Chapter 331: The First Negotiation

Li Qing’an encouraged the scholars at the guest house for a while before leaving after a short stay. His next plan was to visit the officials at the Suiye Government Hall, then see the Han people who had moved to Suiye, and finally meet with the Byzantine envoy.
However, things did not go as planned. As soon as he stepped out of the guest house, he saw a tall Western woman standing about thirty steps away. She was called a Western woman because she was certainly not a Sogdian courtesan—she was a blond, beautiful Western woman, slightly shorter than him, with deep-set eyes, cascading golden hair, dazzlingly fair skin, and prominent breasts.
Yet when the scholars who had accompanied Li Qing’an out saw her, instead of eager looks or flirtatious whistling, there was chaos—everyone rushed to crouch down, covering their heads. She suddenly drew her long bow and aimed a sharp arrow at Li Qing’an. His guards rushed forward to protect him with their shields.
But Li Qing’an waved his hand to stop them. “No need!”
He stepped forward toward the arrow, looking at her with a defiant gaze. “You must be the Byzantine princess!”
Eirwen replied coldly, “Aren’t you afraid I’ll shoot you dead?”
Li Qing’an smiled. “Why would you kill me just because I didn’t visit you?”
“Hmph!” Eirwen snorted. “We’ve waited for you for a month. Now that you’re back, you just walk past our door without even coming to see us. Don’t you think that’s rude?”
Li Qing’an remained calm, smiling. “Do you think it’s dishonorable for an imperial princess to wait for me for a month?”
Anger burned in Eirwen’s eyes. From childhood, everyone had tried to please her; no one dared to defy her. Her fiancé had been killed by her for ignoring her at a ball. Now, after waiting for Li Qing’an for a month, he still dismissed her—this contempt filled her with rage.
“Li Qing’an, I demand you apologize to me!”
Li Qing’an narrowed his eyes, his smile disappearing. He stared into Eirwen’s eyes and said coldly, “This land under your feet is under my control, Li Qing’an’s. I decide when to receive you. If you’re dissatisfied, you can return to Byzantium. No one invited you here.”

After speaking, Li Qing’an turned and boarded the carriage. His bodyguards quickly flanked the carriage, and it set off toward the Hall of Government Affairs.
Eirwen’s arrow remained nocked on her bow, following Li Qing’an until he boarded the carriage. Filled with hatred, she gritted her teeth but dared not actually shoot him. Suddenly, she changed direction and fired the arrow at a group of scholars who were staring at her lustfully. The arrow whizzed over their heads and slammed into the gate with a thud.
Startled, the scholars stumbled back into the guest house. Eirwen snorted in contempt, glared fiercely at Li Qing’an’s departing carriage, then turned and left.
When Eirwen returned to the guest house looking displeased, her uncle Joseph was already waiting at the door. Seeing her gloomy expression, he guessed what had happened and said with a smile, “Did your meeting with Li Qing’an end in failure?”
“Uncle, I want to return to Byzantium. I don’t want to see him anymore!” Eirwen said resentfully.
At that moment, Joseph saw reason. He smiled and said, “Actually, it’s right that Li Qing’an didn’t come to see us. We represent the Byzantine Empire, and if he had just shown up unannounced, it would have seemed too hasty and rude. That would truly be impolite. Let’s wait patiently! He will receive us with due courtesy.”
“I get angry whenever I think of his contempt for me!”
Eirwen bit her lip and said, “The goodwill I once had for him is completely gone now.”
…
In the afternoon, Joseph, the Byzantine envoy who had been waiting patiently, finally received news. A large carriage arrived at the guest house, escorted by over a hundred ceremonial soldiers. Pei Yu, who was in charge of foreign affairs in Anxi, came under Li Qing’an’s orders to inform Joseph that Li Qing’an, the military governor of Anxi, would officially receive him and invite him to discuss matters at the Hall of Government Affairs.
If his deliberate absence in the morning carried a hint of mockery, the formal reception in the afternoon was thoroughly proper and serious. Besides Li Qing’an, high-ranking military and civil officials from Suiye also attended the meeting.
Among them were Wang Changling, the military advisor and chief secretary of the Anxi Protectorate; Cen Shen, the military commander; Han Yue, the chief secretary of Suiye Prefecture; Li Guangbi, the acting governor of Suiye Prefecture; Lei Wanchun, the governor of Dayuan; Li Fei Yuanli, the governor of Hezhong; and Yan Zhuang, Li Qing’an’s top advisor, among more than twenty high-ranking military and civil officials.
On the Byzantine side, in addition to the chief envoy Joseph, his deputy Rachel, and an interpreter, Princess Eirwen also attended the meeting. She was tasked with observing the situation and exploring the possibility of establishing military cooperation with Anxi, though this was her secret mission.

The Byzantine Empire also had a vast territory, including not only the Anatolian Peninsula but also southern Balkan Peninsula with Greece, Crete, Sicily, Sardinia, and several cities on the Italian Peninsula such as Naples and Venice—all of which were part of the Byzantine Empire. However, its greatest enemy was the Arabs. For over a century, the Byzantine Empire and the Arabs engaged in several large-scale battles, the most famous being the naval battles for Greece. The Byzantines used the famous Greek fire to burn thousands of Arab warships, killing hundreds of thousands of Arab soldiers.

During the civil war that saw the Abbasid Empire replace the Umayyad Dynasty, the Byzantine Empire became unstable, missing a great opportunity to counterattack the Arabs. But over the next few years, Constantine V gradually strengthened his position. His attention then turned to a persistent problem for the Byzantine Empire: the island of Cyprus. Located too close to the Byzantine Empire and currently occupied by the Arabs, it served as a springboard for Arab attacks on Greece and the empire’s mainland.

Additionally, the Byzantines’ route to the East was blocked by the Arabs. The Abbasids established the province of Armenia in the north, blocking the Byzantines’ path eastward. This forced the Byzantines to travel by ship to the Crimean Peninsula across the Black Sea before taking a long route eastward. As a result, the Byzantines relied on Arab intermediaries for trade, with exquisite silks and porcelain from the East being sold at exorbitant prices in Byzantine markets, with the huge profits going to the Arabs.

But launching an attack on Armenia was not feasible at the moment. So Constantine V assembled hundreds of warships on Rhodes, aiming to capture Cyprus in one fell swoop. However, he was worried about the powerful military forces of the Abbasid Empire and lacked confidence. He also considered military cooperation with the peoples of the East but was uncertain whether their military strength was as great as rumored. Therefore, he sent his daughter as an observer outside the diplomatic mission to Anxi to assess the strength of the Tang army.

The meeting took place in a small conference room in the palace, equipped with an oval table. Rows of chairs were placed along the walls, capable of accommodating fifty people for the meeting. But today’s meeting was not about military cooperation between the Byzantines and Anxi; instead, it focused on trade cooperation, including matters such as currency, taxes, and trading locations. Over the past few hundred years, trade between the Central Plains and the Byzantine Empire had been carried out through Sogdian merchants, who transported large quantities of goods from the East to the Byzantine Empire via the Silk Road.

This time, the Tang Dynasty would engage in trade with the Byzantine Empire for the first time, marking a new chapter in their trade history. The door to the conference room opened, and several officials led the envoys from the Byzantine Empire, including Joseph, inside. In fact, during the time when Li Qing’an was away from Suiye, Wang Changling, the highest administrative official in Anxi and the chief secretary of the Anxi Protectorate, had already held several long discussions with Joseph. The two sides had essentially reached most of their agreements, waiting only for Li Qing’an’s return to finalize them. It was Li Qing’an’s first time meeting Joseph. He was said to be the emperor of Byzantium’s younger brother, which reminded Li Qing’an of another imperial brother, Mansur of the Abbasid Empire. He interestingly compared the two in his mind—Mansur was shrewd and decisive, not fussy about trivial matters, and could make firm decisions, ensuring that the exchange of food for prisoners of war proceeded smoothly without any issues, which made Li Qing’an think that Mansur had the bearing of a true emperor. Meanwhile, this Byzantine imperial brother appeared lean and efficient, with his back straight, no trace of a smile on his face, and an elegant demeanor, clearly indicating that he was a well-educated noble. Earlier that morning, Pei Yu had told Li Qing’an that during his month in Suiye, Joseph’s daily routine was almost entirely rigid—his meal and rest times never changed, and he never visited any expensive places. Aside from attending meetings in the government hall, he never left the luxury hotel. Now, Li Qing’an noticed a detail: Joseph walked along a straight brick path, taking exactly twenty steps without deviating in the slightest, with each step’s distance being astonishingly precise. Li Qing’an immediately concluded that this was a rigid envoys who would not bring any unexpected outcomes; in other words, he would not discuss anything unrelated to trade.

Li Qing’an’s gaze once again turned to Princess Eirwen behind Joseph. She was completely different from the fierce woman who had aimed a bow at him earlier that morning—seemingly a different person altogether. Her expression was serious, her gaze calm, and her posture graceful and proper as she walked. She wore a golden-yellow dress with a white cloak, the long, voluminous dress covering her delicate figure tightly. The fabric was even made of gorgeous Shu brocade—this was truly the attire of the Byzantine court. Li Qing’an remembered seeing her in Talas City, where she wore a revealing dress with much of her skin exposed. He couldn’t help but smile, thinking of a famous saying: Women are born actors. It seemed this princess was also good at taking on different roles.

The slightly ambiguous smile on Li Qing’an’s face was noticed by Eirwen. She remembered being teased by him earlier that morning, and anger flared up in her heart. Unconsciously, she clenched her fists. Li Qing’an, however, smiled at her and also clenched his fists slightly.

Eirwen huffed and turned her head away. At that moment, Joseph stepped forward and bowed to Li Qing’an in a proper manner, saying, “An envoy of the Byzantine Emperor greets the Great General of Anxi.”

Li Qing’an replied with a smile, “I’m truly sorry for making the envoy wait for a month. I only returned yesterday!”

“The Great General traveling thousands of miles just shows how much importance you attach to the Byzantine Empire. I hope we can reach an agreement smoothly.”

Joseph then introduced Eirwen to Li Qing’an, saying, “This is Princess Eirwen, the eldest daughter of our Emperor.”

Eirwen gracefully lifted the hem of her dress and bowed to Li Qing’an. Li Qing’an quickly replied, “So it’s Princess Eirwen. My apologies for my rudeness!”

Eirwen nodded with a smile but said nothing. She was restraining herself, fearing that speaking might undermine the dignity of the Byzantine Empire.

At that moment, Wang Changling said with a smile, “Since everyone is here, please take a seat!”

The seats had already been arranged, and both sides took their places. Since the other side consisted of only three people, Anxi also assigned three representatives: Li Qing’an, Wang Changling, and Cen Shen, with the rest sitting behind them. At that moment, Li Qing’an noticed something strange about the seating arrangement of the three representatives from the other side. Logically, since this negotiation mainly concerned trade, Princess Eirwen, though of high status, was not an official member of the delegation, so her seat should have been at the back. Anxi had even reserved a special guest seat for her or a seat next to the third person for her to observe. Yet, Eirwen’s seat was actually second, with the deputy envoy Rachel sitting in the third seat—this was quite unexpected. Joseph, who was known for his strict adherence to etiquette, would never make such a mistake.

Li Qing’an glanced again at the list of the other delegation’s members and indeed saw no name for Eirwen. So why was she sitting second in the delegation? Suddenly, an idea struck Li Qing’an—could it be that Eirwen had another mission as an envoy?

Besides trade, could Byzantium have other motives? Li Qing’an recalled his letter to the emperor of the other side, in which he clearly proposed a military alliance between the two sides to jointly deal with the Arabs. He believed the Byzantine emperor had considered this suggestion as well. If they had any intelligence, they should know about Anxi’s military capability to hold back the Arabs. This proposal was quite attractive—there were only mutual interests, no conflicts, making them natural partners.

Of course, Byzantium might have gone to Chang’an to discuss cooperation, but in fact they didn’t go there; they came only to Anxi. By now, Li Qing’an had guessed somewhat. Although he didn’t know whether Eirwen was tasked with facilitating military cooperation between the two sides, one thing was certain: Princess Eirwen certainly wasn’t there for leisure.

With this realization, Li Qing’an focused his attention on Eirwen. Not a single move or even a glance of hers escaped his observation.

Although it was a negotiation, both sides had already reached most of their agreements. Wang Changling had even gone out of his way to greet Li Qing’an and reported on his talks with Joseph along the way. Both sides agreed to use Talas City and the city of Itil to the north as transit trade stations, adopting a low tax rate of 30% based on the transaction value, with the same rate applied to both official and private trade. They also agreed that each side’s army would be responsible for ensuring the safety of trade routes within their own territories.

Agreement had been reached on most matters, but there was a slight disagreement regarding the use of currency. Byzantium’s currency was the gold solidus, along with copper and silver coins, though gold coins were predominant. As a nation built on trade, Byzantium’s currency was extremely strong; it was used throughout Europe for centuries, even in trade with the Abbasids, who also accepted gold solidi.

Anxi’s currency was naturally copper coins, with the Abbasid silver dinar also in use. However, starting from the second half of last year, Anxi succeeded in producing its own silver coins, which were first introduced there. These silver coins weighed one tael, consisting of 90% silver and 10% copper, were finely crafted, and could even make a buzzing sound when blown. They were immediately popular among merchants. The Byzantine delegation also tested these coins and agreed that they could be used as a medium of exchange.

The key issue was the exchange rate. Of course, the Tang Dynasty’s exchange rate was not as complex as those in later times—it was quite simple. How many silver coins were equivalent to one gold solidus? Since one gold solidus weighed approximately one qian, it was straightforward: gold to silver was at a ratio of 10 to 1, meaning one gold solidus should equal one silver coin. In reality, one gold solidus weighed less than one qian, by just a bit, but Anxi did not mind and still calculated it as one qian.

The disagreement arose here—the Byzantine delegation insisted on exchanging 10 gold coins for 12 silver coins, a ratio of 1 to 1.2—while Anxi refused to budge. This led to a deadlock. The Byzantine delegation’s compromise proposal was for each side to calculate independently, but Anxi disagreed, arguing that this would create opportunities for speculators.

Now, it was up to Li Qing’an to resolve the issue. He already knew about the disagreement from Wang Changling. He understood that merchants would not suffer losses and would calculate things on their own. Considering future official trade, this exchange rate needed to be determined, as official trade volumes were large, and the difference of two silver coins could erode the Tang Dynasty’s profits.

Li Qing’an smiled slightly and said, “The official gold-to-silver ratio in the Tang Dynasty is 10 to 1. As far as I know, it’s the same in the Abbasid Empire.”

At that moment, Li Yan, the official in charge of trade with Anxi, whispered to Li Qing’an in Chinese, “I just learned from Sogdian merchants that Byzantium also uses a ratio of 10 to 1.”

Li Qing’an nodded and continued, “If your country’s gold-to-silver ratio is also 10 to 1, then I don’t understand. Why, when it comes to your delegation, it becomes 1 to 12? What’s the reason for that?”

Joseph also thought deeply about this issue. Before coming to Anxi, he didn’t know that Anxi already had silver coins. Since he couldn’t accept the Tang Dynasty’s copper coins, he planned to use their gold coins as the sole currency for trade. However, Anxi insisted on using their silver coins as well. After careful consideration, he found that Anxi’s silver coins had a sufficient silver content and were acceptable. He decided on a ratio of ten to twelve, meaning ten gold solis for twelve Anxi silver coins.

“General, our Byzantine gold coins have been in use for hundreds of years; they are made of pure gold and enjoy great credibility. Your silver coins, on the other hand, were created only last year. As far as I know, they aren’t even Tang Dynasty currency—just local coins from Anxi. This lack of credibility means I believe the gold solis should be worth more. I won’t change this. We can only find a compromise, but I won’t yield.”

Li Qing’an nodded in agreement with Joseph’s reasoning. Credibility—Joseph had indeed taken credibility into account. He was truly remarkable, but Li Qing’an also wouldn’t give in.

He smiled and said, “Mr. Joseph is a stubborn man who refuses to compromise, and I am equally persistent and unwilling to yield. What do you suggest, Mr. Joseph?”

Joseph thought for a moment and said, “How about this? I’ll propose a compromise. Anxi should also mint gold coins with the same weight and purity as our gold solis. We can use these two types of gold coins as trade currency at a one-to-one ratio.”

In fact, minting gold coins had originally been one of the options Li Qing’an considered alongside silver coins, but he eventually abandoned the idea of gold coins and only minted silver coins. On one hand, he was afraid that people in the Central Plains might counterfeit gold coins, damaging their credibility. On the other hand, Anxi had little gold, making coin minting pointless. But he never expected Byzantium to suggest that Anxi also mint gold coins. He wasn’t willing to do that. He preferred to use Byzantine gold coins for trade, exchanging his goods for their gold. As for Anxi, as long as the gold solis weren’t in circulation, merchants could exchange them for silver coins at a one-to-one rate at the money houses, turning the gold solis into his “foreign exchange reserve.”

The gold solis weren’t colorful banknotes but shiny gold. Li Qing’an was willing to store this currency.

Li Qing’an shook his head and said, “Minting currency requires approval from the central court. We can only mint silver coins. I can’t accept your compromise. But I hope Anxi and your country can start trading as soon as possible. I think that’s the most important issue. So, if we really can’t reach an agreement, I’m willing to compromise. I’ll give up the Anxi silver coins and use only your country’s gold solis as the sole currency for trade between us.”

It was still 1,300 years ago, with scarce resources. Joseph hadn’t yet understood the problem of hard currency loss caused by a trade deficit. Seeing Li Qing’an yield, he smiled cheerfully and said, “Very well, then we’ve reached an agreement!”
The two sides reached a final consensus. Next, the officials below would draft the specific terms of the agreement, which would then be formally signed by Li Qing’an and Joseph.
But what Li Qing’an was truly concerned about was military cooperation between the two sides. Noticing that Eleni seemed distracted and clearly uninterested in trade, he smiled at her and said, “Princess, I’m going to inspect the army early tomorrow morning. I invite you to come with me. Are you interested?”
Eleni smiled sweetly and replied, “I’d be delighted. I’ll wait for you.”
……
(Note: The map information for Byzantium in this book comes from Chambers’ Atlas. The Byzantines actually called themselves Romans, but for simplicity, they are referred to as Byzantines here. Additionally, the gold-to-silver ratio varied from place to place, even in the Tang Dynasty, so it isn’t explored in detail here. A Byzantine gold coin weighed about 4.25 grams, roughly equivalent to one qian. As for whether the weight of an ancient qian differed from that of a modern one, Lao Gao is too lazy to look it up—please bear with us!)