Nu Yalang of Tang Dynasty

After living in Ajura City for more than ten days, Zhou Jun finally received an invitation letter, saying that Caliph Mansur had hosted a banquet in the palace and invited the Tang Dynasty envoy to go.

This banquet was not only attended by the Tang Dynasty envoys, but also by generals and officials from Yajuluo City. There were even more than ten scribes who were responsible for recording the words and deeds of the guests present.

In other words, this banquet was more like a semi-formal negotiation than a social event between the two countries.

It was inconvenient for Mu Sheikh and Hua Yue to attend, and Fei Weng went to Damascus to deal with the hidden affairs. Zhou Jun took several members of the envoy to the palace to attend the banquet.

Entering the banquet hall, Zhou Jun saw that the hall was clean and tidy, with no clutter at all. Every guest attending the banquet was carefully dressed.

A group of servants led the way for Zhou Jun, who came to the seat at the far end under the watchful eyes of everyone in the hall.

When Caliph Mansour saw Zhou Jun arriving, he smiled and nodded, and motioned for the latter to sit beside him.

After Zhou Jun sat down, the banquet officially began.

Different from the banquets of the Tang Dynasty, when a banquet was held in the Dashi Kingdom, the imam was first ordered to preside over the prayers, and no one was allowed to interrupt the prayers or get up to leave the banquet.

After the prayer, some servants brought food, including beef, sheep, camel meat, bread made from wheat, washed and cold vegetables, various fruits, etc.

During the meal, most of the guests ate quietly, and even if they talked, they would lower their voices.

At the end of the meal, Caliph Mansur waved his hand, and the servants quickly took away the food and placed pieces of pots and utensils for simmering over low heat. The smell of spices emanated from the pots and suddenly filled the entire hall.

At this time, the banquet enters the conversation stage, and everyone can speak freely.

Caliph Mansur first asked Zhou Jun: "How is the residence of the envoy of Tang State?"

After listening to the whispers of the translator beside him, Zhou Jun cupped his hands and thanked Mansour for his careful arrangements.

Mansour smiled and nodded, then asked: "Does Tang have any strategy for peace talks between the two countries?"

Zhou Jun kicked the ball back: "The Great Food Country sent envoys to Anxi first. Out of etiquette, your country should be the first to discuss the terms of the peace talks."

Mansour winked to the side, and Sayer of the Court of Justice stood up and said: "Since the two sides are negotiating for peace, the first clause should be to stop fighting and withdraw the troops."

Zhou Jun: "How does Dashi plan to stop fighting and retreat?"

Sayer: "The Talos City currently occupied by the Tang Army was invaded and occupied by the previous Anxi official. From a moral point of view, it should be withdrawn and the city should be returned to the Shi Kingdom."

Zhou Jun looked at Sayer and asked: "If I remember correctly, Talos City should have been captured by the Tang Army from the Dashi Army, right?"

Sayer was stunned, shook his head and said: "If the Tang army had not invaded the Shi Kingdom before, the Dashi Army would not have helped the Shi Kingdom fight against the Tang Kingdom out of morality. Due to emotions and reasons, the Tang Army should withdraw from Talos."

Zhou Jun: "In the first Battle of Talluos, the Dashi Army defeated the Tang Army. If it was just out of morality, why didn't they withdraw from Talluos City immediately after the victory? Instead, they sent more troops, overhauled fortifications, and even the officials in the city

, have all been replaced by cannibals?"

Sayer was speechless for a moment.

Mansour looked a little embarrassed. He did not expect that Zhou Jun, as the governor of Anxi, was not only capable of fighting, but also had some skills in debating.

Abu Muslim on the side was impulsive and stood up and said to Zhou Jun: "The Tang Dynasty occupied Talos, and the former army is too close to Dashi, which has threatened our territory!"

Zhou Jun looked at Abu and said: "When the Great Food Army occupied Talluos, the distance between your army and the Khotan Town in Anxi was closer than the distance between the Tang Army and the Khorasan Provincial Government now. This

Generally speaking, the Anxi Protectorate never protested at that time, but only reduced its troops and gave up its original defense line."

When Abu heard this, he said angrily: "How can the Tang army and the Dashi army be confused? In the second battle of Talos, the Anxi army ran thousands of miles, fought at night and made sneak attacks. They did not play their cards according to the rules and won without force! What if it was the second battle of Talas?

How could Talos City be lost when the two armies faced each other like a battle and fought head-on? In short, the Anxi Army must withdraw from Talos City, otherwise the two countries will start fighting again!"

Zhou Jun glanced at Abu, and then asked Mansour: "Does Governor Abu have the final say on the deployment of troops in the country, or do you have the final say?"

Mansour was angry at Abu's recklessness, glared at the latter, and said to Zhou Jun: "The envoy of the Tang Dynasty was joking."

Looking at the red-faced Abu, Zhou Jun smiled slightly and said loudly: "The Anxi army of 9,000 people defeated the 30,000-strong Shih army. They conquered nine fortified cities and completely defeated the remnants of the Shih-hsi army at the Yaoxashui River. After defeating the army,

The blood stained the entire river red and has not faded for three days. Even so, Governor Abu still insists on going his own way and wants to start the war again? "

Hearing this, the big cannibals in the hall showed fear on their faces and started talking a lot.

Zhou Jun continued: "Governor Abu is the governor of Khorasan Province. After Talas was defeated, he had a shameless face and an eagerness for revenge. For his own selfish interests, he wanted to bet the national destiny of Dashi on the battlefield.

Above. Please think about it, Governor Abu ignored the overall situation and only wanted to drag Dashi into the flames of war. Taking a step back, even if Dashi really defeated the Tang Dynasty, Dashi's army would definitely suffer heavy casualties. If

The Byzantine Empire or the Kingdom of France invaded, and domestic rebels made trouble..."

When Mansour heard this, he gradually realized the adverse consequences of the war.

Even if the Dashi army defeated the Tang army again with the help of the Geluolu and Tubo people, the Christian kingdom and domestic rebels would take advantage of it.

It can be seen that as the Tang Dynasty grew stronger, although the threat to Dashi existed, the benefits of peace were far greater than war.

While Mansour was meditating, many officials and nobles in the hall looked thoughtful after hearing these words, and many even nodded in agreement with Zhou Jun.

Seeing the performance of everyone in the hall, Abu Muslim shouted loudly: "What a bunch of idiots! Think about it carefully. The Tang army has not yet established a foothold in Anxi. To stop fighting and negotiate peace now is to give them a chance to breathe. We will think about it later."

want……"

This chapter is not finished yet, please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content! Mansour, who looked blank, knocked on the table and said to Abu: "Sit down."

The latter glanced at Mansour, sighed, and sat down slowly.

Mansour said to Zhou Jun: "In the past, there was peace between Dashi and Tang Dynasty. That was because there were nine surnames of Zhaowu and the Wuya tribe in the middle, which served as a buffer. But now, the Tang army is stationed in Talluosi City and Baishui.

The city has posed a great threat to the Dashi Kingdom. As the caliph of the empire, I have no way to ignore this situation."

Since Mansour meant what he said, Zhou Jun could no longer maintain a tough attitude. He just shook his head and said: "Dear Caliph, the Tang army put in a lot of effort to capture the city of Talos. What if we just give up like this?"

City, all troops withdraw. Once this matter reaches the court and reaches the ears of the Emperor of Tang Dynasty, as the official of Anxi, I will definitely be denounced by the ministers collectively, and even be charged with treason."

Mansour frowned. Putting himself in Zhou Jun's shoes, he could understand Zhou Jun's difficulties.

Mansour thought for a while and asked Zhou Jun: "What if, I mean if, the Tang army reduces its military strength near Talos City and only retains the troops necessary to defend the city. In this way, the Tang State does not need to give up that land, and the Tang army will not need to give up that land."

The pressure on the Food Nation will also be much less."

Zhou Jun pretended to think for a long time, and first said to Mansour: "What you said is a solution."

The latter smiled and was about to breathe a sigh of relief when Zhou Jun said again: "But there is still a problem."

Mansour: "What's the problem?"

Zhou Jun: "I heard that the Khorasan Province is issuing a military recruitment order recently. Every household must send men to join the army, and the Geluolu people also secretly transported a large amount of pig iron and military horses to Khorasan. If

The Tang army has reduced its strength, and Khorasan Province takes the opportunity to attack Talos, what should I do?"

Mansour was stunned on the spot and turned to look at Abu Muslim with a look of astonishment on his face.

Abu Muslim also had a look of panic on his face.

The conscription order of Khorasan Province can be interpreted as being to prevent the attack of the Tang army.

However, the war was tense, and Abu acted hurriedly, bypassing the empire, and privately traded pig iron and horses with the Qaloru people in the name of the province. This move was not approved by the Caliph. It was originally thought to be done secretly, and no one knew about it.

, but I didn’t expect Zhou Jun to actually learn this information.

Zhou Jun used micro-expressions and micro-movements to check Mansour and Abu, and vaguely guessed the twists and turns, and couldn't help but feel happy.

Unexpectedly, the information Feng Changqing obtained from Tuqishi was put to great use.

Mansour was angry. At this time, he had concluded that Abu Muslim, as a provincial governor, secretly traded horses and iron with foreigners, and actively started the war regardless of the turmoil in the country. He must have selfish interests in his heart, in order to preserve the province of Khorasan.

, even pushing Dashi into the fire pit.

So, Mansur turned around and said to Zhou Jun: "It's better than this. I allow the Tang State to set up an official post in Khorasan Province, and the Tang State must also allow Dashi to set up an official post in Talos. The two sides will restrain their forces.

Supervise each other to ensure that no one side takes the lead in starting a war."

When Abu Muslim heard this, he stood up and said: "Caliph, this is not appropriate!"

Mansour said to Abu in a deep voice: "You are loyal to the empire, so why worry about anything else! It is beneficial for both countries to stop fighting now!"

As soon as this statement came out, the food officials and nobles in the hall also agreed.

When Abu saw this, he finally knew the general trend, closed his eyes and stopped talking.

Zhou Jun raised his hand to Mansour and said: "Since the Caliph proposed it, Jun can't refuse anymore, so let's do it like this... However, the Tang State is willing to make concessions and reduce the Talas army, so is it possible for the Dashi Kingdom to do so?

Should we show sincerity?”

Mansour: "What do you want?"

Zhou Jun: "In the first battle of Talos, the Tang army had more than 10,000 prisoners who were escorted to Dashi. I want to bring them back."

Mansour's fingers trembled slightly and he said slowly: "This matter... can be discussed."

Zhou Jun: "Of course, the Tang State has always paid attention to etiquette. As long as the Great Food Kingdom is willing to release the captives of the Tang Army, the Great Food Soldiers previously captured by the Anxi Army will also be released accordingly."

Mansour: "Some of the Tang people who were captured at the beginning were used as slave food soldiers, and some were helping to build the city in Ajura. These people can be released together when the prisoners are exchanged."

Zhou Jun: "What else?"

Mansour: "There are also some Tang people who were sold to nobles and tribes in various places in the slave market. These people were sold as slaves. I can't force them to retrieve them. I can only ask the Legal Affairs Yuan to assist the mission in contacting the buyers.

, to see if it can be redeemed.”

Zhou Jun showed dissatisfaction and asked coldly: "What if the buyer refuses to let me go?"

Sayer was observing the words from the side. When he heard this, he stood up quickly and said: "The Law and Politics Yuan is responsible for the laws of various places. According to the Great Food Law, slaves can be bought and sold freely. As long as the price is right, they can definitely be redeemed."

Mansour also nodded and said: "In order to show our country's sincerity, the Dashi Kingdom will also make corresponding subsidies to help the Tang Kingdom redeem their captives."

Zhou Jun suppressed the unhappiness in his heart and asked again: "In addition to being exiled, kept in the city and sold, are there any prisoners of the Tang army who have gone to other places?"

Mansour shook his head and smiled: "No more, just these."

After hearing this, Zhou Jun looked at Mansour for a long time, and finally nodded and said: "In that case, I understand, and I also ask the Caliph to sign a road guide so that the envoy can go to various places in Dashi to redeem the prisoners."

Mansour nodded and said: "This is natural."