Mount and Blade Central Asia

"How could you be so mean! But I heard someone say it was his son who did it, and the woman he just married is ten years younger than his eldest son!"

The little maid's identity was not that special, and she was a restless person. She was always walking around the streets and alleys and was well-informed.

"But why haven't I gotten pregnant with your child? We have been together for a long time..." Satuya suddenly asked with some grievance.

This question was difficult for Li Rufeng to answer. As a man in power, there were actually quite a few women around him, but five years had passed and there had been no movement.

From the perspective of the times, he was no longer young at this age, and the fact that he had no offspring might even shake the foundation of his rule.

Li Rufeng suspected that as a time traveler, he might be reproductively isolated from the "locals" due to factors of time and space, and he just kept paying attention to it before.

But now, Satuya has been with him for a long time, and judging by his current development, he is not far from getting married. He has to give an explanation to these women around him.

"Why don't we try harder tonight?" Li Rufeng teased the girl, but Satuya retorted, "Why wait until tonight? I think this is good enough!"

So Master Li, who failed to flirt with her and was instead frozen, could only hastily tell his guards to leave...

After making love, Satuya lay contentedly in Master Li's arms, looking at the sparkling river water, and told Li Rufeng about the changes in the city and the tribe bit by bit.

Satuya is not as scheming as Sarah Xiaxi, but she also has her own little tricks. She knows what kind of information Li Rufeng needs to know most when he is away from home, so she has been collecting these small but very important news.

In order to prevent herself from having a bad memory, she even drew pictures and left herself a series of cue cards like cheat sheets.

It’s just that some of the reminder cards were too old. Even if Satuya looked at the pictures on them, he couldn’t remember what message he wanted to record for a while. He could only scratch his head and think hard.

"Didn't I ask you to go to school and learn to read with the students? Have you never been there since I left?" Li Rufeng laughed as he looked at the stick-drawing-style cheat sheet.

"Those kids kept laughing at me!" Satuya said confidently, but she immediately slapped her head hard and remembered what she had to write down at that time through clues.

"That's right! This is it! Aduqin said that the mares he bred previously gave birth to foals. There were 27 foals in total, but only 19 survived. He said he'd never seen such lively foals. The knights riding those strange horses said those foals needed to eat meat." Satuya showed Li Rufeng the picture in her hand. "This is the horse I drew. This is the leg, and this is the tail!"

If it was Satuya today, Li Rufeng finally remembered the breeding task he had left for the tribal horse herders.

The Mongols were professionals in this regard. These knights had only three stallions in their hands, and they managed to breed more than two hundred mares in less than two months, but in the end only twenty-seven mares were pregnant, which was somewhat regrettable.

Of course, what made Li Rufeng even more regretful was Satuya's painting skills. This girl was destined to have no future in painting. The horse she painted looked like a turtle.

"This one, let me tell you about this one..." Satuya took back her masterpiece angrily and began to introduce to Li Rufeng a card whose origin she couldn't remember.

Li Rufeng felt as if he had played the game of "Draw and Guess" with Satuya all night long, and he felt relaxed when he returned to the city.

"Does what you said before about working hard tonight still count?" Satuya suddenly asked at the end, making Master Li spend the day perfectly.

Chapter 598: The Determination and Trouble of Reforming Mosul

Parisa did not react much to Satuya's arrival. She was still focused on her current career.

Li Rufeng handed over the task of rebuilding the damaged Mosul and comforting the people to Parisa.

The effect of this approach is remarkable. According to statistics from food distribution centers, the number of residents in Mosul is recovering rapidly.

Many refugees began to return after hearing about Parisa's existence.

In addition to a smart man like Shaw Walad, other businessmen have also realized the changes in Mosul. Just yesterday, a caravan from Abu Zaher arrived in Mosul and tentatively sold some food and clothing to the people of Mosul.

These people still feared the Mongols and Li Rufeng from the bottom of their hearts.

They were worried that their goods would cause Li Rufeng's displeasure. After all, when Li Rufeng's army arrived in Abu Zahir, they did not take out all their wealth.

Now, faced with the opportunity to make a fortune so close at hand, these businessmen could not suppress the urge to make money deep in their hearts, so they drew lots and bought a caravan to test the waters.

If Li Rufeng had not made things difficult for this caravan, other merchants would have had the confidence to arrive with more goods.

Fortunately, the final result was good. Li Rufeng was magnanimous and did not make things difficult for these businessmen. He knew too well the enthusiasm and bad habits of the merchant class, but at this stage, this land needed merchants more than farmers.

Years of war have left this land scarred. Most farmers can only barely maintain a small-scale self-sufficiency level, are simply unable to expand the scale of agricultural production, and have extremely weak ability to resist risks such as natural disasters and man-made disasters.

This is also one of the main reasons why the size of cities is shrinking year by year in this era.

According to the few records that have been preserved in Mosul, the city's population briefly reached 80,000 twenty years ago. However, the number of villages supplying food to Mosul at that time was almost five times as many as it is now.

This is just counting the number, not the scale.

According to Li Rufeng's planning habits in Aleppo, his most limited options for restoration are naturally roads and commercial areas.

Mosul is an ancient commercial city. Compared with the somewhat "shabby" large market in Aleppo, Mosul has evolved market areas with different responsibilities in several naturally differentiated areas of the city.

Among them, the port area near the river is the most prosperous, and it is more convenient for bulk commodities to enter and exit by water.

But what businessmen criticize most about Mosul is that after hundreds of years of development, the reconstruction and expansion made in different periods to cope with different crises have made the city planning a mess.

Most people who come to Mosul for the first time need to hire a local guide to ensure that they do not lose their way in the city.

This has gradually formed a profession similar to that of business guide among the locals. They basically have gang backgrounds and rely on this method to influence the business direction of Mosul to a certain extent.

For example, if you want to buy grain but can't find a way, you can turn to these business guides for help. The grain merchants you find through them are the ones they have screened out, and those who can make them the most profit, not the ones with the best cost-effectiveness.

Many businessmen had to pay a hefty "introduction fee" to the cooperating gangs. Jebala, the tavern owner who had died in the Dreamland before, was one of the more famous business guides.

It's just that he is already the leader of a gang and has a high status in this industry, so he doesn't need to share profits with others.

In addition, he controlled several smuggling routes and was closer to the businessmen, so he had done considerable business in recent years.

I'm on a business trip to Hohhot, so the evening update will be postponed.

It's the weekend when I get there, so I start to make up for it and prepare to start contacting the Ming forces.

Chapter 599: Rather Bully the Common People

"Parissa, you can't do that. The Gonzales Monastery has a history of more than two hundred years. It is a sacred land. If you do this, many people will be disappointed." Sister Veresa, who had arrived in Mosul with Parisa before, persuaded Parisa in a soft voice.

She had watched Parisa grow up and knew Her Royal Highness better than anyone else.

Li Rufeng was indeed a ruler and...man that Sister Vereesa had never seen before. He trusted Parisa so much that he even valued her ability more than her identity.

Not to mention Parisa, if Sister Wenresa was thirty years younger, she would also be addicted to Li Rufeng's charm.

Not only did he give Parisa the opportunity to win merit on the battlefield like a man, he also gave her power, allowing her to display her talents and govern the most important and largest city in her hands.

Such trust and pampering made Parisa a little... flattered. In order not to disappoint Li Rufeng and to do better, she lost herself a little.

"This city will eventually be handed over to him to rule, and you will eventually marry him. You can't leave him a city full of hatred for the sake of immediate convenience. He has no advantage in this regard." Sister Vereesa spoke in a slow tone, just as she had taught Parisa back then.

"The Mongolian rule has only been over for less than a hundred years, and people have not forgotten how they whipped the whole world. Demolishing a monastery will make many people feel terrified." Aunt Wenresa pointed out Li Rufeng's biggest weakness.

Even the great conqueror always clung to the title of Sword of God in the religious field, claiming that he was the most pious king in the Islamic world.

Li Rufeng, on the other hand, is a shaman and a pagan.

The Black Sheep people are also not that pious. They even allow the Blue Wind faith believed by the black wizards to spread among their high-level leaders, but in name the Black Sheep King is still a Muslim. They have won over some Sufi mendicants to justify their reputation.

There have indeed been hundreds of years of grievances between Muslims and Christians, but under the fierce competition, some cultural and religious integration has also emerged. At least in major cities such as Tabriz, Mosul, and Baghdad, there has been an apparent peace between mosques, churches, and monasteries.

The black wizards who had briefly occupied the city of Mosul were so obsessed with building their own wonders that they didn't care about the reactions of the two factions. They were even too lazy to specifically demolish churches and mosques. They just took the wizard tower as the core and demolished the surrounding houses and other buildings for the convenience of obtaining materials.

The only thing that was partially damaged was the mosque famous for its camel tower, but the dark wizards eventually gave up their plans to demolish it for fear that the camel would collapse.

"If you did that, what would the people of Mosul say about that lord?" Sister Vereesa said pointedly, "Even those evil wizards didn't demolish the monastery, but that lord did it!"

"That's what I'm going to do!" Parisa's face turned pale. She didn't want to cause any trouble for Li Rufeng, but she also didn't want to mess up the job she was doing. "I will take responsibility, and I will rebuild the demolished monastery in a more suitable location."

Chapter 600 Sir, my contribution is great

Li Rufeng did not give the entire task of rebuilding Mosul to Parisa. If he did so, not to mention a princess, even if the famous "wise king" Abu Abbas in the Arab world was asked to come over, he would be scratching his head.

To say that Mosul is in ruins is a bit of an exaggeration to praise the damage done to the original ecological system of the city by the dark wizards.

They physically isolated the city from its surrounding dependent systems for more than half a year. During this period, they "eaten up" almost all the caravans, migrating tribes and other populations that dared to pass by, artificially creating a black hole in a double sense.

These dark wizards were so ruthless that it might take Li Rufeng several years to completely restore the previous order.

Basically, nearly half of the villages and gathering places that once supplied food, vegetables, meat, and other trivial matters to the city of Mosul have been abandoned.

The people living there were either unlucky enough to be taken into the dreamland of the dark wizards and moved into the city, or they voluntarily migrated away from their hometown because of their fear of the black sheep people or the dark wizards.

Moreover, the farming season has passed this year. With the temperature gradually rising, it is foreseeable that a large city like Mosul will have to rely on external inputs to maintain the supply of materials in the city for the entire next year.

This is also the reason why Li Rufeng attaches so much importance to the grain trade brought by Xiao Valard. Without this deal, he would probably have to pay a considerable price to obtain enough grain.

On the other hand, in this era of backward information dissemination, the impact of the black hole effect in Mosul has probably spread far and wide. It will probably take a long time for those frightened businessmen to realize through hearsay that Mosul has returned to normal order.

Li Rufeng knew that he could not count on Mosul's trade volume in the short term. At most, the cities behind him that he had occupied would take the initiative to trade with Mosul.

But fortunately, there is good news.

On July 18, 1409, Sayyib, who had been exiled and then let himself go, finally returned to Mosul. By the way, he was accompanied by the dejected-looking black sheep, Mushtaq, and the Iranian Barraz, who had a firm face but a hidden smile.

Of course, without further authorization from his master, Emir Anis, Barez did not enter the city of Mosul. He stopped three kilometers away from the city of Mosul.

The main purpose of Baraz's trip was to escort Sayyib and his accompanying Qara ...

The Iranian emirs had also heard some rumors about dark wizards before. Out of concern for the death of Maharaja Milan Shah, these emirs exercised restraint towards the power represented by dark wizards.

Up to now, the Iranian Emir named Anis has not decided how to deal with Li Rufeng and his group, who are flying the banner of the Khanate and claiming to be the grandson-in-law of the great conqueror.

Therefore, the Iranians accepted the current border, stopped their troops at Erbil Castle, and then concentrated more energy in the northeast, continuing to expand the scale of the war against the Black Sheep People.

"Saib, don't forget the deal between us." Before leaving, Barez looked at Mushtaq lying in the carriage with a meaningful look.

The unfortunate black sheep man had begun to lose consciousness due to the inflammation of his wound, and Sayyib obviously didn't care much about Mushtaq's life or death.

"Don't worry, my friend. Those Black Sheep who wish to return home are already preparing to depart. I've promised them they can keep their warhorses and the treasures they've captured in battle." Saib smiled confidently. "Of course, to demonstrate my sincerity, I've also agreed to let them take their weapons with them."

Chapter 601 Seeking an official position

Although Saiyibu brought back a very valuable Black Sheep surrenderer to Li Rufeng, this surrenderer was of no use for the time being. Liu Feng had to perform a minor operation on him first and clean several wounds that had begun to fester in order to save his life.

"So this is the whole thing, sir. I took a risk, but I succeeded. I guess you will be happy with this result." Saib stood beside Li Rufeng and watched him save Mushtaq's life in a miraculous way.

Li Rufeng snorted in response to Saiyi Bu. Although he was a ruler, he did lack talents in various aspects under his command. Saiyi Bu did show him his abilities, but for some reason, Li Rufeng suddenly felt that this opinionated talent was a little disgusting.

However, for a moment, Li Rufeng couldn't tell whether it was his self-esteem at work or the sense of power and control that came from being used to these people's unconditional obedience to him.

A qualified ruler should be good at using people and dare to use them. There is no loyalty without reason or eternal loyalty in this world, but interests can be.

Interests can arise out of thin air, can be created, and can be sustained in dynamic change for much longer than imagined.

Saib undoubtedly brought him the biggest surprise from his men so far. He took over an entire fortress by himself and laid a good foundation for the upcoming contact with the Iranians.

In any case, Li Rufeng must give Saiyi Bu a suitable reward, but at the same time he must also teach Saiyi Bu a lesson to ensure that others will not let themselves go like him.

"What reward do you want? Saiyi Bu." Li Rufeng washed the blood off his hands with strong liquor, and then asked lightly.

"I'm very interested in the position of Governor of Mosul, my lord," Saib said bluntly. "Of course, that's after you've conquered more land and cities. For now, perhaps you'd be willing to give me the position of Treasurer or Falconer (Gaze 1)?"

"Saiyib, I'm not the Sultan yet." Li Rufeng stared into Saiyib's eyes and thought for a while before realizing what the position of a falconer was.

That was a military officer specially established by the great conqueror to demonstrate his Mongolian orthodoxy. Outside the central Diwan system, according to Turkic and Mongolian traditions, it was considered a system of palace eunuchs, mainly responsible for raising falcons for the rulers.

In addition to being in charge of a standing guard around the Great Conqueror, the falconer of the Great Conqueror also supervised some intelligence-related tasks to ensure that the Great Conqueror's eyes and ears were well-informed.

However, this position was eventually suppressed due to some conflicts with the position of the seal-keeper Shamalik (attention 2), so it remained vacant for a long time.

If Li Rufeng hadn't been learning some palace knowledge with Parisa recently, he really wouldn't have known about these positions.

Although the great conqueror established a ruling system of central Diwan and local Diwan, in reality the Timurid Empire was a system manipulated by the will of a strongman.

The great conqueror himself could interfere in everything he pleased, and in principle he demanded from his subjects complete loyalty to himself, rather than to the duties of the office they held.

To a large extent, this led to the entire Khanate being a huge makeshift team with unclear rights and obligations. Under the great conqueror, everyone could only rely on "strength" to speak.

"I believe you will," Saib flattered him. "Like you, I don't care about these empty titles. But the land you rule is large enough now. You need a more complete system to govern it, don't you?"

Saib's words touched Li Rufeng's heart. The main reason why he had been communicating with Parisa about court politics and power institutions during this period was that he was trying to establish a more efficient bureaucratic system.

Under this bureaucratic system, Li Rufeng could at least break free from the shackles of the tribal system and, to a certain extent, direct his power towards centralization.

As a time traveler from an eastern country, he couldn't stand the idiotic game of "my vassal's vassal is not my vassal".

This is also the reason why Li Rufeng has always kept the main force in his own hands since he started the foreign war.

In order to achieve this goal, he even left Badak, the most experienced commander in the army, behind on the pretext of being injured, and took the risk of attacking Mosul alone.

Li Rufeng urgently needs more martial arts to show off himself and fulfill his small ambitions.

Through Princess Parisa, Li Rufeng got a general understanding of the crude ruling system established by the great conqueror. Timur spent almost his entire life fighting on horseback and had no time to stop and properly organize his empire.

The great conqueror retained a seven-member Council of Ministers in his capital, Samarkand. The basic division of labor in the Council of Ministers was that one person was in charge of military affairs and one person was in charge of administration, which included commerce, trade, finance, politics and security.

Chapter 602: The Robber Knight with Potential for Promotion

"Form a formation! Hold on! Hold on! For the glory of the Sons of the Mountains!" A noble lord wearing heavy armor and as burly as a cave bear stood at the outermost edge of the team. The shield in his hand was thick and heavy, but there was no sign of fatigue in his voice.

"call!"

Nearly three hundred Armenian mountaineers formed a circle with shields in hand, staring intently at the Black Sheep cavalry circling around them.

These cavalrymen were all experienced veterans. They were circling slowly at a distance of fifty steps from them. There were less than two hundred of them in total.