Chapter 449: Broken Leaf Fengyun (14)

After a moment, Agush quickly walked into Rashid's war room. Agush was the legitimate grandson of Abbas Caliph. Just because Jafar inherited the throne of his brother Caliph, Abbas's descendants never had the chance to ascend to the throne of the Abbas Empire. Agush was Rashid's confidant. It was precisely this reason that he was appointed governor of Samarkand and divided the power of Yehaya to control the east of the Amu River. However, Yehaya was too powerful in the country, and even some generals of the guards were controlled by him. Agush's move became a power struggle that could only be understood but not expressed.

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

Rashid stood in front of the map and said nothing for a long time, and then asked for a while: "Did you meet him when you came?"

This 'he' Agush naturally understood who he was referring to, and he immediately responded: "I met it. Vizier asked about the tax situation this year, but didn't say anything else?"

"Then how are your taxes this year?" Rashid suddenly turned around. This was also something he was extremely concerned about. He could not get much tax from the 'zakata'. Merchants gathered in Samarkand, Bukhara and other places, which was an important tax source for the empire. The Battle of Sacrifice has reached its late stage, and the supply of various military supplies such as food will reach its peak. He did not want to run out of wealth at this time.

"Report to Your Majesty, the Taxation Department has earned 36 million dinars last month, deducting the 6 million dinars that the local government office itself must consume and the war expenditure of 10 million dinars. I can finally offer 20 million dinars to Your Majesty."

"It's only 20 million!" Rashid frowned. Last year, there were still 40 million in revenue. Why did it reduce it by half this year? Of course, he was also very clear. It was the result of the great tax reduction of the Governor in front of him. Rashid immediately avoided this embarrassing topic. He sat down and smiled and said, "Tell me about the situation of Bahan, is it going to be smooth to transport supplies to the front line? And how many soldiers are there in Bahan's family in Bahan?"

Agush pondered for a moment and said, "We basically transported the savanna from water to Saiye. It was quite smooth and there was no obstacle. However, after the two thousand soldiers of the Saman family controlled Bahanna, Saman was very arrogant. He transported half of Bahanna's taxes to Shiguo by him. Not only that, he was also extremely rude to the king of Bahanna and killed people at will in the palace. My brother was worried that this would arouse Bahanna's civil rebellion."

"Saman killed people in the palace of Bahan, for reasons!" Rashid did not believe Agush's words. His spy in Bahan had already passed the news to him. He snorted softly and said, "I heard that you took the envoy of the Tang Dynasty from Saman, where is this person now?"

"Report to Your Majesty, this person is outside the palace. He is the grandson of the former prime minister of the Tang Dynasty. He is a new Jinshi this year, only sixteen years old."

"I was only sixteen years old, and I was indeed a young talent!" Rashid nodded with a smile, "I also went to Greece when I was sixteen. After hearing what you said, I really want to see him."

Speaking of this, Rashid turned around and said to the guard order: "Go quickly! Bring in the Tang envoys from the prince's entourage, don't be rude."

"As for order!" The guard 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. This was already the core of the Abbasid Empire. Tens of thousands of guards guarded the palace. Anyone who had abnormal actions would be arrested immediately or even killed on the spot. Agush's guards knew the strict vigilance here, and they repeatedly told Cui Yao not to make any abnormal moves.

At this time, the palace gate slowly opened, and a carriage made of almost pure gold drove out of the palace, with nearly two hundred knights guarding the palace. This was Ye Haya coming out of the palace.

The carriage was extremely fast and drove to Cui Yao and the others in an instant. Suddenly, the carriage stopped. Ye Haya pulled the curtain and looked at the oriental man in front of him, "Is he the envoy of the Tang Dynasty brought by Agush?"

The guard of Agush hurriedly stepped forward and knelt down to salute, "Report to Lord Vizier, it's him."

Ye Haya nodded and turned her eyes to Cui Yao again. Seeing that he seemed to understand his question, she couldn't help but ask him curiously: "Do you understand what I say?"

Cui Yao bowed slightly and replied in Arabic: "I can understand!"

"It's not simple! You can understand our language in just one and a half months. You are really smart, young man."

Ye Haya gently stroked her beard, smiled and said, "Our culture is as profound as the Tang Dynasty. I hope you can learn more. If you have any needs, come to me at any time."

Seeing that he was very humble, Cui Yao couldn't help but feel a little affection for him. He bowed and said, "Thank you for your kindness. I will definitely read the culture of your country when I have time."

Ye Haya raised his head and laughed, waved his hand, the carriage started, and quickly left the palace. He waited for his carriage to disappear. The guard officer wiped his cold sweat and said to Cui Yao with lingering fear: "You are so brave. When you see him, you dare not kneel down. He is the second person in our Abbasid Dynasty. He offended him, and even the Caliph cannot save you. He did not make things difficult for you. It is your luck."

Cui Yao smiled slightly and said, "In fact, the bigger the person, the easier it is to speak. Since his identity is so noble, how could he make things difficult for a small person like me?"

The guard officer also smiled, "You are right, our highness is the same. He is tolerant of others and never gets angry easily."

At this time, the side door of the palace opened, and a palace guard ran to them quickly and asked breathlessly: "Who is the envoy of the Tang Dynasty here?"

Cui Yao raised his hand, "I am!"

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

Walking through two long rows of date palm trees that are only one person tall, the trees are covered with delicate small date palms, and on both sides are blue lake water. From time to time, spring water spews out from the lake. In the fountain stands statues of knights full of armor. They enter the palace along a road paved with black marble.

The palace of the Great Cannibal is as full of luxury as it looks, surrounded by embroidered tents. This is a masterpiece of the Syrians and Byzantines. Each one is exquisite and delicate, embroidered with lifelike figures and flowers. It is said that there are 38,000 tents in the palace, most of which are made of Eastern silk, and there are 22,000 carpets, which are swept from the Persian palace. At the sight, various brightly colored gems and great pearls can be seen everywhere, walls covered with gold foil and colorful glass. In every corner of the palace, you can see graceful concubines. They are dressed gorgeously and hide behind the curtains and look at the young man from the East curiously.

Like the imperial palace of the Tang Dynasty, tall eunuchs can be seen everywhere here, but their skin color is white or black, and everyone has the same expression and has never been straightened.

They passed through a heavy gate, and Cui Yao saw Agush at a glance. Beside him, a slender and tall man with fair skin, high nose and deep eyes. If he was not careful, he would treat him as a woman. However, the embroidered gold robe covered with gems and the scepter made of pure gold and diamond in his hands showed his extremely noble identity.

"Kneel and see His Majesty the Caliph." The guards reminded Cui Yao nervously.

Cui Yao seemed to have not heard it. He stepped forward and bowed deeply and said, "Cui Yao, the envoy of the Emperor of the Tang Dynasty, met His Majesty the Caliph."

Agush glanced at him, turned around and smiled at Rashid, saying, "I heard that the Emperor of the Tang Dynasty abolished the kneeling ceremony on informal occasions."

Rashid didn't care whether Cui Yao had kneeled down or not. He looked Cui Yao up and down and asked curiously: "Are you really only sixteen years old? I don't seem to look like him!"

Cui Yao didn't know why he cared about his age so much, so he immediately replied, "Report to Your Majesty, I am indeed only sixteen years old, but this does not mean anything. As long as you don't humiliate the national system and live up to your mission, age does not matter. Does Your Majesty think it's wrong?"

Rashid smiled slightly. The boy obviously lacked the sleekness of an envoy. He deliberately showed an unwilling attitude, as if he wanted to earn enough face for his country and the monarch, and he was somewhat full of youthful aura. This was a bit like when he was sixteen years old when he was facing Empress Dowager Elini, Byzantine, and deliberately maintained the image of the Abbasid Dynasty.

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

Rashid returned to his kingly chair with a golden mat and sat ten steps against Cui Yao. Instead, Agush stood aside. Rashid glanced at Cui Yao and said lightly: "Your identity as an envoy is only to Bahan. Your emperor's will is also very clear. I hope Bahan will surrender to the Tang Dynasty again. This is like stealing a date from my imperial garden. So you are actually a thief who was caught. According to our Islamic teachings, the thief should be hanged. However, there are also requirements for saving the fallen people in Islamic teachings, so I decided to save you and make you an envoy who can spread my Islamic culture."

Rashid spoke very slowly. Although Cui Yao was still very clumsy in Arabic, he could barely understand Rashid's meaning. He immediately replied in a row: "I am 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 children of the Tang Dynasty who were bullied. If you insist on saying that I am a thief, then you have also played the role of a robber."

Rashid's face immediately became dark. He stared at Cui Yao tightly. He had received countless envoys. Who was not humble when he saw him, and he was full of servility. But the young man dared to confront him in person, and he was a little angry.

Agush behind him was so scared that his face was pale. He coughed lightly, looked at Cui Yao and signaled him to apologize quickly, but Cui Yao turned a blind eye. He tightened his lips and looked at Rashid without saying a word. It was related to the honor and disgrace of the country. He would rather die than lose the integrity of the envoys of the Tang Dynasty.

The two of them had been in a stalemate for a long time, and the anger in Rashid's eyes slowly subsided. He smiled with a self-deprecating smile and said, "I forgot that there are no thieves and robbers in the country in war, only winners and losers. Your tone is as full of fire as your Tang Lei. OK! Young man, I can forgive your ruthlessness."

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

Cui Yao is a polite scholar. He has cultivated a humble and self-disciplined temperament by Cui Yuan since he was a child. Seeing that the Caliph had already made concessions, he said modestly: "Your Majesty the Caliph is like our Emperor, with a broad mind and a monarch with great talent and strategy. You are all heroes and natural opponents, but your private lives are completely different."

Rashid smiled happily. He could hear the sincerity of this young man, which was a kind of praise from the heart, not a deliberate flattery. He also praised his monarch to him. He could understand that he could seize and rule the Tang Empire and dared to fight with him with all his strength. However, their private lives were different, which made Rashid's interest even stronger.

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

Cui Yao looked at the luxurious decorations around him, raised his head and said proudly: "There are only two hundred eunuchs and three hundred palace maids in the palace. Our queen personally raises silkworms and weaves brocades in the palace. Many of our soldiers' shoes and socks are from her hands. Can His Majesty the Caliph do it?"

Rashid laughed in silence. This young man was mocking his luxury! Any envoys from other countries who came to his palace praised the glory of the golden walls of his palace, and envied his beautiful concubines. He was tired of hearing such clichéd words of praise, but Cui Yao's words made him feel a sense of freshness.

Rashid waved his hand gently and said, "Most of these things in the palace come from Damascus, not me personally. They are symbols of the wealth of the Abbasid Empire. As for wives and concubines, I actually only have a dozen people. I will reward the rest of the women to soldiers who have made meritorious women. You are still young and cannot understand that a man with great talent cannot indulge in women's beauty. On the contrary, a monarch who indulges in women's beauty cannot accomplish great things."

Rashid stood up and said, "Okay, I still have a lot to do, so I won't accept you. I can promise you that as long as you don't leave Baghdad, I will give you absolute freedom and learn our culture well. I hope that one day you will be able to spread our Arab culture to the East after you go back. Of course, I also hope that you will teach the excellent culture of the Tang Dynasty to our scholars."

After saying that, he recruited a guard officer and pointed at Cui Yao and said, "Take this distinguished guest of the Tang Dynasty. From today on, he will be my guest. He can appear in all places except military institutions."

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

As soon as Cui Yao left, Agush said to Rashid: "Have your Majesty been too tolerant of him and given him absolute freedom. What if he escapes?"

"He won't run away." Rashid slowly turned around and smiled at Agush, "Although I only had a brief contact with him, I know that this is a self-esteem literati of the Tang Dynasty. If I imprison him or sent someone to monitor him, he might run away, but if I give him absolute freedom, he will not leave. Even if he wants to leave, he will get my consent first. He will never do anything that damages their Tang Empire. Do you believe it?"

Agush was amazed, "Your Majesty's heart, I am ashamed of your own sake!"

Rashid sighed slightly and said, "A young envoy can still be in line with advance and retreat and do not humiliate the national system. I am now even more worried about the battle of Broke Ye. Agush, I find that I underestimate the enemy a little."

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

It was already November, and the broken leaves had really entered winter. In this cold season, everything changed. The sky was gray, as if after the strong wind, it showed a chaotic atmosphere. The earth was covered with white frost, dry and stiff. The moat was frozen as it wished. A scattered siege rifle was lying alone on the moat, full of long ice. From October to now, the two armies have been calm for a whole month. The soldiers were staying in the camp. The cold made them begin to miss their hometown.

The city of Thunder Leaf was also quiet. The battle had been fought for two months. The long tug-of-war made people tired. There was only a team of patrol soldiers passing by on the streets by chance.

It was noon, and suddenly a rapid sound of horse hooves broke through the quiet streets. A team of cavalry surrounded the commander Wang Siyu and rushed towards the north of the city. Wang Siyu received an exciting news. An armed soldier invented a good way to deal with the attacking ram, which made Wang Siyu ecstatic. Two months ago, the violent rage of the giant was still vivid in my mind. Although it could not pass through the moat, the role of the moat disappeared in winter. If we could no longer find a way to deal with the attacking ram, the breaking of the ruined city would inevitably be inevitable.

The cavalry team rushed into a schoolyard like lightning. A small town of broken leaves was built in proportion. It was four meters high and thirty meters long. It also dug a moat that was ten feet wide. There were more than a dozen reduced trenchers and siege rams on the schoolyard. Five hundred soldiers pretended to be offensive and defensive sides to conduct drills here.

When a captain saw the arrival of the commander, he came up in panic and saluted, "See the commander!"

"No gift." Wang Siyu waved his hand and asked impatiently: "What kind of method to break the attack on the city ram? Let's practice it for me."

"As for order!" the captain stood up and shouted to the soldiers: "Are you all ready? Start siege."

As soon as he finished speaking, dozens of small fireballs shot towards the city, "bang! bang!" landed on the city, causing a bunch of fire. Wang Siyu climbed onto a high platform and watched the drill progress with all his body. At this time, the rumbling drum sounded, which was imitating the attack drum sound of the big cannibal. With the sound of the drum, a three-meter-high sieve sieve began to slowly start. It was pushed by thirty soldiers behind. The sieve ram was also made by imitating the "war beast" of the big cannibal. It was vivid and had a bit of ferocious momentum. The sieve ram slowly moved forward, and the headless arrows on the city were densely filled with rain, but they could not hinder its advance. In a moment, the sieve ram arrived at the city.

Wang Siyu leaned forward and frowned. He still couldn't see the way of the Tang army. The attacking ram had reached the city. The huge hammer head was less than three feet away from the city wall. At this moment, countless black shadows suddenly appeared in the sky. Amid the Tang army's shouts, the attacking ram swayed and collapsed in a moment.

Wang Siyu was stunned. This was the process of copying the collapse of the giant two months ago. After a long time, he turned around and asked, "Who thought of this solution?"

"Report to the Grand Commander, this is a humble thought." An ordnant in his thirties stepped forward and half-kneeled to salute.

Wang Siyu nodded, "You're doing a pretty job! I'll give you five hundred stale money and get promoted to two levels."
Chapter completed!