Controlling mountains and rivers since the Warring States Period

Chapter 387 (Bonus Chapter): Crassus's Quest for Qin (Part 4)

In the following days,
Crassus was no longer captivated by the scenery and food of Andu, nor did he ponder receiving officials.

More often than not, he would go to the busiest street in Andu City and ask the opinions of the people from all directions who were constantly gathering in this huge city.

In a tavern,
Crassus encountered two elegant Qin men.

They were dressed in simple, wide-sleeved robes typical of the Chinese tradition, sitting quietly in a corner drinking wine.

One of them had white hair and beard, was very old, but had a plump figure, not many wrinkles on his face, and wore a turban-like hat that was very popular among the Qin people at that time.
The other one, who looked younger and in his fifties, was talking to a friend with a slight frown.

The reason they were able to attract Crassus to make direct contact was because:
When the two men saw the Roman with his high nose and deep-set eyes, they couldn't help but blurt out a couple of words in Roman.

This surprised Krassus.

In this way, I will be able to communicate with it directly!

So he walked over with a smile, and without any hesitation, in accordance with the etiquette of the Chinese people, sat down cross-legged on the empty side of the small table and inquired about the identities of the two people.

The other person did not reject him and answered his questions calmly.

The old man said, "My surname is Hei."

The middle-aged man said, "My surname is Lü."

Crassus had some recollection of the former's surname.

Because the Hei clan was a prominent clan in the Qin state, many members of the clan still serve as officials in Qin today.

However, because the Qin people's families were traditionally large and had many branches, unlike in Rome where one could determine a person's status solely by their surname.
Therefore, Crassus could not be sure that this very old man, who was still holed up in the tavern drinking cloudy wine, was a member of the noble Black Clan.

Fortunately,

His goal in coming here was not to explore the identities of others.

He asked out of curiosity, "Are you here to attend the grand meeting?"

"Yes."

"So what are your thoughts?" Crassus became even more curious, and leaned forward to pour himself a drink from the beverage the other person had ordered.

Ok,
Free drinks always taste better!

Fortunately,

Neither of the elders held a grudge against the young man.

The middle-aged man simply smiled and told him, "Of course we support doing business."

"After all, merchants are like the lifeblood of such a large country."

"If you forcibly stop it, the body will get sick and even die."

“That’s right!” Crassus applauded his remarks and touted the importance of his business to the country.

Taking advantage of the fact that others couldn't understand Roman, he launched a scathing attack on the Qin state's policy of "emphasizing agriculture and suppressing commerce" in the tavern.

"Such a decree is simply unimaginable to me!"

"These rules must be made by the devil!"

"Cough cough!"

Hearing his impassioned words, the old man couldn't help but cough. "Making decisions is simply a matter of addressing the issue at hand."

"It's not enough to insult someone like that."

Crassus chuckled and said, "I just wonder if the 'wisdom' in the minds of the person who proposed this idea, and the monarch who chose to implement it, is contrary to what is common sense."

"Merchants are so important to the country, how can we assume that they have taken away the interests of others just because they have made some money?"

Crassus, thinking of his family, said with genuine emotion, "The reason our family is so wealthy is entirely due to our own hard work!"

"If those lowly people also aspire to possess great wealth, they should earn it through their own labor!"

Why are they so resentful of the rich?

The middle-aged man addressed him in this way and then asked him in return, "I see you are dressed very elegantly and are very friendly to merchants. Your family must be a wealthy merchant family, right?"

"Yes."

"If I remember correctly, there were almost no restrictions on merchants in Rome. If your family has a lot of money, you must be a powerful figure in the current court?"

"Yes!"

Crassus became proud.

He was never ashamed of the wealth he possessed.

In Roman culture, there was no concept similar to the Chinese custom of "not flaunting one's wealth."

In the prevailing rules outside the domain,
Wealth is like power.

If you don't show it, you won't be able to gain the respect of others.

"So what's your view on making a profit through investment?"

The other person suddenly straightened up, adopted the air of a senior, and spoke in a tone like a teacher examining a student's grades.

Crassus was somewhat displeased with his disrespect. But since he hadn't finished enjoying the free food on the table, he casually replied:
"Making money through buying and selling, it's so easy!"

“I never think about such things.”

For Crassus, "profiting" had become as simple as eating and drinking.

However, the other party did not let Krassu go.

Ignoring the young man's expression, he stroked his beard and asked him with a smile:
"So, in your opinion, how much profit can one make from running a farm?"

"Tens of times more."

At present, Rome is a time when the powerful and wealthy are acquiring land extensively and building estates.

Vast amounts of land were seized by nobles, and many citizens were forced into bankruptcy, becoming debt slaves.

Crassus's family owned many estates.

How much profit can be made from selling items like jewelry?

“That’s hundreds of thousands of dollars in profit!” Crassus said. “It’s the easiest way to make money.”

The slaves still needed to be captured.
If they encounter resistance, they may lose manpower or even injure themselves.

They could sell silk, spices, and gems from the East, which could then be turned into gold.

Because of their scarcity, sometimes even holding countless gold pieces in one's hands, it is difficult to exchange them for enough Eastern goods.

Therefore,
Crassus, driven by profit, came to the Qin state.

Since his mission began, he has exchanged most of the money he carried for these items, and he's just waiting to return to Rome to resell them!
The middle-aged man sighed, revealing a look of deep disappointment with the assessment results. "As expected, young people still lack vision!"

Crassus, seeing his expression, also became dissatisfied.

Why would this simply dressed Qin man question the judgment of the son of a wealthy man?
How much did he earn?
How much did the Crassus family earn?
Can he compare?

Does he dare to compete?

Fortunately, the middle-aged man didn't play dumb with him and directly asked him a new question.

"I have heard that in Rome there are two leaders named Marius and Sulla who are vying for power."

"Does your family have someone choose to follow and support you?"

Crassus was surprised. "How do you know this?"

“My father did indeed support Sulla.”

It was through this relationship that his father was able to become a consul.

"Then why did your father follow him?"

"In the struggle for power, most of the investment is money; the returns are a matter for the future."

Do you know how much money your father spent to support the leader he chose?

Crassus's face fell upon hearing this.

Of course he knew that.
Watching the family's wealth slip away for no reason, with no way to replenish it, felt like cutting flesh from Crassus's heart with a knife!
The struggle between Sulla and Marius continues.
This means that his family's wealth will decrease even further in the future!
This caused a conflict between Crassus and his father, who believed that Crassus had made a terrible business deal that almost wiped out the family's capital.

Do you know why your father did this?

Just as Crassus was grieving the loss of his wealth, he heard the middle-aged man ask him this question.

"why?"

Do you know how much profit can be made by supporting a country's leader?

The middle-aged man said this to Crassus with a gentle and kind smile.

His voice suddenly became seductive, "That would be an immeasurable fortune!"

Krassus's eyes widened suddenly.

His eyes, which he considered shrewd, revealed a sense of bewilderment and the astonishment of "discovering a new continent."

"you……"

He composed himself, then, his face flushed, asked the middle-aged man, "Would you be willing to come back to Rome with me and become my teacher?"

The middle-aged man smiled without saying a word.

Just as Crassus was about to extend another invitation, the boatman who had taken him across the West Wei River suddenly appeared in the tavern and went straight to the two men in the corner.

He said, "Lu Wenxin, are you setting a bad example for the children again?"

"The grand meeting starts tomorrow. Aren't you afraid of getting beaten by Wei Yang?"

He's always encouraging others to do some "big business," but one day his old enemies will gang up on him and trap him. He can't blame himself for not saving him.

The middle-aged man immediately burst into laughter and dared not speak.

The old man, who had been silently observing, finally couldn't hold back any longer and burst into laughter.

(End of this chapter)