When Ji Rentai saw Xu Rao, he laughed and said in somewhat broken Chinese, "Lord Xu, I'm really sorry, we have a batch of wool here and we urgently need to exchange it for some tea and salt."
Xu Rao smiled and said, "It's a mutually beneficial thing, which is something everyone wants to see. I've already arranged for people to transport the goods, and we'll start in a bit."
Xu Rao wasn't very good at dealing with people. After exchanging a few words with Ji Rentai, he began to inspect the wool and cashmere he had brought.
Several truckloads of wool, but much less cashmere. Xu Rao frowned as he looked at the somewhat dirty wool and said, "Old Ji, this batch of wool doesn't look as good as the previous ones."
Ji Rentai's eyes flickered, and he said, "To be honest, some of these were sent by other tribes. They don't have much wool, so it's not worth it for them to come alone. They sent them to me and asked me to bring them with them."
Xu Rao nodded, then looked at the people following the trucks.
Two men in robes stood next to each wagon. Men from the grasslands are generally tall, so it's hard to tell anything from them. Fortunately, none of these men would go into Yanmen Pass. The people from Hexi would come with the goods and take their place, and then they would leave.
Thinking of the goods, Xu Rao, who enjoys watching spy dramas, immediately thought of sending messages and couldn't help but look back at Yanmen Pass behind him.
Yanmen Pass is an impregnable fortress and has always been a strategic location fought over by military strategists. After the founding of the Great Liang Dynasty, it was even more necessary to defend it at all costs. If the Northern Di people were to breach Yanmen Pass, it would be tantamount to opening the gates of the Great Liang Dynasty.
Thinking of this, Xu Rao exchanged a few pleasantries with Ji Rentai, said he would go and urge him on, and hurried back to Yanmen Pass.
When Wei Lang saw Xu Rao return, he quickly asked, "Lord Xu, how did it go?"
Xu Rao shook his head and said, "I can't tell which one it is, Your Highness. Do you think this sudden exchange of items means there's some news to be passed on?"
Upon hearing this, Wei Lang frowned and thought for a moment before saying, "It's hard to say. Scouts have sent word from the Northern Di that the princes of the Northern Di royal court are currently vying for power quite fiercely. The old emperor is getting on in years and now wants to choose a successor from among his princes."
Xu Rao nodded and said, "In that case, I guess some people will try to take over Yanmen Pass in order to win the old emperor's favor. When the goods are sent from the city later, have someone pick them up and check them carefully, including both the carts and the goods. Have your people change into civilian clothes and deliver the goods to me."
Wei Lang said, "Lord Xu, do you have some ideas?"
Xu Rao said, "We don't have any ideas yet, but it's better to be prepared. If we find any letter in the goods, we shouldn't touch it yet. We should see what it says and know what they're planning to do so that we can have some countermeasures in advance."
Wei Lang laughed and said, "Lord Xu, Brother Xu, I think you shouldn't be here as a county magistrate. You should be serving in the army."
Xu Rao said, "I can't lift anything on my shoulders or carry anything with my hands, what would I do in the army?"
Wei Lang said seriously, "We specialize in handling intelligence. It's not just between this dynasty and the Northern Di, but also between the previous dynasty and the Northern Di. We've fought and made peace with them many times. Over the years, the Northern Di have people from our side, and we have people from the Northern Di on our side. We're intertwined, so intelligence is even more important."
Xu Rao waved his hand and said, "I am just a seventh-rank county magistrate now. How could I have the ability to handle intelligence as you say? Right now, I just want to make sure that the people under my jurisdiction can grow more grain, fill their stomachs, and make more money to properly repair this Hexi County."
Wei Lang laughed and said, "I think you're wasting your talents, Brother Shi."
Seeing several vehicles approaching from the west bank of the river, Xu Rao said, "They're here. Don't let those people get too close. Detain them all to one side, and search them if necessary. Also, take care of the goods. I'll leave this to you. I'll go outside and keep the people calm."
Wei Lang quickly arranged for someone to check and for someone to change clothes, while Xu Rao went outside to chat with Ji Rentai.
Xu Rao asked Ji Rentai how the grass on the grassland was growing after the spring. He also told Ji Rentai that in the autumn, they could collect some grass seeds and plant them in places where grass doesn't grow much. They could also get some saxaul seedlings and plant them on the edge of the desert. Ji Rentai looked at Xu Rao, who was talking to him, as if he were a fool. He wanted to tell him that nothing could grow in the desert, but seeing someone standing not far away staring intently at Xu Rao, he didn't interrupt him.
Although Xu Rao was not very good at socializing, he was a very observant person. He noticed that Ji Rentai looked at one person several times, and took the opportunity to glance at that person a few times when he looked back.
A tall and imposing man, wearing a black robe, with his hair braided and half his face covered in a beard, looked very unremarkable. However, Ji Rentai visited him several times, and Xu Rao felt that the person from the Northern Di Imperial Court that Wei Lang mentioned was most likely this man.
Seeing several cars emerge from Yanmen Pass, Xu Rao finally breathed a sigh of relief. Since the cars had been sent out, it meant that Wei Lang had already taken care of everything that needed to be done.
When Ji Rentai saw the carriages winding out from Yanmen Pass, he secretly breathed a sigh of relief. He really didn't want to damage the harmony with Daliang. The tribe's life had improved a lot because of the trade with Daliang. Ji Rentai wasn't a man with any grand ambitions; he just wanted to lead the tribe's hundreds of people to live a good life as the tribe's leader.
In the past few years, the Northern Di and the Great Liang were constantly at war. Some small tribes on the grassland could not get things from the Great Liang in time, and their living standards dropped a lot. Fortunately, the situation has improved a lot in the last two years. Ji Rentai really can't bear to give up this hard-won good life.
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