Chapter 66 Hengtong

Chapter 66 Hengtong

Chapter 66 Hengtong

Wang Rong and Ma Shizhou have known each other for quite some time. After all, Wangjia Village actually belongs to the same Thousand Households Office. Wang Rong knew Ma Shizhou in the first year he was assigned to the Thousand Households Office, and he helped Ma Shizhou a lot over the years. If it weren't for Wang Rong's help, it would not have been so easy for Ma Shizhou to settle down in the Thousand Households Office.

Over the years, the two became friends. Sometimes when Wang Rong went to the Qianhu Office to do business, he would often go to Ma Shizhou's place to sit, either to bring him something, or to have a drink together, or even to stay at his house for a night.

Years ago, Zhu Shenzhui and Wang Rong talked about their plan to go to the grassland. Wang Rong had been thinking about this and was thinking about how to arrange it.

So, he thought of Ma Shizhou. First, Ma Shizhou was taken to the grassland and stayed there for several years. He was not only familiar with the grassland, but also could speak Mongolian. Second, Ma Shizhou was a frontier soldier. Although his left hand was disabled, he still had the skills. He had led soldiers, fought in battles, and killed people. With such a person following Zhu Shenzhui, he would naturally be much stronger than ordinary people.

Wang Rong and Ma Shizhou have known each other for many years, and Wang Rong trusts Ma Shizhou. So, long before the New Year, Wang Rong took the opportunity to go to Qianhu Suo to mention this to Ma Shizhou, and Ma Shizhou agreed without asking any more questions, and the matter was tentatively settled.

When Zhu Shenzhui came to Wangjia Village this time, Wang Rong remembered this matter again. He made a special trip to the Qianhu Office, found Ma Shizhou, brought him over, and asked him to meet and have a chat with Zhu Shenzhui.

"Uncle Ma, have some tea." Zhu Shenzhui picked up the teapot and poured tea for Ma Shizhou, while carefully looking at the man in front of him.

Ma Shizhou was not tall, and was even slightly shorter than ordinary people. He was also older. After all, he was over 40 years old. In that era, ordinary people did not live long, and people over 40 could be called "old man". What's more, Ma Shizhou had stayed in the grassland for so long, and suffered a lot when he worked like a slave for the Mongols.

"Thank you, Sixth Master..." Ma Shizhou thanked him and then said little, looking very taciturn.

"Your Uncle Ma has been living alone these years and doesn't like to talk much." Wang Rong explained. Zhu Shenzhu nodded, then turned his gaze to Wang Rong with a question, and saw that Wang Rong gave him a look that assured him.

"Uncle Ma, did my uncle tell you about that?"

"After mentioning that a few times, you want to go to the north?" Ma Shizhou asked back.

"Yes!"

"When do you plan to go?"

"I plan to set off in March. I estimate that spring should have returned to the grassland by then. However, this is my first time going to the north, and I don't know much about the situation there. Uncle Ma, what do you think of this arrangement?" Zhu Shenzhui asked carefully.

Ma Shizhou frowned slightly, thought for a moment and said, "March? Although it's a little early, it's not impossible. How long will you be there? How many people are there?"

Zhu Shenzhui said, "About four or five people. In addition to people, we also need to bring some goods. This time we go there mainly to explore the road, get a feel for the situation in the north, and see what business there is. As for how long we will stay there, it is not certain yet. Maybe we will be back in a month, or maybe it will take longer."

Ma Shizhou thought for a while and nodded, "That's no problem. I can lead the way, but you need to bring some things besides the goods. The weather on the grassland is not like that in Daming. It may be sunny one moment and change the next. It is common to have ice and icicles in strong winds and rainstorms. You can't go without bringing everything."

"I don't understand this either, so I'll have to trouble Uncle Ma. Just tell me what you need to bring, and I'll make sure to arrange it in advance." Zhu Shenzhui said with a smile.

Ma Shizhou felt much more relaxed after hearing what he said, and immediately said that he would tell Wang Rong the specific things that needed to be brought, and they would just prepare them in advance. As for the departure time, just notify him a few days in advance. After all, he was alone, so he could leave at any time, depending on Zhu Shenzhui's convenience.

Maybe it was the first time they met, or maybe as Wang Rong said, Ma Shizhou didn't talk much to strangers, so he didn't say anything after they finished talking about business.

Wang Rong knew his temper, and said with a smile that since that was the case, it was settled, and he would take care of the preparations. He then wanted to keep Ma Shizhou at home for a drink. Ma Shizhou waved his hand and said that it was not necessary today, and he had to go back while it was still early, and when they were almost done, they could just call him in advance.

After seeing Ma Shizhou off, Wang Rong and Zhu Shenzhu returned to the house. "Don't worry about Old Ma. Although he doesn't like to talk much, he is absolutely reliable. He has been in Mongolia for many years and is very familiar with the place." Wang Rong said this deliberately because he was worried that Zhu Shenzhu would look down on Ma Shizhou.

"Uncle, I'm naturally confident in the person you're looking for. Since we've already met him today, I'll trouble Uncle Ma. By the way, uncle, please tell me more about Uncle Ma's situation. After all, we'll need him to lead the way to the grassland. The more we know, the smoother our interactions will be."

Wang Rong smiled and nodded, and immediately told Zhu Shenzhu about Ma Shizhou's experience in detail. He had mentioned Ma Shizhou's general situation when they met before, but now Wang Rong talked about something that had not been mentioned before.

Listening carefully to Ma Shizhou's experience, Zhu Shenzhui could not help but sigh. Originally a promising border army officer, because of a sudden small-scale war, he not only suffered for so many years, but also ended up like this.

After returning to the Ming Dynasty, Ma Shizhou has been single for these years, and has neither married nor had children. Wang Rong had advised him against this a long time ago, but Ma Shizhou never had this idea. As time went by, this matter faded away until today.

"It's such a pity for Old Ma. He became a captain of Zhaoxin in his twenties. If it weren't for what happened back then, he might have been a deputy lieutenant general now, or even could have risen to a higher position." Wang Rong said, shaking his head and sighing.

When the Mongols crossed the Great Wall, Ma Shizhou led his army to meet the enemy but was outnumbered. The responsibility for the defeat was not on him. Moreover, after the defeat, Ma Shizhou was injured on the battlefield and was captured by the Mongols and taken to the grassland as a slave, where he stayed for many years.

During those years, Ma Shizhou suffered a lot, which is one of the reasons why he looks so weathered. When he finally escaped back to the Ming Dynasty, the Ming Dynasty had already cancelled his military status. In other words, after he was abducted, the Ming Dynasty reported that Ma Shizhou was killed in battle. Now, a person who had been listed as dead a few years ago suddenly came back. How could everyone feel?

It was impossible to reinstate his military post, and the compensation for the dead had already been privately distributed to the higher-ups. Logically, there was no such person as Ma Shizhou in the world anymore, so Ma Shizhou's return became a problem for the border army generals.

Fortunately, his old superior, out of old friendship, settled Ma Shizhou in the Qianhu Office as a military household and gave him some money and food. As a result, Ma Shizhou, who had fled back to the Ming Dynasty with great enthusiasm, was discouraged by the cruel reality and had no choice but to accept this fact, thus becoming an ordinary person in the Qianhu Office.

"Lao Ma is a man who is cold on the outside but warm on the inside. You will know this after you have known him for a long time. When you get to the north, listen to Lao Ma more and don't make decisions on your own. After all, the grassland is not the Ming Dynasty. There are many situations that you don't understand. With Lao Ma here, I feel at ease on this trip."

What Wang Rong said made sense. Besides, the grasslands nowadays were not the grasslands of later generations, and he was not going north for vacation this time.

What was the situation on the grassland and how to deal with the Mongols? Even though Zhu Shenzui had thought about it carefully, it was just talk.

Now with Ma Shizhou, a man who knows the grassland, has lived on the grassland for many years and knows Mongolian, it is much better than going north in the dark. As for how to communicate with Ma Shizhou along the way, Zhu Shenzhui is not worried. Since Ma Shizhou is a friend of his uncle Wang Rong, he is a trustworthy person. He just needs to ask more questions and listen more along the way.

I didn't stay in Wangjia Village for too long, just a few days.

On the fifth day, Zhu Shenzhui, Zhang Xijun and two young men selected from Wangjia Village, left Wangjia Village with the sorted salt and returned to Pingyang Prefecture.

Zhang Xijun no longer wore his old robe, but an ordinary cotton robe. With his slightly round face and the square scarf on his head, he really looked like a shop owner.

The group left Wangjia Village and headed towards Pingyang Prefecture. They arrived at Pingyang Prefecture in the afternoon and entered the city smoothly.

After entering the city, Zhu Shenzui led them directly to the shop. When they arrived at the place, Zhang Xijun saw the sign hanging outside the shop from afar - Hengtong.

This name was suggested by Kang Youfu. Originally, it was called Hengtong, which means prosperous wealth. However, after careful consideration, it seemed inappropriate to use Hengtong as a business name, so it was changed to the current name Hengtong.

(End of this chapter)