Chapter 6: Rely on Parents at Home, Depend on Friends Outside

　　Xiao Fan: (￣︶￣)↗

　　As the saying goes, "Rely on parents at home, depend on friends outside," Xiao Fan immediately thought of his good friend Zhao Teng, who frequented the Panjiayuan Flea Market.

　　Zhao Teng and Xiao Fan were not just classmates but also close buddies sharing the same dormitory bunks. He was a chubby guy, weighing in at 200 pounds when he first entered college. For some reason, the school seemed to enjoy bullying the larger students, but Xiao Fan never looked down on Zhao Teng. In fact, he often helped him out of various troubles, strengthening their bond.

　　After becoming close, Xiao Fan learned that Zhao Teng was a local native of Beiqing. Although he attended university to meet his parents' expectations, studying civil engineering was not about toiling away on construction sites.

　　After graduation, with some financial support from his parents, Zhao Teng opened an antique shop in the Panjiayuan Flea Market. While it was labeled as an antique store, Xiao Fan knew that 99% of the items inside were modern replicas. Nevertheless, Zhao Teng's sharp mind and broad knowledge allowed the business to survive, if not thrive.

　　Xiao Fan opened WeChat, and with a few clicks, he directed his phone's camera toward the ecological box, taking several pictures, with an extra focus on Yao Xi. Xiao Fan couldn't help but marvel at her beauty, which seemed flawless from any angle.

　　Along with the photos, he bombarded Zhao Teng with his questions.

　　Xiao Fan: "Hey, buddy! Got a minute? Help me check if these little folks are from the Tang Dynasty? What's the year in 'Jianzhong 9'?"

　　Xiao Fan: Sends "picture" "picture" "picture" "porn picture" "picture" "picture" "picture"

　　Xiao Fan: "The girl in this photo is named Yao Xi, the old man is Gao Cunzheng, and this is Mina's porn picture...(retract)..., the young man in this photo is named Li Shiwu, and the one next to him is Zhang Shiba."

　　Xiao Fan accidentally sent a suggestive image along with the pictures and promptly retracted it.

　　Soon enough, Zhao Teng responded.

　　Zhao Teng: "Good job, my boy! Are you starting a new ecological box? Desert theme? These landscaped little people are incredibly realistic. A themed ecological box is a great idea. By the way, just to let you know, I've already saved Mina's porn picture..."

　　Xiao Fan: s(・｀ヘ´・;)ゞ

　　"Damn it, underestimated Zhao Fatty's speed. I was too slow to retract it." Xiao Fan complained indignantly.

　　Zhao Teng: "The costumes look like those of commoners from the Tang Dynasty. The way you named them is not bad. And a reminder, 'Cunzheng' is an official position, not a name, similar to a village chief. As for Li Shiwu and Zhang Shiba, it indicates their birth order in this generation. Regarding the year 'Jianzhong 9'... it doesn't exist. The 'Jianzhong' era only lasted until the 4th year. However, we can speculate that 'Jianzhong 9' corresponds to the year 788 AD. Due to the occupation of the Hexi Corridor by Tibet, Anxi and Beiting became enclaves of the Tang Dynasty, so they didn't know about the change in the era name."

　　Zhao Teng, being an antique expert, knew a lot, and Xiao Fan had a sudden realization.

　　Xiao Fan: ╭(⊙o⊙)╮

　　"It seems like the god has had an epiphany..." Yao Xi was still gazing up at Xiao Fan.

　　Zhao Teng: "Good son, are you selling this ecological box? It's really well done. When you look closely, it's remarkable. It seems so real..."

　　Zhao Teng: "Look at that sign on the city gate tower, it says 'Shule Town.' The architectural style is also consistent with the Tang Dynasty's fortification style. Did you really make this?"

　　Xiao Fan: "Indeed, very realistic. Wait... what does 'dead fatty' mean? Does it imply your old man's ecological boxes aren't realistic?"

　　Zhao Teng: "So, did you make this?"

　　Xiao Fan: (~_~;)

　　Xiao Fan: "No..."

　　Zhao Teng: "...You stole it?"

　　Xiao Fan: "Nonsense! Even if I can't find a job, I'm not going to turn to illegal activities. Anyway, this is a long story. If you have time, come over and see for yourself. Right now, I just want to know what happened to the Anxi Protectorate of the Great Tang in history."

　　Zhao Teng sent a voice message on WeChat, and Xiao Fan was stunned after listening.

　　Is this their fate?

　　Xiao Fan: (ಠ ಠ)

　　A thousand miles and a solitary city, all are white-haired soldiers.

　　In the year 755 AD, the An Lushan Rebellion erupted. To suppress the rebellion, the elite forces of Anxi were all transferred to the Central Plains, leaving less than ten thousand soldiers to guard the region.

　　In the year 766 AD, Tibet seized the opportunity to capture the Hexi Corridor, cutting off the Silk Road. Since then, Anxi hung alone in the Western Regions.

　　In the year 787 AD, the Beiting Protectorate was breached by Tibet, and all seven thousand Tang soldiers died in battle without a single one surrendering.

　　In the year 808 AD, the last city of the four Anxi towns, Kucha, fell. For 42 years, the Anxi army resisted the flourishing Tibet for nearly half a century. The once mighty Anxi army that dominated the Western Regions had long turned gray.

　　Xiao Fan: (┳ ┳)

　　"The expression of the god is so sad..." Yao Xi, unaware of what happened outside the box, only saw Xiao Fan's desolate look.

　　Xiao Fan once again looked down at the little people in the ecological box. They were the remnants left by the Tang Dynasty in the Western Regions, and their future fate had already been written in history.

　　Wait a minute.

　　Xiao Fan seemed to realize something. In the year 788 AD, when Beiting had just fallen, Tibet's offensive was in full swing. When did Shule lose?

　　Xiao Fan urgently sent a voice message.

　　Xiao Fan: "Hey, Fatty, when did the Anxi Shule Town of the Great Tang fall?"

　　However, Zhao Teng's answer left Xiao Fan dumbfounded!

　　Zhao Teng: "Xiao Fan, what's wrong with you? Why so urgent? Let me think... It seems like it was in the year 788 AD when the city was slaughtered by 4,000,000 Tibet troops!"

　　Xiao Fan: (⊙ˍ⊙) !!!

　　"The god seems to be quite frightened!" Yao Xi looked at Xiao Fan's expression and suddenly felt strange.

　　At the same moment, Xiao Fan saw in the west of the ecological box, dust was suddenly stirred up, and a cavalry unit emerged from the dust, heading straight towards the Shule town ahead.

　　"Could it be Tibet cavalry? Could today be the day Shule is destroyed?" Xiao Fan was greatly alarmed.

　　Yao Xi also sensed something unusual and looked towards the west, where the dust from the horse hooves of the cavalry filled the air.

　　"Village Chief, there are cavalry coming from the west towards us!" Yao Xi urgently said.

　　"Ring, ring the bell! Ring the bell quickly!" Gao Cunzheng's face turned pale.

　　The warning bell rang in the open space, and the villagers leaving the city threw down what they had in their hands and hurriedly ran towards the city.

　　Male villagers picked up tools like hoes and hid behind low mud walls, ready to resist the invasion of foreign tribes at any moment.

　　Equally nervous was Xiao Fan, facing war for the first time. He was somewhat at a loss; these little people had no defense capabilities, and the city was in a state of disrepair. Images of slaughter and city destruction kept flashing in Xiao Fan's mind. For a moment, a sense of fear overwhelmed him, as if Xiao Fan were personally experiencing it.

　　However, the scene of slaughter did not happen. Just when Xiao Fan's mind was in chaos, contemplating how to save these little people, the warning bell in the ecological box unexpectedly stopped ringing!?

　　Xiao Fan: (⊙_⊙)