Ulga excitedly said: "Great! On a bad day, I will definitely do this well! When will the Tang army arrive? ”

"It's probably the beginning of spring at the earliest! Winter is not suitable for large-scale operations! ”

Ulga then asked, "What is this second thing?" ”

"I have heard that the surname Zhaowu is good at business, I wonder if there are people who go to Dashi to do business in the United States?"

"What are you doing with this?" Ulga wondered.

"The art of war, knowing oneself and knowing that the other side can survive a hundred battles, if you want to fight with the big cannibals, you must have a detailed understanding of them, especially the situation of their coach Qu Dibo. I want to send someone to Dashi to find out what this Qudibo is all about. ”

Tarli smiled: "Leave this to me, I happen to have a caravan that often goes to Dashi to deliver goods, and I will definitely find out the bottom of Qu Dibo." ”

"That's for the best!" Zhang Bao'er said: "This third thing is to hope that King Ulega will send me a reliable person, preferably someone who is familiar with the situation in Kangguo, to take me to Kangju City. ”

"What? On a business trip, you are going to Kangju City? However, Qudibo and the Great Eclipse army are stationed in Kangju City, and this ......," Ulega said with some concern.

Zhang Bao'er smiled: "The reason why I didn't let you reveal my identity was because I wanted to go to Kangju City secretly. As far as I know, there are also a lot of Tang people who do business in Kangju City, and I use business as a cover, presumably Qu Dibo will not pay attention! It's just that I've never been to Kangju City, so I need someone who is familiar with the situation! ”

"Don't worry, I'll arrange a good guide for you! By the way......" Ulega seemed to remember something, and he said to Zhang Bao'er: "I will give a letter to the messenger, if the mission encounters any difficulties, you can go to the prime minister of Kang Guo Tiqi and the queen Seji." ”

Zhang Baoer was slightly stunned: "Prime Minister and Queen Kang? Are they at odds with the sudden? ”

Ulga explains: "The nine kingdoms of Zhaowu were generally managed by the king, queen, and prime minister. After the Sudden Dusk surrendered to the Great Eclipse, Queen Serge and the Prime Minister Tiqi were very dissatisfied with him, and sent people to contact me several times, asking me to try to get rid of the sudden Dusk. I thought that he was a brother in the same vein as Sudden Faint, and wanted to persuade him to get lost and turn back, but he avoided sending people several times, and it seemed that he was preparing to go all the way to the dark. ”

"I know, if there is a need, I will definitely contact them." Zhang Bao'er admonished: "Before the arrival of the Tang army, I hope that the king of Ulega will act in a low-key manner, and don't let Qu Dibo be aware." ”

"Don't worry, I know it!" Ulega nodded.

……

The day after meeting King Ulega, Zhang Bao'er left Boxide City with Uncle Hua and Lang Tian. Under the leadership of Amy Dan, the guide sent by Ulga to Zhang Bao'er, they set off towards Kangju City.

Emitan was about forty years old and was a typical Sogdian merchant. Not only does he know the language of big food, but he also speaks fluent Chinese. According to his own introduction, he lived in Chang'an for three years.

Of course, Amidan doesn't know Zhang Baoer's true identity, but only thinks that she is a rich child from the Tang Dynasty. Amidan is very talkative, and with him as a guide, Zhang Baoer has gained a lot along the way. During the conversation with Emitan, Zhang Bao'er learned in detail about the history of the Sogdians, who were mainly surnamed Zhaowujiu.

The surname of Zhaowu Jiu is the Yueshi people, the former residence of Zhaowu City in the north of Qilian Mountain, because it was broken by the Xiongnu, the west is over the green ridge, and the branch is divided into kings, with Zhaowu as the surname. The inhabitants are mainly engaged in agriculture and also in animal husbandry. Their real rise has to start from the ancient silk road.

The ancient silk road stretching for thousands of miles, connecting Yumen and Dunhuang in the east, Yueshi and Dawan in the west, Wusun in the north, and Robin in the south. The Nine Kingdoms of Zhaowu, especially the largest Kang State, have a geographical advantage, which is surrounded by green mountains in the west and deserts in the east. The caravan heading west, after suffering from the wind and sand of the Gobi, came down from the snow ridge, and was frightened here for a while, so they planned to cross the Gobi for a journey. The merchants heading east will take a breather and recuperate in Kangju City, ready to climb over Bingdaban.

Touched by the eyes, tempted by money, and dazzled, how could the Sogdians not be moved by their business hearts and eager to try?

As a result, the Sogdians became the most active merchants along the Silk Road, with the world's largest caravan of wooden wheels carried by oxen, horses, camels, and donkeys. They not only paid tribute to the Tang Dynasty on time, but also carried batches of goods and headed farther west.

Sogdians generally learned their trade at the age of seven, and almost every household had a businessman. Don't underestimate these Sogdian merchants with broad waists and full beards, who are not only rich in their pockets, but also good at eloquent. Their deep eye sockets, dripping and rolling eyes, reveal the intelligence and wit of merchants. They transported the porcelain, tea, silk and other goods of the Tang Dynasty to the West, which amazed Westerners and praised them endlessly. Western aristocrats regarded the silk of the Tang Dynasty as a fashionable item of glory, and Sogdian merchants took advantage of this vanity to make a fortune. Once a piece of silk is transported to the Great Food or Persian market, it is cut into fractions and sold at a high price. After all, a tael of silk is worth a tael of gold, what a lucrative deal!

The Sogdians bought silk from the Central Plains and brought in small and valuable treasures from the West, such as Sesser, Meiwang, agate, pearls, etc., so the Sogdians were known for their ability to identify treasures. The six animals were also the main commodities sold by Sogdian merchants, and during the reign of the Western Turkic Khanate, the Sogdians in the territory were mainly responsible for this kind of mutual trading activities in which cattle were bartered. Later, as subjects of the Tang Dynasty, they often engaged in some shorter livestock business. In addition to the Liuchu, the Sogdians also traded slaves, and the Tang government protected the normal conduct of this trade. The Sogdians' commercial activities, including silk, jewelry, curiosities, livestock, slavery, and hospices, covered almost all important market areas and controlled the lifeblood of the Silk Road trade.

The Sogdians had established many oasis city-states, but never a unified state, and as a result, they had long been under the control of powerful foreign powers in the surrounding area. In the large and small oases of the Sogdian region, there are many city-states of different sizes, among which Kangguo is the largest, centered on the city of Kangju.

Kangju City is a special city, which is different from other cities in agricultural areas. The construction of a city in an agricultural area is to concentrate the harvest in the area that a city can control, and then defend it with high walls, which is closed and self-defending. Kangju City is an oasis city, the oasis is naturally formed, and what it needs is communication. In addition to concentration and guarding, the biggest function of the oasis city is trading, transmission, and distribution, especially the Kangju City, which is located at the heart of the Silk Road, which is actually a transit station for goods and a supply point for long-distance travelers.