A Good Landlord in the Tang Dynasty: Emperor Yuan Cong

Chapter 1132 The Crown Prince
Outside Gaochang City,

Upon hearing the news of the king's death, many people shouted that it was a good opportunity to rush into the royal city, capture the prince, seize the city and present it to the Tang Dynasty.

Ashina Ju sat on the blanket in the felt tent in silence for a while. He seemed to be recalling the old king's past, and the little things they had experienced together after he came to Gaochang to be the guardian of Tutun. The old king was a good person.

In the past, he looked down on the old king, thinking that he was too smooth, like a Sogdian merchant, and also a little weak, like a fence-sitter who sways with the wind.

But when I heard the news of his death, I was very sad.

He waved his hand. "The Chinese have an old saying, 'Death is the greatest thing.' The old king just died, so let's show him some mercy."

"Let's go in and see the old king for the last time,"

Some people thought that there was no need to show any mercy to Gaochang. They were about to perish anyway, and the Tang army would be here soon. If they failed to capture Gaochang, it would be disastrous.

"I know my limits." Ashina Ju said firmly. He planned to use courtesy first and then force. He was quite familiar with the young man Gao Zhisheng. He was young and frivolous, and did not have much real ability, far inferior to the old king.

He believed that after paying his respects to the old king and then talking to him, he would be able to get the young prince to surrender voluntarily.

If you can persuade them to surrender, you won't bother taking action, and there won't be any casualties.

Ashina Ju brought all the officers and nobles with him, and selected a hundred cavalrymen to serve as his escort.

city ​​gate,
The Gaochang soldiers guarding the gate had already tied white scarves on their heads and even white linen around their waists.

They did not stop Ashina Ju and his group, and did not even check their guards, and let them enter the city.

Ashina Ju rode his horse straight to the palace just like he did every time he entered the city.

But they didn't notice that after they left, the gatekeeper waved his hand and the soldiers began to close the door.

The city gates slowly closed, and were sealed tightly.

Then the gatekeeper climbed onto the top of the city wall and released a wisp of smoke that went straight up into the sky.

After seeing the smoke, the guards at other gates of Gaochang City quickly closed the gates.

As a wisp of smoke rose from each city gate,

Many soldiers poured out from all parts of Gaochang City, and martial law was imposed throughout the city.

The shops were closed and the people stayed at home.

Ashina Ju soon arrived in front of the palace. There were many soldiers in mourning standing in front of the palace gate.
"Please leave your sidearms behind,"

Ashina Ju saw that they were all covered in sackcloth and did not care. He took off his sword, iron bones and other things and handed them over. They left their followers outside the palace gate and waited, while a group of Turkic officers and nobles entered the palace gate.

The palace gate slowly closed.

The eunuch led them to a hall and said, "Your Highness the Crown Prince is waiting in the hall."

Tutun did not suspect anything and strode into the hall, pushing the door open.
In the palace,

Crown Prince Gao Zhisheng was sitting on the couch in heavy mourning.

When he saw Ashina Ju and others coming, he didn't even stand up to greet them.

Ashina Ju was dissatisfied when he saw this, "Where is the old king? I came to say goodbye."

Kou Zhisheng raised his head, his eyes red.

He looked at Ashina Ju with eyes as sharp as knives.

"My father was killed by you,"

"Your Highness, I mourn for you,"

"You also killed him."

"Your Highness, I understand that you are sad, but please don't spit blood at me," Ashinaju frowned, his face darkened, and he raised his voice a little.
Kou Zhisheng stood up.
“When you fled from Mobei to the Western Regions with Nashi Nafu, our Gaochang Kingdom accepted you, provided you with food and fodder, and clothed you, and let you rest and graze here. But how did you repay Gaochang after you recovered?
After Ashinafu gained power and proclaimed himself the Great Khan, he became even more ungrateful, coercing Gaochang, extorting money and food, and conscripting young men to fight for you. He also sent you to interfere with Gaochang everywhere, forcing us to attack Yanqi and block the Silk Road..."

Ashinaju couldn't listen any longer.
Although some of the content is true, a lot of it is simply lies. What about forcing them to send troops to Yanqi? In fact, Yanqi wrote to the Tang Dynasty to reopen the Loulan Road, and Gaochang opposed it most fiercely and was the most enthusiastic.

Even before Yu Gushe took action, Gaochang sent troops to attack Yanqi.
Yu Gushe saw that Gaochang had defeated Yanqi and looted it, so he sent troops to join Gaochang and launched another large-scale attack on Yanqi. He destroyed five cities of Yanqi and returned with heavy looting.

This kid Qu Zhisheng was very active in the past in disrespecting the Tang envoys and intercepting the tributes from the Western Regions to the Tang Dynasty.

Now they say it’s all the fault of the Western Turks. Were they forced to do so?

In that case, Shi Naju didn't want to waste any more words with this guy.

"Your Highness, I'm not here to tell you this,"

"I didn't ask you to say this either,"

In the hall, the two were far apart, looking at each other, and the atmosphere became different.

"What do you mean, Your Highness?"

"Ashina Ju, do you think I don't know what you have been planning in secret these days?"

Ashina Ju was exposed, but he was not panicked. "Your Highness, don't you Han people have a saying that those who know the times are heroes? In the current situation, those who know the times will know what to choose."

"Now that we have spoken, I advise Your Highness to know the present situation and surrender. I will guarantee Your Highness' safety."

Kou Zhisheng stood there staring at Ana Shiju with red eyes.

"Your Highness, I will also ensure that the old king is buried safely." Qu Zhisheng remained silent.

"Your Highness, please tell me what conditions you want."

Qu Zhisheng said, "Tutun, you have been in Gaochang for many years, eating and drinking from Gaochang, and you are also Gaochang's champion general. My father has always treated you well. Now my father's body is still warm, and you come to force me to surrender. You are an ungrateful person who can never be fed!"

“How outrageous,” Tutun said angrily.

Qu Zhisheng didn't stop talking, and continued to point at Tutun, "You are a bunch of ungrateful wolves. I shouldn't have taken you in in the first place. Since you are so ungrateful, there's no need to be polite."

He turned around, picked up the teacup from the table, drank it all, and then threw it hard on the palace floor.

The exquisite white porcelain imported from the Central Plains of China, produced by the official kiln in Xingzhou, Hebei, is as thin as paper, as white as jade, and very valuable.
It was thrown heavily to the ground, breaking into pieces with a crisp sound.

Although many of the Turkic nobles in the hall did not understand the story of breaking the cup as a signal, they could understand from the prince's actions and expressions that he had completely turned against them.

They were not afraid that the prince would turn against them.

Just the next moment,
Suddenly, many Gaochang soldiers emerged from all directions.
They were armed with shields, bows, crossbows and spears, and were heavily armored, surrounding them.

This is an ambush.

Everyone understood and their faces changed color.

These Turks had always enjoyed superior treatment in Gaochang State, and were superior to others in every way. They never imagined that one day, the Gaochang people would ambush and surround them.
And they were unarmed.

Tutun Ashinaju's expression also changed drastically. "Your Highness, what are you going to do?"

"What for? I'm sending you to be buried with my father!"

"You are going to drag the entire Gaochang Kingdom with you to be buried with you. Now that things have come to this, why is Your Highness so stubborn? Now that Dulu Khan has surrendered to the Tang Dynasty, the four great Yehus, the five great Chuos, and the various Shijin tribes have surrendered to the Tang Dynasty, and a hundred thousand troops will arrive soon.
Your Highness, how can you make mistakes at this time? Gaochang has only tens of thousands of people. How can they resist the army?
It's still not too late to prepare the surrender and tribute.

As long as you surrender voluntarily and the old king has passed away, the Tang people will not punish you too much, and His Royal Highness can still be canonized by the Tang Dynasty and continue to be the King of Gaochang!"

Qu Zhisheng snorted coldly, "Do you really think I'm ignorant? From the Great Khan to the Yehu to Chushe and then to Shijin, you all in Beiting can surrender and still have a good outcome.

Only for me, Gao Chang, this time, there will be no good result.

Gaochang is a small country with few people. If we anger the Tang Dynasty this time, it will be too late even if we surrender.
Only by fighting to the death may there be a glimmer of hope.

Kneeling down and begging for surrender will not bring any good results, the only option is to fight."

Kou Ji-sung spoke louder and louder.

Ashinaju thought this man was crazy. He used to think that the prince was young and arrogant, and he actually dared to look down on the Central Plains Tang Dynasty.

But now, he felt that this guy had always been a little crazy. The Tang army was about to attack him, but he still had this attitude. This bastard was really powerful.

"Your Highness, please think twice."

Ashina Ju was already feeling scared. Everyone was afraid of people who had lost their minds, especially those who had lost their minds in desperate situations. Such lunatics could do anything, especially now that he was surrounded in this hall.

Qu Zhisheng looked down at the group of Western Turkic nobles who were surrounded. They were usually arrogant, but now they began to beg for mercy.

It's a pity it's too late.

"Ashina Ju, you will pay the price for your arrogance," he said, waving his hand and coldly spitting out a word, "Kill!"

The words fell.

Bowstrings thunder, crossbow arrows fly,
The Turkic nobles who were surrounded by shields in the center of the hall had no chance to defend themselves before being shot into hedgehogs by the arrows.

massacre.

Ruthless massacre.

Like hunting,

When the last standing Turkic noble fell, the hall returned to silence, but the air was filled with a thick smell of blood.

"Cut off all their heads!" Qu Zhisheng's eyes turned even redder.

He even had someone drag the body of Tutun Ashinaju, who had been shot like a hedgehog, in front of him, and he drew his sword and chopped off his head himself. Tutun was too strong and his neck was thick, and although the prince's golden sword was sharp, it took him more than ten cuts to cut it off.
He was splattered with blood,

His face, body, and everywhere were covered with blood, but the prince didn't care at all. He held the knife in his right hand, picked up Ashinaju's big head with his left hand, and held it in front of him.

He gave a sarcastic smile.

"I know you never took me seriously, and I also know you wanted to seize Gaochang and give it to the Tang people, but it is you who died today."

After saying this, he threw Tutun's head to the ground.
"Send people to deliver wine and meat to the people of Tutun outside the city."

Sending wine and meat is not to bribe them, but to send them to heaven with Tutun. The prepared wine will be poisoned, and when they drink the poisoned wine, the prince will lead the Gaochang army to kill them.

After destroying Tutun and his people today, he would do something even crazier tomorrow. He would carry out the plan he had told his father before. He would personally lead his troops, pretending to be Tutun's men, to the northern Khan Futu City, seize the city wall by fraud, and annihilate the Western Turkic Heluyehu's soldiers who were stationed there.

After taking the important Khan Futu City, he would then fortify his city and fight a Gaochang defense battle with the Tang army.

He would not surrender, nor would he be afraid of the Tang army.

The Tang army will pay the same price as Tutun Nashi Naju for their frivolity and arrogance.

The day he defeats the Tang army will be the day he officially succeeds to the throne as King of Gaochang.

(End of this chapter)