Chapter 269
"Lady Xiao, although there are no problems for the time being, those who are not of our kind will surely have different intentions." Little Black didn't finish his sentence, but the meaning was clear.
Fan Xiaoxiao also thought that made sense.
He immediately nodded: "Our people aren't good at feeding horses. How about this, let him teach a few people how to take care of horses."
"Huh?" Xiao Hei asked in confusion, "What's the point of making this?"
Fan Xiaoxiao quickly finished writing the letter in her hand, blew on it briefly, and put it on the rack to air dry: "Since we are going to do warhorse business, we can't just raise two or three horses."
"Now is the time to seize the opportunity and obtain the right to purchase horses independently."
Even if she couldn't get the tribe to sell her a large number of horses, she could find a way to make them sell only to her.
"This... Lady Xiao, will they agree?" Xiao Hei was a little unsure.
But Fan Xiaoxiao already had a good chance of success.
She turned her gaze to the Xuan paper on the shelf.
The above is the letter of goodwill sent to the tribal royal court this time.
She smiled and said, "Of course I would agree. Salt is no ordinary substance."
"Throughout history, no dynasty or government in power has ever allowed the salt rights to fall into other hands."
"It's not the right time yet. Let's wait until those people realize what's happening."
"Our chance has come!"
Who would refuse a partner who can bring them status and huge economic benefits?
...
...
In the days that followed.
The battle reports from the Tianshan Sect arrived like snowflakes, carried by Xueying.
The village's defenses have evolved from rudimentary to a well-organized structure.
Nestled against the mountains and beside the water, it has been disguised in many ways.
Furthermore, various iron traps were added, and even the sentry posts were hidden among evergreen trees.
Fan Xiaoxiao's mind began to wander with worry as the battle situation outside rapidly deteriorated.
Fortunately, good news came from the north side of Tianshan.
The guests this time were of a slightly higher caliber.
No longer a servant by the Empress Dowager's side, Fan Xiaoxiao could call her "Master" without any problem.
The newcomer introduced himself as Mukdo, and placed his hand on his chest, performing a standard Northern barbarian greeting.
"Our Khan has sent me with eight fine horses as a gift, hoping that the esteemed female general will accept them with a smile."
Fan Xiaoxiao's smile remained unchanged. Although this behavior was unexpected, it was also reasonable.
After all, what she wanted was a horse, and the last time that stingy guy only gave her two.
"Then thank you very much, Your Majesty."
Fan Xiaoxiao ordered tea to be served.
The meeting place was newly built.
No matter what kind of person they are, they cannot be brought to the post at will.
Although this temporary meeting place was spacious, it was not as grand as the main residence.
Since the Fan family and others were not skilled in martial arts, it was enough for them to protect Fan Xiaoxiao. It was also inconvenient to bring several people who could not protect themselves to dangerous places.
"Please have some tea."
Fan Xiaoxiao simply gave the instructions.
Xiao Hei, naturally, took charge of handling things.
These days, Xiao Hei is practically a brick in the village, being moved wherever needed.
Making tea is surprisingly easy when done with the same hand that holds a knife.
"Thank you." Mukdo said respectfully; the Khan had been in a good mood before he came.
He was one of the few who knew the reason.
Refined salt is as white as snow from the Tianshan Mountains, with no bitterness whatsoever, and it makes for a much higher quality product than ordinary salt for roasting and boiling meat.
As a result, their tribes were psychologically superior.
He couldn't help but glance at the frail female general again.
Although she is called a general, she does not look like a general at all. Instead, she is as beautiful as a woman from the water towns of the Central Plains.
It's just that what this person possessed spread further and further across the grasslands.
It wasn't just the salt given away as a gift after buying and selling cattle and sheep; there were also stylish, warm, and exquisite clothes, as well as various delicious dried meats that could be easily preserved for a long time during the winter.
The once-hidden Tianshan Village has now been targeted by two other major tribes.
Mukdo's purpose in coming here was clear: to cultivate good relations and strive to obtain the right to purchase refined salt and other goods.
Seeing that he was looking at her without saying anything, Fan Xiaoxiao had already guessed the current situation to a great extent.
He spoke first: "I've heard that your salt business is doing quite well."
Mukdo immediately snapped out of his daze, his smile becoming even more obsequious: "Thanks to the general's blessing."
After the refined salt was transported back, it quickly became popular among the tribe's upper class and has become a symbol of status on the grasslands.
Although there are frequent conflicts between tribes, the tribal leaders often intermarry in order to stabilize the situation.
In this way, even if it's just for the sake of face, people would still bring gold and silver to buy it.
Thinking of the current situation, Mukdo quickly said, "In addition to delivering the previous gifts, I also came to discuss the letter you wrote to my ministry."
As he spoke, he respectfully took out the Xuan paper that Fan Xiaoxiao had sent him and spread it out on the table.
"Our Khan has personally approved your request to purchase our tribe's horses and not sell them to other merchants of the Great Zhou."
"Really?" Fan Xiaoxiao's eyes lit up. She had been planning this for so long, all for this moment.
“It is true, of course, but,” Mukdo changed the subject, “our king has a condition.”
Fan Xiaoxiao calmed down a bit, smiled politely, and raised her hand, saying, "Of course, business is all about mutual benefit."
For these grassland tribes, horses meant the size of their territory and the number of women they could have.
It was a pleasant surprise that the tribal khan agreed to let her buy horses.
"Your Excellency may speak frankly."
Mukdo didn't hesitate: "The Khan wants to be the sole buyer of General Fan's goods."
Fan Xiaoxiao frowned.
Although the conditions offered by both sides appear to be the same, there are actually differences.
The Tianshan Mountains are easy to defend but difficult to attack, and the breach is not only narrow but also within the sphere of influence of the Tianshan Sect.
According to the Celestial Venerable's way of doing things, it would be good enough if he didn't deal with those northern barbarians, how could he allow them to come and go?
The influence of the Great Zhou Dynasty has almost completely disappeared in this area.
Therefore, the tribe only sold horses to Tianshan Village as a precaution.
However, it would be inappropriate to restrict Tianshan Village to selling goods only to one tribe.
With a vast but sparsely populated area, having to choose buyers for them practically cuts off their source of income.
Seeing her hesitation, Mukedo smiled and said, "Please rest assured about the price. For refined salt, it's 3 taels of silver, or an equivalent amount of horses, not a penny less."
Xiao Hei and the others looked at Fan Xiaoxiao with great joy.
But she was thinking further ahead.
He immediately refused: "That won't do."
Mukdo and everyone else present were taken aback.
These conditions seemed like a perfect deal, yet the person refused so decisively.
Mukdo frowned and asked, "Why?"
"Isn't the horse trade enough to satisfy the general?"
"Does the general know how important warhorses are to our troops? A horse can only calve once a year, and it is already difficult to calve nine times in a lifetime. If we sell one, we will lose one more."
(End of this chapter)
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