Journey to the West 2

Li Ban went on a journey on horseback to the principality "He", to confirm the words written by Sir Pai.

Li Ban, on a trip pay attention to the principality "He" and the city Gaochang. He is the "Gateway from China to the West."

Do not forget, you need to check the information about which I wrote, to bring as a gift to the emperor 20 Fergana horses! As I heard from the ambassadors from "Davan" in their principality, you can, if you bargain, bring down the price of horses.

Bring and samples of gold, silver coins that run in Sute.

Also pay attention to rare metals, precious stones and stones of the spirit, medicinal plants.

I saw and did not write, consider that I did not see anything! Remember it!

Li Ban, answered shortly, yes Sir Pei will remember your instructions!

In Gaochane, Yantsy and Tsyutsy, for two centuries already, there were communities of immigrants from the Bigt An and Small, as well as the Bosa Empire. Traders where there is good life and there is profit. And where the merchants there is money, power, influence. After 12 centuries, it will be called the "Big Game" on the goban or more simply it is a game of strategists and tacticians - Weiqi.

Li Ban conspired with the Sogdian merchant Asah to take him with him to the city of Mu. The caravan consisted of fifty horses; he carried silk cuts sufficient to purchase 20 Fergana horses. As Asah said, on the market in the Shi country one could buy a Fergana horse for 4.5 silk cuts and on the market of Small Anh the Fergana horses already stood 6 cuts.

In the morning at the hour of the tiger "yin", the year of the "bin Zi" of the red mouse of the 13th year of the sixty-year cycle, in the 3rd lunar month, the caravan headed by Asahom, along with merchants, merchants, servants, guards and Li Ban went from Gaochang to Mu. On the "middle road".

The path began in Gaochane and then passed through Ziuqi, crossed the high mountains of the Qongling, with steep snowy climbs and even more dangerous descents. Every 40-43, there were small caravanserais for travelers. They could accommodate 20-30 people.

In the caravanserai, a tired kettle with hot water, a handful of dried fruit and some nuts, as well as warmth of the hearth and a mat were provided to tired travelers for a small fee. For an additional fee it was possible to get hot food from rice and dried meat and a wadded warm blanket.

In the caravanserai, the travelers exchanged the latest news, learned the exchange rate of local currencies, shared stories over a cup of fragrant tea from mountain herbs, someone was luckier. The traveler from nomads or mountaineers had a bag with salt and melted snow goat. It was added to tea, a warming and nutritious drink was obtained.

Having survived the snowfall and cold, Asah's caravan headed through the pass and went out through the mountain pass directly to the principality of Cao and He.

Upon arrival at the He principality at the hour of the monkey "Shen", at the end of the 5th lunar month, 13 years old "Binh Tzu" of the red mouse - Li Ban, stopped in a large caravan - shed.

Before the meeting with the agent, there were still hours of "chicken" "yu", dogs "xui", pigs "hi", mouse "tzu", before the hour of the cow "chow" could sleep and prepare for an important meeting. Time flowed slowly, resting a little on the mat, Li Ban in his head mentally scrolled the meeting that he would say that he would be told but I still understood that you would not insure against errors and possible surprises. You need to be prepared for them.

Here broke the bell of the night guard, announcing that the hour of the pig was over. Li Ban got up from his mat, went out into the yard, flushed his face with cold water, washed his hands.

When he went inside the caravanserai, a breakfast of milk with melted butter, salt, pepper and dried bread, dried fruits and nuts awaited him.

Li Ban went out to meet Dara.

Not everyone knew that he kept a whole row in the bazaar. For many, he was just a money changer and a pawnshop holder in this row of jewelers and antique dealers, money changers, usurers. There were both snack bars and innards inns. Overseas merchants often haphazardly on a number of Gifts and the appearance of Li Ban would cause no suspicion to anyone. Li Ban was the first time in these parts, but the detailed description that Sir Pei Ju gave him helped him quickly find a meeting place.

...

Lie Ban quickly found the shop he needed and found out in a foreign exchange man his guide in this foreign city. But, as it should, he twice passed her. Bargained with other money changers and not having bargained with anyone, finally, approached a nondescript person with a talking parrot on his shoulder. To the question whether the empire of Tan coins could be exchanged here for local dirhams, the parrot answered him: a gift in shak nist. Both people laughed. He laughed in a special way, as Sir Pei Ju described to him. After long ritual greetings of code words and answers to them, the interlocutors recognized each other but for the final test, Li Ban had to show the coin. He threw it on the counter in a handful of other ordinary Qiang coins. Dary's eyes flashed. He politely offered the guest to follow him, citing the lack of cash in the shop.

This seemingly ordinary meeting would not have surprised anyone, especially the haunters of this haughty place but this was not the case. A drunkard in a teahouse opposite the shop from the very beginning did not take his eyes off Li Ban. More precisely, he skillfully hid his interest in this one of the hundreds of strangers who appeared here every day ...

He looked out of the corner of his eye, looked through the branches, carved lattices, even in the reflection on the side of the copper kettle, this simple technique betrayed in him the former agent of the secret palace guard ... The story of Javed was interesting and deserved more attention, but in the context of exciting events in the dusty streets of the old city, it is receding into the background. We can only say that Javed was an orphan and from childhood he hunted among the malls, was an accomplice to the gang of thieves. Then he worked alone. Once he exposed a market magician, for which he was severely beaten ... and taken as an assistant and a student to another magician, a competitor exposed. Later he became the successor of his business.