The Northern Liang Envoy

Great Qian Zhen'an Pass.

Outside Zhen'an Pass, the land stretches as far as the eye can see, like a vast plain.

The plains are surrounded by lush green grass, and countless herders graze their sheep and horses on the grasslands.

Zhen'an Pass was surrounded by mountains more than ten years ago.

Ten years ago, countless immortals fell from the heavens, and demons ravaged the land, destroying the entire mountain range outside Zhen'an Pass.

Then a sword descended from the heavens, pacifying the demons of this place.

When the Great Qian Dynasty was first established, this place was later renamed Zhen'an Pass, meaning to express gratitude to the immortals who protected this place.

A sword fell outside Zhen'an Pass, its depths unknown. Later, a spring gushed forth from the ground, turning the deep pit into a lake.

Nourished by the lake, the leveled mountains became grasslands.

Later, herdsmen heard the news and came to graze their sheep and horses here, making Zhen'an Pass bustling with activity. Cattle and sheep could be seen everywhere, and the area quickly prospered.

The veterans who once guarded this place have all retired, and the pass is now guarded by new recruits from the Great Qian.

In the streets and alleys, you can still hear veterans recounting the terrifying scenes from back then.

The strangers who came to this place simply thought these words were just made up by the old soldier.

Today, Zhen'an Pass was just like any other day, with nothing unusual happening.

However, when the soldiers on the city wall vaguely saw a troop of soldiers slowly approaching from afar, they immediately became alert.

"Knock knock knock!"

Several muffled drumbeats sounded, causing the soldiers on and off the city wall to quickly become alert.

A moment later, the army arrived.

"Northern Liang?"

Seeing the beams standing upright on their horses and swaying in the wind, the soldiers suddenly frowned.

How did people from Northern Liang get here?

"Stop!"

The powerful voice carried from afar, carrying an inexplicable majesty that inspired awe in those who heard it.

"Who comes here, and what is your purpose?"

On the city wall, countless soldiers immediately sprang into action, and archers had already taken cover behind the parapet, nocking arrows and preparing to draw their bows.

"Xu Chuanyi, the envoy from Northern Liang, has arrived with a letter of state to pay his respects to the Great Qian Kingdom!"

A person stepped out from the carriage.

The newcomer wore a wide-sleeved robe, crimson in color, resembling the official attire of the Great Liang.

"Since you are an envoy from Northern Liang, why didn't you take the Juyong Road? Why did you come to Zhen'an Pass?"

Hearing the envoy's reply from below, the general upstairs still dared not be negligent and asked again.

"The official road from Northern Liang to Juyong Road was destroyed by the flood, so we had no choice but to take a detour through here. This place is covered with grasslands, which makes the journey easier."

The foreign envoy answered loudly upon hearing this.

"Do you have a fish-shaped tally to prove your identity?"

The fish-shaped tally was one of the main items used by ancient officials to prove their identity, so it was reasonable for the general guarding the city to ask for the tally for inspection.

"Of course."

After the envoy finished speaking, he took out the fish-shaped tally and placed it in his palm.

A soldier from Zhen'an Pass took the fish tally and brought it back to the garrison commander for inspection.

After confirming everything was correct, they glanced at the delegation below and, seeing that they posed no significant threat, indicated that they needed to inspect the items the delegation was transporting.

The Northern Liang envoy did not object, and after rigorous verification, allowed the other party to enter the pass.

"This Great Qian Zhen'an Pass was originally an obscure little pass, yet the soldiers on the city walls are so well-trained."

The envoys entered one by one and were somewhat surprised by the level of defenses in place.

I originally thought that passing through here would just be a matter of a quick, perfunctory inspection.

I didn't expect the guards here to be so vigilant, and to be checking them so thoroughly.

Fortunately, they had indeed come to pay their respects to the Emperor of the Great Qian Kingdom, so they didn't find the inspection to be a big deal.

"His Majesty has sent us to pay our respects to the Great Qian Kingdom Great Qian Kingdom to observe how he governs the country. In just ten years since the founding of the dynasty, the Great Qian Kingdom has already reached its zenith, and its people live in peace and prosperity. Such methods are indeed something we should learn from."

"Fortunately, the Emperor is a wise ruler who listens to advice. If the Emperor were stubborn, coupled with the officials in the court who only knew how to indulge in pleasure, the Great Jin Dynasty would have been a cautionary tale."

The Great Jin Dynasty, which had lasted for two hundred years, collapsed just like that.

This incident likely instilled a sense of crisis in Northern Liang.

Furthermore, the Great Qian Kingdom had only been established for a short time, yet it had already swept across the world, with all the surrounding vassal states submitting to it.

This assertive demeanor also caused some concern in Northern Liang.

Although the Northern Liang was not weak, the strong rise of the Great Qian still brought them a lot of pressure.

The merchants who traveled to and from the country brought news of the rapid changes taking place in the Great Qian Kingdom, which inadvertently increased this pressure.

After much deliberation, the Northern Liang sent envoys to learn from their effective governance strategies.

So as not to fall behind others.

"Hmph, those who eat meat are base and incapable of long-term planning."

Upon hearing this, the envoy immediately snorted coldly.

His words were filled with deep dissatisfaction towards the people in the imperial court.

If it weren't for his diligent efforts and the Emperor's support, he would never have had the opportunity to go on this mission.

Those officials all believed that Northern Liang was the true great power, while Great Qian was merely a small country.

Sending a major power to a small country as an envoy is undignified and undermines the prestige of a major power.

Thinking of this, the envoy's expression grew increasingly unpleasant.

Seeing the garrison at Zhen'an Pass and thinking about the defenses of his own border, his face turned even more grim.

"Senior brother, this place is now within the territory of the Great Qian Dynasty."

"Yes, you'll need to go out and gain experience on your own next. I've heard that the Great Qian Dynasty is peaceful and prosperous, which might be helpful for your training."

The two Daoist priests who followed the envoy also quietly entered Zhen'an Pass Zhen'an Pass after the envoy's group entered the pass.

"Don't worry, senior brother, I will definitely train hard and will not bring shame to our sect."

Upon hearing this, the younger boy, who looked to be around ten years old, immediately spoke solemnly.

Upon hearing this, the middle-aged Daoist priest shook his head helplessly. "Your training is to cultivate your character and virtue, not for the sake of your sect. If your character doesn't match the training, we will sever our sect ties."

Upon hearing this, the young Daoist priest's expression hardened, and he quickly and respectfully replied, "Junior brother understands, but senior brother..."

At this point, the young Daoist looked at his senior brother with a somewhat hesitant expression.

Upon seeing the other person's appearance, the middle-aged Daoist knew perfectly well what the other person was thinking.

He immediately chuckled and said, "It's alright, no need to worry about Senior Brother. Senior Brother came here to see if he could achieve enlightenment. He has been in the sect for more than ten years without achieving enlightenment, which is truly shameful."

"If you cannot achieve enlightenment this time, there's no need for you to return to the sect, Senior Brother."

At this point, the middle-aged Daoist priest let out a soft sigh.

Although it is difficult to enter the Seeking Dao Mountain, the other fellow disciples have all been able to attain enlightenment at least once.

However, by this time, he had not been able to enter even once.

This level of skill is truly quite poor.