Da Tang: Father, can I resign?

Chapter 276 The reason why Tian Khan's surname is "Tian"

"There's something wrong with your document. Did you sneak out?"

The guard raised his eyes and looked meaningfully at the sloppy monk in front of him who called himself "Xuanzang".

Xuanzang suddenly became anxious:

"Your Majesty the King and I have become sworn brothers. This document was personally handed to me by Your Majesty. How could it be fake?"

"King?" The guard raised his eyebrows and pointed at the city gate tower:

"Can you read? Look at what's written there."

"Xizhou?" Xuanzang's heart skipped a beat.

Oh no, did I take the wrong road?
The guard was actually right, Xuanzang had indeed crossed the border illegally.

When he left the Tang Dynasty in the East, he did not obtain a pass.

The document was obtained in Gaochang State.

Now that he had returned from his pilgrimage, he had originally planned to enter the country through Gaochang and complete the entry and exit procedures.

How come I took the wrong road, bypassed Gaochang, and ran into the city of the Tang Dynasty?

He looked around in confusion, only to find that the surrounding scenery looked very familiar.

This is indeed the location of Gaochang...

"Gaochang has been destroyed. This is now the Western Province of the Tang Dynasty. The king is now the landlord in Chang'an."

Does our Great Tang Dynasty in the East want to go straight to India, so that we don’t have to go through any formalities when we go to obtain Buddhist scriptures... Master Xuanzang complained fiercely in his heart.

However, for Xuanzang, who had traveled for many years and escaped death many times, this problem was not a problem at all.

He expertly pulled out an exotic gold coin from his plain, tattered bag.

"Money is something outside of one's body. I only want to save all living beings, not for personal gain."

"Master is indeed a master. Thank you for your teaching." The guard accepted the alms reverently.

The eminent monk indeed obtained the true scriptures in the West.

Passed the level successfully.

After receiving the "alms" from the monk, the guard seemed to be suddenly enlightened by the Dharma and kindly reminded the monk:

"You'd better not stay in Xizhou and return to the mainland as soon as possible."

"Why?" Xuanzang asked puzzledly.

"It's the Turks." The guard's face was full of worry:

"The Western Turks are coming back again."

…………

Just one day after Xuanzang left.

As the sun rose, the sentry on the watchtower of Xizhou City yawned tiredly.

When he wiped away his tears and turned his gaze back to the northwest.

A few black dots appeared on the distant horizon, like ghosts.

The sentry was stunned and rubbed his eyes.

The black spots did not disappear, but instead became more and more numerous, forming lines and then pieces, like a black cloud close to the ground, rapidly flying towards Xizhou.

The sentry's sleepiness immediately disappeared and he rang the alarm bell frantically.

"Turks! The Turks are coming!"

…………

Xizhou Governor Guo Xiaoke was the first to stand on the city wall.

As an old general of Wagangzhai, he did not squeeze into the core circle. With the flashy titles such as "Shangzhuguo" and "Anxi Duhu", he was doing border guard work in the northwestern corner.

He learned about the "Suzaku Gate Incident" at the end of last year and the civil war that followed through the imperial court's reporting system, which was delayed by several months.

It was difficult for him to judge the right and wrong, but judging from the facts, the country was in turmoil, his comrades in Wagangzhai were prospering, and he was resisting the pressure on the front line.

The Tang Dynasty suddenly exploded, and the omnipresent nomadic peoples naturally would not miss this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and began to frantically harass the border.

If I can’t capture Chang’an, can’t I capture Xizhou?

Guo Xiaoke's pressure suddenly increased, and he began to frantically write letters to the mainland for help, not only to Chang'an, but also to Luoyang.

No matter whether he is the King of Jin or the King of Wei, a good king is one who can provide support.

The results were all in vain, and the ruling class of the Tang Dynasty seemed to have completely forgotten this new frontier state.

“This momentum is very unusual.”

Guo Xiaoke only took a glance and determined that the visitor had no good intentions.

Because the other side not only came with many people and horses, but also with many vehicles.

Because the distance was still far, we couldn't see clearly what was loaded on those vehicles, but it was definitely not good stuff.

Could it be a siege weapon?

Are those Turkic barbarians going to wage a siege?

Guo Xiaoke clenched his fists.

Nomadic peoples are good at harassment warfare, but they are very helpless in siege warfare, which is why Xizhou has been able to hold on until now.

But if the other side has siege equipment, then it will be troublesome.

The locals of Xizhou cannot be relied upon because their geographical location determines their fence-sitter nature. In the past, they were also the younger brothers of the Western Turks, and for this they were punished by heaven two years ago.

Now that the original owner has come back, he is simply changing the person he pays taxes to.

All Lao Guo could rely on were several thousand second-rate soldiers who were rotated in from the mainland.

It is difficult to stop such a large number of Turks who also have their own battering rams...

But we have to fight no matter how difficult it is.

Guo Xiaoke decisively ordered:
"Prepare the logs and stones! Prepare the golden soup! Prepare...

"Ok?"

As he was talking, he realized something was wrong.

Those Turks were moving too slowly...

Not only was their speed slow, but their formation was also very disorganized as they swarmed forward like a swarm.

Are they here to fight or to herd sheep?

As the enemy gradually approached, the ordinary soldiers also discovered something strange, something that was obvious at a glance -

The group of Turks who came to "attack the city" were not young and strong soldiers at all, but a group of old people, women and children.

The carriages were not loaded with siege equipment, but tents they set up for camping.

"What do the Turks want to do?"

Guo Xiaoke frowned, but did not relax his vigilance. He didn't know what tactics the other party would adopt.

After a while, the huge Turkic army slowly stopped.

Two horses, one black and one white, left the team and slowly walked towards the Xizhou city wall. They should not be hostile.

"Are they here to negotiate?"

Guo Xiaoke clenched his right fist above his head, signaling the soldiers not to attack without authorization, but the crossbows continued to aim at the two messengers.

The man riding the black horse was a strong and rugged man. He stopped just out of the range of the crossbows and shouted to the guard on the city gate tower in Chinese:

"I am the Western Turkic Khan Yipishekui, and I have something important to discuss with you!"

The person in charge of Western Turkic has changed again? The young man is a cultured person, and he speaks Chinese quite well... Guo Xiaoke was thinking about the lawsuit, and shouted back:
"What is the purpose of mobilizing so many troops, Great Khan?"

Behind the black horse, the white horse stepped forward.

The person carrying the horse's back was a very beautiful lady.

Guo Xiaoke felt that the "beauty" looked familiar for some reason, but he didn't dare to recognize her.

No way, no way, didn’t His Royal Highness the Crown Prince disappear with Your Majesty near Yinshan Mountain during the campaign against Xueyantuo?

I won't surrender to Western Turkestan...

"I am Li Chengqian, the crown prince of the Tang Dynasty." The beautiful woman on the white horse said in a sonorous and powerful voice.

Oh my god, it really is that spiritually Turkic prince!
Guo Xiaoke felt bitter and immediately ordered his soldiers.

"Put down the bow and arrow!"

The city gate was opened, but not completely. Only the prince was allowed in, while the other defenders continued to be vigilant against the Turkic tribes outside the city.

Guo Xiaoke bowed and asked directly:
"Why did your Highness appear beside the Western Turkic Khan? Are you being held hostage? Where is His Majesty?"

It's just a matter of asking the prince directly whether he has surrendered to the enemy.

Li Chengqian said nothing more, but took out a roll of bright yellow silk from his arms. Guo Xiaoke only glanced at the handwriting and seal on it, and immediately burst into tears with excitement.

It is absolutely true, this is the emperor's personal edict!
His Majesty's whereabouts have finally been found!

"'I didn't teach my son well. During the Northern Expedition, my son was rebellious and disruptive, causing chaos in the government'..."

Li Chengqian read out the imperial edict in a rhythmic manner.

"…'I have specially ordered the Crown Prince Cheng Qian to take full authority to recover Xizhou and the states in the Western Regions, unite with the Western Turks, prepare for war, and support the country.'"

Li Chengqian put away the imperial edict and looked directly at Guo Xiaoke.

"Envoy Guo, please follow my orders."

He is not as calm as he looks.

Because he was not sure of the political stance of these local officials.

Should he choose to be loyal to the emperor who is in exile, or to Li Zhi who is in Chang'an?
Although Li Zhi's influence may not radiate to the distant northwestern border, but I heard that Guo Xiaoke also came from Wagangzhai, who knows what his position is...

Guo Xiaoke stood there in a trance for a while and said nothing.

Just when Li Chengqian was becoming more and more unsure, he knelt on one knee with mixed emotions.

"Your Majesty, I will obey your order!"

Xizhou has not been forgotten!
In addition to being excited, new doubts arose in Guo Xiaoke's mind.

The prince is here, but where is His Majesty himself?

Why did the Western Turks move their entire family to outside the city of Xizhou?

Where are their men?

…………

"Oh? Did those idiots from Beiting attack the city of Tang?"

In the southern court of the Western Turkic Khaganate, Khan Yibishabharayahu received incredible good news from his scouts.

He was fighting a desperate battle with Beiting, but he didn't expect that the other side suddenly turned their guns and started to provoke the Tang Dynasty in the east!

Isn't this exposing your vital points to him?
"I saw it with my own eyes. Large groups of them rushed eastwards to Xizhou!"

The scout said in a decisive tone.

This is the eighth scout to report this in the past few days.

Not only the scouts, but even the Sogdian merchants who often visited the grasslands said that there were suddenly many more Turkic tribes near the Tang Dynasty's cities in the Western Regions.

The Lord of Nan Ting felt that he had been cautious enough and the intelligence was correct. The other party was really attacking the Tang Dynasty!

"That hungry wolf must have gained nothing from confronting us, so it wants to take advantage of the situation in Tang to make some money.

"Tsk, idiot!"

He was very indignant. If it weren't for the fact that there was a string of small countries in the Western Regions between Nan Ting and the Tang Kingdom, he would have also wanted to take the opportunity to bite off a big piece of fat meat!

But it's fine like this now.

In order to gain an advantage, Beiting transferred all its main forces to the eastern border of the Tang State.

Then the rear must be empty!
opportunity!

"Quickly gather the troops and send out the entire army to wipe out their lair! Destroy Beiting and unify the grassland!"

Nanting Khan waved his hand.

His troops came out in full force and rushed straight towards Beiting's tent.

As for the Khan himself, he naturally stayed in the base camp and made plans.

It was definitely not because his belly was too big to make it difficult for him to ride a horse.

"After I kill that idiot from Beiting, not only will all the treasures he robbed belong to me, but his pastures, cattle and sheep will also belong to me, hahahaha!

"Not only that! As long as we take over Beiting, there will be no more obstacles between me and the Tang Kingdom. Then I can also grab a few cities from the Tang Kingdom for fun.

"I heard that the women in the Han area are very smooth and tender, even more tender than sheep. Hey~ I really want to try it."

The Khan rubbed his hands and indulged in endless fantasies about a bright future.

Just then, there was a commotion outside the tent.

The sound of horses' hooves and shouts continued, as if there were thousands of troops.

"Damn it, why are you back so soon?"

The Lord of the South Courtyard muttered to himself and walked out of the tent, supporting his huge belly.

He ran into a brave general riding a tall horse with a saber raised high.

"Turkic prince Ashina sends his greetings to you!"

These were the last words the Lord of Nanting heard. As Ashina She'er's saber fell, his consciousness fell into endless darkness.

…………

In the next few months, Li Shimin asked the people of Caoyuan to review why Tian Khan's surname was "Tian".

After luring out the main force of the Western Turkic Nanting with a beautiful feint, he raided the empty Nanting tent and beheaded Yibishabharayahu Khan.

All the Western Turkic tribes surrendered to the Heavenly Khan.

Because the two Khans of the Northern and Southern Courts were too abstract and could not convince the people at all.

People's minds changed, and the fragmented Turkic tribes were quickly brought together.

The Turks are very realistic. To them, as long as they can lead everyone to grab things, they don’t care whether you are Yibi Shekui Khan or Tian Khan who is manipulating the situation behind the scenes.

In the fertile and humid Ili River Valley, the newly born Western Turkic Khanate set up camps for hundreds of miles.

The tent in the middle is particularly magnificent, it is the palace of the Heavenly Khan.

"I told you, Cheng Qian, ruling the Turks is easy. Who doesn't know how to fight?"

Li Shimin leaned comfortably on the couch.

His cerebral blood vessels were blocked, but his thoughts became clearer. He no longer had to worry about state and family affairs, or mourn for his dead son.

All he needs to think about now is fighting, fighting, fighting!
He and the Turkic people he had newly recruited rushed in both directions.

It turns out that solving the nomadic problem is so simple, all you have to do is join them.

Li Chengqian sat on the Hu stool at the bottom, and the sad expression of Old Li now shifted to the face of Young Li.

"Father, what should we do next?"

Did Father Huang Ning forget something trivial?

Li Shimin slapped his thigh:
"Of course, we should continue to conquer the grasslands and unify the Turkic tribes!"

Did we come to the prairie to do good deeds? ! ... Li Chengqian took a deep breath:

"Father, is there a possibility that we have to fight back to Chang'an first?"

Is there a possibility that if the two of us continue to waste time on the grassland, Li Zhi will have time to sort out the internal affairs of the court and sit firmly on the throne?

"Ah? Oh, I forgot."

Li Shimin pushed the pot aside easily and closed his eyes comfortably.

Li Chengqian's mouth twitched: "Father, father?"

No matter how much he called out, Li Shimin remained motionless as a mountain, looking as if he had lost consciousness.

"..."

Prince Jingtu was about to cry.

After all this time, it turns out that his father is the one who is really smart!
…………

"Your Highness, I can also talk, and I can also support you."

Pingzhou provincial capital.

When spring comes and flowers bloom, the yard is filled with the faint scent of locust flowers.

Ma Zhou, acting governor of Qizhou and magistrate of Zhangqiu, knelt in front of Li Ming.

Ma Zhou was once the Sima of Li Zhi's Jin Wang Mansion. Although he was capable, he lacked experience in grassroots work. He was kicked by Li Ming to Zhangqiu County under the jurisdiction of Qizhou, where he started as a county magistrate and achieved considerable political achievements.

When the whole country was in chaos, Qizhou was far away from the center of the dispute - the Eastern and Western Capitals, and Li You, the King of Qi and the Governor of Qizhou, was killed, so it became a lawless area.

Ma Zhou, who was capable and well-reputed, was recommended as acting governor to temporarily manage the affairs of Qizhou.

"Why do you say that, Mr. Ma Ming?" Li Ming smiled.

"Mingfu is the teacher of the current regent. Why don't you go to him instead of me, who has been declared dead by the regent?"

Ma Zhou stared at the floor, not daring to look up.

His Highness Li Ming's smile was as warm as the sunshine outside the window, but it made him feel chilled to the bone.

Because in the past few months, he had fully experienced the terror of His Highness.

(End of this chapter)