After leaving the palace, Sayer led the Tang delegation to a manor in the east of the city.
Zhou Jun entered the manor and saw that the decoration inside was magnificent, not like an official residence but more like a private property.
After asking Sayer, Zhou Jun learned that Baghdad was currently under construction and there was no diplomatic post like Honglu Temple built in the city. In order to receive the Tang Dynasty envoys, they could only temporarily rent the residence of a wealthy food noble.
Private residence.
Sayer led Zhou Jun into the living room, sat down and said, "There is a person I plan to introduce to you."
Zhou Jun: "Who?"
Sayer: "He will be here soon."
After Zhou Jun heard this, he was not in a hurry and asked Sayer about another matter: "In the palace, I saw that the food officials were divided into two groups, one group was responsible for war and the other group was responsible for peace. So in your opinion, the Caliph
Which faction do you prefer?"
Sayer touched the goat's beard on his chin and smiled slightly: "You are the official of Anxi in the Tang Dynasty. When the caliph sent an envoy to see you, he had already expressed his intention to negotiate peace."
Zhou Jun nodded and asked: "The governor of Khorasan Province, Abu, is domineering and does not care about the peace talks at all. In his actions, he does not take others into consideration. Is the Caliph so indulgent of him?"
Speaking of Abu Muslim, Sayer first smiled bitterly, and then said: "Governor Abu once made great achievements for the Abbasid family. The previous caliph had great trust in him, and the army sergeants also regarded him as a hero. Therefore,
Even if he speaks and acts recklessly, the Caliph will not be too reprimanded."
Zhou Jun: "I have heard a saying that Caliph Mansur's uncle is setting off a huge rebellion. In order to quell the rebellion, the Caliph hoped to use the power of Abu Muslim, so he had to accommodate him. Is this true?
?”
When Sayer heard this, he narrowed his eyes slightly and said slowly: "The utilitarian statement that the emperor and his ministers are united in eating food is not true. I hope Zhou Duhu will not believe it."
Zhou Jun glanced at Sayer.
As a foreign reception official in Dashi, Sayer is much more cautious in what he says and does than Sukarno.
Sayer paused for a moment and said to Zhou Jun: "There is a reason why Governor Abu is making things difficult for the Protector today. Just imagine, the three legions of Khorasan Province were all elites under Governor Abu, but they were all defeated in your hands.
, the governor’s favorite general Ziyad died in battle, so it’s natural that Governor Abu has some resentment towards you. Governor Zhou doesn’t need to pay attention to it, and don’t take it to heart.”
Zhou Jun smiled but said nothing.
At this moment, a servant came outside the door and said that there was a guest from the Dashi Hosei Yuan.
Sayer said: "Let him in."
Not long after, a young man wearing a turban and white robe walked into the hall.
Zhou Jun looked at the young man with surprise on his face.
The reason for surprise was that the young man had a face from the Tang Dynasty.
When the young man saw Zhou Jun, he couldn't help himself. He fell to his knees with a plop, and with choked words, he bowed his head to the latter and said: "Du Huan, the guilty prisoner, pays homage to Zhou Duhu!"
Zhou Jun was startled for a moment, then realized: "Are you Du Huan? The son of Du Shanggong?"
Du Huan was also stunned and asked Zhou Jun: "Does Protector Zhou know my father?"
Zhou Jun was silent for a while and said softly: "It's not that we know him, I just heard about him."
Who is Du Huan?
He is one of the most famous travelers in the history of the Tang Dynasty. He once served as a secretary in the Dashi army as a prisoner of Talos.
In the history books, Du Huan followed the Dashi army on their expeditions to the north and south for more than ten years. On the way, he passed through the entire Dashi territory, the Mediterranean countries, the Kingdom of Axum on the African continent, and even reached some European countries including Spain.
.
During his more than ten years of travel, Du Huan wrote the book "Jing Xing Ji", describing in detail what he saw on the way.
In 762 AD, Du Huan returned to his homeland, arrived at Guangzhou Port on a large merchant ship, and drew a nautical chart and presented it to the emperor.
Zhou Jun looked at Du Huan kneeling on the ground, sighed in his heart, and kept shaking his head.
When Du Huan saw it, he thought that Zhou Jun was lamenting that he had surrendered to the feast and lost his integrity. He felt miserable and knocked his forehead heavily on the ground with a bang, and said in his mouth: "Taluosi is defeated, we are defeated by the enemy."
The food army besieged him, and he was deprived of water and food for more than a month. He could only wrap his belly in horse carcasses and mud... In the end, he was so hungry that he was dizzy and could not even hold a weapon."
Zhou Jun took two steps forward, helped Du Huan up, and said, "Get up, as long as everything is fine."
Du Huan's eyes were red and he asked Zhou Jun: "Don't you blame me for being greedy for life and afraid of death?"
Zhou Jun: "What nonsense is this?! In that situation, surrender was the best way. I won't hide it from you. Before I came to Dashi this time, I had already made up my mind to kill those who were captured by Dashi."
Brothers, take them back to Anxi one by one!"
Hearing this, Du Huan couldn't help crying again, broke away from Zhou Jun, knelt down on the ground and cried: "We were in jail, and we had given up thinking about it. Later, we heard that Zhou Duhu had a great victory in Talluos.
He exalted the power of the Tang Dynasty, and even dreamed of hoping that the Protector would come to rescue him. Now that his dream has come true, Du is willing to follow the Protector, no matter how hard he is, just to repay his kindness!"
Sayer on the side looked a little embarrassed from beginning to end.
His original intention was to introduce Du Huan to Zhou Jun, and let Du Huan, who was familiar with the food situation, be responsible for the reception of the Tang Dynasty mission. Now it seems that it is somewhat counterproductive...
Sayer cleared his throat and said: "Although Du Huan is a prisoner, he is smart, responsible, and has good writing skills. I admired this man, introduced him to the Court of Justice, and gave him an official position.
"
Zhou Jun said to Sayer: "Dear Mufti, I am visiting Dashi this time as the envoy of the Tang Dynasty. Firstly, I want to conclude a peace treaty with Dashi. Secondly, I hope that Dashi will release the prisoners of the Tang army so that they can
Go home and be with your family."
Sayer frowned, thought for a long time, and said to Zhou Jun: "Protector Zhou, I'm afraid it's not that simple to release the prisoners of the Tang army."
Zhou Jun: "Why?"
Sayer: "The inside story of this matter is complicated, and I can't explain it clearly here for a while. The Caliph plans to hold a banquet in the palace some time later. Why don't Zhou Duhu raise this matter with the Caliph and inquire about the details?"
Zhou Jun saw that Sayer's face was serious and did not seem to be evasive, so he nodded and said okay.
Sayer: "As for Du Huan, he will stay here. If the Tang Dynasty envoy needs it, they can directly send him to find me. As long as it is not an excessive request, I will try my best to satisfy it."
Zhou Jun cupped his hands and thanked him.
Seeing Sayer walking away, Zhou Jun asked Du Huan: "How did you get to Yajuluo since you were captured?"
Du Huan: "Since the Anxi army defeated Talos, I and more than 10,000 Tang army prisoners were first escorted to Samarkand. After a period of reorganization, some of my people and I were escorted to Kufa. After arriving in Kufa
After passing the law, after another screening, more than a thousand civil servants, craftsmen, and officials, including myself, were finally brought to Ajura to participate in the construction of the new capital city of Dashi."
Zhou Jun: "What about the other Tang troops besides the thousand men of Yajula? Where did they go?"
Du Huan first shook his head, then lowered his head and said, "I just heard that some prisoners were incorporated into the Great Slave Eater Army, some were auctioned off to nobles, and some were missing."
Zhou Jun put his hands behind his back and walked around a few times. He stopped and asked Du Huan, "Is there any way you can contact the Tang army prisoners in Yajuluo City?"
Du Huan nodded vigorously and said: "Although the cannibals are under strict supervision, I have a way."
Zhou Jun: "Okay, go back and contact the prisoners in the city as soon as possible and ask about the current situation."