Snow is flying all over the sky.
In just one month, people continued to die in tragic ways. Rumors and speculations arose in the holy city.
All the evidence points to the regent, Sultan Ahmad.
Bisa and Mobhido investigated openly and secretly but could not find the real murderer. Every time they found some clues and followed them to the end, they would lose the clues halfway, and both of them were extremely anxious.
The people in the city were in a panic. They didn't dare to go out when it got dark. The wind was howling and the city was full of rumors.
On this day, the monks in the temple rushed into the main hall in panic: "Your Majesty, the abbot has passed away!"
Bhisatta was greatly alarmed, and went to the abbot's house to check in person.
There were no signs of a fight in the house. The body of the temple abbot fell in front of the Buddha statue, his face was calm and there were no external injuries on his body.
Yuan Jue went forward to check and whispered, "He died because his heart and lungs were shaken by the internal force..."
The two men exchanged glances, felt heavy in their hearts, and returned to the main hall to report.
The guards lifted the felt curtain and saw Tanmarajiva, whose face was pale and who was sitting in front of the couch. After listening to the two people's reports, he covered his lips and coughed.
From the moment he asked the doctor how long he had left, he knew he didn't have much time left. When Yaoying was around, he tried his best to hide it, taking medicine and applying ointments to suppress the pain. During the time when her eyes were injured, he lost weight rapidly and became emaciated. Fortunately, she couldn't see it and didn't know that Mondadeva's words were just to coax her.
He had been trying hard not to collapse, but after she left, he felt as if a muscle had been pulled out of him, and soon became bedridden. These days, all government affairs were left to the ministers to handle.
He is tired.
“Have you checked everyone around you?”
He asked with a frown, his breath weak.
Bisha sighed inwardly and said, "We are interrogating him. The little nun said that the abbot has been out a lot recently and has been in close contact with people outside. It is very likely that he has attracted enemies from outside."
Tanmaraka shook his head.
All of these were directed at the Sultan. The caravans died, the children of the noble families died, and all those who had grudges against the Sultan died suddenly. That was enough, but the temple master was a monk, so why did he also suffer from the murder?
"They will only stop if the Regent shows up."
He said calmly.
Bi Su raised his head and said, "King, let me go!"
Tanmarajiva is already so ill that he can't stand any more hardship, and he can't be exposed.
"You can't, they will hold you back... Let Bamil go."
That afternoon, Bamir put on the clothes of the regent and appeared in the palace in place of Tanmaraka.
As there was also a death in the Royal Temple, and people kept coming forward to say that they had seen Sultan Ahmad committing the crime with their own eyes, including several respected monks. When interrogated, they looked firm and repeatedly assured that they were not lying. The ministers in the court demanded that Sultan Ahmad accept questioning. He was strict in enforcing the law, and now that he had become a suspect, he should avoid suspicion and let other people handle these major cases.
Bamir was placed under house arrest.
Mopido thought of an idea: "If we fabricate a few cases, will the regent be able to clear his suspicion?"
Bisha thought for a moment and shook his head: "They are deliberately making things difficult for us. Even if we make the fake look very similar, they will not let Bami go. Besides, where can we find the body in such a short time? We can't just kill innocent people... We have to find solid evidence as soon as possible."
Once we find the evidence, we will know who is behind it.
The two discussed for a while and then acted separately.
In Wang Temple, Yuanjue stayed beside Tanmarajiva, unfolded a letter sent from Gaochang and read it to him. The letter was sent back the day before yesterday and he had already read it.
Yaoying wrote that the weather was getting colder and he was not feeling well, so he should remember to put on more clothes. She also told him that Li Zhongqian personally cooked Shou noodles for her on her birthday.
Tanmarajiva half leaned forward and listened to him finish reading. Then he took the letter and stroked the paper with his fingers.
The wind was whistling outside the window. Suddenly, a rapid sound of footsteps like the beat of a drum sounded. The guards passed through the corridor and knelt outside the door, saying, "King, there is something wrong with the guards in the central army!"
Tanmaraka raised his eyes.
He asked his personal soldiers to keep an eye on the movements of the military camp in order to guard against several armies that originally belonged to aristocratic families.
The Royal Guards were loyal to the royal family. Almost all of his personal guards were from the Royal Guards. They were his most trusted subordinates.
Yuan Jue stood up, his face full of shock, trembling all over: How could the Central Army Guard betray the king? !
Outside the holy city.
Mopido and his followers rode at full speed, chasing after several suspicious people. He had been suspicious of these people for several days, waiting for them to come. Finally, he got the chance. This time, he must catch them all in one fell swoop and find out who is the mastermind behind the scenes!
The sound of horses' hooves was like thunder, and snow and mud were flying. When the two groups of people crossed the canyon, a group of people and horses suddenly jumped out from both sides of the mountain road. The knights on the horses were dressed in blue shirts and white robes, all of them were dressed as the guards of the central army.
They easily caught up with the man being chased by Mobhido, tied him up by his hands and feet, and dragged him to him.
"Prince, we have been lying in ambush here for a day. Are you also checking on these people?"
Mopido nodded in agreement, said hello to the captain of the guards who led the team, dismounted from his horse, and walked up to those people.
A gust of cold wind swept past behind me.
Mobido reacted quickly and immediately drew his sword to block. With a crisp sound, the captain's long sword was placed on his sword, and sparks flew.
With a "whoosh", a dagger pierced into his arm.
Mobitu's hands lost strength and his sword fell to the ground. The other guards rushed over, took out ropes from their sleeves, tied his hands and feet, and pressed him hard on the snow.
"I'm sorry, Prince."
The captain sighed, raised his head and looked back in the direction of the holy city.
Heavy snowstorm.
…
It snowed heavily for several days in a row, the earth was covered in silver, the desert and Gobi were an endless expanse of silver, the snowy forest stretched to the sky, and the wind roared.
Under the gloomy sky, the towering snow-capped peaks still stand quietly, majestic and magnificent.
Yao Ying did not return to Gaochang, but went directly to a garrisoned border city close to the Kingdom of Gaz. As soon as he entered the city, he ordered the garrison to build fortifications and dig trenches.
A few days later, Yang Qian arrived with his troops, rubbing his hands, impatiently saying: "Wait for me to lead the troops to capture Gaz, and see if they will release our people!"
Yao Ying stopped him and asked, "How many tribes like the Gaz are there?"
Yang Qian calmed down and replied, "There are at least dozens or even hundreds of such small tribes and states. Unlike us, they still follow the feudal tribal system. They pay tribute to us, but also rely on other powerful suzerain states. They pay taxes to the suzerain states regularly and sometimes send troops to accompany the suzerain states to go on expeditions. These small states have loose systems and are barbaric. Once a powerful foreign enemy invades, they often surrender."
Yao Ying pondered.
Big countries have their own way of living, and small countries have their own way of survival. Gaz is just a small tribe, carefree, relying on the advantages of the terrain, and using a set of rogue means to the fullest. Big countries will not mobilize troops to attack them: too many troops will not have enough food and grass, and too few troops will not be able to defeat Gaz.
Small tribes like these pay tribute regularly but secretly disobey the emperor. If the army is conquered, they will immediately surrender and say that the looting has nothing to do with them. But when the army leaves, they will return to their old ways. The Xizhou soldiers are currently under-strength and cannot be stationed on the trade routes.
"Send a few more imperial edicts to Gaz, and we can double the gold and silver used to buy the population..." Yao Ying frowned and said, "As long as they release the people."
Yang Qian said angrily: "The King of Gaz loves the wizard and has insatiable greed. We sent envoys to ask him to ransom people before, and he agreed immediately, but changed his mind after accepting the money! They allowed the Rong people to plunder our caravans and forced the tribes that depended on them to offer all the girls to him and the wizard. In order to escape his clutches, many tribes were forced to migrate and were captured by him as slaves. Gaz is tyrannical and the king is cruel and has no credibility. If we increase the ransom, he will just continue to ask for more!"
Yao Ying smiled faintly: "Send another delegation to Gaz to increase the ransom."
Yang Qian was puzzled: "Isn't this too cheap for Gaz?"
Yao Ying shook her head and said, "After the delegation sets out, spread the news and issue a decree to let all tribes and states on the trade route know about it. The scouts in the caravan will be responsible for delivering the information. It would be best if it could reach every corner."
Yang Qian said nothing.
Hearing his rapid breathing, it was obvious that he was trying to suppress his anger. Yao Ying explained, "Being polite before using force can reduce casualties. Today it is the Kingdom of Gaz, tomorrow it may be other states. We can't attack each tribe one by one. We have to find a way to solve the problem once and for all."
Yang Qian clenched his teeth and replied in a deep voice.
Half an hour later, dozens of light cavalry scouts, carrying the Western Army's edict to ask various tribes to redeem the exiled population, rode into the boundless wind and snow, rushing in different directions.
The Western Army's decree soon spread to all the states, big and small. The King of Gaz was indeed as greedy and short-sighted as Yang Qian said. Not only did he demand double the ransom, returning only the old, weak and sick, but he also demanded a full half tax from all passing caravans.
Yang Qian was furious and wished he could lead his troops to crush Gaz immediately and ask for troops to go into battle again.
Yao Ying dissuaded him again and ordered several caravans loaded with goods to go to Gaz to exchange furs and meat with local tribes at high prices.
She specifically reminded them: "Trade in silver coins. Gazan collects taxes in silver coins. Try to use silver coins as much as possible."
The caravan was ordered to go to Gaz, and soon after it sent back news: the local tribe that had exchanged silver coins from the caravan was looted and robbed, and the tribal herdsmen were filled with grief and anger.
After Li Zhongqian read the letter, Yao Ying called his personal soldiers and ordered: "Invite the tribal chiefs in my name and tell them that we are going to hold a meeting in Liuhe City to discuss the issue of commercial taxation."
Liuhe City is where the major tribes trade goods every year.
The Western Army now controls most of the trade routes. No matter what the nearby tribes do in private, they dare not offend the rising Western Army. Each tribe either wants to test the waters and gain more advantages, or they dare not offend Yao Ying, or out of contempt, and they all come with their troops to respond to the call.
On the day of the conference, Liuhe City was crowded with people. Envoys sent by the chiefs of twenty-eight nearby tribes and twelve small states gathered in Liuhe City. They all brought the best of their tribes with them and their attitudes were quite arrogant.
Someone whispered, "Isn't the King of Gaz coming?"
"No, the king was arrogant and only sent a favorite minister to the meeting."
People were talking about it.
When Yao Ying, with her face covered with a cloth, appeared in the big tent, the tent became quiet.
Everyone was stunned by Yao Ying's beauty. The envoy of Gaz wanted to humiliate Yao Ying. He stepped forward and said jokingly, "Princess Wen Zhao is a beauty of nature. She is more beautiful than the favorite singing girl of our king."
Xie Qing drew his sword and chopped it down with one blow.
The messenger covered his bloody face and retreated screaming.
Xie Qing sheathed the knife and said expressionlessly, "If anyone says anything disrespectful to the princess again, I will pull out his tongue."
Everyone was horrified.
The envoy of Gaz was so angry that his face turned purple. Just as he was about to go forward, someone opened the big tent and brought an urgent message: "Princess, the envoy of Gaz is here."
Everyone looked at each other in bewilderment, and the envoy of Gaz was also bewildered: he was the envoy appointed by the king himself, who else would come?
A series of hurried footsteps were heard, and several young men in the military uniforms of the Gaz Kingdom entered the tent through the curtain. They first bowed to Yao Ying and handed over a document. Then they walked towards the misty envoy of the Gaz Kingdom and drew their long swords without saying a word.
Instantly, a cold light flashed, blood splashed everywhere, and the envoy of Gaz fell to the ground and died.
Everyone was horrified. They drew their weapons, shouted and surrounded the young man.
The young man wiped the blood off his face, clasped his fists towards the crowd, and said, "Please forgive me, I am the personal guard of the King of Gaz. This man is a treacherous villain and is not worthy of being an envoy of Gaz. The king ordered me to kill him to prevent him from talking nonsense and damaging the reputation of our Gaz. The king has appointed a new envoy."
Having said this, he stepped out with a respectful attitude.
Two officials from the Gaz State dressed in gorgeous clothes came forward and greeted the crowd.
One of them shouted, "Are you really the new envoys appointed by King Piru?"
The two men showed a look of sorrow on their faces and said, "King Pilu was violent and ruthless, and he was cunning and deceitful. He lost the support of the people and has died suddenly in the palace. The eldest prince succeeded him as king, restored the old relationship with the Wei Dynasty, and paid tribute to the Wei Dynasty."
Everyone was dumbfounded, their minds racing, and countless eyes were focused on Yao Ying.
Her expression was calm, as if she was not surprised at all. She waved her hand to signal everyone to return to their seats and looked around slowly. Although her eyes were covered, everyone felt that her eyes passed over them.
"In the past, when the North Road was peaceful, the trade routes were open, and tributes from various countries and tribes were endless, and trade was flourishing. Later, after several wars, the Central Plains and the tribes were cut off. Now that our Wei Dynasty has pacified the chaos, the population is prosperous, the people are prosperous, and we extend our favor to all corners of the country. It is time to reopen the trade routes and resume trade with the tribes. It is also convenient for the Wei Dynasty. I hope that the tribes will follow the will of the people and work with our Western Army to protect the trade routes."
Yao Ying spoke word by word, and her tone suddenly darkened: "If there are those who rob caravans and kill civilians without reason, the Western Army will definitely punish them."
Everyone looked at the corpse of the Gaz envoy on the carpet, sweating profusely. Thinking that the king of Gaz was already dead, they were even more horrified. How could they still look as arrogant as when they entered the tent? Everyone wiped their sweat quietly, thankful that they had not flirted with Princess Wen Zhao just now, and agreed with her.
"You are absolutely right, Princess."
"We have had dealings with the Han people for a long time, and have long hoped to resume trade with them! We will never dare to disobey your orders!"
Yao Ying smiled slightly, ordered people to take out the covenant, and agreed with everyone on the taxes to be collected.
Everyone was surprised to find that the conditions she offered were very fair. After a moment's pause, they secretly praised her.
Yao Ying did not ask for an immediate reply from the various tribes. He clapped his hands, ordered the band to play music, asked his subordinates to accompany him, and then left the tent.
The various tribes hurriedly inquired about what had happened in the Kingdom of Gaz, and after listening to the messenger's account, they felt a chill in their hearts.
…
Just a few days ago, a civil unrest broke out in the state of Gaz.
The tribes that depended on the State of Zaz were deeply oppressed by Gaz and had long been thinking of rebelling. Winter was approaching and if the tribe could not store enough food, they might not survive until the next year. The king kept raising taxes and the silver coins they had earned were looted. They did not want to starve to death, so they simply rebelled.
After the Western Army pacified the Western Regions, some great lords of the Gaz State prepared to send the exiled population of the tribe back to Gaochang in exchange for money, but were obstructed by the king. They could only get 10% of the money extorted by the king, and they were dissatisfied with the king. When the tribes rose up in rebellion, they took advantage of the situation to revolt.
When the nearby tribes heard that the Kingdom of Gaz had extorted a large amount of money from the Western Army, and seeing that the Kingdom of Gaz was in chaos, they immediately sent troops to attack and took the opportunity to profit.
The war spread across the entire Gaz kingdom. The Gaz wizard had his head chopped off by angry herdsmen. The king hid in the palace. Prince Langbin fled the city and sent several urgent letters to the suzerain state and neighboring states for help, but the suzerain state ignored them.
The Western Army also received the letter for help. Princess Wen Zhao put aside her past grudges and sent Yang Qian to lead troops to rescue.
Yang Qian led several hundred elite soldiers to attack the Kingdom of Gaz and relieved the country from its predicament in less than two days.
The rebels retreated, the king died suddenly, and the prince succeeded him as king. He presented a letter to the Wei Dynasty, sent a tribute team, and promised to reduce the commercial tax rate to one in twenty.
The rebellious tribes knew they were cornered, and when they heard that the Western Army was buying off refugees and offering extremely low taxes, they surrendered and begged for reunification. Yang Qian took them back and properly resettled them.
…
In just one month, the country of Gaz was turned upside down.
Everyone was horrified.
In this battle, the Western Army suffered almost no casualties. A king of the Kingdom of Gaz died, the royal palace was looted, and a large number of tribal herdsmen fled to the Wei Dynasty. The people's hearts were scattered, and the nobles were suspicious of each other. The king who succeeded to the throne had to be grateful to the Western Army, and from then on, he dared not to disobey the Western Army in public.
All of this seemed to have nothing to do with the Western Army. It was all due to the greed of the King of Gaz, who brought about his own destruction.
Everyone was trembling with fear.
In the next few days, Yao Ying asked merchants and officials who were proficient in various languages to lead envoys and nobles from various tribes to visit the fair. When the tribes saw the dazzling array of goods that had just been shipped from the Central Plains, they were dazzled and their hearts were moved.
On the last day of the conference, the tribes and Yao Ying signed a letter of alliance, promising to resume trade, set taxes and taxes, and agree to send envoys to each other.
Since then, the North Road has been completely connected.
…
After finishing the work of the Gaz Kingdom, Yao Ying's eyes were almost healed. The day when the cloth strip was removed was a sunny day, and the snow reflected in front of the temple, making it bright and clear.
She rested in the hall and wrote a letter to Tanmarajiva.
The letters she wrote to him a few days ago were all dictated by her and written by Xie Qing. He recognized her handwriting, and when he saw her handwriting, he knew that her eyesight had recovered.
Just as the letter was delivered, Xie Qing came into the room holding a letter: "Princess, this is a letter from Princess Manda of Malu."
Yaoying took the letter and read it, then she put away her smile and looked tense.
"Princess, what happened?"
Yao Ying turned around, looked at the mountains covered with white snow in the distance, and said, "Haidu A Ling may be coming."
Li Zhongqian and Yang Qian hurried over, "Is Haidu A Ling coming?"
Yao Ying nodded: "Princess Manda's letter said that Haidu Aling went to Samakhan. When Wakhan Khan was alive, he sent people to Samakhan to do business. He merged with the northern Rong people there, married a princess of a local suzerain country, borrowed a large number of soldiers and horses, and vowed to lead the remnants back to the east to restore the country."
"Where is Haidu A Ling now?"
"Princess Manda doesn't know either. We need to prepare early."
Li Zhongqian nodded and ordered everyone to step up their alert. The message was quickly sent out. Suddenly, the news spread like wildfire. The gates of the border towns were tightly closed and heavily guarded.
Yaoying wrote a letter to Tanmarajiva.
It's better to pick the soft persimmon. Haidu Aling is now eager to restore his country, so he certainly doesn't dare to attack the royal court rashly. However, it is not a bad thing to take more precautions.