Chapter 5: Deer Hunting (7 I)

With three points of regret and seven points of joy, another round of the market kicked off in the madrigal.

As Li Xu expected in advance, the price of Shu brocade fell all the way. The abundant supply of goods and the warm summer weather shattered the hopes of the merchants to make a big profit, and no one had a chance to repeat the myth of making a fortune created by Li Xu and Xu Dayan last year. On the contrary, on the first day of the set, the once popular Shu brocade was basically unattended.

The merchants did not have much capital, and a loss-making transaction was enough to cut off their hope of continuing to walk. At the critical moment, the newly opened 'Arima Warehouse' of the Su Si Department solved their urgent need. In the words of Wang Kewang, the owner of the inn, who was so kind that he was stupid, promised to buy the unsalable "rags" in the hands of the merchants at double the price of the Central Plains after the gathering, and pointed out a clear way for the merchants to buy jade and jewelry in the hands of several joint ventures.

"The price of jade and gemstones here is low, if you buy it together and sell it to the big cities of the Central Plains, the profit may be more than ten times!" Li Xu looked at the vendors with angry and desperate faces and suggested in a low voice.

"Really? You kid promise you didn't fool us? A few vendors who felt that they had lost their money rushed forward and asked, stiffening their necks. The length of the same weight of Shu brocade is less than one-fifth of the silk satin, with the hope of making a fortune thousands of miles away, but in the end only double the profit, this result is really unacceptable.

The unscrupulous rabbit cub who took advantage of the fire to rob picked up enough cheap and sold it well, who knows if he is 'again' setting a trap for everyone.

"Chang Xiaoer, take your claws away! I don't know what to do, do you talk to adults like this? Third Uncle Zhang strode in front of Li Xu and shouted angrily at the vendors. In his opinion, no matter whether Li Xu's suggestion is correct or not, he can subscribe all the backlog of Shu brocade in the hands of the traders at a high price, and he has already recited the love of incense. If someone comes to this point and still steps on their noses and faces, once the warriors of the Su Si Department start a fire to maintain the dignity of the silver wolf guards, no one will have the face to plead for these greedy guys in front of Li Xu.

"Really, I just traded with them the other day. The Flame Clan coalition has just annexed the Suotou Xi Tribe, and there are a lot of loot to deal with! Li Xu walked out from behind Uncle Zhang and explained to everyone in a friendly manner.

It's summer, and no one is willing to slaughter animals on a large scale. So, of course, the shepherds could not provide enough fur dealers. But just finished the looting of the Suotou Xi tribe, and the warriors of the Xia tribe have a slight collection in their hands. Especially brave generals like Ah Silan and Hou Quli, who had a reputation among the tribes, whether they were looted in battle or returned at the post-war spoils distribution conference, the blood-stained pearl jade in their hands was enough to buy half of the caravan according to the price of the Central Plains. But in the eyes of the people, those things could neither be exchanged for food nor weapons, and the price of being able to sell them for a hundred and ten sheep was unexpected.

"Small, small can be nothing, please, please Li, Master Li forgive me!" The vendor, known as Chang Xiaoer, sang a fat promise and apologized in a low voice. After that, he took another half step forward, stared at Li Xu's eyes and asked, "What did they exchange, whether it was silk, tea, or medicinal herbs, and what price?" Who to talk to? ”

"All but copper coins and silver. The price depends on the fineness and age of the gems and jade, and you can discuss the specific transaction privately! But don't keep the price too low, otherwise the next time you come back, the business will not be good. Li Xu smiled and replied with great certainty.

Uncle Zhang's worries were unnecessary, he didn't care about the unreasonableness of the vendors. His father is one of them, and in the merchant's body, Li Xu can see his father's shadow. In Li Xu's eyes, the mood of these vendors is completely understandable. After all, a loss in business means that the whole family has to endure a difficult half a year. Under the persecution of a hard life, you can't expect everyone to maintain a humble and gentlemanly demeanor.

As soon as his words fell, the entire caravan exploded. "Really, it's such a cheap thing?" "Really, Xuzi, didn't you fool us?" People were asking questions. Uncle Zhang was so angry that he slapped the table repeatedly, but he couldn't suppress everyone's voices.

"You can try it for yourselves. If you can't make a deal for a while, you can put the goods in my warehouse and sell them on consignment. I have some jade in my hand, and I can bring it to everyone tomorrow! Li Xu pressed his hand down and promised loudly.

"Thanks to you, Master Li!" People shouted excitedly. A moment ago, everyone secretly scolded the unconscionable little rabbit cub in their stomachs for bullying people and buying the Shu brocade in their hands at a low price. Now they immediately praised the "little rabbit cub" as a bodhisattva, and asked Li Xu to be one of them, and every time a deal is negotiated, they will willingly let the honorable Lord Li take a commission of 10%.

Li Xu shook his head, smiled and pulled out Duer from behind and recommended it to everyone. Dürr, who had only one arm left, knew the value of the gemstone far more than he did, and let him act as an intermediary, and neither the buyer nor the seller would suffer too much.

Over the next few days, Dur became the busiest man in the tribe. Every day from early in the morning, his mouth has not been closed. It is necessary to evaluate the possible value of the gems for the warriors of the Fei tribe, and to convert the asking price of the Yan people from the number of heads of cattle and sheep to tribal necessities such as tea and medicinal herbs. Also understand the needs of buyers and sellers, and try to get what everyone wants.

A treasure in the eyes of the tribal warriors, the traders may not need it. The samurai may not be able to understand the needs of the merchants. Especially on the last day of trading, the shepherds who came to sell their horses with hope were all red with anger. What made them feel insulted was that these Central Plains traders would rather buy bad horses that could not run than horses to mount.

"I, this horse can let your horse run all morning! For the same price, I'll give you this horse chasing the wind! A shepherd shouted angrily to the vendor. The strange behavior of the other party puzzled the warriors of the Xia tribe, and they were not used to taking advantage of others in the transaction, so they would rather sell the good horses under their crotches at a discount, rather than use inferior horses to deceive the merchants and insult their dignity.

"I, I don't dare to ride a good horse!" The vendor wiped the sweat from his forehead and explained with difficulty. If you don't take advantage of it, you are a bastard, who doesn't know that a horse is worth more than a bad horse. The question is, can the purchase of the horse go back to his own hands in the end?

"Won't you give him two inferior horses? Although the horse is slow, it can be used to pull carts, eat meat, and skin ......" Durr wrenched his fingers, listing the advantages of a bad horse one by one. At the end, he pointed his finger at Li Xu and said loudly: "Didn't the adults who attached to leave last year buy bad horses, it can be seen that bad horses are more useful than good horses in the Central Plains!" ”

"yes, yes!" The vendors sweated in agreement. Although they have been oppressed by the government, in front of outsiders, they still hope to maintain a little of the face of the Great Sui and not tell the old men about their tricks and robberies. After all, everyone is from the Central Plains.......

A warrior from the Shedding Department came up and shoved a piece of mutton fat jade the size of the child's arm into Dür's hand. Then, attached to his ear, he whispered and pleaded: "My piece of jade, I want to exchange it for one stone, no, one stone and a half tea!" If only I could get ,......."

"One stone, half a tea, half a silk, the thin, soft kind!" Dur raised the price on the spot and preached to the vendors in Turkic by analogy. has been dating Li Xu and Xu Dayan for more than half a year, and he has already understood the difference between Suzhou silk, Zhejiang silk and Lu silk. So try to protect the interests of your own people while making a deal.

A few Central Plains traders checked it and gathered the tea and silk needed by the warriors of the Shetuo Division. Chang Xiaoer took the mutton fat jade from Duer's hand and carefully put it into his arms. Then he took out a large tea brick from his own goods and put it in the leather pocket beside Durr as a thank-you gift.

The warrior of the Shetobu looked at the extra half of the silk and happily struck Dur with a stumble. "Brother Dürr, thank you for helping me. Tomorrow I will send you a ewe, just after giving birth to a cub, just milking and drinking! ”

"Well said, well said!" Durr replied with a smile. With difficulty, he used his knife to draw a horizontal line on the sheepskin around him, and then carved the mark of the shedding part.

It wasn't until the bonfire at the dinner party was lit that he finished the last deal with a dumb voice. There were more than a dozen leather bags around him, full of commissions paid by the merchants. The parchment in his hand was covered with a knife and filled with horizontal bars, each representing the promise of gratitude from the herdsmen who sold the precious stones.

Papa Gabler changed his stingy style and followed behind Dürr, inviting merchants and shepherds to drink in his felt bag. Dür's wife's eyes shone again, and her eyes were full of adoration when she looked at her husband.

The beating fire was surrounded by warriors from a dozen nearby tribes, such as Sheto, Hosana, and Bichi. For Susibu, the significance of the bazaar once again goes beyond the goods themselves. Almost all the patriarchs of the neighboring tribes came, and even some small tribes in the nomadic land near the old nest of the Zhishu Bakhan on the banks of the Taichu River secretly sent envoys to "trade".

With the spread of the news of the victory in the war against Suotou Xibu, the alliance of Susi, Shetuo, Hosana, Bizhi and other Xiabu near Crescent Lake has become a foregone conclusion. The fact that he has not taken any action so far only shows that the swan is old. The old swan's head could not bear the weight of the crown, and it was only natural that the new swan would fly in front of the array.

As long as the Su Si tribe maintains an undefeated record, and can let the grassland tribes share the blessings of the immortal heaven like these few bazaars. The children and grandchildren of the white swan are willing to follow in the wings of the new lead goose.

"Guests from afar, the camp of the Su Si Department will always be open for you!" The patriarch of Xi'er came over with a bowl of wine and held it to Uncle Zhang with both hands. The farewell banquet has begun, and as the host, he must show his sincerity to the guests.

He was the one who gained the most out of those two opportunities.

The climate on the steppe is harsh, with winters lasting more than five months. As a result, the roads are cut off for a small part of the year, and no foreign goods are brought in. Tea, salt, silk, and medicinal herbs from the Central Plains are essential for the herdsmen, so a market that can guarantee long-term supply will inevitably become the center of the surrounding tribes.

"Thank you, thank you, Patriarch!" Uncle Zhang, who was in charge of the caravan for the first time, couldn't adapt to his identity, stood up, took two steps back, and said gratefully.

"Distinguished guest, it is you and the arrival of the detachment that have made the white swan spread its wings again!" Elder Su Si Eto then stood up and toasted Third Uncle Zhang.

He brought not only goods, but more importantly, this sudden launch of the gem and jade trade made the warriors further understand that their blood was not in vain. A small piece of jade can be exchanged for enough tea bricks for a family to drink for three years. And among those weak tribes, some of them are jewels and jade for the samurai of the Zhufei alliance to fetch.

"Yes, Patriarch Xi'er, I really envy the Immortal Heaven for giving attachment to your tribe!" The Minister of Must-Know Elder Nami said sourly.

As the owner of 'Youjian Warehouse', Li Xu has never thought about the meaning of a warehouse. As the leader of a small caravan, Third Uncle Zhang was flattered by the respect of the elders. But for the old swans on the grassland such as Su Si Xier, Su Si Etuo, and Bi Zhi Na Mi Ye, Li Xu, Zhang San and others are well-deserved nobles in Su Si Ministry.

For the rapidly expanding Susibu, a well-stocked warehouse is the starting point for the tribe to move towards the city, and once the other surrounding tribes become dependent on the supply of goods from the Susi, the Susibu will also be under the command of the other tribes.

"It's all the credit of the adult, this child is righteous and discerning!" Zhang San's dry face also brought a sincere smile. This was the first time he had led an entire caravan as the leader, and if he couldn't satisfy most people, he would not be able to gain a foothold on the road from Yuyang to Saiwai in the future.

He doesn't have Sun Jiu's courage and strength, and the only thing that is better than Sun Jiu may be luck. With the blessing of the God of Wealth, it is difficult for everyone to get rich.

"Yes, Lord Detachment is a blessed star given by the Immortal Heaven to the Su Si Division! Patriarch Sir, I envy you for having so many daughters! She laughed and drank the wine from her bowl. Several young warriors from his tribe were friendly with the Annex, and this man was about to become Suciel's son-in-law. With his current prestige and higher and higher sword skills, it will not be difficult to carve out a sky of his own on the grassland in the future.

The future belongs to the new swans, and the older generation of swans will inevitably move slowly from the head to the end.

"Attachment is the lucky star of the Su Si Division!" Su Sili smiled and raised his glass to each other. Ever since Possession and the Silver Wolf appeared in the Susibu Division, this boy from an alien race has overshadowed everyone's light. When people mention detachment, they almost forget that his patriarch's brother has the same name.

Sue's detached gaze swept over the fire to another nearby campfire. Su Si Asilan, Shetogosana, and Hou Quli, the heroes of the younger generation of several different clans are looking at a scimitar with the biography. The majestic silver wolf Ganluo squatted beside the fire, his brown fur reflected like water and moonlight.

The scimitar was a foot longer and two inches wider than the scimitar commonly used by the steppe warriors. It doesn't have the same curvature as an ordinary scimitar, but it just closes an arc very casually, just like Aunt Qing's dancing posture.

You could say that he was the horizontal knife of the Central Plains, but it was wider and stronger than the horizontal knife. It can be said that it is a scimitar, but it is longer than a scimitar and is also more conducive to slashing. Or neither, it has all the advantages of a transverse knife and a scimitar, and it is in a class of its own.

Su Si Ah Lan was beside the fire, and easily pulled out the coppersmith's proud work. A watery sword light came out of its sheath, eclipsing the fires large and small.

A few feet away, Su Sili still felt the compelling light on the blade. In an instant, the biting chill went straight to the bottom of his heart.

Note 1: Horizontal knife, that is, the Tang knife in the mouth of later generations. Originated from the Sui, the body is straight, and the horse is common in foot combat. It is the originator of today's cavalry sabers.