While the Zhao Kuo brothers were talking, Ashande had already slipped into the street with his entourage.
It was the first time for him to see such a prosperous city, and everything seemed novel. Silk, paper, lacquerware, colored glaze, which were rarely seen in the Mauryan Dynasty... The streets of Handan were full of shops selling goods, which made Ashan
De is a little dizzying.
"These, these, and these, take them all, pack them up for me, and send them to the Taichang official office of Zhao State." Ashande waved his hand and said very coolly.
The staff on the side quickly translated for the shopkeeper.
The climate of the Mauryan Dynasty was hot and rainy, and the winters were also very warm. They did not need thick cotton clothes. They preferred soft and smooth materials like silk, which were very comfortable to wear.
In addition to their own use, they will also sell it to the more distant West. Whether it is the Seleucid Empire or some further countries, they all like these silks.
If they sell it, they can make double or even more money.
The shopkeeper packed Ashande's bags very calmly and was not surprised. This was not the first time he saw wealthy foreigners. One thing everyone has to do after arriving in Handan is to scan the goods.
No matter what I see, I buy everything, never bargaining about the price, and sometimes I even give a tip.
Handan businessmen are happiest every time they meet such a customer.
In comparison, the goods Ashande scanned were relatively small.
"What is this bottle made of?" Ashander said, pointing to an extremely smooth bottle on the shelf.
"This is porcelain," the shopkeeper said.
"How much?"
"Five thousand dollars!" the shopkeeper said without blinking.
"So expensive!" Ashande said loudly. If it were in the Mauryan Dynasty, he would buy it without hesitation. Such a beautiful bottle is definitely worth the price, but in Zhao State, this price is enough for him to buy a lot of silk.
He is different from Zhao Mu. When Zhao Mu went to the Mauryan Dynasty, he brought a whole caravan with him and was not short of money. Ashande did not understand business, so he did not bring any goods with him when he went to Zhao as an envoy.
Money is also limited, and he is not allowed to buy without scruples.
"Perhaps Zhao Guo can give me a few pieces of porcelain." Ashande thought in his mind that being able to sell it shows that no matter how little it is, it is nothing. With the face of the Maurya Dynasty, it shouldn't be a big deal to ask Zhao Guo to give him a few pieces.
question.
Besides, he also brought gifts to Zhao Guo.
But Ashande was a little reluctant to part with the piece in front of him. Even though the shopkeeper sold it very expensively, he could guarantee that if he took it to the Maurya Dynasty and resold it, he would definitely make several times the profit.
You won't lose anything.
"Porcelain embodies the efforts of countless craftsmen in our Zhao country, and represents the highest craftsmanship in our Zhao country. The price will certainly not be cheap. If you want to buy it, you'd better get it. I am the only shop in the entire Zhao country that sells porcelain.
, no semicolon. It may be bought by others after a while." The shopkeeper said very forcefully.
Almost all of Zhao's high-end products are monopolized by the imperial court, and those who engage in monopoly business are not unyielding.
"Bought it." Ashande gritted his teeth and said.
"I'll pack it up for the guest now." The shopkeeper said with a smile, quickly packed the porcelain, handed it to the servant behind Ashande, and looked at Ashande with a smile on his face, "What else does the guest need?"
Ashande shook his head reluctantly. He had to stay in Handan for a while, so he had to save some money. Even if he wanted to buy something, he could wait until he returned home soon.
"Zhao is really full of wealth." Ashande looked at the shops all over the street and couldn't help but sigh. In the Mauryan Dynasty, he had never experienced such prosperity.
He saw some rural farmers setting up stalls on the roadside, selling small piles of agricultural products. Even nobles had to spend money to buy them.
Although Zhao State cannot achieve equality for everyone, it is completely different from the caste system of the Maurya Dynasty.
Everyone in Zhao State speaks the same words, uses the same writing, and has the same civilization heritage. They even feel that they have a common ancestor.
Such cohesion was what the Maurya Dynasty dreamed of, but could never achieve.
In Zhao State, Ashande did not see any obvious hidden dangers like the Mauryan Dynasty.
"What a unique country." Ashande thought to himself.
He attributed the situation of Zhao State to being blessed by nature. He did not know what efforts the sages of the Central Plains Dynasty had made for all this. Even Zhao State was still working hard.
"I heard that there are other countries in the Central Plains, and Zhao is probably the most powerful one." Ashande asked. If Zhao is not the most powerful, he can no longer imagine what other countries are like.
.
"Of course." the translator said proudly.
"Is there any country with similar strength to Zhao?" Ashande asked.
"The Chu State in the south can compete with our Zhao State. The Qin State used to be more powerful than our Zhao State, but last year it was defeated by our Zhao State and Han, Wei, and Qi. It can no longer compete with our Zhao State." The translator said.
Ashande silently memorized it. There are seven countries in the Central Plains. Zhao is the most powerful. Chu is only slightly weaker than Zhao. Even if the other countries are weaker than Zhao, they will not be too weak. Otherwise, they would have been defeated by Zhao long ago.
The country was annexed.
Among them, the Qin State was previously stronger than the Zhao State, and the Zhao State defeated the Qin State only after uniting with the other three countries.
In the end, Ashande concluded that if the Central Plains countries were unified, their strength would be at least four to five times that of the Mauryan Dynasty!
It has to be said that the information Ashande learned was correct and there was no problem with his reasoning, but the conclusion he reached was far from correct.
Putting aside the factors of Zhao Kuo's cheating, although the countries in the Central Plains were stronger than the Mauryan Dynasty after their unification, it was only because there were no obvious hidden dangers like the Mauryan Dynasty.
In other respects, the two countries are evenly matched.
"What is this place for?" Ashande pointed to a busy restaurant not far away.
"This is the place where we Zhao people eat," the accompanying translator introduced.
"Let's go in and take a look." Ashande said.
This chapter is not finished yet, please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content! The translation is not blocked. The Zhao State has already stipulated that if a foreign envoy lives in a government office, the daily expenses will be borne by the court, but if he eats or buys things outside,
It is no longer under the control of the imperial court, and is all the responsibility of the envoy himself.
This was also to prevent foreign envoys from taking advantage. After all, the Maurya Dynasty was a big country and could not do such a thing, but the same could not be said for those small countries.
Once upon a time, there was an envoy sent by a small country in Yingzhou. After he came to Zhao, he ate and drank here for free, saying that he was unwilling to go back. Finally, Lu Zhonglian ordered him to be thrown into the coal mine to dig coal, and he was unwilling to do so.
Back to Yingzhou.
As evening approached, there were many customers in the restaurant, chatting while eating.
Ashande chose a seat near the window and sat down, listening to everyone's conversation. He was not very familiar with Zhao Guohua and could only understand a small part. If he didn't understand anything, he would ask the translator.
"How many cities like Handan do you have in Zhao State?" Ashande asked.
"Handan is the capital of our Zhao Kingdom, and it is also the largest city in our Zhao Kingdom. There is no city larger than Handan, but there are quite a few cities slightly smaller than Handan in our Zhao Kingdom," the translator said.
"What do they mean by the great scholars just now?" Ashande asked, pointing to several scholars not far away.
"Da Ru is a respectful title given to famous Confucian scholars."
"Confucianism?"
"Confucianism is a school of thought in our country of Zhao. Similar ones include Huang-Lao school, Yang-Zhu school, Mohism, Legalism, military strategists, medical schools, etc." explained the translator.
"With so many schools of thought, won't they conflict with each other?" Ashande asked curiously. In the Mauryan Dynasty, Brahmanism, Buddhism, and Jainism were all at loggerheads. With so many schools of thought in Zhao, wouldn't it be wrong?
More confusion.
"How can there not be conflicts? Various schools of thought argue with each other every day, and sometimes even fight. The older generation competes with each other, the younger generation competes with each other, the younger generation competes with each other, and the apprentice generation competes with each other. This has been going on since hundreds of years ago.
We were fighting together, and we are still fighting. If the envoy is interested, he can go and watch in two days." The translator said nonchalantly. He had gone to see a few shows before, and they were quite interesting at first, but then they became less and less interesting.
No one can convince anyone, and no result can be achieved in the end.
Their only goal now is to obtain a fiefdom and show those people who bark every day what it means to govern a country and what it means to be able to stabilize the country.
However, except for the Mohists, doctors and farmers, no school of thought has yet obtained a fief.
"Can outsiders see it?" Ashande said in surprise.
"Of course, even old farmers can go and see it." The translator said, Zhao State has never restricted identity, only money. Some debates require money to buy tickets.
"You must go and take a look if you have the chance." Ashande said.
Soon, plates of delicious food were served.
Looking at the fragrant dishes, Ashande's appetite suddenly increased.
"Your Zhao country actually has so many delicacies!" Ashande couldn't help but sigh while eating. After eating this meal in Zhao country, he felt that the first half of his life was in vain!
"Our king likes to study delicious food. Many delicacies in Handan come from the palace." The translator said with a smile.
"Your Majesty is studying cooking, don't the ministers advise you?" Ashande asked curiously.
"Why do you want to remonstrate? Isn't it normal for a king to have some hobbies of his own? Our king has not neglected the government." The translator said matter-of-factly.
Ashande thinks the translation makes sense.
The next day, the Maurya Dynasty envoys came to the palace with gifts and waited for the summons of King Zhao.
In the past, when envoys from the Mauryan Dynasty went to other countries, they always met the other monarch whenever they wanted, and with equal etiquette.
It was the first time that he stood outside the palace waiting for the opponent's monarch to summon him.
But Zhao State is completely different from those small countries that the Mauryan Dynasty could destroy with a wave of their hands. In Ashande's view, Zhao State is as powerful as the Mauryan Dynasty, and even surpasses the Mauryan Dynasty in some places.
Standing outside the palace and waiting was the most basic respect for Zhao Guo, and Ashande had no dissatisfaction.
The State of Zhao also knew how powerful the Maurya Dynasty was, so it was fully prepared in terms of etiquette and gave the Maurya Dynasty envoys the warmest welcome.
"Your Highness, the Imperial Guards of the State of Zhao are definitely an epic corps on the same level as our Central Army." The chief of guard looked at the Imperial Guards arrayed on both sides to greet them, and whispered to Ashande.
In the Mauryan Empire, the military spirit army was called the epic army.
"It seems that Zhao's military strength is not as weak as imagined." Ashande thought to himself.
When Ashande walked into the hall, the first thing he saw was Zhao Kuo sitting on the throne. He had a faint smile and deep eyes. He looked very kind, but also a little unpredictable.
This was the first time Ashande met Zhao Kuo, but he had heard all the legends about this Zhao king.
Ashande followed the etiquette given by Tai Chang and walked to the center of the hall to pay homage to Zhao Kuo.
Zhao Kuo smiled and asked them to get up. As the name suggests, Ashande looked very kind and gave people the feeling of being bathed in the spring breeze, but Zhao Kuo did not relax his vigilance at all.
King Asoka's ability to send Ashander as an envoy to Zhao is enough to illustrate Ashander's ability.
Xunzi just told him that Ashande was also a top-notch wise man with talent, but he just didn't know what his talent was.
But there is no simple person among those who have talent.
"The envoy has worked hard all the way to Zhao State." Zhao Kuo motioned to the guards to give the envoy a seat.
The civil and military ministers of Zhao State stood on both sides, carefully looking at Ashande and other envoys.
To be honest, this is the first time they have really seen foreigners from other civilizations. Although many foreigners have come to Zhao before and want to be close to Zhao, they either belong to the Central Plains civilization or are not even civilized.
Not enough, I don’t even have my own words.
The Mauryan Dynasty was the only country that was not inferior to Zhao in all aspects and had its own independent civilization system.
In the past, the people of the Central Plains were proud. They believed that the place where they lived was the center of heaven and earth, and they were naturally superior to others. So they called the south Man, the east Yi, the north Di, and the west Rong.
After the opening of the Silk Road, the Central Plains became aware of the vastness of the world and gradually changed their past concepts. However, even so, it still did not change the pride of the Central Plains people.
Although the world is huge and there are many countries, they are all barbarian countries, ignorant of rituals and music, and weak in strength. Compared with the Central Plains dynasties, they are like fireflies compared to the bright moon, and lakes compared to the ocean.
But the Maurya Dynasty was completely different from those barbarians.
If the people of the Central Plains want to maintain their long-standing pride, there is only one way: defeat the Mauryan Dynasty and prove that they are the most powerful.
Thinking of this, the eyes of the Minister of Civil and Military Affairs gradually became sharp.
Ashande suddenly felt a pressure coming towards him. At least more than ten top wise men were watching him.
"On the right side of the hall are all the powerful people in the extraordinary realm, and the king of Zhao is also a powerful person in the extraordinary realm." The guard chief whispered to Ashande, his whole body tense.
As a general in the extraordinary realm, he felt greater pressure than Ashande, because General Zhao had already locked his aura on him, and if he dared to make any abnormal move, he would be cut into pieces in an instant.
"After I go back, I must report to Brother Wang. If we can avoid going to war with Zhao, we should try our best not to go to war with Zhao." Ashande thought to himself.