The author has something to say: Sorry for being late.
This chapter is a supplement to yesterday's chapter and will be updated as usual tonight.
In the winter of this year, in the north of the Tang Dynasty, the largest free market in history was quietly taking shape.
At the beginning of winter, this was just a small market spontaneously organized by some herdsmen living on the edge of the grassland near the Central Plains.
Later, many businessmen from other places heard that they could buy cheap and high-quality soap and cashmere at this place.
Come here to stock up.
Later, people in other places on the grassland heard that many merchants gathered here and could sell the soap and cashmere they had accumulated over the past few days at a good price, so many herdsmen from deep in the grassland gathered here.
By the time the time entered December, the size of this market was already quite large.
Originally, for merchants, winter was not a good time for doing business.
The weather was cold and the journey was too difficult.
But for people on the grasslands, spring, summer and autumn are the grazing seasons.
They have to drive their cattle and sheep in search of places with abundant water and grass.
After winter, when there is no grass on the grassland, they will also slaughter or slaughter their livestock.
Sell them alive and dispose of most of them.
It is a very good choice to come here to participate in the transaction during this season.
At this time, in Chengzhou, Guannai Province, people could see large areas of felt tents as long as they climbed the city wall.
Many nomadic peoples have felt-making skills.
Things like felt boots and felt hats can occasionally be seen in the Central Plains.
However, most people just wear them for freshness.
At this time, there were no such things in the grassland areas.
In terms of dyeing technology, the colors of their felt products are also relatively single.
Just look at the natural wool-colored felt tents and you will know that their current technology level is still quite backward.
There is a lack of water in the prairie, so these felts, in addition to being unsightly in color, often smell like sheep.
Therefore, the smell in this market was not very pleasant.
The felt tents all smelled of it, and the animals that were kept next to the tents naturally also smelled.
The herdsmen smell bad, and the merchants are not much better either.
No matter where they come from, after traveling such a long way, even those who don't smell smell.
Fortunately, in this winter, the weather was cold and the wind was strong on the grassland, so no one was smoked.
Anyway, everyone was similar, so don't dislike anyone.
“A bowl of fried noodles” On a muddy and crude side street, there was a very spacious felt shed.
The shed was covered with felt on three sides.
Only the side facing the street was wide open.
There were many tables and stools in the shed.
At this time, the shed was covered with felt.
There were already many people sitting inside.
"Okay, a bowl of fried noodles."
Some of the young people running errands and working here look like Hu people, and some look like Han people.
This situation is also very common in this area close to the outside of the customs.
There are many Han people.
They all have the blood of the Hu people, and the Hu people are almost the same.
Not long after, a bowl of fragrant and hot fried noodles was brought up.
The young man neatly put the bowl of noodles on the table and shouted: "Three pennies."
"Here."
The man responded and slapped three copper coins on the table.
If you were in Xipo Village, three pennies would be enough to order a fried noodles set meal.
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It not only includes fried noodles, but also side dishes and corn porridge.
Here, it’s just a portion of fried noodles and a small portion of fried noodles.
A bowl of noodle soup, and there’s no need to think about anything else.
However, there are still a lot of people coming here to eat noodles every day.
This place is close to the customs, and the business is quite underdeveloped, let alone the catering industry.
So the Zhao family can open a shop here to sell fried noodles, everyone.
They are all very welcome, not to mention the business.
The twenty or thirty tables in this shed are rarely empty all day long.
At this time, some of the customers in the shop were engrossed in eating noodles, and some were chatting while eating.
The topics they talked about were probably how many sheep you have, when you plan to sell them, and the price of soap has increased in the past two days. and so on.
In such a large market, prices fluctuate from time to time.
The herdsmen who still have some inventory are wondering when to sell the goods most cost-effectively and earn the most.
If they sell early, they worry about not catching up with the good price, so they keep them.
And I'm afraid I'll end up smashing my own hands.
"It's better to sell your cashmere as soon as possible.
After the New Year, it won't be worth much."
"What are you afraid of during the Chinese New Year?
I still want to keep it and sell it next year."
"This idea of yours is really stupid."
“Didn’t you find that this year’s cashmere is more valuable than last year?”
"If you don't sell that cashmere, how will you have the money to buy lambs next year?
Besides, do you plan to carry that cashmere and go out to herd sheep?"
"I have lambs myself" "You only have a few lambs" "" The topics discussed by these people, apart from the current transaction, are the business in the coming year.
Sometimes there are also some businessmen who come here from various places.
Those people are usually relatively quiet and alert to the surrounding environment.
Next to this felt shed, there was a circular closed felt tent.
Zhao Chen was sitting inside, talking to several of his customers.
These are a small branch of the Chile tribe who came from the north.
Most of their nomadic range now belongs to Xue Yantuo.
Xue Yantuo is also related by marriage to the Tang Dynasty.
The current situation between the two parties is not very tense, so these Chile people The trip south went relatively smoothly.
People in western Zhejiang have a large amount of cashmere and a considerable amount of soap.
Because the Zhao family in Shuozhou is quite famous on the grassland, these people contacted the Zhao family as soon as they arrived at the market.
"We need iron tools," one of the tall and muscular Chileans said in a loud voice.
"I don't dare to do the iron trade.
Do you know how many detectives there are in this market?
If I dare you to do the iron trade today, my head will be hung outside the city tomorrow."
Zhao Chen refused.
"Why are you Tang people so guarded against the peoples on our grasslands?
Those iron weapons were definitely not bought to attack the Tang Dynasty.
There are wars and wild beasts on our grasslands.
We just want to protect ourselves."
A anxious Chilean man next to him said loudly.
"Even if you keep your promise and don't use these weapons to attack us, how can you guarantee that your weapons will never be taken away?"
Zhao Chen didn't think there was anything wrong with the government's regulations.
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When dealing with these prairie people, you must clearly show your attitude without resorting to compromise.
Tough and principled people can often gain their respect.
They believe that the other party can stick to their bottom line when facing the Chilean people this time, and can stick to it the next time they face other people.
Only those who stand firm and will not waver or betray easily can be trusted.
"Then we can only sell you half of the goods."
Their clan leader finally spoke.
"Okay."
Zhao Chen said cheerfully: "For the remaining other half, if you can't get what you want in exchange, you can come to me again."
Just when the two sides were about to talk in detail, there was a noise outside the tent.
The prairie people were very alert.
Even if someone silently approached the tent door, opened a corner of the curtain to check what was going on outside.
"Who is he?"
Zhao Chen wasn't too nervous.
If there really was a situation, the subordinates he arranged outside would have already taken action.
Even if they didn't enter the tent, they would always give a signal.
There was no movement from his subordinates at this time.
It was so busy outside.
Needless to say, there must be a new team joining the market.
Judging from the movement, there should be quite a few people coming back, and they might have brought some good things with them.
"They are people from the west, and they brought many slaves with them."
The strong man standing at the door said to everyone in the tent.
"You go back and ask the women and children to stay in the tent and not come out."
The leader of their clan said.
"Don't be too nervous.
In this place where prairie people gather, no one dares to plunder the population casually."
Zhao Chen comforted.
"Since they are wolves, how can you expect them not to eat meat?"
The clan leader sneered, making fun of the naivety of the young businessman in front of him.
It was common for countries and tribes to rob each other's people and use them as slaves.
In the early years, the emperor of the Tang Dynasty also spent a lot of money on cloth and redeemed a large number of slaves from the prairie, but until Today, there are still many Central Plains people working as slaves on the grasslands.
Among the merchants coming from the west, there were many notorious slave traders.
They ordered people to never relax their vigilance against a hungry wolf.
Because these Chile people were too nervous, the subsequent transactions could not be negotiated smoothly, so Zhao Chen had to make an appointment with them to continue the next day.
But if this happens, he will have to treat these people to a meal of fried noodles tomorrow.
The appetites of these prairie people are really big.
The plate of fried noodles in their shop is so big that each of them wants at least one.
Eat more than two plates.
After seeing off the Chileans, Zhao Chen stood at the door of his tent, watching the new team set up camp.
Those people chose a place not far from Zhao's shop.
A group of people had just left there a few days ago.
It was a temporary caravan composed of many Central Plains people.
After collecting enough of what they wanted, They left, and the vacant seats were now occupied by new arrivals.
Judging from the clothes and appearance of these people, they must be cannibals.
These cannibal merchants have never passed through this area of Chengzhou before.
I think they must have specially changed their route this time.
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Their purpose is probably cashmere.
The slaves brought by these cannibals are a group of Kunlun slaves with dark skin and curly hair.
People at this time often said "Kunlun slaves and Silla maids".
The Kunlun slaves were as strong as cattle and had a docile temperament.
The Silla maids were probably the Filipino servants of later generations.
However, they were not paid, but were sold directly to themselves as goods. owner.
Those people were busy setting up tents at this time.
On a haystack not far from them, there was a black figure lying.
It was probably a sick slave, Zhao Chen thought to himself.
During the transportation and trading of slaves, there will always be some loss, either due to illness, accidents on the road, or escape.
If slaves try to escape, the consequences will often be very tragic, because slave traders need to let Others saw the consequences of running away, even if they lost one or two slaves.
"Chen Da, go and feed that slave some noodle soup."
Zhao Chen said to a middle-aged man next to him.
"Oh."
The man responded, went to the noodle shop next to him to get a bowl of hot noodle soup, and walked over with it.
The big eater first glanced at Chen Da, and then looked past him and towards Zhao Chen.
Their eyes were full of inquiry and defensiveness.
After some evaluation in their minds, they finally did not stop Chen Da's behavior and allowed him to feed the slave a bowl of hot soup.
The slaves opposite probably thought that Zhao Chen was a kind-hearted man, so many of them looked at him praying, hoping that he could buy them.
At this time, Zhao Chen just walked back to his tent and lowered the curtain on the door.
Kunlun slaves are very popular in Chang'an City, and many wealthy families are vying to buy them, so the price is naturally not cheap.
It was too expensive and not cost-effective, so Zhao Chen would definitely not buy it.
He just occasionally showed kindness and asked his subordinates to deliver a bowl of hot soup to a dying slave. gd1806102: