Chapter 59: Bulk Transactions and Regulated Items

Chapter 59: Bulk Transactions and Controlled Items

Inside the auction hall, the one hundred stones of refined salt put up for sale by the Great Qin Empire were sold out in no time, paving the way for the true focal point of the entire auction.

Every member state participating in the auction had been issued an inventory list so they could acquaint themselves with the items on offer and better allocate their funds.

The third round was where the fierce competition among the various tribes would truly unfold.

"Next up is the centerpiece of this auction. This round will feature standard-issue equipment of the Great Qin military: bronze spears, broadswords, shields, and armor."

"Category one: fifty thousand longswords, offered in batches of one thousand, with a starting bid of 1.5 million."

"The Wusun tribe bids 1.55 million!"

"The Hujie tribe bids 1.6 million!"

"Category two: thirty thousand spears, bundled in lots of one thousand, with a starting bid of 1 million!"

"Category three: ten thousand single-man shields, in batches of one hundred, with a starting bid of three hundred thousand!"

"Category four: eight thousand bronze armor sets, in batches of one hundred, with a starting bid of 1 million!"

As time passed, the massive quantities of iron and bronze weaponry and equipment phased out by the Great Qin military were bought up batch by batch by the chieftains of the various tribes in the auction hall.

The steppe tribes were inept at manufacturing; the majority of their warriors wore leather armor, and only the bravest could wield iron weapons. Many still carried weapons made of bronze or bone.

After all, this era was one where bronze and iron weapons coexisted, and iron weapon technology across general ancient history only truly matured during the Western Han Dynasty.

The Qin Dynasty certainly possessed ironware, but the quality fell short of the Western Han period. At this time, Qin's more sophisticated bronze weapon manufacturing technology had reached the absolute peak of the entire Bronze Age.

Furthermore, standard-issue weaponry was strictly prohibited from being sold by the state. Had it not been for the fact that Great Qin was now widely adopting steel weaponry and possessed overwhelming imperial strength, Great Qin would never have sold weapons to bolster the power of the steppe tribes.

Yet, since Great Qin now dared to sell standard-issue weaponry, it stemmed from absolute and formidable confidence.

Besides, these weapons were phased-out surplus. Rather than melting them down to be recast, it was far more profitable to sell them to the steppe tribes in exchange for massive quantities of cattle, sheep, and horses.

Secondly, in order to acquire more supplies from Great Qin, these tribes would inevitably use the weapons and equipment sold to them by Great Qin to raid neighboring tribes.

Thus, a virtuous cycle was formed in successive layers, allowing Great Qin to simply act as an arms dealer and gradually strengthen itself.

"My dear alliance members! To celebrate the establishment of the alliance, Great Qin will present its most precious treasures for sale to you all, as a demonstration of our utmost sincerity!"

The auction had already reached its halfway mark. At this moment, Yang Zimo produced a blockbuster bomb to begin a new round of exploitation against these steppe tribes.

"Bring them forward!"

Yang Zimo clapped his hands and summoned the attendants to carry the items up.

The attendants bore trays covered in red cloth, along with three wooden racks draped in crimson fabric, placing them in the most conspicuous spot on the elevated platform.

"What manner of items are these, to be covered up like this?"

"Who knows? It isn't even mentioned in the auction catalog."

"Since this auction is primarily tailored for us steppe tribes, these surely cannot be ordinary goods."

The tribal chieftains beneath the stage began whispering amongst themselves, eagerly guessing what could be hidden underneath.

"Behold, everyone!"

Yang Zimo reached out and whipped the red cloth off the tray. A blinding flash of white light cut through the air, causing everyone to instinctively close their eyes.

"This is..."

"A steel saber!"

"What!"

Upon hearing the words of the King of Wusun, the tribal chieftains leaped to their feet in unison.

Steel weaponry was far sharper and more resilient than iron arms. The entire steppe coalition possessed fewer than three such blades, and every single one of them was legendary.

Every steel weapon was fiercely guarded in the hands of a tribal chieftain. Even in the former Great Qin, iron weapons were the mainstay of mass usage, while steel weapons remained exceedingly rare.

"Indeed, the blade in this marquis's hand is a steel saber, forged by Great Qin's finest artisans over the course of an entire year. This blade cuts through iron like mud and severs hairs blown against its edge. This marquis shall demonstrate it for you all."

With that, Yang Zimo took the steel saber in his hand and slashed directly toward a set of iron weapons that had been prepared in advance at the side.

"Clang! Clang, clang!"

The sound of colliding blades rang out continuously. Within moments, more than a dozen iron sabers had been hacked into two pieces.

Yang Zimo lifted the steel saber, revealing its razor-sharp edge.

"Take a look, everyone. After chopping through so many blades consecutively, the edge of the steel saber in this marquis's hand remains as sharp as ever, completely undamaged without a single nick. That alone proves the peerless sharpness of this blade!"

Regaining their senses, the crowd stared with heavy breath at the steel saber in Yang Zimo's hand, their eyes gleaming with intense desire.

"May I ask the State Preceptor, are these sabers intended for sale?"

A tribal chieftain called out, and the rest of the chieftains shared the exact same thought.

"There are one hundred such steel sabers in total. The starting bid is one hundred thousand, and the highest bidder takes them!"

"You may now place your bids!"

Having thrown out the price, Yang Zimo ignored them further. With weapons like steel sabers, anyone with half a brain knew what they represented.

After several rounds of fierce bargaining, all one hundred steel sabers were successfully won by the steppe tribes at an average price of three hundred thousand each.

The Wusun tribe secured forty sabers, the Western Qiang claimed twenty, and the remaining tribes split the last forty amongst themselves.

Those who won the steel sabers were as happy as children, completely unconcerned with how much they had spent. After all, the thrill of spending money invariably felt hundreds or thousands of times more intoxicating than the process of earning it.

Paying no heed to their current state of excitement, Yang Zimo proceeded with the auction, leading up to the grand finale of the event.

"Ahem!"

"Compose yourselves, everyone. The grand finale of this auction is ready to meet its future master!"

"Swish!"

Yang Zimo roughly ripped the red cloth off the wooden racks on the stage, revealing three sets of armor dyed in brilliant gold, gleaming silver, and pitch black.

Boom!

Everyone in the hall was utterly astounded.

The three sets of armor were each composed of thousands of scale plates, overlapping one another like the scales of a fish. The heart-protecting mirror on the chest was forged from a single, solid piece of steel, seamlessly integrated with the scale armor.

Atop the beast-carved helmet, densely interlocking miniature iron rings formed a tight mesh that covered a person's entire neck. The helmet was further equipped with a matching facial mask, ensuring the entire suit of armor shielded every vital point and effectively safeguarding the wearer's body.

Combined with the specially applied color treatments, the entire set of armor radiated a divine and awe-inspiring aura.

"Three sets of all-iron armor. Each set starts at a bidding price of one million. Let us begin!"

"This golden armor belongs to this king! This king bids two million! Anyone wishing to outbid me is welcome to come find me at the Wusun tribe!"

Ever since the armor had appeared, Kunna had been determined to claim it. By shouting out his bid first and layering it with a thinly veiled threat, he instantly disrupted the plans of the other chieftains.

"The bright silver armor shall belong to the Western Qiang tribe, and we likewise bid two million for it!"

Danmu’s eyes rolled, and he immediately chimed in.

Following the bids of these two figures, only one set of armor remained, leaving the chieftains of the remaining tribes momentarily silent.

"This last set of armor belongs to the Baidi tribe!"

The King of Baidi broke the deadlock first.

"Hold on, the Beidi tribe wants it as well!"

The King of Beidi drawled lazily.