The return of the son-in-law

Ning Guhan retreated with his things, and agreed to come back three days later to discuss the details of trade with Guo Zhanan.

When Guo Zhanan and others returned to the border town, the staff reprimanded them: "Master Guo, why did you lie to them? The fourth prince never thought of signing an agreement with Tatar. You want everyone in the world to laugh at the fourth prince and Tatar. Are you talking about terms?"

Guo Zhanan glanced at the staff coldly: "How many conditions are not enough for us to negotiate with Tatar? How many princesses have married Tatar and died early? If it weren't for you guys not helping the fourth prince well, so what?" Will it happen today?"

The staff were rendered speechless.

Guo Zhan'an was right. Apart from Emperor Wu and the two emperors behind him, Tatar had always been a serious threat to the imperial court.In the end, they could only send the princess of the clan to marry him, and the leader of Tatar was still the son-in-law of the emperor.But everyone knows, which one of the princesses who go to have a kiss will end well?

Does he want to say that these emperors who sent princesses and relatives are all sinners through the ages?

he can not.

If Guo Zhan'an directly pointed out that it was the fourth prince's fault, he could take advantage of it and punish him for a crime of disrespect.But Guo Zhan'an just wasn't fooled, and turned to say that it was the fault of a few of their co-workers. If he didn't take the title, then he would be disrespectful to the fourth prince.

Seeing him like this, Guo Zhanan knew that he didn't dare to talk back, and said: "Since the fourth prince entrusted you with the matter, you have to think about it for him. If such a thing happens again, how many times can you cover it up? How much money do we have in Xuzhou to protect you from disasters? Please think about the innocent people and hard-working soldiers in Xuzhou, sir."

After all, the staff still had some conscience. Thinking of the Tatar cavalry, they couldn't help being afraid for a while, nodded and said: "Master Guo is reasonable, but I didn't think about it. Please give me two days, Master Guo, and I will definitely draft a copy." A feasible solution, so that Tatar will not take advantage of it."

Guo Zhanan smiled: "Good news."

Three days later, Ning Guhan came as agreed, and when he saw the terms and conditions handed to him by his staff, he couldn't help being furious: "Do you really think we are dogs? Let me tell you, even if I am lonely, I am also a wolf." !Since your country is so insincere, let’s let go of the business!”

The staff snorted coldly and said, "Do you really think you are still a wolf? Your land, cattle, sheep, horses and women are all occupied by other Tatar tribes. Without us, can you survive this winter?"

Ning Guhan was so angry that his muscles tensed up. He stared fiercely at the staff member, took a few steps forward, stretched out his hand and grabbed the staff member's neck, lifting him up from the ground.

Seeing that the situation was not good, the soldiers who were a hundred paces away behind the staff immediately raised their weapons and came to rescue the staff.And the Tatar warriors behind Ning Guhan also became excited, and they were about to rush forward to support their leader with weapons in hand.

Guo Zhan'an made a decisive decision and scolded: "Let go! I'm still here!"

Ning Guhan's expression changed, and he finally threw his staff to the ground.Guo Zhanan waved his hand, signaling the soldiers who rushed over to retreat again.

Ning Guhan accepted his sincerity, and he also made a different gesture, signaling his warriors to stay calm and go back not far away to wait for orders.

When the atmosphere calmed down a bit, Guo Zhanan picked up the paper that Ning Guhan threw on the ground, and read the clauses on it one by one.

After only reading three articles, Guo Zhan'an understood why Ning Guhan was furious—the above articles were clearly trying to force these Tatars to their death.

They proclaimed their vassals every year and paid tribute every year. All the horses were presented to the emperor. The armor worn by the cavalry was handed over to the four princes for destruction.There are still many clauses below, but Guo Zhan'an can't stand it anymore.

"This is indeed unacceptable." Guo Zhanan said objectively and fairly, "These clauses are not counted, I hope you don't take it to heart."

Ning Guhan asked out of breath, "Then what do you want?"

Guo Zhanan glanced at the staff who were still lying on the ground, took out a piece of kraft paper from his arms, and handed it to Ning Guhan: "You can take a look at this."

Ning Guhan took it, and after reading it, his complexion finally improved: "This is written like a human being."

Guo Zhan'an said with a smile: "In this case, sign in duplicate. Sir, we will let you sign on behalf of the fourth prince."

At this time, Ning Guhan suddenly said: "Wait, this is wrong, what do you mean that the materials purchased in the commercial market have nothing to do with the country and the tribe?"

Guo Zhanan explained: "The imperial court cannot guarantee that all the materials circulating in the market are safe, so if you exchange them back or if something goes wrong with the things you bought back, it has nothing to do with us. If you send cavalry to threaten, the soldiers in the northwest will not sit idly by."

Ning Guhan said angrily: "What nonsense are you talking about? If something goes wrong, who else can we turn to? No, this must be changed! If something goes wrong, your court will compensate us."

"Heh," Guo Zhan'an said with a smile, "Is the thing good? Don't you have eyes? Or are Tatars so stupid that they can't tell the authenticity of things by themselves?"

Ning Guhan blushed and defended his people: "That's because we are not as treacherous as you!"

Guo Zhan'an was not angry at all, and said: "In this case, there are also a few sufferers on my side. The fodder bought from you was fed to livestock, and a large piece died. As for the cowhide, I don't know what it is. If you make it, it will break if you pull it hard. Will you pay compensation for these?"

Ning Guhan was speechless.

Guo Zhan'an went on to say: "How can there be anything in this world that can guarantee that you will always be the beneficiary? Instead of asking us to give unrealistic guarantees, it is better to let your people keep their eyes open and know who can be trusted and who cannot be trusted."

Ning Guhan sighed, and finally signed.

Looking at the agreement in their hands, the staff still couldn't believe it: "Master Guo, can I really take it back and hand it over to the Fourth Prince?"

Once it falls into the hands of the fourth prince, Guo Zhan'an will not be credited for this credit.He didn't believe that Guo Zhan'an could be so generous and hand over his achievements to others.

Unexpectedly, Guo Zhan'an didn't care at all, and said: "This matter was originally entrusted to the fourth prince by His Majesty. The fourth prince is involved in everything, and there are always mistakes. I am just checking for the fourth prince. How can this be compared to the fourth prince How much credit do you have for strategizing? It is sir, please speak a few words of kindness in front of the fourth prince for me."

After talking about this, the staff stopped being polite to Guo Zhan'an, and secretly laughed in their hearts, laughing at Guo Zhan'an, a fool who has already been labeled as the third prince Li Shaojun, and expects to switch to the fourth prince now?Let’s not talk about whether the fourth prince wants it, if Guo Zhan’an finds him, he is looking for the wrong person—the fourth prince told him about this matter when he left Xuzhou, and he went to Li Shaojin to help Guo Zhan’an, right? It is clear that he is incompetent, so Guo Zhan'an should clean up the mess for him!

The staff only thought that they had picked up a huge bargain, but they didn't know that Guo Zhan'an was retreating in order to prevent others from knowing that he was involved in this matter.

On the way back to Beijing, the trade fair started again.This fair was based on the terms written by Guo Zhanan. Although there were occasional quarrels and even two fights, both parties were satisfied overall.

Guo Zhanan's words inspired Ning Guhan. After he went back, he told his people that the materials he got in the market must not be inferior, so as not to damage his reputation.Those businessmen are much more savvy than them. Once they find that there is something wrong with the things they bought from them, it will not be so easy to do business next time.

But at the same time, Ning Guhan also reminded his people to keep their eyes open, stop thinking that what those merchants sell to them must be good, and learn to distinguish the quality of the goods by themselves, and shop around.

After some comparison, the Tatar people found that many merchants sold them good and bad products, and they were deceived by them if they were not careful.There are only two stalls that sell good quality and sufficient quantities, which do not seem to be fake.

Most of the Tatars accepted the truth, and found that the two shops had not deceived them, so they all went to the two stalls with their goods, and the remaining few stalls were much deserted in comparison.

"Thanks to the advice from adults, we have gained so much." After returning from the market, the owner of the restaurant paid a special visit to Guo Zhan'an, wrote down everything he got on the list, and handed it to Guo Zhan'an.

Guo Zhanan took a look, and was taken aback by this harvest: "So much?"

"My lord didn't go to the market. I don't know how brainy these Tatars are. I heard that there are no fakes sold here, so I shuddered to my side. Oh, there is another one, which is also according to your lord. I'm doing what I'm told."

Guo Zhan'an nodded and said: "Three or nine days are coming. I think the snow will accumulate more every day. It will be colder when the snow melts. Make the cotton-padded clothes and shoes thicker, and prepare more dried meat." , as well as spirits for warming up and medicine for wind and cold, these are all ready."

The owner of the restaurant didn't dare to be careless, he responded again and again, and asked again: "What else do you want to order?"

Guo Zhanan waved his hand and motioned him to take a step forward to speak: "Remember, this time, if the Tatars want dried meat and medicine, let them exchange it with iron ore!"

The owner of the restaurant trembled and couldn't help reminding Guo Zhan'an: "My lord, in the past, if the Tatars dared to sell iron ore to us privately, they would be stuffed into sacks and trampled to death by horses! This, they don't Will you agree?"

Guo Zhanan insisted, "Do as I say."

The restaurant owner didn't dare to say anything more, so he hurriedly took orders and went back to prepare.

Ten days later, the fair started again.Just as the owner of the restaurant expected, when the Tatar people heard that they would exchange iron ore for jerky and medicine, they all backed down. They would rather risk being cheated and go to other stalls to buy instead of buying with the two people instructed by Guo Zhanan. A stall is in business.

But soon, the Tatars discovered that there were not as many merchants who came to the market this time, nor did they bring as many goods as before. It didn't take long for the other stalls to be empty.

The Tatars, who hadn't bought food and other supplies, hesitated. They looked at the two stalls full of cotton clothes and dried meat for a long time, but finally they only bought some cotton clothes and left one by one.

The owner of the restaurant had no choice but to tell Guo Zhan'an about the incident, but what he didn't expect was that Guo Zhan'an refused to change the terms he offered, and insisted that the Tatars take iron ore in exchange for food and medicine.

"You have to watch carefully. Some Tatars may have the guts, but they are afraid of being discovered by the tribe. What you have to do is to cover them up for them, so that they have more opportunities to exchange iron ore for food."

The owner of the restaurant sighed in his heart. He is two reincarnations older than Guo Zhanan, but his status is not as good as Guo Zhanan.Although it's hard to say on the surface, the owner of the restaurant really felt that Guo Zhan'an was too conceited this time. The previous confrontations with the Tatars gave him too much confidence, and he actually asked him to make such a condition.

The snow piled up thicker and thicker, and the north wind blew colder and colder. The goods stored by other merchants had been replaced one after another, but the Tatars were still unwilling to take out the iron ore.

But this market, obviously, has to be changed.

Just when the owner of the restaurant thought it was still a fruitless market, the guy who was going to relieve himself ran over in a panic, leaned over to him and whispered: "Boss, there are, there are Tatars who just came to me and said I’m willing to exchange iron ore for jerky!”

The owner of the restaurant was startled, and quickly asked, "What's going on? Is the Tatar man who found you male or female? Which tribe? What does it look like? Could it be a Tatar man's spy?"

The man replied truthfully: "That person is a woman. I don't know what tribe she is. She wore a hat and covered her face with a cloth, but I saw that the small part of her exposed arm had no flesh. All that's left is skin and bones!"

The owner of the restaurant listened, bowed his head and thought for a while, and finally understood.

Because of the conditions they offered, the Tatars had to go to other stalls to buy food.Those stalls were owned by local businessmen. Although there were several families behind him, how could it compare to Jiang Yannian and Guo Zhanan behind him?After these few fairs, I am afraid that all the original stocks have been sold out, and the remaining ones will be kept for the winter, or they will be sold for a price. Of course, it is impossible to sell them to the Tatars.

If you don't exchange iron ore for food, you will wait to starve to death, but if you exchange iron ore for food, if you hide it well, you can still have a way out!

No matter who they are, they are not stupid in the face of death. Those few Tatars who were extremely hungry probably had nowhere to go, so they dared to contact this guy when he left the stall.

Thinking of this, the owner of the restaurant couldn't help but think of Guo Zhan'an's advice a month ago - "You have to observe carefully, some Tatars may have the guts, but they are afraid of being discovered by the tribe. What you have to do is to cover them up for them, so that they can be as quiet as possible. A few chances to exchange iron ore for food."

This person, I'm afraid he even expected this!

The owner of the restaurant shuddered, secretly glad that he was not an enemy of Guo Zhanan, and quickly asked the guy to go to the Tatar man and convey his words: "Bury the dried meat under a dead tree one mile to the east of the market, and after half an hour I will Send someone to get it, and if there is iron ore, the dried meat will be placed under the stone tablet three miles west of the market. One tael of iron ore can be exchanged for three catties of dried meat, or two taels of medicine."

The man learned the words by heart, pretended to have a stomachache, and left the stall to find the Tatar man.

The next day, the owner of the restaurant handed over the iron ore to Guo Zhanan.

"Not enough," Guo Zhanan said, "What can you do with so much iron ore? You prepare more dried meat, and those cotton-padded clothes, trousers and socks. Except for spirits, you have to exchange everything on your stall with iron ore." .”

The owner of the restaurant didn't dare to question Guo Zhan'an anymore, although he was worried that it would be bad if the leader of the Tatar tribe found out if things went wrong.But since Guo Zhan'an didn't say anything, it's not his turn to worry about it.

As the Chinese New Year approaches, fewer and fewer merchants come to the market.On this day, the owner of the restaurant was taking a nap in front of his stall, when suddenly a group of Tatars came to the stall.

The leader was a tall Tatar man with a beard, and the finger wrench in his hand showed that he was the leader of a certain tribe.

Seeing their menacing appearance, the guys didn't dare to come forward to greet them, so they had to wake up the owner of the restaurant: "Boss, someone is looking for you."

The owner of the restaurant opened his eyes and found that there were so many Tatars coming in front of the stall at some point. He subconsciously thought that the secret transaction between himself and the Tatars had been discovered, and that this group of people had come to ask questions.

Pretending to be calm, he asked, "Guys, what do you want in exchange? Except for wine, we have to exchange your iron ore for everything else."

The leader of Natalta said unexpectedly: "Boss, do you see if there is enough iron ore?"

As soon as he finished speaking, the people behind him spread out to both sides, revealing the cart of ore.

"This..." The owner of the restaurant was speechless, "You..."

The leader of Tatar opened his mouth wide and said with a big smile, "It's just some iron ore. It's not as important as the lives of my tribal people. Even if you have these ores, it's not enough to resist our cavalry. Come on, there are a few hundred in total. You take all the catties of iron ore. Give us dried meat, clothes, and spirits!"

The boss gathered himself together, called all the guys over, and assigned them tasks one by one.For a while, it was weighing and counting materials again, so it was very lively.

"Wait!" At this moment, Ning Guhan hurried over from a distance leading people, and lost his temper at the Tatar leader with a murderous look: "Cha Da, how can you sell iron ore to them!"

The Tatar leader called Chada didn't care: "Our tribe has nothing to eat, no clothes to wear, and no medicine to cure diseases. What do you think we should do?"

Ning Guhan said: "Then you can't hand over the iron ore to them! You can't live on anymore, why don't you come and join me?"

Zha Da laughed and said, "You think I don't know? You just want to take advantage of our tribe's difficulty and incorporate us into your tribe."

Ning Guhan argued: "I don't think so, I just think that everyone is a Tatar and should help each other. If you have difficulties, come to me and I will help you. You sell the iron ore to They, tomorrow they will bring these iron ore knives to chop off our heads!"

Cha Da didn't appreciate it: "I'm not afraid! Don't think I don't know. You have annexed two small tribes in this month. Oh, no, it should be said that these two small tribes are desperate and ask you for help. But they refused. After they died of freezing, starvation, and disease, and finally there were only 20 or so people who agreed to betray their tribe and join your tribe, you gave them pitiful food."

Being investigated and exposed on the spot, Ning Guhan became a little annoyed, but he couldn't get angry in front of everyone, lest the matter be confirmed.

He had no choice but to lower his voice and say, "Chada, I'll say it again, you can't sell these iron ore to them, otherwise, you will be a sinner of our Tatar."

Zha Da is determined to make this deal this time, even if he has to tear himself apart with other tribes: "People in my tribe are starving to death. It is better to be sinners of other tribes than to be sinners of our own tribe."

Ning Guhan had no other choice, he finally turned his head and gave the restaurant owner a look, then led his people away.

When the person left, Zha Da urged: "Hurry up, give me what I want."

The owner of the restaurant did not dare to hesitate, and hurriedly counted the materials needed for the investigation according to the weight of the iron ore and handed them to the people of the investigation tribe.Afterwards, he ordered people to wrap thick linen on these iron mines, and spent a sum of money to hire three teams to escort them back to Xuzhou.