199: Chapter 199 The Probe of the Tuan Tribe

After hearing what Lu Jia said, Cao Jiacheng looked at him in disbelief and couldn't help but ask, "Lord Lu, is what you said really true?"

"Hmm?"

Seeing Cao Jiacheng's reaction, both Jin Tu and Jin Xishan couldn't help but feel curious.

They both wanted to know what Cao Jiacheng had heard that would cause such a significant reaction.

"Mr. Cao."

Jin Tu and Jin Xishan both urged him.

Cao Jiacheng ignored their urging, his eyes fixed on Lu Jia, fearing he might have misheard.

Is this for real? Using grain to exchange for wool!

The herdsmen of the Tuan Tribe ate mutton every day, and they had a massive amount of wool in their hands.

Aside from a small portion used for making clothes and blankets, the unusable wool was naturally discarded like trash.

In Cao Jiacheng's eyes, even if this wool had some use, it shouldn't be exchangeable for grain.

No one would conduct a trade like this.

Therefore, when Cao Jiacheng heard that such an inconceivable trade was about to happen, his first reaction wasn't shock, but suspicion.

As a pure businessman who had been in trade for decades, he had never made a money-losing deal.

Cao Jiacheng knew very well that exchanging grain for wool would definitely be a losing deal for Great Qin.

Conversely, for the Xiongnu Tribes, it would definitely be a profitable deal.

Sure enough, after Jin Tu, Jin Xishan, and the high-ranking members of the Tuan Tribe heard of this trade, expressions of pleasant surprise appeared on their faces.

"Father."

Jin Xishan was young, but her mind was incredibly calm.

She spoke to Jin Tu, saying, "We shouldn't be happy too early."

"We cannot guarantee that Great Qin will do as they say."

"Indeed!"

Jin Xishan's statement immediately drew unanimous agreement from the Tuan Tribe's high-ranking members.

She raised an eyebrow and looked at Lu Jia, saying, "Your His Majesty the Head of State wants wool, and we can give it to you. But when will you transport the grain here?"

"And how much grain are you willing to use to exchange for our wool?"

After being translated by Cao Jiacheng, Lu Jia replied with a smile, "The more, the better."

"What!"

This time, not only was Cao Jiacheng dumbfounded, but Jin Xishan, Jin Tu, and the high-ranking members of the Tuan Tribe were all stunned as well.

Neither Cao Jiacheng, Jin Xishan, nor Jin Tu truly believed that Great Qin would actually take grain to exchange with them.

If trash like wool could be exchanged for precious grain, why would they need to risk their lives going south to plunder grain!

They could simply stop treating wool as trash when slaughtering sheep, not throw it away, and trade it with Great Qin to obtain grain.

They wouldn't even dare to dream of such a good thing!

Even dreams need a certain level of logic!

Something they wouldn't even dream of was actually happening in reality; Cao Jiacheng, Jin Tu, and Jin Xishan still couldn't believe it.

Therefore, Cao Jiacheng couldn't help but ask Lu Jia, "Lord, you're just saying this to trick them, right?"

"Tell me the truth, it should be fine; anyway, they can't understand our Great Qin language."

"Everything I said is true!"

Lu Jia looked at Cao Jiacheng and said, "Tell these Xiongnu people that five catties of wool can be exchanged for one catty of grain."

*Hiss!*

Cao Jiacheng gasped upon hearing this.

He never imagined that wool could be exchanged for so much grain.

"What is he saying?"

Seeing Cao Jiacheng's incredibly shocked expression, Jin Xishan was extremely curious, wanting to know what Lu Jia had said to cause such a reaction!

Cao Jiacheng swallowed, moistening his dry throat, and then said, "Five catties of wool can be exchanged for one catty of grain."

"What!"

Jin Tu, Jin Xishan, and the high-ranking members of the Tuan Tribe were all greatly shocked, their faces filled with disbelief.

Wool, which was no different from trash in their eyes, was actually so valuable that it could be exchanged for so much grain!

"Xishan, what do you think?"

Jin Tu asked his clever daughter.

Jin Xishan said, "Father, we cannot easily trust these cunning people of Great Qin."

"Hmm."

Jin Tu nodded.

"But we also can't completely distrust these cunning Great Qin people."

In Jin Xishan's beautiful eyes, sparks of calculation flickered.

She said, "By slaughtering one sheep, we can get six catties of wool."

"Our tribe consumes two thousand sheep a day, which is twelve thousand catties of wool."

"We will give these twelve thousand catties of wool to the Great Qin people. I, Xishan, want to see if they will really give us two thousand four hundred catties of grain."

"Xishan's words make sense!"

The high-ranking members of the Tuan Tribe nodded repeatedly.

They, the people of the grasslands, ate meat all their lives.

They consumed a large number of sheep every day.

They could obtain a massive amount of wool every day.

There was too much wool, and it was impossible for them to utilize it all.

Large amounts of wool were simply discarded by them as trash.

They would throw this trash to the Great Qin people; they wanted to see if these cunning people were just talking big about exchanging five catties of wool for one catty of grain, or if they were merely deceiving them.

Neither Jin Tu nor Jin Xishan believed in their hearts that the Great Qin people would actually use grain to exchange for wool.

If such a good thing existed, why would they need to risk their lives to plunder Great Qin's grain?

Regardless, giving the trash-like wool to the Great Qin people resulted in no loss for them.

They would see if these Great Qin people would transport the two thousand four hundred catties of grain here as they said.

With twelve thousand catties of wool, Cao Jiacheng's caravan couldn't transport it all at once using only wheelbarrows.

According to Lu Jia's plan, they would transport one batch back first, bring the grain over, and then transport the next batch back.

The weighing tool used in the Qin Dynasty was the Steelyard.

By hanging weights and Qin weights on the scale beam and using the lever principle, they measured the weight of objects, achieving accurate measurement.

Lu Jia arranged for people to fill hemp sacks with wool and use the scale to weigh them.

Jin Xishan watched the actions of these Great Qin people the entire time.

She saw that these Great Qin people were truly filling the wool into sacks one by one and then weighing them.

Lu Jia took out something pure white and used a small brush to record on it.

Jin Xishan pulled Cao Jiacheng over to act as her translator.

"What is this thing?"

Jin Xishan looked curiously at that pure white sheet.

She had never seen this material, which didn't look like silk or sheepskin.

"This is Paper."

Lu Jia replied, "It was invented by His Majesty the Head of State."

"His Majesty the Head of State?"