Zhenguan: I, Dou Fengjie, will not be the first cuckold.

Tuyuhun, Fusi City.

Looking at the devastated palace, Busabo Khan smiled self-deprecatingly.

The turquoise stones that were inlaid on the throne had been pried off, leaving only crooked holes, as if mocking it silently.

Apart from the valuables, the overall structure of the palace is still intact, which is a stroke of good luck amidst misfortune.

The guards dusted off the clutter and dust on the throne, and Murong Fuyun sat down as if nothing had happened.

We're used to it. Back when the Sui army passed through, they were even more brutal.

The Prime Minister, Tianzhu Wang, said in a low voice: "It is understood that the Qilian garrison at Zhangye Waterway has been secretly ordered by the Duke of Luoyang and the Prince of Daning to cooperate with the Tang army."

"The Tang general was Hou Junji, the Minister of War, a vicious man who could stop a child from crying at night, and who kidnapped the Prince of Da Ning and his son."

"The Tang Dynasty conferred the title of Prince of Xiping and Quehu Lüwugandou Khan upon the King of Daning, and established his capital at Niuxindui, in accordance with the titles bestowed upon him during the Sui Dynasty."

Niuxindui is a strategic location that could easily cut off the passage to the north of the Western Sea from Tuyuhun, and it was also the only way for Tuyuhun to invade Shanzhou.

This ruthless move made Tuyuhun extremely uneasy, leaving them with no choice but to pay attention.

A ruthless glint appeared in Liang Qucong's eyes: "Who came up with this vicious idea? They arranged for someone to assassinate him!"

The Prince of Tianzhu calmly replied, "It was Dou Fengjie, a minor official in the Court of State Ceremonial, who also came up with the idea of ​​bestowing titles upon Murong Xiaojun and Duke of Luoyang."

"It is said that this person has the potential to become an eagle hunter. He just escaped an assassination attempt in Chang'an and carried out a brilliant counterattack."

Silence fell over the palace.

The most difficult to assassinate are skilled archers; they are simply too sensitive.

King Murong Xiaojun of Gaochang established himself in Damomen City, calling himself Qida Khan. He claimed to be the posthumous son of King Murong He of Wei, which almost made Murong Fuyun laugh in anger.

Murong Xiaojun was born many years after Murong He died!

Murong Fuyun, as Murong He's elder brother, understood this better than anyone else.

Luoyang's Gongche Kunchiding reoccupied Shudun City, and with the support of the Tang Dynasty's Shanzhou army, Tuyuhun lost its eastern territory.

What's even more infuriating is that Murong Xiaojun and Che Kunchiding, those two scoundrels, isolated the external aid, the Tangut Tuoba clan.

Tuyuhun lost its ally and its room for maneuver.

"Khan, Liang Qucong is willing to lead 20,000 infantry and cavalry to recapture Niuxindui!"

Liang Qucong pleaded for his orders in a stern voice.

If Niuxindui cannot be recaptured, Tuyuhun will be in a very passive position, and the Tang Dynasty can attack whenever it wants.

"Try not to harm the Prince of Da Ning."

A hint of weariness appeared in Murong Fuyun's old eyes.

Kualü Khan disregarded family ties, while Busabo Khan valued them too much; the father and son went to extremes.

"Khan, Your Majesty has separated the cities of Qiemo and Shanshan. Should we send more troops?"

King Tianzhu gently reminded him.

A shrewd glint flashed in Busabo Khan's old eyes: "We can't have any more, otherwise we won't be able to support the two cities."

After all, the neighboring kingdom of Khotan could only support four thousand soldiers.

The reason for allowing the king to occupy these two almost enclave cities was to prevent him from being overthrown.

Even if the Tang Dynasty wanted to extend its attacks to Qiemo and Shanshan, it would take several years.

He waved for his ministers to leave, leaving only King Tianzhu in front. Murong Fuyun spoke wearily, "King Tianzhu, I'm afraid Tuyuhun is beyond saving."

"Perhaps the three tribes of Tianzhu should start thinking about their future."

King Tianzhu was in tears. He drew his sword and slashed his face, blood streaming down his cheeks: "Khan, on Tianzhu Mountain, there are only kings who die in battle, not traitors who live on in disgrace."

Facial shaving is a common ritual among nomadic peoples, used to express grief or to make oaths.

Murong Fuyun sighed and personally helped Tianzhu Wang up; for a moment, they were speechless.

Although he was still free, he felt like a prisoner of Chu.

During this ordeal, Murong Fuyun clearly sensed that his old friend, Xiang Dunshan, the King of the Black Party, was becoming increasingly distant from him.

From now on, the Black Tanguts will never risk protecting him again.

The Khan is old; is he still able to eat?

-----------------

Ox Heart Mound.

Countless prisoners were working hard to ram the earth, building city walls and fortresses.

Gan Dou Khan Murong Shun lacked the ability to lead an army and could only rely on the cumbersome method of building fortifications to protect himself.

Although he knew that even if he returned to the embrace of Tuyuhun, his father Murong Fuyun, out of consideration for family ties, would not kill him.

But he had had enough of that life of being constantly controlled, having almost no real power, and living under someone else's roof.

"Khan, our small force may not withstand a single blow from Liang Qucong!"

King Xuan, who had led his troops from Chihai to surrender, looked grave.

Although they managed to muster 20,000 troops, their fighting strength was far weaker compared to Liang Qucong's 20,000 troops.

"Therefore, we need fortifications and city walls, and we need to use wooden crossbows to kill them."

Murong Shun spoke helplessly.

Even among the seven types of crossbows of the Tang Dynasty, only the single wooden crossbow of the Gan Dou Khan was passed down, which is truly lamentable.

As for the method of making bamboo crossbows, the reason it was not passed down was because Tuyuhun did not produce bamboo.

Despite the barricades and horse traps, Liang Qucong's Qiang soldiers continued their advance, undeterred by the rain of crossbow bolts and arrows. The opposing side also retaliated.

Relying on the city's defenses, Gan Dou Khan's troops actually managed to fight Liang Qu Cong's elite troops to a standstill, with both sides suffering more than two thousand casualties, which surprised even King Xuan.

A cavalry unit charged out from behind Niuxindui, their lacquered spears flashing like dragons, momentarily halting the arrogance of the fierce Qiang soldiers.

"It is the troops of Suirong City. The Tang Dynasty has not abandoned us."

Murong Shun let out a long breath.

"It's just one force from one prefecture; they can't change the overall situation!"

King Xuan sighed softly.

While the Yue cavalry of this prefecture could somewhat suppress Liang Qucong's arrogance, they could not force him to back down.

The sound of war drums resounded at Niuxindui, and a large banner with the words "Jiuqie" was unfurled. Three thousand soldiers, arrayed in a spear formation, emerged from Murong Shun's side.

The Qiang soldiers rode their warhorses and charged madly into the spear formation, creating a gap with their own flesh and blood, and the warhorses fell to the ground with mournful cries.

As soon as one infantryman fell, another immediately took his place, and three sharp wooden spears were used as a unit to fight against the single rider.

People were being knocked into the air from time to time, and their comrades immediately stepped in to help, without even a moment to be afraid.

The longbow was drawn from the side, and arrows rained down on the Tuyuhun cavalry, shooting down one rider after another.

A massive crossbow, its menacing appearance on full display, is chillingly equipped with seven arrows on a single string. The main arrow, as thick as a child's arm, can easily pierce a yak.

Seven arrows rained down from the Tianshan Mountains... down from the Red Ridge. Each crossbow bolt claimed the life of at least one Qiang soldier, and the shields became as fragile as paper in the face of the powerful impact.

The main arrow whistled past, knocking over the Tuyuhun soldiers carrying large shields, and struck a flagpole two miles away.

"Hold on!"

Liang Qucong brandished his spear and shouted loudly.

The situation is getting out of control.

The flagpole, struck by crossbow bolts, groaned a few times before collapsing with a crash, throwing the Qiang soldiers into chaos.

A flicker of joy crossed Murong Shun's and Prince Xuan's eyes, and they immediately exclaimed, "Liang Qu Cong has been defeated!"

Helpless, Liang Qucong was pushed by the fleeing soldiers to escape towards Qilian, even though the loss of his troops was less than 30%.

The greatest taboos in the era of cold weapons: being beheaded or having one's flag captured.

A ballista with a range twice that of a cannon is simply too overpowered!