Zhutian: Starting from the Space-Time Merchant

Chapter 585 Seven Surnames and Ten Families ~ The Source of Calamity in the Tang Dynasty ~
'boom! '

Lin Dao, lying prone on the wing of the plane, set up his sniper rifle.

Measure wind speed and temperature, and adjust firing parameters.

The sniper scope locked onto a scavenger on horseback who was peering in their direction, and the trigger was pulled.

The smoking cartridge case ejected, while the bullet itself flew hundreds of meters before striking the bearded man in the chest.

The moldy leather armor worn by the scraggly man was no different from a piece of paper in terms of protection under sniper fire.

'boom! '

'boom!boom! '

The muffled gunshots echoed continuously through the desert and Gobi.

In a short period of time, seven or eight unruly bandits were knocked off their horses.

Those who were hit in the chest or head were considered lucky; they would basically die on the spot without suffering too much pain.

But if you get hit in the leg or arm, you're in for a lot of trouble.

The rabble, as if waking from a dream, scattered like birds and beasts.

They were not even as good as the Tibetan regular army.

Even when facing chariots, the Tibetans dared to send cavalry to charge head-on.

These rabble were only hit by a few snipers, but they didn't even have the courage to charge forward.

No wonder they're a bunch of barbarians who don't even have a tribe name.

Lin Dao, lying prone on the wing, slowly changed his magazine, locked on, and fired.

His mood remained unchanged; in his eyes, these mixed-race barbarians were no different from a pack of wolves.

Not far from where the various tribes had gathered, a caravan had its horses and camels encircled.

Those inside the circle, each holding a weapon, nervously peered out.

Seeing that out of hundreds of mixed Hu people, only a handful escaped, the caravan members were astonished.

"That strange bird is amazing!"

"If you shout, someone from the grass-covered scraggly scraggly will die."

"Shut up, pack your things, and let's go take a look."

These days, it's extremely rare to find a swordsman who runs away after being rescued, and even shamelessly claims 'he was willing to save me.'

More often than not, it's about repaying kindness.

Here in the caravan, they actively approached their savior.

They arrived near the plane, the cabin door opened, and Lin Dao, who had been enjoying the air conditioning inside, led the old man Su Xin down.

The caravan members might not recognize Lin Dao's attire.

However, the caravan was all too familiar with Su Xin's Tang army uniform.

The team leader hurriedly stepped forward to greet them and express his gratitude.

Although Su Xin was old, he still had his pride and morals, and quickly said that it was Lin Dao who saved the person, and he was just there to cheer him on.

"You've come from Chang'an?"

Lin Dao sized up the caravan in front of him. "You dare to venture into the Western Regions with so few people?"

The team leader quickly offered an explanation.

When they left Chang'an, their scale was actually quite large.

The problem was that, while traveling through Longyou and Hexi, they encountered exploitation and plunder by the Tibetans on several occasions.

Even more terrifying, almost all the Hu people attacked them along the way.

As soon as they see it, someone rushes over to rob it.

Of the caravan that set out with hundreds of people, only a fraction remain.

This is not surprising.

That's just how the barbarians are.

When the Central Plains were powerful, they could serve the Central Plains dynasty wholeheartedly.

But once the Central Plains are in turmoil and decline, they will immediately shed their sheep's skin and transform into hungry wolves.

From the Five Barbarian Tribes to the present day, hundreds of years have passed, and nothing has changed.

In the past, when the Tang Dynasty was powerful, the Anxi Protectorate maintained order along the Silk Road.

Merchants of the Tang Dynasty could travel safely to the Western Regions and even further afield to Persia and other places.

But now the Tibetans are gradually becoming the masters, and they will not provide protection; instead, they have become the most terrifying obstacle.

Meanwhile, the various Hu tribes who followed the Tibetans in turning against the Tang Dynasty treated the passing caravans as easy prey and slaughtered them mercilessly.

This is why the traditional land-based Silk Road gradually declined, leading to the vigorous development of the maritime Silk Road during the Song Dynasty, which also ignited the future Age of Exploration.

After the decline of the Silk Road, the Western Regions, which had become incredibly wealthy because of it, gradually became barbaric.

A thousand years later, it has become a place of utter poverty, ignorance, and backwardness.

Besides barbarity, all that's left is to cheat people by selling cakes.

"Where are you going?"

Lin Dao asked, "Did you come from Kucha?"

The leader hurriedly replied, "We plan to travel to Khotan, then to the kingdoms of Greater and Lesser Bolu, to sell silk, rhubarb, and other goods."

The Silk Road is named after silk, so silk was naturally the most important commodity.

As for rhubarb, it was regarded as a divine medicine outside of China, and the demand for it was extremely high.

“We set off from Kucha earlier.”

The team leader pointed northeast, "That's the direction."

"The town of Khotan was previously captured by the Tibetans," Su Xin explained from the side. "We were only able to recapture Khotan with the help of Immortal Lin."

"Now that the defenses are weak, a large number of Tibetan troops could return at any time."

"It would be too dangerous for you to go there at this time."

The team leader's eyes lit up, and his gaze toward Lin Dao was filled with hope and respect.

We immediately declared, "We are willing to offer a hundred gold pieces to ask Immortal Lin for his assistance in escorting you."

"We are disciples of Prime Minister Lu!"

"If the immortal master wishes to enter Chang'an, we may inform our master."

"Prime Minister Lu?" Lin Dao immediately raised an eyebrow. "Which branch of the Lu family of Fanyang?" When it comes to powerful families, people will inevitably mention the Five Surnames and Seven Noble Families.

In reality, the most influential, prestigious, and prestigious families in the Tang Dynasty were the Seven Surnames and Ten Families.

Among the seven surnames, the Lu family of Fanyang accounted for as many as three families.

The Tang Dynasty, you could say, was their Tang Dynasty.

The An Lushan Rebellion was essentially triggered by the cruel exploitation by powerful aristocratic families.

The team leader was overjoyed, thinking that Lin Dao had fallen for him.

He hurriedly explained, "My master comes from the second branch of the Northern Ancestor of the Lu Clan of Fanyang. When we left Chang'an, rumors circulated among the common people that my master was about to become a prime minister. If you were an immortal..."

"roll!"

Lin Dao let out a low roar, startling the team leader, whose expression instantly changed.

Lin Dao glanced at the caravan members, then turned and boarded the plane.

Su Xin and the rest of the caravan were all stunned and bewildered.

No one understood why Lin Dao suddenly lost his temper.

The team leader wanted to say something more, but Su Xin stopped him.

He stroked his gray beard and shook his head. "You may leave now."

After saying that, he boarded the plane as well.

With a blank expression, Lin Dao closed the cabin door, returned to the cockpit, started the aircraft, and taxied into the air.

On the ground, the caravan belonging to the Lu family of Fanyang moved further and further away until it disappeared from sight.

Only then did Su Xin ask, "Immortal Lin, what is the reason for this? Could it be that you have a grudge against the Lu family of Fanyang?"

Lin Dao, focused on flying the plane, didn't even drink with Lei Bi.

He countered, "Do you know why the An Lushan Rebellion occurred?"

Su Xin was immediately taken aback.

He was just a veteran of the Anxi Army; how could he know these things?

After thinking for a moment, he replied, "Does the traitor An and the traitor Shi harbor rebellious intentions?"

"That's too superficial." Lin Dao shook his head. "Even without An Lushan, other mountains would have risen up to rebel."

"The real root cause lies in these powerful and aristocratic families, including the Lu family."

"Land consolidation and the equal-field system were completely abolished. Almost all the land in the world was concentrated in the hands of powerful families."

"The people were forced to migrate and flee, with hardly any place to stand."

"The rent, labor service and tax system has been effectively abolished, and the court is frantically increasing taxes, leaving the people with no way to survive."

"This is the true root cause of the An Lushan Rebellion."

"In comparison, the fact that the Hu people guard the border, that treacherous officials are in power, and that the emperor indulges in the favor of the imperial concubine and squanders countless resources are all trivial matters."

"It's those people in Guandong who can't survive anymore, who are desperately wanting the Tang Dynasty to perish!"

The An Lushan Rebellion was essentially an uprising against the cruel rule of the imperial court and powerful clans.

However, the leader was a non-human, alien butcher, which was then packaged as a rebellion.

If this rebellion had not been so devastating to the imperial court and powerful clans, and had continued for decades, it would have inevitably led to a repeat of the chaotic conflict between powerful clans and warlords at the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty.

A hundred years from now, when the common people in the Central Plains have completely lost the power to resist and have become serfs of powerful clans.

That was the era of the Brahmins.
It is precisely because the people of the Central Plains do not want to be slaves for generations to come.

This led to the outbreak of the An Lushan Rebellion.

Su Xin's mind was in turmoil. He felt that what Lin Dao said made some sense, but he couldn't fully understand it.

I was shocked by the consultation; I just sat there, gripping the seatbelt tightly with both hands, lost in thought.

Lin Dao didn't care; he was just making a fuss.

If he had come a few decades earlier, he would have killed An Lushan, taken over the army, and personally led the destruction of the corrupt Tang Dynasty, which was essentially dominated by powerful aristocratic families.

But for now, let's save the Anxi army first.

Walking on the ground, traversing mountains and valleys, crossing rivers and lakes, and even venturing deep into the desert are extremely difficult.

A journey of a hundred miles or so might take several days.

It can fly in the sky, which makes it very fast.

Confirm landmarks, and even inquire about local location upon landing.

Lin Dao finally landed the plane outside the city of Kucha, near a beacon tower, before nightfall.

The Anxi army, fully armed and ready to fight, rushed out from the beacon tower.

After all, the thing that fell down couldn't possibly be a large bird.

The hatch opened, and Lin Dao stepped out.

His gaze fell upon the Anxi army not far away, and he paused slightly in surprise.

He was surprised to actually see a young man.

Yes, probably young people in their forties or fifties.

The Western Regions have been cut off from China for thirty years.

Although occasionally caravans broke through the blockade, and even the eminent monk Sun Wukong on his pilgrimage passed by, they were merely passing through.

Without a replenishment of manpower, the young men who had volunteered to come to the Western Regions were now in their forties or fifties after thirty years.

"Su Xin, the squad leader of the Eighth Regiment of Xuanwei Army!"

"I have been ordered to deliver a military report to the Grand Protector!"

Su Xin shouted and took out his military report and waist tag.

After a brief silence, soldiers from Anxi came over and took the military license plate for inspection.

After confirming that everything was correct, they brought over several horses.

Lin Dao took the plane away, and when he reappeared, the Anxi army at the beacon tower were all shocked.

Fortunately, Su Xin had explained things to them beforehand, which put them at ease.

The group mounted their horses and headed straight for the city of Kucha, which was several miles away.

Lin Dao also really wanted to meet this Prince of Wuwei, the military governor of the four towns of Anxi, and the Grand Protector of Anxi.

They held a lone army in the Western Regions, resisting the Tibetan Empire for forty-two years.
Guo Ziyi's nephew, Guo Xin.

(End of this chapter)