Tang Dynasty, my wife Wu Zetian

Chapter 489 A Promise from the Emperor

After the long holiday, the Western countries were quite disappointed because the Tang Dynasty did not make any promises to the various countries, and they left Chang'an one after another.

Meanwhile, news continued to pour back from the Tokharistan region.

The news is mixed.

The good news is that after the Arabs withdrew, the Tocharians dared not engage in direct combat with the Tang Dynasty again.

Xue Rengui and Pei Xingjian led the Tang army and successfully escorted Sissis to Ahuan, the capital of Tokharistan.

The bad news is that King Harvey of Tocharian has led his royal family to flee into the deep mountains.

The state structure of Tocharians was actually similar to that of Turkic tribes, except that the Turks were nomadic tribes, while Tocharians were mountain tribes.

The entire Tocharian Empire consisted of twenty-seven tribes, with the Tocharian royal family being the largest of them.

It is rumored that the true Tocharian royal family disappeared hundreds of years ago, and the current royal family is merely a powerful one who calls themselves royalty, with the king being called Yaghu.

This shows that the Tokharistan region also followed the rule of the strong ruling the weak.

Logically, after the Tang Dynasty defeated the Abbasid Caliphate, the Tocharians should have supported Sissis as the new Tocharian king.

In reality, of the twenty-seven Tocharian tribes, only five of the eastern tribes were willing to submit to Sissis, while the rest continued to support the old king.

These five small tribes that supported the cause were still beaten by Xue Rengui's army before they obediently submitted.

The Tocharians so fervently supported the old king because the Abbasid Caliphate had taken root in the Tocharian region, and most of the people were Abbasid followers, so they naturally obeyed the Abbasids' orders.

Pei Xingjian and Xue Rengui also tried to lead troops to capture the false king Harvey, but failed several times due to the complex and unique terrain of Tokharistan.

After more than a month of this stalemate, the Tang army was under increasing logistical pressure, and both men were worried that they would not be able to achieve any results and would be unable to explain themselves to Chang'an.

On this day, Xue Rengui approached Pei Xingjian to discuss the matter of withdrawing the army.

Pei Xingjian shook his head.

"If we retreat now, the Tocharian wolf soldiers will definitely counterattack, and Sissis will be no match for them."

Xue Rengui said in a deep voice, "Then withdraw most of the troops and leave a portion of the Tang army to garrison. You should know how much logistical pressure we are under right now. Staying here any longer will only waste the country's money and resources."

Pei Xingjian said, "How about this, we pretend to retreat, lure the Tocharians to attack Ahuan City, and then gather our forces to annihilate them?"

Xue Rengui shook his head and said, "The Tokharistan has the Arabs behind them, so I'm afraid this plan will be difficult to succeed."

Pei Xingjian also fell silent.

Recently, he tried several times to lure the main force of the Tocharian wolf soldiers out of the forest so that he could wipe them out in one fell swoop, but he failed each time.

The enemy was clearly determined to use the same attrition tactics they had employed against the Arabs to force the Tang army to retreat.

Just as the two fell silent, there was a knock at the door. Xue Rengui went to open it, and the person who came was Peroz.

Pei Xingjian asked him what his purpose was, and Peroz replied, "Protector Pei, General Xue, the current situation is at a stalemate, which may not be conducive to a prolonged war."

Pei Xingjian stared at him and asked, "Do you have any ideas?"

Peroz said with burning eyes, "Why don't we continue westward with our army? As long as we can defeat the main force of the Abbasids, I can rally the Persians to restore their kingdom, and then the Tocharians will naturally surrender!"

Pei Xingjian and Xue Rengui exchanged a glance and both shook their heads.

Before the Tokharistan Empire was conquered, logistics could not be guaranteed. At this time, it would be too risky to go to the Abbasid Caliphate to fight. If the war went badly, it could very well wipe out the entire Tang army.

Seeing that neither of them spoke, Peroz grew quite anxious and said again:

"The Abbasid Caliphate is currently at a weak point. If we don't take this opportunity to attack, they will recover and come back stronger!"

Pei Xingjian glanced at him and said, "General, military matters are for me and General Xue to discuss. You should focus on assisting Sissis and winning the support of a few more small tribes."

Peroz sighed and had no choice but to take his leave.

Xue Rengui and Pei Xingjian discussed the matter for two more days, but still couldn't come up with a good solution.

Pei Xingjian had no choice but to accept Xue Rengui's suggestion to withdraw his troops and return to the Tang Dynasty, leaving only 20,000 men to guard Ahuan City and prevent the Tocharian wolf soldiers from launching a counterattack.

Just as the two were making plans to lead their troops in retreat, Cui Zhibian from Mulu Valley sent someone with an imperial edict from Chang'an.

Both of them were surprised after reading it.

It turns out that the Arabs had already sent an envoy to Chang'an to negotiate.

Li Zhi ordered them to garrison troops in Tokharistan to put pressure on the Abbasid Caliphate and gain leverage in negotiations.

After the negotiations conclude, the troops will withdraw and return to Anxi.

Since the emperor chose to let them gain leverage in the negotiations, it meant that he was willing to reach a ceasefire agreement with the Arabs.

With the imperial decree issued, the two had no choice but to continue their garrison in Tokharistan. Xue Rengui also personally led troops to be stationed near the border between Tokharistan and the Abbasid Caliphate, putting pressure on the Abbasid Caliphate itself.

Pei Xingjian remained in Ahuan City.

On this day, Peroz suddenly approached Pei Xingjian and asked whether the Tang Dynasty wanted to negotiate with the Abbasid Caliphate.

Pei Xingjian said, "The situation is currently at a stalemate, and negotiation is the best option."

Peroz's eyes were bloodshot, and he appeared extremely agitated.

"Your Majesty promised to help me restore Persia, so why are you negotiating with the Arabs now?"

Pei Xingjian remained silent.

Peroz exclaimed, "Then I will return to Chang'an and personally ask His Majesty for clarification!"

Pei Xingjian said slowly, "General, everything takes time. Only by stabilizing Tokharistan can we plan for the restoration of Persia in the future. Please wait a little longer!"

Peroz gritted his teeth and said, "I've waited for more than ten years, and I can't wait any longer!"

Early the next morning, Peroz bid farewell to Sissis and prepared to return to Chang'an.

Sissis was shocked and grabbed him, saying, "General, you can't leave! What will I do if you leave?"

Peroz said, "With General Xue and Protector Pei here, Your Majesty need not be afraid."

Sissis said with a bitter face, "But I'm afraid of them. I can only feel at ease when you and the Queen are by my side."

Peroz turned his head slightly away and remained silent.

Xue Niang pulled at Laxisis and said, “Your Majesty, you and I are naturally happy that we have successfully restored our kingdoms. However, General Bei’s Persian kingdom is still occupied by the Arabs. He has his own goals, so let’s not force him to stay.”

Sissis paused for a moment, then placed a hand on Peroz's shoulder and said, "In that case, I will not stop General Peroz. When the Tang Dynasty helps General Peroz restore his kingdom in the future, the Queen and I will certainly do our utmost to assist him!"

Peroz looked up at him, never expecting that this randomly chosen member of the Tocharian royal family, besides being cowardly, also had a righteous side.

He bowed deeply to Sissis, nodded to Xue Niang, turned and left, selecting a few inner guards before returning to Chang'an.

At this time, in Chang'an, officials from the Court of State Ceremonial were conducting the third round of negotiations with the Arabs.

During the first round of negotiations, the Arab Ibn proposed exchanging the Indian subcontinent for the withdrawal of the Tang army.

However, officials from the Court of State Ceremonial informed them that the Indians had already returned to Tang China.

Ibn didn't believe it at first, thinking the Chinese were lying to him.

A few days later, news came from the Abbasids that the Indians had killed the Abbasid garrison stationed in India and had defected.

Mu'awiya's new order was to exchange the Great Bolu Kingdom for the withdrawal of the Tang army.

During the second round of negotiations, Ibn proposed the Abbasid Caliphate's terms, which the Tang Dynasty naturally refused. After conquering Tokharistan, the Tang Dynasty severed ties between Greater and Lesser Bolu and the Abbasid Caliphate. The Tang Dynasty could easily subdue these two small countries and make them submit to the Tang Dynasty, without any need for the Abbasid Caliphate to cede territory.

Seeing that the Tang Dynasty was taking a hard line and seemed determined to take Tokharistan, Ibn couldn't help but feel worried.

Yesterday, new news came from the Abbasid Caliphate: Mu'awiyah told Ibn that Little Bolu could also be ceded to the Tang Dynasty, and that the Tang Dynasty could even pay reparations.

In short, Tocharian territory is the bottom line; the Tang Dynasty must withdraw its troops, and it cannot be ceded to the Tang Dynasty.

That's why we have the third round of negotiations today.

The official from the Court of State Ceremonial in charge of the negotiations was Zhang Jianzhi. After the negotiations concluded, he went to the Ganlu Hall to report the progress of the negotiations to Emperor Gaozong (Li Zhi).

"Your Majesty, based on my observations during the three negotiations, no matter how much pressure we apply, the Arabs will not allow us to occupy Tokharistan."

Li Zhi said, "I can see that too. They need a barrier to feel at ease. It seems that it is impossible for them to obtain the entire territory of Tokharistan."

Zhang Jianzhi was well aware of the battle situation at the front and knew that the Tang army had reached a stalemate in Tokharistan.

The Tang army continued to be stationed there, and although it was able to control the Tokharistan region, the Tokharistan wolf soldiers would launch a counterattack as soon as the Tang army withdrew.

The current problem is that it is impossible for hundreds of thousands of Tang troops to be stationed in Tokharistan for a long time, as this would only drain the Tang Dynasty's finances.

"Your Majesty, if that's the case, why not reach an agreement with the Arabs that neither the Tang army nor the Arab army will be allowed to station troops in Tokharistan? In addition, the Arabs must recognize the identity of the King of Sissis."

Li Zhi shook his head and said, "No, the Tocharians are all followers of the Abbasid Caliphate. If we leave, Sissis will probably also convert to the Abbasid Caliphate."

Zhang Jianzhi said, "Since that's the case, we have no choice but to cede Tokharistan to the Abbasids. Our army has already defeated the main force of the Abbasids, and they will never dare to look eastward again. As compensation, we can make them pay some gold and silver."

Li Zhi hesitated and did not answer.

After a long pause, he suddenly said, "Jianzhi, you said you'd divide Tokharistan in two, with western Tokharistan going to the Abbasid Caliphate and eastern Tokharistan to us. Is there any room for maneuver?"

Zhang Jianzhi paused for a moment, then thought about it carefully, and a glint of light flashed in his eyes.

“Your Majesty, all the Arabs want is a barrier. Dividing Tocharian in two will satisfy their needs, and I believe they will agree.”

Li Zhi said happily, "Alright, go and negotiate with the Arabs again."

Three days later, the two countries held their fourth round of negotiations.

When Zhang Jianzhi proposed Li Zhi's idea, Ibn did not immediately refuse, but said that he had no decision-making power and would send someone back to the Abbasid Caliphate to report.

While waiting, news also came from India.

It turned out that after hearing from Wang Xuance that the Tang emperor wanted to divide India into thirty-six states and that he could become the ruler of one of them, King Xinde verbally agreed but secretly harbored rebellious intentions against the Tang.

Upon returning to India, he immediately summoned the chieftains of various states, seeking a united front against the Tang Dynasty.

Unfortunately, without the support of the Tang Dynasty or the Abbasid Caliphate, most of the chieftains in India ignored him, and not a single one responded to his call.

These chieftains traveled to Kunlun and Tibet to meet Wang Xuance, expressing their willingness to submit to the Tang Dynasty. Among them was Qinling of the Tubo Kingdom.

Wang Xuance convened a grand assembly and, in front of everyone, read out Emperor Gaozong's decree, dividing India into thirty-six states.

Then, from these chieftains who voluntarily submitted, thirty-six were selected and recommended to the Tang emperor to serve as kings.

These chieftains were naturally overjoyed and expressed their willingness to obey the decree of the Tang Emperor.

After returning to India, these people began to migrate and establish kingdoms according to the land allocated by the Tang Dynasty.

Of this, Tibet received a piece of land in the most fertile Tianzhu River Plain in the southwest, which was directly south of Xinde.

Of course, some tribes that were not officially recognized by the Tang Dynasty expressed their dissatisfaction.

These people, led by King Sindh, banded together to fight against the kings of the thirty-six states.

Currently, internal strife has broken out in India. Wang Xuance requested Emperor Gaozong to grant official titles to the kings of these thirty-six states as soon as possible, so that they could be officially recognized.

With the Tang Dynasty's investiture, these kings' influence would greatly increase, making it easy for them to defeat the resistance forces within India.

Li Zhi ordered someone to send the memorial to the Secretariat, draft the investiture edict, and then he would give it his final approval.

That afternoon, Li Zhi was enjoying a piece of music composed by Consort Zheng in Xunfeng Palace when Wang Jishan came to report that Peroz had returned and wanted to meet the emperor.

Li Zhi was taken aback and said, "Wasn't he assisting Sissis? Why has he suddenly returned?"

Wang Jishan said in a deep voice, "This man is different from Supilanya and Jin Yan. He only wants to restore his country and has never had the idea of ​​belonging to the Tang Dynasty. After he heard that we were negotiating with the Arabs, he was worried that the court would no longer help him restore his country, so he returned to the capital to see His Majesty."

After hearing this, Li Zhi fell silent.

The Sasanian dynasty had been annexed for so long that it was impossible to restore itself unless it went to war with the Abbasid Caliphate.

After this encounter, he realized that although the Abbasid army was not as strong as the Tang army, its fighting power was not weak, and it was far away.

Now that the Tang Dynasty can't even conquer the Tocharians, let alone the Abbasid Caliphate, the restoration of Persia seems unlikely.

Seeing that the emperor remained silent, Wang Jishan said, "Your subject knows what to do."

Li Zhi raised his hand and said, "You can tell him that Persia is unlikely to be restored at present. If he has any other requests, I will grant them in consideration of his many years of service."

Wang Jishan replied, "Yes."

A few days passed, and Li Zhi had almost forgotten about the matter when Wang Jishan came to see Li Zhi again, saying that Peroz had made a request.

"What does he want?" Li Zhi asked.

Wang Jishan's expression was somewhat strange. He said, "He said he wanted a kingdom."

Li Zhi was stunned and asked, "What?"

Wang Jishan said, "He heard about Your Majesty's enfeoffment of the thirty-six kingdoms of India and hopes that Your Majesty will grant him a piece of land and then appoint him as the King of Persia. In this way, he can be considered to have restored his kingdom."

Li Zhi was both amused and exasperated. It seemed that Peroz's obsession with restoring his kingdom was too deep; he was willing to choose a piece of land in India in order to restore his kingdom.

“He is a Persian. Even if I appoint him as the king of the Indian kingdom, can he control his Indian subjects? I fear he might be overthrown,” Li Zhi said, shaking his head.

Wang Jishan replied, "Your Majesty, I believe this is not impossible."

"Why?"

Wang Jishan asked, "Does Your Majesty still remember the Persian prime minister under King Xinde?"

Li Zhi's heart stirred, and he said, "I remember that the Persian was highly trusted by the Prince of Xinde, and he even formed a pirate group to plunder the Arab merchant fleets at sea."

Wang Jishan said, "That's right. Sindh is separated from the Sasanian Dynasty by the sea. When the Sasanian Dynasty was destroyed, many Persians fled to Sindh, including that Sindh prime minister."

Li Zhi tapped the dragon table with his finger and said, "That's right, I almost forgot. So, there are many Persians in the Sindh region, and it's not impossible for them to establish a Persian state."

Wang Jishan said, "That's right."

Li Zhi turned to Wang Fusheng and asked, "Has the Secretariat drafted the investiture edicts for the thirty-six kingdoms of Tianzhu?"

Wang Fusheng replied, "Your Majesty, it has not yet been delivered."

Li Zhi said, "Then issue my decree to allow them to bestow another Persian kingdom, located in the former territory of Sindh, with Peroz as its king."

Wang Fusheng said, "Yes."

When Peroz heard that the emperor had granted his request, he was overjoyed and asked to enter the palace to express his gratitude.

Li Zhi did not see him again, but instead sent him directly to the Kunzang Protectorate.

After the Indian resistance forces were eliminated, he would then have the Kunlun Protectorate assist him in establishing the Persian Kingdom in the former territory of Sindh.

(End of this chapter)