Extra Chapter 1 Back to the Tang Dynasty, time flies by
The fifth year of Tang Sisheng's reign.
The sage changed the Bureau of Taishi into Sitiantai, which was responsible for astronomy, calendar calculation, three formulas, tests, and all subjects, including astronomy and calendars, observing the weather, and investigating strangers in the four directions, and was subordinate to the Secretariat Department.
Twenty-one years of Tang Dynasty civilization.
At the end of the third month of the lunar month, Si Tiantai said, "There is a star emerging from the Big Dipper. It looks like a white sky in the daytime, and its horns appear in all directions. It will be visible for seven days, and then it will set in the west."
…
The star that shocked Si Tiantai and even reported to the saints many times crossed the sky and indeed landed in the west of the Tang Dynasty.
But it's not far.
Just on the border is an Islamic empire established by the Arabs.
Chinese history books since the Tang Dynasty call it the "Dashi", while Western Europe is accustomed to calling it the "Saracen Empire" and "Caliphate", and later generations naturally call it the "Arab Empire".
Today's Great Food Kingdom is in the period of the Umayyad Dynasty. Its capital, Damascus, is one of the oldest inhabited cities in the world. It is located at the foothills of the majestic Kassin Mountain. Seven tributaries of the Barada River rush through the city day and night.
, bringing vitality and prosperity to this city.
The warm and fragrant orchards, colorful flower beds, lush green lawns, and exquisite and elegant buildings make it known as the "green paradise", also known as the "city in heaven."
It is said that Adam and Eve were created by God on the plains of Damascus. After being expelled from heaven, they settled down in Damascus and gave birth to offspring because they found that there was no place in the world that was closer to heaven than Damascus.
Not to mention whether those descriptions are exaggerated, for ancient Easterners, this place was also a famous city on the Silk Road.
According to historical records, Chinese goods were introduced as early as the Han Dynasty.
At that time, silk and ceramics were transported by camel caravans to the Phoenician Kingdom on the east coast of the Mediterranean, where they were dyed and processed to meet the needs of the Romans, and then transported to markets in Damascus and other places for sale.
For a long time after that, the Romans did not know the secret of silk production. They initially thought that silk was made from the down of a certain plant and was extremely precious. Therefore, only the concubines and a few noble ladies in the palace could produce it.
Wear silk fabrics that are more expensive than gold.
Fortunately, with the expansion and stabilization of trade routes, the value of silk and porcelain finally began to decrease. But when the territory of the Tang Dynasty bordered Dashi, the Silk Road became more prosperous than ever before, with better goods and a stronger culture.
The impact spread, causing people from all ethnic groups in the east and west to gather together.
The star converged its brilliance and fell in the valley outside the city.
Bang!
A vague figure covered with steaming clouds and smoke stood up from the ground. At first, he still landed on all fours as usual, then straightened his waist, stretched his limbs, and let out a smooth female voice: "Huh! I'm finally home, meow."
!”
"Um...you can't say meow, meow, meow!"
Xiao Hei corrected his pronunciation, glanced left and right with his bright eyes, and disappeared in an instant. His movements were completely unclear. Only the tip of the grass on the ground shook slightly, and he could vaguely judge the direction of movement.
"It's not Datang..."
The scenery on both sides quickly receded, and after a moment, the voice of the person came over. Xiao Hei stood up and landed on a tree, looking at the road not far away, frowning.
The most popular dress among the crowd is that of a man with deep eyes, a high nose, and full beard, wearing a pointed brimmed hat, a right-sided jacket, a belt at the waist, and long boots.
Although there were many barbarians doing business and traveling in the prosperous city of the Tang Dynasty, there was no doubt that the majority were Han people. Therefore, whether it was the crude and irregular official roads or the processions of pedestrians dressed as foreigners, this was not the Tang Dynasty.
Fortunately, it's not completely unfamiliar.
She saw the familiar Han caravan heading towards the city, raised the corner of her mouth slightly, swayed and disappeared without a trace.
As the box opened and closed, the caravan guard showed no response. He had already put on a set of Tang Dynasty clothes. He then took the money bag from the foreigner who said something he couldn't understand and threw it into the box. Xiao Hei blended into the crowd smoothly.
, walked into the city.
"It used to be the Arab Empire, but now it's called Dashi..."
"The previous capital is not here. It seems that this country has experienced internal turmoil..."
When Xiaohei was practicing in the Dayan Palace, he followed the queen and had some understanding of world history. Moreover, the memory of the Liangzhou period has not been completely forgotten, and he is no stranger to Dashi.
Along the way, there were covered markets, caravan enclosures, and palaces dominated by light towers and top towers, which made her accustomed to the oriental scenery even more interested.
As I walked, the cathedral in the distance came into view.
That is the Cathedral of St. John. The rulers of Rome were politically corrupt, lost to the Muslims in the south on the battlefield, and were driven back to their hometown in Europe. However, this cathedral to worship God and Jesus Christ remained, and the power of Christianity did not
Nothing fell apart.
At the beginning of the eighth century AD, the Arab rulers built a grand mosque on the foundation of the original St. John's Church that they claimed would never be surpassed. They also negotiated with the elders of the Christian Church to build four new churches elsewhere in the city.
To compensate, the St. John's foundation was given away.
"Isn't it built now?"
Xiao Hei originally wanted to take a look at the most classic large mosque in the Islamic world. Compared with the Great Ci'en Temple in the Tang Dynasty, it was magnificent in a different style, but he only saw one that although grand, was obviously a bit old.
Church, I can’t help but feel a little regretful.
"I don't know how long it has been since the master left in the Tang Dynasty now..."
"Is he still Li Hong, a saint? How old is Wan'er? Are the people in the inner guard okay?"
"After you finish shopping this street, go find a horse and return to the Tang Dynasty as soon as possible!"
Xiao Hei thought about the discomfort he felt when he first transformed. Now that he has a human form, many habits must be changed. For example, when traveling long distances, it is really inelegant to return to the original body and run on four legs, so he should still ride a mount.
It's a pity that Shishi Cong and Ying'er are still a little behind in their cultivation. Otherwise, it would be much more convenient to take these two younger brothers with them.
This chapter is not finished yet, please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content! However, the horse has not been found yet. Xiao Hei discovered that on the other side of the church, there was a group of weird people meditating and practicing.
"Taoist priest?"
That was indeed a Taoist priest, but his face with a high nose and deep eyes, coupled with the chic and elegant Taoist robe, was really a bit inconsistent.
Some believers also came out of the church and had a conversation with this group of Taoist priests. Due to the language barrier, she didn't know what they were talking about, but the occasional voice with a clear accent made her prick up her ears.
"The True Martial Spirit Ying Shengjun?"
This was the edict given by Emperor Li Hong of the Tang Dynasty before Li Yan left. At that time, envoys from various countries witnessed it, including the envoys of the Great Food Commission.
Witnessing the real ascension, the envoys from various countries fell to the ground, and the faith of the envoys of the Great Food was severely affected, and they spoke nonsense.
Could it be...
Soon, Xiao Hei's guess was verified.
The sound of footsteps came from far away, and a group of soldiers rushed over menacingly.
From the black armor, standard weapons, and orderly marching queues, it can be seen that this is obviously an unusual army in the country of food, and may even be the imperial army guarding the monarch.
In the face of such a majestic army, the group of Taoist priests who believed in the True Martial Spirit Ying Shengjun still held their banners high and stood at the door of the church without fear, chanting: "The True Martial Spirit Ying Shengjun bless you!"
"Take it!"
The leading general has a curly beard and is extremely tall. He wears a helmet made of fine steel and chainmail. He sits high on a horse. His armaments include a strong bow, a spear, a scimitar and a shield. The whole person is like a war castle.
The iron tower is full of oppression.
This man looked at these Taoist priests with extremely hateful eyes, but did not use any weapons. He waved his hand, and the soldiers pounced on them like wolves and tigers, pushing them to the ground: "Traitors!"
The Taoist priest still resisted, and the leader even said in Chinese: "We are not traitors, Zhenwu Lingying Shengjun is the real Taoist master who can take us to heaven!"
The giant man suddenly turned pale.
"Interesting cat..."
Xiao Hei watched it with great interest.
The Tang Dynasty expanded its territory in the Western Regions and competed with its equally powerful neighbor Dashi for hegemony in Central Asia. As a result, when the envoys returned, they even changed their beliefs. For a religious country like Dashi, it was probably quite a battle.
Serious storm.
As long as this sect that believes in true martial arts exists, the turmoil in Dashi's country will expand even more. The fact that they didn't directly kill the killer already explains a lot...
But she did not underestimate this country.
After all, Dashi was completely different from the Tubo of the past.
If the power of Tubo is a regional change of power, the rise of Dashi will undoubtedly have a much broader and far-reaching impact.
Decades before Li Yan's ascension, the powerful rise of Dashe wiped out the Sasanian dynasty of Persia. After years of digestion, it has become strategically feasible to continue to expand outwards.
Similarly, for the Tang Dynasty, which completely dominated the east after destroying Silla and Tubo, there was bound to be a fierce struggle between the two.
Now that there is such friction within Dashi, Xiao Hei is naturally happy to see it, but soon she discovers that this group of soldiers does not seem to be just for the Taoist priests. After a group of people were separated to escort them, they headed in the other direction without stopping.
And go.
Seeing the giant man with the iron tower at the head, pedestrians on the street gave way and kept silent. Xiao Hei followed him all the way with his hands behind his back.
"Um?"
This calm expression suddenly changed when he discovered his destination.
Just because there are two plaques hanging outside the obviously Tang Dynasty-style building, with names written in Arabic and Chinese respectively.
I didn't recognize the Arabic, but I could see the Chinese at a glance. They were the four characters "Xie's Chamber of Commerce".
Xiaohei's eyes are fixed.
Xie's Chamber of Commerce is the trading company led by Li Yan's mother, Xie. When I returned to my hometown this time, I also wanted to check for my master whether his father, Li Derjian, and his mother, Xie, were okay.
I thought I had to go to Datang to find out the news, but unexpectedly, there was already a branch of the Xie Chamber of Commerce in the capital of Dashi.
This can’t be the attitude of hanging around...
"Surround!"
The giant man from the iron tower waved his hand, and the Taishi soldiers rushed out menacingly.
Hooray!
The door of the Chamber of Commerce, which was originally bustling with people coming and going, suddenly became deserted. Pedestrians around did not even dare to watch, but stayed away.
The Chamber of Commerce was quiet for a while, and then a group of people came out. The leader of the group, wearing a common plain long robe, came to the door, raised his hands and saluted: "General Abu!"
The giant man from the Iron Tower stood on his horse and yelled: "Wang Wuze, I gave you a chance, now hand over the murderer who killed the dancer, or else the chamber of commerce will be closed and everyone will be jailed!"
Listening to the translation by the person next to him, the man in the long gown was neither humble nor overbearing: "I have submitted a document to the government office to explain the situation. Unfortunately, the dancer from your country died in the warehouse of our chamber of commerce. I deeply regret this. However, this matter was obviously deliberately framed by the murderer."
, we will also work together to arrest him, and we hope that General Abu will wait a little longer..."
The giant man from the Iron Tower said coldly: "Wait? How long will it take? This matter originally started because of you Tang people. I have given you five days of grace, but it is a pity that you did not seize the opportunity!"
The man in the long robe still said calmly: "The dancers gathered in Damascus precisely because of the Tang Dynasty's Millennium Festival. Envoys from various countries performed dances in Chang'an for the saint's birthday. Such important events are the responsibility of every Tang Dynasty. Your country wants to have relations with the Tang Dynasty."
Well, if we live in peace, the generals should put aside their past grudges and work together to hunt down the thieves!"
After hearing that he had abandoned his past grudges, the iron tower man's eyes showed a cold light: "Lan Masanti is my number one dancer in Dashi. She has been appointed as a member of the envoy to perform the dance for the Emperor of the Tang Dynasty. She is closely guarded.
As a result, she disappeared inexplicably and died in a Chinese house. It was obviously you who secretly kidnapped her. She was unwilling to be humiliated and committed suicide. Do you still dare to deny it? "
The man in the long gown sighed softly: "It seems that General Abu is eager to hunt down the murderer, and the misunderstanding has been deep. Perhaps inviting General Dalali to come here will be more conducive to the good relations between our two countries!"
Xiaohei Qiaosheng stood not far away, listening attentively, but the two sides of the quarrel were unaware of it.
This chapter is not over yet, please click on the next page to continue reading! This time with a translator, I finally understood the content of the conversation.
A dancing girl died in the warehouse of the Xie Chamber of Commerce, and she has been appointed as a member of the envoy from the Food Kingdom, preparing to go to the Tang Dynasty to perform dances for the Tang Emperor. The fact that the Xie Chamber of Commerce can withstand such a bad incident shows that
The foundation here is deep, and it can be judged from the conversation just now that it has the support of another general, Dalali.
But Xiaohei is not optimistic about it.
The other party came prepared and had a feast in the background, so I'm afraid it won't work.
She thought for a while, then her body swayed and disappeared without a trace.
Sure enough, when Abu saw that his soldiers had surrounded the chamber of commerce, he directly ordered: "Dora Li can't come today, take them all down, and those who resist...kill them!"
Seeing the other party pulling out their weapons and aiming their bows with full strings, the members of the Xie Chamber of Commerce finally started to stir. The leader, Wang Wuze, said loudly: "General, are you really going to make a big fuss? Forget it... we will go with you!"
"
Members of the Xie Chamber of Commerce were pushed out one by one, and even tied up with ropes and held together, which was quite humiliating.
But as Wang Wuze glanced at them, everyone calmed down and stood still.
Finding that the other party did not resist at all, a look of disappointment flashed in Abu's eyes. He grasped the spear behind his back with his thick five fingers, reluctantly let go, and said coldly: "Take it away!"
At this moment, the sound of horse hooves sounded, and a soldier hurried over on horseback, came to him, leaned over and whispered.
When Abu heard this, his expression suddenly changed: "Seriously?"
Facing the opponent's tiger gaze, the soldier shrank his shoulders in fear. Abu's sharp eyes had already turned away and looked at the Xie Chamber of Commerce: "You are so brave! I will report today's matter to the Caliph, let's go!"
Watching Abu and his group of soldiers leave, Wang Wuze did not show a look of relief. Instead, he furrowed his eyebrows and said secretly: "Why are you so suspicious? It's not this person's character... Or is there really an accident? Alas, what a troubled time!
"
After thinking for a moment, he waved his hand: "You go back, everything will be the same as before, and work with peace of mind!"
His shopkeepers all responded: "Yes!"
As a result, this chamber of commerce, which was almost imprisoned, restored business order as quickly as possible, while Wang Wuze stood in front of the door and continued to meditate.
After sorting out all the recent incidents, he also walked inside when his feet suddenly stopped.
At some point, a tall Tang woman appeared across the street, looking at him with a pair of particularly bright eyes, which shocked his heart and gave him a strange feeling.
I still remember that when I was a child, my father took me hunting. When I encountered the most powerful beast, I felt similar fear, but it was different from that kind of threat. It seemed that the other party had no ill intentions, but was just naturally powerful...
"What's wrong with me?"
This feeling was fleeting, and Wang Wuze felt that it was extremely strange. After calming down, he walked over and took the initiative to salute: "May I ask how you call this gentleman?"
Women in the Tang Dynasty always dressed up as men when going out. This one was also dressed in men's clothing. Although the flaws could be seen at a glance, and the clothes were even a little inappropriate, it would not be exposed.
Xiao Hei smiled: "You can call me 'Xuanli'."
The person who is black and has different colors is Xuan, the character is Tongli, and Xuanli is also the name of a mythical beast, which means to congratulate her on her successful transformation, rebirth, and bright future.
Of course it was not given by someone, but by a friend in the New Territories. She was happy for a while, but in the end she found that she actually liked the original title.
However, the title "Xiao Hei" is really not suitable for interacting with strangers. In order to avoid the other party thinking that he does not want to reveal his real name and is extremely perfunctory, it is not bad to call him Xuanli!
This title was different, but Wang Wuze felt that it was inexplicably suitable for him. He held his hand and said, "Brother Xuanli is here. I wonder if I, Xie's Trading Company, can be of service?"
The little black man said: "My family's elders are acquainted with Mr. Xie from your firm."
Wang Wuze said: "There are many people in charge of Xie in the meeting, do you know who's name?"
The little black man said: "The surname is Xie, the given name is Shuyuan, and the courtesy name is Yishou."
That was Xie's brother, and also the name of the uncle with whom Li Yan first met.
Wang Wuze's eyes fluctuated for a moment, revealing his thoughts, and then he said very naturally: "I don't know this person in charge. I will send a letter to the Tang Dynasty for questioning, and then I will reply to my brother."
Xiao Hei was too lazy to beat around the bush, glanced at his features, and said directly: "Do you recognize General Wang Xiaojie?"
Wang Wuze's expression finally changed, he looked over steadily, and after a while he said, "It's my father!"
"Then your mother is the former Queen of Tubo?"
Xiao Hei sighed deeply behind his hands: "I didn't expect you to be so old. Time flies so quickly..."