A Good Landlord in the Tang Dynasty: Emperor Yuan Cong

Chapter 1125 Surrender
Tang Muke followed Cao Polu to the gate of Gongyue City with some surprise and uneasiness.

The Tang warriors in shining armor guarded the city gate, and they were extremely elite. Not far outside Gongyue City, there were several camps. From a distance, it could be seen that they were from various Turkic tribes. By looking at their tents and flags, it could be recognized that there were Turkic people, Gongyue people, Chishi people, Karluk people, Chumukun people, etc.

We even saw the Golden Wolf Flag, which was the flag of Duolu Khan.

"I can't believe that the cavalry of Tian Khan has really conquered Beiting."

"Who is the commander who leads the troops? He is so powerful?"

"I heard it was Prime Minister Wu Huaiyu."

"The God of War Wu Qingyang who has never been defeated?"

"Ah."

"I didn't expect that he would lead the troops to the west. That's not surprising. Back then, Dulu Khan's father, Jie Li Khan, was defeated several times by Wu Qingyang and was finally captured alive by him. Dulu was also defeated by him at the beginning."

The people of the Sogdian merchant group were discussing in surprise in Sogdian.

Kang Muke once again took out the bag of silver and money that he had just given to Cao Bolu, and even took out a crystal necklace. The river is rich in crystals, and all kinds of crystal jewelry are very popular in Chang'an. When the Sogdian merchant group came to the Tang Dynasty, they would bring a lot of crystal products.

"Please accept the inspection,"

Kang Muke and the others worked together to lead the camel caravan to one side.
The inspection was quite thorough, but there was no deliberate difficulty. They just registered the types and quantities of various goods. The Sogdian merchant group, Kangmuke, came from Kangguo and traded along the way. They had a lot of goods here, mainly crystal, spices, gems, silver, carpets, as well as famous horses and slaves.

The horses were from Dayuan, Kangguo, and the slaves were Persian concubines who were sold to the market.

He often traveled along the Silk Road and was very familiar with what kinds of Western things the people of Chang'an liked. Although each Silk Road trade was long and difficult, he hired a lot of Zhejie warriors as guards and had good relationships with various forces along the way. Basically, it was relatively stable and he could make a lot of money every time.

"what are these?"

"Oh, these are some rare animals I bought from Persia and Tocharia, including lions and ostriches."

An officer in charge of collecting taxes at the city gate took the cargo list and said to Kang Muke, "According to the order of the general manager, the caravan goods on the Silk Road will be taxed at a rate of one tenth."

Kang Muke was shocked.

"One out of ten? That's too much, isn't it?"

"Don't worry, listen to me. This 10% tax is not for goods passing through Gongyue City, but for goods on the Silk Road in the Western Regions, no matter which customs office collects taxes, the tax rate will be 10%. But after paying the tax, you don't have to pay taxes for this batch of goods in the entire Western Regions.

There are two ways to pay taxes: one is to directly collect one-tenth of the goods, and the other is to pay according to the price of the goods. "

"Which one do you choose?"

Kang Muke was half-believing and half-doubting. He thought that if Gongyue City levied taxes once, the entire Western Region would no longer levy taxes.

If this is the case, then a tax of one tenth is not particularly high. His merchant group has been traveling to the Silk Region for many years, and they are used to the rulers of various places levying taxes on them.

Some kings collected even more than that.

But generally they also have ways to deal with it, such as giving gifts and bribes to the tax collectors, which then gives them room to maneuver, such as using worthless goods to pay taxes, so that the actual taxes paid are much less.

In some places, people would even bribe the tax collectors and just pay a small amount as if it were just a show.

Kang Mu Ke thought about it and decided to take out a batch of goods to offset the tax.

He skillfully slipped the bag of silver and money into the officer's hand, and also stuffed the crystal necklace into his hand.

However, the officer, like Cao Bolu, returned the things to him without even looking at them.

This shocked Kang Muke.

Why are all the officers under Prime Minister Wu so stubborn? It's not like he hasn't been to Chang'an and met the civil servants and generals of the Tang Dynasty. How many of them are truly not greedy?

The officials of Chang'an West City had all been fed up with him.

I didn’t expect that in the Western Regions, the Tang troops on the Western Expedition had such strict military discipline.

"Don't let me make a mistake. If you do this again, I will charge you with bribery."

Kang Muke smiled awkwardly.
Everything should be done according to the regulations. If one-tenth of the goods are withdrawn, they can be replaced by certain kinds of goods. It is not necessary to withdraw all goods.

For the final amount, Comuke chose carpets, crystals and silverware as deductions.

After the inventory is counted and the goods are delivered, the invoice is then issued and fingerprints are taken. The invoice is made in duplicate, with a saddle stamp.

"Please keep this tax bill carefully. With this bill, you don't have to pay taxes on this batch of goods in the entire Western Region, that is, before entering Yumen Pass."

"Do we have to pay taxes when we enter Yumen Pass?"

"Of course. This ten percent tax is the local tax in the Western Regions. Once you pass through Yumen Pass, you will enter the Central Plains, and you will have to pay another customs duty."

Kang Muke took the list and asked about the current situation in the Western Regions. If the Tang army only occupied Gongyue City, they would still have to pay taxes when they passed through Gaochang and other countries.

"Now, the area east of the Yili River, which was originally ruled by the Five Duluks of Beiting Yugu, has basically surrendered to our Tang Dynasty. The Four Great Yehus, the Five Great Chuos, and the various other tribes are all rushing to Gongyue City to pay homage to the Great General Manager Wu."

Kang Muke was shocked again.
Is the Tang army's deterrent power so strong that all the tribes surrendered immediately?

But think about it, the Great Khan of Beiting Duolu has surrendered, and Nanting has always been supported by the Tang Dynasty, so it makes sense for the Turks and others to surrender and submit.

After all, this submission was nothing more than submitting a memorial, sending some tribute, and sending a few sons and daughters to Chang'an to pay tribute or serve as officials. For the Turkic tribes, it had little impact.

It is common to surrender if you cannot defeat the enemy at the moment.

But I was still shocked in my heart. Wu Qingyang was too powerful.

After collecting the goods and paying the taxes, they sorted the goods, loaded them onto the camel caravan again, and drove the camels into Gongyue City. Kang Muke had been here many times before.

But after entering the city this time, I felt that this small earthen city had undergone great changes.

There is an indescribable feeling.

I just feel that the city has become more orderly and safer.

"We would like to pay a visit to Lord Wu, is that possible?"

Kang Muke really wanted to meet Wu Qingyang. When passing by someone else's territory, he had to visit and express his gratitude. Although he had already paid taxes, he was a sensible man.

Otherwise, who can guarantee that you will be safe all the way out of Gongyue City?

Gifts have to be given and they have to be valuable. This is also the cost of doing business and cannot be saved.

"The chief steward is very busy recently. He has to meet with the Yehu, Dachu, and Jijin who have surrendered from various tribes. He may not have time to see you. However, I will report your request to the chief steward. If the chief steward is free to see you, I will notify you again."

"Okay, thank you so much."

As he spoke, Kang Muke quietly stuffed the silver purse and a crystal necklace into the officer's hands.

But this officer, like Cao Polu and the officer collecting taxes at the city gate, rejected his gift without hesitation.
This made him even more shocked. Why didn't any of these officers accept the gifts?
After the officers left, they stored the goods in the inn, fed the camels, etc. Kang Muke had always stayed at this inn before, and this time the innkeeper was still the same old face.
He went over to order some food and drinks, and then started chatting with the shopkeeper.

The main topic was the changes in Gongyue City these days.
The more Kang Muke listened, the more surprised he was. The Tang army attacked Gongyue City at night, using a kind of magic thunder that could emit huge fire and sound at night, which instantly collapsed the city wall. Then the Tang army rushed into the city.

Later, the Turks entered the city, killed Yuzhi Shizhi, and looted Gongyue City. But at dawn, Cheng Yaojin, deputy commander-in-chief of the Tang army, enforced military discipline, killed many Turks, and confiscated all the looted property.

The most amazing thing is that after the Tang people confiscated the looted property of the Turks, they actually returned a lot of it to the people and merchants in the city, and later gave rewards to the Turks as well.
Anyway,

After that sudden change, Gongyue City quickly returned to its bustle.

"Those Tang soldiers are really disciplined. After they arrived, they didn't burn, kill, rob, or extort money. Not only do they patrol the city every day, but they also come to ask if we've been robbed or extorted. Before, a member of the Chishi tribe ate mutton at my restaurant without paying, and I didn't dare to report it. A Tang soldier patrolling the street heard the noise and came over to take the Chishi man away. He also compensated him for the money that was smashed in my store, and even paid for the mutton."

"I've never seen such an army, really," the shopkeeper exclaimed.

Kang Muke was also more and more shocked. No wonder the Tang army was able to capture Duolu Khan so quickly and make the leaders of various tribes surrender.

"Have the four great Yehus and five great Chues really all submitted to the Tang Dynasty?"

"Really? I have seen the four great Yehus arrive at Gongyue City. The Tuqishi Dachue Heluo Shichue has also arrived. I heard that the other Dachues and Shijins are also on their way."

"Even the Crown Prince of Gaochang is on his way here!"

At this point, the shopkeeper smiled and said, "It's useless for the Gaochang prince to come. Do you know what title the Prime Minister Wu used for his western expedition this time? The General Manager of the Jiaohe Road March."

"Jiaohe Road, Jiaohe City, is this aimed at Gaochang?"

"Of course, the Tang Dynasty will definitely destroy Gaochang this time. Maybe Duolu Khan is still implicated by Gaochang."

Kang Muke also often traveled through Gaochang and knew Gaochang very well. Gaochang had five large cities, much larger than Gongyue City. However, in terms of strength, although Gaochang had more than 20 large and small cities,
But their population was only about 10,000 households. Although they guarded the Silk Road and collected taxes on trade, which made them very wealthy, their strength was limited.
Gaochang could bully small countries like Yanqi, but if it dared to provoke the Tang Dynasty, it would be seeking death.

Even though Duolu Khan was so powerful, he was captured in one battle, let alone the small country of Gaochang.

"So, the Tang Dynasty is going to strike back and destroy Gaochang Kingdom?"

"That's for sure, but I heard that this time there is no need for the Prime Minister to lead the Tang army to destroy Gaochang. Instead, Duolu Khan, Shaboluoyehu Khan and the other Ten Arrows tribes in the north and south will send troops together to destroy Gaochang."

hiss!
Kang Muhua had to admit that this Wuda steward was amazing.

The situation in the Western Regions has completely changed!

As for the Hu merchants traveling along the Silk Road, no one knows whether it is good or bad.

(End of this chapter)