Overlord!

After the situation in Liaodong was cleared, the remaining barbarian tribes were not even strong enough to fight against the imperial army.

Hundreds of county soldiers went to collect taxes from their clan, just like the arrival of magic soldiers. They did not dare to resist at all. The chief and his clansmen all watched with trembling fear as the Song soldiers shouted and shouted violently in the clan, leaving them to count the supplies.

The Baekje people in Daifang County were related by marriage to the Gongsun family, and they took advantage of the void to capture the people of Daifang County. Zhang Ji, the newly appointed governor of Daifang, was furious. King Gur of Baekje was afraid of being punished, so he was frightened and hurriedly returned his people, and sent envoys to pay tribute every year.

Fearing that the generals in Youzhou would not allow him to surrender, they chopped off his head as a token of military merit.

While King Gur bribed these officials in Youzhou with a lot of money, he also sent envoys out to sea by boat, carrying thousands of kilograms of gold and hundreds of beauties, directly to Jiankang to pay tribute to the emperor.

Since the Song Dynasty established its capital in Jiankang, fleets traveled frequently to Liaodong before, so the maritime trade of the Song Dynasty was particularly developed.

The team of tribute envoys hoisted tribute flags and easily blended into the bustling routes of other merchant ships, arriving at the mouth of the Yangtze River smoothly.

From the mouth of the Yangtze River to the west, that is the golden waterway of the Central Plains.

When the Baekje envoy saw the bustling scene of thousands of merchant ships and watercraft on the Yangtze River, he was immediately stunned. Everyone from the envoy on down was eye-opening.

Just like a group of primitive people suddenly entered a prosperous civilized society, countless people were shocked and their beliefs, spine and knees collapsed. It seems that everything here is incomparable to their remote mountainous area.

The beauties of Qingqing Zijin from the Central Plains, the Zhuxia Guizhou in vermilion embroidery, the magnificent and wealthy Central Plains palaces, the bustling urban economy, the majestic and majestic elite imperial army.

All this is deeply imprinted in their minds.

There is no need for the Honglu Temple in the Central Plains to educate them. Just the admiration and longing from the bottom of their hearts is enough for them to imitate all civilizations, systems, texts, clothes and even the tone of speech in the Central Plains like toddlers in Handan.

King Gur's tribute was a great success, although he did not meet the legendary emperor of the Central Plains.

The Minister of Honglu Temple only sent one doctor to meet them and then sent them back.

Thousands of kilograms of gold and more than two hundred beauties were exchanged for only a gold-plated copper seal and a set of white robes issued to him by the Central Plains.

But King Gur excitedly announced the news in court and ordered the whole country to celebrate for three days.

Because this means that his throne has been recognized by the Central Plains. From then on, hereditary rule was ignored. No other powerful official in the court could threaten him and his descendants' succession to the throne.

Hereditary and disrespectful!

Is this something that makes many princes and nobles crazy?

Therefore, when the news came back, the Hulu and foreign tribes in the peninsula responded one after another. Among them, the Yamatai Kingdom, which was under internal and external pressure, was the most active.

This is a country close to the Korean Peninsula.

He sent envoys from Japan to Daifang by sea, and then went south to pay tribute to the Central Plains.

As always, the Central Plains sent envoys to confer him the title of pro-Song Japanese king.

Don’t underestimate the influence of the Central Plains on Japan.

The Central Plains Dynasty's rule over the Japanese kingdom basically reached its peak in this era.

In history, even Cao Wei was the suzerain state that had strong rule over the Japanese state. Civil strife broke out after the death of Queen Hemihu of the Japanese state. Although the Wei state decided not to send troops to support her, in the end it was only after the Wei court ruled that Yi Yu succeeded to the throne that the civil strife and disputes were quelled, which shows the influence of Wei.

The Song Dynasty's maritime transportation was particularly developed, and its rule and influence on the Japanese country was particularly strong.

After Korea and Japan became vassals, the Maritime Silk Road's trade routes went directly to these two countries.

Since the local civilization is still relatively backward, I don’t know how to deal with business travel. The Song Dynasty directly sent people from Honglu Temple to guide them on how to set up government agencies and how much taxation should be set.

It can be said that this territory is equivalent to the market of the Central Plains, but it does not require the Central Plains to pay high administrative costs.

It’s no wonder that every celestial country enjoys promoting civilization.

This is simply harvesting the richest wealth at the lowest cost.

And all this can easily form a comprador.

Because Song Ting is still very tolerant. In other words, Song Ting is really not interested in those remote places.

Therefore, on the Silk Road, merchant ships from various countries were allowed to travel.

The great nobles of Japan and Baekje were very enthusiastic supporters of this tribute system. Through trade with the Song Dynasty, they obtained a large number of industrial products, and then sold them to the people of their own countries, harvesting massive wealth.

These waves of trade directly contributed to these nobles possessing massive wealth.

However, it was not just the local Hulu nobles who benefited from this.

Some powerful people in the Central Plains also took the opportunity to make a lot of money.

Don't underestimate the ability of these powerful people to make trouble. If it weren't for the extremely powerful centralization of power in the Central Plains, they would not have known how many places they could separatize their own armies.

On the islands and mountain cities around the Japanese kingdom, as trade prospered, heroes and merchants from the Central Plains soon became kings.

The area they occupy may not be large, just a few islands and a dozen mountain cities.

But this is indeed the case of breaking up the soil and enthroning the king within the territory of the Japanese country. They organized fleets, built islands, set up mansions, and built cities and military camps.

The native Japanese countries could not help them and were unwilling to fight with them.

Because these people also transported massive resources to the Japanese country to meet the needs of the Japanese country.

For example, precious spices were the most popular commodity among Japanese nobles.

For hundreds of kilograms of spices and spice shipping lanes, hundreds or even thousands of ronin may fight in duels and fight to the death.

This issue quickly attracted Song Ting's attention.

In the 16th year of Kaiyuan, Sun Ce summoned ministers in Zhaoming Palace to formally discuss matters related to the Maritime Silk Road and the Spice Road.

The scale of this meeting was huge, with everyone from the three prime ministers, the three envoys, the Ministry of War, and the Fifth Army Commander-in-Chief in attendance.

This scale far exceeded the time when the Song Dynasty used troops against the Western Regions.

It can also be seen that Song Ting's center of gravity is in the southeast, far exceeding the northwest.

There were so many ministers present, but there was one person in the palace who was incompatible with all this. This incompatibility is reflected in all aspects. Not only does the opponent have a strange hair, but he also has a curly beard and blue eyes. Compared with the graceful and luxurious hectares, he is simply a country monkey.

Monkey, it’s not that his manners or civilization are crude. On the contrary, the other person is wearing a silk white robe and an agate ring. He looks like he may come from a country with civilized heritage.

But in the eyes of the scholar-bureaucrats in the Central Plains, everything outside the Central Plains was a barbarian and desolate land. Except for the nobles of the Central Plains, everyone is a bunch of beasts.

In this regard, the Song Dynasty was very enlightened, and all ethnic groups were extremely equal. Except for the Xia, all ethnic groups were Yi and Di beasts, with the same low status.

Therefore, when such a barbarian man with strange hair and a strange smell appeared in the palace, all the noble ministers, who were covered in red and purple, saw him, just like seeing a gorilla in the deer park.

Right Minister Zhang Zhao was the last one to arrive. When he saw this man standing in the palace, he frowned and asked: "Shi Censor, what's going on with this barbarian? Chui Gong Hall is a pure place where His Majesty rests. Why?" Are you allowing this barbarian to appear here?"

The Censor who was on duty in the palace immediately raised his hands and replied: "Your Majesty, this is the emperor's oral order, ordering him to wait here."

Hearing this, all the ministers and ministers in the palace turned their heads and looked around at this foreigner with a different posture.

The other party's skin was astonishingly white, his hair was curly, and he smelled bad, even the strong smell of spices couldn't cover it up.

This is very typical of Xirong. That is, the barbarians of the West.

At present, there may be nearly a hundred foreign tribes and states paying tribute to the Song Dynasty. There are also more than 20 countries that are directly guided by the Honglu Temple of the Song Dynasty and have established national systems and civilizations.

Therefore, the scholar-bureaucrats of the Song Dynasty can be said to be well-informed, and they have seen a lot of white people.

Among them, the Jie tribe of Xirong has tens of thousands of Hu people whose appearance is very different from the nobles of Xia.

Everyone treats them equally and feels that they are no different from Kunlun Nu's black skin.

Only their young girls were able to get a high look from the Xia nobles, but it was just like that. They were in the same status as the Silla maids and Japanese girls in the northeast.

What surprised everyone was why this barbarian with such a high status actually appeared in Chui Gong Hall.

But before they could communicate for long, Sun Ce entered the Chui Gong Hall.

Everyone immediately saluted: "Greetings to Your Majesty and greetings."

It is not very popular to kneel down in the Song Dynasty. Except for the imperial congratulations, when the officials and ministers bring the envoys from the four prefectures and counties and the Yi people to kneel down, they basically bow their hands.

So Sun Ce waved his hand directly and said: "Without courtesy, I'm in peace. Please take your seats, please. Give Qin Lun a seat as well."

The maid of the Shanggong Bureau on the side immediately moved a barbarian stool and placed it behind the barbarian.

After everyone was seated, Sun Ce spoke up and said, "I specially asked Qin Lun to attend this court meeting. Do you know the reason?"

Zhang Hong cupped his hands and replied: "I don't know, I just think that it is difficult for foreigners to enter the elegant hall, so it seems inappropriate to allow them to enter the Chui Gong Hall."

Sun Ce smiled and said: "I know that his status is no different from other barbarians. But I want him to come here for this reason. He is a businessman from the Qin Dynasty and was sent to Jiankang by Shi Xie, the prefect of Jiaozhi. "

I heard that he was a businessman, and the ministers in the palace had no special reaction.

Compared with the Qin and Han Dynasties, the Song Dynasty was undoubtedly extremely enlightened.

In terms of the equality of the four peoples, the Song Dynasty broke the previous customs in one fell swoop and affirmed the edict: the state opened the door to tribute and searched widely, such as industry and commerce, miscellaneous people, etc. Those who have extraordinary talents and extraordinary deeds are also Xu Jie sent.

That is, businessmen, craftsmen, and technical talents who are outstanding are also allowed to join the army and participate in scientific examinations.

At the same time, the business environment of this dynasty can also be said to be the first of its kind in history, and it is unprecedentedly fair and relaxed.

The imperial court implemented a "compassion for merchants" law, treated merchants leniently, and encouraged commerce. In the first year of Kaiyuan, an edict was issued: "The tax rules for merchants are set in Wumen, and no unauthorized changes are allowed to increase losses or generate income."

In the third year of Kaiyuan, another edict was issued: "From now on, except for business currency, the petty transactions of men and women are not allowed to be collected."

It is also strictly prohibited for officials to extort and make things difficult for merchants. If an official "stays (with a merchant) for three days, he will be given an additional grade, and his crime will be punished with a two-year sentence. If he begs for property, if the stolen goods are minor, he will be sentenced to one year."

So much so that the merchants and wealthy households in the Song Dynasty praised highly: "This dynasty, within the framework of Wenfa, has never defeated the wealthy merchants in the world."

After the founding of the Song Dynasty, businessmen were once invited as guests of the imperial court. Bu Zhi was the third envoy. When he formulated the "Salt Tea Law", he invited dozens of tea merchants and salt merchants to discuss "all the interests and disadvantages". The debate at that time was very intense. The tea merchants proposed a plan that all the commercial interests of tea would belong to the merchants, and the merchants would "take too much profit"; the official plan was that the state would exclusively specialize in tea, and the profits would go to the government, and the merchants would "destroy and gain nothing." In the end, the imperial court adopted a compromise plan, "both public and private", in other words, it absorbed the opinions of businessmen. In the legislative process, the state not only gave merchants a channel to express their interests, but the laws formulated also took the interests of merchants into consideration, which was almost unimaginable in other dynasties.

But one thing is very clear. The dozens of businessmen who participated in the discussion of the three ministerial laws at that time were all from Zhuxia and Guizhou.

Now a barbarian businessman appears here, this is the first time.

But the third commander made Bu Zhao's thinking more flexible and asked: "Great Qin? Great Qin in the west of the Western Regions?"

Sun Ce nodded and said: "Yes, it is the Great Qin. It is rumored that it is a large country in the west with a land area of ​​tens of thousands of miles."

The Han Dynasty still knew about foreign countries. Thanks to Zhang Qian's western expansion, as early as Emperor Wu's dynasty, the Central Plains knew about Rome in the west and called it Da Qin.

As for why it was named Da Qin.

Probably because the word "Qin" has the meaning of abundance in oracle bone inscriptions, and the powerful image of the Roman Empire at that time made China call it "Great Qin".

But whatever the reason, the fact that the two countries were so far apart meant that it was impossible to conquer each other.

No matter who is stronger, Rome or Song, it is a question of Guan Gong versus Qin Qiong.

The two countries are tens of thousands of miles apart, and even with the perseverance of the Song army, they cannot get across.

The Song army could climb snow-capped mountains, cross plateaus, and journey thousands of miles under the sun, but it could not overcome the limits of logistical constraints. There is a difference between a journey that stretches thousands of miles and a journey that stretches thousands of miles in a straight line.

As for Da Qin, let alone that. Leaving the Mediterranean, their territory did not exceed two hundred miles. The march of their heavy infantry was destined to be unable to extend their sphere of influence too far.

I have only heard of the Xiongnu, Turks, and Mongols from the Central Plains fighting to the Mediterranean, but I have never heard of armies near the Mediterranean crossing the Onion Territory.

Therefore, the two civilizations were destined to communicate only through commercial transactions.

There is absolutely no need to worry about the other party's military pressure.

So after hearing what Sun Ce said, Zhang Zhao glanced at Qin Lun again and asked: "Since he is in the west of the Western Regions, how could he go to Jiaozhi for business and be sent from Jiaozhi to Jiankang by Shi Xie?" (End of this chapter)