Qingyang Shuo returned to Liu Zheng's study in Silver Beach City.
This is where Liu Zheng rests on weekdays, so he likes to put a sheepskin map on the table and think about Yinzhou's development strategy.
Qingyang Shuo saw this and nodded happily. When Liu Zheng and Hu Xi'er were separated, he pointed at a city in the south of Yinzhou and said, "Kezhou!"
Liu Zheng's eyelids twitched, this was the natural way for him in Kezhou. When Chen Ping came up with three prefectures and counties for him and Liu Dahao to choose from, Kezhou was a place favored by many people. It faces Liangzhou in the northeast and Hanzhong in the south. Looking to the east, it is a vast grassland. After passing Hulao Pass, it is Jinghua. The geographical location is quite advantageous, and the city is relatively prosperous, with a population of 700,000, which is more than the combined population of the two prefectures and counties of Liu Zheng.
At that time, people felt that Liu Zheng was a fool if he did not choose Kezhou.
However, Liu Zheng had his own ideas. Although Kezhou was rich and well-connected, if the world was in chaos, several forces would surely fight for it! Moreover, there is no natural danger in Kezhou. If someone comes to attack, it will be difficult to defend! In addition, Liu Zheng was very interested in the Silver Beach in Yinzhou, so he chose Yinzhou instead of Kezhou.
Now it seems that Liu Zheng's choice is no problem.
but……
Qingyang Shuo said: "If the young master wants to go south, Kezhou is the place he must pass through. If he can capture Kezhou, he will have a basis for advance and retreat. Lead Liangzhou up to the east and look at Jinghua in the east. If there is trouble in Hanzhong, the young master can strike first!"
Liu Zheng's eyes lit up when he heard this: "Sir, how do you get it?"
Qingyang Shuo said with a smile: "Young Master's order is enough, Kezhou, Shuo will help you get it! Young Master will go to the Western Regions, and when you come back, you will be the Lord of Kezhou!"
Liu Zheng was overjoyed, Qingyang Shuo was definitely not someone who liked to talk big. Since he said this, he was very confident. Originally, Liu Zheng wanted to infiltrate Kezhou through the Chamber of Commerce and then gradually become independent. Since Qingyang Shuo is sure to win the real political power, it is naturally the best.
Qingyang Shuo’s two strategies.
Go west, go south.
This is the right moment!
Qing Yangshuo’s suggestion is that it is best to do both at the same time.
Liu Zheng immediately decided that he and Zheng Yueru would be responsible for the westward march, and Qin Changfeng would be responsible for guarding the road. Zheng Yueru frowned slightly when he heard this: "Brother Liu, if you go to the Western Regions, you have to cross a desert, and the cavalry team may not be able to do it..."
She heard that there happened to be a camel team from the Western Regions in the city recently, and she could negotiate with them to accompany them. Liu Zheng immediately agreed.
As for going south, Liu Zheng naturally asked Jiang Xuan to come over and pay homage to Qingyang Shuo. He intended to let Qingyang Shuo train Jiang Xuan well.
Who would have thought that Jiang Xuan, a prickly man, would show disdain when he saw Qing Yangshuo and looked at him askance: "Are you that half-woman?"
Liu Zheng's face turned cold.
Hu Xier also said angrily: "Shuzi insulted my father?"
Jiang Xuan snorted coldly: "Brother, it's enough to lead troops to fight! What are you doing with a disability?"
"presumptuous!"
Although Qing Yangshuo was indifferent, Liu Zheng couldn't help it and stared at him fiercely: "Apologise, sir!"
Jiang Xuan looked dissatisfied.
Seeing the young man Jiang Xuan's temper, Qingyang Shuo couldn't help but smile lightly: "Young master, there is no need to be angry. All you need to do is hand over the commander's seal to Shuo."
Liu Zheng naturally agreed. No matter how anxious Jiang Xuan was, Liu Zheng only arranged for him to have General Zuo to follow Qingyang Shuo. No matter how angry Jiang Xuan was, he would not dare to disobey Qingyang Shuo. Military orders were like mountains, but they were implemented very well in the Yinzhou army.
Three days to prepare.
Zheng Yueru had already contacted the Western Region caravan and hired three of their camels at a high price. The accompanying team is also ready. What surprised Zheng Yueru and Qin Changfeng was that Liu Zheng chose to load all three camels with refined salt, and did not want anything else from the Yinzhou Chamber of Commerce.
"Sir, if you sell that fine wine to the Western Regions, wouldn't you make crazy money? Why is that?"
Qin Changfeng asked curiously.
Zheng Yueru also nodded. In fact, during this trip to the Western Regions, Zheng Yueru was optimistic about the fine wines from Yinzhou, and even the creams and perfumes had good sales in the harsh environment of the Western Regions. But Liu Zheng only chose salt?
Liu Zheng smiled and said nothing.
Naturally, he would not say that his purpose in going to the Western Regions this time was not the ancient Loulan country! What he wants to develop is even greater overseas business! You know, there are countless Arabs and even Europeans and Americans doing business in Loulan.
In Arabia, Africa and other places, in ancient times, there was no salt at all!
Yes, the reality is so cruel, especially in Arabia. In later generations, there was a lot of oil and gold, but there was no salt. This also leads to the fact that in the Middle East, there has been a situation in history where one ounce of salt and one ounce of gold were available!
Since this is the case, why doesn’t Liu Zheng’s salt develop overseas markets?
Zheng Yueru and Qin Changfeng naturally didn't understand. After all, in the Longyan Dynasty, there were a few people like Qing Yangshuo who could see "the whole world".
When Liu Zheng and Qin Changfeng gathered with the camel team, they saw that the camel team consisted of more than 300 people. All kinds of people looked at the two of them at the same time, with different eyes. Zheng Yueru came to Liu Zheng's side and whispered: "Brother Liu, this trip to the Western Regions is a caravan of Long Yan and two caravans of the Western Regions."
Liu Zheng asked curiously: "Why is this happening?"
At this time, a tall and thick-looking man from the Western Regions came over. When he saw Liu Zheng's small body, he did not hide the disdain in his eyes and laughed loudly: "Miss Zheng, is this your young master? To tell you the truth, Such people cannot do it!”
The people in the camel caravan also laughed.
Zheng Yueru said from the side: "Master Reheman, just take us away. You don't need to worry about safety issues!"
Reheman sneered: "Miss Zheng, do you know where that desert is? A place that eats people! Carrying such a burden will seriously affect our traveling speed!"
Others roared in agreement.
Liu Zheng took a look, and sure enough, most of these three hundred people were rough men, and there was even the sturdy Kunlun slave among them. These people are often weathered and have very rough skin. At a glance, the entire camel team consisted of about a hundred camels and three hundred people, of which there were only three women. They were also relatively strong and looked stronger than Liu Zheng.
Zheng Yueru didn't expect that after all the money was given, these people would not acknowledge the debt, and said anxiously: "Master Reheman, how about I double the price?"
Reheman's eyes lit up, and he discussed with the younger brothers around him. The price of this generation was only a hundred taels of silver! Reheman glanced at Liu Zheng's thin body, his eyes still flickered with sarcasm, and said with a smile: "Well, in that case, you must follow us and obey us in everything, otherwise, we will not be able to protect you by then! "
"Weak Dragon Flame Man!"
"What a burden!"
Others also looked disgusted.
Qin Changfeng wanted to get angry several times, but Liu Zheng stopped him every time. Because he knew that if the desert was really that dangerous, then these businessmen were not ordinary desperadoes. The less trouble, the better. Moreover, among the three caravans, one was from the Longyan Dynasty. Those people had quite unkind looks from the moment Liu Zheng appeared. And there should be a few masters in that team.
Only then did Zheng Yueru explain to Liu Zheng that Reheman was an official and merchant in Loulan and was under the Loulan court system, so he was called "Sir."
Liu Zheng asked again about Long Yanguo's caravan, Zheng Yueru shook his head and didn't know.
This made Liu Zheng have doubts again.
When Nareheman saw everyone gathered at the city gate, he took the lead in kneeling on the ground, put his hands on his knees, and began to pray.
Many people also knelt down.
This made the three of Liu Zheng standing a little awkward.
"What are you doing standing still? Kneel down!"
Reheman angrily yelled: "If we offend the God of the Desert, we will all die without a burial place!"
Qin Changfeng refused to kneel down until he was beaten to death, so Liu Zheng quickly pulled him to kneel down.
Reheman muttered for a while before leading everyone on the road. To the west of Yinzhou is the road to the Western Region. Liu Zheng knew that this road would become increasingly difficult and dangerous. But he was really excited...
There was no such thing as the Silk Road in the Longyan Dynasty. This trade in the Western Regions has never been taken seriously. The entire Longyan Dynasty was still immersed in the dream of a heavenly kingdom. Therefore, this also means that the road to the Western Region has never been repaired.
Therefore, Liu Zheng didn't know what kind of dangers there would be on the road.
When passing by my own Silver Beach City, if I walk a few miles further, I will really come to this deserted place. It is also a place that the Longyan Dynasty seldom sets foot on. Among them, the most incredible thing for Liu Zheng was the natural barrier of this desert. Therefore, the Longyang Dynasty did not station any troops here to show the borders of its territory. Perhaps he is too confident in his own national power, or perhaps he is too dependent on the dangers of this desert.
At this time, it was already mid-April. As everyone walked farther and farther, the sun became stronger and stronger. With such a strong sun, walking for a while made my mouth feel dry. The ground beneath our feet has become the Gobi Desert, and it is difficult to see the vast forests of Yinzhou and the lush greenery that can be seen as far as the eye can see. If this kind of camel team wants to cross the desert, the first thing they need to prepare is water and naan bread, a specialty of the Western Regions. Other dry food is not recommended.
Why?
Because dry food like naan is relatively light, easy to satisfy hunger, and does not require much storage environment. If you chew a few pieces with water, you can achieve food and clothing.
There was no talk for a day, everyone was on their way.
When passing through the Gobi Desert, Reheman observed the celestial phenomena and felt that the process should be accelerated. It was estimated that he would have to pass through the desert in six days, otherwise he would easily encounter a storm. So when I went to bed at night, it was already very late.
"Set up camp!"
When he could no longer see the road clearly, Reheman shouted loudly.
Everyone cheered and started setting up camp.
Along the way, Liu Zheng relied on his judgment of the sun and Xingxing to record the trip on the sheepskin in his hand. He felt this was necessary. After all, he can refer to this route, and then combine it with his own memories of later generations to improve the route of the camel team.
However, when all three hundred people set up their tents, no one expected that the first night in the Gobi Desert would usher in an extremely dangerous situation.
Exhausted people just lay down.
There were waves of howling wolves in the surrounding area.
Liu Zheng sat up suddenly, his face serious. Hearing the sound, it was the wolves coming! And there are quite a few!
as expected.
Reheman's shouting voice had already sounded.
"Be on guard, be on guard!"
