When Zheng Haizhu stepped into Lin Dan Khan's tent, she felt as if she had stepped into a vessel that was so crowded with colors that it made people dizzy.

Whether it is the thick woolen carpet that is laid or hung, whether it is the screens, tables and chairs, the tall and low wooden cabinets, and even the murals around the dome and tent walls, they are all piled up with heavy colors such as gold, vermilion, blue, green, and purple.

These colors, at the same time, exude a unique luster, as if every inch is coated with animal grease, which stimulates the nasal cavity of guests from afar while having a visual impact.

Fortunately, the accumulated smell was quickly suppressed by the aroma of black tea.

When Zheng Haizhu and Ma Xianglin walked through the wide and colorful carpet to Lin Dan Khan's throne, He Zhuo was guiding the Mongolian maids to strain the boiled black tea juice, which was divided into two types: the original liquid and the mare's milk, and served Lin Dan Khan and Sutai Fujin to drink.

Many of the Mongols who did not go south to accept the customs of the Han Chinese during the Yuan Dynasty still did not accept pure green tea.

After the fine green leaf tea obtained in the mutual market, these Mongolian nobles would order their servants and maids to fumigate and dry the green leaf tea together with the sycamore flowers of the grassland, and then drink it after the second drying.

But black brick tea is very popular with princes and nobles.

The exchange rules prevailing in large and small tribes are that ten pieces of black brick tea can be exchanged for a fat sheep, and one hundred pieces can be exchanged for a camel.

Therefore, the black tea, which has undergone the same fermentation process as the black brick tea, is obviously very useful to the king of the Chahar tribe and his woman.

It can be seen from the face of Lin Dan Khan talking to He Zhuo.

Lin Dan Khan, the self-proclaimed "Supreme of the Northern Desert" alongside the emperor of the Ming Kingdom, was in the prime of his thirties, because he went on the horse to fight soon after ascending the throne, and the unique bravery and yin owl of the Son of Heaven on the battlefield appeared at the same time on the face with thin eyes and hooked nose and high cheekbones.

His Yehe Fujin and Su Tai, who came to the grassland because of a political marriage, looked about twenty years old, with pink lips, delicate and not pale skin, a pair of apricot eyes with thick black eyelashes, and a look of anticipation, which shone brighter than a shining pearl hat curtain.

Zheng Haizhu couldn't help but sigh that in the end, it was a Jurchen beauty mentioned alongside the famous "Dongge" in history, which was true.

However, between Su Tai's eyebrows and eyes, he still exudes an elegant temperament, unlike Nurhachi's big and small Fujin, even if his facial features are beautiful, his attitude is either stupid or vulgar.

He Zhuo said that Sutai Fujin can compose Chinese poems and write long songs in Mongolian, no wonder, there is poetry and calligraphy in his belly.

At this time, Su Tai looked over, only glanced at Ma Xianglin, and then stayed on Zheng Haizhu's face.

The warm smile is more than the sense of coercion of participating in the research.

Lin Dan Khan also put down the tea bowl, while looking at the two Ming people who had already been carefully reported by He Zhuo, and waved his hand to the "Bijachi" and the interpreter who were standing under the seat.

Bijachi was an official in charge of ceremonial literature and history under the Mongol Khan. After the establishment of the Yuan Dynasty, these "cowardly Xue" and their descendants received various official positions, and the official name has a "deficit" after the official name. The person who wrote the holy decree was called "Zarich", the officials of the Ministry of Rites, the Hanlin Temple, or the Honglu Temple were called "Bijachi", and the person who was in charge of the security of the royal capital was called "Khura Hanchi".

Since a large number of Mongolian officials at the time of the founding of the country were directly converted from domestic slaves, they would call themselves "slaves" to the emperor, and Mongolian ministers who were engaged in politics through other channels gradually called themselves "slaves and slaves". The ministers of the Manchurian Ministry and later the Qing Dynasty all claimed to be slaves, and their manners were very humble and they knelt down at every turn, which was very different from the etiquette of the monarchs and ministers of the Central Plains Empire.

Under the instructions of Lin Dan Khan, Bi Jachi, who was similar to the official status of Honglu Temple, stepped forward to take the Ming court document in Zheng Haizhu's hand with the seal of the governor of Xuanda, and after checking it with the interpreter, he knelt in front of Lin Dan Khan's boots with a puff and read it in Mongolian with a grunt.

Lin Dan Khan stopped him without listening to a few words, and ordered the attendants and maids to give Zheng and Ma a seat and serve food.

"This is a pie pancake fried in lamb's meat, you two, taste it."

Su Tai changed his sitting posture, leaned forward a little bit of his upper body, and opened his mouth.

The tone is soft, and although the Chinese dialect has the same accent as He Zhuo, it is particular about the words.

In the food box, in the exquisitely patterned porcelain plate, there are persimmon-sized red meatloafs, steaming, exuding the strong smell of mutton and spices.

Zheng Haizhu and Ma Xianglin thanked the Mongolian Han King, crushed a small piece of the spoon, and tasted it.

Su Tai suddenly flashed a hint of fun in his dignified demeanor, and said gracefully: "After the Great Khan ate the pie cake today, he drank the tea you offered, and then felt better. This tea, eaten with mutton, is really good. ”

With such a conversation, Zheng Haizhu couldn't ask for it, so he hurriedly picked it up and blew it to the black tea merchant.

The technical aspects such as the kneading process, omitting not to mention, only say that it is far more than green leaf tea to help the fertilizer and beast meat, and the requirements for transportation conditions are not so harsh, the most important thing, since the advent of this black tea, overseas merchants have bought a lot from Taiwan, Zhangquan and Haojing in the Ming Kingdom, indicating that it is extremely popular. Even so, the merchants who came by land from the western side of the grassland would certainly be willing to buy them back in the mutual market of Chahanhot.

"The Great Khan, the Fujin, the merchants of your tribe used horses and furs to exchange black tea with the merchants of our Ming Kingdom, and then exchanged black tea with the west for silver and spices, and the silver bought grain and salt, and the spices could be exchanged for more black tea. The Great Khan received a large tax on the silver, so he could have more Chahar warriors. ”

In the whole process of Zheng Haizhu "painting a big cake" for Lin Dan Khan, Su Tai Fujin always personally translated, and some incomprehensible Chinese words would also ask He Zhuo, and after the master and servant discussed a few words, Su Tai told Lin Dan Khan again.

Lin Dan Khan, like most of the superiors, did not have any obvious expression of emotion in listening.

In the end, Lin Danhan nodded lightly at his foreign wife, but instead of looking at Zheng Haizhu, he suddenly said to Ma Xianglin: "General of the Ming Kingdom, when you fought with the Ministry of Construction this time, you used a very powerful firearm?" ”

The four-pounder cannon was exposed in front of the Mongols, so this question, Lin Dan Khan will definitely raise it. Zheng Haizhu was on the road, and he and Ma Xianglin had a total of how to hold Lin Danhan's nose to answer.

"King Khan," Ma Xianglin said with a stiff face as he had when he entered the tent, "firearms, foot soldiers, and knights are all important in defeating the enemy. ”

"The general is right. I heard that the Jianzhou Jurchens in the east also have firearms. ”

Ma Xianglin replied: "We didn't see the little flag owner who played the blue flag this time. ”

Lin Dan Khan sneered: "We don't have iron and stone in Mongolia, but there is one in Jianzhou, and they can always build more and more." Can you, Mingguo, bring us some firearms in addition to the annual reward of silver? ”

Ma Xianglin followed the number of roads agreed upon by the first, and looked at Zheng Haizhu.

When you go out, your identity and authority are not only given by the imperial court, but also by your teammates.

There can only be one person who talks about any project with any opponent, talks about any project, and makes decisions.

Zheng Haizhu leaned over and spoke: "Great Khan, the Jianzhou Jurchen's riding and archery kung fu can't be compared with the warriors of Chahar, but Nurhachi and his wolf cubs really want to learn how to make firearms from my Daming." It's just that the casting and usage of different firearms are very different, and the compatibility of gunpowder is also different, not to mention the huge amount of money. ”

"Ming woman, don't go around in circles, I'm asking you to go back and tell your emperor that we Chahar also want firearms."

Zheng Haizhu met Lin Dan Khan's gaze: "Great Khan, if the trade route from Jizhou to Chahar is opened, and the warriors of your department can fight together with the Ming army from Daning to Daling River to fight against the Jianzhou Jurchens who plundered to the west, instead of receiving the annual reward of silver every year, but no longer robbing the border people of our Ming Kingdom, then our two countries can discuss whether the city of Chahanhot needs a few firearms, in case the Jianzhou Jurchens can't break the defense line in the south, they will go north to Chahanhot to vent their anger." ”

After listening to Su Tai's translation, Lin Dan Khan's face sank.

After Su Tai carefully added, his face was slightly pale, and he seemed to be a little surprised: "You Mingguo, want to rebuild Daning Town?" Garrison there? ”

Zheng Haizhu nodded and pointed at Ma Xianglin: "We have such a powerful general, and we have the cavalry and infantry who can best restrain the Eight Banners Army, why don't we come to guard Daning's hometown?" ”

Lin Dan Khan fiddled with the Buddha beads in his hand and was silent in thought.

His wife Su Tai was right, if the south could be filled with the garrison of the Ming army, Chahar would be able to devote more energy to subduing the surrounding unsubdued tribes, and continue to grow the strength of his headquarters until he went east to suppress Horqin.

Therefore, since the two countries want to use each other, they still have to be polite to the Ming envoys.

Lin Dan Khan leaned on the tiger skin throne, thought for a while, and said in a deep voice: "Then it depends on whether your emperor agrees to rebuild Daning Town, and whether he will allow the opening of a few more mutual markets outside Jizhou Pass." You must know that Xuanda's mutual market was played by Ben Khan back then. Those ministers of your Ming Kingdom are too bad-minded to prevent the mutual market, in fact, for their own families, so that they can sell tea, porcelain, and iron pots more expensive. ”

After King Khan finished speaking, he took the initiative to signal He Zhuo to add black tea to Zheng and Ma.

Zheng Haizhu took out the prepared small cloth bag, put a few tangerine peels in the tea bowl, and handed over a ceramic box containing plums, tangerine peels, osmanthus, roses and other accessories to He Zhuo.

In the eyes of later generations of self-proclaimed senior tea customers, the drinking method of flower tea is not high-end and atmospheric, but in the current diplomacy, it is really high to do what it likes.

"Great Khan and Fujin, you can also try to add some ingredients to our black tea, or add sweet and sour, or have a different fragrance, just like the Wuhua green leaf tea that Mongolian nobles love to drink."

Lin Dan Khan and Su Tai tried, one liked the tangerine peel drinking method, which could suppress the greasy mutton, and the other preferred the strong fragrance of osmanthus that could not be smelled in the northern desert.

When the atmosphere in front of the throne eased, Lin Dan Khan suddenly remembered something, glanced at He Zhuo who was busy, turned to Su Tai and said: "He Zhuo this time, the credit is not small, Ben Khan, I also want to reward He Zhuo." ”

Zheng Haizhu, who was always staring at everyone's facial expressions, although she couldn't understand these Mongolian words, she clearly saw He Zhuo after curtting, and when she turned around and walked to the wind stove to put the teapot, her face had changed.

(End of chapter)