Alexander the Great once said--everything I heard is true, but Samarkand is more magnificent than I thought.

This city located in the Zelavchan Valley is the earliest city in the world. It was destined to be extraordinary from the moment it was founded by the Sogdians.

As the hometown of the Sogdians, Samarkand is the center of the Silk Road in the true sense.

Wine, sausage, sweet rosin, asana, sausage, sausage...

Almost all things from Western civilization in that era were transported to the Western Regions through Samarkand and then to the Central Plains.

The silk and tea from the Central Plains are transported to Alexandria and Constantinople through Samarkand, and then transported to all parts of Europe.

It can be said that without Samarkand, there would be no civilization on the Silk Road.

When Tang Monk traveled west, he passed by Samarkand City and left a record that "the land here is fertile, towering trees, flowers and fruits everywhere, and the climate is pleasant, and it is the center of the Western Regions."

Papermaking was also the first to be passed from the Central Plains to Samarkand to further spread to Europe. Marco Polo also described Samarkand as "a very huge and glorious city" in his travel notes.

Li Dingguo naturally heard these arguments before, but when he really entered the city of Samarkand, he was truly shocked.

The Ulube Seminary and Tylia Kari, and Hill-Dor School are so gorgeous, as if any language is inappropriate to describe it.

A colorful dome decorated with ceramics, a sculpture of a human face and a spearhead, and a magnificent mural composed of agate square bricks...

Li Dingguo had never seen such a civilization. The fragmented things he saw in Junggar Yarkand seemed to be just pieces of products.

"Xingming, have you been shopping carefully when you came to Samarkand last time?"

Li Dingguo asked in a deep voice without hesitation.

Liu Xingming shook his head and smiled bitterly: "Your Highness King Jin, I am responsible for heavy responsibilities. How dare I stay here? It's just a few supplies and set off again."

Li Dingguo nodded.

"This is the reason, I have asked more questions. But now the army is going to take a break here and replenish food. You can also use this time with me to walk around the city."

Liu Xingming thought carefully that this is indeed the case. Anyway, he is idle, so it is better to accompany Li Dingguo for more walks.

"Abide by your order."

The two walked on the street one by one, guarding the distance.

If someone dares to jump out and be unfavorable to His Highness King Jin, they will immediately rush up and chop the assassin to pieces.

Therefore, there is no need to worry about the safety of Li Dingguo and Liu Xingming.

"I heard that Samarkand was conquered by the Mongol Yuan, and the old city was ruthlessly burned. However, after Timur established this country, he selected the best, most talented and skillful craftsmen from the cities he conquered and sent them here. When he was in Damascus, he sent all the jewelers, silk weaving craftsmen, bow and arrow craftsmen, chariot makers, and potters who made glazed and porcelain to this city. The craftsmen who were selected to send them here were all the most skilled technicians in the world. Iraqi craftsmen, Persian sculptors, and even famous Europa architects gathered in Samarkand."

After saying this, Li Dingguo swallowed and then said, "So the city of Samarkand that I see now is actually a new city established by Timur, not an old city established by Sogdians. Right?"

Liu Xingming nodded and said, "What His Highness King Jin said is right. The city of Samarkand is no longer the city established by the Sogdians back then, but it is still very prosperous. Just like many buildings in the Safi Empire have changed several times, but they have more of the vicissitudes of history."

The city established by the Sogdians was at its peak in the Tang Dynasty. Later, with the invasion of the Great Food in the east, the sphere of influence expanded to the Hezhong area. The city of Samarkand was naturally transformed into the Great Food.

It can be said that even without Timur there would be others, and Samarkand City is definitely not what it is now.

Li Dingguo nodded and said, "It's a different matter, and I can't go back. I really want to see what the city of Samarkand during the prosperous Tang Dynasty looked like."

Liu Xingming knew that silence was better than voice at this time, so he didn't say much, but followed Li Dingguo quietly.

...

...

After Li Dingguo led his troops to the city of Samarkand, he immediately ordered people to go to the Safi Empire to report to Abbas II.

After all, the Safi Empire was a powerful empire and an ally of the Ming Dynasty. Li Dingguo directly led his troops into the Safi Empire, which was unreasonable.

At least it must be approved by Abbas II.

Li Dingguo felt that Abbas II would be more reserved.

So he is mentally prepared, and it doesn't matter even if it takes longer.

Who knew that shortly after the news was delivered, Li Dingguo received the news that it turned out that the Emperor Abbas II of the Safi Empire had sent people to Samarkand City to inquire about the news.

Because when Liu Xingming left, he set the meeting place between the two sides in Samarkand City.

From the Persian messenger, Li Dingguo learned that the Ottomans had already advanced to the border of the Safite Empire.

The Ottomans used the banner to borrow the road, but Abbas II refused harshly.

So it's only a matter of time before the two sides fight.

While resisting the Ottoman attack, Abbas II sent people to contact Li Dingguo quickly and asked Li Dingguo to enter the Safite Empire in time to assist in the defense.

Li Dingguo had already understood a rough idea in his heart at this moment.

It turned out that the emperor of the Safi Empire had no confidence in whether he could resist the Ottoman attack alone, and he suppressed all his treasures to the Ming army.

If so, things will be much easier.

On the one hand, he asked the Persian messenger to return to Isfahan quickly, and on the other hand, he gathered all the Ming soldiers and ordered the expulsion.

The Ming army had been resting in Samarkand for about ten days, and had already accumulated enough energy. All the soldiers had put in enough energy to fight the Ottomans.

It is said that the Ottomans are invincible in the world, and they are not convinced.

They wanted to see if the Ottoman firearms were powerful or the Ming Dynasty firearms were better.

Of course, as the head coach, Li Dingguo still has to keep a backup plan and not be blindly promoted. In this way, if he really fails, at least he can still have a way out and will not end up in a desperate situation.

Therefore, Li Dingguo wanted to leave an army in the city of Samarkand to support him.

As for the candidate, Li Dingguo has been trying a lot of thought.

After all, among the generals of Kuidong, they basically hope to take the initiative to go to the front line of the Safi Empire to fight against the Ottomans.

After thinking about it, Li Dingguo thought that the most suitable candidate was He Zhen.

He Zhen is weak in character, but to put it nicely, he is delicate and meticulous.

Compared to the bravery and fighting spirit of the Kuidong generals, He Zhen is simply an alien.

But those who stayed behind needed such people, so Li Dingguo directly selected the person as He Zhen without any hesitation.

...

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Chapter completed!