Chapter 8: The Center of the World (Additional Chapter Seeking Recommendation Votes)

  Make up for last week's new book 7th chapter, still owe 6th chapter one more update.

  Last week ranked 6th in new book, now dropped to 10th in new book. Friends, can you hold on?

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  Chang'an was the capital of the Tang Dynasty and the political, economic and cultural center of the Great Tang Empire.

  The commands issued from Chang'an affected not only the course of Chinese history but also the course of world history.

  Due to the prosperity of the Tang Dynasty, all countries bowed their heads and millions of nations surrendered. Even if it was as strong as the Arab Empire, it was far inferior to the Tang Dynasty. In the face of the attack by the Great Tang Empire, the Arab Empire was at a disadvantage.

  It can be said that Chang'an is the center of the world!

  Its impact far exceeded the territory of the Tang Dynasty and influenced the course of world history!

  Chang'an was first built in the Han Dynasty. The famous minister of the Han Dynasty, Xiao He, built Chang'an, which is the beginning of Chang'an.

  At the end of the Han Dynasty, Chang'an was destroyed by war and did not regain its glory for hundreds of years. It wasn't until Emperor Yang of Sui unified China and established the Sui Dynasty that a new capital city was built at a different location, called "Daxing City".

  After the establishment of the Tang Dynasty, Daxing City was renamed Chang'an, and the famous Tang Chang'an thus stepped onto the historical stage.

  Tang Chang'an was more prosperous than Han Chang'an and became the first super city in Chinese history as well as human history with a permanent population of over one million.

  For us modern people, a city with a permanent population of over one million can only be a second- or third-tier city. However, for the ancients, that was an unattainable achievement. The fact that Tang Chang'an became the first supercity in human history to have a permanent population of over one million is a tremendous achievement!

  Tang Chang'an is nearly 36 kilometers in circumference, covering an area of 84 square kilometers. It is much larger than any famous capital city in Western history, seven times the size of Rome, more than six times that of Baghdad, and seven times that of Constantinople.

  Rome, Constantinople and Baghdad are all famous capitals of the West, but compared to Tang Chang'an, they are far inferior.

  "Chang'an! Chang'an!!"

  "We have arrived in Chang'an!"

  Kangde and Feire were cheering loudly, their faces flushed with excitement, beaming with happy smiles.

  For these soldiers, Chang'an is a sacred place in their hearts. If they can make it to Chang'an, they will be even more blessed than pilgrims on a pilgrimage.

  "What a huge city!" Gao Mei Li was shocked, covering her mouth with her hands, her face full of surprise and emotion: "One does not know the greatness of Chang'an until they enter it."

  "Have I arrived in Shanghai or Beijing?" Although Li Changguo was used to modern metropolises, he was still shocked by the sight of Chang'an, his mouth agape and unable to speak for a long time.

  Outside the city of Chang'an, cars and horses are interwoven, pedestrians are crowded on the road, wearing a hood, wearing a robe, and wearing boots, if not in modern suits and leather shoes, Li Changguo would think he is in a modern metropolis, either in Shanghai or Beijing.

  Despite this, Li Changguo still has a dreamlike feeling, wondering if he is dreaming rather than it being real!

  "Is this your first time in Chang'an?"

  Just as Li Changguo and his companions were shocked, passersby smiled kindly at them: "Every first-time visitor to Chang'an is like you, shocked! Who made this the capital of the Great Tang, the most prosperous city in the world?"

  Holding his head high, his chest puffed out with pride.

  "Ah, we're here for the first time." Li Changguo hadn't spoken yet, but Kang De had already taken over.

  "In Chang'an City, there are countless delicious food, drinks, and fun things to do. There's so much that you'll need to prepare a few extra eyeballs, or else you might pop your eyeballs out." The pedestrian teased Kang De and then quickly walked away with a wave of his hand.

  Li Bai chuckled and stroked his beard, saying: "Don't mention you guys, even I who have traveled all over the world, before entering Chang'an, there were not a few places I had been to, and the number of magnificent cities I had seen was not small. When I first arrived in Chang'an, I was also shocked!"

  As I proceeded on my journey, I got closer to Chang'an and saw it more clearly. The city of Chang'an was high and thick, with walls as high as 50-60 feet and as thick as over 10 zhang (a unit of measurement). A moat, over 10 zhang wide, surrounded the city, protecting it in the middle. It can truly be called a golden city and jade pool!

  At that time, there was no city in the whole world more solid than Chang'an.

  "What a magnificent city!"

  Li Changguo was beyond words.

  He traveled from the Western Regions to Chang'an, and along the way, he saw many golden cities and hot springs, but none of them had the same grandeur as Chang'an, with its majestic city walls.

  On the city gate stood a tall arrow tower, and the Tang army's helmets and armor shone brightly as they patrolled on the city wall. The military appearance was majestic and grand, and Li Changguo and his men couldn't help but sigh in admiration once again.

  The army of Anxi Protectorate was the most elite force in the Tang Dynasty at that time. They had bathed in blood and slept on piles of corpses, what kind of army hadn't they seen? However, when they saw the Imperial Guard of Chang'an for the first time, they were still deeply impressed.

  "This is the Imperial Guard!" Li Bai explained to Li Changguo and the others, "The most elite among the Imperial Guards are the Dragon-Tiger Army."

  "Dragon Warrior Army!" Kang De and Fei Lei's eyes shone brighter than the stars on a clear night: "To become a Dragon Warrior, even death would be worth it!"

  The Longwu Army was the most elite army of the Tang Dynasty, selected from the best armies across the country. Each soldier had experienced hundreds of battles, with extremely rich combat experience, flexible minds, high martial arts skills, and agile movements.

  The city gate is wide and can accommodate dozens of horse-drawn carriages passing through at the same time. The number of people entering and leaving Chang'an is countless, with a bustling atmosphere, yet everything is in order, without any chaos or the awkwardness of modern-day traffic jams.

  As soon as he entered the city, Li Changguo couldn't help but be dazzled by what he saw. The streets were wide and the ground was clean and tidy, like new. Although Chang'an had a history of over a hundred years, it looked like it had just been renovated.

  "If it were in modern society, with that loving and troublesome nature, the house would be rebuilt and demolished every few years, and after more than a hundred years, who knows how many times it would have been renovated. If it's like Tang people, keeping it as new, it's really difficult." Li Changguo's thinking transcended time and space, and another good feeling was born.

  "Look, look! How come that person is so black?"

  "Black as the bottom of a pot."

  Kant and Ferry have now transformed into Liu Lao Lao, entering the Grand View Garden. Their eyes are not enough, they wish to grow a few more pairs of eyes. Suddenly, they see a stout middle-aged man bringing with him a tall and dark-skinned black person, their eyeballs almost popping out in surprise.

  "Black? African black?"

  Li Changguo was also surprised when he saw this black man. It's surprising to see an African black man in the capital of the Tang Dynasty, and it's not surprising if you're not surprised.

  "This is Kunlun Nu, from the South China Sea!" Li Bai was a good guide, and he explained again to Li Changgong and his men.

  Kunlun slaves were very famous in history and did not come from Africa but from Southeast Asia.

  All the way, everyone felt that their eyes were not enough, and they were very much in favor of the good intentions of preparing a few more eyeballs for passersby. If possible, Li Changguo and his group would have prepared ten eyeballs, but this was impossible.

  "After you've finished your business, I'll take you on a good tour." Li Bai saw that Kang De and the others were eager to explore Chang'an thoroughly, so he had to comfort them with a sentence.

  "Too good!"

  Li Bai has been in Chang'an for many years, and he is familiar with Chang'an like the back of his hand. Can there be anything more wonderful than having him as a guide? Li Changguo couldn't help but praise it.

  Chang'an is indeed a great place, but it's not the time for sightseeing. For now, military affairs should take priority. Li Changguo had to put aside his emotions and hurry to the post house.

  As soon as the inn heard that Li Changguo and his party were from Anxi Prefecture, they made arrangements immediately, everything went very smoothly.

  After settling down, Li Bai asked Li Changguo: "Brave and fierce military officer, are you going to the Ministry of War?"

  "No!" Li Changguo replied truthfully: "I want to go visit Chancellor Li first."

  Li Chengxiang is actually the treacherous official Li Linfu.

  "Why didn't you go to the Ministry of War first, but instead went to see this treacherous minister?" Li Bai asked in a rage as soon as he heard these words.