October in Guanzhong is just the beginning of the cold, but for the people north of Yanmen, it is already freezing cold.
After the Han Dynasty pacified Guanzhong, it eliminated the counties and counties established by the puppet Wei Dynasty, restored the old system of the Later Han Dynasty, and rebuilt Pingcheng in the Baishan Mountain area.
A total of 70,000 people including the remnants of Xianbei such as Xie Guini, the northern, central and southern tribes of the five Xiongnu tribes in Bingzhou, as well as criminals and war criminals, came here to divide the grassland, raise cattle and sheep, and dig mountains and mines.
In addition, Wang Ping, the captain of the Hu Xianbei School, led the troops to station at the key pass of the mountain pass to prevent the Hu people from crossing Baishan Mountain and heading south.
When cold air begins to cover the northern grasslands, it means that winter has arrived and white disasters will come at any time.
More and more barbarians began to try to cross the old pass and enter the south through the mountain pass to escape the winter.
At night at the mountain pass, the ground had been covered with frost all night. When the sun came up, the frost began to turn into water vapor, rising slowly and condensing in the valley, forming white mist.
The buzzer made a sharp and piercing sound, flying out of the white mist in the early winter morning and inserting itself into the soil of the mountain pass. The arrow feathers still trembled and left an afterimage.
"Stop anyone who comes!"
Han soldiers carrying swords and bows walked out of the white mist and shouted to the front:
"what for?"
The visitor did not dare to cross Mingdi's side and stood still obediently: "General, general, we are here to exchange things."
"Change something? Change what?"
"Cattle, sheep and horses, exchange for some blankets and food for the winter..."
After hearing what the other party said, the soldiers did not relax their vigilance at all:
"It's winter now. Others have already finished changing. Why are you here now?"
This year, a market was indeed opened in Pingcheng, where the Hu tribes outside the Great Wall could bring their livestock in exchange for wool and grain.
However, due to the initial outbreak of war in Bingzhou and the fact that it had just begun, the news had not yet spread.
The Hu people outside the Great Wall were not sure whether it was true or false, and they did not dare to come easily. The Han people were still very scary, especially the Han people who came from the west across the desert this time.
Even Lord Kebineng's tribe was said to have been slaughtered by them.
It reminds many people of the ancient legends about the Han people on the grassland.
Therefore, before knowing the attitude of the new owner of Bingzhou, everyone is waiting and watching, and no one dares to take risks easily.
Except for a few nearby small tribes who are desperate and have no way to survive this winter, they plan to come here to try their luck.
As for those who come to trade at this time, they are basically not from nearby tribes.
It's going to snow at any moment. If we encounter a white disaster halfway back, not to mention whether we can survive in the ice and snow, whether we can recognize the road is still a question.
Unless they don't plan to return to the grassland and settle down in Pingcheng?
"Return to the general, we came from Danhan Mountain. When we got the news and set off, it was already too late."
When the foreigner was in a hurry, he started to stutter a little when he spoke.
Whenever they have lived on the border for a long time, the Hu tribes will deliberately raise a few people who can speak Chinese. Of course, there are also some people who originally fled to the outside of the Great Wall to avoid the war.
"We didn't know the road, so we drove for a long time and asked many people before we got here."
Danhan Mountain?
The Han soldiers were not from Bingzhou, so they had never heard of this place.
"Since we are here to exchange, who is your leader?"
The Hu translator turned his head and muttered something behind him.
I saw another barbarian stand up, caressing his chest respectfully and saluting here and there, and at the same time said something incomprehensible.
"You two come here."
The leader of the Hu people was a little hesitant after hearing the translator's translation, but when he saw a cold light flashing from the sentry tower behind the Han soldiers.
Then he turned to look behind him, finally sighed and walked over obediently.
After confirming that there was no threat to the two of them, another Han soldier came out from behind.
"Come on, let us check your goods."
The checkpoints set up by the Han army in Pingcheng were much tighter than those in Xieguini, which was once the owner of this place.
The Hu people who came this time seemed to be just a small tribe.
A rough count revealed that there were only two to three hundred livestock, watched over by twenty or thirty barbarians wrapped in rough sheepskin.
Looking at the weapons in the hands of the barbarians, bone bows and arrows may be somewhat lethal.
The others were obviously crude weapons made by hand, probably just for psychological comfort.
"Keep going forward. There is a mountain col ahead, and there will be someone there to help you."
The so-called mountain col is actually a slightly larger flat land in the valley.
A group of about fifty Han troops was stationed there, which was regarded as the first cordon of Pingcheng.
After confirming that the incoming people were not a threat, the Han army allowed them to continue moving forward and at the same time sent messengers to report the news to the rear.
When the barbarians walked out of the mountain pass, their eyes suddenly lit up.
At this time, the sky was bright and the sun was shining brightly. Only the cold wind blowing from behind from time to time made people unable to help but wrap themselves up in the thick sheepskin.
Looking around, there are dots of yurts, smoke from cooking fires and birds, bleating sheep, horses neighing, and shepherd dogs barking.
Everything seemed peaceful and rich.
Compared with the grassland outside the mountains, everything in front of them is simply the ideal place in their dreams.
Farther away, there is a Han Chinese city nestled against a mountain and water, facing the mountain pass.
The Han people's market was located outside the city gate.
This market is actually also a goods distribution center.
In theory, both Hu and Han people can trade here.
Cattle, sheep, horses, salt, wool, and even grain.
The so-called theory means the actual operation, which may have a few variables.
For example, if a caravan from the south of Yanmen Fortress wants to transport goods for trade, it must first obtain a road voucher from the governor's office of Bingzhou and pay the customs duties.
But north of Yanmen Fortress, there is no such rule.
After all, the Han Dynasty had promised that the Han and barbarians would be unified, and the purpose of opening a barbarian market in Pingcheng was to benefit the Hu brothers north of Yanmensai, which was referred to as "Hui Hu".
The Hu brothers have had a hard time over the years, so there are certain preferential policies for the Hu brothers in terms of business development.
In this way, the Hu brothers on the grassland, especially the Hu brothers from Youzhou, came to trade.
Currently, the most powerful, reputable, and honest trader in the Pingcheng Forex Market is none other than Xinghan Hui.
Because Xinghan Hui is the most timely in delivering money, food and goods.
For the Hu tribe, merchants who can allow them to exchange the goods they want on the spot are conscientious merchants.
The person in charge of the conscientious merchants in Pingcheng's market is now Xu You, the grandson of former Situ Xu Jing.
Xu Jing and Xu Ci once took refuge in Jiaozhou together, and later came to Shu together, and they had quite a friendship.
Therefore, after Xu Jing's death, Xu You called Xu Ci's son Xu Xun his brother.
Xu Xun is now the guard of the Jiuyuan Governor's Mansion, while Xu You, like Deng Liang, has not yet entered the official ranks.
"Why is this cow so big?"
The dozen or so big black cows are very conspicuous even among hundreds of livestock.
Xu You stepped forward, opened his palms, and roughly measured the height of the cow's shoulders. It was almost one foot!
"Where did this cow come from?"
With a look of excitement on his face, he couldn't help but look around the big black cow.
He didn't care at all whether it was sheep or horses. After all, Xinghanhui had been ranching for so many years and even produced sheep that specialized in producing fine wool.
Not to mention that a group of Western Region Pegasus were introduced from the Western Region. Although the number was not large, at least he had seen them before.
Not to mention horses, even when the leader of the Xinghan Society was looking for big male donkeys all over the world, he had dealt with a few.
But he had never seen such a tall and big black bull.
It looks very energetic at first glance, and even if the fields are plowed, the cattle will not be tired.
"Dear Sir, we are not selling these cows, they are used to transport things."
The translator quickly did not dare to offend the noble person in front of him, but he had to stand up and explain.
These big black oxen are not only powerful, but also have extremely strong muscles and bones. Whether they are used to pull carts or carry things, they are much easier to use than horses.
Moreover, beef tendon has excellent toughness and is excellent for making bows and arrows.
The most important thing is that these cattle are extremely cold-resistant and can even walk in the snow, which is also the guarantee for them to transport goods back to the tribe.
"Not for sale?"
When Xu You heard this, he glanced at the barbarians who were wrapped in sheepskins and had fine cracks on their faces due to the cold, and then looked at the translator and the leader who looked a little nervous.
He chuckled, but he was not angry:
"It doesn't matter if you don't sell. If you can come here to trade, that means you trust us and you are our friends."
"Come on, friends, tell me, what do you want to change?"
Hearing what the Han man in front of him said, the translator and the leader obviously breathed a sigh of relief, and then looked overjoyed.
The leader could understand Chinese, but he could not speak Chinese well. He quickly gestured at the translator and spoke a few words in gibberish excitedly.
"Dear Sir, winter is coming on the grassland, and our tribe lacks clothing to keep warm in the winter."
"So we want to trade these animals for some clothes."
"This is a simple matter," Xu You waved his hand, then turned his head and ordered, "Bring the wool over here."
Soon someone came over with a piece of wool and put it on the table.
"The best cloth in the world. With it, even if the white disaster comes, it can still keep your people warm as spring."
Xu You patted the wool and said, "You can touch it."
The leader stepped forward and touched it, with a look of surprise on his face, and then ecstasy.
"There are also clothes made of wool. You can try them on."
Xu You said as he took out a thick sweater that was a little dirty and smelled of something fishy, and handed it over.
The leader couldn't believe his ears.
Xu You handed it over and said generously: "It doesn't matter, just try it on. When we do business, we don't just talk about it, but the goods are genuine."
The leader then took it hesitantly.
"This way, just put it in like this."
It's much warmer than being wrapped in sheepskin.
The leader smiled so hard that he almost grinned, and stammered: "It's warm, it's so warm!"
He pointed at the wool and then at the livestock he had brought over: "Sell and exchange!"
Xu You smiled knowingly and pointed to the sweater on the leader's body: "One piece of clothing for ten sheep."
Before the leader could speak, the translator exclaimed: "It's so expensive!"
The leader took off his sweater as if his body was on fire.
"These are clothes woven by the best weavers in the Han Dynasty using the best looms. Even the nobles in the mainland of the Han Dynasty may not be able to afford them."
Xu You seemed to have anticipated the other party's reaction:
"Otherwise, you can also exchange wool for wool. One piece of wool is equivalent to ten sheep."
Obviously, a piece of wool seems to be much more cost-effective than a piece of clothing.
The leader didn't hesitate at all: "Wool material, I want it."
"Where are the horses? Are they for sale too?"
"right."
Compared with the excellent war horses bred by Liangzhou Racecourse, these horses of the barbarians are actually not very good.
But this is not important.
"One horse, twenty horses of wool, I want them all."
In the Han Dynasty, a piece of woolen fabric now costs around 3,000 yuan, which is about the same as fine fine silk.
Twenty horses is 60,000 yuan, which is considered the price of ordinary war horses.
But this is Dahan’s internal price.
As for the export price, even if you don't add a zero at the end, it will at least double.
Who is the big man who represents the most advanced direction of productivity?
Now Hu people can actually enjoy the internal price. This is naturally due to the "benefiting Hu" policy of Pingcheng Forex Market.
This price simply makes Hu people overjoyed and even a little unbelievable.
"Sir, sir, you mean, twenty horses?"
"Yes, twenty horses, equivalent to two hundred sheep."
"Thank you, sir, thank you, sir!"
The translation is almost incoherent.
Even the leader was so excited that he stammered:
"Sir, thank you, thank you, my lord..."
While counting the horses and sheep, Xu You's eyes fell on the big black cow that was grazing silently.
"A big black cow, which also has twenty pieces of wool, has the same price as a horse. Should I sell it?"
"How many?"
"Twenty horses!" Xu You stretched out his hand, "It's equivalent to two hundred sheep."
The leader's eyes widened in disbelief and looked at the translator.
The translator started to stutter a little: "Dear Sir, you mean, you mean, two hundred sheep?"
Xu You nodded: "Yes."
He pointed at the twenty or so big black cows and said, "As long as you are willing to sell these cows to me, your tribe will not only have enough thick clothes this winter, but also have enough food."
The horses brought by the barbarians were not many, only about thirty.
In fact, for the tribes on the grasslands, raising horses does not mean that they can raise as many horses as they want.
They tend to prefer herding sheep and cattle as this is where their food comes from.
The cost of raising horses is much higher than raising sheep and cattle.
After receiving a positive reply from the translator, the leader made an excited noise, knelt down on the spot, and murmured a prayer to God.
It must be the care of the gods that guided him to come here to trade.
After praying, the leader stood up, saluted Xu You respectfully, and tried his best to speak in Chinese:
"Dear Sir, your mind is as vast as the grassland, and your kindness is as generous as the sky!"
Xu You chuckled: "So, are you willing to sell?"
"Yes, yes, we are very willing."
What more than three hundred sheep can be exchanged for is less than 20% of what twenty-three large black cattle can be exchanged for.
Seeing the piles of wool and grain, dozens of Hu people were so excited that they felt at a loss what to do. Sometimes they touched the wool, and sometimes they picked up the grain and put it in their mouths to take a bite.
"How are you going to transport these things back?"
"Please don't worry, sir. We still have some tribesmen waiting on the other side of the mountain. We will ask them to come over and help."
"And they still have some cattle and sheep on hand, and they will all come over to exchange them when the time comes."
This time the big black cow was sold for a big price, so the clan no longer had to sell so many sheep, and even the horses could be kept.
When the warriors of the clan have horses, they don't have to fear the enemies on the grassland.
Xu You didn't pay attention to the little thoughts of these barbarians.
From their perspective, caution is necessary.
"So, you still want to wait here?"
"Yes, sir, I hope you can let us stay here for two days, and we can use fifty sheep as reward."
Xu You laughed:
"Friends, don't worry, I can set aside a warehouse to store these things for you, and you can stay in there these two days."
"In this case, you don't have to be blown by the cold wind at night."
"Thank you, sir."
"You're welcome. You've been busy for so long. Are you hungry? Come here and bring some hot soup and food to these guests coming from afar."
The hot soup is boiled bone soup, and the food is pancakes mixed with pickles and some minced meat.
How have all the barbarians ever tasted such delicious food?
In addition, I had been hungry, cold and tired for a long time, so eating felt like the reincarnation of a hungry ghost.
Xu You asked someone to bring another jar of wine and poured a bowl for the translator and the leader:
"Come, friend, please try the good wine we have here."
After drinking a bowl of strong wine, the two of them felt that their whole bodies became warm at first, then they started to feel hot, even sweating, and finally their whole bodies felt a little dizzy.
This comfortable feeling cannot be expressed in words.
"This is called fire in the snow, and it's a good thing to keep out the cold in winter." Xu You said with a smile, "Even in the snow, just one sip will warm your whole body like a fire."