Man Tanghong

You know, the tribe is the most solid support for every big family. If the tribe is unreliable, who else can be relied on?
More importantly, as a royal family, your people have betrayed you, who do you expect to be loyal to you?
Yu Wenbao didn't know what was going on here, and what secrets were unknown, so facing Li Shimin's question, he shook his head in a daze.

Li Shimin said in disbelief: "As far as I know, Western Turkic is still in its prime, and there is no civil strife, so why did most of the royal family of Western Turkic betray Tong Yehu?

Could it be that something happened to the Western Turks that we don't know about? "

I don't know who Li Shimin is asking this question, and no one can answer it.

Although the Western Turks had diplomatic contacts with the Tang Dynasty, and had proposed a marriage with the Tang Dynasty, but because the Eastern Turks obstructed it and obstructed it, most of the diplomatic contacts were just tasted and the marriage was not reached.

Therefore, the vast majority of people in Datang did not know much about Western Turks.

Of course, this is also related to Datang's focus on the domain and the unification war.

When the Tang Dynasty has not yet been unified, and the Western Turks have not threatened the Tang Dynasty, who would care about the current situation of the Western Turks?
"I heard that this is related to the Tutun established by Tong Yehu in the Western Regions..."

Li Yuanji tried his best to recall the historical records of Western Turks, and finally found the word Tutun in many records.

"Tutun?"

Li Shimin had an expression of 'what is that'.

Li Yuanji explained: "I heard that after Tong Yehu became Jielifa of the Western Regions, he sent a Tutun to each of the vassal states and tribes to supervise the collection of tribute.

These Tutuns expropriated and extorted money from various vassal states and tribes, causing widespread grievances among the various vassal states and tribes..."

Li Shimin, and Li Jiancheng, who was far away from Li Shimin's unwillingness, were stunned when they heard this.

It turns out that the so-called Tutun is the tax inspector.

It's just that the tax inspector supervises not domestic taxes, but foreign tribute taxes.

As a tax inspector of a suzerain country, Li Shimin and Li Jiancheng knew very well what kind of method they would supervise taxes after they went abroad.

Expropriation and extortion are probably glorified words. Murder and arson, extortion, and bone extraction are what they really do.

After all, whether it was the former Sui Dynasty or the Great Tang Dynasty, this is what the generals and schools guarding the frontiers and supervising the subordinate countries and Jimi prefectures did.

People in the Western Regions are more barbaric than people in the Central Plains, and they still advocate the law of the jungle. Li Shimin and Li Jiancheng don't think they will persuade them with nice words when they go to supervise the collection of tribute.

They may be more greedy and cruel by those generals on the border.

Under such circumstances, it is only right that the West Turkic people and the people in the affiliated countries should complain.

After all, you have murdered and set fire to your bones. If I had no resentment, then I would not be a human, let alone a beast, but a stone.

"But even so, it's impossible to betray Tong Yehu if you rely on your strength. It's impossible for Tong Yehu to use this trick on his own people, right?"

Li Shimin didn't speak, but Li Jiancheng said in astonishment.

Li Yuanji said with emotion: "As far as I know, both the Eastern Turkic Khan and the Western Turkic Khan are greedy people. And the Tongyehu Khan of the Western Turkic is more greedy than the Jieli Khan of the Eastern Turkic. "

Li Jiancheng opened his mouth in shock, completely speechless.

Li Shimin also had a look of disbelief.

Good guy, if you are more greedy than Jieli, that is insatiable greed.

Jieli was extremely harsh on Liang Shidu and his nephew Tuli, wishing to kill them and take all their cattle, sheep, and money into his own hands.

Tong Yehu is more greedy than Jieli, which means that he has probably started to take cattle, sheep and money from his tribe.

No wonder his people betrayed him.

"If it's just like this, his people don't have to betray him at all, they just need to find someone else to succeed him, why are they so steadfast in betraying him?
Could it be that Xieli would treat them preferentially because they are the royal family of Western Turks? "

Li Shimin couldn't help asking.

With Yijieli's selfish nature, he was mean to his own nephew, so how could he give preferential treatment to his strength.

Defeating from the Western Turks to the Eastern Turks with the strength of the troops is nothing more than fleeing from one slave owner who oppressed them to another slave owner who oppressed them.

Moreover, this slave owner has nothing to do with them, and he will not be lenient when he squeezes them.

Then why is it such a firm betrayal if you step on the strength?

Li Yuanji thought about it and said: "It is said that this Tong Yehu Khan is not only greedy, but also extremely conceited..."

Li Shimin understood immediately.

Greed is boundless, which means that the money, cattle and sheep he gets will not be distributed to anyone under his hands.

Extremely conceited, it means that he has caused trouble, or because after he forced the subordinate country to rebel by extortionate and extorting money, he still needs the people under his hands to counter the rebellion without wastage.

What can the people under this hand do?

Good guy, we risked our lives, and even bet the lives of two generations to help you achieve supremacy, to help you steal and plunder, and to extort money. You got the benefits but didn't give us a penny. Are you selfless?
"call……"

Li Shimin breathed a sigh of relief, and said in an erratic tone: "If this is the case, within three to five years, there will be chaos in the Western Turks."

Then, he fell into silence, not knowing what he was thinking.

Li Yuanji looked at Li Shimin in surprise.

Is Gou Ri's sense of smell so keen?
He had just recalled the history of the Western Turks, and he knew that the Tong Yehu Khan of the Western Turks would be killed by his uncle Mohedu in the second year of Zhenguan, that is, four and a half years later, and would replace him.

The Western Turks will then fall into a 13-year melee.

First, Mo Hedu fought his nephew He Li, then He Li fought the rebels of various tribes and the subordinate countries that rebelled, and then He Li's minister Ni You and his younger brothers Tong'e and Yugu fought with each other. Tribes, vassal states, and those who refused to accept their interests failed.

In short, in the past 13 years, various Western Turkic ministries have appeared on the stage, today you hit me, tomorrow I will hit you, today you appear on the stage, tomorrow I will appear on the stage, there is no time to settle down.

It wasn't until the 14th year of Zhenguan that Li Shimin sent Master Zhang (that's the name) to the Western Regions and canonized the then Western Turkic Khan Bobu as the Khan recognized by the Tang Dynasty, and the Western Turks regained their short-term peace.

Then after Li Shimin's death, the Western Turks rebelled immediately, and then they were pressed and rubbed on the ground by Li Zhi's people. It was not until Datang established the Beiting Dadu Protectorate that peace was restored.

All in all, Tong Yehu can be said to be the turning point of the Western Turks from prosperity to decline. He single-handedly established the prosperity of the Western Turks, and also brought the Western Turks into the abyss of endless wars and struggles.

After the establishment of the Beiting Dadu Protectorate in the Tang Dynasty, the remaining Turkic people either gradually merged into other tribes, or went to Europe to bully those ancient European countries that played with phalanxes and religious states.

At the end of the eighth century AD, the last remnants of the Turks completely disappeared on the stage of history under the joint attack of the Tang Dynasty and the Uighurs.

The Turkic nation was also devoured and digested by the Tang Dynasty and various tribes in the Western Regions. In the end, this nation disappeared completely.

There are many such ethnic groups in history, and most of them have no cultural heritage.

It can be seen how important cultural inheritance is, and how difficult it is to inherit Chinese culture in one continuous line.

However, now is not the time to feel that the Turks will perish, nor is it the time to feel that it is not easy for the Chinese culture to be passed on. The most important thing now is how to resist the Turks in Maling.

Although the Turkic nation is doomed to perish, they are now the overlord of one party, and they are still invading Datang with a very domineering attitude.

So you have to beat them back before you can think about anything else.

"Whether the Western Turks are chaotic or not has nothing to do with us. What we have to do now is to drive out the Turks who invaded our Tang Dynasty."

Li Yuanji looked at Li Shimin, and continued: "How are you going to deal with the battle in Maling? Should we lead the army there directly, or let the county captain of Maling let the Turks go south, and we set up an ambush on the way?"

Li Shimin was stunned for a moment, and pondered: "It stands to reason that setting up an ambush halfway would be the most beneficial for us, we can easily defeat this Turkic army.

However, the county lieutenant of Maling was able to defend Maling City with the help of some temporarily recruited township bravery when all the defenders and government servants in the county were killed in battle, which shows his determination to defend Maling City with those township bravery very big.

If we don't go there, they will most likely live and die with Maling City. "

Li Yuanji questioned: "I ordered them to withdraw, will they not obey?"

Li Shimin sighed and nodded.

They have already decided to live and die with Maling City, which means that they have put life and death aside.

People are not afraid of death, but are they afraid of orders?
It's all about death anyway, why is it more bloody to be immortal, and more honorable to die?
He died to protect his family and land, and after he died, he could raise his head to see his ancestors. When people in other places know about it, they will give a thumbs up and say, "The man from Maling is the real man." .

The vast majority of the poor Northwesterners are people who accept death.

As long as everyone agrees on one thing, it is to do it to the end even if you lose your head.

Whoever flinches in the middle will be stabbed to death by the spine.

Therefore, since the county lieutenants and township warriors of Maling have decided to defend Maling City to the death, they will not back down for any reason.

"Then we can only go through..."

Li Yuanji also let out a long sigh.

Sometimes, you really can't do anything with these deadheads.

People are not afraid of beatings, scolding, or punishment. They are not even afraid of losing their heads when they get angry. What can you do with them?

The governor of Gyeongju had already led the soldiers of Gyeongju and all the countrymen from Huai'an to die in Huai'an. At that time, there were no other Tang soldiers and horses nearby, and there was no way to rescue them.

So apart from praising others for their heroism, there is nothing to say.

But Maling is different, they are on the edge of Maling, if they watch the braves of Maling also die for their country, the people in Qingzhou will be chilled.

We are risking our lives to protect your Li family, but when your Li family arrives, you will not protect my son from Qingzhou. How can you let my son from Qingzhou work for Li in the future?
The common people don't understand the big truths, and they are unwilling to listen to them, especially some people who accept the dead truths. They only recognize some simple truths they know.

For example, how you treat me, I will treat you.