Chapter 107: Ready to make a move
at this time.
Kucheng Temple.
Muzad sat quietly at the highest point of the temple.
Look into the distance.
In Loulan, the temple was taller and bigger than the royal palace. In the nearly 100 years of Loulan's rapid expansion, the envoys of the gods were the absolute masters here. In Loulan, the envoys of the gods enjoyed the same status as the king, and in some ways, they were even more revered than the king.
But today, Muzad felt a little flustered.
His right eyelid kept twitching.
Over the past hundred years, the contradictions and conflicts between the temple and the royal family have been resolved and compromised as the territory has expanded. However, today, Loulan is the absolute king in the Western Regions, and its territory can no longer be expanded. With the prosperity brought by the domestic economy, people's livelihood, and trade, internal contradictions have increased. The first to bear the brunt is the ideological clash between the royal family and the temple.
With the passing of the old king, this contradiction and conflict was finally triggered and could no longer be avoided.
"My Lord, the Loulan royal family is so ungrateful, they should be killed!"
"Yes , if it weren't for our temple, how could Loulan be so powerful today? God has made us wait no longer! The temple has been surrounded by the guards!"
"Lord God's Envoy, let's fight when we have to! We have 100,000 temple troops in various places. With a large army approaching, who would be afraid?"
A group of senior temple officials were filled with indignation.
Muzad, however, was worried about his country and people: "I really can't bear to see the believers bleed..."
Everyone tried to persuade him.
Muzad stood up and said calmly, "But if the believers rebel spontaneously, it only means that it is God's will. I heard that the temple army has received the oracle and is preparing for war. If that is the case, then send a divine order to protect our temple!"
Everyone was very happy.
They have been waiting for this day for a long time. If the temple had no intention of occupying Loulan, how could it have developed the temple army to 100,000 people?
Muzad's right eyelid twitched again, and he said cruelly: "Since Namire still refuses to tell us how to gather the Muslims, just kill him!"
"yes!"
The temple gave an order.
All the temple believers in Loulan couldn't help but get excited.
The temple troops from all over Loulan had already sharpened their swords, waiting for the order from the god. It must be said that religion always controls people's hearts more than some political regimes, especially Zoroastrianism, which is a sect that believes in fighting. Just one sentence can ignite the fighting spirit in everyone's heart.
A raging fire began to burn in Loulan.
The 100,000-strong temple army, which had been ready for battle, marched forward with great vigor, killing gods and Buddhas. Local officials and government officials soon became the first victims of this war and the objects of their sacrifice.
The momentum of the prairie fire seems unstoppable.
…
In the city of Ku.
It seems to be peaceful.
People do what they should do and everything is flourishing.
However, the guards have already started to get busy.
As a general under the Third Prince, Reheman began to control the guards upon his return. At this time, reports of military attacks by the Temple Army were coming one after another like snowflakes.
"General, Tacheng is in danger!"
"Cal City is in danger!"
"Tucheng's resistance is strong!"
"Luocheng has been razed to the ground!"
"General, the bandits are taking advantage of the people and are coming more and more fiercely!"
Every military report made Rehman frown.
The entire Loulan Kingdom seemed to be in chaos in an instant.
He pondered and said, "How many days will it take for the enemy army to reach Kucheng?"
“Three days!”
He couldn't help but take a deep breath and shouted, "Strengthen the defenses, fortify the walls and clear the fields! Order the messengers to set up a post every 100 miles, with two people on each post, to take turns on duty to pass on the message!"
"yes!"
"There are many merchants from various countries in the city, and the situation is complicated. We must not leak any information, and everything must proceed smoothly!"
"yes!"
"Surround the temple from a distance!"
After a series of orders were issued, Rehman's eyes showed a hint of worry.
Everyone had thought that there would be a battle between the Loulan royal family and the temple. But who would have thought that the temple's power would be like a surging flood, unstoppable. It dragged along the common people, and the number had reached 200,000!
Can the Royal Guard stop them?
Can Master Liu's plan really turn the tide?
Of course, he knew that Master Liu was the governor of Yinzhou, but in fact he was the lord of Yinzhou. His method was more radical to the royal family because he was not from Loulan after all. He was not afraid of losing, so he was betting on the entire Loulan.
but……
Does Loulan have any choice?
In order to maintain stability in Kucheng, he had immediately taken control of all the temple troops in the city.
But he knew that once the temple army arrived with great force, those people in the city who were temporarily suppressed and ready to make trouble would take the opportunity to cause chaos.
By that time, can we really control it?
…
How the situation outside is changing.
At least within the city of Ku, it is relatively stable.
Therefore, when the merchants from various countries in Rong Xiang Restaurant saw the refined salt, they were all stunned.
"this……"
“Is this salt?”
This is clearly shining platinum, right?
There was one person at the scene, and his eyes were wide open. For people in Arabia and other places, being able to eat the coarse salt is a blessing. Where have you ever seen such fine salt?
Everybody went crazy.
“Can we try some?”
“Isn’t this salt?”
"If it's not salt, then what is it?"
Liu Zheng laughed and said, "Everyone, enjoy!"
Xiang Chenglin arranged his men and gave each of them a tablespoon of fine salt.
Everyone tasted it, and they all had a wonderful feeling. Liu Zheng was stunned. It's just salt, not powder! Is it really that serious? Everyone was very excited, their faces flushed, as if they had tasted the most wonderful thing in the world, and they were overjoyed.
Even Queen Reguli and the third prince Halik couldn't help but take a bite.
Similarly, it is also stunning.
The scene became chaotic in an instant.
"Refined salt, really refined salt!"
"This kind of top-grade product is rare in the world!"
"How much silver? I want it all!"
Xiang Chenglin smiled and said, "Everyone, please don't be confused. Listen to me carefully."
A group of people watched excitedly.
Xiang Chenglin smiled faintly and said, "You should all know that no matter which country it is in, the salt business is regulated by the state..."
Someone asked: "But there is none in Loulan!"
"Just, what do you want to say?"
In Loulan, a place with free trade, anything can be traded as long as you are willing to pay taxes. Including slaves. This is what made Loulan so powerful. When everyone heard Xiang Chenglin's opening remarks, they were a little unhappy.
No wonder people from the royal family are here today, so this is what’s going on!
Hemuti also laughed coldly: "Why, do we in the royal family have to control these things too? Third brother, it seems that you are really not suitable to be the king! If you continue to do this, Loulan will definitely be doomed!"
Xiang Chenglin smiled and said, "Listen to me, everyone. In fact, it is not the case. Loulan still does not control salt, but..."
"My Xiang family intends to cooperate with the Loulan royal family!"
"Given that the desert is difficult to navigate, transportation is inconvenient. But our refined salt can be supplied indefinitely! In the future, the royal family will do its best to help Rongxiang Company with transportation and provide a camel team!"
"So, if you want to buy this refined salt, you should sign an agreement with the royal family!"
As soon as these words were spoken, the whole audience was in an uproar.
No one expected this to happen.
Queen Reguli and the third prince Halik were even more surprised and looked at Liu Zheng with joy. The former's eyes became even more fiery...
Hemuti's face changed drastically: "What? How could this happen?"
Cooperation between the royal family and businesses?
Although this has happened before, the so-called officials and businessmen are mostly in the monopoly industry. Under the open and free political system of Loulan, officials and businessmen are like a mere formality. But now the Loulan royal family has decided to participate in the sale of refined salt.
All of a sudden, it’s a bit hard to react.
The vendors looked at each other in bewilderment.
Some people have raised objections, asking whether this is the beginning of a monopoly by the royal family?
But Xiang Chenglin immediately gave an answer.
It is not a monopoly, but just a participation. The merchants will be given maximum security in transportation. It is even possible that the army will be mobilized to protect the transportation of these refined salts and the safety of merchants from various countries along the way.
Moreover, the Loulan royal family will not gain any profit from it and will only collect taxes.
However, the tax on refined salt will be 10% higher than that on coarse salt!
When everyone heard this, they were amazed. They didn't expect that there was such an operating model. It sounded quite reliable. With the protection of the Loulan royal family, there would be more security in the Western Regions. A 10% tax would not be a big problem.
and……
In the eyes of these people, nothing can resist their enthusiasm for getting refined salt!
"no problem!"
"we agree!"
"We have no objection!"
Everyone rushed to it.
Xiang Chenglin smiled and said, "Everyone, now is the time to bid!"
"The refined salt quota will be divided into twenty portions for now!"
"Each country has only one general agent! The general agent has full sales authority in his own country, including monopoly, pricing, etc...."
"This general agent will go to the one with the highest bid!"
When the people present heard this rule, they began to talk about it.
General agent?
They had never heard of it before! But who wouldn’t be excited at the thought of being able to monopolize the input of refined salt?
"My Moheer Chamber of Commerce wants to take down the general agent of the Arab Empire! Two hundred thousand taels!"
A wealthy Middle Eastern businessman immediately stood up.
"Haha, Moheer, are you kidding me? Two hundred thousand taels, and you want to get the lifetime agency? I'll give you three hundred thousand!"
"Five hundred thousand, Persian agent!"
"Nanyang agent, five hundred thousand!"
"Western agent, six hundred thousand!"
The scene went crazy instantly.
With the Loulan royal family's credit as an endorsement, unlimited supply, and security, why not? The Loulan royal family is very rich. Over the years, they have accumulated a lot of wealth just by collecting taxes, so they won't be cheated.
Liu Zheng and Zheng Yueru looked at each other.
There was surprise in their eyes.
It seems that this trip to Loulan will make them a fortune again!
Not only that!
When the agreement is signed today, one of the clauses is that in Loulan, merchants from all countries should advance and retreat with the Loulan royal family and "cooperate in security"! Coupled with the temptation of refined salt, the weapons of these merchants can naturally be used by the Loulan royal family!
Looking at this crazy group of people, Hemuti's face turned black.
Who could have thought that in just a few days.
When Xiang Zheng arrived, he not only captured the pro-Han groups and civil and military officials in Loulan, but also the foreign merchants!
That's too late!
He glared at Liu Zheng angrily, mounted his horse and galloped away.
