First Minister of the Tang Dynasty

Chapter 620: Turkic lackey

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Lingnan is a prosperous scene. Maritime merchants from various states and counties gather in Panyu City. Various construction projects are in full swing. Gao Chong is deploying people every day. Kaiyue City, located in the southwest of Panyu City, is about to be completed. Kaihai City in the southeast is facing Construction has begun on the bay, and everything looks vibrant.

As for Mobei, it was completely in chaos.

After the Khitan and other tribes secretly communicated with the Tongluo tribe, they launched an attack at night. Although the young Khan Tuli had been on guard for a long time, he could not withstand the internal rebellion, and the Tongluo tribe attacked again.

The Turkic Northern Expedition army was quickly defeated, and the Tuli Khan fled back to Yanshan Yazhang in embarrassment with more than [-] troops.

Seeing the weakening of the Turkic forces in the east, the Heishui Mohe who were entrenched in Liaodong also rebelled one after another, broke away from the control of the Turks, and defected to the Sumo Mohe in Yingzhou.

After Tuli's little Khan returned to Yanshan Yazhang, he looked around blankly. Almost all rebels were in rebellion. The Khitan and other tribes in the north were chasing after each other. The Heishui Mohe in the east joined Yingzhou Sumo Mohe and looked at them with eager eyes. The Tang army in Youzhou in the south also came out of the fortress. patrol.

At the northern foot of Yanshan Mountain, the little Khan of Tuli was in a state of panic. He kept cursing the rebellious eastern tribes, from the Khitan to the Xi tribe, and then to the Blackwater Mohe. Khan, now that he is surrounded by enemies on three sides, one can imagine the anger in the heart of the little Khan Tuli.

"Brother, Heishui Mohe defected to Tang Guoying Prefecture. They must give an explanation for this matter. If Heishui Mohe is not severely punished, the Turkic Khanate will have no prestige at all." Ashina, the leader of the association, gritted his teeth and said with hatred. .

The Khitan rebellion was already chaotic enough, but now Heishui Mohe, who doesn't know whether to live or die, actually agrees with the rebellion. Isn't this a naked provocation?

Tuli Khan's eyes widened and he said, "Idiot."

Ashina Kushiro looked confused.

"Don't talk about Blackwater Mohe. Without the support of the Tang people, do you think Da Hemo would dare to rebel?" Although Tuli Khan was defeated miserably, his mind was still clear, and he probably wanted to understand the cause and effect on the way back to Yanshan. .

Ashina was shocked, "Is this... Dahemo colluding with the Tongluo tribe?"

"Stupid", the little Khan Tuli rebuked again: "His Khitan tribe is in the east, and the Tongluo tribe is far away in Mobei. However, how can the middle-class tribes protect the Khitan? If the Khitan wants to gain a foothold in the east, there are only two ways. ".

"Which two?" Ashina asked confusedly, blinking her eyes.

After Ashina's humbly asking for advice, the little Khan Tuli gradually calmed down. It seemed that only his brother's ignorance could reveal his wisdom. In this way, he felt much better.

"Tujue, or... Tang Kingdom", the little Khan of Tuli said in a deep voice as he picked up the wine bowl and drank it all in one gulp.

"It makes sense." Ashina, the leader of the group, slapped his head. "It must be the Tang people who are bewitching the Khitan. I know that those Han people are ambitious and go out to Jimen Pass to patrol when there is nothing. It is simply too much."

After pondering for a moment, Tuli Khan snorted coldly and said, "Bring me a pen and paper."

"Interfering in the internal affairs of the Khanate is ultimately the fault of the Tang State. I want to see how he, Liu Hongji, responds."

But Tuli Little Khan did not expect that Liu Hongji would not even read his stern letter of condemnation. He just replied to the envoy: "Is this happening? I will investigate it in detail."

Just these words sent the envoy away. Tuli Khan was furious, but he did not dare to fall out with Youzhou.

Seeing the Khitan tribes sharpening their swords, the young Khan Tuli did not dare to stay at Yanshan for long, so he led his troops to return westward overnight and went to the royal court of Yinshan.

In Yinshan, in the court of the Turkic King, Jieli Khan was undoubtedly furious after hearing about the rebellion of the eastern tribes. He was about to send an envoy to recall the Tuli Little Khan, but the Tuli Little Khan hurriedly threw himself into the trap.

The two uncles and nephews put on a good show of Khan's troubles as soon as they met.

"Shu Zi, I'll kill you!" In the golden tent, when he saw Tuli Little Khan walking in with his head drooping, Jieli Khan finally couldn't hold back his raging anger, so he drew his sword and slashed at Tuli Little Khan. sweat.

The little Khan Tuli was horrified and hurriedly evaded. The other generals in the tent also tried to dissuade him. If the Khan hacked the little Khan to death in the royal court, it would be a big deal.

No matter how bad the little Khan of Tuli is, he is also the eldest son of Shibi Khan and the little Khan of the current Turkic Khanate.

"Kang, please calm down. It's not too late to find out the situation first and then punish him," Ashina Simo advised, holding Jieli Khan's arm tightly.

"Yes, although defeat is a serious crime, you can't punish him without teaching him." Ashina Sheer stood by and protected the little Khan Tuli tightly.

The little Khan Tuli turned around in surprise when he heard this, and glanced at his cousin resentfully.

After everyone's persuasion, Jieli Khan finally let go of the handle of the knife, and stared at Tuli Khan with a murderous look in his eyes, "I gave the eastern part to you, but now it's all in chaos, you What can you say?”

The little Khan Tuli was sweating coldly. When he was in Yanshan Yazhang, there were Khitans in the north, Heishui Mohe in the east, and Han people in the south. He felt it was too dangerous, so he fled to the royal court. Now it seems that it is better to stay in Yanshan Where's the dental tent?

"Uncle, Khan, it's all the fault of those Khitan people. The Dahe family has long been interested in the Han people. After being instigated by the Han people, they turned against them. There are also the Xi people, the old man Ahuisuzina, who have longed for the prosperity of the Central Plains. They are dissatisfied with our Turkic Khanate. This war is not a crime of war, but is actually a crime of domestic thieves that are difficult to guard against."

Tuli's little Khan's mind changed quickly and he lay on the ground and said loudly.

Jieli Khan's eyes flashed sternly, "Are you sure it was Tang Guo who instigated this?"

Then the little Khan Tuli repeated the same rhetoric he had given to Ashina's association leader. After hearing this, Khan Jieli thought carefully and realized that it really made sense, and he immediately became furious.

"Where is the Tang envoy now?" Jieli Khan asked bitterly.

"Back to Khan, I'm, I'm in the Lifa tent," the guard outside the tent bowed and replied.

Jieli Khan's eyes narrowed, he nodded slightly and said, "Get out of here."

After sending everyone away, Jieli Khan was deep in thought in his tent.

Outside the tent, Tuli's little Khanji was furious. He raised his leg and kicked Ashina Sheer's butt, "Boy, you are trying to break up the fight. I wish he could chop me down, right?"

"Brother, please calm down. How could my uncle really kill you? He was just out of anger." Ashina Sheer was busy apologizing.

Tuli Little Khan is the eldest son of Shibi Khan and the son of Ashina Sheer Shichuluo Khan. The two are cousins.

When everyone rode farther away and came to a hillside, Tuli Little Khan asked: "I heard that Yu Gushe is not in the royal court. Where is he now?"

Ashina Sheer said with shame: "After the defeat, I fled south and got separated from Yugushe."

Ashina Yugushe was the younger brother of Tuli Khan. Together with Ashina Sheer, he was entrusted with the extension of the northern region. He set up a tent in Mobei and commanded the Xue Yantuo, Tongluo, Tiele and other tribes.

Hearing this, a trace of worry flashed in the eyes of the little Khan Tuli. Ashina Yugushe is very important to the little Khan Tuli. After all, he is a sibling brother with no conflicts of interest, and he is the key to his position. One of Khan's assistants, somewhat emotional.

"Do you think he..." Tuli Little Khan asked again, without saying it clearly, but everyone understood what he meant. "No," Ashina Sheer said categorically: "When the army is defeated, Yugushe still has at least ten thousand elites to protect themselves."

The little Khan Tuli felt relieved when he heard this.

Ashina Simo on the side frowned and analyzed: "After the defeat in Mobei, Yugushe did not return south, and the young Khan went out from the east, but he did not meet him, and there was no news. Now it seems that Yugushe is very likely to Maybe he went west during the chaos."

"The west side..." Tuli Little Khan turned his head to look at the west side unconsciously, and then sighed quietly: "It is said that the west side is not stable now."

Everyone was silent for a while, and in their hearts they just thought that Yuguzhao was probably going to be in trouble.

But they didn't expect that according to the original trajectory, Yugushe's man, after escaping to the west, took advantage of the chaos in the Western Turks to flourish in the Western Turks, and gained many local Tutuns (the Western Turk Khanate sent to the Western Regions The censors of various countries) supported him and established himself as Yibidudu Khan.

Later, they unified the Western Turks, "occupied Yanqi in the east, attacked Tocharo in the west, and specialized in the Western Regions." From then on, they became the great enemy of the Tang Dynasty.

"By the way, I just mentioned Qi Lifa. I heard that he is a Han?" Tuli's little Khan came back to his senses, frowned and asked, "How could the Khan appoint a Han?"

Ashina Simo also frowned when he heard this, nodded and said: "Qi Lifa's name is Zhao Deyan, he is a subordinate of Dou Jiande who used to rule Hebei. We don't know what Khan is thinking, we only know that he trusts Zhao Deyan very much." .

"The tax and interest calculation he came up with did bring a lot of tax revenue to the royal court. The Khan was very happy," Ashinasheer continued. Then he looked around and saw that there were no outsiders, and said in a low voice: "It's just that I heard The tribes are very angry."

The little Khan of Tuli frowned, "I have also read some of his political strategies, including the land tax, which were very popular in the dynasties of the Central Plains. However, I always feel that there is something wrong with applying them to the grasslands."

Ashina Simo and Ashina Sher are both outstanding figures in the Turkic royal family. They also feel the same way, but they look helpless. In the Turkic Khanate, Jieli Khan is the dictator of one person, but they are on the grassland. Although his status was respected, he had no choice but to face the strength of Jieli Khan.

"Hey, brother, don't think too much. You escaped a disaster today, and we brothers finally got together, let's go have a drink." Seeing the silence of everyone, Ashina scratched his head and shouted directly road.

The little Khan Tuli glanced at his younger brother and rode away without saying a word.

"Brother, what are you doing?" Everyone hurriedly followed, Ashina asked anxiously.

"Drink!" Tuli Little Khan shouted without looking back.

Ashina's leader laughed loudly when he heard this, and whipped Ashina Simo's horse's butt with a whip, "Simo, do you dare to compete with me?"

Ashinasmo's horse was frightened and ran wildly. Ashnasmo hurriedly comforted them, but he also looked helpless when facing the two brothers.

Behind the royal court, there is a huge dome tent, which is Qi Lifa's big tent. In this royal court, it is one of the tallest and most luxurious.

In the big tent, Zhao Deyan held a book in his hand and looked at it with relish. On the other side, there was a wooden stake stuck in the ground. Lu Kuan, the majestic Central Superintendent of the Tang Palace and the head of the Jingzhao Lu family, was tied up on the wooden stake. .

Lu Kuan stared at Zhao Deyan hatefully, but Zhao Deyan ignored him and read to himself in front of him. When he was reading to his heart's content, he would let out exclamations of surprise from time to time.

After a long time, Zhao Deyan slowly put down the book, stretched his waist, poured tea, smacked his lips, and sighed with endless aftertaste: "Wonderful, I didn't expect that there was such a character in the Pseudo-Tang Dynasty. These short and long poems are really a revelation." It is the first of its kind in terms of poetry and prose."

At this time, Zhao Deyan seemed to have just seen Lu Kuan and said, "Oh my, what a sin, I forgot to pour tea for Mr. Doulu."

Then he shouted outside the curtain: "Here comes someone."

"Quilifa", the Turkic guard bowed and said.

"Give him some water, don't get thirsty." Zhao Deyan picked up a cup of tea, twirled his beard and said with a smile.

"Yes", the guard accepted the order, stepped forward to take the tea, then walked up to Lu Kuan, pulled off the cloth gag, held Lu Kuan's chin and forced a cup of tea into him, causing Lu Kuan to choke. Straight cough.

Zhao Deyan couldn't bear to look directly at him and cursed: "Rude, so rude."

The Turkic guards were at a loss.

"Forget it, go down," Zhao Deyan waved his hand to drive him away.

"Zhao Deyan!" After Lu De recovered, his eyes were about to spit fire, and he gritted his teeth and roared: "Barbarian lackey, you are a Han in vain."

Zhao Deyan didn't take it seriously and just chuckled: "I heard that the Doulu family changed their surname to Lu? Have you really forgotten your origins? Aren't you Xianbei thieves barbarians?"

The Doulu clan was originally from the Xianbei clan, descended from the Murong clan. Murong Chang, the king of the Northern Territory of Later Yan, surrendered to the Northern Wei Dynasty and was appointed the governor of Changle County, giving him the surname "Doulu". Doulu means surrender in the Xianbei language. After the founding of the Tang Dynasty, , Li Yuan gave him the surname Lu.

Lu Kuan paused, the hatred in his eyes still unabated.

"I'm protecting your life," Zhao Deyan sighed quietly, "swear, the more fierce the better, anyway, I am a person without a country and a family. At that time, everyone was his own master. Now, the country is destroyed and the family is destroyed. What do you, the traitors of the false Tang Dynasty, have to do with me?"

Seeing that Lu Kuan's face was complicated and uncertain, Zhao Deyan didn't want to say anything.

Not long after, Zhao Deyan planned to change his clothes and go out. Lu Kuan became even more agitated when he saw this, and cursed, "Thief, thief, lackey, I am an envoy of the Tang Dynasty, please loosen your bonds quickly."

At this moment, the curtain was opened, and Zhao Deyan heard the voice inside, and immediately said angrily: "Get out, I have told you many times, you must report before entering the tent...".

"Jieli Khan, I am the envoy of the Tang Dynasty. What do you mean?" Lu Kuan struggled and roared as soon as he looked at the person.

Zhao Deyan's scolding voice in the room suddenly stopped, and he hurriedly dressed up and came out, "I didn't know that the Khan was coming, and I said something rude. I hope the Khan will punish me."

"Condemned..." Jieli Khan waved his hand and smiled, "I sit on a territory of thousands of miles, and my heart is as broad as the sky. How can I care about you?"

Then he looked at Lu Kuan, who was tied up with five flowers, and said, "This is the envoy from the south, Qi Lifa, who are you?"

"Khan doesn't know something. This man is not a Han, but a native of Xianbei, Liaodong." Zhao Deyan bowed and replied: "I think that if Khan wants to become the supreme hegemony, he will definitely recruit talents from all over the world. The Doulu family is If the Xianbei royal family can surrender to the Turkic Khanate, it will greatly increase the power of the Khan, so they intend to persuade them to surrender, but... this person does not know how to praise."

"Bah!" Lu Kuan spat: "Shameless lackey, wishful thinking."

"Khan, look..." Zhao Deyan said with an angry look on his face, "If he is not used by the Khan, it would be better to kill him with one sword than to be a cheap fake."

Jieli Khan's eyes flashed with admiration, "I'm so determined now."

"Come here, take this man down and treat him as a prisoner." Then Jieli Khan ordered in a deep voice: "I will make a decision after I question Li Shimin."

Hearing this, Lu Kuan looked panicked and shouted loudly, "I am the envoy, how can you be rude...", but no one paid attention to him. Poor Lu Kuan, a dignified central prisoner and a third-rank official, was treated like a prisoner. Drag people out.

(End of this chapter)