In Rome, the provinces were not monolithic, and the rivalry and mutual defamation among local nobles and officials were particularly severe.

Just like in Rome, even a minor nobleman would mock powerful nobles in other provinces, calling them country bumpkins.

Therefore, the wealthy and powerful people of the Egyptian province were also eager to use this silk to give those guys in Rome a good slap in the face.

Therefore, even though three million taels of gold could cripple the finances of the Egyptian provinces, they remained unconcerned.

After all, in Rome, silk was equivalent to gold and could be converted into cash at any time.

Moreover, once they buy up all the silk from the Han fleet, they can act as middlemen and sell it to other provinces at high prices.

Chu Qian immediately understood the thoughts of the nobles in the Egyptian province.

"Not for sale!"

Under Penik's expectant gaze, Chu Qian shook his head and refused.

Peckney paused, then said, "Uh... is the Han envoy not satisfied with the price? We can raise it!"

Chu Qian smiled and said, "I am here to Rome, not your province. If I were to sell everything to your province, what would happen to Rome and the other provinces? Wouldn't your emperor be angry?"

When he first arrived in Rome, aside from his identity as a Han envoy, silk was his most powerful weapon. Whether he could establish interpersonal relationships in Rome depended entirely on this silk. How could he possibly discard his weapon for a mere amount of money?

"this……"

After hearing Chu Qian's words, Peckney was at a loss for words.

After all, what Chu Qian said was true. The relationship between the Han Dynasty and Rome was that between two nations, and it was indeed unlikely that they would abandon the relationship between Rome and other provinces for the sake of their province.

Chu Qian smiled and said, "Governor Pechney, I have an idea, I wonder if you would like to hear it?"

Peckney's eyes lit up: "Oh? Please explain in detail, Han envoy!"

Chu Qian's expression turned serious: "I have a preliminary understanding of your country's parliamentary system and provincial system. Apart from taxation, it seems that your province has the right to autonomy in both military and political affairs?"

"The Han envoy is right. As long as each province pays enough taxes to Rome and obeys the emperor's orders during wartime, the rest can govern themselves."

Finally, Pechney paused, then continued, "Within this province of Egypt, my word still carries weight!"

"That's good!"

Chu Qian smiled and then said, "Although our Great Han and your province cannot conduct state affairs, there is no problem in carrying out some commercial trade and cultural exchanges."

Therefore, your province could sign some commercial treaties with our Great Han, and in the future, our Great Han's goods could be supplied to your province with priority. I wonder what Governor Peckney thinks?

"Excellent! This method of the Han envoy is very good!!"

Upon hearing Chu Qian's suggestion, Peckney's eyes lit up.

In his view, Egypt was the only route for Han caravans to reach Rome. If the two sides signed a commercial treaty, then all Han goods would first pass through their hands before flowing to other parts of Rome.

In other words, their own Egyptian province would control all future trade between Rome and the Han Dynasty, and the benefits of this would be almost unimaginable.

Afterwards, Chu Qian and Peckney found a quiet place to discuss the treaty.

Based on the results of their discussions, the Royal Trading Company of the Great Han and the Governor's Office of Peckney jointly signed a trade agreement.

According to the agreement, the Egyptian province will allocate a piece of land near the dock to build an office for the Royal Merchants' staff in Rome, as well as a place for Han Chinese merchants to rest and stay.

This place was named "Han People's Street" by Chu Qian.

At the same time, the Egyptian province should also lift religious restrictions, allowing Han Chinese Taoists to preach, and providing them with support and protection.

The conditions offered by the Han Dynasty were that 70% of all merchants' goods would be sold preferentially to the Egyptian province, while the prices of the remaining goods sold to other regions would be set by the Egyptian governor's office.

This gave Pekni and the Egyptian nobles plenty of room to maneuver; they could buy Han goods at normal prices and then resell them elsewhere at double the price.

Compared to the enormous profits involved, the construction of "Han Chinese Street" and the lifting of religious restrictions become insignificant.

Of course, to show his sincerity, Chu Qian finally agreed to sell five thousand bolts of silk to the nobles of the Egyptian province at a price of ninety taels of gold per bolt.

Watching Peckney's excited departure, Chu Qian's lips curled up slightly, revealing a mysterious smile.

His reason for signing that treaty with Pecanis was to divide Rome, starting with commerce.

After all, self-interest is a powerful motivator, and human nature is inherently greedy.

Once the Egyptian province gains control over trade with the Han Dynasty, the local nobles will undoubtedly try every means to exploit this advantage to extract profits from other provinces.

Over time, this will naturally cause dissatisfaction among other provinces, which will inevitably lead to rifts and even irreconcilable conflicts between the provinces.

After all, Rome had wanted to wage war against the Kushans, who stood in its way, more than once for the sake of silk, and they would certainly not allow the Egyptian province to monopolize this enormous benefit.

One day in the future, these events will surely lead to a Roman civil war, from which the Han Dynasty can take advantage.

The seeds of Rome's division have now been sown, waiting only for the day they will take root and sprout.

...

After the banquet ended, Chu Qian and the others returned to their temporary residence, while Peckney and the local nobles were filled with excitement.

Everyone surrounded Peckney, showering him with compliments and congratulations.

Tonight was a very fruitful night for them. Although they failed to buy 30,000 bolts of silk as they had hoped, they confirmed their maritime trade with the Han Empire, which was more important than anything else.

These shrewd nobles also knew that once trade flourished, the province of Egypt, which possessed the Suez Canal, would become extremely important, rising to become the most important of all provinces, and it was not impossible for it to even surpass the city of Rome.

It is obvious that these nobles of the Egyptian provinces were no benevolent people. They were similar to the local tyrants of the Han Dynasty, only concerned with their own small territory. Not only did they not protect Rome, but they also constantly thought about surpassing Rome.

After staying for two days, leaving some people to handle the planning of the "Han Chinese Street," Chu Qian led the fleet to continue its journey.