In the midst of this disaster, the entire Han survived for several months.

By the thirteenth year of Jianning, the situation had only improved a little, and the disasters in Youzhou, Bingzhou, Jizhou and other places had gradually eased, but even so, the cold did not end because of this, and the disasters he brought were not wiped out.

Zheng Xuan was in Xiliang and bought cotton from those merchants with all his might.

Foreign businessmen with different appearances stood in front of Zheng Xuan with a smile, there were seven or eight people who came, these are the most wealthy merchants, I am afraid that it is such a bad climate now, they are also thousands of miles away from here, it is enough to see their courage and financial resources, at this moment, they are all a little excited, on weekdays, they are not qualified to meet and talk to Zheng Xuangong.

Zheng Xuan didn't have any disdain or contempt for them, even if he was a great Confucian and should have a bitter hatred for Shangjia, he didn't do so, he asked with a smile: "I don't know where you come from?" ”

There was an outsider beside him, who had been in Dahan for a long time and was proficient in Chinese, he hurriedly told Zheng Xuan's words to those foreign businessmen, and when these foreign businessmen heard this, they did not rush to answer, but gathered together and talked about it with their hands, they spoke very fast, and at the same time, while speaking, they were used to gesturing with their hands, and Zheng Xuan was a little stunned.

"What are they discussing?"

"This, Zheng Gong.. I can't translate their words to you without their orders, I was hired by them at their expense..."The translator said with firm eyes, those businessmen looked at him suspiciously, asked him a few words, he chatted with them for a few words, and then stopped talking, Zheng Xuan was a little helpless, and said: "I'll give you ten gold...."

The man's eyes lit up, he shook his head, and said, "They are discussing how to tell you about the country, they are all businessmen from some small countries in different regions...", the man said, pointing to the businessmen, and patting his chest.

The merchants asked suspiciously in their language, "Sutiba, what are you talking to the nobles of the Han Dynasty?" ”

"I told him that I was hired by you and that I would not reveal anything to him!" Translator Sutiba said solemnly.

The merchants nodded happily and praised him a few more words.

After a while, Suthiba said, "Gong Zheng, they want me to tell you that they are from Guishan..."

"Oh? So where do they actually come from? Zheng Xuan asked.

Sutiba looked at Zheng Xuan and smiled, Zheng Xuan said helplessly: "After the matter is completed, I will definitely have a heavy reward, you know my reputation, I will never regret it..."

Sutiba looked at the merchants and said with a smile: "The great nobles of the Han Dynasty want me to say hello to your king..."

The merchants smiled and said a few words.

"They told me that they were grateful for the greetings of the Duke of Zheng to their king, in fact, they came from some small countries that were conquered by the Kushan, and I don't know the names very well, but these cottons are from the Guishan."

Zheng Xuan smiled and nodded, he knew in his heart that these businessmen wanted to raise the name of Guishuang, to protect themselves, and to put forward conditions, Zheng Xuan looked at them and asked, "I don't know, if I buy it with all my might, how much cotton can I get?" ”

The man began to translate again.

"They say they don't get much, in fact, they have a lot of goods, it's just that they want to drive up the price..."

Zheng Xuan nodded and asked, "Then what price are they going to offer?" ”

After Sutiba's translation and the discussion of half of the envoys, Zheng Xuan also understood the general situation, and finally asked: "This thing may be cultivated in the Han Dynasty?" ”

When those businessmen heard this, they all shook their hands and spoke excitedly.

"Gong Zheng, they said no, this thing can only be planted in Guishan, but this thing has long been planted in the Western Regions, but it has not been transmitted to the Central Plains, if Zheng Gong is interested, I can help you plant..."

"I see, you help me buy their goods, and I'll give you a lot of money..."

"Gong Zheng, if you can stay by my side and give me an official position, I will definitely help!"

"Good!"

Sutiba sighed a little helplessly, looked at those merchants, and said: "Everyone, the great nobles of the Han Dynasty feel that our price is too high, and he is unwilling to pay for it, I persuaded him for a long time, but he did not agree... He wants us to go back..."

"How can it be? When we heard that he was going to buy it, we spent all the money and brought a large number of goods, so how could he not buy it? ”

"Tell them that our Kushan Empire is not to be messed with..."

Sutiba looked at Zheng Xuan and said, "Please go back first, I will come back again after I have negotiated the price!" ”

"Then I'm sorry for you..."Zheng Xuan said, and walked away directly.

"Everyone, the nobles of the Han Dynasty said, don't forget Ban Chao..."

These merchants suddenly fell silent, the Kushan Empire, is the country established by the Yueshi people, they used to be nomadic in the western part of the Hexi Corridor Zhangye to Dunhuang area, the power is strong, for the Xiongnu fierce enemy, in the period of the Xiaowu Emperor, they have close contacts with the Han Dynasty, they are divided into Xiumi, Shuangmi, Guishan, Didun, Gaofu Wuxi Marquis five branches.

Later, the Kushan Department of Xihou Qiu unified the five departments, the establishment of the Kushan Empire, and then after years of conquest, gradually became one of the most powerful countries in the entire western region, in the future, these people to the Han court, want to marry back the princess, they think, they have long been stronger than the Huns, the Han Emperor will agree to their conditions, but did not expect, their proposal, directly rejected by the current Ban Chao.

King Guishan was extremely angry, and sent Vice Wang Xie to lead an army of 70,000 to attack the Han, but they did not get close to the Han, they were defeated by Ban Chao, who threatened them to attack their capital and kill their king.

For these Kushan people, Dahan is still a relatively terrifying country.

Sutiba took these merchants out, and after a few days, these merchants also kept lowering the price, and thought about coercing to leave, all kinds of methods were tried, but, with Sutiba here, Zheng Xuan didn't even know about their methods, and in the end, these merchants wanted to cry without tears, so they had to sell these cotton at a low price, and even begged.

Zheng Xuan met with them again, but still gave them more money, these merchants were grateful for Zheng Xuan's righteous deed, Zheng Xuan asked them to bring more such items to the Han, preferably those that the Han did not have...

And Sutiba was also left by Zheng Xuan's side as a subordinate official.

Zheng Xuan transported the cotton to Luoyang, and after the Son of Heaven ordered the temple to distribute some clothes woven from cotton, the cotton officially entered the eyes of the scholars, who did not like these uncomfortable cotton, but for the people, this thing can keep their lives, especially the people in Hezhou and other places, they are extremely fond of it.

At first, the scholars and doctors were only a little disdainful of this thing, but they didn't pay attention to it when they thought that they could help the people, but later learned that the clothes issued by the temple were made of cotton, which were extremely indecent and did not conform to the hakama, and the celebrities and sages couldn't sit still, and they played one after another, demanding that these lewd and indecent decorations be cut off, and that foreign things should not be allowed to destroy the culture of the Han Dynasty itself!

In this era, clothing and culture are connected, and celebrities and celebrities take this very seriously.

In Luoyang, after seeing these proclamations, the Son of Heaven was furious....

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