A Good Landlord in the Tang Dynasty: Emperor Yuan Cong

Chapter 1266: Wu destroys another country

Qizhou, Jiucheng Palace.

In the hot summer, Jiucheng Palace is a good place to escape the heat. The terrain here is high, and the climate is cool and pleasant in the mornings and evenings.

The palace is centered on Tiantai Mountain. Although the mountain is not high, it is adjacent to Dushui in the south and Mafang River in the northwest. It is surrounded by mountains and has rivers flowing through it. The scenery is beautiful. The palaces and pavilions are built according to the height of the mountain.

To use the description in the Jiucheng Palace Liquan Inscription written by Wei Zheng in those days, it has a palace crowning the mountain, high pavilions built all around and long corridors rising on all sides.

This place is close to Chang'an, and the emperor comes here every year.

Wu Huaiyu also benefited from this and joined the vacation group of veteran cadres. This time, there were more people than those who went to the Lishan Palace. Li Jing, Qin Qiong, Yuchi Gong, and Liu Hongji also came.

Hot day,

Li Shimin did not go hunting. In the afternoon, he led everyone to swim and bathe in the Dushui River. That section of the river had been repaired and renovated and was like a cool large swimming pool.

If you are tired of swimming, there are tables and chairs in the shallow water area. You can soak your feet in the water, sit down, drink tea and eat snacks. It is so comfortable.

Or you can take a nap on a bamboo couch or lounge chair under the shade of a big tree on the shore.

Li Shimin was particularly happy today and even called his old friends to join in the swimming competition. In terms of swimming ability, Wu Huaiyu, who had lived in Lingnan for many years and even had a fiefdom in Luzon in the South China Sea, was definitely better.
He is the youngest among the nobles.

Although he kept saying that his injuries had not healed and the poison had not yet been cleared, he had never gone to the Shangshu Province to take up the post of Right Prime Minister, nor had he gone to the Zhengshi Hall to discuss government affairs.

But today he still performed bravely and was far ahead of others.

Although Yuchi Gong was the best at using the lance, he was much worse at swimming. He was only slightly better than the sickly Yuwen Shiji, and even better than Liu Hongji.

The emperor has been busy with official duties in recent years, and the elixirs he took in his early years have also drained his body. He felt tired after swimming for a while and said that he was not as good as before.

After swimming twice, I came back and sat down to drink tea and eat snacks.

Li Shimin smiled and told everyone that he had good news.

Fang Xuanling asked, "Did the Xueyantuo in Mobei see the situation was bad and surrender?"

"Not yet," Li Shimin picked up a piece of dessert and said as he ate, "Li Ji is now in Dingxiang, gathering troops. The good news came from the west."

The Northern Expedition actually consisted of seven armies.
The westernmost ones are Anxi and Beiting, and the Anxi Protector-General Wu Huaiyi is the commander-in-chief of the Jinshan Road.

"Your Majesty, please tell us the good news quickly. We can't wait any longer." Huaiyu smiled and poured a cup of tea for the emperor.

"You know Chebi Khan, right?" Li Shimin said proudly, "Huaiyi marched into Jinshan and captured Chebi alive. He is sending people to take him to Chang'an."

When this name was mentioned, the ministers present actually knew something about it.

Wu Huaiyu is even more familiar with it.

Chebi Khan, whose name was Ashina Hubo, was a Turkic minor Khan who lived in the north of Jianyajin Mountain. After the fall of the Eastern Turkic Khanate, Hubo led his people to submit to Xueyantuo. But Yinan Khan did not really believe him.

The Tang Dynasty was very suspicious of him and wanted to get rid of him as soon as possible, so Hubo was forced to return to his old place. With the support of the Tang Dynasty, Hubo, who had 30,000 soldiers, called himself Yizhuchebi Khan and once unified the Karluk, Jiegu and Bashimi tribes.

He repeatedly sent troops to plunder the Xueyantuo people and livestock.

It can be said that it was because of the support of the Tang Dynasty that he dared to rebel against the Xueyantuo and proclaim himself Khan.

However, after Yugushe rose to power a few years earlier, he was not kind to Chebi, who was also from the Eastern Turkic region. He hated him for having defected to the Xueyantuo, and the territories of the two families were close, so he attacked him first.

It was the Tang Dynasty that repeatedly stepped in to mediate.

However, most of the Qarlugs and other tribes still surrendered to Yugushe.

The Xueyantuo took advantage of the situation and robbed Chebi, who had no choice but to ask the Tang for help. He also sent his son Shaboluo Teqin to Chang'an to serve the emperor and ask for marriage from the Tang.

After Wu Huaiyu captured Yugushe and Helu, killed Buzhen and pacified the Western Regions, Chebi also expressed his allegiance. Wu Huaiyu asked him to come to the Western Regions to meet him, but he only sent his younger brother.

Last year, Li Shimin wanted to summon Chebi to Chang'an, but Chebi said he had no intention of coming.

Then Wu Huaiyu was appointed as the Grand Administrator of Jinshan Road, preparing to gather the tribes from the Western Regions to join the expedition to Mobei. Wu Huaiyu also sent an envoy to summon Chebi to lead the tribe to join the expedition.

As a result, the driver was out of his mind and not only did he not come, but because the messenger rebuked him, he killed the messenger in anger.

What's the matter now?
Although only two Turks were killed, they were sent by the Anxi Protectorate and the Jinshan Road Camp.

The imperial court had long been dissatisfied with this guy.

Wu Huaiyi immediately adjusted the troop deployment plan, attacking Chebi first and then attacking Yinan in the east.

In fact, Chebi was unwilling to go to Chang'an, nor did he want to come to the Western Regions because he was afraid that he would never return and would be detained by the Tang people, ending up like Yuguse and Helu.

But killing the messenger was not intentional on his part, nor did it mean he was that arrogant.

In fact, they were the two Turks sent at that time. They were the sons of Western Turkic nobles and had a very noble status. They were special agents of the Ashina clan, which was equivalent to the royal princes of the Central Plains.

When the two men arrived at the tent of Jinshan Chebi, they acted a bit like bullies, always bossing people around and acting arrogantly, especially after drinking some wine, they became even more unscrupulous.

Then Chebi always found excuses not to go to Anxi and was only willing to send a few of his sons and lead 5,000 tribal warriors to assist in the expedition.

This result made the two Turkic special forces feel embarrassed. When they came, they patted their chests and said that they would definitely be able to invite Chebi Khan back, and said that they could send at least 20,000 troops.

The two special agents, feeling humiliated, took advantage of the fact that they were Tang envoys and cursed Chebi. Then Chebi's son couldn't stand it anymore and drew his knife.

In the sweat tent of Chebi, the two men certainly had a miserable end.
His head was chopped off and all his followers were reduced to slaves.

Things happened so quickly that when Che Bi tried to stop them, his son had already stabbed one of them to death. He had no choice but to order the other one to be chopped off as well, and then detained all the followers of the two and demoted them to slaves.

But this matter can't be concealed at all.

The Tang Dynasty also had hidden spies in the Khan's court in Chebi. The news was passed back to Wu Huaiyi who was gathering troops in Tingzhou.

He immediately summoned his troops and sent out his chariots and tents.

Wu Huaiyi assembled 20,000 troops from Anxi and Beiting, and then the Western Turkic and other supporting troops totaled 60,000.

When the Tang army's vanguard Tuqishi and Qarlug appeared at the Chebi border, those tribes that had originally submitted to Chebi abandoned Chebi and surrendered to the Tang Dynasty.

Offer cattle, sheep and milk tea to the Tang army.

As a result, Wu Huaiyi did not even see the resistance of Chebi. The Western Turkic auxiliary troops, which were the vanguard, swept across the entire Chebi area.
The car nose didn't dare to resist at all and kept running away.

But not only did his subordinate tribes abandon him, but even his direct tribes all surrendered to the Tang Dynasty.

In the end, Chebi escaped with only 1,800 people. He sent people to recruit the tribes, but no tribe responded. When he fled in a panic and arrived at a tribal pasture to recruit their men and horses, the tribal leader took the opportunity to capture him.

His several hundred men did not resist and surrendered directly.

So the tribal leader took Chebi to ask for credit.

This battle was too easy.

It can even be said that not a single soldier was lost. Chebi Khan, who once claimed to have 30,000 soldiers and 50,000 tents of followers, was gone just like that.

Wu Huaiyi did not kill him, but sent people to escort him to Chang'an.

But his son, who drew his sword and killed the messenger, was beheaded by Wu Huaiyi and his head was sent to various tribes.

After Chebi was captured, his tribes all came to submit to the Tang Dynasty.

Wu Huaiyi divided the Chebi territory into 22 vassal states according to the large and small tribes. He then recruited 1,000 tribal soldiers from each state to fight against the Xueyantuo together. He also collected a batch of cattle, sheep, fodder and other supplies from each tribe.

This news was reported to Chang'an.

Li Shimin was naturally very happy. He had supported Chebi in order to contain Xueyantuo. Later, he supported Yu Gushe, but now he no longer needed to claim the title of Khan in Jinshan.

Let him surrender, be under the jurisdiction of Beiting Protectorate, grant him the position of governor, or summon him to the court to be appointed as a general, but this old guy still refuses.

If you dare to kill the messenger now, we can destroy you in one fell swoop.

Li Shimin was very satisfied with the result. He had originally planned to deal with Chebi after defeating Xueyantuo, but now he solved it ahead of time.

"Huaiyi was a good protector of Anxi. He captured Chebi Khan without any soldiers, obtained 50,000 tents, and divided his land into 22 states.
Now Huaiyi's western route has sent 100,000 troops eastward, and the detachment is about to become the main force."

"Maybe Li Ji is not as fast as Huai Yi this time."

Everyone congratulated the emperor.

The capture of Chebi Khan marked the complete submission of both Eastern and Western Turks to the Tang Dynasty.

The next step, naturally, is to wipe out the Xueyantuo.

Wu Huaiyu was quite happy for his brother's achievement. If he could really steal the credit of destroying Xueyantuo from Li Ji, that would be a bit bad.

After all, the emperor now intends to suppress the Wu family and is deliberately supporting Li Ji, so we cannot go against the emperor.

“Your Majesty, I think that the capture of Chebi Khan and the surrender of all the tribes is a great joy, but it is still inappropriate for Anxi to send 100,000 troops to attack Xueyantuo.

The Western Route is just a detachment, they shouldn't send out so many troops.

This would increase military expenditures significantly, and recruiting so many soldiers would leave too few troops in the Western Regions. If any tribe took the opportunity to cause chaos, it would cause great losses.

Moreover, conscripting more than 80,000 tribes to assist the army at one time would have a great impact on the tribes. Not only would it reduce the number of strong laborers in many herdsmen's families, affecting their grazing production, but it would also put a great pressure on supplying so many tribal soldiers with food and fodder.

If this causes the tribe to resent or even rebel, it will be more trouble than it’s worth.”

"I suggest that Anxi dispatch 10,000 Tang troops, and then recruit 20,000 to 30,000 tribal soldiers. This is enough to play the role of a diversion given to them by the court. Even if it is a tough battle, 40,000 troops are enough."

"This way, the Western Region will not be left empty, and no one will be able to take advantage of it. After all, the Western Region has just been conquered, so we still need to have enough troops to deter others and not disturb the tribes too much. Stability will lead to better development."

Yuwen Shiji continued, "I think what Wu Taiwei said makes sense. Since Li Ji's central route is the main force and has 100,000 troops, then the western route does not need to send another 100,000 troops. Moreover, in addition to the central and western routes, there are several other routes. The current Xueyantuo does not need so many troops. Too many troops will waste people's money and resources. It will cost too much."

Xiao Yu also agreed.

"Xuanling, Xuancheng, and Prince Bin, what do you think?" the emperor asked the three prime ministers, Fang Xuanling, Wei Zheng, and Ma Zhou.
Fang Xuanling saw that this proposal was proposed by Wu Huaiyu, so he expressed his support. If it was proposed by someone else, he would have to consider whether it would offend the Wu brothers.

Wei Zheng and Ma Zhou naturally had no objections.

Sending 100,000 troops from the Western Regions may sound impressive and would increase the chances of destroying Xueyantuo, but the current situation does not require so many troops.

"In that case, then we should do as the Grand Commandant said and send an order to the Western Regions to have Huaiyi make some adjustments. Anxi and Beiting should each send out 5,000 elite troops, and then all the tribes should send out 20,000 troops to assist. Do not disturb the tribes."

Li Shimin's mood became better and better.

Wu Huaiyu's proposal really saved him a lot of trouble.

If Wu Huaiyi's small army really stole the credit from Li Ji, it would disrupt his deployment.

Speaking of the Western Regions, there was one thing Li Shimin had to consider, that was that after the transfer of Xie Shufang, the governor of Beiting, this position had remained vacant.

"The position of Protector General of Beiting cannot remain vacant. Huaiyu, you are familiar with the Western Regions. Please recommend a suitable candidate." The emperor said with a smile, holding a teacup.

"Then I recommend Anxi Deputy Grand Protector Qiao Shiwang to take over the position of Beiting Grand Protector." Wu Huaiyu said.

He did not recommend anyone from his own faction, but instead pushed Qiao Shiwang, the emperor's brother-in-law and the consort of Li Yuan's ninth daughter, Princess Luling. Before Wu Huaiyu left the Western Regions, the emperor sent him to serve first as the Governor of Xizhou, then as the Governor of Qiuci, and then as the Deputy Protector-General of Anxi.

This was a person planted by the emperor in the Western Regions, so Wu Huaiyu simply recommended him. Prince Consort Qiao was quite capable. At the beginning of Zhenguan period, when the court was preparing to counterattack Jie Li, it sent him as an envoy to Mobei to enthrone Xueyantuo Yinan as Khan, and gave him drums and flags. He also made considerable contributions to the Tang Dynasty's alliance with Xueyantuo to destroy the Eastern Turks.

The subsequent provincial governors all performed well.

Of course, Prince Consort Qiao is somewhat similar to Yang Shidao. He comes from a famous family, or perhaps because of his status as a prince consort, he is relatively humble and low-key.
He and Huaiyi have been partners for more than half a year. Now letting him be the Protector-General of Beiting can be regarded as continuing the team.

Wu Huaiyu also doesn't have to worry about whether Prince Consort Qiao will pose any threat to Huaiyi.

The emperor was also more likely to accept Prince Consort Qiao as the Protector General of Beiting. It can be said that this candidate took into account the interests of all parties. Although Qiao's ability may not be the most suitable for this position, his identity and position made him accepted by all parties.

Really speaking,

Jiang Xingben or Qibi Heli are far superior to Prince Consort Qiao.

"It's time for Su Lie to start his action," the emperor suddenly changed the subject.

"It's time to start. I believe good news will come soon and Beisha City will be captured in one fell swoop." Wu Huaiyu said affirmatively.

Wei Zheng could not help but say, "Your Majesty, the Xueyantuo have not yet been pacified, and now you are sending troops to Liaodong Goguryeo without declaring war. I think this is inappropriate."

"Even if we capture a city called Beisha by surprise, what can we change? How much advantage can we gain? But it will disrupt the peace in Liaodong for more than 30 years. This is not worth the loss."

The emperor did not explain anything to Wei Zheng, nor did Wu Huaiyu. They were all waiting for Su Dingfang to send back the victory report from Beisha City.

The war will come sooner or later anyway, so just find the right time and take the initiative to launch an attack.

What is a city of Beisha?
Haha, Wei Zheng knows nothing about military affairs. If the Tang Dynasty could capture Beisha City, it would have too many plans to make.

(End of this chapter)