More and more people poured into Chang 'an, which was a great test for Chang' an. The Lantern Festival at the beginning of the year was just an appetizer for Chang 'an, and this military parade was the main course.
The Lantern Festival had only attracted the citizens of Luoyang and the surrounding counties, but this time, the citizens of the entire Great Tang had come after hearing the news. In less than half a month, two hundred thousand people had poured into Chang 'an, and many of them were still on their way to Chang' an. There was an endless stream of carriages entering and leaving the city gates of Chang 'an.
Fortunately, Meton brought a large number of horses from Tuyuhun to the market, and the four-wheeled carriages sold well. Otherwise, the city would not be able to support such a large flow of people.
Many people clearly felt that Chang 'an had suddenly become more crowded, but it was a huge business opportunity for the merchants in Chang' an. Most of the people who had time to come to Chang 'an to watch the military parade were rich people. These people came to Chang' an to eat, drink, and live. All kinds of expenses were not small, and many people made a lot of money.
In any dynasty, the capital city was the center of the world, especially in Chang 'an. All the main roads were paved with bricks, clean and tidy streets, endless four-wheeled buses, and magnificent buildings. Compared with the dilapidated and dirty cities of other cities, it was a world of difference. It immediately conquered everyone who came to Chang' an.
"This is a prosperous situation!" A white-haired old man murmured as he got off the carriage and saw Chang 'an. He could not help but feel shocked.
"It's a worthwhile trip. Before this, we only heard about the magnificence of Chang 'an. Now we get what we want. It really lives up to its reputation." His companion beside him was even more stunned.
Compared with the small city they were in, Chang 'an was simply a countryside. The sense of superiority in their hearts suddenly disappeared.
"After this Old Man returns to his hometown, he will certainly report to the county magistrate and imitate Chang 'an to govern the county." The white-haired old man said firmly. Almost everyone who came to Chang' an had the same idea. Naturally, it was impossible for them to stay in Chang 'an. The only way was to change their county.
"Three years ago, when I came to Chang 'an for the examination, Chang' an was still a piece of dirt road. Now, Chang 'an has changed so much that I can't recognize it." A few Confucian scholars came down from another carriage. They looked at the changed Chang 'an City and couldn't help but sigh.
"This is the result of the Confucian School's efforts to govern the world. That is why there is such a Great Harmony." A young Confucian scholar, who was visiting Chang 'an for the first time, could not help but exclaim.
The coachman couldn't help but laugh and said, "Young man, you must be joking. The four-wheeled carriage you are riding was built by Mo Jiazi, the brick road you are walking on was invented by Mo Jiazi, and the public transport on the street was proposed by Mo Jiazi …"
The young Confucian scholar blushed as the coachman recounted everything. It seemed that the transformation of Chang 'an City was almost entirely due to the Mo Family.
"Also, in your eyes, Chang 'an City is already the best city in the world. That is because you have not seen the urban planning of the Mo Family's village. Otherwise, you will find that Chang' an City still has a lot to improve." The coachman looked at them as if they were bumpkins. He shouted and drove the carriage away.
Both the Confucian scholar and the old man in white could not help but look at each other. They did not expect to be despised by a coachman. Especially the expression on the coachman's face when he left, which made them feel extremely uncomfortable.
…
The ordinary people were not the only ones who were conquered by Chang 'an City. As time passed, tribal leaders and diplomatic missions from foreign countries arrived in Chang' an City.
"This is Chang 'an City?"
When the leaders of the southwest region entered Chang 'an City, they stretched their necks to look at it, like Granny Liu entering the Grand View Garden. Their eyes were wide open.
They used to be the leaders of an ordinary tribe. Usually, they only ruled over their own land like frogs at the bottom of a well. Now that they had come to Chang 'an City and traveled thousands of miles, they saw the vast land and countless people. Of course, the original sense of superiority in their hearts suddenly disappeared.
They could not help but look at each other with uncertain expressions. They carefully compared the strength of their own tribe with that of the Tang dynasty. Even if all the tribes worked together, they would be defeated without a doubt.
"Fortunately …"
Many of the tribal leaders could not help but feel lucky that it was not their own tribe that rebelled.
"Hey! I didn't expect there to be people with short hair in Chang 'an City. "A young tribal leader pointed at a person on the street who was cutting his hair to cure head lice and said in surprise.
"How can it be? The Han people value hair ornaments the most. How can they cut their hair so easily?" An old tribal leader said in disbelief.
"It's true!" A group of tribal leaders found that more and more people with short hair and could not help but click their tongues in surprise.
The Jingren tribe mostly lived in the south. The weather was hot, so many people had short hair. Even many of the tribal leaders had short hair. Now that they saw many people with short hair in Chang 'an City, they could not help but feel closer to them.
Moreover, they found that the people of Chang 'an City had more stylish short hair. It was much better than their messy short hair. They could not help but be moved.
The carriage moved forward and soon arrived at the Honglu Temple.
"You will stay at the Honglu Temple temporarily and wait for the imperial court to arrange for you to participate in the military parade on time," a low-ranking official of the Honglu Temple said arrogantly.
At this moment, none of the tribal leaders who were acting like tyrants were angry. Instead, they smiled and said, "Sir, we have admired Chang 'an City for a long time. Can we take a tour of Chang' an City?"
The low-ranking official of the Honglu Temple said impatiently, "Of course. You can go around on your own. Just come back before the curfew."
"Tour on our own?" One of the tribal leaders pointed unhappily at the Hu delegation led by the official of the Honglu Temple and said, "Then why do they have people accompanying them?"
The low-ranking official of the Honglu Temple looked at the tribal leader in surprise and said, "They are the Hu people, and you are the Tang people. Do you want the same treatment as them?"
"The Tang people?" The tribal leaders suddenly felt strange. They had always disobeyed the imperial court. Naturally, they did not expect the imperial court to treat them as one of their own.
"Your Majesty is broad-minded. We admire you!" The tribal leaders were immediately convinced.
The tribal leaders understood that although being led by the Honglu Temple seemed to be a noble position, it was actually more like being monitored. Li Shimin allowed them to go around on their own. It was a form of trust.
Therefore, under the envious gazes of the envoys from the Western Region, the tribal leaders proudly walked out of the Honglu Temple and enjoyed the prosperity of Chang 'an City.
Of course, the first thing they did was to get a nice crew cut.
The tribal leaders of the Northwest Dang Xiang and Western Qiang received the same treatment as the tribal leaders. As for the envoys from the other countries, they did not receive such good treatment. Everywhere they went, they were accompanied by people. Although it did not interfere with their freedom, it did not feel good to be followed like a shadow.
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