Chapter 97: Loulan Kingdom
Yinzhou Prefecture.
Liu Dahao came running over with great joy: "Mr. Qingyang, Mr. Qingyang, Kezhou has been conquered! Mr. Qingyang is so talented!"
The counselors also congratulated him.
Qingyang Suo smiled faintly.
Hu Xier snorted proudly: "Who else is dissatisfied?"
Everyone laughed.
Who else would not obey? Who dared not obey? Qingyang Suo issued a few military orders, and the state was conquered. Such means were truly like a god. Although this man was disabled, he was very clear-sighted and far-sighted, and he had the general trend of the world in his mind.
Qingyang Shuo looked at Liu Dahao and said with a smile: "Lord Zhou Hou, it's time to go to Liangzhou."
"What?"
Liu Dahao was so frightened that his legs went limp: "Sir, please don't be like this, I just escaped from there!"
Qingyang Shuo laughed loudly: "This time, I am going to give a gift to Chen Ping. It is okay for you to go, sir."
Liu Dahao was confused by what he heard.
Qingyang Shuo meant that since Kezhou had been conquered, Liangzhou Prefecture would have no objection at this time, but would definitely settle accounts later. Moreover, Yinzhou had indeed plundered a lot of Kezhou's wealth this time, so he asked Liu Dahao to take out half of it and send it to Liangzhou, as a way of asking for forgiveness.
Chen Ping is not stupid. Although he is angry, he will not do anything to Liu Dahao. There are two reasons. First, Chen Ping knows that Liu Dahao is a rich man in Yinyang, and he eats and drinks well every day. Yinyang is rich today, all thanks to Liu Zheng. If Liu Zheng is not here, what is the point of arresting Liu Dahao? Second, if Liu Dahao is forced to stay, it is not reasonable and legal, and it is easy to cause hatred from Yinzhou. When Liu Zheng comes back, if he breaks with Liangzhou and completely turns to Baiya Army, Liangzhou will lose both his wife and his soldiers.
Therefore, Qingyang Suo was certain that this trip was absolutely safe!
as expected.
When Liu Dahao arrived in Liangzhou with a sad face, he was greeted by Chen Ping's rage.
But what can he say?
Mou Chengxiang was courting death by attacking Yinzhou first. In terms of theory and law, Yinzhou had an absolute advantage. He also knew that now that Yinzhou soldiers occupied Kezhou, no matter who was sent to be the county magistrate, the result would be the same as Qian Buqun, either being sidelined or being scared and running back.
He was angry at first, and then appeased him. Afterwards, he took the 200,000 taels of silver sent by Liu Dahao and held a grand banquet to "appease" the fear of Liuzhou Hou.
When Liu Dahao left Liangzhou in a swagger, it was heard that Chen Ping was so angry that he didn't get up for three days.
…
Sand wind!
The most terrifying thing in the desert finally came, and it came on the first day!
Everyone was in chaos.
The sandstorm came suddenly and still scared Liu Zheng.
"Protect Master Liu!"
Reheman shouted loudly, and several people ran over, taking Liu Zheng with them, and ran towards the camel.
The desert sandstorms were always getting stronger and stronger. Although we couldn't see the hurricane at night, the sandstorms had already covered the sky and the moon, plunging the surroundings into endless darkness. The sand was blown up and hit people's faces, which was very painful. At first, people could still stand, but as the wind got stronger, they began to stagger and fall to the ground.
"Hurry up and pull all the camels over here!"
Reheman shouted.
These people have experience with wind and sand. At times like this, it is time to rely on camels. Let the camels stand in the wind and people hide behind the camels' huge bodies. This is the best way.
For camels, dealing with wind and sand is as easy as drinking water. You blow your wind, and I play mine...
Leisurely and contented.
"Hurry, protect the cargo!"
But because the sandstorm came too fast and too fiercely, many of the goods in the camel caravan were swept away by the sandstorm before they could be protected. Qin Changfeng was quite skilled and knew how important the refined salt was to Liu Zheng. He managed to snatch two bags of the salt from the sandstorm and held them under his body to protect them. He also had to take care of Zheng Yueru at the same time.
pain!
cold!
Even being hit by the gravel made him dizzy. This was how Liu Zheng felt now! Because of his thin body, he even had to hold the camel's thigh tightly. When the sandstorm hit him, Liu Zheng screamed. The camel lowered its head and looked at Liu Zheng mockingly, chewing a few grasses in its mouth. It looked so leisurely and contented that Liu Zheng wanted to curse.
No one knows how long this sandstorm lasted, nor does anyone know how much of these people’s goods were blown away.
In short, when the wind and sand stopped, Liu Zheng felt dizzy.
In his dizzy state, he only had one instinct, which was to hold on to the camel's legs tightly to prevent himself from being blown away by the wind. This made his hands completely uncontrollable.
"Young Master!"
"Brother Liu! "
When Liu Zheng opened his eyes, he saw the concerned looks of Qin Changfeng and Zheng Yueru. It was already dawn. He blinked and asked, "Did it sleet all night?"
Everyone laughed. Liu Zheng realized this time that the sandstorm lasted for about an hour, and he had been unconscious for three hours!
"terrible!"
Liu Zheng was still frightened.
Reheman also came over and said with a chuckle, "Master Liu, this is just the beginning. You will probably encounter him at least five more times in the rest of the trip. You should be prepared."
"ah?"
Liu Zheng was so confused that he wanted to cry. It was too painful. Wouldn't the skin on his face have to fall off if he crossed this desert? Only then did he understand why the Silk Road was so difficult to open up. How much of the goods these people brought would be left when they reached Loulan?
The difficulty of trade between the two sides leads to the difference in goods, so the profit margin will naturally be very large.
The greater the profit, the more people will take risks.
Looking up, only half of the camel caravan, including people, camels and goods, was left. The Chamber of Commerce from Hanzhong also lost a lot of people. But those who lost their brothers and sisters did not cry. They just quietly sprinkled a cup of yellow soil and burned some paper as a memorial. Since they planned to cross the desert, they were mentally prepared to die here.
On the road again .
The camel caravan of 300 people was reduced to more than 100 people, and it inevitably felt a bit lifeless.
But these people still had a determined look in their eyes. They intended to earn enough money to achieve financial freedom during this business trip. Sure enough, they experienced several sandstorms during the rest of the journey. Fortunately, Liu Zheng and his companions had gained experience and escaped without any danger.
The road ahead is barren.
This is a hopeless desert with abnormal weather and scorching sun. Occasionally, some poplar trees and red willows can be seen, which finally give people a glimmer of hope. In such a place, it is also easy to dig some water to replenish the water bags lost in the wind and sand.
Occasionally, there is an oasis that makes people cheer and jump for joy. Not only can they replenish their water, but they can also wash up thoroughly before leaving.
After a full month, a month after entering the desert, everyone finally saw the river.
"ah!"
"It's Peacock River!"
“Ahhhhhh!”
People cheered and hugged each other in celebration.
Rehman also led a group of people to kneel on the ground and thank Allah.
Once the Peacock River appeared, it was like they had completely walked out of the desert. Liu Zheng also looked around and saw a town in the distance. Is this the Loulan Dynasty? In history, a mysterious existence. Those sandy buildings have different styles. Because there are often merchants coming and going here, the town is still quite lively. When this group of people appeared here, some people had already flocked over.
"What's in stock?"
"Do you have any silk from Jiangnan?"
"Is there any salt?"
"Are there any good ceramics? They are very expensive here!"
"Do you have green tea?"
People who came to collect the goods were vying to shout, but most of the people who came here had businesses and their own partners. There were some individual traders, but they were few. Reheman took Liu Zheng to pick up someone and avoided the harassment of these people. Then he clasped his fists and smiled, "Master Liu, this is Loulan! Reheman has urgent matters to deal with, so let's leave for now! Master, do you want to go with us into the warehouse city?"
Kucheng is the capital of Loulan.
Liu Zheng looked over there and saw some soldiers and horses appearing. They seemed to be coming to Reheman. He knew that Reheman was safe now that he had arrived here. He thought that Zheng Yuru had already made an appointment with the slave trader introduced by Du Biao to meet in Shancheng, so he clasped his fists and replied, "I still want to go shopping. See you later!"
"In that case, my lord, please be careful on the road. We'll see you in Kucheng!"
Reheman left a wooden sign for Liu Zheng, telling him to take it out if he had any problems, and maybe it could help him. Then he took the three princes and joined the army over there.
Liu Zheng and the other two just wandered around here. This kind of exotic customs is still very attractive. The people who set up stalls and opened shops around are all Loulan people, wearing ethnic costumes. Loulan is rich in various dried fruits, fruits, linen clothes, accessories, cotton, wine, and of course, there is no shortage of beef and mutton here. What is lacking here is salt, tea, ceramics, silk, farm tools...
The price difference is huge!
Zheng Yueru happily changed into traditional costumes, her beauty was dazzling.
"Master Liu, haha, is there anything you want to buy? You can tell me!"
After a walk, Liu Zheng met the old man from Rong Xiang Trading Company again. The old man's name was Xiang Chenglin, and he was from the Xiang family in Hanzhong.
"just looking around!"
Xiang Chenglin smiled mysteriously: "Master Liu, don't let these unscrupulous merchants deliberately lower the price! My Rongxiang Company has a great reputation in Loulan, and we are honest to everyone! I think these two bags of goods look like salt?"
When he said this, his eyes lit up.
Liu Zheng smiled bitterly. As expected of a veteran, this old man had a very sharp vision. He did not hide it and nodded.
Xiang Chenglin was overjoyed: "Master, you have a good way! To be honest, even we can only carry a few dozen liters of salt each time! Counting the salt that was thrown away along the way, you must have brought a thousand liters, right?"
Thousand liters of salt!
In the Longyan Dynasty, who would dare to smuggle so much salt without some strong power?
Liu Zheng laughed and said nothing.
Xiang Chenglin was even more shocked, and whispered, "Sir, salt is a hot commodity in Loulan! I wonder if you..."
"How much silver?"
Liu Zheng wants to know the exact price.
Xiang Chenglin whispered: "That depends on the quality..."
“The best!”
Xiang Chenglin was stunned for a while, trying to guess what the quality of this top-grade product was, and then he said something shocking: "Three taels per liter!"
"What?"
Liu Zheng, Zheng Yueru, and Qin Changfeng were all shocked.
What a sky-high price!
Sent!
Liu Zheng was overjoyed.
Xiang Chenglin was about to speak, but at this moment, there was a sudden chaos among the soldiers and many cavalrymen broke into the market.
"Where is the vendor from before?"
"Come here to count the goods and pay the tax!"
Liu Zheng and others' expressions changed slightly.
Count the goods and pay taxes?
Is there such a thing? If I had known, I would have gone with Reheman. Once the refined salt is taken out, these people will go crazy. Will they be coveted by their enemies?
