After the meeting, Khan Ashraf Baruk Tulu walked in the colonnaded corridor. The columns were built by architects from the Round City of Baghdad. The columns were extremely close together, forming a veritable forest of pillars. In this northern land, it possessed a distinct exotic style.
Arel followed closely behind the Khan. Although he was only the son of a chieftain, he was a trusted man of the Khan and also his most important general, thus allowing him to stay close to the Khan.
For this reason, he also commanded the forces under the Khan, vigilant for all possible enemies, both domestic and foreign, on behalf of the Khan, and sought potential merits. This was also why he went to Northeast Rus' as an envoy.
"Arel, has Akad made any new moves recently?"
The Khan's tone was full of weariness and weakness. This restless collateral relative had always been the Khan's greatest worry.
"After I returned, I immediately organized the intelligence. There's nothing new, but..."
"But the private dealings that have already occurred are already too much, aren't they?"
The Khan knew what Arel was hesitating about. Akad had long been forming factions and building his own interest group everywhere. He had known this for a long time but had never responded.
Arel merely remained silent about this. Some matters were not for him to speak about; they were the Khan's family affairs.
"As long as my cousin is still alive, he cannot rebel. Furthermore, I am powerless against his actions."
Seeing that his spymaster did not speak or comment, the Khan continued to speak to himself, or rather, to comfort himself.
"He is the same age as I am, but his energy is more abundant than mine. His military achievements are also more abundant than mine. Even his son is older than my son. For the nobles, isn't it obvious who is the correct person to side with?"
Khan Ashraf's words carried a sense of resignation. This Khan was not originally a person who vied for power and profit. He was able to become Khan only because his cousin, who was twenty years his senior, had no interest in the Khanate. That year, everyone unanimously nominated him, allowing him to hold his position securely for so many years.
And everyone nominated him as Khan simply because of his character. To put it nicely, he was content with the world; to put it bluntly, he was indecisive. Such a ruler was most favored by his subordinates.
For example, regarding the proposal to the Rus' to purchase the right to collect tribute in the Mari region, it was actually the intention of his subordinates. They wanted to test this New Prince of Northeast Rus', to see if they could seize the opportunity. The Khan merely issued the order.
"By that time, if he wants to take this Khanate, let him take it. I only ask that he spare my son's life. Speaking of Adam, Aleff, is that boy still so interested in the Christian God?"
When his son was mentioned, the Khan, who had always given people a sense of kindness, finally showed a hint of anger in his tone. For a Khan who worshipped Allah, his son being interested in the Christian God was a complete and utter scandal.
Aleff merely lowered his head, and this undoubtedly conveyed an affirmative meaning, which made the Khan's anger grow stronger.
"Ah, Allah, I should not have allowed a Christian to be his wet nurse in the first place. Damn it! Damn it!"
Facing the Khan's anger, Arel could only stand respectfully. This was the only way to respond now. The Khan's family affairs were not for him to comment on.
"Phew, phew, forget it. I've lost my composure too much. Aleff, go do what you need to do."
Fortunately, the anger came quickly and subsided quickly. The Khan's emotions quickly stabilized, as he was inherently a gentle person.
The Khan waved his hand, signaling Aleff to withdraw. The general bowed and left as if relieved of a heavy burden, but the seriousness on his face did not dissipate, because he now had to blockade the city.
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The first step in Bulgar City's war mobilization was none other than to blockade the market and order all merchants not to leave.
As large numbers of pointed-helmeted guards flooded the streets, the atmosphere of the originally commercial streets changed. Although vendors could still conduct business, they were constantly monitored by the Khan's soldiers, and both the city gates and the port were blockaded.
Although some merchants expressed dissatisfaction, and some even attempted to force their way through, Bulgar guards wearing pointed helmets forcefully blocked them. No matter if you were an agent of any Khan or Sultan, you now had to obey the Bulgar Khan's orders.
The reason for doing this was to ensure that news did not spread. In the North, controlling these merchants essentially curbed the speed of information dissemination.
"Damn it, Allah, why are they doing this at a time like this? How unlucky!"
For Abdul, this was like a bolt from the blue.
On this northern journey, this Persian merchant had gained a rich harvest. Although he had not obtained the slave resources he desired, he had received a large order for slaves from the Rus' Prince.
Although their family's original channels for purchasing slaves had disappeared, acquiring dozens or hundreds of slaves was still not an issue. After all, Persia was full of wars. The Seljuk conquering army was sweeping away local resistance. The family could always resort to the low-level slave trade they hadn't engaged in for a long time, buying slaves by following the army; slaves could always be obtained.
After receiving a large order, this Persian merchant lingered in Northeast Rus' for quite some time, purchasing a series of local specialties. After returning to Bulgar to rest his team for a period, he set off on his return journey again. But when he returned to Bulgar for something he had forgotten, he found the army blockading the city.
Abdul, who had long struggled in war-torn Persia, immediately realized after a brief panic that the Bulgars were about to launch a war. And the target of the war could only be the Rus'.
During his time in Northeast Rus', Abdul had also seen the fervent effect brought by the Kashen Silver Mine. He had once wanted to invest and join this venture, but upon realizing that the lowest entry point was the magnates of the various Rus' cities, and the highest directly reached several kings of the Christian World, Abdul immediately lost his nerve.
In a place where such important figures were clashing, a small fry like him would only become cannon fodder in minutes. He should just stick to his slave business honestly.
No, I must find a way to escape. Abdul thought this as he looked at the soldiers blockading the city gates.
His caravan was outside the city. He dared not imagine what would happen if he didn't return.
Moreover, he also thought, what if he told this news to the Rus'? Colluding with pagans was certainly shameful, but money could wash away all shame.
But how to get out? Bribery was absolutely out of the question now. No greedy person would be foolish enough to still be greedy at a time like this, and the walls of Bulgar didn't seem to have any loopholes.
Then he had only one choice.
Walking through the room, the Persian merchant looked at the wide Volga River and the port which now had few guards.
Iron chains had already been pulled across the river, enough to block the passage of ships, but they couldn't stop swimmers.
Then he would swim out.
The slave merchant thought this. Having traveled far and wide for so many years, he certainly had some tricks up his sleeve.
This was a gamble with his life, but if he won, it would mean great wealth. And Abdul had that confidence.
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