"The Chanyu's patrol team arrived one day earlier than you, but unfortunately they went to Yingtu Ranch and didn't pass by us." The Northern Barbarian herdsman who spoke beat his chest and stamped his feet, feeling very regretful that he didn't see with his own eyes the Chanyu, who was regarded as a heroic god of war by the Northern Barbarian tribes.
"If you hurry up, you may be able to catch up. I heard that the Chanyu will stay in the royal court for two days and accept the hospitality of our tribal king."
"We horses, cattle and sheep cannot live without people every day. Otherwise, I would also like to go to the royal court to see the heroic figure of the Chanyu with my own eyes, even if I can only pay my respects from afar..."
Wei Yunlan and others did not understand the northern barbarians' almost crazy worship of the Chanyu.
But that doesn't stop them from taking advantage of the situation.
Zou Yun winked, and Xue Tong, who was wearing a tiger skin, excitedly followed the herdsman's words and said, "I didn't expect that we would catch up with the Chanyu's inspection."
Then he sighed again, "It's a pity that our horses accidentally ate some weeds a few days ago and have diarrhea. I'm afraid they need to rest for a few days before we can continue our journey."
After hearing this, the herdsman's eyes flickered, and he showed some realization, "No wonder I didn't see your horses and goods, it turns out they were parked somewhere else."
"Although the horses in our ranch are not as good as the war horses raised in Yingtu Ranch, they are also very fast and have good endurance. If you are in a hurry to travel, you can just buy a few good horses from our ranch." The herdsman rubbed his hands and smiled innocently, "You are the distinguished guests from the Qiulin tribe, so the price is negotiable. I will definitely give you a lower price."
Behind several tall and strong guards from Tianshu Pavilion, Zou Yun and Wei Yunlan looked at each other.
The same thought popped up in everyone’s mind - what a sucker!
After all, the biggest feature of the Qiulin tribe, apart from its declining population, is its wealth.
This seemingly honest and simple-minded herdsman in front of them might want to treat them as "fat sheep" to be slaughtered!
But it’s hard to say who will kill whom.
Long before passing by these small ranches, Wei Yunlan and others had already made plans to buy horses, and all the excuses had been prepared long ago.
When Xue Tong heard the herdsmen talking about buying horses, he nodded with a happy face, and then asked like a wealthy local tycoon who had plenty of money: "I wonder how you sell the horses on your ranch? Do you want money or some goods we brought from the southeast?"
"I wonder what goods you have brought?" Even though the herdsman tried his best to conceal it, there was still some anticipation in his eyes, and it was obvious that he preferred the latter option to silver and money.
After all, the Helian tribe is located in the northwest of the entire Northern Barbarians. Although the land is vast and the pastures are fertile, there are many inconveniences. Even if you have money, you have nowhere to buy new things.
"How about this, everyone, follow me to select horses first, and we will discuss the details of the transaction later."
The ranch where the herdsmen lived was called Xishan, which had a total of 2,000 cattle and sheep and more than 200 horses. This scale was only considered third-rate among the Helian tribe, which was famous for its good breeding of cattle, sheep and horses.
When the herdsman brought Wei Yunlan and his party over, the horses were grazing in a fenced grassland.
Most of the horses here are chestnut in color, fat and strong, with smooth fur, and you can tell at a glance that they are well-fed.
At least it is much better than those often seen in Dayong’s carriage and horse market.
"Most of the horses here are between three and ten years old. None of them are particularly old. They are all at the right age for use. You can choose any one and then ask about the price." The herdsman pointed to the horses strolling leisurely on the grassland.
"Hamute, who are you bringing with you?" From afar, someone standing in the herd of horses shouted towards this side.
"It's the distinguished guest from the Qiulin tribe!" The herdsman who led Wei Yunlan and others over also shouted back, "Hurry up and drive all the best horses from our ranch over here."
Most people who often deal with horses have some ability to judge horses.
Several guards from Tianshu Pavilion quickly selected ten horses.
The herdsmen exchanged glances and finally showed the number of five fingers.
Wei Yunlan guessed that this was probably referring to the five strings of Northern Barbarian copper coins.
Unlike the Great Yong, where one string of copper coins was equivalent to one tael of silver, or one thousand copper coins, in the Northern Barbarians, one string of Northern Barbarian copper coins was almost equivalent to the purchasing power of one hundred taels of silver, and five strings of Northern Barbarian copper coins were equivalent to five hundred taels of silver.
With the big bag seized last time, Wei Yunlan had enough Northern Barbarian copper coins, but she had no intention of actually paying with money.
Taking advantage of the opportunity to look at the horses, Wei Yunlan approached Xue Tong and said a few words to him.
Seeing the herdsman finished his gesture and mentioned again that goods could be used instead of money, he said, "We are carrying valuable goods, including jewelry, porcelain and jade. I'm afraid your horses alone are not enough to exchange for them."
Jewelry, porcelain and jade.
These are priceless items in the northern barbarians, and only the royal families of each tribe are qualified to use them. If an ordinary family can buy one, it can be used as a family heirloom, or as a betrothal gift or dowry for marriage.
The herdsman who first met Wei Yunlan and others was worrying about preparing the betrothal gifts.
When he heard what Xue Tong said, his eyes lit up, but Xue Tong shook his head modestly, "I have a few nice ones on me, I can show them to you, but I have to make it clear in advance that these are not for sale."
What Xue Tong took out was naturally what Wei Yunlan had given him earlier.
There weren't many things, just a gold filigree phoenix hairpin with rubies inlaid on the eyes, two pairs of ancient gilt copper bracelets inlaid with turquoise, two snuff bottles made of warm jade, and a pair of colorful gemstone earrings.
The value of these things themselves is not that high, they are only worth their exquisite craftsmanship. However, the people of the Helian tribe have no way of judging this. They only know that the things Xue Tong took out are all treasures that look extraordinary.
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