Tiantang Splendid

Chapter 5266 Every Path Leads to a Dead End
With the Tang army's series of orders, the chaotic city of Mulu quickly calmed down and stabilized. Merchants from all ethnic groups also put aside their anxieties, because as long as the Tang army issued orders and made promises, it meant that everything in Mulu would continue as before, except for the change of city lord—the drinking, dancing, and business would continue as usual.

Some say the Tang army was fierce and brutal, killing countless people and leaving tens of thousands of corpses on the battlefield. Others say the Tang army was strictly disciplined, doing everything according to rules and regulations and never accepting bribes. For well-traveled merchants, they naturally knew that some of these rumors were true and some were false. But there was one thing that everyone agreed on: the Tang people valued their promises.

Any order issued by the Tang army, regardless of whether it was Chinese or foreign, Han or non-Han, had to be carried out without fail; otherwise, the strict military discipline would not tolerate any wrongdoing. Similarly, as long as one acted in accordance with the Tang army's orders, there has never been a case of the Tang army reneging on its promises afterward.

Today, more and more merchants traveling between East and West along the Silk Road have heard the saying, "Civilization lies in construction, barbarism only destroys."

The Tang Dynasty, which was focused on development, naturally represented "civilization." The Tang Dynasty only encouraged trade and then collected commercial taxes to fill the national treasury. Moreover, these commercial taxes were "taken from the people and used for the people." Not to mention anything else, the condition of the Silk Road alone can give you an idea. The road conditions were almost divided by the border of the Tang Dynasty. Within the Tang Dynasty, the road was flat and solid, and it was passable regardless of rain or snow. However, outside the Tang Dynasty, the road was unmaintained, rugged, and difficult to travel on.

In particular, during the Silk Road phase under the actual control of the Tang army, it was impossible for bandits or thieves to kill and plunder. However, outside the control of the Tang Dynasty, caravans had to travel together, and armed conflicts with bandits and marauders would break out from time to time.

The opposite of "civilization" is naturally "barbarism," especially the Abbasid Caliphate, whose territory was full of checkpoints and ruthlessly exploited merchants. Nine-tenths of the cost for merchants traveling the Silk Road was due to the various exorbitant taxes and levies imposed by the Abbasid Caliphate checkpoints...

In the eyes of the Hu people, the two words "Great Tang" meant "fairness," "fairness," and more "fairness"!
*****
Inside the city lord's mansion, Ye Qide, sitting on a chair at the lower end, listened to the Tang army envoy report to Xue Rengui on the details of his mission to Nisa. His face was gloomy, and he was furious.

He himself, a prince of the Abbasid Caliphate and the rightful heir to the Caliphate, is now a prisoner in enemy hands, awaiting ransom... and that scoundrel Sheikh actually says he has no money?
No one understood the true situation of these regional officials in the Abbasid Caliphate better than him!
While they claim to govern a region, in reality, all laws, political affairs, and military matters within their jurisdiction can be decided with a single word. How is that any different from an independent kingdom?
Within their territory, citizens are free to operate, only needing to pay the agreed-upon taxes annually. The Caliph doesn't concern himself with anything else; all the income belongs to the city lord. The Caliph is very reasonable; the taxes collected from each city and each territory are rigorously evaluated, ensuring there will never be a "reverse" situation. For the city lord, it's just a matter of how much is left over, but there will definitely be a surplus.

Moreover, what kind of place is Mulu City?
A major town on the Silk Road, a distribution center for goods between East and West, the amount of goods passing through it was astronomical, even if only a thin layer was peeled off. Sheikh had been stationed in Mulu City as the host envoy for many years, and had long since become fat and strong, with moats full and flat...

When asked to pay some money to redeem the prince, he actually said he had no money?

This is simply unreasonable!
The Tang envoy continued his report: "However, after I pointed out that if he refused to pay the ransom, we would contact Damascus directly, he readily agreed... Perhaps the Sheikh was afraid that the Caliph would be angry with him for this, but I think it's not that simple. He seems to be very afraid of what His Highness the Prince will say when he returns to Damascus."

These words struck Ye Qide like a thunderclap, and a long-held suspicion resurfaced in his mind.

He still doesn't have a definite answer as to how the Tang army entered Mulu City without anyone noticing. The most likely explanation is that Xie He colluded with the Tang army in secret and allowed them to enter the city. Otherwise, there is no way to explain it.

If that's true, the Sheikh certainly wouldn't want his prince to return to Damascus, because once this matter is brought to light, the Sheikh would have no way to explain himself.

As for why the Tang army, despite their secret collusion with Sheikh, was willing to let him go back... With Mulu City already captured, Sheikh naturally lost his usefulness. In the end, using this prince to fleece Sheikh was a perfect way to "make use of waste."
But if the Sheikh actually pays the ransom, he will fall into the Sheikh's hands...

At this thought, Ye Qide felt a chill run down his spine and quickly shouted, "Absolutely not!"

Inside the hall, Xue Rengui, Lu Dongzan, Wang Xiaojie, and the Tang envoy all looked over in surprise. Lu Dongzan found it amusing and translated Ye Qide's words for Xue and Wang, saying with a smile, "Does Your Highness have developed a deep friendship with us, so it seems you have no intention of returning to Damascus?"

He was speaking in the Arabic language, which Yazid understood.

Ignoring the sarcasm, he shouted, "May I ask General Xue, is the reason why the Tang army suddenly appeared in the city in a divine manner, or is it because they were secretly colluding with Xie He?"

Lu Dongzan chuckled and acted as the translator, while the Tang envoy could only stand aside...

Xue Rengui shook his head: "Military secret, I cannot disclose it."

Even if you don't tell me, I already know the truth!

Yeqid shouted, "The fact that Sheikh is colluding with you cannot be hidden from others, and he must know it himself, so you cannot hand me over to him. He will kill me to conceal the fact that he is colluding with you!"

Compared to the fall of the city and the loss of territory, which led to the prince being captured by the enemy, the crime of secretly colluding with the Tang army to surrender Mulu City is obviously more serious!

If the first two charges might force Sheikh to spend large sums of money to bribe high-ranking officials in the court or even exile him elsewhere, then the charge of colluding with the Tang army would certainly put him on the gallows in Damascus!
As for Xie He's motives for colluding with the Tang army... Didn't you see that after the Tang army entered the city, instead of immediately pursuing and annihilating Xie He's troops, they instead appeased the merchants and common people throughout the city, watching Xie He lead his troops to calmly withdraw from the south gate?

Because Xiehe knew he couldn't stop the Tang army's attack, but refused to abandon Mulu City and retreat, he colluded with the Tang army to stage a false impression of "being unable to fight"... Surrendering the city was a capital offense, but it's not unreasonable for me to retreat if I can't win, right?

Even worse, Xie He's collusion with the Tang army has many flaws. Does he dare to gamble that His Highness the Prince is too stupid to see through it?

Once the prince sees through it, he will inevitably expose this matter to the Caliph when he returns to Damascus. What will become of the Sheikh then?
To cover all this up, the treacherous Sheikh is very likely to kill this Arab prince. Once he is sent to Nisa, how can he possibly survive?

Xue Rengui looked troubled: "Isn't this a bad idea? We Tang people always keep our promises. Since we agreed with Xie He to pay the ransom and release the people, we must do what we agreed to. Otherwise, if we break our word and act two-faced, wouldn't we be ridiculed by the world? Besides, it's a small matter if I break my promise, but it's a big deal if it damages the reputation of Tang people. We can't do this!"

Ye Qide was impatient and scratched his head, thinking about how to persuade Xue Rengui not to send him to Nisa City. Suddenly, a flash of inspiration struck him, and he slapped his thigh: "Isn't what the general is after all about Sheikh's 100,000 gold coins? Don't worry, as long as you release me now, I will immediately raise 200,000 gold coins as a reward after returning to Damascus!"

Two hundred thousand gold coins!
They're piled up in one place, they're almost a mountain!
I refuse to believe I can't win you over!

However, to his surprise, the figure of "two hundred thousand gold coins" not only failed to impress Xue Rengui, but also caused Xue Rengui and Lu Dongzan to exchange a glance, shake their heads and laugh together...

Ye Qide asked curiously, "Why is the general laughing?"

Xue Rengui's expression was slightly helpless: "I'm laughing at how naive His Highness the Prince is, actually fooling me like a fool."

Ye Qide was greatly surprised: "General, why do you say that? I am a man of my word, and once I have promised you, I will never go back on my word!"

"If I release the prince now, he will be free to roam the seas and skies, and when he returns to Damascus he will deny his debt. Would I really lead my troops to Damascus for 200,000 gold coins? Perhaps the prince is genuinely willing to pay this money now, but what if he can't raise enough money after returning to Damascus, or what if the Caliph refuses to allow it?"

Ye Qide: "..."

It seems reasonable.

But I'm not that kind of person!

Xue Rengui stopped Ye Qide from speaking and suggested, "How about this, the 100,000 gold coins will still be collected from Sheikh, but I can secretly let the prince leave during the transaction, and the prince will pay me the 100,000 gold coins after he returns to Damascus, what do you think?"

"Ok?"

Ye Qide's eyes lit up at first, but then he felt something was wrong: "Sheikh wants to kill me, so he must see me in person before he will make a deal. But once I show myself in front of him, even if I can sneak away, how can I avoid being hunted down by his troops?"

"That's the prince's business; what does it have to do with me?"

Xue Rengui didn't take it seriously and said calmly, "Those who have achieved great things throughout history have all the advantages of timing, location, and people. If you can't escape being hunted down, then it's your fate. How can you talk about achieving great things? Your life is not worth 100,000 gold coins at all."

Ye Qide weighed the pros and cons and was caught in a dilemma, unable to make a decision.

Staying in the Tang army's main tent meant safety and peace of mind, as the Tang army hoped to use him to obtain ransom. However, he would eventually be sent to Nisa. If he were sent to Nisa, Sheikh feared that she would expose his collusion with the Tang army, which would surely lead to his death. If he secretly fled in front of the two armies, he would face Sheikh's pursuit and would most likely die without a burial place.

There seem to be several paths in front of me, but they all seem to be dead ends.

How should I choose?
He looked to Lu Dongzan for help, seeing him as a lifeline and hoping he could give him some guidance, after all, he was a renowned "wise man of our time" even in the Abbasid Caliphate.

Lu Dongzan lived up to expectations, understanding Ye Qide's gaze, and said with a smile, "I'll give you a Han proverb: Fortune and honor are found in danger."