Tibet

Tang Jun auctioned a large amount of silk, porcelain, tinware and other goods in the city that day, earning hundreds of thousands of gold coins.

Li Ye immediately rewarded the three armies. This time the reward was doubled compared to last year's joint war reward. Each soldier was rewarded with 120 gold coins. The soldiers who were left to defend the city were rewarded twice as much, with 300 gold coins each.

The generals also received generous rewards, and they were all very happy. If this continues, their wish to buy a small courtyard in Chang'an will soon come true.

After packing their luggage, loading the captured wealth on camels, and replenishing food and water, the nine thousand Tang army set off eastward with tens of thousands of camels and horses.

………

In mid-May, Li Ye led his army back to Suiye. Suiye was particularly lively. More than 700 families from Beiting had arrived last month. Xie Jin prepared houses and land for them.

Although this march took more than a year, it also ensured the health of the family members to the greatest extent. No one died along the way. It was regarded as a miracle of moving westward, and it also confirmed that Li Ye's idea of ​​​​exchanging time for life was completely correct.

But Li Ye didn't have time to chat with them in detail. After just two days of rest, he was ready to return to Chang'an.

Of course, there was something big going on when he returned to Chang'an. He wanted to ask the emperor for permission, hoping to expand the Hezhong Army or join forces with the Beiting Army to attack the Khazar Khanate.

Secondly, he had to join forces with the Anxi Army to deal with Tubo's westward expansion. The Hezhong Army alone could not accomplish such an important task unless the emperor agreed to expand the Hezhong army to 24,000 people according to the standards of Beiting and Anxi.

What Li Ye hopes is to expand the army. It is already the twelfth year of Tianbao and there are only two years left before the Anshi Rebellion. He must have a strong army.

In the afternoon, Li Ye came to Suiye Guangming Temple. He came back and asked the maid Xiaokang. No one from Guangming Temple left him a message or sent a letter, which made Li Ye really worried.

The governor of Hezhong came to visit, and the abbot of the Guangming Temple Saints Association did not dare to neglect and came out to receive him in person.

"I was entrusted by Nalman, the chief of the Pogo tribe, to inquire about his daughter Jinshan Ling. The abbot should know!"

The abbot is a black-robed saint in her forties. Her rank is very high, second only to the silver saint. The black-robed saint slowly said: "She is now the left silver saint of the Great Guangming Temple in Samarkand. will enjoy a high status.”

"We know this. She wrote a letter to her father. She said she would be sent to Broken Leaf this spring to take charge of the Oriental Saints."

The saint in black nodded, "I have also heard some rumors that the Daguangming Temple will send a silver saint to break the leaves. It is probably her, but it is not that easy. It is impossible to send them just because there are many more inside. Things to do.”

"What else needs to be done?"

The saint in black leaned forward and said: "The Governor may not know that the highest authority of the Saints' Association is called the Senate, and there are seven old saints. There are two important institutions under the Senate, one is called the Affairs Office, and the other is called the Academic Affairs Office. The Silver Saint belongs to the Academic Affairs Office and is responsible for preaching and developing believers.

At present, only four Guangming Temples have academic offices, Samarkand, Bukhara, Tuozhi City, and Kesai City. Suiye Guangming Temple does not have an academic office. It is only under the management of the Affairs Office. If the Silver Saint wants to stay in Suiye permanently, Suiye City must be the first to have an academic office. Ye also wants to set up an academic office. "

"Then when will the Academic Affairs Office be established?"

"Maybe this year! Didn't the Governor see that the large-scale construction work has begun in the open space on the right side of the door? That is the construction of the Academic Affairs Office. Once the Academic Affairs Office is completed, she will come over."

"Then what will the Saint of Broken Leaf be doing now?" Li Ye asked in confusion.

The saint in black smiled slightly and said: "To put it simply, it can be summed up in two words: making money, commerce, military protection, transportation, messaging, and other functions. The governor may not understand it. In fact, the saint association is very active. It is not just about Zoroastrianism. It is a religious organization, and it is also a chamber of commerce. For example, we have more than 20 shops, restaurants, commercial hotels, etc. in Suiye. We also provide business escorts, mediate commercial disputes, and can also transport goods for customers. If the governor wants to send goods to Samarkand We can also deliver letters for you.”

"You mean that Saint Zuo Yin can come here at the earliest in autumn?"

"There is just this rumor. Since the teaching office has been built, there will definitely be a missionary saint coming, but it is not the Zuo Yin saint. I am not sure."

Li Ye left Guangming Temple disappointed. He also experienced the procrastination of the Saintess Association in doing things. It took a year to do anything.

Back at his residence, Li Ye sat upset in the study. Xiaokang served him tea. After a long while, Xiaokang whispered: "Master, I don't want to go to Chang'an."

Li Ye's face sank, he knocked on the table twice, and said unhappily: "It was clearly agreed, why didn't you go again?"

Xiaokang lowered his head and did not dare to say anything. Li Ye suppressed his anger and said in a calm tone: "Let's go to Chang'an, and then I will ask my father to help you find your parents. He is a senior official in the court, so it should be easier. Since last year, This year, we made an appointment, so don’t change your mind casually.”

Xiaokang finally couldn't help but sobbed and cried, "Sir, my parents have died a long time ago. My uncle sold me to the Jiaofang, and the Jiaofang sold me to the Sogdians."

Li Ye frowned, "Why didn't you tell me before?"

Xiaokang cried: "I dare not say it. I told you that I was afraid that the young master would not want me anymore."

Li Ye looked at her for a long time and had no choice but to say: "I understand, then you can stay in Suiye for now! It's not convenient for you to be alone. If you stay at Judge Wang's house, he can continue to teach you how to read and write."

Speaking of this, Li Ye tapped her head with his knuckles, "Don't be lazy, I'll take the exam when I come back."

Xiaokang burst into laughter and quickly agreed, "I will definitely not be lazy and study hard!"

In fact, Xiaokang's refusal to return to Chang'an solved a problem for Li Ye. He wanted to march back to Chang'an at high speed, leaving Xiaokang to go alone with the team behind him, but he was worried.

At this time, Wang Changling's voice came from the door of the courtyard, "Is the Governor here?"

"Judge Wang is here just in time, please come in!"

Li Ye invited Wang Changling into the living room. The two of them took their seats respectively, and Xiaokang served them tea.

Li Ye pointed at Xiaokang and said: "I will go to Chang'an, Xiaokang will stay in Suiye, and Judge Wang will take care of her for me."

Xiaokang bowed obediently, "Hello, Grandpa Wang!"

Wang Changling smiled and nodded, "Don't worry, Commander! Xiaokang studies hard and I will take good care of her."

Xiaokang bowed again and retreated.

Wang Changling took out a letter and handed it to Li Ye, "This is my home letter. Please give it to my old wife, sir. It's nice here. I like it very much. I plan to let my son and my old wife come here together, and the family will reunite in Suiye." .”

The implication was that Wang Changling didn't want to go back to the Central Plains. Li Ye nodded, "I promise to deliver everyone's letters home."

Wang Changling asked again: "This time the governor wants to bring three million gold coins back to Chang'an?"

Li Ye nodded, "I have to do a lot of important things when I go back this time. I can't let go of my children and trap the wolf!"

"Who do you plan to give it to, Governor? Do you have a plan? Gift-giving is also a skill. If you give it well, you will get twice the result with half the effort. If you give it poorly, it will be self-defeating!"

Li Ye smiled and said: "These three million gold coins are intended to be given to the emperor. Others have not considered giving them."

Wang Changling was stunned, "Bibbing the emperor?"

Li Ye smiled slightly, "It's not the first time I bribed him. I'm already familiar with it. Besides, adding troops to the river is just a matter of his words."

"It always feels weird to bribe the emperor."

Li Ye shook his head and said with a smile: "Actually, it's not surprising. The imperial court is financially strapped and the money allocated to him will not be much. However, he has a lot of expenses and cannot make ends meet. I will give him three million guan at a time to solve his big problem. You can use it to solve his big problem." In other words, you get twice the result with half the effort.”

Wang Changling nodded, "Three million gold coins, that requires a camel! When will it arrive in Chang'an?"

"I will take the first step, and the camels will be escorted by the cavalry. I will go as fast as possible and try to reach Chang'an before the end of June."