Tiantang Splendid

Chapter 5265 Exorbitant Ransom
Sheikh suppressed his anger and shook his head, saying, "It's not that I'm unwilling, but that I can't! Since the defeat at Merv, I've lost all my possessions in the city. Where am I supposed to raise 100,000 gold coins? The only way is to report to Damascus and let the Caliph decide, but that will take at least half a year."

The Tang envoy also shook his head: "My family, considering your hardships and the fact that this defeat was not your fault, cannot bear to see you punished by Damascus for this. Therefore, we are giving you a chance to redeem the prince, so that you may be able to make amends... If we really send a letter to Damascus, how will you face yourself?"

In short, I'm giving you the chance to redeem Yezid as a favor. Don't be stubborn and refuse to listen to reason. Once you make contact with Damascus, you'll be in deep trouble.

Sheikh also astutely grasped a piece of information that the Tang envoy had intentionally or unintentionally revealed in his words—this defeat was not your fault.

As the lord of Mulu City and the host of the Abbasid Caliphate, he was primarily responsible for the fall of Mulu City. Under what circumstances would the Tang people say "It is not your fault"?
He had clearly accepted his earlier suspicion that the Tang army's sudden appearance in Mulu City was due to someone disobeying his orders and secretly colluding with the Tang army, allowing them to hide in the city beforehand and launch a surprise attack.

The Tang envoy's words were almost explicit—if you pay the money, Yeqide will be given to you, and you will still have a chance to clear your name; conversely, if Damascus pays the ransom to redeem Yeqide, you will be unable to escape your guilt.

Even the ransom paid by Damascus will ultimately fall on your shoulders, Sheikh…

Sheikh was a little numb.

To allow Yazid to fall into enemy hands without redeeming him, and to cause the fall of Merv and the loss of troops, what a terrible crime this was! Even if one mobilized one's family to bribe and buy off important officials and generals, one could not escape the Caliph's punishment.

If we buy back Ye Qide now, we'll have to endure being hit hard by the Tang people and having to pay a price...

After considering all the pros and cons, Sheikh realized that he actually had no choice.

Taking a deep breath, Sheikh tentatively said, "I really don't have 100,000 gold coins..."

Before he could finish speaking, the Tang envoy raised his hand to interrupt him. His face was expressionless as he calmly said, "Whether the city lord has this money or not is none of my business. I am not here to negotiate with the city lord, but to inform you on the orders of my general. Everything is up to the city lord to decide. Just tell me the answer, and I will go back to report."

Sheikh: "..."

I felt a lump in my throat, and it was incredibly frustrating.

Not even a chance to bargain?!

Excessive!

Sheikh wanted to refuse, but seeing the expectant looks on the faces of his other subordinates in the tent, he sighed.

Leaving aside the heinous crime of failing to rescue the prince from enemy hands, the mere risk of provoking the Tang army to attack despite the snow was something he absolutely could not bear.

Ultimately, the foundation of survival in the Abbasid Caliphate was not money or official position, but strength and power.

Once the team is broken up, who will care about him anymore?

Conversely, as long as his own forces remain, even the Caliph will look upon him with respect. If the host envoy is gone, he can simply become the western envoy...

"Go back and tell General Xue that I will do my best to raise the ransom, but he must treat the prince well. If the prince suffers even the slightest loss, I will fight the Tang people to the death, even if it costs me my life!"

When Sheikh said these words, he saw his men inside the tent visibly breathe a sigh of relief.

Unless absolutely necessary, no Arab soldier would want to continue fighting the Tang army. The Tang army's superior equipment, fierce style, and strict discipline had long instilled endless fear in the Arab soldiers.

With morale collapsed and soldiers' spirits low, this battle is impossible to fight...

The Tang envoy smiled and nodded: "But please hurry, Lord City Lord. You probably don't know how impatient our general is. If the ransom is delayed, no one knows what unexpected things the general might do in his rage."

Sheikh said angrily, "Are you threatening me? Do you really think I wouldn't dare to go to war with you?"

The Arab officers in the tent were terrified and kept giving Sheikh meaningful glances. If the ransom was absolutely necessary, why say such harsh words? What if the Tang army was provoked and attacked recklessly?
The Tang envoy glanced around, taking in the expressions of the Abbasid officers and generals inside the tent. He understood the situation, smiled wryly, and didn't bother with Xie He. He turned and walked out of the tent, mounted his horse, cracked his whip, and galloped away with a long neigh.

Inside the tent, Sheikh disregarded the rudeness of the Tang envoy, his gaze sweeping across the faces of the officers and soldiers, and said, "You have all heard it. The Tang army is demanding a ransom of 100,000 gold coins. Otherwise, they will go to the Caliph to ask for it. At that time, none of us can withstand the Caliph's wrath. Not only will we have to bear the guilt and punishment, but in the end, this money will probably fall on our shoulders."

Everyone nodded in agreement.

It's certainly frustrating to take the money now, but once the Caliph finds out, he'll be punished and still have to pay it... In short, the Caliph will definitely not be the one to pay it.

Sheikh then changed the subject: "...But as you all know, most of my property was lost in the city of Mulu, and the wealth I brought with me is far from enough. I hope that you will be generous and join hands with me to overcome these difficult times."

"..."

The officers stared wide-eyed and gasped.

After all that talk, it turns out we're the ones who have to pay for it?!

Someone tentatively asked, "This... I'm afraid it's not appropriate. It's not that we're unwilling to share the burden with the city lord, but it's just that we took even less with us when we retreated from Mulu City, and we're willing but unable to do so!"

Those who echoed this sentiment responded enthusiastically.

"You're right, we don't have any money either!"

"I even lost my concubine in Mulu City, where would I get any money!"

"It's not that I don't want to, but that I simply can't!"

"boom!"

Sheikh slammed his hand on the coffee table, furious: "Is this my own business? If I don't take the money, when the Caliph blames me, I still have my family to rely on, and I'll just be dismissed from my post. But you will all suffer the consequences! Taking the money can not only resolve this crisis, but also redeem the prince! You should think it through!"

Inside the tent, the officers and soldiers wailed in despair.

Now that things have come to this, there's no way to avoid it; they have to take the money whether they want to or not.

After threatening and intimidating him, Xiehe summoned the army clerk and laid out paper and pen: "Come, come, everyone, register and make a list. Write down who contributed how much and send the money over later. But don't worry, I will always keep this account in mind, and I will compensate according to this account when the opportunity arises. Whoever contributes more will receive more compensation. Whoever is stingy or contributes less, don't complain when others benefit in the future."

The officers had no choice but to step forward and register.

"I'll offer three hundred gold coins."

"How come you're so rich? I can only offer a hundred!"

"One hundred is a bit too few... I'll offer two hundred!"

Sheikh sensed something was wrong. He frowned and glared at the dozen or so officers who had finished registering. He took the ledger and looked at it, his beard bristling with anger.

A dozen or so people gathered together, some with 300, some with 200, and some with 100. The most they had was no more than 500. The total amount they had was less than 4,000 gold coins...

"Are you trying to fool me?"

He didn't believe these people only had that little money; he had overestimated their moral standards...

He tore the page to shreds and threw the ledger at the clerk.

"Don't bother registering anymore. Five thousand gold coins per person, delivered to the main tent before evening."

It's impossible to expect these people to contribute voluntarily; we have no choice but to impose quotas.

As expected, this triggered another round of wailing...

Faced with the unyielding Sheikh, everyone knew that even kneeling and wailing wouldn't change his mind, so they could only dejectedly return to their lodgings. Although they were all under Sheikh's command and had amassed considerable wealth over the years guarding this hub of trade between East and West in Mulu, people were different. Some saved their money to enjoy life at home in the future, while others spent it lavishly, indulging in debauchery and living a life of pleasure and dissipation, never accumulating any savings.
So I'll have to borrow some from my colleagues to make up the five thousand gold coins...

After the officers and soldiers left, Sheikh asked the chief clerk, "How many gold coins are left in the army?"

The registrar said, "There are only a little over 20,000 coins... But didn't the Tang envoy say that if the gold coins are not enough, we can use grain to offset the price?"

Sheikh looked distressed: "I'd rather give them gold coins than grain!"

It was winter, and resources were scarce. Although Nisa City had a lot of arable land, it was not enough to support the more than 10,000 people it had brought. All the food and fodder had been given to the Tang army. What were these people supposed to eat?
We can't just kill horses and eat meat every day, can we?

All the horses have been slaughtered. Will we have to walk back to Damascus when spring comes?
"Whatever the shortfall, I'll make up the difference from my personal assets."

Sheikh was extremely frustrated.

In the Abbasid Caliphate, the highest ideal for an official was to be appointed to a post in the provinces and govern a region. This was because the Caliph would not concern himself with the specific affairs of a place. The supreme leader of a city was the city lord, who could do whatever he wanted within the city. Whether the city was filled with starving people or prosperous and bustling was irrelevant to the Caliph. He only needed to pay the taxes that were set in advance each year on time.

Therefore, places as lucrative as Mulu City are coveted by all officials of the Abbasid Caliphate. Normally, staying for two or three years would allow them to recoup all the expenses incurred in buying their official positions and even make a slight profit. If they stayed for more than five years, an income of tens of thousands of gold coins would be almost certain.

However, this time Ye Qide suffered a crushing defeat at the front and fled to Mulu City, which led the Tang army there and caused the city to fall. Xiehe not only had to bear the responsibility for the loss of the city and territory, but also lost most of the wealth he had accumulated over the years in Mulu City because he did not have time to take it with him when he retreated.

Now, not only must they bear the responsibility for the fall of the city and the loss of territory, which led to the capture of the prince, but they must also use their remaining savings to ransom Yezid…

Years of hard work were destroyed in an instant, and the frustration in my heart almost made me vomit blood.