Chapter 278: Chapter 278. Entering The City
Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation
Ji Shuisheng looked at the continuous mountain range. The iron ores in the mountains were rich enough for him to equip three armies.
“Uncle Qu, for safety, you can bring them here to forge weapons.”
Ji Shuisheng told Qu Da about his thoughts. Uncle Qu had been the king of the mountain for so many years that he could adapt to life in the mountains.
“Okay, but 1 don’t have the tools!”
Qu Da respected the young master very much and treated his words as military orders. Without tools, how could he forge a weapon? However, a clever housewife couldn’t cook a meal without rice.
“I’ll go to Jin City to buy forging tools, food, and other daily necessities. You lead everyone to build the furnace first.”
Iron ores could only be turned into iron after being collected. A furnace was necessary. After being refined into molten iron, it could only be turned into iron after cooling. There was also a stone trough for cooling molten iron. All these had to be done as soon as possible.
Pinwheels, iron clips, and hammers were the only tools available. The rest had to be purchased in Jin City.
Qu Da instructed Ji Shuisheng to be careful, and Ji Shuisheng nodded to show he understood. He did not try to assemble the carriage he had brought in, as it would take too much time. He would go to Jin City to buy two more carriages that would be useful in the future. He could not enter the city even if it were dark.
It took half a day to walk from Pearl Mountain to Jin City. Ji Shuisheng arrived before dark and found that Jin City was more heavily guarded than last time. Ji Shuisheng calmly showed the purchase approval from Mo City’s government. The soldiers guarding the city confirmed the approval multiple times. Only then did they let them enter the city without a doubt?
When Ji Shuisheng walked into the city, he glanced at the city wall and saw that the portraits of him, Su Qing, and his grandfather were still pasted. It had been so long, yet they were still so new?
If one looked carefully, one could see the old paper under the new portrait. It was obvious that the wind had blown away the old paper and was immediately replaced with a new notice. This proved that the imperial court would not be satisfied if they did not catch them.
After entering the city, Ji Shuisheng realized that the city was not as prosperous and peaceful as before. The peddlers were looking around nervously while selling their goods. Their frightened expressions were the same as the expressions of the citizens of Mo City.
It seemed that Brother Yang was right. Jin City was not peaceful.
The sky was getting dark, and he could not leave the city after purchasing, so Ji Shuisheng went from house to house to order the things he needed. He would drive the carriage tomorrow and load the goods without delay.
He first went to the grain store to order food. When he saw that he had the official procedures, the shopkeeper of the grain store immediately helped him prepare the food he needed. He was very eager.
Ji Shuisheng ordered two carts of brown rice and a big bag of salt. There were too many things to buy, and time was limited. After paying, he went out to order other supplies.
Not far from the grain store was a blacksmith shop. He went to the blacksmith shop to customize a complete set of equipment for forging.
Jin City was unstable, so it was an excellent time to deal with it and leave this troublesome place. When the blacksmith saw that he had just left the grain store, he felt that Ji Shuisheng was a foreigner and should be in a hurry to leave. He wanted to raise the price and transfer the equipment he had.
Hearing that his bid was too high, Ji Shuisheng was unhappy. He put on a stern face and threatened,
“Do you not want to do this business?”
The blacksmith was frightened by Ji Shuisheng’s imposing manner and quickly lowered his attitude to apologize.
“I’m sorry, I’m sorry. The price 1 want includes everything in my house, including bellows, iron stove, fire pliers, fire shovel, water tanks, buckets, pots, and pans.”
It was rare to meet a buyer. He would give more things if he didn’t want him to run away. Anyway, what he needed the most was money.
Ji Shuisheng looked around and found that it was pretty good. It was what he needed, so he nodded and paid the deposit. He said he would load the car tomorrow morning and left for the next shop.
Ji Shuisheng went to the bedding shop to order a few sets of bedding. He regretted selling the leather. Otherwise, it could be used as a mattress and a quilt.
The sky was completely dark after the orders were placed. The small vendors on the street were all gone, and the shops were closed.
The only places that were still open were restaurants and brothels. Those prostitutes were dressed up beautifully and stood upstairs, waving their handkerchiefs and winking at the men on the street. They were drunk and extravagant.
Ji Shuisheng ignored these gaudy women. He found a medium-sized relay station and walked in.
When the waiter saw that there was business coming to his door, he greeted politely,
“Sir, please come in. Are you staying or eating?”
This courier station had food on the first floor and accommodation on the second floor. They earned both.
“I’ll eat and stay in the hotel too.”
Ji Shuisheng’s sharp eyes swept around. It was lunchtime, and there were few people on the first floor. Business was very quiet.
“Your shop’s business isn’t too good!”
Ji Shuisheng asked the waiter beside him. He was worried that he would enter a black market, so he had to find out first.
“There’s nothing we can do. Jin City had good weather in the past, and merchants worldwide came here to do business. Ever since the disaster victims attacked and occupied it, and then the Hu people attacked, those merchants were so scared that they did not dare to come to Jin City.”
The shop assistant complained. The chaos in Jin City had brought misfortune to the commoners.
“The Hu are attacking?”
Ji Shuisheng’s thick eyebrows were tightly knitted together. He had a vague feeling that things were not as simple as they seemed. The Tartan Kingdom attacked Mo City, and the Hu people attacked Jin City. Why were they all gathered together?
“That’s right. The An Family Army guarding the city is useless. They can’t withstand the fierce Hu people and are beaten until they throw away their helmets and armor. If the imperial court hadn’t sent troops to support Jin City, it would have been broken long ago. We were so scared that the rich and those with connections would have run away long ago, leaving only the ordinary people with nowhere to go. We can only hold on here. It was better when the Wan Family Army was around. The Hu people didn’t dare to come.”
The shop assistant was resentful and despised the useless An Family Army. Why didn’t the Hu people dare to invade when the Wan Family Army was stationed in Jin City?
Ji Shuisheng raised his eyebrows. Was there someone singing praises of the Wan Family Army?
“Sir, do you want to eat first or return to your room to wash up?”
The shop assistant said a few times, but Ji Shuisheng did not hear him. He raised his voice. He did not know what was on his mind.
“Go back to the room and wash up first. Help me prepare the food.”
Ji Shuisheng was covered in dust along the way. He wanted to wash up before eating. He asked the waiter to prepare the food first, and he could eat after washing up.
He was too hungry. He had not eaten for a day, and his stomach was empty.
After the waiter ensured he wanted a single room, he brought Ji Shuisheng to the second floor. Soon, a waiter brought hot water and a wooden basin. Ji Shuisheng washed thoroughly, changed into clean clothes, and went downstairs to eat.
When Ji Shuisheng went downstairs, he realized that another group of people had arrived at the courier station. This group of people ate silently.
They looked like ordinary civilians but were armed with weapons under their clothes. Their eyes were as sharp as an eagle’s, and the murderous aura was the unique temperament of soldiers.
These people sat at three tables.. When they heard the guests at the other tables discussing the Wan Family Army, they looked like they were eating with their heads lowered, but they were listening attentively!
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