This was the first time for the Foreign Affairs Council to do business in front of so many people. Zhang Yang was carrying a vegetable basket, without official uniform and only wearing patched civilian clothes.
Zhang Elephant felt helpless and didn't know how to talk about it.
How can a good Minister of Rites behave like an ordinary villager?
It seems that Zhang Yang has always been like this, whether he was just a civil servant in the Ministry of Rites before or is now the Minister of Rites, it has not changed.
Listening to the people from the Western Region talking loudly, the tone was very serious and did not sound like good words.
Zhang Yang looked at Xu Jingzong, "What did this guy say?"
Xu Jingzong called for a civil servant wearing a Confucian shirt. This man was recruited by the Foreign Affairs Academy, just like the other people here wearing Confucian shirts.
They are not official officials of the Ministry of Rites, nor are they registered in the Ministry of Personnel. They are just personnel of the Foreign Affairs Academy.
The Diplomatic Academy needs enough manpower, and the civil servants that the DPRK and China can provide cannot meet the current needs of the Ministry of Rites.
Although this man was wearing a Confucian shirt, he had a beard and a shaggy face. He wore a clean Confucian shirt on the outside, but he could see that he was wearing coarse cloth clothes on the inside. He was a proficient in Western dialect.
"Shilang Xu, this man from the Western Regions is saying that the Tang Dynasty should seek justice from Gaochang for Qiuci."
Xu Jingzong smiled and said: "This person is proficient in the Western Region dialect. He can't make mistakes. I have tried it many times."
Zhang Dashu asked his men to escort King Kucha out of the prison car.
Zhang Elephant took out a silk book and read aloud: "The royal family of Qiuci in the Western Regions is entrenched in one of the four towns in Anxi. Qiuci has been the territory of the Central Plains since the Han Dynasty. You have supported your troops, cut off the trade routes, and conspired with the Western Turks to occupy The Western Region is seeking profit for oneself, can you plead guilty?”
"You fart!"
King Kucha spoke.
Zhang Yang said unexpectedly: "It turns out that you can speak Guanzhong dialect, which is much more convenient."
The Gaochang people who escorted the Kucha royal family also handed over the seal of the silk book. Zhang Yang looked at the silk book.
Zhang Dashu said: "Since the reign of Emperor Xuan of the Han Dynasty, King Jiangbin of Qiuci married the daughter of Princess Wusun of Han. After that, he entered the Han Dynasty many times, had relatives with the Han, and submitted to the Han. Now the envoy Nali refuses to return to Anxi. The four towns will be taken to the dungeon and sent to their deaths in the fall."
"The great Zhenzhu Khan will not let go of the Tang Dynasty, and he will definitely retake the Western Region in the future! Capture Gaochang, and you will pay the price for what you have done now!"
He spoke loudly, causing the surrounding passers-by to comment.
Zhang Yang held his hands and frowned, thinking for a long time, then turned to look at Xu Jingzong, "Who is the Zhenzhu Khan he is talking about?"
Xu Jingzong replied: "It should be the Zhenzhu Khan Qijin fifteen years ago. This man was very conceited. After the changes in the past few years, the Western Turks have been in chaos and passed away long ago. The current Si Yehu Great Khan is vicious. , the original descendants of Zhenzhu Khan were almost wiped out."
Zhang Yang nodded and said: "So that's it. The changes in the Western Turks in the past two years are really big."
Xu Jingzong nodded, "All the Western Turkic Khans of all dynasties respected Zhenzhu Khan."
Seeing that the Kucha envoy still looked confident, he stood up straight.
Hearing the conversation between Zhang Yang and Xu Jingzong, King Bu Shibi of Qiuci was speechless for a while. How could these people in front of him know so much about the Turks? They even knew the temperament of Great Khan Siyehu.
Seeing Zhang Yang walking towards him, Bu Shibi lowered his head subconsciously.
"It doesn't matter whether you plead guilty or not. Kucha is already in the hands of the Tang Dynasty. If you plead guilty, you might still be able to live as a foreign envoy of the Tang Dynasty. If you don't plead guilty, you will only die."
Bu Shibi slowly raised his head and looked at the young man in front of him who was only in his early twenties.
Zhang Yang added: "The Tang Dynasty can give you a respect. I also know that your Qiuci attachment to the Western Turks has given them a lot of benefits every year. However, Siyehu Great Khan plundered Qiuci more and more. You should have I'm overwhelmed, if you plead guilty now, I can give you a chance to take revenge on Si Yehu."
Bu Shibi whispered: "Are you telling the truth?"
"That's natural."
Zhang Yang stood up straight again and asked loudly: "Qiuci rebelled against King Bu and lost Bi, do you plead guilty?"
Bu Shibi spoke slowly and said feebly: "I plead guilty."
Zhang Yang looked around and said, "Louder! Don't make it seem like we are forcing you."
"Pleas guilty, pleads guilty, pleads guilty."
Say it three times in a row when the cloth is gone.
"Louder so that everyone can hear."
"I plead guilty!" Bu Shibi almost shouted, gritting his teeth and looking at Zhang Yang.
Zhang Yang smiled back and said to Zhang Elephant: "Same as the previous Tuyuhun royal family, I will take you to the prison of the Ministry of Punishment. I will personally explain it to Tian Khan and then decide how to deal with it."
"Here."
More than a dozen members of the Qiuci royal family were taken away. This time, all the people brought were men. According to Gaochang's rules, no women or children were killed or captured. All the people brought here were men.
The onlookers dispersed one after another.
After watching the whole process, Li Chengqian nodded, "The reconstruction of the four towns in Anxi is not far away. We, the Tang Dynasty, will definitely regain the Western Regions."
Changsun Chong whispered: "What did Zhang Yang and King Qiuci say? Why did he suddenly admit his guilt?"
Zhang Daan explained: "The Ministry of Rites has been investigating the situation in the Western Regions for a long time. I heard from my brother that the Western Turks are in chaos right now. After Gaochang grew, the Western Turks lost half of the Yinli River. What the people in the Western Regions know, the Ministry of Rites also knows, and it was also known through my father. guidance."
Looking at Li Chengqian again, Zhang Daan cupped his hands and said, "I heard this from my two elder brothers at home."
Li Chengqian nodded with great appreciation, "With the guidance of Duke Zou and the presence of Zhang Yang, this Diplomatic Academy is bound to be able to make more achievements in the future."
Zhang Daan saluted again.
The three of them walked out of the post house and the crowd dispersed.
Zhang Dashu escorted people to the Ministry of Punishment.
Zhang Yang was sitting in the Diplomatic Academy, listening to Zhang Xiangxiang and Xu Jingzong's stories.
"So this Great Khan Si Yehu is ruthless and plunders the Western Regions everywhere?"
"Since this man took charge of the Western Turks, the Western Turks' hearts have become disorganized. And when Gaochang attacked the Western Turks, the Great Khan Siyehu did not help."
Zhang Elephant looked worried.
While several people were discussing, a clerk came in a hurry and said, "Zhang Shangshu has a man from the Western Regions who wants to see him. He says that he is a descendant of Zhenzhu Khan."
Xu Jingzong asked in confusion: "What's your name?"
The visitor reported: "It's called Nishu."
Zhang Daxiang looked through the files and said, "There is indeed such a person. When Si Yehu killed the descendants of Zhenzhu Khan, many people fled into exile, and Ni Shu was one of them."
Zhang Yang looked at the live fish in the basket and said, "Please come in."
"Here."
Several people looked outside the door and saw the man from the Western Region walking in.
He saluted with the etiquette of people from the Western Regions, and said in the somewhat unfamiliar Guanzhong dialect, "The foreign minister has met Zhang Shangshu."
Zhang Yang looked at him carefully, "Western Turks?"
"Exactly." Nishu saluted again, "Last year, the foreign minister went to see the King of Kucha and wanted to join forces with the King of Kucha to eradicate Si Yehu. However, at that time, the Gaochang people were attacking the Western Turks to seize the land for cotton cultivation. I was all prepared, but because of the Gaochang people's attack, my success fell short and I failed to ambush Si Yehu."
Zhang Yang leaned on the chair and frowned: "You are joining forces with King Qiuci? Do you have a good relationship with him?"
Ni She whispered: "According to the laws of the Tang Dynasty, it is said that King Qiuci is guilty. In recent years, all parts of the Western Regions have been plundered by this man. If Tian Khan wants to conquer the Western Regions, this Si Ye The guards must be eliminated, and the foreign minister is not interceding for the Kucha royal family, but just asking for help from the Tang Dynasty."
According to what Nishu said, preparations were made to ambush Si Yehu last year. Who would have thought that the sudden rise of Gaochang would ruin their original opportunity.
Fetching water from a bamboo basket was in vain.
"Although Gaochang has captured Qiuci, Siyehu has already hated Gaochang deeply. Now he is gathering troops and plundering the population. Gaochang and Siyehu are bound to have a big war." Nishu added.
"You are a descendant of Zhenzhu Khan. If Si Yehu is defeated, how many tribes in the Western Turks will support you?"
Ni Shu lowered his head, "Foreign officials do not dare to be supported. I only hope that the Tang Dynasty can help the Western Turks."
Zhang Yang had a smile on his face and said, "You have to dare even if you don't dare."
The words made Ni Shu feel confused.
Xu Jingzong remembered Zhang Yang's smile. Every time he saw this smile, he was about to do something bad, and it was a bold bad thing.
Zhang Yang stood up and picked up his vegetable basket, looking at the live fish in the basket, "This fish is really good, do you all want to take one?"
Xu Jingzong and Zhang Xiangxiang looked at each other helplessly, and each took a live fish.
"Have good hospitality for Ni She and let our spies confirm his identity first, then I will go back."
After leaving these words, Zhang Yang left.
Zhang Elephant stood at the door of the Diplomatic Academy and looked at his back, "Zhang Shangshu is really..."
Xu Jingzong said with emotion: "Come as soon as you want, leave as soon as you want, and look forward to it with ease and wantonness."
Looking back at Ni She standing in the courtyard, Zhang Xiangxiang said again: "How should this person be placed?"
Xu Jingzong also looked back and said, "Arrange to stay in the post house and read the news from the Western Region before making a decision."
The fate of King Kucha may have been nothing more than a bustle for the residents of Chang'an City. Not to mention that this bustle did not happen often. Everyone knew that the Tang Dynasty had captured Kucha. This was something worth celebrating. , people also know that today's Gaochang is also in the hands of Datang.
Rumors about the Foreign Affairs Commission spread more and more in Chang'an City, and some people in the rumors said that it was very powerful.
When he heard someone saying that the Foreign Affairs Commission still had hundreds of thousands of troops outside the customs, Xu Jingzong almost started a fight.
It doesn't matter how powerful the Foreign Affairs Council is, but if you say that the Foreign Affairs Council is raising a private army outside, this is equivalent to a capital crime of treason. Xu Jingzong will fight you to the death no matter what.
Everyone who came out of the Diplomatic Academy, regardless of whether they were official officials of the Ministry of Rites or not, was very impressive. Everyone was doing things for the sake of the country.
Everyone walked with their backs straight.
We had two fried fish for lunch. My wife likes the fried fish very much, especially the fried fish that is a little crispy on the outside. Mix the fish soup with the rice, and she and Xiao Wu can eat two bowls.
Zhang Yangzheng was writing the memorial to be handed over to Li Shimin, as well as what happened today and the arrangements for the future.
As an official becomes bigger and bigger, there will always be some inevitable troubles, such as learning to write memorials.
Li Yue made tea and brought it over, "Husband, use tea."
Zhang Yang blew the floating tea leaves and smelled them carefully, "Is this a new tea that was just roasted this year?"
Li Yue nodded and said, "My mother sent it to me. Last year, my father planted a mountain of tea in Jinyang, Bingzhou, covering a thousand acres of land, just to drink tea."
These words made people take a breath of cold air, "His Majesty is really generous in his spending, easily acquiring thousands of acres of land."
Li Yue sat at the table and packed up books and papers while preaching, "The aunts said that now we can make thousands of sheets of paper a day, but we need a place to dry the paper, but Shangguan Yi said that the land in the village is tight and it is difficult to transfer it. Qingque."
"Actually, in addition to flat ground, you can also dry on the hillside. I asked Shangguan Yi to arrange for a manpower to find a hillside in Lishan Mountain and level the shrubs on the hillside before drying."
Li Yue came to Aunt Yang, finished explaining the words, and then came back, "Husband, my husband has been saving his daily allowance from last year to now."
Zhang Yang nodded, "How much have you saved?"
"It's a thousand dollars." Li Yue pressed his shoulder diligently, "I think we will need a lot of money to decorate our new home."
A bad feeling came to mind, and the pen in Zhang Yang's hand trembled slightly.
Li Yue continued, "The new home needs good wood. I heard that the price of purple wood is quite cheap recently. I want my aunt to help me buy some."
For the sake of his future new home, Zhang Yang still nodded, "Okay."
Li Yue put her hands on her shoulders, Zhang Yang felt her whole body leaning on her back, and looked sideways to see her looking at the contents of the memorial.
Smelling the scent of her body, the couple's breaths intertwined, their minds were confused, and their hands trembled slightly, and the pen in their hands was drawn out, and a long line was drawn on the booklet with the content of the memorial.
Li Yue smiled softly, as if she was proud of something. She stood up and walked towards Xiao Wu to continue teaching her how to do the questions.
It was a silent contest between husband and wife, but she won in the end.
The memorial could only be written again. After regaining his composure, Zhang Yang started to write again. He should add one more rule to his family, not to disturb him while writing the memorial.
After I finished writing the memorial, the night got dark.
He went back to his room and fell asleep.
He slept until dawn and didn't get enough sleep. He was used to being woken up by Xiao Wu. Zhang Yang washed up expressionlessly and let Li Yue change his clothes.
After breakfast, Li Yue and Aunt Yang continued to practice swordsmanship, and even Xiao Wu also joined in.
When the sky was not completely bright, the air was the clearest. I walked out of the house with renewed energy and walked all the way towards the Zhuque Gate.
On the way, he met Qin Qiong and Yuchi Gong. Zhang Yang thought of them and said something to them, and then walked on by himself, hearing their discussions in his ears.
It seems to be talking about things in the Western Regions. It seems that everyone has heard about what happened at the Diplomatic Academy yesterday.
The Tang Dynasty is becoming prosperous and powerful. There are civil servants and military generals, there are old foxes with foresight, and there are military generals that have been on the battlefield for a long time.
In the early days of Zhenguan, Li Jing was still there, and Yuchi Gong was still serving in the army, not to mention Li Ji, Li Daozong, Cheng Yaojin, Qin Qiong and other experienced generals who had been on the battlefield.
With such a powerful court, everyone's topic is often about expanding territory.
It's like there are signs of chaos in the Western Region now, and these generals and civil servants have smelled it.
