Hanhou

In late autumn, the wind blows from the grassland, and the vegetation is withered and yellow.

The eagle streaked across the sky, chirping loudly.

After an autumn rain, Bian County welcomes caravans from afar.

The pack horse shook its neck and neighed.The copper bell hanging under the camel's neck swayed continuously, like a piece of light music.

Seeing the rising city flag, the team leader shouted in different languages, commanding everyone to speed up and march towards the Han side.The strong barbarians waved their whips, blasting them in the air.

The caravans gathered in Hanbian, intertwined in various forms, and the noise of people and horses formed a lively scene.

The fleet of Dingling people is particularly eye-catching.

The wheels more than two meters high rolled over the dirt road and creaked.

The car was loaded with animal skins, herbs and precious spices, and the leader personally led the team to the Hu Market in the border county for trading, hoping to get enough food and new salt to allow the tribe to survive this year's severe winter.If you are lucky, you can meet a sugar merchant in the market, exchange for a small bag, and sell it back to the Yuezhi and Anxi people, and you can make a lot of money.

The Qiang and Di people rode on horses, driving thousands of cattle and sheep, and came from a distance, like a large cloud flowing over the grassland.

The Xianbei and Wuhuan people lined up in long lines, and most of their goods were strong horses.Most of them are domesticated by tribes, and a few of them are trapped in cages and brought from the wild. They have not been tamed or castrated, and they will definitely sell for a lot of money in Han.

After the other divisions, there is the team of the Xiongnu headquarters.

Before that, the King of the Huns sent envoys to Han to deliver the letter of credence, hoping to continue the marriage.

The emperor of Han rejected the request of the Huns royal court and cut off the road to marriage, but he also released his goodwill and decreed to expand the Hushi in the border county and allow all the ministries of the grassland to come to trade.

Since Emperor Jing's middle age, although the trade in the border counties has expanded, many caravans have also entered the grasslands. Comparing the needs of the headquarters and other departments, it is still a drop in the bucket.

Now Liu Che suddenly let go and allowed all grassland ministries to trade in the Hu market. There was no limit to the amount of market goods. As long as there were enough cattle, sheep, horses, herbs, and animal skins, they could exchange for enough grain and salt.If the tribe is rich, it can also buy silk, sugar and other novelty goods.

Under such conditions, it is impossible for the Huns not to be tempted.

The news was sent back to the royal court, and the four corners of the royal court who were troubled by food earlier, even the scheming Bank of China, who was always vigilant against the Han Dynasty, couldn't help being moved.

Compared with the short-term benefits brought by marriage, long-term trade is more touching.

What's more, the essence of the Xiongnu's request for peace this time is to "deter" the Han Dynasty.Just as Zhao Jia thought, the bluff made the Han Dynasty think that the Huns were as strong as ever, and they would not easily send troops in a short period of time.

But there are pros and cons.

Although the expansion of trade can alleviate many problems in the grassland, it will also bring a lot of time to spy on intelligence.

The Bank of China said that after thinking about it, it finally believed that the advantages of this move outweighed the disadvantages.

After all, spies can be on guard or even arrested, and the winter is approaching, and the problem of food shortage in various ministries is imminent.If it cannot be properly resolved, I am afraid that the previous Xianbei and Ding Ling rebellion will repeat itself.

It was possible to send troops to plunder before, but now that the Han Dynasty is getting stronger, it is purely a dream to want to come and go as you like before.

"Send the letter of credence to the Han Dynasty and agree to this matter."

Shanyu, a military official, became seriously ill and became weak.It's just that it's not the worst. It's not like Queen Dowager Dou who is dying of illness, and has been unknown for several times.Under the treatment of the medical craftsman, his condition has improved slightly, and he is still unable to ride horses and shoot hunting. It is not a big problem to take two or three hours a day to deal with important military and political affairs.

The Xiongnu and the Han Dynasty exchanged letters of credence, and after some bargaining, they finally reached an agreement to expand border trade in Wuyuan County, Yunzhong County, Dingxiang County, and Yanmen County, set up more Hu markets, and allow all grassland ministries to come to trade.

The countries in the Western Regions are well-informed, and upon learning of this matter, they do not want to let go of the opportunity to make money.

Compared with the Han merchants who traveled long distances and the Hu merchants with relatively simple goods, they lived on the trade route connecting the East and the West, and had more opportunities to contact merchants from Yuezhi, Anxi, and even from the Mediterranean.

When it comes to the value of force, all countries in the Western Regions are scum, and they are the scum of scum.Compared with taking advantage of loopholes, most of them are good at seizing the right time to obtain benefits.

Before they set off, they had already set their sights on the target, and now they are going to Hanbian. They don't need to buy anything else, they must have candy!

It should be known that Dayuezhi, Wusun and some Central Asian nobles are all addicted to sweets, and they will not be happy without sugar.You can make several times the profit by changing hands, why not do it.

In the early decades, the Da Yue Clan was also strong.

It's a pity that when encountering Maodun Shanyu who swept across the grassland, he was often pushed to the ground to clean up.Later, he was defeated by the old Shang Shanyu, and the heads of the leaders were all cut off to make wine vessels.

However, a lean camel was bigger than a horse, and against the Xiongnu, the Da Yue clan could only be beaten, but against other opponents, their strength was still not weak, and they often plundered the weak.

The strong are king.

The Xiongnu oppressed the Great Yuezhi, and the Great Yuezhi turned around and plundered the small countries in the Western Regions and Central Asia.

The so-called big fish eat small fish, small fish swallow shrimp.The ecological chain is like this, there is nothing to complain about.

In the process of plundering and relocation, the Da Yuezhi once broke up and destroyed several nomadic tribes and small countries in Central Asia. In its heyday, it even established the Guishuang Empire.

It's a pity that he was born at an untimely time, and all he met were opponents of gods.

In the past, the Xiongnu swept across the grasslands, if you are not honest, you will be beaten.Later, the Han Dynasty was tyrannical and domineering. Under the sun and the moon, they were all concubines. If you dare to disobey, you will be beaten until you obey!

Not to mention the Western Han Dynasty, which swept the map of the Northern Qing Dynasty, Ban Biao of the Eastern Han Dynasty wrote in his memorial to the emperor that "Han upholds the prestige and trust, and leads all nations." In the empire, all kinds of inflated Da Yuezhi flew out and beat them hard.

The Ban family father and son showed with their actions that the so-called "elimination of dissatisfaction" in the Han Dynasty was not just lip service.

After the Battle of Mayi, although the Xiongnu showed signs of decline, they had a profound background, and it would not be a matter of overnight to completely destroy them.In the most extreme example, Rome's war to destroy Parthia lasted for hundreds of years.

Before the Xiongnu stopped completely, including the powerful forces such as Da Yuezhi and Wusun, they still bowed their heads to Longcheng and dared not show any dissatisfaction.If not, he will definitely become the target of killing chickens and monkeys, and die under the butcher knife of the royal court to deter all the ministries.

As the Han Dynasty and the Xiongnu reached a short-term peace, the trade in the border counties continued to expand. In Yunzhong County alone, as many as five city flags were raised every day.

Hushi City has been expanded, and rows of simple wooden houses have been erected, as well as redesigned tents.The city officials dispatched by the county are in charge of entry and exit registration and taxation, and the small officials and soldiers are responsible for patrolling and maintaining order together with the selected tribal warriors.

The surrendered Qiang, Xianbei, and Wuhuan people not only traded in the city, but also acted as spies.In the bustling crowd, search for targets that may be wooed, keep an eye on suspicious objects, and report to the county as soon as possible.

Several Qiang leaders were the most active.

Accustomed to living in the border county, they never want to go back to the grassland.

The warriors who rode to Chang'an with Yunzhong before sent back news that they had all made great achievements in the southern expedition with the army.

Such good news made the whole tribe excited.

The leader set an example and did not dare to be sloppy with the tasks assigned by the county.I only hope that I can make new achievements, so that more warriors can be selected into the Hanqi, and they will go out with the army in the future to gain more military exploits and glory.

Several Yuezhi people in leather robes with left lapels and fur caps stopped in front of the booth, and seemed to be very interested in the Zhe Tang in clay pots.

"This is Zhe Tang."

The old man of the Qiang tribe behind the booth put down the half-eaten steamed cake, scooped up a handful with a wooden spoon, and handed it to the Yuezhi people opposite.

"Try it, it's no less than caramel."

The Yuezhi people were dubious, took the wooden spoon and poured it into his mouth, and he didn't mind his throat, and chewed vigorously.

"How to buy it?" Swallowing the sweet taste in his mouth, the Yuezhi people looked at the sugar bowl again, and their eyes couldn't help but get hot.

"This price." The Qiang gestured five fingers, "One pot of sugar, five cows. Or fifteen sheep."

"Can gold and gemstones be exchanged?"

"Change." The Qiang man nodded and said, "but it has to be priced according to the market."

"can."

The Yue clan didn't bat an eye at the Qiang people's asking price, and they didn't mean to bargain at all.

The price of sugar is high, and if it is shipped back to the various ministries of the Yuezhi, the price can be multiplied several times.This kind of zhe sugar is very rare, and it tastes sweet. Those nobles who have no sugar and no joy will definitely be willing to spend a lot of money.

After setting the transaction quantity and exchanging contracts with each other, the Yuezhi people urged the Qiang people to register with the city officials.

With the influx of Yuezhi and Anxi merchants, the supply of sugar and silk in the Hu market was always in short supply.If you don't settle down early, it's hard to guarantee that it won't change midway.

Due to the extension of the market opening hours, thoughtful businessmen opened restaurants in Hushi one after another. As soon as they opened, the business was extremely hot.The steamed cakes and steamed buns that are made every day will be bought when they come out of the cage. If you wait a little longer, you won’t even see a single bun.

However, there are too many people doing business, and it is inevitable that fish and dragons will be mixed.

During the inspection process, a small official found that unscrupulous businessmen ignored the prohibition and sold marmot meat into cakes and jerky, and ordered them to be arrested immediately.

The businessman tried every means to quibble and deny it in many ways, but it still couldn't change the fact that he knowingly committed a crime and made ignorant money.

In order to strictly enforce the law and discipline, and nip this unhealthy trend in the bud, Zhou decided to try the case himself, arrested all the people involved, whipped them according to the severity of their crimes, and hung them on wooden poles for three consecutive days. , the whole city can be seen clearly.

"Awe-inspiring and disobeying virtue, chasing profit and forgetting righteousness. Ignoring the prohibition, abandoning the fundamentals of a person. After three days, drive him out of the market and escort him to build a fortress."

In the frontier, deterrence is more effective than benevolence.

Zhou Jue Cao's sentence was indeed too heavy, but the criminals need to use heavy laws to clarify the canonical punishment, so that everyone can clearly understand that in the border county, the rules here must be followed.If you want to try the law by yourself, it is best to think clearly in advance whether the consequences can be afforded.

The turmoil in Hushi gradually subsided, and there was an endless stream of caravans.

The business tax has reached a new level, and the counties are short of manpower, and they have begun to transfer young officials from the counties.

When reporting food and taxes, the magistrates of the various counties met in the county town, and one counted the other, all of whom had black circles under their eyes and walked unsteadily.Standing face to face, I can't help but smile wryly, no need to explain, it's all due to burning oil and fire, and working overtime.

When the first winter snow came, a team of horses from the south galloped into the clouds.

When the team arrived at the county town, they were released by the guarding army and went straight to the prefect's mansion without stopping for a moment.

Wei Shang got the report, and couldn't help showing surprise: "What did you say?"

Before the old servant could say anything, the visitor had already walked outside the door.The next moment, Wei Yue, who was still feeling cool, walked into the room, bowed down, and bowed to Wei Shangji.

At the same time, Li Danghu and Cao Shi, who were ordered by the emperor, rushed to Shangjun and Yanmen County respectively.Zhao Jia, Han Yan and Gongsun He led [-] cavalry and infantry from Chang'an to the border county.

Weiyang Palace, Xuan Room, Liu Che stood in front of the hanging map with his hands behind his back, staring at the location of Longcheng on the map, his eyes were bright, and there seemed to be flames burning in the dark eyes.