"Mr. Ahmat is really a cheerful person!" Liu Cheng smiled and picked up the wine glass: "Come, I'll give Mr. a glass." ”

"The villain doesn't dare!" Ahmat bowed to Liu Cheng and drank all the wine in his cup.

"Mr. Ahmat, you invited me here this time because you have something to ask for, right?"

Ahmat was told by Liu Cheng that he was about to prevaricate, but when he saw Liu Cheng's eyes were clear, smiling silently, and looking confident, he couldn't help but move in his heart, and kowtowed to the ground: "The adult is really like a god, and the villain does have something to ask for, and please ask the adult to agree." “

"Oh, you might as well tell me about it."

Ahmat stood up and made a gesture, and the servants and singers in the room stepped back one after another, and he looked at Hao Shaoqi behind Liu Cheng and did not speak. Liu Cheng understood what the other party meant, and said with a smile: "This person is the henchman of this general, and he can be entrusted with life and death, but it doesn't matter if you say it!" “

"In that case, the villain has the audacity to speak out." Seeing Liu Cheng say this, Ahmat knew that he couldn't let Hao Shaoqi retreat, so he gritted his teeth and said. It turned out that this Ahmat was a great merchant of the Yarkand Khanate, the founder of the Yarkand Khanate was founded by the last king of the Eastern Chagatai Khanate, Sayi Khan, in 1508 AD, the Great Khan of the Eastern Chagatai Khanate was defeated by the Uzbeks, he was killed in battle, the sons were fighting, and the land fell apart. Said fled to the capital of Afghanistan and took refuge with his cousin Babur, the founder of the Mughal Empire. As the so-called heroes know heroes, with the support of Babur, Saeed gathered 5,000 old troops from Afghanistan to attack Kashgar (near Kashgar, Xinjiang today), won consecutive battles, and unified southern Xinjiang. In its heyday, its territory stretched from Jiayuguan in the east, Tibet in the south, Kashmir in the southwest, and Tianshan South Road in the north. At the beginning of the 17th century, two sects emerged within the Yarkand Khanate, the White Mountain and the Black Mountain, whose leaders claimed to be Hezhuo (meaning holy descendant). The children of Muhammad), although the founders of the two sects were actually half-brothers, and there was not much difference in doctrine, but there was an extremely fierce struggle between them. The two sects hated each other, fought with each other, and even intermarriage was forbidden, and whenever one faction had the upper hand, they would go all out to suppress the other, even bloody massacre. This undoubtedly greatly weakened the power of the Yarkand Khanate, which was in power at this time. Its leader was very trusted by Yarkand Khan, and this Ahmat was a loyal follower of the Baishan faction, who came to the Ming Kingdom to do business, and happened to meet Liu Cheng who showed sharp firearms when he was performing martial arts outside the city, so he wanted to buy firearms from Liu Cheng to attack his opponent and let the Montenegrin faction regain the advantage.

"So you want to buy firearms from me to fight the Montenegrin faction?" Liu Cheng rubbed his eyebrows, the huge amount of information just now made him a little unacceptable.

"It is precisely the Montenegrin faction that spreads fallacies and heresies. The poison is very widespread, and it must be punished so as not to leave a disaster to future generations! Ahmat was kind and gratifying, and he looked righteous and awe-inspiring.

"Dare to ask. What is the difference between the teachings of this Black Mountain Sect and your White Mountain Sect? ”

"This-" Ahmat was stunned when he heard this, he was originally a businessman and didn't know much about religious scriptures, so he was asked by Liu Chengyi. On the contrary, he was stunned, and thought for a while before replying: "When we worship and recite the scriptures in the Baishan Sect, we recite them silently in our hearts. There was no sound, and the Montenegrin school recited it aloud. ”

"Just for this? You're going to buy a firearm from me and kill you? Liu Cheng could hardly believe his ears.

"It is a great blasphemy that the texts of doctrine are the gift of God, and that they can be spit out from the mouths of mortals like us!"

Looking at Ahmat, who was full of words, Liu Cheng didn't know what to say for a while. He thought for a moment and stood up: "Mr. Ahmat, I'm afraid I won't be able to accede to your request. “

"My lord, we can negotiate the price!" Ahmat hurriedly got up to stop Liu Cheng, Hao Shaoqi on the side snorted coldly, grabbed the front and pushed it away, Ahmat where could he hold it, and suddenly fell to the ground, Liu Cheng drank Hao Shaoqi, stretched out his hand to help him up, and said in a deep voice: "Mr. Ahmat, it's not a matter of price, the Yarkand Khanate is my Ming vassal state, and its lord has always been obedient to my Ming Dynasty, the whole world is not the king's land, and the coast of the land is not the king's minister, no matter the Black Mountain or the White Mountain are the people of the heavens \ dynasty, if I sell firearms to you, let you kill each other, Is it not the price of your lives? “

"This?" Ahmat was dumbfounded for a moment, and he argued forcefully: "General, but the Black Mountain Sect is a fallacy and heresy, and our White Mountain Sect is the right faith!" ”

Liu Cheng smiled: "I only heard this Black Mountain Sect and White Mountain Sect from your mouth for the first time today, how can I tell who is a true believer and who is a fallacious heresy?" Speaking of this, he took out a copper plate from his waist and handed it to Ahmai and asked, "This is a copper plate, you may be able to tell where this copper plate came from?" Was it from the Han Chinese or the Mongols, the Black Mountain faction or the White Mountain faction? “

Ahmat replied strangely, "How can this be distinguished?" “

"You can't tell the difference, I can't tell the difference, and no one in the world can tell the difference! Because this is not necessary, this coin circulates all over the world, and there is no communication, no matter who spends a copper plate in his hand, it can be used as a copper plate, and it can only be used as a copper plate. Therefore, this coin is the fairest thing in the world, whether men and women, young and old, virtuous or foolish, rich or poor, a copper plate is a copper plate in anyone's hand. Ahmat, you're a businessman, I thought you understood that. “

Although he was a devout believer, his family had been in business for several generations, and had traveled from the Ming Dynasty to the Jurchens, to the Ottoman Turkey in the west, to the Mughal Empire in the south, and to Russia in the north. Naturally, we know that those of the same faith may not be honest and trustworthy, and that pagans may not be foolish, and that there is no difference between the coins in the hands of brothers and infidels. This kind of thought is hidden in Ahmat's heart on weekdays, this is not to be spoken, even if it flashes in his mind, he feels that he is deeply sinful, and he will fall into purgatory and repent after death. But at this time, Liu Cheng stabbed it out directly, and he felt that it was reasonable.

Seeing Ahmat's speechless appearance, Liu Cheng knew that his words had worked, so he knotted the jade pendant on his waist, handed it to Ahmat and said with a smile: "Ahmat, you have spent so much money and thought to see me, but unfortunately I can't promise you." In this way, you will take this jade pendant tomorrow. Go to the arsenal and get twenty birds, which can be used to watch the home and protect the caravan; Besides, if you wish, you may go to the court, where I have some workshops, and if you fancy any of them that you can sell for profit, you will take them only for the three thousand taels of silver that you have offered me. “

Ahmat's eyes widened, he never expected that Liu Cheng would be willing to use the goods to offset his army money. He opened his mouth, not knowing what to say for a moment. Liu Cheng smiled and patted him on the shoulder: "You businessmen, for the sake of tithing, abandon the ancestral tomb, thousands of miles away, suffer from the turmoil." Shall I receive your contribution alive? A gentleman loves money and takes it in a good way. You give me money, and I give you the goods, and I owe you nothing. That's the way to get along for a long time. “

"Thank you, sir!" Ahmat lowered his head and held the jade pendant in both hands, with mixed feelings in his heart. He traveled far and wide, and met countless kings, governors, generals, and city lords. Among them, many people regard him as a guest, but deep down they all regard it as a money bag, Yousufu is a typical example, and Liu Cheng is the first one who is in a high position but treats each other equally.

"So to speak. That Ming general refused? Yusuf looked at Ahmae, who was kneeling at the bottom, and asked, "But he gave you twenty bird guns and invited you to go to Chaoyi?" ”

"Not bad!" Ahmat replied.

Yusuf stood up and paced back and forth. Ahmat bowed his head respectfully, waiting for his order. Finally, the Holy Descendant stopped and asked, "Brother Ahmat, do you think this Chief Liu will support us?" “

"I don't know, Hezhuo! This Liu Zongbing's actions are always unexpected, and I can't predict his behavior. Ahmat whispered.

"Hmm!" Yusuf nodded, Ahmat's answer was expected by him, he walked to Ahmat's side, gently patted the other party's shoulder, and whispered: "Then approach this Liu Zongbing, get close to him, serve him, make him happy, and willingly open the way for Allah's cause." ”

"Yes, Hezhuo!" Ahmat prostrate down, his forehead close to the cold slate, kissed Yousuf's upper, but remembered Liu Cheng's grinning face in his heart.

Two lines of cavalry walked through the streets, the iron covers on their chests glistening in the sun, as did the iron tips of their iron half-helmets on their heads and the brass ornaments on their harnesses, and beneath them were swarthy faces, thick beards, and curly braids. The townspeople were already familiar with these fierce cavalrymen, and they ran to both sides of the street in a panic, pointing at them curiously, and the daring children ran after the cavalry, shouting: "Tartars, Tartars! ”

"Wave the flag! Do you have anything to say? Liu Cheng looked at Hao Shaoqi on the side, from the moment he left the gate of Ahmat's house, his face was full of expressions of wanting to say something, this warrior was not good at hiding his thoughts.

"My lord, I don't know if I should ask!" Hao Shaoqi was a little hesitant, and his inner curiosity and his status as a subordinate were in a fierce conflict.

"Shake the flag, you are the captain of my guard, I have entrusted my life to you, what secret is more important than my life? Just ask! “

"Thank you, sir!" Hao Shaoqi gratefully owed his body: "Why did you refuse to sell firearms to that businessman?" “

"Why did I promise him? Am I so greedy for money in your eyes? Liu Cheng asked angrily. Hao Shaoqi shook his head a little panickedly, and then nodded again, only to realize that his behavior was tantamount to admitting that Liu Cheng was a greedy ghost in his heart, and hurriedly explained: "My lord, I'm not saying that you are greedy for money, it's just that you spend too much money. ”

"That's it!" Liu Cheng interrupted his men's clumsy explanations and said in a low voice: "Do you think that if I sell firearms to Batur Khan and Gushi Khan, I will sell them to others for money?" ”

Hao Shaoqi didn't speak, but the silence was also an acknowledgement. Liu Cheng sighed and decided to analyze the details, as for how much Hao Shaoqi can comprehend, it can only depend on himself, after all, he has too few talents in his hands now, and he can trust even less, like Hao Shaoqi, who has led soldiers and is a personal guard by his side, can be cultivated, and he must try his best to cultivate.

"I sell firearms to Batur Khan and Gushi Khan, and making money is secondary, and the most important thing is to build a solid alliance through this means, and the benefits that come with it are the main ones. Moreover, these two people have strong enemies next to each other, even if they have firearms, it is impossible to infringe on the Ming Dynasty, but they can shield the northwest side for me, so that I can concentrate on dealing with the enemy in the east. And this Ahmat is different, I don't know the details of him, what he said about the Black Mountain faction and the White Mountain faction is just one side, who knows if he will do something else if he gets these firearms? Even if it is to fight for the supracracy of the Yarkand Khanate as he said, if I lose, the Yarkand Khanate and the Montenegrin faction will inevitably hold a grudge against me, and even if I win, the White Mountain faction may not be grateful to me. “

"Your Excellency thinks this Ahmat is lying? I'll go back and detain him and torture him severely!" Hao Shaoqi was about to turn back, but was stopped by Liu Cheng, and said with a smile: "That's it, this is just an errand runner floating on the surface, and the person in charge doesn't know where to hide. Besides, I've already set a trap, I'm not afraid that he won't take the bait! “

"Covers? Where does this start? Hao Shaoqi asked puzzled.

"I gave Ahmat twenty birds, and told him to go to Chaoyi to fetch three thousand taels of silver. The man behind him has this bird gun, and he will definitely not give up after trying it, and seeing that I am like this to Ahmat, he will definitely do everything possible to make him think of another way, if he does this, I can't do anything with him, but as long as he gets into the trap, he can't help it. ”

"Your Excellency is wise!" Hao Shaoqi said with a smile: "When this guy meets an adult, he really sells a big axe in front of Luban, and he can't do it!" “

"The mistake of this guy is to use this Ahmat, although he is shrewd, he forgets that Ahmat is a businessman."

"Merchant? What's the difference? ”

"The merchant is a profit-heavy person, and this Ahmat didn't understand the difference between the conflict between the Black Mountain and White Mountain factions when he explained it, which shows that he doesn't pay much attention to the theory in the sect on weekdays, and naturally he won't be too religious, presumably running for the person behind the scenes is just for the word 'profit', I deliberately didn't take his bonus, and asked him to go to Chaoyi to get three thousand taels of silver for the goods, over time, there will be an opportunity!" (To be continued.) )