"Your Majesty, Prince Agush is here." A guard officer reported cautiously to Rashid.

"Oh! Let him in. Rashid immediately put his mind down and turned back to his seat.

In a moment, Agush was caused to the palace, Agush was the prince who was captured by the Tang army in the Battle of Shule, after spending nearly two years of captivity in Shule, he was ransomed by the big cannibals at the price of 200,000 gold coins, he himself and Rashid are cousins, the two have a very good personal relationship, after returning to Baghdad, he locked himself in his home all day, on the one hand, he wrote his Oriental observations, on the other hand, the shame of being captured by the Tang Dynasty made it difficult for him to see people, until July last year, He was invited by the Wisdom Museum, the highest academic institution of the Black Clothes Food, to serve as the deputy director.

Rashid didn't ask him about it all the time, he thought he would go on so peacefully, but he didn't expect that half a month ago, Rashid suddenly summoned him and wanted to appoint him as the governor of Samarkand, with full authority over all important military and political affairs east of the Amu Darya River, which made it difficult for Agush to decide for a while, and today, it was the deadline for his reply.

Agush walked into the palace in a worried mood, and at a glance he saw Rashid looking at him with a smile, he immediately stepped forward and knelt down, and said in a deep voice: "Brother Agush to meet His Majesty the Caliph!" ”

"I've been waiting for your news for the past few days, but I didn't expect you to come on the last day, which shows your hesitation." Rashid sighed slightly, "Are you really unwilling to do things for me anymore?" ”

"Brother Chen has figured it out. Willing to serve as governor of Samarkand. Agush finally agreed to Rashid's request, but it was clear that he had reluctantly agreed.

At this time, Agush was no longer the romantic, paranoid and naïve governor of Jerusalem, and his two years as a prisoner of war and his subsequent self-isolation had matured. He knew the caliph's intention in appointing him east of the Amu Darya River, and it was not to reuse him. It's not because he knows a little bit about the Tang Army, the real reason is that he was captured by the Tang Army and failed in the hands of the Tang Dynasty, so let him be the first to test and accumulate experience in fighting with the Tang Dynasty. Once he was slightly injured by the Tang Army, Rashid could also explain to the countrymen, this was not because of the lack of strength of the Great Eater, but completely the personal responsibility of him Agush.

Rashid was well aware of his schemes, and although he saw through him, Agush also had a strong desire to prove himself again. He longed to fight the Tang Dynasty again, he had longed for this day for a long time, in fact, when Rashid proposed to appoint him as the governor of Samarkand, he agreed without hesitation in his heart, the so-called hesitation and reluctance were just a gesture for him to seek greater benefits.

"Your Majesty the Caliph, my brother has witnessed the strength of the Tang Dynasty soldiers, and their good fighting and bravery are not under our guards. I am going to Samarkand only to ask His Majesty the Caliph to give me enough strength. ”

"Good! There's no problem with that. Rashid stood up excitedly at once, and he beckoned, "You come with me!" ”

The two of them hurried to a side hall next to the palace, which was heavily guarded and no one was allowed to enter casually, and it was the decision-making room where Rashid planned various battles.

The side hall was brightly lit, and the surrounding walls were covered with various maps, and Rashid walked to the front wall and tapped lightly on the wall, and a large wooden map slowly fell. It occupies an entire wall. This is a map east of the Amu Darya River to the Tang Shule, including east of Khorasan. The vast areas of the Amu Darya, Yaoshi River, Xindu River (i.e., the Indus River), the Tocharian region, and the Hui and Qarluq regions, cities, rivers, and mountains are all carved exquisitely.

"How?" Rashid smiled a little proudly: "This agarwood map took three years to make, more than 2,000 people participated, it is the most expensive, the largest, and the most practical one of all my maps, it can be called a national treasure, with it, I have at least sixty percent of the victory in the war with the Tang Dynasty." ”

"I have heard for a long time that His Majesty the Caliph is geographically profound, and when I see it today, it is indeed worthy of its reputation." Agush gave him a high hat lightly, he had seen the map of the Tang Dynasty, which was made of mud, sand and water, mountains are mountains, and rivers are rivers, although they are not carved with precious agarwood like Rashid, but they are better than the map in front of them in terms of practicality. At this moment, Agush caught a hint of pride in Rashid's tone, and the caliph seemed to be a little too conceited about a possible future war with the Tang Dynasty.

However, he didn't say much, but silently looked at the map silently, he was concerned about how many troops and money and food Rashid could give him.

Rashid seemed to understand his thoughts, so he smiled slightly, picked up a wooden pole and pointed at Samarkand, and said: "There are 50,000 slave legions in Samarkand, and I will complete this army and hand it over to you for command, in addition, I have ordered the second and fourth legions of Khorasan, a total of 40,000 people, to be stationed in Bukhara, you can call this army in an emergency, and there are 40,000 troops in Tocharia, you can also call it, this is the army, in addition, you are the governor of Samarkand as a prince, and you belong to the high governor, The Governors of Sabbath, Dawan, Bathanna, and Tocharia in this region will be subject to your control, and you will be able to transfer the local money, food, and slaves as you please, and in times of emergency, you may remove them from their posts without going through me. ”

Speaking of this, Rashid suddenly fell into contemplation, and he realized that he had overlooked a very important thing, that is, the Samanid family, which has great strength east of the Amu Darya River, the black-clothed Abbasid Dynasty was established on the basis of the Umayyad Dynasty, and it also inherited many systems of the Umayyad Dynasty, among which the Iqta feudal system is the most important part of it, and Iqta is the meaning of feudalism in Arabic, it is actually the land system of the Great Cannibal Land, which divides a large amount of land to nobles, meritorious officials, Military generals. Gradually, one family after another was formed.

Abbasid himself was born into the Hashemite family of Khorasan, and in the process of conquering Egypt and the East, the Abbasid also divided countless generals and heroes, making them a new family, and at present, there are nearly 100 families large and small in the vast land of black clothes and food. Some famous families, such as the Hashemite family of Khorasan, the Barmak family in Syria, the Tullon family in Egypt, and the Samanid family east of the Amu Darya River, controlled a large amount of land and slaves. They pay annual taxes to the Caliph and have absolute power over life and death in their own domains, and landed lords are also local governors, such as the governor of Dawan, who is the leader of the Samanid family, Samantavir.

Not only did the Samanid family have great wealth and land, but they also had an army of 20,000 slaves. Of course, Rashid could not tolerate the existence of armies that did not obey him, so the private armies of these families were not called armies, but ranch keepers, and although the names were different, they were essentially the same.

Rashid was able to ascend to the throne of the caliphate. It was inseparable from the support of these large families, so at the beginning of his reign, he had a tolerant attitude towards these families, and as the throne gradually became secure, he began to become more and more intolerant of the existence of these families, and he realized that these families would sooner or later threaten the survival of the Abbasid Caliphate.

After pondering for a long time, Rashid said slowly: "Many people have complained to me about the arrogance of the Samanid family, and the heavy taxes charged in the Pearl River valley are several times that of the empire. I hope that when you come to the East, you will restrain the Samanid family and prevent us Abbasids from ruining the hands of these moths. ”

Agush bowed deeply, "Rest assured that Your Majesty the Caliph will faithfully carry out your every command." ”

It's May, and the weather is starting to get hotter, and it's the most golden time on the grassland, when the lambs are born and growing up rapidly, and there are more foals around the horses, with abundant pasture and abundant water. The prairie presents a vibrant scene.

Early in the morning. A cavalry team of 5,000 men suddenly came to the town of Atumu, northeast of Broken Leaves, and they came so suddenly. Silently entering the town, at first, the townspeople did not take their arrival to heart, for decades, the transit of the Hui army, the transit of the Qarluq army, and even the transit of the Great Food Army have long been accustomed to it, this is the actual control of the Sogdian merchants and the Turgish, no one thought of occupying this place, but soon, the Sogdian merchants in the town began to feel uneasy, this is actually an army of the Tang Dynasty, only 3,000 people, if they go to attack the Qarluqs seem to be a little less, but if they are here to spy on the intelligence of the scouts, but there are too many, shrewdly Sogdian merchants began to smell a hint of danger. ^^, UC eBook, first release ^^

Sure enough, this Tang army soon began to set up camp in a clearing near the Demon Dragon Lake next to Atumu Town, and even at noon, Tang army patrols appeared on the streets of Atumu Town, and they actually maintained order on the streets, and it was obvious that the Tang army occupied Atumu Town.

At this moment, the thousands of Sogdian merchants in the town seemed to have blown up their nests, and the heavyweights among them gathered together to discuss countermeasures in horror, and in the face of their own interests, the Sogdian merchants united in an outward manner, and soon they reached an agreement, on the one hand, to urgently ask for help from the Uighurs and Qarluqs, and on the other hand, to send representatives to negotiate with the Tang army, demanding that they immediately withdraw from the town of Atumu.

Just after noon, hundreds of Sogdian merchants in robes appeared on the street, they were excited, shouting slogans, and strode violently towards the Tang army's garrison, but when they were still hundreds of steps away from the Tang army's camp, a Tang cavalry team of 300 people blocked their way, and pointed them coldly at them with steel crossbows, and the young general led by them shouted in a not very skilled Turkic language: "In front is a military forbidden land, and those who trespass are dead!" ”

This young general was none other than Shi Yang, who had been a scout for nearly half a year, and he not only knew the situation in the Daqingchi River basin well, but also learned Turkic language, although he was not very proficient, but he could barely communicate.

Three months ago, in the process of intercepting the Great Cannibal to deliver weapons to Qarluq, he accidentally discovered that there was a river leading to the Yili River in the north of the Demon Dragon Lake next to the town of Atumu, and finally merged into the Yibo Sea, and the river was very deep enough to drive a thousand stone boats, and his discovery was reported layer by layer. In the end, Wang Siyu, the protector of the Western Regions, was alarmed, and after sending people to make several field trips, Wang Siyu resolutely made a decision to build a wharf and build a ship on the Demon Dragon Lake, which became the main transportation route for the Tang army to Yibo Haiti, and after occupying the town of Atumu. It will also serve as a bridgehead for attacks on the Qarluqs.

The murderous aura of the Tang army gradually quieted down the Sogdian merchants, and an elderly man stepped forward to salute. In proficient Chinese, he said: "We have asked to see your general, and we have no other meaning. ”

"You must not act rashly, I will go and ask General Li if he would like to see you." Shi Yang waved his hand, and a cavalry scout galloped towards the camp quickly, and the Tang army was still holding a steel crossbow. There was no relaxation of vigilance against them.

In a moment, the scout cavalry galloped back, "Captain, General Li agrees to receive him, but only three people are allowed in. ”

Shi Yang nodded, and said to the old man, "You heard it too." Only three people can enter, so decide for yourself! ”

The Sogdian merchants consulted for a while, and soon elected three deputies, and the old man pointed to himself and the other two, and said, "The three of us will go to your general." ”

"Come with me!" Shi Yang gave the lieutenant a few words, and then personally led three representatives of Sogdian merchants to the camp.

At present, the Tang Dynasty has set up a total of seven major governors in the Anxi and Beiting regions, each of which has a permanent garrison of about 1 to 20,000 people, distributed in more than 300 castles in the Western Regions, and these governors' troops are usually subject to the dispatch of the imperial court. In addition, when a major war breaks out, the imperial court will also add the government soldiers in the interior, which are led by generals and obey the command of the Western Regions in wartime.

Among the seven major prefectures, the Broken Leaf Governor's Mansion had the largest garrison, with as many as 60,000 people. Concentrated the elite of the entire Anxi army. They were directly commanded by Siyu, the protector of the Western Regions, and the 60,000 people were divided into three battalions of the six armies. Each battalion has about 2,000 people, and the 5,000 Tang Army currently stationed in Atumu Town is led by Li Tianchen, the general of the Third Army, and they are only the vanguard troops, if they gain a firm foothold, the other 5,000 people of the Third Army will follow.

Li Tianchen is a native of Fengxiang, only twenty-eight years old this year, but he is already a veteran of a hundred battles, he was also a captain of the Tiancai Battalion, and he came to Wuwei with Zhang Huan to establish a foundation, participated in nearly 100 battles of all sizes, and worked hard to become a general, but he didn't know Shi Yang's true identity, only knew that he was a military commander transferred from the Chang'an Tiancai Battalion, and made miraculous contributions in the battle to defend Xuanwu City, precisely because he and Shi Yang had a common starting point, because he paid a lot of attention to him.

"Report to General Lee, Sogdian merchants bring it!" Shi Yang's report came from outside the tent.

"Bring them in!" Li Tianchen put down his pen, looked at the three representatives of Sogdian merchants who walked into the tent with serious eyes, and asked slowly: "Which of you is the head, can you speak Chinese?" ”

"I'm the head, and we all speak Chinese." The old man saluted respectfully, and then introduced himself: "The contemptible surname is Kang, and he is the deacon of the Sogdian Chamber of Commerce here, and he is also the proprietor of the Demon Dragon Inn. ”

There was no government in the town of Atum, and the Sogdian Chamber of Commerce was the highest self-governing body here, consisting of ten Sogdian deacons, who were elected every two years, three of whom were permanent deacons, and the old man surnamed Kang was one of them.

"What do you have to do with me?" Li Tianchen saw that the other side had a humble attitude, and his tone slowed down a little.

The three Sogdians looked at each other, and the other party actually asked them what was the matter, it was really unbelievable, did they take the town of Atumu for granted?

After hesitating for a moment, the old man surnamed Kang stubbornly said: "Of course we welcome the general's visit to Atumu Town, but we want to ask, when is the general going to leave?" ”

"Since you welcome it, then we will naturally have to stay there for a long time." Li Tianchen laughed, he waved his hand and said: "But don't worry, the Tang Army has strict military discipline, and will definitely not bully you, if anyone dares to violate military discipline, you can tell me at any time, I will be severely punished, and having the Tang Army stationed will also make your business more prosperous, everyone is happy, isn't it good?" ”

"But this is our Sogdian territory, so how can you break into it casually? And it has to be stationed for a long time, how can this work! The old man surnamed Kang was a little anxious.

Sogdian territory. Li Tianchen's face sank, and he said coldly: "I have never heard of such a statement, let me ask you, does this Atumu Town belong to the Hui people, or to the Qarlu people?" ”

"None of them belong, this is the self-governing land of our Sogdians."

Li Tianchen suddenly sneered, "Since this place does not belong to the Hui and Gelulu people, it is a borderless land, so what does it matter if our Tang army takes it?" To tell you the truth, from today onwards, this place will be officially renamed Demon Dragon City, one of the subsidiary cities of Broken Leaves, if you don't want to be a subject of the Tang Dynasty, you can leave, we will not stop you! ”

"You guys!" A Sogdian trembled with anger, "How can this be true, we Sogdians have been working hard here for 30 years, and you will come as soon as you say, aren't you afraid that the Sogdians will be enemies of the Tang Dynasty?" ”

"Bastard, what are you? How dare you threaten me! Li Tianchen was suddenly furious, he slammed the table and shouted, "Someone! Cast them out for me, and anyone who dares to make trouble again will be put to death!" ”

The old man surnamed Kang was so frightened that he hurriedly moved, "The general is angry, the general is angry, we have no intention of threatening, we just want to know how the Tang Army will treat us?" ”

The old man surnamed Kang is old and sophisticated, and the fact that he entered the Tang army to occupy the town of Atumu is irretrievable, so he can no longer be rash, and the top priority at the moment is to first protect the property and personal safety of the Sogdians, and then think about it in the long run.

"I have just said, and now I repeat it again, if you are willing to be the people of the Tang Dynasty, you can continue to do business here, pay taxes according to the commercial tax of the Tang Dynasty, twenty taxes and one tax, and the Tang Army will protect your personal safety and property integrity, and start household registration tomorrow,

If you don't want to be a citizen of the Tang Dynasty, then let me move out of here within three days, and the Tang army will not be embarrassed, but if you don't want to go, you will secretly collaborate with the enemy

Speaking of this, Li Tianchen glanced at them sternly, "Then the Tang Army will be executed for the crime of conspiracy and confiscate all property, do you understand?" ”

(Continue to ask for a monthly pass, and I am willing to ask for everyone's continued support!) ）