The huge stone house was filled with Zoroastrian believers from the nine surnames of Zhaowu.
The eaves of the house face west, and people bow toward the east.
On the highest platform in the house, there are two altars, large and small, with blazing fire inside.
On the inner wall, there are lifelike paintings, including heaven, earth, sun, moon, water and fire, and a four-armed goddess riding on a golden lion.
In the middle of the high platform, there was an old man with green eyes and white hair. He applied musk and sutu on his nose, ears and forehead, and shouted to the sky: "God Nana is above, the holy fire protects all directions!"
The Zoroastrians shouted in unison: "God Nana is above, the holy fire protects all directions!"
The white-haired old man shouted again: "Welcome the Saint!"
As soon as he finished speaking, a cloud of mist curled up from the fire altar, like a cloud, floating and rolling in the air.
The white clouds and mist, under the heat of the flames, sometimes changed into hundreds of animals running away, sometimes into stars moving against each other, and sometimes into the alternation of the sun and the moon.
Eventually, the mist slowly condensed and shrank, turning into an opaque white ball.
A slender jade hand wrapped in white mist broke open the shell of the white ball and slowly came out in the reflection of the flames.
Immediately afterwards, the other hand also stretched out.
When both hands grasped the white mist and faded downwards, a beautiful woman with a vague figure stretched out her body from the sphere formed by the white mist.
She was surrounded by thick white mist, and her graceful figure was looming. She was like a fairy in the myth of flying in the sky, dreamlike and dreamy, making people unable to extricate themselves after just one glance.
No one among the Zoroastrians present could see the saint's true face through the white mist. They could only feel that her figure and appearance were like a constantly changing picture scroll, always reflecting the deepest feelings in everyone's heart.
Longing for beauty.
The Zoroastrian Fire Saint, whose whole body was wrapped in smoke, was suspended in mid-air, constantly swaying and changing in the heat of the raging fire.
The old man presiding over the ceremony leaned down and prostrated while shouting: "Please ask the saint to bless the fire!"
When the Zoroastrians heard this shout, they all buried their heads as if waking from a dream, and shouted: "Please pray for the saint to bless the fire!"
The woman in the white mist looked around at the Zoroastrians kneeling on the ground, touched each other with their fingers, and lowered her head.
In an instant, the flames in the large and small altars seemed to be alive, turning into two fire dragons, rising out of the fire altar and rising into the sky.
They entwined with each other and finally collided together, turning into brilliant sparks that fell like heavy rain on the roof of the Zoroastrian Temple.
The Zoroastrians who were infected by the sparks shouted happily, while those who were not infected sighed and lost their energy.
After doing all this, the figure of the Zoroastrian Fire Saint slowly disappeared in the white mist, and finally disappeared without a trace.
The Zoroastrian fire ceremony came to an end.
At the end of the ceremony, the white-haired old man left the Zoroastrian Temple and came to the sacrificial tower in the backyard. He said to the woman guarding the door: "Sa Bao Kang Zongchang wants to see the saint."
A tall woman wearing a veil and silver chains on her hands and feet said to Kang Zongchang: "The saint knows why you are here."
Kang Zongchang was stunned, raised his head and asked again: "So...?"
The woman said: "Liangcheng's commercial affairs are secular affairs. The saint only cares about worship and religion and ignores secular affairs."
After Kang Zongchang heard this, he quickly lowered his head and said, "Sa Bao knows."
After saying that, he respectfully left the backyard.
At the gate of the courtyard, several wealthy people with the nine surnames of Zhaowu, Zou Zheng, saw Kang Zongchang coming out and quickly asked: "Mr. Kang, what did the saint say?"
Kang Zongchang looked around at the people around him and said in a deep voice: "Go to Dashi Hall first."
A group of Zoroastrian monks embraced Zoroastrian Sabao and entered the Dashi Hall.
Kang Zongchang saw that there were already many people with nine surnames sitting in the hall, so he came to the seat slowly, sat down slowly, took a long breath, and then said: "Everyone, I wish you a happy birthday today, and you will be blessed."
, the holy fire protects all directions."
After hearing this, everyone also said: "The holy fire protects all directions."
Kang Zongchang nodded: "As a Sabao, I not only have to preside over Zoroastrian rituals, but also benefit the Sogdian people."
Someone heard this and couldn't help but ask: "Mr. Kang, don't beat around the bush. Regarding the business tax issue, how should we deal with it next?"
Kang Zongchang paused for a moment and did not answer the question. Instead, he turned to another old man beside him and asked: "An Zuzheng, you are the patriarch of the An family. What do you think of this business tax?"
The old man known as An Xuzheng slowly opened his eyes and asked, "What did the saint say?"
Kang Zongchang: "Business matters are secular disputes, and saints only care about worshiping religion."
An Xuzheng: "What the saint said makes sense."
Kang Zongchang was a little impatient and asked: "An Hui was the last Sabao, and the An family has numerous business affairs in Liangzhou City. Regarding business taxes, you, An Qiping, must have already had a countermeasure in your mind, right?"
An Qiping glanced at Kang Zongchang and said: "The soldiers will block it, and the water will cover it."
Kang Zongchang said displeased: "What kind of countermeasure is this?"
An Qiping slowly closed his eyes and said, "An is willing to listen to Sabao's advice."
Kang Zongchang first looked at the Sogdians around him, pondered for a moment and then said: "The Tang Dynasty used troops every year, but the army's farmland was repeatedly reduced due to land annexation. It is common sense that military pay and other expenses are insufficient."
"Everyone here should think about it. The generals of the Tang army lack military pay. If they ask for it from the court, they will naturally arouse the emperor's resentment. If they ask for it from the princes and dignitaries, they will make enemies in the officialdom. If they ask for it from the people under their rule, they will go too far and it will be too much.
It will lead to civil unrest. Therefore, Sogdians like us who have rich families and do business in the Tang Dynasty have become the best targets for the Tang army to make money."
Someone heard this and asked anxiously: "Mr. Kang, what should we do?"
Kang Zongchang stroked his beard and said slowly: "The weapons of the Tang army are nothing more than swords, guns, swords and halberds; but we Sogdians also have weapons."
Some people are confused: "Where did we get the weapons?"
Kang Zongchang gestured with his hand in the shape of a copper coin and said to others: "This is the weapon of the Sogdians."
Before others could react, Kang Zongchang continued: "If we don't unite and let others exploit us, then the generals of the Tang army with heavy troops can slowly cut off our wealth like flesh with a knife. Therefore, we must find
A way to warn those greedy Tang people that the Sogdians are the masters of Hexi Panmian, and our wealth must not be tampered with!"
When everyone heard this, they started shouting and cheering.
An Qiping, the head of the An family, still had his eyes closed, as if everything around him had nothing to do with him.
Someone asked Kang Zongchang: "Mr. Kang, what should we do?"
Kang Zongchang: "What we have to do now is to wait for an opportunity."
Someone asked in confusion: "What kind of opportunity are we waiting for?"
Kang Zongchang: "The Sogdian caravan on the other side of Tubo has received news that the Tibetan general Arigun and the young king Tuguhun are reorganizing the army. I believe it won't be long before the Tubo and Tuguhun people will launch a counterattack. Once that happens,
The war has reached a stalemate, and all the Tang troops near Liangzhou City will be transferred away. When that day comes, it will be our opportunity as Sogdians."