Tajik stared blankly at the retreating figures of Efentia and others, and did not move for a long time.
The Zhenjiang Army is really ruthless.
The other party saw that they would never give up the 40,000 troops, so the lion opened his mouth and offered an exaggerated price that was nearly five times the total annual tax of Shule Kingdom, and there was no room for negotiation at all.
At that moment, the wily Tajik felt regretful even to his guts.
I absolutely should not have followed the coalition forces into the muddy waters of Metasequoia. It's a good thing now. Not only is the meat not eaten, but people have been forced to this point.
For the safety of Shule Kingdom, he had no choice. He must rescue his son as soon as possible, and he must also rescue the 40,000 elite Shule soldiers. But the question is, where can we get the money to redeem people?
There is no need to talk about draining the treasury. Even if he sells all the trousers of the king, it is impossible to come up with such an almost astronomical sum of money in a short period of time!
-
"Your Highness, there are guests outside asking to see you."
After hearing the report from his subordinates, the old king Tajik came back to his senses slightly and responded feebly: "What a bullshit guest, I won't see you!"
The subordinate was stunned, and after hesitating for a moment, he continued: "Your Highness, the other party said that they are from the Persian Merchant Mission, and they came to pay a visit on behalf of Lord Emmeni."
"Persian business mission?" Tajik was immediately confused when he heard this.
Due to the geographical location, the Persian business delegation chose King Ting of Chechi as their first stop after arriving in the Ghost Desert of Western Xinjiang. Later, due to a series of accidents, the business mission never left Chechi Country again. They haven't even paid attention to the Loulan Kingdom of Alike Jiang, the leader of the Western Xinjiang Alliance, let alone the distant Shule Kingdom. However, the politicians in Western Xinjiang are very aware of the importance of the Persian business mission in this special period, and they all have a strong willingness to interact with them.
Among them, Tajik, the king of Shule, was naturally included.
At this time, he heard that the person who came was a representative of Emene, and he quickly put away his frustration at being extorted and ordered his men to invite the Persian guests as soon as possible.
After a while, a well-dressed and dignified middle-aged man was led into the tent by an attendant.
The middle-aged man smiled and saluted Tajik respectfully: "I am Narij from the Persian Merchant Mission, representing Lord Emmeni, to see His Highness the King."
Tajik showed a sincere smile and said loudly: "It turns out to be the distinguished Lord Narij, whom I have admired for a long time. Your envoy is here, and I am sorry for being so far away from you. Please forgive me. Please sit down quickly, please sit down!"
"Your Highness is too polite." Narij bowed again to thank him, then slowly sat down aside and continued: "Master Emani asked me to say hello to His Highness and send his sincere apology. Master Emani said , he has been in Western Xinjiang for so long, and because his beloved daughter is missing, he has not been able to visit His Highness in person. Please forgive me. Now His Highness the King has arrived near the King's Court in Chechi, and Lord Emani originally planned to come to visit. , but the battle situation is complicated, and I am worried about causing trouble to you, so I sent you first to make up for the rudeness a little bit."
Tajik waved his hand quickly: "Hey, what are you talking about? I have long heard about the misfortune of Lord Emene's beloved daughter, and I have also sent Shule troops to participate in the search for the whereabouts of the young lady. It is a pity that I have not been able to help. I should be feeling guilty for what I am doing. Now that war has broken out again in Western Xinjiang, and there is chaos everywhere, I pray every day, asking the God of Flowers to bless Lord Emene’s beloved daughter to return safely as soon as possible.”
"Thank you for your concern, Your Highness. I will definitely convey these words to Master Emani." Nalijie held his right hand on his chest and responded in a sincere tone.
Tajik nodded slightly and continued: "The alliance is currently engaged in a fierce battle with the remnants of the Shengtang Army. I wonder if you have any advice for coming here this time?"
Nalijie heard the words and said with a smile: "Don't take advice seriously. I'm here this time to discuss a business deal with you, Your Highness, on behalf of Mr. Emani."
"Talk...talk about business?"
King Tajik of Shule suddenly felt his head grow bigger when he heard Nalijie mention the words "talking about business". Of course, this is entirely due to the fact that the "business" discussed in Eventia was so exciting that it left a big psychological shadow on the old king.
Tajik sighed in his heart: I am not a shop owner, so why do everyone come to talk to me about business? !
However, he wanted to think so. Facing the plenipotentiary representative of the Persian Empire Emene, Tajik still did not dare to show any slightness.
He rolled his eyes and asked with a smile: "I wonder what the business you are talking about means?"
Nalijie replied calmly: "Your Highness, the thing is like this. Ever since you and several allies raised the flag of righteousness and completely broke away from the rule of Shengtang, the entire Ghost Desert in Western Xinjiang has fallen into a state of all-out war. Now there are also It has been more than a year. During this period, not to mention that the businessmen and civilians in various parts of Western Xinjiang suffered from the war and lived in poverty. The military expenditures of the countries in the alliance alone cost a huge amount. At present, the overall situation is basically stable, and Western Xinjiang The alliance has also been formed. Whether it is the rest and recovery of the armies of various countries or the revitalization of the economy and trade, they are all on the upslope. Therefore, we Lord Emene hope that in this process, we can help our good friends in Western Xinjiang. We would like to contribute a little bit."
"Oh? So how does Mr. Emene plan to help us?" Tajik narrowed his eyes and asked Nalijie while thinking.
"Borrowing." Nalijie spat out two words lightly, "We are willing to provide the required financial support to the countries in Western Xinjiang, whether it is gold or silver."
This is really like "passing me a pillow when I'm dozing off." Tajik was worried about money just now, but in the blink of an eye, a God of Wealth descended from the sky. He couldn't hide his excitement and asked: "How can I borrow money? How much can I borrow?”
Nalijie couldn't help but snicker secretly in his heart, but remained calm on the surface: "Master Aimaini said that this loan is of great importance, so Loulan, Chechi and Shule are the three most powerful people in Western Xinjiang. The country is the priority customer. The first batch of payments totaling 20 million silver coins will be divided among everyone on a first-come, first-served basis."
"I want it, I want it, I want all the 20 million!" Tajik shouted urgently before Nalije could finish his words.
Seeing Tajik's anxious look, Nalijie suppressed his laughter and said with difficulty: "Oh, Your Highness, this is a bit difficult to handle. What Mr. Emene means is that these 20 million The silver coins are divided equally between the three of you, but now you want them all by yourself. How should I explain to the adults when I go back? To be honest, this is my first stop when I come to you, and I have to rush to the front line tomorrow to pay a visit. His Highness Li Kejiang and His Highness Geerhan..."
"No need to go looking for them!" Tajik said hurriedly: "Brother Nalijie, listen to me, the front line is in chaos, why take the risk? Besides, Loulan is rich and powerful, and that guy Alek Jiang is suspicious and suspicious. Zhong, I will definitely not accept this favor from Master Emani. This loan is very important to me, brother, so you must help me with this."
Nalije pretended to think for a moment and asked Tajik: "Your Majesty the King, I didn't mean to make things difficult for you. All the countries in Western Xinjiang are our friends, and doing so is really against the ethics of doing business. Unless..."
"Unless what?"
"Unless you can give me a solid reason, I can give Master Emine an explanation."
After hearing Narij's request, Tajik couldn't help but hesitate for a moment. Then, as if he had made a lot of determination, he told Nalijie everything about the defeat of the Right Army and the envoys from the Zhenjiang Army coming to negotiate.
"Brother Nalijie," Tajik said at last: "Brother, I really don't dare to hide the slightest truth from you and Mr. Emani, and I'm afraid that because the whole story can't be explained clearly, the important matter will be delayed. Now, you can understand Is it my problem?"
Narij stared closely into Tajik's eyes and said: "Your Highness, the crisis you are facing is indeed no small matter, and for this reason, I think I should be able to persuade Mr. Emene to lend you all 20 million in advance. However, Huge borrowings always come with conditions and costs, do you understand?”
Tajik also stared into Narij's eyes and nodded solemnly.
Narij continued: "The term of the loan is twenty years and the interest is ten percent per year."
Tajik's expression became much more solemn, but now he had no more room for bargaining, so he could only nod silently in approval.
Narij paused and then introduced: "We need your country to use your annual tax revenue as collateral for the loan. If you are unable to repay the loan when it expires, you can also negotiate to extend the borrowing time."
Tajik's face looked even uglier than before: "You mean...you want me to hand over the taxation rights of Shule Kingdom for twenty years, or even longer?!"
"Otherwise?" Nalijie seemed to have convinced the other party: "Does your Highness have any better suggestions?"
Tajik sighed, shook his head bitterly, and then nodded again.
Nalijie smiled leisurely and said: "Your Highness, in addition to us Lord Emene, the royal family of the Persian Empire are also shareholders who are providing loans to Western Xinjiang this time. Therefore, if there is any breach of contract in your country, it will not only affect your Good reputation, but it may also trigger armed disputes between countries, can you understand this?"
Tajik was stunned for a moment when he heard this, and then quickly responded: "That's not the case. We in Shule will never do anything that violates the contract and breach of trust."
"That's enough," Nalijie clapped his hands relaxedly: "In this way, I won't have to run to His Highness Alekjan and His Highness Gehan. Brother Tajik, I will take care of your business. .As long as I mediate and explain in front of Lord Emene, the loan will be absolutely foolproof."
Tajik heard what Narijie said. Although he was extremely entangled in his heart because of the harsh terms, he was finally expected to redeem his son and army, so he couldn't help but be grateful.
After a few more polite words, Nalijie suddenly said mysteriously: "Your Highness, I wonder if you have a basic concept of money? Twenty million silver coins, if packed in a medium-sized nanmu box, would cost at least five More than a thousand boxes were transported using six to seven hundred horse-drawn carriages. Under the current situation, we transport the money to you, and you transport it to the Metasequoia Army. What is the risk of something going wrong in the process? Have you considered it?"
Tajik was stunned when Narij asked him. He really didn't know as much about this matter as these businessmen who were used to doing business.
"Then... what should we do?" Tajik asked hesitantly.
Nalijie smiled slyly: "How about this? You go and call the representatives of the Metasequoia Army, and we sit down and sign a tripartite agreement. We, as the intermediary guarantors, are responsible for delivering the money directly to them, and then supervising them. Wouldn’t it be safer to release the prisoners?”
