First Minister of the Tang Dynasty

...

After Li Shimin formally ascended the throne, he made a bold move to prepare the army for war, issued an imperial decree, and the soldiers and horses in Hedong, Longxi, Hanzhong and Shannan no longer disappeared.

Dingxiang City, that is, Yunzhong City in Han Dynasty, was originally an important town in Daibei, and Liu Wuzhou occupied Dingxiang at the end of Sui Dynasty.

After the defeat of Liu Wuzhou, Turkic Jieli Khan set up a tooth tent in Dingxiang City and stayed here permanently. The real tooth tent of the Eastern Turkic Khanate was set up in Yudujun Mountain in the upper reaches of the Orkhon River in Mobei.

Dingxiang City, the original Yunzhou Governor's Mansion, was later renovated by Liu Wuzhou into a palace, and now it has become the Monan Yazhang of Jieli Khan.

It was cold and windy outside, and a row of braziers were burning inside, steaming hot.

The majestic Jieli Khan sat at the top, and several generals of the Eastern Turks sat on both sides.

Jieli Khan tore off a leg of lamb, his gaze was as sharp as a vulture's, and he shot out a murderous look. He bit down a bite of the meat, chewed it ferociously, and then spit it out in disgust, "Everyone, this Lamb... Ben Khan is tired of eating."

Hearing these words, several people sitting in the hall had different expressions.

The one sitting first on the left was Tuli Khan, and the others didn't speak, so Tuli could only respectfully say with a smile: "The Great Khan has a vast territory, if you don't like this lamb leg, you can order it down, and all the ministries will definitely give it up." force to find".

"Hmph," Jieli Khan snorted heavily, and swept the leg of lamb to the ground, "Ben Khan wants to eat dishes cooked by the imperial chef of the Tang Kingdom? Can you find them?"

Tuli Khan paused when he heard the words, and then said straightly: "What's the difficulty? I feel like brothers with Li Shimin of the Tang Dynasty. When my nephew writes a book, Li Shimin will definitely not be stingy with one or two royal chefs."

"Idiot", when Jieli Khan heard this, he was furious, "How could my brother give birth to you, an idiot?"

Jieli Khan's son Ashinadiraozhi suddenly understood, staring and asked: "Father Khan wants to attack Tang?"

Jieli Khan laughed loudly when he heard the words, "It's still my son Conghui, that's right. There was news earlier that Li Shimin will ascend the throne on the tenth day of this month. This Khan just wants to take advantage of his recent accession to the throne. Chang'an City, what do you guys think?"

Dieluozhi was honest, strong, and upright. Hearing this, he was delighted and exclaimed: "Father Khan's plan is very good. People in the Central Plains must be celebrating his new emperor's enthronement. At this time, we will attack with all our strength, and we will surely succeed." Take down the city of Chang'an."

"That's right, my clever son," Jieli Khan said with a satisfied smile, "You understand what I mean."

"What do you think?" Jieli Khan asked with a frown.

For some reason, other people were not so eager, especially the chief of Tie Le's army.

"Profusely, it's the severe winter. Our people are suffering from hardships and suffering from hunger and cold. If we use troops at this time, I'm afraid that we will hurt ourselves before we hurt others," Jiabitqin Ashina Simo said hesitantly.

Ashina Simo has a bright personality, cares about money and righteousness, and is quite resourceful. His great-grandfather was Ashina Tumen, the founder of the Turkic Khanate, known as Yili Khan.

Hearing this, Jieli Khan was immediately unhappy, staring at Ashina Simo and said: "The people of the tribe live in poverty, so they should send troops all the more. The Central Plains is rich, and Chang'an City has endless delicious food and wine. It's better than that." Hiding in a tent, suffering from hunger and cold.”

Ashina Simo was hesitant to speak but stopped, and Zhi Shili next to him gently tugged at Simo's sleeve, and gently persuaded: "Khan calm down, although Li Shimin is the new emperor, but he has been doing it for several months." The prince has already stabilized his power. Now that we send troops to the south, Tang will not panic in the slightest, and will even resist with one heart, not to mention it is still the twelfth lunar month, so think twice."

Jieli Khan's face was gloomy upon hearing this, his eyes were full of cruelty, "Are you all against it?"

"Don't dare", Zhi Shili and the others looked terrified and hurriedly bowed down.

If they dared to object, Jieli Khan would not attack Tang, but their tribe tomorrow.

"If you don't dare, then carry out the order." Jieli Khan said with majestic eyes: "I will consider the pros and cons of what you say."

Although Jieli Khan has a violent personality, he is not a stupid king after all. Seeing that his subordinates had some concerns, he said directly: "The Tang Dynasty is not monolithic, and the change of the bullshit Changlin Gate can be seen at a glance because Li Shimin seduced Li Jiancheng. .

Although Li Jiancheng was abolished, he also has many subordinates. I can say with certainty that Li Shimin's ascension to the throne will definitely cause a storm, and our Turkic warriors will plunge into the heart of the Tang Dynasty at this time."

After hearing Jieli Khan's words, Ashina Simo was a little moved. He was absolutely loyal to the Turkic Khanate and absolutely loved the Turkic people. He knew that what Jieli Khan said was very reasonable.

Now that it has entered the twelfth lunar month, judging by the weather, this winter will only be colder. Instead of hiding in a tent and freezing to death from starvation, it is better to send troops to the south. The south is warmer, and the Tang people must have stored food for the winter.

Only the stubbornness is still frowning, "It's not that the subordinates don't want to obey the order, but that Li Shimin is definitely not a kind person. He joined the army as a young man and has had few defeats for many years. We can think of this, and Li Shimin must be able to do the same." Thinking about it, and will definitely make arrangements in advance, it will be difficult to make meritorious deeds in the case of Tang State's preparedness."

"Yes, profusely."

Tuli Khan's eyes lit up when he heard the words, and he also actively echoed: "There are many outstanding people in the Tang Dynasty, they must be prepared in advance. Besides, the Great Khan signed an alliance with the Tang Dynasty before, and they will not invade each other. He recklessly violated the contract for fear of being cast aside. ah".

Jieli Khan looked up to the sky and laughed disdainfully when he heard the words, "Shibobi, don't you think you are stupid for reading Han books? What kind of covenant do I, the Turkic warrior, want? It's just a stopgap measure to stabilize Li Shimin's son."

"That's right," the burly Ashinadira also yelled: "Shibobi, you are too timid. You are not a warrior of the Great Turkic Khanate. This winter must be cold. I want to enter Chang'an City and give it to Ke Dun." Grab the softest and warmest silk."

Ashinadirazhi is brave and good at fighting, with a simple and straightforward personality, and is deeply loved by Jieli Khan. On the contrary, his nephew Ashina Shibobi, who talks about sage books every day, is really cowardly in his eyes.

"My son is filial."

Jieli Khan laughed with his beard twisted, very satisfied, and at the same time impatiently waved his hands at Tuli Khan and said, "Shibobi, you are too cowardly, you have to be as brave as your father Sibi Khan, Ben Khan Now I give you an order, ten days later, you must lead your troops to Dingxiang City, this is an order, and you must obey it."

Jieli Khan is really right, Ashinadira is indeed filial.

According to the original trajectory, after the fall of the Eastern Turks, Dieluozhi was captured and sent to Chang'an.

For Jieli Khan, Li Shimin treated him kindly, and he was named General Youwei, and became the king of Guiyi County.

At the same time, Jieli Khan's family members were also supported by the imperial court, such as meals and meat, all of which were rationed. Die Luozhi's biological mother finally came to Chang'an, and missed the distribution of food, so she did not enjoy the imperial court's provision.

Ashinadirazhi felt distressed, "dare not taste meat", and left his own portion of meat to his mother. After all, Turkic people like to eat meat. Li Shimin was greatly moved when he heard about it, and sighed: "Heavenly gift Benevolence and filial piety, limit Hua Yizai", give it generously.

Hearing Jieli Khan's mandatory order, there was no room for negotiation, Tuli Khan's face turned pale, and his heart was full of grief and indignation, but in the end he dared not speak out, and bowed his head in silence.

"Zhishibu, what do you say?" Jieli Khan looked at Zhishisili with a blank expression on his face, and said slowly, his voice was very gloomy.

Seeing that Tuli Khan accepted the order so aggrieved, he lost his mind and had no choice but to bow down and prostrate, "I will obey the order."

Jieli Khan looked up to the sky and laughed, "Okay, breaking the city of Chang'an will surely benefit you. Go back and make preparations. Ten days later, Dingxiang City will send troops to Dingxiang City. Those who lose their time will be punished together."

Seeing that Tuli Khan, Zhishisili, Ashina Simo and others were all taking orders, the rest of the tribes naturally did not dare to say more and bowed down one after another.

In the east of the city, there is a big house covering an area of ​​half a square. This is Tuli Khan's other courtyard in Dingxiang City.

Tuli Khan had a gloomy expression on his face, he just drank the wine, and the servants around him dared not speak.

Only Ashina Simo comforted and said: "Khan insists on sending troops, and we can only obey orders. Besides, the new emperor Li Shimin ascends the throne, and the people of the Tang Kingdom must be unstable. Attacking at this time may really help the tribe survive this winter." .

When Tuli Khan heard the words, he immediately threw his wine glass, "Send troops as soon as they are dispatched, how can he insult me ​​again and again?"

"That's right," Ashina said indignantly, "Brother is the little khan of the Turkic Khanate, but he doesn't show any sympathy. Look at the expressions of those tribes, it's clearly a joke." My brother".

"Shut up," younger brother Ashina yelled angrily as if his words pierced Tuli Khan's heart.

Qi Jin is the chief. This time, Jieli Khan called on all the tribes in Monan to gather in Dingxiang City, planning to send troops to attack Tang.

In name, Tuli Khan is the little Khan second only to Jieli Khan. In the past, he was often despised by the tribes. Now Jieli Khan publicly reprimands and insults Tuli Khan for being cowardly. Khan was filled with grief and indignation.

"Little Khan calm down," Ashina Simo asked directly: "Who are you going to recruit for this time? The Eastern tribes may have a hard time this winter."

Tuli Khan frowned and thought about it, suddenly the corners of his mouth rose, and he said straight up: "I only bring the troops from the headquarters of Youzhou Yazhang."

"What?" Ashina Simo was shocked when he heard the words, and asked directly: "Little Khan's headquarters has only more than [-] people. If he only leads the headquarters, he may not have enough troops. Besides, there is no way to explain it to the Great Khan." ".

When Tuli Khan heard the words, he just asked with a smile: "What is the original statement of the Great Khan? Within ten days, you must lead the troops of the headquarters...then I will lead the troops of the headquarters. Have you ever violated the order?"

Ashina Simo was stunned, this, isn't this just grabbing Jieli Khan's words.

Jieli Khan named Ashina Shibobi the Little Khan named Tuli Khan, and his fiefdom was the eastern part of the grassland. The Khitan, Xi and other eastern tribes were under the jurisdiction of Tuli Khan.

Jieli Khan ordered Tuli Khan to lead the troops in the headquarters... It was clearly for Tuli Khan to lead the troops in the east, not the headquarters of Tuli Khan Yazhang.

Seeing that Tuli Khan insisted on this, Ashina Simo had no choice but to leave, and he planned to discuss with Zhi Shisili.

After Ashina Simo left, Ashina's association leader said worriedly: "Brother, you really only have the staff from the headquarters?"

"Is this still false?" For this younger brother, Tuli Khan not only relied heavily on him, but also hated iron and steel. He was impulsive and thoughtless, which made him very helpless.

After the death of Shibi Khan, Shibobi was only 16 years old, and was succeeded by his second uncle, Qi Lifu, named Chuluo Khan. Chuluo Khan passed away two years after his reign. The position is still not related to him, and the third uncle Duobi succeeded him, named Jieli Khan.

The reasons for this can be described as quite complex.

First, Ashina Shibobi was young and had never commanded an army. His power and prestige were far inferior to Jieli Khan who had been recruited for many years.

Second, Ashina Dubi's father, Qimin Khan, eldest brother Shibi Khan, and second brother Chuluo Khan, during the reign of these three Khans, Dubi has been serving as Mohe Dushe.

This position is similar to the generals in the Han Dynasty (such as Han Xin, Wei Qing), the marching marshals in the Sui and Tang dynasties (such as Yang Guang's defeating Chen, Li Shimin's defeating Zheng), and the later Five Dynasties in the Song, Liao and Jin Dynasties. structure), in simple terms, is the military commander of the Turkic Khanate, that is, the head of the military attache.

Dubi held this position for a long time, and his prestige was second only to the Khan. After the death of his second elder brother Chuluo Khan, he took the throne as a matter of course, named Jieli Khan.

Third, and the most important point, Ashina Shibobi is cowardly and dare not fight.

It was not smooth for Dubi to succeed Khan, and he was opposed by many tribes. They supported Shibobi, the eldest grandson of Qimin Khan and the eldest son of Shibi Khan. a compromise.

Shibobi accepted the canonization of the little Khan and ruled the eastern part of the grassland. matter, flogging and insulting at will.

In the final analysis, this is because Tuli Khan cannot compete with Jieli Khan. Jieli Khan is not only good at fighting, but also brilliant in his political strategies. He integrated the foundations of his father and brother to create the Eastern Turkic Khanate that spans thousands of miles. It also coincides with the fact that Tuli is controlled by others.

Until later, Tuli Khan gradually grew up, and it was too late when he gradually realized that Jieli Khan had completely controlled the Eastern Turkic Khanate.

Tuli Khan is not stupid, he is just cowardly, but he has read poetry and books for a long time, and he also understands the need to cultivate cronies.

So he wooed his elder brother Ashina Simo, and continued to fight for his brother Ashina's association rate, and finally let Ashina's association rate reach the high position of Helan Suni Que.

He Lan means horse, and Suni Que means officer in charge. He Lan Suni Que is equivalent to the general manager of the Tang Dynasty's horse army, who is in charge of the cavalry. It is said to be an extremely noble official position with real power.

It's a pity that Ashina's association rate is violent. Not only did he fail to help Tuli Khan, but he also caused a lot of trouble for Tuli. People were outraged many times.

Seeing that the association rate still ignored his intentions, Tuli Khan was even more annoyed.

"Brother, aren't you afraid of getting angry?" Seeing his elder brother's gloomy face, the leader of the association asked anxiously.

"You idiot", Tuli Khan finally couldn't bear it any longer, and cursed, "I told you to read more and you didn't listen, now you are as stupid as a cow...".

The head-to-head and face-to-face scolding made the association leader look confused, and then sullenly said: "Why are you scolding me, you have the guts to scold Khan...".

Hearing this, Tuli Khan hurried forward and covered the mouth of the association leader, "Are you courting death?"

The association rate reacted with fear, and he breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that there was no one around. If Jieli Khan listened to these words, the two brothers would have to be whipped.