The film and television world begins with the battle for the throne in Kowloon

Chapter 1248 Turkic Envoy
Li Chengqian stood at the entrance of the hall as if no one was around, watching Li You leave reluctantly, feeling very sad in his heart.

Perhaps many of the elites in the court could see that he did it on purpose.

But as an emperor, this is his duty, he needs to set an example, promote benevolence and righteousness, and establish a positive social atmosphere. Perhaps some people would say that he is despicable and shameless, pretending to be benevolent and righteous on the surface, but in fact he is vicious and cruel, killing people without bloodshed.

But so what?
The emperor does not need to be a good person, let alone a moral gentleman. He only needs to protect his country and let the people live a good life.

To achieve this, both ruthless means and a compassionate heart are indispensable.

It is okay to use it, but how to use it makes a huge difference. The former is kept in the dark as much as possible, relying on others, as long as the purpose is achieved; while the latter needs to take the lead, publicize it, eliminate the evil and promote the good, promote righteousness, and straighten out the world and the people's hearts.

It is not so easy to shoulder the responsibility of protecting the people of the world. We must intimidate villains and protect goodness. Various means are indispensable. It is not enough to have a kind heart for the country and the people, we must also have the ability to save all living beings.

After sorting out his thoughts, Li Chengqian looked up at the sky outside the Taiji Hall, then waved his sleeves, turned back into the hall, walked leisurely through the officials who were watching him with bated breath, walked slowly up the steps, and calmly sat on his small dragon chair.

Such a domineering attitude of "I am the only one in the whole world" made Li Shimin's old eyes shine with brilliance.

What seemed like only a moment to Li Chengqian was actually almost half an incense stick of time. Li Shimin did not interrupt, nor did he continue the court meeting. All the ministers stood silently, waiting quietly in this deliberately created silence.

Li Shimin fully highlighted Li Chengqian's demeanor that was unique to an emperor, dispelling the slightly weak atmosphere created by his tearful plea for Li You.

When Li Shimin looked at his son with a satisfied look on his face, Hou Junji, one of the generals in the hall, clenched his back teeth tightly, bent his back, slightly bent his calves, and carefully put on his armor, making his slightly burly figure smaller.

He hid beside the stupid, big, and rough Yuchi Gong so as not to let the emperor notice his presence.

He was so conflicted that he almost wanted to cry. As the only person in Taiji Hall who knew the inside story, he watched helplessly as the kings fled to foreign countries, Li You was retained by the emperor, and was pushed to Shandong little by little, and finally jumped into the pit again.

It indirectly accomplished the three arduous tasks of attacking the aristocratic families, distributing land, and recruiting ordinary soldiers without aristocratic background.

This final tearful plea was the finishing touch.

Li You probably never dreamed that his fate had been arranged long ago. He was sold and paid money. He had made so many great contributions, but he was almost beheaded. In the end, he was imprisoned for life, and he was grateful and gave his closing show.

The emperor's performance once again refreshed Hou Junji's cognition and left him speechless.

When Hou Junji heard the generals around him secretly thinking that the emperor was too sentimental and soft-hearted, and saw the support of all the officials in the court, looking at the "loyal and righteous" emperor affectionately and feeling relieved, he really wanted to sigh to the sky.

A tiger alone is scary enough, but what's even scarier is that this tiger dyed its stripes white, put on two ears, hid among a group of cattle and sheep, held a piece of grass in its mouth and chewed it slowly, pretending to be a rabbit.

This scene is so terrifying that it makes one's soul tremble and shiver in the middle of the night.

What weakness, what kindness, what mercy, all go to hell, you guys are really blind. Open your mouth and take a good look, the fur can be fake, the ears can be fake, and eating grass can also be fake.

But the sharp fangs that occasionally appeared from the gap between its lips and the red blood between its teeth proved that it was a carnivore.

Hou Junji finally looked at Li Shimin with sympathy, as he looked at Li Shimin with a concerned and relieved expression, and thought to himself, who is going to protect whom between you two? Are you sure?

Ten days later, the four armies led by King Youxian swept through the northern towns and gathered in the north of Chang'an.

Nearly one million troops lined up on the north bank of the Wei River, covering the sky with darkness and with no end in sight. The murderous aura that surged into the sky made the entire Chang'an city tremble. It reminds people of Jie Li's southward march in the ninth year of Wude and the outskirts of Fengzhou City in the tenth year of Zhenguan.

Especially the generals who had experienced the incident in Fengzhou were filled with fear.

The Tang Dynasty's military force was divided into two parts. One part was weak and guarded the city, while the other part was strong and lined up on the south bank of the Wei River, confronting the Turkic cavalry across the river.

What was surprising and strange was that the troops on both sides of the Wei River were all carrying the Li character banner. If someone didn't know the inside story, they would think that they were from the same family. But it was obvious that the troops on the north bank of the Wei River were more powerful and impressive.

In the court of Taiji Hall, the emperor and his ministers of the Tang Dynasty were discussing how to deal with the current situation.

Hou Junji, the commander-in-chief of the Tang army, stood in the palace and reported the enemy situation: "Your Majesty, I have personally led people to investigate. The Turks have formed four huge camps on the north bank of the Wei River."

"Each camp has no fewer than 200,000 troops, and the total Turkic force is no less than 800,000."

"Moreover, most of them were strong and in their prime. They advanced and retreated in an orderly manner. Their camps were very solid, and there were trenches and antlers outside each camp. They were clearly the attacking party, but they were still so cautious."

"It can be seen that the Right Wise King's command is as strong as a mountain, and his army is well-organized. It is no less than the one outside Fengzhou City in the 10th year of Zhenguan. In my opinion, this is the most difficult enemy that the Tang Dynasty has encountered in the 30 years since its founding!" Li Jing also agreed with a serious expression: "Yes, Your Majesty, Your Majesty, and all the lords, the Turks are coming with great force and are marching step by step. They have conquered many cities north of Chang'an one by one and looted enough money and food, so we have nothing to worry about."

"If we don't handle this properly, Chang'an will be in danger!"

The faces of the ministers changed drastically, and they started to make a commotion, saying, "The Turks are coming with ill intentions. Although we have a million troops, we are no match for the cavalry. Once Chang'an is lost, there will be no more dangerous passes in the entire Guannei Road to resist."

"That's right. Although Chang'an City is tall and big, it can't be defended for long. If we had known this earlier, we might as well retreat to Luoyang. With the natural barrier of Tongguan, we might be able to hold off the enemy."

"Yes, if the barbarians surround the city but do not attack, or if they leave some troops outside to defend it while the rest of the troops attack everywhere, it won't be long before Chang'an becomes an isolated city. The city has a large population and the consumption will be unbearable."

"It won't take too long, just three months, and Chang'an will fall on its own."

"What should we do? Should we empty the treasury to repel the enemy troops, as we did in the ninth year of Wude?"

"."

Hou Junji and Li Jing, the two only remaining generals in the Tang army, both looked heavy-hearted, which made the civil and military officials in the hall panic involuntarily.

Although they had heard before that the Turks were powerful, conquering cities and territories and being invincible along the way, these were just hearsay. When these people really arrived outside the city of Chang'an, everyone was still afraid. The peace brought by Li Shimin's resurrection disappeared in an instant.

Although Hou Junji knew the inside story, he was a little panicked at this time.

He didn't know what methods the emperor used to control the Turks, but now that their troops were approaching and they had such a strong force, if they had any evil intentions and wanted to take advantage of this opportunity to break free from their restraints, the situation would be completely out of control.

He couldn't help but look at the figure sitting on the small dragon chair on the left side of the hall. When he saw the other person's face as calm as water, he unconsciously suppressed his pounding heart.

Fang Xuanling stepped forward calmly and said, "Your Majesty, the Turks arrived last night. Logically, they are exhausted after traveling so far, so it is reasonable for them to rest for a night. They should be attacking the city at this time this morning."

"But until now, there has been no sign of the Turks attacking from the front. Perhaps the Turks are also hesitating at this moment."

"When two countries go to war, according to custom, it won't be long before messengers come to negotiate. If the Turks' demands are not excessive, we will try to negotiate, or avoid fighting if possible."

As soon as he finished speaking, all the ministers said, "Yes, it is better to negotiate rather than fight. If a war breaks out, I am afraid neither side will gain anything."

At this time, General Chang Sheng of the Left Guard came to report: "Your Majesty, Your Majesty, there is news from the West Gate that the Turks have sent envoys to the Jinguang Gate and asked to see the Emperor of the Great Tang. Please give your instructions, Your Majesty."

"Who is the envoy?" Li Shimin asked.

"The Left Turkic Danghu, Hermu."

"Is it this person?" All the ministers gasped when they heard this.

Li Chengqian added: "Father, after the Battle of Hengling, the Turks were divided into two parts, the east and the west. However, Shiluodi led his people in the east and went deep into our Tang Dynasty. In fact, the west of the Right Wise King is now the orthodox seat of the Turkic Khanate."

"From the fact that the Right Wise King has assembled an army of 800,000 this time, we can see that he has gained the recognition of all tribes on the grassland."

"Although the Right Wise King is still called a king, he is actually the Great Khan of the Turks. And this Hermu is in charge of the government affairs of the Khanate, which is equivalent to the left and right servants of our Tang Dynasty. His position is more prominent than Lord Fang's current position."

"The Right Wise King sent him here, which shows that it is not just a declaration of war."

Li Shimin was stunned and confused for a moment. In the ninth year of Wude, Jie Li's troops arrived at Weishui and sent Zhisishili to challenge them. He knew that they were here to test the enemy's strength and fight a preliminary battle for the upcoming large-scale attack.

If the other party has this intention, they can just send a general to show off their power. Why would they need this kind of person to appear?

Fang Xuanling stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, no matter what the Turks are planning, you will know it by summoning this envoy to the palace for a meeting."

"Yes, that's right."

Li Shimin immediately ordered: "The Turks have sent their prime minister, so our Tang Dynasty cannot show weakness. Xuanling, please go and pick up the envoy."

"That's right. I'll be back soon!" Fang Xuanling responded and turned to leave.

(End of this chapter)