"Sorry to have kept you waiting!"
In the Chamberlain of Dependencies, Modun laughed heartily as he entered the relay station of the ambassadors.
"Oh, it's Merton! I heard that Merton spent a lot of money in the West Market yesterday! He brought a cart full of fine silk to the West Market to buy. Those merchants in the West Market went crazy. I heard about it even in the Honglu Temple. "When Lu Dongzan saw Meton coming in, he smiled warmly and stood up to greet him.
"I am so ashamed of myself. I didn't expect that my bad reputation of being a prodigal would spread to the ears of all of you." Meton sounded ashamed, but his face showed a hint of arrogance. He looked exactly like a prodigal son.
Many of the messengers snorted in their hearts. A cart full of fine silk was worth a lot in the West Region, but in the Tang dynasty, Meton spent it all in half a day. How could they not be jealous of such a difference?
"As expected of Marquis Mo, who wrote that he would come back after spending a thousand taels of gold. Qu Zhisheng suppressed the jealousy in his heart and complimented. Even if he was the prince of a country, he could not be as prodigal as Meton.
Immediately, the other messengers started to flatter him. Meton dealt with them one by one with ease.
Seeing this, Lu Dongzan quickly changed the topic and said, "I heard that Merton needs a batch of Tubo sorghum. I have already rushed back to deliver the message. I think I will arrive in the Tang dynasty soon. I hope that Merton will not forget to receive it."
"Thank you, Lu Dongzan. I am afraid that the Village Mo will need more Tubo sorghum in the future. When the time comes, I will need your help." Meton laughed.
Lu Dongzan snorted in his heart. Now that Tubo had obtained the secret wine-making technique, it was impossible for the Village Mo to get Tubo sorghum without paying a price.
"That's easy. Leave it to me." Lu Dongzan said very righteously. Suddenly, a look of embarrassment appeared on his face and he said, "I have one thing to ask Merton for help. Tubo and the Tang dynasty have always been on good terms. I have repeatedly requested to trade with the Tang dynasty, but the Heavenly Khan has never responded. Now that we are about to return to our country, I wonder if Merton can help to facilitate this. When the time comes, I guarantee that the products of the Village Mo's Village will be unimpeded in Tubo."
When Lu Dongzan saw that the path of political marriage had been cut off, and now the only way to get the technology of the Tang dynasty was through trade, he couldn't wait to promote this matter. When he learned that the Mo's Village was in trouble, he found Meton.
As soon as Lu Dongzan finished speaking, the other envoys suddenly quieted down. It was almost the common goal of all the countries to trade with the Tang dynasty. After all, the products produced by the Tang dynasty were very exquisite, and the countries to the west of the Western Regions were very eager for the goods of the Tang dynasty. As long as the goods were produced by the Tang dynasty, they could make a lot of money by reselling them, especially the silk, which was even more profitable.
Stimulated by the huge profits, the countries in the Western Regions frequently wrote letters to request for trade. However, the Tang dynasty seemed to have no response in this regard. In addition, Tuyuhun repeatedly made trouble and harassed and controlled the Silk Road, so the countries in the Western Regions were even more hungry for the goods of the Tang dynasty.
Meton laughed and said, "I was just about to tell you the good news. His Majesty has decided to reopen the Jianzhiguan market at the borders of all the countries, so that the Tang dynasty can trade with all the countries."
"Great!" The envoys were all excited, and their faces lit up with joy. As long as they could achieve the trade, this trip to the Tang dynasty would definitely be a great achievement.
"Mutual exchange? I wonder if Silk Cloth is among them!" Qu Zhisheng carefully probed. After all, the main purpose of their trade was for the silk.
Meton nodded solemnly and said, "Of course, the silk is among them. And today, I'm here to discuss the silk with you."
The envoys' expressions changed, and they immediately knew that the business had come.
"Everyone, after Zhang Jian went to the Western Regions, the Silk Road was officially opened. Silk was called the most precious commodity in the desert, and even in the far west, the price of silk was as heavy as gold!" Meton said confidently.
"As heavy as gold!" All the envoys suddenly gasped.
"Really?" Qu Zhisheng asked repeatedly.
Meton nodded and said, "This is what the ancestors of the School of Mo saw with their own eyes when they traveled all over the far west. What's more, in order to prevent the outflow of gold, the king of the far west even forbade his people to wear silk, but he still couldn't stop the trend.
"But the vast majority of the profits have been taken by the countries near the far west, while the Great Tang and the kingdoms of the Western Regions have gained very little. This is unfair to us, and it's even unfair to the far west. Not only do we need to increase our own profits, we also have an obligation to make more people in the far west wear cheap and beautiful silk," Moton excitedly said.
"Yes! We also want to make money! "Many envoys of the Western Regions were instantly agitated by the benefits, and their eyes turned red.
Even Lu Dongzan couldn't help but praise Meton for playing this trick beautifully, but he didn't point it out. After all, the benefits of the Silk Road had nothing to do with Tubo.
Seeing this, Meton suddenly showed a confident smile. In terms of the benefits of silk, the Tang dynasty and the Western Regions had the same interests. This was the root of the success of the Tang dynasty's silk system.
"Therefore, the Tang dynasty has decided that in the future, when the Western Regions countries buy silk from the Tang dynasty, they can only buy from Jianzhiguan City. They will only sell the best silk produced by the Weaving Bureau of the Tang dynasty," Meton said loudly.
"Only from Jianzhiguan City!" The envoys frowned. If that was the case, wouldn't the Tang dynasty have to pay whatever price they wanted?
Qu Zhisheng carefully probed, "This is the order of the Heavenly Khan!"
"Of course!" Meton nodded without hesitation.
"Not only that, in the future, if you want to buy other goods from the Tang dynasty in Jianzhiguan City, Jianzhiguan City will only accept silk as currency. Similarly, when the Tang dynasty buys goods from other countries, they will only pay silk."
As soon as Meton finished speaking, the envoys were suddenly in an uproar. No one had expected the Tang dynasty to put forward such a condition.
"That's impossible! Our merchants have traveled thousands of miles to come here for nothing more than gold and silver. Although silk is expensive, it can only be exchanged for money if someone wants to buy it. What use do we have for so much silk? The Tang dynasty's move is too overbearing, "Qu Zhisheng couldn't help but complain.
The other envoys echoed and supported Qu Zhisheng. They had traveled thousands of miles for money, not silk that they couldn't eat or wear.
Meton smiled confidently and said, "You don't have to worry about this. If you don't have enough silk in your hands, you can exchange it with the Tang dynasty. The Tang dynasty can exchange it for silver without any conditions."
"Exchange silk for silver!" The envoys couldn't help but widen their eyes and look at Meton in disbelief.
Meton smiled slightly and said, "And you can exchange as much as you have, according to the price in Jianzhiguan City."
The envoys suddenly looked at each other. They didn't understand why the Tang dynasty would go around in such a big circle. It would be more convenient to directly exchange with silver!
"Moreover, the Tang dynasty will need to sign a letter of credence with all of you. The transactions between countries will be settled in silk, and silk will be allowed to circulate freely. In this way, the transactions between countries will be much more convenient and fair, which will be of great benefit to all of us," Merton said.
"All of us have our own wealth. How can we use silk as money!" Qu Zhisheng said with dissatisfaction.
Meton couldn't help but sneer when he heard this. He took out a piece of silver and said, "This is Gao Chang's silver. In my opinion, the silver content is less than 50%. I'm afraid that not many merchants will be willing to accept this silver."
Qu Zhisheng's face immediately darkened.
"This is Qiuci's copper coin. The copper content is about 60%!" Meton took out another copper coin and said.
The Qiuci emissary immediately showed a proud expression. However, his pride didn't last long before he was forcefully slapped in the face by Meton. "The workmanship is too poor. Any craftsman in the Tang dynasty can copy it."
The Qiuci emissary immediately withered.
Then, when Meton took out the coins of each country to comment on, the emissaries fell silent.
"Among the countries, the coins are different, and the purity of the coins is different. How can money be exchanged? The silk of the Tang dynasty is produced by the Weaving Bureau. Not only is it expensive, but it can't be copied. If it can be used in all the countries, I believe that it will be extremely beneficial to all the countries. Moreover, as long as you can earn enough silk, the Tang dynasty will unconditionally exchange it for silver of the same value. This silver is not mixed silver, but pure silver!" Meton revealed the plan of the Tang dynasty's silk system.
Many emissaries from the prosperous countries were suddenly moved. This plan seemed to be quite beneficial to them. They couldn't help but feel a rush of excitement.
"In addition, the Tang dynasty requires all the countries to shoulder the responsibility of protecting the trade route and eliminating the desert bandits. At the same time, the tax rate for the merchants of the Silk Road must not exceed 1% of 20," Meton said firmly.
1% of 20 was not a small amount. One must know that each of these small countries was only a small city. Moreover, there were many small countries in the Western Region. Every time they arrived at a small city, they would have to pay a certain amount of tax. Along the way, the Hu merchants would have to pay a considerable amount of tax!
"It is our duty to eliminate the desert bandits, but 1% of 20 is too little! Didn't Merton just say that these Hu merchants are sold to the Far West and are heavily valued like gold? "Some emissaries were dissatisfied.
For a long time, the countries in the Western Region had been wantonly oppressing the Hu merchants. They would often impose heavy taxes and desperately oppress the merchants of the Silk Road. Not to mention 1% of 20, there were even cases of robbery of the Hu merchants.
In the past, these Hu merchants could only grit their teeth and swallow their grievances. Who would have thought that the Tang dynasty would actually take the initiative to stand up for these Hu merchants?
Meton sneered and said, "Yes, it is as heavy as gold. That is because the rarer something is, the more precious it is. There are too few merchant caravans that reach the Far West, and too little silk is transported. The Silk Road is littered with bones, and the number of lives devoured by the endless yellow sand is not even a fraction of the number of lives lost to the desert bandits. Hundreds of merchant caravans that went to the Tang dynasty, but in the end, less than 10% of them survived. This kid even heard that the armies of some small countries even secretly disguised themselves as desert bandits and directly engaged in killing people for their goods."
Meton's fierce eyes swept across the countries in the Western Region. Many emissaries immediately lowered their heads in guilt. They naturally knew the background of their own countries better. Some tribes were commoners during the day and bandits at night. Sometimes, even the army would disguise themselves as desert bandits.
Meton said sternly, "The Tang dynasty can let bygones be bygones. From now on, the Tang dynasty will also send emissaries to the countries in the Western Region and send people to accompany the Hu merchants' caravans. Every time they arrive at a country, they will count the number of people. If something happens in any country, then you are damaging the interests of the Tang dynasty. If the Heavenly Khan holds you accountable in the future, don't blame me for not reminding you today."
All the emissaries felt a chill in their hearts. During the military parade, the power of the Tang dynasty suddenly appeared in front of them. Especially the Tang dynasty, which had mastered gunpowder, was already invincible in the world. Not to mention the Tang dynasty sending troops, as long as the Tang dynasty gave the order, there would probably be countless small countries charging and breaking through the enemy lines for it.
"Of course, as long as you agree to sign a letter of credence with the Tang dynasty, the Tang dynasty will certainly guarantee your safety. Even in the future, there will be endless trade caravans on the Silk Road. I can guarantee that in the future, the profits of your countries on the Silk Road will be ten times or even a hundred times more than what you have now." Meton was well aware of the carrot and stick strategy. He showed the benefits one by one.
The eyes of many emissaries from small countries in the Western Regions suddenly lit up. Many countries were extremely weak. They were only a small city, but they had already declared themselves kings. They were in a precarious situation. If they could get the protection of the Tang dynasty, they would naturally benefit a lot. Just for this point, they believed that their monarchs would certainly not refuse such a good thing.
In addition, the huge benefits that Meton showed were also predictable. Once the safety of the Silk Road was guaranteed, countless businessmen would definitely join in. It was likely that the Silk Road would be several times busier in an instant. In the long run, they would indeed benefit more.
Although the conditions of the Tang dynasty were strong, at least in the eyes of the emissaries of the Western Regions, they did not endanger the rights and interests of their countries. For a moment, many emissaries were quite tempted.
However, although the conditions of the Tang dynasty were good, in the eyes of one person, he was quite dissatisfied. That was Satoshi Tani, the special emissary of the Western Turks. Once the countries in the Western Regions agreed to the conditions of the Tang dynasty, it meant that the power of the Tang dynasty had fully expanded to the Western Regions, which had seriously affected the status of the Western Turks.
"The Western Turks do not agree to this. The Western Regions are the Western Regions of the Western Regions, not the Western Regions of the Tang dynasty. According to the Tang dynasty's plan, the majority of the silk profits will be taken away by the Tang dynasty. While we contribute, we only get a little bit of the soup." Satoshi Tani, who was dressed in grassland clothes, flatly refuted.
The Western Turks were now the overlords of the Western Regions. As soon as Satoshi Tani spoke, the hearts of many small countries in the Western Regions suddenly trembled. Between the Tang dynasty and the Western Turks, they were also in a very difficult position.
Meton said coldly, "If you don't agree to join the silk industry of the Tang dynasty, then there is no need for you to monitor the market with the Tang dynasty. Naturally, you won't be able to enjoy the benefits of the silk. The Tang dynasty will also not supply silk. "
Satoshi Tani's heart skipped a beat. He looked at the powerful Merton in disbelief and said, "Aren't you afraid that the Western Turks will stop all the barbarian merchants? None of them will be able to come to the Tang dynasty."
Meton snorted coldly and said, "Lord Satoshi Tani, don't overestimate the Western Turks. You should know that there is more than one silk road."
Meton was not lying. The silk road from Chang 'an to the west was divided into three roads: south, middle, and north. The Western Turks only controlled the north road and had the ability to influence the middle road. As for the south road, Satoshi Tani could not do anything about it.
"I, Yu Tian, am willing to join the silk industry of the Tang dynasty," Yu Tian's envoy said without hesitation.
"Yu Tian!" Satoshi Tani gnashed his teeth and said.
However, Yu Tian's envoy was not afraid. Yu Tian was on the south road of the silk road, which was 800 miles away from the Western Turks. Naturally, he was not afraid of the Western Turks. However, after the Tang dynasty conquered Tuyuhun, they could easily deal with Yu Tian. Yu Tian naturally knew what to do and immediately came to the Tang dynasty.
Satoshi Tani's face suddenly turned ugly, but he was not willing to give up. He said, "If the silk road is cut off, I think the so-called silk industry of the Tang dynasty will be a joke!"
Meton said without fear, "Even if the Western Turks unify the entire Western Region and cut off the three roads, the Tang dynasty can still set off from the Lingnan road. In my opinion, the silk carried by ships is much more than the camels. I am afraid that is the real way out of the silk road. At that time, the entire Western Region will lose the benefits of the silk road and will soon decline! From this point of view, you are asking the Tang dynasty for help, not the Tang dynasty! "
"Merton, calm down. If you have something to say, let's talk. If there is money, let's make money together?"
Hearing Meton flipping the table, many of the Western Region's envoys panicked. The silk road supported many small countries in the Western Region. If the silk road was cut off, the one who would suffer the most would not be the Tang dynasty or the Western Turks, but these small countries.
Lu Dongzan persuaded, "Envoy Satoshi Tani, why are you so angry? Let's talk nicely."
Satoshi Tani also took the opportunity to take advantage of the situation. He was just saying some harsh words. If he really cut off the silk road, the nobles of the Western Turks would not let him go. After all, this was related to the benefits of too many people.
Qu Zhisheng saw that Satoshi Tani was beside him and did not say it directly. Instead, he said tactfully, "This is a matter of great importance. I have to go back and report it to my father!" However, everyone knew that Gao Chang and the Tang dynasty shared borders. It was impossible for him to give up the silk trade and benefits with the Tang dynasty. Joining the Tang dynasty's silk market was something that would happen sooner or later.
Suddenly, many of the envoys in the Western Region wanted to say that they would go back and discuss it with the king. After all, this was not something a small envoy could decide.
"Of course. After you return, the special envoy of the Tang dynasty will accompany you with the letter of credence of the Tang dynasty to discuss this matter with the kings face to face," Merton said. Meton naturally knew that his task was completed. Next, he had to see the soldiers specially trained by the Tang dynasty.
No! They were diplomats!
。 m.
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