A Good Landlord in the Tang Dynasty: Emperor Yuan Cong

Chapter 1146 Undercurrent
summer.

Qizhou, Jiucheng Palace.

The Taiji Palace in Chang'an was hot and humid in summer, and the emperor used it as a temporary palace to escape the heat.

"Your Majesty, an urgent memorial from the Minister of War."

Li Shimin opened it with a smile. At first his face was full of smiles, but then his face gradually became serious and his brows furrowed more and more.

After watching the end, the emperor was so angry that he slammed the table with his palm.

"audacious in the extreme,"

The eunuchs in the hall didn't dare to breathe when they saw this, and all lowered their heads.

Li Shimin threw the memorial on the table, stood up and paced back and forth, puffing his beard and glaring in anger.

Wu Huaiyu's memorial began with a report of victory: the crown prince of Gaochang had surrendered, and all the cities of Gaochang had been conquered by an edict. The main mission of the Tang Dynasty's Western Expedition was thus accomplished, a great victory.

The second half was a complaint. First, Guo Xiaoke and others disobeyed his orders and sent troops to attack Tiandi City and Gaochang City without authorization. Not only did they cause many casualties among the Tang army, but more importantly, they also disrupted the plan that Wu Huaiyu had originally requested from the emperor.
However, Qibi Heli repeatedly violated military orders and sent troops to Khan Futu City without authorization, causing a conflict with Chuyue Zhuxie's tribe.
Moreover, after Qibi Heli entered Khanfutu City, the military discipline was not strict, and soldiers looted the property in the city.

Even Qibi Heli himself took the lead in seizing a large amount of property in the city, and even robbed some women. His actions naturally led his soldiers to follow suit. He led Qibi tribal soldiers, and these people would not be polite.

The looting caused chaos in the city. Many of the Gaochang soldiers and Turks in the city who had already surrendered took up arms to resist, which resulted in the Khitan tribe launching a massacre in retaliation.

Although the riot was finally stopped by Qibi Heli and did not turn into a massacre, the riot still caused the deaths of thousands of people in Futu City.

Wu Huaiyu severely impeached Qibi He Li for several serious crimes.

What the Tang Dynasty needs now is both kindness and force in the Western Regions, but definitely not such a bad behavior of looting and massacre. Qibi Heli's barbaric behavior, armed conflict with the Zhuxie tribe, and then taking the lead in looting and massacre after accepting the surrender and entering the city,

Although they were from the Khitan tribe, they fought under the banner of the Tang Dynasty, and the countries in the Western Regions simply regarded them as Tang troops.

Once this reputation is ruined, the Tang army will be in trouble in the Western Regions.
Even though Gaochang has been pacified, how to deal with the Western Turkic tribes will still become a troublesome issue.

"Send someone to Gaochang to convey the order and quickly summon Guo Xiaoke and Qibi Heli back to the court."

"Qu Zhisheng was granted the title of Duke of Jincheng County and General of the Left Guard, and Qu Zhizhan was granted the title of Duke of Tianshan County and General of the Right Guard. The Qu family of Gaochang, their subordinates, and the noble families in the country were all relocated to the Central Plains."

The emperor did not directly punish Guo Xiaoke and Qibi Heli, but he relieved them of their military posts in the Western Expedition and summoned them back to the court ahead of schedule.

This saves their face, but it is inevitable that they will be investigated after returning to Chang'an, and they will definitely be convicted and punished in the end.

The emperor also issued an edict and sent people to promote the leaders of the Western Turkic tribes who participated in the Western Expedition and reward them with money and silk.

As for the Western Turkic tribes, especially the Zhuxie tribe, give them two sweet dates to appease them first.

The tribal soldiers from the Khitan, Eastern Turkic, Dangxiang, Tuyuhun and other tribes that had assisted in the Western Expedition also began to withdraw.

In Li Shimin's view, although there were some minor incidents in the Western Regions, they were not a big problem. Yu Gushe was captured and Gaochang surrendered.

Then this Western Expedition came to an end.

The generals returned to the court, the soldiers returned to the fields, and the Western Turkic tribes also returned to their tribes.
In addition to Yizhou, the Tang Dynasty also added Xizhou, and the two military towns of Luntai and Gongyue. The Tang Dynasty made a big profit this time.

The emperor was very relieved to have Wu Huaiyu as the Protector-General of Anxi.

The envoy set out that day with the imperial edict and headed for Gaochang, thousands of miles away.

······
In the Western Regions, north of Tanhan Mountain, there is Khan Futu City.

The riots are over.

The flag of the Tang Dynasty was still flying on the top of the city wall.

On the top of the city wall, there were many fried heads hanging. They were the Gaochang people, Turks and Sogdians in Futu City who were suppressed by Qibi Heli during the riots.

Most of them were surrendered soldiers. Some were originally Turkic soldiers who surrendered after Qu Zhisheng broke the city. Some were Sogdian mercenaries. They didn't mind who they worked for as long as they were paid.

These people took up arms when they were robbed and were all massacred.

outside the city,

Zhuye Ajue looked at Khan's Futu City from afar, his eyes filled with anger and unwillingness.

His eyes were red, and Que Jijin became angrier the more he thought about it.

Wu Huaiyu promised him that whoever of the two major tribes of Chuyue, Zhuxie and Shatuo, entered Futu City first would own the city.

But in the end, Qibi Heli intervened and seized Futu City.

It was obvious that they had surrounded Futu City long ago and were about to capture it, and had suffered many casualties. However, Qibi Heli did not keep his promise at all. He attacked them directly, broke the siege, and rushed into the city first.

It is said that if you take a step back, the world will be broader, but the more Ah Jue thought about it, the angrier he became, and the more upset he became.

"Que Shi Jin,"

A soldier came in, "The people who went to the city are back."

Ajue sent people into the city to find Qibi Heli, hoping that he would abide by Wu Huaiyu's promise and that the Qibi tribe would withdraw from Futu City and hand over to the Zhuxie tribe.

The Tang army could take away all the people, livestock, money, and other items in the city, but the city would belong to the Zhuxie tribe and the Jin Manchuria Governor's Office.

"How to say?"

"Qibi Heli refused, saying that Khanfutu City and the surrounding areas would belong to their Qibi tribe in the future."

"That makes sense, but it's too much!"

A tribal leader advised Ajue to go find Wu Huaiyu.
"It was Wu Huaiyu who agreed to our request. Now we should go find Wu Huaiyu. Qibi Heli has long been a dog of the Tang people. He must listen to the Tang people."

Ajue was unwilling, but there was nothing he could do.

He was not afraid of Qibi's strength. When Qibi and Xueyantuo joined forces with Tiele to fight against Western Turks, the three Chuyue tribes were still affiliated with Western Turks. They fought hard with Qibi and finally defeated them.

Much of the territory that the Zhuxie tribe now possesses was obtained after they followed Shekui Khan in defeating Qibi.

Zhuxie and Qibi do have a bit of a feud.

There was a reason why Qibi Heli did not give face.

But no matter what, Ajue just couldn't swallow this humiliation.

He had never thought that He Li would dare to attack them directly, break the encirclement and enter the city first.

Now that the city has been occupied by them, Zhuxie's tribe does not dare to attack by force, and they lack siege equipment, so they may not be able to take it.

Ajue gritted his teeth and finally decided to go find Wu Huaiyu, but he was still unwilling to give up Futu City. He ordered the tribal troops to come for reinforcement and surround Khan's Futu City on all sides. He then went to Wu Huaiyu in person to ask for an explanation.

Gaochang City.

Many people came to Wu Huaiyu to seek his advice, and they all lined up to see him.

The Turkic tribes besieged the cities of Gaochang and fought very hard.

However, the Turkic nomadic tribes were not good at attacking cities and lacked equipment. Although they had the advantage in terms of military strength, they suffered heavy casualties in a short period of time and were unable to take the city.

However, it is only a matter of time to capture the city. Those cities will soon become their spoils of war.

As a result, Wu Huaiyu sent someone to
They were asked to stop the attack because Gaochang had surrendered to the Tang Dynasty. The Tang Dynasty had accepted Gaochang's surrender and Gaochang no longer existed and had become the Western Province of the Tang Dynasty.

Whoever attacks the city again would be attacking the Tang Dynasty.

That is betrayal of the Heavenly Khan.

After this accusation was put on them, all the tribes had to stop the attack whether they wanted to or not.

but,
No one was willing to accept this. After all, they had agreed to this in the beginning, and everyone had worked hard to attack the city, and had suffered casualties, but now they had gained nothing.
Isn't this just a joke?

The leaders of various tribes stopped attacking the city, but did not withdraw their troops. They rushed to Gaochang to ask Wu Huaiyu for an explanation.

In Gaochang City,

The original Gaochang Lingyin Mansion, also known as the Prime Minister's Mansion, was renamed the Anxi Protectorate.

Prime Minister Wu Huaiyu was also officially appointed as the Grand Protector of Anxi. However, the Western Expedition Camp was not disbanded for the time being, and the two offices were merged into one.
"It's hard to calm down this time,"

"Well, it is true that we broke our promise first."

In the yamen, Wu Huaiyu was talking with several stewards.
At present, undercurrents are surging in the Western Regions.
Everyone could feel the storm brewing.
According to the original plan, Wu Huaiyu would first let the Turkic tribes attack the cities of Gaochang, let them fight to a standstill, and then the Tang army would step in to clean up the mess.

Even if the Turks could capture the city,

At worst, according to the agreement, the money, livestock, and slaves in the city would belong to them half and the Tang Dynasty the other half, while the people of Gaochang and the city's land would still belong to the Tang Dynasty.

As long as the land and population remain, the Tang Dynasty will still be the biggest winner.

The various tribes could grab some things, but they would also suffer casualties in the siege, which would weaken their strength.

However, Guo Xiaoke and his men went out without authorization and disobeyed military orders, disrupting the rhythm. What was even more strange was that Qibi Heli directly clashed with Zhuxie tribe in Futu City, and many people died.

This has a very bad impact.
His subsequent looting and massacre in Futu City greatly damaged the credibility and prestige of the Tang army.

"What is the Minister of War going to do?"

"We can only give some compensation to the Turkic tribes first. Take out half of the money and silk from the treasury of each city and reward them to each tribe." Wu Huaiyu was also in a headache, but things had to be dealt with.

The Tang Dynasty has not yet gained a firm foothold in the Western Regions and cannot be an enemy of everyone. This time the Tang army is in the wrong and can only give some compensation.

But there is only so much that can be conceded.

It is impossible to give them the city and population of Gaochang.

At most, I could give them some money.

"What if they agree or not?"

Wu Huaiyu didn't answer and could only improvise.

He had a bad feeling in his heart, always feeling that things would develop in the worst direction.

"Send Yu Gushe and his son, as well as Qu Zhisheng and his brothers, to Chang'an as soon as possible."

"Also, we need to send someone to take over Futu City with troops. Qibi Heli and the people of the Qibi tribe must be transferred back. They cannot stay in Futu City anymore. Otherwise, who knows how much trouble will arise."

Wu Huaiyu frowned and arranged.
"Let me go." Lao Cheng volunteered.

Wu Huaiyu originally wanted to arrange for his brother Huaiyi to go, but Lao Cheng took the initiative to request it, so he thought about it and agreed.

Dou Dan asked, "Futu City is located in the north of Tanhan Mountain, between the Zhuye and Shatuo tribes. Shouldn't we give them this city?"

"Yizhou is also close to Futu City," Wu Huaiyu said. Geographically, Futu City is indeed separated from Yizhou and Xizhou by mountains, and is indeed in the same region as the Shatuo tribes.

But since the city is now in the hands of the Tang army, there is no reason to give up such an important city.

Controlling this city means that the Tang Dynasty has seized a key point against the Shatuo tribes. It can protect Xizhou and Yizhou, and is a fortress in the north of the mountain. At the same time, it can also become a base for attack at any time.

What's more, Futu City is an important node on the northern branch of the Silk Road.

There is no reason to give up.

(End of this chapter)