Chapter 331 First Negotiation

Li Qing'an encouraged the scholars at the Welcoming Hotel, but he left after not long. The next step was to visit all levels of officials in the Shuye Political Affairs Hall, and then go and see the mainland Han people who moved to Shuye, and finally meet the Byzantine envoys.

But the development of things did not follow his plan. As soon as he walked out of the gate of the Yingguan Hotel, he saw a tall Western woman standing thirty steps opposite him. The reason why she was called a Western woman was because she was indeed not a Sogdian. Her appearance was a blonde Western beauty, a slightly shorter than him, her eyes as deep as a pool, her blonde hair like a waterfall, her dazzling white skin, and her proud pair of breasts.

But it was such a Western woman. When the scholars who came to see her, they did not have a hot look or frivolous whistle, but were panicked and squatted down with their heads in their arms. She suddenly pulled out the longbow, and a sharp long arrow aimed at Li Qing'an. The guards around rushed forward and protected Li Qing'an with shields.

Li Qingan waved his hand and stopped the guards of his personal soldiers, "No need!"

He took two steps towards the arrow, looking at her with a provocative look, "You are the Byzantine Princess!"

Ellenny said coldly: "Aren't you afraid that I will shoot you to death with one arrow?"

Li Qingan smiled and said, "Why did you shoot me to death? It's because I didn't visit you?"

"Hmph!" Ellenni snorted, "We have been waiting for you for a month. When you come back, you actually passed by our doorstep and didn't come to meet. Don't you think you are very rude?"

Li Qingan still had no anger on his face and smiled and said, "Do you think the dignified Empire Princess has waited for me for a month and is very unhappy?"

Alanni's eyes were filled with anger. From childhood to adulthood, whoever did not try to please her or dared to disobey her. Her fiancé was shot to death by her because she ignored her at the dance. She waited for Li Qing'an for a month, but Li Qing'an still didn't take her seriously. This contempt made her very angry.

"Li Qing'an, I want you to apologize to me!"

Li Qing'an's eyes narrowed, and his smile disappeared from his face. He stared at Ellenni's eyes and said coldly: "I, Li Qing'an, have the final say on this land under your feet. When will I receive you, it is up to me to decide. If you feel dissatisfied, you can return to Byzantium, and no one invites you."

After saying that, Li Qingan turned around and the carriage. The personal soldiers behind him hurriedly guarded both sides of the carriage. The carriage started and drove towards the direction of the Political Affairs Hall.

Ellenni's arrow was still on the bow and followed Li Qing'an until he got on the carriage. She gritted her teeth with hatred, but she didn't dare to shoot Li Qing'an's arrow. She suddenly turned the direction and shot the arrow at a group of scholars who were fascinated by her. The arrow whistled over their heads, and the sound of "doles!" was nailed to the gate.

The scholars were so scared that they stumbled and fled into the hotel. Ellenni snorted contempt, then glared at Li Qing'an's carriage away, and turned around and left.

When Ellenny returned to the VIP hotel with an unhappy look, her uncle Joseph was already waiting for her at the door. Seeing her coming back with a gloomy face, she guessed a few points and smiled and said, "Did you hit a nail when you go to see Li Qing'an?"

"Uncle, I want to go back to Byzantium, I don't want to see him again!" Ellenni said hatefully.

At this time, Joseph figured it out and smiled and said, "Actually, Li Qing'an is right not to come to see us. We represent the Byzantine Empire. It would be too hasty and hasty when he came to see us like this. This is the real rudeness. Please wait patiently! He will meet us with the etiquette he deserves."

"I get angry when I think of his despise me!"

Ellenny bit his lip and said, "There is no trace of his favor in my heart."

In the afternoon, Joseph, the special envoy of Byzantine who had been waiting for it, finally waited for the result. A large carriage came down to the VIP hotel under the escort of more than a hundred honorary soldiers. Pei Yu, who was in charge of Anxi's diplomatic affairs, came to inform Joseph on the order of Li Qing'an. General Li Qing'an, the governor of Anxi, officially met him and asked him to go to the Political Affairs Hall for talks.

If the intentional disappearance in the morning was also a bit of teasing, then the formal reception in the afternoon was very formal and serious. In addition to Li Qing'an, the army and civilian senior officials in Suiye also attended the meeting.

Wang Changling, the Anxi Army and the chief of the Anxi Protectorate, the marching Sima Cen Shen, the chief of the Yezhou Governor Han Yue, the acting governor of Yezhou Li Guangbi, the governor of Dayuan Lei Wanchun, the general manager of Hezhong Li Fei Yuanli, and Li Qing'an's chief aide Yan Zhuang and other twenty senior civil and military officials attended the meeting.

On the Byzantine side, in addition to Joseph, Deputy Envoy Rachel and an interpreter, Princess Ellenni also attended the talks. She was responsible for observing the possibility of establishing military cooperation with the Anxi Army, but this was her secret mission.

The Byzantine Empire was also very vast. In addition to the Asia Minor Peninsula, there were also cities in the southern Balkan Peninsula, including Greece, Crete, Sicily, Sardinia and several cities on the Italian Peninsula, such as Naples and Venice, which were all the territories of the Byzantine Empire, but the biggest enemy of the Byzantine Empire was the Arabs. Over the past hundred years, several large-scale battles broke out between the Byzantine Empire and the Arabs, most famously the naval battles for Greece. The Byzantine Empire burned thousands of Arab warships with the famous Greek fire, and more than 100,000 Arab warriors died in the sea of ​​fire.

During the civil war in which the Abbasid Empire replaced the Umayyad Dynasty, the Byzantine Empire was unstable, thus missing a great opportunity to counterattack the Arabs. However, in the past two years, Constantine V gradually consolidated the throne, and his eyes turned to a cancer of the Byzantine Empire. The island of Cyprus, which is too close to the Byzantine Empire and is currently occupied by the Arabs, and is a springboard for the Arabs to attack Greece and the empire.

In addition, the road to the east of the Byzantine Empire was also blocked by the Arabs. The Armenian province was set up in the north, blocking the road to the Byzantine Empire to go east. This made the Byzantines only take a boat to the Crem Peninsula opposite the Black Sea, and then take a long way to the east. This made Byzantines rely on the Arab re-export trade. The exquisite silk and porcelain from the East were sold at sky-high prices in the Byzantine market, and the huge profits were taken away by the Arabs.

But it is not realistic to carry out troops in Armenia. Constantine V assembled hundreds of warships on Rhodes. He wanted to take Cyprus in one fell swoop, but he was worried that the powerful troops of the Abbasid Empire made him unconfidence. He also considered military cooperation with the Eastern people, but he was also worried about whether the Eastern people's military strength was as strong as the legendary ones. He asked his daughter to come to Anxi to observe the strength of the Tang army as an observer outside the delegation.

The meeting place was in the small conference room of the Political Affairs Hall, with a large oval table inside. There was a row of chairs along the wall on all sides, which could accommodate fifty people to attend the meeting.

But today's meeting is not about the military cooperation between Byzantine and Anxi, but about the trade cooperation between the two sides, such as currency, taxes, trading locations, etc. In the past few hundred years, trade between the Central Plains and the Byzantine Empire was completed through Sogdian merchants, and through the Silk Road, a large amount of Eastern goods were transported to the Byzantine Empire.

This time, the Tang Dynasty will trade directly with the Byzantine Empire for the first time, and the trade history of both sides will turn a new page.

The door of the conference room opened, and several officials led Joseph and other messengers of the Byzantine Empire into the meeting. In fact, when Li Qing'an did not return to the Shattered Leaf, Anxi's highest government official, Wang Changling, the chief of the Anxi Protectorate, had several long talks with Joseph. The two sides had basically reached most of the consensus and waited for Li Qing'an to come back to finalize.

This was the first time Li Qing'an saw Joseph. It was said that he was the younger brother of the Byzantine Emperor, which made Li Qing'an think of another emperor's brother, Mansour, the emperor's brother of the Abbasid Empire. He compared the two in his mind with great interest. Mansour was smart and decisive, and he would not care about small matters, and could also say nothing, so that the food exchange between the two sides would end smoothly without any accidents. This made Li Qing'an feel that Mansour had an imperial demeanor.

However, the Byzantine Emperor's brother in front of him was thin and capable, with a straight waist, without a smile on his face, and elegant posture. He could tell that he was a well-educated nobleman. Li Qing'an heard Pei Yu say in the morning that Joseph lived in the Sailed Leaf for a month, and his daily life was almost the same set of stereotypes. The time for dinner and rest time never changed, nor did he go to any place to spend money. He had never taken a step to the VIP hotel except to go to the Political Affairs Hall to talk. Now Li Qing'an observed a detail that Joseph happened to walk along a straight brick line. In just twenty steps, he did not go any deviation at all, and even the steps of each step were amazingly accurate.

Li Qing'an immediately came to a conclusion that this was a stereotyped messenger, and there would be no unexpected gains in this Joseph. In other words, this person would not talk about anything that had nothing to do with trade.

Li Qing'an's eyes couldn't help but turn to Princess Ellenni behind Joseph. She was completely different from the fierce woman who pointed her bow and arrow at her in the morning. She seemed to have become a different person, with a serious expression, a quiet look, and a graceful and regular walking posture. She was wearing a golden long dress and a white cloak. The wide and thick long skirt covered her beautiful figure tightly. The skirt was sewn with gorgeous Shu brocade. This was the costume of the Byzantine palace. Li Qing'an thought of her when she saw her in Talas. At that time, she was wearing a breast-exposed skirt and her skin was exposed. Li Qing'an couldn't help but smile. He thought of a famous saying: Women are born actors, and it seems that this princess is also good at changing different roles.

The slightly ambiguous smile on Li Qing'an's face happened to be seen by Ellenni. She remembered that she was teased by Li Qing'an in the morning, and her anger arose in her heart. She couldn't help but clench her fists. However, Li Qing'an smiled at her and clenched her fists.

Ellenni snorted and turned his head aside. At this time, Joseph walked forward and bowed to Li Qing'an very standard, "His Majesty the Byzantine Emperor has met General Anxi."

Li Qing'an replied with a smile: "I asked the special envoy to wait for a month. I just rushed back yesterday. I'm so sorry!"

"The General rushed back thousands of miles away, which also shows his importance to me, Byzantine Empire. I hope we can reach an agreement smoothly."

Joseph introduced Ellenni to Li Qing'an and said, "This is Princess Ellenni, she is the eldest daughter of His Majesty our Emperor."

Ellenni also gracefully pulled up the hem of the skirt and saluted Li Qingan. Li Qingan hurriedly replied: "It turns out it's His Highness, you're disrespectful!"

Ellenny nodded with a smile, but said nothing. She was restraining herself, fearing that she would lose the dignity of the Byzantine Empire as soon as she opened her mouth.

At this time, Wang Changling smiled and said, "Since you are all here, please sit down!"

The seats had been arranged long ago, and both sides sat in their own place. Since there were only three people on the other side, Anxi only corresponded to three people, Li Qing'an, Wang Changling and Cen Shen, and the others sat in the back. At this time, Li Qing'an discovered a strange place, that is, the seats of the other three. Logically, this negotiation mainly involved trade. Although Princess Ellenny's status was high, she was not a formal member of the delegation, so her seat should be at the back. Anxi also arranged a VIP seat for her or sat in the third seat to listen. However, at this time, Ellenny's seat was in the second, and the deputy envoy Rachel sat in the third seat. This was surprising. As a rigorous and rigid Joseph, he would never make such a polite mistake.

Li Qing'an couldn't help but look at the list of the other party's mission in front of him again. There was indeed no name for Ellenni. So why did she sit in the second place of the mission? At this time, Li Qing'an suddenly had a sense of enlightenment in his heart. Could it be that Ellenni was responsible for another envoy's task?

In addition to trade, could Byzantium have other purposes? Li Qing'an couldn't help but think of his letter to the other emperor. In the letter, he clearly proposed that the two sides form a military alliance to jointly deal with the big food. He believed that the Byzantine emperor also considered this suggestion. If they had a little information, they should know the Anxi army's ability to restrain the big cannibals. It should be said that this suggestion is very tempting. Both sides only have common interests, but no conflict, and are natural collaborators.

Of course, Byzantium might also go to Chang'an to talk about the possibility of cooperation, but in fact they did not go to Chang'an, they only came to Anxi. At this time, Li Qing'an had guessed a few points. Although he didn't know whether Ellenni was responsible for the military cooperation between the two sides, he could be sure that Princess Ellenni was definitely not coming to Anxi to play.

After figuring this out, Li Qing'an's attention turned to Ellenni. Her every move and even a look could not escape Li Qing'an's observation.

Although it was a negotiation, the two sides had actually reached most of the consensus. Wang Changling also specially went to welcome Li Qing'an. On the way, he reported to Li Qing'an about the talks with Joseph. Both sides agreed to use Talas City and the city of Ithir to the north as the transit trading stations for both sides. The tax rate was uniformly adopted a low tax rate of 30 taxes and one tax, and paid taxes at the transaction price. Both sides also agreed that their respective armies had the responsibility to maintain the security of their respective domestic trade routes, etc.

There is a consensus on most matters, but there is a little difference between the two sides in the use of currency. The Byzantine currency is Jinsori, which also has copper coins and silver coins. However, now it is mainly gold coins. Byzantine is established by trade. Its currency is extremely strong. Europe has been using its currency for centuries, and even trade with Dashi uses Jinsori.

The currency of Anxi is naturally copper coins, and the Dinar silver coins of Dashi are also popular. However, since the second half of last year, the silver dollars in Anxi were successfully manufactured and first began to be passed through Anxi. The standard weight of Anxi silver dollars is one tael, ninety percent silver and one hundred percent copper. It is exquisitely made and can buzz. It is very popular with merchants as soon as it comes out. The Byzantine mission has also verified this silver dollar and agreed that it can be used as a transaction currency.

But the key is to compare prices, that is, the exchange rate in later generations. Of course, the exchange rate in the Tang Dynasty was not as complicated as in later generations. It was very simple and rough. How many silver dollars are worth of a gold sorcelain? The weight of a gold sorcelain is about one qian, so it is very simple. Gold and silver are one 10, and a gold sorcelain should be exchanged for a silver dollar. In fact, one gold sorcelain is less than one qian, and it is still a little short of it, but Anxi didn't care about it and still calculated it by one qian.

The differences arise here. The Byzantine mission must insist on ten gold coins for Anxi's twelve silver dollars, which is one to one, one to two, but Anxi refused to give in, which created a stalemate. The Byzantine mission's compromise plan was to calculate its own, but Anxi did not agree, which would take advantage of loopholes for the speculators.

Now, just waiting for Li Qing'an to come to the final talk. Li Qing'an has already learned the differences between the two sides from Wang Changling. In fact, he knew that merchants would not suffer any losses and would settle accounts by themselves. Considering the future official trade, the price comparison must be determined. Moreover, the amount of official trade is very large, and the difference between these two silver dollars is enough to cut off the profits of the Tang Dynasty.

Li Qingan smiled and said, "The official gold and silver price comparison of the Tang Dynasty is one to ten, and as far as I know, the same is true for Dashi."

At this time, Li Yan, the maritime entourage in charge of Anxi trade, whispered to Li Qing'an in Chinese: "I just found out from the Sogdian merchants that Byzantine was also one to ten."

Li Qingan nodded and continued: "The price comparison between gold and silver in your country is also 1 to 10, so I don't understand. Why did it become 1 to 12 when you arrive at the mission? What's the reason?"

Joseph also considered this issue for a long time. Before he came to Anxi, he did not know that Anxi had silver dollars. He could not accept the copper coins of the Tang Dynasty, so he prepared to use their gold coins as the only trading currency. However, Anxi insisted on using Anxi silver dollars, so he carefully considered it. Anxi silver dollars had sufficient silver content and was acceptable. He decided to use the price comparison of ten to twelve, that is, ten goldsorris for twelve Anxi silver dollars.

"General, our Byzantine gold coins have a history of hundreds of years, all of which are pure gold and have outstanding credibility. Your silver coins were only made last year. As far as I know, they are not coins from the Tang Dynasty, but only local coins in Anxi. There is a bad reputation here, so I think Jinsori is more valuable. I will never change this. We can only find a compromise solution, and I will not give in."

Li Qing'an couldn't help but nodded to Joseph's thoughts. The value of reputation, Joseph actually took the value of reputation into consideration. It was indeed not simple, but he could not give in either.

He smiled and said, "Mr. Joseph is a stubborn person who refuses to give in, and I am also a serious person who refuses to give in. What should Mr. Joseph do?"

Joseph thought for a while and said, "Let me do this! I'll propose a compromise. You Anxi also minted a gold coin, with the weight and purity of our gold soli. We will use these two gold coins as trade currencies, and the price is one to one."

In fact, the first option to mint gold coins was Li Qing'an and silver dollars. But in the end he gave up the gold coins and only made silver dollars. On the one hand, he was afraid that people in the Central Plains would imitate gold coins and damage the credibility of Anxi gold coins. On the other hand, Anxi had little gold, and it was meaningless to mint coins. But he did not expect that Byzantium actually asked Anxi to mint gold coins. He was unwilling to use Byzantium gold coins to trade and exchange his own goods for their gold. On the other hand, as long as he did not allow the circulation of gold soli, the merchants could only exchange gold soli in the counter shop, thus turning gold soli into his "foreign exchange reserves".

The golden soli is not colorful banknotes, but yellow gold, and Li Qing'an is willing to store this currency.

Li Qing'an shook his head and said, "Minning coins must be approved by the central court. We can only make silver dollars. I cannot accept your compromise plan. But I hope Anxi and your country can start trade as soon as possible. I think this is the most critical issue. So if we really don't agree, then I can give up Anxi silver dollars and use your country's goldsori as the only currency for trade between the two sides."

It is still 1,300 years ago, and the materials are relatively small. Joseph does not understand the problem of hard currency loss caused by trade and superstar. When he saw Li Qingan give in, he smiled happily and said, "Okay, we'll have a deal!"

The two sides reached a final consensus, and the following officials began to draft specific agreement provisions, and then officially signed by Li Qing'an and Joseph.

But Li Qing'an was really concerned about the military cooperation between the two sides. Seeing that Ellenny was a little absent-minded and obviously was not interested in trade, he smiled at her and said, "Your Highness, I will go to inspect the army tomorrow morning. I invite you to go with me. I wonder if you are interested?"
Chapter completed!