sweeping the world

Chapter 681 The Persian Means
There are not many soils on the earth that can breed empire-level soil. In the absence of scientific and technological tools in ancient times, there was a fertile plain as a grain-producing area. How big is the plain and how many river systems can be used for irrigation on the plain? Basically, it determines how much heritage the empire bred on this land will have.

Speaking of which, there are really not too many countries that can be called empires in history. Of the many countries that can be called empires, only a few do not occupy vast plains grain-producing areas. For example, Rome conquered Spain, Egypt and North Africa successively. After acquiring the vast grain-producing areas of the plains, Parthia truly rose to become a great empire; Parthia expanded and occupied the grain-producing area of ​​Iraq, and then conquered Syria to gain another grain-producing area, and then expanded eastward and occupied the later generations. The Iranian plains rose to become an empire-level country after possessing these large grain-producing regions.

If Rome and Parthia both conquered some countries and peoples before obtaining grain-producing areas, Asan is a nation that naturally has a vast grain-producing area. However, Asan has been famous for a generation in the Mauryan Dynasty, sitting on a vast grain-producing area. However, Ou did not rise up again, and waited for the Da Yuezhi people to use force to destroy many of Asan's kingdoms and states, and then there was an empire-level Kushan in that land.

The Zhuxia people have never had the same level of grain production areas as Rome, Parthia, and Guishuang. The Zhuxia people inhabit a mountainous geographical location, like the three major plains defined by later generations, that is, the Northeast Plain, the North China Plain, and the North China Plain. Plains and the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River Plain, the Northeast Plain has never been developed at all, and even if the North China Plain and the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River Plain have been developed, they are not at the same level as the grain-producing areas owned by Rome, Parthia and Guishuang above.

Because of the geographical environment, in fact, any dynasty of the Zhuxia civilization seems to be somewhat "congenitally deficient". The food production has always been maintained at a warning line. Plunging the country into turmoil is not at all like those empires with multiple super-large grain-producing areas. Even if there is a natural disaster in a certain area, they can transfer grain from other large grain-producing areas, or use the huge amount of grain originally stored to support them. Get over it.

If you look through the history books, you can find that apart from the Central Plains Dynasty, very few countries will experience a major famine. The demise of those countries is basically attacked by enemy countries (foreign races), unlike the Central Plains Dynasty. The turmoil caused by natural disasters Change of dynasty.

Many dynasties of the Central Plains dynasty were related to the increase in population. They owned those lands that could provide output. A large number of people lost their land in the land annexation. Then the population increased, but the output was still the same. So he was going to be starved to death, how could the country be stable.

At present, there are two developed grain-producing areas in the Han Dynasty. According to the previous administrative division, the North China Plain is the respective parts of Jizhou, Yanzhou, and Qingzhou. Jizhou and Qingzhou occupy the largest area, and Yanzhou has only a very small part; The lower reaches of the plain include parts of Xuzhou, Yangzhou, Jingzhou, Jiangzhou and Yuzhou.

Because of the imminent outbreak of drought, in fact, the North China Plain cannot be expected, but there are some expectations for the plains in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River.

The highly developed Xuzhou and Yangzhou in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River are currently the largest grain-producing areas in Han. Jingzhou is only moderately developed to some extent, and Jiangzhou is in the initial stage of development.

The diplomatic missions from various countries officially set foot on the land of the Han Kingdom in Yangzhou, and what they saw was almost the most prosperous area in the Han Kingdom, not only in terms of commodity trade, but also labor scenes in the farming areas.

Yangzhou's agriculture can be regarded as developed to some extent, which makes countries confused about Han's search for food channels.

"So, your country is willing to sell grain to the Han Dynasty?"

"Of course!"

It has been two days since Yuan Qiao arrived in Jiankang. He did not go to meet the envoys from various countries at the beginning. He needed to first understand the purpose of the envoys from each country.

Most of the countries that sent envoys came here for trade, especially hoping to buy a large amount of silk from Han.

So far, countries are also interested in the silk of the Central Plains Dynasty, such as ceramics and tea, which are exported by the Central Plains Dynasty. In fact, various countries have not yet developed a desire to buy.

In terms of ceramics, from the pre-Qin period to the collapse of the Han Dynasty, and then to the period of the Five Husbands, the porcelain in the Central Plains has not made great progress. The appearance is basically a variety of "pots" and "pots", and the color is absolutely different. What a beautiful thing.In contrast, the Egyptians, Greeks, Serbians, and Asan, in terms of the development of pottery, purely in terms of appearance design and painting, have completely exploded the civilization of the Central Plains at this stage.

In terms of tea, tea is currently used as medicine, not as a leisurely pastime.The so-called tea drinking is a habit of all kinds of rich or aristocratic families. The tea is also ground and boiled, and it is not tea at all.Tea helps to remove greasy, there is no such saying at present, so if you see that the Huns in the Western Han Dynasty strongly needed tea, it is basically false.

The habit of drinking tea became popular in the Central Plains dynasties during the Tang and Song Dynasties, and it was during this period that tea was introduced to the grasslands. If the nomads really had a desire for tea, it would have started with the Turks, not the Xiongnu.

It was not until the Middle Ages that tea became a trade product between the East and the West. It must be said that drinking tea will not remove fat. It is a beautiful illusion rumored.The function of tea is to lower cholesterol and blood pressure. Drinking tea can have a weight loss effect, but it cannot remove greasiness. Drinking tea has a very good effect in maintaining health.

So, let me say it again, the nomads on the grassland may have asked for tea from the Central Plains Dynasty, but it was definitely not a strategic material. If the nomads thought that tea could have a greasy effect, it was definitely a strategic deception by the Central Plains Dynasty. (no bullshit)
The meeting between Ardashir and Yuan Qiao was not a formal diplomatic occasion. The Persian Sassanid hoped to find out what the Han country needed before formally launching diplomacy.

So far, especially when Ardashir saw the vast farmland around Jiankang, he didn't understand why the Han Dynasty was so urgent to obtain food from abroad. However, he thought about it and felt that admitting that the Han army had invaded Asan, or admitting that The Han army regained control of the Western Regions, but it was not convincing, and it could only mention the topic of providing food.

The Sasanian Dynasty has now regained the Middle East once occupied by Rome, and seriously, there is really no shortage of food.The Persians have their own civilization, but if there are any goods that are sought after by all countries, they are blankets and female slaves after calculation, and the rest are really out of hand.

Persian blankets have been a key product of the Persians since the Parthian Empire. They have become popular in surrounding countries and nations, and are also extremely popular among the nations under Roman rule. They are also sought after in countries in the Western Regions. What is pitiful is that The Central Plains dynasty had its own aesthetic style and did not look at Persian blankets.

Female slaves are really the best product of the Persians. Speaking of which, it is because the Sasanian Dynasty once conquered the Kushan Empire. The method of cultivating sex slaves came from Indian religion, which summed up the love of the Persians. The Kama Sutra (which is similar to the Indian Kama Sutra) uses the Kama Sutra to cultivate some female slaves. If the domestic aristocrats do not have sex slaves trained by the Kama Sutra, they cannot be considered real aristocrats at all.And it must be said that the price of a female slave who has been properly trained by the Kama Sutra is extremely expensive.

Yuan Qiao heard Ardashir from the Persian Sasanian royal family say so firmly, and asked tentatively, "Is there a limit?"

Ardashir thought that the Persian Sasanian was so far away from the Han Kingdom, and felt that even if the Han Kingdom purchased grain at all costs, it would not go far. He smiled and said, "Our two nations have a profound and long-standing friendship. . If the Han Empire is willing to reach an agreement with us on some discussions, why should we impose restrictions on such trivial matters?"

Yuan Qiao is not considered the top executive of the Han Dynasty, and has no way to know some real secrets. It is because Shi has his own perceptions as the military marching commander many times, for example, certain supplies of the army can always appear when needed. , but the transport team seldom transports grain and fodder.

Purchasing food abroad is one of Yuan Qiao's responsibilities this time. He only needs to ask the envoys of various countries to buy food. As for the means or methods used to bring the purchased food back to China, it is not something he has to worry about.

"Your country has already traveled to Xindu by sea, and it is absolutely possible to reach Persia by sea. I believe that in the future we will become a very good friendly country for exchanging needs." Ardashir has not yet mentioned the proposal to carve up the world, it is Urgutai .The result was achieved after Bahram’s repeated persuasion.He could test some things with confidence, so he asked: "In terms of the reliability of your country's march, maybe we can also reach some agreements, such as forming a coalition?"

"Xindu?" Yuan Qiao was stunned for a moment before he realized. Every country has its own name for the outside world. The Han people can call him Asan, and the Persians can also call him Xindu.The reason why he was stunned was because Ardashir mentioned forming a coalition: "Ah San is your enemy country?"

"No, our current relationship with Xindu is not good, but we are not a belligerent country." Ardasil raised the teacup on the desk, took a sip, and it tasted slightly bitter, but sweet tea appeared after the aftertaste. After pondering for a while, he said: "We have resumed war with Rome. Xindu and Rome have a very prosperous maritime trade. Your country cut off the maritime trade route between Rome and Xindu, which is very beneficial to us."

In fact, the Han Dynasty knew that the Persian Sassanids were at war with Rome again, but they did not know that their march into Asanyang indirectly helped the Persian Sassanids. Even if they knew it, they would not have any special feelings. The Han Dynasty had its own goals in invading the Gupta Dynasty. , I will not feel that there is any friendship between the two parties just because they indirectly helped Persian Sassanids.

"We can dispatch the fleet and army to attack the Xindu people together with your country." Ardashir put on a sincere expression and said very seriously: "In terms of attacking the Xindu people, we don't take a single inch of land, and the spoils can be discussed."

Yuan Qiao was caught off guard by Alda Hill's proposal.He didn't have the relevant power to establish diplomatic relations with other countries, let alone the power to form military alliances with other countries, so he didn't know how to answer the conversation for a while.

"In addition to reliability, your country has re-entered the Western Regions, and we can cooperate with each other in some aspects." Seeing that Yuan Qiao was just muttering and not speaking, Ardasil subconsciously felt that it was just for Ah San's temptation to Han. Insufficient power: "The Western Region is your country's traditional control area, and our country fully agrees with your country's re-control of the Western Region. Your country may not know some things. For example, the country that has a major influence on the countries in the Western Region is called Hunnit..."

Yuan Qiao really didn't know what Hunnit was, and after hearing that there were Kangju Kingdom and Yueban Kingdom besides Hunnit, and then Wusun and Xigaoche, he knew the next two countries.

"That's right." Ardashir suddenly put on a serious and cautious expression: "Although Hunites and Yuebans are mostly Huns, they have many descendants of Huns."

Yuan Qiao's eyes narrowed immediately, and his action was seen by Ardasil, who probably said "it's true" in his heart.

"There are Huns in Hunite." Ardashir continued with a serious expression: "In the west of what we call the Caspian Sea, there is a huge tribe there. They are the Huns that your ancestors drove westward."

It is talking about the northern Huns who have moved westward to the later Ukraine. In fact, the Persian Sasanian is very happy to see the descendants of the northern Huns running to the Ukraine. What is even more joyful is that the northern Huns continue to drive the Goths westward. The Goths, who were driven away by the Northern Huns, kept causing trouble for the Romans.

[Sure enough, as the legend says, the Han people and the Huns are an eternal enemy...] Ardashir looked serious on the surface, but he was really happy in his heart: [As long as the Huns are mentioned, the Han people will ignore the distance. How far do you want to chase? 】

The Han people and the Huns are naturally blood feuds. In history, there have been incidents where the Han people knew that the Northern Huns had stopped in the west of the Western Regions and would not go far to hunt them down. under the background.

Ardashir also knew that apart from the Northern Huns, the Southern Huns, who had been captive by the Han Dynasty for hundreds of years, another dynasty of the Han people (Western Jin Dynasty) was destroyed by the Southern Huns, which was equal to the old hatred and the new hatred. There is.He felt that the Han people's hatred for the Huns must be deeper than the sea, and it might be enough to use the Huns as bait to attract the Han people to march westward.

Yuan Qiao bowed to Alda Hill, and said solemnly: "Thank you for the messenger!"

It was the first time for Ardasil to accept Yuan Qiao's prudent salute, and he returned the salute according to the Persian etiquette, but he was more cheerful in his heart.

(End of this chapter)