This kind of place specifically for caravans to stay covers a large area. There is a large yard where cars and horses can be parked. There are rooms on both sides of the yard, one next to the other. There are also many rooms in the inner yard for people to rest, and hot water is also provided.
, hot food, etc., which is also convenient.
Luo Zhang settled the team, made defensive arrangements, washed his face in a hurry, and was about to go out to feel around. One person led a familiar person in. He was suddenly surprised and asked doubtfully: "Are you Xiao Qi?
"
"Xiao Qi has met Commander Luo!" The other party cupped his fists and saluted.
"Hahaha, it's really you. You're not very experienced with the Eight Swordsman. You've been kicked in the butt by me a lot. I remember you, why are you here?" Luo Zhang asked curiously.
The other party smiled awkwardly. Being kicked in the butt was not a good memory. Thinking of business, he quickly explained: "Commander Luo, the young master has an order to kill the Qitun garrison if you have a plan. But you can't let any of them go, lest the news is leaked. If you don't have a chance,
Wait until night when the inside and outside will be together."
"Where is uncle? Is he okay?" Luo Zhang reacted immediately and asked.
"It's only thirty miles away from here. Everything is fine, young master."
"Very good."
Luo Zhang finally let go of his worries and asked: "How many troops are stationed here?"
"Seven Hundred is composed of seven tribes. Each tribe has one hundred people. They are usually responsible for the security of the Seven Tuns. Their combat effectiveness is unknown." The other party said truthfully.
"Allied forces?" Luo Zhang snorted disdainfully, not taking it to heart. Allied forces often mean that each has their own thoughts, and they will be divided at critical moments. He motioned for the other party to follow him and came to the door of a room.
Li Derjian happened to come out of it and saw Luo Zhang and said, "I'm looking for you. You stay and look after the house. I'll take a few people to look around outside to find out some information and see where Brother Qin is."
"No need, this is Xiaoqi, Qin Xiaoqi, a descendant of the Qin family village. We know each other. It's unmistakable. He brought uncle's news and orders." Luo Zhang introduced him, then looked at Xiaoqi: "Please tell me the order later."
Once again.”
Xiao Qi quickly repeated the order.
Li Derjian was also overjoyed and said with a smile: "Finally found it. As long as he is fine, please tell me the specific location."
"Thirty miles to the north."
"Thirty miles is the Jinyan tribe, right?" Li Derjian asked as he was as meticulous as his hair and good at strategy.
"That's right, but it has been captured by our side." Xiao Qi quickly replied.
"Tell me about what happened along the way." Li Derjian was full of curiosity.
"This... I'd better ask the young master." Xiao Qi declined.
"You brat, you have a tight tongue."
Li Derjian didn't expect that the other party would be so tight-lipped, so he couldn't ask further questions. He looked at Luo Zhang and said, "Since brother Qin has received an order, let's carry it out. Seven hundred garrison is not much, but it is difficult not to escape one person. Since Qin
Brother, you can emphasize this point, it must be very important, don’t be careless, tell me your opinion.”
"It's simple. I'll lead people to charge and kill, and you lead people to block and intercept." Luo Zhang said nonchalantly.
"It's not a good idea for us to divide our troops. After all, we are seven hundred people, not seventy. If we really want to escape, it will be difficult." Li Derjian reminded him with a frown, thinking.
"Then what do you think we should do?" Luo Zhang asked.
Li Derjian thought for a while and came up with a plan: "Let's book a table at the best restaurant here, invite the leaders of the seven teams to a banquet, and then catch them all. Without the leaders, others will not run around, and interception will be much easier.
."
"Why did the leaders of the seven armies come here?" Luo Zhang asked rhetorically.
"In the eyes of outsiders, we are a caravan, hosting banquets in the name of procurement. For example, we can say that we want to purchase 50,000 war horses. Too much will easily arouse suspicion, but too little will not arouse their interest. Don't forget that they are from different tribes.
He will definitely work for the benefit of his tribe, and if he wants to win this order, he will definitely come."
Luo Zhang's eyes lit up, he thought for a while and said, "It makes sense, even if there are three or five of them, what should we do specifically?"
"I came out to meet them and discuss procurement matters with them. For safety reasons, they will definitely bring people over. It's hard to say how many people they will bring, but the total strength is only 700. Let's arrange for 100 people to disperse to blockade the west to prevent escape. There are Qin brothers in the north.
Now, to the east is the Tang Dynasty, to the south is the uninhabited Gobi, and to the west is the most likely way to return to your respective tribes. You can lead the remaining people up quietly and kill the followers." Li Derjian suggested.
"Okay, let's do it like this." Luo Zhang felt credible and agreed.
"I'll go and invite the people myself, and I'll leave the rest to you." Li Derjian left in a hurry.
"Be careful and bring more followers." Luo Zhang reminded worriedly.
Li Derjian knew that he was powerful and did not rely on it. He took four followers out of the carriage shop and inquired all the way. They came to the door of a simple earthen house. There was not even a plaque, but it was a garrison office. There were people guarding the waist and hips.
Zhan Dao, with his cold eyes, saw someone coming and stepped forward to intercept them.
I have been dealing with caravans for a long time, and the guards here can speak Tang Chinese: "Is something wrong?"
The garrison is not only responsible for collecting taxes, but is also responsible for maintaining order, ensuring the safety of the caravans and the normal completion of transactions. This kind of border trade market is very important to the Turkic tribes. They can buy salt and other daily necessities. If something goes wrong every day, which caravan will still be able to do it in the future?
Dare to come?
This also resulted in the garrison having a very friendly attitude towards the caravans, at least they did not dare to mess around and bully them at will.
"Look for your leader." Li Derjian said calmly, with cold eyes and no anger. He had been traveling on the trade route for several months and had already developed his business skills.
"What's the matter?" the gate guard asked.
"I need to purchase 50,000 war horses. I will hold a banquet at the best restaurant in Qitun and discuss the purchase details in person. Please let me know." Li Derjian said.
The garrison was also the largest supplier in Qitun Market. Each of the seven families sent 100 people to join forces and act as a check and balance. When the other party heard that they were purchasing 50,000 war horses, they were a big customer and could not afford to offend, so they hurried in to report.
Li Derjian didn't really want to make a purchase, it was just an excuse. The purpose was to show off. Of course, he would not stay and wait stupidly. What if someone came out to meet him and asked to stay for discussion? How to deal with it? Take the person and leave quickly.
Only if you leave will someone take the bait, and if you rush to the restaurant, your plan will have a chance.
I asked someone on the way and came to the best restaurant in Qitun. It was also the only restaurant. It was quite big but there were not many customers. Since the opening of the northern line of the Silk Road, there were fewer and fewer caravans on the southern line. So I came to Qitun.
There are fewer people in the village.
Li Derjian asked for the largest private room and ordered a table of dishes.
The next step is to wait.
Not long after, there was a sound of someone going up the stairs.
Immediately afterwards, several people came to the private room and looked at it carefully.
The fish bit the hook, and Li Derjian smiled, stood up, clasped his fists, and said in a very quaint manner: "Everyone, I am the Lu family of the Tang Dynasty. Lu Jian has been ordered by the patriarch to purchase a war horse. Fifty thousand horses at first, and more will be added later.
, one hand of money, one hand of goods, I wonder who can afford it?"
With just one mouthful, Li Derjian made up a pseudonym for himself, and he was very imposing, like a big family purchasing.
Fifty thousand horses is not a small amount. Li Derjian has carefully weighed it. Even a medium-sized tribe cannot win the order exclusively. It must find two or more companies to join forces to pave the way for the plan.
One person looked at Li Derjian and asked in unskilled Tang dialect: "Why should I trust you?"
Li Derjian smiled and said: "This gentleman is joking. You don't need to believe me. I just said that one hand of money and another hand of goods. Let's get the money and goods on the spot and go our own way."
"It's interesting, let's sit down and chat." The other party smiled with satisfaction and sat down. The other three people also sat down. As for the others, they stood behind and said nothing.
As soon as Li Derjian saw this posture, he knew that four families had arrived, and three more had not arrived. There was a fly in the ointment, but there was nothing he could do about it, so he deliberately asked: "Who are you talking to?"
According to the rules, anyone who wants to take orders can chat with them.
"It's a bit much. How about the four of us joining forces to take it down?" A man with a hooked nose asked back. Tang Yu's words were obviously much better than the previous one.
"Four families?"
Li Derjian pretended to be puzzled.
"You are in charge of the house. Anyway, you give us the money and we give you the horses. Once the money and goods are paid, it's over. When are you going to do the transaction?" the man from before said impatiently.
"The horse must be a young adult. The price is easy to negotiate. You can drive first."
"Adult horses are rare, and the four families may not be able to collect enough. How about trading 10,000 horses tomorrow morning, if there is no problem, 20,000 horses at noon, and another 20,000 horses in the afternoon?" asked the hooked nose.
.
"It's really troublesome, why not finish it in one go?" Li Derjian said pretending to be impatient.
"It's troublesome for the horses to come over. What if they all come here and you don't want to do it? One-to-one transaction, don't worry." Hook-nosed explained, and when he thought of something, he added: "Silver payment, ten guans for each horse. If you use salt, grain
, oil and tea, etc., can be reduced by one hundred pence per horse."
A newly grown horse transported to Chang'an can be sold for dozens or even hundreds of guan, a profit of nearly ten times.
Li Derjian knew this well and said with a smile: "This price is more expensive than the northern grassland, can it be less?"
Bargaining is more like a businessman. In order to stabilize his goal, Li Derjian went all out.
When the other party saw that Li Derjian did not agree immediately, but instead made a counter-offer, they all showed relaxed smiles. He even added with a hooked nose: "A few hundred coins less is fine. We have to see if the money is enough."
"No problem, we are destined to meet each other. Let's eat first and then go see the money after dinner. How about that?" Li Derjian said with a smile, looking very sincere.