For those who have had a holiday, they either don't see it directly, but since they were welcomed in, Heifu didn't take it big, he accepted the apologies of Mai Hui and Shi Gong, but politely declined their gifts.

"Now that the misunderstanding has been resolved, Erjun doesn't need to say much, I just hope that in the future, the market of honey and sugar can share a piece of my cousin Yan's pie."

Heifu's title is equivalent to Mai Hui's, but the power is like a world of difference, Mai Hui and Shi Gong are not stupid, they know that they have provoked people who should not be provoked, and they recognize it quickly, and then they only confess their crimes and resign......

After the two left, Heifu returned to the house, but Wu Shiyan did not leave, but continued to stay at the seat.

But I saw that this person was in his thirties, and his clothes were no different from ordinary Qin people, but his physical appearance was slightly different: he had a high nose, high cheekbones, deep eye sockets, and a long face and thick beard.

A hundred years ago, the source of Jingshui was still the land of Rong Di outside the country, and there was a Rong tribe called "Wushi", who surrendered to Yiqu. Later, King Qin Huiwen defeated Yiqu and subdued Zhurong, and in the 36th year of King Zhaoxiang of Qin, he destroyed Yiqu and placed it in Beidi County, and set up Wushi County in Jitou Mountain, and the Wu clan was attached to Qin from then on.

Before and after the reign of Qin Shi Huang, there was a Rong merchant named Wushi Lu in Wushi County, who relied on mules and horses raised for generations to transport goods and do resale trade. First went south to Xianyang to buy silk, and then went west to Zhuqiang, exchanged silk for the cattle and horses of the Qiang Rong King, and then brought it back to Guanzhong and sold it to the Qin State government. Back and forth, the profits are many.

When Qin Shi Huang wanted to unify Liuhe, whether it was a war of unification or domestic farming, a large number of cattle, horses and livestock were needed. So the emperor asked Shaofu to contact Wushilu, let him be an official and merchant of Qin, specializing in foreign trade, for more than ten years, for Qin in exchange for a large number of horses and cattle, not only to ensure the smooth progress of the war, but also to meet the needs of Lishan Mausoleum and other projects. In view of the fact that his contribution can be compared with military exploits, Qin Shi Huang gave him the treatment of a feudal monarch in the form of "comparison", and he could go to the Hajj with his ministers at four o'clock every year.

This will was announced together with the widow Qing as a virgin woman, in terms of wealth, Wu Shi Lu and the widow Qing are on par, both have a value of more than 100 million yuan, but in terms of status, Wu Shi Lu is even better!

The reason why Heifu reconciled with the Mai family and the Shi family was mainly to sell the Wu family a face, and the Wu family was equivalent to the foreign trade minister of Daqin, and he could not afford to offend.

At this moment, the younger brothers and sons of the two richest men in the Qin Dynasty sat opposite each other, looking at each other, smiling rather than smiling, and it could be seen that it was not the first time they had met.

When Heifu entered the door, he happened to hear Ba Zhong say: "Wujun is really well-informed, and he actually found this." ”

Wu Shiyan said in a somewhat stiff Guanzhong dialect: "How dare you, but I didn't expect that Ba Jun and Zhonglang Huling are old acquaintances, why don't you introduce them to me?" If so, this misunderstanding would not have happened at all. ”

"How did I know that the Mai clan and the Shi clan were left to Wujun?" Ba Zhong glanced at Heifu, and there was something in his words.

Seeing Heifu coming in, Wu Shiyan got up and explained to him: "Zhonglang Hu Ling, the reason why I met Mai and Shi is because the wild honey of Beidi County was transported to Xianyang and had to be handed over to Shi's merchants for sale. And in the border areas, in addition to salt and cloth, caramel can also be sold at a high price! Therefore, there is contact with the two families. ”

"I recently heard that there is a new thing called brown sugar in Nanshi, and I was just going to take a look, but I learned that there was a lawsuit. When I inquired, I learned that the person who sold the brown sugar was Zhonglang Huling's cousin. In the Central Plains, there is a saying that the matter of business, peace is both good, and contention is two disadvantages, so he made his own claim and came out to resolve this misunderstanding, and hoped that Zhonglang would not be blamed. ”

It turned out that in addition to the resale trade of silk, cattle and horses, Wu Shi also transported some Central Plains items needed abroad, such as salt, cloth, sugar, etc.

Heifu was interested: "The Qiang people also eat caramel candy? ”

"It's the Yue's people who like caramel candy."

Wushi Yan has his own purpose, and he does not hide it, and said: "Six hundred miles west from Wushi County, to the source of the big river, after crossing the river, it is the land of Hexi Yueshi." The Yueshi people were served with food and drink and the language was slightly the same as that of the Qiang, but it was different from the Qiang people who burned the land and cultivated. ”

"Buttermilk or add salt and brine, or add caramel to be delicious, so the king of Yueshi Rong has to use hundreds of cattle and horses every year to easily take thousands of catties of caramel in Guanzhong."

Heifu had already heard it, he had heard about it, and he had never thought that the current Yueshi was still entrenched in the Hexi region, so close to the Qin State, and there was not much friction between the two sides.

And this trade route opened up by the Wu brothers can be regarded as the earliest Silk Road, right?

Speaking of which, Wu Shi bluntly explained his purpose.

"I came today, in addition to hoping that Mai and Shi can make amends to Zhonglang Huling and resolve the misunderstanding, I also hope that Zhonglang Huling can resell brown sugar to Wushi in the future! Then sell it from the Wu clan to Zhuqiang and Yueshi! ”

Wu Shiyan sat in Xianyang for his brother, buying the goods needed in the land of Diqiang, and his vision was also vicious.

After he got the brown sugar, he was surprised to find that compared with the semi-dry and difficult to keep for too long, the horseshoe-shaped brown sugar was dehydrated and very dry, not only easy to carry and store, but also far sweeter than the syrup.

What's even better is that from the Nanjun businessman, he took out 2,000 catties in one go to sell, and this thing is not like honey, which is difficult to mass-produce!

"If this thing can be sold to the land of Qiang and Di, it will definitely be able to please the kings of Rong! Brother can change more cattle and horses! ”

Wu Shiyan is thinking about profit, and Heifu is also making his own calculations.

"This is really a door-to-door business!"

Moreover, it is also a foreign trade order sent by the Wushi, the largest official merchant of the Qin State.

The Qin Dynasty suppressed small and medium-sized traders and strictly forbade them to leave the country, and only the Wu Dynasty government controlled the trade between Qin and Zhuqiang and Yue, which was equivalent to the beginning of the Silk Road.

It is much more efficient to allow one's own products to join this trade line with huge benefits, and to sell them wholesale directly by Wushi, compared to letting unfamiliar cousins sell bulk brown sugar everywhere.

This is a near-term interest, in the long run, in case the brown sugar goes farther and farther on the hunchback, and is sold to the Western Regions, or even to the Greek countries and Rome, maybe this line will not be called the Silk Road in the future, but will be called the Sugar Road!

If sugar becomes the leading product of China's foreign trade over time, it is impossible to say that two thousand years later, the British (assuming there is also Britain) will not call China "China", but "Seets!" ”

Although he couldn't wait, Heifu was very calm on his face.

"Wu Jun should ask my cousin about this."

Heifu spread his hands, still pretending: "I am an official of the imperial court, how dare I violate the law of the country and do business rashly?" However, I have heard Yan say that Nanjun does not produce much brown sugar this year, and the one that is shipped to Guanzhong is only 2,000 catties, and most of it has been sold......"

"Hate less, hate less!"

Wu Shiyan was slightly disappointed, but Heifu said again: "But next year, the brown sugar shipped to Xianyang may be doubled, and if Wu Jun likes it, he can buy half of it." ”

Half of it is not bad, enough to exchange for hundreds of cattle and horses, Wu Shiyan smiled: "A word is a certainty!" ”

"I just proposed on behalf of my cousin that when Yan sobers up, I will let him visit him and discuss this matter with Wujun in detail......"

Heifu said: "You may be able to settle the deed first." ”

Wu Shiyan happily high-fived Heifu as an oath, and Ba Zhong on the side couldn't help but regret it when he heard this.

"It's hateful, it's all because I was too hesitant to let this shaft take the lead!"

……

Bashi is also engaged in trade, in addition to Dansha as the main business, but also in the well salt, servant business, in Bashu and Dongting Wuxi land has a certain influence.

As a businessman, Ba Zhong has long noticed the trade value of brown sugar's dry and easy-to-bring, although Bashu prefers ginger, pepper and other spicy things in taste, but whose children don't like to eat sugar?

So after Wu Shiyan said goodbye, he no longer hesitated, nor did he want to let Heifu owe him a favor first, and immediately said to Heifu: "Zhonglang household order, I also have a reluctant request!" ”

"Brother Ba and I, what are you polite?"

Heifu smiled: "Isn't it because you want to buy brown sugar from my cousin like Wu Shiyan and sell it in Bashu?" ”

"Ba Zhong is more greedy!"

He raised his head and his eyes were blazing: "Don't hide it from Zhonglang's household order, as early as January, when someone sold brown sugar to Ba County, my mother sent someone to Nanjun to inquire. Although the specific preparation method is unknown, it is known that brown sugar is made from Ganzhe, and the smoke of the foresight workshop is billowing out, and some people are constantly transporting firewood into it, which should be obtained by squeezing and steaming. ”

Heifu restrained his smile, although he knew that the brown sugar preparation method was too simple and it was impossible to hide it completely, but he didn't expect that Ba Shi was so well-informed.

Ba Zhong said: "I don't have any other intentions, although my mother benefits brown sugar, but she doesn't want to steal it privately, so she asked me to come to Xianyang in person to ask Zhonglang for the household order." ”

"Ask me what?"

Hei Fufu took another pot of wine and filled it with himself and Ba Zhong, and he also scared and scared Mai Hui and Shi Gong, but Ruoba Widow Qing wanted to rob him of his business, but he was helpless.

Ba Zhong said again: "Can you send craftsmen to Shuzhong to open a workshop?" Shu County Neijiang is hot, there are also a lot of wild Zhe, my family can send servants to burn the wasteland and plant, the annual output, when far better than Anlu. Then let the horse team sell the brown sugar to the land of Bashu and Wuxi, and the profit will be more than one million! The money obtained is huge, and Bashi is willing to share it with Zhonglang Huling, what is it? ”

You're here to deliver money again? Heifu was stunned when he heard this, this is no less than the profit of Wu's wholesale brown sugar sales, like sweet liquor, attracting greedy mosquitoes and flies......