After the meeting, Khan Ashraf Baruch Al-Dulu walked through the corridors filled with columns. The columns were built by architects from the Round City of Baghdad. The columns were so close together that they could be described as
The forest of pillars is quite exotic in this northern land.
Alaire followed closely behind the Khan. Although he was only the son of the fortress owner, he was the person trusted by the Khan and his most important general, so he was able to stay close to the Khan.
For this reason, he also led the forces under the Khan, alerting the Khan to all possible enemies at home and abroad, and seeking possible achievements. This is why he went to Northeastern Rus as an envoy.
"Alaire, is there anything new happening in Akade recently?"
Khan's tone was full of exhaustion and weakness, and this restless side branch had always been Khan's biggest worry.
"I compiled the information immediately after I came back. There was nothing new, but..."
"But the private operations that have been going on have gone too far, right?"
Khan knew what Allaire was hesitating about. Akade had long been forming cliques for personal gain and building his own interest groups. He had known this for a long time, but he had never dealt with it.
Allaire just kept silent in response to this. There were some things that he couldn't talk about. They were Khan's family affairs.
"As long as my cousin is here, he can't rebel, and I can't do anything about his actions."
Khan saw that his spymaster didn't speak or comment, so he continued to talk to himself, or in other words, comforted himself.
"He is the same age as me, but he has more energy and more military exploits than me. Even his son is older than mine. Isn't it clear to the nobles who is the right person to turn to?"
There is a sense of resignation in Ashraf Khan's words. This Khan is not a man who strives for power. He became a Khan only because his cousin who is twenty years older than him has no intention of becoming a Khan.
Everyone unanimously recommended him to the position, and he was able to hold the position for so many years.
And everyone recommended him to be Khan just because of his character. At best, he is aloof from the world, at worst, he has no independent opinions. This kind of ruler is the favorite of his subjects.
For example, the proposal to the Rus' people to purchase tribute rights in the Mali region was actually the intention of his subjects. They wanted to test the new prince of Northeast Rus' to see if they could take advantage of the opportunity. The Khan just gave an order.
.
"At that time, he can take the position of Khan if he wants to. I just ask him to spare my son's life. Speaking of Adam, Aleph, is that kid still so interested in the Christian God?
"
When he mentioned his son, the Khan, who always gave people a kind impression, finally had a hint of anger in his tone. For the Khan who worshiped Allah, his son had no regard for the spiritual inspiration of Christians.
Interested, this is a complete scandal.
Aleph just lowered his head, which undoubtedly exuded a sense of affirmation, which made Khan's anger even stronger.
"Oh, Allah, I should never have asked a Christian to be his wet nurse in the first place, damn it! Damn it!"
Facing Khan's anger, Allaire could only stand respectfully. This was the only way to deal with it now. Khan's family affairs were not his place to speak.
"Hoo, ho, forget it, it's too rude, Aleph, do what you should do."
Fortunately, anger comes and goes quickly, and Khan's mood quickly stabilized. After all, he is a gentle person.
The Khan waved his hand and signaled Aleph to push him down, and the general bowed and left as if relieved, but the seriousness on his face did not dissipate, because he had to blockade the city now.
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The first step in Bulgar City's war mobilization was to block the market and order all merchants not to leave.
As a large number of Spire Guards swarmed the streets, the atmosphere of the originally commercial market also changed. Although vendors could still do business, they were monitored by the Khan's soldiers, and the city gates and ports were blocked.
Although some businessmen expressed dissatisfaction, and some even tried to force their way through, the Bulgar guards wearing pointed helmets forcibly blocked them back. No matter which khan or sultan's agent you are, you must now obey the Bulgar Khan.
Order.
The reason for doing this is to ensure that the news does not spread. In the north, controlling these businessmen will basically curb the speed of news spreading.
"Damn it, Allah, why are they like this at this time? It's so unlucky."
For Abdul, this was like a bolt from the blue.
During this trip north, the Persian businessman had a great harvest. Although he did not obtain the slave resources he wanted, he did obtain a large slave order from the prince of Russia.
Although their family's original channel for purchasing slaves has disappeared, there is still no problem in acquiring dozens or hundreds of slaves. After all, there are wars everywhere in Persia, and the Seljuqs' conquest army is wiping out the local resistance. It is a big deal for the family to do so.
It has been a long time since I did the low-level slave trade. You can always get slaves by going with the army to buy slaves.
After obtaining a large order, the Persian businessman wandered around Northeastern Rus for a long time, purchasing a series of local specialties, and then returned to Bulgar to rest for a while before embarking on the return journey again, but he was worried about the forgotten things.
When they returned to Bulgar, they found that the army was blocking the city.
Abdul, who had been working hard in war-torn Persia for a long time, immediately realized after the brief panic that the Bulgars were going to launch a war, and the only target of the war could be the Russians.
During his time in Northeastern Rus, Abdul also saw the fiery effect brought by the Kashen Silver Mine. He also wanted to invest in this business, but after discovering that the lowest number of entrants were dignitaries from the cities of Rus.
, and it was so high that it was as high as several kings of Christendom, which made Abdul immediately cower.
In such a place where big shots fight, a little shrimp like him will only become cannon fodder in a matter of minutes. He should just continue his slave business honestly.
No, I must find a way to escape, Abdul thought as he looked at the soldiers blocking the city gate.
His caravan was outside the city. If he never went back, he couldn't even imagine what would happen.
And he also thought, what if he told the Russians about this news... It is shameful to collude with heretics, but money can wash away all shame.
But how to get out? Bribery is absolutely not feasible now. No greedy person would be stupid enough to still be greedy at this time, and it is not like there are any loopholes in Bulgar's city wall.
Then he has only one choice.
Across the room, the Persian merchant looked at the wide Volga River and the port that had few guards.
Chains have been pulled up on the river, which is enough to block boats, but it cannot stop swimmers.
Then swim out on your own.
The slave trader thought this way, he had traveled all over the country for so many years but he had two brushes.
This is gambling on life, but if the gamble wins, it will be rich and powerful, and Abdul has that confidence.