Hongcheng finally arrived at Qianni City, the capital of the Shanshan Kingdom. Shanshan's real name should be Loulan. This name actually surprised Su Ren more than Shanshan, because in later generations, the disappearance of the ancient Loulan Kingdom has always been a mystery.
, some said it was because the Kongque River in the country changed its course and lost its water source, so the city naturally ceased to exist. Others said it was because the yellow sand rolled up by a big storm buried Loulan. In short, Loulan in later generations has disappeared.
The Shanshan Kingdom in front of us is still there.
Hong Cheng was not a good businessman. He sold all the things he brought from Chang'an to the Qiang people, and obtained a lot of leather and herbs from the Qiang people. He forgot one thing. The Qiang people had been fighting with them before he met them.
People from the Western Regions do business, so the streets of Qianni City are full of leather shops and herbal medicine shops. Not only are the products better than the ones he got, but the prices are cheaper, so this time Hong Cheng probably lost even his pants.
There is not much left.
But Hong Cheng has already set up a stall in the largest market in the city and spends fifty yuan every day as tax to stick to his business. Hong Cheng doesn't know how to do business. Compared with those from the Western Regions, not only does the quality of his goods differ, but the prices
He was tall, not to mention the beautiful Hu Ji, who was swaying her body and helping to sell. For three days, not a single piece of leather goods was sold.
The kind-hearted shopkeeper Sun gave Hong Cheng an idea and asked him to lower the price of leather. Although he wouldn't make much money, at least he would be able to make a little less. Then he could use the money to buy some things from the Western Regions and transport them back to Chang'an. Maybe he could still make some money.
received the money. However, Hong Cheng did not agree and continued to go his own way and continued to insist on his own way of doing business. Shopkeeper Sun had no choice but to shake his head and ignore it.
Shopkeeper Sun is engaged in the silk and satin business. The silk shipped from Shu County is in short supply in the Western Regions. It took him two days to completely process it. The money earned was enough for him to earn in the past year, so Shopkeeper Sun came here when he was free.
Go to Hongcheng's stall to help.
"Old Hong, it's been six days. If you can't handle these things, they will be thrown into your hands. Otherwise, try the method I told you, or you will lose everything!"
Hong Cheng smiled slightly: "Why are you in a hurry? Guests might come to your door soon."
Hong Cheng's guess was surprisingly accurate. In the afternoon, two people from the Western Regions came. Why do you say that? Because you can tell them apart from their appearance and clothes. The costumes of the Western Regions people are very strange. Some people shave their heads, and some people shave their heads.
But he only wears trousers. Moreover, the color of his hair and eyes are the same as those of gemstones, with all kinds of colors.
Two people from the Western Regions grabbed the leather from Hongcheng's stall, looked at it, and rubbed it. Shopkeeper Sun stepped forward quickly: "You two, this is the best leather product. To be honest, you can't find such good leather in the whole city.
s things."
The tall Western Region man glanced at Shopkeeper Sun, sneered, and said in broken Chinese: "Han people are the best at lying. Can such leather be considered good leather? It has no use except for making boots."
Shopkeeper Sun still had a professional smile on his face: "It's not bad to make boots. Take a look at this one. But the boots made from high-quality cowhide are durable and won't break down in a year."
"How to sell it?"
"One piece is fifty cents, which is one silver coin. How many pieces do you need?"
"Skin like this costs one silver coin. The one next door sells three skins for two silver coins, and their leather is better than yours. Do you Han people know how to do business?"
Shopkeeper Sun smiled and said, "If you two want a lot, the price can be easily negotiated. Come on, come in and talk to our shopkeeper slowly. I'll go ahead and get some food and wine for you two."
Shopkeeper Sun pulled the two Westerners behind the stall. Hong Cheng was still sitting there, holding a teapot in one hand while watching Shopkeeper Sun work. The Westerner looked at Hong Cheng and said, "You are the shopkeeper here.
?You have the final say?"
Hong Cheng nodded. The Westerner continued: "Your leather is not good and the price is too expensive. If you can make it cheaper, we want these goods!"
As soon as Shopkeeper Sun heard that there was a door open, he immediately put on a smile and said, "Take a seat, you two, and I will book a banquet for you two right away!"
Seeing shopkeeper Sun working back and forth, he went to prepare a banquet. Hong Cheng sighed and looked at the two people from the Western Regions in front of him: "Tell me, I made this place specially, and no one will come to eavesdrop.
, you can spot it even at a glance.”
The tall Westerner pulled down the cloth on his face, looked around, and winked at the dwarf. The shorty got up and went out to watch. As soon as the tall Westerner changed his abruptness in speaking, a standard Chang'an accent came out of his mouth.
He came out and said: "The great master ordered you to come to Yumen immediately. Su Ren has no intention of coming here at all. He plans to build a city there, and the Huns have already agreed."
"What? Build a city? Does he think he can hold that city?"
The man from the Western Region shook his head: "I don't know, but with Su Ren's behavior, whatever he sets his mind to will definitely come true. This time will probably be no exception. His second batch of merchants will enter Bailong tomorrow."
Tan, where the giant is planning to take action, so you'd better leave as soon as possible and pick yourself out, lest Su Ren suspects you."
Hong Cheng chuckled: "Doubtful, people have suspected me a long time ago, otherwise they wouldn't have told me such a big thing and brought us to Shanshan!"
"Hiss...! No way, could it be that the giant made a wrong judgment?"
Hong Cheng shook his head and smiled bitterly: "No matter who is wrong, I will go back tomorrow. You pretend to buy these things, and I will take care of the rest!"
Shopkeeper Sun left as quickly as he came back, with wine in one hand and a food box in the other. Lamb, lamb chops, and lamb bones were the food for the three of them to go with wine. Hong Cheng could only eat one piece.
Then he put it down and stopped eating, but the two Westerners kept stuffing food into their mouths like wolves. They ate a mouthful of meat and a mouthful of wine with great pleasure.
Shopkeeper Sun kept winking at Hong Cheng, asking what was going on. Hong Cheng nodded slightly at Shopkeeper Sun, and Shopkeeper Sun let out a sigh of relief. Within a matter of seconds, the large portion of mutton was eaten by two people from the Western Regions.
He wiped it all out, burping and picking his teeth: "I'll pick up the goods tomorrow. Here are ten taels of gold. If you don't have enough names to pick up the goods, I'll give you some more.
"I wonder at what price you two purchased my leather goods?"
"Same as elsewhere, two silver coins and three!"
Shopkeeper Sun was very happy and nodded repeatedly: "Okay, okay, I'll make a written receipt right now. Don't worry, I can guarantee that our leather goods are absolutely the best and won't have any damage or stains." While talking, Shopkeeper Sun took some written notes.
, the two Westerners pressed their fingerprints on the document without even looking at it, and the transaction was considered completely completed.
Hongcheng's goods were the last to be sold among all the brothers who came with him, and they were also sold at the best price among them all. Holding ten taels of gold in his hand, shopkeeper Sun let out a sigh of relief: "No.
When I think about it, there is such a thing. Shopkeeper Hong is really good at doing business. He can accomplish such things. People say that Mr. Su is the number one business god in the Han Dynasty. In my opinion, Shopkeeper Hong is not bad at all."
Hong Cheng cupped his hands at Shopkeeper Sun and said, "Thank you for your troubles, Brother Sun, running back and forth. Don't worry, I will definitely thank Brother Sun after I go back this time."
Shopkeeper Sun waved his hand: "No, we are like this when we go out together, it's nothing! We have to take care of each other when we go out." Shopkeeper Sun looked at the bustling market: "Our things are sold out, when will we return to Yumen?"
"Tomorrow morning."
"What? Early tomorrow morning! This..."
A group of guards on horseback came over. These were the tax collectors of Qianni City. These people were generally the king's cronies. Tax collectors have been fat men since ancient times. The fat guy at the front used a riding crop to
Hongcheng's stall knocked hard several times: "Business is good? The tax has doubled today. Your two stalls cost a total of three hundred yuan. Since you are Han people from afar, two hundred yuan is enough, that is
Four silver coins!"
Just as shopkeeper Sun was about to retort, Hong Cheng stopped him, took out four silver coins from his arms and handed them to the man on the horse: "Thank you, thank you very much!"
The tax collector chuckled and put the silver coins in his arms: "They say you Han people are rich, which is indeed good. I'm afraid you won't have many silver coins after selling these furs, but you can feel comfortable paying taxes. I hope you will come again next time.
I’ll make it cheaper for you then.”
This street is full of people doing business. The tax collectors pass by, and the horse bags on the horses’ butts are full of money. Different businessmen charge different taxes. The Huns don’t have to pay taxes, and their businessmen don’t.
Very few. People from the Western Regions pay the least taxes, and they are the biggest tax collectors. However, the Qiang people do not do business at all, so they do not have to pay taxes. They only become the biggest victims of the Han people from Hongcheng. Not only do they pay the most taxes, but they also never pay taxes.
If you don't pay on credit, if you don't have money, you'll just rob it.
After paying the tax, shopkeeper Sun suddenly lost interest in eating. He clenched his fists as he looked at the tax collector walking away. Shanshan State is the closest to Yumen, and people traveling from south to north need to pass through here, whether it is the Huns who need it or not.
The food and salt needed by the Qiang people, or the tea and ironware needed by the Qiang people, or the silks and satins and porcelain needed by the Western Regions people, and the war horses and gems needed by the Han people. When entering and leaving the desert, they must stop in the Shanshan Kingdom.
They were the largest group of Han people who came to Hongcheng of Shanshan State. They were a caravan of more than thirty carts of goods and hundreds of people. They allowed the people of the Western Regions to see the prosperity of the Han Dynasty, and at the same time, it also made King Shanshan feel a little shaken. The reason why Shanshan is
To be able to establish your own country among the Xiongnu, Han and Qiang people, political wisdom to survive in the cracks is essential.
When the Huns were brave, they took refuge with the Huns, but secretly contacted the Han people. When the Qiang people took the initiative, the Shanshan Kingdom would put on a smiling face and fawn over the Qiang people. Because of this, no one can be tough on the Shanshan Kingdom.
They all focus on wooing each other. Whoever gives someone a good geographical location will control the gateway to Ganliang Road and the huge commercial market in the Western Regions if they control Shanshan State.
Hong Cheng pulled shopkeeper Sun towards the tavern. The tavern was just a few adobe rooms, with some wine and meat scattered on a rough bed. You paid at the door and ate whatever you wanted. This was also a characteristic of Western Region taverns, and was followed by later generations.
The buffet is pretty much the same.
Shopkeeper Sun took a big sip of wine and said, "These guys look down on others! If it weren't for..."
Hong Cheng smiled slightly: "Don't worry, they won't be arrogant for long."
Shopkeeper Sun was stunned: "Oh, what does Shopkeeper Hong mean?" (To be continued)