On the Silk Road paved with gold, there is a hub transit city. It is located in the core area of the Western Region. The fertile soil and convenient transportation in the dense water basin have nurtured the people here and brought countless wealth to this land.
This city is the capital of Kang State - "Samajian".
Samajian is what people called it in the Tang Dynasty. Another name given to it by later history books is famous in history and even in the world - Samarkand.
If Chang'an of the Tang Dynasty is the most majestic and spectacular city in the world today, and it is not an exaggeration to call it the best city in the world; then Samajian, as the core city of the Silk Road, is one of the richest cities in the world. .
It is said that more than half of the wealth of all countries along the entire Silk Road is concentrated here. If the wealth carried by the merchants walking here were gathered together, it would be enough to be worth the entire Tang Empire!
Rumors always have their exaggerations and falsehoods, but this is enough to show how rich Samajian is.
At this moment, Wu Meiniang and her huge caravan were sailing into this legendary "commercial city" in the world.
"Master, what are we doing all the way to this place?" Su Lianqing, who was sitting in the same car with Wu Meiniang, raised the window and looked out for a few times, and said unhappily, "It's everywhere. A bearded ghost with a big nose, green eyes, and red and blue hair. He smells like a sheep. The walls and houses are also built so strangely that it makes you uncomfortable to look at them. "
Wu Meiniang, who had traveled a long distance, looked tired. She leaned on the carriage and said calmly: "I didn't ask you to follow me."
"Hey, what you said is not kind!" Su Lianqing said angrily, "Isn't it for your safety? I left my precious son who was less than three months old to travel a long way here with you. Damn it, you can’t say anything nice to me!”
This sentence seemed to sting Wu Meiniang's heart. She slightly frowned and said, "I am not the same?"
"I really can't figure it out!" Su Lianqing said, "Is there nothing else but money in the eyes of businessmen? You and Qin Mubai haven't seen each other for more than a year, and you just gave birth to your precious son who is only half a year old. You can't bear to leave them and go to this hellish place thousands of miles away to mess around? - I really don't know what you are planning!"
"You will know from now on." Wu Meiniang breathed a sigh of relief, patted the car board and said loudly, "Find a business station to settle down as soon as possible, so that everyone can have a good rest!"
"Yes, boss!"
Su Lianqing pouted, continued to glance out the window, and muttered: "This place is really lively, with more people than the West Market in Chang'an. The goods on the street are piled up like mountains, and there are so many people that it's impossible to get through. But it's still a war period - wow, is that a beautiful horse? I want to buy one for my man! - Boss, can you lend me some money? I have no other hobbies but horses!”
"Okay, stop nagging!" Wu Meiniang said a little impatiently, "Thanks to you, you are also an old man in the world. You are so rare! - This trip is special, so don't make mistakes!"
"Isn't it just doing business to make money? What's so special about it?"
"Anyway, don't run around if you have nothing to do. Follow me and don't cause trouble! If anything happens, I will definitely not care about you. I'll say the ugly things first!"
"Okay, it's up to you!"
A few hours later, a large caravan consisting of more than 300 vehicles from the Wu family stopped at a trading post run by a Sogdian.
After getting off the bus, Wu Meiniang went up in person and communicated with the housekeepers and porters of Shangyi, speaking fluent Sogdian. Su Lianqing was confused, and after Wu Meiniang finished talking, she asked: "My boss, what did you say, why can't I understand a word of it?"
"Thank you for following me around for several years, but you don't even know a word of Sogdian." Wu Meiniang said with a smile, "I speak Sogdian. The owner of this store is Sogdian, which is what we often say. "Hu people with nine surnames in Zhaowu". If you want to walk on the Western Silk Road, you won't be able to understand Sogdian and Sogdian. Not only that, even in the Tang Dynasty. There are also a large number of Sogdian merchants living in the interior, and the Sogdian language and the Sogdian language are both must-learns for those doing business. Of course, there are exceptions for small businessmen and hawkers."
"Is it so mysterious?" Su Lianqing rolled her eyes and said confusedly, "The ninth surname of Zhaowu is Hu?... Oh, it sounds familiar! It seems that there are many Hu people with the ninth surname of Zhaowu in places like Chang'an and Luoyang!"
"You should really read more books!" Wu Meiniang shook her head and said with a smile, "The nine surnames of Zhaowu are descendants of the Dayue family, and some of them are also mixed with the Huns left over from the Qin and Han Dynasties. The name 'Zhaowu' comes from the Hexi Corridor. Zhaowu City was originally the capital of the Dayue Kingdom. The Xiongnu forced the whole family to move westward, and the name of the capital also moved westward. After the westward migration, the Dayue Kingdom was gradually divided into nine. A country, Kang State is the suzerain state of the Nine Kingdoms. The nine surnames of Zhaowu are best at doing business - the capital of Kang State in front of them is Samajian, which is where businessmen from all over the world gather. It’s a wasted life!”
"It's so complicated, I don't understand!" Su Lianqing curled her lips and said, "I only know that doing business means buying cheap and selling dear, making money and leaving. It's not like you, who has gone through eight generations of people's ancestors and figured it out clearly. Are you tired?"
Wu Meiniang smiled and said: "If you want to do good things, you must first sharpen your weapons. In the art of war, you can fight a hundred battles if you know yourself and the enemy. Doing business is actually the same as fighting. You want to make the other party's money, and the other party also wants to make your money. If you don't understand the other party first, how can you do it?" Can I win? As early as the beginning of my business, I wanted to visit the famous Samajian. For this reason, I spent several years studying Sogdian language and script, even in the mainland of the Tang Dynasty. When doing business, it is impossible to deal with the Sogdians. The Sogdians are really a magical, hard-working and very smart people. Their merchants spread all over the world and make all the wealth in the world. Even Chang'an and Beijing are the richest people in the world. In places like Luoyang, Sogdian merchants were also famous. Zheng Anshun, the eldest son of the Zheng family, the richest businessman in the Tang Dynasty, had six Sogdians as housekeepers, each of whom could manage the world on his own. , they are really amazingly capable. All the Sogdians are genius businessmen!”
"Hey! It's rare to hear you praise others like this!" Su Lianqing clicked her tongue, "According to what you said, the Sogdians are really that amazing?"
Just as he was talking, a man walked out of the main hall of Shang Yi. He was about forty years old. He was wearing a tight-fitting floor-length white robe with narrow sleeves, a tall pointed hat with rolled brim, and a tall nose with green eyes and curly beard. , was greeted with a smile on his face.
"I, Kant, am the shopkeeper of this small shop. I sincerely welcome distinguished guests from the Tang Dynasty who have come from afar!" He spoke in fluent Chinese.
"It turns out it's Kang Dong's family. My Majesty Wu Meiniang, you are so polite." Wu Meiniang returned the gift and said with a smile, "Kang Dong's family speaks Chinese very fluently, and their Chinese names are also very authentic. They must have been to the Tang Dynasty, right?"
"I have been doing business in Chang'an and Luoyang for more than ten years, which is my second hometown. I have only returned to my hometown recently. Therefore, it is very cordial for me to see distinguished guests from the Eastern Tang Dynasty!" Kant came to express his gratitude. He said kindly, "It's hard for our distinguished guest to come from afar, so why don't you go into the store and rest first. If there is anything important to be done, the Wu Dong family will just give instructions. Whether it is to contact the government to apply for a pass-through commercial document or goods that need to be traded, the store will We can do it for you. As for the cost, please rest assured that any price offered by the store is definitely the most reasonable in Samajian! ”
"Haha, the Kang Dong family is really good at doing business. If nothing else, you have already guessed exactly what I want to do next!" Wu Meiniang said with a smile, "Well, let's talk about the business later. Let's talk about it later. We are tired after traveling thousands of miles, please arrange a room for us to rest."
"No problem. When Wu Dong's family comes, they are honored guests. Please!"
Almost as soon as Kantelai finished speaking, a group of soldiers suddenly rushed in from outside the courtyard. Everyone was wearing heavy armor, holding dazzling swords, and wearing cockscomb-like Wu Bian hats on their heads, and they roared menacingly to drive people away.
The scene was suddenly filled with people shouting and screaming. Kant was shocked. He rushed to stop him and yelled: "What's going on? What are you going to do!"
"Go away!" the leading military academy pushed him away and shouted, "My king has an order, all Han merchants and Han people in Samajian City must be arrested!"
When Wu Meiniang, Su Lianqing and others heard this, their expressions suddenly changed!
"Master, what happened?"
"I don't know either!" Wu Meiniang took a deep breath, "Samajian is a free trade city and will never refuse businessmen from any country. Now they suddenly want to arrest Han businessmen - could it be related to the war?"
Just as he was talking, the team of armored soldiers surrounded Wu Meiniang and others.
"You are Han Chinese!" the leading military academy pointed a knife at Wu Meiniang and others and shouted.
Just as Su Lianqing was about to attack, Wu Meiniang pulled her down and held her down. She took a step forward and said loudly in fluent Sogdian: "Exactly. We are an official businessman from Lanzhou, Qinxian Company!"
Wu Meiniang specifically said "Lanzhou" instead of "Chang'an", and she emphasized the words "Qinxian Company" a bit too much.
"Lanzhou, Qinxian Trading Company?" The military academy looked fiercely at Wu Meiniang with vigilance but his eyes gradually became a little strange and lustful, and he even swallowed a sip of saliva.
"According to the order of my king, all Han merchants and Han people in the city of Samadhi will be arrested." The voice of the military academy was obviously much softer, and he moved a little closer to Wu Meiniang ambiguously, and a pair of sneaking eyes glanced at Wu Meiniang's towering figure. On the chest, he lowered his voice and said, "I'm sorry, this beautiful beauty. I too... am following orders!"
"Get out of here!" With a sudden rebuke, the military academy fell to the sky and screamed loudly. The soldiers were so frightened that they shouted loudly, raised their swords and guns, and were at war with each other!
Su Lianqing appeared in front of Wu Meiniang in a flash. Like a ghost, she stretched out her foot and stepped on the chest of the fallen military academy. She didn't know when a dagger appeared in her hand, holding it tightly against him. throat, shouted: "Tell your people to disperse, or I will cut your throat!"
Although the military academy could not understand what Su Lianqing was talking about, the biting coldness of the dagger had already acted as a translator.
"Su Lianqing, let him go. We are here to seek wealth, not to fight." Wu Meiniang said calmly and quietly, then she switched to Sogdian and said to the sergeants, "Listen carefully. , I am Wu Zhao, the owner of Lanzhou Guanshang Qinxian Company. We are not ordinary Han merchants. My intention here is not just to do business, but also for other important purposes!"
"What's the purpose?" The fallen military academy got up in a panic, took a few steps back and asked angrily and cautiously.
"You don't deserve to know." Wu Meiniang squinted at the military academy proudly, "I will only tell your three ministers and the king about the next words. If you know the truth, go back and report it!"
"In Samajian, there are only eight hundred businessmen like you if you don't have one thousand!" The military academy was completely angry. He spat bitterly and was about to draw his sword. He shouted, "You asked me to report to you. Why do you think so?" ? —Brothers, arrest them! If you resist, shoot them!"
"That's it!" Wu Meiniang suddenly shouted loudly, "I can mobilize hundreds of thousands of troops from Su Dingfang, Marshal of the Tang Dynasty's Western Expedition! Is that enough?"
"Ugh!!—" The dozens of Sogdian soldiers who were about to swarm forward suddenly froze as if they had been hit by a immobilization spell.
The military academy looked Wu Meiniang up and down again with wide eyes, and said in a daze: "You... who are you?"
"Idiot! You have offended the most unprovoked woman in the world!" Su Lianqing angrily stepped out in front of the military academy again, pointed at his nose and shouted, "It doesn't matter who she is, what matters is her man. !”
The military academy looked around in confusion, obviously not understanding what Su Lianqing said. Kan Delai, the shopkeeper of Shangyi, hurriedly stepped forward to translate for him, and asked Su Lianqing, who was the man of the female shopkeeper in front of him
"Listen up!" Su Lianqing put her hands on her hips and said loudly and arrogantly, "Her man is the Great Protector of Anxi in the Tang Dynasty who defeated Tubo and shocked the world - Marshal Qin Mubai!"
With a "hurrah", the group of military academies ran away and dispersed in a swarm, shouting as they ran - "Report to my king quickly! The envoys of the Tang Dynasty have arrived at Samajian!"
"Woo! Qin Mubai is here! Su Dingfang is here!"
"Did the Tang Dynasty kill Samajian?"
"Lord! Has disaster struck Kang? Please save us!"
…
Su Lianqing was stunned. Looking back, Wu Meiniang also had a confused look on her face, and they both shook their heads in confusion.
On the contrary, Kant, the owner of Shangyi, knelt down on the ground and bowed to Wu Meiniang and others like a pilgrim. He said in his mouth: "It turns out that the son of the true god has arrived! The son of the true god has arrived!"
"Wha, what true god?" Su Lianqing asked in confusion.
"The legend of the true god spread in Gaochang Kingdom, Qin Shubao, the old prince of Qin in the Tang Dynasty, is the real god of war! He is also the patron saint of all merchants on the Silk Road!" Kandelai said with clasped hands and lowered his head, extremely pious, "I never thought that Wu Dongjia was actually the daughter-in-law of the true god! - You can go to every house in Samajian and see. All the houses worship the true god, just like every family in the Central Plains celebrates the New Year. , there will be a portrait of Lord Qin’s door god on the door!”
Wu Meiniang and Su Lianqing looked at each other and were stunned for a moment.
Kantelai added: "In addition, in the past two years, the name of Marshal Qin of Helong, the son of the True God, has been so famous all over the world, especially after he pacified Tubo, that all the countries in the Western Regions are familiar with his name. Now, he is often seen next to the True God. There is a shrine dedicated to Marshal Qin - in other words, the status of the Qin family and his son in the hearts of the Sogdians is second only to Allah! "