The fate between people is very wonderful. If a single encounter can be called fate, then the fate between Li Hong and Kasim is more than just a single encounter.

Hu Ji's snow-white and enchanting body, full of sex appeal, was shining with sweat under the light, exuding a charm that could easily arouse people's animal desires.

She twisted her waist vigorously to the beat of the drums, and her charming and plump buttocks that were not afraid of the cold under her short skirt, and her upper body that seemed to be about to burst through her bra and clothes, attracted everyone's attention and created waves of excitement to the beat of the drums.

The sturdy man who was secretly beaten up by Hua Meng would look at Hua Meng upstairs with a calm expression every time he drank a sip of wine, and would look at Hua Meng fiercely every time he drank a sip of wine, until the sudden outbreak of the crowd nearby blocked his sight.

The sturdy man lowered his head in anger. Just like his master Qasim, he used to have a high status in the Umayyads, but now he had to sit with these lowly people here.

Li Hong didn't care about the occasional glances from Kasim. He looked at the lively tavern and the excited merchants, and said to Yuan Shuji beside him: "Yumen Pass seems to be a place where good and bad people mix. As a border fortress, it is not only to defend against foreign armies, but also to defend against their spies who come to spy on the military strength of our Tang Dynasty. These people don't look like they are here for business, but rather to spy on the military strength of our Tang Dynasty."

"Do you think they are dangerous?" Yuan Shuji asked Li Hong as close as he could in the noisy tavern.

"Check whether they have registered at Yumen Pass and find out where they are going. We can't let our guard down anymore." Li Hong frowned. The situation in the Western Regions was complicated and it was difficult for him to make a judgment now. Only after he met Pei Xingjian and Wang Mingyuan, he could judge the overall situation of the Western Regions.

The two of them didn't say much before they heard a conflict suddenly break out downstairs. The sounds of shouting and fighting instantly interrupted the lively rhythm of the Hu music.

...

...

"Go and take a look." Li Hong said to Hua Meng.

Hua Meng nodded and walked downstairs. He watched a group of people fighting with each other, cursing and using their hands. In the blink of an eye, several people were lying on the ground with blood on their faces.

Li Hong naturally saw everything from upstairs. During this conflict, the young man in white, Kasim, was still drinking leisurely, while his four men were fighting with other merchants.

"There are often fights at Yumen Pass, right?" Li Hong asked. Now that the Hu music had stopped, he didn't have to work so hard to speak.

"Yes, Grand Protector. There are fights every night at Yumen Pass. They are all caused by drunk merchants who have some minor disputes." Yuan Shuji looked at the conflict downstairs and said as if he was not surprised.

"So how do you usually deal with it?" Li Hong asked with his side profile.

"We can still deal with it this way. Let them fight first. If the conflict is minor, they can solve it themselves. If the conflict is large, the defenders will step in to stop it and deal with it according to the situation."

Kasim drank the last glass of wine unmoved, and watched with satisfaction as the number of people around his four men decreased, while the number of people lying on the ground increased.

After checking that his men were fine, Kasim raised his head and looked towards Li Hong. If he had not failed in the fight for a seat with Li Hong just now, he would not have been so angry.

Now I am taking the initiative to stir up disputes just to warn Li Hong not to think that my Umayyad people are easy to bully.

Li Hong was also unmoved. He watched Kasim's four men dealing with the merchants in a ruthless manner. Like Kasim, there was a slight smile on his face.

In less than a cup of tea, more than a dozen people were lying on the ground groaning, while Kasim's four men were intact, looking around with pride, as if to ask if there was anyone who was dissatisfied.

The rest of the merchants had already made room for them and were now looking at the four men in fear. The four men's wolf-like eyes swept over them, leaving these ordinary merchants without the courage to even look at them.

"Hua Meng, go and see how badly those people are injured?" Li Hong put down the water cup in his hand, stood up, walked to the railing, and said lightly.

In the tavern, which was originally bustling with activity, there was now no other sound except the painful groans coming from the merchant lying on the ground.

Hua Meng walked past the sturdy man and checked the injuries of the merchant lying on the ground together with the two people who had just gone down, Mangzhong.

After about ten breaths, Hua Meng looked at Li Hong upstairs and said, "Sir, most of them have superficial injuries, and a few have broken bones. He was very ruthless." The last sentence sounded like a comment.

"Boss, all the broken things belong to me and I will compensate you for it." Kasim said confidently and happily, then signaled to his men beside him, took out another gold leaf and threw it in front of the boss behind the counter.

Li Hong smiled and looked at the merchants on the ground. Most of these merchants were from the Tang Dynasty. They should be the last few batches of merchants to go to the Western Regions. This trip was also their last trip to the Western Regions this year. After they finished trading in the Western Regions and rushed back, they would be able to catch up with the New Year's Day (Spring Festival) of the Tang Dynasty.

The shopkeeper looked at Kasim, who looked relaxed and affectionate, took the gold leaf, took a look at it, and then put it in his arms.

Kashim saw the shopkeeper's deep affection, glanced at Li Hong upstairs, and then said lightly: "Let's go."

"Just leaving like that?" Li Hong asked.

Kasim took two steps and stopped. He looked at Li Hong with a bad look and said, "The Tang people bullied me first. I am showing kindness to them by not killing them."

"One gold leaf for each of you, and we will return to your Umayyad from the west gate of Yumen Pass tomorrow." Li Hong looked at the injured merchant who was helped up by other merchants, and said to Kasim's angular face.

"Don't you have the final say here? Even the Tang Dynasty government may not have the final say here. In the Western Regions, whoever has the stronger fist has the final say." Kasim looked at his four men and said provocatively.

"Two gold leaves per person, and return to Umayyad from the west gate of Yumen Pass early tomorrow morning." Li Hong ignored his provocation and said again.

As soon as Li Hong finished speaking, before Kasim had time to speak, he heard a sound of someone gasping for air coming from the tavern. In a short while, one golden leaf turned into two.

The merchants passing by even thought for a moment that they had heard it wrong, but when they saw the merchants next to them who were also stunned and looking at each other in confusion, no one doubted that they had heard it wrong.

One piece suddenly became two pieces. Was this boy making fun of himself? It was said that people in the Tang Dynasty were very smart. Was this boy trying to embarrass himself in front of so many people?

"The Umayyads have never had the habit of apologizing to anyone, let alone compensation." Kasim, dressed in white, stood there and said proudly, "Let alone two gold leaves, I won't give you even half a piece. Today I am only giving you Tang people a small punishment. I am merciful not to take their lives."

If Yi Yang, Gao An, or Li Xian were here at this moment, what they would do now is to pray silently in their hearts for the young man in white.

Li Hong never said it for the third time. If someone still didn't obey after he said it for the second time, then a severe and unforgettable punishment would be waiting for him. The dead Helan Minzhi could feel this.

"There are a total of twenty-two people. Their arms and legs will be broken, and then they will be hung at the west gate of Yumen Pass. We will take them down tomorrow morning." Li Hong looked at Kasim, there was no anger or dissatisfaction on his face, he just said lightly.

He never thought about reasoning with Kasim, because he needed to set an example of the iron-blooded Tang Dynasty for the merchants present, and then use these people's mouths to spread the word in the Western Regions.

As soon as he finished speaking, the Lawless behind him floated downstairs like a ghost. Kasim's expression changed instantly. Before he could see what the two men looked like, the two afterimages had already arrived in front of his two men.

Next, Kasim heard miserable screams and the creepy sound of broken bones.

Yuan Shuji frowned. Although the Crown Prince's method could please people temporarily, it might not be advisable in the long run.

What's more, this young man in white seems to have a very noble status. He is either the son of a prince of the White Arab Empire or the heir of a wealthy and powerful family.

Seeing the four people having their arms and legs broken by the Crown Prince's guards, their mouths stuffed with rags, and then tied up, he thought, "Luckily, the Crown Prince didn't do anything to this young man, otherwise, it would definitely be a troublesome matter."

"Qasim, let me tell you, on the land of the Tang Dynasty, as long as it is under the jurisdiction of the Tang Dynasty, no matter it is the Tang people, the Nine-surname Tiele, the Shiguo, the Kangguo, etc., as long as the people under the jurisdiction of the Tang Dynasty are bullied by other countries, we will double our revenge. What's more, in the Tang Dynasty, we are always the only ones bullying others, no one can bully the Tang people, and no one can leave peacefully after injuring the Tang people. I don't care what your relationship with Muawiya is! You will not escape punishment today! Hua Meng."

"How do you know Muawiyah...?" Qasim was shocked, because Muawiyah was his father.

"Grand Protector, you can't do that..." Yuan Shuji stopped him in shock.

But Hua Meng didn't listen to him at all. After Li Hong gave the order, he and Mangzhong immediately walked forward expressionlessly and broke Kasim's arm and knee.

Moreover, before that, the rag had been prepared and stuffed into Kasim's mouth immediately, leaving Kasim no chance to scream.

Seeing the brutal methods of Mangzhong and Hua Meng, the other customers in the tavern all turned pale and looked at the several people who had fainted in fear.

Everyone began to wonder who this young man upstairs was and how dare he act like this.

Some people even muttered in their hearts: Regardless of who this young man is, the fact that he can say such tough words already makes them, as citizens of the Tang Dynasty, feel proud.