Tibet

"I heard that the other party knew the Tocharian Legion's plan in advance and laid a trap."

Kundushi hesitated for a moment and then said: "I think there may be a Tang Army general commanding here!"

"Tang Jun!"

Abu Muslim was startled, "How do you know?"

"I carefully inquired about the battle situation at that time. According to their description, Kesai City should have built a suspension bridge to prevent the cavalry in the city from escaping. The suspension bridge is something unique to the Tang Dynasty, so I concluded that there were Tang troops in the city."

Abu Muslim nodded and asked: "Then have you sent someone to Qisai City to understand the situation in the city? You studied in the Tang Dynasty. Don't you know that there is an old saying in the Tang Dynasty, which is called 'Know yourself and know the enemy.' "Victorious?"

"I know. I also sent spies disguised as merchants to Kesai City, but I haven't received any news yet. In addition, there are also merchants coming from Ba Khan. I can learn about the situation from them."

Abu Muslim just said casually that he came to Shiguo today for another purpose.

"Where is the thing I asked you to prepare? You promised to give it to me that treasure book." Abu Muslim said calmly with his hands behind his hands.

Kundushi took out a copy of the "Treasure Book" from the box prepared in advance, handed it to Abu Muslim and said: "Your Majesty the Governor, we have an agreement."

"Don't worry! The caliph has personally promised you that he will unify Sogdia and make you the King of Sogdiana and also the governor of the river. As long as you can pay your taxes on time, your descendants will be the lords of the river."

After saying that, Abu Muslim hurriedly unfolded the scroll. There were two volumes in the treasure book, one was a civilian volume and the other was a military volume. Abu Muslim was not interested in the civilian volume. He only wanted the military volume, and the one Kundushi gave him was the military volume. copy of.

Abu Muslim knew most of the content in it. They had cooperated many times before. What Abu Muslim wanted was the content of gunpowder, but he read until the end and couldn't find the content of gunpowder. He read it again. Still no gunpowder.

Abu Muslim raised his head and asked, "Why is there no content about gunpowder?"

Kundushi shook his head, "There has never been any record of gunpowder in the treasure book."

Abu Muslim said angrily: "But you told the Caliph before!"

"That's my record. I witnessed the craftsmen testing gunpowder with my own eyes. 'Boom!', the fire shot into the sky and the roof was lifted off. But I never said that there was a record of gunpowder in the treasure book, otherwise I would have made it long ago. Out."

"Is that so?" Abu Muslim asked coldly.

"I will not deceive the governor, let alone the caliph. I have sent my son to Chang'an to find the secret of gunpowder. They left for Chang'an in the spring, and they should return next spring."

Kundushi handed a sheepskin to Abu Muslim, "This is my record about gunpowder!"

Abu Muslim took it and looked at it. It was all what he said before. It was all about various experimental effects. There was no formula or manufacturing process of gunpowder. It was simply a hymn to gunpowder. Abu Muslim didn’t want it, so he gave it back. Got him.

"This is meaningless. Can your son get the secret of gunpowder?"

"I have some important clues. I have confidence in him and believe he will succeed!"

"All right!"

Abu Muslim was really helpless, "I will wait for you for a few more months!"

Is there no content about gunpowder in the treasure book? have! It's just that when Kundu Shi made the copy, he deliberately deleted the gunpowder section.

How shrewd he is, knowing that Dashi wants to get gunpowder. What if he takes it out too early and loses its use value, and Dashi breaks his promise in the end?

As long as he does not become the king of Sogdia, he will not be able to show it for a day.

Of course, he had also conducted repeated research and knew that charcoal and sulfur should be added to it. He understood these two things, but what was nitrate? A Sogdian merchant brought back saltpeter from the Tang Dynasty, which was exactly the same as the saltpeter used by the master, but he just couldn't make gunpowder.

The reason is that the Sogdian merchants brought back Glauber's salt instead of fire salt. The source was wrong, and the various subsequent recipes would naturally go wrong step by step.

He had no choice but to wait for the opportunity. When his master passed away, he would bring back the gunpowder samples and raw materials from Qiaoling.

His son Shi Du has gone to Chang'an, but there is no news yet, and he doesn't know if spring will come back.

Abu Muslim took the sand table to the VIP hotel to study it carefully. Although he did not get the gunpowder, he got the sand table and half of the goal of the trip was achieved.

Early the next morning, Abu Muslim, accompanied by Kundu Shi, visited the large arsenal of the Shi Kingdom. The arsenal was located in the southwest corner of the palace. It consisted of more than a dozen large tents and occupied a huge area. Inside, there were three years of military equipment used by the Shi Kingdom. There are hundreds of various siege weapons built over time, including ordinary siege ladders and large siege ladders, trebuchets, battering rams, nest cars, etc.

Even the Abu Muslims were a little jealous. After they captured the Transoxiana area, they would continue to conquer Egypt and needed these siege weapons.

"What else do you need now?" Abu Muslim asked.

"I still need an army!"

Kundushi said bluntly: "The Shi Kingdom only has fifteen thousand people, which is not enough to destroy Bakhana."

"Add the five thousand people from the Tocharian Legion, isn't it enough?"

Kundushi thought for a moment and said, "It would be enough if there are five thousand more people."

"Then I will give you the five thousand men of the Sogdian Army."

The Sogdian Army, like the Tocharian Army, is also an alien army controlled by Dashi. It is under the jurisdiction of the Governor-General of Khorasan. The Tocharian Army is composed of Tocharians who believe in the Dashi Cult, while the Sogdian Army is It is composed of Sogdians who believe in the Great Food Cult and is stationed in the Huoxun Kingdom in northern Khorasan.

What Kundushi wanted was these five thousand Sogdian troops. He nodded, "Then we have an agreement!"

Abu Muslim returned to the VIP hotel to rest. Kundushi's brother Chebishi hurried to the palace and said to his brother very dissatisfied: "Brother promised his father to keep a distance from the big cannibal. Now the governor of Khorasan Now that we have come to the Stone Kingdom, will my brother completely betray his promise to his father and completely surrender to the cannibal?"

All countries cannot be 100% one-sided. There are leftists and rightists. In Sogdia, there are pro-Tang faction and pro-Turkish faction. They used to be Turks, but now they are Dashi. The pro-Turkish faction has changed to the pro-Turkish faction.

Kundushi is a typical pro-Dashi sect, while his brother Chebishi is a pro-Tang sect. Since Kundushi ascended the throne as king, the pro-Dashi sect has become more and more powerful, while the pro-Tang sect has become more and more powerful. The potential is weak.

Kundu Shi said coldly: "You promised not to interfere with my king's power!"

"I promised, and I didn't intend to interfere with your rights, but you broke your promise to my father, and I need to explain to my father!"

Kundu Shi also knew that the old ministers of the Shi Kingdom who had been dismissed by him in the past few years were dissatisfied with him. His brother was the leader of this group of people and had been opposing him, but to no avail. Their power had been completely deprived and they were all idle at home.

Kundu Shi walked a few steps with his hands behind his back: "Umaye's Dashi dynasty is corrupt and degenerate. If you follow them, you will die miserably. My father made the right choice to marry the Tang Dynasty.

But things are different now. The powerful Abbasid dynasty now seizes the opportunity to move closer to the Abbasids, or even completely surrender to the new dynasty. What's wrong? "

"What about your faith?"

Chebishi glared at him and said, "Are you going to betray the Great God Ahura Mazda? Just like the Great Food Cult temple you built in the city, how do you explain it to the people of Stone Country?"

Kundushi snorted, "Abbas personally promised me that he would not force us to change our beliefs!"

"The Dashi Cult has always been about me and no one else. Do you believe in his promise?"

"He is the caliph. If I don't believe him, who else can I believe?"

Chebishi was shocked and angry: "Could it be that you have already surrendered?"

Kundushi squinted his eyes and looked at his brother and said coldly: "Don't ask too many questions. When I take Bukhan, I will seal the city of Kesai to you. Let's go about our own lives. Out of sight, out of mind." !”