Three Kingdoms

For most people, they are actually drifting with the tide. Only fish that accidentally jump out of the river of time can vaguely see what is beyond the fog ahead.

Maybe it's a wonderful prospect, or the devil's trap.

Or, it is nothing and will still fall back to its original place...

Spolis bowed respectfully in front of the Cavalry General Hall. His arrogance and contempt for Jarvis disappeared without a trace at this moment. His face showed a look of perfection that he had practiced for many years. smile. With this smile, he will appear more kind, harmless to humans and animals, and sincere and honest.

Coupled with Spoulis' language skills, this made him accessible in many places and achieved commercial success.

There is no distinction between men and women.

Young Guliang will be intoxicated by his blue eyes, and middle-aged and elderly women will lose themselves in his endless sweet words. As for men, Spoulis has more experience. As long as he sends out the social butterfly who looks like a cow in the queue, there is almost nothing he can't handle. After all, men are very dedicated...

But Spoulis didn't expect that he would suffer a serious setback at General Hussars.

This Han general was actually not interested in the "cows" that Spoulis called him!

It’s not enough to even look at it twice.

You know, that's a real big cow!

Spoulis has personally tested it many times, and he is convinced that all men will be attracted to it when they see such a broad mind. Just when I entered the Huqifu Yamen, weren't there some Han guards who wanted to stick their eyes directly into the deep ditch of the big cow?

This is enough to prove that the charm of the big cow has not diminished, but the Han general in front of him just passed his gaze and stopped looking at it. This made Spoulis wonder if Jarvis was telling him false information. In fact, the burly general liked men? After all, in Da Qin, there are many nobles who like men, and there are even two-in-one extension plugs and sockets.

Spoulis thought about it, the smile on his face remained unchanged, and then he began to think that his old chrysanthemum seemed to need to be protected, or was it true that the requirements of this burly general were relatively high?

Spoulis was in a state of confusion, and then asked his translator to plead pitifully to the Hussars General: "... Merciful General, there are groups of camels outside Yumen Pass, but there is no suitable cargo for them to carry... Generous general, we came from thousands of miles away just to let the glory of the general shine in the sky... Kind general, your will will be our highest guide, and we have brought you the most beautiful and most noble things. goods in exchange for your little bit of silk..."

Spoulis can actually understand Chinese. He spent some time in the Western Regions. . He even understands Qiang, Loulan and Uzi. After all, doing business requires a certain amount of talent, and you can't become bigger and stronger just by taking some goods on the road. But Spoulis usually doesn't easily show that he understands certain languages, which sometimes brings him some extra surprises.

But this time, it was a shock.

"That's not right. 』

Fei Qian smiled and said, "Yumen Pass has never prohibited traders from entering the pass... For example, Dawan, Big and Small Yuezhi, An'an, etc. all can pass without hindrance... You are blocked at Yumen Pass, maybe you are just doing business?" 』

Fei Qian had at least played the Age of Empires, and remembered that there were camel cavalry in many places in Central Asia.

Spoulis's heart skipped a beat.

This is the most important place.

As the Han people regained control of the Western Regions, checkpoints from Yumen Pass to Haixi came into operation one after another, making it basically impossible for big businessmen like Spolis to avoid detection by the checkpoints. To a certain extent, Spoulis does have the ability to launch attacks to eliminate Han checkpoints, but once he does so, it also means that if he is discovered, he will immediately receive the threat of Han counterattack. Therefore, for Spolis, if he can solve the problem with money and women, it is naturally the best.

However, the method that was always unfavorable in the Western Regions was found to be unworkable at Yumen Pass.

Gao Shun, the guard general of Yumen Pass, refused to give in. After discovering that there were a large number of soldiers in the camel queue of Spolis, he refused to allow the Spolis caravan group to enter the customs, and only allowed a small number of people to enter. Inside the pass, a large number of remaining warriors could only stay outside the pass.

Spoulis was eager to get permission from General Fei Qian because of this matter.

In addition to being allowed to enter the customs, the Western Region is vast. Before the Han people came, horse thieves were rampant. How could people with no means organize a huge caravan in the Western Region? But a huge caravan also means a lot of labor costs. If there is no excess profit to support these expenses, how can Spoulis not only ensure his own income, but also have enough goods to support people, and still be able to Bribery business?

So basically, what Spoulis wants to get most is Fei Qian's exclusive silk sales agreement. He is willing to buy out Fei Qian's silk goods sold to the Western Regions at one time, and then hoard them to raise the price, thus Make extra-ordinary profits.

The Silk Road has always been the road of gold, and silk is the most shining gem among gold!

Now Spoulis can only queue up like ordinary merchants to get a share of silk sales in the Dahan Chamber of Commerce. It's like being choked by someone, without water or food. Can you not be anxious?

Spolis's helplessness and anxiety made him unable to maintain his smile anymore, and it also made Fei subconsciously realize that this guy should be able to understand Chinese. After all, the translation just now hadn't been translated yet, and Spolis's face looked a little... Variety……

This cunning and lustful man.

The Dahan Chamber of Commerce was established just to address the current situation.

The civil servants in the court may not be fully aware of the operation of business, but during the Qin and Han Dynasties, and even in many subsequent feudal dynasties, laymen still often commanded experts and did not accept any opinions, which led to many insiders beginning to bully. The top conceals the truth from the bottom, and the yang serves and the yin disobeys.

Fei Qian sometimes recalled that these "excellent traditions" of Chinese officialdom were not necessarily inevitable products, but problems that arose in the continuous evolution of bureaucracy, but had never been corrected. As a result, technical official positions were filled by civilian officials, and most people's prime learning time is in their teenage years. Only a very small number of people with strong self-discipline will maintain a learning attitude throughout their lives. Most people are After taking an official position for a while, I started to relax.

Therefore, when these civilian officials encounter technical problems, they are embarrassed to admit their incompetence and are afraid that the common people will laugh at them for not understanding. They will play ball, delay, shirk, or even make mistakes and make mistakes. It just happened naturally. After all, as long as you are still doing something at hand, you won't look stupid and stupid, even if those things are of no use.

Therefore, Fei Qian would not directly give orders to the Dahan Chamber of Commerce to supply goods directly to Spolis. This was almost something that Fei Qian hated very much in later generations. Do not do to others what you do not want others to do to you.

Moreover, the Dahan Chamber of Commerce must learn to use the economy to fight in the process of continuous running-in. Necessary restrictions and even sanctions may appear in the subsequent time. If someone gives orders at will and hinders the ability of the Dahan Chamber of Commerce to learn and grow, wouldn't it be another problem? Is it driving in reverse, or is it called self-defeating martial arts?

Economic sanctions seem to be a high-end weapon played by the United States in later generations, but in fact, during the Han Dynasty, it was already very effective. As early as when Empress Lu was in power, she had wielded a trade stick against South Vietnam and banned the closure of cities to South Vietnam. Exports ironware and mares. Zhao Tuo, the king of South Vietnam, felt uncomfortable with his neck being stuck. In anger, he went to war with the Han Dynasty. The two sides fought on and off for several years until Emperor Wen of Han came to power.

After that, in order to deal with the Xiongnu, confinement laws were issued one after another. First of all, "Hu city officials and people are not allowed to carry weapons or iron out of the confinement." At the same time, food, crossbows and horses are also prohibited.

Although there are smuggling caravans who take risks, their numbers are basically a drop in the bucket. Smuggling alone cannot meet the needs of the Huns, so that the Huns are forced to obtain them through the thirty-six countries in the Western Regions, thus making the Silk Road Completely formed.

It was also at this time that the Han Dynasty began to establish a strong position among the countries in the Western Regions. Once someone was disrespectful to the Han Dynasty, the business would immediately come to an end. This may also be the reason why the Han envoys were able to be strong among the thirty-six countries in the Western Regions at that time.

Especially what makes the Western Regions, including the rest of the Qin Dynasty and other countries in the Western Regions to the west, is that because of the unification of the Qin and Han Dynasties, materials within China can be circulated very well. Simply put, the various counties and counties complement each other and exchange what they need. From a certain perspective, the land is really vast and rich in resources, and there is no need for certain materials from abroad. Only the Han Dynasty can tie up other people's necks, and others will not want to tie up the Han Dynasty's necks...

What?

spices?

Yes, some things, such as sweet apples, flax, spices, jade, etc., are still specialties from the Western Regions. But the problem is that most of these specialties from the Western Regions will not directly affect the livelihood of ordinary Chinese people. He said that even without these Western Region items, it would not have any impact on his life.

What's more, in addition to obtaining these things from the Western Regions, the Han Dynasty could also obtain them from the Jiaozhi area. As the Han Dynasty captured Hetao and Hexi, there was abundant water and grass, and sufficient livestock. The vast south was rich in spices such as ginger, cinnamon, and cinnamon. In the Thirteenth Governor's Department, more than a hundred counties each have their own specialties, and the goods can be exchanged within the colony. There is no commodity related to the lifeblood of the country that needs to be solved by foreign trade.

However, the ironware, silk, tea, etc. exported by the Han Dynasty became necessities for nomadic peoples, countries in the Western Regions, and the rest of Qin. Not to mention tea and ironware, but silk is not only a favorite of the upper-class nobles from various countries in the Western Regions, but even ordinary people in the desert value a piece of silk cloth. After all, there are no sunglasses and masks nowadays that can breathe and transmit light, so that they will not be dazzled under the scorching sun. Even if there is gauze used to protect the eyes, people who have been walking in the desert all year round will have vision loss as they get older until they reach their mission.

It's just that during this time period, most people are no more than forty or fifty years old, so this kind of problem with individual organs does not attract medical attention...

Because of Gao Shun's own rigidity, Spoulis got into trouble at Yumenguan. At the same time, because Spolis and others have not had any business dealings with the Han Dynasty for a hundred or two hundred years, their current influence in the Central Plains is almost negligible. Even if they want to find someone to bribe, they can't find anything. connections.

However, Jarvis and Marcus, who were among the early ones, traveled between the Western Regions and the Han Dynasty several times, and they had a relatively clear understanding of the Han people's thoughts...

The current Han general's talents and strategies can be said to have reversed the situation of the entire Mobei Western Region. It is basically impossible to impress Fei Qian with ordinary things and ordinary methods.

Unless it's something special...

Jarvis knew what it was, but because of Spolis's attitude, he didn't tell Spolis at all. He just waited to see how Spolis would languish in front of Fei Qian.

It was obvious at the moment that Fei Qian was not interested in what Spolis brought out.

Spoulis murmured eagerly to the translator, but was interrupted by Fei Qian.

Fei Qian looked at Spoulis and said, "Actually, you should know Chinese, right?" Let the translation continue. The more people know about some things, the less safe they are. What do you think? 』

Spoulis was stunned for a moment, and then fell silent for a moment. Finally, he put one hand on his chest and motioned for the translator to step back. He said in a rather awkward Chinese accent: "Your Majesty, you are invited to see the army... to sign the report..."

Fei Qian waved his hand and motioned for Spolis to sit down.

In fact, Fei Qian is quite interested in Sbollis. Of course, it's not that he has any thoughts about Sbollis's old chrysanthemum, but that both Marcus and Jarvis who came some time ago are both here. Relatively low-level in the political situation of Da Qin. Marcus is generally considered to be a child from a poor family who struggled to make a living after his family fell into decline, while Jarvis is a slave trader and basically has difficulty reaching the core political circles of Great Qin or Anxi.

But the Spolis in front of him was obviously different.

Fei Qian was not very interested in the so-called "beautiful cows" presented by Spolis. After all, the beauties Fei Qian had seen in later generations far exceeded contemporary people in terms of quantity and quality, so he was not interested in the so-called big cows. Brother Chest is not very interested, and as for those gems and gold coins, he is even more disdainful.

Fei Qian just made a request for Sbollis...

"These four..." Spolis looked at some cloth bags that Fei Qian's guards brought to him. He had some guesses in his mind, but he didn't dare to confirm them completely. He looked at Fei Qian with some hesitation.

Fei Qian stretched out his hand to signal.

Spolis picked up the first bag, shook it slightly, and poured some things out of the bag. They are some seeds, oblong, slightly narrow at both ends, and have some fine hairs. Spoulis recognized the seed almost immediately...

"Resting fennel..." Spolis looked up at Fei Qian.

Fei Qian nodded and said, "I need a lot of... a lot of these seeds, do you understand?" 』

After opening up the Western Regions, Fei Qian also obtained some seeds of Parthian fennel from Dawan and Yuezhi, but the quantity was not large. If he wanted to plant it on a large scale, a few seeds alone were obviously not enough.

After all, reproduction with those seeds is slow on the one hand, and easy to cause degradation on the other hand. If you want to spread a large area without mercy like later generations, it can even be used to pickle and store meat. The current planting quantity is still insufficient, and more seeds are needed to be provided to farmers in Longxi and Longyou for widespread planting. Only then.

At the same time, this is also a supplementary link for the education of the Qiang people in Longyou, Longxi.

When herdsmen become farmers, doesn’t it mean they have become stable?

The children of the Shandong gentry, due to the limitations of the times, thought that the Longxi and Longyou areas were relatively dry and unsuitable for the planting and growth of crops, and that they were completely worthless. However, Fei Qian knew that in future generations, these lands would What is abundant in it, its output can even provide the needs of China with a population of more than one billion in future generations!

"That's... hard to do..." Spoulis habitually started to want to bargain.

Fei Qian laughed and said, "Actually, I can get this seed from anyone...it's just a matter of quantity, isn't it?" 』

Spolis fell silent.

There is nothing wrong with what Fei Qian said. This thing is available in the Western Regions. As long as anyone wants to carry some, there is no problem at all. There is really only a limit on the quantity. Only large merchants like Spolis can carry huge amounts at one time, but if the price is too high...

If you have the patience, you can even make it work with ants moving.

The only difference is just a matter of time.

"Jianjun... If there are large quantities, the price will be high..." Spoulis still wanted to struggle again.

Fei Qian smiled and nodded, "Yes, so if there is a lot of silk, the price will be high!" 』

"No! no no! Meet the army! Spoulis was instantly convinced, "It's the same to me, the price is the same!" 』

Fei Qian chuckled, nodded, and motioned for Spolis to continue looking at the second bag.

The second bag was very light, and Spoulis took out a "flower" from it.

Fei Qian pointed at the cotton and said, "This is also a large amount!" 』

Almost similar to the problem of Parthian fennel, Fei Qian's current demand for cotton is extremely huge, so much so that the demand currently exceeds supply. Most of the cotton clothes produced are supplied to Zhao Yun, and no one else We know what the next wave of Little Glacier Cold Current will be like, and whether the weather will be colder this year and in future winters. Therefore, simply waiting for the cotton grown at home to expand and increase production is obviously not enough at all, and a large amount of supplements must be obtained...

Spoulis's eyes were wandering, obviously wanting to say something more, but when he looked up, he saw Fei Qian smiling slightly, but then he laughed twice and did not continue to try to raise the price.

Fei Qian nodded, expressing his appreciation for Sbollis' attitude, and then said slowly, "Very good, the next step is the more important transaction..."