A dark villain came to Jinting Bulaoxiang

When they heard that the young prince was leading the army through Zijin Town, the county magistrate led his troops to greet them and prepared a banquet to entertain them. He also asked them if they needed anything.

While eating, Sikong Yan said to Zijin County Magistrate: "We want to buy a carriage. Do you have one with four horses?"

Zijin County Magistrate bowed his head and thought for a moment before asking, "May I ask how many vehicles Your Highness would like? We have four for the soldiers in our palace. You can take them first!"

"Give me as many as you can get in Jincheng. Don't worry, I paid for them!" Sikong Yan no longer called himself "gu" when he went outside.

Zijin County Magistrate hesitated again and said, "These four horses are not enough? Most carriages have two horses and one horse! If it is not enough, I can search the villages and towns, and maybe I can get dozens of carriages. Your Highness, do you think it's okay?"

"Is there anyone selling horse-drawn carriages in the city? Generally, I can buy a few, no matter how many horses they have?" Sikong Yan thought that this was too little. One or two horses can pull few people. According to the budget, this money is definitely not enough.

He didn't expect that there was a big difference in price between new and second-hand goods. New things are naturally more expensive, and used ones are much cheaper. Moreover, those in the countryside are even cheaper.

"There are usually only a dozen horses for sale in this market, and no more than twenty at most! The horses they sell come in different sizes. But they are very expensive!" After all, the county magistrate is almost sixty years old, and he has experienced much more than these young people.

"I suggest that Your Highness buy a second-hand one, which will save you a lot of money."

Sikong Yan blinked his eyes and felt strange: "Is this second-hand one cheaper?"

The county magistrate smiled and said, "Of course! And it's much cheaper! If you want a four-horse one, you can modify it. After all, it's old and worn out!"

Han Mingguang smiled and added: "It's just like new clothes. Everyone is rushing to buy new ones, and no one buys old ones. If you want to sell them, you have to sell them at a low price, or give them away as a favor!"

Sikong Yan nodded. He had never thought that there was such a thing in business. He smiled. This was a loophole! "That's great. Then I'd like to ask the county magistrate to help me search for old carriages or broken carriages in towns and villages. Or ordinary horses, old horses, and horses that people don't use. As long as they can run and are sold at a low price, buy them all for me!"

The county magistrate was surprised: "Your Highness, have you ensured that everyone has a horse to ride? There are not so many horses in and around Zijin County?"

"Don't worry about this, just buy me as much as you have. I will never forget your kindness after winning the battle!" Sikong Yan added, "Hurry up! Buy and feed them, and set off right away!" If the number is enough, they can set off immediately.

The county magistrate did not dare to delay for a moment and stood up and bowed to Sikong Yan: "Your Highness, please enjoy your meal. I will do it right away!"

The county magistrate sent young yamen runners on fast horses to various towns and villages to buy horses.

The village chief beat the gong and called people to gather at the door of the village chief's house. Hearing that the yamen runners came to buy horses, some people asked.

"We have an old horse at home. Do you want one? Sir, the yamen runner."

"Can you still run?"

"As long as he's fed, he can run!"

"Bring it here and let me see it!"

"Oh, good!" The man was so happy when he heard that the old horse could still be sold. Even if it was only a few copper coins, it would be fine. He turned around and ran back home to get the horse.

Another villager raised his hand and asked, "Sir, I have a horse at home, but it's blind in one eye! Do you want it? It runs very fast and is very strong!"

The yamen runner waved his hand at him and said, "Yes, yes, yes, bring the horse here!" Then he said to the others, "It doesn't matter what kind of horse it is, as long as it can run, bring it here! Look at the horse and bid for it! I guarantee you won't lose out!"

After hearing this, the villagers who had horses all ran back home to get their horses, hoping to sell them for a good price. But half of the people still stood there, hoping to make some money too.

So he asked, "Sir, we don't have a horse at home, do you want a donkey?"

Others said, "My Lord, do you want the cow?"

Neither the donkey nor the ox can run fast, so it's useless to bring them! He waved his hand: "No, no, just the horse?"

After hearing this, these people could only sigh and disperse. They had no horses, so what were they doing standing here?

In the afternoon, Sikong Yan, Xiao Sizhe, Shui Qinglian and Han Mingguang stood at the gate of the county government office, looking at the good horses, old horses and disabled horses collected from various towns and villages; in addition, there were hundreds of horse-drawn carriages, both new and old, and those being repaired, which could still be used for a long time after being repaired.

Shui Qinglian looked at the horses and carriage in front of her and asked softly, "No, Sikong Zhuzhi, are you sure these horses can be used?"

Sikong Yan nodded: "It works!"

Han Mingguang was also puzzled: "Your Highness, these are just ordinary horses, and their physical strength can only last for one or two days at most. Are you sure they can make it to the northern region?"

Sikong Yan smiled and said, "As long as these horses can last for a day, it will be fine! County Magistrate Zijin, give orders to feed these horses well! In the afternoon, the soldiers will ride their horses to the next county!"

The county magistrate hurriedly gave instructions, and the bailiffs and runners took the horses to feed them.

According to the official report, there were 100 carriages with four horses, 200 with two horses, and 400 with one horse, regardless of whether they were new or old. The remaining old and disabled horses numbered over 1,000. In total, less than 3,000 taels of silver were spent!

Sikong Yan seemed very satisfied with the price. After walking for a day, except for a half-hour break for eating, he could walk at least 700 to 800 miles, which was several times faster than walking. He was a little slow at the beginning, but he would walk faster and faster in the future.

Han Mingguang was confused by Sikong Yan and asked in bewilderment: "Your Highness, what's the point of buying this horse if it can only last for one day? Do we have to walk again next? This is a waste of time! With these horses, at most they can carry more than 4,000 people! If it can only last for one day, we will lose a lot!"

Sikong Yan shook his head: "Han Shangshu, this is wrong!" He smiled and said: "I will send a few people to the next county on fast horses and ask the county magistrate there to collect such horses for me. As long as there are enough, our 25,000 people can go first. We can reach the next county in one day and change to the horses and carriages prepared by the next county!"

"Oh!"

Shui Qinglian and Han Mingguang suddenly realized: "I understand, I understand, this is called the transfer method! I have learned a lot!"

Han Mingguang added: "But the journey is so long, passing through more than a dozen counties, and we don't have enough silver! The soldiers still need to be paid every month! What should we do?"

This military pay might just run out when he reaches the north! He can't just rush on the road, he should make as much money as he can. But how can he make money quickly? This made him feel troubled. Can he borrow some? Who should he borrow from? He was thinking.

Han Mingguang said: "How about I ask the emperor for some funds first!"

Sikong Yan waved his hands quickly: "Minister Han, don't do that!"