"Raisins!"
When the raisins were sent to the army of the Tang dynasty, the unique taste immediately conquered everyone's taste buds. What made people even more excited was that the raisins contained a vast market. Even a person with no business sense knew that once the raisins were shipped to the mainland, they would be popular for a while.
Mo Jiazi already had the textile secret skill and emptied Gao Chang's wine workshop. Now, he had the raisins, which were not inferior to the wine secret skill. In this way, Mo Jiazi's profit was so great that it was even more than what the generals had looted.
Speaking of which, it was quite strange. Back then, when the Mo Clan's son did not take a single coin, the generals were worried instead. But now, the Mo Clan's son had taken three secret techniques in one go. His harvest was so great that it left them speechless, and the generals were jealous.
The generals thought that they had taken such a big risk to get that little money, but Mo Jiazi had gained such a big profit openly. They suddenly felt very unbalanced. However, they might not be able to get the textile secret skill or the wine secret skill, but they naturally knew how to buy the raisins. Anyone could see that the raisins had a bright future in the Tang dynasty. For a while, under the urging of some people, the plan to secretly rob the raisins reached a tacit understanding among the generals.
As night fell, the heat of the day slowly faded. The generals gathered in the big tent of the middle army. Only at this time was the time for the Tang Dynasty army to discuss matters. During the day, they could not stay indoors at all.
Hou Junji looked at the generals gathered and could not help but nod with satisfaction. Now that the war had stopped, there was no need to use the General Drum. However, all the generals were present.
"General, why did you summon us? Is it news from the imperial court? "Xue Wanjun cupped his hands and asked first. .
The other generals were moved and listened attentively. With the brick road, the transmission of news had been greatly accelerated. Counting the days, the imperial court's order should have come back.
Hou Junji shook his head and said, "It's seven thousand miles to Chang 'an and back. It's a total of fourteen thousand miles. How could the imperial court's order arrive so quickly? Today, I've gathered all of you here to discuss an important matter. Now that Gao Chang has been pacified and the war has ended, a large number of Hu merchants who have stayed in Yanqi, Qiuci, and other places have come to request to open Gao Chang and enter the Tang dynasty. This general has gathered all of you here to seek your opinions. "
Niu Jinda scratched his head and said, "General's words put us in a difficult position. We are good at marching and fighting, but when it comes to barbarian merchants, we are completely blind!"
The other generals nodded one after another. Firstly, they didn't know much about business, and secondly, they didn't want to get into trouble because of this, so they all declined.
However, Xin Yaoer's eyes flashed and he said loudly, "General, you've asked the wrong person. If it's about business, how would we know? However, there's someone here who's a genius in business. Why don't you ask him for advice?"
As soon as Xin Yaoer finished speaking, all the generals immediately focused their attention on Mo Jiazi. If it was about business, Mo Jiazi was naturally the best.
"Mo Jiu, don't be modest. What do you think about the barbarian merchants' request to enter the pass?" Hou Junji asked.
Meton stepped forward helplessly and said, "It's actually not difficult to decide on the barbarian merchants' request to enter the pass. General, do you still remember why we sent troops to attack Gao Chang?"
Hou Junji said without hesitation, "Naturally, it's because Gao Chang started the war and blocked the Silk Road …"
Before Hou Junji could finish speaking, he suddenly understood. Back then, it was because Gao Chang blocked the Silk Road that they sent troops to attack Gao Chang. Now that Gao Chang had been pacified, they naturally wanted to open the Silk Road and allow the barbarian merchants to enter the pass.
Meton continued, "However, according to what I know, many barbarian merchants are both merchants and thieves. They also have a lot of weapons. Whether it's the recently pacified Gao Chang or the Tang dynasty, they are all unstable factors. In my opinion, after the barbarian merchants enter the pass, we should confiscate their weapons and have them register before they can enter the pass."
The generals nodded. Mo Jiazi's plan was indeed necessary.
"What if the barbarian merchants aren't willing?" Xin Yaoer frowned. Just as Mo Jiazi said, most of the barbarian merchants were both merchants and thieves. How could they be willing to put down their weapons and be slaughtered?
Meton spread his hands and said, "Then I'm sorry. As long as they enter the Tang dynasty's territory, they must abide by the rules of the Tang dynasty."
The generals couldn't help but laugh contemptuously. They had even eliminated Gao Chang, so why would they be afraid of the barbarian merchants being dissatisfied? With 100,000 soldiers, what could the barbarian merchants do even if they were dissatisfied?
"Then we'll do as Mo Jiu said. We'll allow the barbarian merchants to enter the pass through Gao Chang. However, every city must be strictly controlled and must not cause any trouble." Hou Junji's voice was gloomy as he stared at the generals and warned them. The meaning behind "must not cause any trouble" here was probably not only to prevent the barbarian merchants from causing any trouble, but also to prevent the army from causing any trouble. It should be known that the barbarian merchants had traveled thousands of li to come here, and most of the goods they brought were extremely precious. If these soldiers couldn't resist their greed and caused trouble, destroying the Silk Road, then no one would be able to escape unscathed.
The generals' hearts trembled, and they all nodded. They naturally understood Hou Junji's warning. Now that Gao Chang had been eliminated and the Silk Road was about to be cleared, their mission for this trip had been perfectly completed. They only needed to wait for a while before they could return to the capital and be rewarded for their contributions. Naturally, there was no need to cause any trouble.
Hou Junji saw the generals' reactions and nodded in satisfaction. He continued, "The second matter concerns Merton's latest masterpiece, the raisins."
"It's finally here."
The generals' eyes flashed, and they couldn't help but sit up and listen.
Meton's heart skipped a beat, but he didn't do anything. He quietly watched the generals' performance.
Hou Junji coughed dryly to hide his embarrassment and said, "Our army has captured Gao Chang. However, although Gao Chang is known as the most powerful country in the Western Regions, it's not even comparable to a county in the Tang dynasty. It doesn't have much production, and the only thing it can produce is probably these fruits. We have the intention to offer them to His Majesty, but I'm afraid that they will spoil before they reach Chang 'an. Fortunately, Mo Jiu's stroke of genius came up with the invention of the raisins, which are long-lasting and incomparably delicious. This general suggests that we offer the raisins as a tribute to His Majesty as a congratulatory gift for the Western Expedition. What do you all think?"
"Excellent!" The generals all nodded. They had naturally tasted the raisins before, and all of them had been won over by them. If they were offered as a tribute, it would definitely add a lot of color.
Hou Junji then turned to look at Merton. "What does Mo Jiu think?"
Offering the raisins as a tribute would naturally increase the price of the raisins. Mo Jiazi naturally wouldn't reject such a good deal. Besides, this was his original plan. He immediately nodded and said, "This is naturally a good thing. I have no objections."
The generals immediately shifted the topic to the raisins, praising their unique taste.
"There is one thing that I would like to ask Mo Jiu for help with!" Xue Wanjun suddenly stopped and cupped his hands to Meton.
Meton's heart skipped a beat. He nodded and said, "General Xue, if you have something to say, I will definitely do my best to help."
Xue Wanjun said, "Merton gave the raisins to all the soldiers in the army to taste, and those bastards immediately became addicted to them. They insisted that I plead with Merton to bring more back for their loved ones to taste. Of course, they wouldn't let Merton suffer a loss. Those soldiers are willing to pay."
After Xue Wanjun finished speaking, the other generals all nodded in agreement. They all said that their own soldiers had also been won over by the raisins and wanted to bring back a raisin as a special product.
Meton couldn't help but laugh coldly in his heart. How was this something that the soldiers wanted? It was clearly something that the generals wanted! The table manners of these generals were too ugly. They actually didn't ask for Meton's permission and directly took all the benefits from Mo Jiazi's raisins. According to the division of the generals, there wasn't much left for Mo Jiazi.
Hou Junji, who was standing to the side, didn't say anything. Clearly, he had already tacitly approved of the actions of the generals. After all, in their eyes, Mo Jiazi was already on the same side as them. Since Mo Jiazi had also received benefits from Gao Chang, he naturally wouldn't dare to turn hostile. He could only obediently hand over the raisins and let the generals share the benefits.
Meton looked around and saw that the generals were all silent. He couldn't help but laugh coldly and say, "Actually, I originally wanted to leave the raisins for the army. I had no intention of taking them for myself. After all, the House of Mo usually doesn't get involved in agriculture."
Although the market for raisins was vast, it was still an authentic agricultural product. The House of Mo had always been known for its industry. Other than the newly established Secret Technique of Living Fish that had some connection with agriculture, the House of Mo rarely got involved in agriculture.
Hearing this, the generals couldn't help but be overjoyed. In their eyes, Mo Jiazi must have given in and agreed. Only then did their expressions soften as they smiled and said, "Mo Jiu is indeed open and aboveboard, treating money like dirt. We thank Mo Jiu on behalf of our soldiers."
Meton, however, changed the topic and said, "Everyone has misunderstood. When I said that I wanted to leave them for the army, I didn't mean for the army to split, but for the army's resources."
"What does Mo Jiu mean by this?" The generals couldn't help but be stunned and looked at Meton in confusion.
Meton turned to look at Hou Junji and said solemnly, "If I'm not wrong, the rations for a hundred thousand soldiers shouldn't be much!"
Hou Junji frowned and said, "What does Merton mean by this? Our army has already occupied the entire territory of Gao Chang. How could we lack rations? "
Meton laughed and said, "Our Tang dynasty has a population of tens of millions, but we can only support a few hundred thousand soldiers. The small Gao Chang has less than a hundred thousand people. Even if we include the nomads in the oases, how can we support a hundred thousand soldiers?"
Hou Junji nodded helplessly. Although Gao Chang was the richest country in the Western Regions, it was still very difficult for it to support a hundred thousand soldiers.
Meton continued, "Now that our army has captured Gao Chang, there are only two ways for the imperial court to deal with it. One is to declare another king in Gao Chang, and the other is to set up prefectures and counties in Gao Chang and integrate them into the Tang dynasty. However, no matter what, the Tang dynasty will station troops in Gao Chang. At present, with the financial resources of Gao Chang alone, it will be very difficult to support the Tang Dynasty Army. However, with the raisins, it will be different."
"Merton means to leave the raisins to the soldiers stationed in Gao Chang," Hou Junji suddenly said.
The other generals couldn't help but frown. What Master Mo meant was to confiscate the raisin business. In that case, they wouldn't be able to get any benefits. They immediately objected, "This is simply ridiculous. How can soldiers like us do business like merchants?"
Meton shook his head and said, "How can this be business? Back in the time of Emperor Wu of Han, the Han army had difficulties in supplying supplies in the Western Regions. They were not all self-sufficient in the fields. Since they are all fields, why can't they swallow vineyards that are easier to manage and more valuable?"
"Fields, vineyards!" The generals could not help but be dumbfounded. They did not expect Mo Jiazi to be so creative as to change the fields that the Han army usually used into vineyards.
Niu Jinda frowned and said, "Fields produce food that can be directly eaten by the soldiers. Do you think vineyards will let the soldiers eat raisins for years?"
The other generals nodded. They were not optimistic about vineyards.
Meton explained, "Raisins are unique. They can only be produced in Gao Chang's unique environment. There is no need to worry about sales. With money, there is only fear of not having food to buy."
The generals could not help but be stunned. They could not help but admit that Mo Jiazi's words made sense. As long as there was money, there would be plenty of people who would transport food from the Tang dynasty to Gao Chang.
"Furthermore, according to my observations, Gao Chang's land is barren. One mu of fields can only produce about 300 catties of food. However, one mu of vineyards can produce 3000 catties of grapes. Six catties of grapes can be made into one catty of raisins. 3000 catties of grapes can be made into 500 catties of raisins. You can calculate the value of 500 catties of raisins and 300 catties of food. Which is more expensive? " Meton used the most direct figures to let the generals calculate the value of the vineyards. Those traveling merchants who wanted to buy raisins from Gao Chang would come with full food and return with full raisins. There would be no empty trips back and forth. They would get double the profit. Wouldn't it be a win-win?
The generals suddenly fell silent. The more they calculated the value of the vineyards, the more they felt sorry for Mo Jiazi for confiscating the secret technique of raisins.
Meton looked around and said loudly, "Once the Tang Army builds vineyards in Gao Chang's land, the value of one mu of vineyards will be ten times the yield of the fields. With the expansion of the vineyards, even 100,000 Tang Army stationed in Gao Chang can be self-sufficient. I believe that His Majesty will be more satisfied with this tribute."
The generals understood that Meton's tribute was not just raisins, but the entire secret technique of raisins.
Hou Junji took a deep breath and said, "Merton is very considerate. This general thanks you on behalf of the soldiers."
Although the generals were reluctant, there was nothing they could do. After all, Mo Jiazi had treated the secret technique of raisins as a tribute. They could no longer interfere.
Seeing this, Meton could not help but smile. He naturally understood the importance of Gao Chang better than anyone else. However, the Western Regions were too far away. For a long time, stationing troops in the Western Regions had been a heavy burden for each dynasty. Now, with the raisins, the Tang Army could be completely self-sufficient.
Moreover, Meton could also be considered as a compensation. After he took away Gao Chang's craftsmen, he gave Gao Chang the secret technique of raisins. From now on, Gao Chang would focus on agriculture represented by fruits and the traveling merchants of Silk Road. It could not only provide the Tang Dynasty with provisions and expenses for stationing troops, but it would also not pose a threat to the Tang Dynasty. On the contrary, it would be extra dependent on the Tang Dynasty and could no longer be separated from the Tang Dynasty. This was the real way to conquer Gao Chang.
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