"I've kept you waiting!"

In the Honglu Temple, Merton laughed loudly and entered the post station of the envoys of various countries.

"It turned out to be Mohou! I heard that Mo Hou made a big deal in the West Market yesterday! Pulling a cart full of high-quality silk to buy in the West Market, those merchants in the West Market are simply crazy, and even Honglu Temple has heard of it. Lu Dongzan saw Morton come in, with a warm smile on his face, and got up to greet him.

"Lu Da is ashamed of the boy, I didn't expect that the evil word of the boy's ruined family actually reached the ears of the messengers." Merton was ashamed, but a look of pride appeared on his face, a proper look of a loser.

Many envoys snorted coldly in their hearts, and there was a faint pain in their hearts, the value of a cart full of high-grade silk was amazingly valuable in the countries of the Western Regions, but it was actually spent by Merton in half a day in Datang, how could this difference not make everyone jealous.

"It is worthy of writing about Mohou who has come back after his daughter is gone, Xiao Wang admires it!" Koji Zhisheng suppressed the jealousy in his heart and complimented him, even if he was the prince of a country, he would not be able to be a loser like Merton.

Suddenly, the other messengers came as if they didn't want money, and Morton dealt with everyone one by one, and he was at ease.

Seeing this, Lu Dongzan hurriedly opened the topic and said: "I heard that Mohou needs a batch of Tubo sorghum, and the envoy has hurried back to deliver the message. ”

"Thank you Lu Dalun, I am afraid that Mojia Village will need more Tubo sorghum in the future, and when the time comes, please ask Lu Dalun to help me a lot." Merton laughed.

Lu Dongzan snorted coldly in his heart, now that Tubo has obtained the secret technique of winemaking, Mojia Village wants to get Tubo sorghum again, I am afraid it is impossible not to pay a price.

"It's easy to say, wrap it up below." Lu Dongzan said extremely righteously, and suddenly a look of embarrassment appeared on his face and said: "The envoy has something to ask Mohou for help, Tubo and Datang have always been friends, and the envoy has repeatedly asked for mutual trading with Datang, but Tian Khan has not responded, and now I am about to return to China, I don't know if Mohou can help promote this matter, and then I will guarantee that the products of Mojia Village will be unimpeded in Tubo." ”

Lu Dongzan saw that the road to peace and proximity had been cut off, and now only the trade was left to obtain the technology of the Tang Dynasty, so he couldn't wait to promote this matter, and he learned that Mojia Village was in trouble, so he found Merton.

As soon as Lu Dongzan's voice fell, the other envoys suddenly quieted down, and trade with the Tang Dynasty is almost the common goal of all countries, after all, the items produced by the Tang Dynasty are exquisite and abnormal, and the countries west of the Western Regions are extremely sought after for the Tang Dynasty goods, as long as the goods produced from the Tang Dynasty are sold again, they can make a lot of profits, especially silk, which is even more profitable.

Stimulated by huge profits, the countries of the Western Regions frequently wrote to ask for mutual markets, but the Tang Dynasty did not seem to respond to this at all, coupled with Tuyuhun's repeated troubles, harassing and controlling the Silk Road, the countries of the Western Regions were even more hungry for the goods of the Tang Dynasty.

Merton laughed and said, "I was about to tell you the good news, Your Majesty has decided to reopen the Jian Zhiguan City at the border of the countries, so that the Tang Dynasty and the countries can communicate with each other." ”

"Great!" A group of envoys were excited, one by one, they were overjoyed, as long as they could reach a mutual market, this time they would definitely be a great achievement in Datang.

"If there is an exchange, I don't know if the silk is in it!" Koji Zhisheng cautiously probed, after all, the main purpose of their mutual market was silk.

Merton nodded solemnly and said, "Of course, silk is among them, and Mo came today to discuss the matter of silk with you." ”

The expressions of the messengers moved, and they immediately knew that business was coming.

"Ladies and gentlemen, after Zhang Jian's mission to the Western Regions, the Silk Road was officially opened, and silk is called the most precious commodity in the desert, and even in the far west country, the price of silk is comparable to that of gold!" Merton said.

"Weighing as much as gold!" All the messengers gasped.

"Seriously!" Koji Zhisheng asked repeatedly.

Merton nodded and said: "This is what the ancestors of the Mo family have traveled all over the country of the extreme west, and they have seen it with their own eyes, and even more, the king of the country of the extreme west has forbidden the outflow of gold, and even forbidden the people to wear silk, but they still can't stop this trend." ”

"However, most of the huge profits are occupied by the countries close to the countries of the Far West, while the Tang Dynasty and the countries of the Western Regions have gained little, which is unfair to us, and even unfair to the countries of the Far West, we not only want to increase our profits, but also have the obligation to let more people in the Far West wear cheap and beautiful silk." Merton said excitedly.

"That's right! I'm going to make money too! Many envoys from the Western Regions countries were instantly agitated, and their eyes were red when they were stimulated.

Even Lu Dongzan had to praise Merton's beautiful hand, but he did not break it, after all, in the interests of the Silk Road, it has nothing to do with Tibet.

Seeing this, Murton suddenly showed a confident smile, in the interests of silk, the interests of Datang and the countries of the Western Regions are the same, which is the root of the success of the Datang silk system.

"Therefore, I, Datang, have decided to buy silk from Datang in the future, and I can only buy it from the Jianzhiguan Market, but only sell the best silk produced by the Datang Weaving Bureau." Merton said in a loud voice.

"It can only be purchased from the Guardian Seki City!" The envoys frowned, if this is the case, wouldn't it be the price that Datang says whatever it is.

Koji Zhisheng cautiously probed: "This is the order of the Heavenly Khan!" ”

"Of course!" Merton nodded without hesitation.

"Not only that, in the future, if you want to buy other goods from Datang, you will only accept silk as currency, and when Datang buys goods from other countries, it will only pay silk."

As soon as Merton finished speaking, the envoys were in an uproar, and no one expected that Datang would put forward this condition.

"It can't be! Our merchants come from thousands of miles away, and all they want is gold and silver, and although silk is expensive, someone has to buy it in exchange for money, so what's the use of waiting for so much silk! Datang's move is too domineering. Koji Zhisheng couldn't help but be dissatisfied.

The other emissaries chimed in, supporting Koji in unison, who had traveled thousands of miles for money, not silk that he could not eat or wear.

Merton smiled confidently and said: "You don't have to worry about this, if the silk in the hands of the countries is not exhausted, you can come and exchange it with my Datang, and my Datang can exchange the equivalent silver for you unconditionally." ”

"Exchange silk for silver!" The envoys couldn't help but widen their eyes and looked at Merton in disbelief.

Morton smiled slightly: "And how much is exchanged for how much, it will be according to the price of the supervision of the customs market." ”

The envoys immediately looked at each other, not understanding what it meant for Datang to spare such a big circle, so it was better to trade directly with silver!

"And Datang needs to sign a letter of state with you, and the transaction between the countries will be settled in silk and let the silk circulate, so that the transaction between the countries will be greatly convenient and fair, which will be of great benefit to us." Merton Road.

"We and other nations have their own money, and how can we use silk as money again!" Koji Zhisheng said dissatisfied.

Hearing this, Morton couldn't help sneering, took out a piece of silver and said: "This is Gaochang's silver, looking down, the silver content is less than fifty percent, I'm afraid few merchants are willing to accept this silver." ”

Koji Zhisheng's face suddenly darkened.

"This is the copper coin of Qiuzi, and the copper content is about sixty percent!" Merton took out another copper coin and said.

The Qiuzi envoy suddenly showed a smug expression, but he didn't have long to be proud, and he was forcibly slapped in the face by Merton and said: "It's just that the workmanship is too poor, but any craftsman in Datang can imitate it." ”

The Turtle Messenger suddenly wilted.

Immediately, when Merton took out a country's coins to comment, one of the envoys fell silent.

"Between the countries, the coins are different, the purity is different, how to exchange money, and my Datang's silk is produced by the Weaving Bureau, not only is it expensive, but it can not be imitated, if it is used in all countries, I believe it is extremely beneficial to all countries, and as long as you can earn enough silk, Datang can unconditionally exchange the same value of silver for you, these silver is not these miscellaneous silver, but pure silver!" Merton laid out the plan of the Datang silk system. ”

Many envoys from countries with prosperous commerce suddenly felt their hearts moved, and this move seemed to be quite beneficial to them, and they couldn't help but be moved.

"In addition, the Tang Dynasty requires all countries to shoulder the responsibility of protecting the safety of trade routes, exterminating sand pirates, and at the same time fixing the tax rate, and the tax increase on business travel on the Silk Road shall not exceed twenty taxes." Merton said firmly.

Don't think that twenty taxes are very little, you must know that these small countries are just a small city, and there are many small countries in the Western Regions, every time you go to a small city to pay a tax, along the way, the tax that Hu Shang has to pay is not a small amount!

"It is incumbent upon us to exterminate the sand thieves, but the tax rate of twenty taxes and one is too little! Didn't Mo Hou just say that these Hu merchants were sold to the country of the extreme west and the same weight as gold? Some of the messengers were dissatisfied.

For a long time, the countries of the Western Regions have wantonly oppressed Hu merchants, often levied heavy taxes, and desperately oppressed the merchants of the Silk Road, not to mention twenty taxes and one, even if they robbed Hu Shangming, things abound.

In the past, these Hu businessmen could only break their teeth and swallow them in their stomachs, but who would have thought that Datang would take the initiative to stand up for these Hu businessmen.

Merton sneered: "It's as heavy as gold, that's because things are scarce and expensive, there are too few business trips to the country of the extreme west, and too little silk is transported, the Silk Road is full of bones, and the lives devoured by the long yellow sand are not even a fraction of the death on the sand thieves, hundreds of caravans went to the Tang Dynasty, but in the end there was not one out of ten, and the kid even heard that the armies of some small countries even made cameos in the sand thieves behind their backs, and directly engaged in the means of killing people and stealing goods." ”

Merton's fierce eyes swept over the countries of the Western Regions, and many envoys suddenly lowered their heads weakly, what is the foundation of their own country, they naturally know better, some tribes are people during the day, and thieves at night, and even sometimes the army also makes a cameo appearance as sand thieves.

Mo Dun said sharply: "The previous Datang can not be blamed in the past, from now on, the Tang Dynasty will also send envoys in the countries of the Western Regions, and send people to accompany the Hu Shang camel team forward, every time you go to a country, you will count the number of people, if something happens in which country, it is to damage the interests of the Tang Dynasty, if the Khan of the future holds you accountable, don't blame Mo for not reminding you today." ”

The hearts of the envoys were in their hearts, and the strength of the Tang Dynasty in the military parade suddenly appeared in front of them, especially the Tang Dynasty, which controlled the gunpowder, was already invincible in the world, not to mention that the Tang Dynasty sent troops, that is, as long as the Tang Dynasty instructed it, I am afraid that there will be countless small countries charging for it.

"Of course, as long as you agree to sign a letter of state with my Datang, my Datang will definitely ensure the safety of the others, and even on the Silk Road in the future, business travel will be endless, Mo can guarantee that in the future, the income of all countries on the Silk Road will be ten times and a hundred times this." Merton is well aware of the carrot and stick strategy, showing the benefits and benefits one by one.

Many envoys from small countries in the Western Regions suddenly brightened their eyes, many countries are extremely weak, only a small city will set itself up as a king, and it is not safe at all, if they can get the protection of the Tang Dynasty, it will naturally be a lot of benefits, just rush to this point, they believe that their lord will definitely not refuse such a good thing.

Coupled with the huge benefits shown by Merton, it is also predictable, once the safety of the Silk Road is guaranteed, there will be countless merchants to join it, I am afraid that this Silk Road will be busy several times in an instant, and in the long run, it will indeed benefit more.

Although the conditions of the Tang Dynasty were strong, at least in the eyes of the envoys of the Western Regions, they did not endanger the rights and interests of their own countries. For a while, many envoys were quite moved.

However, although the conditions of the Tang Dynasty are good, in the eyes of one person, he is quite dissatisfied in his heart, that is, the Western Turkic envoy wants to set up, once the Western Regions countries agree to the conditions of the Tang Dynasty, it means that the power of the Tang Dynasty has fully expanded to the Western Regions, which has seriously affected the status of the Western Turks.

"I don't agree with this matter, 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 assumptions, the majority of the silk profits have been taken away by the Tang Dynasty, and I waited for the effort, but I just drank a little soup." With a sound of grassland costumes, Desire Valley retorted categorically.

The Western Turks are now the overlords of the Western Regions, and as soon as they made a sound, many small countries in the Western Regions suddenly trembled, and they were also very embarrassed between the Tang Dynasty and the Western Turks.

Merton said coldly: "If you don't agree to join the Datang silk system, then there is no need to open a prison with Datang to close the market, and naturally you don't need to enjoy the benefits of silk." Datang will not supply silk like it. ”

Wanting Gu She's heart jumped, he looked at the powerful Merton in disbelief and said: "You are not afraid that my Western Turks will intercept all those Hu merchants, and none of them will come to Datang." ”

Morton snorted coldly: "Lord Desire, don't look at the Western Turks, you must know that there is not only one Silk Road. ”

Merton did not lie that the Silk Road from Chang'an City to the west was divided into three routes: south, middle and north, and the Western Turks controlled only the northern route, which had the ability to influence the middle route.

"I'm willing to join the Datang silk system in Khotan." The Khotanese envoy said without hesitation.

"Khotan!" Desire Valley set gritted his teeth.

However, the envoys of Khotan were not afraid, Khotan was located on the south road of the Silk Road, and the Western Turks were separated by 800 miles of the Han Sea, so they were naturally not afraid of the Western Turks, but after the Tang Dynasty conquered Tuyuhun, it was easy to clean up Khotan, and Khotan naturally knew how to choose, and immediately came to the Tang Dynasty as soon as possible.

Wanting Gu She's face was embarrassed for a moment, but he refused to let him stop and said: "If the Silk Road is interrupted twice, I think this so-called Tang silk system will be a joke!" ”

Merton said proudly without fear: "Even if the Western Turks unify the entire Western Regions and cut off the three roads, my Datang can also start from the Lingnan Road sea route, so I think that the silk loaded by sea ships is much more than that of camels, I am afraid that is the real way out of the Silk Road, and then my entire Western Regions will lose the interests of the Silk Road, and I am afraid that it will soon decline!" From this point of view, it is you who ask Datang, not Datang who asks you! ”

"Mo Hou is angry, there is something to say, do you have money to earn together?"

Hearing Merton lift the table, many envoys from the Western Regions immediately panicked, the Silk Road feeds many small countries in the Western Regions, if the Silk Road is cut off, the worst thing is not the Tang Dynasty or the Western Turks, but their small countries.

Lu Dongzan persuaded loudly: "Why should the envoy of the Valley be so angry, if you have something to say, you have something to say." ”

If he really cut off the Silk Road, I am afraid that the nobles of the Western Turks will not let him go, after all, this is related to the interests of too many people.

"This matter is very important, Xiao Wang has to go back to report to his father!" Seeing that Desire Valley was set aside, Koji Zhisheng did not say it directly, but said tactfully. However, everyone knows that at the junction of Gaochang and Datang, it is impossible to give up the interests of mutual market and silk with Datang, and it is a matter of time before he joins the Datang silk system.

Suddenly, many envoys from the Western Regions in the middle wanted to indicate that they would go back to discuss with the king, after all, a small envoy could not decide this matter.

"That's natural, after you return later, the envoy of the Tang Dynasty will accompany you with the letter of the Tang Dynasty and discuss this matter with the kings of the countries in person." Merton said loudly. Merton naturally knew that his task had been completed, and the next thing he wanted to see was the specially trained people of Datang.

No! It's diplomats!

。 m.