First Minister of the Tang Dynasty

Chapter 622: Turkic Envoy Kang Sheoli
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The Tang Dynasty had always paid attention to the unrest in the Turks. Following a memorial from Tu Diji, the governor of Yingzhou, the city of Chang'an was completely detonated.

In the eastern part of the grassland, the Khitan, Xi, Heishui Mohe and other tribes all submitted to the Tang Dynasty.

Li Shimin's excitement was palpable. This was his greatest achievement since he ascended the throne.

Just imagine, since the late Sui Dynasty, the Khitan and other tribes have been attached to the Turks and did not obey the Central Plains Dynasty. However, after he, Li Shimin, came to the throne, he did not use a single soldier. The Khitan and other tribes took the initiative to surrender. Doesn't this prove that he, Li Shimin, adheres to God's will? Bring all the barbarians home.

Of course, there are also some conservative people who insist that rashly accepting the Khitan and other ministries will most likely cause conflicts between the two countries, but the Tang Dynasty is now full of martial virtue, and the remarks of such people have not caused much trouble.

The important ministers in the court, both civil and military, all agreed with Li Shimin's will and had to accept it. If the foreign barbarians came to surrender and did not dare to accept it, then where is the power of the Tang Dynasty?
In Ganlu Hall, Li Shimin was pacing with his hands behind his hands. There were six or seven people sitting in the hall, such as Gao Junya, Fang Xuanling, Changsun Wuji, Yuchi Gong and others.

"Du Bi has always been arrogant. Now that the Khitan tribes are coming to surrender, he will definitely not give in." Li Shimin had already put his joy behind him and began to think about the next step. "You guys tell me, what should he do?"

Everyone had their own thoughts after hearing the words. Yuchi Gong's dark face was full of excitement and he smiled, "The guardsmen have not used swords and guns for some time. If he dares to come, then we will ambush him on all sides." .

When Fang Xuanling saw this, he smiled and said: "Then I will disappoint Jingde this time, and Jieli will never dare to come again."

Hou Junji, who was sitting next to Yuchi Gong, was sipping tea. Hearing this, he narrowed his eyes and said with some hesitation: "Is it because I was scared last time? Yi Jieli's temper... shouldn't be."

Changsun Wuji shook his head and said, "Jieli's temperament naturally shows no fear. It's just a civil war in the Turks. How dare he raise an army to invade at this time?"

Hou Junji and the two suddenly realized that Hou Junji was only in his early thirties at this time. He had no experience in leading an army alone, and he had not yet apprenticed under Li Jing. He was inexperienced and was not the general who later destroyed the country and captured the king. He was just a general. Li Shimin's confidants attended this secret meeting in the inner hall.

Li Shimin looked at Gao Junya, "What do you think, Mr. Junya?"

Everyone had already spoken, but Prime Minister Gao Junya lowered his eyebrows and remained silent.

Hearing Li Shimin's question, Gao Junya nodded slightly and said bluntly: "As the assistant machine said, in the land of Turks, there are Xue Yantuo in the north of Mobei and Khitan in the east. They have too much time to take care of themselves and are jealous by nature. They will never abandon them at this time." The country does not care. Since it does not dare to raise troops, Yichen speculates that perhaps Jieli's credentials will arrive soon, which are probably nothing more than some threatening words of condemnation."

Li Shimin's face darkened when he heard this, and he nodded slowly, "This seems like Du Bi's style."

As a monarch, Li Shimin can naturally call Jieli Khan by his first name. If he is on the battlefield, the opposing generals can also call him by his first name to boost their morale. However, in this kind of discussion between the monarch and his ministers, if he calls the enemy country one by one, Monarch, that is a great disrespect for the status of the monarch.

"Isn't Jie Li an old fool?" Yuchi Gong asked with his eyes widened: "Just a letter of credentials is of great use."

"It's just about preserving dignity," Changsun Wuji sneered at the side.

Yuchi Gong curled his lips and was noncommittal. He dismissed this method. After thinking about it, he asked eagerly: "Your Majesty, the Turks are in civil strife. Isn't this an opportunity given by God? Why not give it to a certain army? How about a fight north?"

After hearing Yu Chigong's words, no one expressed their opinions, but just thought about the pros and cons.

Li Shimin waved his hand to signal Yuchi Gong to calm down, frowned and said: "Logically speaking, there is no harm in having a fight, but now may not be the best time."

"Why not?" Yuchi Gong glared and said: "There was a fight within the Turks. Xue Yantuo occupied the entire Mobei, and the Tuli children in the east fled back to Yinshan. The huge Turks, only the people of the Turks themselves, were left alone. A certain 5 people can give it a try."

Li Shimin suddenly laughed and said: "Okay, Jingde, please sit down first. If they know that you are asking for a fight behind their backs, they will not spare you."

Yuchi Gong didn't care, "Whoever seizes this opportunity will belong to him."

"Jingde, please don't underestimate Jieli." At this time, Gao Junya said quietly: "Although the Turks are in civil strife, until now, according to intelligence, the Turks themselves have not lost their troops, whether it is Tuli or Jieli. What's more, there is still an elite Turkic force entrenched in Shuofang."

Li Shimin nodded and answered: "According to Wei Feng Wei's news, not to mention the strength of the Shuofang Liang thieves, the Ao Yu She command alone is no less than [-] to [-] elite troops."

Hearing this number, everyone's hearts sank. Yuchi Gong opened his mouth but said nothing. He was not a reckless man and could not utter such arrogant words as one against ten thousand.

Shuofang and Yunzhong are now under the jurisdiction of the Turks. Most of them are former Sui people who fled to the north. There are many Han people there. Princess Yicheng of the former Sui Dynasty, who is the current Turkic Khanate, Kehe Dun, lived in Dingxiang City. Emperor Yang Guang's empress Xiao and Yang Guang's grandson Yang Zhengdao were also in Dingxiang. The former Sui people all recommended Yang Zhengdao as the main one, known as the "King of Sui".

At that time, Chuluo Khan also gave Yang Zhengdao all the officials and people from the Central Plains living in the Turkic territory to help him restore the Sui Dynasty. With the assistance of two die-hard Sui loyalists, Empress Xiao and Princess Yicheng, Yang Zhengdao separated the regime. Dingxiang, with tens of thousands of troops, was known as the Later Sui Dynasty in history. Until now, Dingxiang is still lingering.

A "Liang Kingdom" is located in Shuofang, and a "Sui Kingdom" is located in Dingxiang. Liang Shidu and Yang Zhengdao are the puppets supported by the Turks. They are located between the Tang Dynasty and the Turks, and they are also a buffer zone for both sides. If you want to conquer the Turks in the north, The "Liang" and "Sui" must be destroyed first.

As the southern extension of the Turkic Khanate, Ashinao Yushe's duty is to supervise these two small puppet courts. Its military strength reaches as many as [-]. In the entire Turkic Khanate, it is second only to Jieli and Turkic Khanate. The power of profit cannot be underestimated.

There was a moment of silence in the hall, and Gao Junya said softly: "Now the north and east sides of the Turks are out of Jieli's control. If Jieli wants to stabilize the situation, he can only use Oyushe's force. There may be opportunities then." And move”.

"Why?" Hou Junji asked in confusion: "He has more than [-] troops in Yinshan, so why does he have to use Ao Yushe? If he uses Ao Yushe, wouldn't it give us an opportunity to take advantage of? "

Gao Junya raised his eyelids and laughed softly: "It's just a guess."

Fang Xuanling also lowered his head and lowered his eyebrows, saying nothing. This kind of political struggle involves monarchy. They understood it, and Li Shimin naturally understood it, but Hou Junji didn't think much about it, so it was not easy to say it clearly.

Li Shimin nodded thoughtfully, and after pondering for a while, he stood up, looked at the people present, and said seriously: "No matter what, there will be a battle with the Turks. Now that the Turks are in civil strife, it is time for us to rise up. The public works together and gathers food to prepare for war, waiting for the right time."

Everyone stood up and agreed.

After everyone left, Li Shimin summoned Xue Yuanjing and ordered him to focus on infiltrating Shuofang, Dingxiang and other places.

As expected by Gao Junya, a Turkic envoy arrived in Chang'an a few days later. This Turkic envoy was no stranger to Li Shimin. He was the Turkic Te Qin Kang Sheoli.

When Li Yuan raised troops in Jinyang, he sent Liu Wenjing to donate gold and silver to Shibi Khan. Shibi Khan ordered Teqin Kangsheuli to lead [-] fine cavalry and obey Li Yuan's dispatch, although he never used them from beginning to end. A Turkic cavalry, but after the founding of the People's Republic of China, Li Yuan still expressed great gratitude. He made Kang Sheoli a pillar state and gave him some gold and silver. He also specially built a house for Kang Sheoli in Chang'an, and the reward was extremely generous.

In the Liangyi Hall, Kang Sheoli faced the high-spirited Li Shimin and felt very emotional. He immediately straightened his clothes, bowed solemnly and fell to the ground, "Foreign Minister Kang Sheoli, I pay my respects to His Majesty the Emperor of the Tang Dynasty."

"The Zhuguo is polite." Li Shimin stretched out his hand to invite you, and then laughed loudly and said: "You are the Zhuguo of my Tang Dynasty, and you are not a foreign minister."

Kang Sheoli paused and did not refute, but thanked him again. Li Shimin's eyes flashed with gleam when he saw this. Others, such as Gao Junya and others, also looked at Kang Sheoli thoughtfully.

"By the order of the Great Khan of the Turkic Khanate, I have come to present my credentials." Kang Sheoli took out an exquisite booklet from his arms.Li Shimin took a deep look at Kang Sheoli. He actually called himself "Chen". Even though he just removed the word "外", the meaning was completely different. He then waved to Zhang Anan and hurried forward. Received the referral.

"On the order of the Great Khan, I have the courage to ask. The Khitan, Xi tribe and other tribes were originally vassals of the Turkic Khanate. They have defected to your country. I also ask His Majesty the Emperor of the Tang Dynasty to expel them from the country and hand them over to the Turkic Great Khan." , Kang Sheoli took a deep breath and then bowed.

Li Shimin's eyes narrowed and he just lowered his head to read the credentials.

The civil and military officials in the DPRK couldn't bear it.

"You're a thief from the Western Regions, how can you talk nonsense?"

"The Khitan tribes have never been connected to the Tang Dynasty. Why are you talking nonsense?"

Kang Sheoli just twitched his mouth, lowered his head and lowered his eyebrows, and said nothing more. He was a first-class smart man. He knew that now was not the time to argue with these officials of the Tang Dynasty. The key to everything lay with His Majesty the Emperor.

Speaking of Kang Sheoli, he was also a strange man. He was originally the prince of Kang State in the Western Regions. The Western Turks ruled the countries in the Western Regions and sent Tutun to supervise the countries. Kang Sheoli was unhappy, so he fled eastward and went to the Eastern Turks.

The ambitious Shibi Khan, regardless of the distance of his relatives, only looked at the interests. When he saw that the Kang royal family came to vote for him, and Kang Sheoli was also a talented person, he granted him the position of special service, which was a highly respected position.

From an exiled prince who had conquered the country to a position of special service in Eastern Turkestan, it can be seen that Kang Sheoli was by no means a reckless man, at least his emotional intelligence was quite good.

After all the ministers had reprimanded them, and saw that they were about the same, the censor came out of the queue belatedly and said softly: "Be quiet."

There was silence in the hall, except that Yu Chigong and others stared directly at Kang Sheoli, as if they wanted to eat him alive. Even though Kang Sheoli was over fifty and had a calm mind, he still felt like a light on his back.

After a long time, after Li Shimin read the so-called credentials, he exclaimed, "Is this happening?"

Kang Sheoli looked stunned, pretending not to know?This is too much!
Li Shimin looked at Kang Sheoli and said bluntly: "Zhuguo doesn't know something. Recently, our government has been vigorously developing Lingnan, collecting tens of thousands of taxes and thousands of armors every day. I am busy with trivial matters in Lingnan, and I really don't know much about the various Khitan tribes."

After saying that, Li Shimin looked at Gao Junya and said, "Ms. Gao, is this something?"

Kang Sheoli was shocked. He collected tens of thousands of taxes every day and had thousands of sets of armor!

Could it be that you are trying to scare me?

Gao Junya had no expression on his face when he heard this, but bowed and responded, "It is true."

Kang Sheoli suddenly became energetic.

"Your Majesty, do you see it?"

But without waiting for Li Shimin to express his position, Gao Junya continued: "It's just that the Khitan tribes did not state that they were allied to the Tang Dynasty. They were only attached to Heishui Mohe and Sumo Mohe. Duke Qi of Yingzhou also wrote to express this, Su Mohe. Mo Mohe and Heishui Mohe come from the same clan, and I am willing to do my little bit to help one or two."

"Look Zhu Guo".

Li Shimin suddenly realized after hearing this, and said calmly: "The Khitan tribes did not surrender to the Tang Dynasty, but were supported by Sumo Mohe in Yingzhou. For the grassland tribes and Yingzhou, the Tang Dynasty adopted the policy of restraining the emperor. I believe that the Zhu state also had its own plans. I heard that the imperial court is not in a position to ask about this kind of thing."

"That's right," Yuchi Gong snorted heavily, "You can handle matters on your grassland by yourself. What does it have to do with me, the Tang Dynasty?"

Kang Sheoli was completely confused, but looking at Li Shimin's indifferent expression, he knew that there would be no result in this matter, so he just lowered his eyebrows and remained silent.

When Yuchi Gong saw this, he laughed loudly, and the laughter echoed in the hall. He was so happy, as if he had conquered all the Khitan tribes. He immediately raised his hands to Kang Sheoli and said with a smile: "Zhuguo, this is Yuchi Gong. I was a little rude just now. No wonder, no wonder, I finally came to Chang'an. After the court is over, I'll have a nice drink with you."

Kang Sheoli also smiled, "I have heard about General Yuchi for a long time, and I have longed for your wine."

Hearing this, everyone felt a little strange in their hearts.

"Good, very good, Zhu Guo is also a refreshing person", Yuchi Gong laughed loudly: "It's a pity that Cheng Yizhen is not in the capital, otherwise it will be even more lively."

"What Jingde said makes sense," Li Shimin twirled his beard and said with a smile, "It is rare for Zhu Guo to come to Chang'an. Your house in Xingyefang has been prepared for you. If you come this time, I will stay longer."

Kang Sheoli had a grateful smile on his face and bowed to thank him.

After the dynasty was dismissed, all the important officials of the Political Affairs Hall went to Ganlu Hall. Li Shimin specially ordered Wei Fengwei General Xue Yuanjing to accompany them. When the other court officials saw this scene, they also had some guesses. After all, those who can participate in the Chang Dynasty are all outstanding people in the world. After all, Kang Sheoli's attitude today is really thought-provoking.

Yuchi Gong also kept his word and immediately took Kang Sheoli to the Hero Building in Dongshi.

After everyone sat down, Yuchi Gong patted Kang Sheoli on the shoulder and said, "Zhu Guo, you may not have seen me when you came here last time. Now let me introduce you to General Wuhou Wuhou and Yuchi Gong, Duke of Wu."

"General Youwei, the Duke and Lord of Lu State gathered together."

"General Zuo Wuwei, Qin Qiong, Duke of Yi State".

"General Zuo Xiaowei, Duan Zhixuan, Duke of Fan".

"General Zuo Wuhou, Dingyuan County Duke Zhang Gongjin".

The other four people handed over their names one after another.

Everyone had such a big name. Kang Sheoli was frightened when he heard this. He didn't dare to show off, so he hurriedly stood up and returned the greeting, "The names of you generals are as loud as thunder. I am Kang Sheoli, a native of Kang."

The Kang people did not mention the Turks at all.

After hearing this, Yuchi Gong paused, turned to look at Hou Junji, his eyes were full of smiles, and immediately laughed and said: "Brother Kang, you are so polite, hurry up and take your seat. The food and wine of this hero building are the best in Chang'an, Gao Youzhi Not only is he versatile in both civil and military affairs, but he also has a deep knowledge of cooking."

(End of this chapter)