Chapter 26 four

King Timur and Queen Tuma rewarded Princess Oeira generously.Among their rewards, there are not only silver coins and food minted by the empire for market circulation, but also gold and silver jewellery, silk and satin, fruit and meat, etc., all of which are complete. Their protection ensures that the princess and us People have no worries about food and clothing.Even so, the princess still retains a bit of cute childishness in her personality. Sometimes, when we are bored with the food at home, she will take Shahru and me to sneak out and have a delicious meal on the street Unique assortment of snacks.

Butchers in the market often season the meat and sell it after cooking, and some sell cooked meat sandwiched in bread.There are many kinds of meat products, not only domestic livestock, but also game. No matter what kind of meat, it must be washed and cleaned before it can be sold.Shops in the market open early in the morning and close in the evening, while butchers stay open until late at night.If necessary, we don't buy beef and mutton, but only buy some fresh game to go home. Now, in the depths of my heart, the Princess Mansion in Samarkand is my real home, and Princess Oela and Prince Shahru are my closest relatives.In addition, the princess also lent me a pair of observant eyes, which made me feel the magnificence of Samarkand.

Samarkand is located in the northeast of Khale, and it is more than 2,800 miles away from the city of Khale, which will become the fief of Shahru in the future, and nearly 10,000 miles away from Jiayuguan in China.The city is more than ten miles long from east to west, and five or six miles from north to south, which seems to be less spectacular than Halle.Around the city, the terrain is wide and flat, with beautiful mountains and rivers, and rich land.The city wall was built with rammed earth, with doors opened on six sides, and a deep and dangerous moat was dug under the wall to resist and delay external enemies.

Samarkand means "Fat City". It is named for its fertile land and abundant products. It is suitable for planting wheat, rice and fruit trees. It is free from natural and man-made disasters. It is rich in rice and noodles, and its livestock are fat, especially the big-tailed sheep raised by herdsmen. , strong body, low price. The houses and gardens in the suburbs of the city stretch for more than 20 li, and there are poplars, elms, willows, peach trees, plum trees, pear trees, grape trees and other tree species planted everywhere. There are usually squares and passages between the gardens and fruit trees. Among them, there are shops all over the place, and all kinds of goods are available.The population outside the city is more than that in the city, and the most beautiful buildings and villas are all built in the suburbs. The reason is naturally related to King Timur, because most of the palaces and courtyards built by King Timur are outside the city. Gardens, terraces, pavilions, etc. were also built in the suburban gardens, so dignitaries, wealthy businessmen and great merchants followed suit and placed their residences or shops outside the city.

There are many ditches passing through the inner and outer walls of Samarkand, and springs flow everywhere.Next to the fruit forest, there are cotton fields and melon fields.Melons and grapes can be eaten almost all year round in Samarkand, and melons or grapes from various countries in the southeast and northwest are often shipped here for sale.The melons in the melon fields are abundant, and every household cuts them into strips and stores them in the sun, similar to storing dried figs, for year-round consumption. Since Samarkand, there have been many prosperous villages. Every time King Timur conquered a place, he would forcibly conscript the residents of the conquered area to enrich the population of Samarkand.

Not only that, Samarkand's handicraft products are also well-known all over the world.In order to build Samarkand into a world-famous city, King Timur did not hesitate to use various means to attract merchants and craftsmen to settle here, such as jewelers, silk craftsmen, bow and arrow craftsmen, chariot manufacturers, artillery experts, goldsmiths, architects, etc. Teachers, potters and other elders who have a certain skill send themselves or their whole families to Samarkand. There are as many as 150,000 people. Therefore, Samarkand is rich in talents and prosperous in all industries, and there is no shortage of professional technicians in every industry.

Different from many world-famous cities, in Samarkand, most of the residences are built outside the city, while factories or workshops are concentrated in the city.For example, there are several large-scale silk reeling factories in the city. The silk reeled is not only used for weaving brocade robes or embroidery, but also weaves silk and satin of various colors.For silk fabrics, grey, gold, and green are often interwoven into brocade, and of course brocades of other colors are also used, all depending on personal preference and vision. After King Timur conquered the cities of Central Asia one after another, Samarkand became the most prosperous commodity trading center in Central Asia. Goods from all over the world were hoarded and shops flooded the market.And among all kinds of rare goods, there are leather goods and flax from Russia or Mongolia, the most gorgeous silk fabrics and porcelain from China, and precious jade, agate, pearls and other precious goods from Khotan. Jewelry, spices from India, everything is available, all you need is money in people's pockets.

All the transactions in Samarkand used the silver coins made in the country, and this kind of silver money was also applicable in Harleh, another capital of the Timurid Empire.The customs of Samarkand and Harleigh are similar.It is a pity that Princess Oela, who loves traveling more than anyone else, has never set foot on Harleen's land in her life. When Princess Oela first came to take refuge in the Xichagatai Khanate, she lived in the city of Tibilis for a period of time.For the first time in my life, I went out to travel and came back here with the princess.Of course, our trip came and went in a hurry, because King Timur may win at any time and return to the court with his troops.

In the 792nd year of the Muslim calendar (about 1390), because Tok Khan once again broke his promise and openly provoked a war on the border, King Timur decided to conquer the Golden Horde in the north.Both Shanai and Aya went out with the army of King Timur. It will be a difficult and unpredictable battle. Before the departure, Aya handed me over to the princess with confidence.In fact, when the princess first made the decision to travel, she wanted to keep me, but she didn't expect that I would burst into tears as soon as she told me her thoughts, and my heartbroken appearance forced her to change her mind.

She left a letter for Aya, and the trustee gave it to her after Aya came back. For the convenience of traveling, the princess hired a carriage and a good-looking coachman.The carriage was drawn by two horses, and it was roomy enough to put a lot of stuff in, and I could sleep curled up on the thick carpet.I thought of Zilkas, who loved to sing and play the banjo. If Zilkas hadn't gone out with the army, he would have stayed with the princess as usual. On the first night of my departure, I was so excited that I couldn't sleep all night, but the impression left on me by the subsequent journey was a bit vague. It seemed that there were only three things: eating, sleeping, and traveling.Also, I don't remember how many days we traveled on the way, I only remember that at last we arrived at our destination.

On the way, through the introduction of the princess, I remembered some things about the city of Tebris.I know that the city of Tebris was originally the city where Ajar visited in Persia. After Hulagu, the grandson of Genghis Khan, captured and reported, the city became the commercial and political center of Asia Minor.Its wealth and prosperity are obvious to all, so the Mongolian Khans who stayed in Persia like to stay here. When the sun rose, I was awakened by the gentle voice of the princess, and the clear outline of Thebris City appeared in the direction of her finger. The city of Thebilis was built on the plain between the two mountains. Unlike the other cities we passed, there was no wall protection around the city of Thebilis.The foot of the mountain on the left goes straight to the city boundary. Although there is a spring on the mountain, it is said that the water quality is not clean enough, so no one dares to drink it.The hillside on the right is also not far from the city, and the place facing the wind is extremely cool.The top of the mountain is covered with snow all the year round, and the melted water is like a mountain spring rushing, clear and drinkable.I once poured water from a crystal bottle here to invite the princess to drink. After the princess drank, her whole body felt cool, and the scorching heat disappeared immediately.In the south of the city, there are continuous mountains and emerald peaks. Looking from a distance, it looks like a huge emerald wall. Ten-year-old me is so inexperienced, in my innocent eyes, Thebilis City seems to be a paradise on earth. Before, I never knew which city besides the capital Samarkand had so many high-rise buildings and luxurious houses and beautiful courtyards. So many shops and goods made me dizzy and dizzy.I heard from the locals that the former site where the city gate was originally built has now been turned into a square. There are shops in the square, row upon row of shops, and miscellaneous department stores.There is also a bazaar outside the shop, where goods from all directions are gathered in the bazaar, and the variety is too numerous to enumerate.Not only silk, satin, cloth and other silk fabrics are available, but also silk, yarn, silk, silk, pearls, gemstones, and precious metal utensils.There are also vendors who specialize in selling jewelry and cosmetics to women. They gather in a corner of the market, attracting many women with white headscarves and black veils to come to buy. Therefore, buyers and sellers are bargaining, which is very lively. With my fingers in my mouth, I salivate looking at the dazzling array of products.The princess took my hand and chose a pair of jade bracelets and a delicate satin peach-shaped cosmetic box for me.These are all gifts that I would never dare to expect. The princess's generosity and kindness made my tenth birthday shine. That night, the princess and I stayed at the inn in the city.Before going to bed at night, the princess called the innkeeper to the room, and she gave the innkeeper some silver coins, as if asking him to do something for her.At noon the next day, the boss came back to answer. He babbled a lot of this and that, and I noticed that the princess was a little disappointed.After the boss left, the princess told me that we will leave for Sultaniye tomorrow. I say yes. Seriously, I don't care to go anywhere in the world as long as I can be with the princess.