Chapter 436 Lai City
Between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea lies a massive mountain range running northwest to southeast; this is the Caucasus Mountains.
To the north of the Caucasus Mountains lies the territory of the Russian Empire, while to the south lies the former Persian Empire, which now exists in name only and has fragmented into numerous small city-states. The Silk Road runs east-west through this land.
The Temple built several large fortresses between the eastern coast of the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea, and stationed a large number of troops there. This was to deter the various small countries along the southern Silk Road and to prevent the orcs and Rakshasa from crossing the Caucasus Mountains and heading south.
If the Rakshasa and Orcs dare to invade southward on a large scale, the Temple's army will advance eastward, blocking the various mountain passes of the Caucasus Mountains and cutting off their retreat.
Because of the obstruction of the Caucasus Mountains, the Orcs only launched a few large-scale invasions of the Persian region in history. Moreover, the Persian region's food production failed to meet their expectations. In addition, the strong support and counterattacks from the Temple, as well as the complex local living environment, eventually led the Orcs to abandon large-scale raids on this land.
The people of this land have now forgotten that on the other side of the mountain, there is a powerful and ferocious enemy.
Lay City was an important town on the Silk Road. In Qin Mo's previous life, it had a name that even Americans found troublesome—Tehran.
After the caravans from Bactria had been ravaged by the vast desert to the east, they would rest here before splitting up to either go to the Persian Gulf in the southwest or to Constantinople in the northwest. But no matter which direction they went, it was a road where wealth and risk were intertwined.
Merchants of all kinds gather and disperse here, then lead their caravans into the desert, dreaming of the hefty profits from selling their goods while praying they won't encounter sandstorms or bandits.
Sammer finally negotiated a price with the "Great Xia merchant" across the street and bought a large quantity of Great Xia silk. Both sides appeared to be having a pleasant working relationship, but in reality, they both despised each other.
Sammer: "Looking at your high nose and deep-set eyes, you're nothing but a damn Great Xia merchant, a Kangju person waving the Great Xia banner. What are you pretending to be, a nobleman of Great Xia!"
The Xia merchant said, "A bunch of sleazy bastards. They're not very bold, but they're quite good at bargaining. If it weren't for the trouble in my clan that I had to rush back, I would never have sold it to you."
Sammer was a minor nobleman in the city-state of Beirut, and was said to have some complicated blood relationship with the current Ottoman royal family.
However, this thin blood relation gave him the right to trade from Beirut to Lay. The bandits and city-states along the way would give the Ottoman Empire some face, since the Ottoman Empire had the Temple behind it!
Sammer has been traveling this trade route for many years and has made a lot of money, but he always keeps in mind his ancestors' teachings: "Don't let greed blind you. The area east of Lai City is not a place we should venture into unless you are a powerful monk."
East of Lai City, beyond the Great Desert, lies what the Xia people call the "Western Regions." Further east lies that prosperous and fertile land, where a bolt of silk is said to cost only a dozen or so silver coins, unlike in Lai City where a bolt costs a dozen or so gold coins.
Sammer also knew of a few daring Ottoman merchants who bravely ventured into the eastern desert, but only a very few warriors actually reached Bactria. They brought back a great deal of wealth, but also the ashes of many of their companions.
Sammer didn't have the courage to venture into that desert; he preferred to endure the exploitation by these Kangju and Western Region people and earn the remaining profits.
"Better safe than sorry! Contentment brings happiness!" Sammer silently recited the proverbs his grandfather had learned from the Bactrians, and began to urge his men to quickly count and load the goods. As long as these goods were transported to Beirut, the merchants from Athens would give him a good price.
"Hurry up and load the cargo, fill the water sacks," Sammer assigned the tasks to his men, then called over a trusted confidant and quietly instructed, "Mora, go to the city gate and find Lord Jabar, tell him we're leaving the city at dusk."
Mora immediately went to the city gate. He had done this many times before. He knew that if he gave Lord Jabar some benefits in the evening, he could pay much less of the exit tax.
Sammer's men were efficient; by the time Mora ran back, they were already packed and ready to go.
"Lord Sammer, something terrible has happened... the city gates are closed!"
Mora's face was flushed from running so fast, and the fear in her eyes made Sammer's heart sink.
"Did you see Lord Jabbar? What did he say?"
"Lord Jabbar said... the Rakshasa have arrived..."
"Bullshit! Do you know how far the Rakshasa are from here? Do you know how strong the fortress of the northern temple is? If you can't leave today, leave tomorrow. Look at how panicked you are!"
Sammer kicked Mora, cursed, mounted his horse, and galloped quickly toward the city gate.
He was actually more terrified than Mora. Mora was a penniless man, so his death was no big deal, but he was a rich man, and a scratch wasn't even worth it.
Sammer failed to reach the city gate. A large number of soldiers had placed the area around the city walls under martial law. The walls were filled with soldiers on high alert, while the surrounding area was crowded with merchants who had come to gather information.
At this point, it doesn't matter if you're an Ottoman merchant, a Persian merchant, a merchant from the Western Regions, or even a merchant from the Great Xia Dynasty; it's all useless, you're just a helpless quail.
There was a commotion of knocking outside the city gate; clearly, someone wanted to enter the city but was being turned away.
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