Mount and Blade Central Asia

That's why the old Sultan massacred the city for three days in a rage, and even dragged more than 20,000 residents and prisoners outside the city to be beheaded, and built a Jingguan as a deterrent.

At this moment, the city gates were wide open, and there were no sentries stationed on the city walls. Only the caravans coming and going were free to enter and exit. It was quite lively. Li Rufeng even noticed that they didn't even have someone collecting the city gate tax. This was truly a policy of inaction.

Li Rufeng even had an idea. If this land could always maintain this strange three-party balance, and Aleppo could always be in a lawless state, perhaps the merchants here would eventually be able to develop properly, just like the commercial city-states on the Apennine Peninsula.

"Let's go in and take a look." Li Rufeng suddenly felt like going into the city for a walk.

It’s not that Li Rufeng is brave and wants to take risks, but he is accompanied by twenty personal guards and a real caravan, with a total number of nearly fifty people.

It's not that Master Li looked down on those merchants. After experiencing the previous war with Duosite, Li Rufeng was really full of confidence in his personal guards. If they encountered an accident, they could easily go in and out of a city that didn't even have guards at the city gates.

The leader of the caravan was Mirzan, the former "Minister of Commerce" of the Erbahe tribe. At this time, Mirzan was a little nervous because it was his first time leading a caravan to do business. When he heard that Li Rufeng was going to take the risk by going into the city himself, he became even more worried.

"Shaman Rufeng, you can't take such a risk! What if there is an accident, our tribe will be completely destroyed?" Mirzan said with a sad face. If you were to say who among these nobles who surrendered from the Taierbahe tribe believed in Li Rufeng the most, it would definitely be Mirzan.

His relationship with Li Rufeng is currently shown as 77, second only to Mrs. Medinatah's 82... Li Rufeng doesn't want to think too much about why that lady has such a high relationship with him. He has too many things to do and has no time to indulge in women.

Moreover, there are many young girls with innocent backgrounds waiting for Master Li to harm them. It is not worth it to eat the leftovers. Li Rufeng has to keep this woman who is suspected to be of the Golden Family's blood well and use her when he is useful.

"Don't worry, Mirzan, I know what I'm doing." Li Rufeng waved his hand. With his prestige in the tribe, no one could refute his decision, and the same was true for Mirzan.

This time, most of the goods Mirzan brought were spoils of war looted by Li Rufeng's troops from the city of Mardin, as well as a small amount of furs and wool. Also accompanying the team were several "accountants" borrowed from the Golden Arrow Mercenary Group.

Anyway, this is how Li Rufeng understood it. These mercenaries can write and do math. They are the ones who handle the salary accounts within the mercenary group on a daily basis. They even lend short-term high-interest loans in the name of the mercenary group.

Li Rufeng felt more and more that the Golden Arrow Mercenary Group was a treasure. Except for their useless leader, almost all the rest of the people had unique skills.

As the caravan slowly approached the entrance of Aleppo, Li Rufeng saw that the place where the suspension bridge was supposed to be had been filled with sand and gravel to save trouble, forming a semi-permanent passage. The ground was also paved with stones, so there was no need to worry about collapse even if it rained.

Those who returned to the city either had never thought about having to fight to defend the city in the future, or they were worried that doing so would anger the nearby Timurid Khanate's border guards, the Mughals, so they made such a decision.

But overall, it's a good thing.

After passing the drawbridge, there is the long passage. The passage is about six meters wide and can easily accommodate two carriages traveling towards each other. In the middle of the passage, there is a watchtower that is transparent from front to back. The soldiers on it can face both outside and inside, and there are shooting holes everywhere, but there is not a single soldier in the watchtower at this time.

After passing through the city gate tower and walking for more than 20 meters, he finally saw the first gate of Aleppo - the Snake Gate. Li Rufeng did not see the two giant snakes circling each other at the gate. Habashibuhua said that the thing was made of copper. During the last massacre in the city, a general thought this thing was pretty good and took it away.

Next is the Weeping Lion Gate. The distance from the Snake Gate to the Weeping Lion Gate is less than ten meters, but these two gates are all enclosed inside a large city gate tower. There is no sky above and no ground below. There are solid city gates in front and back, and thick stone walls on the left and right.

There is a defensive platform inside the city gate tower, which makes it convenient for the soldiers inside the tower to pour arrows, hot oil, and stones on the unprotected invaders below. Li Rufeng can realize how great the advantage this place has for the defenders just by standing here.

The good news is that the weeping lion on the Weeping Lion Gate is still there, it was engraved on the city gate. The bad news is that the city gate was burned and the shape of the lion is almost unrecognizable.

Behind the Weeping Lion Gate is the Laughing Lion Gate, and the distance between them is also about ten meters. However, the distance from the Weeping Lion Gate to the Laughing Lion Gate is theoretically considered to be entering the city of Aleppo. The city builders at that time built a small section of the city wall inside the city, forming a barbican. The defending soldiers can stand on this extra section of the city wall to continue to attack the invaders.

A drawbridge, a watchtower, and three city gates—this was the fortifications of Aleppo's gates. Its complexity was so daunting that the Mongols and Timur, when they attacked the city, chose to simply smash the walls...

What surprised Li Rufeng was that the merchants in the city actually did not have any city entry management personnel, and their caravans entered Aleppo so smoothly... Compared with the view from a distance and the majestic city gate defense system, the depressed environment in the city even made Li Rufeng feel disappointed.

There were broken walls and weeds everywhere, and only a few frequently used roads had been cleared.

Was this the commercial hub he'd been dreaming of? Was this the legendary historical city?

Li Rufeng looked around reluctantly, and finally had to admit that this was the reality. Even if he occupied the city, he had to develop it from scratch.

"Shaman Rufeng, we need to go further inside. The busiest place in the city is the Grand Market. This is where the war devastated us. Many houses have been crushed by rocks." Mirzan noticed Shaman Rufeng's disappointment and stepped forward to say, "The Grand Market is where the merchants gather and distribute their goods."

"In that case, let's go and see what's going on." Li Rufeng sighed.

Chapter 182 I'll go talk to him!

A commercial hub city first needs developed transportation, preferably close to an estuary, and a port for sea merchants to transship goods. Aleppo does have a port... The port of Alexandretta, more than 100 kilometers away, is the port of Aleppo.

"We think this is a demonstration, they want to intimidate us, so we plan to unite with the Mamluks outside the city and kill these Mughals," Saduddin said without hesitation. "We can provide 300 warriors. How about you?"

This retreat-to-advance tactic caught Ibrahim off guard. He was clearly a little flustered and said, "This is such a big deal. I need time to consult with others! But is it appropriate to rashly start a war with the Mughals? Can we stop them? We haven't even repaired the city walls!"

I knew you were all scared by the Mughals. Saduddin looked at Ibrahim with some disdain and said with a look of embarrassment, "But are we just going to watch them show off their power in our city?"

"I think we should think carefully about this," Ibrahim said with a firm look in his eyes. "The hatred between us and the Mughals is the deepest, but for the safety of the entire city, I think it's better to put aside the hatred for now and deal with this matter rationally!"

"So we're just letting them flaunt their might?" Saduddin said, his face etched with rage. "No, even if I don't understand weapons, I'm going to confront them. At the very least, I can't let them think there's not a single brave man left in Aleppo!"

Saduddin's words made Ibrahim blush, but he really didn't have the courage to say "I'll go with you". He was already scared by the last massacre.

"I know what you have been through, Ibrahim. I understand you. Don't be embarrassed. Let me go and ask about the situation first." Saduddin patted Ibrahim's shoulder, hugged the trembling man, and then strode out of his house, leaving a tall figure in front of Ibrahim.

"Sadouddin, are we going to confront the Mughals this time?" After walking out of the door, a caravan leader couldn't help but smile and changed the subject.

"No, let's test their opinions first. My people said that there is a man with an oriental face in the caravan. That should be the legendary Shaman Rufeng. He is the most prestigious leader among the Mongols. It is better to talk to him directly than to talk to Lord Nayan." Saduddin stretched out his hand and measured a distance the size of a fingernail, expressing his distrust of the Mongols.

There's no way around it. The Mongol bandits have become so famous these past few years that they've even affected the prosperity of the trade routes...

"As for the Mamluks, should we keep it a secret from them for now?" the caravan leader asked again, with some hesitation in his tone. Although they were not the rulers of this city, the martial virtues of the Mamluks still enveloped everyone in the city except the Mughals.

"Didn't we tell Ibrahim that I'm going this time to prove to the Mughals that we still have courage?" Saduddin laughed. "As for what we discussed in detail, I'll tell you on my way back."

"As expected of you, Lord Saduddin!" The caravan leader next to him flattered him. He had several goods that needed to be supplied by Saduddin, so he was naturally in the position of a flatterer.

Saduddin walked towards the big market with a proud look on his face, calculating in his mind how much he could sell the city of Aleppo for. Like Li Rufeng, he thought that if the Mongols were no longer a threat on the trade route, the cake here could be made much bigger. When interests were aligned, past grudges were often just clouds.

The author says:

Author's words: Speaking of which, less than 80 kilometers away from Aleppo is Antioch, which is also a famous historical city. There used to be a Crusader state here, the Principality of Antioch, which was also a commercial hub city. However, it was completely destroyed by the Mamluk Sultan Baibars in the mid-thirteenth century.

When I was looking up information about Antioch, I found a number of sources that claimed the population of Antioch during Roman rule reached a freaking 1.5 million in the second century AD. Oh my god... Then the same source also mentioned that in 256 AD, the army of Shapur I of Sassanid Persia forced the local inhabitants to surrender and subsequently took most of the population eastward, dealing Antioch its greatest blow since its founding. Wow, taking over a million people in one go? What's the point? Didn't the Romans even think about this when they wrote their own exaggerations?

The source also states that Antioch was one of the top three Roman cities, followed by Constantinople. However, Constantinople's population at its peak was only a little over half a million...

Chapter 183: How many soldiers do you have?

"I wonder where this lord comes from and what kind of business he hopes to do in my city?" Saduddin Fasif, dressed in a brocade robe, came on horseback because the Mughals had not dismounted since entering the city and he did not want to be inferior to them.

As a businessman, Saduddin knew that if he wanted to sell any product at a high price, it would be best not to be treated as a bargain when pricing it, otherwise even a good product would not be sold at a high price.

So, if the city of Aleppo were a commodity, Saduddin would want it to be a priceless and sought-after commodity.

To this end, he unified the opinions of the Ottomans while contacting the Mamluks outside the city to test whether the other side had the intention to defend the city.

If it were not for the sake of self-preservation, Saduddin really wanted to spend his own money to hire people to defend the city, then fight a few battles properly, and then take the opportunity to surrender to prove his worth. In the eyes of a businessman like Saduddin, the Mamluks' reaction was too slow.

He sent it to the Mamluks five days ago.

The news came, and today the Mughals came. They also gave a clear answer. If it really doesn't work, Saduddin plans to sell it to the Mughals.

"Oh, is this your city?" After all, Li Rufeng was not the kind of old-fashioned man who was adept at business and politics. He was completely unaware of the multiple meanings behind the other party's aggressive approach. He simply thought it was a bit ridiculous for a businessman to say in front of him in a high-handed manner that this was his city.

Li Rufeng himself might not have felt it, having just come back from the battlefield, and having encountered some unusual things, but for those who saw him for the first time, the feeling was completely different.

Saduddin Fasif could easily feel that contempt even through the blurring effect of different races. It was the look of a superior looking at an inferior, the look of a general who held the power of life and death looking at a helpless civilian.

"I made a mistake, sir." But as a businessman who had bravely abandoned his family and career to come to Aleppo to become a leader, Saduddin was a man of character. He was stunned at first, then apologized with a smile and explained, "I am only responsible for managing the business order in the Grand Market. The merchants who come and go trust me, which has made me a little arrogant. As an apology, sir, no matter what business your caravan is here for, how about a ten percent increase in the selling price?"

"Forget it, we're just here to take a look." Li Rufeng waved his hand. Although he was a lot more rebellious than before, deep down he was still a citizen educated in that infrastructure powerhouse. He was taught since childhood that I should not offend others unless they offend me, that wealth comes from one's own hands, that construction is better than destruction, and that the kingly way is better than the hegemonic way.

He might raise an eyebrow at something the other person said, but he would never cause trouble over such a thing.

"This city is much more dilapidated than I thought." Li Rufeng rode his horse to Saduddin's side, and his personal guards followed closely, keeping the same distance.

Don't you know why this city is like this? Saduddin wanted to complain, but for the sake of his saber, he controlled his mouth and simply explained, "Because the caravans from the east have decreased by half recently, and there's war in the west, business is slow, and life is really hard, so we just muddle along."

What Saduddin said was true. Aleppo had been unlucky in recent years. It is estimated that even if Sultan Timur had not massacred the city, it would have remained in ruins.

As a commercial hub, Aleppo has two main trade routes. One is the land transport route originating from the Ming Dynasty in the east. The goods from the Ming Dynasty were shipped from the Central Plains, passed through Xinjiang in later generations and entered the Central Asian region. From the Central Asian region, they were transported through the trade route of the Timurid Khanate and arrived in Aleppo, and further spread to the Black Sea and Mediterranean commercial areas.

Another trade route also started from the Ming Dynasty, but it was shipped from the port to the Malacca area, and then changed hands by the sea merchants there, and finally arrived at the Persian Gulf and the Red Sea area. The Arabs there took the oasis trade route and arrived in Aleppo for transshipment.

Almost all of the most valuable goods on these two trade routes originated in the eastern Ming Dynasty. Timur had just launched his campaign eastward a few years ago, intending to teach Ming Emperor Zhu Di a lesson. Although he died midway, and the two sides never actually fought, Zhu Di was furious, and he was currently imposing a trade embargo on merchants throughout Asia...

Since the Celestial Empire had never had trouble selling its goods since ancient times, it didn't matter who it was sold to, so this behavior caused minimal losses to the Ming Dynasty itself. However, for the merchants in this land, the hot-selling goods suddenly became a bottleneck, and the trade volume was immediately cut by half.

Anyone who knows the whole story will curse the old Sultan...

This trade embargo would not be lifted until Timur's son Shah Rukh inherited the throne, wrote a letter of apology to Emperor Zhu Di, and resumed symbolic tribute.

On the other hand, the trade route from Aleppo to the Anatolian Peninsula was also not peaceful, and it had to wait until the Ottomans finally decided the outcome before normal passage could take place.

In short, it will take a few years for Aleppo to return to its former prosperity.

A piece of genuine oriental silk can increase its value fivefold by the time it arrives in Aleppo from its place of origin. After passing Aleppo and heading northwest to France and England, its value can almost increase tenfold. This profit margin is enough to drive any businessman crazy.

The merchants who came and went were not joking when they said they were spending huge sums of money. Even though Li Rufeng felt very rich now that he had two tons of gold in his hands, this was only half a year's tax revenue for Aleppo back then.

"We are planning to repair the city wall first, then demolish the collapsed houses and expand the official road." Saduddin interjected at the right time, implicitly expressing that they were not completely ineffective.

"Repair the city wall? There is no need for that. The city wall here may need to be rebuilt in the future." Li Rufeng frowned and looked at the city wall of Aleppo, as if he was already the master here.

He was not talking nonsense, it was true, because the defense system of this mighty city was indeed behind the times. Instead of taking the trouble to repair it, it would be better to spend some time to rebuild it.

"Haha, your Excellency is right." Saduddin agreed somewhat guiltily, feeling increasingly unsure.

"How many soldiers do you have?" Li Rufeng had a feeling since he entered the city, that is, the people here were not prepared for war at all, and this was further confirmed after entering the city.

The Ottomans themselves did not understand how to fight a war, so they would not shed blood for the Mamluks.

So Li Rufeng said directly: "I have 5,000 people. They are starving and thirsty because they didn't get enough loot in Mardin. It's a pity, this city has suffered so many disasters."

The author says:

Author's Note: I need to go over the business data on Aleppo again... I also need to go over the data on the trade surplus and deficit between the East and the West.

Hostility Chapter 184 Big Business

The terror of the Mughals has left countless legends in Aleppo and there is no need to exaggerate it further.

Just by looking at the big market, which became visibly quiet after the Mughal caravan entered, it was clear that the merchants coming and going had keenly noticed the subtle atmosphere in the air and were ready to leave at any time.

Most of these merchants are small merchants traveling between Damascus and Anatolia. Some of them have seven or eight horse-drawn carriages, while others only have a mule team of four or five horses. Given the current situation of the trade routes, these merchants only run the section they are familiar with. For example, the section from Ottoman to Aleppo is traveled entirely by Ottoman merchants, who know which route to take to bypass the border guards.

However, the distance from Aleppo to Damascus, and even further to Mecca and Medina, is filled with Arabs, and few people run the entire distance.

Saduddin Fasif was genuinely terrified by Li Rufeng's threats. The Mongol greed was obvious to all. He could only tentatively ask, "What do you want? This city has been vacant for several years, and you haven't occupied it yet. That's why we dared to come here and do some small business. What attracts you now?"

Even if he dies, he must die with understanding. This is what Saduddin is thinking now. He has invested a lot of time and money here, and his efforts in the past few years have just paid off. The profits that this city can bring are insignificant to the Mughals.

"Because you've completely wasted this place." Li Rufeng patted the ancient city wall and said with some regret, "This place should have been prosperous."

Saduddin felt insulted, but he had no evidence... But it was true for Li Rufeng. People in this era were still somewhat conservative about business activities. Compared with later generations, it was more like a gift for the lord to allow passing caravans to do business. Not exploiting them was considered supporting business activities. It was probably better for the commercial city-states on the Apennine Peninsula, but that was all.

Li Rufeng was different. He had a package plan that could force the development of business in this environment. Although the surrounding areas were in chaos and trade routes were cut off, there were actually solutions, such as attracting investment, tax reductions, trade preferences, and even bribe reimbursement, etc. It all depended on the determination of the ruler.

"What was the best-selling product in Aleppo before?" Li Rufeng took Saduddin around the big market with the attitude of a leader inspecting. Wherever he passed, scattered figures all turned around and retreated. Some women who were holding things in their hands did not even dare to look back when the things in their hands fell to the ground.

"Previously, saffron, pepper, silk from the East, and raw silk were the most profitable," Saduddin answered honestly. "We haven't seen any goods from the East in a few years now, but the pepper trade is still good. We can go by sea into the Mediterranean and sell it to Athens, bypassing the Ottoman Empire. As long as we avoid being robbed by Crusader pirates, we can make a lot of money."

"What about wool? What's the price of wool?" Li Rufeng calculated. He could no longer count on the pepper trade. That stuff basically came from the direction of Damascus. He didn't want to over-stimulate the Mamluks.

"Wool can be sold for about three hundred akqqahs per kilogram, but it has to be clean wool that has been washed. There used to be a large wool processing workshop outside Aleppo that could process wool into wool yarn, but now..." Saduddin couldn't continue, because the factory was demolished by Sultan Timur, and the wood was probably later turned into siege ladders and other things.

Akçe, the Akçe silver coin is a silver coin minted by the Ottoman Empire. It is the most widely circulated currency unit in the Ottoman Empire. Each coin weighs 1.2-1.5 grams on average and contains about 60% silver. Almost sixty of them can be exchanged for one Florin gold coin.

Saduddin said this because he was accustomed to using the currency of the Ottoman Empire, and Aleppo's original monetary system mainly came from the Mamluks, which was the traditional Islamic-style system of dinar gold coins, dirham silver coins, and fil copper coins.

This monetary system was first formalized by the fourth Mamluk Sultan Baibars I, but before that, the Umayyad and Abbasid dynasties also used it, but its scale was limited because gold and silver reserves were not as widespread.

Baibars even established a mint in Aleppo at that time, but it went bankrupt a hundred years ago.

When it came to purchasing wool, Dost and the Khanate's post system could only offer about one-third of the price before. Moreover, according to Li Rufeng's estimation, a large amount of the purchased wool was directly sold to Ottoman merchants to make a profit from the difference.

Now, it is finally Li Rufeng's turn to do this business.

"I have 3,000 kilograms of wool to sell now. I can give you the goods first at the price you mentioned, but I don't want money. I want food. Can this deal be done?" Li Rufeng put out his first bait.

Li Rufeng was not a herdsman and did not know what kind of sheep the tribe were. But in Li Rufeng's eyes, compared with the sheep in later generations, the output of mutton and wool from these sheep was pitifully low, and it took two years to collect wool.

But thanks to the bad relationship between the Mughals and Dost, they have not handed over wool and other goods for two years. Three thousand kilograms is not his entire inventory, but it is enough to become the largest transaction in Aleppo in the past two years.

Of course Saduddin can do it! He dreams of becoming a big business!

But Li Rufeng didn't want money, only food, which was a bit difficult. The Ottomans were at war, and everyone was desperately trying to get enough food. The only way to buy enough food was to trade with the Christians across the sea. The merchants from Venice might be willing to take over the wool, but the Crusader pirates were rampant offshore recently, and the port of Alexandria was not big enough. 3,000 kilograms of wool could not be exchanged for a lot of food...

"Sir, I wonder if this deal is a one-time deal, or will it happen in the future..." Saduddin asked with some anticipation.

"If I'm happy, this is a fixed deal." Li Rufeng made a generous wish. He wanted to know how far this greedy businessman in front of him could go.

"Then how can I make you happy?" Saduddin asked very tactfully.

Li Rufeng just laughed and looked at the other party pretending to be stupid.

Saduddin hesitated. He didn't know whether he should wait for a good price or seize the opportunity and eat his fill first.

Businessmen aren't always short-sighted; they simply prioritize risk and loss. Just like now... After a brief moment of reflection, Saduddin decisively took Li Rufeng's bait. "Sir, I understand. How about staying in the city for a few more nights?"

Chapter 185: Forged Background

What would happen if he stayed a few more nights? Li Rufeng didn't know, but he was happy to participate and see what the result would be.

Saduddin did not arrange for these Mughals to live in his own home, although he wanted to do so very much, but for the sake of his next plan, he could only endure it temporarily.