This year's grain production reports from various places have come in. Hetao, Youzhou, Taiyuan and other places have achieved bumper harvests.
Handan, Yejun, Taojun, Jixijun and other places in the southernmost part of Zhao State were affected by drought, and the output was only half of last year.
The situation in Zhao State is still good. In Korea, Wei, and the Huaibei region of Chu State, the grain production is only 30 to 40% of the previous level. In some places, there has been drought for several months, with no harvests. Various parts of the Central Plains have suffered from widespread famine.
Governments in various places frequently held sacrifices to the sky to pray for rain. Even the kings of Wei, Han, and Chu also held sacrifices to the sky many times to pray for rain, but it was of no use.
Not only did it not rain, but it became even drier. The riverbeds in many places were cracked, exposing deep ravines. The seeds dried up before they could sprout in the ground, and the wheat that had already sprouted was gradually drying up.
Tall waterwheels were abandoned in the fields. No one would take a second look. The water in the wells became less and less, and finally disappeared completely.
Everyone began to live frugally. Just after the autumn harvest, the government only charged half tax. They could continue to live frugally for a while. They just hoped that when spring came next year, it would rain, and at least there would be wild vegetables to eat and tree bark to chew.
, will not starve to death.
The situation in Qi was slightly better. Although there was a drought, it was not serious, and Qi had a surplus of grain. After listening to Li Si's advice, the King of Qi directly exempted the country from agricultural taxes, which was praised by many Qi people.
"Your Majesty, Supervisor Tiansi reported that they have checked all the climate and hydrology records of the Central Plains in the past hundred years. This drought will most likely continue for a while." Guo Kai leaned over and said.
"It will continue for a while... Our Zhao country has a vast territory, but it can sustain it, but the people of South Korea and Wei will suffer." Zhao Kuo sighed.
"Your Majesty, I don't understand. Although Zhao and Han and Wei are allies, they are not the same country after all. Moreover, the two countries have been enemies of Zhao many times. Isn't it a good thing for Zhao that they suffered disasters?" Guo Kai was puzzled.
asked.
He can understand that Zhao Kuo cares about the people of his own country. After all, he is a benevolent king recognized by all schools of thought, but as the king of Zhao, are you worrying too much about the people of other countries?
.
If the kings of Wei and Han knew about it, they would think you were planning to annex the two countries.
"Both the Han and Wei states are part of the Xia, just like our Zhao state. The Zhao people are the subjects of the widow, and the Han and Wei people are also the subjects of the widow." Zhao Kuo said.
"Your Majesty has a mind that lasts for eternity. People in the world will be very moved when they hear this." Guo Kai said, but he didn't think so in his heart.
"Are there any actions by South Korea and Wei?" Zhao Kuo looked at Liu Ping.
"Your Majesty, the State of Wei is transferring grain from Hedong to Daliang. South Korea has not taken any action. South Korea's Sanchuan County has been less affected by the drought, but Sanchuan has been severely damaged by the war. Ten houses are empty, and a large amount of farmland is deserted. No one is cultivating, and the production is
Food is really limited," Liu Ping said.
"Then let's wait. It's not convenient for us to be too proactive about this matter." Zhao Kuo said, "Send people to pay close attention to the famine in the two countries. If there is a large-scale flight, we will be notified immediately."
"No." Liu Ping said, cupping his fists.
…
On the other side, Yuan Hua and Zhao Mu led the fleet all the way south, through the Strait of Malacca, into the Indian Ocean, and soon arrived at Tamaridi City, the largest port city in the east of the Maurya Dynasty.
Ashande went to the port to greet him in person. After seeing Zhao Mu, he happily stepped forward to shake hands: "After returning home, I have been worried about whether you can reach here from the sea. I didn't expect you to actually accomplish this feat. You Zhao Kingdom
It is indeed stronger than our Mauryan Dynasty in this aspect."
The Mauryan Dynasty also engaged in maritime transport, and even engaged in maritime trade a long time ago, but it was basically trade with the Seleucid Empire, and it was all offshore navigation, and it had never spanned such a distance.
In addition to technical reasons, a very important reason is that except for the Seleucid Empire, there is no nearby country that can be used as a trading partner.
Compared with the previous two countries, the other countries are not at the same level at all. Not only is there a gap in strength, it can be said that compared to the Mauryan Dynasty, other surrounding areas are almost like uncivilized savages.
The Maurya Dynasty has already pursued culture and economy, but these regions are still playing stone-pounding.
What do you trade with the other party?
Just like the Central Plains, navigation technology was developed hundreds of years ago, but no one has ever thought about conducting trade from the sea. Is it because they don't?
Not really.
It's because there are no trade objects. Compared with the Central Plains, the surrounding places are barren lands, and there is nothing that the Central Plains can appreciate.
It was not until the Maritime Silk Road was opened that the Central Plains opened its door to maritime trade.
"Long time no see. But this time I am not the chief envoy. This is the chief envoy of our Zhao Kingdom's caravan. He is the commander-in-chief of our Zhao Kingdom's navy, Yuan Hua. I am just assisting him." Zhao Mu pointed at Yuan Hua.
Said with a smile.
"Your Majesty Yuan Hua, I have admired you for a long time." Ashande said enthusiastically.
He knew Zhao Mu's status in Zhao State, which was equivalent to his status in the Mauryan Dynasty, but he could only serve as deputy envoy, and the chief envoy was the commander-in-chief Yuan Hua.
By the way, what is the position of commander-in-chief? King?
Ashande studied the Zhao language diligently in Zhao for a period of time and was able to communicate normally, but he still didn't understand some terms.
The systems of the Maurya Dynasty and the State of Zhao were different. Although the State of Zhao also had many princes, these princes were essentially ministers of the State of Zhao and could not legislate privately or recruit troops.
Although the Maurya Dynasty was also centralized, it was more similar to the feudal system of the Zhou Dynasty. There were many independent or semi-independent tribes in the territory, and the governors of border provinces were basically served by princes or other clans. Their power was almost the same as that of a monarch, a bit
Similar to the governor of Zhao State, but more powerful than the governor.
Moreover, the governor-general of Zhao State was only appointed for a short period of time and would usually be canceled after five or ten years, while the Mauryan Dynasty was permanent.
This chapter is not over yet, please click on the next page to continue reading! Ashande feels that the position of Commander-in-Chief Yuan Hua is at least equivalent to that of the governor of the border province of the Maurya Dynasty, or even a higher level, otherwise it would be impossible to let Zhao Mu, the king
My younger brother is next in line.
"Don't dare, don't dare, don't call me Your Majesty." Yuan Hua waved his hands quickly, and Ashande was almost frightened into a cold sweat. If this spread to the Zhao Kingdom, and someone with the intention of provoking it again, he would not be able to keep his head.
Ashande looked at Zhao Mu doubtfully.
"Just call him General Yuan." Zhao Mu said with a smile, not caring. He knew that this was caused by the cultural differences between the two sides.
"General Yuan, brother-in-law, please come this way." Ashande said as he walked, "We will rest in Damolidi for one day and head to Huashi City tomorrow."
"It's up to you." Zhao Mu said, "We have brought a large amount of silk and porcelain from China this time. Do you want to take a look first?"
"That's fine." Ashande said impatiently. The climate in the Mauryan Dynasty was hot, and even in winter, it was not too cold. He preferred to wear gauze made of silk.
"Are all these ships made of silk and porcelain?" Ashande pointed to dozens of large ships in the port and said excitedly, how much gold and silver could be exchanged for if they were all sold.
"Half of the boats were loaded with silk and porcelain. In addition, there were some tea, paper, colored glaze, lacquerware, etc. Two boats capsized on the way here, and all the porcelain fell into the sea," Zhao Mu said.
.
"It's a pity." Ashande sighed. He had seen porcelain in Zhao State. It was the most exquisite porcelain he had ever seen in his life. Every piece was a treasure.
"It's nothing. Everyone has been rescued. If the porcelain is lost, it's a loss." Zhao Mu said.
"This time... should we go directly to the official transaction, or... do you trade by yourself? If you go with the official transaction, the price will be relatively lower, but it will save a lot of trouble. If you trade by yourself, you need to pay us the Maurya Dynasty in accordance with the regulations.
You have to pay taxes, but I, the Maurya Dynasty, will provide you with shelter." Ashande said.
"Sixty percent are traded through official transactions, and the remaining 40% are traded by ourselves," Zhao Mu said.
"Can you use coins or goods?" Ashande nodded.
"Grain and cotton are the main ones, followed by gold, silver, copper and iron. Spices and jade are the third ones," Zhao Mu said.
"Grain and cotton... your ships are not enough." Ashande looked at the merchant ships behind Zhao Mu. Even if one of the ships was filled with silk, the grain exchanged could fill all the merchant ships.
"So we also plan to buy some sea-going ships from the Maurya Dynasty." Zhao Mu said.
"There is no problem with this. Although the ships of our Maurya Dynasty are not as good as those of your Zhao country, they are not far behind." Ashande said, patting his chest. As for Zhao's secretly learning techniques, he really didn't go there.
Think about it this way.
He always felt that the Zhao State was more prosperous and powerful than the Mauryan Dynasty, and its ships and navigation technology were superior to the Mauryan Dynasty. There was no need to learn from the Mauryan Dynasty's technology.
"Thank you very much, brother. This is a gift for brother." Zhao Mu clapped his hands, and four soldiers came over carrying two boxes.
Zhao Mu opened the box, revealing a box full of silk and a box full of porcelain. The dazzling luster made Ashande unable to open his eyes.
"Brother-in-law is interested." Ashande held Zhao Mu's hands tightly and pulled Yuan Hua toward the city, "Let's go to the city to drink."
Zhao Mu secretly winked at Bai Ling, and Bai Ling nodded knowingly.
"General, please see if we can unload the goods. Some of the goods we plan to sell in Tammolidi City." Bai Ling led a few people to carry a box of silk and walked to the Maurya General.
He leaned over and bowed, and spoke in fluent Mauryan dialect.
The stubbled general held up a piece of silk, and stroked the silk back and forth with a big hand covered with calluses. It seemed smoother than his concubine's skin. A chrysanthemum-like smile suddenly bloomed on his stiff face, and he waved his big hand.
Hui said: "You guys, please clear the space immediately and unload the goods for them."
"Do you need our help?" General Hu Stubble said kindly, and the soldier next to him almost dropped his jaw. Over the years, he had never seen the general speak to anyone so kindly. Even when Ashande came, he was so kind.
He has a pine bark face.
"Thank you, general. We can do it ourselves." Bai Ling said with a smile, "By the way, haven't you asked the general's name yet?"
"Just call me Depai." General Hu Stubble said.
"I wonder if the general is free. I have something to ask the general," Bai Ling said.
"If you have anything to say, just say it here." It seemed that De Pai still had some persistence and was not immediately bought off by Bai Ling.
"I would like to ask the general, what are the big families doing business in Damolidi or some nearby cities, or what are the big merchants?" Bai Ling asked.
"Well, the two largest families in Tammolidi are the Thain family and the Rom family. Both of them are engaged in business. In addition, there are some middle-class families..." Seeing that Bai Ling was asking about business.
Depai did not hide anything related to it and said what he had to say.
Ashande allowed the Zhao caravan to deal with merchants alone, so there was no need for him to stop it.
Bai Ling silently wrote down the family names reported by Depai. After returning to the inn, he distributed them to the businessmen below and asked them to investigate the main business scope of each family.
Because Ashande had spoken first, and this was not the first time that Zhao's caravan entered the Maurya Dynasty, the Maurya Dynasty did not specially arrange people to keep an eye on every Zhao businessman.
The next day, Yuan Hua and Zhao Mu led most of the merchant ships upstream along the Ganges River and followed Ashande to Huashi City.
Bai Ling and some merchants stayed in Tamaridi City with the remaining goods.
"The Thain family is mainly engaged in farm tools, salt, and war horses... the Roma family is mainly engaged in shipbuilding and iron smelting... This is the family. They should be able to replace some shipwrights and blacksmiths." Bai Ling thought to himself.
Although the shipbuilding technology and iron smelting technology of the Maurya Dynasty are not as good as those of Zhao State, they still have many merits. If Zhao State can absorb the technology of Maurya Dynasty, apply and improve it, and integrate it into Zhao State, Zhao State's shipbuilding and iron smelting technology will be
There will be a new development.
"According to what they said, there were some small countries in the south of the Mauryan Dynasty, called Tamil Kingdom, Chola Kingdom, Aoi Kingdom, and Anuradhapura Kingdom. It seems that the Mauryan Dynasty was not truly unified, and it was similar to our Zhao Kingdom.
But let’s start with technology first, and these countries will let it go first.” Bai Ling thought in his mind.
Those who can stay safe and sound next to the Maurya Dynasty are either powerful countries that can compete with the Maurya Dynasty, or they are small countries with few people and harsh climate conditions that will not pose a threat to the Maurya Dynasty and are completely looked down upon by the Maurya Dynasty.
Obviously, the latter is more likely.
In fact, this is exactly the case. The southern part of the Indian Peninsula has high temperatures all year round, little rainfall in most areas, and harsh climatic conditions. Therefore, it has been well preserved for a long time and has not been invaded by other major countries.
"Here comes someone." Bai Ling shouted to the door.
"Young Master." A servant came in from outside.
"Send these invitations out and don't make any mistakes," Bai Ling said.
If nothing else, these families should have gotten the news about Zhao's fleet, and the name of Zhao's silk has long been resounding to the top of the Maurya Dynasty. Now that he holds the lifeblood of these people, as long as he shows goodwill, he is not afraid that these people will not