"Four gold dinars plus five silver dinars. Is there anyone else offering a higher price? The owner of the weapons shop asked one last time.

The envoy who didn't spend the general was envious in his heart, but he could only endure it and keep silent. These were not the highest-priced goods he could afford, and the more expensive Damascus scimitars were sometimes available in Basra, which cost more than the same weight of silver. Even the aristocracy may not be able to afford it. It wasn't until the Great Song Dynasty mastered the route to Tianzhuyang that a large number of high-quality knives began to enter Basra.

After the auction is finished, the medium knives are starting to appear. This type of tool is characterized by a coarser manufacturing process and a more economical part of the material. The previous high-quality knives used the whole antler as the handle, and the medium ones became the sheep's horn or horn splicing process. In addition, the surface of the knife looks black and swarthy after anti-rust treatment, without the smooth and bright appearance of high-quality knives, and there is no delicate and complex pattern of Damascus steel knives.

But the sharp blade and sturdy blade beneath this inconspicuous exterior are exactly what a man like the Messenger needs. The amount of knives shipped this time was relatively large, and the messenger bought a scimitar at a very satisfactory price, which made him feel that the trip was extremely worthwhile.

At this time, hundreds of miles away, the personnel who entered the smooth route began to chat, "This batch of goods is too fast, and the price is a bit low." ”

"No way. Who would have thought that Kublai Khan would come here from Mongolia so soon. ”

"If only we had a telegraph station from Basra to Hangzhou. We don't have to go back in such a hurry. Less money was made. ”

"Be content. The gap between earning ten times and earning nine times is still in the range. I didn't expect to be able to exchange domestic knives for so many Damascus steel knives. Dedicated to the official family, the official family will be happy. ”

"With so many books in exchange for paper, the official family should be even happier."

Chatting, the ship continued to move forward in the Indian Ocean. The destination was the port of Mumbai, and although it is not known why the official family gave it such a name, the Great Song Dynasty had already taken control of these islands near the Tianzhu Peninsula and established port facilities on these islands. As a result, it has become one of the very important relay ports of the Great Song Dynasty in the Tianzhu Ocean. After loading the port of Mumbai with coal and water, the ships continued south to the port of Sinhala. If you want to get Kublai Khan's message to Hangzhou as soon as possible, you have to rush to the telegraph station in Siam near Tianzhuyang.

When this news reached Zhao Jiaren, an official of the Great Song Dynasty, it was already the New Year's Day of the Great Song Dynasty in 323. At this time, Zhao Guanjia was in Shandong to express condolences to local cadres and troops. The Shandong section of the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal was finally navigable at this time, and the steam car and ship that Zhao Guanjia was riding ran along the canal to the Yellow River. Then he transferred to a horse and arrived in Jinan.

Standing beside Zhao Guan's family was also Queen Qin Yuzhen, who was no longer curious about how her husband traveled thousands of miles at this time, as long as he was willing to endure hardships, he could go 100,000 miles. However, the queen of the Great Song Dynasty did not show fatigue on her face, and in terms of temperament, Qin Yuzhen was not the delicate type. Not to mention seeing everyone's heartfelt welcome to Zhao Guan's family, Qin Yuzhen felt that she couldn't let her husband lose face.

Zhao Jiaren felt very sorry for his wife in his heart, and the inspection was a very physically demanding job, and he shook hands with tens of thousands of people during the trip in less than ten days. The number of simple high-fives is even more incalculable. Those who are fighting for the country just want to be able to get in touch with the high-ranking Song Dynasty officials, and as the Great Song Dynasty officials, they also have the obligation to meet everyone's needs. Zhao Jiaren's own arm felt sore, so there was no need to talk about his wife Qin Yuzhen.

Finally being able to take the time to look at the documents, Zhao Guanjia felt relaxed. The news of Kublai Khan's flight to Baghdad was not a bad thing in Zhao Jiaren's eyes, and the westward relocation of the Mongol ruling center could also reduce the pressure on the Great Song Dynasty. If the north is warned again and again every year, how can those people who go to the Central Plains to open up rest assured. After reading the telegram, Zhao Jiaren shook his arm and massaged his wife's shoulder. Then I heard Qin Yuzhen say: "I originally suspected that you had a woman outside while you were traveling." Now I really think too much. ”

"Huh?" Zhao Jiaren didn't understand what this meant for the first time.

"You, is it only me who has ever been a woman?" Qin Yuzhen continued to ask.

"This ......," Zhao Jiaren didn't know how to answer. He couldn't help but think back to the 21st century, those rich people's parties on the sister paper. In the era of the Great Song Dynasty, he only had one woman, Qin Yuzhen, and that was only because Zhao Jiaren had no confidence in the hygiene situation of his sister paper in this era. Qin Yuzhen is a beauty, born in the upper class. Even so, it took more than half a year for her to fully accept Zhao Jiaren's hygiene habits.

Turning his head and seeing Zhao Jiaren's embarrassed expression, Qin Yuzhen raised her hand and gently stroked Zhao Jiaren's cheek, "Okay, okay." I know you're busy with official business and worrying about state affairs, and you've never thought about that. If you want to take a concubine in the future, you must tell me first, and I will help you see if that woman is worthy of you. Maybe you can find me too, and I see the woman who pities the old slave. ”

"Humph! Hahaha! Zhao Jiaren was amused by his wife's words. Although Zhao Jiaren does not wait to meet literati, the guys who read a lot actually like this kind of expression with relaxed and faint malice. When this kind of malice is expressed by his wife in an elegant way, Zhao Jiaren likes it even more. Not malice, but grace.

Just when Zhao Guan's family suddenly considered whether to have a shot with his wife, there was a knock on the door outside. Zhao Guan's family was very disappointed, and Qin Yuzhen seemed to be a little disappointed. But the two of them still welcomed the next event. This group of people participated in the dumpling-making activity, which was an activity in the army, watching Zhao Guan's skillful operation of the rolling pin, the dough cleverly rotated automatically, rolling out the round dumpling skin, and the people around cheered. Empress Qin was not so skilled at making dumplings, which was also greatly appreciated by everyone.

The water in the cauldron boiled, and the dumplings made by various officials and ordinary people who participated were boiled together, and then fished out with a large fence and divided among each person. The participants were very happy, especially when they learned that next year's general salary increase was 3%, and everyone cheered.

After the condolences were completed in Shandong, I took the sea route when I went back. At this time, the sea route was favorable, and after Qin Yuzhen recovered from seasickness, the boat entered the Yangtze River. Under the guidance of the lighthouse, the ship was not strong at night, and drove directly to Hangzhou. At dawn, Zhao Jiaren arrived at the dock. When they got home, the officials who already knew about Zhao Jiaren's return held a meeting.

Zhao Jiaren sighed: "This time the ship is walking in the canal, I think it is better to move the capital to Jiangning Mansion." ”

"Move the capital?" Sun Qingdeng, the head of the household, showed a shocked expression.

"I'm just thinking about it. I just think that after this steam car and ship comes out, it is not so convenient to go to Hangzhou by water. Zhao Jiaren recounted his thoughts. Although Songjiang Mansion is rich in the world, Zhao Jiaren would rather let this place continue to be a commercial center. Although Hangzhou is a good place, the traffic is not as convenient as Jiangning Mansion (Nanjing). And Zhao Jiaren still has an idea that he can't take out and say it publicly, opposite Jiangning Mansion is Lianghuai Road. Lianghuai Road is also a stubborn area of land reform, and it is relatively difficult to deal with those people in Nanjing.

"Jiang Ning has no royal spirit." Sun Qing couldn't help but say.

"Don't engage in feudal superstition." Liu Meng, the secretary of the Ministry of Rites, persuaded.

"It's not feudal superstition, it's the situation." Sun Qing hurriedly replied, "Jiangning has been in a partial pattern here for generations, and it looks powerful, but if it is a little strong, it can't resist it." ”

Zhao Jiaren didn't want to talk nonsense, he said directly: "I'll talk about this later." I got the news that Kublai Khan had fled to Baghdad, and you should all know about it. ”

"Yes." And all answered the word.

"Since Kublai Khan went to Baghdad, it meant that the Mongol court moved west. We need to step up efforts to recover Yungui, and then then Burma. Zhao Jiaren said as he beckoned to the secretary. Zhao Ruoshui directly pushed the map and came over. For his father's habits, Zhao Ruoshui has begun to understand. Daddy Zhao Jiaren has never been a person who likes to talk about empty words, since he preaches geography, he must have a map.

Sure enough, Zhao Jiaren pointed to the map and said to everyone: "I have seen the collected history, in the Han Dynasty, Rome was still there, and we sold goods to Baghdad and the Mediterranean region through Burma at that time, and Yunnan and Guizhou were our important transportation routes. Although there is now a sea route, the efficiency is much higher than that of the land route. But the ports of Myanmar mean a lot to us. What the current Great Song Dynasty has to do is to string the ports of the entire earth into a system. Our Great Song ships can be unimpeded in ports all over the world. As for the expansion of land, it can be followed by the construction of these ports. There are telegrams between the ports, so that the information can arrive as quickly as possible. We can respond to any situation at any time. ”

If this were to be said in the 21st century, it would have made the audience drowsy. What bullshit telegram, it's all the Internet age of instant messaging. But in the 13th century, such a point of view was vigorously spoken, and the audience was a great Song Dynasty minister, with insight and concept, everyone nodded one after another, and many people's eyes lit up.

"This is a very good idea. But how do we build it? Will it cost too much. Sun Qing showed that the Hubu Shangshu should be conservative.

"To spend money, we have to talk about what money is. What do you all think? Zhao Jiaren asked rhetorically.

"Money is a general equivalent, representing productivity." Liu Meng, the secretary of the Ministry of Rites, learned the economics course very well, and recited a paragraph when he opened his mouth.

"If that's how people think about money, then it's easy to do. If you want to live a good life, self-sufficiency under the private land system is certainly not enough to meet everyone's needs. You can only get more by relying on social transactions. At this time, it is necessary for everyone to be able to devote themselves to the social production system. ”