Emperor Ming Dynasty

Chapter 538 Wool Trade
Taking advantage of the heavy snowfall in the north, Abu Nai led the Chahar tribe with nearly ten thousand tents to the outside of the Great Wall and asked the Ming people for help.

Merchants are the best messengers and the most popular people on the grassland.

Compared with smooth businessmen, strict court officials are more likely to get stiff.

"Tell you Emperor Ming, I need [-] shi of grain for the winter."

Abu Nai is sitting on a wolfskin chair smartly. He is only 16 years old, but he is 30 years old at this time, but he can't hide his youthful vigor.

Standing in front of him was a weather-beaten middle-aged man, wearing a white-gray jacket, a felt hat, and fur boots, which made Abu Nai a little jealous.

He's a businessman, and he's even better dressed than me.

"Khan, we have everything we need in Da Ming, but I don't know what you can exchange for it?"

Qu Zishi smiled slightly, showing a naive expression on his round face, and his bloated body was bent with difficulty, making a bow.

Ten thousand shi of grain, 120 million catties, is completely enough for the Chahar tribe to survive the winter, or even more than enough.

This is life-saving food, but it is not worth mentioning to Ming Dynasty. The tribute given during the Chongzhen period raised a white-eyed wolf like Lin Danhan.

He was employed by Huitong Company, which was set up by the emperor's father-in-law Zhang Qi a few months ago. Although he was doing money business, he couldn't give up the border trade to and from the grassland.

He also knew that he was making money for the emperor, so he was full of courage.

"Fart, I am willing to surrender to Ming Dynasty and attack the Manchu Qing Dynasty. As a superior country, how can I not give tribute and reward money?"

Abu Nai was furious, his eyes were full of greed.

According to my old man, his father, Lin Danhan, not only received the horse prize money from the city, but also gave him silver, which exceeded 300,000 taels a year, which was a huge amount.

Once he has this money, he can definitely arm the army and become a real Mongolian Khan.

"That's a matter of the Chongzhen Dynasty."

Qu Zishi shook his head, and said calmly: "Furthermore, today is different from the past. For the Manchus, the court's offense is insufficient, but its defense is more than adequate."

"But now it's your Chahar Department who needs us, Daming, don't mention rewards or anything else, otherwise the court will be annoyed, and the arms will not be sold."

Abu Nai stared angrily: "It seems that you Daming really don't learn a lesson, since you won't give it to me, don't force us to get it ourselves."

"Hmph!" Qu Zishi's face turned cold, and he said in a deep voice, "Even the Manchus were kicked out of the pass, so you Mongols are even more powerful?"

"Thinking back when Lin Dan Khan was chased and beaten by the Qing Dynasty and offended Daming, he had to die in the northwest. Would it be the same for Da Khan?"

Seeing the power of those armors, bows and arrows, especially muskets, and thinking about the Ming army who owned them, Abu Nai immediately died down, and said with a smile:

"I'm still young, nonsense, nonsense, don't mind."

Seeing that the Ming people refused to eat, Abu Nai helplessly spread his hands and said, "If Daming doesn't give some food, the Chahar Department really can't hold on. Wouldn't your work be in vain then?"

"Khan, it can be exchanged."

Qu Zishi showed a friendly smile.

"There are really not many war horses left!"

With lingering fear in his heart, Abu Nai hurriedly waved his hands and said, "I want to expand the army, but I don't have enough myself, so I really can't give it to you."

"Ordinary horses are also fine, as before."

As he said that, Qu Zishi suddenly remembered something, and said bluntly: "If there is wool, we will take it too."

"Wool, you Ming people also want to make yurts?"

Abu Nai wondered: "I heard that you don't live in wooden houses?"

"Khan, there are many functions of wool, you don't need to understand them one by one."

Qu Zishi said softly: "This is because the Emperor Ming thought that you were entering more and leaving less, so he specially took care of you and allowed you to exchange ten catties of wool for one catty of grain."

"Really?"

Abu Nai was overjoyed, he slapped the chair, stood up abruptly, kept jumping, his face flushed.

Although he doesn't understand what a trade deficit is, he understands that in the long run, his tribe will become poorer and poorer.

The growth cycle of cattle and horses is long, and it is not cost-effective. It is only cost-effective to exchange some sheep, but sheep are also food for grasslands!

How can you not be hungry if you exchange food for armaments?
It would be a good time to trade cheap and inedible wool for food.

"Of course!" Qu Zishi nodded.

"Can I exchange for muskets? And how much gunpowder do you have? I don't have enough."

"Muskets and armor can only be exchanged for horses."

The businessman's attitude was extremely firm, and then his face softened, and he bewitched:

"If you don't have enough war horses, Khan, you can grab them. There are as many tribes on the grassland as you want, and you can exchange what you grab."

"At that time, even if it is those captives, we, Daming, are willing to exchange them."

Hearing this, although Abu Nai felt something was wrong, he still accepted it happily.

During the three or four days in Zhangjiakou, Qu Zishi harvested [-] catties of wool from the herdsmen, and returned home in more than [-] heavy carriages.

By the time he returned to Beijing, it was already the end of November in the second year of Shaowu, and heavy snow had completely covered the entire north. Villages and cities were relatively isolated.

"Thanks a lot."

Zhang Qi patted his shoulder, removed the snow on Qu Zishi's shoulder for the dusty Qu Zishi, and then led him to a weaving field.

This is a warm place, and the snow on the body melts instantly, making people feel like they have come to spring.

"This..." Qu Zishi was taken aback.

Hundreds of looms creaked and creaked, the female workers were sweating on their foreheads, and they kept stepping on the weaving, and the wooden shuttles flew like flying. The scene was extremely lively.

"It's called floor heating."

Zhang Qi proudly said: "The ground is paved with wooden boards, and under the wooden boards are buried huge iron pipes, filled with sand and stones, and hot water is poured in from the outside, and the cycle is repeated, so that it is as warm as spring."

"Thanks to the coal, I wouldn't be able to use it otherwise."

"Too extravagant!"

Qu Zishi couldn't help shaking his head, and began to calculate silently in his heart.

For such a large area, at least tens of thousands of catties, or even hundreds of thousands of catties of iron, and 3000 Wensi catties of pig iron were used. At least [-] taels of silver were spent here.

That's more expensive than the whole weaving yard put together,
"Expensive? It should be."

At this time, a young man suddenly walked out.

He is wearing a snow-white jacket without any variegated color. He is tall and tall, with sword eyebrows and star eyes, a fair and clean face, and a short beard on his chin, which makes him look mature and stable.

The clothes are luxurious and the momentum is astonishing. Even in front of Zhang Qi, he is full of confidence.

"Let me introduce to you, this is Qu Zishi..."

"I know, you went to Zhangjiakou? Did you bring the wool back?"

the man asked condescendingly.

(End of this chapter)