Tang Dynasty, my wife Wu Zetian

Chapter 492 The Prince's Struggle
After the establishment of the Kunzang Protectorate, Tuyuhun was divided into twelve tributary prefectures by the Tang Dynasty, and the governors were all dispatched by Murong Zhonglie, the king of Tuyuhun.

This move greatly displeased Murong Zhonglie.

Unlike the Eastern Qiang and Dangxiang Qiang, Tuyuhun was once a powerful state that could rival the Tang Dynasty. After more than 300 years of existence, it had its own ambitions and was unwilling to be annexed by the Tang Dynasty.

Princess Honghua then persuaded him that the Tang Dynasty had already established the Kunzang Protectorate, and Tuyuhun had become part of the Tang Dynasty's interior.

The Tang Dynasty could not allow an independent country to exist in the interior, not even a vassal state.

Moreover, without the help of the Tang Dynasty, Tuyuhun would have been annexed by Tibet. Although it has now been incorporated into the Tang Dynasty, the governors of the twelve prefectures are all appointed by him, which is no different from before.

However, Murong Zhonglie ignored his wife's advice and his dissatisfaction with the Tang Dynasty grew daily, and his relationship with his wife deteriorated.

Later, he sent envoys to Chang'an to ask for a princess for his son, but was refused by the Tang Dynasty. He was furious and decided to unite with the Qiang people, so he restored the name Tuyuhun.

Then, if we launch a surprise attack on Kunming and Tibet and can completely annex the Kunming and Tibet Protectorate, Tuyuhun will be even stronger than the Tubo of that time, becoming a great power that can rival the Tang Dynasty.

While the Tang Dynasty was conquering east and west, he also successfully annexed most of the Qiang tribes.

Once the Dongnu, Bailan, and Dangxiang tribes are conquered, all the Qiang tribes will be integrated, giving the Qiang the strength to launch a surprise attack on Kunming and Tibet.

Although Su Dingfang was brave, he was also a Qiang person, and he believed that the Western Qiang tribes of Tubo would be more inclined to support Tuyuhun.

There were only 50,000 Tang troops in Kunming and Tibet. India was in turmoil, and the Tang troops were stationed near the Himalayas and the Great Bolu Kingdom to guard against the Indians. This was an excellent opportunity.

Just then, the Dongnu, Bailan, and Dangxiang Qiang tribes overestimated their own strength and launched an attack, only to be utterly defeated by our forces.

Murong Zhonglie generously rewarded his generals and decided to attack the nearest Bailan Qiang first.

Before the army could even set out, they received a letter from Han Boyu, the governor of Songzhou.

Han Boyu spoke sternly, warning him not to incite any more internal strife, or he would be severely punished!
Murong Zhonglie was furious. Although he was under the jurisdiction of the Songzhou Governor's Office, he was the Prince of Heyuan, personally appointed by the Tang Dynasty, and also the son-in-law of the emperor. Han Boyu was just a minor county magistrate, yet he dared to be so disrespectful.

Moreover, he was close to achieving his goal, so naturally he could no longer be bound by the Tang Dynasty.

Murong Zhonglie immediately issued an order to assemble all the Tuyuhun troops at Wuhai and prepare to fight the Tang army.

He originally planned to use only 30,000 troops to attack Bailan Qiang, but since the Tang army was going to intervene, he naturally had to go all out.

The Tuyuhun originally had more than 100,000 troops, and with the conquest of various Qiang tribes, their total military strength approached 200,000.

The Tang army's Songzhou Prefecture only had 12,500 troops. Even if the Tang army was very brave, with such a disparity in strength, Murong Zhonglie felt that he had a great chance of winning.

Of course, we must also consider the possibility of aid from the Tangut and Dongnu peoples.

Therefore, this battle will determine the future fate of Tuyuhun. If they win, Tuyuhun will be one step closer to its dream of becoming a great power.

The internal mobilization within Tuyuhun naturally could not be kept secret from Princess Honghua.

Although she wanted to dissuade Murong Zhonglie, he had become increasingly indifferent to her over the past few years. He not only took more than twenty new concubines to favor, but also did not visit her residence for more than a year.

Princess Honghua had no choice but to summon her two sons, hoping they could persuade Murong Zhonglie not to bring about his own destruction.

However, only the eldest son, Murong Zhong, came.

"Zhong'er, where's your brother?"

Murong Zhong said, "I don't know, I didn't see him on my way here."

Princess Honghua sighed and said, "Never mind, you should know about what has happened recently."

Murong Zhong said in a deep voice, "Yes, Father has been annexing surrounding prefectures and counties on a large scale. This will surely enrage the court. I don't know what Father is thinking."

Princess Honghua smiled bitterly and said, "He was blinded by ambition, just like Fuyun back then. When the Tang Dynasty was first established, it wanted to live in harmony with Tuyuhun, but Fuyun took the initiative to provoke and invaded the border of the Tang Dynasty for more than ten years. After being defeated, he did not repent and was eventually destroyed by the Tang Dynasty. Isn't this lesson painful enough?"

Murong Zhong sighed, "Since the threat from Tibet was gone, my father has become a different person. Under the influence of Murong Fu's slander, he is determined to restore the former glory of Tuyuhun."

Princess Honghua asked, "Do you know who Murong Fu is?"

Murong Zhong shook his head.

Princess Honghua coldly said, "He is the descendant of the Heavenly Pillar King who bewitched Fuyun back then."

Murong Zhong asked in surprise, "Father doesn't know?"

Princess Honghua shook her head and said, "How could he not know? But what good would it do? He's already trapped in the beautiful dream Murong Fu painted for him, unable to extricate himself."

Murong Zhong asked, "What dream?"

"A dream of Tuyuhun being able to stand on equal footing with the Tang Dynasty."

Murong Zhong shook his head and said, "Father, you actually believe in such unrealistic fantasies?"

Princess Honghua gazed at her son and said, "Your father is currently lost in his fantasies without realizing it, and is preparing to fight the Tang army. Only you can bring him to his senses."

Murong Zhong hesitated and said, "I'm afraid I can't persuade Father."

Princess Honghua walked to a wooden frame, took down an old helmet, and handed it to her son.

“Take this to your father and see if he can regain his senses.”

Seeing that the helmet was in the Tang Dynasty style, Murong Zhonglie asked, "Mother, whose helmet is this?"

Princess Honghua remarked with emotion, "This is a helmet left behind by a Tang general named Xi Junmai."

"Will Mr. Xi buy it?"

“Yes, back then, the pro-Tibetan forces in Tuyuhun were powerful. I had just married your father, which aroused their dissatisfaction. The Tuyuhun Prime Minister, King Xuan, plotted a coup and wanted to kidnap your father and me and send us to Tibet.”

This was an embarrassing incident for Murong Zhonglie, which he strictly forbade anyone to discuss, so Murong Zhong had never heard of it before and hurriedly asked, "What happened next?"

Princess Honghua said, “Fortunately, there were loyal and righteous people who told your father about this. I advised him to strike first and kill King Xuan, but he was very afraid and fled with me to Shanzhou of the Tang Dynasty.” “The governor of Shanzhou at that time was named Du Fengju, and the military commander was named Xi Junmai. After discussing it, the two decided to strike first and kill King Xuan.”

“Xi Junmai selected 120 elite cavalrymen from the Zhechong Prefecture, set off overnight, rushed to the capital, and had the loyal Prince Weixin open the city gates. Then he stormed the Prime Minister’s residence, killed Prince Xuan and his two younger brothers, and quelled the rebellion.”

“Your father was very grateful to Xi Junmai, so he exchanged the crown that had been passed down through generations of the Tuyuhun kings for his helmet.”

Murong Zhong asked in astonishment, "Xi Junmai quelled the rebellion with only 120 men?"

Princess Honghua said proudly, "Indeed. This is the elite army of the Tang Dynasty. From the Zhenguan era to the Yonghui era, they have never been defeated. Even the Arabs of the Western Regions are no match for the Tang army."

"So you should understand that the Tuyuhun soldiers are no match for the Tang army. Your father's current actions are no different from suicide!"

Murong Zhong took a deep breath, tucked the helmet under his arm, and said, "I understand. I will take the helmet to see Father now and hope that he will come to his senses."

After bidding farewell to his mother, Murong Zhonglie headed towards the royal tent.

The royal palace of Tuyuhun blends the architectural styles of the Tang Dynasty and the Turks. The royal tent is a huge circular building, which looks like a tent, but is made of stone.

Murong Zhong arrived outside the royal tent, and after announcing his arrival, a man came out from inside.

This person was very young, with shaved head, his entire arm was tattooed in black, his face was fierce, and his eyes flashed with a menacing light.

Murong Zhong frowned and said, "Second brother, what are you doing here? Do you know that Mother just summoned you?"

The man was Murong Zhong's younger brother, Murong Zhi. He smiled with narrowed eyes and said, "I know what Mother wants from me, so I came to hide here with Father."

"You mean hide?"

“That’s right. My mother is a Tang woman, and she’s a woman. It’s not her place to interfere in matters of state!” Murong Zhi said, raising his head.

Murong Zhong was furious and said, "You scoundrel, how dare you say such a thing?"

Murong Zhi crossed his arms and sneered, "Brother, it's because you've read too many books by Tang Dynasty authors that Father dislikes you more and more."

Murong Zhong's expression changed slightly, and he said, "What did you say?"

Murong Zhi snorted and said, "Look at you, how can you be considered the heir of Tuyuhun? Father said that he will pass the position of heir to me in a few days. You'd better not compete with me, or don't blame me for disregarding brotherly affection!"

The Tuyuhun people were deeply influenced by Princess Honghua and adopted Tang Dynasty customs, referring to their heirs as princes.

Upon hearing this, Murong Zhong finally understood why his second brother had suddenly changed so drastically, even disrespecting their mother. It turned out it was all because of the struggle for the heir apparent.

He took a deep breath and said, "I have no interest in competing with you for the position of heir. I'm going to see my father." He strode into the tent.

Murong Zhi reached out and stopped him: "Father said he doesn't want to see you right now."

Murong Zhong angrily said, "Do you know what your father is going to do?"

"I know, isn't it just about beating up Tang Ren?" Murong Zhi said with an excited expression.

Murong Zhong sneered, "Both the Tibetans and the Abbasids couldn't defeat the Tang people, do you think the Tuyuhun can?"

Murong Zhi snorted, "We have 200,000 troops, while the Tang army only has 10,000 at the Songzhou Governor's Office. How can we not win?"

Murong Zhong said, "Don't forget, the Kunzang Protectorate still has 50,000 Tang troops!"

Murong Zhi laughed and said, "I think you're the one who doesn't understand anything. India is in chaos, and the Tang army in the Kunlun Protectorate is stationed in the northwest. They can't come to the rescue in time."

Murong Zhong angrily said, "There are still more than 100,000 Tang soldiers in Chang'an. With a single decree from the Emperor, hundreds of thousands of Tang soldiers can be mobilized. You are courting death!"

Murong Zhi sneered, "Then we'll see. As long as we successfully conquer the former Tibetan territory, we'll no longer have to be beholden to the Tang people!"

After saying this, he turned and went into the tent.

Murong Zhong was about to follow him inside when several guards stepped forward to stop him, saying rudely, "Young Master, please turn back."

Murong Zhong stamped his foot and shouted into the tent, "Father, do you still remember Xi Junmai?"

From inside the tent came Murong Zhonglie's furious voice: "Tie up that bastard and lock him in the dungeon!"

Several guards stepped forward, seized Murong Zhong, and escorted him to the palace dungeon.

Murong Zhong never imagined that his father had gone to such lengths.

In the dark and gloomy dungeon, he became increasingly disappointed in his father and disgusted with power, believing that it was power that made his father so crazy and inhuman.

After he leaves the dungeon, he will definitely take his mother to Chang'an.

In the dungeon, there is no distinction between day and night; the only way to tell time is by the number of times one eats.

A few days ago, Murong Zhong remembered how many meals he had eaten, but as he became more and more numb, he stopped remembering.

It is unknown how much time has passed. Just after breakfast, a group of people came to the dungeon. The person in charge was Princess Honghua's personal maid.

"Your Highness, you've suffered so much." The servant's eyes were slightly red as he shouted at someone beside him, "Open the door and let the young master out!"

The dungeon guards quickly opened the door and invited Murong Zhong out.

Murong Zhong asked the maid, "Aunt Li, how is Mother?"

As the maid ordered the servants to wash his face and change his clothes, she said, "The princess is very well and is inviting you to come and see her."

Surrounded by a crowd, Murong Zhong quickly arrived at Princess Honghua's rear tent. Upon entering the room, he was stunned.

Princess Honghua sat in a chair with a livid face, her head turned to one side. Beside her stood a man, bowing and scraping with a fawning smile. It was none other than her father, Murong Zhonglie.

Murong Zhi knelt on the ground, his face full of dejection.

(End of this chapter)