At the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty

The Shanshan Kingdom was the first to arrive, and then the Cheshi Kingdom.

Cao Ren thought it was over, but he didn't expect that.

In September, envoys from Yanqi and Qiemo also came to Liuzhong City to meet Cao Xiu, hoping to get Cao Xiu's recommendation to meet Cao Ren, and then went to Luoyang to meet His Majesty the Emperor Wei.

Cao Xiu felt strange and asked them where they got the news. They replied that people from Che Shi Kingdom and Shanshan Kingdom went to inform them respectively.

It is said that the kingly teachers of the Chinese emperor returned to the Western Regions and asked them to go to worship, and if they did not worship, they would be at their own risk.

They were terrified, so they went to worship the emperor of China and asked to be enshrined for immunity.

Cao Xiu began to understand how much shock and influence the former Han Empire had brought to them.

That is to say, Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty raised his troops twice in a fit of anger, and crossed the entire Western Regions to violently beat Dawan Kingdom. From then on, he let the Western Regions know that once the Chinese emperor gets angry, he can kill them at all costs.

This fear has spanned hundreds of years and has not disappeared to this day.

This made it almost effortless for the Wei Empire to make them choose to surrender.

After that, at the end of October, Weixu Kingdom, Qimi Kingdom, Qiuci Kingdom, Jingjue Kingdom, Sumi Kingdom, Gumo Kingdom and other Western Regions sent envoys to Liuzhong City one after another.

After meeting Cao Xiu in Liuzhongcheng, he entered Yumen Pass and visited Cao Ren in Dunhuang County. After receiving the certificate of customs clearance, he went to Luoyang to pay homage.

Cao Xiu and Cao Ren thought that opening up the Western Regions would be a very difficult task, but they didn't expect that opening up the Western Regions was far easier than imagined. There was no bloody storm, only obedience.

This made Cao Xiu feel powerless.

The feeling that the opponent doesn't even think of himself as an opponent is kind of boring.

Originally thought that there would be at least one or two disobedient ones who would jump up and make trouble, and then Cao Xiu would be able to kill it in a fair manner, establish prestige, and even use this prestige to seek a position in the Western Regions, moving towards the goals of those predecessors.

Unexpectedly, there was no such opportunity at all.

Cao Ren's psychology is almost the same as Cao Xiu's.

They thought that there would be a war, and then they established their prestige in the Western Regions, established a brand new Western Region Protectorate, and called the wind and rain in the Western Regions.

The result was not the case, skipped the prelude directly, and entered the main topic.

When Cao Ren was depressed, in early October of the third year of Yande, a joint caravan with 7000 people set off from Luoyang and arrived in Dunhuang County after a long journey.

Ma Yuan, head of the joint caravan and school lieutenant, handed over Guo Peng's warrant to Cao Ren.

Cao Ren took it over and saw that it was Guo Peng who asked Cao Ren to help and facilitate the caravans when they entered the Western Regions for business. Pay attention to sending troops to protect them.

When Guo Peng sent people out, the envoys from the countries in the Western Regions had not yet gone to Luoyang, so Guo Peng didn't know about it. If Guo Peng knew about it, it probably wouldn't be the case.

In fact, on the way to Dunhuang, Ma Yuan ran into the Western Regions envoys one after another.

Seeing that the other person's appearance was obviously different from that of the people from the Central Plains, he suspected that he was from the Western Regions. After a short chat, he learned that the other party was an envoy from a certain country in the Western Regions, and they were going to visit Emperor Wei.

Then the other party asked what they were doing, and Ma Yuan replied that they were going to the Western Regions to do business.

Then he pointed to the huge caravan and the huge amount of goods.

The eyes of those envoys immediately became straight.

"Are these goods from Shangguo? Are they going to be sold?"

The envoy asked Ma Yuan excitedly.

Ma Yuan nodded.

"I, Emperor Wei, personally gave us a strong trip, allowing us to open up the commercial routes of the Western Regions this time, and connect with the countries in the Western Regions. We will do business together. After the commercial routes are opened up, it will be easier to go back and forth between each other. This is The meaning of the Son of Heaven."

"This...this is great!"

The envoy was quite excited.

And there was more than one envoy. Ma Yuan met envoys from five countries in the Western Regions. They all expressed strong interest and yearning for this. They wanted to establish a relationship between their country and the Wei Empire, and then let businessmen from the Wei Empire come over. The merchants in the country can also go to the Wei Empire.

Before the civil strife in the Eastern Han Dynasty, commercial routes were basically cut off, and the countries in the Western Regions were also somewhat helpless.

No matter how good the product is, it needs a good dumping ground. Without enough population and huge purchasing power, how can the product be sold?

Taking this opportunity, Ma Yuan talked with those envoys, talked about the situation of the countries in the Western Regions, and talked about the news about the Guishuang Empire and the Anxi Empire in the west of the Western Regions.

Chapter 949 .950 Nine United Caravans Go West to Yumen Pass

The envoys of the countries in the Western Regions were very clear about the questions raised by Ma Yuan, and talked about them with eloquence.

It is said that after the Northern Huns and the Eastern Han withdrew one after another, the countries in the north of the mountain were controlled by Xianbei and became vassals of Xianbei. The countries in the south of the mountain were exempted because of the protection of the Tianshan Mountains and were not controlled by Xianbei.

However, the strength of the Shannan countries is relatively weak, the population is not large, and there are many enmities with each other, and there are also mutual conquests and trade exchanges.

During this period, some small countries were annexed by larger countries, and some small countries were successfully restored. Anyway, the situation is more complicated.

Without China to manage and uphold justice, big countries bully small countries, small countries feel sad and have nowhere to go, and then perish. This is also a very common thing.

A big country is justified, a small country is sad, there is nothing to do, even if the Wei Empire comes, it may not be able to do anything about it.

But when it comes to trade routes, apart from their respective trade with each other, they mainly go to the west to trade with the Guishuang Empire. Of course, some people cross the border of the Guishuang Empire to do business in the Anxi Empire.

"Did the Guishuang Kingdom block the way to the Anxi Kingdom?"

Ma Yuan was a little surprised.

"Yes, the Guishuang Kingdom occupies a major traffic route, but business travelers can also go there, but they have to pay a little more tolls. The Guishuang Kingdom will not prevent us from doing business in the Anxi Kingdom, although there are also wars between the Guishuang Kingdom and the Anxi Kingdom. , but infrequently."

The envoy replied in this way.

"What about the Great Qin Kingdom? Do you know the news about the Great Qin Kingdom?"

"I know, the Great Qin Kingdom is farther west of the Anxi Kingdom, and often has wars with the Anxi Kingdom. We also have some merchants who are bold enough to go directly to the Great Qin Kingdom to do business and bring back a lot of gold and silverware, but the journey is too far away. It takes months, even years, to go back and forth, so not many people go."

"So it is."

Ma Yuan nodded: "Are there many people in Guishuang? Are there many soldiers? Is the country strong?"

"There are many people, and there are many soldiers and horses, very powerful."

The envoy nodded resolutely: "We heard that Guishuang Kingdom has a land area of ​​thousands of miles, has hundreds of thousands of soldiers and horses, and is very powerful. It used to often defeat the Anxi Kingdom, and once attacked the Western Regions, but was defeated by the Protector of the Western Regions of the Han Kingdom at that time. gone."

"Hundreds of thousands of soldiers...then logically speaking, shouldn't they covet the Western Regions? They haven't attacked the Western Regions in the past few decades?"

"The road is not easy to walk."

The envoy laughed: "From Guishuang to our country, we have to cross countless dangerous mountainous areas. It's okay for business travelers, but it's difficult for troops to come. Moreover, if people can come, it's hard to carry luggage. When there are too many people, the food can't keep up." , Why fight? As long as we can’t hold on, they have to retreat obediently.”

"That's true."

Ma Yuan nodded.

If the logistics cannot keep up with the war, it is very bad. No matter how strong the army is, if the logistics cannot keep up, it will be a bunch of useless wood, and no one has any combat effectiveness.

In the same way, if the Qin army or the Western Han army can be provided with enough food and unlimited supply at any time, they can fight to the end of the world and to the end of the world.

If Zhuge Liang could be provided with sufficient logistical support and unlimited food, he would also be very likely to lead the Shu Han army to overthrow the Wei army, and the outcome is unknown.

The biggest factors limiting any great army at any time are logistics and transportation.

Otherwise, why would someone like Guo go crazy to build roads, so that the roads in the Wei Empire were built to extend in all directions.

How much did it cost.

The annual financial expenditure spent on road construction accounts for about [-]% of the entire Wei Empire's financial expenditure.

Now it seems that Banchao was able to defeat Guishuang back then, mostly because of the superior terrain that stretched their supply line, dragged down their logistics, and let them know the difficulty of attacking the Western Regions, so Guishuang died of military aggressiveness in the Western Regions. .

But on the other hand, what is very difficult for Guishuang is also very difficult for the Wei Empire. It is difficult for them to come over, and it is not easy for Wei Jun to go over.

Maybe this can create a better bilateral trade relationship.

Ma Yuan had such an idea.

Guo Peng did not have any military ambitions for Guishuang, and Ma Yuan knew this.

After bidding farewell to the envoys and promising them to go to their country for business, Ma Yuan arrived in Dunhuang County in October and met Cao Ren.

After Cao Ren saw Guo Peng's warrant, he replenished the joint caravan with food and water, and then asked them to go to Liuzhong City to find Cao Xiu, and help him transport a batch of supplies there.

"You are lucky. Before arriving, all the countries in the Western Regions already knew of my arrival, Wei, and sent envoys to vote. This is a good thing. You must seize this opportunity to open up trade routes."

Cao Ren said to Ma Yuan with a smile, and then sent Ma Yuan and the joint caravan away.

The joint caravan left Yumen Pass in a mighty way, and set foot on a land that was extremely strange to them.

The strange scenery and scenery made the business travelers of the joint caravan feel curious. There were many things they had never seen before. Many people walked and watched and described the scenery of the Western Regions along the way.

The guide followed Ma Yuan, constantly telling him stories and legends of the Western Regions, and introducing him to some magical animals and plants that can only be seen in the Western Regions.

Not long after, the joint caravan came to Liuzhong City. Cao Xiu personally went out of the city to meet Ma Yuan, and then took Ma Yuan to the city wall.

"Before I thought I would fight a few battles in the Western Regions, but I didn't expect to need to fight at all. The deterrence left by the former Han to the Western Regions was too strong. Although the Han no longer exists, the Western Regions still dare not defy China. , as soon as the army arrives, it will be decided."

Cao Xiu was quite proud of this, but also a little depressed.

"In this way, the trade route should be much safer. His Majesty was worried about my safety, and specially allocated [-] elite soldiers to me to lead and protect the caravan. The people in the caravan were also given weapons. If there is any problem, , you can protect yourself at any time."

Ma Yuan said so.

"Speaking of which, the scale of this caravan is large enough. I have never seen such a large-scale caravan, with so many mules, horses and carts, so many people... By the way, how many people are there in total?"

"Seven thousand and one hundred and sixty three people."

"so many?"

Cao Xiu was a little surprised, and then jokingly asked: "What are you bringing so many people for? Destroy the country along the way? Is your Majesty's order to destroy each other while doing business?"

"Of course not, because there are more goods, mules, horses, carts, etc. Your Majesty intends to let me go around the entire Western Region, so manpower and material resources must keep up."

Ma Yuan smiled and shook his head.

"Then you don't have to worry about any danger. Among the countries in the Western Regions, there are only a handful of countries that can produce [-] combat soldiers. If such a country dares to attack you, it is basically turning against me, Wei, and must Send troops to fight against it."

Cao Xiu smiled and said, "Just don't worry, remember to send someone back to contact me whenever you go, and let me know your whereabouts. Soldiers and horses went to help."

"Can the general mobilize troops from various countries in the Western Regions?"

"Not yet, but soon."

Cao Xiu smiled: "Your Majesty has the idea of ​​rebuilding the Protectorate of the Western Regions. Before that, it was just preparations. Now that all the countries in the Western Regions are going to Luoyang to worship, His Majesty will definitely rebuild the Protectorate of the Western Regions. At that time, all countries in the Western Regions, from kings to small officials With Wei official seal ribbon.

Now that I have the official seal of Wei, it is only natural to obey the orders of the Protector of the Western Regions. Although there is no name yet, if something happens, I will make a request to the countries of the Western Regions, and they will not dare to object, so you just go ahead. Just go. "

After speaking, Cao Xiu continued to look at the mighty caravan outside the city.

"You have brought so many commodities, can you sell them? The countries in the Western Regions are not big, some have a population of tens of thousands, and the few have only a few hundred or a few thousand. With so many things you bring, you probably can't sell them, right?"

"Your Majesty didn't expect the countries in the Western Regions to buy all of our things. On the contrary, we may have to buy a lot of their things. It can be regarded as barter, so we brought a lot of gold and silver.

Your Majesty's goal is to reach the westernmost part of the Western Regions and trade with the Guishuang Kingdom, the Anxi Kingdom, and even the Great Qin Kingdom further west. These three countries are said to be big countries with large populations, so they can buy our products if they think about it. "

Chapter 950 .960 Ma Yuan feels as if he has discovered some kind of business opportunity

When Ma Yuan said this, Cao Xiu thought it was a good idea, if the other party really had that many people.

But it seems to be quite difficult to do it.

"The Kingdom of Anxi, the Kingdom of Guishuang, and the Kingdom of Great Qin, well, they all sound familiar. The Western Regions have to go further west. How far is that? It may take about a year for you to go all the way and come back. Bar?"

Cao Xiu looked at Ma Yuan.

"I don't know. If you want to go to Guishuang Kingdom, it may be more than that, but you don't care about it if you are doing business for His Majesty. Being able to open up business channels through the countries of the Western Regions is the greatest achievement for us, and it can be regarded as worthy. Your Majesty is looking forward to it, and if this trade route is opened up, it will be convenient for us to rule the Western Regions."

Ma Yuan smiled.

"That's right, that makes sense. Opening up trade routes will allow us to move more people here, which will make it easier for us to manage the Western Regions. Anyway, I feel like this. And instead of setting up the Western Regions Protectorate, it's better to set up prefectures and counties directly. .”

Cao Xiu looked Ma Yuan up and down, admiring him.

"In this case...it seems a bit difficult."

Ma Yuan rubbed his chin: "The biggest problem is the population and the traffic. If the traffic is not good, the population will not be able to come. If the population is not large, the counties and counties are not realistic. In a short time, such an idea is just an idea. In order to completely control the Western Regions, the restoration of Dachi Road must be completed."

"You're quite knowledgeable."