1. Background of the times
In the third year of Dazhong reign of Emperor Xuanzong of Tang Dynasty (849), he lived in Guangzhou, Lingnan Road. At this time, just four years after the "Buddha Extermination in Huichang", the imperial court needed a large amount of precious incense (agarwood, frankincense, ambergris) to use in the Ancestral Temple for sacrifices and rituals, and to make incense for the harem. As the city's shipping envoy, Guangzhou is not only a hub of the Maritime Silk Road, but also has become a daunting prospect for officials due to "miasma invasion" and "mixed Chinese and barbarian populations". In recent years, the aftermath of the Xiyuan barbarian rebellion has not been resolved, and the problem of official corruption has become prominent.
2. Core mission
Supervise the shipment of three hundred kilograms of super-grade agarwood from Guangzhou and need to arrive in Chang'an within forty days. The fragrant medicine needs to be processed by the three ancient methods of "exposure, storage, and sealing wax", and it needs to be kept at a constant temperature and moisture-proof during transportation, which is as difficult as lychees. In addition, because it involves the municipal shipping department's customs duties, Tibetan trade, and the interests of local chieftains, it is actually a political task involving many parties.
