Xiang Yu let out a cold snort. "We don't know why we must obey your commands, nor do we know when or where we are. But please remember, sir, my sisters are not for you to covet!"
Liang Hongyu pushed aside the weapons of the six men, drew the short saber from her waist, and held it to her own throat, speaking to Motorola with icy resolve. "If you harbor any more perverse thoughts towards us sisters, do not blame us for meeting death!"
"You are not worthy!"
Motorola's face turned from green to red. He hadn't expected these summoned subordinates to be so unyielding. He wanted to draw his gun and give them a taste of his authority, but he had a lingering feeling that killing these women would result in a loss far greater than just these subordinates. That subtle, ungraspable sensation left him in turmoil.
"Great Tsar, please calm your wrath!" Ge Wuenqusi, seeing the changing expressions on Motorola's face, hurried over with his wet steps. "Your Majesty, although I don't know where these people came from, I can tell they are all citizens of the Tang Kingdom. I've heard that people of the Tang Kingdom are fiercely protective. Across the river, there are many Tang merchants. If anything were to happen to these individuals, and it reached the Tang Kingdom, they might dispatch a large army to punish us."
The Sasanian Dynasty had very limited channels of understanding of the Central Plains. What impressed them most was that centuries ago, countless Xiongnu were driven from their ancestral lands by that Eastern dynasty, causing widespread devastation to the small countries around the Caspian and Aral Seas. Even the Sasanian Dynasty itself had suffered from the harassment and repeated invasions of the Xiongnu. In their eyes, a mysterious Eastern Heavenly Kingdom capable of driving such a powerful force of Xiongnu to flee must be incredibly formidable. Another source of information about the Central Plains came from merchants traveling from the Tang Dynasty. These merchants would certainly not speak ill of the Tang Dynasty; being far from home, they would inevitably promote the prosperity of the Great Tang to enhance their own sense of security. Moreover, they had recently heard that the Great Tang had annihilated their northern rival of centuries, and southern kingdoms like Pyu and Kanauj had submitted to the Tang cavalry. Thus, in the eyes of the entire Sasanian Dynasty, the Great Tang was an invincible entity.
He wasn't afraid of Motorola being retaliated against, but rather of this fool escaping and the Tang Kingdom directing its anger towards the Sasanian Dynasty. Motorola was caught in a dilemma. He didn't fear retaliation from the Tang Kingdom but was worried about attracting their attention. After all, he still had a mission item that required him to go to the Tang Kingdom to obtain. If he got on the bad side of the Tang people over such a minor issue, his subsequent mission would surely not go smoothly. But if he didn't teach these people a lesson, where would his great imperial dignity lie?
Recalling the original purpose of summoning them, he sneered at Xiang Yu and the others. "Let this matter be settled. You will perform a task for me. If you do it well, I will no longer pursue your offense of rebellion. If you fail, then you will all die together!"
"Please, sir, instruct us!" Xiang Yu's voice was devoid of emotion. The feeling of being compelled to obey this person, as if by some unseen force, annoyed him greatly. Guan Yunchang and the others were too lazy to even look at Motorola, standing by the side and watching him with cold eyes. Motorola felt a chill run down his spine under their gaze and quickly pointed across the river. "Across the river, there is something. You will go together and retrieve it for me."
"Ge Wuenqusi, you will escort them back to Babylon. Whatever they say, you will do as they say. As long as we get the Code of Hammurabi, I will withdraw my troops."
"Brave warriors, please follow me!" Ge Wuenqusi invited Xiang Yu and the others in broken Tang dialect. This made everyone look at him with newfound respect. As for Motorola's words, they were certain they had never heard that language before, yet they understood it, without knowing why. But when Ge Wuenqusi spoke, it was like hearing a familiar voice amidst these people with yellow hair, making them feel a slight warmth towards him.
"Please, lead the way!"
They followed him to the banks of the Euphrates River, where a small boat about ten meters long was docked. On the other side of the river, Belurush II, seeing that the returning boat carried not only the dispatched envoys but also several burly men, couldn't help but curl his lips into a smile. Since people had come along, it meant the peace talks had been successful. As the boat docked, he proactively stepped forward with other officials to greet them.
"Hahahaha, dear General Ge Wuenqusi, esteemed guests from afar, you must have had a tiring journey. Bring my treasured Drunken Immortal Brew to welcome everyone!"
Xiang Yu and the others couldn't understand a word he said, and they turned to Ge Wuenqusi with questioning eyes. After he explained, Xiang Yu shook his head. "No need. Just take us to retrieve that item!"
Ge Wuenqusi then recounted the matter of the Code of Hammurabi to Belurush II and the others. To them, it was just a stone pillar, albeit an ancient one. The current Sasanian Dynasty was surrounded by enemies. Being able to send away those death gods on the other side of the river in exchange for this item, which could neither be eaten nor drunk, was an exceptionally good deal. Therefore, Belurush II readily agreed, saying with a smile, "Then I will trouble General Ge Wuenqusi to escort them. Whatever you need, Your Majesty will provide it all."
Ge Wuenqusi nodded repeatedly, led Xiang Yu and the others through the crowd, obtained warhorses from the soldiers, and they headed towards the distant city.
"General, may I ask what year it is and where this place is? How is my Western Chu?" Xiang Yu couldn't help but ask along the way, while the others also looked expectantly at Ge Wuenqusi. Everything here was too unfamiliar!
"The way you reckon time in the East is different from ours. If I told you our years, you might not understand. According to the Tang Kingdom, it is now the summer of the fourth year of Zhenguan," Ge Wuenqusi answered truthfully, not understanding why they were asking such questions.
Everyone wore expressions of bewilderment. However, Gao Chong and Lu Zhishen exclaimed in unison, "It's the Great Tang! The era of Emperor Taizong!" Both of them were from the Song Dynasty and knew something about the Tang Dynasty, especially Emperor Taizong Li Shimin, who was a sage ruler.
Xiang Yu and Meng Ben immediately pressed them for details about what the Tang was and what the situation was with Western Chu and Qi. Lu Zhishen wasn't very clear on this, but Gao Chong, being a top general under Yue Fei, had often heard historical accounts from Yue Fei. Meanwhile, Zhang Fei signaled to Guan Yunchang, and the two of them slowly fell behind.
After creating some distance, Zhang Fei burst into excited laughter. "Hahaha, Brother Guan is alive! That's great! By the way, Brother Guan, where did you go after you left Mai City and didn't die?"
Guan Yunchang was stunned by his words. After a long pause, he replied, "After I escaped from Mai City, I was pursued by Pan Zhang's troops. Just as they were about to catch up, that portal of light suddenly appeared, and guided by fate, I arrived here."
"Why did you think I was dead?" Zhang Fei's laughter stopped, and he opened his mouth wide in disbelief. "When the portal of light brought me here, your death was already known throughout the land. Our eldest brother raised an army to attack Wu to avenge you. When I received my eldest brother's military order, I decided to lead the entire army to mourn you and set out, but Fan Qiang and Zhang Da, claiming they didn't have enough white cloth, were tied to a tree by me and each received fifty lashes."
"Brother Guan, you know I don't like to close my eyes when I sleep. It was just when I had barely fallen asleep that night that the portal of light woke me up."
After he finished speaking, he suddenly noticed that Xiang Yu, Meng Ben, Gao Chong, and Lu Zhishen had stopped at some point and were now gathered around him and Guan Yunchang, eavesdropping.