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墨書 Inktalez
"If the harvest is abundant and the world is at peace, if I can transfer the disasters onto myself to preserve the nations, that is my wish, and I will gladly do so without hesitation."
"Your Majesty is benevolent."
In the Council Hall, Li Jian Cheng addressed the Courtiers: "I have heard that there are still people selling their sons and daughters among the disaster victims. This deeply troubles me. Wenqing, you are to immediately go to the disaster area to inspect and check. If you find any children being sold, use funds from the national treasury to redeem them.
If there is already relief in place, then return them home. If relief is insufficient or if their families are in trouble and unwilling to raise them, bring them back to Luoyang, where the Queen will send someone to care for and raise them."
Imperial Historian Wen Yanbo stepped forward to take command. After dismissing the court, various departments continued their work. Since the Emperor mentioned that there were still cases of children being sold, it implied a reprimand for their inadequate disaster relief efforts.
It was not until New Year's Day of Year Six of Taiping that everyone in the court could finally breathe a sigh of relief, at least those officials remaining in the capital felt this way. Arrangements had been made, food had been allocated, and regardless of circumstances, the New Year had to be celebrated.
Four years prior, he had already sent several of his sons disguised among merchant caravans to Chang'an. After years of observation, they had come to this decision.
As long as they did not borrow money, Li Jian Cheng thought to himself that Western Turkic had no reason to oppose this; he would extract every bit he was entitled to from whichever route the caravans took.
After the morning court session concluded, the Emperor received representatives from Iwu and Yanqi as well as Kucha's Sovereign.
"Your Majesty, I have come with a request that would benefit both our nations."
Although the Emperor did not directly accept Iwu Kingdom's allegiance, he ordered officials from Honglu Temple to solemnly host the Iwu King and permitted their caravans to sell certain goods that were typically prohibited for ordinary merchants.
"Open the Great Road for easier passage!"
He then turned his gaze toward the other two individuals. The Yarkand Lord appeared to be in his twenties, with the surname Long and given name Tuqi Zhi. The Gaochang Sovereign was middle-aged with the surname Qu and given name Wentai.
"Your Majesty, our citizens earnestly hope for this matter to proceed. We are willing to toil tirelessly to open the road; we only worry whether the Turkic Khagan and Gaochang Sovereign will oppose it."
The kind of selfless dedication, along with the mobilization of millions, truly proves the depth and strength of this nation.
The Iwu Kingdom is quite small, consisting of only seven cities and over twenty thousand citizens, a typical small nation with few people.
After all, it is no secret that the Western Turkic Khan is obedient to the orders of the Tang Dynasty Emperor.
Li Jian Cheng was somewhat surprised: "If it benefits both countries, I shall agree."
However, the Three Kingdoms do not share a relationship of mutual advancement or retreat. For instance, the words of the Iwu King now put the two kings in a difficult position, making them feel trapped.
Rather than suffering oppression from the Western Turkic and neighboring countries while living in constant fear for their lives, it would be better to come to the Central Plains and live a prosperous and stable life.
The attitude of Yarkand is ambiguous, clearly seeking something but unable to express it openly. Kucha shows the least sincerity, merely wanting to use court visits to inform the Western Turkic that if they push too hard, they will turn to the Tang Dynasty.
The emperor granted a seat to the Iwu Kingdom Ruler. Li Wei served a cup of clear tea, and the Iwu Kingdom Ruler drank the bitter brew with a sincere demeanor, feeling an overwhelming sweetness afterward.
Yarkand is slightly stronger than Yiwuz but not by much; it has about thirty to fifty thousand people. Kucha is the strongest among the Three Kingdoms but has just over seventy thousand inhabitants.
The Iwu Kingdom Ruler is quite old, yet his attitude remains resolute: "Your Majesty, I hope you will allow me to lead the seven cities and citizens of Iwu Kingdom to submit to the Tang Dynasty and become subjects basking in your glory."
The reason why the Three Kingdoms proactively came to pay their respects is primarily due to the excessive oppression from the Western Turkic, who have sent stationed envoys to bully them within their own lands.
The Iwu Kingdom Ruler respectfully knelt down: "Your Majesty, I, the Ruler of Iwu Kingdom from the Western Regions, pay my respects to you and wish you eternal radiance like the sun."
This also means that they need to restore the gradually abandoned Loulan Ancient Road so that trade between the Central Plains and the Western Regions does not have to rely solely on Kucha.
Especially after witnessing the life of the Silla King, they became even more resolute in their decision.
"It is indeed a good thing, but what can my Tang Dynasty offer in assistance?"
The Emperor pondered for a moment. Expanding a trade route would undoubtedly benefit the Tang Dynasty, but it seemed unnecessary for them to come all the way to court to ask him about it. Could it be that they were seeking a loan?
Dragon Tujizhi respectfully bowed and said, "Great Majesty, I present to you red salt, white salt, grapes, frozen wine, honeycomb, white flour, and cotton cloth. These are all the treasures of Yarkand."
Thus, after Tongye Hu and Xieli suffered defeat, they were tempted; rather than being treated so poorly by the Turkic people, it was better to align themselves with a stronger power. After all, the Central Plains were known as a land of propriety.
It was a clever move, but Li Jian Cheng did not intend to make things difficult for him. "Very well, I accept your gifts."
If it had always been this way, then so be it; Yarkand had once been prosperous.
Li Jian Cheng looked gently at the Iwu Kingdom Ruler. "Your willingness brings me great comfort."
The main opposition still came from the Gaochang Kingdom. Cutting off someone's livelihood is akin to killing their parents. Yarkand could only hope for support from the Western Turkic Khan but had no confidence in persuading him. Thus, they turned their hopes toward the Tang Dynasty.
Even if Yiwuz was the smallest and weakest, this king managed to sell at the highest price.
Your Majesty also took this opportunity to reward those who contributed to disaster relief. Local families responded to the imperial edict by exchanging grain for land grants in Liaodong and fulfilled their promises by formalizing land contracts with the Ministry of Civil Affairs.
Finally, after several days, the Yarkand Lord could no longer contain his desire to meet. The Emperor made time to summon him.
Their purpose in coming here was not merely to offer submission; they sought to leverage the power of the Tang Dynasty to resist the oppression of the Western Turkic people.
They had been in Chang'an for over a month, but had yet to receive an audience with the Tang Emperor. Initially, they felt some dissatisfaction, but during this month, they witnessed everything the Tang Dynasty had done to provide relief and aid to the people.
The Tang Dynasty treated Yarkand and the Gaochang Kingdom with indifference, rewarding those who expressed loyalty while not actively courting those who were disobedient.
The Ruler of the Iwu Kingdom was undoubtedly the most sincere; he was willing to give up his country in hopes of directly merging into the Tang Dynasty.
According to records from previous dynasties, Yarkand had six thousand soldiers, while Kucha had eight thousand...
Qu Wen Tai shot a fierce glare at the Ruler of the Iwu Kingdom before addressing the Emperor: "I bring rare treasures from the Western Regions as a tribute to you."
He had also heard stories about how a thousand gold coins could buy horse bones in the Central Plains.
The territories and populations of Kucha and Yarkand were not vastly different, but their wealth was like heaven and earth apart; Kucha was rich beyond measure, while Yarkand was so poor that it was on the verge of starvation.
At this moment, their attitudes still held some value. When the great army marched westward in the future, even if the entire nation submitted, it would not be worthy of the Emperor's attention or hospitality.
"Your Majesty, our country is willing to pay tribute to you every year..."
………………
(End of Chapter)
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