Zhutian: Starting from the Space-Time Merchant

Chapter 586 Seeking the Immortal Master's Help for My Great Tang!
The walls of Kucha were much taller and longer than those of Khotan.

Outside the city walls, within the moat several meters wide, shimmering scales could be faintly seen.

At the city gate, there were many pedestrians in various costumes, and caravans of horses and camels came and went noisily.

Upon entering the city, one finds a path paved with blue bricks in a herringbone or parallel pattern, with circular floral patterns at the junctions.

The roadside is lined with somewhat messy residential houses and a few shops.

"Trade routes have been cut off."

Looking at the shops, Lin Dao asked the Anxi soldiers beside him, who seemed to be escorting him, "There's less and less commercial activity in the city, isn't there?"

The young Anxi soldier glanced at him, perhaps out of awe of his previous miraculous methods, or perhaps as a humble response.

“I remember the first year I came here after being recruited, there were caravans all along the way.”

“In and around the city of Kucha, caravans of merchants from the Tang Dynasty and those from the Central Asian countries came and went in an endless stream.”

"At that time, the street was lined with shops on both sides and was very lively."

"Those slender-waisted Orchid girls~ cough cough cough~"

The young Anxi soldier got carried away and inadvertently started recounting how he had sought out a Hu woman as soon as he arrived in Kucha.

Lin Dao observed along the way and indeed saw quite a few young people.

They are real young people, not the Anxi Army soldiers who are in their forties or fifties.

They range from teenagers to those in their twenties and thirties.

These people, in terms of appearance, clothing, and spirit, are completely different from the pure locals.

"Sure enough."

Lin Dao had thought about this before.

The Tang army in the Western Regions numbered no more than 10,000, while the local natives and various other tribes numbered in the millions.

Both the Tibetans and the Uyghurs had populations of several million.

A mere tens of thousands of Tang soldiers were able to persevere for forty or fifty years in this environment that resembled a vast ocean.

Can a few thousand white-haired old men in their sixties and seventies defeat an enemy force ten times or more, with superior equipment?
This is not scientific!
Think about it carefully, tens of thousands of strong men can't all be monks for decades, can they?
Even real monks are all incredibly adventurous; their illegitimate children can form their own classes and teams.

The disciples that the high monk who went on his pilgrimage to the West took in after his return were even able to win over a princess.

Not to mention the energetic soldiers.

The Anxi army had descendants in the local area, and these people were a valuable supplement to the Anxi army.

What Lin Dao saw at that moment was this.

The recruits of the Anxi Army and the Beiting Army usually served for six years.

Being away from home for six years is unbearable, not to mention humans, even cattle and horses would suffer. Naturally, military dependents also appeared.

Under normal circumstances, those who are qualified and capable of bringing military dependents must be at least officers of the rank of bailiff or above.

What about ordinary sergeants? Of course, they solve the problem on the spot.

Lin Dao nodded in satisfaction, a smile spreading across his face.

Looking at the spirited demeanor of these young people, this is true ethnic integration!
Those schools that give women to Black people, pshaw!
Upon arriving at the Protectorate General's residence, one finds heavily armed guards patrolling the area.

All the soldiers, regardless of age, were solemn and exuded an aura of authority.

This is the aura of a strong military; an army that has achieved victory year after year will possess this kind of spirit.

Compared to the Ming army at the end of the Ming Dynasty, the Song army during the Jingkang period was also composed of recruited soldiers, but the difference was too obvious.

After entering the Grand Protectorate, they found a room to settle in.

Su Xin, holding the battle report, was led to see the Grand Protector.

Lin Dao sat in a chair, drinking oil tea.

Tea drinking in the Tang Dynasty was truly a complicated matter.

Adding minced scallions, ginger, garlic, and oil is just the basics.

Many also add salt, sugar, or even alcohol.

As for the taste, I can only say that it has all kinds of flavors, giving me a mixed feeling.

After a while, a soldier came over and beckoned Lin Dao to pay his respects to the Grand Protector.

Along the way, all you encounter are soldiers and military clerks; this place is essentially a military institution.

Upon entering the main hall, Lin Dao paused, a look of astonishment on his face.

To be honest, given Lin Dao's extensive experience, even if Emperor Dezong of Tang, Li Shi, appeared in the room, he wouldn't be surprised or change color.

They've seen the ancestors of the Li family before.

The reason for his astonishment was that Lin Dao had seen several Black men!
The Black men standing there, armed.

Lin Dao was truly surprised by this situation; even someone as composed as him was taken aback.

Guo Xin, with his imposing appearance, sat in a chair striking a pose, pondering how to communicate with the terrestrial deity mentioned by the messenger and verify his identity.

But there he was, a man of extraordinary bearing who, upon entering the room, stood there with a look of utter astonishment on his face, staring at his Kunlun slave.

That makes sense. With trade routes cut off now, genuine Kunlun slaves are extremely rare, so it's understandable that this person was surprised upon first meeting them.

The Kunlun slaves of the Tang Dynasty were not actually Black people in the true sense.

The vast majority of them come from Southeast Asia, or even from the Indian subcontinent.

They were all merchant ships that crossed the sea to bring the goods.

These Kunlun slaves were often used as servants by wealthy and powerful families, as things are valued for their rarity.

In addition, there was a very small number of genuine Blake people brought along by caravans from Persia, Arabia, and other places.

These true Blake people were noticeably taller, stronger, and darker-skinned than the shorter Southeast Asian natives.

Because of their limited quantity, they were very popular in the Tang Dynasty, and only truly top-tier wealthy families could afford them.

Guo Xin coughed, about to say a few words.

To their astonishment, the newcomer took out a strange iron pipe.

The next moment~
'Puff puff puff puff~~~'

The deafening roar of gunfire echoed violently throughout the main hall!
The sudden roar startled everyone inside and outside!
A hail of bullets swept across, knocking the Black men to the ground one after another.

In just a few breaths, Lin Dao emptied his magazine, and the ear-piercing roar finally came to an end.

Only the screams and groans of the wounded remained inside the room.
Guo Xin sat blankly in the chair, his face full of astonishment. The people inside didn't crouch down, crawl under the table, or hide like people in the modern world upon hearing gunshots, because they lacked experience and didn't know what it was.

With a click, Lin Dao removed the magazine and put away his gun.

"I'm sorry, your property has been damaged."

"Just name your price, no matter how much compensation you need."

A series of hurried footsteps sounded as a large number of Anxi soldiers, armed with weapons, rushed toward the door.

"Everyone go back!"

Guo Xin, with a full beard, roared outside, causing all the armored soldiers to stop in their tracks.

"I have no orders!"

Guo Xin stood up and shouted towards the door, "No one is allowed to come in!"

"retreat!"

At his command, the Anxi soldiers outside retreated in droves.

Only then did Guo Xin seriously examine Lin Dao.

In every time and space, almost everyone's first thought upon seeing Lin Dao and looking him over was...

'What a hero!'

He has the typical features of a person from the Central Plains, exuding an imposing presence even without anger.

He was tall and well-proportioned, with an outstanding demeanor.

Just standing there, she gives people a refreshing feeling.

The male protagonists in movies, TV dramas, and novels, with their snow-white skin, exquisite eyebrows and eyes, red lips and white teeth, and meticulously styled hair, are completely different from the characters in those stories.

If I had to describe it in one word, it would be masculinity.

“This young man.”

Guo Xin remained calm, seemingly unperturbed by the killing of his servant. "I need an explanation."

"Detect and eliminate!"

Lin Dao put away his gun and smiled. "I will compensate you."

"Just tell me what compensation you want."

Guo Xin didn't speak, but her eyes were fixed on the gun in Lin Dao's hand.

The iron pipe made a thunderous sound, knocking down a row of Kunlun slaves from several meters away. They wanted to...
“I have something better.”

Lin Dao would not easily give away firearms, and for those who did not know how to use them, the effect was not as good as expected.

He turned and walked towards the door. "It's quite powerful; it's not suitable to display it inside."

Inside the main hall, besides Guo Xin, there was Su Xin, who had come to deliver the battle report from Khotan, as well as a group of officials from the Protectorate General and guards from the Prince's Palace.

As Guo Xin followed, the rest of the group went outside.

Outside the main hall is a courtyard that is not very large.

A large number of armored soldiers crowded at the entrance of the courtyard, looking around.

Looking around, Lin Daowang asked Guo Xin, "Does the Grand Protector still have Kunlun slaves? Let's bring some in for an experiment."

These words ignited Guo Xin's anger.

It should be noted that after the caravans were cut off, very few merchants from Persia or the Arab world came, and even fewer brought Kunlun slaves.

"no!"

That's all I have!

"You killed them all!"

Hearing the excuse, Lin Dao smiled and then suggested that they could bring a sheep over.

A silly-looking sheep was led over and placed in the center of the courtyard.

The silly sheep was still staring blankly at the flowers and grass.

Taking out a grenade, Lin Dao instructed everyone, "Back off, leave the yard or hide inside, or you'll face the consequences."

"Grand Protector!" Su Xin hurriedly bowed to Guo Xin. "This is a hand grenade; I've seen its power with my own eyes!"

"Please, Grand Protector, come inside immediately!"

Compared to Lin Dao, Guo Xin clearly believed the words of the Anxi army soldiers more.

After hesitating for a moment, he led everyone back inside.

I peered into the yard through the doors and windows.

Lin Dao pulled the trigger and threw the grenade at Sha Yang's feet.

The silly sheep still sniffed around, as if trying to figure out if it was edible.

'boom! ’

A bolt from the blue.

Fire and smoke, gravel and dust, and flying pieces of silly sheep, scattering like raindrops.

As everything gradually quieted down, Guo Xin, whose face was a little pale, took a deep breath and stepped out.

He first examined the sheep, now reduced to pieces, and then looked at the blasted-over soil.

He even reached out and grabbed a handful of warm soil, kneading it and finding sharp shrapnel in the dirt.

"Grand Protector~"

Su Xin followed and said, "This thing is called a hand grenade. Immortal Lin gave over a thousand boxes to Khotan. Each box contains three layers separated by oiled paper, with a total of thirty grenades."

"This item is used to defend the city. When the enemy attacks the city, it can be thrown down from the city wall, which is enough to kill countless people and demoralize them."

Guo Xin listened silently without saying a word.

After listening to the whole story, he stepped forward and approached Lin Dao.

He took a breath and bowed respectfully.

"I beg the immortal master to aid my Great Tang Dynasty!"

(End of this chapter)