Therefore, there were few archways. The guy must have seen the appearance of Zhao Xing's archway and copied it in his own mansion. Guangxi was far away, and the man was about to become an official. No one on both sides had to worry about him, so this guest house with archway became the most conspicuous building on the dock.

"The tea-scented pigeons in Ziyunxuan, and sturgeon sashimi, you are close to the riverside, I want fresh sturgeons." Zhao Xing walked into the house while instructing the owner of the guest house. The owner of the guest house agreed repeatedly, and Zhao Xing turned his head to introduce to Sun Cong: "These two dishes I ordered are Yongzhou's characteristics. Among them, the tea-scented pigeons are smoked pigeons baked with tea leaves. The fragrance of the tea leaves is soaked into the meat, and the taste is excellent.

To eat this kind of pigeon, you need to drink strong wine. I have Yangzhou liquor in my carriage. Let’s eat white wine. Eat meat and stew. The taste is so good…”

The boss bowed and said with a compliment: "Sir. Today, our guesthouse also has fresh sea urchin and Japanese eel transported from Guangzhou Clippers. I will make you a sea urchin eel rice, and then you will have everything."

Zhao Xing stopped and asked in surprise: "In this wilderness, in remote Yongzhou, there will be people making sea urchin eel rice. No, right? I tell you that the eel should take out fish roe and soak it in sauce, plus a little mustard golden sunflower. The eel should be roasted for half an hour, and the oil should be brushed while roasting. In this way, the oil slowly penetrates into the eel and then roasted out by the fire, leaving only the seasoning in the oil.

In this way, the oil penetrates into the eel meat and is roasted. After half an hour, the eel meat will be roasted. Then steam a bowl of bagan rice, spread a layer of roasted eels on top, and then sprinkle the soaked sea urchin eggs on the eel, and then mix them casually with an ignorant attitude - remember, you must bibimbap with an ignorant attitude. Because the stirring is frequent, the grilled eel pieces will be crushed, and without stirring at all, the taste of eel sea urchin cannot be soaked in the rice, and it will not taste good enough..."

Zhao Xing carefully explained to his boss how to cook sea urchin eel rice. This kind of rice has appeared in the movie "If You Are the One", but the way to eat it in the movie is wrong. Japanese people don't like to never beat raw eggs on it. Zhao Xing knew that at this moment, he could eat sea urchin eel rice again, which made him smell the smell of the past. For a moment, his eyes were a little wet.

But Sun Cong was not tactful there. He curled his lips and said, "People say that Zhao Li never tires out fine food and fine meat. Now I know that the rice mixed with so much is so poor and particular."

Zhao Xing took a few steps, stopped curiously, and asked back, "Brother-in-law, why do you also have sea urchin eel rice in Yongzhou?"

The father-in-law smiled: "Mr. Zhao, this is the preference brought by General Chen. He listened to it for a few days in Yongzhou and sent someone a banquet for sea urchin eels every day. When he left, this fashion stayed. My Yongzhou waterway leads directly to Guangzhou. It was not uncommon for the things in the sea to be transported by General Chen. However, the fashion of transporting seafood in the frozen way was also brought by General Chen..."

The father-in-law said that Chen Shishi refers to Chen Buqun. His official title was the navy of the Guangnan East Road Coastal Establishment Department, and the people called it "Shui Army Chief". After being passed on, it became "Chen Shishi". "Shi" is a respectful title, not an official name.

If it was the fashion brought by Chen Buqun, there would be no doubt. This guy traveled to the sea with Zhao Xing and learned Zhao Xing's habits. This time, he captured Dali from the water, and his credit was taken away by Zhang Tian. He must be a little uncomfortable. When he arrived in Yongzhou, he took the opportunity to play with Guangxi leopards and brought the most difficult frozen sea urchin eel. To show that although I made a lot of trophy, I never have to worry about money. Did you see it? All the food I eat must be transported specifically from Japan. What is that little money? What I like is "fame", but you don't give me the honors I deserve.

Zhao Xing likes to see the whole from the details, the boss explains this. He already understands that Chen Buqun is dissatisfied, but Chen Buqun should not complain in the future, because Zhao Xing has obtained the right to use military power over the South China Sea from the Privy Council, and the honor of conquering the South China Sea is louder than the recovery of the old county...

The passenger ship was marching in the river, and the mountains on both sides were majestic. From time to time, a mountain road was hidden among the mountains. Zhao Xing sat at the bow of the boat, observing the mountain roads intently, as if looking at the priceless treasures.

There is not only Zhao Xing, a boat on the river. From time to time, some ships loaded with stones are down the river, and there are also many boats going upstream. They all drive on the right bank of the river. On the shore of the river, there are often some barbarian girls in bright clothes standing on the shore to wave on the boat. The boatmen teased the girls on the shore with horns. The singing sounds in the entire river are one after another, and they are ringing.

Sun Cong came over from the stern of the boat, and he thought while walking. Zhao Xing was riding a loach boat, but the oars of this loach boat are different from those of the canal. The oars are a bit similar to modern propellers. The blades are curved and placed at the stern of the boat. Several strong men pedaled the oars like stepping on bicycles. The boatman held the long bamboo artemisia, grasping the direction while helping the oars advance.

"The loach boat has never crossed Taihu Lake. As far as I know, this kind of boat has never appeared in the south. The oars on the canal are very large and are usually erected on both sides of the boat. How do you put your oars at the stern? It's so strange," Sun Cong shook his head and told Zhao Xing.

Zhao Xing pointed out the scenery of the riverside. He drew a big circle out of thin air and said enthusiastically: "My supervisor called this river 'Lijiang'. The second half of this river is called the 'Pearl River' by Guangdong people, which means it is like a pearl, pleasing to the eye. This river is relatively shallow. I plan to spend a few years in the future to blow up all the reefs in the river with explosives to completely clear this beautiful river.

Because the river is relatively shallow, the oars must be small and can only be placed at the stern of the boat. Therefore, our loach boat has become like this... The loach boat is so good. When you go upstream, you only need five or six boatmen to pass the turbulence. When you go down the river, you don’t need to work hard at all, you just need to master the direction.

This is a beautiful river, and the scenery on both sides is really unforgettable, but you have to ask the question of the paddle ground. Haven’t you found that the scenery on both sides is really unforgettable?"

Sun Cong nodded: "From Guangdong to Guangxi, I have seen the management methods of Liren, such as large cotton fields, large sugarcane forests, and the sour horn forests that can't be seen at all on the hillside...

Speaking of which, I can also feel the changes in Guangdong in the capital. People can only recall the legendary fruits of Guangdong, but now the capital is full of various Cantonese fruits, such as bananas and sour horns. Originally, when I entered the capital, each banana was several cents, and the price was more than gold and silver. But now, roadside vendors are also pushing cars to sell this kind of fruit. The changes in Guangdong really show Lord Zhao’s methods.

In addition to these, I have also seen hydraulic mills, textile workshops, and various workshops along the river. Now Guangdong's cloth industry is dominating the Song Dynasty, and the price of cloth in the capital has also dropped significantly... The road along the river that appears and disappears from time to time - is the road to send Zhong Dalu?"

Zhao Xing glared at Sun Cong with dissatisfaction: "You always say 'Send Zhong Da Road'. This name is despairing. You should say 'Golden Zhong Da Road'. This road transports golden clocks to Dali. I promise that it will bring a better life to Dali in the future - Golden Zhong Da Road. Remember, you can't scream."

Sun Cong rolled his eyes disapprovingly and said slowly: "You gave Dali to the end, so why don't you say that you are like you? Now I really want to see the big bell. Legend has it that the big bell is made of purple gold, with golden light. Once it rings, the sound will shake for ten miles, and the sound will be misty, making people unable to help but feel awe.

I want to know what this bronze bell that ended the 15th generation of Dali Kingdom in the Dali Kingdom looks like!”

No matter how Ren Suncong imagined it, he could not imagine the grandeur of the Golden Bell Pavilion. When he stood in front of the Golden Bell Pavilion in Shanchan Mansion, he couldn't help but gasp frequently: "I don't know, I could not have imagined that you built a jade building, which is too luxurious. How can you be like you in a human being... I decided that I would not pay you a copper coin for the half-ship cargo. You are so rich."

Zhao Xing stood next to Sun Cong. The location here is still a distance from the Golden Bell Building. They stood on a hillside and looked at the white building under the sunset. This building was built by tens of thousands of Angkor craftsmen. It was made of white huge stones. The Sophia prayer hall in Byzantine shape is similar to the Byzantine. The fifteen-meter-high buildings are all made of huge stone pillars. Next to the white stone pillars are glittering and crystal-like glass windows. Under the sunset, thousands of rays of light are reflected.

From here you can see the superstructure of the building. A higher spire is built at four corners of the building. Each spire is a bell tower, and there are many Chinese-style eaves on the roof of the building - now called "Japanese" sloping eaves. From this angle, you can also see rows of small glass windows under the eaves.

In addition to these Japanese eaves, there is a large platform on the top of the building. There are also people on the platform. In the sunset, the platform looks as smooth as water, which is the effect caused by the new tiles.

Zhao Xing looked at the white Golden Bell Building with satisfaction and said softly: "You are wrong. This is not my Golden Bell Building. It is the Golden Bell Building of the Song Dynasty. The stones on the building are not jade. I call it marble - this is Dali, which is the cheapest stone. Of course, you can also call it the White Marble Building. This is indeed a jade building. Anyone who sees this building can't help but crawl under this great creativity. This is the power of civilization."

Sun Cong looked for a while, and soon, the golden bell rang. Under the afterglow of the sunset, the golden bells at four corners were loud, and the whole city was trembling under the loud bells. With the loud bells, many Dali people stopped and drew a cross on their chests at the place where the golden bells rang. Even devout believers crawled underground and worshiped at the place where the golden bells rang.

Zhao Xing seemed unwilling to wake up the sleeping child. He used a loving attitude until the bell was ringing, and he gently greeted Sun Cong: "Let's go, let's take a look at this Golden Bell Building."

The interior of the Golden Bell Building is also like a prayer hall. There is no obstacle at a height of fifteen meters. There are stone pillars connecting the sky and the earth in the hall. There are countless counters on both sides of the hall, as well as some small glass compartments made of wood. In the compartments, merchants from the Song Dynasty sat proudly on the high counters, and there were a wide range of goods on the counters.

These merchants are qualified to be proud because Zhao Xing was the first person to launch a foreign war in the name of the damage caused by the merchants of the Song Dynasty in the past three thousand years. The civilized advantage made them feel that they were naturally proud when facing the Dali people. Zhao Xing's tough protection attitude made them feel that they were the noble people on this land. They all put on an extremely proud attitude, sat on the counter, and greeted Dali guests from a high position.

However, this was the Song Dynasty. There were many powerful countries around the Song Dynasty, which made the Song Dynasty court not have a condescending attitude. They had learned to deal with various countries equally according to the contract law. This was the true diplomacy in the history of earth civilization. Although the Song Dynasty merchants looked proud and proud, their attitude towards greeting guests from Dali was still the attitude of merchants, with the kind of condescending aristocrats.

After watching for a long time, Sun Cong's chin was about to fall off. He stuttered: "How magnificent, so broad, so gorgeous, so luxurious, you actually use such a building as a vegetable market to invite those vendors in and shout. I really admire your imagination."

This Golden Bell Building is indeed a hypermarket. It is a super-large store set up by Song merchants in Dali. The hall at the bottom is 15 meters high, and it is full of vendors. The six Chinese-style small square buildings on the roof are the offices of Song officials and Nestorians. The officials of the Song Dynasty who worked here called it the "Song Dynasty business representatives in Dali" - it was precisely because they were "unfairly treated". Zhao Xing launched a war to "protect their interests", and as a result, Dali was destroyed.

"You don't know that the merchants are worth living in this hall - the current agricultural tax in the Song Dynasty only accounts for one-fifth to one-sixth of the entire tax. The remaining taxes are contributed by the merchants. They used the copper plates of the Song Dynasty to pry open the entire Nanyang gate. I attacked Dali, seized Zhan Po, and suppressed Bomi, all relying on their guidance. Without them, the war would not go as smoothly as they did; without them, the war cost more than ten times the amount of war I spent, and the war dividends I obtained would be greatly reduced - these people are worth inviting to enter this magnificent hall. I plan to use the copper plates of the Song Dynasty they waved to hit the gates of the Nanyang Kingdom one by one in the future wars."

Sun Cong nodded: "This is what the Privy Council permits you. Are you not the 'Procuratorate of the Privy Council' now? If you mobilize the Nanyang Navy in the future, you no longer need to declare in advance."

"It should be the 'Guangnan Navy', not the Navy," Zhao Xing carefully corrected: "We have begun to escort the merchant ships. So we are no longer the navy, but the navy."

"Why do you call me?" Sun Cong answered disapprovingly, paused for a moment, and asked again: "You said that Yangzhumei City, the capital of Dali, is beautiful, and the stones that built this building are called 'marble'. Could that capital be also a city built with jade?"

"The whole city is built with jade," Zhao Xing looked at the direction of the Dali King Capital. He said leisurely: "A city built with jade, with flowers blooming in the city, all seasons are like spring, just like a dream, like the Garden of Eden in a dream."

"I can't wait." Sun Cong couldn't help but say, "How long do you plan to stay here? If possible, we will go to Yangzhumei City as soon as possible. I will make you feel itchy..."

The beauty of Yangzhumei City cannot be described in words. Originally, the people of the Song Dynasty could not have seen this jade city. Soon after, the Mongols attacked Dali and completely destroyed this dream city. However, Shanchan Mansion survived because it was not the capital, and later developed into Kunming, the capital of Yunnan, and the original Dali Dream City became a ruin.

Modern historians once discovered a strange phenomenon. All the places where the Mongols once set foot in, without exception were the local backward areas. Historians at that time also claimed that due to the destruction of civilization by the Mongols, they predicted that those places would still be backward places after a thousand years.

They were right, after the Mongolians set foot in a thousand years, their prophecies were still historical facts. So since then, backward and ignorant areas have a specific word in the historical community: "Mongolia Region". This area includes Russia, Poland, and most of Arabia and Asia.

The beautiful city of Yangzhumei City is just one of the countless cities destroyed under the Mongolian locust attack. Standing in this city, Zhao Xing had an unreal feeling that he did not know whether this city could exist forever - as the beauty of the Song Dynasty, it existed forever.

Sun Cong next to him didn't know the final fate of the city. He followed Zhao Xing in the city, looked at the stone slabs paved under his feet in disbelief, and said in a daze: "Yes, I actually walked on the road made of jade. Is this true?

I was breathless. There was actually a city made of jade in this world. Compared with this city, compared with the jade in the entire city, your Golden Bell Building is just a piece of scum. You actually gave Dali the end of a Golden Bell Building. It is hard to imagine that this city made by jade was crawling at the feet of my Song Dynasty. You actually used thousands of soldiers to make this city bow to you."

Zhao Xing looked at the marble all over the city and the gorgeous stone houses, and said absent-mindedly: "What is jade in a city? Jade is not creation, but my towering Golden Bell Building is creation. Don't you know the water gazebo platform? How creative is it to build a clock tower that rings regularly? Even if the Dali people lay the jade in a city, they cannot create such ingenious craftsmanship.

You don't understand that fortresses are always captured from the inside. If the Dali people did not have internal conflicts, if the Dali people had not been reduced to the minimum loyalty to King Duan, if the prestige of the powerful ministers of the Gao family was in the most declining period, this city would not have fallen easily. In a few years, the Song Dynasty would have spent more than ten times more effort to conquer this city. We have been rushing for a good era, which exudes unparalleled creativity, making the whole of Asia feel awe of us. I am just good at using their awe.

I hope this dream city can last forever, and forever. Lord Sun, record everything you see today, tell the people in the capital, let go of my hands and feet, and I will present the entire South Asia to the feet of His Majesty - look, this magnificent city now belongs to my Song Dynasty. In addition to this city, there is the more glorious Angkor Dynasty. The city buildings of that dynasty are more magnificent and the wealth is even more unimaginable. I believe that in the near future, it will also belong to my Song Dynasty, believe me."
Chapter completed!