Mount and Blade Central Asia

Unfortunately, Tavel discovered the problem too late. When Li Rufeng gathered his troops and appeared outside the military camp gate, Tavel's tribal warriors had just barely finished cleaning up the hall where they had previously eaten.

At least now the table wouldn't be stuck with a piece of parchment if placed on it. Tavel couldn't imagine how he would deal with it if such a situation really occurred during the negotiation.

"Without my order, no one is allowed to use force against those Mongols! Do you understand?" Tavel whispered privately to his confidants and the soldiers who would be in charge of guarding.

Of course, he couldn't say such things in front of all the soldiers, as doing so would greatly damage morale. Although such private explanations would eventually be known to others, the impact would be smaller.

"Open the camp gate!" Tavel stood behind the gate nervously. He confirmed with the sentries on the city wall again and again that there were no more soldiers ready for attack behind Li Rufeng before he gave the order loudly.

At this time, all the Black Sheep people, including Tavel, became nervous. If the Mongols had no intention of negotiating with them, the best opportunity would be to let the soldiers who were preparing to enter the barracks guard the gate tightly while the gate was open.

In order to deal with this possibility, Tavel even prepared a counter-shock cavalry composed of his trusted confidants, who would rush directly from the camp to the gate if things went wrong and trample all the enemies into mud.

Although these people are destined to have no chance to turn back to the camp, there will always be brave people who take advantage of the huge reward.

Li Rufeng was walking in the middle of the team. He had already seen Tavel's little thoughts through the strategic map, but he was too lazy to respond.

Their status and vision were very different. Tavel thought that Li Rufeng wanted the wealth he had accumulated, while Li Rufeng was thinking about how to make Tavel work for him willingly, and then naturally be regarded as the villain and be taken down, bearing all the pain and blame caused by the change of power.

Originally, Li Rufeng wanted to use Xiao Valad, but he had no one under his command and needed Li Rufeng to provide sufficient manpower support, so it would be difficult to clear the relationship at that time.

Taweel is different. He has connections and has been the governor of Baghdad for several years. He has experience. Most importantly, he is stupid enough and does not have such great ambitions.

So as soon as the two sides met, they both showed friendly smiles on their faces, which made most of the nervous Black Sheep people relax a lot.

Of course, the more important reason may be that as the last guard entered the military camp, the Black Sheep people successfully closed the camp gate.

"No matter what the outcome, I will always remember your kindness and tolerance." Tavel personally stepped forward, grabbed the reins of Li Rufeng's horse, and lowered his posture sufficiently.

Li Rufeng did not try to control his tone and dismounted as well. However, as he did so, all the guards dismounted in unison as if they were one person, and even the sounds they made were in unison. This scene alone shocked all the Black Sheep people present.

Only Weng Guo and Nasidin beside Li Rufeng were a little behind. They were both stunned for almost a second before getting off the horse.

Tavel couldn't help but wipe his sweat. He was also a chief who had fought his way out on the grassland. He had fought in wars and led troops. Naturally, he knew what the scene just now meant. He immediately lowered his posture and led Li Rufeng to the most solid building in the military camp with a slight bow.

Chapter 664: I offer my loyalty to you, my lord

"Lord Rufeng, my request is simple. I want to leave safely and take my money with me." Even today, Tavel himself felt a little embarrassed to say such words. After all, he was surrounded by people and had no chance to fight back.

"Of course, I'm not an ungrateful person. I'm willing to keep... half of it as a token of my sincerity, and I promise that from now on I will never fight you on the battlefield again." Tavel gritted his teeth and raised the stakes. He actually didn't quite understand why the other party was still willing to negotiate with him.

Now he could only gamble that he was still of some use to Lord Rufeng, but he didn't know what that use was yet.

Li Rufeng waved his hand. He was really busy right now. Under the alternative conditions, he was unwilling to waste too much time haggling with small figures like Tavel and Xiao Valad over a little money.

The only reason why he didn't call these two people together and let them bid against each other in an auction was probably because of Li Rufeng's reserved origin from a great oriental country.

If possible, Li Rufeng is usually willing to leave some room for others and not to do things to the extreme and embarrass his partners.

"I hope you'll remain in Baghdad as governor, but you must hand over the money you have. My soldiers need rewards, and I don't want to see this ancient city destroyed." Li Rufeng waved his hand and stated his proposal directly. "You will continue in the position of governor for two to three years, or perhaps even less. I can only guarantee that it will be no less than a year."

"Ah?" Although he had heard Saib mention such conditions once before, Tawil was still full of surprise. He never thought that this matter could actually be negotiated.

"I don't have anyone more suitable to control Baghdad at the moment, and you've held this position for several years. Regardless of your performance, at least the city hasn't experienced any major chaos under your leadership. That's your value," Li Rufeng continued. "I will assign people to supervise you and learn from you, but I won't interfere with your rule over Baghdad."

"I'd even like to see you extort more money in Baghdad, but you must do so in the name of the Black Sheep King. That way, I can gain a good reputation when I send a new governor to replace you." Li Rufeng ignored Tavel's reaction and said directly, "Of course, the share you gave to the Black Sheep King before must now be given to me."

"Eventually, you can leave with as much money as you have now, but you won't be able to return and continue serving the Black Sheep King." Li Rufeng said, "I can give you a new territory, and you will pledge allegiance to me from now on."

"Or, you could use this time to prove you're the most suitable governor for Baghdad. Make some achievements, and save me the trouble of finding a successor," Li Rufeng concluded in a businesslike tone. "In short, you have an opportunity. It depends on whether you can seize it."

This method of painting a pie in the sky to whet people's appetite was so deceptive that seven or eight pie in the sky popped out while Mr. Li was farting. Tavel was so teased that his mouth became crooked and he went into a state of daydreaming.

"Give me an answer before sunset, otherwise I will talk to Xiao Valad. He is not as well-off as you, but he is easier to control." Li Rufeng looked at the sky outside and gave a time limit.

"One last thing, my lord! One last thing!" Tawil broke his illusions and asked with the last of his rationality, "How can you guarantee that I can leave Baghdad smoothly when the time comes? After all, if you follow your plan, I will still be loyal to the Black Sheep King!"

Chapter 665: One Chance, My Friend

Xiao Walad did not realize that he was captured until the Mongols invited him into the Abbasid Palace and began to carry him towards the basement. It was ridiculous that he was full of ambitions and was waiting to meet Li Rufeng for a detailed discussion.

To be honest, Shaw Walad knew that not only did he fail to achieve any merit this time, but he also caused a lot of trouble for that adult. That adult had no plans to occupy Baghdad in the near future, which was why Shaw Walad wanted to take advantage of the opportunity.

It's a pity that his plan failed. The stupid Tawil didn't fall for it. Instead, he suddenly returned to Baghdad and almost caught Shaw Walad in the act.

In the end, it took the help of that great man's men to forcibly capture the city.

In the past few days, Xiao Valad has been thinking about how much he can come up with to redeem his lost "points" and calm the anger of that adult.

As the heir of the Jalail dynasty, Shaw Walad had some control over the "funds" for national restoration.

For example, there is a fortune hidden in the city of Baghdad. It is the fortune that his father deliberately hid during his brief restoration. It is hidden in a secret compartment in the basement of the Kazimiya Mosque. Even the Imam who is in charge of the mosque now does not know this secret.

Of course, the other inheritances his father left him were mostly inherited in the form of connections. Those noble families who were once loyal to the Jalair royal family were still willing to secretly help him as the heir.

Unfortunately, in order to protect Xiao Valad's own safety, his identity was kept secret from these people, and all communication between them was done through the deceased old butler.

Those nobles did not know who the real heir was, so much of the support from the aristocratic families had dissipated with the death of the old butler.

Of course, Xiao Valad could also reveal his identity and then go to each of them one by one to try to reestablish these relationships. This was what he planned to do when he first learned of the butler's death.

But now, he has completely lost this opportunity. No noble would invest in an heir who has no chance of restoring the glory of the dynasty.

Shaw Walad was temporarily imprisoned in a cell in the basement of the Grand Abbasid Palace, which was only separated by a wall from the treasure vault where he had been so proud before. The feeling of revisiting the old place made Shaw Walad fully realize what it meant that things and people have changed.

Xiao Valad, who had experienced several changes in his fate in a short period of time, also grew up. He quickly cheered up from his loss and began to carefully distribute the chips in his hand, intending to take out something that would impress Li Rufeng as soon as he saw him.

In addition to wealth, his identity is undoubtedly also a bargaining chip. Although the governor of Basra has always ignored him, the other party still rules the city in the name of the Jalali Dynasty. Xiao Walad's identity is still somewhat useful there.

This at least gave Li Rufeng an excuse to continue attacking Basra to the south, so he didn't have to worry about dying in this dark cell because of his worthlessness for the time being.

Next came several bandit gangs secretly supported by Xiao Valad, and several oasis manor owners who could provide food. The former could barely be considered the armed forces in his hands, while the latter were the land that could provide money and food.

By the way, he also controls several caravans and has access to several routes that can cross the desert. Although these are not that valuable to Li Rufeng, they can still be used for trading.

Apart from this, Xiao Valad had nothing valuable to offer. If he hadn't been doing so badly, he wouldn't have gone to so much trouble to deal with a Black Sheep Governor.

Xiao Valad waited in the dungeon from day to night, and from night to day. He did not close his eyes for a moment and sat there for a whole day and night. He looked extremely tired.

He knew it was pointless, but experiencing such despair for the first time made it difficult for him to control his emotions.

Finally, accompanied by the sound of footsteps, the two Mongolians who had brought him here before opened the cell door expressionlessly, lifted him up and dragged him out again.

"Lord Li Rufeng, do you want to see me?" Xiao Valard's hoarse voice revealed a hint of fear. He felt that Li Rufeng would not kill him like this, but that was just his speculation.

But now these two men looked full of the aura of executioners. Of course, it might be because all Mongolians looked like that, but he just hadn't paid close attention to it before.

No one answered his question, and the two Mongolian guards didn't care about Xiao Walad's mood at all. They didn't even care about his posture. They carried him all the way without even letting his feet touch the ground and sent him to Li Rufeng.

The moment he saw Li Rufeng, Xiao Valad finally relaxed, his feet staggered, and he almost fell to his knees on the spot.

At this time, Li Rufeng was enjoying his breakfast. Thank God, Baghdad is a famous city throughout the ages, at least it would not make Mr. Li eat mutton with mutton soup in the morning.

The chef in the Abbasid Palace baked bread, added a secret sauce, and added a large pot of vegetable soup, which fully satisfied Li Rufeng's taste buds.

Although it cannot be said to be particularly exquisite, this kind of breakfast is more in line with Li Rufeng's lifestyle.

Of course, those cloyingly sweet desserts are local specialties. Weng Guo is tasting them one by one with great pleasure. The "Chinese" of this era have not yet reached the point where not being sweet is the highest praise for desserts. The love of sweetness is still a desire worth waging wars over.

"Please sit down, Mr. Valad. I hope you still have an appetite. I like the chef team here very much." Li Rufeng snapped his fingers, and the two guards pushed Xiao Valad to the seat opposite the long table without any hesitation.

With the help of Tavel, those servants who had been dismissed before were brought back one by one to serve Li Rufeng.

A well-dressed butler placed the cutlery in front of Shaw Walad. Judging from the servant's trembling hands, he had undoubtedly seen the heir before when Shaw Walad went to the Abbasid Palace.

"You should know without me having to tell you that I'm very disappointed in you. You didn't do what you promised," Li Rufeng said as he ate. "You said you could deal with Tavel, but you failed. You also said you could provide me with enough food, but you also failed."

"About the food, I..." Xiao Valad was about to explain a few words. He wanted to say that the matter of food could actually be continued, but Li Rufeng interrupted him.

"I cannot take food from my own city and feed some of my subjects at the expense of starving others." Li Rufeng shook his finger. "Tavel has proven himself to be a wiser ruler of this city than you, and you, my friend, now have a chance to save your own life."

"Give me a satisfactory compensation so that I can forget the loss caused by your failure," Li Rufeng emphasized. "Remember, you only have one chance to make an offer."

Chapter 666: You know the reputation of our Jinyiwei

a chance?

Xiao Valad instantly fell into panic. He didn't know what decent thing he could come up with to impress Li Rufeng. The wealth in the mosque was definitely not enough, but since this gentleman had put forward such conditions, it proved that he still had something that could be used as a bargain, but he just hadn't thought of it yet!

what exactly is it?

What does that adult want?

food?

Xiao Valad knew that the other party was short of food, and he did influence some farmers who controlled the oasis, but the food these farmers could provide was just a drop in the bucket compared to Li Rufeng who controlled these cities.

So what else have you overlooked?

The legitimacy of the Jalali dynasty? Or Basra?

Xiao Valad thought quickly and realized that if the other party really wanted Basra, he could still be of use to them.

The other side has such a hard time controlling Baghdad, does Basra further south still have any meaning to him?

But Shawwalad decided to give it a try anyway, so he said, "I can get the city of Basra for you!"

Li Rufeng sighed, shook his head, and said with regret, "This is not the answer I wanted, Mr. Valad. So be it."

He waved his hand, signaling his guards to take the person away. Until now, Shawwalad still felt that his identity was a bargaining chip, which only proved that he was an idiot with empty ambitions.

The so-called royal bloodline is indeed a kind of capital, but in this land, new dynasties are established every day, and the so-called royal family is eliminated every day. Only those sultans who can be recognized in the religious field can barely be regarded as real big figures.

As for the others, they are nothing more than the self-entertainment of a small country with few people.

Xiao Valad struggled to delay being dragged away, but the strong Mongolian guards were not going to tolerate the heir of the Jalair dynasty and smashed his forehead with the handle of a knife, causing the heir to bleed and his head to buzz.

However, it was this ruthless blow that completely woke Xiao Valad up. He gave up his pride and the arrogance brought to him by his past identity, and quickly thought about the previous conversation between him and Li Rufeng from a more fundamental perspective.

"...I am very disappointed in you. You didn't do what you promised before..." Li Rufeng's words hit Xiao Valad's heart like a hammer.

He got the opportunity to meet Li Rufeng as a businessman, and Li Rufeng always treated him as a businessman. He didn't care whether Xiao Walad was the heir to the Jalail Dynasty or whether he had any other identity.

Li Rufeng only asked him to do what a businessman should do, which was to keep his promises.

Chapter 667 Don't Be Shy

Dong Huaihui looked at the magnificent palace with a very aggressive look. Even in the Central Plains, this palace was luxurious enough, which made him feel that his trip was worth it.

As an officer who has participated in several ocean voyages, Dong Huaihui's biggest worry is that after landing in a certain place, there will be only monkeys and people who are similar to monkeys, because that means the place they landed is an uncivilized land.

"Look at those reliefs and murals. Should this be the style of the Black Caliphate recorded in ancient books?" Chang Jinyu was drawing as he walked, holding a small portable drawing board in his hand. He made this thing for his convenience.

Although there is someone in the team who is responsible for recording what they see and hear along the way, and his main job is to draw maps, Chang Jinyu still prefers to use a more direct way to record what he sees and hears.

The Central Plains has a long-standing custom of writing travelogues, and Chang Jinyu didn't want to miss this opportunity. He knew his writing skills were average, but he had a wealthy family, so he planned to publish his travelogues with illustrations in the future.

"This place was the former capital of the Black Caliphate." Qiu Fucheng, the erudite and learned immortal of the Chaotian Palace, pinched his beard and surveyed the Abbasid Palace, his face full of pride as he discussed the past and the present. "Who could have imagined that the former Black Caliphate would have become such a degenerate state now?"

It’s no wonder that Qiu Fucheng made such an exclamation. Baghdad did look a bit dilapidated at that time.

Although Huluqier tightened his defenses and reduced the killings of his Mongols, the war still left deep marks on the city.

In addition to the destroyed houses and burned buildings, most of the pedestrians on the street looked hurried. When they saw their group and the Mongolian cavalry guarding them from afar, they immediately hid away.

Inside the team, those brave Ming Dynasty soldiers also looked at the Mongolian soldiers around them with a cold brow, and were full of vigilance, never letting go of their swords and never taking their eyes off the people.

Many of them were from the border army and had fought against the Mongols of the Northern Yuan Dynasty in the north a few years ago. Although there were many Mongolian surrendered soldiers and generals around them at that time who fought alongside them and were extremely loyal, they still had the most basic vigilance against these "real Tartars".

"Diao Ercheng, stop staring at people's eyebrows. We are here to discuss business." Dong Huaihui stopped his beloved general when he saw him staring at a Mongolian man's hair.

Although Diao Ercheng obediently withdrew his gaze, he still spat on the ground in a very disdainful manner before stopping.

But to the Mongols, these black-haired and black-eyed Han people were complete strangers. Not to mention them, even their fathers might not have had the experience of direct war with the Han people.

The Mongol Empire was so vast back then that its tribes were scattered all over the country, and even the enemies they faced spanned several races.

Although the Mongol habitat can be considered to be adjacent to the border of the Ming Dynasty, their biggest enemy in recent decades has always been the people of Transoxiana, Timur. On the contrary, the tribe has a relatively friendly attitude towards the Ming Dynasty.

"Weng Guo said before that we should have lunch here?" Dong Huaihui finally couldn't help asking as he saw the group being invited directly into this palace that looked very historical.

As a middle-level military officer, he had only experienced a few such occasions in his life. He had entered the palaces of foreign countries a few times, but those were when the envoys had a breakdown in negotiations and smashed cups, and he led his men to attack and capture the king.

Chapter 668 Such a great gift!

"Nice to meet you." Li Rufeng said sincerely. Just seeing so many compatriots with similar appearances to him made Mr. Li's eyes moist, so he was very emotional when he said this.

Faced with Li Rufeng's excessive emotional output, the representatives on the advance ship were a little overwhelmed. They came here more with a defensive mentality and a mission to complete the task.

The representatives of the Ming Dynasty were obviously not mentally prepared for chatting and making friends, so they just expressed their gratitude to Li Rufeng in a somewhat awkward manner.

Of course, during this process, they all behaved politely, and displayed the implicit arrogance of the Chinese people in their actions and tone.

It is roughly equivalent to high-level leaders visiting the grassroots level, with a touch of friendliness and detachment from worldly affairs.

It was the immortal from Chaotian Palace who was more perceptive in grasping Li Rufeng's tone. He walked up to him with a smile and said, "I see that this young man has a full forehead and a rosy complexion. I think we are destined to be together. How about I tell you your fortune?"

Although Qiu Fucheng is an immortal, in his early years, before he became successful, he also performed on the streets to make a living, such as storytelling, singing, fortune telling and divination. It was only in recent years that he began to perform these skills less frequently.