The cold wind was howling and the stars were dim. Two Tibetans on horseback were welcomed to the Xiaoyuan Mountain Camp in Tubo.

"Hey, Deputy Prime Minister, why are you back?" After recognizing the identity of the Tibetan envoy, the guard quickly opened the camp door.

"I have something to do and I need to see the Great Protector. Is he back?"

"Return to the Deputy Prime Minister, the Protector-General is receiving envoys from other countries."

"An envoy from another country?"

"That's right, the envoys from the Three Kingdoms of Black Clothes Da Shi, Hou Tujue, and Tuqi Shi are discussing how to deal with the Tang Dynasty."

"So that's it." Xu Zhi suddenly realized and patted his head and walked towards the commander's tent.

Every time I met patrolling soldiers along the way, I bowed to him and said hello.

When I came to the tent, I opened the curtain and walked in without thinking.

Seeing him coming, his eyes lit up and he said with a smile.

"The deputy prime minister has arrived just in time. I would like to introduce some guests to you."

"These are the generals of the advance army of the Black-clothed Dashi Empire, Fataro, as well as Mobai from the Later Turks and Luo Jinnai from the Tuqi Shi."

"Everyone, this is the Deputy Prime Minister of our Tubo Kingdom who is responsible for national etiquette. Please note."

The three messengers whose names were called each nodded as a greeting.

After everyone sat down again, they were asked some puzzled questions.

"Deputy Prime Minister, didn't the Queen Mother ask you to urge Datang to punish the murderer? Why are you back so soon?"

When he mentioned this, he became very angry and said with a gloomy expression.

"Don't mention it. The people of the Tang Dynasty had no intention of severely punishing Guo Zhiyun, the executioner. Instead, they planned to use Fan Xin as a scapegoat."

"General Protector, it is impossible to expect the Tang people to give up Baiquan City. In the end, we have to do it ourselves and start the war!"

Unexpectedly, Fataro, the black-clad food messenger sitting nearby, shook his head.

"No, no, no, Mr. Vice Prime Minister, it is not the time to start a war with the Tang Dynasty yet. Our advance army is attacking Khan Bana."

"It's still some time before we reach Permanent Ross, so you must stabilize Datang."

Mo Bai, the post-Turkish envoy on the side, also echoed.

"The envoy of Dashi is right. The Tang Dynasty is very powerful. We should not act rashly before we are ready. We should wait until the army is assembled."

As a confidant of the post-Turkic Khan, he was deeply aware of the terror of the Tang army in the past domestic coup.

Especially the young man named Fan Xin.

Seeing that the three countries did not agree to send troops to the Tang Dynasty now, Qimeng's eyes flashed with disappointment, and he patted Xu Zhi's shoulder indifferently.

"Vice Minister, please be patient. The greatest threat to Tibet right now is the Anxi Army deployed in Anxixi Town."

"Only by recapturing it can we break Datang's offensive in the Western Regions."

"Let's do this. You go back first to stabilize the Tang Dynasty border generals and buy us some time."

"It won't be too late to fall out with Datang after our army takes over Xiaobojin, the fortress leading to the Fourth Formation of Anxi."

It should be noted that he was just a deputy prime minister in charge of national ceremonies and had no right to interfere with the military. Seeing that everyone disagreed, he could only return to Baiquan City unwillingly.

One night passed, and Xu Zhi came to the camp early to wait for Tang Dynasty officials to investigate the case.

"Oh my, why did your envoy come so early? Please serve tea quickly."

As soon as Li Linfu entered the door, he found the Tibetan envoy waiting here, and his face was immediately filled with smiles.

Although he knew that the official in front of him was fooling him, Xu Zhi still held back his anger.

"There's no need to drink tea. Let's hurry up and investigate the murderer. Our Queen Mother has no patience anymore."

Li Linfu's smile faded and he nodded.

"Forget it, state affairs are of paramount importance. Let's go to the site to investigate. If someone comes, call the envoy Guo Jiedu!"

While the Tu and Tang parties were jointly investigating the attack on the Tubo defenders, an army of tens of thousands was stationed at Feilong Fort hundreds of miles away.

"Your Majesty, the informants in the city have sent a message, and the imperial court has sent an envoy named Li Linfu to investigate the case."

Liuzi walked to the hillside and took out a secret letter composed of patterns.

After opening it and taking a look at the contents, Fan Xin frowned with his hands behind his back.

"I remember that the censor Zhongcheng was Wei Yuanzhong, why did he become Li Linfu?"

"The emperor should have replaced them all while you were away from court."

"After all, the imperial court has wanted to take action against us for more than a day or two. Wei Yuanzhong is your man and will definitely be replaced first."

Hearing this, Fan Xin rubbed his forehead.

"This Li Longji is good at everything, decisive in doing things, and has a long-term vision, but he is too narrow-minded."

"For Wu Zetian's sake, I have already tolerated him in every way, and he is still aggressive. It is really unreasonable!"

In fact, as his power grew stronger, his subordinates urged him to replace him, but he refused.

Unexpectedly, Li Longji became more serious and did not want to restore the prosperity of the Tang Dynasty. He kept his eyes on him every day.

"Your Majesty, judging from the current situation, no matter how much you endure and retreat, it is impossible for Li Longji to remove his guard."

"I will only kill you when I am full of strength. That is when we are in danger."

After taking a look at Liu Zi, Fan Xin looked thoughtful.

After a long time, he sighed softly.

"It's not time for a showdown yet, let's deal with the surrounding countries that are eyeing us."

"The day before yesterday, I came to report that a Tibetan army was disguised as a caravan and secretly mobilized to the four towns of Anxi."

"If my guess is correct, they will take action soon."

Liuzi was shocked and couldn't believe it.

"My lord, do you mean that the Tubo Kingdom is preparing to attack the four towns of Anxi?"

Fan Xin shook his head and looked at the vast white sand in the distance, with a trace of worry in his eyebrows.

"The four towns in Anxi are heavily defended, and the Tibetans dare not attack openly in a short period of time."

"I am worried that they have set their sights on the outpost of Xiaobojin Country."

"Once they occupy Xiaobojin Country, it will be like a sharp knife against the throats of the four towns of Anxi."

"Send the order and the army will march three hundred miles westward immediately!"

"Yes!"

……

Xiaobojin country has many cities.

As a fortress leading to the four towns of Anxi, a large number of merchants pass through here every day.

By collecting tolls, Xiaobojin's treasury was filling up day by day.

One of the handsome young men stood out.

"Your Majesty, look at this bustling market full of merchants, twice as many as last year. It's all thanks to you."

An old man wearing a white cloth on his head said with a smile.

The young man sighed with relief.

"People in the Tang Dynasty often say that a country cannot be without money for a day. If we, Xiaobojin Country, want to develop and grow, we must have more money."

However, as soon as he finished speaking, a figure came in panic.

"Sorry, my king, the damn Tubo people have occupied nine of our cities. The queen asks you to return to the palace immediately to preside over the meeting!"

"What! The Tubo people actually took over nine of our cities!"

Xiao Bojin and Wang Su's face turned pale in defeat and was about to collapse. Fortunately, the old man held his arm.

After coming back to his senses, Su Siwei said with a livid face.

"Let's go back to the palace!"

The two got on the carriage and went straight to the palace. When they arrived at the main hall, the place was already full of ministers. As soon as he saw King Xiao Bojin coming back, a woman in luxurious clothes stood up quickly on the steps.

"King, you are finally back. The damn Tubo people took advantage of our country's unpreparedness to attack nine cities." He said while wiping his tears.

"Queen, there is no need to be sad, I, the king, will find a solution."

After comforting the queen, Su Siwei glanced at the ministers and said in a deep voice.

"Wise men, you are the wisest people in Xiaobojin Country. What should you do now?"

"this…"

All the ministers looked at each other, and a minister with a golden cloth on his head said.

"Dear King, the Tubo Kingdom has hundreds of thousands of troops this time. It is impossible to resist it with our ability."

"I think we should immediately send an envoy to the Protectorate of the Western Regions to ask for help from the Tang Dynasty, so that they can help us resist the enemy."

Su Shuishi was about to nod in agreement when a deafening sound of fighting suddenly sounded outside Niduo City.

Then a sergeant rushed into the hall in panic, panting.

"Oh no, King, the Tibetan army has surrounded the city!"

As soon as these words came out, the whole hall was in an uproar, and everyone including Su Shiwei looked panicked.

"Wise men, what should we do now? We may not be able to wait for the Tang Dynasty's support!" Su Weiwei said with a trembling voice.

At the critical moment, the minister who had previously accompanied Su Weiwei to inspect the public sentiment stood up.

"King, I am willing to go to negotiate with Tubo on behalf of Xiaobojin."

Su Shuiwei had already lost his sense of proportion and didn't care what to do. He just kept saying yes.

Seeing this, the old man sighed and rode to the front of Niduo City.

Due to the weak strength of Xiaobojin, there were only two thousand soldiers deployed on the city wall. Compared with the 100,000 troops outside the city, they were like a lonely boat in front of the vast ocean.

With the help of the guard, the old man climbed onto the city wall.

"I, the deputy leader of Xiaobojin Kingdom, request to meet with your Grand Protector!"

The 100,000-strong army silently separated, and Qimeng, wearing armor, rode forward.

"I am here to protect you again. What do you, the minister of a small country like you, have to say?"

After looking over Qimeng's body, the old man suppressed the hatred in his heart and forced a smile.

"Dadu Protector, there is no enmity between you and me. Why should we fight with each other? If you have anything to do, you can sit down and talk."

Hearing these words, Qimeng was stunned, his eyes flashing.

Although it is easy to capture Xiaobojin Country, there will be casualties after all.

It would be great if the other party could surrender to Tibet.

After thinking about this, his expression softened a bit.

"Okay, since you want to talk, then open the city gate and let Bendu escort you in!"

"This one……"

"Don't worry, I will not take the opportunity to attack the city with only five hundred people!" Qimeng said disdainfully.

After receiving the Tubo people's assurance, the old man breathed a sigh of relief and ordered people to open the city gate.

Qimeng did not break his promise and walked towards the palace with 500 guards.

When Qimeng appeared in the main hall, the monarchs and ministers of Xiaobojin who were waiting for the news were startled.

"Hennai, why did you bring the Tubo people into the city?"

A minister jumped out with an ugly expression, pointed at the old man and asked.

The old man smiled bitterly and raised his head to look at Su Weiwei on the throne.

"King, this is the general who protects Qimeng, the capital of Tubo. He has something to discuss with us."

Su Weili suppressed the fear in his heart and said anxiously.

"Daduhu, our Xiaobojin Kingdom has never offended you, Tibet, why do you want to attack us?"

Qimeng looked down on this kind of coward from the bottom of his heart, but because he needed a puppet, he still had the patience to put his right hand on his chest and salute.

"To be honest, the king, the target of this governor is not you, but the four towns of Anxi. In view of your close relationship with the Tang Dynasty, our country can only eliminate hidden dangers."

Hearing that the Tibetan army was not coming for him, Su Shuishi breathed a sigh of relief, and a trace of color finally returned to his face.

"This is easy to say. I will immediately have someone issue an announcement to sever ties with the Tang Dynasty. Is it okay this time?"

Qimeng smiled slightly and said meaningfully.

"Has the king forgotten that when our army was driven out of the Four Towns of Anxi by Wang Xiaojie, you cooperated with them to hunt us down?"

Su Weili looked embarrassed for a moment, not knowing how to answer this question.

At that time, the Tang Dynasty was powerful all over the world. How dare they, a small country, refuse to agree?

Fortunately, Qimeng gave him a step up.

"Of course, I don't blame you. After all, the Tang Dynasty is so powerful that a small country cannot refuse."

"If you want our country to believe in your sincerity, unless the two countries form an alliance, you will marry our country's princess Chimalu."

"Only in this way can I believe that you are sincerely surrendering to Tibet."

As soon as these words came out, all the officials present looked at him angrily.

"Be bold!"

"The Tibetan people are rude! The king of our country already has a queen, how can I take your princess again!"

Su Shuishi also said anxiously.

"Yes, Protector-General, I already have a queen and cannot marry another one."

"That's easy!" Qimeng laughed, walked to the steps, picked up the queen, and walked behind the screen with everyone watching, no matter how much she shouted and struggled, she was indifferent.

Soon a woman's cries and pleas for help could be heard from behind the screen.

quiet!
The hall was deathly quiet, and all the Xiaobojin people did not expect that Qimeng would dare to harm the queen in front of them.

In particular, Su Weili clenched his hands and looked at the screen with tears in his eyes.

There his queen was suffering unbearable torture.

After coming back to their senses, several ministers with strong personalities immediately stepped up the steps to fight with Qimeng.

However, before the screen could be lifted, a scimitar pierced their chests.

After about half a stick of incense, Qimeng put on his clothes and walked out of the screen. When he passed by Su Shuishei, he smiled and patted his shoulder.

"The woman has been killed by this protector. This time you can marry the princess of our country!"

After speaking, he looked at the ministers at the foot of the steps and said coldly.

"Hemu, find out all the ministers who just insulted me and kill them all!"

"Yes!"

With an order, the Tibetan guards rushed into the queue like tigers rushing into a flock of sheep, pulled out several ministers who cursed the most and killed them on the spot.

This trick was indeed effective, and the ministers all closed their mouths and looked horrified.

Seeing that the ministers were shocked, he said in a deep voice while holding a long knife with his covered hands.

"Listen, if you dare to resist Tubo from now on, these people will be his fate!"

After speaking, his eyes turned to Su Fili, who had a dull look on his face.

"King, our princess will arrive here in two months. I hope you can prepare well."

"In order to prevent accidents, our military will be stationed here during this period."

"Farewell!"

(End of this chapter)

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