In a moment, Agush walked quickly into Rashid's war room, Agush is the grandson of the Abbasid Caliph, only because Ja'far inherited the throne of his brother Caliph, so that the descendants of Abbasid will never have the opportunity to ascend to the throne of the Abbasid Empire, Agush is Rashid's henchman, and it is for this reason that he was appointed governor of Samarkand, and divided the power of Yehaya to control the east of the Amu Darya River, but Yehaya was too powerful in the country, and even some of the generals of the Guards were controlled by him, Agush's move became a power struggle that could only be understood but not spoken.

"Agush, see His Majesty the Caliph!" Agush stepped forward and knelt down.

Rashid stood in front of the map for a long time before asking, "Did you meet him when you came?" ”

He naturally understood who he was referring to, and he immediately responded: "Yes, the vizier briefly asked about this year's tax situation, and didn't say anything else?" ”

"And how are your taxes going this year?" Rashid turned around suddenly, this is also something he is extremely concerned about, he can't get much tax from zakat, and Samarkand, Bukhara and other places are full of merchants, which is an important source of tax for the empire, the battle of broken leaves has reached the late stage, and the supply of various military supplies such as grain will also reach its peak, and he does not want to dry up his wealth at this time.

"Returning to Your Majesty, last month the Tax Office has received 36 million dinars, deducting the 6 million dinars that the magistrate's office itself has to consume, and the war expenses of 10 million dinars, and I can finally present 20 million dinars to Your Majesty."

"It's only 20 million!" Rashid frowned, there were still 40 million in the account last year, how could it be reduced by half this year, of course, the reason is also very clear, it is the result of the great tax reduction of His Excellency the Governor in front of him, Rashid immediately avoided this embarrassing topic, he sat down and smiled: "Tell me about the situation in Bahanna, is it smooth to deliver supplies to the front line?" And how many soldiers did the Samanid have in Bahanna? ”

Agush muttered and said, "We're basically transported to Broken Leaf by water. It was quite smooth, there was no hindrance, but after the 2,000 soldiers of the Saman family took control of Pakhana, Saman was very arrogant, and half of Bahanna's taxes were transported to Shiguo by him, and not only that. He was also extremely rude to the king of Pakhana, killing people at will in the palace, and his ministers feared that this would provoke a rebellion among the people of Pakhana. ”

"Saman killed people in the palace of Pakhana for a reason!" Rashid didn't listen to Agush's words, his spy in Bakhanna had already passed the news to him, and he snorted softly and said, "I heard that you took the Tang envoy away from Saman. Where is this person now? ”

"Back to Your Majesty, this person is outside the palace, he is the grandson of the former prime minister of the Tang Dynasty, and this year's new science and technology scholar is only sixteen years old."

"Only sixteen years old, really a young talent!" Rashid smiled and nodded, "I also went to Greece when I was sixteen, I heard you say that. I'd love to meet him. ”

Speaking of this, Rashid turned back to the guards and ordered, "Go! Don't be rude to bring in the Tang envoy from the prince's entourage. ”

"Yes!" The guards turned around and ran out of the palace.

Cui Yao and Agush's more than a dozen guards were waiting in front of the palace, which was already the core of the Abbasid Empire, and tens of thousands of guards guarded the palace, and anyone who behaved abnormally would be immediately arrested or even killed on the spot. They repeatedly instructed Cui Yao not to make any changes.

At this time, the gate of the palace slowly opened, and a carriage made of almost pure gold drove out of the palace, escorted by nearly two hundred knights, and this was Yehaya coming out of the palace.

The carriage was extremely fast. In an instant, they drove in front of Cui Yao and them, and suddenly they gag! With a bang, the carriage stopped, and Ye Haya pulled the curtain and looked at the Oriental man in front of him, "Is he the Tang envoy that Agush brought?" ”

The guard officer of Agush hurriedly stepped forward and knelt down to salute, "Return to Lord Vizier, it is him." ”

Ye Haya nodded, and turned her gaze to Cui Yao again, seeing that he seemed to understand his question. I couldn't help but ask him curiously, "Can you understand me?" ”

Cui Yao bowed slightly. In Arabic, he replied, "I understand!" ”

"It's not easy! In just a month and a half, I was able to understand our language. You're really smart, young man. ”

Ye Haya stroked his beard lightly, smiled and said: "Our culture is as broad and profound as the Tang Dynasty, I hope you can learn more, if you need anything, you can come to me at any time." ”

Cui Yao saw that his attitude was very modest, and he couldn't help but have a good impression of him, he bowed down and saluted: "Thank you for your kindness, old man, I will definitely read your country's culture when I have time." ”

Ye Haya raised his head and smiled, waved his hand, the carriage started, and quickly left the palace, until his carriage disappeared, the guard officer wiped a cold sweat, and said to Cui Yao with palpitations: "You are so bold, you dare not kneel when you see him, he is the number two person in our Abbasid Dynasty, you have offended him, even the caliph can't save you, he didn't embarrass you, it's really your luck." ”

Cui Yao smiled slightly: "In fact, the bigger the person, the easier it is to speak, since he is so noble, how can he embarrass a small person like me." ”

The guard officer also smiled, "You are right, our Highness is also like this, he is tolerant of others, and he never gets angry easily. ”

At this time, the side door of the palace opened, and a palace guard quickly ran up to them, panting and asking, "Who are you here to be the envoy of the Tang Dynasty?" ”

Cui Yao raised his hand, "I am!" ”

"Come with me, Your Majesty the Caliph wants to see you."

Walk past two long rows of one-man highland date palms, covered with delicate little dates, flanked by a blue lake with occasional springs gushing from its surface, and in the fountains stands statues of knights in full armor, who enter the palace along a road paved with black marble.

The palace of the Great Cannibal was as extravagant as it looked, and was surrounded by gold-embroidered curtains, the work of Syrians and Byzantines, each of which was delicate and delicate, embroidered with lifelike figures and flowers, and it is said that there were thirty-eight thousand curtains, most of them made of oriental silk, and twenty-two thousand carpets, which were plundered from the Persian royal palace; Raise your eyes. Everywhere you can see all kinds of brilliant gems and great pearls, walls covered with gold leaf, colorful glass, and in every corner of the palace can be seen graceful concubines, richly dressed, hiding behind curtains and looking curiously at this young man from the East.

It's the same as the Datang Palace. Tall eunuchs were also everywhere, but their complexions were white or black, and each one had the same expression of humility and never straightened up to the waist.

As they walked through a heavy door, Cui Yao caught a glimpse of Agush, and beside him stood a tall, slender man. With fair skin, a high nose, and deep eyes, he would mistake him for a woman if he didn't notice it, but his robes embroidered with precious stones and a scepter made of pure gold and diamonds in his hand showed him to be extremely noble.

"Kneel before His Majesty the Caliph." The guard nervously reminded Cui Yao.

Cui Yao didn't hear it, he took a step forward and bowed deeply: "Cui Yao, the envoy of the Tang Emperor, saw that His Majesty the Caliph Agush glanced at him, turned around and smiled at Rashid and said, "I heard that the Tang Emperor abolished the kneeling ceremony on an informal occasion. ”

Rashid didn't pay attention to whether Cui Yao knelt down or not, he looked Cui Yao up and down. Curiously asked, "Are you really only sixteen?" I don't think so! ”

Cui Yao didn't know why he cared so much about his age, so he immediately replied without humility or arrogance: "Back to Your Majesty, I am indeed only sixteen years old, but this does not mean anything, as long as I do not disgrace the national body and live up to my mission, age does not matter." Does Your Majesty think it's wrong? ”

Rashid smiled slightly, this young man obviously lacked the tactfulness of an envoy, he deliberately showed an attitude of refusing to bend his waist, as if he wanted to earn face for his country and the monarch, and there was a little bit of youthful spirit. This is a bit like when he faced the Byzantine Empress Dowager Eleni at the age of sixteen, deliberately defending the image of the Abbasids.

"Give him a seat and let him sit down!"

Rashid returned to his royal chair covered with a golden mat, and sat ten steps opposite Cui Yao, but Agush stood aside, Rashid glanced at Cui Yao, and said lightly: "Your status as an envoy only ends in Bathhanna, and your emperor's will is also very clear, hoping that Bathhana will rejoin the Tang Dynasty, which is like coming to steal a date palm in my imperial garden." So you're actually a thief who gets caught. According to our Islamic teachings, thieves should be hanged. However, Islam also has a requirement to save the degenerate, so I have decided to save you and make you a messenger who can spread my Islamic culture. ”

Rashid was very slow, although Cui Yao's Arabic was still very clumsy, but he barely understood what Rashid meant, and he immediately replied: "I am very willing to learn the culture of your country, but I am not a thief, I just set foot on the land that once belonged to our Tang Dynasty to visit the bullied children of the Tang Dynasty, if you have to say that I am a thief, then you have also played the role of a robber." ”

Rashid's face sank, he stared at Cui Yao tightly, he met with many envoys, who saw that he was not groveling, full of servile faces, and this young man dared to confront him in person, he was a little annoyed.

Agush behind him turned pale with fright, coughed lightly, looked at Cui Yao, and motioned for him to hurry up and ask for guilt, but Cui Yao turned a blind eye, he tightened his lips and looked at Rashid without saying a word, it was a matter of national honor and disgrace, he would rather die than lose the integrity of the Tang Dynasty envoy.

The two stalemate for a long time, the anger in Rashid's eyes slowly subsided, and he smiled self-deprecatingly: "I forgot, there are no thieves and robbers in a country at war, only winners and losers, your tone is as hot as your Tang Lei, okay!" Young man, I can forgive you for your rudeness. ”

Speaking of this, he said in a calm tone: "Tell me, what kind of person is your Tang Emperor, I heard that he is the same age as me and also ascended the throne with me, I am very interested in him." ”

Cui Yao is a scholar who knows etiquette, he has been cultivated by Cui Yuan since he was a child, a kind of modest, self-disciplined temperament, he saw that the caliph has given in, so he said modestly: "Your Majesty the Caliph, like our Emperor Majesty, has a broad mind, both are monarchs with great talents, you are all heroes, you are natural opponents. ^^^UC eBook^Premiere^^ But your private lives are completely different. ”

Rashid smiled happily, he could hear the young man's sincerity, a heartfelt compliment, not a deliberate flattery, and he could understand that he had praised his monarch in the same way. The monarchs who could seize and rule the Tang Empire and dare to fight him with all their might could be compared to him, but their private lives were different, which made Rashid's interest even stronger.

"Tell me, how are our private lives different?"

Cui Yao glanced at the extravagant decorations around him. He tilted his head and said with some pride: "There are only 200 eunuchs and 300 palace maids in His Majesty's palace, and our queen personally raises silkworms and brocades in the palace, and many of our soldiers' shoes and socks are from her hands, can His Majesty the Caliph do it?" ”

Rashid laughed dumbly, this boy was sarcastic about his extravagance! But all the foreign envoys who came to his palace were all admired by the splendor of the golden walls of his palace, and they were all envious of his ten thousand delicate concubines. He was tired of hearing such clichéd compliments, but Cui Yao's words gave him a sense of freshness. Rashid waved his hand lightly and said: "Most of these palace things are from Damascus, not mine, they are a symbol of the wealth of the Abbasid Empire, as for the wives and concubines, I actually only have a dozen, and I will reward the rest of the women to the meritorious soldiers." You are too young to understand that it is impossible for a man with great talents and strategies to indulge in women, and conversely, it is impossible to achieve great things by indulging in women. ”

Rashid stood up, "Alright. I still have a lot of things to do, so I won't receive you, I can promise you, as long as you don't leave Baghdad, I will give you absolute freedom to study our culture well, I hope that one day when you go back, you can spread our Arab culture to the East, of course, I also hope that you will teach the excellent culture of the Tang Dynasty to our scholars. ”

Let's talk about it. He summoned an officer of the guard. Pointing at Cui Yao, he said, "Take this Tang dignitary down, from today." He is my guest, and he can be there in everything except the military establishment. ”

"Thank you, Your Majesty, Caliph, I will definitely study the culture of your country." Cui Yao bowed and slowly retreated.

As soon as Cui Yao left, Agush said to Rashid: "Is Your Majesty too lenient with him and gives him absolute freedom, what if he escapes?" ”

"He's not going to run away." Rashid slowly turned around and smiled at Agush: "Although I only have contact with him for a short time, I know that this is a self-respecting Tang literati, if I imprison him, or send someone to spy on him, he may escape, but if I give him absolute freedom, he will not leave, even if he wants to leave, he will first ask for my consent, he will never do anything that damages the dignity of their Tang Empire, do you believe it?" ”

Agush was impressed, "Your Majesty's heart, the courtier's brother is ashamed!" ”

Rashid sighed slightly and said: "A young envoy can still advance and retreat in a measured manner, without dishonoring the country, I am now more worried about the battle of Broken Leaves, Agush, I find that I am a little underestimated." ”

He walked to the window with his hands behind his back and stared to the east, his eyes full of melancholy.

The time has slowly come to November, the broken leaves have really entered the winter, in this cold season, everything has changed, the sky is gray, as if after a strong wind, showing a chaotic atmosphere, the earth is covered with hoarfrost, dry and stiff, the moat is frozen as desired, the remains of a scattered battering ram lie lonely on the moat, it is covered with long ice cubes, from October to now, the two armies have been calm for a whole month, the soldiers stay in the tents, The cold made them miss their homeland.

The city of Broken Leaf was also quiet, the battle had been fought for two whole months, and the long tug-of-war had made people tired, and only the occasional patrol of soldiers galloped through the street.

It was noon, suddenly a rapid sound of horses' hooves broke through the quiet street, a team of cavalry surrounded the commander Wang Siyu galloped towards the north of the city, Wang Siyu got an exciting news, an armorer invented a good way to deal with the battering ram, so that Wang Siyu was ecstatic, two months ago, the behemoth fury is still vivid, although it can not sail through the moat, but in winter, the role of the moat will disappear, if you can't find a way to deal with the battering ram, broken leaf city will be inevitable.

The cavalry rushed into a school yard at a gallop, and built a small city with broken leaves in proportion, four zhang high and thirty zhang long, and also dug a moat one zhang wide, and there were more than a dozen shrunken trebuchets and battering rams on the school field, and five hundred soldiers pretended to be attackers and defenders to practice here.

When a captain saw the arrival of the marshal, he greeted him in a panic and saluted: "See the marshal!" ”

"No excuses." Wang Siyu waved his hand and asked impatiently: "What kind of method to break the siege hammer, show me a quick drill." ”

"Yes!" The lieutenant stood up and shouted to the soldiers, "Are you ready?" Begin the siege. ”

As soon as his words fell, dozens of small fireballs were launched towards the city, boom! Boom! The ground fell on the head of the city, causing a group of fires, Wang Siyu climbed a high platform, and watched the advance of the drill with all his attention, at this time, the rumbling drum sounded, which was an imitation of the attack drum of the big cannibal, with the sound of the drum, a battering ram up to three zhang began to start slowly, pushed by thirty soldiers behind, the battering ram is also made of imitation of the big cannibal that the monster, vivid, quite a bit hideous, the battering ram slowly moved forward, the headless arrows on the city head were dense like rain, but could not hinder its advance, for a moment, The battering ram arrived under the city.

Wang Siyu leaned forward, his brows furrowed, he still couldn't see the Tang army's method, the battering ram had arrived under the city, and the huge mallet head was less than three feet away from the city wall, at this moment, countless black shadows suddenly appeared in the sky, and in the shouts of the Tang army, the battering ram swayed, and collapsed in a moment.

Wang Siyu was dumbfounded, this was a copy of the process of the collapse of the giant two months ago, and after a long time, he turned around and asked, "Who came up with this solution?" ”

"Commander Qiqi, this is a humble thought." An ordnance sergeant in his thirties stepped forward and bowed half-kneeling.

Wang Siyu nodded, "Well done!" You will be rewarded with 500 yuan of money, and you will be promoted to two levels. ”

The armorer was overjoyed, kowtowed again and again to thank him, Wang Siyu let out a long breath, he suddenly felt something, looked up at the gray sky, and saw a snowflake falling, followed by two, three, more and more, thousands of shiny crystals fluttering in the sky, the vast snowflakes began to cover the earth, and the broken leaves were about to start the battle again.

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