Chapter 56: A New Horizon for the Empire, The City of Trade (Additional Chapter)

Chapter 56: A New Horizon for the Empire, The City of Trade (Bonus Chapter)

As time flowed onward, the Great Qin Empire stepped into the golden autumn of the seventh year of King Shi'huang (215 BC). The cool autumn breeze gently pushed away the scorching grip of summer, rolling and tumbling freely through the air.

The Pan-Asia Continental Alliance had officially been established, with its headquarters located in Xianyang City, and the barracks of the Peacekeeping Legion stationed about forty li away from the Lantian Military Camp.

Few tribes had joined the alliance—fewer than ten, and most of them were small tribes. Only Wusun, a major tribe, had chosen to join, a development that had surprised even Great Qin itself.

Under the strong and insistent demands of the various tribes, Great Qin reluctantly agreed to assume the position of leader of the alliance. Wusun dispatched five thousand brave warriors to join the peacekeeping legion, while the remaining tribes gathered another seven thousand men. Great Qin, for its part, contributed a full eighteen thousand soldiers to the peacekeeping force.

To better enhance the combat effectiveness of the peacekeeping legion, Great Qin could only reluctantly take responsibility for the legion's daily training. This was, of course, strictly at the earnest request of the member states and entirely voluntary.

Since half of the peacekeeping legion consisted of cavalry, the empire transferred Wang Li, the former commander of the First Cavalry Division of the Vermillion Bird Army, to serve as the commander of the peacekeeping legion. Two senior officers and one hundred middle and junior officers were transferred along with him.

Following a series of martial competitions, the only senior officer position secured by someone other than Great Qin was the commander of the Third Division of the peacekeeping legion, who belonged to the Wusun tribe; all other high-ranking positions were filled by men from Great Qin.

Thus, the peacekeeping legion was firmly under the control of Great Qin. The other member states could say nothing against this; joining the continental alliance meant binding their fates entirely to Great Qin.

Since they could not resist, they might as well sit back and enjoy the benefits brought by Great Qin.

Today marked the first large-scale trade event for the member states of the continental alliance. Many tribes had brought massive quantities of supplies to trade with Great Qin.

In charge of this grand trade event was none other than our Lord Grand Tutor, alongside Meng Yi and other fiscal officials from the Ministry of Finance.

Ten li outside the western gate of Xianyang City, a massive trading ground was currently under hurried construction. For now, only the trade hall and the rest and dining areas had been completed.

Situated close to the Wei River, this trading ground was named the Empire's First Trade City, a comprehensive hub integrating water transport, logistics, large-scale trade, and wholesale and retail services.

Though called a "city," it was essentially a massive trading post, enclosed by a simple wall less than a zhang in height, guarded by a detachment of soldiers maintaining internal order.

The construction site of the Trade City bustled with frenetic activity. Countless laborers toiled away across the grounds, and after a month of construction, the rough outline of the city could already be discerned.

Simultaneously, street renovations were underway within Xianyang City itself. These twin construction projects provided a multitude of employment opportunities for the common folk near Xianyang, securing them an additional source of income.

Among the proposals put forward by Yang Zimo, it was noted that Xianyang, serving as the imperial capital and the economic, political, and cultural center of the nation, could not afford to project a subpar image. Consequently, various industries that detracted from Xianyang's aesthetic and civic image were zoned into the Trade City.

The city where Yang Zimo had lived in his past life was a model of hygiene and civilization, undergoing rigorous preparations year after year for sanitary city evaluations. Deeply influenced by this background, and now unfettered upon arriving in Great Qin with the backing of its most powerful patron, he felt free to voice and implement his various ideas to his heart's content.

Aside from the Trade City, Xianyang City had also been zoned to feature a main commercial street dedicated to clothing and jewelry, a gourmet food street offering a variety of delicacies, and an entertainment street to enrich the spiritual lives of the populace.

Once all these planned visions became reality, everything felt as though it had returned to the twenty-first century: shopping, eating, and playing to one's heart's content!

Currently, the Ministry of Science and Technology was dedicating all its efforts to researching the steam engine. Once the steam engine was successfully developed, Great Qin would truly become invincible in the world and step into an entirely new era.

"Milord! Milord!" Feng, the head of the guards, woke Yang Zimo from his light slumber.

"What is it?"

Yang Zimo snapped out of his daydream, seamlessly wiping a trace of drool from the corner of his mouth.

"We've arrived at the Trade Hall!"

"Oh! Excellent!"

Yang Zimo promptly stepped out of the carriage and walked into the hall.

"We pay our respects to the Grand Tutor!"

Merchants from various tribes immediately bowed in unison inside the Trade Hall.

"No need for formalities, everyone! Please take your seats!"

Once everyone was seated, the massive Trade Hall fell into instant silence, every pair of eyes fixed upon Yang Zimo at the seat of honor.

"This trade event marks the first commercial exchange among the member states of the Pan-Asia Continental Alliance, and I have been commanded by the court to preside over it. Let us begin!"

As his voice trailed off, a staff member from the Trade Hall stepped forward, holding a large horn to begin introducing the rules of trade.

"Aside from certain commodities which will be traded freely, special goods in this alliance exchange will be acquired through a bidding process."

"To facilitate transactions, all items will be settled using Great Qin currency. Precious items such as gold and silver will be appraised and evaluated by professionals, then uniformly converted into Great Qin currency. We ask for everyone's cooperation!"

"In the area to the left of the hall, market prices for various supplies are clearly marked. You may pick up the paper beside you to take notes, facilitating price negotiations during trade."

The staff member detailing the trading rules stepped back to the side, awaiting further instructions from Yang Zimo.

"Now that you are all aware of the trading rules, please make your own arrangements! An hour from now, an auction for special items will be held in the auction hall, and those interested may proceed there."

With that, Yang Zimo and Meng Yi departed together.

The two men, leading a large entourage, strolled leisurely through the Trade City. Although construction was not yet complete, numerous merchants had already claimed spots and begun hawking their wares.

Most of the people who had come to the Trade City today belonged to the alliance's member states, driving large herds of cattle, sheep, and horses, and bringing rare treasures, medicinal herbs, furs, and other supplies.

Many merchants from Great Qin had also brought their respective goods to trade with the foreigners within the Trade City. Numerous people could be seen holding thick stacks of Qin currency, purchasing goods in bulk just like modern wholesale buyers stocking up at a market.

The Qin currency had been successfully developed recently specifically to facilitate trade. It was a specially crafted, easily portable paper currency that functioned just like modern fiat money. It was issued in denominations of one hundred yuan, fifty yuan, twenty yuan, ten yuan, five yuan, one yuan, fifty fen, and ten fen. One liang of silver was equivalent to one hundred yuan (one liang of silver equaled fifty grams, roughly equivalent to four hundred modern RMB).

A shi of rice in Great Qin weighed sixty catties and cost thirty cash in total, which translated in Qin currency to fifty fen per catty.

The promotion of the new currency had proven extremely difficult in the beginning, but with the endorsement of the Great Qin imperial court, the common people gradually grew to accept it. Adoption remained concentrated primarily among merchants, whose large capital volumes made the new paper currency vastly more convenient.

The manufacturing process of the Qin currency had also been arduous. From the initial development of the paper to the conception of paper currency itself, Great Qin had spent a full four years producing the first edition of banknotes, primarily struggling with issues regarding anti-counterfeiting, recognition, and storage.

Despite the numerous challenges, backed by the rigorous laws of Great Qin and continuous refinement, the system was sure to gradually improve.