Chapter 26: The Traveler (I)

The sky over Jinshan was very blue. The rolling mountains stretched all the way to the distant north, to the edge of the Eternal Heaven. At the foot of the mountains, white felt tents were scattered like stars. There was water, grass, people, and homes. When the spring breeze blew, it stirred up grass as tall as a person’s knees. The Yehui River flowed quietly across the grasslands, nourishing countless living beings.

He Runshi had just returned from the Suiye region and stopped by Gelaolu to see an old friend. As soon as he entered the tent and hadn’t even warmed his feet yet, he was summoned to the main tent by Old Ye Husheng’s messenger.

It was nearly May, and the Gelaolu people finally saw the first caravan coming from the Central Plains of the Tang Dynasty. Unsurprisingly, a celebration was about to take place in the beautiful grasslands.

Gelaolu’s Ye Humuoluo opened his arms wide and went up to greet him personally, saying, “Brother He, you truly are a gift bestowed upon us by the Eternal Heaven. With you around, those unscrupulous merchants will have to think twice before trying to raise prices.”

He Runshi, however, was puzzled and asked, “Ye Hu, will those merchants still raise prices?”

Before Ye Humuoluo could answer, Wusumishi rushed to interject, “Don’t you know? Those unscrupulous merchants—do you really think they’d transport goods from the Central Plains to this remote Jinshan for free? If it weren’t for profits twenty or thirty times greater, would they risk their lives to trade beyond the borders? If heavy snow blocked the mountain passes, who would guide them? If sandstorms covered the sky, who would provide them with light?”

Hearing this, He Runshi, being Han, felt somewhat embarrassed and didn’t know how to respond. Though he was Han, he hadn’t been to the distant Chang’an for a long time, so he wasn’t very familiar with the customs and preferences of the Tang people. What a joke!

Seeing the awkward atmosphere, Ye Humuoluo hurried to defuse the situation, saying, “There’s no need to worry. Those who don’t know are innocent. Those merchants travel from afar to sell goods, so they naturally want to make more money. But since they know we kill most of our cattle and sheep in winter, they raise prices arbitrarily—demanding over thirty sheep skins for just one piece of silk. Our people urgently need the goods they bring, so though we’re upset, we have no choice but to exchange them at high prices. And although they bring us much-needed goods, they still make huge profits.”

Ye Humuoluo clearly felt helpless too. That was just how things were now. Could anyone refuse silk and tea delivered right to their doorstep?

Hearing this, Usumish grew angry and bit his lips in frustration, saying, “Ye Hu, in my opinion, we should seize their goods and kill their leader. Let those merchants go—then we’ll see if they dare to raise prices again.”
These unscrupulous merchants are utterly shameless. If we let them get their way, won’t everyone suffer huge losses? Why can they set prices at will and decide prices on their own? Just because they’ve taken a few extra steps?
Moula Ero laughed bitterly. “My warriors, what matters most to the people of the grasslands is honesty. If we act as you suggest, it may seem like we gain a lot this time, but once those merchants return to their homes and spread the word, will any other traders still dare to come to Jinshan for trade? If I, the Göktürk, destroy the livelihoods of the tribes in the borderlands like this, not only the Uyghurs but also other tribes will turn against us.”
Upon hearing this, Usumish shouted, “Neither of these works! It drives me mad!”
In his mind, force was the best way to solve problems. Whoever had the stronger fists could rule more grasslands and earn more profits. The weak had no right to choose—they were only fit to be sacrificed by the strong!
Seeing Usumish so angry, Moula Ero tried to comfort him, saying, “Usumish, actually, as long as their prices aren’t too outrageous, we can accept them. After all, the grasslands are rich in leather. If we don’t sell this raw leather to these merchants, it’s a waste. It’s better to do them a favor so that we can get along better in the future.”
While the three were still discussing, a strong Göktürk warrior rushed to the tent and shouted, “Ye Hu, Ye Hu! The caravan has arrived!”
Hearing this, Moula Ero beamed with joy and said, “Come with me quickly to welcome these guests who have come from afar—friends bestowed by the Eternal Heaven.”
The group followed Ye Hu to the temporary grazing camp. Looking into the distance, they saw a neat line of horsemen slowly approaching the Pugu camp, led by several Göktürk scouts.
When they were about a hundred meters away, Moula Ero called out loudly, “Guests from afar! What wind has brought you to the Göktürk tents?”
The leader of the horsemen dismounted, placed one arm along his side, and bowed deeply, saying, “The spring wind has brought us from the Central Plains. We’ve traveled thousands of miles just to share our cherished goods and dear friends with you.”
“Honorable guests, the Central Plains are thousands of miles away from Jinshan. Who guided you here? Who told you where our tents are?”

Seeing some in the caravan carrying knives and hunting bows, Moulala grew wary and asked in a deep voice. The leader of the group replied loudly, “Honorable Ye Hu, it is Everlasting Heaven who serves as our guide, and Sirius who shows us the way.” Seeing such a proper response, Moulala’s doubts diminished somewhat, but he still didn’t fully trust these merchants armed with weapons. “Friends from afar, why do you bring swords instead of goods, and indifference instead of joy?” “We have bows and arrows, but we only use them to shoot at wild dogs that block our path. We have knives and spears, but we use them only against the sand bandits cursed by Everlasting Heaven. We are messengers sent by Everlasting Heaven, here to bring blessings to the Göktürk brothers. I, Guan Yuyuan of the Great Tang, swear by my life that I will never let blood stain this sacred land.” Seeing Guan Yuyuan speak so calmly, Moulala’s wariness gradually faded. With a gentle wave of his hand, several Göktürk warriors rushed forward to open the wooden planks and lined up in two rows to welcome the guests sent by Everlasting Heaven. The distant sound of horn blasts filled the air as the traveling merchants entered the camp under the warm welcome of the Göktürk people. Upon arriving at the central tent, Moulala spoke first, “Friends from the Central Plains who have come from afar, descendants of the Divine Wolf and members of the Göktürk people, welcome you. We hope you will have a pleasant stay here.” Guan Yuyuan bowed and replied, “Descendants of the Divine Wolf, heroes of the Göktürk people, brothers from the Central Plains have come here especially to see their kin.” The merchants also imitated Guan Yuyuan’s gesture, placing one hand on their shoulder and responding in broken Turkic. Hearing this Turkic speech filled with regional accents from all corners of the land, Moulala’s last doubts vanished, and he smiled broadly. Moulala turned slightly, clapped his hands, and more than thirty young women wearing sheepskin coats and silver bells around their waists poured mare’s milk wine from their belts into copper bowls. Moulala took one of the bowls and handed it to Guan Yuyuan, saying loudly, “Messenger of Everlasting Heaven, by drinking from this cup, you become the most honored guest of the Göktürk people.” Two young women followed, stepping aside to unfurl a white hata. Guan Yuyuan took the bowl, dipped his fingers in it, sprinkled a few drops toward the sky, then again toward the earth, before raising the bowl high and saying, “I thank Everlasting Heaven for giving me this opportunity to gather here with the Göktürk brothers.” After saying that, he drank the contents of the bowl in one gulp. Seeing Guan Yuyuan respect the customs of the nomadic people so much, Moulala was overjoyed.

Gently tapping their toes, Moulala placed the khada around Guan Yuyuan’s neck. In an instant, dozens of young Gelao women began singing, offering wine and khadas to their guests. After drinking this wine, the merchants were considered part of their community. Gelao warriors helped them unload their luggage and led them to separate yurts to rest. The sound of bull horns accompanied by the tinkling of silver bells created a dreamy, intoxicating atmosphere, filling hearts with joy…

“Ye Hu, I’ve discussed this with the other merchants in the caravan. We’ve brought a large amount of goods, yet your region doesn’t use the currency of my Tang Dynasty. Bartering would be too complicated, so I hope your tribe can use raw hides as the medium of exchange—this would make things easier for everyone. What do you think, Ye Hu?”

Guan Yuyuan drained the milk tea in his bowl and discussed trade matters with Moulala. Although they hadn’t come specifically to trade with the Gelao, since they were here, they wanted to sell their goods at a good price; otherwise, their journey ahead wouldn’t be smooth. Seeing Guan Yuyuan discuss the details of bartering, Moulala couldn’t afford to be careless and replied cautiously, “We have no problem with that. But the quality of the goods varies, making exchange difficult. Do you have any good contingency plans?”

With a light laugh, Guan Yuyuan said loudly, “Ye Hu, there’s no need to worry about that. I discussed the details last night with the elders of the caravan. We’ll classify the goods into three grades according to the rules of Central Plains trade—upper, middle, and lower. Since the quality differs among these grades, so does the price. This way, the nobles can choose the most suitable goods based on their financial capabilities.”

Hearing this plan, Moulala felt slightly displeased. Knowing that dividing the goods into only three grades would minimize the difference in quality, allowing even inferior goods to be sold at high prices. But since the goods were in the hands of these merchants, this somewhat biased plan was still acceptable.

Forcing a smile, Moulala clapped his hands and said, “That’s great. But I wonder how well your caravan is prepared. Will you have any issues starting trade this afternoon?”

Seeing that Ye Hu approved of his proposal, Guan Yuyuan was overjoyed and said with a smile, “Ye Hu, rest assured. We can start trading at any time.”

After finishing the serious discussions, both hosts and guests enjoyed themselves. Moulala clapped his hands, and more than a dozen young Gelao girls in patterned leather clothes entered one after another. With the sound of bull horns and lutes in the background, the tent was filled with songs and dances, creating a charming spring-like atmosphere.

Note 1: The Göktürks had only three surnames: one was Mouluo, or Moular; one was Chisi, or Pofu; one was Tasilichi.