First Minister of the Tang Dynasty

...

Brother Daheku's eyes widened, and the war horse beside him also understood. He crawled on the ground obediently, holding a water bag in his mouth, without making a sound, completely integrated into the grass. Looking from a distance, even if he noticed Here, most people thought it was just grass.

During Brother Daheku's prayers, the dozen or so Turkic knights patrolled back and forth before riding away.

"Thank you Goddess for your protection." Brother Dahe Ku breathed a sigh of relief, knelt on the ground and bowed to the sky, full of joy.

The Khitan people have such a legend about their ancestors. A "goddess" who had lived in the heavenly palace for a long time felt the boredom and loneliness of the heavenly palace. She rode a green ox down to the earth to travel. On the way, she met an "immortal" riding a snow-white horse. The goddess and the immortal fell in love at first sight, so they drove the green bull and the white horse away. The two fell in love and united, and they gave birth to eight sons. After that, the clan became more and more prosperous, and they are now the eight Khitan tribes.

Therefore, the Khitan people have always believed in the goddess of heaven, and regard cows and horses as the totems of the tribe.

Brother Daheku got on his horse and ran all the way, daring no longer to delay, and returned to the camp before dawn.

Dahemohui and others who had been up all night were relieved to see Brother Daheku finally come back.

"Why so late?" Da Hemo Hui asked in a solemn voice. He felt that there was no reason for the Tongluo tribe to refuse and resist the interests of the Turks and all the tribes on the grassland.

Brother Dahe Ku grabbed the kettle on the desk and drank a sip. Then he said happily: "I should have gone back early, but on the way back I met a Turkic horseman."

Dahe Mohui and the others were startled and looked at Brother Daheku up and down.

"It's okay. Fortunately, I was alert and found them in advance. I lay down in the grass and they didn't see me." Brother Daheku patted his body and said with a grin.

"That's good." Ohma would nod, waiting for Brother Ohga to continue.

"The leader of Tongluo agrees with our plan. As long as the Turks are in chaos, he will attack."

"Okay", Da Hemohui stood up and said in a low voice: "Then tonight, Tuli will die in Mobei at midnight."

Brother Dahe Ku and others looked excited, but Ah Huisuzhi looked hesitant.

"Mohui, Tuli cannot die," Ahuisuzhi said after careful consideration, "At least he cannot die in our hands."

Ohma would frown, "Why?"

He hates Tuli deeply. For so many years, Tuli has been in charge of the eastern part of the grassland and has bullied him so much that he wants to eat his flesh and drink his blood.

"After all, he is a young Turkic Khan. If he dies in our hands, it will definitely trigger crazy revenge from the Turks," Ah Huisuzhi said in a deep voice.

"So what?" Brother Daheku looked indifferent, "Since you have decided to raise an army, are you still afraid of his revenge?"

However, Dahemohui seemed to understand what Ahuisuzhi meant. He frowned and nodded, saying: "If we kill Tuli, then we will share the pressure with Xue Yantuo. Tuli... cannot die in our hands."

Brother Daheku also realized that if Tuli died in the hands of the Khitan tribes, Jieli Khan would definitely mobilize a large army to attack the Turkic Khanate in order to save the face of the Turkic Khanate. In that case, the Khitan tribes would face the Turkic army alone. Xue Yantuo will be safe and sound in Mobei.

Then Brother Daheku looked at his father, with an expression that he was hesitant to speak. Seeing his father looking over, Brother Daheku said directly: "Tongluobu wants to marry us and marry his daughter to me. Ask your father what you mean."

Ohma was stunned for a moment, and then his face darkened, "He doesn't trust us?"

"No." Brother Daheku knew that his father had misunderstood just like him before, so he said bluntly: "The leader Tongluo didn't mean this. He just wanted to deepen the relationship between the two groups. If father wants to, we can discuss it with him afterwards." ".

Da Hemohui's expression softened, he nodded and said, "Then I'll take a look after Tuli is driven away."

The storm was about to come, but Tuli heard the report from last night's ride that a comprehensive inspection had been carried out for fifty miles around, and there was nothing abnormal. Tuli felt a little relieved and immediately ordered to rest for a day and officially attack tomorrow.

The undercurrent of the Turkic situation is turbulent, and Jieli Khan is not aware of it. He still thinks that Xue Yantuo is just suffering from ringworm and scabies, and he is still feasting and hunting in the royal court of Yinshan Mountain.

As for the Tang Dynasty, Li Shimin's attention was entirely on the northwest.

Northwest, Liangzhou, Guzang City.

There was chaos on the streets. Cars were rushing through the streets. Street vendors were running for cover. Some people who had no time to avoid were brutally hit by horses and fell to the ground unconscious.

Faced with this kind of arrogant travel, Guzang people dared not speak out but could only endure it silently, because they knew that they could not afford to offend the owner of the car.

A Hu merchant from the Western Regions stopped at the door of the inn, preparing to unload the goods and stay in the hotel. However, his reaction was a little slow. The camel was frightened and overturned the goods. The Hu merchant was furious and was about to curse, but a boy next to him hurriedly stopped him.

"My lord, please calm down, don't get angry." The boy pulled at Hu Shang's sleeves with a look of panic on his face.

Hu Shang was even more angry, "They knocked over my goods and they want to apologize and compensate."

"Hey, don't be so loud." The boy was so frightened that he quickly pulled Hu Shang aside. "That's King Changle's chariot. We can't afford to offend him."

"King Changle?" Hu Shang was stunned, and then said angrily: "The king can't act like this."

"If you offend King Changle, don't talk about your goods. Your life will be gone." Seeing that Hu Shang was ignorant, the young man was also angry and said in an ear: "King Changle is the king in Liangzhou. He doesn't need to be an official to kill people. You don't need to be an official anymore." Nonsense, we don’t dare to receive you anymore.”

Hu Shang was also angry just now, but now that he understood the difference in status, he could only respond angrily. Looking at the silence of all the people on the street, with the expressions of being accustomed to it, Hu Shang also knew that he could only admit that he was unlucky.

The chariot that passed by before was the chariot of Li Youliang, the governor of Liangzhou and the king of Changle. King Changle was the uncle of the current saint and had a respected status. As the boy said, in Liangzhou, the king of Changle is the sky.

After Li Youliang came out of Guzang City, he rode on a horse. The Li family of Longxi. As a descendant of the flying general Li Guang, bow and arrow are a family skill. Just like the Wenxi Pei family is good at swordsmanship, the Li family has always been good at it. As for bows and arrows, Li Yuan is famous for his ability to win the prize in the bird screen. Li Shimin is also excellent at archery. As a direct descendant of the Li family, Li Youliang is naturally proficient in mounted archery.

After he came to Liangzhou and took office, Li Youliang had no other serious business. He immediately set up a hunting ground outside the city, enclosed land on a large scale, occupied hundreds of acres of farmland and mountains, and built paddocks for him to hunt. This was his biggest hobby. .

In the land of Liangzhou, the people have always been tough, and there are many people who are good at riding and shooting. Li Youliang soon gathered some local "heroes" around him. The so-called heroes are just some rogues who run rampant in the countryside.

"Your Majesty, how are you today?" A sturdy man wearing a Hu suit rode up to the horse and asked with a smile.

Li Youliang must be very interested in asking him this question, and he would not hesitate to reward him when he had a good time. This group of people had nothing to do every day, and their only task was to make Li Youliang happy.

But today, when Li Youliang heard this, he just glanced at him, then threw the precious eagle bow in his hand aside, and started running wildly while hitting the horse.

Everyone behind him looked confused.

"My lord, what's the matter?"

"You ask me? How do I know?"

"Hurry up and follow. If the king is unhappy, we will not end well."

Everyone hurriedly followed Li Youliang and galloped wildly.

"Your Majesty is so good at riding horses," a rough-looking man complimented, "I have been on horseback since I was a child, and I almost couldn't keep up with Your Majesty."

Others also joined in.

In the past, when Li Youliang heard the flattery, he would be very proud and rewarded him with some gold and silver. But today, Li Youliang had no reaction.

After standing on the horse and staring at the horizon for a long time, Li Youliang turned over and dismounted. The people behind him immediately came forward to serve him, arranged a soft couch and served him fine wine.Li Youliang drank the wine in one gulp, then looked at the idle men accompanying him on the hunt, and said in a deep voice: "My good days are over."

Everyone was stunned when they heard the words.

"Your Majesty, how could this happen?"

"Your Majesty, you are a noble man, and you will never end your good life."

Li Youliang waved his hands and said solemnly: "The smuggling incident has been exposed and has been brought to the court. The saint has arranged for someone to replace me."

Everyone was shocked when they heard this, and their expressions suddenly changed.

These people are all idle ruffians from Guzang City. They call themselves knights on weekdays and do not hold any positions in the government. Their eyesight and knowledge are very low, but they know very well that once King Changle dismisses his official position and returns to Beijing, their good days will come to an end. .

"Your Majesty, what is the crime of smuggling?" asked an idle man, already feeling uneasy in his heart.

King Changle glanced at him and said calmly: "Behead."

"Ah...kill, behead", everyone was so frightened that they turned pale with panic.

There was silence for a long time, and finally someone tremblingly dared to ask: "Your Majesty, are you just admitting your guilt like this?"

The other idle men also looked at Li Youliang eagerly, their eyes full of hope.

"Otherwise, what can I do?" Li Youliang was upset and said angrily: "Now the saint's words may determine my life or death. I will return to the capital and beg the emperor. Maybe the saint can forgive me."

Although Li Youliang was violent and cruel, the basic idea was still very clear. After all, he was the grandson of Taizu, the cousin of the Supreme Emperor, and the cousin of the current saint. As long as he had a good attitude, Li Shimin would not take his life. After all, Li Shimin also needed reputation. .

"Then, what about us?" An idle man suddenly became excited and asked with a look of horror on his face.

"I can't protect myself, so you should seek happiness for yourselves," Li Youliang sighed, and then just drank to himself.

Everyone looked at each other in blank dismay, bowing their heads in silence.

When Li Youliang was eighty percent drunk, everyone helped him into a car and took him back to the Liangzhou Governor's Mansion.

Outside the Governor's Mansion, in a wine shop, a group of idle men gathered here, and the atmosphere was heavy.

The leader, with a scar on the corner of his mouth, was named Ma Si. He used to be a horse thief in the Gobi Desert. Later, he attached himself to Li Youliang and smuggled money to Tuyuhun and other tribes. It was Ma Si's suggestion. He was also vaguely one of these idle men. What you say here matters.

"Shiro, please make up your mind," another man asked in a deep voice.

"Yes, your Majesty, his life is safe. He will still be rich and happy when he returns to the capital. How can we survive?"

"If the new governor knew what we had done, he would definitely not spare us."

Everyone was chirping, and Ma Si frowned, slapped the table and shouted: "What are you shouting about? The sky hasn't fallen yet, why are you panicking?"

After finishing speaking, Ma Si looked at everyone and said, "This matter is easy to handle. There are only two ways. First, we go to the capital with the king. Second, we leave the king in Liangzhou."

Anyway, we can’t leave the king. Once we don’t have the protection of the king, let’s not say whether we can survive, at least don’t think about being happy.”

Everyone nodded in agreement.

"However, I think the king means that he will not take us to the capital," but then Ma Si said in a heavy voice.

"Then let him stay," a man said through gritted teeth, "He can't just care about himself and whether we live or die."

When everyone heard this, their expressions suddenly changed, and they all looked at the thin man who spoke.

Ma Si angrily shouted: "Do you know what you are talking about?"

The thin man sneered, "The brothers are all our own. They have been hanging around in Liangzhou for many years, and they all know the truth. Don't pretend to be kind people. Just now Shiro also made it very clear. Once you leave the king's Asylum, we have no way to survive.”

Having said this, the man glanced at everyone and smiled, "Let's not talk about other things, let's not mention the newly appointed governor, the Liangzhou government alone cannot get around us."

"Silang, you killed Tailor Li's wife in the west of the city at the beginning of spring."

"Ah Qi, you have almost all the land in your village, right? I heard that Li Zheng's legs were discounted?"

"And you, Lao Wu, you can't hide the lives of those people in the gambling house in the east of the city."

"Every one of us has a clean butt. Now that his backer has left, he wants to be a good family man? It's not that easy."

After hearing the thin man's series of words, everyone felt heavy.

Ma Si also sighed at this time: "Lao Hou is right, it is extremely difficult to escape."

"Then what does Shiro think we should do?"

"Yes, Hou Da, you have always been smart and come up with ideas."

Everyone shouted.

"Shut up." Ma Si stared, "It's so loud that you're going to die?"

Then he looked at Lao Hou, "Hou Da, what do you think?"

Hou Da narrowed his eyes when he heard this, "When it comes to this job, we brothers are also willing to fight for it. Anyway, we have no family and no job, so there is no burden."

"In my opinion, it is better to persuade the king to surrender to the Turks," Hou Day said, not surprising, but he would not stop until he died. His words shocked everyone.

"What? Defecting the Turks?" Ma Si also looked surprised. He did not expect Hou Da to be so bold.

"What did Shiro say, that he defected? We are not good family members. This is called defecting." Hou Da grinned and lowered his voice and said: "I have a brother who died. Now in Shuofang, he is also working for the Turks. There are flocks of cattle and sheep, and there are many wives and concubines. It is not a fairy-like life. We serve the king every day and night, have fun, be disciplined, and look at people's faces, which is very uncomfortable."

"But, my lord, is he willing to go?" someone asked tremblingly.

Ma Si glanced at him and said nothing.

Hou laughed and said, "It's not up to him whether he wants to go or not. In this city, he is like the sky. What can he do if he leaves Liangzhou?"

Everyone suddenly realized that Hou Da actually planned to kidnap King Changle.

"Hou Da, do you think it's feasible?" Ma Si asked in a deep voice. They had no burden in their hearts for kidnapping Li Youliang. They were originally idle gangsters, and they didn't feel the slightest guilt for attacking Li Youliang. What loyalty and honor did they have to them? Words do not exist at all.

"After all, he is the cousin of the current Holy Emperor, and his status is very important. I believe that the Turkic Khan must like this gift very much," Hou Dayin said sadly.