Volume 1 The Wind Rises Chapter 7: Making Friends
Zhao Kuangyin brought Zhao Kuangyi to express his gratitude, which was beyond Luo Youdu's expectation.
He didn't expect the Zhao brothers to remember his kindness at all. As long as they didn't hold a grudge against him, that would be all he needed.
However, Zhao Kuangyin came, bringing with him his younger brother and a whole cart of generous gifts.
Luo Youdu was moved by such broad-mindedness and magnanimity.
The Emperor Taizu of the Song Dynasty was truly a remarkable figure.
The moment he heard the news, Luo Youdu asked, "Uncle Hu, how many Tongbao coins do you have at home?"
Old Hu thought for a moment and said, "There are still three strings of Kaiyuan Tongbao coins and twenty strings of rough coins."
Although the Tang Dynasty has been gone for many years, the coins that truly have credibility on the market are still mainly Kaiyuan Tongbao. After all, Kaiyuan Tongbao is well-made, contains a high proportion of copper, and has the greatest influence.
As for the Later Liang, Later Tang, Later Jin, and Later Han dynasties, most of the coins they issued had quality problems and their value could not be compared with that of Kaiyuan Tongbao.
The Later Zhou Dynasty had not yet had time to produce its own currency, and the coins in daily circulation were all from the previous dynasty.
"Take all of them, go to the street and buy some good wine, and more cooked meat and side dishes. They come with gifts, so we can't be tame. We have limited financial resources, and we can't afford to make them happy, but we can still give them everything we have."
Old Hu looked at the young master whom he didn't recognize, and his eyes couldn't help but turn red. He said with a stronger voice: "I will do it right away."
Luo Youdu nodded slightly, strode out of the room and went out to greet the Zhao brothers.
Zhao Kuangyin was still as heroic as ever, and Zhao Kuangyi had a silly smile on his face, and there was no sign of hostility or resentment in his heart at all.
After a brief greeting, Luo Youdu invited the two into his home.
In this era, furniture with round legs and feet was already popular, and long tables and square tables gradually became popular.
However, Luo Youdu's mansion did not follow this trend and still entertained guests in the traditional kneeling way.
The three of them sat down, and Luo Youdu said first: "My family is poor, and we don't have good tea to serve to guests. I thought you two wouldn't like it, so I asked the housekeeper to buy some good wine. Let's use wine instead of tea, it will be more enjoyable."
Since Lu Yu, the tea ceremony has flourished, and serving tea to guests has become a trend.
Zhao Kuangyin clapped his legs and laughed, "What a good way to replace tea with wine, Brother Luo understands me. I am a rough man, I really can't get used to the bitter stuff, I still prefer drinking wine. The other day my brother and I offended each other a lot, Brother Luo was generous and not only didn't care, but also helped me out of trouble. I, Zhao Kuangyin, accept this kindness. If you need me in the future, Brother Luo can send someone to let me know, I will never refuse within my ability."
This Zhao Da is a very outgoing person, but he has two faces. The first time he was not pleasant, but the second time he called everyone "brother".
But his affectionate attitude is not annoying at all, and his personal charm is truly extraordinary.
No wonder he was able to win over people from all walks of life as soon as he showed his talent. He formed a righteous society with Yang Guangyi, Shi Shouxin, Li Jixun, Wang Shenqi, Liu Shouzhong, Liu Tingrang, Han Chongyun, Wang Zhengzhong and others, and accumulated a solid team for himself.
In history, Zhao Kuangyin was able to wear the yellow robe thanks to the great contributions of the brothers of Taizu Yishe.
For such an amazing person, making friends with him will only bring benefits and no harm unless there is a conflict of interest.
Luo Youdu smiled bitterly and said, "Thank you for calling me brother, Du Yuhou. I am not afraid of you two laughing at me. I am forced to do this. If there is any chance that I can stay out of it, I can't hide, so how can I dare to get involved. On the contrary, I admire your righteous act of not caring about yourself and taking the blame for your friend. In this turbulent world, the way to live is to stay away from harm. Your brother has the spirit of the ancients, he is really a remarkable man."
When Zhao Kuangyin heard this, he smiled even more, as if he was even happier than when he was praised.
Zhao Kuangyi saw Luo Youdu praising him like this, even though he still felt hatred in his heart, he felt a little happy, and said righteously: "Brother Luo, thank you for your praise. When we act, we should put loyalty and righteousness first."
Luo Youdu cried out in his heart: "If I didn't know the inside story, I would have almost believed it."
At this time, Lao Hu also bought wine and meat from outside, served the dishes, and brewed hot wine.
The aroma of rice wine spreads with the temperature.
Zhao Kuangyin took a deep breath and said, "Brother Luo, you are truly one of us when it comes to Guchuntang's Jimo Old Wine. There are twenty-one stores in Kaifeng that sell Jimo Old Wine, but Guchuntang is the most authentic." As he spoke, he filled a glass for himself, raised it in a toast, and drank it all in one gulp.
Luo Youdu was very familiar with China's drinking culture, and after returning the gift, he drank the wine in his glass.
Compared with the white wine with an alcohol content of more than 50 degrees, this yellow wine with an alcohol content of less than 10 degrees has a different flavor.
However, he did not know that Chinese rice wine is the highest level of fermented wine in the world, and even in later generations, no country has surpassed rice wine in fermented wine.
Those so-called thousand-year-old liquors in later generations are all bullshit, just for marketing purposes to attract attention.
After a few drinks, the three of them started talking.
Luo Youdu asked about the current situation in the world. His understanding of this era was limited to the historical records in his memory, but these records mostly recorded key events, not trivial matters, and due to the age problem, there might be errors and omissions, so there are certain limitations.
Zhao Kuangyin did not hide anything and told everyone in detail what he knew.
It is almost the same as I remember. Today, there are many separatist factions in the world, and whoever has military power is a local tyrant.
They are in charge of military and political power, and are like local emperors.
But the only ones that were truly influential were the Great Zhou that occupied the Central Plains, the Southern Tang that controlled the south of the Yangtze River, the Later Shu that dominated Shu, and the Northern Han that ruled Shanxi.
Luo Youdu had always believed that the Great Zhou was the strongest overall. After Zhao Kuangyin's introduction, he realized that today's Southern Tang was not weaker than the Great Zhou, especially its economic strength was extraordinary.
It is true when you think about it, there are constant wars in the Central Plains.
The Southern Tang Dynasty was home to the Yangtze and Huai Rivers, and had been developing steadily for decades, a veritable paradise. Countless noble families fled south to avoid disaster, providing a large number of talents for the south of the Yangtze River. The economy and culture were advanced and prosperous, and its strength should not be underestimated.
However, Luo Youdu did not take Southern Tang seriously.
"Compared to Jiangnan, I think Northern Han is more worthy of vigilance."
Zhao Kuangyin was stunned and asked, "What do you mean?"
Luo Youdu said, "Jiangnan is too peaceful and literary, and seems to have forgotten the ancient saying that forgetting war will lead to danger. If a war really happens, how much strength can be exerted is debatable. If this wealth is not protected by relative power, what is the difference between it and a fat lamb? On the other hand, Northern Han and Liao are allies. They often go south to fight and plunder, and their soldiers are effectively trained. In the long run, they will definitely train an iron army. This is real power that cannot be ignored."
Zhao Kuangyin and Zhao Kuangyi looked at each other.
Zhao Kuangyin agreed and said, "That makes sense. These veteran soldiers who have been on the battlefield are far more capable than new soldiers who have been trained for ten years."
