The pork butcher is smoother than a pig butcher!

Chapter 120 The Unremarkable Yaqub Beg

Except for not allowing anyone to leave the locked gate.

Inside the fortress, things were almost exactly the same as before.

That's not entirely accurate either.

At least those Western Region barbarians with their strange accents and mannerisms were no longer seen setting up stalls by the soldiers and civilians in the city.

At this time, several rooms in the garrison, which were formerly barracks but were now being used as prisons, were...

The more than one hundred imprisoned foreign merchants were filled with anxiety and trepidation.

More than half of the businessmen in this group have spent at least three months of the year living in Jinzhou Pass in recent years.

Some of them even rented shops and started long-term businesses.

Although Jinzhou Pass is relatively close to the Western Regions, and many merchants come to this city to do business, the profits are about half that of going to Xijing City.

However, many merchants from Gansu Province from nearby prefectures also come to Jinzhou Pass to purchase and sell goods.

Han Chinese especially like to make large-scale purchases before the Lunar New Year.

Every year, the month before the Lunar New Year is the best time for these merchants from the Western Regions to sell off their most prized possessions.

The finest mink, squirrel, and fox furs, along with jewelry made from the purest colored gemstones.

As long as you're not too greedy, there's nothing you can't sell!

Every year at this month, the funds they've worked so hard for over half a year flow back into their accounts all at once.

On the purchasing lists of the merchants traveling to the Western Regions.

The silk from Jinzhou Pass was not the best choice.

The silkworm-producing areas of the Bei State were mainly concentrated in the Jiangnan and Sichuan regions, where the manufacturing technology was also the most advanced.

The silk that was transported to Jinzhou Pass for sale had already had its price increased several times by middlemen.

Their favorite and most desired product to bring back to the Western Regions was Long porcelain.

Six hundred miles away across the Zhuo River lies Pingliang Prefecture, where there are hundreds of porcelain kilns of all sizes.

It is said that in the previous dynasty, blue and white porcelain was produced and designated as a tribute to the imperial court.

Although not as famous as the official kilns of Taoyang Town, the prices they fetched when transported back to the Western Regions were not low.

Also, because it is relatively close to the Western Regions, it can minimize the wear and tear on the road.

That's how it happened—one sale and one purchase.

After returning home, the gold and silver in their hands will multiply several times over.

and so.

Cavalry of the Kashgar Khanate, can't you even wait a month?

They had to come and cause trouble at this time.

What worries the merchants the most is...

It's good that we won this battle.

Then they will be able to follow in the cavalry's footsteps and extend their business to other cities within the territory of Bei.

Once the Kashgar Khanate loses.

Trade between the Western Regions and the State of Bei will definitely be affected.

The Bei State court will likely close the market immediately, preventing these private merchants from trading.

I heard that the Mongol Tatars, due to their constant raids on the border, only had one opportunity a year to trade with the State of Bei.

They weren't allowed to buy large iron pots freely!
If they were treated the same as the Mongols and Tatars, then the businesses they had built up over generations would have been lost.

I dare not even think about it!
They have been locked up for several days.

I still remember the day I was arrested.

They first presented their customs documents to prove their origin.

Then, their temporary accommodations were turned upside down.

After being brought here for questioning, he was put in solitary confinement.

People of other nationalities are a bit better off.

Those dozen or so Kashgar Khanate merchants were brutally beaten before they could even be questioned.

This was a treatment they, as merchants from the Western Regions, had never received before when doing business in Bei!
Guan Jun and his men had always treated them with great courtesy.

The Kashgar Khanate merchant in the same room also said that when the soldiers were carrying out the torture, he could feel that they had murderous intent.

They hit them really hard!

Start black!

That's not all. The soldiers who fought last night were still buzzing with excitement this morning.

Many people even came to the temporary prison to mock these Kashgar Khanate merchants.

"Your archer cavalry's archery skills are nothing special!"

"It's no wonder their sneak attack failed, costing them hundreds of lives!"

"We can see right through the wolfish ambitions of the Kashgar Khanate, even from behind the city wall that's 26 feet wide!"

"It's no use for them to covet the vast lands and abundant resources of our Bei Kingdom. I'm afraid they won't be leaving this time!"

"I've heard you all believe in some kind of Allah, you must not be any good people!"

"I'll give you one more chance. Point out which of you are connected to the royal family or your civil and military officials. Heh, none of you say a word. That means you're accomplices!"

Accomplice?

What did they do to become accomplices?

The merchants huddled together in fear, trembling with dread.

After Guan Jun and his men left.

In one of the cells, a seemingly unremarkable young man slowly raised his head.

Eighteen-year-old Yaqub Beg is a Kyrgyz.

He was thin and short compared to his peers.

Even though he demonstrated his monkey-like agility to the recruiting leader, he was still not selected as a holy warrior.

You can't get promoted if you can't become a holy warrior.

If you don't become a leader, another way out is to go into business.

Yaqub Beg then followed the caravan to the State of Bei.

Compared to the Kashgar Khanate, which was built in the desert and suffered from drought and water shortages year-round, this was a different story.

He felt that Jinzhou Pass, a border town nestled against mountains and beside water, must be what paradise looked like.

Once you enter paradise, you won't want to go home.

Who would have thought that the holy warrior who was once sacred and inviolable to him is now just outside the city gates?

But they were kept out by Heaven; they couldn't get in!
Yaqub Beg was eager to help the holy warriors.

If you want help, you have to ask his good friend, Bart.

Bart is a small falcon.

In the hearts of the Kyrgyz people, the falcon is a symbol of heroism and a totem of their spirit.

Training a fierce wild eagle into a falcon that can obey commands is by no means easy.

Eagle breeders need to invest a lot of effort, carefully feeding and meticulously caring for them.

Their eagle-training skills are passed down from their fathers, only to men, and they generally don't teach them to outsiders.

But a well-trained falcon that understands its owner's heart can support a family.

Its value is higher than the dowry of a Kyrgyz girl.

Akubbe's good friend Bart had been raised by him for five years and was like a younger brother to him.

I just sent it back to my parents a few days ago, it should be back tonight!

Outside the city gate.

The supreme commander of the Kashgar Khanate and his subordinates were still discussing matters.

Last night's operation showed them the feasibility of building and scaling the wall, and also made them realize the power of the garrison's several pots of kerosene.

The narrow pass limited the effectiveness of the horse archers.

They weren't in a hurry to die today; they were looking for a village nearby where they could stay.

Before their arrival, the Bei army had cleared the only village within a hundred miles of the surrounding area.

The place is deserted.

They weren't left with a single piece of tattered clothing or even pots and pans.

Cave dwelling villages on the Loess Plateau.

They could try to start a fire, but it wouldn't even start.

The leaders, both big and small, didn't close their eyes for twelve hours straight, constantly discussing matters.

They argued from day to night but couldn't come up with a good solution.

Just at this time.

A large, dark gray bird flew into the camp.
(End of this chapter)