Early Tang Dynasty: forge ahead

Chapter 544 It smells so good!

The Western Regions are too far away from the Central Plains. In this era without telephones, the transmission of all information is time-sensitive.

At this moment, the latest news that Li Ji and Pei Xingjian had received was that Li Zhi had died, leaving behind a will appointing Chen Qingsi, Pei Yan and Li Jingxuan as the three auxiliary ministers.

In fact, Li Ji also had some doubts about Li Zhi's decision to appoint Li Jingxuan as an assistant minister, but he was not as idle as Chen Qingsi. Even when he was leading troops outside, he still paid attention to all the developments in the capital.

Li Ji left Chang'an earlier than Chen Qingsi, only because during the time he was away, Li Jingxuan gained the trust of Li Zhi and thus became an assistant minister.

In short, given his lack of understanding of the situation in Chang'an, Li Ji was pessimistic about the future.

Since learning of Li Zhi's death and his final arrangements, he had sensed that something was wrong. However, he did not intend to admit defeat. He had to teach the Arab Empire a lesson and protect the court's interests in the Western Regions as much as possible.

This is the limit of what Li Ji could think of.

Faced with the rumors of psychological warfare from the Arab Empire and the political turmoil encountered by the Tang Dynasty, there were many people in the grassland coalition who had their own thoughts, but the vast majority of them were just doing their work without putting in any effort and did not have any extra thoughts.

Because they have worries. They live in the pastures arranged for them by the Tang court. This time, they were dispatched by the imperial edict of the Khan, which mobilized the main fighting force of the tribe. Most of the people on the pastures are women and children. If they really want to rebel, the court can arrange troops to suppress them first. Even if the court does not send troops, as long as there is a dispatch order, other tribes will take action.

This is an opportunity to strengthen themselves and bully the weak. Even if the imperial court's deterrence is gone, they will still do it as long as they are given an excuse or reason.

This is like holding hostages in the hands of the imperial court. They may work without putting in any effort, but they will never dare to rebel.

Only some individual tribes in the Western Regions, such as the Qarlugs, and the small tribes that remained after the demise of the Western Turks, could migrate directly into the territory of the Arab Empire to avoid being liquidated.

The Arab Empire's strategy of conquering the nomadic people was aimed at the entire nomadic people, but if it wanted to truly gain tangible benefits, the only people it could win over were the nomadic tribes living in the Western Regions who could migrate to the Arab Empire at any time.

Among these tribes, the Qarlugs were the strongest, and of course they had more ideas.

Pei Xingjian sorted out his thoughts and asked, "Duke Ying thinks highly of Gelulu, because he knows that they can be bribed?"

Li Ji said, "In the past, His Majesty Taizong once said that the Turks 'rushed forward when they saw profit, fled when they knew it was difficult, sought wealth when they won, and showed no shame when they lost'. I have always thought that this makes sense. As long as the benefits are sufficient, it is impossible for an existence like the Qarluq, who has no worries, not to be tempted."

As the commander-in-chief, Li Ji was not able to do some things.

It just so happened that Pei Xingjian understood what he meant and was able to make arrangements in advance.

The two discussed and decided on a strategy.

Just as they were acting according to the plan, Li Ji received news from Chang'an, which was a handwritten letter from Chen Qingsi.

Li Ji couldn't wait to snatch the letter from the post officer and read the contents of the letter. After reading the first half of the letter, which introduced the current situation in the court, his originally depressed brows relaxed in an instant: finally, he didn't have to rack his brains to fight a losing battle.

Immediately, the veteran, who was over 70 years old, was furious and cursed: "What a thief, how dare you do such a thing."

He thought that Li Zhi had lost his mind before his death, but now he realized that someone was behind it.

But soon he frowned again. Pei Yan and Li Jingxuan dared to act so recklessly, and they were taking advantage of the young age of the new emperor. The new emperor was far from being able to convince the people. Chen Qingsi had eliminated the two thieves and seized power. What would happen in the future?
never mind!

Li Ji was just a little distressed. This was no longer something he could think about at his age. The most important thing now was to stabilize the morale of the army and win the battle.

Li Ji was just about to announce the news, but before he could say anything, his eyes rolled around again, and he made a plan, and said, "Go and call Protector Pei." Li Ji continued to read the letter. The second part of the letter was a detailed introduction by Chen Qingsi of the national conditions of the Arab Empire, using his advanced understanding of the Arab Empire, as well as a fatal problem that was bound to arise.

Looking at the information revealed by Chen Qingsi, Li Ji was shocked and doubtful. If this was true, it would be the deciding factor on the battlefield.

Karluk camp.

A rough and sturdy man was sitting in front of the fire, gnawing on mutton, while the other two were sitting silently on both sides.

The three of them were the core leaders of the Qarluk tribe. The Qarluk tribe was a military alliance on the grassland, just like the Xueyantuo tribe. It was a group of tribes that united and took a name.

The Qarlug tribe was an alliance of three tribes, namely the Moulu, Chishi and Tashili, so they were also called the Qarlug of the Three Surnames.

Among the three tribes, the Moulu tribe is the strongest, and most of the people serve as Yehu.

The rough and burly man gnawing on the mutton was Yehunashi, the chief of the Mouluo tribe.

After swallowing the food in his mouth, Nashi said, "We have been doing this for a hundred years. What is there to hesitate about now?"

The living environment of the Qarlugs was particularly harsh. They roamed the grasslands south of the Altai Mountains, that is, in the northern part of the Western Regions. A hundred years ago, they were located between the Eastern Turks and the Western Turks, sandwiched between the two major powers on the grasslands.

There is no doubt that the Eastern and Western Turks were powerful in the early Sui and Tang dynasties. The Eastern Turks had millions of soldiers and were more powerful than any other tribe in history. The same was true for the Western Turks. At their peak, their sphere of influence stretched from Dunhuang in the east to the Caspian Sea in the west. They controlled the Silk Road, stationed troops in various countries in the Western Regions, and collected taxes.

The Qarlugs were caught between the two, like fence-sitters, swayed by the wind.

They follow whoever is stronger and whoever poses the greatest threat. They have survived in the cracks for a hundred years and have developed a tribal culture that values ​​profit over profit.

This is also what Na Shi meant by these words.

"no the same!"

The one who spoke was Aposut, the chief of the Chishi tribe on the right, who said, "Have you forgotten the battle that year?"

His voice trembled when he said this.

He was referring to the battle in which Su Dingfang defeated the Western Turks. Su Dingfang jumped over two feet of snow on the ground and defeated an enemy that was dozens of times his size with only a few thousand cavalrymen, destroying the Western Turks in one battle.

Even now Apostoth still remembers Su Dingfang's divine power in this battle, and feels terrified when he thinks of it.

A trace of fear flashed in Nashi's eyes, and then he said: "Su Dingfang died a long time ago, don't scare yourself. Now the Tang court is in trouble, and it is the time when we are most valuable. Think about it, even if the Tang court wins, in the end we will only get a piece of meat. But we helped the Arab Kingdom to defeat the Tang court, and we got more than just a piece of meat."

Luman, the chief of the Tashili tribe, who had been silent the whole time, said, "It's not just a mouthful of meat, it's how much? We three tribes are of the same blood, why can't you take all the benefits!"

Na Shi said: "What are you talking about! Twenty boxes of jewels and jade, five thousand camels, ten thousand horses, one hundred thousand sheep..."

He paused and said word by word: "What I mean is that all three of us are like this."

Apostle, the most timid one, said, "Go!"

(End of this chapter)