Xue Rengui was very dissatisfied. You, a small captain, dare to speculate on military aircraft?
What does your judgment mean? If you make a mistake in judgment, the entire Western Region will suffer war. Can you afford this responsibility?
Yuan Wei had a cold sweat on his face and said tremblingly: "General Qi, this matter... may be related to some Guanzhong aristocratic families."
Xue Rengui's face was as dark as water: "How do you say this?"
Yuan Wei was heartbroken and said: "Before, I met a member of a Guanzhong family in my humble position and helped recover a sum of money..."
Half of what he said was ambiguous, but he believed that Xue Rengui understood.
Of course Xue Rengui understands.
The Anxi Army guards the Western Region. In addition to guarding against enemy invasion, it is also responsible for combating smuggling. However, everyone knows that smuggling is highly profitable. Since the families in Guanzhong and Longyou are unable to engage in sea trade, smuggling has continued for hundreds of years.
years of business.
Even the Anxi Protectorate can't really cut off all smuggling without giving any face. There are always some powerful or aristocratic families in the same camp who have privileges. Of course, it is impossible to get the Anxi Protectorate.
It is openly allowed, but it is normal to turn a blind eye or close a blind eye.
Similarly, any shady business is bound to be more dirty, and from time to time there will be incidents of gangsters taking advantage of gangsters. Generally speaking, the Anxi Protectorate will not directly intervene in this matter, leaving it to various parties.
The aristocratic family can handle it themselves, but if the commotion is too big, the Anxi Protectorate will intervene.
Xue Rengui asked: "Whose family is it?"
Yuanwei gritted his teeth and said, "I don't know what a humble position is."
Xue Rengui snorted dissatisfied.
Where is the ignorance? It is clear that I dare not say it!
But even if he didn't say it, Xue Rengui could still guess in his mind that the Yuan family was from the Guanlong lineage, and the Guanlong nobles were the ones who smuggled the most through the Silk Road. Although the Yuan family is now in decline, the relationship in the past is still intact.
Still exists.
Moreover, it is unusual for many of the Guanzhong disciples in the Anxi Army to secretly collude with the Guanlong nobles. Generally, as long as they don't go too far, even Xue Rengui can only ignore them.
If he was serious about everything, he would have nothing to do all day long...
After thinking for a while, Xue Rengui sat down again, picked up the tea cup and asked: "Have you cleaned up the finishing touches?"
After all, he is a cannibal. If things get into trouble, it will be difficult to deal with.
Yuan Wei hurriedly said: "Don't worry, Sima. Those big cannibals indeed have no identity documents, and they were exterminated only because of arrests. They are reasonable and legal, and there are no omissions."
Xue Rengui raised his eyelids and said: "In that case, clean up your hands and don't leave any future troubles. Go ahead."
Since it was not the spies sent by the Great Cannibal who coveted the Western Regions, he naturally didn't bother to pay attention to the dirty things of the aristocratic family members.
If the water is clear, there will be no fish. He is just a Sima of the Anxi Protectorate. There is no need to hold on to this kind of thing, let alone get involved too deeply...
"Here! I resign from my humble position."
Yuanwei stood up and saluted, took two steps back, then turned around and walked out of the government office.
When he got outside the door, he raised his head and glanced at the dark sky, wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, let out a long breath, and mentally greeted all the eighteen generations of Changsun Yan's ancestors.
Mother!
If your family is vying for the position of heir apparent, then let's fight for it. We'll just watch from the sidelines, but why bother dragging me down?
Changsun Wuji, that old dog, always eats people without spitting out their bones. He is the only one who bullies others. How can anyone interfere with the eldest son's family's business?
Now he just hopes that this bastard Zhang Sunyan can quickly secure his position as the heir apparent, otherwise once this matter comes out, he will die without a burial place...
*****
Damascus.
Since Muawiyah succeeded Ali after his death and Ali's death was inextricably linked to him, he did not dare to live in Medina, the capital of the Arab Empire. Instead, after he ascended the throne, he moved the empire to
The capital was moved to Damascus.
The city he conquered personally was filled with loyal supporters, making his position as Caliph as solid as a rock.
In addition, compared to the sea and desert surrounding the holy city of Medina, Damascus's geographical location is more advantageous. Not only is it close to the vast Mediterranean Sea, but also to the east is the vast territory of the Persian dynasty. Beyond Persia, which has been conquered by him, is
The fertile Central Asian plains, and further away are the countries in the Western Regions that lead directly to the Tang Dynasty in the east. To the north is the turbulent Eastern Roman Empire.
No matter which direction, there is fertile and rich land, but it allows the empire to obtain endless financial resources, and the population is not comparable to that of Medina.
…
In the palace, which was much simpler than that in Medina, Muawiya drank wine, looked at the powerful and strong eldest son Yezid in front of him, and sighed quietly.
This child is extremely brave and is indeed a rare warrior in the world. However, he has not inherited his shrewdness and acumen in terms of intelligence. He is very slow about politics. None of the elders in the sect are convinced by him.
According to the rules of succession of the caliphate, it requires the election of the elders. With Yazid's political talent, taking this path is simply a wishful thinking.
If he wanted to pass on the position of caliph to his son and continue the glory of the Umayyad family, he would have to find another way...
"Father, Azmi has been traveling to the Tang Dynasty for some time. Logically speaking, he should have returned long ago, but now he has not been seen. Could it be that he was killed by people from the Tang Dynasty?"
Ye Zide knelt down and sat at the bottom, with some worry on his face.
Muawiya drank the wine and said calmly: "What does it matter whether Azmi is alive or dead? This battle must be fought after all."
He doesn't care about the gold, nor does he care about Azmi's life or death, but if Azmi can get back the Tang Army's garrison map in the Western Region, then the empire's chances of winning the Western Region will be greatly increased.
But even without the garrison map, he still decided to attack the Western Region.
Ye Zide said: "But what if the Tang Dynasty Prime Minister regrets and kills Azmi? In that case, the Tang Dynasty may take precautions against us, and we will definitely suffer heavy losses in the war."
He still hasn't forgotten the disastrous defeat he suffered during his last attack on the Western Region.
Although the more reason is that the sudden change in Medina forced the army to retreat at full speed, thus giving my father an advantage in the battle for the position of Caliph, but to be fair, the Tang army was not only well-trained, but also well-equipped, especially
That kind of "sky-shaking thunder" will definitely cause huge casualties to the Arab soldiers.
He felt that it was too difficult to meet head-on...
Muawiya shook his head and said: "How could Changsun Wuji regret it? The letter he asked his son to write to me is still in my hands. As long as this letter is given to the Emperor of the Tang Dynasty, ten heads will not be enough to chop him off.
I won’t be so stupid. The journey to the Western Region is long and there are too many dangers along the way. It is very possible that Azmi will encounter something unexpected. But no matter what, this time we must take advantage of the Tang Dynasty’s full-scale Eastern Expedition to recruit troops and horses to invade the Western Region.
, even if you cannot overthrow your country, you must open the road to Chang'an and hold the entire Silk Road in your hands! Only in this way can you establish your position in the empire."
Since it is difficult for a son to advance politically and win the support of those elders, why not simply establish his status in the empire with his outstanding military achievements, use the power of the "Supreme God of War" to overwhelm everyone and become the Caliph?
What about his successor?
Ye Zide understood his father's intention to support him, but he was puzzled: "My father asked his son to establish himself in the military, so why did he abandon the near and seek the far, leaving Constantinople unconquered but traveling thousands of miles to capture Chang'an?
?”
Muawiya glanced at his son, put down the wine glass, picked up a white handkerchief to wipe his hands, and patiently explained: "How can the status of Constantinople be compared with Chang'an? Today's Eastern Roman Empire is still yesterday's
Huanghua, the Constant II sitting in the Palace of Constantinople is a fool. He has made the country miserable and impoverished. Compared with his grandfather Heraclius, a hero of his generation, he is simply a waste. And the Tang Dynasty
, it is a golden country with wealth flowing everywhere. As long as you conquer it, it will be an unprecedented military achievement. For thousands of years, who of the sages and sages has achieved such achievements? One battle can establish your status in the empire.
!”
After a pause, he continued: "A particularly important point is that despite the fact that the Eastern Roman Empire is deteriorating under the rule of that idiot Constant II, Constantinople is the strongest fortress in the entire Europe.
The Eastern Roman region is desolate, but hundreds of thousands of troops have gathered... It will take thirty years to conquer it."
If Constantinople cannot be captured, even occupying all the territory of the Eastern Roman Empire will be meaningless. However, as long as it advances to the vicinity of Chang'an, it will be considered a monumental achievement.