Chapter 97: The Loulan Kingdom

Yinzhou Prefecture.

Liu Dahao rushed over in great joy: "Qingyang Xiansheng, Qingyang Xiansheng, Kezhou has been taken! You have great talent, Sir!"

The Counselors also offered their congratulations one after another.

Qingyang Shuo smiled faintly.

Hu Xi'er hummed triumphantly: "Who else is unconvinced?"

The crowd chuckled awkwardly.

Who else was unconvinced? Who dared to be unconvinced? With a few military orders from Qingyang Shuo, Kezhou was taken; such methods were truly like those of a god. Although this man was disabled, he saw things as clearly as a fire, possessed great foresight, and held the Great Trend of the world within his chest.

Qingyang Shuo looked at Liu Dahao and smiled: "Lord Prefecture Marquis, it is time to make a trip to Liangzhou."

"What?"

Liu Dahao was so frightened his legs went weak: "Sir, please don't do this; I just escaped from there!"

Qingyang Shuo laughed heartily: "Going this time is to send a gift to Chen Ping, so you may go without worry, my Lord."

Liu Dahao listened, feeling completely bewildered.

Qingyang Shuo meant that since Kezhou had already been taken, although Liangzhou Prefecture had no objections at this moment, they would certainly settle the score later. Moreover, this time Yinzhou had indeed plundered quite a bit of wealth from Kezhou, so he wanted Liu Dahao to take out half of it and send it to Liangzhou as a gesture of carrying thorns to ask for punishment.

Chen Ping was no fool; although he was angry, he certainly would not do anything to Liu Dahao. There were two reasons: first, Chen Ping knew that this Liu Dahao in Yinyang was merely a wealthy man who ate and drank well every day, and that Yinyang's current prosperity was entirely due to Liu Zheng. With Liu Zheng absent, what use was there in capturing Liu Dahao? Second, if he were to forcibly detain Liu Dahao, it would be unreasonable and unlawful, and would easily provoke hostility from the Yinzhou side. If Liu Zheng returned and broke with Liangzhou, turning completely to the Baiya Army, with several parties checking each other, Liangzhou would lose both the lady and the soldiers.

Therefore, Qingyang Shuo was certain that this trip would be absolutely safe!

Sure enough.

When Liu Dahao arrived at Liangzhou with a mournful face, he was met with Chen Ping's thunderous rage.

But what could he say?

It was Mou Chengxiang who had courted death by attacking Yinzhou first; in terms of law and principle, Yinzhou held the absolute advantage. He also knew that with Yinzhou troops occupying Kezhou at this time, whoever was sent to be the County Marquis would meet the same result as Qian Buqun—either being sidelined or running back in terror.

First came the anger, then the appeasement, and finally, after taking the 200,000 taels of silver Liu Dahao brought, he even had to hold a grand banquet to "soothe" the frightened Liu Prefecture Marquis.

When Liu Dahao left Liangzhou in a swaggering manner, it was said that Chen Ping was so angry he didn't get out of bed for three days.

……

A sandstorm!

The most terrifying thing in the desert had arrived, and it had arrived on the very first day!

The crowd was in chaos.

This sandstorm came without warning, and it even gave Liu Zheng a fright.

"Protect Young Master Liu!"

Reheman shouted loudly, and several people ran over, taking Liu Zheng toward the camels.

The desert sandstorm always had a tendency to intensify; although it was night and the hurricane could not be seen, the sand and dust already blotted out the sky and moon, plunging the surroundings into endless darkness. Sand and gravel were blown up, slamming into people's faces with stinging pain. At first, people could still stand, but as the wind grew stronger, they began to sway and stumble to the ground.

"Hurry, pull all the camels over!"

Reheman shouted.

These people already had experience with sandstorms; at such times, the best Method was to rely on the camels, letting them stand against the wind while the people hid behind their massive bodies.

For camels, dealing with a sandstorm was as simple as drinking water; you blow your wind, I'll play my game...

Carefree and content.

"Quick, quick, protect the goods!"

But because the sandstorm came too fast and too violently, many of the caravan's goods were swept away by the sand before they could be protected. Qin Zhangfeng was quite agile, and knowing how important this Refined Salt was to Liu Zheng, he managed to snatch two bags from the swirling sand, shielding them under his body while also looking after Zheng Yue Ru.

Pain!

Cold!

Liu Zheng even felt dizzy from being pelted by the sand and gravel! Because his body was thin, he even needed to hug the camel's leg tightly. When the sandstorm struck, Liu Zheng cried out, and that camel even looked down at Liu Zheng with mockery, chewing a few blades of grass by its mouth, looking so carefree that it made Liu Zheng want to curse.

He didn't know how long this sandstorm lasted, nor how many goods it had blown away.

In any case, when the sandstorm stopped, Liu Zheng was dizzy.

In his dazed state, he had only one instinct: to hold onto the camel's leg for dear life so he wouldn't be blown away by the wind. This made his hands completely unresponsive.

"Young Master!"

"Brother Liu!"

When Liu Zheng opened his eyes, he saw the concerned gazes of Qin Zhangfeng and Zheng Yue Ru. It was already dawn, and he blinked: "Did it blow all night?"

The crowd burst into laughter, and Liu Zheng then learned that the sandstorm had lasted about an hour, while he had been unconscious for three!

"Too terrifying!"

Liu Zheng still felt lingering fear.

Reheman also walked over and chuckled: "Young Master Liu, this is nothing; in the coming journey, we expect to encounter at least five more, so you must be prepared."

"Ah?"

Liu Zheng was completely stunned, feeling like he wanted to cry. It was too painful; if he had to cross this desert, wouldn't the skin on his face peel off? Only then did he understand why the Silk Road was so difficult to open, and how much of the goods these people carried would be left by the time they reached Loulan?

The difficulty of trade between the two sides meant that goods were different, and the profit margin would naturally be very large.

The greater the profit, the more people would risk their lives.

Looking around, the caravan now had only half of its people, camels, and goods left. The Chamber of Commerce from Hanzhong had also lost quite a few people. But those who had lost brothers and sisters did not cry much; they simply silently scattered a cup of yellow earth and burned some paper as a sacrifice. Since they had intended to cross the desert, they had already prepared themselves for the possibility of dying here.

They set off again.

The caravan of three hundred people had turned into over a hundred, inevitably feeling a bit lifeless.

But in the eyes of these people, there was still a sense of determination. They hoped that in this trading trip, they could earn enough money to achieve financial freedom. Sure enough, the subsequent journey saw a few more sandstorms, but fortunately, Liu Zheng and the others had gained experience and managed to avoid them without incident.

Walking along, the path was desolate.

This was a desert where one could see no hope; the weather was abnormal, the sun was scorching, and occasionally some poplars and red willows could be seen, which finally gave people a glimmer of life. In such a place, it was also easy to dig for some water to replenish the water bags lost in the sandstorm.

Occasionally, they would see an oasis, making people unable to help but cheer, not only to replenish water but also to have a good wash before moving on.

A full month—after one month of entering the desert, the group finally saw a river.

"Ah!"

"It's the Peacock River!"

"Ah, ah, ah, ah!"

People cheered and jumped for joy, hugging and celebrating with one another.

Reheman also led a group of people to kneel on the ground, thanking Allah.

Once the Peacock River appeared, it meant they had completely walked out of the desert. Liu Zheng also looked over leisurely; in the distance, a town could be seen. Was this the Loulan Kingdom? In history, a mysterious existence. Those buildings made of sand and earth had a distinct style, and because merchants often traveled here, the town was quite bustling. When this group appeared here, people had already swarmed over.

"What goods do you have?"

"Do you have silk from Jiangnan?"

"Do you have salt?"

"Are there any high-quality ceramics? They fetch a high price here!"

"Do you have green tea?"

The people coming to collect goods shouted one after another, scrambling to be first. However, those who came here basically all belonged to trading firms and had their own partners; there were independent merchants, but very few. Reheman brought Liu Zheng and the others to dodge the harassment of these people, then cupped his fists and smiled, "Young Master Liu, this is within the borders of Loulan! Reheman still has urgent matters to attend to, so I shall bid you farewell for now! Does the Young Master wish to enter Kucheng with us?"

Kucheng was the capital of Loulan.

Liu Zheng looked over there and saw some troops had already appeared; it seemed they were people who had come for Reheman. He knew in his heart that once Reheman reached this place, he was safe. He thought of Zheng Yuru, who had long since made an appointment with the slave trader introduced by Du Biao to meet in Shancheng, so he also cupped his fists and replied, "I still wish to look around, we shall meet again!"

"Since that is the case, Young Master, you must be careful on the road. We shall meet in Kucheng!"

Reheman left a wooden tablet with Liu Zheng, saying that if he had any trouble, he should take it out, as it might provide some support, then he led the Third Prince and went to rendezvous with the army over there.

Liu Zheng and the two others just wandered around here; this exotic style was quite attractive. The surrounding stalls and shops were all Loulan people wearing ethnic clothing. Loulan abounded in various dried fruits, fruits, linen clothing, ornaments, cotton, and wine; naturally, there was no shortage of beef and mutton here either. What was lacking here, however, was salt, tea, ceramics, silk, and farming tools...

The price difference was huge!

Zheng Yue Ru happily changed into a set of ethnic clothing, her beauty making people unable to take their eyes off her.

"Young Master Liu, haha, is there anything you would like to purchase? You can tell this old man!"

After walking a circle, Liu Zheng encountered the old man from the Rongxiang Firm again. The old man was named Xiang Chenglin, a member of the Hanzhong Xiang Clan.

"Just looking around!"

Xiang Chenglin gave a mysterious smile, "Young Master Liu, do not be deliberately lowballed by these unscrupulous merchants! My Rongxiang Firm has a sterling reputation in Loulan; we do not cheat the young or the old! I see these two bags of goods of yours, are they salt?"

Speaking of this, his eyes lit up.

Liu Zheng gave a wry smile; he was indeed an old hand in the business, this old man's eye was truly sharp. He did not hide it and nodded.

Xiang Chenglin was overjoyed, "Young Master has great means! I won't hide it from you, even for us, we can only bring a few dozen liters of salt each time! Counting the amount lost on this journey, you have a full thousand liters, right?"

A thousand liters of salt!

In the Longyan Dynasty, who would dare to privately trade so much salt without having some real strength?

Liu Zheng chuckled, noncommittal.

Xiang Chenglin was even more shocked and whispered, "Young Master, salt is a hot commodity here in Loulan! I wonder, Young Master..."

"How much silver?"

Liu Zheng wanted to know an accurate price.

Xiang Chenglin said in a low voice, "That depends on the quality..."

"The absolute best!"

Xiang Chenglin was stunned for a moment, mentally estimating what this "absolute best" quality was, and then said something shocking, "Three taels per liter!"

"What?"

Liu Zheng, Zheng Yue Ru, and even Qin Zhangfeng were all startled.

A sky-high price!

They were rich!

Liu Zheng was overjoyed.

Xiang Chenglin was just about to speak, but at this moment, the troops suddenly fell into chaos, and many cavalrymen charged into the market.

"Where are the merchants from just now?"

"Come over to inventory the goods and pay the tax!"

The expressions of Liu Zheng and the others changed slightly.

Inventory the goods and pay the tax?

There was such a practice? If he had known, he would have left with Reheman just now. Once this Refined Salt was brought out, wouldn't these people go crazy, leaving them standing in the crosshairs of everyone's greed?