choke element

Chapter 1054 Baghdad (End)
The Mongols arrived first, which was not good.

Several officials were all surprised. In recent months, the delegation had been drifting on the ocean, isolated from the outside world, but when they set out in the middle of last year, they all knew that the court was busy organizing a large army, intending to once again cross the vast ocean to strike at the remnants of the Mongolian army.

This was no easy task. Although the Mongols suffered a series of disastrous defeats in their invasions of Han China, which led to a sharp decline in their influence on the vast grasslands, the vast empire built by Genghis Khan during his westward expedition did not collapse. Because the Mongol army thoroughly massacred, destroyed and plundered wherever they went, countless people within their control lost their rulers and nobles, and thus lost the ability to gather as a whole. In the short term, it was almost impossible for a force to emerge that could compete with the Mongols.

The remaining members of the Golden Family took advantage of this situation and launched a continuous counterattack against the Han people who entered the northern desert, causing bloodshed and casualties almost every day, which in turn led to many escapes of the people who settled in the settlements. For this reason, the court sent troops to attack repeatedly, which consumed huge financial resources and caused continuous debate in the court.

The reason why the delegation went to Baghdad was also for a hidden purpose, which was to imitate the Han Dynasty's old tactic of contacting the Dayuezhi to attack the Xiongnu, and to coordinate with the Arabs to jointly suppress Mongolia.

But this intention was a lower priority than trade cooperation, because the two countries were tens of thousands of miles apart, and even with the best ships and the best sailors, it would take two years to travel back and forth. Everyone knew that it was almost impossible for the two countries to cooperate militarily.

Moreover, since arriving in Arabia, the members of the delegation have seen chaos and warlords everywhere. In Yuan Haowen's view, such a weak country is just right for the Great Zhou to manipulate behind the scenes and play to their strengths in trade and transportation. As for the military, how can they fight the Mongols in such a disintegrating situation? Yuan Haowen had already decided not to mention Mongolia when negotiating state affairs.

But he didn't want to mention it, and the Mongols came first!
"They are smart and know what is important to them." Yuan Haowen couldn't help but sigh.

In terms of territory, the Mongols still had vast territories, but the output of these territories was extremely limited. There were very few craftsmen, and most of the trade routes were cut off, all of which were caused by the Mongol conquests. If they had more time, they could slowly gather the craftsmen and resume trade. But they didn't have time. The war with the Central Plains dynasty never stopped. Even with the financial resources of the Great Zhou, it was still difficult to turn around, let alone Mongolia?

Even if barefoot people are not afraid of those wearing shoes, the Great Zhou put in ten times the strength, and the Mongols only needed one point to respond. The war also forced them to continuously increase the intensity of exploitation, treating everyone in the vast territory as consumables on the battlefield. However, even the cheapest consumables still require military pay and rewards, and need to be equipped with weapons, which are extremely expensive.

Therefore, the external military pressure on the Arabs in recent years has increased dramatically because the Mongolian army has treated the various emirs in Arabia as fat meat, and used the money of these warlords to support the tug-of-war in Hezhong and other places. But year after year, the warlords' wealth is limited after all, and the Great Zhou army is pressing forward step by step, forcing the Mongols to turn their attention to Baghdad, where the Caliph is located. This city is home to the infinite wealth accumulated by the entire empire for hundreds of years, and the only purpose of the Mongolian delegation coming here is to extort.

Yuan Haowen could imagine the Mongols' extortion tactics, which were nothing more than military harassment as the first step, and then accusing the Arabs of having dealings with the enemies of Mongolia, which was equivalent to being enemies of Mongolia. The delegation's entry into the city at this time just gave the Mongols an excuse. The treatment the delegation received showed that the Caliph and the powerful officials and close ministers around him could no longer bear the pressure from the Mongols and began to cut ties with the Great Zhou. They even planned to snatch the money given to the Mongols from the Han merchants.

But what's the use of this? If the wolf wants to eat the sheep, will it eat less just because the sheep's attitude is better? If the sheep offers a rabbit to the wolf, will it be safe? Besides, the rabbit has sharp teeth and fangs, and is not harmless to humans and animals, but the sheep does not know it. In the eyes of the rabbit, the sheep's every move is not a big threat. The sheep is too old and weak.

Perhaps the military pressure from the Mongols was too great, but how could the Arab monarchs and ministers not perish if they were so ignorant? Yuan Haowen sighed, turned to Shi Tianze and said, "Runfu, it's urgent! You have to hurry up and prepare. Send the signal tonight!"

At night, when the sky was dark, a huge and strange-looking object slowly rose from within the forbidden area of ​​the Eternal Palace. It was about three to five feet high, round in shape, with a faint light through it, revealing colorful patterns on the surface. There was a small opening at the bottom, and a hanging basket was holding up a blazing furnace, dangling from it.

People saw it inside and outside the palace, and even on the towers on the other side of the Tigris River. Soon the news spread, and many people rushed to the streets to see it, or looked up in their own courtyards. As the ball rose higher and higher, some people exclaimed in surprise, some were terrified, and some were surprised.

Near Kufa Gate in the southwest of Baghdad is one of the largest markets in the city, and there are a large number of Han merchants.

According to the long-standing Arab custom, the market was nominally managed by an ulema scholar, but this scholar was only responsible for settling various commercial disputes in the market and did not participate in daily trivial affairs. The specific responsibilities were undertaken by two Khorasan people who were trusted by the caliph's court. The two Khorasan people had more than 20 Turkic guards under their command, as well as a hired Chinese interpreter.

In modern times, successive caliphs have used Khorasan ministers as their own fierce dogs to fight against Arab nobles. These two Khorasan people were of low status, just kayeds, but they specifically monitored the market operation on behalf of the caliph, ensuring that the caliph received a lot of benefits, and they also got fat and strong.

As we all know, if a dog eats too much, it will lose its hunting ability. As early as last year, the two Khorasan people had already focused on pleasure and indulged in the gold, jade and treasures that slipped through the fingers of many wealthy merchants. So in fact, the entire market has become a place for merchants to govern themselves.

There were many Han merchants making a living in Baghdad. In the market outside Kufa Gate alone, there were tens of thousands of people, including the guards of the caravans and the sailors who came to Baghdad to gain experience. At the lowest point, there were four to five thousand people, not including the local partners and hired workers of the Han merchants. There were also Han merchants stationed in several smaller markets near Khorasan Gate, Basra Gate and Syria Gate in the east, south and north.

The Han merchants used their fellow villagers as a bond to build guild halls and chambers of commerce of varying sizes in the market, and then the permanent leaders of the guild halls and chambers of commerce jointly discussed matters.

This made the place where the two Khorasan officials were supposed to be stationed deserted. The Turkic guards who were supposed to be stationed there had already gone home. Only the elderly Chinese interpreter would visit the official residence from time to time.

The interpreter's surname is Zhao. Mr. Zhao is nearly 60 years old and not as strong as he was in his early years. Because his hands and feet joints have been affected by the cold wind at sea, he has rheumatism and bone pain in his old age. He walks with a limp and can hardly lift his arm. His right hand is disabled and he used to have an iron hook on his wrist. Later, he thought the iron hook was too heavy and had to replace it with a cork carved artificial hand.

Being able to eat the official meals of the Arabs, this old man is certainly not a simple person. It is said that he had a lot of experience in the Great Zhou army in his early years and had met many important people. However, he stayed in Baghdad because he was old and didn't want to be restricted. In fact, the Han caravans living here all respected him. There were always many tributes during festivals. It was easy for him to live a comfortable life for a few years.

But he still walked around the market every day with a cane, hunched over, and concerned about everything. After all, he had an official status, so it was easy for him to deal with Arabs. He couldn't do big things, but he could help people solve some trivial problems.

Mr. Zhao worked so hard that some people in the market could not bear to see him work so hard and often advised him to take a break. Even Mr. Zhao's two sons were criticized: "You sons have hands and feet, and you have food to eat. Why do you watch your old father work so hard every day? You should persuade him a little!"

According to the early habits of the Han people, they rarely took their families with them to sea. However, as the trade routes became longer and longer, and the maritime territory of the Great Zhou became larger and larger, the journey took years, and many people who made a living at sea were rich and well-known, and were considered superior people wherever they went. Therefore, it has become a trend to buy property overseas, marry, have children, and have many children.

Old Mr. Zhao has a son in his hometown in Shandong who inherited the family lineage. His two sons were both born overseas. Because their mother's bloodline is different from that of the Han people, one of them has reddish hair and is named Zhao Yan, while the other has light golden hair and is named Zhao Huang. Both sons are under 20 years old this year, but they have been sailing since they were young, and their knowledge and skills are not bad. It is said that they have also received training from the navy of the Great Zhou Dynasty.

When Mr. Zhao retired, he asked his two sons not to go out to sea anymore and to stay with him. Now Zhao Yan is a deputy in the market guard team, and Zhao Huang has just bought a blacksmith shop.

The two sons were very filial to their old father and served him well every day, but Mr. Zhao refused to rest, and the two sons could do nothing about it. Every day, they saw the old man walking around under the scorching sun, helping here and making suggestions there. They were so confused that they had to visit him every hour and bring him some snacks and cool drinks.

There was nothing to do today, and the sky was already dark, but Mr. Zhao didn't know what was wrong with him. He insisted on going to the market to take a look, and he didn't let his two sons follow him. The two sons were waiting at home, and when they saw that the sky was getting dark and their old father hadn't come back yet, they couldn't sit still and went out to look for him.

As I just went out, I heard people on the street exclaiming. I turned around and saw the huge hot air balloon slowly rising, as if a bright full moon had appeared out of nowhere in the night.

Zhao Huang's expression changed immediately.

He stopped abruptly and said to his brother beside him: "Ayan, I have to trouble you to bring dad back as soon as possible."

Zhao Yan was also looking at the balloon. He was stunned when he heard it. He stared at Zhao Huang with a frown.

Zhao Huang always respected his elder brother. Seeing that his elder brother seemed unhappy, he immediately became anxious. He lowered his voice and said, "Brother, don't blame me. The Han people in Baghdad are going to do something big tonight. I joined the court two years ago. I swore an oath, signed a document, and received special training. I am indispensable for this trip... My blacksmith shop is useful! After the success, the rewards will be distributed according to the merits, and my family will be rich! But in this case, it will be too dangerous for Dad to be alone outside. You must bring him home quickly, and then close the door. Even if the sky falls, don't come out at all..."

He was anxious and said a lot in one breath, but he saw his brother staring at him and not moving.

Is it okay to move so slowly when every second counts? Zhao Huang became more and more impatient and took a half step forward, trying to push his brother forward.

His outstretched hand was slapped away by his brother.

Zhao Yan was two years older than Zhao Huang, half a head taller, and much stronger. This hit made the back of Zhao Huang's hand burn with pain.

"You kid... According to what you said, you started training at the age of fourteen? No wonder you left home for half a year, saying you wanted to learn blacksmithing skills from a master, but when you came back, you didn't see much improvement in your skills... Good boy, so that's what happened!"

"Huh? What?"

Zhao Huang was speechless, but he heard his brother shouting, "Why are you blushing?"

Zhao Huang immediately replied: "Refreshed!"

"Why is it yellow again?"

"To protect against cold, apply wax!"

After the two sentences, Zhao Huang was overjoyed: "Brother, so you are one too?"

Zhao Yan sneered, "You are a half-hearted brat with only two arms and a lot of strength, but I am not. I am older than you, better at martial arts, have killed more people than you, and I have fifty brave soldiers under my command, who are stronger than your blacksmith friends... Why shouldn't I be a hero?"

"You and I are both members of the imperial court, so if we have to fight, who will go find our father?"

Zhao Yan glared: "Of course you go!"

"But……"

"The people in the Record Office are confused. How can two brothers from the same family join the army? There must be something wrong with the paperwork within their organization. Since I'm here, it's not your turn to worry about it. Just take good care of your parents and that will be your merit! Leave the rest to me!"

At this point, Zhao Yan pulled out a whistle from his waist and blew it hard. Immediately, the same whistle sound echoed from everywhere.

Zhao Huang knew that his brother did not want him to participate in the fighting, hoping that his father and his young son would be as safe as possible. But he had been thinking about this moment day and night for two years since he started training, and he had not known how many times he had expected it and how many times he had played it out in his mind. How could he be willing to withdraw now that he was suddenly asked to do so?

If he didn't quit, he would be worried when he saw his father was alone outside and hadn't been found yet. At this moment, he was so anxious that he couldn't express it in words. He could only clench his fists and said in a deep voice, "I'll go find my father first. I should still be in time..."

"Why would you come to find me? If I want to do something big, wouldn't I know? I was the one who recommended you two to join the army! I know more than you do!"

Suddenly, the voice of Mr. Zhao came from the roadside behind. He strode over, his back straight, not even a hint of old age. The iron hook on his wrist shone coldly. He glanced at the two of them, and suddenly heaved a breath and shouted, "The land is high and the mountains and streams are beautiful as they have been for ages."

From the dozens of houses nearby, no less than a hundred elite soldiers rushed out with swords and spears in hand, and everyone shouted in response: "The door faces the sea, and the water of the three rivers flows for ten thousand years!"

This situation occurred almost simultaneously around the four gates of Baghdad in the southeast, northwest, northeast and southwest, and within half an hour, all four gates changed hands.

The maritime caravans of the Great Zhou Dynasty were originally engaged in business with swords. Each large caravan had armed forces, and it was no big deal to attack and destroy a few small countries at sea. However, these caravans were led by dozens or even hundreds of leaders, and they had no affiliation with each other. There were occasional conflicts, so they were not taken seriously by the Baghdad defense forces. But at this moment, as people with military positions and official identities continued to emerge, so many caravans naturally gathered into a unified whole, and acted according to the plan that had been tempered countless times.

The caliph and his favorites found that something was wrong and immediately summoned officials, troops and powerful emirs. However, it was not only the Han merchants who launched the emergency. Many Arab nobles and wealthy families also broke out in fierce internal strife and even fighting. Even several military fortresses that were once regarded as iron walls were replaced with new flags. Some officers tried to summon their subordinates to attack the city gates, but were killed on the way; and the army that was truly loyal to the caliph was shocked to find that the arsenal that should have been well-stocked seemed to have been looted and was empty.

Over the past few years, the continued decline of the Arab Empire has been seen by too many people, and sea merchants are the most open-minded and most easily driven by interests. Among those powerful sea merchants who were recalled to Baghdad by the Caliph and served as officials, nearly half of them had long been controlled by the Great Zhou. Their smooth careers in Baghdad were equivalent to the smooth operation of the Great Zhou in Baghdad. At this moment, the power of these people was also involved. Because they all knew that the Mongols wanted money and lives, and the Great Zhou was the only guarantee of their safety and wealth!

In the Yongheng Palace, Shi Tianze and his subordinates were also making preparations. These soldiers were all elites who could fight one against a hundred, but they all understood that after tonight's battle, they would most likely have to support a puppet caliph and face the Mongolian army head-on. The Mongolian army was a formidable opponent no matter when and where, and the support from the Great Zhou was thousands of miles away. The saying that wealth and honor are sought in danger was exactly what was happening here. The wealth and honor must be great, and the danger was real. After this trip, I don't know how many people would die in a foreign land!

The civil officials headed by Yuan Haowen were calmer. Yuan Haowen led a group of people and asked them to make official certificates of the Great Zhou Dynasty and distribute them to the surrendered emirs early tomorrow morning. They were quietly thinking about how to make use of some particularly important people or even members of the Mongolian delegation if they were captured.

As he thought about it, and watched his subordinates write hundreds of official documents in one breath, Yuan Haowen suddenly remembered an old work by a senior poet in the previous dynasty. He could not help but tear off a piece of paper and write a poem:

The drums begin to sound in the jade tent, and the golden saddle is half-drawn. I look at the cold water with sadness, and the opposite side is separated by the beautiful wind.

When will the mountains be cut off? When will the clouds be connected? There is no need to be surprised by foreign lands, they are all within the map.

(End of the book)

The main text of the book ends here.

It has been delayed for too long. Since the beginning of last year, some changes have taken place in my real life. My career has been greatly shaken, or it would be more appropriate to say it has collapsed. It makes me laugh so hard. In addition, my health is not good. As a result, I have little energy to look up information and deduce the story, and my typing speed has become slower and slower. I am really sorry to my readers. I bow my head sincerely and kowtow to apologize. Fortunately, I have finally completed a complete story, and JJ is still alive, not a eunuch.

If all goes well, I will have some free time again after March this year, and can seriously plan a new story, most likely continuing the background of the Jin and Southern and Northern Dynasties that I am familiar with. However, before the accumulation of information for the new story is completed, I may also open an irrelevant and mindless article to practice and recover my status, so as not to be too idle.

Any new developments will be reported promptly after the main text of "Han Ding Yu Yan" and "Jie Yuan". In any case, it will be after the Chinese New Year. I wish all readers, gentlemen and ladies, a happy new year! Family health! All the best! Prosperity!