The Flourishing Tang Dynasty: Beginning with Marrying Yang Yuhuan

Chapter 271 Peace Talks
Across the Qing River.

The commander of the Uighur army this time was Moyanchuo, the son of Guli Peiluo.

Mo Yanchuo remained silent after reading the letter sent by Li Heng.

The Uighur generals also looked solemn.

General Huihe Qiong said: "Yehu, the Tang Dynasty's Shou Wang supports the Karluks. If we continue to advance forcefully, it will be equivalent to declaring war on the Tang Dynasty."

"It is the Tang Dynasty that wants to force a war on us." Mo Yanchu said unkindly, "Now the Tang Dynasty is at war with Tubo, but Prince Shou doesn't think about how to deal with Tubo, but instead makes things difficult for us. I really don't know what Prince Shou is thinking."

Huihe Qiong said: "Since it was the Tang that broke its promise first, we cannot take the initiative to retreat. I suggest that we start a war first. If we win, Huihe can compete with the Tang in the Western Regions."

"What if we lose?" Mo Yanchu asked back.

The Uighurs were composed of nine tribes, and the Yaoluoge clan to which Moyanchuo belonged was not a traditionally powerful tribe. It was after three generations of unremitting efforts that the Yaoluoge clan managed to reach the position of Khan.

Therefore, although the Huihe have unified the northern desert on the surface, they are not stable internally, and other tribes have always wanted to turn the tables.

If they were defeated, the Uighurs would most likely split apart.

The Huihe cannot afford to lose now.

Huihe Qiong understood what Moyanchuo meant. He had heard of Li Heng's reputation long ago and was well aware of Li Heng's battle record. He was not sure he could win against Li Heng.

However, he still suggested going to war, because the defeat of the Uighurs would not be a bad thing for him. Only when the Uighurs were in chaos would his family have a chance to regain the top.

Therefore, Huihe Qiong said: "Even if we want to negotiate, we have to fight this battle. Only by winning can we make Prince Shou accept our conditions to the greatest extent during the peace talks."

Another general, Ge Chuote, thought that what Huihe Qiong said made sense, and agreed, "I second the proposal. If we accept the negotiation as soon as Prince Shou arrives, it will make us Huihe appear too weak. We may not win a full-scale war with the Tang Dynasty, but if we only fight against the Qixi Army, we still have a chance of winning."

Mo Yanchu was still a little hesitant. He was silent for a while and said, "The Tang Dynasty is fighting on two fronts, and the main battle is against Tubo. The food and grass of Prince Shou's army will definitely be difficult to sustain. What I mean is to delay it for a while. When they run out of food and grass, we can take the initiative whether it is war or peace."

When Ge Chuote heard this, he thought it made sense and said, "Ye Hu, this is the best strategy."

Huihe Qiong felt a little disappointed when he saw Mo Yanchuo was so calm, but he had no choice but to agree.

After deciding on the strategy, Mo Yanchu began to write a letter back to Li Heng.

The content of the letter roughly said that it was the Qarluk who stabbed the Uighurs first, and that the Uighurs' expedition against the Qarluk was just. It was hoped that Li Heng would not destroy the relationship between the Tang Dynasty and the Uighurs, and that he should join the Uighurs in attacking the Qarluk.

After reading the letter, Li Heng summoned all the generals to discuss the matter.

Feng Changqing stepped forward and said, "Your Highness, the Huihe are building fortifications on the other side of the Qing River. Judging from their appearance, they don't seem to want to negotiate, nor do they want to take the initiative to attack. Instead, they want to fight us."

"Yeah." Li Heng was also in trouble.

It has to be said that Mo Yanchuo's move was very clever. The Uighurs did not take the initiative to attack, which meant that they did not want to be enemies with the Tang Dynasty. If Li Heng took the initiative to attack, it would be suspected of an active challenge. At the same time, the difficulty of fighting an offensive battle and a defensive battle is also different.

Li Siye said: "The Huihe are fighting against Qixi with their entire nation. They want to use up all our food and fodder. Your Highness, we cannot wait. We should organize an attack immediately. I am willing to lead the way."

Li Heng pondered for a while and said, "We can fight, but we don't have to fight in the name of the Tang army. We can let General Chishi lead the fight in the name of the Karluk army."

Chishiwen was startled and said, "Your Highness, with the strength of the Gelulu troops, an active attack may not be very effective."

Li Heng said: "It doesn't need to be very effective. Just fight as you wish. If the Huihe dare to show their heads, the Tang army will send troops."

Chi Shiwen was a little hesitant, hesitating and unable to make up his mind.

Li Ying continued, "If General Chishi does not follow my orders, I will have no choice but to withdraw my troops."

"This..." Chishi Wen knew that if Li Heng withdrew his troops, the Qarluk would basically be doomed. He sighed and said respectfully, "I will obey your orders."

Li Heng turned to Feng Changqing and said, "Although the emperor has appointed Guli Peiluo as the Khan of the Huihe, he has not removed him from his post as the Protector General of the Hanhai. The Protector General of the Hanhai is under the jurisdiction of Qixi, so Guli Peiluo is considered my subordinate, right?"

Feng Changqing said: "According to the rules, that's exactly what happened."

Li Ying said: "If that is the case, then send an official document to have Mo Yanchu come to see me. If he does not come, it means he is disobeying orders and showing contempt for the Tang Dynasty."

"Good idea." Li Siye couldn't help but praise, and then followed Feng Changqing to receive orders.

"Moreover," Li Heng thought, "we can't just stand by and watch. We should properly stir up conflicts among the Huihe tribes and let Mo Yanchuo know that it's no good to waste time with us."

Lai Chen stepped forward and said, "Your Highness, I recognize people from the Yaowuge, Huduoge, Duoluowu, and Mogexiqi tribes. If you want to use a strategy of sowing discord, I am willing to go and contact them."

"Very good, I'll leave this to you." Li Heng patted Lai Zhen's shoulder happily, and then said: "Contact is only one aspect. On the other hand, it would be best if they could have a direct conflict."

Feng Changqing thought for a moment and understood what Li Heng meant. He said, "Your Highness, do you want to send out a few teams, pretending to be the Huihe tribe, to attack the Huihe?"

"That's right." Li Heng nodded. "The Qarluk attack from the front can attract the attention of Mo Yanchu. If we can send a small team to pretend to be the Uighur tribe and attack their flanks, we will definitely cause chaos."

"Good plan." Feng Changqing agreed. "The situation on the battlefield is ever-changing. As long as our attack succeeds, whether Mo Yanchu knows it is our plan or not, he will be afraid."

Li Heng said: "Yes, we don't need to send too many people, just an elite team will be enough."

Feng Changqing saluted and said, "I have been stationed in Beiting for a long time and am familiar with the terrain here. I am willing to take on this task."

"Okay, then we'll leave this matter to General Feng." Li Heng made arrangements immediately.

"I obey your command." Feng Changqing said.

After the meeting, everyone went their separate ways.

Chishiwen led the three Qarluk tribes and took the initiative to organize an attack; Cen Shen wrote a letter in the name of the governor of Qixi to ask Moyanchuo to come to the court; Laizhen brought enough money to "contact" several Uighur tribes; Feng Changqing led his men to take a detour, pretending to be a Uighur tribe, and attacked the Uighur from the side.

Under Li Heng's serial schemes, Mo Yanchu received one bad news after another.

"Yehu, Chishiwen is like a mosquito, attacking our camp again and again. I request to take the initiative to attack!" Huihe Qiong said angrily.

Mo Yanchu said: "If we take the initiative to attack, I am afraid we will be ambushed by the Tang army."

Huihe Qiong said: "It is really aggrieved to let the Karluks show off their power like this. Why not go to war with the Tang army?"

Before Moyanchuo could speak, Gechuote hurriedly walked into the tent and said, "Yehu, the Yaowuge tribe attacked the Huduge tribe, the Huduge tribe attacked the Duoluowu tribe, and the Duoluowu tribe attacked the Mogexiqi tribe. These tribes are now in chaos and fighting on both sides." "What?" Moyanchuo was shocked, his mind spinning rapidly, and said, "Shou Wang Li Heng is full of tricks, this must be his plan!"

Ge Chute said: "I think so too, but the subordinates are so angry that they are angry, and there are also some people with ulterior motives who are fanning the flames. The situation is out of control."

Mo Yanchu slammed the table heavily and said angrily: "Prince Shou is plotting something! The Huihe state has only been established for two years. He knows that there are many contradictions within the Huihe state, so he used this strategy to sow discord."

Gertrude said, "Should we give them a taste of their own medicine?"

"Why?" Mo Yanchu sighed, "Prince Shou has governed Qixi for many years. His soldiers are elite and brave, and his generals are numerous. They can carry out Prince Shou's battle plan very well. This is far beyond the reach of our Huihe tribal military alliance. Moreover, our elite soldiers are tied up by the Karluks. If they are withdrawn, the front will surely fall."

"What should we do then?" asked Gertrude.

Mo Yanchu pondered for a while, then said helplessly: "Let's negotiate. We can't fight anymore. We should solve the internal conflicts first, and then make progress."

……

On the bank of the Qing River, Li Heng stood with his hands behind his back. Behind him stood the troops from Beiting, Qarluq, and the various Jimizhou towns and vassal states who came to support him.

After a while, Mo Yanchuo came across the bridge with dozens of guards.

Mo Yanchu came up to Li Ying and bowed respectfully, saying, "I pay my respects to His Royal Highness Prince Shou."

"Ye Hu is so polite." Li Heng took Mo Yanchu's hand and smiled. "The Tang Dynasty and the Huihe have always been friendly. As soon as I arrived in Qinghe, I wanted to have a drink with Ye Hu and have a good talk."

Mo Yanchu looked at Li Ying's charming smile and thought about Li Ying's plan. He felt a little cold in his heart and said, "I am late. Please forgive me, Your Highness Prince Shou."

Li Ying said: "Good food is never too late, it's good to be here."

After saying this, he invited Mo Yanchuo into the main tent of the army.

The big tent left.

Li Ying sat at the head of the hall, the generals of the Tang army sat on the left, the leaders of the three Karluk clans sat on the right, and Mo Yanchuo sat opposite Li Ying.

Li Ying and the others served the food and wine, raised their glasses and said, "Ye Hu's coming here in person shows your sincerity. I'll toast to you."

Mo Yanchu raised his glass and said, "Your Highness Prince Shou is here, I dare not not come."

"Thank you." Li Heng said politely, and drank a cup with Mo Yanchu and other generals, and then said: "Since Yehu is sincere, I will not beat around the bush. Huihe and Karluk are both friendly neighbors of the Tang Dynasty. I hope you can get along well."

Mo Yanchu glanced at Chishiwen, then exchanged glances with Chishiwen before saying to Li Heng, "Your Highness, the Karluks and the Huihe are originally from the same clan. We fought against the Turks together before, but it was because the Karluks betrayed the Huihe that I sent troops to attack them."

"I don't quite understand what you're saying." Li Heng said with a half-smile, "The three Qarluk tribes led the three states of Yinshan, Xuanchi and Damo, which are all states of the Tang Dynasty. You Huihe led the Hanhai Protectorate. Last year, your father Khan attacked and killed the last White-Eyebrow Khan of the Later Turks, and sent an envoy to send the White-Eyebrow head to Chang'an to report the achievement. Your father appointed your father Khan as the General of the Left. So, you are all officials of the Tang Dynasty, so how can you be said to be betraying?"

Mo Yanchu was speechless for a moment when he heard this.

The Uighurs actually established a Khanate, but in name they were still a vassal of the Tang Dynasty and had to obey the Tang Dynasty.

Moreover, the Anshi Rebellion had not yet occurred, the Tang Dynasty was still powerful, and the Uighurs were also worried that the Tang Dynasty would retaliate against them.

If Li Longji temporarily gave up fighting Tubo and transferred Wang Zhongsi and Li Heng to jointly march into Huihe, Huihe would not be able to withstand it.

Previously, Wang Zhongsi had made several major moves against Mobei in Shuofang and Hedong.

In Hedong, Wang Zhongsi first moved the Datong Army from Shuozhou in the north to Yunzhou, thereby enhancing the military status of Yunzhou and using Yunzhou as the frontier position for the Tang Dynasty's advance into Mobei. At the same time, he built Jingbian City and established the Jingbian Army.

Secondly, Wang Zhongsi moved the seat of Weizhou from Lingqiu County in the south to Anbian County in the north, and established Yokono Army in Anbian County.

Finally, Qingsai Shouzhuo was also moved to Yunzhou.

In the Shuofang area, Wang Zhongsi moved the Zhenwu Army northward and established three surrender cities.

Thanks to Wang Zhongsi's measures, Shuofang and Hedong basically advanced to Mobei. If it weren't for the great pressure from Tubo, which shifted the focus of the Tang Dynasty's war, it would have been impossible for the Uighurs to unify Mobei so easily.

Mo Yanchuo was silent for a while, then said, "Since Your Highness has said so, I am willing to make peace with the Karluks, with the Qing River as the boundary."

"No." Li Heng shook his head. "The border between the Karluks and the Uighurs was at the Altai River. You two should each take a step back and use the mountains between the Qing River and the Altai River as the boundary."

Mo Yanchu said, "I'm afraid it won't work. The Huihe people will not agree."

Li Heng said: "If the Huihe people disagree, the Qarluk people will have nowhere to live and will think about fighting back. If a war breaks out again, should the Tang Dynasty uphold justice?"

Mo Yanchu said: "I will report this matter to my father Khan and ask him to make the decision."

"Okay." Li Heng nodded, "But you have to withdraw your troops first. We can talk about the border later."

"I will listen to Your Highness." Mo Yanchu replied.

Li Heng said, "The Huihe and Tang trade over 10,000 silk horses every year. I want to set up a silk horse market in Beiting to promote the silk horse trade between Tang and Huihe. What do you think?"

"This is great news!" Mo Yanchuo was overjoyed.

Li Ying said, "We'll discuss the details later. Let's drink first."

After Li Ying finished speaking, he clapped his hands and then walked in with the music and dance troupe.

Chi Shiwen, who was standing aside, was listening to the song and watching the dance, feeling mixed emotions.

Li Heng did save the Qarluk people, but he only saved them.

At the beginning, the Qarlugs also wanted to compete with the Uighurs for hegemony in the northern desert, but judging from the current situation, it is basically impossible to compete for hegemony in the northern desert. Li Heng just let the Qarlugs survive.

Under such circumstances, if the Qarluk wanted to survive, they had to rely on the Tang Dynasty and depend on it closely.

Chi Shiwen also realized that Li Heng's support for the Karluks was not really out of any moral reason, but to support a half-dead force to fight against the Uighurs.

But even so, he has to thank Li Ying, because not all countries deserve development, and being able to survive is already a luxury.

　The feedback on the new chapters recently is not very good. I took advantage of the cold to change the outline these two days. If you have any suggestions, please leave a message. It's not easy to write without copying the ideas of book friends, hahaha.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)