Chapter 780: Harahelin (I)

"The Heavenly Strategy controls the upper reaches, and the border is under the control of the Jin vassal. The mountains and rivers are connected to the Central Xia, and the snow and wind guard the North Tower."

To the north of the desert, a majestic and magnificent capital city stands tall in the depths of the grassland.

Hada Khorum, also known as "Khan City", is the capital of Mongolia.

Ever since Genghis Khan unified the Mongolian tribes, the nomadic tribes of the past have gradually evolved into an iron army that is good at conquering cities and territories and is extremely warlike.

Under the leadership of successive generations of "Great Khans", the Mongol cavalry fought in the north and south, and conquered the east and the west. Wherever they passed, there were millions of corpses and thousands of miles of blood. The enemies they encountered were even more defeated and fled far away at the first sign of the news.

In just a few decades, the invincible cavalry and their scimitars swept across the world and conquered all directions.

At the same time, they also accumulated millions of lions and thousands of miles of golden cities through one massacre after another, and seized countless rare treasures, gold, silver, pearls and jade.

The boundless territory, the brave and skilled soldiers, the united tribesmen, the abundant financial resources, and the successful and determined "Great Khans" have created the unparalleled and most powerful country in the world.

As the imperial capital of the "most powerful country in the world", Helin's prestige and status are unmatched in the world.

Here, you can see wealthy merchants coming and going from north to south making friends and making fortunes every day. Envoys from different countries come to pay tribute and flatter you almost every day.

From as far away as Rome and Persia to as close as the Song Dynasty and Goryeo, the scene of all nations gathering together is being played out in Karakoram all the time.

Buddhism, Taoism, Confucianism and even Western Christianity can all find their own temples and ancestral halls here. Mongolia's great tolerance of religion and culture has made Khorin prosperous. As a result, the local people have extraordinary vision and are accustomed to the so-called world and exotic customs.

The Mongolian army was ambitious, and it was common for tens of thousands of cavalry to march out in the morning and arrive in the evening. Although the arrogant and brave generals often climbed mountains and sailed across the seas and crossed deserts, the core of power that commanded the army would never move, and that was "Khara-Khara".

The Mongolian Khan issued edicts one after another from Khorum, and the armies that led the expeditions also sent back a steady stream of war reports. From north to south, from east to west, they gradually wove together a grand blueprint full of ambitions and vast mountains and rivers with iron hooves, scimitars, military orders and blood, and gradually expanded Mongolia's reputation and the territory it ruled.

Karakorum is not only the source of Mongolia’s highest power, but also the foundation of Mongolia’s outward expansion and the lifeline of Mongolia’s continuous growth.

Of course, Helin is also the last stop of the marriage between Song and Mongolia. It is the place where Zhao Xin is reborn as a human being for the second time, and it is also the purgatory city where Liu Xunyi is "dead".

July 11, noon.

The long-awaited bride-sending team finally arrived, and local people and envoys from various countries gathered outside the city gate early. People were crowded, shoulder to shoulder, with smiles on their faces, vying to see the Mongolian princess.

Today, people in and outside Helin sang and danced, and were filled with joy. People ran around to tell each other and cheered. Such extreme enthusiasm really surprised Liu Xunyi and others.

In addition to being surprised, the prosperity and luxury of Helin also opened the eyes of the Han people and amazed them.

Although the city is not big, its architectural style combines the magnificence of Middle-earth and the boldness of the grassland.

As the capital of the country, although Helin is not as densely packed with buildings as Lin'an, with buildings every five steps and pavilions every ten steps, it is magnificent and splendid, and full of luxury and prosperity. In particular, every household has laurel palaces and cypress bedrooms, carriages and horses, and shops are filled with countless treasures, which shows that its richness and prosperity are far beyond Lin'an.

The prosperity of the Song Dynasty lay in the extravagance of its high-ranking officials, while most ordinary people were penniless and had bleak lives.

On the other hand, when Mongolia was strong, although the princes and nobles were in high positions, the common people were also well-fed and well-clothed, and the people were prosperous.

This is a matter of life and death, and also the gap and root cause of the growing strength of Mongolia and the decline of the Song Dynasty.

Thinking of this, Liu Xunyi couldn't help but feel an indescribable sadness and bitterness in his heart.

The tragedy is the incompetence of the Song Dynasty court, the suffering of the millions of people living in the cracks, the bitterness of the Mongolian people, the bitterness of the Song Dynasty and the difficulty of catching up with the Mongolian people...

"Wow! Is this...really Mobei?"

After entering Helin, Li Haitang regretted that his parents had not given him a few more eyes. He looked around with surprise in his eyes and couldn't help but say "Wow" continuously.

"If this is not Mobei, could it be Jiangnan?" Feng Tianba's mood was between Liu Xunyi and Li Haitang. He was amazed at the prosperity of Helin, but also worried about the strength of Mongolia.

"The 'Jiangnan' outside the Great Wall is no less beautiful than the real Jiangnan." Li Haitang swallowed hard and said intermittently, "I thought that Mobei was a barren and barren land, and that Helin was just a bunch of yurts on the grassland. But unexpectedly... they built such an incredible city on the grassland, which is even more... bustling than the former Bianjing and today's Lin'an." Li Haitang's words undoubtedly expressed the true thoughts of other Han people. For a moment, everyone had mixed feelings in their hearts, and they couldn't tell what they felt.

Su He came close to Liu Xunyi, pointed at the pavilions and palaces in all directions, and asked, "Brother Liu, how is it here?"

"Why do you ask that, Brother Su?" Liu Xunyi was stunned, apparently not understanding what Su He meant.

"It shouldn't be unfair for the princess of your Song Dynasty to live here in the future, right?" Su He said meaningfully, "Speaking of the facts, Helin is superior to Lin'an in terms of status, prosperity and stability. Therefore, the princess will live here for a long time in the future. Not only will she have fine clothes and food, and be surrounded by flowers, but she will also no longer have to worry about the wars in her country. She can do whatever she wants and live a worry-free life. Brother Liu can rest assured about this."

"Brother Su is right." Liu Xunyi said with a wry smile, "It is indeed much better for the princess to spend her leisurely days in Helin than to live in fear all day in Lin'an."

"Brother Liu..."

"Don't worry, Brother Su!" Before Su He could speak, Liu Xunyi had seen through his thoughts and interrupted him righteously, "From today on, the princess is the princess and Liu Xunyi is Liu Xunyi. One is the master and the other is the subject. Apart from this, there is no other relationship."

Looking at Liu Xunyi's firm expression and solemn words, Su He's heart, which had been hanging in the air, finally settled down. He reached out and gently patted Liu Xunyi's shoulder, a relieved smile appearing on the corner of his mouth.

"This is your first time in Mobei, so it must be very novel." Su He was in a good mood and greeted Feng Tianba, Li Haitang and others warmly, "If you have any questions, feel free to ask me."

Li Haitang chuckled and spoke first: "Master Su, where are we going now? Why do we only see common people lining the streets to welcome us, but no government officials coming out to greet us?"

"Brother Li, please don't be surprised! The people coming and going in the city of Khorin are all envoys and distinguished guests from various countries, and there are few people of low status. In comparison, the number of officials in Khorin is pitifully small. If we selectively receive them, we will inevitably favor some over others, which will cause conflicts among the countries. But if every guest is welcomed with courtesy and music, I am afraid that we will not be able to welcome them all even if we keep welcoming them for twelve hours a day." Su He explained, "Therefore, the Khan has already issued an edict that all foreign envoys must go to Wan'an Palace to seek an audience. The vassal tribes will go to the official residence of the chief official, and the chief official will pay tribute on their behalf. Now, you are here on behalf of the Song Dynasty, and you should go to Wan'an Palace to pay homage to the Khan according to etiquette."

"As expected, he is strong and arrogant. He sits high in the golden palace and waits for the nations to come to pay tribute. I'm afraid only the Mongolian Khan can do that. As for Wan'an Palace..." Feng Tianba was in a complicated mood and his tone was very strange. "It is the palace of the Mongolian Khan, right?"

"Not bad!"

"Then...where is the prince's official residence?" Pan Yuyin asked timidly.

"The prince was ordered to fight in all directions and had no fixed place to live all year round, so his palace in Helin has been abandoned for a long time. But don't worry, after the wedding ceremony, the prince will definitely send people to repair it so that the princess can live in it." Su He replied, "As for now... There is a place where Han people gather in Helin, and not far from there is a camp of the prince. In recent years, the prince has mostly stayed in the camp when he returned to Helin."

"Why did he set up his camp where the Han people gathered?"

Hearing this, Su He couldn't help but look embarrassed, and stammered: "Because the Khan ordered the prince to take charge of... the military and state affairs of the Han area south of the desert."

"Han territory south of the desert?" Feng Tianba was stunned and asked suspiciously, "Are you referring to... our Han territory?"

Faced with Feng Tianba's slightly displeased questioning, Su He did not answer directly, but responded with a sigh.

"Although the Song Dynasty is not as powerful as Mongolia, we still have our own emperor, our own court, and our own territory. When will it be your turn to interfere in military and national affairs..."

"shut up!"

Before Feng Tianba could ask more questions, Liu Xunyi hurriedly stopped him, lest he speak without restraint and cause trouble. He said in a deep voice, "This is someone else's territory, don't talk nonsense."

"But……"

Facing Liu Xunyi's angry glare, Feng Tianba's voice stopped abruptly. He muttered a few words indignantly, then lowered his head and walked forward without saying any more.

"Brother Su, Feng Tianba is outspoken..."

"No problem!" Su He smiled nonchalantly, "Anyone would probably feel uncomfortable about this. Although Brother Liu didn't say it explicitly, I dare to guess... your mood should be similar to Commander Feng's."

"By the way! Helin doesn't seem to be very big. I wonder where the other Mongolians live?" Li Haitang saw that the atmosphere was a bit subtle and quickly changed the subject.

"Most of the common people in Mongolia lead a nomadic life, and the vast grasslands are their home." Su He was open-minded and answered fluently, "There are also some people who live in cities like you Han people, giving up herding horses and sheep and learning to farm. For example, Long Yu's birthplace, the famous Twenty-Four Cities of Mobei."

……

(End of this chapter)