Chapter 85: Toughness

After practicing the divine cluster for most of the night using the method of natural perception.

At dawn, Zhang Gui instantly moved back from the bedroom to the deep mountain Mushroom Valley of the Dongsheng Continent.

Then he crossed mountains and ridges to return to Zhihai Stockade, and the sky was already bright.

In the stockade.

Zhang Gui's fifty personal soldiers were divided into five teams, starting a day of patrol inspection.

The rest, except for two "half guards," a total of two hundred guards;

four deputy hundred guards;

ten team leaders;

one hundred regular soldiers;

and three hundred elite soldiers, still retained the duties of government soldiers, practicing on ships.

The remaining three thousand plus people.

Whether they were soldiers or civilians, building houses, blacksmithing, grinding flour... everyone was in their place, no longer looking as dead as before.

And this was not because Zhang Gui had the ability to educate the masses.

But the vitality brought by scattering fifty thousand taels of silver

The spring breeze brushed his face.

Compared to the bitter cold not long ago, it made people's bones feel soft.

Zhang Gui strolled to the newly built commercial street next to the harbor, the first shop at the head, "Dagui Grocery Sauce Garden."

Business had already opened.

The left side was groceries such as oil, salt, sauce, vinegar, tea, and soap blocks.

In the middle were large vats filled with fish and shrimp paste, chili sauce, pumpkin sauce, and other pickles.

The front of the right side was filled with tables and chairs, and the back was a simple small kitchen for boiling porridge and making pancakes.

At this time, although the groceries were not selling, buying some pickles to drink porridge and eat pancakes for breakfast was comfortable and pleasant.

On the nearby dock, merchant ships stopped and left from time to time.

With a great war in the north, the freight business in the south became abnormally prosperous instead.

Those transferring industries;

those fleeing;

those purchased by government offices or gentry, etc., were endless.

Consequently, even "cold locations" like the Zhihai Stockade dock had found their use.

Especially the large docks of Siyang Commandery City, Longmen Berth, and even the cargo docks of Pingyang Town, these famous or slightly famous docks.

The docking fees for ships and the rent for shops near the docks were rising by leaps and bounds.

Small merchants who were squeezed out had to find other ways to survive.

This happened to coincide with the Zhihai Stockade presided over by Zhang Gui, which opened the port for replenishment on the grounds that the funds for raising the army by the militia were not being raised smoothly.

After several months of brewing, the dock became prosperous.

The passing businessmen didn't know which Dudu was in charge of this military stockade dock and was taking advantage of the war to make a fortune.

But the old residents of Zhihai Stockade couldn't possibly not know.

Seeing Zhang Gui appear, several men who were slurping thick porridge and spreading sauce on hot pancakes stood up without even dropping their chopsticks.

Although they had been taught by Zhang Gui not to kowtow anymore, they still nodded and bowed, not daring to raise their heads, shouting: "This lowly one pays respects to the Dudu."

"That's enough, I've already said it, it's not the time for sitting in the hall or reviewing, there's no need for extra courtesies when you see me."

Zhang Gui waved his hand impatiently, went to the small kitchen on his own, filled a winnowing basket with hot pancakes, and went to scoop sauce while eating.

Before he reached the sauce vat, his mother had already dug a large bowl of shrimp paste and sent it to her son.

"Eat big mouthfuls, if you're thirsty, there's millet porridge.

Just now your second aunt came over to deliver groceries and said that Zhang Liuduo, the family elder of the 'Neisi Fang,' asked her to pass a message again, wanting to see you."

Zhang Gui said indifferently:

"If she wants to see me, she can come to Zhihai Stockade.

She insists on making me go back to the main residence in Pingyang Town and ask the gatekeeper to pass a message to pay respects to her.

What a big face she has."

"Is it that tough?"

"That's natural." Zhang Gui laughed loudly and comforted his mother's heart.

Looking at the blue sea and blue sky in the distance, he felt very comfortable, "What a good day."

While speaking, a large ship sailed in, with a tonnage of ten thousand liao, which was twenty thousand tons.

The ship's name was written on the port side in regular script with gold patterns, "Shrimp Soldier Boat."

On the deck, a figure with three long beards, looking like a scholar, nodded and greeted Zhang Gui.

Zhang Gui narrowed his eyes and thought in his heart:

"Shrimp Soldier Boat, Green Shrimp Demon, this Guan Xihui is becoming more and more lawless, and he has even grown his goat beard so long.

Doesn't this mean he has the three words 'Great Pirate' carved on his head, showing off in the Southern Border.

The great pirates active in the Ming Song sea area have had a tacit understanding with the imperial court for a hundred years,

'You don't loot in the near sea, I won't send troops to encircle and suppress you.'

Could it be that the Daohai Gang now wants to do something and become a latecomer surpassing the predecessors.

Or has the national situation of Ming Song undergone a major change!"

Thinking of this, his heart tightened.

He finished the pancake in his hand in a few bites, put the winnowing basket on the counter, and strode to the berth.

The Shrimp Soldier Boat had just dropped anchor and stopped steadily.

After several clashes in five months.

Zhang Gui's tough attitude toward the Pingyang Zhang family and the local forces of Pingyang Commandery.

Made him and Guan Xihui truly have a bit of the meaning of "allies."

After all, in the absence of conflict of interest, the enemy of an enemy is a friend, which is an eternal truth.

And as the party with relatively weak strength shown, Zhang Gui consciously took the lead in raising his head, bowing and saluting Guan Xi with a smile:

"Spring is warm and flowers are blooming, I just heard the magpies calling, and you, Mr. Guan, have come."

Since the opening of the Zhihai Stockade port, more and more merchants have come and gone.

Meeting this white paper fan of the new gang again, Zhang Gui called him "Mr." in front of people and "Gang Leader" behind his back.

Ten thousand liao large ship, just the ship body out of the water was over five zhang.

Looking up made his head feel like it was going to fall off.

Guan Xihui leaped down from the ship's side and leaned close to Zhang Gui, whispering:

"Dudu Zhang, something big has happened."

Zhang Gui's heart sank, "Could it be that the Ming Song court's army fighting the Yuan Mountain Kingdom has had a slip-up?"

"Dudu is truly good at scheming, that is exactly it.

Didn't the Hezheng Emperor send nine thousand-man Flower Dragon Cavalry to suppress fifty ten-thousand-man infantry and cavalry armies a few days ago.

Fighting against forty-five ten-thousand-man households of the Yuan Mountain Kingdom.

As it turned out, the main army was fine, but the Flower Dragon Cavalry, which was holding the line, had wanted to outflank and pincer them.

They were encircled and slaughtered by two ten-thousand-man households of the Canglang Guard and Bailu Army sent by Chang Sheng Tie Mu from the Quexue Imperial Guard.

The decline of the national war is fully revealed, and it is in imminent danger."

According to the military system of the Song Ming Dynasty, unless it was a militia unit similar to a folk armed force.

The establishment of the regular army was all multiplied by seven.

So the "Thousand-man Flower Dragon Cavalry" was not one thousand Flower Dragon Cavalry, but two thousand four hundred and one.

And this was also the highest establishment of the national defense force above the sixth-class military branch of the Ming Song Dynasty.

As a result, because of the advance, the nine thousand-man Flower Dragon Cavalry were suddenly wiped out.

Not to mention how great the loss of actual military strength was.

Just in terms of the blow to national prestige, national power, military morale, and popular sentiment, it was extremely heavy.

Zhang Gui opened his mouth wide in surprise,

"Is the round bullet used for firing?

That is for nuclear deterrence!

Which idiot would really fire the round bullet, and it was successfully intercepted by the opponent!"

"What is a round bullet?"

"Ah, this thing is an ancient military formation treasure.

Using it makes the sky collapse and the earth crack, destroying armies and cities as if it were nothing.

But it is extremely easy to suffer both losses, so it is smarter to accumulate power without firing, making the enemy fear and be in a dilemma."

Guan Xihui savored it and nodded slightly.

The open-air dock was crowded and busy, really not suitable for talking about things.

Zhang Gui said:

"Mr. Guan, it is crowded and noisy here.

Let's go to the backyard of the stockade yamen to drink tea and chat, how about that."

"That is exactly what should be done."

Old Guan nodded and walked side by side with Zhang Gui toward the Zhihai Stockade Yamen.

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 86 =====