The nearby Liao nobles and wealthy Han people heard about the Song caravan's whereabouts, and people kept coming to trade after hearing the news. In the absence of an exchange of goods that both parties were satisfied with, gold, silver and copper coins were acceptable.

For currency, one tael of gold is equivalent to ten Song copper coins or ten taels of silver. Through observation, Zhao Xingde found that merchants in the Liao Kingdom were more willing to accept gold than silver, while merchants in the Song Kingdom preferred silver. Copper coins were too bulky, while Xia Dynasty merchants were more willing to accept gold than silver.

The state's "one tael" gold and silver coinage was of good quality and did not need to be weighed. Merchants in both the Song and Liao Dynasties accepted it.

The small merchants in the caravan were also happy to get rid of their goods early. Some exchanged relatively heavy porcelain, silk and other items for easier-to-carry gold and silver ingots, some exchanged silver cakes for salt, and some exchanged them with the more trustworthy Liao.

The Chinese merchants signed a contract and first delivered the goods brought by the Song Dynasty. On the way back, they would get the cattle and sheep from the Liao people and drive them back to the Song Dynasty. Just like this, the merchants had not reached the final bulk trading market.

The goods carried by the team made ten stops and two stops.

Han Shizhong told Xingde privately that he invested two thousand guan himself, and also asked his subordinates who came with him to collect the capital of 1,000 guan, and gave it to a businessman to exchange for porcelain and bring it with the caravan. Looking at the current market, he might make this trip to earn money.

It’s more than double the previous one. “Damn it, if I had known that this smuggled goods business was so profitable, I should have paid more for the hard work of the guards.” Han Shizhong cursed happily, but he knew in his heart that these smuggled goods caravans

Most of them have a backend. In addition to buying land and recruiting tenants to cultivate it, senior officials in Hebei have also invested some capital to earn profits in this kind of caravan.

Zhao Xingde was very interested in the fact that unlike the single-wheeled single-drawn mule carts of the Song caravans, almost all the carriages carrying goods in the Liao were four-wheeled vehicles, each with at least two large animals. The nobles of the Liao were also completely harmonious.

He imagined that his face was ferocious, rude and savage. Because of his affluent life and his belief in Buddhism, except for the occasional gloomy look, even by the standards of the Central Plains, his appearance was considered rich, and there were more people wearing gold and silver than in the Central Plains.

He occasionally talked to these servants of Liao nobles, and after a little probing, these people would insist that they were servants "in the house" or "in the house", not coolies "in the field" or "in the workshop".

The caravan finally arrived at a place called Wanhuaizhuang. Private construction of city walls and siltation of paddy fields were strictly prohibited on Nanjing Road in the Liao Dynasty. In order to resist horse thieves and bandits, a low wooden fence was built outside the village, with wood inside.

Several tall sentry towers and archery towers were erected. At this time, the crops in the north had been harvested. The piles of haystacks of different heights made the villages on the plain look particularly abrupt.

There was also a large group of cattle and sheep kept outside the village. When you got closer, you could smell a strong smell of livestock excrement and urine. The pungent smell made Zhao Xingde sniffle unconsciously, which made him bow to the owner of the village.

His expression looked a little strange. Although the owner of the village, Wang Xiaojie, was under forty, his temples were already slightly white. When he smiled, a scar loomed over his left eye.

Han Shizhong asked Zhao Xingde to follow Xiao Yanshi, the great businessman who organized the caravan, and listened to the transaction process of the two people. Zhao Xingde also kept his ears open and kept his mouth shut. However, this time Han Shizhong's shrewdness was really right.

In addition to the 50,000 kilograms of shochu, 50,000 mink skins, and 17,000 kilograms of salt stored in Wanhuaizhuang, Wang Xiaojie's goods also included several thousand giant trees from Liaodong and 8,000 kilograms of salt that were transported to the Song Dynasty by water on several ships.

Jin Shan Ginseng. Wang Xiaojie seemed to know Zhao Xingde's identity, smiled gently at him, and handed the delivery note to Xiao Yanshi. Xiao Yanshi also pretended to be generous and handed the delivery note to Zhao Xingde for a look.

Then he put it in his arms.

In the evening, the caravan stayed in the Wanhuai Manor. Zhao Xingde occupied a guest room. Before he went to bed, he suddenly heard a knock on the door. When he opened the door, he saw a maid standing shyly at the door and asked softly: "Master."

Does the official want a slave to accompany you to bed?" Zhao Xingde looked at her from top to bottom. She looked quite impressive in appearance and figure. There seemed to be a hint of resentment in his brows. He suppressed his thoughts and said warmly: "Miss, please

Come back and thank the owner of the village for his kindness." The maid raised her head and took a deep look at him, then turned and left.

Zhao Xingde swallowed, closed the door, and took out the sachet from the capital. Although the aroma had faded, holding it in his hand, he still felt a warmth in his chest. He rubbed it for a long time under the candlelight, and his heart felt...

After calming down, he fell into a deep sleep.

At dawn the next day, the caravan packed up and set off. The return trip was much faster than when it came. Even the merchants, including Xiao Yanshi, could not hide their joy. They deliberately chose to come to Liao to exchange goods before heavy snow closed the road.

It can capture the Liao people's eagerness to prepare for the winter, and because it is the last batch of northern goods exchanged from the Liao Kingdom, it can be regarded as a rare commodity in Hejian, and is sold at a high price to those merchants who have not bought enough northern goods to return south.

Although the time is running out, compared with the huge profits, it is all worth it. At this time, everyone, with their carts full of goods, is eager to return home, and they are all urging the porters to hurry up and leave early.

Return to Song Dynasty.

Han Shizhong divided the cavalry into five teams as usual, with a team of reconnaissance cavalry cruising in front, rear and left of the caravan. He personally led the most elite team of cavalry in the center to provide support. Zhao Xingde walked alongside Han Shizhong on the road. Zhao Xingde wanted to ask him about last night several times.

Is there a maid to attend the bed, but I still resisted asking. Even in the mansions of high-ranking officials in Bianjing, this kind of entertainment is as common as accompanying wine and singing. The reception and farewell of being a guest are so common that there is really no way to find out.

Unlike Zhao Xingde, who had some ups and downs in his heart, Han Shizhong's behavior as if nothing had happened was the proper attitude.

A group of merchants walked along the winding trade road for two or three days, gradually leaving the control of the Liao Kingdom and entering the buffer zone between the Liao and Song Dynasties. Perhaps because the weather was getting colder, they encountered several groups of Liao cavalry on the way there.

Patrolling the border, there was not a single team on the way back. All the merchants were happy that they had less money to spend, but Han Shizhong frowned and urged the scouts to be careful and not to fall into an ambush by horse thieves and bandits.

Zhao Xingde also wondered in his heart whether Han Shizhong suddenly made a lot of money, so much so that he was like a white-collar worker who won a super jackpot. He was afraid that someone would come to rob him, and he wanted to go out wearing sunglasses and a mask. When he was complaining, the left front was far away.

Suddenly two crows flew up from the woods, making a sharp and piercing sound. Several crows flew up and fled in all directions, screaming.

"Enemy attack!" Although he had only been in the army for a few months, Zhao Xingde also knew what he meant. He didn't know how to respond for a moment. Just as his mind was changing, Han Shizhong had already shouted: "Enemy attack, enemy attack!" While shouting,

While pulling out the saber from his waist, he did not pull it out. Instead, he circled the horse and kept using the scabbard and riding whip to beat several volunteer leaders who were as confused as Zhao Xingde. "Build a chariot formation! Set up a chariot formation!" he continued.

He ordered loudly, holding the horse's belly firmly between his legs, and ran in front and behind the scattered caravan. The dozen cavalrymen who stayed in the caravan to support them also, like Han Shizhong, went around beating the horses, urging the panicked porters and dumbfounded merchants,

There was also the bodyguard Yiyong who was in a hurry and quickly set up the car formation.

In the unobstructed northern plains, horse thieves are definitely one of the most hated existences. Bandits often stay in one place and rarely kill them all. Draining the swamp for fishing and burning the forest for hunting are the worst strategies. Just like locusts.

The horse thieves are just the opposite. They move over a large area, act extremely fiercely, and take pleasure in killing everyone. Among the obvious misdeeds of the horse thieves, they have never lacked the slaughter of villages and families, and the killing of everyone. And from the cavalry

Judging from their eager reactions, the scouts in front must have encountered a group of horse thieves, and their strength was so strong that a team of ten scouts only had time to send out two warning sirens.

The leader yelled and scolded loudly, and the volunteers below were in a hurry. The merchants were like headless flies, scrambling to call the bodyguards to come to protect them. Even because two frightened mules ran around, three trucks were huddled together and fell to the ground. Good.

Although the volunteers in these prefectures and counties have never experienced battle formations, they have practiced setting up the most basic carriage formations. They finally gathered the heads and tails of the business traveler towards the middle, and barely arranged a formation consisting of cargo carriages connected head to head.

A car formation was formed to protect people, mules, horses and valuable cargo.

When the sound of horse hooves approached, the volunteers had already taken out the crossbows and bows and arrows from the car, and were waiting in the car formation fearfully. Zhao Xingde also tied the hem of his robe around his waist and took out the three-stone bow he usually used. If

They were killed by horse thieves, and as usual, no one was left except mules, horses, and even porters.

The first to appear in everyone's sight were the three scouts who were fighting hard to fight their horses. One of them was hit by two arrows in the back and fell limply on the horse. The two of them protected him. Occasionally, they turned around and shot an arrow, blocking the pursuit.

There were more than ten enemy riders. Han Shizhong's heart sank again when he saw the appearance of this horse thief. They all wore furs backwards and looked fierce. It didn't matter that they were riding rare and healthy horses, and they were not masked. Obviously,

They were not disguised as Song and Liao officers, but ruthless bandits who were on the move all year round. The horse thieves chasing after the three scouts all held soft bows. Their range was not as long as those used by the cavalry, but they accounted for the rapid launch speed.

The advantage is that if the scout is chased close by them, he is afraid that when he turns around and fires an arrow, dozens of arrows will come back and pierce his body.

Han Shizhong took over the business of protecting merchants, and brought out all the elite soldiers in the center of the camp. At this time, when he saw that the team in front had already lost seven people, he felt pain and anger in his heart, and he immediately shouted angrily, regardless of the group of horse thieves.

There were many backups behind him. When he clamped his legs on the horse's belly, the war horse let out a long neigh, exerted all its hooves, jumped out of the formation like a cloud and mist, and ran towards the three scouts who were being chased by the horse thieves, and the remaining dozen
Chapter completed!