Wang Chong viewed this first transaction with Hulayeg with extreme importance. If this transaction was free of any schemes and everything went smoothly, then his plan could truly be carried out.
If Hulayeg could bring him one batch of high-quality Turkic warhorses, he could definitely bring a second, a third, and even more. Perhaps by borrowing the abilities of the number one Turkic horse merchant, the Tang Dynasty really might be able to obtain an endless supply of high-quality warhorses from the Turkic steppe, making up for the greatest weakness of the Tang Dynasty in its last life.
"I truly am looking forward to it! Hulayeg, I hope that you won't disappoint me … "
Wang Chong muttered to himself.
Outside the window, the wind was beginning to stir!
No one knew that a storm was slowly sweeping across the Western Regions from the distant Wushang.
… …
Hulayeg truly was as cautious as Wang Chong had expected. After the first letter, Wang Chong quickly received a second letter from Hulayeg.
He had even sent a servant to disguise himself as a Hu merchant dealing in jewelry to sneak into the City of Steel. Before carrying out the first transaction, Hulayeg hoped to receive a deposit of one hundred thousand taels of gold.
This caused no small amount of controversy among Wang Chong's subordinates, but in the end, it was Wang Chong who stood his ground and gave the one hundred thousand taels of gold to the servant.
Those who wanted to do great things had to have the boldness to do so. It was impossible to not take any risks. Compared to the benefits that the Tang Dynasty could obtain in the future, one hundred thousand taels of gold was truly nothing.
After the first deposit was sent, the details of the transaction were quickly confirmed. The time was set for the following night, after the Zi Period. The transaction would take place one hundred li to the northwest of the City of Steel, with the money handed over and the goods handed over.
However, Hulayeg also made an additional request. He hoped that Wang Chong would personally attend the transaction.
Time flew by, and two days passed in the blink of an eye. It was quickly time for the discussion of the transaction.
The moon was dark, the stars were dim, and fierce winds howled through the sky.
In the starry night, figures lined up neatly, waiting silently.
"Marquis, it's been so long, so why haven't the Turks appeared? Could it be that they won't come? "
After waiting for more than four hours, Cheng Sanyuan finally couldn't help but ask.
"Yes! The Turks can't be trusted. He clearly knows that our Tang dynasty is at war with the Western Turks, but he still sold us horses. This is truly suspicious. Could it be that they only came for the 100,000 taels of gold? Besides, if they wanted to trade, they should have come long ago. "
Su Shixuan agreed.
The agreed time for the transaction was the Zi Period, but dawn was approaching, and Hulayeg still had not appeared. This made Wang Chong's generals rather uneasy.
"Ha-ha, don't worry, it's only 100,000 taels of gold. Compared to the transaction amount we've agreed on, it's just a drop in the bucket. It's basically nothing. With Hulayeg's eyes, he wouldn't care. "
Wang Chong stood ramrod straight with his hands clasped behind his back, his long hair fluttering in the wind. Compared to the unease of his generals, Wang Chong was much calmer and more composed. Even though he had already waited for four hours, he showed no signs of irritation.
"The Turks are different from us Tang people. They don't have a strong sense of time. The agreement was made at the Zi Period, but they've delayed it until now. This is completely in line with their style. You'll get used to it once you interact with them more."
Wang Chong indifferently said.
When he was in the capital, he had also interacted with the Hu people. The Hu were lazy by nature and had no sense of time. They would often drink until daybreak and then continue drinking the next day. The agreed time would often be delayed by two to three days.
In addition, the steppe was vast and boundless. If one galloped across it, the scenery would be the same no matter where one went. It would be truly strange for one to have any sense of time in such a place.
If Hulayeg were to become so punctual, Wang Chong would truly begin to suspect that Hulayeg was up to something.
Gallop gallop!
Just as they were talking, the sound of galloping horses came from the darkness. This sudden movement immediately attracted everyone's attention.
"Marquis, look over there!"
Someone had called out to them.
Everyone turned in the direction of the galloping and saw a small figure galloping over from the distance. As it got closer, they could clearly see that it was a majestic warhorse, its mane flapping in the wind.
Looking at the movement, posture, posture, and speed of the warhorse, even those who didn't understand warhorses could feel that this was definitely a top-notch warhorse.
The warhorse quickly galloped toward them. However, everyone's eyes were filled with confusion when they saw the warhorse.
Wushang was desolate and remote. No masterless warhorse should have appeared here. And in this quiet and deserted night, what did a single warhorse mean?
"Haha, Hulayeg truly is a man of his word. I wasn't wrong about him!"
While everyone was confused and confused, Wang Chong's ears twitched as if he had suddenly heard something. He chuckled.
"Xu Keyi, get ready. It'll be time for the transaction in a little while."
"Yes, Marquis!"
Xu Keyi glanced at the chest full of gold next to him and nodded. Although he still didn't understand what was going on, it was the duty of a soldier to obey orders.
No matter what Wang Chong asked of him, he would carry it out one hundred percent without any hesitation.
"Rumble!"
As they were speaking, the grass beneath their feet began to sway with the wind, and the earth began to rumble in the distance. In the beginning, it was faint and not very obvious. However, in just a short period of time, the low trembling sound became the roar of huge waves crashing against the shore.
"Look over there! Look over there! So many warhorses! "
Someone suddenly called out, and everyone quickly realized what was going on. Deep in the night, along the northwest direction, countless shadows of war horses could be seen, densely packed, galloping over from afar.
The rumbling that everyone heard was the sound of those warhorses galloping together.
"Hahaha, Young Master Wang, we finally meet again …"
While everyone was still attracted by the warhorse, a burst of rough laughter suddenly came from the back of the warhorse. Creee! Suddenly, a sharp cry came from the distance. The warhorses that were charging over like a huge wave suddenly slowed down. Furthermore, they split into two groups.
And in the middle of these groups were several figures riding on warhorses, galloping toward Wang Chong's party. The person in the lead had a slightly plump figure, and two fist-sized objects on his shoulders were swinging back and forth. As the wind howled, they let out shrill cries like the weeping of ghosts.
Wang Chong immediately recognized him as the number one Turkic horse merchant, Hulayeg.
"Hahaha, I really didn't make a mistake!"
Wang Chong's eyes brightened in delight. Grabbing the reins of a warhorse, he leaped onto it and galloped off in Hulayeg's direction.
"Marquis, careful!"
Everyone panicked and hurriedly followed.
In the distance, the two warhorses met, and Wang Chong and Hulayeg dismounted.
"Hahaha, Young Master Wang, thank you, truly, thank you!"
To Wang Chong's surprise, the moment Hulayeg dismounted, he immediately went up and gave Wang Chong a passionate bear hug.
"Marquis!"
Before Wang Chong could say anything, the others were given a fright by this Turkic's actions. Chen Bin, Guan Yu, and the others subconsciously reached for their weapons.
"Don't panic. He means no harm."
Wang Chong extended a hand and stopped the crowd. Looking at the overly enthusiastic Hulayeg, he chuckled.
"Sir Hulayeg, just what happened? Why are you suddenly thanking me?"
"Of course, of course. Young Master Wang is truly a god. If I hadn't listened to you and kept my guard up, I really would have been schemed against by this lowly person. That bastard, I trusted him with all my heart and gave him all my property, and yet he treats me like this. "
Hulayeg excitedly said.
Wang Chong was surprised at the start, but he quickly realized that Hulayeg was probably speaking of his steward, Yalug. In the Western Regions, when Wang Chong was leaving, he had warned Hulayeg to be careful of his steward called Yalug. It now appeared that Wang Chong's backup plan had worked.
"Young Master Wang, can you tell me? Just how did you discover him? "
Hulayeg raised his head and looked excitedly at Wang Chong.
After Hulayeg and Wang Chong had come to an agreement, he had scoured the steppe to gather ten thousand of the best warhorses in preparation for the transaction with Wang Chong, and he had even arranged a time and place for the transaction with Wang Chong.
But Hulayeg had never expected that just yesterday, when he was preparing to trade with Wang Chong, his trusted steward, Yalug, who he had always viewed as his trusted aide, would use this opportunity to flee with his concubine and all his wealth.
It had to be known that Yalug controlled more than eighty percent of his wealth. This was the wealth he had accumulated after decades of hard work and risk.
If he hadn't listened to Wang Chong's warning and sent people to monitor Yalug day and night, the consequences would have been unthinkable.
Hulayeg had arrived four hours later than the agreed time precisely because of this matter.
Now, Hulayeg truly rejoiced that he had listened to Wang Chong's warning. But now that this had happened, Hulayeg had an irrepressible thought: "What are you talking about?
Not even he had expected his steward to betray him, so how did a Han like Wang Chong know?
"Haha, I naturally have my own methods. And Sir Hulayeg doesn't believe that only the Western Regions and the steppe have Hu, right? And how does Sir Hulayeg think I found you? "
Wang Chong glanced at Hulayeg, a meaningful smile on his face.
He naturally couldn't tell him about Yalug, but this matter was having an effect. Wang Chong could clearly sense that Hulayeg's attitude toward him was completely different from before. This was an effect that not even a large transaction of tens of thousands of taels of gold could achieve.
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