Chapter 431 The First Fuse of War

The next morning, the Tang army began to distribute official documents from house to house. The documents were written in three words: Chinese, Turkic and Sogdian. First, it was announced that the name of Atumu Town was renamed Yaolong City and officially incorporated into the territory of the Tang Dynasty. Secondly, all residents in the town were required to go to the government office to register their household registration. The limit was for three days. Those who were less than three days would be expelled from Yaolong City. In addition, merchants must also register at the same time. While the Tang army mobilized household registration, the sign of "Yaolong City Government Affairs Office" was hung in front of an empty room facing the street in the west of the town. There were only two young officials in the office, which were divided into households and merchants.

Soon, a long queue began to be lined up in front of the Government Affairs Office, but most of the people in the queue were rushing to the rushing people. The Sogdians only came to a few down-and-out families, while there was no Sogdian shop.

The Demon Dragon City became extremely quiet. There were only a few teams of Tang cavalry patrolling back and forth on the street. There were few pedestrians. You could occasionally see a family of Tuqi Shiren who went to register, but the Sogdians could not see any of them. It was too quiet, so quiet that it was a bit strange, but there seemed to be a trace of dark murderous intent hidden under the calm.

Just in the tavern where Shi Yang was inquiring about the news, the business had stopped and the store door was closed. At this moment, seven or eight Sogdians gathered at a table and were nervously arguing about something.

"Everyone, you and I are both rich people. We have worked hard in Altoum for many years and have accumulated a lot of industries. Have we just given up our entrepreneurship for more than 20 years in vain for a false reputation? Whether it is a subject of the Tang Dynasty or a subject of the great food, the key is to be profitable."

The person who spoke was the old man surnamed Kang. He opened the largest inn in the town. He had just renovated it two years ago. He spent tens of thousands of gold coins on it. All of these wealth turned into various exquisite decorations and furniture, as well as large houses that could not be taken away at all. Therefore, he tended to obey the rule of the Tang Dynasty and pay taxes to buy peace.

But this is obviously just his wishful thinking. Most of the people in other chambers of commerce that were in oppose compromise with the Tang army. This is a very simple truth. Sogdian merchants have always been inclined to the Great Food and oppose the Tang Dynasty. If they surrender to the Tang Dynasty, although they can save some immediate interests, in the Great Food and other Sogdian merchants of the Uighurs can forgive their betrayal, and the elders in Manichaeism must expel them from the church.

So as soon as the old man surnamed Kang finished speaking, the other people raised objections. A middle-aged man with a horse face said even more sinisterly: "Can Deacon Kang gets any benefits from the Tang people? Is this what you can do to help them?"

"You are slandering!" The old man surnamed Kang was furious. He stood up and pointed at the horse-faced man and scolded: "Only a villain like you will think about betrayal. I am for everyone's good. If you think I have selfish intentions, then okay, if you have the will, move away now. When Tang Jun drives you out of the brothel, I will take over your wife and house first."

"What did you say!" The horse-faced man was furious. He clenched his fists, leaned forward, and stared at the old man surnamed Kang. The old man surnamed Kang was not showing any weakness. He took a step back and picked up a bench to prepare for defense and counterattack.

Everyone was panicked and stepped forward to persuade the two of them to get rid of them, "Everyone is their own, why bother to be kind? Let's say something."

"Hmph! Since I can't agree, I'll take a step first. You have to give up your property, I won't do it!" The old man surnamed Kang threw down the stool and left angrily.

Everyone watched him walk away silently, and no one spoke. Old Man Kang said it very realistically. The Tang army only gave them three days in total. The Uighurs and the Gelulu people didn't have time to come anyway. Do they really want to abandon the real estate store and leave?

"Everyone, I think it would be better to do it according to the old way to deal with the Tubo people ten years ago!" Another veteran deacon finally proposed a solution, and everyone was excited. This was indeed a solution. Ten years ago, a Tubo army passed by, and forced them to be loyal to Tubo Zamp. At that time, everyone agreed, but secretly wrote two joint letters, on the one hand, asking for help from the Sogdians in the Uighurs, and on the other hand, they expressed their loyalty to the Dashi Caliph. Afterwards, the Tubo people retreated, and the Caliph forgave them because they wrote the letter of loyalty. Now the scene ten years ago has repeated again, why can't they use the same trick again?

"Will that old thief named Kang participate?" The horse-faced man said coldly: "I'm worried that he will betray us."

"Okay! Kang Ming doesn't want him to participate. Everyone should be careful about this and never be known by Tang Jun."

From the afternoon, Sogdians finally went to the Government Affairs Office to register one after another. After the first Demon Dragon Inn, there was a second one. The third shop appeared in the Government Affairs Office's business book. In this way, the Sogdians who had been strongly resisting the Tang army's occupation of Atumu Town finally loosened. By the time the third day was about to expire, more than 80% of the Sogdians had arrived to ascend the throne. The Tang army commander Li Tianchen simply relaxed the half-day deadline and sent people to the Sogdians who had not yet ascended the throne to warn them from door to door. Before the noon on the fourth day, the last Sogdians finally signed their names on the throne book. Since then, Atumu Town has disappeared in the north of the Qing pond, and the Daolong City, the farthest sub-city of the Shattered Leaf, appeared in the territory of the Tang Dynasty. It is eight hundred miles away from the Shattered Leaf, but less than fifty miles away from the actual control area of ​​Gelulu.

A few days later, the murderous aura that filled the Tang army's sword had floated above the Geluo people.

Like the Uighurs, the Sogdians also had a profound influence on the Gelulu. They were smart and capable, and they transported a large number of daily necessities to the Gelulu, and transported the cattle, sheep and horses of the Gelulu people to the West to sell, gradually controlling their economic lifeline. For decades, the Gelulu people had a deep dependence on the Sogdian merchants. Even when they left the Sogdian merchants, they could not survive. Gradually, the Sogdians extended their hands into the decision-making level of Gelulu through marriage, agency trade, etc. The wife of the former chief Athuran was the daughter of a Sogdian merchant. Her three sons were all born to her, and the current chief Atre had half of the Sogdian bloodline.

Atre's appointment as the chief of the Gloru National Chief was not the result of a trade-off, but the direct order of the Caliph. Although there were as many as ten nobles of the Gloru who were peering at the position of the Gloru Chief, none of them dared to disobey the order of the Caliph. Under the auspices of several veteran nobles, Atre, who had just returned from the Uighurs, officially became the new Chief of the Gloru Grand Chief. Atre was less than two months after he ascended the throne.

That morning, outside Haitushi City, three Sogdian envoys from the Demon Dragon City traveled more than 300 miles and finally arrived at the small and simple capital of the Gloru people. The leader was about fifty years old, named Jalandra. He was a Sogdian merchant who had traveled around the world and had seen many worlds. Ten years ago, he was famous for lending loans in Baghdad, and offended the Hasim family and was forced to exile to the Demon Dragon City. In Demon Dragon City, he still acted as his old business and gave loans to the merchants he had come to. This time he volunteered to go to the Gloru people to seek the support of the Gloru people.

It was already June, and the ground seemed to have fire. Some gray air that looked like clouds but not clouds, fog but not fog was filled in the air, making people almost breathless. Jalandra and his party were exhausted. They saw a water-selling greenhouse next to the road, so they turned over and got off the horse and led the horse into the shed.

The water seller is a father and son. The father has long been hiding in the shade and sleeping. The son sits bored and naps. There are few pedestrians under the scorching sun, and the business seems very light.

"Can there be water for sale?" Jalandra walked into the shed and shouted loudly.

"Yes! Yes! Yes! Uncle, please sit down." The young man immediately became busy. He took a few large porcelain bowls from behind, carried a can of clean water, filled them one by one, and smiled and said, "The three uncles are so dusty, come from a distance!"

"We are from the town of Atumu." Jalandra drank a full bowl of water in a 'gulp'. He took out two gold coins and pushed them to the young man. He asked him with a smile: "I heard that you Chief Gelu has changed a new man. I wonder if there is any way to see him?"

"If you want to see the chief, it is better to see the national tutor." The father who was sleeping soundly woke up at some point. He walked over swayingly, picked up the two gold coins on the table and put them in his arms. He smiled and said, "You are here for the occupation of Atumu Town by the Tang army!"

Jalandra was stunned, "You already know about this?"

"I'm selling water here all day, why don't I know? I heard a few passing merchants talk about this the day before yesterday."

The man who sold water sat down, poured himself a bowl of water, took a few sips and said with a smile: "For the sake of your two gold coins, I will give you some advice. The chief is only seventeen years old and doesn't know anything. He obeys the arrangements of the new national teacher in everything, so instead of looking for Atre, you might as well go to our national teacher, Mr. Mengyue."

'Old Man Mengyue!' Jialandra was shocked and asked hurriedly: "Isn't Old Man Mengyue the Uighurs' national teacher? Why did he become the national teacher of the Geluo people?"

"What's so strange about this? The national teacher is not a position. It's just the leader of Manichaeism in this area. He has a high status in the church, and it's normal for him to be a national teacher in both countries."

"So that's it." Jalandra nodded, "Then how can I meet your national teacher?"

As soon as he finished speaking, the man selling water suddenly pointed to a team at the city gate and said, "Look, isn't the national savvy here?"

Jalandra hurriedly stood up, looked at the city gate, and saw hundreds of cavalry guarding a carriage slowly driving out of the city. Dozens of people at the city gate knelt down and worshiped the carriage.
Chapter completed!