First Minister of the Tang Dynasty

Chapter 546 Turkic Retreat

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Hearing Li Shimin's words, little Khan Tuli's expression changed instantly.

In this trip, Tuli only led his own troops, so he was thinking of sitting on the mountain and watching the tigers fight.

If Xieli can break Chang'an, then he will take the opportunity to reap benefits, if Xieli is hindered, then he will just sit on the sidelines.

Now that Li Shimin actually said that Youzhou was about to change, Tuli knew that it was not because Li Shimin threatened him, because those eastern tribes in Khitan had never been loyal to him, the little khan, if the Tang army instigated him again, it would be extremely serious. It is possible to rebel.

Also, Li Shimin just said that the troops from the east, longyou, daibei, and south of the Tang Dynasty gathered in Danzhou, at least an army of 20 million.

Tuli's thoughts changed sharply, and Li Shimin on the other side was also reluctant to say anything, he just scolded: "Shibobi, I won't talk to you, I'll talk to you instead."

Hearing this, Tu Li had no choice but to say: "Brother, please be clear, Shibobi has no malicious intentions", and then rode back to the front of the battle with a serious face.

"Shibobi", Jie Li's face was sullen, "What did Li Shimin tell you?"

Tuli came back to his senses, and suddenly panicked on his face, "Khan, withdraw the troops, if you don't withdraw, it will be too late."

Jie Li's eyes widened immediately, he swung his whip and whipped it, angrily said: "Bold, do you know what you are talking about?"

Tu Li resisted the pain in his shoulder, and said with red eyes: "The Tang army has gathered a force of no less than 20 soldiers from all directions. Their purpose is to lure us to go deep alone, and if we don't withdraw, we won't be able to leave."

Jieli and others were shocked when they heard the words, and Tuli said again: "And the Tang army has already gone to Youzhou to instigate those tribes to rebel, and if they stay here again, I am afraid that there will be chaos on the grassland."

Jieli Khan took a deep breath when he heard the words, "This must be Li Shimin threatening you."

At this time, Li Shimin shouted like thunder, "Where is Ashina aggressive?"

I saw that Li Shimin was already riding alone, and boarded the boat along the pontoon bridge.

Jieli Khan was furious when he heard the words, glared at Tuli, and then patted his horse forward.

"Why is my nephew so rude?" Jieli Khan came to the river bank and pointed at Li Shimin with a whip, "Did my brother Shude teach you to treat elders like this?"

When Li Yuan raised his troops back then, the Turks fought back. In order to stabilize the rear, Li Yuan donated gold and silver to the Turks and made a brotherly alliance with the Turks. According to seniority, Jieli Khan is really Li Shimin's elder.

Li Shimin frowned when he heard this, and scolded in a cold voice: "Hey, since you mentioned the covenant back then, why are you here today?"

Jieli Khan just looked up to the sky and laughed, "Nephew, don't be angry. I heard that the Central Plains has changed. My brother Shude's family is restless. I lost my nephew Yuanji. My brother Shude and my nephew Jiancheng are also in prison. Ben Khan Thinking of the friendship of an ally, with a heart in my heart, I came here to visit, maybe to talk about the brotherhood, is this how my nephew treats guests?"

Jieli Khan was able to take away Tuli's Khan position back then, and quickly established himself, which shows that he is not only good at military affairs, but also should not be underestimated in terms of political strategy.

His nonsense, in his words, even insinuated Li Shimin as a traitor, a man who killed his brother and imprisoned his father. If this is true, as an ally, it is really righteous for him to come to visit.

Sure enough, Li Shimin's face was livid with anger, and he pulled out the emperor's sword from his waist with a snarl, "Ashina is aggressive, you are also a monarch, how can you be so shameless, break the covenant without permission, and use unjust soldiers? You righteous people, how dare you speak nonsense about the internal affairs of the Tang Dynasty?"

Seeing that Li Shimin was only clinging to the covenant, in the final analysis, it was Xieli who broke the covenant. Xieli's patience was worn out, so he immediately tore off the fig leaf, turned slightly sideways, and pointed at the densely packed Turkic army behind him.

"Li Shimin, there is a saying in the Central Plains, those who know the current affairs are the best. Today, 20 Turkic warriors are here, and only one order from Ben Khan can flatten the capital and take Chang'an. , Ben Khan remembers the old love, you still will not lose the position of prince, if you don't follow, Ben Khan will step into the Central Plains and teach you the Li Tang royal family, you will die and your family will be wiped out."

After finishing speaking, Jieli Khan drew out his scimitar and pointed it at Li Shimin. The blade was against the sword, and the atmosphere was suddenly tense.

Seeing this, the Turkic army behind them immediately drew their swords and shouted, their voices shook the sky, and their momentum was frightening.

Li Shimin, on the other hand, saw that Jieli was angry, but his expression remained the same, and he did not change his face when he heard the shouts of the 20 Turkic army.

"Hey, do you really think you're sure of winning?" Li Shimin narrowed his eyes slightly, and said in a deep voice with confidence.

Jieli Khan didn't know why, so he held his head up and said, "This Khan has 20 warriors here, where in the world can they go?"

Li Shimin looked up to the sky and laughed, "It seems that there are some things that Shi Bobi didn't tell you."

Jieli's heart skipped a beat when he heard the words. At this moment, Li Shimin stretched out his hand, and the gate of the camp in the distance opened wide, and [-] troops rushed out. Qin Qiong raised his horse high and roared, "Kill".

As Qin Qiong rushed out on a leaping horse, the [-] troops behind him shouted in unison, "Kill", and in an instant, the sound of killing shook the sky and went straight to the sky.

Three consecutive waves of shouts of killing echoed over the Heshui like huge waves, and then the [-] troops moved in unison and stood behind Li Shimin, their armor gleaming and their blades sharp.

"That's it?" Jieli Khan was not a timid person, he just comforted his horse and smiled lightly.

Li Shimin shook his head and smiled, waved again, the flags were waving, but before he saw the figure, he could only hear the sound of rumbling horseshoes, like thunder.

"Khan", Ashina Simo, who was in the Turkic formation, hurried forward, "All our army's scouts lost contact, and most of the Tang army appeared in the west."

Jieli frowned when he heard this, and saw Yi Shilue coming in a hurry, his face full of panic, "Khan, most of the Tang army appeared in the north."

Before Jieli could react in time, he saw Tang Jun appearing in darkness on the hillside in the distance.

Then came Wuqi, and came behind Li Shimin.

"Wei Chigong, the general manager of the Jingzhou Road Marching, was ordered to serve the king".

"Hou Junji, the general manager of the Binzhou Road march, was ordered to serve the king".

"Cheng Zhijie, the general manager of the Qizhou Road March, was ordered to serve the king".

"Li Jing, the governor of Lingzhou, was ordered to serve the king".

Qin Qiong then came out, "Qin Qiong, the general manager of the Tongzhou Road Marching, was ordered to serve the king".

After the words fell, a horse came rushing from the east, "Jiangzhou governor Luo Shixin, ordered to serve the king".

The audience was silent, and Jie Li's face was livid.

Li Shimin held his head high and looked straight at Jieli, "Hey Bi, we are a country of etiquette in the Tang Dynasty, and we should be cautious when fighting with swords. Now let me ask you, should we fight or not?"

Jieli Khan was confused and struggled for a long time, and finally rode out. "Ben Khan was delighted to hear that the new emperor of the Tang Dynasty had ascended the throne, so he led the subjects of the state to congratulate the new emperor of the Tang Dynasty."

The corners of Gao Chong's mouth twitched when he heard that, as expected of the overlord of the grassland, he was really able to bend and stretch, just now he said that the horse stepped on the Central Plains, but now he changed the subject and led the troops to congratulate the new king on his ascension.

Li Shimin twisted his beard and said with a smile: "Your country's heart, I accept it, but Chang'an is cramped and it is difficult to receive many distinguished guests, so I will not invite the Khan to enter the city to talk to each other. Of course, if the Khan is willing to enter the city alone, I will greet him with upside down shoes ".

Jieli Khan panted heavily and clenched his fists.

Seeing this, Ashina Simo whispered in his ear for a while, and Jieli Khan showed joy, and said directly: "My nephew, you don't need to be polite, it's just that the subjects of this Khanate grew up in a bitter and cold place, and their lives were difficult. It is not easy to come to celebrate, and I hope that my nephew will treat you kindly."

Li Shimin narrowed his eyes and looked directly at Xieli, but Xieli did not back down, the two faced each other tit for tat, neither of them spoke out.

Ashina Simo was a bit quick-witted, seeing that the situation was no longer going to be fought, he actually encouraged Jieli Khan to ask for benefits.

To put it bluntly, my Turkic life is difficult, and now 20 people have come to congratulate you on your ascension, so you must not express it.

Seeing that the scene was stagnant for a while, Gao Chong immediately rode forward and whispered in Li Shimin's ear.

Li Shimin raised his brows, "Since the Khan has this intention, my Tang Dynasty will definitely not treat the distinguished guests badly, and I also invite the Khan to stay in Heshui permanently. After I return to Beijing, I will allocate food and grass, and hold a banquet by the banks of Heshui to entertain you all." ,how?"

Jieli Khan's face changed suddenly when he heard this, he stayed in Heshui, what joke are you talking about, if you stay any longer, you will gather more and more troops from all over the Tang Kingdom, will I still be able to leave?

Xieli Khan hated his teeth so much that he couldn't fight now, and extorting some money and food was not enough. The angry Xieli Khan said directly: "My nephew has a heart, but I don't intend to stay for a long time. I didn’t bring food and grass, the Central Plains is vast and abundant, and the products are abundant, how about a good nephew, how about funding some food and grass for the return trip? Otherwise, once the Khan runs out of food, I’m afraid that the warriors under his command will not listen to discipline.”

Li Shimin's eyes narrowed when he heard the words, and he said directly: "It's okay, I can order the army to send each other along the way."

Gao Chong laughed in his heart, Li Shimin is really good enough, and Jieli Khan didn't even have to say a word.

Sure enough, Jieli was furious when he heard the words, took a deep look at Li Shimin and the five people behind him, then turned his horse's head and returned to the main formation.

Seeing the Turks receding one after another, Li Shimin closed his eyes and remained silent. Gao Chong was behind him, and Li Shimin could clearly hear Li Shimin breathe a sigh of relief.

When he returned to Daying, Li Shimin's face was serious.

Although this time it was a tie, the Turks withdrew their troops directly, and the Tang Dynasty did not offer gold, silver, money or grain, nor did they cede land to proclaim their vassals, but Li Shimin, with a strong temper, still felt that this compromise was a shame.

But only Gao Chong knew that this was a world of difference compared to the Weishui alliance on the original track.

On the original trajectory, the Tang Dynasty was more chaotic than it is now, the treasury was poorer, and the troops were scattered in all directions. Even Chang'an City only had [-] to [-] troops. It was really Li Shimin's retreat in exchange for his dignity. At the very least, it emptied the treasury and gave the Turks a large amount of gold, silver, money and food.

Now that there is no additional donation of gold, silver, money and food, the two sides will stop and make peace, which is already the best result that Gao Chong can think of.

"Shubao, how many days is enough food and grass?" Li Shimin asked after a long time.

Qin Qiong was startled, and replied truthfully: "It's less than five days."

Li Shimin clenched his fists and said in a deep voice: "Persist for three days, order Li Jing to monitor the departure of Turkic soldiers and horses along the way, and the rest of the ministries will station troops in Yanzhou. After the Turks withdraw from the Great Wall, the soldiers from all states will return to camp."

Hearing this, Gao Chong sighed, "It's hard for a clever woman to cook without rice. This feeling is very uncomfortable. If Datang was given abundant food and grass, Li Shimin would definitely dare to turn his face against Xieli. Anyway, now there is insufficient food and grass, and the Turkic soldiers and horses are so large. In Gyeonggi, Li Shimin had to watch the Turks leave.

Not to mention the Tang side, where the monarchs and ministers had complicated thoughts. On the other side, Jieli Khan returned to Liangshan on the north bank of Heshui, and suddenly found that Tuli Khan had pulled out his army and was about to evacuate.

Jieli Khan immediately lost his temper, and summoned Tuli to scold him furiously.

Tuli hated him greatly, but now he still didn't dare to turn against Jieli, so he could only say: "Uncle, don't hesitate any longer, if you stay any longer, those tribes in Khitan will be completely reversed. The army is getting bigger and bigger, and they can't get away."

Xieli was furious again, he raised his whip and whipped it down. Although he knew that what Tuli said was right, the more he looked at this nephew, the more suspicious he became. Li Shimin didn't know what to whisper to him. Is out of my mind.

Another important reason for Jieli's order to retreat was that he was worried about Tuli. Although he claimed to have an army of 20 soldiers, only a little over [-] of them could fight. occupies one-third.

At the beginning, Ashina Shibobi was granted the title of Tuli Little Khan, inheriting the original title of his grandfather Qimin Khan (Ashina Shibo’s grandfather was named Ashina Rangan, whose original name was Tuli Khan, and later accepted the title of Tuli Khan. Canonized by Emperor Wen of the Sui Dynasty and changed to Qimin Khan).

Its purpose was to win over the old nobles who were loyal to Shibi Khan. After all, Shibobi was the eldest son of Shibi Khan, and Shibi Khan had a high prestige in the Turkic Khanate.

But now Jieli Khan found out that he was raising tigers for trouble, and the little Tuli Khan was not honest, relying on his own troops to do whatever he wanted in the eastern grassland, and he didn't have much respect for him, the great Khan.

In the seventh year of Wude in Wulongban, Binzhou, Little Khan Tuli formed an alliance with Li Shimin without authorization, which was already a violation of Jieli Khan's bottom line. Now it seems that Tuli is still entangled with Li Shimin. Li Khan already had a killing intent towards Tuli in his heart.

After whipping Tuli, Xieli did not hesitate and immediately ordered the withdrawal of the troops.

At the same time, Youzhou was extremely lively.

And the governor of the state and the British Duke Li Ji.

The governor of Tongzhou and Guan Guogong Rengui.

The governor of Yingzhou and the Duke of Yarrow, Tudiji.

Thirty thousand soldiers from the three parties gathered in Youzhou.

Youzhou, Dudu's Mansion.

Liu Hongji, the governor of Youzhou and the Duke of Kui, sat at the head.

Sitting on the left and right are Li Ji and Ren Gui. Li Ji's next head is Yingzhou Governor Tu Diji, and Ren Gui's next head is Yanzhou Governor Wang Shen.

There were also some Hu people sitting at the bottom, who were no strangers. They were chief Tielida of Heishui Mohe Tieli tribe, Khitan chief Dahe Mohui, Xi tribe chief Ahui Suzhi, and others.

Liu Hongji held back his smile, looked at Da Hemohui and the others, and said intentionally: "Everyone, you said earlier that the Turkic soldiers were pressing down on the territory, and that we, the Tang Dynasty, would not be able to protect ourselves?"

Seeing Liu Hongji's expression and the opened letter on the desk, Amo Suzhi had some vague guesses, and asked directly, "Dare to ask Governor Liu, but the battle has already been decided?"

Dahemohui and the others immediately cheered up when they heard the words, and seeing Li Ji, Tudiji and others smiling and silent, they understood, and suddenly asked in surprise: "Tang Guo won?"

Liu Hongji raised the corner of his mouth, picked up the letter on the desk and said: "I received the military report today that 20 Turkic soldiers and horses arrived in Tongzhou, Gyeonggi. My Majesty the Emperor of the Tang Dynasty personally marched. The Turks retreated without a fight, and have now withdrawn from the Great Wall."

Ogamokai and the others looked at each other in disbelief when they heard the words.

Tielida scratched his head, stared and asked, "There was no war? Did Jieli Khan retreat directly?"

Liu Hongji raised his eyebrows, raised his head and said, "The 20 troops from Dongdong and Shannan of the Tang Dynasty have gathered in Gyeonggi, and the sages are marching in person. Who dares to fight?"

Tie Lida swallowed, he had 20 soldiers at every turn, it was really frightening, his entire Tie Li tribe was only tens of thousands of people, he immediately said: "The Emperor of Tang is really, really powerful".

Liu Hongji and others laughed at each other.

(End of this chapter)