Chapter 600: Sacrifice for the country at all costs
Since the two sides opened up trade, with the influx of merchant caravans, spies from both sides also entered each other's capitals and royal courts.
But the trade was done in secret, not openly, so the number of people was limited in all aspects. And the worst thing was that because it was a secret trade, both sides could openly intercept the other's caravan for inspection.
You can't reason yet.
Therefore, after several deployments by the Embroidered Uniform Guard, only six spies were able to successfully settle in the royal court.
A while ago, a secret spy ventured into the vicinity of the king's tent, but fled after being discovered by the guards. Altan was furious and immediately searched the king's court.
Of the six Jinyiwei secret agents, three died in battle and the remaining three went into hiding again.
Captain Zhang Hui was squatting on the left side of the tent at this moment. His beard was dirty and tangled, and his hair was messy and dry like weeds.
His face was so dark that if the old acquaintances of the Jinyiwei saw him at this moment, they would not be able to recognize him without a careful look.
Xiaoqi Chen Nan squatted on the other side with his hands in his sleeves, trembling all over as if he would die at the next moment.
"Look, it's Tuotuo. He seems to be a little worried." Chen Nan whispered, "Captain, it seems that there is some contradiction in this matter."
"The Altan tribe is already full of contradictions." Zhang Hui said, "Let's wait and see."
Not long after, someone came out of the king's tent. It was Altan's guard. He gave some instructions, and then dozens of riders rushed to the various directions.
"It's a big deal." Zhang Hui stood up and said, "Let's go back!"
The two walked one after the other among the tents of the royal court. When they were about to reach their own tent, a fat woman shouted at Chen Nan, "It's time to find a job. If you don't work, your frail body will never see the spring."
Chen Nan chuckled, "I'll come tonight and show you what spring is like."
The woman's eyes lit up. "I'm not afraid of you! If you don't come, I'll burn your tent down tomorrow."
Chen Nan was quite handsome and had a small reputation in the area. He would disappear for a few days every now and then, and when he came back, he would either bring food or news.
"Dying for the country again?" Yang Zhao, who was waiting outside the tent, laughed at Chen Nan.
"Damn, those women reek of sheep. They don't bathe for a whole winter, and the smell... once they take off their clothes, it can make people dizzy. Why don't you go?" Chen Nan entered the tent, full of complaints.
"They have to like me first." Yang Zhao said with a smile, poked the fire burning with cow dung, opened the jar on top, and gave each of them a bowl of hot water.
Zhang Hui took a sip of hot water and cursed in a low voice: "Even the water smells like sheep. When I get home... my daughter will definitely dislike it."
Yang Zhao covered the fire... At the beginning of spring, we must save fuel, otherwise if there is a late spring cold snap, the three of them might be wiped out.
"The people who were discussing matters in the king's tent were all Altan's confidants," Zhang Hui said. "When they came out, Ji Neng and the others looked happy, but Tuotuo seemed a little worried."
Yang Zhao raised his head and said, "Captain, it seems that Altan has made a decision?"
Zhang Hui shook his head. "Then messengers came out from the king's tent. It was obvious that this matter was serious and Altan could not make the decision alone. So he sent people to gather the nobles to discuss it."
Yang Zhao added some water to the jar, put the lid on, sat down and said, "It seems like a big deal, but recently Altan's guards are like wolves and tigers, and they want to dig up the royal court to find us. Don't move!"
"Yes!" Zhang Hui put down the bowl, "This matter... let's wait for the right opportunity! Go and find out if there's a chance, otherwise just wait. If it's a big deal, there will be signs sooner or later. Then we can report it to the higher-ups."
Chen Nan breathed a sigh of relief. Yang Zhao asked, "Are you afraid of death?"
Chen Nan cursed, "I went out to the border to gather information just half a month after my wedding. If my wife dies, I will become a widow. Isn't that unfair?"
Yang Zhao said: "When your father dies and your mother remarries, everyone should take care of themselves."
"You, Yang Zhao, are afraid of death, but this time you dare to follow us out of the border to gather information. Don't say that you have suddenly changed." Chen Nan retorted.
"For the sake of the Ming Dynasty, what do I have to fear?" Yang Zhao said with a righteous look on his face.
"Haha!" Chen Nan said, "If you can die for the Ming Dynasty, I can go to hell for the Ming Dynasty!"
"Stop arguing." Zhang Hui stopped the two of them, "Listen, what's going on outside."
The two of them listened carefully and heard a noise and cheers coming from outside.
"The Ming people's caravan is coming."
When winter comes, the number of caravans decreases sharply. On the one hand, it is difficult to travel in winter, and on the other hand, the people on the grassland are poor and have low purchasing power, so the autumn is the season with the most caravans.
Autumn is the harvest season for the Central Plains Dynasty. The same is true for the grassland people. In autumn, the horses are fat and the cattle and sheep are strong, and they can be sold at a good price.
The Ming merchant caravans would not only bring many goods that were in short supply on the grasslands, but also bring various news from the outside world.
"The last time a caravan came was... about a month ago!" Zhang Hui stood up, "I don't know how things are going at home. Let's go and take a look."
The three of them left the tent, and Chen Nan saw the woman who had flirted with him before, holding her daughter and running forward in a hurry with a purse in her hand.
"He's rich." Zhang Hui hinted, "It's time to sacrifice your life for your country."
They had money, but their identities were just street vendors, doing odd jobs for a living. If they were too lavish, it would arouse suspicion from others.
Therefore, apart from basic expenses, unexpected expenses would have to be covered by Chen Nan's sacrifice for the country.
Chen Nan curled his lips, looking hopeless.
More than fifty trucks were being inspected, and many people were waiting outside.
Even at this time, there was still a distinction between the high and the low. Those at the front were the rich and powerful and their families.
Zhang Hui even saw Altan's entourage, who was accompanied by several guards and holding a huge purse in his hand. He didn't need to look inside to know that it was full of gold and silver.
The copper coins of the Ming Dynasty were genuine and of unrivalled craftsmanship. In addition, the economy was developed and its credibility was even greater than that of the US dollar of the United States in later generations.
Once the Ming copper coins were obtained, Altan Khan's tribe would find ways to collect them and use them in large transactions.
This is a bit like the US dollar reserves in later generations.
In Japan and Southeast Asia, the status of Ming copper coins was so strong that the Ministry of Revenue issued a warning and suggested that the court limit the use of copper coins because too many copper coins were withdrawn.
Copper was a strategic material in that era. Zhang saw an attendant of a noble holding a mottled copper furnace, and another holding a painting, apparently preparing to pawn it.
Zhang Hui's mind moved and he wrote this down.
But apparently someone discovered this earlier than him.
A fellow in the caravan glanced at the nobleman's attendant and whispered, "Those are calligraphy and paintings, most likely taken away by the Mongols when they fled from the Central Plains. Such things would not be used as collateral unless one's descendants were in poverty. It shows that the Altan tribe has had a hard time in the past two years."
Many times, a small thing can reveal the big picture and judge the current situation of a country.
The inspection was still going on, and the rich and powerful said impatiently: "What's the point of checking? Wait until we have sold out the goods, and then you can check as much as you want."
"Yes, hurry up."
The soldiers who were conducting the interrogation did not dare to offend these people and ended the interrogation hastily. Then the crowd rushed in.
"Don't push! Don't push!"
The guy was shouting, but the crowd was getting thicker and thicker.
"I want this box of powder!"
"Give me this set of Buddhist scriptures!"
"This gold hairpin...how much is it?"
"I want all this box of candy."
The dignitaries flocked in and the guys were busy as hell.
Yang Zhao whispered, "I know the price of cosmetics. It's at least five times higher than in the capital. No wonder those merchants are willing to risk going out of the border even if they are afraid of freezing to death in the snow."
The rich and powerful finished their shopping and left satisfied. Many of them left their shopping lists and some even paid deposits.
“The extravagant and dissolute remain the same, while the poor become even poorer.” The waiter whispered, “It reminds me of the Ming Dynasty.”
Another clerk said, "It's different now. A few years ago, I received a letter from home saying that the court and the Mo family had built a biogas digester. After it was built, it can continuously produce fertilizer, and the income per mu of land can be increased by more than 10%. My family harvested more than 10% last year, and my younger sister was much more confident when she proposed marriage."
"That was done by Long Webber," the clerk said. "I heard that the biogas tank has caused many Confucianists to attack it, saying it is a heresy."
"Fuck!" Even though they were on the grassland, the other fellow subconsciously looked around, as if the Confucian disciples were eavesdropping and glaring at him, "What kind of evil ways are these? Even if they are evil ways, as long as they can keep us fed, I will believe in them!"
The guy shook his head, "No, that's not a crooked way, it's the right way."
"That makes sense. But I feel like it doesn't make sense..." Another guy pondered for a moment, "The evil ways that Confucianists talk about are the right ways, so what is Confucianism?"
The guy smiled and said, "Of course, the thief is crying thief. They are the ones who are doing evil things."
At this time, the herdsmen rushed in and the busy work began again.
"May I buy one piece of this candy?"
"What is this? Sauce? How much is it? Oh! I can't afford it. Just some salt will be enough."
After a busy moment, someone came to the front of the cart, lowered his head, patted the shaft, and said, "Nice clothes."
The waiter was startled, then put on a straight face and said, "This is a dress made by the most outstanding embroiderer in the capital, so it must be good."
"Embroiderer from the capital? What's your last name? When I go to the capital of the Ming Dynasty, I'll go and ask for one."
Someone nearby couldn't help but laugh when he heard this and said, "When the Khan goes south to herd his horses, he should ask for one."
To ask for something instead of to buy it, this statement has a bloody flavor.
The guy sneered and said, "Your surname is Wei, go if you have the guts."
The man chuckled and said, "My last name is Jin. Remember, we'll meet in the capital tomorrow."
The guy had a sullen face as he picked up dozens of nails, which were necessary for nailing horse hoofs. They were available on the grassland, but their quality was far inferior to that of the Ming Dynasty.
"That's all?" The waiter laughed, took the purse handed over by the man, looked inside, shook it, and searched around with his hand, and came out with only a few copper coins.
"not enough."
"Money bag for payment."
The clerk took a look at the purse and saw that it was made of high-quality leather, so he nodded reluctantly.
Then the man put the nail in his arms and squeezed out of the crowd.
Outside, Chen Nan was waiting.
The person who squeezed in was Zhang Hui.
Yang Zhao was on the other side. Unless absolutely necessary, the three of them had to leave one person alone when they were outside. This way, even if an accident happened, someone would survive and pass on the message.
After returning to the tent, Zhang Hui took out a small paper roll from his chest. After opening it, he looked at it carefully.
"how?"
After being outside the Great Wall for a long time, the three of them became nostalgic for everything from the Ming Dynasty.
Zhang Hui raised his head, "My family has ordered me to find out the movements of the Altan tribe at all costs!"
In the caravan, when the goods were sold out, the man found an excuse to go to the camp. After entering the tent, he opened the money bag Zhang Hui gave him, and found a small paper roll inside.
I opened the paper and it said: There will be major events in Altan's tribe in the near future, I will certainly do my best to find out.
(End of this chapter)
