I

Khwarezm is both the name of a city and the collective name of a large oasis.

When the Overland Silk Road flourishes, whoever can occupy this land will be able to dominate the world. Because Chinese goods came from Chang'an, passed through various states in Central Asia, and eventually had to be transported from Khwarezm to Persia.

But with the advent of the Age of Discovery, Khwarezm inevitably declined.

The capital of the Khiva Khanate is in Khwarezm, and King Anusha has only been on the throne for two years. Hundreds of years of war have left the country weak and the people poor. Although his father unified the country, he failed to restore people's livelihood and economy.

Not only is it poor, there are not even many people who can read.

Both father and son attach great importance to culture. Anusha's father, Abkhazi, wanted to write the dynastic history of the Khiva Khanate. However, after searching all over the country, he was the only one who could take on this important task, so the old king had to write the history himself.

That history book is called "Turkic Lineage" and is a must-read for studying the Genghis Khan family.

"Great Khan, there are Chinese envoys coming to visit, and they are already only more than a hundred miles away from the capital." The palace minister reported.

"Chinese envoy?"

Anusha was pleasantly surprised. His country was close to Persia, and his father was on good terms with Persia. When he was still a prince, he often got Persian books to read, and also liked to ask passing merchants for Persian news.

Anusa learned from Persian merchants that there was China in the far east, which was the starting point of the Silk Road.

There was a great emperor in China who kept in correspondence with the Persian emperor all year round.

There are several poems written by the Persian emperor praising the Chinese emperor that have been circulated. Anusha has long been able to recite them. He has always dreamed of getting in touch with the Chinese emperor.

When Xie Yuan led the Chinese envoys across the desert to Khwarazm, King Anusha had already led his ministers to wait outside the city.

Just like it was a festival, Anusha asked all his subjects to wear their best clothes.

The literate ministers gathered around him, while the illiterate ones stood far away. He tried his best to make his country appear wealthy and cultured, and not to make the Chinese envoy feel too shabby.

"Dear Chinese envoy, you are welcome to come from afar." Anusha personally stepped forward to greet him. In order to show his knowledge, he used very pure Persian language.

It happened that Xie Yuan also knew Persian and learned it from the Persian envoy.

Xie Yuan bowed his hands and said, "Xie Yuan, the envoy of China, pays homage to the Khan."

Anusha said: "I am very happy to meet you. Please send my regards to the great Chinese Emperor."

Xie Yuan said: "I must convey Khan's kindness."

Anusha said: "Please envoys come into the city."

Xie Yuan introduced as he walked: "This is Ayuqi, the prince of the Torgut Khanate."

"Did the Torgut people establish a nation?" Anusha also knew about the Torgut tribe. In the past few years, his father had expanded wildly, swallowing up a large area of ​​​​Xiao Yuzi's territory, and it was almost bordering the Turgut tribe.

Xie Yuan explained: "The Turgut people come from China, and His Majesty the Emperor has canonized their leader as king. The heroic Turgut soldiers captured Astrakhan last month and established the country with that capital as its capital. "

Astrakhan was occupied by the Mongols?

Anusha was extremely envious of this. His country was on the east coast of the Caspian Sea, and Astrakhan was on the north shore of the Caspian Sea. Of course he knew how wealthy that city was.

Ayuqi greeted in Mongolian: "I have met Khan!"

Anusha also responded in Mongolian: "You are very brave, you can actually drive away the Russians."

Anusha has little contact with Russia, neither a favorable impression nor a dislike. Of course he didn't know that in another time and space, he used the strength of the whole country to defeat Peter the Great's expeditionary force.

Everyone came to the palace, which was very dilapidated.

One wall may have collapsed. Although it has been repaired, traces of repairs can be seen. The king did not even have the financial resources to decorate the outer wall.

The banquet had been prepared for many days, but it was only lively and the food was not rich, only bread, wine and roasted whole lamb.

Anusha and Xie Yuan sat on opposite sides of the carpet, with their respective men sitting behind them. In front of the carpet was a song and dance performance, with musicians on both sides accompanying the dancers and playing many unnamed Persian instruments.

"Are there really one million people in Nanjing?" Anusa asked curiously.

Xie Yuan replied: "There are 1.2 million people inside and outside the city."

"It is truly the greatest city in the world," Anusha said with a look of longing on his face, and asked, "Are there really no beggars in Nanjing?"

Xie Yuan explained: "Not only are there no beggars in Nanjing, but there are no beggars in all cities in China. If there are poor people who have lost their source of livelihood due to disasters and diseases, officials will organize them to immigrate to the north. China's northern provinces have experienced long-term wars. There is plenty of land to accommodate them. As for the old, weak, sick and disabled who have no family to take care of them, there are almshouses in every county. The government will give them food and let them do some work within their ability."

Anusha was shocked: "Without beggars, disabled people and the elderly can get relief, how rich this country must be, and how kind the emperor of the empire must be. Even if he uses the most elegant words in the world, he can write about the whole world The most beautiful poems cannot describe one ten thousandth of the greatness of the Chinese Emperor."

"Khan is also a wise king," Xie Yuan complimented. "I came all the way. Although your people are poor, they live much better than the poor in Tsarist Russia and Xiaoyuzi. Moreover, the society is orderly and the city is very It’s clean, which shows that the Khiva Khanate has taken the right path.”

This flattery struck a chord in Anusha's heart. His father was responsible for unification and expansion, but he was committed to developing culture, economy and people's livelihood. After only two years of administration, the country has stabilized, and fewer taxes have given the people some breathing space.

He also personally coordinated the conflicts between Uzbeks, Turkmens, Kazakhs, Karalpaks and many other ethnic groups, so that all ethnic groups in the country could put aside their disputes and coexist peacefully.

The way to mediate conflicts is to straighten out the interests of all parties, sometimes even at the expense of the king's interests.

If you are really disobedient, then lead your troops to kill them!

He also encouraged farming, industry and commerce, repaired water conservancy facilities in oases and rivers, and subsidized children in the capital who were interested in learning to read and read with the imams in the city.

Don't think that Anusha is a king who only understands internal affairs. After ten years of development, he will show his sharp fangs and annex large areas of the Bukhara Khanate next door.

He was proficient in both literature and military strategy. Unfortunately, the king's foundation was too weak and he was caught between Tsarist Russia and Persia.

Halfway through the banquet, Xie Yuan took out silk as a gift.

Anusha also took off his exquisite dagger: "Please pass it to His Majesty the Emperor of China for me." After saying that, he suddenly asked, "Mr. Messenger, do you carry any Chinese books with you? I hope to appreciate the great culture of China."

Xie Yuan said: "It's a long journey, so I brought a copy of the Tao Te Ching with me."

"I am willing to exchange my collection for you." Anusha was very happy. He is a fanatical fan of Persian culture and Chinese culture.

"Of course, and no exchange is required. I can give the book to the Khan as a gift," Xie Yuan asked, "But do you know Chinese characters?"

Anusha said: "I don't know him, but there are people in Persia who know him. I can copy it and send it to Persia for translation. I also have a son who is fourteen years old this year. I hope to send him to China to study. My son is very smart, he studied in Persia for four years and he can recite a lot of Persian poetry."

"The prince of your kingdom is willing to go to China to study, then I will definitely take him there." Xie Yuan agreed, taking the prince of a foreign kingdom to study in Nanjing, which was considered an achievement for the envoy.

Next, the Khan kept talking about poetry and recited a long poem in Turkic language that he had written on the spot.

Afraid that Xie Yuan would not understand, he then read the Persian version of his own poem.

Wenqing Khan...

That night, everyone in the envoy had a sound sleep.

Early the next morning, when the sky was just getting dark, Anusha came to the door again and continued to ask Xie Yuan about Chinese culture.

This time we were talking about history. Xie Yuan could only start with the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors and briefly describe the various dynasties in China. Talking about the Mongol period, Anusha became extremely excited because he was a descendant of Jochi, the son of Genghis Khan.

Xie Yuan said: "The ancestral land of the Khans is now Chinese territory, and all Mongolians are Chinese."

"Let the grievances between our ancestors and the Han people be over," Anusha figured it out quite well. He said with a smile, "My distant ancestor Shuchi came from China, and China can also be regarded as one of my ancestors. This is the historical origin of our two countries, which will only bring us closer in the future. If I have the chance, I really want to visit Diaoyu City and appreciate how majestic the fortified city that killed the Mongol Khan is."

Xie Yuan said: "Your Highness, you can go and see it on behalf of Khan."

"Then it's settled," Anusha waved to the guards, held out a history book and said, "This is "Turkic Lineage" written by my father, which records the history of the Mongolian Western Expedition and details the Golden Family's Genealogical inheritance in Western countries.”

Xie Yuan immediately stood up solemnly, took the history book and put it away carefully. This thing is very precious.

We talked about the history of China and the Mongols for more than ten days.

Xie Yuan wanted to talk about the Torgut tribe many times, but was distracted by Anusha intentionally or unintentionally.

It is obvious that Anusa does not want to get involved in the disputes on the northern shore of the Caspian Sea. He only intends to develop and expand on the eastern shore of the Caspian Sea.

After this meaning was revealed, Xie Yuan said no more. As long as the two countries did not go to war, the southeastern threat from the Torgut Kingdom could be eliminated.

When Xie Yuan said goodbye again, Anusha continued to persuade him to stay and began to ask for advice on China's political ecology. For example, the national departmental structure and the development of the imperial examination system are of little use to the Khiva Khanate, but the political framework can be used as a reference.

Xie Yuan has experienced so many countries along the way, and Anusha in front of him is willing to ask such profound questions.

After staying in Khwarezm for a full month and a half, the Chinese delegation finally left. Instead of returning the same way, we headed south to Persia, where we could take a merchant ship to return home by sea.