Dream of the Red Chamber: Start by gaining Zhao Yun's martial prowess, and be ennobled in a sin

Fortunately, Xu Qianxue was clearly in much better physical condition than Duke Zhao. Although he looked indignant and speechless, he did not vomit blood and collapse.

However, Chen Tingjing, who was standing to the side, couldn't help but ask Jia Jing:

"Lord Jingwu, is a peace treaty truly unfeasible?"

"For the past few years, the Northern Yuan and Hunye have consistently requested trade with our Han Dynasty. If we agree to trade with them, wouldn't that lead to their withdrawal of troops?"

Chen Tingjing's mention of exchanging trade for peace was not something he made up; the Han Dynasty had indeed done so in previous years.

The term "mutual trade" actually means trading with grassland tribes.

Generally, it can be divided into two forms: government-led and grassroots-initiated.

The official market, also known as the government-run market, was organized by the Han Dynasty court and usually took place on fixed dates, such as once or several times a year.

The trade fairs were held at various border fortresses, such as Deshengbao in Datong, Xuanfu, Shanxi, Yansui, Ningxia, and Gansu.

The trade was mainly based on barter. The Han government used products from the Central Plains, such as silk, cloth, tea, salt, and iron pots, to exchange for livestock products such as horses, cattle, sheep, and furs from the Mongolian grassland tribes.

The official market was large in scale and the types of goods were strictly controlled, making it the main body of the mutual market.

The civilian market refers to the market where Han and Mongol people and merchants on the border can freely trade after the official market closes or at unofficial times.

The civilian markets offered a wider variety of goods, including daily necessities such as needles and thread, rice, and cotton. The trading methods were flexible, making them an important supplement to the official markets and greatly promoting economic exchange among the people.

However, the Han Dynasty and the grasslands were sometimes at war and sometimes at peace, so trade required strict management and restrictions on location and time.

The trading locations were all situated near military fortresses along the Great Wall, surrounded by high walls and gates, and guarded by Han troops to maintain order and security.

Trading hours are strictly regulated by the authorities.

The goods themselves also need to be strictly regulated:

The Han Dynasty had strict prohibitions on the trade of strategic materials. Ironware, bronzeware, weapons, saltpeter, sulfur, and other items were strictly prohibited from being exported to prevent the Mongols from using them to manufacture weapons.

The trade in iron pots was particularly strict, and later even a "trade-in" system was implemented to limit the supply in order to control the metal processing capabilities of the grassland tribes.

This even led to the invention of a voucher system:

In the northwest and other regions, the Han Dynasty controlled trade by issuing "imperial edicts," which were essentially trade licenses.

Only the chieftains of grassland tribes or their representatives who held imperial edicts were qualified to trade in the market, which tightly bound trade to the tributary system.

The opening of the border trade market led to a surge in border trade volume dozens of times, which enabled Shanxi merchants and other places to rise to prominence.

This led to the formation of important trade routes such as the "Western Pass Ancient Road," which continuously transported products from the Central Plains to the Mongolian Plateau.

In the first few decades after the founding of the Han Dynasty, trade with the northwestern grasslands was quite frequent.

The main reason was that Emperor Taizu, Emperor Chengzu, and others defeated and subdued the Northern Yuan Kingdom and other states on the grasslands. At that time, the Northern Yuan Kingdom and other states were willing to submit to the Han Dynasty and pay tribute, promising not to raid southwards anymore.

Emperor Chengzu and others, considering that they needed to concentrate their efforts on dealing with the puppet Qing regime in Liaodong, agreed to trade with them.

However, at that time, the trade between the two countries was a form of charity from the superior empire to the barbarians beyond the Great Wall, a means of handling border affairs, and the Han Dynasty held the initiative.

According to Emperor Chengzu and his ilk, trade was permissible, but the Northern Yuan and other states had to pay tribute and become vassals, and they had to be obedient and compliant. Otherwise, they would be attacked at any time.

Later, as the Han Dynasty declined, the Northern Yuan and other states brazenly broke the alliance and repeatedly sent troops to plunder the border areas. As a result, the Han Dynasty banned trade with the nomadic tribes.

However, if the trade was used as a condition for the Northern Yuan and Hunye to withdraw their troops at this time, it would be like begging for mercy, which would put the Han court in an extremely passive situation.

Even if the Northern Yuan and Hunxie agree to withdraw their troops, what can you do if they invade again after a while?

Jia Jing shook his head with utmost seriousness and said:

"This proposal is absolutely unacceptable. I wonder if Grand Secretary Chen has read the memorial from the Northwest sent by the Ministry of War?"

"The Northern Yuan and Hunye kingdoms met at Langshan and issued a proclamation, enumerating the hatred they had harbored against our Great Han over the years."

"Including the humiliation suffered by the Golden Family, the killing of the Great Khan's own son by Emperor Chengzu, and the killing of Mongol soldiers and civilians by the Han border guards in recent years, as well as the burning of wasteland and encroachment on grasslands, etc."

"Although some of the accusations were true and some were fabricated, it also shows that relying solely on a trade market is absolutely not enough to make them withdraw their troops."

"They mobilized a large force and prepared for months. If they retreat easily, they will have no way to explain it to their subjects."

"Not to mention that the pseudo-Qing has been instigating the two countries from behind the scenes. The pseudo-Qing will never stand by and watch our Great Han, Northern Yuan, and Hunye successfully reach a peace agreement."

"They will definitely try to obstruct us, and even if we manage to reach a peace agreement with difficulty, the terms will probably be far from acceptable to us."

"In addition, the Northern Yuan royal court has suffered from consecutive years of natural disasters, resulting in the death or injury of more than half of its livestock."

"Hunxie has just unified most of the Western Regions, and there is a shortage of pastures. He urgently needs new grasslands and slaves."

"This is the real reason why they sent troops south. If they don't solve their internal problems, even if they retreat this time, they will break the alliance and come back next year."

"What conditions will our great Han Dynasty then use to negotiate peace and surrender?"

"Therefore, talking about peace talks is nothing more than wishful thinking on our part."

"Besides causing us to miss a good opportunity to send troops and losing the determination of the soldiers and civilians on the border to defend against the enemy, it has no other positive effect."

After listening to Jia Jing's words, Chen Tingjing sighed deeply, seemingly realizing that he had been making some assumptions, and retreated with a gloomy expression.

However, Xu Qianxue had recovered his senses by this moment, and with a hint of shame and anger on his face, he said indignantly:

"Jia Jing, these are all just your guesses! They're all just excuses for you to send troops and gain merit!"

"Although you were fortunate enough to achieve a minor victory against the puppet Qing in Liaodong last time, with the national strength and military strength of my Great Han, we are simply no match for the combined forces of the Northern Yuan, Hunye, and the puppet Qing."

"They are all cavalry, swift as the wind, skilled in archery and horsemanship. If our Han Dynasty gets bogged down in this quagmire of war, we will be dragged down and killed. That would be a losing proposition!"

Xu Qianxue seemed to have done his homework behind the scenes. Instead of directly mentioning the peace talks, he said that the Han Dynasty had no chance of winning the war and would be easily dragged down.

The implication is, of course, that between two evils, choose the lesser.

Rather than fighting a losing battle or being dragged to death on the Northwest battlefield, it would be better to negotiate peace and agree to some conditions.

At the same time, he did not forget to subtly criticize Jia Jing for his previous victory being nothing more than luck.