my wife is mulan

"The above two actions are our country's reply to the joint action proposed by your country. What do you think, Your Excellency the Envoy?"

Seeing that Zhao Junsheng spoke in such detail, Yaztize knew that Zhao Junsheng's decision could no longer be changed. However, if Qianguo really uses these two methods to attack those who hate people, the power is indeed not small, and there is no need to directly Take military action weak!

He bowed to Zhao Junsheng and said: "I also understand your sincerity, and I think it is feasible! But I don't understand why your majesty ordered to increase the customs duties by three times. This will undoubtedly cause us Persian merchants to suffer heavy losses. ah!"

Zhao Junsheng waved his hand: "Your Excellency, are you serious? How can you say that the merchants of your country will suffer heavy losses? No matter how miserable it is, they will not lose money. It can only be said that the merchants of your country will make less money, but yours Merchants still have to make money. Now I have decreed to expel Sogdian merchants and stop them from doing business in our country. As a result, our country suffered heavy losses in commercial taxation. I must find a way to reduce the losses, right? If our country does not raise tariffs to make up for the losses, our country’s Merchants and craftsmen will definitely lose their fortunes!"

Chapter 1094 The Envoy from Constantinople

Qianguo now prohibits Sogdian merchants from entering Qianguo to do business. The export trade to Qianguo has lost a lot, almost half of the export quota, because the Tocharian area is a transit station on the Silk Road, and foreign businessmen who come to Qianguo use millet Special merchants were the most, accounting for almost half of the number, while Persia and Rome were far away from Qianguo, and the number and scale of caravans were not comparable to the Sogdians.

It stands to reason that in order to increase the import quota of Persians and Romans, dry countries should reduce export tariffs, but Zhao Junsheng obviously does not want to do this, and lowering export tariffs may not necessarily increase the purchase scale of Persian and Roman merchants. After all, this Silk Road The distance is too far, and the capacity of the caravan is limited.

Zhao Junsheng issued an order not only to triple the export tariff, but also to triple the import tariff.

Why increase export tariffs, of course, is to make up for the loss of export taxes due to the trade war with the Bodhis, and what is lost here will be earned back from the Persian and Roman merchants, but is it not afraid of Persia? And the Roman merchants don't buy it?A three-fold increase in export tariffs will undoubtedly increase the cost of Persian and Roman merchants a lot. Persian and Roman merchants are not fools and taken advantage of!

However, Zhao Junsheng was really afraid that they would not buy it, because the eastern silk, Sichuan brocade, porcelain, tea, and even paper are all unique businesses in Qianguo. Now the sea route between the east and the west has not been opened, and the land route can only take the silk road. Purchasing these goods from Liu Song must also pass through the territory of Qianguo, not to mention the large-scale export of paper can only be supplied by Qianguo, and Liu Song does not have it at all.

These goods are the most enthusiastically sought after in the Western world, especially silk, Shu brocade, porcelain and tea have become the necessities of the upper class life in the Western world. The official documents of the Roman Empire and the Roman Empire have all used paper in the past 20 years. Without paper, it would be impossible for them to use sheepskin on a large scale.

Even with the tripling of export duties, Persian, Roman, and Tianzhu merchants made money.

It can be said that if Qianguo cut off its trade exports to Persia and the Roman Empire in paper, silk, Shu brocade, porcelain and tea, the entire Central Asia, West Asia and the Roman Empire would fall back more than 20 years economically and culturally. Will go back to before liberation.

At the same time, Zhao Junsheng decreed to raise the import tariffs. The commodities exported from Persia, the Roman Empire, Tocharia and Tianzhu to Qianguo were basically expensive luxury goods during this period, such as jewelry, BMW, rare animals, birds, etc. category, wine, herbs, spices and fine leather goods, as well as raisins, walnuts, carrots, courgettes and pomegranates.

Raising import tariffs can increase trade taxes and reduce the trade deficit with the Western world, appropriately reducing the impact of Western products on the domestic market of dry countries, leaving room for domestic products to survive.

Yaztize is still a little unwilling. He is an envoy of Persia. Of course, he wants to seek the best interests for Persia. Now the dry state unilaterally raises import and export tariffs, which has a great impact on Persia's import and export trade. On the one hand, Persia's The price of goods entering the dry country is too high due to the increase in import tariffs. I am afraid that the sales volume will be greatly affected. In the past, a Persian caravan could go to the dry country three times a year and sell out the goods brought each time. , if the Gan country raises import tariffs now, a Persian caravan may only go once a year, and even if it brings more goods, it may not be sold out. The price is too high, and the people of the Gan country are not being taken advantage of. Commodities are not essential, they can be used or not.

On the other hand, because dry countries have raised export tariffs, Persian merchants have to pay three times more tariffs than before to import goods from dry countries. In order to ensure that these goods can be sold quickly in Persia, merchants cannot increase The price is too much, so the money earned by the merchants is much less.

"Your Majesty, if your country does this, we will lose a lot to Persia!"

Zhao Junsheng said: "Your Excellency, I don't agree with what you said. Since you and I are united to deal with the disgusting people, you can't just let me contribute both money and effort? Could it be that your country can only sit back and enjoy the benefits? What's wrong with you guys?" There should be some blood, or how can this cooperation continue?"

Yaztize did not give up: "Your Majesty, is there no other way? Must we use this method?"

Zhao Junsheng shook his head: "I don't want to, but there is no other way, it can only be this way! But you can rest assured, Your Excellency, after our country imposes all-round economic sanctions on Sogdian merchants, the national strength of the people will definitely be severely damaged. I dare say that they won't be able to last for a year, or even half a year, and their combat power will be greatly reduced, and they will even have internal problems and kill each other. Isn't this what your country would like to see?"

Yaztize thought for a while, then saluted and said, "Okay, just follow His Majesty's will!"

Zhao Junsheng said: "I have issued a decree here, and the various government offices of the imperial court will take action soon. All the Sogdian merchants who have been in our country for no more than two months will be expelled from the country. So when will your country plan?" How about sending troops? Your Excellency, don’t play sloppy with me. If your country deceives me and just wants to use the guise of an alliance to let me fight against the haters alone, but your country deliberately delays time and wants to take advantage of it, don’t blame me. Immediately reconcile with the disgusting people and deal with your country together!"

Yaztize hurriedly saluted and said: "Your Majesty, you are overwhelmed. My Sasanian Dynasty is a dynasty with a long history. We Persians are all honest people. I am here on behalf of His Majesty. I will never make such an order." The despised betrayal of the alliance! Since His Majesty has already started to act, I will set off to return to Persia in two days. The whole journey will take about two months. When I bring the news back to Ctesiphon, my Majesty the King will issue a decree It takes about a month to prepare for the deployment of the army, which means that after three months, our army will attack the Yanda people!"

"Okay, I will give Kuahan an order, and we both agreed to send troops together to attack the Yanda people from the east and the west!"

"As you wish, Your Majesty!"

Not long after Yaztize left, another official from Honglu Temple came to report that the Roman envoy Aritestus had asked to see him.

Zhao Junsheng said after hearing the report: "Let him in!"

Soon, the envoy of the Roman Empire, Alieste, came to the Zichen Palace under the guidance of the eunuch.

"His Majesty the Emperor of the Great Qian Empire, the envoy from Constantinople of the Roman Empire, Alieste, would like to express his sincere respect and greetings to you!"

Zhao Junsheng sat on the throne and raised his hand: "Excuse me, Your Excellency! I heard that the capital of the Roman Empire is in Meteoranu, which is now Milan. How can you say that you are from Constantinople?"

When Alitest heard that the emperor did not understand the history of the Roman Empire, he had no choice but to popularize the historical knowledge of the Roman Empire with Zhao Junsheng.

"Your Majesty, 60 years ago, Emperor Theodosius I handed over the Roman Empire to his two sons before his death. Arcadius, the eldest son, inherited the east and made Constantinople its capital; and his The young Honorius inherited the west and made Meteoranu his capital, so they each proclaimed themselves emperors and formed a team to rule their own jurisdictions, and I am the envoy from Constantinople!"

Zhao Junsheng nodded: "That is to say, you are one empire, two emperors, and two courts?"

"Yes, Your Majesty!"

"It's really strange that an empire can allow two emperors to exist at the same time. This is absolutely impossible in our east! Then, how long has your Excellency been here to work hard?"

"It's been more than three months, Your Majesty!"

Zhao Junsheng said: "I remember that in the first half of last year, there seemed to be a Roman envoy who came to Chang'an. I also met him. Does that person also belong to the court of Constantinople?"

Alitest shook his head and said, "The Roman envoy His Majesty mentioned should be from Lana!"

Zhao Junsheng was surprised and said, "Lana? This is a town under the jurisdiction of the western emperor, right?"

"Yes, Your Majesty, Lana is now the capital of the western part of the empire!"

Zhao Junsheng was puzzled: "Isn't the capital of the west in Meteoranu? Why did it become Rana again? Did something happen in the past 60 years that made the western court of your country move the capital to Rana?"

Alites saluted and said: "Your Majesty is right. In 408 AD, the Visigothic leader Alaric led his barbarian army to invade Italy. The Western Emperor Honorius was so frightened that he hid from Meteoranu. When they arrived in Lana, the Senate of the Roman city handed over 5000 pounds of gold, 30000 pounds of silver and many jewels to make peace; in 409 AD, Alaric once again led an army to invade Italy and besieged the city of Rome. Emperor Honorius Si fled from the city of Rome to Lana. Fortunately, the emperor of the east, Theodosius II, sent a large army to rescue him out of the love of his uncle and nephew, and saved Honorius' life; The leader Alaric invaded Italy for the third time and captured the city of Rome. The greatest, most glorious and most prosperous city in the western world was devastated. Honorius had to set the leader in La na!"

Zhao Junsheng nodded: "I see! I don't know which emperor reigns in Constantinople in your country?"

Aliteste replied: "The current emperor of our country is His Majesty Marchian!"

Zhao Junsheng asked: "Is His Majesty Marchian the son of His Majesty Theodosius II?"

"No, he is the brother-in-law of His Majesty Theodosius II!"

Zhao Junsheng was so surprised that he opened his mouth wide: "Your Excellency, are you kidding me? My brother-in-law is from a foreign surname, no matter how talented and successful he is, he still cannot inherit the throne?"

Chapter 1095 The Earliest Overseas Student

Alitest replied: "Because His Majesty Emperor Theodosius II did not have a male heir, he accidentally fell from his horse and died in Constantinople three years ago, so the courtiers of the empire supported his sister Pulka. Lia is the emperor, and at the same time Pulkeria married the general Markian and made him co-emperor!"

Zhao Junsheng nodded, but thought about it again: "No, I heard that 30 years ago in Constantinople, your country, there was a female regent who swore to be chaste for life. She should be Purkeria, right? Why did she destroy it again? Why did you swear to marry Marchian? Isn’t this a slap in the face? There must be something strange about it, Your Excellency, can you tell me why?”

Alitest was shocked by Zhao Junsheng's sharp political sense. He looked embarrassed and saluted: "Your Majesty the Emperor, this involves some secrets of the court in Constantinople, so I can't say more about it!"

"Tell me, I'm very curious about this! I don't know you here, and I won't send a word of what you said back to Constantinople!" Zhao Junsheng said with a smile.

Alitest had no choice but to say: "Okay, since His Majesty is interested, I will tell you what I know, but it may not be accurate, after all, this involves an old story!"

"His Majesty Emperor Theodosius II has been weak since he was a child. After the death of His Majesty Arcadius, he inherited the throne. Mature, resourceful and decisive, with superb skills, she soon took advantage of her sibling relationship with His Majesty Theodosius II to become the Queen Regent. In order to appease the nobles of the Senate, she swore to be chaste all her life and not let the imperial power fall aside. Awarded the title of Augusta by the Senate!"

"Later, His Majesty Emperor Theodosius II was getting older, and she had to return the power to the emperor, but she was reluctant to give up power, so she married the daughter of a trusted minister, Eudogia, to Theodosius II. She came to control the weak emperor and monitor his every move!"

"Pulkeria's actions angered some ministers. They elected the eunuch Chrysafis to fight against her, but she was too powerful in the court, and the nobles of the Senate supported her. Krysa Fez, the eunuch, couldn't beat her at all. In order to increase his chips and cards, Chrysafis secretly issued an order in the name of the emperor to transfer the generals Aldabrius and Aspar and his sons to lead the army to Beijing. Rius, Aspar and his son are from Alan, they have no roots in the capital, and they are easy to control and win over for Chrysafis, but they are brutal and fierce but wise. Lost in the power struggle, was exiled for many years!"

"In this power struggle, the nobles of the Senate suffered heavy losses, and Chrysafus became more and more powerful. They hated the eunuch Chrysafus to death, and bought Aldabrius with a lot of money. and Aspar and his son, and launched a coup to kill him!"

"But Aldabuus and Aspar and his sons didn't want to be controlled by the Senate, and the emperor was too weak, so after the death of Aldabuus, his son Alpas bought the emperor's attendants, Drugged his horse, causing the emperor to fall off the horse and die while riding. The emperor died, and the empire could not be without an heir. The only direct blood relationship with Emperor Theodosius II is the exiled former queen regent Pulkali Ya, so she was taken back to Constantinople by Alpas as the queen, but she was just a puppet who lost her rights, and was squeezed out of the last remaining value by Alpas!"

"Alpas wanted to marry Pulkeria, so that he could be the co-emperor, but this woman is old and ugly at this time, and he is from Alan, so he is destined to be unable to be the emperor of Rome in a fair manner. , his general Markian was born in Thrace and was a Roman of pure blood, so Alpas forced Markian to divorce his wife, and then married Pulkeria, and Markian became Pulkeria's husband , became the co-emperor of the eastern part of the empire!"