Chapter 273 Hu Shang Presents a Knife
The hot air balloon rising into the sky, carrying Qiansifang's advertising banner, instantly became a hot topic in the city.

The hot air balloon was invented by Wang Jing more than a year ago. Now, with the help of the skilled craftsmen of Qiqiao Pavilion, the technology has been successfully perfected and the output has been increased, which is enough to be put into large-scale commercial use.

The first step towards the market was to help Qiansifang with advertising. People of this era had never seen such means and were immediately shocked.

In the merchant house, Abdul, a traveling merchant from the Western Regions, looked terrified and asked his followers: "What is in the sky?"

Today's Luoyang City is the civilization center of Asia and even the Eastern world, so there are many foreign merchants from the Western Regions.

Abdul's ancestors were nobles of the Persian Empire. After the fall of their country, they fled to the Western Regions, relied on the local city lord, and became wealthy again through business.

This time Abdul came to Luoyang because he heard that a wise and brave young general had emerged in the Yanhan Dynasty. He conquered the rebellious princes and made the situation in the empire stable again.

Not only that, Wang Jing also changed the previous policies and systems and vigorously revitalized industry and commerce.

Luoyang now not only possesses enormous wealth that can allow it to purchase more luxury goods from the Western Regions, but it also produces a large number of products that can be transported back to the Western Regions for sale by traveling merchants.

Abdul's family missed the opportunity in the previous raw material business, and this time they came here to make up for it. He even prepared generous gifts and planned to meet Wang Jing to ask for an opportunity for cooperation.

But before the audience officially began, Abdul knelt down.

At this moment, Abdul knelt on the ground and began to pray as if he had seen a god descend to the earth.

In their cognition, only gods can stand above the clouds.

But mortals cannot conquer the sky.

But what they saw and heard was so real and so shocking.

Abdul sent out his servant, who soon got the news from the local residents of Luoyang: "Master, I asked someone and found out that the big crimson ball floating in the sky is called a hot air balloon, which was invented by General Wei two years ago."

"What! Such a divine creation was actually invented by us mortals?"

Abdul showed an expression of disbelief. Such a thing was simply beyond his understanding and imagination.

How could mortals conquer the sky?

Aren't only gods able to stand high above the heavens?

"Are you sure? If you dare to lie to me, death will be the only grace you can pray for!"

The servant was so frightened by Abdul's words that he knelt on the ground and kowtowed repeatedly: "Master, I swear to God that my words are absolutely true and there is absolutely no falsehood!"

Both of them believed in Zoroastrianism, also known as Fire Worship, of the ancient Persian Empire.

For devout believers, swearing an oath by God is a very heavy oath.

Therefore, Abdul believed the servant's words, and at the same time, he was also excited: "Qi Hou Wang Jing, this young general of the Yanhan Dynasty, is it true that he is the reincarnation of a god from heaven as the rumors say? If not, how could he accomplish such a great feat?"

In Abdul's opinion, Wang Jing must be the reincarnation of a god, which is why he was able to do things that ordinary people could not do.

"No, I must meet this great being as soon as possible, all for the glory of the Atazeel family!"

The hot air balloon rose high into the sky, and at the same time, the popularity of Qiansifang reached its peak.

Outside the cloth shop, there were really a lot of customers coming in, which set off the unique "Thousands of Silks" trademark on Qiansifang.

The shop owner was grinning from ear to ear. With business being so good, he would definitely get a commission, so he served the customers more attentively.

Lu Fang and Guo Jia stood aside and observed, both of them had knowing smiles on their faces.

Especially Lu Fang: "With such a huge amount of money every day, I won't have to worry about the money for experiments in the future."

Guo Jia couldn't help but tease, "Zhengliang, aren't you afraid that those old scholars will find fault with you and call you a money-grubber?"

Lu Fang laughed: "I'm not Cui Lie or Cui Weikao, why are they scolding me? Besides, my lord once said that as long as the money is earned cleanly, who has the right to say anything?"

Qiansifang makes money by relying on technological innovation, which reduces production costs while improving product quality.

Therefore, every penny earned is clean, reasonable and legal. If anyone dares to criticize, Lu will loudly refute.

Although he has a good personality, it doesn't mean he is a fool, nor does it mean he has no temper.

Anyone who dares to block his path to wealth and leaves him with no money for experiments will be considered the murderer of his father. If a fight really breaks out, Lu Fang will not be polite.

You have to know that the Mohist School, to which Lu Fang belonged, assassinated many nobles and even princes who practiced tyranny during the Warring States Period. They were definitely a group of people with violent tempers.

Anyone who dares to regard Mohists as technology geeks who don't care about the world is courting death.

Therefore, Lu Fang is usually kind because he doesn't like to cause trouble and just wants to do research well. But if anyone really provokes him and affects his fundamental interests, even though he looks kind all day long, you might think he doesn't dare to kill anyone.

Lu Fang's life trajectory has undergone a tremendous change because of following Wang Jing. Because of his own interests, he came into contact with physics and Mohist mechanical engineering through Wang Jing, and from then on he was unable to stop and immersed himself in them.

It is precisely because of this that Lu Fang has now become a member of Wang Jing's camp. Moreover, due to the entanglement of interests and the convergence of ideas, Lu Fang firmly believes that only Wang Jing can strive for the Central Plains and become the supreme.

Therefore, even if Wang Jing wanted to become emperor now, the Lu side would never object, and would even support it wholeheartedly.

Such loyalty also brought huge rewards to Lu Fang. The establishment of Qiansifang would surely bring him unimaginable wealth and influence.

Lu Fangzheng and Guo Jia were chatting and laughing, and they were imagining the future. Suddenly, the shopkeeper dropped his business and ran over to report to Lu Fangzheng, saying, "Master Lu, there is a guest outside who wants to see you. He said he is a traveling merchant from the Western Regions."

"Traveling merchants from the Western Regions?"

Guo Jia didn't take it too seriously. Although the Yanhan Dynasty was on the verge of decline, some of the princes still had strong military capabilities to crush the surrounding ethnic minorities.

The Eastern Han Dynasty's military system, military equipment reserves, and local powerful families throughout the states and counties were all civilized yet barbaric. Some foreign races were not really taken seriously by top strategists like Guo Jia.

Therefore, when Abdul, a foreigner with a "weird" appearance, appeared in front of Guo Jia and Lu Fen, the latter two were arrogant. When they looked at Abdul, their gazes were condescending and full of looking down on him.

"I have met two adults."

Abdul performed the Central Plains etiquette to Guo Jia and Lu Fang, but he didn't know who he learned it from, and his movements were a bit weird, which made Guo Jia and Lu Fang look down on him even more.

After all, they can't even hire a good etiquette teacher. The other party's ability is obviously not that good and there is not much value that can be utilized.

Lu Fang smiled softly and said in a gentle voice: "I don't hold any official position, I can't afford to be called 'sir'."

Guo Jia's expression was slightly cold. He did not even bother to pronounce Abdul's name, which he thought was very difficult to pronounce. Instead, he asked directly, "Are you from the Parthian Empire?"

Abdul explained to Guo Jia: "The Parthian Empire you mentioned should be the Arsacid Dynasty, right? I am not from there, my family heritage is even older, it is the Achaemenid Dynasty founded by Cyrus the Great five hundred years ago."

The Parthian Empire, which should be called the Arsacid Dynasty or the Parthian Empire in Persian.

This country, located in western Asia, which is the later Iranian region, was one of the slave empires in the classical period.

Its reign is about the same as that of the Yanhan Dynasty, which is also more than 400 years. It is also now in the final years of the dynasty, a period when natural disasters and man-made tragedies occur frequently.

Historically, the Athas Dynasty perished in 224 AD, only four years later than the Eastern Han Dynasty. The two ancient civilizations can be said to be brothers in distress.

As for the ancient Persian Empire from which Abdul came, it was destroyed five hundred years ago because of Alexander the Great's eastern expedition. Abdul's family was named after Artaxerxes, the brother of Cyrus, the founding monarch of the ancient Persian Empire.

Every time a dynasty collapses, there will always be a group of restorers who are unwilling to lose their power, wealth and status.

Therefore, every time a dynasty changed, it was necessary to raise the butcher knife, cut the weeds and root them out, and put an end to it all.

When Guo Jia heard Abdul's self-introduction, he immediately felt that this might be a point that could be exploited. Of course, the value was still not very high. It could only be used as a casual move at most.

Try your best, maybe you'll get something unexpected.
A little investment is not a big deal. Therefore, Guo Jia's attitude was a little gentler than before. When he looked at Abdul, he began to smile: "We Han people have an old saying, when you are polite to others, you must ask for something. So what do you ask for?"

Abdul had been traveling to Luoyang for business for many years, so he spoke fluent Chinese. He understood everything Guo Jia said and immediately showed a flattering expression: "Sir, I have a rare treasure and would like to meet Marquis Qi and present it to him in person!"

In the study of General Wei's mansion, Wang Jing was reviewing official documents when Guo Jia came to him and told him about Abdul.

"A merchant from the Western Regions? Do you have any rare treasures to offer?"

Wang Jing felt speechless. He was just a general, but everyone treated him as an emperor.

But in the current Luoyang City, who doesn’t know that the little emperor Liu Xie in the palace is just a decoration?

Even so, there is still a backup like Liu Xie. If he dares to disobey, a new emperor can be replaced at any time.

Therefore, anyone with eyes can tell who is the real "emperor" who has the final say in the magnificent imperial capital.

Even a Western Regions merchant like Abdul, if he asked anyone on the roadside, would know that Wang Jing was the "real emperor", and the one in the palace was just a showpiece and nothing could be accomplished by discussing anything with him.

That was why Abdul went through Guo Jia and expressed his desire to visit Wang Jing.

After all, the threshold of General Wei's Mansion was too high for a Western Region merchant like Abdul. He had no chance of meeting Wang Jing through normal means.

Luoyang is the imperial capital and the center of the world, so it is not surprising to see foreigners there.

Therefore, Wang Jing didn't care about this matter at all. After all, foreigners had no influence at all in China at present, let alone much value in their use.

There is no need to please or despise, just ignore it.

"Fengxiao, do you think I should meet him?"

"Since you're here, it wouldn't hurt to meet you."

"Well, since you said so, Fengxiao, I'll meet him."

Wang Jing knew that Guo Jia never did anything without a purpose. Since he suggested that Wang Jing meet Abdul, it meant that the other party had a certain value.

Soon, Abdul received the invitation to General Wei's Mansion, and he stepped into the gate of General Wei's Mansion with excitement and uneasiness.

After several expansions, the current General Wei's Mansion is magnificent and has strict defenses. It is divided into two major areas: the inner courtyard and the outer courtyard.

Cai Yan, Diao Chan and other female members of the palace, as well as maids and servants, all lived in the inner courtyard.

Unless the guests are very close relatives, they can only set foot in the outer courtyard.

The entire mansion is like a royal palace, with secret guards on duty in secret, and no one can step out of line.

After Abdul entered the General Wei's Mansion, he immediately felt a tremendous pressure. The ancient Yanhan Dynasty had strict rules and complicated etiquette, which made him both frightened and envious.

If the ancient Persian Empire had not collapsed, I would probably be able to enjoy such honor today.

Abdul sighed in his heart, then gathered his thoughts and followed the servant who led the way to the living room to meet Wang Jing.

The layout of the living room is relatively simple, but the materials used are all rare treasures, and every detail reveals how noble the owner's status is.

Not long after he sat down, he saw a young man wearing red and black brocade clothes and with sword-like eyes walked in. He spoke with the dignity and domineering manner of a ruler: "Are you Abdul?"

Wang Jing's gaze, just falling on Abdul, was like the weight of a mountain collapsing.

Abdul felt his shoulders sink as if he was under a huge pressure. His knees became weak and he could only barely support his body. He mustered up his energy to answer Wang Jing's question: "It is me. Nice to meet you, respected General Wei."

At this moment, Abdul was in a dignified mood.

The young general in front of him was even more terrifying than the rumors said. The closer he got, the more he could feel that within his tall and mighty body was a terrifying and vast power as big as a mountain or an ocean.

Such great power is already stronger than some so-called demons in the Western Regions. It is simply not like an earthly creature.

"I heard you wanted to see me, and here I am."

Wang Jing faced the smile with a calm expression. He felt that the foreigner in front of him was quite interesting, both in his eyes and in his mentality.

Abdul was not vague. He knelt on one knee as soon as they met and said respectfully, "Great General Wei, for today's audience, I have specially found three unique gifts. I hope you like them."

"Oh? What is it?"

With Wang Jing's current power and status, the rare treasures in the world are nothing in his eyes, and there are even fewer that can be of any benefit to him. Moreover, he doesn't believe that a Western Hu merchant in front of him can take out treasures of that level casually.

However, Abdul did not lie. Before he came here, he really made great efforts to search for information in order to please the new emperor of the Yanhan Dynasty.

It’s a pity that Liu Xie was just a child, and Wang Jing was the one who truly held power.

Therefore, these gifts specially prepared for the emperor can now only be given to Wang Jing.

Abdul took out the first treasure, which in his opinion was also the most valuable treasure. It was a two-foot-long scimitar with a special sawtooth-like pattern on the blade.

Wang Jing had seen it when he traveled to Turkey in his previous life, so he almost cried out in surprise, "Damascus saber? Saladin's ancestors haven't been born yet, right?"

Abdul proudly introduced it to Wang Jing, saying, "This knife is made of Wootz steel. It is extremely sharp and can cut iron like mud. It is a treasure that I have spent a lot of effort to find."

As if to prove himself, Abdul asked Wang Jing to let him try out the sword, and his target was the sword on Wang Jing's waist.

Wang Jing couldn't help laughing when he heard this: "Do you really want to try?"

Abdul was obviously very confident in the Wootz steel knife in his hand, and he could even be said to be full of confidence. After all, the southern region of India produces a natural high-quality iron ore that only requires simple heat processing to be smelted into top-quality Wootz steel.

The knives made of this Wootz steel are extremely strong and even have beautiful patterns. After successful forging, the blade is covered with various patterns, like flowing clouds and water, which is extremely beautiful.

The scimitar in front of him was a sharp weapon, so sharp that it could cut hair and chop iron like mud.

During the Crusades, Saladin was equipped with a large number of weapons forged from Wootz steel, which made the Europeans cry for their parents. From then on, the Damascus saber became famous.

But in fact, this knife was not made in Damascus at all.

As Abdul traveled eastward, he was naturally very aware of how sharp the Uzi steel knife in his hand was.

Wootz steel ingots are already a rare treasure, and he secretly spent a large amount of money in the Western Regions to have a famous craftsman forge it into a sword. After several tests, it was found that it could cut through iron like mud.

From the Western Regions to the Central Plains, Abdul had no idea how many weapons he had secretly cut off, but he still hadn't been able to test the limit of the steel knife in his hand.

So when he stood in front of Wang Jing, he was naturally full of confidence.

It was because Abdul knew how tempting a good weapon was for a general.

Abdul also had confidence that as long as Wang Jing saw the knife in his hand, he would completely fall in love with this indestructible weapon.

In order to make the test results more impactful, Abdul even took the risk of using Wang Jing's sword as a foil.

A businessman must dare to take risks.

As long as there is enough interest to motivate him, Abdul will not frown even if death is at hand.

Wang Jing sighed silently, he really didn't intend to bully anyone. After all, the Hongming Sword was an ancient magic weapon, a magical weapon forged by heaven and man. Abdul could have found any other sword to test, but he chose the Hongming Sword as his opponent. One could only sigh that this man's fate was really bad.

No wonder he is not well-known in history. He probably died early in the Luoyang Rebellion.

(End of this chapter)