In the Southern Song Dynasty, I competed with Mongolia for the world

Chapter 484 It’s like a money grab
The Persian is called Aqili, who can speak both Mongolian and Chinese. This kind of person is now very popular in Persia, and Kublai Khan also hired him as a translator at a high price.

Aqili is usually very busy and has business everywhere. If the Mongolians hadn't hired him, most people wouldn't be able to hire him if they were really rich.

Aqili pointed to the east and said: "At the mouth of the gorge in front (Strait of Hormuz), the Song people first delineated a forbidden route."

"Ships are not normally allowed in the southern part of the gorge. The navy of the Song Dynasty is patrolling all day and night. If other ships are seen passing by, they will be sunk."

According to Aqili, this section is about a hundred miles wide, and ten ships of the Song Navy are patrolling it staggered to prevent ships from passing through.

Of course, there are also bold people who will secretly take this route to avoid taxes. After all, the sea is more than a hundred miles wide. It is impossible for the Song Navy to be overwhelmed. They can still escape if they have the chance, but they will be in trouble once they are caught. .

The Song Navy did not have telescopes before, so their efficiency may have been a bit poor. Now that they have telescopes, patrols are more convenient and efficient.

"All ships can only go through the northern part of the canyon because this section is relatively narrow."

The narrowest one is only about seven miles wide and can be seen with the naked eye.

Therefore, the Song army built a large number of forts and set up checkpoints at this location. Ships entering and exiting paid taxes here and then passed through.

As the fleet entered, both sides became narrower and narrower. Kublai Khan could see with the naked eye that the sea narrowed.

Aqili also changed his face slightly: "The Song Army's artillery is quite big. You will see it when we pass the pass later. It is super big and can hit very far. It is very powerful. A ship as big as ours can be hit by one shot." Shattered."

"The narrowest point in the north is only about seven or eight miles wide. The Song army built forts on both sides and could hit the middle directly. Who dares not to pay the tax?"

According to Song Jun, the tax paid when leaving the Persian Gulf is different from the tax paid when not leaving the Persian Gulf.

Soon he saw what Aqili said was only seven or eight miles wide of the sea.

It can hit almost from the island to the other side, and its power is amazing.

The mineral salt above is quite abundant and easy to pick. It is currently Song Jun's main source of local mineral salt.

The barrel is relatively long and can hit farther. With their new wooden fuse shells, it can actually hit as far as seven miles away.

Aqili first hoisted the blue flag on the boat as required, and their boat continued forward. After passing Qeshm Island, there were two small islands to the east. They would circle around the northern island, and then You can dock at Peace Harbor.

This made Kublai Khan look incredulous.

But these cannons are really big.

But Kublai Khan certainly could not have imagined that the artillery factory here had just been established. Only four of the artillery on both sides of the bank were real, and the rest were wooden artillery. They were displayed to scare people first, and new ones were built later. Put on.

Bandar Abbas port across the island is now the Port of Peace.

The Mongolian army now also has Hongwu artillery, but it can only shoot more than one mile, which is considered the limit. I didn't expect the Song army to be able to shoot three or four miles.

The Song Army's artillery along the coast are super heavy cannons weighing more than 10,000 kilograms.

Several people were talking and slowly followed the boat in front of them to the east.

Many forts did not have cannons. As their ships entered, Kublai Khan counted them silently. There were at least fifty forts on both sides of the strait, but most of them had no cannons.

After hearing this, Aqili looked at Kublai Khan calmly, because he also knew that the Mongols also forced the Persians to work for the Mongols everywhere.

The Song Army has just occupied it for a few years, and mainly built forts and mined salt on it.

The one who came in from the outside was to the north, and the one who came out from the inside was to the south.

After the deck was connected, Song Jun came up to inquire.

Kublai Khan's ships were made of a thousand materials. As long as the Song army's artillery hit one shot, they could be smashed to pieces. It was really no joke.

After hearing this, Kublai Khan and Brother Mo's expressions changed slightly: "Song army's artillery fired so far?"

When it was Kublai Khan's turn to approach the Peace Harbor, he found that cities were being built on both sides of the bank, and long walls were being built. A large number of local people were helping with the work, and many people were chatting while working. After getting closer, they could still see Someone was talking and laughing, with smiles on their faces.

The muzzle of the cannon was thicker than a human being. It felt like there would be no problem in stuffing a person into it. The exposed length of the fort was close to one foot. Looking at such a long barrel, even though Kublai Khan didn't understand artillery, he felt that it would definitely be able to hit very hard. Far.

When the Song Army heard that they would not leave the Persian Gulf, they handed them a blue flag and asked them to hoist it for a while. They then let them go without checking their goods.

"We will not leave the Persian Gulf. We will return to Dailam Port after completing the transaction."

This island is only about seven or eight miles away from the opposite side. The island is rich in naphtha and salt.

Kublai Khan's ship approached the south coast and soon docked at a small port on the right side of the island.

After entering the narrowest area, people from the Song Dynasty were waving flags on the side, signaling them to dock.

Some ships leaving the Persian Gulf may have to go to Borneo, Hanzhou, or even to Quanzhou or Zhejiang in the Song Dynasty. After paying taxes here, they can pay less taxes in other Song Dynasty ports.

Aqili said before that he had not felt it yet, but now that he saw it with his own eyes, he was very shocked.

The whole process seems cumbersome and involves a lot of walking, but it is actually very smooth. Without such an orderly planning, the ships entering and exiting the port would be very crowded, even blocked and knocked down.

Kublai Khan looked ahead and saw a huge island on the right side. This was the Qeshm Island in later generations, the largest island in Persia. In later generations, it was also an important place to guard the import and export of the Persian Gulf.

The Mongolian army also forcibly recruited local Persians to help them build the city in Rai City. The Persians refused very much and would run away when they found an opportunity.

Hiss, at this moment he finally took a breath of air, and saw that both sides of the bank were densely packed with long walls, and there was a fort every hundred steps or so.

"The people of the Song Dynasty gave them money and things, and paid them the compensation they deserved. So let alone the local people, there were people from all directions and hundreds of miles away wanting to help the people of the Song Dynasty."

Kublai Khan revealed his identity, but did not say that he was Kublai Khan, only that he was a Mongolian army who came to trade from Rai City.

"Are the ships leaving the Persian Gulf?" Song Jun asked from the opposite side.

Because the Song Army has only been here a few years, many cannons have not yet been built, and only a small number of cannons are currently equipped.

He pointed at the Persian men working with a serious face and said to Aqili: "Why do these people seem so happy to help the Song people work?"

Kublai Khan noticed that Aqili's tone was filled with a touch of resentment. Apparently Aqili was also dissatisfied with the Mongols' practices in Persia.

The Mongols were enslaving the Persians, while the Song people were hiring the Persians. The Persians definitely liked the latter and hated the former.

Brother Mo said loudly at this time: "Didn't you say that when the Song people first came, they arrested people everywhere to help them work, and people everywhere rose up to resist?"

"When the Song people first arrived in the Persian Gulf, they arrested people everywhere, but after they finished the work, they all supported wages and materials. Later, everyone got used to it." Aqili explained.

When the Song army first arrived, they did arrest people everywhere, but they quickly got rid of the locals. "Where is Peace City?" Brother Mo asked again.

"It is about ten miles away from the coast. The south gate of the city is on the same line as Heping Port. The Song Dynasty people also built a straight road so that you can quickly get from the port to the south gate."

While the few people were talking, it was their turn for the boat to dock.

This time, the Song army came up to inspect the cargo. Kublai Khan stood on the bow of the ship and looked around. Heping Harbor was relatively large and was still being renovated. It could currently accommodate twelve large and medium-sized ships at the same time. If it was a small ship, it could accommodate more. many.

Their ship was in the middle, and there were ships docking in front and behind. Then the Song Army came on board to inspect. More than a dozen ships were inspected at the same time. The Song Army was still relatively efficient.

In addition to the boats that have docked, while the boats that have not yet had their turn to dock are queuing up, there will be a large number of small boats taking people ashore first.

According to the rules of the Song Dynasty, goods can be queued for inspection, and personnel can go ashore first. Therefore, from Kublai Khan's location, when you look back, you can see a large number of small boats on the sea carrying merchants from all over the country.

Song Jun quickly looked at their goods and then reported the tax to Kublai Khan.

Because they did not leave the Persian Gulf, the Song army collected taxes at a rate of 1 in 20, and Kublai Khan could choose to deliver or pay.

The delivery means Song Jun directly moves one-twentieth of the goods, and the payment must be made to Song Jun after they complete the transaction.

Kublai Khan asked Aqili, and Aqili said that in order to save trouble, it is best to deliver goods directly.

And it’s a bit of a loss to pay.

Because there are three types of currency in Persia: gold coins, silver coins and copper coins, the Song people adopted the method of currency exchange for measurement.

Twenty silver coins is equivalent to one tael of silver for Song people.

In fact, the weight of fifteen silver coins in Persia is equivalent to one tael of silver in Song Dynasty.

It would be a big loss if you hand over the money, so Persian merchants always deliver the goods directly.

Kublai Khan had no choice but to hand over one-twentieth of the goods.

Brother Mo stared at the side, looking quite dissatisfied when Song people came up to move the goods.

The Mongols have always plundered others, and they never expected that one day they would be taxed by others.

"How much tax will the Song people charge if they leave the Persian Gulf?" Kublai Khan asked Aqili again.

"It's a one-out-of-ten draw." Aqili smiled bitterly.

"It's like robbing money." Brother Mo secretly cursed.

This tax is indeed a bit harsh. Brother Mo was cursing and his eyes were red. He wished that the Mongols could occupy the Persian Gulf.

But Kublai Khan saw the real value. The Song people collected such heavy taxes, but there were still ant-like merchant ships coming from all directions, which shows how high the profits were.

The great Mongols are now nesting on the grassland, with only infantry and cavalry but no navy. If they really want to fight the Song Dynasty, they must build their own navy without delay.

Kublai Khan soon brought Brother Mo ashore, and Aqili would be responsible for handling their cargo.

Normally, they handle it in several ways.

One is to transport the goods to the shore first. If you have a ship, you can transport it yourself. If you don’t have enough manpower, there are coolies on the shore who can be hired. They are all local Persians.

But Aqili said that these Persians who were able to work at the port were slaves of the Song Army and could be regarded as people trusted by the Song Army.

After the goods are transported to the shore, there are many shops on both sides of the port. They are opened by people from all over the country. They can all be sold. You can slowly negotiate the price and sell the same goods.

The other is to put it on the boat first, then find a shop or owner to sell it, and then move it directly from this boat to another boat. This is selling the whole boat.

Another option is to rent a shop at the port, put out your own goods, and sell them slowly and long-term. This usually takes a long time to sell, but the price is high and the shop has to pay taxes. It is suitable for large businesses and bosses.

Kublai Khan's mission was not to do business, so he didn't care about profits, and the goods they brought were not exotic goods. Aqili would transport them to the shore and then find shops or merchants one by one to sell them.

While Aqili was selling goods, Kublai Khan and Brother Mo had already started to observe along the shore with a few followers.

The Song army first built a city wall along the coast. Outside the city wall was either a beach or a cliff. There was a sentry tower every two hundred steps, and there would be a person watching above. At present, the city wall is more than ten miles long and is still under construction.

Inside the city wall is the so-called commercial street. Song Jun paved a wide road with large bluestones and built countless houses on both sides of the road, forming a commercial street.

These houses are either rented or sold, and are almost sold out. Merchants all over Persia own shops here, and other island countries or kingdoms around Persia also rent and buy here.

After Kublai Khan walked into the commercial street, he discovered that the street behind the city wall was overcrowded, pedestrians everywhere, shops everywhere, restaurants, red buildings, and even Baghdad's bathrooms.

Before the Mongols broke through, Rai City had more than 600,000 people. It was considered a large city in Persia at that time, but when Kublai Khan arrived here, he found that it seemed to be even more prosperous than Rai City.

As Aqili said, three or four years after the Song army came, people from hundreds of miles around South Persia seemed to have gathered here.

Human beings are like this. No matter which country they are from, wherever they are prosperous or rich, everyone is used to gathering there.

The Song Army's Heping City was getting bigger and bigger. For this reason, there were more and more local people, and Heping City was obviously not enough.

If Kublai Khan was a general of the Song Army, he would know that the current Heping Port has only two sides of the commercial street (within the dozen or so miles of the city wall), with a permanent population of more than 50,000, and nearly 5,000 to 6,000 people entering and exiting from the sea every day. Tens of thousands more people came from the land, maintaining a population of more than 100,000 all year round.

The local population has a complex ethnic mix, with people from all over Europe and Asia. There are even shops from Japan and Korea. There are more Song people, and they are basically Song people from the coastal areas.

The two Kublai Khan brothers looked around for a while and found that although there were many people on the street, they were orderly and everyone was the same as the boat that came in just now.

Because the commercial street runs horizontally from west to east, Kublai Khan and his companions went to the right (south) when going from west to east. People coming from the opposite side came from east to west and all went to the left (north). There were about two people in the middle. Almost no one walks on the foot-wide area. Only when carriages and mules pass by, they will walk in the middle, and they are also divided into left and right sides to ensure that they will not collide.

From time to time on the road, you can see signs with various characters erected by the people of the Song Dynasty. Sometimes they are in Mongolian, sometimes in Persian, and there are also various rules written in other countries' characters, including Chinese characters.

"People walk on both sides, carriages, horses and mules walk in the middle."

"When encountering an army, give way to both sides."

"Littering is not allowed, and violators will be fined."

"Those who steal and rob, kill."

These slogans are everywhere, some are signs erected on the street, and some are written on the side walls of houses along the street.

After walking for a while, a group of Song troops came face to face.

(End of this chapter)