Chapter 1309 The Second Silk Road


    On one side are the miserable Xiongnu tribesmen, who are still bleeding, and the screaming cattle and sheep, with gloomy looks, while on the other side are the Zhengs who are happily roasting and eating the beef and mutton that unfortunately died of injuries. The comparison between the Western Soldiers really made Humphrey feel uncomfortable.


    “General…”


    ?Yuvro stood in front of Fei Qian, and for a moment he really didn''t know what to say.


    Speaking of the friendship between Fei Qian and Humphrey, in fact, it has always been changing. At first, Humphrey had some psychological advantages, but as time went by, such psychological advantages gradually shrank. Now not only do I no longer have any so-called advantages, but I am actually a little afraid of Fei Qian''s majesty and magnanimity...


    Fei Qian smiled, pointed to the side and said, "What''s wrong? What''s the matter? Come and sit down."


    At this time, General Fei Qian''s words naturally contained a kind of momentum. Although the words and words vaguely revealed the attitude of the superior towards the inferior, Hufro did not dare to be dissatisfied at all and hurriedly sat down aside.


    "A certain person and Chanyu are brothers..." Fei Qian opened his mouth and said. These official words basically don''t need to be drafted. "Since we are brothers, we will naturally help each other. If Shanyu has any difficulties, we might as well Frankly speaking, those who can help will naturally help, and will not be stingy, so Shanyu can rest assured..." Of course, if you feel that you can''t help, there is nothing you can do.


    When Yufuluo heard this, he was naturally deeply moved. He stroked his chest and saluted, saying: "The general''s deep friendship will never be forgotten by my little king! Alas... Now in the Royal Court, such a disaster has really made me feel ashamed of my people... At present, the people in the Royal Court are short of food and clothing. , General... Well, General, can you support a batch of supplies to tide over the current difficulties..."


    Oh, is it alms?


    Fei Qian smiled and said without even saying a word: "Do you need supplies? No problem. I''ll ask Yongyuan to contact you later..." Yu Fuluo wanted to get it for nothing. He must have done it without even thinking about it. Cui Hou acted as The person in charge of the eastern and northern caravans, and someone who has been in contact with Huvroud from the very beginning, naturally understands what Feiqian means. The price will be whatever it is when the time comes. At most, if the quantity is large, it will be small. Just a discount.


    Yufro was stunned for a moment, blinked, and said: "Let Cui Yongyuan come? This... General, you see, the royal court is like this now, Xiao Wang... I really have nothing on hand, can I... Can you..."


    "You want credit?" Fei Qian said, and then he said generously, "It depends on what you said, no problem! But the amount can''t be too big. After all, business needs turnover, as the saying goes , I borrow and repay, isn’t it difficult to borrow again..." Anyway, in the Han Dynasty, many transactions were done on credit. Even private farmers sometimes had no money, so they would borrow money or go on credit, and wait until they had money. Return it again.


    "Credit... credit... alas..." Humphrey stared, sighed for a long time, and said, "Okay, let''s do it on credit..."


    Fei Qian smiled slightly, nodded, and then in front of Yuv Luo, he ordered someone to go to Xihe to find Cui Houlai.


    For the foreigners who came around to worship or pay tribute, there was still a sense of equal exchange in the Han Dynasty. However, in the later feudal dynasties, it seemed that no more than ten times or a hundred times were given, as if it was a shameful thing, and even In the Qing Dynasty, where the heavens and the earth are unified, there are still people who hire foreigners to forge some messy so-called credentials and go to the capital to do this business. It is not an exaggeration to say that they can make huge profits.


    "Hey, business is business." Fei Qian smiled and waved his hand and said, "No matter whether the business is successful or not, there will always be a relationship between a certain person and Shan Yu. In this way, I will sponsor Shan Yu with some funds in my own name. …Zi Chu, get someone’s money bag!”


    ? Huang Xu took the order, found a cowhide bag from the luggage, and then handed it to Humphrey''s hand.


    Fei Qian signaled and asked Humphrey to open it himself.


    "This is..." Yuvro opened it and couldn''t help but be stunned. He saw some gold and silver Zhengxi Tongbao in the purse, which was exuding a pleasing brilliance. "This... what kind of ''sponsorship'' is this from the general?"


    Fei Qian looked up to the sky and smiled, and then said: "Of course it''s not just these! Chanyu, these Tongbao are just a companion... Chanyu, I wonder if you have ever heard of a saying that says, ''It''s better to retreat and build a net if you are in a deep ocean''?"


    "I seem to have heard it before. What the general means is..." Yuvrou nodded, then lowered his head and looked at Tongbao and said, "These are the ''retreat and build a network''?"


    "Exactly!" Fei Qian clapped his hands and praised, "Chanyu is indeed extremely smart! Chanyu might as well think about it, if your soldiers and mine are accustomed to eating for free, and taking for free, there will still be people who are willing to go to the battlefield. Should I go up there to fight? Shanyu thought about it again, how could it be any better than Shanyu''s current situation when I arrived in Bingbei? Also, Shanyu hadn''t heard about Bai Shiqiang''s current situation. Have you passed?"


    "Well..." Yufro originally felt that Fei Qian threw these treasures with a hint of insult, and he felt a little unhappy. But after hearing Fei Qian''s words, he frowned, blinked, and thought about it for a moment. , seems to feel that what Fei Qian said is somewhat reasonable.


    ?Fei Qian''s strength may not have been that good or powerful back then, but now...


    “The general is saying that he is willing to teach me this ‘fishing method’?” Humphrey said tentatively.


    ?Fei Qian nodded seriously, then waved his hand and stepped back.


    Humphrey also immediately sat up straight with a solemn expression, and also ordered his guards to stand farther away. "Chanyu, do you know, what is Shang?" Fei Qian said slowly, "Do you know that the reason why China was born and started because of Shang? One of the earliest dynasties in China was called the Shang Dynasty? "


    "This..." Yuvluo''s eyes widened. He didn''t think there was anything wrong with Fei Qian''s grammar of "one of the most" that was used by later generations. He was just immersed in Fei Qian''s words, hoping that Fei Qian could speak more clearly. Some, "The general means..."


    “What I mean is that Chanyu is now sitting in the treasure mountain without knowing it...” Fei Qian smiled slightly, with a confident smile of a life mentor.


    “Baoshan?” Humphrey repeated.


    Fei Qian nodded and said: "Bai Shi Qiang, Shanyu, you know, now people drink mare''s kumiss, one bowl at a time, eat beef and sheep barbecue, eat one, look at one... Why, you are rich! Why are you rich? , Trade! Although the big man is big, he still needs a lot of things, especially those things that the big man doesn’t have, and even more flowers and plants, all of which are money!”


    “You want all the flowers and plants?” Humphrey subconsciously looked up at the ground.


    "Of course, it''s not just any flowers and plants..." Fei Qian chuckled, "There is a kind of flower called cotton. I don''t know what the tribes or small countries in the west call it. It''s as white as snow and as wooly. It''s very beautiful. Yes, ahem, I can’t help it. Our emperor likes it, so we ministers also naturally like it... There is also a kind of grass called alfalfa. The leaves are flat, like a heart, or oblate and large. Part of it is three leaves together. Legend has it that if you can see four leaves growing on one stem at the same time, you can get the help of the God of Luck and your wishes will come true... Shanyu, you know, we Han people still believe it This..."


    "Look Shanyu..." Fei Qian looked at Yufuluo nodding his head in confusion and continued to teach, "The Baishi Qiang had only a few people, so they walked far to the west, and soon they were selling some cattle and sheep furs. , there are also fruits, drinks and other things that the big man doesn’t have, so he is already extremely rich, and Shan Yu has so many people now. If you find some things that the big man needs, you can not only exchange for materials to restore the royal court, but also You can make a fortune, and even... haha... Besides, Shanyu doesn''t want to track down where the rebellious elder has fled. Is this a matter of killing two birds with one stone? Does it mean that Shanyu is uncomfortable sitting in the treasure mountain right now? Know?"


    "This..." Yuvro pondered for a while, although he knew in his heart that Fei Qian''s words may not be all true, nor could they all be beneficial to the Huns as Fei Qian described, but there was something else hidden in them. But the problem is that what Fei Qian said is also true. Bai Shiqiang has indeed become a lot richer in the past two years. Even the complexions of ordinary tribesmen seem to be rosy. Moreover, he really needs to investigate the situation in the west and north. If you can find something by the **** elder who is tracking the escape, you can exchange it for supplies...


    "But... the west and north are mostly deserts, and I''m afraid there won''t be anything..." Hufrault is now a bit smarter and knows how to bargain. "I''m afraid that the general will say he doesn''t want the things he found... Besides, general You need it too, why don’t you go find it yourself?”


    "How do you know I didn''t send anyone out?" Fei Qian chuckled and said casually, which made Yuvro suddenly change his expression, "I sent someone out a long time ago...Has Shan Yu ever drank the wine from the west?" It''s inconvenient this time. I''ll ask someone to bring some to Shanyu next time... As for the things, we are all adults, so we don''t know whether they are valuable or not. It''s like..."


    Fei Qian randomly picked up a stone from the ground and said: "For example, this stone, I said it is very precious and was accidentally dropped by the gods in the sky. Shanyu, do you believe it? Isn''t it right? Isn''t this the end of the world? It''s useful. Things that are useless are still useless no matter how nice you say them, right, Shanyu?”


    Yufro nodded subconsciously, seeming to feel that something was wrong, but he just didn''t know what was wrong with Fei Qian''s words.


    Fei Qian smiled slightly, looked at Yuvroud, and thought to himself, do you think the title of best debater I won in the university was fake? Do you know what the concept of secret exchange is? Do you know what taking something out of context is?


    "Bai Shiqiang took the road along the Hexi Corridor. Chanyu can also go there, but there is also a road here that Bai Shiqiang does not have..." Fei Qian took the stone in his hand and scratched it on the ground casually and said. , "My people reported that from here, along the western mountains through this desert, and then there are several mountains, there are some tribes, and even through these distant mountains, you can reach most places They are all plains, and there are pastures everywhere..."


    What Fei Qian painted was what later generations called the Prairie Silk Road, and it was also the second Silk Road connecting the east and west land.


    The Prairie Silk Road refers to the major trade channel that connects the Eurasian continent from the Mongolian grassland. After crossing the Yinshan and Yanshan areas, along the Great Wall, northwest through the Mongolian Plateau and northern Central and Western Asia, you can directly reach the Mediterranean Europe.


    Compared with the Silk Road in the Hexi Corridor in the traditional sense, the Prairie Silk Road is spread over a wider area. As long as there are water and grass, there is a road to travel. Therefore, the route of the Prairie Silk Road often changes with the times. It changes due to different conditions, and is not static. Of course, walking is more difficult, but the problem is that the Hu people are naturally adapted to this kind of long-term migration, and they are naturally much more adaptable than the Han people.


    Besides, the vegetation in the current stage of the Han Dynasty was not so destroyed. There were many more oases in the desert than in later generations, and later generations of Shanxi merchants were still able to get around in a more harsh environment, so there is no reason for the Xiongnu at this stage to People can''t leave...


    Fei Qian looked at Yu Fulo''s eyes widening, as if he wanted to memorize the route on the ground firmly. He waited deliberately, and when he felt it was almost done, he wiped it casually with his feet, smoothed away the traces, and said: "Shan Yu Ruo is Interested, I can ask people to prepare some equipment and supplies for long-distance travel first. Even if it is given to Shanyu on credit, it will be calculated according to the cost price... Brothers belong to brothers, and business belongs to business... By then Shanyu has found good things. , these will naturally be earned in hundreds or even thousands... Even if there is nothing particularly good, Shan Yu, think about it, did you also accumulate a lot of skins, dried meat and other things back then? How many years have those western tribes not had caravans? Ten years? Twenty years? Or even longer? How much money would you have saved over the years? Think about how many things you could exchange for a clay pot...a copper cauldron...or even a few tea bricks. How much money? Shanyu thinks about it again, if Shanyu has what these tribes want, will they still choose to cooperate with the defected elder? Then someone might just kill your defected elder? I brought it in exchange for something... Haha, we are all brothers anyway, and we will never let Shanyu suffer in terms of price..."


    With Fei''s latent description, Hufrault''s eyes lit up little by little.


    That''s right, when there was no Feiqian to start trade, many of the Huns'' skins were helplessly watching a little bit of mold and rot, and then became a pile of waste that no one wanted. And those tribes that had not had caravans for many years, among them Isn’t there so much skin that it’s like picking it up for free?


    Just like Fei Qian, the general who conquered the West, said, bring some Han utensils, and even if you don''t find any special flowers and plants, as far as those leathers are concerned, you can still make a lot of money!


    ??And the most important thing is, maybe more tribes can be gathered, and then...


    “Okay! Let’s do it!” Humphrey made up his mind and agreed. Humphrey thinks this can be done!


    For a moment, both Fei Qian and Humphrey burst into laughter, but what was hidden in the laughter was unknown. Who would benefit in the end, and who would have the last laugh...


    (End of this chapter)