Governing the country, enriching the people, an unparalleled imperial tutor

After passing the Northern Barbarians, the road began to veer westward, and the color of the grasslands changed three times in three days. Xiaolan sat in the passenger seat, unfolding a map, and traced the dotted line with her finger from Loulan all the way to Dayuan: "Loulan, Kucha, Khotan, Shule, Dayuan, and those scattered small city-states in between, there are about a dozen in total."

Lin Yanzhou kept the car at a steady speed and continued driving along an old road that had been repeatedly trodden by the wheels.

The first city I saw was Loulan. The city walls were not high, made of rammed earth, with the edges patched with fresh soil. The city gate was half open, and people were driving donkey carts in and out, the carts loaded with hay and pottery jars.

The gatekeeper stood up straight when he saw the dark gray iron carriage, but did not stop it. Lin Yanzhou rolled down the window: "My surname is Lin, and I come from Xuan Shuo. I brought some things and would like to see your city lord." The gatekeeper looked at him, then at the iron carriage, and stepped aside to make way.

The city lord, a man in his forties, sat in the hall wearing a worn robe. After Lin Yanzhou finished explaining his purpose, he didn't reply but instead picked up a handful of wheat seeds from the table, examined a few grains, and said, "You came from Xuan Shuo, bringing seeds, hoping to make me submit to Xuan Shuo?"

Lin Yanzhou said, "Xuanshuo can provide improved seeds, farming tools, and fertilizer. You can try planting for one season free of charge. If you like it after the trial, then we can discuss the matter of submission."

The city lord placed the seeds back on the table and glanced at the silk and porcelain samples beside him: "And what about these things?" "Silk, tea, and porcelain can all be transported regularly via the official roads. You can exchange them with local products, bartering, without using silver."

The city lord was silent for a moment, then put the seeds into his sleeve: "Then you can stay outside the city for one night, and I'll have someone mark the land tomorrow."

The next day, a plot of land was marked out along the edge of the fields outside the city. Lin Yanzhou squatted on the edge of the field to demonstrate the sowing depth and spacing, leaving behind seeds and several bags of fertilizer.

Seeing Li Yanzhou's sincerity, and considering that he could easily renege on his allegiance, he figured he might as well take advantage of the situation. If Li Yanzhou was truly useful to his people, then allegiance wasn't out of the question. He casually replied, "Did you bring the allegiance agreement?"

Lin Yanzhou took out the prepared letter of surrender from his bosom. The city lord took it, read it once, asked no questions, and pressed his fingerprint on it.

Continuing westward leads to Kucha. Its city walls are higher than Loulan's, and a guard with a spear stands on each side of the city gate. After entering the city, Lin Yanzhou first met with the Kucha lord, stated his identity and purpose, and left behind a bag of seeds and several samples.

The lord of Kucha, with his gray hair, sat on a low couch covered with an old carpet. After looking at the seeds and silk samples, he did not immediately express his opinion. He first sent people to plant two acres of land outside the city as a trial. Only when the first batch of wheat seedlings grew to the height of a hand did he send someone to invite him back.

"I've examined the grain seeds; they're different from ours, and they will indeed yield a larger harvest." The Lord of Kucha examined the silk twice, turning it over and over in his hands. "But regarding this submission, I need to know whether Kucha will still cultivate its own land, who will decide on taxes, and who will manage the city's affairs after the submission."

Lin Yanzhou said, "You can cultivate the land yourselves and collect the taxes yourselves. Xuan Shuo will only set up a few transfer stations along the official roads for the exchange of goods, without sending permanent personnel or entering the city. You won't suffer any losses."

The Lord of Kucha did not ask any further questions. He pressed his fingerprint at the bottom of the letter of surrender and asked, "When will the tea from Xuan Shuo arrive?" Lin Yanzhou replied, "The first batch of tea is already on its way." After saying this, he called Xiaoyu in to collect the letter of surrender.

Seeing Xiaoyu enter, a thought flickered in the eyes of the Lord of Kucha.

That evening, someone knocked on the door. A young woman in a light-colored long dress carried a copper tray with fruit and a few bunches of grapes. She put down the tray but didn't leave. Standing by the table, she said shyly, "My lord, our city lord asked me to serve you tonight..." Lin Yanzhou didn't tell her to leave or sit down, only saying, "Very good, your city lord is a sensible person." She hesitated for a moment, poured herself a cup of tea, and sat down at the table.

The city lord of Khotan was younger, wearing a dark robe with subtle patterns embroidered on the cuffs. After listening to Lin Yanzhou's purpose in the hall, he didn't reply but picked up a celadon vase on the table and examined it twice: "After submitting to Xuan Shuo, can I still manage my own people?"

Lin Yanzhou said, "Yes. You can lead your troops and defend your city." The young city lord put down the porcelain bottle, took the surrender document from the table, signed it, and pressed his fingerprint on it: "When will the tea and silk be shipped?"

The city lord of Shule had a tanned, dark red face and large, rough hands. After listening to the visitor's purpose in the hall, he first took a large gulp of milk tea: "You mean by submission, that we should all listen to Xuan Shuo from now on?"

Lin Yanzhou said, "Xuan Shuo will provide the technology and supplies; you can manage your own affairs. But militarily, we need to advance and retreat together. When Xuan Shuo needs you, you will need to send troops." The Lord of Shule City twirled the bowl in his hand: "What if I don't agree?"

Lin Yanzhou didn't reply. He took out the Type 92 pistol from the side of his belt and fired a shot at a cow grazing by the hall entrance. The gunshot rang out in the hall, and several clods of earth above the door frame fell down, rolling twice on the ground before coming to a stop.

The cow's massive body collapsed with a thud. The city lord of Shule remained seated, but his gaze shifted from above the doorframe to where Lin Yanzhou had placed his gun: "That thing can kill a cow?"

"It can even kill people. You can try it if you don't believe me." The city lord of Shule was silent for a moment, then put the bowl back on the table, picked up the letter of surrender, and asked, "Now that the agreement is signed, when will the seeds arrive?"

In the evening, the lord of Shule City prepared a meal in the side hall, with roasted meat, dried fruit, and milk skin covering most of the table. Several young women sitting near the door came in carrying a large copper platter filled with freshly cut fruits.

They wore long, deep red dresses, the hems trailing to their ankles, and moved very quietly, as if afraid of disturbing the people talking. One of them glanced at Lin Yanzhou as she placed the copper plate next to him, her gaze not lingering, before returning to her original position. The Lord of Shule City, holding up his wine bowl, said "Bottoms up," finished his bowl first, then put it down, glanced at the empty seat next to Lin Yanzhou, and continued to pick up food.

After leaving Shule, Lin Yanzhou passed through several small city-states, some even smaller, some near ruins, and some simply scattered mud houses. He stopped at each one, leaving seeds and samples to identify himself and his intentions, negotiating terms, leaving supplies, and signing pledges of allegiance.

For those who refused to cooperate, the gun was fired into the distance as a show of force. After the show of force, negotiations continued, and the process was only advanced once the other party changed their mind. A total of fourteen city-states were involved along the way, from Loulan to Dayuan. Some signed on the spot, some took two days, and some signed only after the seeds were tested, but in the end, they all signed.

Lin Yanzhou left a bag of seeds and several samples at each location, and also took away more than a dozen letters of surrender. These letters of surrender were written on different materials, some on cloth, some on parchment, and some carved on wooden boards. They were folded and put into a cloth bag, which was then placed under the passenger seat.

Xiaolan sat in the passenger seat, holding a map in her hand, and drew an arc on the paper with her thumb: "Next is Dayuan. After Dayuan, we'll be almost at the end." Lin Yanzhou smiled: "The end? I'm planning to drive to Europe. This is nothing. Next, I'll go to Li Bai's hometown."