Hahaha!
Hearing Liu Ziyu's slightly worried words, the uninvited guest, Batel, showed no fear whatsoever. Instead, he picked up the teapot in the study, poured himself a cup of tea, and savored it with relish.
Seeing Batel's fearless demeanor, Liu Ziyu had the illusion that he was not in the Tang Dynasty under Emperor Zhaowu Chen Huai'an, but in the Xin Dynasty under Emperor Jian'an Zhao Gan.
At that time, Batel, the son of the Turkic Khan and the tribal leader, frequently traveled freely in and out of Wuzhou City, just as he does now, secretly meeting with Liu Ziyu and taking what they needed from each other in the important border town of the Great Xin Dynasty.
"Earl Wuyi, Deputy General Liu, my good brother—"
At this moment, Batel, leaning back in his study chair and sipping his hot tea, said slowly and deliberately, "I not only know that Chen Huai'an founded the Tang Dynasty;
"I also know that Liu Ziyu, the foremost military general of the Sixteen Prefectures of Youyun, who had made outstanding military achievements and rendered great service, was only granted the title of Earl at the founding ceremony of the Tang Dynasty, ranking last among the 60 people who received titles at the founding of the Tang Dynasty;"
"I also know that the Tang Dynasty's current focus is on the eastern expedition against the Goguryeo Dynasty, and it has assembled at least 500,000 troops in two routes on the Goguryeo Peninsula."
With that, Batel smiled meaningfully and continued, "My good brother, what you want me to know, I know; what you don't want me to know, I still know!"
"Bartel, what do you mean?"
Liu Ziyu's eyes immediately became alert.
Batel laughed and said, "My good brother, don't be nervous. We've known each other for a long time. Would I ever harm you?"
"On the contrary, I risked my life to come to your residence to pay a visit this time because I felt that it was unfair to my good brother. That Chen Huai'an is simply going too far!"
snort!
Liu Ziyu sneered, still maintaining sufficient vigilance, and looked at Batel, saying, "Alright, Batel, we've been dealing with each other for a while now, and I know your character well."
"Just tell me straight, what is the purpose of your visit here!"
"good!"
Batel clapped his hands, then stood up and went to Liu Ziyu's side, saying sincerely, "It's been several years since we last met, and General Liu is still the same as ever."
"Since that's the case, I won't beat around the bush anymore. I've come here specifically to discuss cooperation with General Liu, having heard that he intends to develop trade activities in the Western Regions."
"General, you should know that more than two years ago, when my Turkic Khanate was wiped out by General Huo Qubing, the cavalry commander under Chen Huai'an and now the Marquis of Champion of the Tang Dynasty, my Turkic Khanate was severely weakened, and the remaining forces fled far to the western desert."
"In recent years, we Turks have been moving westward, developing and growing stronger in the Western Regions, hoping to return to our ancestral homeland in the northern deserts..."
"Bartel, get to the point!"
Faced with Batel's eloquent narration, Liu Ziyu immediately interrupted him, as he had neither the mood nor the time to listen to Batel's and the Turks' history of bloodshed and development.
He was eager to figure out what this guy wanted to do here!
"good!"
After being interrupted, Batel reorganized his thoughts and went straight to the point: "General Liu, I know you want to engage in smuggling trade in the Western Regions to profit from the price difference, but the reality is that Lan Yu, the Marquis of Anxi stationed in the Western Regions by the Tang Dynasty, doesn't listen to you."
"General Liu's idea of developing smuggling trade in the Western Regions is likely to fail."
"but--"
Then, Batel changed the subject, saying mysteriously, "General Liu, I, Batel, and the Turkic Khanate can help you handle everything on the Silk Road in the Western Regions, ensuring your trade routes are unimpeded."
"Furthermore, if the General is willing, I have a way to elevate you to the position of Marquis of Anxi, allowing you to guard the Four Garrisons of Anxi and bring the entire Silk Road under your jurisdiction."
"What is the general's opinion?"
Um?
After hearing Batel's words, Liu Ziyu raised an eyebrow, his shrewd eyes darting around, but he did not reply immediately.
Batel, standing to the side, was not in a hurry. He was playing with the jade ornaments in the study, his confident expression clearly showing that he had Liu Ziyu completely under his control.
After a long silence, Liu Ziyu suddenly sneered and said, "Bater, you may leave. I will personally arrange for someone to escort you out of the city, and we will pretend you were never here!"
"Butler Sun—"
ha?
Liu Ziyu's sudden order to leave left Batel completely bewildered and caught off guard.
Then, disregarding his feigned aloofness, he strode over to Liu Ziyu's side and asked, "General Liu, what is the reason for this?"
"I, I have come here on behalf of King Safah of the Abbasid Caliphate (Arab Empire) to pay a special visit to the General!"
"Does the general not want to hear what King Safah has to say?"
Just then, the voice of the manor's steward, Sun, suddenly rang out from outside the study door: "Master, did you call me?"
Inside the study, Liu Ziyu glanced smugly at Batel and ordered towards the outside, "Bring me my finest West Lake Longjing tea and brew a pot for the guest!"
"Yes, sir!"
Outside, Butler Sun hurriedly left again.
Realizing he had been tricked, Batel immediately complained angrily, "General Liu, I, Batel, consider you a good brother. Is this how you play tricks on your good brother?"
"What do you mean by 'brewing a pot of tea'? That's top-quality West Lake Longjing tea! Brew two pots!"
Hahaha!
Upon hearing this, Liu Ziyu and Batel, who were in the study, burst into laughter.
The two exchanged a smile, and then took their seats in the study, one as host and the other as guest, before getting down to business.
Batel stated bluntly: "General Liu, to be honest, after my Turkic Khanate was utterly defeated by the young Huo Qubing, the various tribes of the divided Khanate began to fight independently."
"The Guli tribe I led fled far into the western desert, traveling and stopping along the way, yet still unable to find a place to settle. Even after entering the Western Regions, they were constantly driven out and forced to migrate westward by the thirty-six kingdoms of the Western Regions, led by the Uyghur Khanate."
Finally, after crossing the Pamir Mountains and reaching the vicinity of the Indus River, they briefly settled within the territory of the Abbasid Caliphate.
"That Abbasid dynasty..."
Next, Batel spoke eloquently and fluently about the heroic deeds and great achievements of Abbasid king Safah.
Batel's rambling explanation broadened Liu Ziyu's horizons.
This was the first time he learned that there was a vast and powerful empire outside the thirty-six kingdoms of the Western Regions. The Abbasid Caliphate's territory was similar to that of the Tang Dynasty, but its population was twenty to thirty million more than that of the Tang Dynasty.
Moreover, the Abbasid Caliphate's copper and iron smelting technology, weapon forging technology, and the development of firearms were comparable to those of the Tang Dynasty.
More importantly, the current Abbasid king, Safah, is a radical warmonger whose ambition surpasses even that of the second emperor of the New Dynasty, Zhao Gan.
The Abbasid Caliphate, with its unprecedented national power, was no longer satisfied with its current territory and was constantly expanding outward, forming a super empire spanning Asia, Africa, and Europe.
King Safah had set his sights on the prosperous Silk Road in the Western Regions.
This time, Safah sent Batel to the Central Plains to investigate the basic situation of the Tang Dynasty and prepare for the Abbasid army's advance into the Western Regions.
Batel, the leader of the Turkic Guli tribe who had wandered to the Abbasid Caliphate, is now a mercenary for the Abbasid Caliphate.
But Batel, living under someone else's roof, constantly dreamed of the day he could lead his tribe back to the northern grasslands to graze.
Therefore, carrying the decree of Abbasid King Safah, he traveled thousands of miles back to the Central Plains dynasty, gathering intelligence while waiting for the day he could return to the northern grasslands to restore his kingdom.
At the end of the conversation, Batel leaned close to Liu Ziyu's ear and whispered, "General Liu, you and I have been brothers for many years, sharing weal and woe."
"I won't hide it from you, this time the Abbasid Caliphate's King Safah has prepared a massive army of 800,000 for his eastern expedition, aiming to seize the rich Silk Road in the Western Regions;"
"It's a genuine 800,000-strong combat force. If you include the supply and logistics troops, the total is a staggering one million!"
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