Zhutian: Starting from the Space-Time Merchant

Chapter 262 The Heavenly Emperor of the Tang Dynasty~~~
With a swift and powerful general, they will conquer Loulan in no time.

I am willing to draw my sword and slay the Loulan.

Let it hang in the empty study as a zither companion; there's no need to take it to slay Loulan.

Yellow sand wears golden armor in a hundred battles, and Loulan will never be repaid if it is not broken!
Since the Tang Dynasty, scholars and writers of all dynasties have continuously expressed their hope for the destruction of Loulan.

There are dozens of countries in the Western Regions, but only Loulan has received this treatment.

As for the reason, it's like a man who, after achieving success, longs for the unattainable "white moonlight" he once had.

Loulan was gone when the Tang army began to conquer countless kingdoms.

Loulan was once glorious during the Han Dynasty and was known as one of the seven powerful kingdoms in the Western Regions.

But by the early Tang Dynasty, only a dilapidated city remained, a city that could be buried by sandstorms at any moment.

"What the hell is this place?"

Li Erfeng rode up on horseback and looked around, only to find desolation everywhere she looked.

No birds fly in the sky, and no beasts roam the ground.

The land was covered in sand and dust, and the cracked earth was a shocking sight.

He asked again, "Brother Zihou, why did you come here?"

"Because this country is about to perish."

Lin Dao lamented, "Environmental degradation has led to sandstorms, and the drying up of the Peacock River has cut off our water source. In just a few years, this place will disappear completely."

The Loulan Kingdom in history finally disappeared in the fourth year of the Zhenguan era.

If you think about it, it's only been a few years.

The reason why later generations have never forgotten Loulan is that this small country repeatedly provoked the Central Plains and killed Han envoys on several occasions.

The Tang Dynasty considered itself the successor to the powerful Han Dynasty, and it was naturally right for it to avenge the Han.

When the army officially set out to recover the Western Regions, Loulan, which was once very famous and had repeatedly provoked the powerful Han Dynasty but had not been destroyed, naturally became the target for venting anger and making a name for itself.

However, the result was that public opinion had already been generated and the army had already set off.

Loulan, which was the target, was destroyed before the Tang army arrived.

The disappointment of missing his target with a punch that he had been preparing was palpable.

This regret, in the years that followed, was recorded in writing, using the pen to make up for the regret of not being able to personally destroy the country.

It is indeed a pity.

After all, no matter how strong the Tang Dynasty was, it couldn't destroy a country that had already been destroyed.

Li Erfeng was still puzzled, but he trusted Lin Dao.

The massive Tang army marched along the dry riverbed at the edge of the sandstorm.

Finally, they arrived at the last city, Loulan.

"There are still people here?"

Li Erfeng exclaimed in amazement again, "How did these people survive?"

Lin Dao glanced at the Loulan people who were running into the city in a panic, and patiently explained to them, which was rare for him.

"The ancient Loulan Kingdom was established on the shore of Lop Nur."

"Three hundred years ago, Lop Nur was known as the Lop Sea."

"With abundant water and grass, agriculture, fishing, hunting, and animal husbandry are all highly developed."

"However, in the following three hundred years, climate change caused the precipitation line to shift southward, resulting in a significant reduction in rainfall. As a result, the replenishment of lake water could not keep up with evaporation. In particular, after rivers such as the Peacock River dried up, the evaporation rate increased dramatically, and the lake area shrank rapidly."

Lin Dao raised his finger and pointed to the small town in the distance, with its square city walls.

"Without water, there is nothing."

"They're just enduring it all."

There are many theories about the demise of Loulan.

Excluding unrecorded wars that led to the destruction of a nation, the only possibility is changes in the natural environment.

Without water, extinction is inevitable.

"Your Majesty, look."

Yuwen Shiji, who was accompanying the army, pointed to the fields not far away and said, "There are more fields over there."

Li Erfeng didn't rush into the dilapidated city; instead, she rode her horse to the edge of the fields.

The fields here are not large, only a few hundred or a thousand acres, which is insignificant compared to the Central Plains.

Li Erfeng observed carefully, even riding her horse to the water source at the end of the field to check.

A lake that is only a few miles in circumference.

Calling it a lake is an exaggeration; it's more like a small pond, and I reckon the deepest part is only waist-deep.

Lin Dao looked up at the sky.

The sun was still intense, making people's skin feel hot.

Looking at the river entrance not far away, it had long since dried up and hardened.

Even if there is still some groundwater.

"At this rate of evaporation, it will be completely destroyed in just a few years."

Without water, you can't farm.

If you can't farm, you won't have food.

Without food, people will starve to death.

In reality, they are more likely to die of thirst or sunburn before they starve to death.

Li Erfeng glanced at Lin Dao.

He still doesn't understand why he was sent to such a godforsaken place.

However, since we've come all this way, there's no reason for us to leave empty-handed.

"His Majesty."

Yuwen Shiji rode in, and "the people in the city, upon learning of the arrival of the Tang army, surrendered the entire city."

It was said that the whole city surrendered, but in reality, there were only a few hundred people, including men, women, and children.

As for Loulan City, it was so dilapidated that even Li Erfeng was unwilling to enter it.

The only one who could satisfy Li Erfeng was the king of Loulan.

The current king of Loulan was actually a woman, and quite beautiful at that.

Of course, Li Erfeng certainly had no shortage of beauties.

One of the things that attracted him was the identity of the Queen of Loulan.

Although he only had a few hundred subjects, he was still a king.

Furthermore, the Loulan Queen possessed a very exotic charm, a style that Li Erfeng had never had before.

He first turned to look at Lin Dao.

He just smiled at Lin Dao, but didn't say anything else.

Only then did he feel relieved and addressed the kneeling Loulan people, saying, "Since you are willing to surrender, from now on you will be registered as commoners and incorporated into the territory of the Tang Dynasty."

"King of Loulan, enter Chang'an to serve." Having said that, he turned to Lin Dao and asked, "This place..."

“There’s no need to keep anyone here,” Lin Dao said frankly. “In a few years, it will be completely swallowed up by the sandstorm, and everyone will just move away.”

Li Erfeng nodded in agreement. "That's excellent."

Given the current situation in Loulan, Li Erfeng couldn't stand it.

There's no water in this awful place!
Once the small pond over there dries up completely, the ever-rolling sandstorms will completely submerge this place.

The burden of transporting water alone is enough to drive any garrison here to the brink of collapse.

Upon learning that the Tang Dynasty had taken them in and was going to relocate them to a good place with water, they were shocked.

The people of Loulan were overjoyed and wept tears of happiness, cheering and jumping for joy.

They were truly fed up with this precarious existence.

Everyone watched helplessly as the lake shrank day by day and the rivers dried up.

They all knew very well that when the land was completely dried up, it would be their death day.

But they had no way to deal with it.

Now that they have a way to make a living, they are all so excited they're practically going crazy.

He ran back to the city, packed a few things quickly, and without even having time to bring his bowl and chopsticks, he eagerly left the city to follow the Tang army, fearing that he would be abandoned.

At its peak, the Loulan Kingdom had a population of over 10,000 and an army of 3,000.

In the face of nature, it has become a thing of the past.

The Tang army marched along the dry riverbed of the Peacock River.

During this time, the Queen of Loulan mysteriously told Li Erfeng that she knew of a small oasis in the desert with water, and that she could lead the Tang army there to fetch water.

This is a secret passed down through generations of the Loulan royal family.

A crucial secret that the old king would reveal on his deathbed.

Even if the water runs out completely, they can still survive through this hidden oasis.

Upon hearing this, Li Erfeng laughed until tears streamed down her face.

This is the tragedy of a small country.

The precious resources they value, the resources used to survive and perpetuate their lineage, are worthless in the face of truly powerful nations.

Could the Tang Dynasty possibly lack a small oasis like her?

"You seem quite sincere."

Li Erfeng looked at the exotic face of the Loulan Queen and nodded in satisfaction.

“You shall choose one person from among your people to inherit the throne of Loulan.”

"As for you, once you return to Chang'an, you will enter the palace."

Once you enter the palace, you naturally can no longer dance in the Khan's dance troupe.

But after all, it is a throne, so we still need to choose a successor to take on the work of the dance troupe.

As the army continued its march, the Loulan people accompanying it were surprised to find that even though there were no water sources along the way, they could still drink sweet and clean water every day.

It is truly clean water.

This is really surprising.

The Loulan people, who were all illiterate, would bow and kowtow in the direction of Li Er's tent every day, recognizing him as a god descended from heaven.

The Queen of Loulan was filled with admiration and submission, and served her with even greater diligence.

The army marched all the way to the Kingdom of Agni, which was the Yanqi Kingdom during the Han Dynasty, and only then did the dried-up Peacock River begin to flow again.

The Tang army captured the capital of the Yanqi people in one battle and took their king, Longtuqizhi, prisoner.

When the king was brought before Li Erfeng, he was still shouting that the Turkic army would not let them go.

The Tang soldiers and civilians inside the tent were all laughing non-stop.

Yuwen Shiji kindly reminded him, "The Western Turks, whom you rely on, have already been destroyed."

Long Tuqizhi did not believe it and continued to curse.

Li Erfeng naturally wouldn't tolerate him, and immediately ordered him to be dragged out and beheaded.

Then, from among his sons, he selected one to inherit the throne and sent him to Chang'an to study dance.

"This place was renamed Yanqi, the old name during the Han Dynasty. It was established as a prefecture and county and belonged to the Southern Circuit of Tianshan."

Most of the city's inhabitants migrated away, and people were then transferred from the Central Plains to settle and cultivate the land.

Inevitably, some people would be taken from aristocratic families and relocated to other places.

The Tang army continued its westward advance along the Tianshan Mountains.

After conquering and destroying the Kingdom of Kucha, they also established prefectures and counties there, and set up the administrative center of the southern route of Tianshan here.

When they reached Shule, Li Ji in the north also reached Suyab on the coast of the hot sea.

While waiting for Li Ji to arrive and join them, Li Jing's military report arrived by express courier.

He has already captured the capital of Tibet, seized the Tibetan civil and military officials and the royal family, and destroyed the country.

Moreover, the army began to advance towards countries such as Greater and Lesser Bolu.

Upon hearing the news, Li Erfeng's eyes immediately welled up with tears.

His achievement of conquering a country brought him a formidable rival.

They simply didn't wait for Li Ji, and rushed across the Pamir Mountains, first destroying the Tokharistan, and then countless smaller kingdoms.

The Hezhongdao (River Road) was established here, along with prefectures and counties.

At the same time, an order was issued to expedite the construction of the Tang Straight Road.

They bypassed the Pamir Mountains and built their way from the direction of Suyab.

Li Ji, who rushed over, didn't even get a sip of soup when he arrived.

He was tragically left behind to clean up the mess.

Undoubtedly, Li Erfeng, who returned to Chang'an with dozens of kings, held another grand celebration banquet.

Dozens of Khans danced together, creating a magnificent and awe-inspiring scene.

The courtiers, along with the Khan and the kings, bestowed an honorific title upon Li Erfeng.

"Wherever the sun and moon shine, wherever rivers flow."

"The all-powerful, unified Emperor of the Tang Dynasty~~~"

After the celebration, Li Erfeng also made her own request to Lin Dao.

"The territory of the Tang Dynasty is so vast that it may be difficult to control it by relying solely on the Tang Straight Road."

"Brother Zihou, please help me!"

Lin Dao agreed without hesitation.

First, he took out a telegraph machine, which was very cheap, costing the same as gold, and even came with a spare battery and a solar charger.

Regarding transportation, Lin Dao said there was no rush; they would focus on repairing the Tang Straight Road first.

"I'll sell you the railway after you've finished building the Tang Straight Road."

(End of this chapter)