Chapter 432: The Demon Dragon City that Caused the Crisis

The person who came out of Hattoshi was the new national teacher of the Geluo people, Surman, who was a little different from the man who sold water. Although the national teacher was not a position, Surman played an important role in the decision-making level of the Geluo people. This was not only because he was the master of the Great Chief Atre, but more importantly, Surman had a good relationship with the Great Seal Caliph. Moreover, as the national teacher of the Uighurs, he was very generous in both the East and West countries. This made the Geluo people relied on him in the cracks. Before he knew it, he squeezed into the decision-making level of the Geluo people.

But Surman himself knew very well that the reason why Rashid agreed to all his requests and even promised to grant Bukhara to him was conditional, and he wanted him to join forces with Gloru and Uighur to fight against the Tang Dynasty. On the other hand, if he could not complete this task, he would not only get nothing, but he would also be hanged on the streets of Baghdad. Yes! This is a gamble of wealth and death, and he had no choice.

The four meanings were hidden in the unity of Gelulu and Uighurs against the Tang Dynasty, one was that Gelulu rebelled against the Tang Dynasty; the other was that Uighurs rebelled against the Tang Dynasty; the third was that united the two, and the fourth meaning was the most secret, that is, both Gelulu and Uighurs must obey the command of Dashi.

The first one is easy to achieve. The relationship between Gelu and the Tang Dynasty is irreconcilable, and the Tang Dynasty will no longer accept the return of this backer, but it is difficult to get through the second to the fourth. The key is the second one. If the Uighurs are willing to rebel against the Tang Dynasty with a clear stand, then he will be sure to convince Gelu to be the front guard of the Uighurs. Similarly, the fourth one will come naturally.

But the key to the problem is that the Uighurs' decision is volatile, the pro-Tang faction is still in power, and the anti-Tang faction is difficult to gain the advantage. There is also the loyal Khan himself. From his desire to marry Shuangkedun, it can be seen that this person is very good at getting along with others, and even wants to take advantage of the conflict between the Tang Dynasty and the Dashi to make profits.

Although Surman knew the predicament in front of him, he dared not refuse to follow Rashid's orders. So where should we start? In the past two days, Surman has been quite worried about this matter, but now a window has suddenly opened in front of Surman. This window is the Atumu messenger standing in front of him - the Sogdian. Sudman's thoughts have become extremely clear.

While comforting Jalandra, he ordered people to take him with him and immediately turned around and returned to the city. He did not rush to see Atre, but returned to his tent first.

In the big tent, Jalandra looked at the old man Meng Yue, who was also the national teacher of the two countries, with some anxiety. He had been paced back and forth in the big tent, wondering what he was thinking?

"Don't you really want to be subjects of the Tang Dynasty?" Surman finally spoke. He spoke very slowly and his eyes flashed, as if he was a little careless.

Jalandra immediately knelt down and said sincerely: "We Sogdians will never be willing to serve the Tang people. We beg the national teacher to help us. The kindness of the national teacher will be engraved in our hearts.

"Don't worry, Alumu is my child. How could I stand by and watch with my own child being bullied?" Surman slowly walked to him. He patted the shoulder of Jalandra gently, and then said earnestly: "But the problem now is that the Geluo people are not united within. Many nobles are afraid of being beaten by the Tang army. They only seek wealth and do not want to go to war with the Tang army. The chief has just ascended the throne and it is difficult for them to order them. Therefore, in order to make the Geluo people willing to send troops to help you, I hope that the Sogdians in the town of Alumu can cooperate with me."

Jalandra was overjoyed, and he said without hesitation: "Please give me instructions and we will fully cooperate with the actions of the National Master."

"Okay! Come here with your ear." Surman whispered a few times in his ear, and Jalandra was stunned, "National Master, this is not a big deal!"

"That's why I asked you if you would be subjects of the Tang Dynasty." Surman's face darkened and he said coldly: "But now it seems that you really want to be loyal to the Tang Dynasty. Then just pretend that I didn't say anything. Go! Don't bother me again."

After saying that, Surman sat cross-legged and ignored him again. Jalandra's face changed several times. He knew very well that this was his only chance. He gritted his teeth and said, "Okay, we will do what the national master said, but we only beg the national master to keep it confidential for us."

"Of course!" Surman looked at him and smiled gloomyly, "If other Sogdians find out about this, can I still survive?"

Two days later, Jalandra returned to the Demon Dragon City. He immediately reported Surman's plan to several leaders of the Sogdian Chamber of Commerce. At first, the leaders were very hesitant. After all, the consequences of this matter were very serious, but they could not withstand Jalandra's repeated persuasion. In order to allow the Gloru people or the Uighur people to help them regain the town of Atumu, they finally agreed to cooperate with Surman's action.

Surman was also very quick. On the night when Jalandra returned to the Demon Dragon City, the people he sent also arrived at the Demon Dragon City. This was a burly man named Rut. He had half of the Han blood. His mother was a Han woman who was captured from Beiting by the Geluo people from Beiting to the grassland for slavery more than 20 years ago. She died shortly after giving birth to him. Rut was born as a slave and raised by his master like a dog. Because of his extra strong figure, cold and cruel personality, he was chosen by Arthur to be his guard. Now he became the commander of Atre and was loyal to his master. Because of his appearance very similar to that of the Han people, he was chosen by Surman to carry out this secret mission. In addition to him, he also brought five hundred brothers, who are currently hiding in the forest twenty miles away.

That night, Jalandra took him to meet with several leaders of the chamber of commerce. The two sides held secret meetings overnight to discuss the details of the action. Finally, it was finalized that the first action would be carried out two days later, and Jalandra was the guide of the Demon Dragon Town.

Before dawn, Rut sneaked out of the town from a secret passage in a Sogdian house and disappeared into the dark forest.

After more than ten days of occupation, Yaolong City has returned to its former peace. Tuqi Shiren, who relied on fishing for a living, began to sail towards the distant Yibohai. The construction of the Tang army's wharf on the shore of Yaolong Lake officially began. While the wharf was being built, five hundred Tang army engineers also began to build cofferdams on a side lake.

As Sogdian shops opened one after another, two caravans from afar appeared on the streets of Yaolong City as if they were in tune with each other. They paid taxes to the Government Affairs Office and received a document that could be passed through the Tang Dynasty within three months. Although this document is of no use to them now, they can use this document to pass through the Sailed Leaf when they come back without worrying about the Tang army's investigation.

The rise of Yaolong Town has a great relationship with the movement of the Uighurs on the north of the Silk Road. It is facing Yaolong Lake and backed by the dark forest. Its geographical location is very important. It is the only way to the Northern Silk Road back then. The caravans frequently traveled and the unique geographical conditions made Yaolong City prosperous. With the Tang Dynasty completely recaptured Anxi and Beiting, and the construction of the Golden Dragon Road, the Silk Road gradually moved south to Shuye. Nowadays, most of the transit caravans are Sogdian merchants who go to Gelu or Uighurs, which is much lighter than the grand occasion of the gathering of thousands of merchants.

The two caravans that came today were Sogdian caravans, one was Hanerduobali in the Uighur, and the other was to Geluohaitushi City. Although the Yaolong City had been occupied by the Tang army, the Tang army did not make things difficult for them. They only checked that their goods were not military products and then let them go. The caravans to Huerduobali in the Uighur, went straight north from the north exit to the Yibohai, and then turned to the Uighur. The caravans to Haitushi City had to exit the town from the northeast and crossed nearly fifty miles of dark forest before they could reach the territory of the Geluo.

The caravan to Haitushi City consisted of more than one hundred camels, loaded with cotton, pottery, silver and other daily necessities purchased from Samarkand. These are all things that the people of Geluo lacked. They could be sold at a good price in exchange for valuable items such as gold, silver, gems and animal skins in their hands. Half the owner of this caravan was two Sogdian merchants with the team, while the other half was Ye Hu, a powerful Geluo nobleman with great power.

This is a typical case of Sogdian merchants working with the Geluo nobles. Sogdian merchants paid seven costs and were responsible for trafficking goods. The Geluo nobles paid three costs to provide the market and protect the interests of the Sogdians. In the end, the benefits obtained were divided equally. Moreover, the people and items plundered by the Geluo people were mostly sold through Sogdian merchants. In this way, Sogdian merchants gradually controlled the economic lifeline of the Geluo people and began to affect many of their major decisions.

The caravan began to enter the road of the dark forest at noon. The road was not wide, and the camels walked very slowly. The melodious and crisp camel bells came from afar in the breeze. The two Sogdian merchants accompanying the team were brothers, one was called Pierre and the other was called Maier, both of whom were about fifty years old. They had been walking on this road for nearly twenty years and were already very familiar with the situation along the way.

In order to make long-term profits in Geluo, they joined Ye Huduotu of the down-to-earth power department and even married their daughter to Duotu. This time they sold 20,000 Dashi gold coins. Under normal circumstances, they could make half the profits in this trip, and the two brothers were in a very happy mood.

After traveling for five miles, the two brothers suddenly heard someone shouting behind him. When they looked back, they saw a man riding a horse and rushed towards him. Both brothers laughed. It was Jalandra who put money in the Demon Dragon City. They were old friends in Baghdad.

"Brother Jalandra, what? Do you want to give us money?" Both brothers couldn't help laughing, "Unless you don't want profits, we will borrow 100,000 gold coins."

Jalandra caught up with them, and he said seriously: "I was sent by the Chamber of Commerce to guide you. If you don't need it, I will go back."

The two brothers looked at each other and their eyes showed surprise, "Leading the way? Why lead the way?" And it was actually the Chamber of Commerce who sent someone. Seeing that Jalandra was about to leave, brother Pierre hurriedly stepped forward to stop him and said, "Brother Jalandra, what happened? Don't leave if you find a mystery!"

Jalandra looked left and right, and he suddenly lowered his voice and said, "How much tax have you paid?"

"A hundred taxes are five, we declared 10,000 gold coins, paid 500 gold coins, and also paid the tax payment document. What? Is there any problem here?" Pierre asked in confusion.

Jalandra shook her head and said, "Of course there is a problem. Do you think the Tang people would let you go so easily? Generally, at least 30% of them will be exploited before you can leave safely."

Mayer next to him suddenly asked, "Then why do they only charge 100-500 taxes and five yuan, and don't collect them together?"

Jalandra glanced at them with pity and said coldly: "Do you really don't understand? The official tax of the Tang Dynasty is to be paid to Suoye, and the other 25% of the money is collected by the local garrison, falling into the pockets of the officers, and checking the tax bill for Dashi, so they dare not take action in the town. If you don't believe it, go ahead twenty miles, and hundreds of cavalry are waiting for you in front?"

Speaking of this, Jalandra took out a chamber of commerce documents and handed them to their brothers and said, "This is what the Sogdian Chamber of Commerce means. If you don't even believe in your own people, then we can't do anything."

The two brothers looked at the letter. As expected, the documents were as he said, there was also the badge of the Sogdian Chamber of Commerce, and Jalandra said it very reasonably, so they could not believe it. Pierre's face turned pale, and they had a tax bill of great cannibalism on them, which clearly stated that it was a goods of 20,000 gold coins, so they would have to be collected 5,500 gold coins, which was more than ten times the tax they paid in the morning. Allah! These Tang people were really robbers.

"What should we do?" the two brothers asked tremblingly.

Jialandra smiled, "So the Chamber of Commerce sent me to guide you to avoid the interception of Tang Jun in front, but the Chamber of Commerce will charge two hundred gold coins for the lead-in fee, are you willing?"

The Sogdians put liberty first, and even brothers had to settle the score clearly. If the other party leads the way for free, the Pierre brothers would not believe it anymore. The other party would charge a fee. They believed it completely. The two brothers discussed it and could bear the two hundred gold coins, so they nodded and agreed, "Okay! We made a deal, but we could only pay it if we reached the territory of Gelu."

"No problem, come with me." Jalandra turned around and a trace of viciousness flashed across her eyes.

The caravan was walking on a dark forest path. The ground was covered with thick layers of rotten leaves. The camel hooves stepped by and made a rustling sound. They had already left the business road for about ten miles, and there was still a dark forest ahead. For some reason, the Pierre brothers began to feel a little uneasy. They stayed in the town for a whole morning. The Tang army they met was very friendly and had no intention of seeking their wealth. Moreover, the passing caravans had to collect 30% of the tax. Aren’t these Tang soldiers afraid that the merchants would go to break the leaves and complain?

The more he thought about it, the more something was wrong. Pierre raised his hand and ordered the caravan to stop. He turned around and shouted, "Go and call the guy who is loan shark!"

Just now, Jalandra ran to get out of the way and fell behind. He should have been behind. After waiting for a while, someone shouted far from behind: "Master, that person has not followed, it seems to be gone."

"Brother, we must have met a liar, doggy matter, I will definitely settle the score with him when I come back!" Mayer cursed angrily.

"No!" Pierre suddenly reacted, "We didn't give him any money, what did he lie to us for?"

Mayer was stunned, "What's going on?"

The two brothers looked at each other, not knowing what Jalandra meant. Suddenly, a deafening sound of horse hooves broke out around them. Cavalry carrying swords appeared from all directions and rushed towards them. They were all wearing Tang army armor, and were led by a Tang general with a burly figure and wolf-like eyes with ruthless cruelty.

"It's the Tang army!" The followers on the camel were so scared that they were scattered. Some of them drew their swords, some turned around and ran away. The Pierre brothers were stunned and their eyes were filled with endless fear. Could it be that what Jalandra said was true?

"We are willing to pay taxes!" Pierre shouted in a trembling Chinese voice.

But the result was beyond their expectations. The Tang army seemed to be denied taxes. Screams came from the mouths of their followers. The "Tang Army Cavalry" began to kill frantically in silence. They were absolutely ruthless under the sword. Wherever the sword light was swung, the body was separated or cut in half, and the action was extremely cruel.

The hearts of the Pierre brothers suddenly sank into the abyss. The Tang army killed all the Tang army to steal their goods. The two brothers turned around and fled. The burly officer had long been staring at them. He held a knife and chased after them. The camel's burst speed was far less than that of a war horse. After a moment, the Tang general caught up with them. He jumped onto the horse and waved the knife and slashed at the back of Mayere's head. It happened that Mayere was also turning around. As soon as the two met, Mayere suddenly recognized him. He shouted, "Brother, they are not Tang army, but Geluo."

Before he could finish his words, Mayere's head was chopped away, and the headless corpse rolled to the ground. Pierre heard the last shout of his brother. He was very sad and angry. He suddenly stopped the camel and pulled out the scimitar and chopped him at the other party. "Gelu, a dog bastard, I will fight with you."

But his movements were slower, and he only saw the other party's cold eyes as if they were as cold as a wolf. His eyes turned dark and he knew nothing.

Rut killed the Pierre brothers. He turned around and looked at the others. Almost all the more than 100 followers in the caravan were killed, and none of the women who accompanied the team were spared. They were raped and killed by the most brutal people of the Gelulu. There were still two or three people with a little skill in martial arts fighting against the Gelulu. At this moment, Rut had no disguise. He cursed in Turkic language and immediately rushed up to the hundred people. The remaining few people were chopped into meat paste in the sword light and sabers.

Hundreds of Garrolu buried the caravan's bodies in a hurry. Rut shouted, and they pulled the camels and cargo and disappeared into the depths of the forest.
Chapter completed!