The horse-drawn trolley bus moved forward. The three of them who came to Chang 'an for the first time were curious about everything.
They did not expect Chang 'an to be so different from where they lived.
They did not look the same at all, including houses, roads, and vehicles.
Tan Shida looked around and pointed at the people waiting at the bus stop. "Why don't they walk by themselves? How can they bear to spend money to take the bus?"
The male farmer replied, "They have things with them. It's heavy and slow to walk by themselves. It's faster to take the bus, and they don't have to use their own strength.
They can save a lot of time and effort to work, and they can earn back a few bus fares.
There's no easy job in the capital office. Time and effort are the most precious. "
The person who had spoken earlier continued, "Even if we grow vegetables and sell them wholesale, it'll seem like we'll spend more money if we have more people to send them to the place.
However, when they return, they can take care of the vegetable fields, remove insects, loosen the soil, and fertilize the fields. The vegetables will grow well, and the yield will be high. "
"Got it. Thank you!" Tan Shida finally understood.
He planted many crops in his stronghold. He took good care of them, so it was natural for him to harvest more.
As long as the profit was more than the cost of the bus, it was worth it.
The bus stopped for two more stops. The farmer gestured for the three of them to alight and cross the road. The east market was on the other side of the road.
"This is the east market of Chang 'an, where the goods are the most expensive. The goods are good," the farmer explained like a tour guide.
"Sometimes, people lose things in Lu Zhou's place. They say there are thieves. I heard there are more thieves in bigger places. Are there any in the east market?"
Tan Shui looked around warily as she spoke, afraid of thieves.
"There were in the past, but not now. If you're caught stealing, you might be beaten to death. If you don't, the crime is not small.
If you don't steal, you can earn a lot of money by working. There are no more robbers. The east market hasn't been robbed for many years. They can't run away. "
"There's a lot of food for sale?" As they walked, the farmer deliberately led them to the snack area.
Also, the fish-and-meat area was too smelly, so they avoided it.
Tan Shui looked at all kinds of food. She rubbed her stomach and did not want to eat. It had not been long since she finished her meal.
She saw many people eating here. She looked up at the position of the sun.
"They're eating breakfast now. Two meals a day, just like where we came from..." Tan Hai thought he found a common point.
Everyone ate two meals a day, but when they arrived at the capital office, why did everyone eat three meals a day?
"Many of them ate dinner and went out to work last night. In the morning, after they finish selling or settling accounts, they come over to eat and then go back to sleep."
The villager gave a different answer.
Tan Shi took a few glances and asked the landlord, "How much is a meal in Chang 'an?"
"Three pennies. The expensive ones cost hundreds of pennies for a meal, while the cheap ones don't even cost a penny. Ordinary people can only afford a decent meal for three or four yuan. "
After the villager answered, he continued to lead everyone forward.
When it was almost noon, he would not go to Zhuangzi. He would take a car to the south of the city to have lunch there.
There was an area in the south of the city where the people eating there were not wearing very good clothes. It was obvious that they worked hard.
"A meal here costs 4 RMB. It's a boxed lunch, and the dishes are served by the waiter. No extra dishes are allowed. You can eat any staple food you want.
The staple food was steamed buns made of whole wheat flour, while the rice was steamed with brown rice and highland barley rice. The soup was free, and so was the pickles.
It's mainly because people who work hard are willing to eat here. They feel that they can earn back their money. In fact, there's still some profit. "
At this time, the female villager took on the task of explaining. The people eating there were all eating the staple food in big mouthfuls and then eating the side dishes in small bites.
"Isn't it more economical to eat black bread and drink the free soup?" Tan Shui felt that the free soup was not bad.
She planned to implement this in all the strongholds that she managed when she returned.
For example, everyone in the stronghold could drink the free soup if they handed in some things every month.
The cost of boiling the soup was low. It was equivalent to everyone saving time and firewood.
Those who did not have a good life did not have to pay. It was considered that everyone was helping their family.
"If you only eat black bread and drink soup, you won't have any strength. There's little oil in the soup. Let's go to the front. There's also boxed lunch there.
Let's order it, "the villager said as she led the group forward.
Sure enough, when they walked to the other side, the people eating there were wearing better clothes than the previous side.
…
At noon in Chang 'an, the sun was in the middle of the sky. Nearly 70,000 people had arrived at the location of Longyou Provincial Governor.
Guo Zhiyun's group had arrived. It was more than 400 li from Liangzhou to here.
Guo Zhiyun did not force the army to march. The group only needed to walk 30 to 40 li a day. The main reason was that they were delayed by the hot air balloon.
He was practicing the hot-air balloon ascending and descending and following the group during the march. The group needed to constantly use the hot air balloon as a transit point to transmit information and orders to each other.
He had practiced before, but it was impossible for the 70,000 people to practice like marching and fighting. The cost was too high.
When the army came out, Guo Zhiyun was waiting for news from Su Lu. He was not in a hurry to attack. He wanted to practice first.
He wanted to occupy the Nine Bends Land and could not be careless.
He would rather delay the marching speed of the army than be too hasty.
Two days ago, Guo Zhiyun received news from the other side. Zhang Xiaosong was indeed powerful. He had defeated the White Shirt Abbasid Caliphate and the Su Lu Turks.
Only then did he speed up and arrive at Longyou Provincial Governor's territory this morning.
Here, it was noon in Chang 'an.
There were six hot air balloons floating in Longyou Provincial Governor's territory. Guo Zhiyun could only see two of them. The rest were too far away.
Longyou Provincial Governor Zhang Zhongliang welcomed Guo Zhiyun and asked with a smile, "When are we going?"
"We'll rest after eating. We'll set off at dawn tomorrow and directly attack. Have you received the news from the Anxi Protectorate?
We've been on the road for days, constantly changing our formation. We don't travel much each day, but the distance covered by the soldiers is not small.
I believe that Tubo has received some news as well. However, the troops they sent out have become a problem. "
Guo Zhiyun's lips curled into a smile. He was more relaxed.
"Zhang Xiaosong is formidable. If you attack them, it won't just be attacking Wei to save Zhao." Zhang Zhongliang praised Zhang Xiaosong.
He had indeed received news that Zhang Xiaosong had been attacking continuously. The last news he received was that Zhang Xiaosong was looking for an opportunity to attack Tubo's army.
Guo Zhiyun was fighting Jiuqu here, but what about the Tibetan Army on the other side?
Run back? Zhang Xiaosong could wipe them all out.
If they didn't move, Tubo would definitely lose Jiuqu and withdraw their troops.
If not for Zhang Xiaosong, Tubo would have realized that the situation wasn't good and returned in time. Even if they fought Jiuqu, they wouldn't have been able to take advantage of it.
It could be said that they had destroyed Tubo's army, and Tubo's reinforcements would continue to defend Jiuqu.
With Zhang Xiaosong around, he could guarantee that the Tibetan Army on the other side wouldn't be able to escape.
As long as the Tibetan Army had a small opening, Zhang Xiaosong would be able to grab hold of it.
"The truly formidable one is Li Yi. He gave us so many good things. Did the Shu Lands come over yesterday? I received news that in less than 20 days, a large amount of Baggage will be sent over. "
Guo Zhiyun cared more about the logistical supplies. Li Yi's assistance in the attack was too beautiful.
20 days wasn't long. By the time they conquered Jiuqu, the things from the Shu Lands would have arrived.
"Wasn't Zhang Xiaosong protected by Li Yi? It doesn't matter whether he was greedy or not. Tens of thousands of soldiers broke through hundreds of cities. His contribution was too great.
Li Yi dared to let him stay in West of the River and made a great contribution. I wonder if Li Yi still dares to protect him? "
Zhang Zhongliang also had a good impression of Li Yi. When a general was outside, what he was most afraid of was someone stirring up trouble in the imperial court.
Ever since Li Yi took out a large amount of money to help fight the southwest barbarians, the generals at the border started to pay attention to him.
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