It seems that the drawbacks of economic control are the same in ancient and modern times, and in addition to increasing the burden on the people and making life inconvenient, it has also given birth to a huge black market, which is a hotbed for collusion between officials and businessmen and breeding corruption. However, at the moment, I like it, Wu Yingying thought secretly, and finally said: "Lanzhou is willing to cooperate with your business group to connect the Chinese and Western trade routes, so that people from all over the world can communicate with each other and share the abundance." ”

Kang Ke Khotan saw that he said this profit-making matter as if it was righteous and awe-inspiring, and was slandering him, and suddenly heard Wu Yingying say again: "In your estimation, if it is true that Lanzhou has become a stronghold of tea trade, how much should my Lanzhou army enter in a year?"

Kang Ketian tilted his head and pondered and said: "Tea is only a large quantity, if you count the other goods carried by the caravan and the treasures of the Western Regions on the return trip, the general's annual income should be at least one million or more." This is not counting the income from Lanzhou's homemade white porcelain. ”

"Huh?" Wu Yingying was stunned, he thought about making money, but he didn't think about making such a profit, the profits of the transit trade are so rich, no wonder Hong Kong can develop from a small fishing village to a super metropolis in the Far East in later generations. Whether it is a general or a small soldier, money can always summon courage quickly, Wu Yingying immediately said categorically to Kang Ketian: "We did this deal." "If this tea trade route is opened, it will be a glittering financial road.

Wu Yingying smiled and asked: "Kangjun, if Wu Lanzhou can burn exquisite glass, can it be marketed for me?"

Kang Ketian was stunned for a moment, spread his hands and said: "There is no problem with this, but I'm afraid I won't make much money." ”

Wu Yingying said strangely: "Why?"

Seeing him dig into the roots, Kang Ke Khotan patiently explained: "Glass is a thing that prevails in the western soil, in addition to the Central Plains officials and nobles as a rare thing to enjoy, the people feel that it is not as good as porcelain, so it can only be marketed as a luxury treasure, the glass is fragile, and it is easy to hurt people after breaking, but the big officials buy one or two pieces of glass and most of them are placed to enjoy the play, so the shipment of glass in a year is very small, it is difficult to compare with porcelain, tea, Silk, such a bulk thing, as long as it is affordable, every family needs it, daily use, continuous consumption, large and continuous shipments. The production of this thing is not very popular in the eastern soil, and the western soil is the country of origin, and the transportation and marketing are unprofitable, and it is difficult to make a lot of money. ”

Wu Yingying nodded, he didn't know much about the technical know-how of purifying glass to become transparent glass, since ordinary glass can't make money, then forget it. The scenery of the northern country, thousands of miles of ice, thousands of miles of snow drifting, the vast land is covered in silver, and the majestic capital of the Liao Kingdom stands majestically.

The circumference of the capital city is thirty miles, divided into two cities in the north and south, separated by the city wall in the middle, such a strange arrangement is also simple, the north is called the imperial city, the royal family lives in, the Khitan nobles, and it is also where the imperial court has a division and official office, and it is a graceful and luxurious palace pavilion, and the guard is strict day and night. The south side is called Seoul, inhabited by Han Chinese, bustling with traffic during the day, and brightly lit at night until late at night. The city wall in the middle of the north and south cities, three zhang high and four zhang wide, separates the Khitan and Han people, the powerful and the common people, and the government and the market.

Since the rise of the Khitan people in the founding of the Great Liao, they have absorbed many building techniques of the Han people in the Central Plains, but many old Khitans prefer the unrestrained life in the dome on the grassland, so they have carved out a large vacant land in the north of the imperial city to set up felt tents. Every spring and summer, the green grass is verdant, there are many white tents like white mushrooms, horses, cattle and sheep wander in the meantime, it is really a grassland scenery, but in the middle of winter, the felt tent is not invincible to the severe cold, it is all put away, and it becomes a place for Khitan children to play plows and snowball fights.

Just next to this vacant land, there is a big mansion, here is not as wide as other Khitan high-ranking officials' residences, but slightly cramped, the eaves are upturned, the roof is towering, the carved beams and painted buildings, quite a lot of the former Tang Dynasty relics, it is the family residence of the Han family of the three generations of Shiliao, the Liao lord does not mean that he was born in the Han people, and the mansion of the north city is a unique honor.

In the courtyard of this deep mansion, there was a candle in the study, and if Wu Yingying had come here, he would have recognized the two people who were talking in detail, one was Han Derang, the imperial envoy who had just returned to Shangjing from Shuozhou, and the other was Kang Qu Dagan, the leader of the Sogdian merchants.

"Lord Han, this is your entry in the caravan this year, a total of 1.54 million guan, of which 500,000 guan old Sogdian has been converted into gold and sent to your lord's mansion in Youzhou, and the rest of the money has been used to buy grain in the south, and the fleet has been anchored and transported north, and it will reach Youzhou in about three months. "Kang Qu Dagan is extremely respectful to Han Derang, which is completely different from the eloquent talk in front of Wu Yingying, after all, the Han family's power in the Liao State and the strength among the Han people in the Sixteen Prefectures of Youyun are enough to make Han Derang raise a big business group in a blink of an eye, and it can make you lose all your money in a blink of an eye.

Han Derang listened to his return expressionlessly, holding this jade Ruyi in his hand and gently tapping a few cases, frowning and saying, "This year's harvest is less than last year's, Lao Kang, isn't the road uneven?"

Kang Quda hurriedly said: "Lord Han clearly sees thousands of miles, and the party in Xiazhou is becoming more and more silent, not only controlling the Longyou trade route at the moment, but also sending rangers to the north of the country from time to time to plunder, there are many barbarians in the north and they are embarrassed, the villain's caravan has several times this year, not only all the goods have been robbed, but even the children of the clan, there are many casualties. The Sogdians are not like the Han people who stay in one place and spread their branches and leaves, and the husband and wife are not allowed to get together for a few days in a year, so the heirs are not wide, the clansmen are not numerous, and the loss of hundreds of capable Sogdian children around this year is already an unbearable blow to Kang Qu Dagan, otherwise he would not have sent his eldest son Kang Khotan to find Wu Yingying to discuss the matter of opening up the trade route.

Han Derang nodded slightly, and said in his heart, Xiazhou is far away, there are many tribes, and the land is barren and the people are poor. At present, the Northern Expedition of the Song people is imminent, the Liao Emperor's health is not as good as day by day, and the forces of various departments in the country are ready to move. The matter of cleaning the road had to be put aside for a while. He nodded, and said to Kang Quda with a pleasant face: "Xiazhou thief, let him be rampant for a while, you will be willing to talk about thick coins first, and when I free my hand, I will definitely seek justice for you." ”

Hearing him say this, Kang Quda was slightly disappointed in his heart, and sighed secretly, but he could only make a grateful look and arch his hand: "Old Sogdian thanked Lord Han for this. Before he could speak, the curtain of the door of the study was lifted, and a guard walked in, without looking at Kang Qu Dagan, and handed a prayer note to Han Derang to look at.

Han Derang opened it and saw that there was no ink on the snow-white paper, and the word "Derang" was in the reddened stencil, and a faint fragrance came to his nose, he sighed slightly in his heart, his face was silent, and he said to Kang Quda: "You step back first, I will discuss with you if there is something." When Kang Quda had gone out and walked away, he whispered to the guard, "Go and invite her in, and don't let others see it." The guard answered the door and left, not long after the door curtain opened, a woman wearing a cloak entered, lifted the cloak, only to see that she was wearing a mink fur, neck bead chain, bright eyes and bright teeth, picturesque eyebrows, looking at Han Derang, without saying a word, she was already crying, and her beautiful eyes were slightly red.

Seeing her so pitiful appearance, Han Derang originally thought of all kinds of decisive words, but he didn't know how to say it, but he said: "Come in and warm up, such a precious body is not sympathetic to yourself at all." The words were full of love. When the woman heard this, her color turned happy, and she looked complaining, and suddenly turned into a bright ** person, and said softly: "You still know the word compassion, I asked the slave to pass you on many times, why do you keep worrying about illness." Although it is a strange word, it exudes a tender and sweet feeling.

Han Derang was greatly embarrassed when he heard this, this woman was not someone else, it was Xiao Xuan, who is now the queen of Liao. Liao Emperor Yelu Xianren as his name suggests, is a rare virtuous monarch since the founding of the Khitan people, but has been frail and sickly, Xiao Sui has often reviewed and folded on behalf of Yelu Xian at this time, and the Liao Dynasty faintly has the scene of the two saints of Zhongzong and Wuhou in the former Tang Dynasty.

Xiao Sui made a marriage contract with him since he was a child, but married into the emperor's family. That day, Han Derang's personal guard was recommended by Xiao Xuan to Han Derang, and he had been working by Han Derang's side for five or six years, so he won Han Derang's trust, who expected that he would become elbows and armpits, this person's betrayal almost cost him his life, Han Derang secretly thought to himself after escaping, whether Xiao Yu was eager to break off the relationship with himself in order to protect his reputation and status, and acquiesced in the harm of others. He has been reluctant to see Xiao Sui again, first by cleaning up the Shuozhou Khitan excuse not to return to Beijing for a long time, and then refusing to see him under the pretext of illness, he is a foreign minister, and a Han Chen, under such resistance, Xiao Sui actually had no way to make this shocking move of respecting the queen, serving on a snowy night, and meeting a lover privately.

"Xiao Lanling's dog slave was instructed by my uncle to harm you, I really didn't know in advance, after knowing that you were in danger, do you know that I was restless for a few days, until the slave returned to you safe and sound, I didn't let go of my heart. Xiao Xuan was no different from the daughter of another family who had been wronged at this time, and explained to Han Derang pitifully. Han Derang had always known that she was smart and capable, not inferior to a man, so pretentious, and he didn't know whether it was true or not, he sighed secretly in his heart, and said in a deep voice: "Yan Yan, you are the queen of the Great Liao Kingdom, and you must never mention such words again in the future." With that, he took a step back, moved away from her, and turned away.

Xiao Xuan is such a clever person, seeing his cold face and resolute words, she knew that Han Derang no longer believed in herself, her face turned pale, she bit her lip tightly, and muttered: "Derang, Xiao Xuan has been married to you since he was a child, but he broke his oath to marry someone else, I know that you will never forgive me anymore, and you will no longer believe me." After saying that, he took out a dagger with cold light from his bosom and cut it off the neck of the frost and snow.

Although Han Derang turned his back to her, his heart was like a knife, although he and Xiao Sui were both high-ranking families, they had been matched since childhood, childhood sweethearts, but one was Han and the other was Khitan. He heard that Xiao Sui's words were wrong, and hurriedly turned around, and was shocked when he saw her holding a dagger and cutting it on his carotid artery. When he stepped forward and snatched the dagger down, Xiao Xuan had already cut a bloody mark on his neck.