"Yes, we go back and forth to the Western Regions and the Central Plains once every two years. My family is in Dunhuang City, Shazhou, and we have a shop in Chang'an, specializing in Tianzhu spices."
Li Siye asked again: "Where is your final stop? Is there anyone who can help you?"
"Yes, yes, our family also has a shop in the city of Khotan, and we have regular customers from Tianzhu. Their Tianzhu merchants bring pepper, dipterocarps and other spices from Orissa to Khotan, and exchange them for silk from my shop.
The silk is shipped here, and the spices are transported to Chang'an on camels."
This leader is also a big businessman with strong financial resources.
Li Siye nodded with understanding and asked seductively: "The desert is far away and sand thieves are rampant. If the Anxi Protectorate has plans to build a post station, the distance between the two stations can be reduced to thirty miles to one post. Will this alleviate the problem?
Reduce the hardship of business travel? Improve safety? "
"Of course!" the leader said excitedly: "If the imperial court really wants to expand the post station, we merchants will welcome it with both hands. Nowadays, most of the post stations on the Khotan Road are two hundred miles or one hundred miles per post. If it can be expanded to thirty miles,
We businessmen don’t have to camp out in the open, so the risk of being attacked by bandits is greatly reduced.”
"Then let me ask you again, do you want to have a warehouse belonging to your company in the inn in the desert?"
"I wish I could, but we need manpower to guard the warehouse. Although our family also has some swordsmen, I'm afraid we won't be able to guard the goods without the protection of the imperial army."
Li Siye clapped his hands and said: "What's so difficult about this? The warehouse is built in the post area, and the Duhufu sends post soldiers to protect it. Isn't the safety of the warehouse protected?"
"That's good, but..."
He let out a long sigh: "It's a pity that the Anxi Protectorate has no money left." He turned around and asked solemnly: "The Protectorate wants to do business as a post station with big merchants like you. I wonder if you are willing to do it?
"
The leader asked in surprise: "How should we conduct business at this inn?"
"The Duhufu is planning to build thirty-two post stations in the desert to connect the original military posts, leading to Congling in the west and Yangguan in the east. But the Duhufu is short of money and wants to contract the inns to businessmen like you.
You will pay for the construction. After completion, you will have ten years of use rights. Except for court officials and messengers, all other merchants and caravans passing through the post must pay you for food and accommodation. After ten years, the post will belong to the court.
I still leave you with the right to use the warehouse, do you think this business can be done?"
The leader tugged at his beard and thought hard, unable to fully accept such a large amount of information. After Li Siye finished speaking, he did not rush him and waited for him to chew the cud slowly.
"For such a big matter, we can't decide at any time. We need to go back and discuss it carefully with the clan."
Li Siye stroked his beard and smiled and said: "That's right. When you return to Dunhuang, take this news back with you, tell the merchants in Shazhou, and discuss with them whether this business can be done? Don't worry, I'll do it now
We came to Khotan Road to plan the inn, and we will arrange and implement it when we get back. Perhaps by the time you set foot on the return journey, the four towns in Anxi will have been covered with such notices. You can post one and take it back."
The leader crossed his arms and said solemnly: "General Li, please rest assured. No matter whether it succeeds or not, I will return to Anxi Kucha and come to give you an explanation."
The two chatted for a long time, and Li Siye hadn't asked the leader's name yet. Then he remembered it and solemnly raised his hands and asked, "I don't know what the leader's name is?"
"The bow is long, Zhang Han."
"It turns out to be the Zhang family of Dunhuang. I am disrespectful and disrespectful."
Zhang Han crossed his hands and said modestly: "Where, this is just a minor side branch, not Zhang's Zhengshuo."
"People are only as good as their abilities, so how can they be superior or inferior?"
"Thank you, General, for the golden words. I will give you some comfort."
"Ha ha."
…
The caravan arrived in Kancheng in the evening to guard the capture, and after a night's rest, they set off for Khotan the next day. After entering the city of Khotan, they parted ways with the caravan and hurried back to Kucha.
When we passed by the Baima River, we found two pontoon bridges built on the river bank. Thousands of soldiers were escorting nearly a hundred carts across the river. The carts were all loaded with grain and horse grass.
He was startled. Was there going to be another war soon? He had no idea whether his husband Meng Lingcha was not prepared to let him participate in this war. Wouldn't this mean that he would be estranged from the Jiedushi envoy Tian Renwan?
Taking a political stance is the last thing he wants to do. Although according to the history he knows, Fumeng Lingcha did become the next Jiedushi of Anxi's four towns, but who knows whether there will be bias in this parallel world.
Shift changes.
It's not easy to be the little brother, but I don't know when I will become the real big brother.
He first went to the Baimahe Tiaodang camp. The camp was noisy and busy. The soldiers began to pack up their beds, prepare their horses, put on their armor, distribute flags, and cook and compress dry rations for the march. He couldn't help but wonder, and even more annoyed, who had bypassed him.
This prison officer gave them orders, otherwise why would they make their own decisions?
He entered the earthen fort and immediately ordered Duan Xiushi to call the three captains to the Leopard Hall and take the opportunity to interrogate them to see how they responded.
Zhao Congfang, Qiu Luan and Liu Long entered the hall and saw Li Siye looking unkind and panicked but not knowing why. After looking at each other, they bowed and crossed their hands and asked: "I don't know what the general ordered us to come here."
Li Siye asked coldly: "Let me ask you, have I ever given an order for you to prepare your army for war?"
"General, Wei Zeng."
"Since I haven't, what did I see outside the door? They were all wearing armor, quilts and sheep's blankets, and they were all bundled into rolls and tied to their horses. How do you explain it?"
The three of them breathed a sigh of relief, each took out three military orders from their arms, walked forward and handed them to Li Siye's desk.
Li Siye picked up the military order and saw that it was an official troop deployment document signed by Jiedu Envoy Tian Renwan and Deputy Governor Meng Lingcha. They directly bypassed him as the custody officer and issued it to the three regiments of the Tiaodang Camp. The paper was
It says that Tiaodang Camp will be transferred as part of the Chinese Army and will be temporarily under the jurisdiction of Ma Phosphorus. Presumably the same is true for the Battle Frontier Corps.
As a result, he had no chance to participate in this expedition, and could only take care of the affairs of the inn for Fumeng Lingcha. It didn't seem so hard to accept. Tian Renwan's first expedition to Xiaobolu should have failed, otherwise there would be no Gao Xianzhi afterwards.
Things. It seems that I won’t miss any big achievements.
He stood up with a pursed smile, handed the military orders back to the three of them, and apologized tactfully: "I made the mistake of blaming the three captains. Don't worry about it."
"Where, General Li doesn't know the reason, so it's reasonable to be suspicious."
"Since the Protectorate has issued a military order to you, you should go and carry it out. Until other military orders are issued, you will be temporarily under the command of General Ma Phosphorus and go out to prepare."
"Here!" The three of them were about to turn around. Zhao Congfang seemed to feel something was wrong and quickly turned around and said: "General Li, please rest assured. Although we are temporarily under the jurisdiction of General Ma Phosphorus, our hearts remain unchanged and we will never betray the general."
.”
Qiu Luan and Liu Long said in unison: "Yes, you are the real prison officer of Kucha Tiaodang camp, and no one else can replace you."
Li Siye waved his hand and smiled: "It's all too far off topic. The Kucha Tiaodang camp, including the Anxi army, are all the armies of the Tang Dynasty. They are not anyone's private army and do not need to be loyal to me."
The three of them nodded, folded their hands and left the Leopard Hall together. As soon as they walked out of the earthen fort, Luan Qiu couldn't help but complained: "Who is this? He hasn't been seen for ten or twenty days, and it's dark when he comes back."
He pretends to raise an army to accuse us. He claims to be the army of the Tang Dynasty, but in fact he treats us as his own one-third of an acre. What does it mean to be so petty!"
Zhao Congfang looked back hurriedly, waved to him and said, "If you want to say this, you have to find a deserted corner to say it, and if it falls into his ears, be careful to give you little shoes to wear."
Luan Chou quickly shut his mouth. After the three of them had walked dozens of steps, he couldn't help but say again: "I think he may not be able to serve as the prison guard of Changtiaodang camp, and will be placed in a remote place to take up idle duties."