The distance from Xining City to Qingtang Zongge City is not long, but the road is very difficult.

To avoid mountains and ravines.

The group of people walked northwest along the Huangshui River, passing Miaochuan City and Zhilong City. They walked for five days before arriving at Zongge City, the capital of Qingtang.

During the Han and Tang Dynasties, traveling to Shazhou did not require such trouble.

During the Han and Tang dynasties, after exiting Qinfeng Road, you would go northwest along Wuwei and Zhangye, exit Yumen Pass, and then go west for a while to reach Shazhou.

It's a pity that this road is now controlled by Xixia.

If Kou Ji and his party want to enter Shazhou, they can only reach Shazhou by taking the Qingtang Road, crossing Qinghai Lake, and crossing Huangtou Huihe.

The journey is half as long and very difficult.

When Kou Ji and his party arrived at Zongge City.

Qingtang Zanpujiao Siluo, who had led the Qingtang ministers, slowly walked out of Zongge City and greeted them for nearly six miles.

Kou Ji looked at Zongge City carefully from a distance.

Zongge City is the largest city in Qingtang.

The wall is two feet high.

The length and width reach the scale of the inner city of Bianjing City.

In addition to the city walls made of bricks and stones, most of the buildings in the city are made of rammed loess.

Some are round, some are square, and many have flat tops.

Very characteristic of the Western Regions.

Many people gathered on the road leading into the city.

There were many camels and horses, each carrying cargo.

Among the crowd, Kou Ji faintly saw many believers in very distinctive clothes.

Those figures are also very common in the Song Dynasty, but they are far less numerous than Zongge City.

In the eyes of most Song people, the Western Regions were a bitter and cold land.

People in the Western Regions all live in tents and are nomadic.

There were endless fights and chaos.

This is not the case.

There are cities in the Western Region.

There are many cities.

Some were built by people from the Western Regions themselves, and some were left over from the Han and Tang Dynasties.

Many people from the Western Regions live there.

Kou Ji looked at Qingtang City from a distance and was filled with emotion. Liu Heng slowly walked up to him and lowered his voice and said, "We are waiting for you at Zanpu Corner in Qingtang, six miles outside Qingtang City."

Kou Ji withdrew his gaze and ordered the leader of the patrol horse guard beside him: "Order someone to hold up the guard of honor..."

The guys at Zanpujiao in Qingtang came to welcome Liuli in person, naturally not to welcome Kou Ji.

But to welcome the identity that Kou Ji represents.

Although he was an official bestowed by the Song Dynasty, Kou Jike and Qingtang Zanpujiao Siluo were at the same level.

But he was the head of one department and had no deep friendship with Kou Ji, so how could he welcome him personally?

The leader of the patrolling horse guards led his men to open the imperial guard of honor that Zhao Zhen had given to Kou Ji.

Kou Ji took off the Kou family, put on his official uniform, hung the emperor's sword on his waist, led the patrol horse guards, three thousand Japanese soldiers and sixty thousand civilians, escorted the grain carts, and under the leadership of An Ziluo, he rode to Qing Dynasty.

Six miles outside Tangcheng.

As they approached Siluo at Zanpujiao in Qingtang, Kou Ji looked at him carefully.

A tall and thin middle-aged man, wearing a large Tubo costume and a round-bottomed pointed hat with many gems inlaid on it, which looks very valuable. He wears a handle around his waist to symbolize his status.

of golden sword.

He has eagle eyes, aquiline nose, and two curled beards, which is very eye-catching.

Wait until Kou Ji and his party approach.

Jiao Siluo hammered his chest with one hand, and bowed down respectfully, "Qingtang Zanpu Jiao Siluo, welcome the envoy from heaven..."

Jiao Siluo's Chinese is not standard and sounds a bit awkward.

But Kou Ji could barely understand what he wanted to express.

Behind Jiao Siluo, the civil and military personnel in Qingtang bent down reluctantly.

Kou Ji sat astride the horse and said with a calm smile: "General, there is no need to be polite."

Jiao Siluo stood up slowly.

Kou Ji stretched out his hand.

Liu Heng handed a volume of imperial edict to Kou Ji.

Kou Ji picked up the imperial edict and said loudly: "Jiao Siluo listens to the edict..."

Jiao Siluo imitated Song Chen and saluted, "Jiao Siluo, please listen to your order..."

Kou Ji unfolded the imperial edict, "The edict says..."

The imperial edict is eloquent and has a thousand words.

Kou Ji read it loudly.

The general meaning is very simple.

As a vassal of the Song Dynasty, Qingtang cooperated with the Song Dynasty in fighting in the Western Regions and contributed to the Song Dynasty.

The Song Dynasty will reward Qingtang with some money and grain, and promote Jiaosiluo to an official rank.

Jiao Siluo used to be just a military governor.

Now he has been granted the title of Marquis of Qingtang.

Among many genera, its status is the same as that of Xixia.

Jiao Siluo accepted the imperial edict very humbly.

Kou Ji jumped off his horse and walked up to Jiao Siluo. He cupped his hands and said with a smile, "I have seen Qingtang Marquis..."

Jiao Siluo put away the imperial edict and beat his chest in salute to Kou Ji.

"The police officers are polite..."

Although Jiao Siluo's Han dialect is not standard, he is familiar with Han rituals.

In order to get more benefits from the Song Dynasty, he did a lot of research on the etiquette of the Song Dynasty.

Kou Ji smiled again and said: "Qingtang Hou, you and I are ministers in the same palace, so how about we not stick to those customary etiquette?"

When Jiao Siluo heard this, he laughed out loud and said, "I've heard for a long time that the bandits are not strict in their behavior, but I didn't expect it to be true."

Kou Ji smiled calmly and said: "You and I are both discerning people, and it's not interesting to always struggle with those common etiquette."

"Hahaha... what the officials said makes sense."

Jiao Siluo smiled heartily, showing a boldness that was incompatible with his figure.

Jiao Siluo smiled and said to Kou Ji: "I have heard about the name of the Kou officials for a long time, but when I saw him today, he was really extraordinary."

Kou Ji smiled calmly and said, "The Marquis of Qingtang is so complimentary."

Jiao Siluo shook his head and said: "It's not an absurd compliment, it's a fact. The angels who came to my Qingtang in the past were not as easy-going as the Kou officials."

According to Kou Ji's understanding, what Jiao Siluo said was true.

During the chaos in Qingtang, Song Dynasty had always been the person Jiao Siluo wanted to make friends with and win over.

Therefore, every time the envoys of the Song Dynasty came to Qingtang, Jiao Siluo received them with the most humble attitude.

Over time.

Those envoys were somewhat spoiled and became very domineering after arriving in Qingtang.

They always think that Qingtang is a rural place, and if they are picky about Qingtang, there is nothing in Qingtang that they can like.

However.

It's unbelievable.

The envoys of the Song Dynasty liked to go to rural places like Qingtang the most.

Because going to Qingtang as an envoy was a good job for the envoys of the Song Dynasty.

Going as an envoy to Qingtang is not like going as an envoy to Xixia or Liao.

When the envoys of the Song Dynasty arrived in the Liao Kingdom, if Emperor Yelu Longxu of the Liao Dynasty appreciated the envoys enough, then the envoys would be treated with certain courtesy.

But if Emperor Yelu Longxu of the Liao Dynasty did not appreciate the envoys, then the envoys would be difficult to move in the Liao Kingdom and would encounter a lot of difficulties.

When the envoys of the Song Dynasty arrived in Xixia, Li Deming, the leader of Xixia, was very respectful on the surface, but secretly he often made things difficult for the envoys of the Song Dynasty. He even frequently used the negligence in the envoys of the Song Dynasty to ask for favors from the Song Dynasty.

.

It's not like Qingtang.

When the envoys of the Song Dynasty arrived in Qingtang, they only needed to put on airs.

The people of Qingtang will give them enough courtesy and generous bribes.

Not only will it not embarrass them.

It will also help them cover up some of the mistakes they made.

Before Jiao Si Luo completely wiped out Qingtang, Jiao Si Luo was really good to Da Song as an ally.

But the Song Dynasty has always looked down upon this ally.

He is obsessed with winning over Xixia.

Even in order to win over Xixia, he decisively rejected Jiao Siluo's strategy of the Song Dynasty and Qingtang joining forces to deal with Xixia.

The final result was that the Song Dynasty did not win over Xixia, but instead turned against Xixia.

And Qingtang grew bigger step by step.

Now it has the power to wrestle with Xixia and threaten the Song Dynasty.

Kou Ji is not one of those civil and military ministers in the court who only care about living their own lives.

He is very aware of the current situation of the Song Dynasty and the situation outside the Song Dynasty.

Qingtang Zanpujiao Siluo has now purged the entire Qingtang and completed the true unification of Qingtang.

His ambition also began to be gradually exposed.

His ambition is very big.

But his strength is not enough to support his ambition.

So he must rely on the Song Dynasty.

So he must give enough courtesy to Kou Ji.

So Kou Ji can take advantage of this and use the power of Qingtang.

Kou Ji smiled and said to the boy in the corner: "The Marquis of Qingtang made serious remarks..."

Although Kou Ji could not understand the virtues of the civil and military ministers in the court.

But there is no need for him to exaggerate others' ambition and destroy his own prestige in front of the horned servant.

Jiao Siluo smiled and made a gesture of invitation to Kou Ji.

"Follow...me...enter Qingtang City..."

Jiao Siluo seemed to be unfamiliar with the word 'I', so when he mentioned 'I', he paused for a moment.

Kou Ji glanced at Jiao Siluo's very gorgeous carriage and said with a smile: "That should be the carriage of Marquis Qingtang, so I won't get on it. Marquis Qingtang just leads the way, and I will follow behind."

"

Jiao Siluo was stunned and said with a smile: "An Ziluo said that you are a very independent person. Since you are unwilling to ride with me, then I will ride with you?"

The words fell to the ground.

Jiao Siluo ordered his guards to lead a horse, get on its back, and invite Kou Ji to enter the city with him.

Kou Ji did not refuse anymore, got on the horseback, and followed Jiao Siluo to the inside of Qingtang City.

On the road.

Jiao Siluo deliberately slowed down and accompanied Kou Ji, smiling and introducing the customs and customs of Qingtang to Kou Ji.

His Chinese is not good, but he is very talkative.

The customs and customs of Qingtang that he explained to Kou Ji were far more comprehensive and intuitive than what An Ziluo explained to Kou Ji.

If he hadn't repeatedly hinted to Kou Ji that Qingtang was very poor and weak and needed strong support from the Song Dynasty, Kou Ji would have been willing to become friends with him.

Just when Jiao Siluo hinted to Kou Ji for the fourth time that Qingtang was very poor.

Kou Ji looked at the Qingtang people who were saluting Jiao Siluo on the roadside and said with a smile: "The Marquis of Qingtang is very popular among the people in Qingtang."

Jiao Siluo was stunned for a moment, then smiled calmly and said: "I didn't do anything, I just helped them survive."

Kou Ji smiled and said: "The people's hearts are towards Qingtang Hou. They will definitely be willing to help Qingtang Hou do anything. Qingtang Hou will definitely be able to lead them and make Qingtang richer and stronger."

Jiao Siluo was stunned again, and sighed: "What I have now is the support of the people. Our Qingtang is a bitter and cold place, and it is difficult to become rich and strong. Our Qingtang can only become rich by relying on the Song Dynasty.

Become stronger.”

Although Jiao Siluo was not used to Kou Ji's words about being richer and stronger, he still followed Kou Ji's words and cried to Kou Ji about his poverty.

Kou Ji smiled calmly and said: "Qingtang now has hundreds of thousands of people who can control strings, and they are no longer inferior to Xixia..."

The implication.

Qingtang's current national strength is not inferior to that of Xixia.

Da Song has already raised a white-eyed wolf, and will not raise a second one.

Jiao Siluo was a smart man, so he naturally understood the meaning of Kou Ji's words.

On the way back, I never cried about poverty again.

Jiao Siluo felt that Kou Ji was a very unique person, a very unique person.

In the past, when the envoys of the Song Dynasty came to Qingtang, he only had to cry for a while and be poor.

Those envoys of the Song Dynasty would promise him many benefits.

Although not all can be fulfilled.

However, Qingtang could still obtain certain benefits from the Song Dynasty through the promises of the Song Dynasty envoys.

If he gives certain generous gifts to the envoys of the Song Dynasty, the envoys of the Song Dynasty will help Qingtang obtain more benefits after returning to the Song Dynasty.

But Kou Ji was obviously different from those envoys.

From beginning to end, Kou Ji spoke without revealing anything.

No matter how much he cried about poverty, Kou Ji didn't give him a single promise.

The group arrived at the gate of Qingtang City.

Kou Ji ordered three thousand Japanese soldiers to guard the civilians escorting the grain and grass, and stationed them outside Qingtang City.

He led the men who patrolled the horse guard and followed the horned men into Qingtang City.

Jiao Siluo's palace is located in the middle of Qingtang City.

It was not a grand palace. The entire palace complex combined could rival the Chui Gong Palace Palace complex of the Song Dynasty.

But the architectural style and level of magnificence are more than a little inferior to those of the Chui Gong Palace.

There are two temples on both sides of the palace where Jiao Siluo lives.

There is a temple among them, which is actually larger and more gorgeous than Jiao Siluo's palace.

If this had been placed in the Song Dynasty, it would have been dismantled seven or eight times.

But in Qingtang, it seems to be a very common thing.

The monk wearing a bright red shirt and a cockscomb hat seems to have a very unique status in Qingtang.

Even Jiao Siluo, the king of Qingtang, had to salute some older monks when he saw them.

Jiao Siluo led Kou Ji to his palace.

Kou Ji wanted to go in with the men on patrol, but An Ziluo stepped forward to stop him.

An Ziluo had seen with his own eyes how powerful the men on the horse patrol were.

During the Han and Tang Dynasties, envoys were rampant in the Western Regions, and stories of breaking into palaces and killing kings are still circulated in the Western Regions.

An Ziluo didn't dare to let in a group of very dangerous people like the patrolling horse guards.

When Jiao Siluo travels, there are countless guards following him.

But once you enter the palace, there are not many guards around you.

If the men on the horse patrol get violent and hurt people, then Qingtang should be replaced by a Zanpu.

Kou Ji understood An Ziluo's worries, so he asked the men on patrol to wait outside the palace. He took Liu Heng and less than ten people, and followed the horned servants into his palace.

Jiao Siluo already knew about the existence of the patrolling horse guards through An Ziluo's letters.

So when An Ziluo blocked the men from the horse guards from entering the palace, he glanced at the men from the horse guards.

Entered the palace.

Jiao Siluo led Kou Ji to a very tall palace.

A noble lady led several fair-skinned and beautiful women to wait in front of the hall.
Chapter completed!