[Lightscreen]
[After the Prime Minister successfully pacified the South, the historical records note another event that is truly worth discussing.
According to the Book of Liang: in the fifth year of Sun Quan's Huangwu era (226 AD), a merchant from Da Qin-Roman Empire, named Qin Lun arrived in Jiaozhi. Wu Miao, the Governor of Jiaozhi, promptly sent him to the Wu court. When Sun Quan questioned him about the local customs and geography of his homeland, Qin Lun provided detailed accounts of his people.
The Roman love for silk cannot be overstated. Murals from that era frequently depict women draped in diaphanous silk garments. It became so popular that it even sparked a backlash from conservative Roman senators, who went as far as legally banning men from wearing the fabric.
One of the most vocal critics, Pliny the Elder, once lamented that by the time silk traveled from the Han Empire to Rome, its price had increased more than a hundredfold. He estimated that half of Rome's minted currency, as much as a hundred million sesterces, flowed out of the empire annually just to purchase silk.
To give you a sense of the scale: a sesterce was a small Roman silver coin. A hundred sesterces equaled twenty-five denarii, which in turn equaled one aureus gold coin.
And that was just the hard currency. To get their hands on silk, the Romans also traded glass, coral, topaz, and essential oils. Da Qin or Rome Empire truly lived up to its reputation as the terminus of the Silk Road; its singular appetite for luxury sustained numerous kingdoms along the trade route.]
Sharp intakes of breath echoed throughout the side hall in Gong'an.
The Light Screen had converted Rome's silk expenditures into clear, staggering numbers: millions of gold coins, what did that even look like in real terms?
Guan Yunchang was currently fortifying Jiangling, but a sum like that could probably fill the entire city to the rafters with gold. And according to the screen, that wealth flowed every single year.
Mi Zhu's fists clenched so tightly that his knuckles popped, his voice trembling with a mix of awe and professional greed.
"A hundredfold increase! A bolt of fine silk that costs two thousand coins here... they sell it in Da Qin for the price of a small fortune?"
Two thousand turning into two hundred thousand.
Mi Zhu did not even dare calculate the raw production costs, fearing the sheer profitability would drive him to madness.
Huang Yueying, the Military Advisor's wife, began subconsciously comparing this to their current most profitable ventures.
"One roll of Zhuge Paper sells for a thousand coins. Material costs are a hundred and fifty; labor is a hundred and eighty. Each roll yields a profit of over six hundred coins..."
She stopped, unable to continue.
A twofold profit was already considered immense, but a hundredfold gain was beyond the scope of traditional bookkeeping.
"The Light Screen speaks the truth. A single trade route is indeed enough to sustain several nations."
Even Liu Bei struggled to maintain his usual composure.
Previously, when reading the Records of the Grand Historian, he had viewed Emperor Wu's campaigns to open the Southwestern Road as a drain on the people's resources.
Now, he saw the Emperor's foresight as nothing short of divine.
If the Han could control even fifty percent of that profit, the national strength would double in an instant.
The generals calculated how many cavalry units that money could support, while the civil officials calculated how many provincial tax quotas it could replace.
In this tiny room, the heroes of the era felt the raw, magnetic pull of massive wealth for the first time.
Liu Bei's eyes were slightly bloodshot as he looked at his advisor.
"The top priority for Yi Province is clear. We must follow Kongming's lead and establish the Brocade Official immediately."
Everyone nodded in fervent agreement.
While they could not control the entire route yet, the strategic necessity of the Jin Guan-Brocade Official policy was now undeniable.
[Lightscreen]
[The timing of Qin Lun's arrival in 226 AD, the year after the Prime Minister pacified the South, is quite subtle. And the Book of Liang is very clear about his identity: he was a merchant, not an official envoy.
To get from Rome to Jiaozhou, Qin Lun likely took the maritime route. He would have departed from the Red Sea, sailed around India, and stopped at Ceylon, the Island of Gems. From Ceylon, he would have headed east, passing through the Strait of Malacca and traveling north along the coast of the Indochinese Peninsula until he reached Jiaozhou.
In those days, that voyage was a suicide mission. Why would a man risk certain death just to see Sun Quan? What was his endgame? He certainly was not a superfan of brother Sun Shinwan. The only logical answer is the pursuit of silk. Only a hundredfold profit can make a merchant ignore the ninety-percent chance of dying at sea.
Qin Lun was likely the leader of a merchant guild. He stayed by Sun Quan's side for ten years before returning home, undoubtedly using that time to map the markets and secure the trade routes.
The fact that he stayed in Wu for ten years and never traveled to Shu might be due to the low social status of merchants at the time, or it might be because the Prime Minister had already completely locked down the overland Ancient Southwest Road. Why were the powerful families of Nanzhong willing to contribute their gold, silver, cinnabar, and warhorses to the state?
Simply put, because backing the Prime Minister meant they could earn far more than they ever could as independent rebels.]
Liu Bei reached out and traced the imaginary path of Qin Lun's journey.
"Sixty thousand li! And a suicide mission at that. This Qin Lun... he is a man of remarkable courage."
Mi Zhu felt a surge of professional pride and stepped forward, bowing deeply.
"My Lord, I wish to one day lead a mission to Da Qin on your behalf."
Though the screen called the place Rome, Mi Zhu preferred the more ancient and respectful title of Da Qin.
Liu Bei hesitated, looking at his old friend with genuine concern.
"Zizhong, you possess great bravery. But this path is fraught with peril. Perhaps we should leave such expeditions to future generations? You have followed me for twenty years and spent your family fortune on our cause. If you were to perish on the high seas, how could I ever face your sister in the afterlife?"
But Mi Zhu remained steadfast, his forehead pressed firmly against the floorboards.
"My Lord, I am your subject, but I am also a merchant. To have the chance to build a foundation that will last ten thousand generations... how can I look away? Qin Lun could come here, so we can surely go there.
I am in the prime of my life, yet my administrative skills cannot match Gongyan or Jichang, my strategies fall short of Kongming and Shiyuan, and my martial skill is leagues behind Yunchang and Yide.
My only true talent lies in the way of the merchant. I wish to emulate the Marquis of Bowang and open a new Silk Road by sea."
The merchant-official's resolve was like iron.
Seeing that he could not be swayed, Liu Bei could only sigh.
"I have heard your heart, Zizhong. If a foolproof plan can be devised, I will not stand in the way of your journey to Da Qin."
What constituted a "foolproof plan" in the third century? Liu Bei did not know, but he wanted to leave himself a way to protect his friend.
Jian Yong piped up from the side, his eyes dancing with curiosity.
"If the opportunity arises, I would like to tag along with this Qin Lun character. I want to see this Da Qin for myself."
Jian Yong was never one for reckless action, but the screen's description had him itching with curiosity. If Qin Lun could navigate the way there, following him seemed like a much safer bet.
Liu Bei rolled his eyes. "We shall discuss this when, and if, this Qin Lun actually shows up."
"Kongming, what do you make of this Da Qin?" Pang Tong whispered to his colleague.
"A sea route of sixty thousand li." Kongming shook his head in wonder. "Even Zhang Qian's land route stretches over forty thousand li. It is a vast distance that passes through numerous kingdoms. Han and Da Qin share a mutual interest in profit, yet have no cause for war. It is a unique relationship."
Pang Tong nodded. At such a distance, launching an invasion was physically impossible for either side.
[Lightscreen]
[There is also one more thing worth mentioning: the only formal exchange between the Han and Rome.]
Though the screen was technically drifting off topic, it succeeded in gripping everyone's attention.
Kongming and Pang Tong, both intimately familiar with the Book of the Later Han, were stunned into silence.
"That embassy... was actually real?" they murmured.
[Lightscreen]
[As the terminal points of the Silk Road, both Han and Rome were intensely curious about one another. In 97 AD, Gan Ying was dispatched by Ban Chao to reach Rome, but he was intercepted and thwarted by the Parthians.
The historical records are brief, stating only that the Parthians led Gan Ying to the coast and filled his head with lies: "Oh, if you wish to reach Da Qin from here, it takes three months with a favorable wind.
If the wind turns against you, it could take as long as two years. We never set sail without three years' worth of grain. Furthermore, the sea has a way of enchanting the soul, making one so homesick that men have been known to leap overboard to end it all."
Because the Parthian Empire was completely destroyed in 224 AD, and the region subsequently endured centuries of warfare, their own records have been lost. No one now knows exactly how the deception was crafted.
Modern historians believe Gan Ying had already reached the head of the Persian Gulf. He was a mere two thousand kilometers from Rome, practically a stone's throw away in imperial terms.]
The men in the hall began to imagine the countless what-ifs.
If Gan Ying had succeeded, would the world they lived in today be entirely different?
Pang Tong spat lightly to the side and sneered.
"The future calls it the Silk Road. The Parthians sat right in the middle of it, skimming wealth from every bolt of silk and every gem that passed through. They are a nation without honor. They clearly feared that a direct link between Rome and Han would leave them with nowhere left to profit."
Kongming frowned, feeling the weight of the missed opportunity settle over him.
"The screen said it well: wealth moves the human heart. Even if Gan Ying had seen through their lies, the Parthians likely would have employed far more sinister means to ensure he never reached his destination."
Pang Tong let out a low sigh, realizing Kongming was probably right.
He clenched his fist.
"A nation of thieves. It is a pity they will be gone in thirteen years. I would have liked to crush them personally."
[Lightscreen]
[The Han exploration of Rome ended in deception. Yet on the other side of the world, the Roman Emperor was equally curious. In 166 AD, envoys from the Roman Emperor, "Antun," arrived from the south via Rinan, bringing ivory, rhinoceros horns, and tortoiseshell as tribute. This established formal diplomatic relations.
However, the Han court historians were less than impressed. Their official assessment was essentially: "Is that all?" These were common products from the tribes surrounding the Han realm.
Why would a supposedly great power like Rome send such ordinary gifts? Many ministers at the time suspected that the "envoys" were merely merchants running a scam. It was a fair suspicion; history is full of merchants posing as diplomats to secure better trade terms or imperial rewards.
But modern evidence suggests these envoys were likely the real thing.]
Only now did everyone in the hall understand why Pang Tong and Kongming had reacted with such surprise.
Even Liu Bei found the skepticism of the ancient historians quite reasonable.
"According to the screen, Rome spends millions in gold on silk every year. To then present such ordinary gifts... suspicion is only natural."
He was also somewhat amused by the thought. "To pose as an envoy merely to cheat a king out of gifts? That is bold indeed."
Kongming and Pang Tong exchanged a look, both struck by a sharp pang of regret.
If the mission had truly been genuine, then Han had once missed the chance to secure a powerful and distant ally.
[Lightscreen]
[The timing matches perfectly. Between Gan Ying's mission and the arrival of the Roman envoys, Rome was in its period of the Five Good Emperors. Nerva, Trajan, Hadrian, Antoninus Pius, and Marcus Aurelius ruled in succession. This was the Nerva-Antonine dynasty. The Han transcription "Antun" is an almost perfect phonetic match for "Antoninus."
Furthermore, when Marcus Aurelius ascended the throne, Parthia launched a preemptive strike against Rome's client states, igniting a full-scale war. Because the Parthians had planned the offensive for years, Rome suffered devastating early defeats, losing entire frontier legions.
Marcus Aurelius was a strategic thinker; he needed an ally. And the only power in the world capable of matching the Roman Emperor's ambition was the legendary Han Empire of the East.]