In this disaster, the entire Han Dynasty managed to survive for several months.
By the thirteenth year of Jianning, the situation had improved a little, and the disasters in Youzhou, Bingzhou, Jizhou and other places had gradually eased. However, even so, the cold did not end because of this.
The disaster was not wiped out. Hezhou and Xinzhou suffered the most severe blows. Lu Zhi and Yang Qiu gritted their teeth and cheered up again.
Zheng Xuan was in Xiliang and tried his best to buy cotton from those merchants.
Foreign merchants with different looks stood in front of Zheng Xuan with smiles. There were seven or eight people who came. These were the richest merchants. I am afraid that even in today's harsh climate, they have traveled thousands of miles.
The fact that they came here is enough to show their courage and financial resources. At this moment, they all seemed a little excited. Normally, they would not be qualified to meet and talk to Zheng Xuan Gong.
Zheng Xuan did not have any disdain or contempt for them. Even though he was a great scholar and should have hated merchants to the core, he did not do so. He smiled and asked: "I wonder where you are from?"
There was a foreigner beside him who had been in Han Dynasty for a long time and was proficient in Chinese. He quickly told the foreign merchants what Zheng Xuan had said. When these foreign merchants heard this, they did not rush to answer. Instead, they gathered together and started dancing and talking.
The speed was extremely fast, and at the same time, while speaking, he was also used to making gestures with his hands, which made Zheng Xuan a little stunned.
"What are they discussing?"
"Well, Mr. Zheng... I can't translate their words to you without their orders. I was hired by them with money..." The translator said firmly, and the merchants looked at him suspiciously.
He asked him a few questions, he chatted with them for a few words, and then stopped talking. Zheng Xuan was helpless and said: "I will give you ten gold..."
The man's eyes lit up, he shook his head and said, "They are discussing how to tell you about the country. They are all businessmen from small countries in different regions..." As the man spoke, he pointed at the businessmen and took pictures.
He patted his chest.
The merchants asked suspiciously in their own language: "Sudiba, what are you talking about to the nobles of the Han Dynasty?"
"I told him that I was hired by you and would not disclose anything to him!" the translator Sutiba said solemnly.
The businessmen nodded happily and praised him a few more words.
After a while, Sutiba said: "Mr. Zheng, they want me to tell you that they are from Kushan..."
"Oh? Then where do they come from?" Zheng Xuan asked.
Sutiba looked at Zheng Xuan and smiled, and Zheng Xuan said helplessly: "After the deed is completed, I will definitely be rewarded heavily. You know my reputation, and I will never regret it..."
Sutiba looked at the businessmen and said with a smile: "The great nobles of the Han Dynasty want me to say hello to your king..."
The businessmen smiled and said a few words.
"They told me to thank Duke Zheng for his greetings to their king. In fact, they come from some small countries that were conquered by Kushan. I don't know their names very well, but these cottons come from Kushan."
Zheng Xuan smiled and nodded. He knew in his heart that these merchants wanted to raise the name of Guishan, to protect themselves, and to put forward conditions. Zheng Xuan looked at them and asked: "I wonder, if I buy it with all my strength, how much can I get?"
cotton?"
This person started to translate again.
"They said they couldn't get much. In fact, they had a lot of goods in stock, but they just wanted to drive up the price..."
Zheng Xuan nodded and asked, "Then what price are they prepared to pay?"
After Sutiba's translation and half of the envoys' discussions, Zheng Xuan understood the general situation. He finally asked: "Could this thing be cultivated in the Han Dynasty?"
When the merchants heard this, they all shook their hands and talked excitedly.
"Mr. Zheng, they said it's not possible. This plant can only be grown in Guishang. However, this plant has been grown in the Western Regions for a long time, but it has never been introduced to the Central Plains. If Lord Zheng is interested, I can help you plant it..."
"I understand, if you help me buy their goods, I will give you a lot of money..."
"Mr. Zheng, if you can stay with me and give me an official position, I will definitely help you!"
"good!"
Sutiba sighed helplessly, looked at the merchants, and said: "Everyone, the great nobles of the Han Dynasty felt that our price was too high and he was unwilling to pay for the purchase. I persuaded him for a long time, but he did not agree. ...He wants us to go back..."
"How could it be possible? We just spent all our money and brought a large amount of goods after hearing that he wanted to buy it. How could he not buy it?"
"Tell them that our Kushan Empire is not someone to be trifled with..."
Sutiba looked at Zheng Xuan and said, "Please come back first. I will come back to see you after discussing the price!"
"Then I'll bother you..." Zheng Xuan said and walked away.
"Everyone, the nobles of the Han Dynasty said, don't forget Ban Chao..."
These merchants suddenly fell silent. The Kushan Empire was a country founded by the Yuezhi people. They once nomadic in the area from Zhangye to Dunhuang in the western part of the Hexi Corridor. They were powerful and were the fierce enemies of the Huns. During the period of Emperor Xiaowu, they had close contacts with the Han Dynasty. , they are divided into five branches: Xiumi, Shuangmi, Kuishang, Jidun, and Gaofu Wuxihou.
Later, Xihou Qiujiu of the Kushan tribe unified the five tribes and established the Kushan Empire. After many years of war, it gradually became one of the most powerful countries in the entire western region. Later, these people proposed marriage to the Han Dynasty. , wanted to marry the princess back, they thought that since they were already stronger than the Huns, the Han Emperor would definitely agree to their conditions, but they did not expect that their proposal would be directly rejected by the then-current Ban Chao.
The King of Kushan was extremely angry and sent his deputy Wang Xie to lead an army of 70,000 to attack the Han. However, before they could get close to the Han, they were defeated by Ban Chao. Ban Chao threatened them to attack their capital and kill their king. They were frightened. He accepted the gift and asked for peace, and never had any dispute with the Han Dynasty again. However, Ban Chao never knew the name of King Guishang and did not bother to know it. He only called him "King of Yuezhi".
For these Kushan people, Han Dynasty is still a relatively scary country.
Sutiba took these merchants out. After a few days, these merchants continued to lower their prices and thought of using them as coercion to leave. They tried various methods. However, with Sutiba here, Zheng Xuan They didn't even know about their methods. In the end, these merchants were in tears and had no choice but to sell the cotton at a low price, and they even begged.
Zheng Xuan met them again and gave them more money. These merchants were very grateful to Zheng Xuan for his righteous deeds. Zheng Xuan asked them to bring more such items to the Han Dynasty, preferably those that the Han Dynasty did not have...
And Sutiba was also kept by Zheng Xuan's side as a subordinate.
Zheng Xuan transported the cotton to Luoyang. After the emperor ordered the temple to distribute some clothes made of cotton, cotton officially entered the eyes of the scholar-officials. The scholar-officials did not like these uncomfortable cottons, but for the common people,
Generally speaking, this thing can save their lives, especially the people in Hezhou and other places, they love it very much.
At first, the scholar-officials only had some disdain for these things, but thinking that they could help the people, they ignored them. However, they later learned that the clothes issued by the temple were made of cotton, which were extremely indecent.
After the hakama was not in line with the etiquette, the celebrities and sages could not sit still. They all petitioned to stop these lewd and indecent decorations and not let foreign things destroy the culture of the Han Dynasty!
In this era, clothing and culture are connected, and celebrities take this very seriously.
In Luoyang, after seeing these reports, the emperor became angry...