Compared with Gaochang, Balshagun was much less prosperous. As a nomadic people, the herders of the Karahan Kingdom all lived in the pastures outside the city.

There are not many people in the city, only some caravans and local vendors live in the city.

Moreover, since the nomadic people's main commodities are livestock, furs, medicinal herbs, etc., the city is filled with a strange mixture of stench and fragrance, and livestock feces can occasionally be seen. The environment is very ordinary.

This is because although Balasagun is on the Silk Road, it is a relatively remote northern route. From here, it goes north to Almaty, then around the Aral Sea and as far as the Caspian Sea.

The truly prosperous section is the middle section, which connects the Eurasian continent. The farthest point is Constantinople and Cairo, Egypt. It goes east through Baghdad and Tehran, then crosses the Pamir Mountains from the Dayuan Kingdom in the Fergana Basin to the Kashgar area in the Western Regions.

After that, you can go north from Kashgar to Aksu, enter Gaochang, and then enter Gansu from Yumen Pass. Or you can go south to Hotan, pass through Jingjue, Qiemo, Ruoqiang, Loulan and other countries, and enter the Hexi Corridor in Dunhuang.

Therefore, the middle section is shorter and passes through important urban areas in West Asia and Central Asia, resulting in fewer people on the northern route and not as prosperous as the middle route.

Soon everyone entered the Black Khan's Palace. Although it was called a palace, it was actually the governor's office left by the former Tiaozhi governor in Suiye City. It has now changed a lot and is no longer as magnificent as it was in the Tang Dynasty.

Led by Great Khan Suleiman, everyone entered the hall. Suleiman sat in the main seat, surrounded by small tables, and accompanied by several ministers of the Black Khan.

Everyone sat on the ground, and then a large amount of barbecued beef and mutton as well as wine and drinks were placed on the table, and the aroma quickly filled the air.

Then a woman wearing Uighur national costume entered the house and started dancing.

Amidst the singing and dancing, Suleiman immediately urged everyone to drink, and was enthusiastic and generous. He also asked his slaves to help them cut the meat, which can be said to be very attentive.

Seeing the enthusiasm of the Black Khan, several envoys from the Song Dynasty put down their guard and threw themselves into the banquet. For a time, both the host and the guests were having a great time and the atmosphere was very harmonious.

After about half an hour, the banquet finally ended, but Li Tao did not forget his mission.

After the banquet was over and only the Great Khan Suleiman, a few ministers, and some guards were left in the room, he stood up and said, "Your Highness the Khan!"

Suleiman asked, "What's the matter, messenger?"

"Today, our Great Song Dynasty reigns supreme, having defeated the Liao Kingdom in the north and annihilated the Western Xia in the west. We are now on the verge of reconnecting with the Western Regions. Your Highness has sent envoys to the Great Song Dynasty many times. Our Emperor, deeply grateful for the Great Khan's long journey, sincerely invites him to visit Bianliang."

Li Tao, fearing Suleiman might be concerned, continued, "Please rest assured, Great Khan. Although the journey will be tiring, the court has made arrangements to ensure it is not difficult for you. You can also come to the Song Dynasty and experience our customs and people."

"Forehead"

After hearing the translator's words, Suleiman's face froze slightly, then he laughed dryly twice and did not answer immediately.

His response made Li Tao and others even more puzzled.

Because in the eyes of Li Tao and others, compared with Gaochang Kingdom, the Kara-Khanid Kingdom was indeed more pro-Song.

According to the "History of the Song Dynasty: Biography of Khotan", starting from the second year of Dazhong Xiangfu, that is, 1009 AD, the Kara-Khanid Kingdom continued to pay tribute to the Song Dynasty, and very frequently.

Sometimes it happened once or even twice a year, and sometimes it happened once every two years. For more than 70 years until the fourth year of Yuanfeng, envoys from the Kara Khanate came almost every year to offer tribute, a total of more than 50 times. This shows that the Kara Khanate Kingdom had close exchanges with the Song Dynasty.

In fact, including the years when the Song Dynasty defeated the Western Xia and the Liao Kingdom, and then defeated the Liao Kingdom again and destroyed the Western Xia, envoys from the Kara Khanate came to congratulate, and they never missed the annual New Year's greetings.

Therefore, when Li Tao and his men came this time and saw the very enthusiastic Khan, although they were a little surprised, they also felt it was reasonable.

Only the Great Khan of the Black Khanate, Suleiman, looked away and said something else: "Of course it is so. By the way, after the Song envoy arrived at our Black Khanate and received our reply, did he return immediately?"

Li Tao replied, "We must continue westward and declare the majesty of the Song Dynasty to the rest of the world."

"I see."

"Did His Highness the Khan agree?"

"This is a serious matter, and of course we must discuss it thoroughly. However, it's already late today, and the envoy is tired from the journey. How about resting for a night and then discussing it tomorrow?"

"Yeah, that's fine."

When the translator told the Song envoys what had happened, the three looked at each other, felt that there was no problem, and nodded in agreement.

Suleiman breathed a sigh of relief and said, "Come on, please invite the distinguished guest to rest in the pavilion."

"please!"

Immediately, a minister stepped forward and led everyone away.

After everyone left, Suleiman, who had been smiling, suddenly changed his expression and looked very ugly.

People thought that the Kara-Khanid Kingdom had paid tribute to the Song Dynasty many times, and must have had a good relationship with the Song Dynasty.

But in fact, according to the "Song Hui Yao" records of the Southern Song Dynasty, the Song people finally discovered that the Black Khan envoys who paid tribute to the Song Dynasty during the Northern Song Dynasty were not real envoys at all, but were imposters of the Black Khan merchant group.

They disguised themselves as envoys and came to pay tribute in order to defraud rewards. They also engaged in transportation and trade, transporting large quantities of frankincense from West Asia, and then transporting silk fabrics, clothes, gold and silver utensils and tea back to West Asia, Central Asia and other regions in order to make huge profits.

Therefore, the official Kara Khanate had no connection with the Song Dynasty at all.

On the contrary, the diplomatic relationship with the Liao Kingdom was very good. According to the "History of Liao", the Kara-Khanid Khanate sent envoys to the Liao Dynasty 16 times. The envoys were real ministers of the Kara-Khanid Khanate, not merchants pretending to be envoys.

My dear, there is more to this chapter. Please click on the next page to continue reading. It will be even more exciting later!