Translated by: Hypersheep325 Edited by: Michyrr "Lord Feng is truly formidable. Correct, one decree is naturally not enough. Only the final decree can completely alter the situation in Khorasan. In truth, I am more concerned about the promotion of the Tang Dynasty's language in Khorasan. This is the true foundation upon which the Tang Dynasty can establish a foothold here. This is also what I hope that Lord Feng will vigorously promote once he takes over Khorasan.
"Not just in Khorasan, but in all the regions surrounding Arabia. I hope to vigorously promote the Tang language, and if possible, I hope to penetrate deep into Arabia."
Wang Chong lightly tapped his finger on the table as he spoke in a firm voice.
Only Wang Chong himself knew that he placed far greater importance on the dissemination and teaching of the Tang language in Khorasan than anything else. In this world, there was hard power, the military. There was also soft power, culture. And in order to understand a country, language played an extremely important role. Only by spreading the language of the Tang Dynasty to Samarkand, Khorasan, and even the Arabian capital, Baghdad, could the culture of the Tang Dynasty seep into these places.
Only by learning the language could one gain a deeper understanding of the Tang Dynasty, and only by gaining a deeper understanding could one develop admiration for the Tang Dynasty and ultimately accept the Tang Dynasty.
This was the true foundation upon which the Tang Dynasty could establish a foothold here, but Wang Chong was not prepared to explain too much.
"Milord, be at ease. Once I take over, I will make this matter a priority."
Feng Changqing solemnly said. The two of them were in complete agreement on this point.
Feng Changqing had studied the history of the Western Regions, and he knew that the Tang Dynasty had its flaws in the Western Regions. Although the Tang Dynasty had taken root in the Western Regions for more than two hundred years, its policies had been too conciliatory, causing the kingdoms of the Western Regions to lack unity. All sorts of undercurrents were surging in the shadows, and opportunistic behavior continued to persist despite repeated prohibitions. This was because the seeds had been planted, so no matter how smart the people who came after were, no matter how courageous, ambitious, or crafty they were, they would find it very difficult to change this fact.
Feng Changqing's heart was as clear as a mirror. He knew this point like the back of his hand, but he could not say it because it involved the Imperial Court. But now, for the first time, Feng Changqing met a soulmate who knew the shortcomings of the Tang dynasty like the back of his hand.
In Khorasan, to the west of the Cong Mountains, the Tang Dynasty finally had a chance to make a comeback. Using its powerful military as its backing, it established a firm position as the hegemon and a stable alliance. In the end, it avoided the mistake it had made in the Western Regions and firmly controlled this region.
This also made Feng Changqing feel a sense of kinship with Wang Chong.
A thousand gold pieces are easy to come by, but a bosom friend is hard to find!
The matters of government affairs were always fragmented. Feng Changqing used his knowledge to explain these matters clearly to everyone. Finally, everyone in the hall came to a sudden realization. When all the discussions were over, Feng Changqing purposely left Wang Chong at the end.
"Master Feng, is there anything else?"
Wang Chong asked, a look of surprise on his face.
"Haha, an old friend has asked me to deliver something."
Feng Changqing faintly smiled and took out a small wooden box. Under Wang Chong's flabbergasted gaze, Feng Changqing quickly left the hall.
Clap!
Wang Chong was perplexed as he opened the wooden box. There was nothing inside, only a familiar jade hairpin.
"Qiqin!"
Wang Chong froze for a moment, a strange emotion stirring in his heart.
… …
Wang Chong quickly handed over all the affairs of Khorasan to Feng Changqing. With this capable official of the Tang Dynasty, everything in Khorasan was in order, and even the affairs of the coalition army were in order. But what surprised Wang Chong the most was that Feng Changqing was fluent in Arabic. Wang Chong had never expected this.
Feng Changqing's explanation for this was to prepare for a rainy day. Although even Gao Xianzhi had underestimated the Arabs, Feng Changqing had always felt the threat of Arabia. Moreover, he had begun to learn Arabic very early on, and it had only taken him a short time to master it.
But Feng Changqing's knowledge of Arabic reduced many of his problems, and he was able to communicate with the Khorasani and rebel soldiers without the slightest hindrance.
Time slowly passed, and with Feng Changqing's handling and Wang Chong's plans, all the measures were quickly promulgated.
Once the Tang Dynasty took over Khorasan, the first thing it did was abolish the numerous taxes of the Arabian Empire. In addition, it announced that all taxes would be waived for the first three years, and after three years, even if taxes were needed to maintain daily operations, they would be paid less than thirty percent of what they had been under the Arabian Empire.
The announcement of this policy caused an uproar in Khorasan. At the same time, the Tang Dynasty's status and influence in the coalition army caused the people of Khorasan to have a favorable impression of the Tang Dynasty. Not only that, Feng Changqing used a portion of the gold he had obtained from the Caliph to repair the city and help repair the homes that had been damaged in the fires of war.
At the same time, the Tang Dynasty had dispatched a large number of soldiers to coordinate with the Khorasani and rebel soldiers to form small groups that patrolled the city to reassure the people.
Besides that, Feng Changqing had made ample preparations before entering Khorasan.
Through the scouts he had dispatched, Feng Changqing had discovered that Khorasan was sorely lacking in handicrafts. Even if they were available on the market, they were products of the Tang Dynasty and were extremely expensive. Thus, Feng Changqing had brought thirty caravans, all of them carrying various kinds of handicrafts.
As wave after wave of handicrafts entered Khorasan, the people of Khorasan immediately developed a favorable impression of the Tang Dynasty, a country of the east that they had never even heard of. But after all these policies, there was one policy that attracted very little attention.
The schools!
Under the leadership of Won Shu-young and the many disciples he had taught in the Western Regions, and with the military and financial might of the Tang Dynasty as their backing, Tang language schools were quickly established throughout Khorasan. The schools primarily accepted children, but of course, adults were also included. According to the rules of the schools, as long as one studied diligently, the schools would not only provide for all three meals a day, but they would also receive a large subsidy from the Tang Dynasty.
These schools had never existed in Khorasan before, and at the start, the people were still skeptical. But with the assistance of Bahram and the rebel leaders, the schools quickly recruited a first batch of more than eight hundred students. Although it was not a lot, for a new policy, as long as they could set the first footprint on this strange soil, they could start a wildfire in the future and thoroughly spread the Tang language here.
And according to Wang Chong's plan, even more schools were being constructed, and everything proceeded in an orderly and vigorous manner. But just when all this was going on, a sudden matter attracted the attention of Wang Chong, Gao Xianzhi, and all the other higher-ups.
"Is this the place?"
Wang Chong said as he looked forward.
"This is the place."
A Khorasani soldier got down on one knee and respectfully said. In the minds of the Khorasani, Wang Chong's status and influence were probably on par with Bahram's, and in some aspects, he even surpassed him.
Wang Chong said nothing, quickly turning his head to look at that circular pit with a diameter of two meters and an unknown depth. Wang Chong probed it, but even with his Psychic Energy, he was unable to see just how deep this pitch-black pit was.
"Tell me again. Just how did this happen?"
One of the Rebel Army leaders spoke up once more.
"This blizzard was larger than any in the past, and the snow on the ground was also very thick. When we were shoveling the snow, a man was standing there, but before he could shovel the snow, the ground began to cave in, and he fell down. Our people heard the news and wanted to go down to rescue him, but when they entered, the ground caved in again, and we realized that the pit was much deeper than we had imagined. Several soldiers fell down, but none of them came out. Later on, we put down ropes, but for some reason, not long after we went down, they all fell down. We didn't dare to make a decision on our own, so we reported it. "
The guard knelt on the ground and said respectfully.
"Then why did the nearby people say that they heard the howls of devils?"
Bahram suddenly interjected.
"I don't know. We came quite late. I only heard from the surrounding people that when the hole first appeared, there was black gas coming out, accompanied by golden flames and demon-like howls. But when we got here, we didn't see anything."
The guard bowed.
Bahram's brow furrowed even deeper at these words. Unlike in the Central Plains, demon gods were not just legends, but existences that the people deeply believed in and revered. In the hearts of the people, devils truly existed. Any place with black energy and the howls of devils was fated to be extraordinary.
"Great General, let me go down first. I can also save the others."
A voice rang out by his ear. A commander of the Revolutionary Army took two steps forward and was about to jump into the pit to investigate.
"Wait a moment. This matter isn't urgent."
At this moment, Wang Chong waved his hand behind him.
"Senior Zhang, I'll leave this matter to you. Take care of this pit, and then we'll go in."
"Understood!"
Zhang Shouzhi nodded. He quickly called over a few disciples and had them set up several blowers for smelting steel to the side. Then, pipes made of dense cloth and steel rings were lowered into the pit. Six blowers then blew air inwards, dredging the air into the depths of the pit.
This kind of pit, which had been sealed for a long time, would be filled with all kinds of unbreathable waste gas and turbid air. Therefore, the guards and generals who rushed over fell into the pit as soon as they entered, without any signs of life. The moment Wang Chong arrived, he knew that he could not recklessly enter this sort of place.
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