Han officials

Chapter 220: Overcalculated

Tao Qiuhong ultimately lived up to his reputation as "pure, insightful, and eloquent".

The next day, when Tao Qian summoned him again, he immediately expressed his willingness to form an alliance.

However, Tao Qian was not stupid, and took this opportunity to set conditions.

"Buying horses?"

Seeing Wang Lang's resolute expression, Tao Hongqiu immediately understood that this was Tao Qian's scheme.

Tao Qiuhong was not too surprised by this, because the shogunate staff had anticipated this before they arrived.

So after Tao Qian left under the pretext of changing his clothes, Tao Qiuhong then began formal negotiations with Wang Lang and Zhao Yu.

Tao Qiuhong stroked his beard and laughed, "Trading horses is fine, but Xuzhou must exchange them for fine iron!"

Upon hearing this, Wang Lang and Zhao Yu's expressions changed slightly.

Horses are certainly strategic resources, but fine iron is even more so.

Moreover, with current smelting technology, it takes a lot of manpower and resources to smelt one pound of refined iron.

From mining to logging and charcoal making, everything requires a lot of manpower.

Even using slaves to do these things would still be a huge expense.

There was no other way; with more slaves used for smelting, there were naturally fewer people left to farm.

It was precisely because of this that Wei Zhe came up with the idea of ​​purchasing refined iron from outside sources.

After all, he controlled the largest horse farm in the entire Han Dynasty, so horses were not particularly valuable to him.

Most importantly, in chaotic times, horses are a fast-moving consumer good, and their lifespan is generally not very long.

In this way, Wei Zhe's horse trading business can continue for a long time.

Exchanging surplus horses for scarce fine iron is an incredibly worthwhile deal.

Of course, this is Xuzhou. If Cao Cao wanted to buy Wei Zhe, he wouldn't sell it.

Wang Lang, Zhao Yu, and others were also aware of this.

After weighing the pros and cons, the group began to haggle over the details of the transaction.

For example, what percentage of pig iron and wrought iron should be used, and how should the price of horses be measured?

In this transaction, no one cared about money at all.

It was only when Wei Zhe was making square iron coins that he learned that there was a "steel-frying method" during the Former Han Dynasty.

It was through this method that the Han people were able to produce a large number of iron weapons, enabling them to sweep across the surrounding barbarian lands.

To be honest, Wei Zhe was quite disappointed at the time.

Because he was a complete novice, all he knew was the "steel trading method," but he didn't realize that the technology was outdated.

Wei Zhe, a soul from a later generation, felt utterly helpless.

……

Three days later, Tao Qiuhong and his entourage finally left Xuzhou after being seen off by Wang Lang and others.

However, watching the delegation's retreating figures, Tao Qian couldn't help but shake his head and sigh repeatedly.

"It's a pity. If I could acquire the Fuyu stallions, what would it matter if I traded iron horses for them?"

Upon hearing this, Wang Lang, Zhao Yu, and the others standing nearby also showed expressions of regret.

Because they had tried to make such a request, but unfortunately Tao Qiuhong flatly refused, not even discussing it.

Seeing this, they had no choice but to give up.

However, Tao Qian did indeed have the confidence to exchange iron horses for stallions.

Because of its fertile soil and abundant grain, where a single harvest could sustain people for several years, Xuzhou's iron smelting industry was extremely developed. As early as the Former Han Dynasty, the state of Xiapi was known for its bustling activity, with "roosters crowing and dogs barking, and smoke rising for miles around."

The Liguo Iron Mine, located in Xiapi Kingdom of Xuzhou, was one of the largest open-pit iron mines in the Han Dynasty. The imperial court even set up seven ironworks in Xiapi and Pengcheng Kingdoms for this purpose, with the furnaces burning day and night. Even after the millennium, the Liguo Iron Mine was still in operation.

Therefore, Xuzhou has unique advantages in both mineral resources and smelting technology.

This shows that the prosperity of the Central Plains was not only reflected in its population, but also in all aspects of life.

For example, Xuzhou already had extremely rich mineral resources, but Yuan Shu had even more.

The Nanyang Commandery, in particular, which was occupied by Yuan Shu, was renowned for its abundant resources. Among them, iron ore deposits were the most plentiful, numbering as many as forty-five.

Therefore, as early as the Warring States period, Wancheng in Nanyang had become the most famous iron-making center of the Chu State.

Although Nanyang lacks the advantage of sea transport compared to Xuzhou, the Nanyang Basin is located between the Yangtze River, the Yellow River, the Huai River, and the Han River, making it extremely convenient for water and land transportation, which is a significant advantage over Xuzhou.

Unfortunately, Yuan Shu possessed such a valuable territory but did not know how to manage it, and only thought about plundering.

Upon learning of Tao Qiuhong's purpose, he actually wanted Wei Zhe to send elite cavalry from Youzhou to serve him.

This made Tao Qiuhong, who originally had a so-so impression of Tao Qian, feel a little nostalgic for Xuzhou.

Fortunately, although Yuan Shu was somewhat greedy, his chief clerk Yan Xiang was a sensible man.

In fact, Yan Xiang had long been worried about Yuan Shao's rampant expansion.

Yuan Shao's power now extends to Ji, Yan, Qing and Bing provinces, while Yuan Shu has suffered a setback in Jing province.

In comparison, Yuan Shu, who was once powerful, has fallen to a disadvantage.

Ultimately, after Yan Xiang's earnest persuasion, Yuan Shu suppressed his greed.

After all, as Yuan Shao's sphere of influence grew, Yuan Shu was actually somewhat uneasy, so Wei Zhe's invitation to form an alliance was perfectly timed for him. The reason he initially made exorbitant demands was purely due to his nature of plundering and extortion.

Seeing that Tao Qiuhong wasn't buying it at all, Yuan Shu had no choice but to abandon his bluffing tactics.

After some back and forth, Tao Qiuhong reached a consensus on exchanging iron for horses.

Thus, both host and guests enjoyed themselves to the fullest!
Although the effects of the tripartite alliance have not yet been seen, Tao Qiuhong has at least opened up a trade route.

Following this approach, it became much easier for the Wei army to gather information or do other things in the future.

……

In the second year of Chuping, on the twelfth month of winter, on the day of Dingchou.

After several years, Tao Qiuhong finally arrived in Luoyang again.

Looking at the dilapidated city of Luoyang before him, Tao Qiuhong couldn't help but feel a sense of loss and disillusionment.

He recalled how wealthy and prosperous Luoyang was when he was studying abroad, but now it is nothing but ruins.

In contrast, Jinyong City on the outskirts of Luoyang became the most conspicuous presence.

Therefore, when Tao Qiuhong met Liu Yu, he couldn't help but sigh with emotion.

However, to Tao Qiuhong's utter surprise, the Sili position, which the shogunate was most confident in, failed to materialize.

Seeing his surprised expression, Liu Yu, with his gray hair and weary look, couldn't help but smile bitterly:

"It's not that I'm unwilling, but that I simply can't!"

"Among the various prefectures in Sili, Hedong, Henan, and Hongnong have all been occupied by others. I can only control the prefecture of Henan Yin. However, Henan Yin has been crippled by Dong Zhuo's relocation of the capital and plunder of the people. It is no longer what it used to be."

Liu He, standing nearby, quickly added, "Ever since that scoundrel Ju Yi occupied Hanoi County, he has repeatedly raided the passes and harassed the surrounding people. We can no longer bear the disturbance."

But Tao Qiuhong was not relieved upon hearing this; instead, he frowned deeply.

Although he did not follow Wei Zhe in his campaign against Dong Zhuo, the Sili was not viewed that way within the shogunate.

Therefore, Tao Qiuhong was more inclined to believe that Liu Yu and his son were lying than that the shogunate had made a wrong judgment...
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Today I reread Zhao Ziyue's, Maike's, and July's books, trying to learn from these masters. Sigh, I'm so envious of these gifted individuals.

Alright, my skills are limited, I won't dwell on it anymore, I'll resume normal updates tomorrow!
(End of this chapter)