Hannan City.
Several long lines stretched as far as the eye could see, lined up on the official road outside the East Gate.
Although the people in the procession were all ragged and emaciated, their eyes shone with hope as they stared intently at the open city gate ahead.
At the city gate, besides a few naval soldiers guarding the gate, there were also several Taoist priests dressed in Taoist robes.
After being searched by soldiers, a dark-skinned middle-aged man bent over and approached several Taoist priests.
A Taoist priest who looked like a man from India asked, "Where are you from? Do you have any deities in your heart? What is your status?"
The middle-aged man said humbly, "I come from the country of Hannah in the east. I used to worship Shiva and was a Shudra..."
The Taoist priest turned around, pointed to the portrait of Taiyi standing to the side, and then said in a deep voice, "If you want to enter Hannan City, you must give up everything from your past and only worship the supreme Taiyi in your heart. Can you do that?"
"I have come here to serve under the command of the Supreme God, please accept me..."
As he spoke, the middle-aged man prostrated himself on the ground and bowed deeply to the portrait of Taiyi.
"Very good!"
The Taoist priest nodded, then took out a bamboo stick with the character "Tao" written on it and handed it to the middle-aged man: "You can take this to the Taoist temple in the south of the city to receive baptism. After you gain Taiyi's approval, you can become a member of Hannan City!"
"Thank you for your kindness, Taiyi!"
The middle-aged man respectfully accepted the bamboo stick, then walked solemnly towards the south of the city.
Watching the man's departing figure, the Taoist priests began repeating their previous conversation and actions to a newly arrived Indian civilian.
Everyone who comes here must first abandon their original faith in front of the portrait of Taiyi and join Taiyi's ranks in order to gain the right to enter the city.
Although most of these people were forced to abandon their old beliefs due to the pressures of life, their steadfast adherence to the new faith cannot be doubted.
In this place deeply influenced by religion, no one dares to joke about gods and Buddhas. Since he has decided to join Taiyi's cause, it means that he has severed ties with the past.
Those who arrived at the Taoist temple in the south of the city with bamboo sticks first took off their old clothes and put on new Han-style robes under the guidance of the Taoist priests. Then they collectively completed initiation ceremonies such as burning incense and bathing.
In the following period, they will learn basic Chinese and memorize the main doctrines of the Taiping Religion before they will be assigned to new land or work.
October 15th.
Inside the city lord's mansion in Hannan City.
Zhang Liang held the list of new recruits that his subordinates had brought him, his face beaming with a happy smile.
Today, together with the local indigenous people, nearly 60,000 people have joined the Taiping Church and become devout believers.
These believers were either assigned to infrastructure projects, given land to cultivate, or placed in factories and workshops built by Han Chinese merchants.
While developing the Taiping Religion, these followers also contributed to the further prosperity and development of Hannan City.
At this rate, in less than five years, Hannan City will become the most prosperous city on the Indian subcontinent, and the Taiping Religion will develop to an unimaginable level.
Of course, Zhang Liang is now facing a new problem: the rented place is too small.
Currently, approximately two to five thousand people from Sindhu come to Hannan City every day.
At this rate, it will be overcrowded in less than a year.
Therefore, it's time to start expanding this leased land.
Just as Zhang Liang was pondering, Ling Cao walked in with a piece of parchment.
"Master, the Kingdom of Lorraine in the east has sent a letter requesting assistance, hoping that we can intervene to stop the impending war between Canaan and Maha!"
"oh?"
Zhang Liang raised an eyebrow and asked in a deep voice, "What does the general think?"
Ling Cao waved his hand: "The struggle between Canaan and Mapi was something we planned long ago, and it will never stop because of a small country like Lorraine."
Zhang Liang pondered for a moment, "The general is right. However, if we ignore the requests for help from small countries, it may affect the prestige of the Han army."
Ling Cao frowned: "What does the Celestial Master mean...?"
Zhang Liang smiled and said, "We could find a suitable excuse to stall for time. After they've ravaged Lorraine, we can then make our move. At that time, we can not only demonstrate the might of the Han Dynasty, but also bring Lorraine under our control..."
As for the reason, we announced to the public that a group of pirates from Parthia had hijacked a merchant ship of our Han Dynasty, and all our soldiers were to go to Parthia to suppress the pirates!
"Alright, let's do as the Celestial Master says!"
Upon hearing Zhang Liang's plan, Ling Cao immediately nodded in agreement.
Just then, a constable from the city lord's mansion rushed in.
"Master, General, the second prince of Canaan has come to visit, saying he has a business deal to discuss!"
"Business?"
Upon hearing the bailiff's report, Zhang Liang and Ling Cao exchanged a glance.
Ling Cao smiled slightly: "Celestial Master, it seems that this second prince of Canaan is quite a clever man!"
“Since he’s come to us of his own accord, let’s go and see!” Zhang Liang replied with a smile.
Afterwards, the two left the room and headed towards the living room of the city lord's mansion.
Inside the living room, the second prince of Canaan was looking around with a sigh at the decorations and furniture, which were very much in the style of the Han Dynasty.
In his eyes, these pieces of furniture are not only beautiful and practical, but also possess a rustic and grand style, truly befitting a product of a great nation.
Just as the second prince of Canaan was observing, he heard footsteps.
Upon seeing Zhang Liang and Ling Cao enter, the second prince of Canaan hurriedly stepped forward and bowed to them according to the newly learned Han etiquette: "Greetings, Celestial Master and General!"
Ling Cao smiled and waved his hand: "Your Highness, there's no need for such formalities. Please sit down and let's talk."
"yes!"
The second prince of Canaan agreed, and then, following Ling Cao's instructions, sat down with half of his buttocks touching the chair.
"I heard from my men that the Second Prince has come to discuss business?" Ling Cao asked as soon as he sat down.
"Exactly!"
The second prince nodded and said solemnly, "General, our country's military equipment is lax, and our weapons are old and unusable. Therefore, I was thinking, could we purchase a batch of weapons and armor from your army?"
"That's certainly possible, however, the weapons and armor of our army are very expensive to manufacture, and the price is also quite high. I wonder..."
Before Ling Cao could finish speaking, the Second Prince hurriedly said, "General, don't worry, as long as you're willing to sell, money is no problem!"
Seeing the other party's appearance, Ling Cao couldn't help but smile, thinking to himself, "What a big spender! I'd be doing myself a disservice if I didn't fleece him!"
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