A Good Landlord in the Tang Dynasty: Emperor Yuan Cong

Chapter 1155: Breaking the Formation

Gaochang City,
The former Gaochang Palace was now converted into the Anxi Protectorate by imperial decree.

Wu Huaiyu demolished the encroaching parts, renovated them, and then moved in.

The sun was rising in the east, and it was a rare cool time of the day in Gaochang in summer.
The drums are beating,

The four gates of Gaochang slowly opened, ending a night of curfew. The soldiers on duty at the gates were Anxi soldiers, carefully selected from the Beiya Imperial Guards and Hexi Longyou Prefecture soldiers, with a total of 3,000 soldiers.

And there are 3,000 Tianshan troops in Jiaohe City, not far from Gaochang.

The city gate slowly opened.

The Anxi soldiers were fully armed and guarding the city gate, strictly checking every merchant and civilian entering and leaving the city gate and their goods.

Mingguang armor, black lacquer lance, bow and arrow, cross-sword, iron whip and iron mace, etc.
There is a team of fifty guards stationed at each city gate, guarding the gate so that all those entering and leaving the city gate must line up obediently for inspection and not dare to act recklessly.

From time to time, patrols of the Royal Guards and cavalry would pass by.

Everyone who has been there can't help but sigh in their hearts that the Tang Dynasty's Anxi soldiers are so majestic and powerful. The Ming Guang armor alone is amazing, with two large round guards shining brightly, reflecting dazzling light facing the morning sun.

Although this is just an ordinary Ming Guang armor of the imperial guards, and is not as gorgeous and sturdy as the Ming Guang armor of officers and generals, and is relatively simple, but in the Western Regions, in this Gaochang City, it appears to be exceptionally sophisticated.

The Turks were famous for their iron smelting and forging skills. They were once blacksmith slaves of the Rouran Kingdom. Their equipment was relatively advanced among the nomadic tribes, but it was still far inferior to that of the Tang army.

At daybreak the drums began to sound.
The drums continued to beat for 300 times. When they stopped, it was already daybreak. Gaochang City was bustling again, with many people and goods going in and out of the city gate.
This important city on the Silk Road, a key distribution center for goods along the Western Silk Road, has regained its pre-war prosperity in a short period of time, and has even become even better.

Because the Tang army basically controlled the overall situation in the Western Regions, there was a steady stream of inland goods, brought in by inland Han merchants.
These Han merchants also had a huge demand for goods from the Western Regions.

Now that the Western Regions have settled down, Gaochang no longer intercepts Silk Road merchants, the Yanqi people no longer come to rob on the road, and the Western Turkic Khans of Beiting and Nanting no longer attack each other, causing chaos.
Even the situation of setting up roadblocks and collecting taxes along the Silk Road has improved a lot.

With the Silk Road open, the goods will naturally circulate more smoothly.

The Han merchants brought many valuable things that the people of the Western Regions were fighting for, including various iron pots, kettles, swords, silk cloth, porcelain, and pottery. The goods were of very fine quality, but the prices were cheaper than before.
There was a lot of this good stuff, but no matter how much there was, it was not enough for all the Hu merchants to fight for.

The foreign merchants also brought many things to the market.
All kinds of livestock, including cattle, sheep, horses, camels, and various furs, then spices, jewelry, jade, gold and silver, and then slaves.

Everyone takes what they need and the trading is very busy.

The drums sounded again.

This time it was different from the morning drum that opened the door.

More exciting.

The leader of the guards at the city gate heard the drumbeats and could not help but beat the round armor plates of his Ming Guang armor with his fists, "Qin Wang Po Zhen Qu, this is Qin Wang Po Zhen Qu."

Qin Wang Breaking the Formation Song, this was a military song that the emperor used when he was still the Qin King in his conquests. The soldiers added new lyrics to the old song to praise Li Shimin, resigned from the head of state under the law, and went together to punish the rebels. They all sang the song Breaking the Formation Song and enjoyed the peace together.

Later, it was compiled into a large-scale court music and dance, and the tunes of Kucha were incorporated into the original melody, making it gentle and pleasant to the ear. Today, it has been renamed the Seven Virtues Dance.

This song has special meaning to the soldiers of the Tang Dynasty, especially to the veterans who served under the emperor.
They prefer the earliest version of Qin Wang's Breaking Formation Music, which, although simple, is more appealing, especially the drum, which is the most awe-inspiring.

today,

In Gaochang in the Western Regions, the Qin King's Breaking Formation Song was heard again.

At first, a war drum sounded, and then more and more drums sounded, and the sound became louder and louder.
The sound was heard for hundreds of miles and was awe-inspiring.

With the sound of passionate war drums,
Two thousand cavalrymen of the Anxiya army marched out of the city in full armor.

Set up your formation outside the city.

Looking at this scene,
Countless Anxi Tang troops were excited.

Even the Han people in Gaochang City, who were originally from Gaochang State, were shocked and excited when they saw this, and even felt a sense of pride.
This is the Han army.

This is one of our own.
Such a powerful army made the entire Western Regions submit to it. They felt deeply proud to be part of the Han people. Even though some of them had been in the Western Regions for many generations and had even been influenced by many Hu customs, they were still very excited at this moment, and their sense of identity became stronger.

Far outside the city,

Countless people are witnessing this moment today.

They were the nobles, ministers and tribal leaders of the two courts of Western Turkic North and South, as well as the kings and ministers of the countries in the Western Regions.

They all gathered in Gaochang City, Xizhou,

No one was absent anymore.

It had been less than three months since the Tang army entered the Western Regions. Summer had not even passed yet, but the war had ended and the outcome had been decided.

Duolu Khan was captured alive and escorted to Chang'an with his son Zhenzhuye.

The old king of Gaochang was frightened to death, and the crown prince resisted the Tang Dynasty stubbornly. Although he defeated Tutun Ashinaju and captured Khan Futu City, he was still vulnerable to the Tang army. In the end, the whole country surrendered and was sent to Chang'an.

Shabolayahu rose up in rebellion against the Tang Dynasty, united eight tribes, and raided Futu City. However, from the attack to the failure and surrender, they did not even last a single night.

Helu and his son were also sent to Chang'an.

There was also the advance branch of Gongyue City in Chuyue, Shi Jin, who resisted the Tang army and was killed in battle. The Shi Jin of Chishi and Yanfen also rebelled against the Tang and were executed.
Quejijin Ajue of the Zhuxie tribe of Chuyue was beheaded in public by Tang envoy Liu Demin in the camp of the Helu coalition.

The Chumukun tribe was swept away by Wu Huaiyu's army, more than a thousand of them were killed in battle, tens of thousands were captured, and tens of thousands of cattle, sheep and other livestock were confiscated.

Fan Xing broke into the Mohe City of Zhuxie's tribe, killed more than a thousand people, and captured several thousand more.

······
This series of battles revealed the sharp fangs of the Tang Western Expedition Army.

When Wu Huaiyu once again summoned the tribes and countries in the Western Regions to come to Gaochang for discussions, no one dared not to come.

Even the Chuyue Zhuxie tribe, the Yuji tribe, the Gelulu Chishi tribe, the Yanmian tribe, and the Chumukun tribe among the Wudulu tribes, some of which had suffered severe damage from the Tang army and even had their leaders beheaded by the Tang people, their new leaders had all come.

The Qin King broke through the battle array to the sound of music.
The two thousand Anxi Army cavalry also performed a dance to break the formation, especially the three-stage shooting of the three-barreled gun and the throwing of cavalry grenades, coupled with the earth wall blasting by the engineers.
The Western Region leaders who were watching from afar felt mixed emotions and were greatly shocked. This time they truly saw it with their own eyes, and they saw how powerful the Tang Dynasty's firearms were. Although they did not understand what these things were, they could feel their power.

The specially built section of the city wall was exactly the same as the wall of Gaochang City. It was a very long section. However, with a few loud bangs, just like the legendary earth dragon turning over, several sections collapsed, revealing several large gaps.
The Western Turkic tribes were not used to building cities. They were mainly nomadic, but they also knew the defensive capabilities of city walls. Those city-states used to rely on city defenses to protect themselves, but now they found that these city walls were vulnerable to the weapons of the Tang people.
You can imagine the shock in my heart.

This meant that these small countries with only a few thousand soldiers or tens of thousands of people were completely defenseless in front of the Tang army. The Tang people had already demonstrated their firearms siege power in Gongyue City and Tiandi City. In front of them, these two cities could not hold out for a night.

The weather in the Western Regions is starting to get colder.

Their hearts also grew cold.

The dance is over.
A group of leaders began to enter the city.

Two thousand elite Yajun cavalrymen were neatly arrayed outside the city, leaving a narrow passage in the middle. Khans, Jijins, Chushes, Yehus, Teqins, kings, and princes of the Western Region Turkic and other countries passed through this passage one by one.

A mountain of swords and a forest of guns,
As they walked through there, they felt an immense pressure.

This blatant threat of force makes people feel uncomfortable, yet helpless.

In front of the city gate,
There is also identification and verification of information.

Gaochang former royal city, now in Anxi Protectorate,
Wu Huaiyu also changed into a purple robe, jade belt and Liang crown today.
"Please ask the angel,"

The messenger from Chang'an came forward.
"Our eunuch Zhang Ananda has come to the Western Regions to announce the decree in compliance with the order of the Saint. Everyone, listen to his orders!"

The first decree was to appoint Mishe as the Xingxi Khan and Bobu as the Successor Khan.

"It has been more than 20 years since the chaos in Western Tibet. Recently, Moheduo, Yugushe, Helu, Qu Wentai and others have been rampant and the people have been severely plundered.

I am the ruler of the four seas, and I nurture them equally. I cannot allow the vicious and cunning barbarians to invade and exploit as they please, and to cause harm to innocent people for a long time. Therefore, I sent Wu Huaiyu, the Minister of the Secretariat, and others to lead the cavalry and braves to fight and chase them in the north. You should spread the imperial spirit and nurture them in the south, so that the vicious barbarians will fear my power and the barbarians will admire my virtue.

In order to defeat the rebellious Rou and bring peace to the Western Regions, Yugushe, Helu, Qu Zhisheng and others have already been captured, and all the tribal leaders must be led.

You have a deep sense of righteousness and are very familiar with the legal procedures.

Therefore, you are enthroned as Khans of your tribes. However, your tribes have followed Yugushe, Helu, etc., which is not their original intention. You surrendered as soon as you arrived, which shows your loyalty to the country. You should, together with Wu Huaiyu and others, grant them officials below the rank of governor according to the size of their tribes and their status. "

This is the official imperial edict issued by the court to Mishe and Bobu to be khans.

Mishe was the new Khan of Beiting recommended to the court by Wu Huaiyu after he captured Yugushe alive. He proposed all the Khan titles and also changed the Khan title for Bobu of Nanting. The emperor in Chang'an approved this.

Then there were the various military governorships set up by Wu Huaiyu, which were all approved by the court.

This decree was approved not only by the governors-general's offices established by the Ten Arrow Tribes and other tribes under the two courts of the Western Turkic North and South, but also by the governors-general recommended by them.
Moreover, the Western Regions countries south of the Tianshan Mountains, as well as the nine states of Zhaowu and Sogdia in Hezhong, also established their own Jiemi Dudufu this time. The kings of each country granted the Tang Dynasty the title of Jiemi Dudufu, and also granted them corresponding titles of duke, marquis, general, and other ranks.

"I, the minister Ashina Mishe, accept the decree of the Turkic Beiting Xingxiwang Khan and the Protector General of Kunling Protectorate, to express my gratitude."

He bowed to the eunuch Zhang Ananda, who represented the emperor, to thank him and accept the order. He held up the bright yellow silk edict and said solemnly, "There is no two suns in the sky, no two kings on earth. I only bow to the emperor of the Great Tang, the true emperor. How dare I stop the troops and rely on the dangerous terrain to steal the title? Now I admire the honest style and have the right to return. I kneel down and kowtow to you and will always be your vassal."

Asina Bobu, the ruler of Nan Ting who was enthroned as the successor to the Khan, directly kowtowed and called himself Nu Bobu.

In the perception of the Turks, "minister" and "slave" mean the same thing. Since he paid homage to the Tang Dynasty, he was a slave of the Tang emperor.

These two Khans, one calling themselves a vassal and the other a slave, both expressed their submission to the Tang Dynasty. They were not as arrogant as Helu and dared to call themselves the wise and holy emperor of the Great Turkic Empire. They were even tactful enough to add prefixes such as "Turkic Northern Court" and "Turkic Southern Court".

Zhang Ananda also read out the emperor's oral order in public, saying that the Turks had dominated the western regions of the desert for many years, and there was no greater country than them. Although they had made peace in the past, they were still two countries, but now that they were kings and subjects, they would become one.

I have already ordered the officials to solemnly inform the suburban temples and this should be announced to the whole country so that everyone will know about it.

This was Li Shimin's public and formal declaration of sovereignty and control over the Turks and other countries in the Western Regions.

Bo Bu also expressed his position to the angel again, "Now that I have been established, my official title has been changed. My past evil intentions have now been completely eliminated. I will serve the Supreme Being and will not dare to break the law."

After these two Western Turkic khans took the lead in expressing their loyalty and swearing allegiance to the Tang Dynasty and the Heavenly Khan, other leaders, both big and small, also came forward one by one to receive the titles, accepted the imperial edict, expressed their gratitude, and swore their allegiance.

At one time, a large number of Khans, lesser Khans, Yehus, governors, dukes, marquises and generals were conferred titles. Everyone received a formal official certificate, and even seals, official hats and uniforms.

The two khans each served as a protector general, and the rest of the khans, such as Jigün, Chushe, Yehu and kings, also served as governors and provincial governors. The special officials and princes were also granted the ranks of general and Langjiang.

All the khans, kings, governors, generals and lieutenants in the Western Regions were under the jurisdiction of the Anxi Protectorate and were under the command of Wu Huaiyu.

The generals received the order and thanked him.

Then, led by the two Khans and the protector-general, they formally paid a visit to their superior Wu Huaiyu.

"No need to be polite, please take a seat."

"From now on, we will all be a loving family in the Western Region,"

Wu Huaiyu suddenly changed the subject.
Have some boxes brought in,

When they opened it, they found several human heads inside.

"These heads are not well preserved, so you may not be able to tell who they are. Let me introduce them to you.
The first one on the left, with a big head, is Yuzhi Jijin of the Gongyue tribe. He occupied Gongyue City and refused to surrender, so he was beheaded by the prince of the Turgesh tribe.

The second one, also from the Chuyue tribe, was the leader of the Zhuxie tribe, Quejijin Zhuxie Ajue. He was also a well-known warrior in the past, but unfortunately his brain was not working well, and he rebelled again after returning. As a result, Liu Demin, the current governor of Tingzhou, broke into the camp alone and beheaded him with one sword.

Look at the way he died with his eyes open, I wonder how much he regretted it. Unfortunately, there is no medicine for regret.

Zhuxie Ajue died, and no one came to avenge him after his death. His foolish rebellion also implicated the Zhuxie tribe.

Not only was the Jin Manchuria Governorate dismissed, but more than 2,000 people from the Zhuxie tribe died and tens of thousands were captured. I tell you, these prisoners will not be released for the time being. They need to serve a year of labor to build Luntai City, Heishui Shouzhuo Castle, and post stations and beacons along the Silk Road for the Anxi Protectorate.

The third head in the box was that of Chishifujijin, the leader of the Qarluk Chishi tribe, and the fourth was that of Yanfangjijin.

There are four Shijins, and one of them is still Que Shijin.

This was also the highest-ranking rebel leader killed by the Tang army during this Western Expedition.

Yugushe, Helu, and Qu Zhisheng, two of these three were self-proclaimed Khans and one was the prince of Gaochang, with higher status, but because they were captured alive or surrendered, they are now sent to Chang'an by troops.

Looking at the four boxes lined up in a row and the four heads of Ji Jin whose faces were no longer clearly visible,

The atmosphere, which was quite good just now, suddenly became dull.

(End of this chapter)