The Three Kingdoms Voyage

Chapter 326
The unexpected death of Venerable Ma Ming did not bring any adverse effects to the negotiations between the four countries. On the contrary, it promoted the progress of the negotiations. Under Sun Shao's suggestion, Cheng Jun and Lu Shan appropriately relaxed some conditions, so that Guishuang, which was about to collapse Signed the contract with Rome with satisfaction, but Shapur was disappointed. He had the least share among the three countries, but he couldn't do anything about it. He can only bear it, after all, the initiative is in the hands of the Yue State, and doing business is voluntary, and if people don't want to do business with you, you can't force it, this is not robbery.

To be honest, Shapur wanted to rob very much. Although he signed the contract, he had already made up his mind to rob.You can talk about it whatever you want, I don't care about you, I don't care about you when I'm in Sasanian territory, I have horses and knives, this paper contract is useless.

Shapur was not interested in talking anymore, but Alexander was very interested. On the one hand, he learned martial arts with Sun Shao, and on the other hand, he hoped to make some deals with Sun Shao in private.Teaching martial arts is easy to handle, Sun Shaohe explained the method of practice, whether you can practice it or not depends on whether you work hard or not.When it comes to business, you have to be cautious. This is not my business alone. I have more rules than the country. I don’t do business at a loss, and I don’t do business that I’m not sure of. It's useless to want to agree to you, because my ministers will not agree, and businessmen will not agree. Businessmen will not do things that are not profitable. If you invite him to come, he will not come.

Alexander was at a loss for a moment by his bluntness, and it took him a long time to react. He was scratching his head and wondering what else Rome could offer to do business with the Vietnamese. After Quintus reminded him, he finally remembered one thing: papermaking. .

The papermaking technology of the Han people is now the world’s leading. Even Rome does not have such advanced papermaking technology. The paper of the Han people is also one of the best-selling products here, and the sales volume is very large. The paper is shipped from Funan. The cost is high, and the price is of course low no.Alexander told Sun Shao that the price has seriously affected the sales of paper. If the king can set up a paper mill in Rome, the cost will drop a lot, the market will expand, and you will earn more money. We in Rome You can also profit from it, which is in line with your win-win goal.

Sun Shao also thought it was feasible, but he immediately said that the papermaking technology of our Yue country is a secret. If I put the paper workshop in Rome, will it cause leaks?If papermaking leaks out, not only will you lose everything, but we will lose everything.If you want to make paper in Rome, you can, but I want you to designate a separate place, and I will manage it. Not everyone can get involved.Of course, if you want, I can partner with you, and when I make money, I will share dividends with you.

Alexander was overjoyed, and there was no reason why he refused to agree. He wanted to cooperate with Sun Shao, not for the sake of making money for the Romans, but first of all for himself.The strongest army in Rome is the Imperial Guard, and the Severus family has been adhering to the last words of Severus the Great for generations: "Treat your soldiers well, and don't care about the lives of others." Alexander believed that as long as the close The hearts of the guards have won over, no matter how chaotic the world is, he will not be afraid.And to win people's hearts, you need money, at least pay, right?Therefore, his desire to make himself rich is far stronger than his desire to make other Romans rich. It can be said that Sun Shao's proposal is in line with his wishes.

The two hit it off immediately, and Sun Shao arranged for someone to go to Rome to open a paper mill, which would be managed by Han people, sold by Alexander, and then distributed according to the shares.After roughly estimating the number, Alexander felt a little lost in joy.It is too profitable to cooperate with the Yue people. For this alone, the military pay of his tens of thousands of guards will be settled.

With this successful beginning, Alexander took active actions and fought for several cooperation projects. Sun Shao asked Cheng Jun and Lu Shan to do the accounting. As long as it is in the interests of Yue, they can agree. Of course, it will inevitably cost more For some benefits, the secrets of the country cannot be leaked.Cheng Jun has served as a leveling order for more than ten years, and he is very skilled in these methods. When Alexander felt that he had made a lot of money, Yue Guo also made a lot of money.

Sun Shao finally said to Alexander, if you want to cooperate with us, you have to be honest, and the first one is to bring up the fineness of your Roman gold coins.You Romans are too dishonest now. They say they are gold coins, but at most only [-]% of them are gold, and the rest are inferior metals. Do you think I am an idiot?Let me tell you, if you don't mention the fineness of the gold coins, I will refuse to accept Roman gold coins in the future and have to exchange them in kind. If you have nothing to exchange, then don't do business.

Alexander is very sorry, the gold coins of Rome are indeed a bit unauthentic now, because the domestic economic situation is not good, the pace of expansion of the Romans has long since stagnated, without expansion, there will be no spoils, and without the stimulation of spoils, the morale of the army will not improve Come, but if the morale of the sergeants cannot improve, it will be even more difficult to win the battle.Rome has fallen into a vicious circle. The huge empire has long been strong from the outside, otherwise it would not have been bullied like this by the new Sassanids.

Alexander patted his chest and promised that he would definitely solve this problem after returning home, at least to ensure that the gold coins he traded with the Yue people were of sufficient quality, and that he would never let his friends suffer.

Seeing Alexander rushing away excitedly, Xia Hourong hesitated for a moment: "Your Majesty, will we feed tigers? Although this Alexander is still far behind, he is young after all, and he has someone like Quintus to assist him. And with his mother who doesn't allow men to help, Rome..."

"Will Rome come back to life?" Sun Shao said with a smile.Xia Hourong nodded. He was worried about this. If he raised the sick tiger Rome in order to contain Sassan, it would not be worth the loss for the Yue Kingdom and for the big man.

"Youquan, you have read so many articles on Rome, but you still haven't seen the crux of Rome." Sun Shao sighed with some regret.Xia Hourong blushed a little, but listened attentively. He knew that since Sun Shao dared to do this, there must be his considerations.In some details of government affairs, Sun Shao may not be as good as him, but in terms of overall thinking, Sun Shao always has an eye-catching point of view.Just like climbing a mountain to look far away, although the scenery seen on the halfway up the mountain is quite different from that at the foot of the mountain, but every time you walk up a section, you can always see more scenery. The highest mountain top.

Recently, he feels that he has been climbing the mountain, and the speed is very fast, but every time he chats with Sun Shao, he finds that he is still some distance away from Sun Shao, and he has the feeling of "looking ahead and suddenly behind". , if he had the opportunity to hear Sun Shao express his views on the crux of Rome, maybe a sentence or two would break the clouds that obscured his vision, and make him feel as if the clouds are clearing up.

Xia Hourong never let go of this kind of opportunity. He was afraid that Sun Shao was guarding against him, so he refused to tell him. After all, he was still from the state of Wei, and he was an important minister of the state of Wei. country embrace.

"Youquan, you have been known as a child prodigy since you were a child, but do you believe that you can fight against the entire Wei State with your own strength?"

Xia Hourong was a little puzzled, he asked about Rome, how did Sun Shao come to Wei.He thought for a while, then shook his head and said, "Impossible. Not to mention that the name of child prodigy is exaggerated, even if he is a child prodigy, he may be limited in what he can do. King Wu is extremely smart, and there are so many capable men and sages under his tent. He defeated Lu Bu in the east, Yuan Shao in the north, Ma Chao and Han Sui in the west, and Liu Biao in the south.

"The example you gave is very good." Sun Shao straightened up, patted the railing lightly with his hands, and looked at Alexander's team that was drifting away: "Mr. Cao is a hero in the world. The reason why he was able to grow from weak to strong in the early stage , because he combined the main forces of Ruying Shiren and Qiao Pei Haoqiang, and everyone worked together, so he became stronger and stronger. Later, Ruying Shiren and him had a disagreement, although Qiao Pei Pei Haoqiang's power is stronger than before, but the internal power of Wei State is scattered. From the moment he became the prime minister, his success came to an end."

Xia Hourong frowned slightly, and after thinking for a long time, he sighed softly: "Yes, everyone said that the defeat of Chibi was a turning point in King Wu's life. In fact, this turning point had already begun before Chibi."

"So, if you fight with individual strength and collective strength, even a genius can only remain undefeated at most. It may be possible to win once or twice, but if you want to defeat everyone alone, it is basically a madman's dream. There is a saying among the Jews that if God wants a person to perish, he must first make him crazy, and a person who thinks he is invincible is probably crazy before death.”

Xia Hourong smiled: "So Your Majesty still believes in Lao Tzu's words, the only thing that cannot be disputed is that the world can't compete with him?"

"Don't fight for the sake of fighting. I don't fully agree with your understanding of Lao Tzu's words." Sun Shao shook his head: "Tianzhu people believe in Buddhism, pursue liberation, and pay attention to resignation, but look at what they are like now, they are just a mess. I What I believe in is the way of change. A gentleman strives for self-improvement, and a gentleman carries virtue. Don’t expect the kindness of others, but make yourself strong first, so that others dare not bully you. We are strong to protect ourselves, not to bully Others, this is called virtue. If you are weak and want others to be kind, such a person will only die."

"And if you want to be strong, you must combine the abilities of more people and give full play to the ingenuity of more people, just like you organized Zhuya College and Funan College and spared no effort to support those scholars and craftsmen to do research?"

"Yes, why is my country of Yue so powerful now, able to mediate powerful countries like Rome and Sassan with the power of one country? It's not because of me, but because of the overall strength of my country of Yue. Our ships can Traveling thousands of miles can frighten the coveted hearts of ugly people; our goods are so exquisite that they can’t put them down, and can empty their wallets; our scholars can travel around the world and increase their knowledge by teaching Chinese. Why? No. I am strong, but my Yue country is strong." Sun Shao raised his head and let out a long breath: "Of course, my Yue country is not strong enough, otherwise, there is no need to spend so much effort to deal with them, and you can directly destroy them." To get rid of those greedy nobles, to give favors to those common people, and let them greet the master without food. But right now, I can only think about the long flow of water and work hard."

"What's so bad about water milling Kung Fu?" Xia Hourong said with a smile: "Water dripping through stones, and fine water breaks dikes. Wouldn't it be more natural when the time comes? If you want to conquer, many people will die, and the resistance will still be hard to get rid of after all. Why not?" That’s a safe bet.”

"You're right." Sun Shao laughed: "But there is a condition. We can't put our hope on one or two people, but on generations. Therefore, the spirit of inheritance is very important. "

"I see." Xia Hourong nodded understandingly: "No matter how smart Momia is, no matter how hard Alexander tries, he will only be as majestic as Emperor Trajan for a while, and he will not be able to cure the root cause."

"Hey, that's right." Sun Shao didn't go into details anymore. For a smart person like Xia Hourong, it's enough to crack a little key. He thinks for himself.

"Youquan, the negotiation is coming to an end. Once Ma Ming dies, King Guishuang probably won't come here to meet the alliance in person. I think it will end like this. I will stay in Axum for a while, and you rush to the opposite side of the Red Sea Go, meet the King of Sheba. I want to control the entire Red Sea trade route, and they will definitely be affected. If they are willing to let us coexist peacefully, I can consider giving them a part of the land trade route, so that everyone can make a fortune together. .”

Xia Hourong smiled slightly. He has been by Sun Shao's side for so long, of course he knows Sun Shao's temper. We all made a fortune together, using the strong economic strength of the Han people to drag each other down step by step, and capture each other quietly. His favorite method is to fight without fighting. If the opponent is ignorant and insists on being an enemy, Sun Shao is not afraid to use force to conquer at the right time. Solve Funan like that.Sun Shao asked him to negotiate with the Sheba people only on the surface, and he must have checked their terrain and strength secretly to make other preparations.

What he was curious about was that Sun Shao actually trusted him with such a matter.

"That land is rich in good horses and camels, and the terrain is very special. If there is a conflict with Sasan in the future, the south can be used as a base, and the north is the best battlefield." Sun Shao continued without looking back at Xia Hourong. : "Occupy the south first, let our cavalry get acquainted with the environment here, and then develop northward and advance steadily. There are fleets in the Red Sea and the Persian Gulf to support at any time. Whether facing the Sheba or the Sasanians, we will You can advance and retreat freely. Of course, this is just to be invincible. If you want to win, it depends on whether Ziwen and Bo Yan can cooperate with each other and show their prestige."

Xia Hourong laughed, and Sun Shao's true intentions were finally revealed.He bowed and saluted: "Here!"

The negotiations ended quickly, and Alexander, Shapur and others left Axum one after another and returned to various countries.Alexander gained a lot this time, and he was very excited. Along the way, he imagined that after Rome's economic problems were alleviated, he would lead the army to attack the Sassanids, and he could not restrain the joyful situation when he relieved the bad breath in his chest. smile.Although Quintus felt that Alexander was a little impatient, he also felt very satisfied when he thought of the harvest this time.

Back in the palace, when Alexander and Momia met, they smiled at the same time. Momia blushed and subconsciously looked away: "It's settled?"

"Mother, don't you know all about it?" Alexander teased rarely, he was in a very good mood today, seeing his mother showing such a shy smile, he couldn't help laughing mischievously.

"I know a little bit, but I still want to hear it from you." Momia coughed, barely maintaining her dignity: "I know that you discussed a lot of conditions with him later, seeing the look on your face Happy, I think it must be very rewarding."

As soon as the matter that made Alexander happy was mentioned, Alexander suddenly regained his spirits, and instead of joking, he explained the situation in detail.Sun Shao is willing to open various factories such as paper workshops and wine workshops in Rome, and at the same time invites him to become a shareholder. At that time, the dividends will be very considerable. The emperor's financial difficulties will be eased, and they will have more money to recruit more troops. .

Momia listened with a smile on her face, but she didn't say a word until Alexander stopped talking dryly and picked up a cup to drink water, then she frowned slightly and said, "In this way, The advantages of the merchants of the Han Dynasty are more obvious, and it will be more difficult for us to compete with them. I am afraid that it will not be long before we want to fight the Han Dynasty."

"War with the Han Dynasty?" Alexander smiled in surprise, "Why do we have to fight with them?"

"Oh——" Momia sighed silently: "My Alexander, how can you think so? You and him get along very well, but after all, this is just a personal relationship between the two of you, and it doesn't mean that The Han Dynasty and Rome will definitely be able to maintain this kind of harmonious relationship for a long time. You signed this contract, we have benefited from it, but other Romans will also benefit from it, once the Han Dynasty and our Rome have benefits The first thing they think about is their own interests, and they will use various methods to prevent us from going to war with the Han Dynasty. At that time, it will be too late for you to regret it.”

Alexander's face twitched, and he glanced at Momia with some displeasure: "Mother, I am still young, and he is also young. As long as we can get along happily, at least there will be decades of peace. With these decades time, I think I can figure out a good way to do it."

Momia frowned, her face suddenly sank, but it was only a blink of an eye, and soon she laughed again: "Alexander, I am so happy that you can think so. As a mother, I just I want to remind you not to be blinded by the benefits in front of you, but forget the dangers in the distance. I also hope that you can live in peace with him and be a great emperor."

Only then did Alexander show a smile, stepped forward and put his arms around Momia's shoulders, and whispered something in her ear, Momia frowned, blushed and said strangely: "This is also what a son should ask about his birthright." Mother's words, His Majesty the Great Emperor?"

Alexander laughed.

……

Taixifeng City, the Zoroastrian temple of the Sassanians, the Sasanian king Ardashir is wearing a golden silk robe, with his hands folded in front of his chest, kneeling in front of the altar burning with a raging holy fire, and chanting with his eyes closed .Shapur knelt behind him and recited the prayers. Two high priests in priestly clothes stood behind the holy fire, looking down at the two most powerful people in Sasanian.

After an unknown amount of time, Ardashir finally finished his prayers and saluted respectfully. Then he stood up. Two priests hurried over and led him to the side hall to rest.Shapur followed closely, watched as Ardasil sat on a large chair after washing his hands, ate some snacks and drank some wine slowly, held his breath, but did not dare to say a word.

Ardasil sucked his fingers in his mouth, took the towel and wiped his hands, then opened his slender eyes and glanced at Shapur, and asked indifferently: "The Yue people don't have cavalry?"

"No." Shapur replied: "I only saw that they had 1 Janissaries, and there were still some sailors who hadn't come ashore by the sea, but judging from what they took away from Axum, the largest number was about [-]. There are only [-] people, I guess it should be the escort fleet stationed in the Red Sea in the future."

"Oh, and what's more, do you know who the general of the Red Sea Fleet is?" Ardashir said unmoved: "In addition, there are more than [-] sailors from the Vietnamese people. Since they came to the Red Sea, the Persian Mr. Wan should have it too, right?"

"The general of the Red Sea Fleet is called Zhu... Ge... Zhi." Shapur had difficulty pronouncing these few sounds, and felt very awkward after prolonging his voice: "It is said that he was a general in Ceylon, who followed Sun Shao for ten days. He is a very stable person. The Persian Gulf has also arranged a fleet, and the general at the head is that Chen Hai, who is also in charge of the Arabian Sea.”

Shapur was a little proud. He already knew that Ardashir would ask these questions, so he made inquires in advance, and even paid attention to inquire about the personal hobbies of some generals. For example, he knew that Zhuge Zhi had no bad habits, except that he liked to read books.On the contrary, Chen Hai hated reading books, but liked to compete with others, and liked to hold banquets and invite people to drink on his boat.

"Then there is another one named Cui Qian?" Ardasil asked calmly again: "It is said that this man is one of the most capable generals under Sun Shao, and he is also a militant. In order to be able to fight , not even the super-rich governor of the South China Sea. Since he is here, how come he has no mission?"

The color on Shapur's face disappeared without a trace. He realized that he had made a big mistake. He only inquired about Cui Qian's news at the beginning. Later, seeing that Cui Qian hadn't appeared, he thought that Cui Qian This time he was not included in the arrangement, and he subconsciously ignored him, but now after Ardasil reminded him, he found that Cui Qian who disappeared seemed to be the most important one.

"It's just like playing chess. All the pieces on the board are dead, but the piece hidden in your hand is the killer." Ardasil stood up and walked slowly outside. He stopped at the door and ordered: "Send someone to investigate and find out where this general of the Yue Kingdom who was born as a pirate has gone."

　Sorry, I was negligent and forgot to upload.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)