The Kingdom of Khotan did not only have this one city, but as the capital, it was undoubtedly the largest city in the Kingdom of Khotan. The arrival of the Tang cavalry made merchants from various countries in the Western Regions nervous. Fortunately, the Tang cavalry did not Entering the city, they also knew that there would be no war, so the city was still very lively with people coming and going.
The temperature difference between day and night in the Western Region is very large. It is hot during the day and cold at night. Only the early morning and evening are relatively pleasant. It is almost evening at this time, which is when the city has the most people and the busiest time.
Even though I have long been used to being watched, I still feel a little uncomfortable facing passers-by who stop and watch Chang Sheng, because unlike the reserved and restrained Tang Dynasty, the folk customs in the Western Regions are fierce and fierce. It is also revealed in the eyes.
Although the two walked side by side, not many people looked at Ni Chenyi. Most people's eyes were focused on Changsheng. The men's eyes were filled with envy and jealousy. They didn't look at Ni Chenyi not because Ni Chenyi was not good-looking, nor because of them. They didn't want to look, but they were worried about angering Chang Sheng and didn't dare to stare at Ni Chenyi.
As for women, most of the looks they look at Changsheng are for love and goodwill. Women from the Western Regions are very bold and bold. They know that Changsheng is the prince of the Tang Dynasty. Although he is a little thin, he has delicate facial features and calm manners when meeting him again. If he likes him in his heart, he will wink at him frequently. Some even waved to say hello to Changsheng.
Changsheng did not deliberately restrain himself because Ni Chenyi was next to him. He did not look sideways, smiled when he heard someone speaking, and nodded when he saw someone waving.
"Are the women from the Western Regions unique in their charm?" Ni Chenyi asked with a smile.
"It's not bad, but the smell on their bodies is quite strange." Changsheng said in a low voice.
Hearing Changsheng's words, Ni Chenyi couldn't help but laugh out loud, "It's so charming."
"I don't even understand the women of my tribe, so how can I bother to explore any exotic customs." Changsheng said casually.
Ni Chenyi laughed again.
Since they were full at noon and had eaten a lot of fruit from Ni Mansion, the two of them didn't buy anything else from the street. They walked quickly without buying anything while shopping. It didn't take long for the two of them to arrive in the city. of crossroads.
At the crossroads, the two happened to meet Song Cai, who was returning to the goods yard. There were three horse-drawn carriages. The previous fifty thousand taels of silver weighed more than three thousand kilograms, and three carriages were needed to load them.
Seeing the two of them, Song Cai immediately came forward to greet them. They were all acquaintances, and there were not many polite words. However, at this time, the most important thing was the respect of elders and inferiority. Changsheng was the prince, and Ni Chenyi was the boss. As a servant, Song Cai should have the proper etiquette. There will never be less.
Changsheng wanted to take a look at the goods yard, so he and Ni Chenyi took a carriage with Song Cai and others to go to the goods yard. These carriages were for carrying goods, and the people on them were a bit shabby. Song Cai said it was inappropriate, but Changsheng didn't care about this, although at this time Although he held great power and was in a very popular position, he never forgot that he came from a humble background. Sitting on the carriage, he would also think of Lao Huang, who depended on him for life.
When they arrived at the goods yard, Song Shou and others were instructing the men to load the trucks. After Song Cai's introduction, Changsheng realized that this was not the only goods yard of the Ni family in the Western Regions. This was just a goods yard for storing grain.
Seeing the grain piled up like a mountain in the goods yard, Changsheng turned to look at Song Cai aside, "How much grain is there in total?"
Song Cai replied, "Going back to my employer, the warehouse is currently stocking 300,000 dans of wheat and 200,000 dans of various types of grain and millet, totaling 500,000 dans."
"So much!" Changsheng was quite shocked. At this time, one load was equivalent to one stone, which is about one hundred kilograms. One acre of field could only produce one load of grain in a year, and the entire Tang Dynasty only produced one thousand grains per year. Thousands of tons, this is still the best year, but if there is a disaster, it will be lost by 30 to 40%.
Song Cai said, "My old boss knew that you were in urgent need of rice and grain, so he bought it directly at a fair price and put it into the warehouse day and night."
Changsheng was deeply moved when he heard this. Although he was not doing business, he also knew that doing business was for profit, and going straight was equivalent to losing money, not to mention that Datang could not offer anything to compensate Ni Zhuo at the moment.
"This is not a small amount. Don't worry, the court will definitely give you an explanation." Chang Sheng said seriously.
"Hehe, I also believe that the court will definitely give me an explanation." Ni Chenyi said with a smile.
Changsheng didn't think much about it at first, but after thinking about it, he realized that there seemed to be something in Ni Chenyi's words. After thinking about it carefully, he instantly guessed what Ni Chenyi meant. As the saying goes, eating people has short mouths, and taking people has short hands. The Ni family was expelled by the emperor back then. Now that the Tang Dynasty is in trouble, the Ni family has helped the Ni family regardless of past grudges. The emperor will definitely not accept it in peace and will definitely get something in return. However, the court cannot provide money at the moment and can only compensate the Ni family in other ways, and the emperor also Knowing that the Ni family will definitely not return to Chang'an, in this case, in addition to being awarded honors and titles, the only thing left is the imperial decree to confer marriage.
Thinking of this, Changsheng frowned and looked at Ni Chenyi. Seeing Changsheng frowning, Ni Chenyi immediately understood that he had gotten carried away and had let the news slip. He felt guilty and uneasy, so he pretended to be calm, "What are you looking at me for?"
"Money can help the gods." Chang Sheng sighed.
"Why did you say that?" Ni Chenyi pretended not to understand.
"If these grains are sent to Chang'an, no matter what you want, the emperor will give it to you." Chang Sheng sighed.
Ni Chenyi asked knowingly, "What do we want?"
Seeing Ni Chenyi pretending to be confused, Changsheng didn't bother to talk to her. He turned to Song Cai and asked, "How long will it take to arrive in Chang'an?"
"The first batch is urgently needed, and we will use the cavalry team. It will take ten days at most." Song Cai pointed to the granary. "The granary is full now. As long as there is room for it, we will purchase it and ship it immediately. It won't take long for the entire eastbound road to be full." They are all our food convoys and camel teams.”
"Is one thousand cavalry enough?" Changsheng asked.
"That's enough. Our master's reputation is far and wide. Even if we don't have cavalry accompanying us, no one would dare to attack us." Song Cai said, raising his head and pointing south. "Right now, the four generals are distributing silver coins in the south of the city. They are recruiting troops. General, I will also prepare barracks and accommodation for them. The boss and the eldest lady can do it themselves. If necessary, send someone to call me."
"Go, go, let's go to the West Field for a walk." Ni Chenyi waved his hand and said.
Song Cai was about to leave, so Ni Chenyi ordered someone to bring in two horses, and they rode westward.
Not long after, the two came to a cargo yard located in the northwest of the city. This cargo yard was only half the size of the grain storage yard. Unlike the grain storage yard, which was surrounded by fences, it was surrounded by tall courtyard walls.
The doorman recognized Ni Chenyi and opened the door immediately when he saw her arriving.
"What is kept here?" Changsheng asked casually.
"Blacksmith shop," Ni Chenyi said, "There are many horse and bandits in the Western Regions, and it is also very profitable to make self-defense weapons. However, although gunpowder is native to China, we do not pay enough attention to it. Instead, countries in the Western Regions use gunpowder to make Got a lot of firearms.”
The person in charge of this cargo yard is Song Fu, but Song Fu is away on business and is not in the cargo yard. Ni Chenyi often comes here and takes Chang Sheng to a room in the northwest corner with ease.
The room was large and empty, with a strong smell of nitrate and sulfur. Twenty strange-shaped black iron objects were neatly arranged on both sides of the room.
"What is this?" Changsheng asked, pointing to one of the iron artifacts.
"This thing is called an artillery piece, which is a type of firearm," Ni Chenyi said. "We know that Zhang Zhenren is commanding troops outside. These twenty artillery pieces are our gift to Zhang Zhenren. With them, Zhang Zhenren can fight against the enemy on the battlefield. I can also get some help.”
"Artillery?" Changsheng looked at him doubtfully. There are also artillery in China. The kind that throws rocks to attack the city are called artillery.
"Yes, artillery, this object throws iron balls that can explode. The power is amazing." Ni Chenyi said.
Changsheng had never seen this thing before, but he had seen the sky-shattering fire thunder created by Li Zhongyong and knew the power of firearms.
"Would you like to go out and test your power?" Ni Chenyi asked with a smile.
"No need, it's getting late, go back early." Changsheng said.
Ni Chenyi slapped one of the black iron objects, "This object is really powerful. Master Zhang must like it."
"You guys are really thoughtful about things." Chang Sheng couldn't laugh or cry.
Ni Chenyi naturally knew why Chang Sheng said this, and did not answer his words. He turned around and walked to the wooden frame not far away, and took down a small iron tool about one foot long from the top. "This thing is called a musket, and its power is also amazing." .”
Without waiting for Changsheng to answer, Ni Chenyi picked up the medicine pot and poured the gunpowder into the small iron vessel. He then took out the leather bag, took out a round projectile and put it in, and finally took out a ball of flax to seal the mouth.
"Although my cultivation level is mediocre, I am not without the ability to protect myself." Ni Chenyi said and pointed the thing called the musket at a wooden pillar three feet away.
Just when Changsheng was looking at it doubtfully, the gun suddenly made a muffled sound, and with the flash of fire, the round projectile flew out quickly, hitting the wooden pillar squarely, embedded deeply in it, and penetrated three-thirds of the way into the wood.
"How is it?" Ni Chenyi was very pleased with himself, "Do I have the ability to protect myself?"
"It's not that great," Changsheng disagreed. "It's a strange skill and a trick, but it's useless when you encounter a real master."
Seeing Ni Chenyi's expression of displeasure, Changsheng walked to the wooden pillar and said, "Come on, beat me."
"This thing should not be underestimated, and must not be overestimated." Ni Chenyi shook his head repeatedly.
"I know my own rules, hit me." Changsheng waved and urged.
Seeing Changsheng's persistence, Ni Chenyi could only reload.
"This is too troublesome. When facing the enemy, who can let you reload calmly?" Changsheng said.
Ni Chenyi did not say anything, loaded the gunpowder pellets, raised her hand and raised the gun, but she did not aim at Changsheng, but at the wooden pillar beside Changsheng.
A muffled sound sounded, and the fire reappeared. Changsheng did not dodge, but stretched out his right arm and turned sharply. When the dust settled, he turned his palm upward, and the round projectile suddenly appeared in the palm of his hand. The hot projectile was soaked by the pure yin. The spiritual energy was condensed and still steaming.
"You can actually catch the projectile?" Ni Chenyi was dumbfounded.
"I'm not catching it, I'm chasing it," Changsheng threw away the projectile casually. "This thing is coming very fast. If you catch it head-on, I'm afraid it will penetrate your hand, so you can only take action quickly and counterattack it. In addition, , being roasted by gunpowder, this thing is very hot. If you want to take it, you need to cool it down quickly with pure Yin spiritual energy."
The reason why Ni Chenyi brought Changsheng here was to show him the muskets from the Western Regions, to prove that he had the ability to protect himself and did not need Changsheng to be distracted. He never thought that Changsheng could calmly catch the projectiles. This shows that even if there are muskets, Hands, it was difficult for her to keep herself safe.
Changsheng Yanneng didn't know why Ni Chenyi brought him here. Seeing Ni Chenyi's frustration, he comforted him, "This thing is much more powerful than ordinary hidden weapons. It is difficult for ordinary people to resist. Even a master of purple energy will find it difficult to dodge."
"It's getting dark, go back." Ni Chenyi threw down his musket and turned around.
As soon as they walked out of the room, the two of them were stunned. The sun had already set, but the southern sky was full of brilliant rays of light.
After a brief moment of astonishment, Ni Chenyi came back to his senses, "Gonggeer Mountain is in that area, and Kunlun Immortal Palace will be opened soon..."
