Chapter 48: Han Craftsmen (1)

Withered hair, cracked skin, confused eyes…
Li Kuo didn’t know how to describe these Tang people before him, nor how to face such a stark reality.
It felt as if a dagger had been plunged into his heart, twisting and cutting painfully.
The young man’s throat moved slightly as he reluctantly swallowed his spit.
“Brother Kuo, we…”
Zhang Yanji cautiously leaned in and asked tentatively.
“Go find out what’s going on. We don’t need to leave right away.”
Li Kuo’s gaze was cold. Since he had encountered such a situation, he couldn’t stand by idly. If those slaves were Tang people, he must rescue them at all costs. They were his fellow countrymen, people under the rule of the Tang dynasty!
Zhang Yanji nodded and ordered Ashina Luosi to talk to them. As a Turk, it was more appropriate for him to take charge. Ashina Luosi muttered something under his breath, reluctantly stepping into the crowd and patting the shoulder of the slave dealer.
“Hey, sir, what kind of business is this?”
Ashina Luosi didn’t know what religion this generation believed in, so he hesitated to make assumptions.
The dealer, with brown hair and eyes deeply set in his sockets, was currently talking to a Turkic herder. Interrupted abruptly, he grew annoyed and glared at Ashina Luosi. “Don’t you have eyes? This is a slave-selling business. If you think it’s good, you can try your luck too! Three hundred Sassanian silver coins per person—Turks are in high demand these days!”
His words carried an obvious provocative tone. Hearing this, Ashina Luosi’s beard trembled in anger. “Stop talking nonsense! By the Eternal Heaven, I’m here to buy people.”
“Oh?”
The dealer sized Ashina Luosi up, unsure this gaunt Turk could afford slaves.
“I’ve the most diverse selection in the whole region. Do you want compact and sturdy Kunlun slaves, or brave and resolute Turkic Hans? Or perhaps you’d like a shrewd Sogdian to manage accounts?”
The dealer clearly knew exactly what the herders around him needed and quickly listed all possible options.
Ashina Luosi’s eyelids twitched. Subconsciously, he glanced at Li Kuo, whose expression was stern. Huh, it seemed this young general was truly determined. It was better not to provoke him. After thinking it over, Ashina Luosi rubbed his palms together and said, “As you say, why can’t I buy those people?”

Ashina Luosi pointed at those Tang people huddled together and asked, “How much are those people worth?”
“They?”
The slave trader replied in surprise, clearly realizing these slaves weren’t popular items in the market. Now, someone was specifically asking to buy those Tang people?
But he was after all a shrewd merchant. After a quick glance, he changed his tone: “These are the most valuable among all our goods—our crown jewels. Normally, I wouldn’t consider selling them. Since you seem so determined, I’ll make an exception. One thousand coins each—what do you say?”
Ashina Luosi gasped. Earlier, the man had said Turks could be sold for three hundred Persian silver coins, so the price for Tang people was clearly lower than that. Yet this man was asking a thousand coins—more than double the difference!
“Sir, are you joking? Turks are only worth seven hundred coins each, yet these Tang slaves are priced at a thousand?”
The slave trader snorted. “What do you know? These Tang slaves were originally craftsmen who ran shops in the River Regions. Some are blacksmiths, some are carpenters—each with skilled trades. These days, it’s easy to find two-legged merchants and herders, but skilled craftsmen on four legs are hard to come by! If you bring back these craftsmen and open a shop, you can make a fortune. Why go through the trouble of traveling thousands of miles to buy and sell goods?”
Glancing at the pack horses and camels not far away, the slave trader guessed Ashina Luosi’s identity. Strangely enough, even Turks were starting to do business these days?
“This, this… a thousand coins is way too high. Can’t you give me a better price?”
Ashina Luosi’s eyebrows furrowed, and his lips moved awkwardly as he tried to speak.
“What? No money? Trying to get something for nothing? That’s not how it works, is it? Will you buy them or not? If not, I have other buyers to deal with. Move aside, move aside…”
After saying that, the slave trader pushed Ashina Luosi aside, not giving him a chance to respond.
As the saying goes, prostitutes have no heart, actors have no loyalty, and slave traders are the most shameless. Ashina Luosi finally understood this truth. With a forced smile, he said, “As you say. I’m just asking on behalf of others. I’ll go check with our master. If he agrees, we’ll pay right away! Please wait for me, wait…”
With some embarrassment, Ashina Luosi tiptoed his way out of the crowd.
“Tch!”
The slave trader disdainfully glanced at Ashina Luosi and spat out a thick glob of phlegm. Just a messenger—thinking he was someone important!

Li Kuo saw Ashina Luoshi approaching and quickly got up to greet him, “So, are they Tang people?”
Ashina Luoshi wiped the sweat from his forehead and smiled, “Their eyes are quite sharp. Those slaves… oh, no, those people are indeed Tang citizens.”
Li Kuo was overjoyed and asked eagerly, “Then why haven’t you bought them yet?”
Ashina Luoshi spread his hands and said with a wry smile, “It seems they’ve sensed our urgency and are demanding exorbitant prices!”
Noticing the young man’s expression, which didn’t show any concern, Ashina Luoshi finally revealed the truth: “A thousand Persian silver coins each? It’s better for them to go rob for money!”
Having also dealt in such matters before, he was well aware of the market conditions. At current prices, a Tang person could only fetch at most three hundred coins. It wasn’t that he deliberately underestimated the Tang people—it was simply that these craftsmen weren’t highly regarded by the local wealthy merchants and herders. Though they had excellent skills, those skills weren’t accepted by the nearby wealthy people.
Now, the Persians ruled Central Asia with an iron fist, strictly prohibiting the private forging of weapons. As a result, among all occupations, trading became the most lucrative. Woodworkers were still somewhat acceptable, but what about blacksmiths? If you made something, to whom could you sell it?
“A thousand coins?”
Although Li Kuo wasn’t very familiar with the market, he was still shocked. A thousand silver coins wasn’t much either way. A slave being sold for a thousand coins meant those dealers were clearly setting exorbitant prices.
The young man crossed his arms and took a few steps before gritting his teeth and saying, “If it’s a thousand coins, then it’s a thousand coins. Go give them the money, and we’ll take them away right away.”
“Ah, ah!”
Ashina Luoshi nodded and stepped aside to a pack horse a few steps away, pulling out a bulging leather pouch from a yellow leather bag.
“Just wait here. I’ll definitely bring them back to you.”
Ashina Luoshi’s face was covered in smiles. This task was too easy—no money needed, yet he could win the governor’s favor. Why not do it?
With this thought, Ashina Luoshi moved swiftly through the crowded market, darting from side to side.
But things often don’t go as planned. Just as he pushed past the last person and reached the open space, he found that the cage holding the Tang slaves had been opened. The Tang people, tied together with ropes, were being driven away by a Turkic herder wielding a whip.
“Wait! Wait!”
Panicked, Ashina Luoshi rushed forward and said, “Weren’t we supposed to buy these people? How could you be so dishonest and sell them to someone else?”

The slave trader laughed dismissively and said, “Brother, look at what you’re saying. You didn’t guarantee to buy these Tang slaves just now. When you left, you rushed off quickly—I thought you wouldn’t be coming back. If you never return, does that mean I can’t sell these slaves? There’s no such rule in the world, right?”
Ashina Luosi was left speechless by his words. In business, both parties must agree willingly; he indeed had no reason to demand that the other party sell to him. Besides, he himself wasn’t sure he could buy these slaves after all.
But he had already made a promise to Governor Li—how could he go back empty-handed?
“See, my master really wants to buy these people. How about you do me a favor and give these slaves to me?”
Seeing that the slave trader was determined, Ashina Luosi turned to the Turkic man and begged for his help.
“Hm?”
The Turkic herder, who was broad-shouldered and thick-waisted, turned his head with interest at a thin Turkic old man approaching him.
“What do you think? If you transfer these slaves to me, I’ll give you a thousand coins as thanks.”
Ashina Luosi gritted his teeth and made a decision that caused him immense pain.
Damn those Turkic people! Your appearance cost me a thousand Sassanid silver coins! Sigh, just consider it bad luck—just bad luck!
“Do you think I care about that money?”
The Turkic herder raised an eyebrow, his expression turning dark.
“Then… what do you want?”
Ashina Luosi felt as if a heavy stone had pressed on his chest; he staggered back a few steps.
“If you call me ‘grandfather,’ I’ll give these slaves to you. To be honest, I just want to buy them to play with for a couple of days—just for the novelty!”
The Turkic man pushed further, proposing a condition Ashina Luosi could never accept.
“You!”
Ashina Luosi clenched his fists, his eyes blazing with fury.