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 didn't know Li Tao's true identity, only that he was a rich kid from the Tang Dynasty. Amidan is very talkative, and with him as a guide, Li Tao has gained a lot along the way. During the conversation with Emitan, Li Tao learned in detail about the history of the Sogdians, mainly surnamed Zhaowujiu, from his mouth.

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 towards Central Asia. They use the phrase "Salam Kong" to win favor and trust. Without a hitch.

Sogdians generally learned arithmetic at the age of five and trades at the age of seven, and almost every household had a businessman. Don't underestimate these Sogdian merchants with broad shoulders and full beards. In addition to their abundance, they are also 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 Chinese silk as a glorious fashion, and Sogdian merchants took advantage of this vanity. Make a fortune. Once a piece of silk was transported to the Roman market, it was cut into fractions and sold at a high price. In the end, a tael of silk is worth a tael of gold. One horse is worth a few kilograms of gold, and what a lucrative deal!

The main commercial activity of the Sogdians consisted of purchasing silk from the Central Plains, while bringing in small, high-value treasures from the Western Regions. Such as Sese, Meiwang, agate, pearl, etc. As a result, 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, the Sogdians also often engaged in shorter livestock business. In addition to the Liuchu, the Sogdians also traded in slaves, and the Tang government generally protected the normal conduct of this trade. The Sogdians' commercial activities included silk, jewelry, curiosities, livestock, slavery, and hospices. It covers almost all important market areas and controls the lifeblood of Silk Road trade.

The Sogdians founded many oasis city-states. However, a unified state has never been established, so it has long been controlled by powerful foreign forces 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, distribution, especially located in the Silk Road Kangju City, which is actually a transit station for goods, a supply point for long-distance travelers, and a cultural undertaker and transmitter.

When Li Tao and the others followed Baben into the outside of Kangju City, it was already noon three days later. It's winter, but the sun is shining. Outside the city gate, Li Tao rode on his horse and silently looked at such an ancient and mysterious city.

In this gap, an endless stream of people passed by Li Tao. There were old men on horseback, young men driving carts, beautiful girls like flowers, and children running happily, in groups of three or five, in groups of four or six, and they rushed to Kangju City from all directions.

Li Tao stepped into the city in the scorching sun at noon.

Kangjucheng Street is quite spacious, and the streets are full of shops, basically continuing the old business habits, the shops are old and crowded, but every merchant here is happy. In the shop, there are all kinds of handmade shoes and galoshes rich in Sogdian national characteristics, dazzling silks, homespun cloth spun by dazzling traditional spinning wheels, clay pottery vessels of various colors and patterns, snow-white Persian silver fox skins, mink skins with great food, wooden spoons and wooden bowls with Tuhun Luo, and beautiful Tianzhu shawls......

There are all kinds of goods, and you will be dazzled by the sight. The front store is processed and sold, and the back is lived, which is the most primitive and dynamic style of Kangju City. Every trade and craft has a fixed place for it, and once it is on a scale, the whole street is named after that craft or shop. They sit cross-legged on blankets on the floor, waiting for customers to arrive, and they don't have to shout that soliciting is the prerogative of the vendors who don't have fixed stalls on the streets.

In fact, hawkers are just farmers who set up stalls along the streets to sell small quantities of melons and fruits, eggs, poultry, sheep, handmade products, etc., and sell them loudly. Some of them came with a sheep and a donkey, and some lined up all kinds of food in simple pergolas. Many farmers grow walnuts, apricots, grapes, dates, badam, etc.

In front of Li Tao was a middle-aged Sogdian woman, who walked down the street to spread out her wares: a basket of white Munag grapes, a basket of local peaches, a basket of red pomegranates, and a basket of eggs. She briskly traded with people, jumping between several large baskets.

In the eyes of these vendors, it is enough to have a place where they can put their goods, and they don't care if there is a storefront. They are conventional, and they naturally make up according to the industry category. Those who sell clay pottery will not make up for the clothing stalls, and those who sell flavored snacks will not put on the side of the haberdashery stalls. They use the goods obtained by their labor in the market to exchange for the goods they need, the equivalent exchange, but not necessarily the baht, the transaction shows a kind of arrogance and courage, sometimes to the small belly of the chicken intestines of distant merchants ashamed. (To be continued......)