The great man will live forever

Chapter 153 Dare to prostitute Emperor Wu for nothing
In 104 BC, Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty appointed Che Ling as the envoy of the Han Dynasty. He took a thousand pieces of gold and a golden horse with him and traveled thousands of miles to the royal capital of Dayuan (in today's Asgabat, Turkmenistan). ), sincerely want to buy a batch of Dawan's "sweat-blooded BMWs".

"Your Majesty, our Majesty is sincere in exchange for the BMW."

They went through many hardships and came to the country of Dayuan.

Dawan is located in Central Asia, at the western foot of the Pamirs, on the upper and middle reaches of the Syr Darya River, in what is now the Fergana Basin of Uzbekistan.

There are more than 70 large and small towns with a population of hundreds of thousands. It is a country with prosperous agriculture and animal husbandry. It produces rice, wheat, grapes, and alfalfa. It is especially famous for its sweating blood horses.

It borders Kangju to the north, Dayuezhi to the southwest, Wusun to the northeast, and can reach Shule through the Turok Pass of Pamir in the east. It occupied a very important position in east-west transportation at that time.He had heard for a long time that the Han Dynasty was rich and prosperous, but he could not get through. When he saw the Han envoys coming, he expressed his sincere welcome.

The King of Dawan, about 45 years old, is somewhat plump and has a big belly. He is wearing silk and a robe on the back. It is decorated very delicately and has exquisite embroidery.

The head is wrapped with a silk scarf. On top of this is a crown made of gold, inlaid with precious stones, and jewelry is also hung around the neck.

"Oh, oh, welcome, welcome the envoys of the Han Dynasty!" King Dawan greeted them very happily and prepared fine wine, beauties, and delicious food, but did not mention a word about the bloody horse.

"The silk made by you Han people is really good. It feels like the skin of a beautiful woman. It feels soft and waxy. I don't wear any clothes except silk now. It's good, but it's too expensive."

King Dawan sighed with emotion, while touching the silk he was wearing.

The Silk Road is called the Silk Road because from the Han Dynasty to the mid-Tang Dynasty, silk was the item produced in China that attracted the attention of Westerners and was most suitable for long-distance transportation by horse and cart.

"I have brought two hundred pieces of silk to present to the king." Che Ling said and quickly asked someone to bring the silk up.

"Then you're welcome, I can't let the Han envoy run away in vain, Xiao Danha." King Dawan called a servant and gave Che Ling some gold and silver treasures.

"Your Majesty, we big men have no shortage of gold and silver. Your Majesty asked me to bring you a gift." The commander of the carriage said and asked someone to push the carriage in. He lifted the cloth and saw a horse made of gold. In an instant, a whole Every palace seems to be illuminated with splendor.

King Dawan's eyes were shining. He carefully looked at the horse made of gold. Not only him, but also the eyes of other prominent nobles in the hall were full of greed.

"Your Majesty, we are willing to exchange this golden horse for a real BMW."

"This, no rush, no rush."

King Dawan changed the subject, "I also have gold in Dawan, but this silk..."

"We big men are willing to provide silk to the king every year."

"No, no, I want our Dawan to produce silk like the Han Dynasty."

Che Ling's expression changed at this opening.

Silk is one of the specialties of ancient China, representing the elegance and grandeur of Chinese culture.As early as 6000 years ago in the middle of the Neolithic period, China began to raise silkworms, extract silk, and weave silk. According to ancient legends, Leizu, the wife of the Yellow Emperor, invented "raising silkworms to extract silk".

Silk, as a unique clothing fabric in China, is comfortable to wear. Silk is composed of protein fibers and has good biocompatibility with the human body. In addition, its surface is smooth, soft and delicate to the touch, and it is warm in winter and cool in summer, and absorbs sound and dust. , flame retardant, and able to resist ultraviolet rays...

These advantages made it extremely valuable in ancient times. At that time, Westerners regarded silk as a more precious item than gold. Even China was once called the "Silk Country" by the West. They were only envious of China, but the West has always There was no way to make silk, and there was no way to raise silkworms.

The emperors of all dynasties had a very strong sense of monopoly on silk. They believed that silk was a natural gift of the Chinese people and could not be spread to the barbarians in all directions.Otherwise, this would pose a certain threat to the Chinese emperor, and Chinese culture would not be able to stay ahead of the barbarians from all directions.

When the Silk Road first began to flourish, other surrounding countries were indeed envious of the Han people for possessing such things as silk. They often quietly asked how silk was made and if they could teach them the method. All of this was met with disapproval by the Han Emperor Wu strongly refused, and he even ordered that anyone who dared to spread the news would be beheaded and the three clans would be punished.

In other words, you can buy it, but you can only buy it here. It is impossible to learn how to make it. Do you think you are 'way ahead'?
"This, Your Majesty, the production techniques are cumbersome and have requirements on the living environment. Dawan is not a big man." Che Ling refused without much thought. This would not be passed on to them, and the environment in Dawan country may not be the same. Suitable for sericulture.

"We'll talk about the horse later. The Han envoy is also tired. Someone, please send the Han envoy down to rest."

King Dawan was obviously unhappy, and regardless of what Che Ling wanted to say, he asked him to leave the palace temporarily.

When the order of the carriage retreated, several Dawan nobles couldn't wait to speak, "Your Majesty, since the Han people don't give us the method of making silk, this Tianma must not be given to them. This is the national treasure of our Majesty."

"Yep!"

"But what should we do if the Han army comes over?" This was what King Dawan was most worried about.

"Your Majesty, don't worry. The Han Dynasty is so far away from us, separated by Salt Lake. If the Han Dynasty army goes north to take the North Road, it will inevitably encounter the Xiongnu army. If it goes south to take the South Road, then It's like quicksand, and it can't solve the problem of drinking water and food at all, and they can't send an army here at all."

Yanze Lake is known as the "ear of the earth" because its shape is like a human ear, also known as the "Sea of ​​Death", also known as Luo Bu Nao. In the "Shan Hai Jing", it is called Youze, "Youze, where the river is Qianye, its original color is muddy and bubbles. There are sweet fruits, but they are actually like peaches, and their leaves are like jujubes. They are yellow and red, and they eat without labor..."

It was once the second largest inland lake in China, with an altitude of 780 meters. Rivers in the basin such as the Tarim River, Kongque River, Cheerchen River, Shule River, etc. converged here, forming a huge lake.

Later, due to being too close to the desert, the climate was hot and rainy, humans increased their consumption of water resources, and endless demands for nature, the various rivers and lakes flowing through Lop Nur began to dry up, and the land area began to expand. By the 70s, Lop Nur completely dried up and became a desert.

It can only be said that the most destructive force in the world is time, followed by nature, and then humans. The destructive power of humans can even catch up with nature at one time. Nature can turn seas into mulberry fields and deserts into oases. Humans can do the opposite. The mulberry fields turn into the sea, the oasis turns into the desert, and it happens faster and more surely.

"Yes, Your Majesty, Gulu Dali is right. Judging from previous experience, if the Han Dynasty sends a delegation of several hundred people, half of them will die due to lack of water and food on the way, not to mention sending a large number of people over such a long distance. It's impossible for the army to attack us, so we don't have to be afraid at all."

Several Dawan nobles said something to each other, which probably meant that the big man would not come to attack them. If they didn't have the ability, there was no need to be afraid.

"Oh, I want the horse made of gold, but I don't want to give it to Pegasus. What do you think I should do?"

Good guy, you are a typical freeloader. You want money but don’t want to give me goods.

"Your Majesty, we can..." Someone said and made a gesture of slitting his neck, which everyone present understood instantly.

"It's not right."

"Your Majesty, who said we did it? It could be bandits or the Huns. The mountains are high and the roads are far away. There are many bandits. The Huns still appear from time to time."

Che Ling was treated to delicious food and drinks in the first few days, but he became more and more impatient in the next few days. At his strong request, he met the King of Dawan again. He once again expressed his intention to buy Tianma, but he was King Wan clearly refused.

"Envoy of the Han Dynasty, it's not that I don't want to, Tianma is our national treasure of Dawan, it is a priceless treasure. No matter how much gold I have, I can't give it to you. If you give it, I can't explain it to the hundreds of thousands of people in Dawan."

"Then the king will wait for my big man's army."

"Clang clang clang!"

"Praise la praise!"

"what are you doing?"

"let's go."

Che Ling was so angry that in front of the Dawan nobles, he smashed the golden horse that Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty asked them to bring and walked away.

"Isn't it reasonable? Isn't it reasonable that he threatens me?"

"My king's golden horse was smashed by him." Good guy, does this become yours?
King Dawan was so angry that his chest heaved up and down, "Come here, give me the order to help King Yucheng."

He summoned an attendant, whispered a few words in his ear, and the attendant walked out quickly.

Yucheng is a small tribe that surrendered to Dawan. It is to the east of Dawan. If Che Ling wants to return to Chang'an, this is the only way. King Yucheng followed the instructions and sent people to attack and kill the Han envoy halfway. , and robbed the mission’s belongings...

(End of this chapter)