Tang Dynasty: Father, if you don't rebel, I will!

"cracking"

After the golden eagle had eaten and drunk its fill, it rested for a day in the nest it had built on the treasure ship.

The next day, with a cry, it took flight and soared into the sky amidst the astonished and envious gazes of Pusmi and other Jewish family patriarchs, disappearing in the blink of an eye with Li Ke's letter.

"The Tang Dynasty is truly a magical country, not only possessing so many precious goods and a powerful army, but also such a magical bird... How exactly did it find you so precisely from the vast ocean?"

Hughes still can't figure this out.

Pusmi shook his head, then seemed to think of something and chuckled softly.

"Perhaps our Prophet Muhammad, the messenger of Allah on earth, knows this?"

Upon hearing this, everyone burst into laughter.

Even though they hated each other intensely, they still had to maintain at least basic respect for Muhammad and his followers.

But now... with 10,000 elite Pi Shi soldiers from the Tang Dynasty, plus such a large fleet, they have completely abandoned their previous pretense.

Like a hyena that has finally found its master, it began to bark wildly at the enemy.

The golden eagle had just flown away when, not long after, an official from the Ministry of Rites of the Tang Dynasty came to them.

"Baron Sufyan, and several Jewish patriarchs, His Highness invites you to come over to discuss the future development of Jeddah Port."

Upon hearing this, everyone's eyes lit up instantly.

In particular, several Jewish patriarchs, including Pusmi, immediately sensed the enormous business opportunities and profits involved.

With the arrival of the Tang Dynasty in Jeddah, it will undoubtedly become the largest port city on the Arabian Peninsula in the future.

Don't be fooled by how dilapidated this place is now, it doesn't even have a proper unloading dock.

But it is precisely because there is nothing that the immense benefits are all the more evident.

When Su Fuyang and his companions boarded the Zhenhai treasure ship and met Li Ke in a cabin council hall, his subsequent words immediately ignited their passion.

"Muhammad will agree to the request to lease the port of Jeddah. Before that, I have decided to discuss with you all the future development and operation of the port of Jeddah... You are all people with great prestige in the local area, so the construction of the port of Jeddah will certainly require the contributions of several of you."

"Of course, the Great Tang will not let you all make your efforts in vain... Jeddah Port will henceforth adopt a shareholding system as its management method and establish a Jeddah Port Board of Directors."

"Our Great Tang will be responsible for providing military and commercial protection for Jeddah Port. In addition, our Great Tang will send senior officials from the Ministry of Works to assist in the construction of the port. Therefore, our Great Tang will hold a 60% stake."

"As for the remaining 40%... each of you will receive your share according to your respective contributions."

Li Ke glanced around, and Su Fuyang and the others instantly blushed.

Su Fuyang spoke first: "Your Highness, I can mobilize the entire Gulaishi tribe to capture slaves and transport construction materials..."

Both the Hughes and Milaia families, who owned numerous farms, were eager to speak up.

"We can provide food for the construction of Jeddah Port...and we can also send people to capture slaves!"

Pusmi: "Your Highness, please trust us. We have a large number of servants and vassal families in Medina, and we are in charge of the manpower to build Jeddah Port."

Li Ke nodded slightly and had someone bring out the prepared documents, placing them one by one in front of the group of people who were trembling with excitement.

However, he added, "Our Great Tang has a large volume of export trade, and you all know how much profit there is. The sooner Jeddah Port can be put into operation, the sooner these profits will flow into your pockets."

The group nodded vigorously in agreement.

A few days later, as the five-day consideration period that Muhammad had mentioned was drawing ever closer, Sufyan and the others had already begun their respective actions.

Pusmi, Hughes, and Milia, three old Jewish men, sent men to Medina as quickly as possible, with the aim of transporting a large number of people and food to Jeddah.

Meanwhile, Sufyan, the leader of the Gulaishi tribe, also kept his word.

While Muhammad was in Mecca discussing with the current high-ranking officials of Islam how to deal with the Tang Dynasty, many businesses and affiliated families of the Quraysh tribe in Mecca received orders from Sufyan.

They began to gather their forces, leading their respective families' slaves, and headed towards Jeddah Port.

A large number of tools, clearly intended for building houses, as well as skilled blacksmiths, stonemasons, and carpenters, were also taken there.

The question remains: will this agreement between the two sides be successful?

They had no doubt whatsoever, and that underlying sense of determination to succeed made the Muslims, who had witnessed the terrifying weapons on the treasure ship, tremble with fear.

April 3rd, the sixth year of Zhenguan.

When Muhammad led his men to Jeddah Port again, they found that the area had already been divided up, clearly indicating that they were preparing for a large-scale construction project.

The Gulaishi tribe, who arrived here first from the Jewish family, are working with officials from the Tang Dynasty, under the orders of Sufyan, to conduct preliminary planning for the future construction of Jeddah Port.

This time, Li Ke had someone invite him onto the Zhenhai.

It was one thing to see it from the shore, but when they actually stepped onto the treasure ship, Muhammad and his right-hand men, Bakr and Talib, were even more shocked than when they had seen the terrifying, explosive weapons.

In the Arabian Peninsula, if we were to name the most scarce resource, timber would undoubtedly be at the top of the list.

In the vast and resource-rich Tang Dynasty, building a treasure ship like the Zhenhai was already a major undertaking.

For the Arab world, which is extremely short of timber, the answer is self-evident.

To Muhammad and his companions, this enormous treasure ship was no different from anything made of gold.

Li Ke briefly led the group on a tour of the ship.

The agreement between the two sides was not mentioned at all during the meeting, but it cast a heavy shadow over the hearts of Muhammad and his two companions.

Sitting in the reception room.

Muhammad and the others presented the results of their discussion to Li Ke.

Several officials from the Ministry of Rites of the Tang Dynasty stepped forward and spoke with Li Ke in hushed tones.

Things here are quite simple.

Most of the discussions revolved around matters concerning the joint governance of Mecca and the port of Jeddah.

There was no real, substantial direct battle between the two sides. Therefore, although Muhammad made concessions in the two agreements, they did not reach the level of unequal treaties.

Mecca was jointly governed, but the fundamental sovereignty remained with the Muslims. The Quraysh tribe, represented by Sufyan, and other former nobles of Mecca had the right to engage in free commerce and trade with foreign merchants.

They have the right to develop and sell land in Mecca.

They also possess certain powers of legal consultation and decision-making, but are not permitted to retain personal armed forces in Mecca.

Jeddah Port could be leased to the Tang Dynasty, but Mecca would have the same right to develop and use it, essentially a co-governance similar to that of Mecca.

However, the one taking the initiative has now changed to the Tang Dynasty.

The port shareholders, including Sufyan and Hughes, who had already agreed on their shares, immediately panicked upon hearing this.

Over the next few days, both sides began to negotiate and argue repeatedly, with the point of contention being how much leverage each side should have in the joint governance of the two locations.

Li Ke remained calm and composed.

Instead, they quickened their pace and began trading with Arab merchants who had come from all over the world upon hearing the news.

This time, their fleet also carried a large number of precious goods such as porcelain, silk, tea, and clocks.

After May, the Northern Hemisphere enters the typhoon season.

It is now April, and Li Ke and his men must take advantage of the remaining time to return to the Tang Dynasty as soon as possible.

.......

“Da da da…”

Guannei Road.

The official road of Qizhou Zhiyong County.

Li Junxian frowned, his face extremely gloomy. Seeing the Hundred Cavalrymen riding back one by one, he hurriedly asked them questions.

"Did you find it?!"

"Reporting to the commander, no!"

"The commander of the Southern Official Road didn't see any either. I asked the people at the post station, and they didn't see any imperial carriages from Chang'an passing by either..."

"Commander, did they not go through Qizhou?"

Li Junxian immediately began pacing anxiously back and forth.

"Not going through Qizhou? Where else can they go? If they change their route to Tongzhou further south, that's fine. Qizhou is the only official road leading to Chang'an. Where else can they go if they don't take this route?"

When Li Junxian thought of the emperor's expression of utter despair when he received the order, and the numerous fast horses that had come to urge and inquire about the matter in recent days, he was filled with a sense of urgency.

Li Junxian felt as if a knife was being held to his throat.

The members of the Hundred Cavalry Division looked at each other in bewilderment.

"Commander, there are many merchants in Guannei Road now, and the post stations are even more overcrowded. Perhaps those servants didn't remember clearly... Have the people already passed Qizhou?"

Li Junxian snapped out of his daze and stared blankly toward Chang'an, his lips trembling.

"Can it be this fast? We haven't stopped for a single moment..."

They rode horses, while Sun Yi and his group were still in a carriage. Logically, they should have been faster than Sun Yi and his group, but they hadn't found any trace of the other side along the way and had been waiting for so many days at this inevitable place.

They did not see the other team's convoy.

Even though reason told Li Junxian that the possibility was extremely slim, the thought of "what if..." still lingered...

What if that spineless eunuch had someone drive the carriage at breakneck speed, already past Qizhou, all the way through Tongzhou and Huazhou, heading towards Chang'an, the capital?

His lips trembled twice, but he finally gritted his teeth.

"Everyone! Follow me! Split into several groups starting from the main roads around Tongzhou. Make sure you catch them!"

"If we can't get those things back, none of us will keep our heads!"

The Hundred Cavalry Commandery departed Qizhou in a grand procession, heading towards Tongzhou.

at the same time.

Located in the northwest of Qizhou, in Baoji County, at the northern foot of the Qinling Mountains.

Sun Yi wiped his sweat and waved his hand, looking listless and weak.

The magistrate of Baoji County personally accompanied him.

"Eunuch Sun, after receiving the orders from His Highness the Crown Prince and the Ministry of Works, I immediately arranged for experienced prospectors from the county to enter this area to search for gold, accompanied and protected by the constables."

"Fortunately, His Highness the Crown Prince gave us the general location, otherwise... we might not have been able to find this place."

The county magistrate of Baoji County, who was standing nearby, quickly echoed his sentiments.

"Yes, yes, it is truly a blessing from Heaven for our Great Tang Dynasty. With this gold mine, the lives of the people of Baoji County will be much better. This humble official... offers his congratulations to His Highness the Crown Prince..."

Sun Yi glanced at the sycophantic fellow and rolled his eyes speechlessly at the other's bowing and gesturing towards Chang'an.

Soon, after many twists and turns and traversing countless mountain paths, the group finally arrived at a cleared area in the Qinling Mountains, where a mine shaft had already appeared halfway up the mountain.

At this moment, under the watchful eyes of soldiers, craftsmen are mining pieces of gold ore from it.

Sun Yi hurriedly went forward to check, and after confirming that it was indeed gold ore, he finally breathed a sigh of relief.

"Good! Good! Following the gold mines in Shangzhou, Qizhou in our Great Tang Guannei Circuit has also discovered gold mines. I will return now to report to His Highness the Crown Prince..."