Chapter 54 Observations on the Slave Market in the Great Zhou Dynasty
Many prefectures and counties in the Great Zhou Dynasty followed the example of Chang'an and established East Market and West Market.
Not to mention Longcheng County, a strategic location in Jiangzhou, where trade from all directions flowed in and out, making the East and West Markets naturally bustling with commerce.
The East Market was mostly run by Han Chinese merchants, and was close to the wealthy streets of the local area, including Luming Street, which tended to serve the officials and wealthy households of Longcheng County.
The West Market was more open, located near the Penglang Ferry, attracting visitors from all directions and becoming more international, with many foreign merchants operating there. The West Market's prosperity always surpassed that of the East Market.
Therefore, in the Great Zhou Dynasty, purchasing goods was also called "buying things".
Like Chang'an, Luoyang, and many other prefectures and counties, Longcheng County's slave market was located at the Koumahang in the West Market, where slaves, horses, and other livestock were traded. This shows that the two were actually legally the same, considered private property, available for people to choose and buy at will.
This was Ouyang Rong's first time setting foot in this place, and he was surprised to find that it was not as chaotic, dirty, and rude as he had expected. On the contrary, it was... well-ordered.
Along the streets, slaves and horses were placed separately. Not all slaves were bound hand and foot and locked in cages; this was the treatment of ordinary slaves. Many high-ranking slaves were dressed up with clothes and even jewelry by Hu merchants and used to attract wealthy customers at the entrance.
The notice board at the entrance of Kouma Street even had a standard price list for slaves, such as the prices of ordinary slaves, high-ranking slaves, fine horses, famous horses, female slaves, and maids, which were further divided into Han and Hu.
However, the price given in the announcement is only a reference price, and is naturally not the upper limit of the price.
The upper limit depends on the scarcity level. For example, foreign rare treasures, uncommon slaves, young and beautiful female slaves, or female slaves who can sing and dance will definitely see their prices skyrocket.
Merchants from all over the world who could make a living by traveling the world were naturally shrewd and mercenary, and knew the tastes and preferences of the high-ranking officials and nobles of the Great Zhou Dynasty.
Therefore, beautiful women and fine horses are the two most expensive items in the horse trading industry, and they will never go out of style.
The only slight consolation is that the procedures and systems for the slave trade in the Great Zhou Dynasty were very strict, since slaves were something that could be sold together with horses, which were considered strategic resources.
At the end of this horse trading street, there was a market magistrate to assist in management. Every slave transaction required the market magistrate to issue a market certificate; otherwise, both the buyer and seller would be whipped, and the market magistrate and other officials would be punished together.
This was to prevent the oppression of good people into lowly status. In this dynasty, the distinction between good and lowly status was extremely clear, and the system in this regard was very strict.
This was also for the purpose of taxation. The taxes collected from the slave trade were the source of military funds for the Great Zhou Dynasty. Therefore, local officials such as market magistrates were not entirely under the jurisdiction of the local county government. Instead, there were special administrative offices in the two capitals and various circuits to direct their work.
Local officials have limited influence.
As he looked around, Ouyang Rong's horizons broadened considerably.
Stepping into this street, he felt a strange sense of order, both civilized and barbaric, both gentle and violent. Most importantly, everyone involved took it all for granted, even the slaves who were being sold. Their grief and indignation were not about why slaves existed, but about why they had fallen into such a lowly status.
If one wants to get involved in or even shake this barbaric order, a mere county magistrate is absolutely not enough, unless one can hold part of the imperial power in the two capitals.
When it came to matters related to Tanlang, Zhen was very generous. She only led Ouyang Rong and his party to look at the notice board at the street corner for a while before heading directly to the largest Hu shop in Koumaxing.
Before entering, Ouyang Rong glanced at the embroidered cloth plaque above:
Jinxiaokou Horse Stroll.
Leading the way to greet them was an Arab merchant, of medium height, with a thick beard, dark hair, deep eyes, and a large, hooked nose.
The Arab merchant was followed by two Kunlun slaves, with curly hair, dark skin, and strong as oxen. Most of these Kunlun slaves came from Southeast Asia. Because they were honest, hardworking, and hard-working, they were old laborers. The high-ranking officials and nobles of the Great Zhou Dynasty liked to keep them, but mostly not for work, but to show off their wealth.
As soon as Ouyang Rong and his entourage entered, a pair of shrewd eyes under the hat of the Arab merchant stared straight at them, as if trying to see through the guests.
Upon seeing these familiar Central Asian features, and the cloth on their heads... Ouyang Rong was somewhat surprised and looked them up and down.
Only after listening to the whispered explanations from Madam Zhen and the others did they realize that almost all the Arab and Persian merchants at the Kou Ma Hang came from the Guangzhou Governor's Office in Lingnan Road, which was the most prosperous place in Lingnan Road.
Although Lingnan Road is further south than Jiangnan Road, many areas have not been fully developed. In the traditional impression of the people of the Great Zhou Dynasty, it is a barbarian land, a place of exile for officials who have never returned.
However, there was one exception in this wild 'southern' region: Guangzhou, the only major city in Lingnan Circuit. It was the largest port in the Great Zhou Dynasty, with a prosperous economy, attracting foreign merchants from all over the world, and numerous merchant ships from various vassal states, creating an atmosphere of all nations paying tribute.
All of this stems from a bustling trade route renowned both at home and abroad: the Guangzhou-Tonghai-Yidao (Guangzhou-Tonghai-Yidao Road).
Ouyang Rong guessed that it should be a nascent maritime Silk Road, but he did not expect that the maritime trade of the Great Zhou Dynasty was so developed and spread throughout the country. These Arab and Persian merchants were so active in front of him with exotic goods and slaves.
I thought the exchange meeting would require a translator or I would hear a broken accent, but to my surprise, this merchant from the Arab world spoke the elegant language of the Great Zhou Dynasty more fluently than Ouyang Rong. He even introduced himself with a proper and authentic name, "Li Yan".
If we disregard appearance, he is truly no different from the people of the Great Zhou Dynasty.
Madam Zhen seemed unsurprised by this, and without further ado, gave the order:
"Manager Li, bring out your best maids and beauties so my husband can choose. They must be no older than twenty, and the Hu women must be able to speak refined language. They can't speak the babbling barbarians; I can't stand that."
"Please rest assured, Madam. The beauties selected and cultivated by Jinxiao are naturally well-mannered, eloquent, and charming."
Li Yan stroked his bushy beard. His extensive experience in judging people made him very confident, even arrogant. He chuckled softly.
"And each has her own charm, sure to please the young master and bring him home with his beautiful wife."
Madam Zhen remained noncommittal, "That would be best." She paused, then added, "However, my husband's requirements might be a little too high."
The Arab merchant smiled slightly, unconcerned.
Young people who have just come of age are full of vigor and ambition. How high can their expectations be?
Moreover, this noblewoman clearly has a strong personality. If this handsome young man was raised by a woman, then his tastes are quite easy to guess:
If you don't like the demure, gentle, and clingy young ladies from humble families, you can get a sense of accomplishment and satisfaction that is hard to obtain from noblewomen;
If you don't like a lively, cheerful, and outspoken charming older sister who can soothe the aloof personality of someone raised in a secluded mansion, you'll find yourself completely defenseless against a passionate, understanding, and caring mature woman.
However, Li Yan's expression became slightly more serious.
First, he invited the noblewoman and the handsome young man who looked around as if he had never seen much of the world to a private room for tea, leaving two Kunlun slaves to serve the tea and look after them, while he went to the back to personally select people.
Ouyang Rong's wandering gaze wasn't because he'd never seen foreigners before, but because the scene before him was just too damn strange. Perhaps in the eyes of Zhen Shi and Liu Ashan, these were all "uncivilized, barbarian barbarians," all looking the same and ugly. But in his eyes…
Imagine this: in a quaint old shop, a short Arab man, accompanied by two burly Black men, dressed in Han-style clothing and speaking fluent Chinese, releases slaves of various races from foreign lands from their cages and respectfully introduces them one by one to you, dressed in a scholar's robe, with your hair tied up and wearing a crown…
Something's weird, let me take another look.
(End of this chapter)
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