Zhao Zi left, Du Zhongxiao got up, and was about to leave the official hall, when suddenly the soldiers came to report that there were merchants from the Western Regions asking to see him.

Du Zhongxiao thought about it, but it was not good not to see, so he had to sit behind the case again and order the soldiers to bring people in.

After a while, two businessmen came in, half-and-half-man. One of them was somewhat familiar, I just couldn't remember it.

The two stepped forward and saluted. One said: "The little Ren Ze used to do business in Tanglong Town, and he has several relationships with the economic strategy."

Du Zhongxiao suddenly remembered, this was the Hu merchant who sold coral jewelry in Tanglong Town and got together with Wang Pu. smiled: "I haven't seen you for a few years, you changed your outfit, and I didn't recognize it for a while." Has business been good in recent years? ”

Ren Ze said: "Don't hide it from the public, you are an official elsewhere, and the business is not so easy to do." I'm in Illinois, doing some business casually, chatting to support my family. Occasionally, I heard that the prime minister was back here, so I came to explore the way. This gold clerk happened to be coming, so they were together. ”

Du Zhongxiao said: "Don't worry, the road will be smooth in the future, and business will definitely be easy." I don't know what to call this gold clerk? ”

Jin Yuanwai arched his hand: "Little Jin San, do some silk jewelry business, and have some friendship with the king of Khotan." I heard that Xianggong led troops to kill the Khitan Emperor, and the Western Regions were shaken, and the king urgently asked me to come and see what was going on. If the Khitan emperor is killed, the road from Khotan to the Central Plains will be smooth, and the king will want to send an envoy. Tiansheng was three years old and once followed King Luo Mian into Beijing to pay tribute, but he didn't realize that thirty years had passed, and he had reached his twilight years. It is a blessing to be able to enter Beijing and see the face of the sky again. ”

When Du Zhongxiao heard this, he hurriedly gave a seat, ordered tea, and said to Jin San: "I don't know in what capacity Jin Yuanwai entered Beijing thirty years ago?" ”

Jin San said: "Back to Xianggong, that time the little one was the tributary deputy envoy of Khotan. ”

Du Zhongxiao said: "It's rare to be so committed. Since the two of them had arrived in Shengzhou, they stayed for a few days and made plans again. Guests come from afar, I will pick up the wind for you tonight, and don't excuse yourself. ”

Jin San thanked Ren Ze together, said some gossip, and left.

Du Zhongxiao thought for a while, got up and went to find Bao Zheng. Yelu Zongzhen was killed in Tanglong Town, and the news finally reached the Western Regions and began to ferment. Jin San and Ren Ze should be the first batch to inquire about the news, and countries will send people later.

As for Jin San's identity as an envoy to Khotan, there is no need to take it seriously. Khotan had long been destroyed by the Qarakhanid, and the Qarakhanid used the name of Khotan to do business with the Song Dynasty. Because there are only economic benefits, they come most actively. In the past, the Song Dynasty was unfamiliar with the situation in the Western Regions, and did not know that Khotan was destroyed, nor did it know what the Qarakhanid forces were. Du Zhongxiao has the intention to expand his power to the Western Regions, so naturally he will not continue to do so. As for how to deal with these forces, everything will be discussed when they get to Blackwater City.

The Western Regions forces wanted to do business with the Song Dynasty economically, but politically they tended to the Khitan because of their vital interests. One is that the Khitan is close to them, and they can really lead the troops to fight over, and the other is that compared with the Song Dynasty, the Khitan military is in the upper hand. Since the First Battle of the Gaoliang River, most of the countries in the Western Regions have paid tribute to the Khitan, and cut off contact with the Song Dynasty. Most of the missions to the Song Dynasty traded in the name of tribute. The most bizarre is the Qarakhanid, which has always been used in the name of Khotan to conduct tributary trade with the Song, making the Song people mistakenly believe that the Khotanese has always been there.

When he arrived at the transfer envoy's hall, Bao Zheng personally welcomed him in, sat down the guests, and served tea.

Du Zhongxiao said: "Just now, two merchants from the Western Regions came to my official office, saying that they were ordered by the king of Khotan to come to inquire about the situation. ”

Bao Zheng smiled when he heard this: "What is the king of Khotan, do these profiteers still think that we don't know the news of the destruction of Khotan!" They are afraid that they are not here because of the king of Khotan, but because they want to do business. ”

Du Zhongxiao said: "It is certain to want to come to do business. The missions of various countries in the Western Regions, whenever they have tribute, will always sell a few identities to merchants, and Jin San must be like this. But in addition to doing business, it is not like a fake to come to investigate the truth. In the past, in the eyes of the countries of the Western Regions, the Khitan soldiers were strong, and the soldiers of the current dynasty were weak, and they mostly paid tribute to the Khitan. Destroy Yelu Zongzhen, hum, may have scared many people's courage! ”

Bao Zheng listened, pondered for a while, and said: "What does the marshal mean, this Jin San, may be to explore the truth for various countries?" ”

Du Zhongxiao nodded: "It's very likely." What the envoys of Khotan, we now know, is the name that the Qarakhanid used for Khotan, the royal family to do business. In addition to the royal family, there were many businessmen. The nearby Gaochang is not coming, but it is coming to Khotan, no matter how you look at it, it depends on the limelight. ”

The Qarakhanid State was full of internal contradictions, and after its destruction in Khotan, it quickly divided, and it was not a unified power. The name of Khotan is used by many forces in the Western Regions. Anyway, the Song Dynasty couldn't tell the difference, as long as it came according to the tribute, it could make a lot of money. Sometimes, the mission is just a combination of several forces, and sometimes it is even completely disguised by the merchants themselves.

Khotan was founded in the Western Han Dynasty and later became a vassal state of the Western Regions. During the Eastern Han Dynasty, Ban Chao went to the Western Regions and used Khotan as a base to subjugate various countries. It was taken from the Western Turks in the Tang Dynasty and was one of the four towns in Anxi. The Tang dynasty gradually declined, and Khotan was destroyed by Tibet. The Tubo soil collapsed, and Khotan established the country again, and later Jin canonized Li Shengtian as the "Great Treasure of Khotan", and once again became a vassal state of the Central Plains.

Khotan has been established for a long time, and its relations with the Central Plains have always been good, and it is a country that is the symbol of the countries of the Western Regions. No matter how the Central Plains changes, as long as the Western Regions is in the name of Khotan, they will receive preferential treatment from the Central Plains. Even after the destruction of Khotan, this name has always been used.

Jin San's statement that he was ordered by the king of Khotan just shows that he either came on behalf of a merchant or on behalf of several forces. Gaochang and Qarakhanid were politically close to the Khitan, and suddenly the Song Dynasty destroyed the Khitan emperors, this change was too big, and I was at a loss for a while, and it was logical to find a businessman to see if it was true or false. If you want to turn to pay tribute to the Song Dynasty, this bend is not so easy to turn around.

Bao Zheng said: "Since this is the case, how do you think we should treat Jin San and others?" ”

Du Zhongxiao said: "Let's not know." He is not a tributary, and he does not represent other countries, so we will listen to whatever he says. In the future, Shengzhou here will be the main road from the Western Regions to the Central Plains, and merchants will gather, and it is inevitable that they will not be treated badly. Tonight I will set up a banquet for them, and Long Tu will have a drink together. After a few days here, they will know what is going on and what to say when they get back. ”

Bao Zheng nodded: "This matter is feasible." After losing the Khitan and the party in a row, the countries of the Western Regions will inevitably be different from before when they get the news. It is a subordinate country of the Central Plains, and many people can't wait to get through the Central Plains. ”

Du Zhongxiao said: "Not only that, but now we have the strength to support the forces in the Western Regions." From the Western Regions to the Central Plains, it is no longer just about business, but also with our military support. At that time, a lot of things were about to change. ”

Bao Zheng was taken aback and said, "Is it just to enter the Western Regions that the festival commander must take Blackwater City?" Once you have Heishui City, you can go west to Gaochang Kingdom. Gaochang was a vassal to the Khitan, and in the future, alas, we still know too little about the Western Regions. ”

Du Zhongxiao said: "What if you know less? There is a victorious army, and they themselves will come and tell us. The countries of the Western Regions were different from the Dangxiang and Khitan, they were geographically dispersed, sparsely populated, and although they were large countries, they did not have many soldiers in World War I. Thousands of soldiers and horses in his hands are enough to run amok. Now the forbidden army is being reorganized, and the same is true of Hequ Road, which is difficult to form a large army in a short time. But there are thousands of soldiers and horses, there are still them. ”

Bao Zheng didn't speak, and suddenly realized that in Blackwater City, it was really time for the world to recreate the majesty of the Han and Tang Dynasties. A few thousand soldiers and horses on the river meandering road can change the balance of power in the Western Regions, and the status is completely different from before. And for the current imperial court, not to mention thousands of people, it is not difficult to support tens of thousands of troops in the Western Regions after the railway is built.