It was Li Xiang's second time to enter the royal city of Western Turkestan. It was really not that great here. Of course, he did not enter the imperial city last time.
There were not many people on both sides of the road. It seemed that the people of Western Turkestan had already issued a notice that Li Xiang would enter the imperial city of Western Turkestan today and would not allow the common people to watch here. Perhaps they were afraid that the common people would see the military power of the Tang Dynasty.
In fact, the weaker a country is, the higher its demands on its people. If it is a strong country, the people can do whatever they want. If something really happens, the country has the ability to take responsibility for it. Obviously, the Western Turkestan does not have this ability, so the control over the people is very strict.
This is the capital of a country. Normally, it should be very prosperous at night, but Li Xiang saw that many shops on the next street were also closed. This shows that apart from Xitoujiao's orders, the people here rarely go out at night. This is different from Chang'an City, where the curfew has been lifted.
When Li Xiang was just reborn, the curfew in Chang'an City was still very strict. If you were caught outside without a legitimate reason, you would face severe punishment, even if you were a son of a prince or noble.
But later the imperial court tasted the sweetness. Take the night market in Chang'an City as an example. The imperial court can now collect 800,000 strings of cash in taxes here every year. If this place is closed, who can you ask for this tax?
Unless there are special circumstances, Chang'an City will not close at night. No matter whether people are inside or outside the city, they can drink in Chang'an City until dawn. Some people specialize in this business, and they will open the door in the second half of the night.
At the beginning, many people thought that they were full and had nothing better to do. Who would go there to drink and eat in the middle of the night? But later these people realized that they were wrong. Although people who specialize in this business have a reversed day and night life, there are more people eating here because there are few bars open at night.
In this situation, many people also began to imitate, but the first one to try it was the most delicious, and those who imitated later could only watch without much benefit.
"Your Highness, please dismount."
When Abalasha said this, Li Xiang was missing the prosperity of Chang'an City at night.
In fact, when he said this, he was quite nervous in his heart. According to the rules of their Western Turkic people, everyone had to dismount here, but what if the people of the Tang Dynasty did not obey? Think about the King of Qi Li You. In his eyes, all rules were trampled upon. He even required the princes and nobles of the Western Turkic people to kneel to greet him.
If Li Xiang had such an idea, it would be difficult to explain at that time. However, Li Xiang did not have such an idea. Instead, he fully respected their customs. As he said before, Li Xiang would not make things difficult for his own people.
Abalasha has not shown any obvious sign of surrender yet, but he already has the idea in his mind. What Li Xiang needs to do at this time is to win him over, and never bully him. If you bully the other side, you will regret it too late. It is very difficult to cultivate an insider in such a big country, and it is definitely not something that people like Wadahan can compare to.
Abalasha happily introduced the royal city here, but when he saw the expressions on the faces of the people around him, he knew that his introduction was a bit like a country bumpkin entering the city. These people all came from Chang'an City. Li You made it clear that day, "Can this be considered a royal city? It's not even as good as my palace."
Although Li You spoke very arrogantly, this guy definitely did not lie. Anyone who has been to Chang'an City knows that some royal palaces are indeed very magnificent, much more magnificent than the imperial city in front of them.
Compared to the arrogant and domineering Qi Wang Li You, Li Xiang simply smiled and nodded. It wasn't that Li Xiang was so broad-minded, but rather that he felt there was no need to compare himself with these people. How much land did the Tang Dynasty occupy? How much tax revenue did it collect annually? If we were to compare ourselves with these people, we would be cheapened for no reason.
The Western Turkic guards around did not think so. Instead, they felt that Li Xiang was very magnanimous and was completely incomparable to the Tang prince that day. Although they were uncle and nephew, the Tang prince had completely lost in terms of human mind.
"This is our Khan..."
When entering a large courtyard, he saw a person standing alone in the distance, which made Li Xiang feel a little embarrassed. Because of the incident of Prince Li You of Qi, the women of the Western Turkic Khan did not come out either. Maybe they were afraid that something like that would happen again.
Li Xiang did not ask for too much here. Both of them bent their waists, which was considered as a courtesy. Originally, Abarasha was very worried, but she did not expect that this matter would be over so quickly.
"Please come inside. This is all our Turkic best mutton."
The Western Turkic Khan pointed to some mutton inside and said that many chefs have already started to test it, and this may be the earliest way to bake and eat it immediately in this era.
The Western Turkic Khan sat in the center, Li Xiang sat on the left, and Abalasha sat on the right. These seats had been agreed upon long ago and were the greatest respect for the host.
"Mutton is indeed delicious, but I am not here to taste it today. There are some things we should resolve first. After we resolve these matters, I will not eat this mutton. What do you think, Khan?"
After Li Xiang sat down, he did not eat the roasted lamb, but just drank a cup of tea.
The Western Turkic Khan frowned in displeasure. "Aren't you Tang people usually reserved? Why are you getting straight to the point today?" "Besides, if we were to discuss this matter, we should have brought it up first. After all, we're the victims. What's with your tone?"
"Why don't we eat and talk at the same time? The mutton is already roasted. If we don't eat it, it will get cold soon."
Abalasha was very good at observing people's expressions. When he saw the Western Turkic Khan frowning, he quickly said these words.
"In that case, let's eat and talk. I've been here for quite some time and have seen your country's customs and people. It's indeed a beautiful country, but..."
When the previous part was said, the face of the Western Turkic Khan was very happy, but when the word "Li Xiang" was said, the Western Turkic Khan was waiting for the next part, but Li Xiang stopped talking and stuffed a piece of roasted lamb into his mouth...