Tang Dynasty Swordsman.

After bidding farewell to Princess Ningguo, Li Ji intended to visit Dunmohedagan to ascertain the prime minister's true intentions, but unexpectedly received a summons from Yidijian.

Upon entering the tent and looking up, I saw that this Yi Di Jian looked to be under thirty, not much older than me. He had a heroic appearance and deep eyes, and seemed to be someone not to be trifled with—he looked much more cunning than his brother.

Yi Dijian first inquired about the Tang envoy's situation, where he was currently, and how long it would take for him to reach the camp. Li Ji replied, "The journey is slow, and we cannot guarantee the time, but at most ten days, he should be able to arrive."

Yi Dijian frowned slightly: "It would be best to hurry—the election of the Khan will be held in six days. It would be an honor for the Uyghurs if the Tang envoy could come to attend the ceremony." Then he smiled: "I haven't seen my brother-in-law for a long time either, and I miss him dearly."

The "brother-in-law" he was referring to was naturally Li Chengcai, the Prince of Dunhuang. The valiant Khan married his daughter to Li Chengcai, who was then bestowed the title of "Princess Pijia" by the Tang Dynasty.

Then Yi Dijian asked Li Ji, "Did the Tang emperor send my brother-in-law here, besides to offer condolences, with an edict appointing the new Khan?"

Li Ji nodded and said, "Yes, Your Highness will be conferred the title of Yingyi Khan." In his heart, he thought to himself, "Those muddle-headed officials, why didn't they do their research beforehand? Yidi Jian hasn't even officially ascended the throne yet, why are they in such a hurry to confer the title on him?" But then he thought again, perhaps the Uyghur messenger was sent by Yidi Jian himself, so he would definitely insist that Yidi Jian had already become the new Khan, and wouldn't mention the election meeting at all.

Upon hearing Li Ji's reply, Yi Dijian raised his eyebrows and his eyes lit up with joy. He then said, "You might have to go through some trouble to urge your brother-in-law to hurry up and get on the road."

Li Ji shook his head and said, "I have already accepted the appointment of the Khatun and will temporarily serve as his guard, so it is inconvenient for me to leave. You can send your troops to urge the Prince of Dunhuang." In fact, he intended to ask Li Chengcai to slow down and wait until things settled before coming to the Uyghur camp. As for whether the investiture decree would be read out at that time, it would depend on the situation.

Yidijian said unhappily, "Does my Uyghur tribe not have any warriors who can protect the Khatun? Why must you be left here?"

Li Ji replied neither humbly nor arrogantly, “I have heard that Di De is the greatest warrior of the Uyghurs, but I was fortunate enough to win a wrestling match against him outside Chang’an. Moreover, I have heard that many tribes do not approve of the marriage alliance between Tang and the Uyghurs. They are located on the frontier and are suppressed by the former Khan, so they naturally dare not act recklessly. However, their gathering at the royal tent may be detrimental to the princess. Therefore, the princess specially left me to protect her.”

Yi Dijian shook his head: "Dide is nothing compared to the top Uyghur tribe... at most, he's only the top in his own tribe..."

Li Ji immediately said, "Then it is even more worrying. Even Your Highness should not underestimate the importance of personal protection!"

These words left Yi Dijian speechless. After a moment of hesitation, he said, "Very well, then you may go down and quickly send someone to urge your brother-in-law."

Just as Li Ji was about to take his leave, Yi Dijian called him back and said, "Please tell my brother-in-law that the Uyghur chieftain will always have a place; if I go to Chang'an to meet the emperor in the future, I will need him to be my guide."

This is a subtle way of saying that after he ascends the throne, he will never break the alliance between Tang and He, and may even lower himself to come to the court to pay homage directly—do you think Li Ji believed this?

He went out to find Dunmohedagan again, but was told that the prime minister was busy preparing the venue for the assembly to elect the Khan in six days and was temporarily unable to meet him. Helpless, Li Ji had no choice but to give up.

Five days passed in the blink of an eye. Tribal leaders from all directions arrived, and the foothills of Mount Udejian were packed with people, resembling a bustling marketplace. However, despite Li Ji's daily patrols and vigilance around the Khatun's tent, he always felt that while the defenses of each tribe appeared relaxed on the outside, they were tight on the inside. Although they weren't as on high alert as he was, they were still very cautious in monitoring and protecting the moving people. He couldn't help but secretly praise Dunmohedagan—what a talented man!

That evening, Princess Ningguo summoned Li Ji to her tent again and asked him, "These past few days, I have sent people to investigate in many ways, but there has been no news of the Crown Prince Yehu... Has he really returned to the Uyghur Khaganate?"

Li Ji thought to himself, "That's hard to say. Maybe the Crown Prince Yehu encountered some bandits on his way here and got killed... or maybe he was secretly arrested and executed by Yidi Jian... If even you can easily find out the Crown Prince Yehu's whereabouts, how could you possibly hide it from Yidi Jian?"

After a moment's thought, he said, "I've been pondering this for the past few days. If I were in your shoes, as the Crown Prince of Yehu, what would I do?"

The princess asked, "What would you do?"

Li Ji lowered his voice and replied, "If we were to rally our old troops to rebel and formally split the Uyghur Khaganate to fight against Yidijian, Di De once told me that the Crown Prince of Yabghu has less than a 20% chance of winning... Moreover, we must act before the assembly convenes, otherwise, once Yidijian is supported by the various tribes and formally ascends the throne of Khan, there will be even more officials and generals who will side with him. At that time, I'm afraid we won't even have a 10% chance of winning..."

"However, the Crown Prince of Yabghu is unwilling to give up, and it's unlikely he'll miss this opportunity to plan a later move. So, after much thought, I've come to only one method where I can hope for a stroke of luck..."

The princess's words clearly revealed a hint of curiosity: "What method?"

Li Ji gritted his teeth: "The only way is to kill Yi Di Jian at the conference!"

Upon hearing this, the princess shuddered slightly: "You mean, he will send someone to assassinate Yi Di Jian?!"

Li Ji said, “Exactly. Now that the conference is about to begin, everyone from Yidijian down to the rank of minister, including all the other officials, will be fully armored and surrounded by guards, making it difficult to find a good opportunity for assassination. But when the conference is held and all the dignitaries gather, the good and the bad will be mixed together, and order will be difficult to maintain. That might give Crown Prince Yehu a chance. However…”

"Just what?"

“If Dunmohedagan has already secretly colluded with the Crown Prince of Yabghu, there is no need to wait until the conference to assassinate Yidijian. If there is no collusion, even at the conference, one will still need to get past him first… I have repeatedly requested to see Dunmohedagan in order to find out his intentions, but I have always been blocked outside the tent.”

The princess said, "Yi Di Jian is no ordinary person. If you can think of this, he must also be on guard. I think the chances of Crown Prince Yehu are slim."

Li Ji nodded, thinking to himself, "After all, I'm not a Uyghur, nor have I ever risen to the ranks of the nobility. So I have no idea how the Uyghurs will resolve this issue—whether they'll resort to intrigue or ruthless measures." Moreover, logically speaking, the valiant Khan only has two sons left. With Yidijianruo dead, the Crown Prince of Yabghu is the natural choice for the new Khan; but he was once in exile. Does his right to succession and the order of succession still hold true for the Uyghurs?

He said, "Let's not worry about them. I will only protect Your Highness. Your Highness must also be careful. At tomorrow's assembly, do not act rashly and do not leave my sight." But he always felt that something bad would most likely happen at tomorrow's assembly.

Princess Ningguo nodded, and Li Ji immediately took his leave of the tent. However, someone came to call him: "The Prime Minister invites Mr. Li to come over for a chat."

Li Ji thought to himself, "Oh, he finally remembered to see me!" He immediately followed the messenger. Upon entering the tent, he saw that Dunmohedagan looked haggard, with dark circles under his eyes—probably exhausted from arranging the conference these past few days. He asked Li Ji first, "You've wanted to see me so many times, what is it about?"

Li Ji could not directly admit that he "wanted to find out your intentions," so he could only say, "I have been ordered by the Khatun to temporarily serve as his bodyguard, so I request an audience with the Prime Minister. I wonder where the Khatun sits at the grand assembly according to custom? Is there anything he needs to do or say?"

Dunmohedagan shook his head and said, "No need, the Khatun can attend the ceremony." After a pause, he added, "The Khagan (referring to Yidijian, who, although not officially enthroned, is already referred to as such by many people) told me the other day that he hoped his seat could be placed next to the Khatun's.

Li Ji frowned slightly: "Are you trying to leverage the power of the Khatun?"

Dunmoheda chuckled dryly: "Actually, it's not just about relying on the Khatun, but also about relying on you!"

Li Ji was taken aback, but then he understood—it seemed that Yi Dijian had overheard his boasting a few days ago about defeating Di De and kept it in mind. He was also worried that there might be assassins during the conference, so he wanted to stay closer to him for protection.

Furthermore, if he were seated near Princess Ningguo, the assassin might accidentally injure her if he rushed in. Given the risk of harming her, he would be hesitant and his chances of success would be greatly reduced.

What a brilliant plan!

He replied coldly, "I only protect the Khatun."

Dunmoheda nodded: "Very well." Then he waved his hand and ordered his men to leave.

The tent flap had just fallen when suddenly footsteps sounded, and another person slowly emerged from behind the screen behind Dunmohedagan. Li Ji stared intently and couldn't help but gasp—it was the Crown Prince of Yabghu!

As expected, Dunmohedagan not only colluded with him, but also went directly to his side.

As soon as the Crown Prince of Yabghu came out, Dunmohedagan hurriedly stepped aside. The Crown Prince of Yabghu nodded to him, then walked up to Li Ji, sat down cross-legged, and grabbed Li Ji's wrist: "It has been a long time since we parted last year, and I have missed you very much."

Li Ji sighed softly and replied, "Your Highness, you shouldn't have returned to the grasslands."

The Crown Prince Yehu raised his eyebrows: "If I do not return today, I fear I will never have another chance in this life!"

“However, Dide told me that your chances of winning are less than 20%.” As he spoke, Li Ji glanced sideways at Dunmohedagan, thinking to himself that with this prime minister added to the mix, he wondered how high the odds would be.

Crown Prince Yabghu said, "It's not entirely hopeless. If I can kill Yidijian, the officials will naturally elect me as Khan!"

Li Ji thought to himself, "Just as I expected—does the Crown Prince intend to send someone to assassinate Yi Di Jian at tomorrow's assembly?"

The Crown Prince sighed, “That was the original plan, but Yidijian insisted on sitting close to the Khatun, which means you, Li Ji, are right next to him… Dide once told me that your skills are unmatched among the Uyghur tribes, so if you were to help Yidijian, the assassins would have a hard time succeeding—but Dide isn’t here.”

Li Ji thought to himself, "Even if Di De is here, it won't work. He's a general, and too many people recognize his face. How could he possibly get into the meeting?" But he said aloud, "I just told the prime minister that I will only protect the Khatun."

A glint flashed in the eyes of the Crown Prince Yehu, and he suddenly lowered his voice and said, "If you are willing to lend me a hand, taking Yidijian's head will be a piece of cake! After it is done, I will keep my promise and appoint you as Right Assassin, giving you actual control of the western Uyghur region! I also promise that we will be friendly with Tang for generations to come and never break our alliance!"

Upon hearing this, Li Ji's heart skipped a beat, but he quickly calmed down and glanced sideways at Dunmohedagan. He saw that the prime minister had his eyes downcast, seemingly having heard nothing and showing no reaction.

Li Ji said, “I am a Tang person. If I were to harm the Uyghur Khan… or the prince, I would surely incur the hatred of the Uyghurs. Not only would it implicate the Khatun, but it would also leave a grudge. How could the Tang and the Uyghurs maintain harmony for long? Your Highness, please do not take such a drastic measure!”

The Crown Prince of Yabghu laughed and said, "Are you worried that I might harm you or even the Khatun afterward, and that I would hand you over to appease the anger of the tribal leaders? Rest assured, I am wholeheartedly committed to maintaining the Tanghe Alliance, how could I do such a thing?" As he spoke, he raised his right hand: "I swear to Heaven and all Buddhas and Bodhisattvas that everything I have said today is true, and I will never break my promise, otherwise—I will surely be torn to pieces and die!"

[Kuangren Novel Network] Mobile reading website. Share if you like it.

Chapter Fifteen: The Bloodbath at the Meeting Ground

[Kuangren Novel Network] Mobile reading website. Share if you like it.

After Li Ji came out of Dunmohedagan's tent, he deliberately circled around twice to make sure there were no "tails" following him before going to report to Princess Ningguo.

After hearing his explanation, Princess Ningguo's veil trembled slightly, as if she were smiling: "The Right Protector is noble, comparable to the Yabghu, and holds real power, unlike the Prince of Dunhuang, who is merely a figurehead, like a sinecure. In our Tang Dynasty, a vassal king holding the title of military governor would be like this—and you, Changwei, actually refused?"

Li Ji smiled bitterly: "How could I possibly get it? When the Crown Prince of Yabghu was tempting me, Dunmohedagan was also by my side, but he didn't say a word... He has only been in charge of the west for a short time, and Yidijian once promised to be the Yabghu for generations and guard the west. Would he be willing to hand it over to me? Where would he go then? To the east? From then on, the Khan's descendants would have no land left?"

Princess Ningguo laughed and said, "You are indeed cautious."

Li Ji replied, "Your Highness was right the other day. We should just sit on the sidelines and watch. If we suddenly intervene, it will surely damage the friendship between the Tang and the Uyghurs. Moreover, the Crown Prince of Yehu actually wants me to assassinate Yidijian... I'm afraid that once that knife is wielded, none of us, including the Prince of Dunhuang and the others, will be able to survive among the Uyghurs!"

"So your final answer is..."

"I will only protect Your Highness; I will not concern myself with anything else."

Princess Ningguo pondered for a moment, then asked, "In your opinion, what are the chances of the assassin succeeding at tomorrow's gathering?"

Li Ji shook his head and said, "I don't know either. Logically speaking, with Dunmohedagan's help and us not helping each other, the assassin's chances of success are very high. However, Dunmohedagan... if he is only pretending to help the Crown Prince Yabghu, and is actually just trying to lure him out so that he can be handed over to Yidijian for execution at tomorrow's assembly... then the Crown Prince Yabghu will indeed have attempted assassination—but will fail—and even if he manages to escape with his life, I'm afraid not many officials will support him anymore, right?"

"However, as a result, regardless of whether the assassination succeeds or not, the Uyghurs will not be thrown into chaos, which is still advantageous to our Tang Dynasty."

Nothing more was said that night. The next morning, someone came to fetch Princess Ningguo on behalf of Dunmohedagan. Li Ji asked Princess Ningguo to wear a soft armor hidden under her robes, and he himself was also fully armed, with two maces hanging from his waist, to escort her to the venue. Someone at the entrance stopped them, saying that according to custom, each official was only allowed to bring one guard, and no long weapons were permitted.

I guess this is to prevent people from getting into a fight over a disagreement at the meeting. But Li Ji thought to himself, you might as well not allow anyone to bring weapons at all. Allowing short weapons—like my double maces—is really not very meaningful.

If I really go mad, I can kill four or five adults on the spot with these two maces. Do you believe me?

The Uyghurs were, after all, a nomadic people, and even the tribal leaders had an innate habit of carrying weapons. If they were required to remove their swords when meeting important figures or attending court assemblies, like the Central Plains dynasties, they would probably just wave their hands and claim illness to avoid coming.

So Li Ji escorted Princess Ningguo into the venue—which was really just a leveled open space with curtains, canopies, and felt carpets arranged in a large circle around it. The guards bowed and guided Princess Ningguo to sit at the head of the table. Li Ji, with his hands on his double maces, stood behind her, glancing sideways and guessing that the felt carpet next to her was probably for sitting on.

One after another, dignitaries from various departments arrived, calling out to their friends and exchanging pleasantries, creating a rather noisy and chaotic scene. Li Ji, of course, didn't recognize most of them. He simply opened his eyes wide and looked around—Yi Di Jian hadn't arrived yet, but Dun Mo He Da Gan had, sitting at the head of the table on the right, the first seat, and was resting with his eyes closed.

Logically speaking, he's also a candidate, so shouldn't all the candidates sit together? Where are the other two candidates who are just putting on an act?

As the official start of the conference approached, everyone took their seats, their expressions showing a hint of impatience. Firstly, it was clearly just a formality; the election results were already predetermined, everyone knew it, and no one would use their votes to gain more benefits for themselves. Secondly, where was Yidi Jian? What kind of arrogant attitude was he putting on?

Just then, someone outside the hall suddenly shouted, "The Khan has arrived!"

Someone immediately scoffed, "He hasn't even been elected yet, what kind of Khan is he?"

In the past few days, whether he was meeting Yidijian, the Crown Prince of Yabghu, or Dunmohedagan, Li Ji spoke Tang language. However, Li Ji had been studying Uyghur with Ma Meng in private, and his basic hearing was no longer a problem. In addition, he had a good ear and could understand all the whispers of the tribal leaders.

The shouts had barely subsided when, after only four or five breaths, the sound of hurried footsteps arose. Everyone turned their gaze to the entrance of the venue and saw a man with his hand on his waist sword, leading six fully armed soldiers, swaggering in with an air of superiority.

Everyone, including Li Ji, was taken aback—this wasn't Yi Di Jian, it was Prince Ye Hu!

Before the commotion could even begin, the Crown Prince of Yabghu coldly surveyed the surroundings and declared loudly, "Yidijian murdered his king and father, attempting to usurp the Khan's throne; he has been executed by me!"

Everyone was shocked. Some adults instinctively shrank back, while others looked astonished and indignant, and stood up as if to argue with the Crown Prince.

Li Ji understood that it was mostly because he refused to promise to help the Crown Prince Yehu that he was worried that the assassination attempt at the meeting would not succeed—Li Ji said he would not help either side, but could he really believe him? And what if Li Ji leaked the information? Therefore, he acted overnight and, with the help of Dunmoheda, murdered Yidijian in advance.

But if you have this ability, why ask for my help? Is it because you don't want to get your hands dirty or damage your reputation, so you're using me as a scapegoat? It's a scheme to "kill with a borrowed knife." And what about the position of Right Assistant, what about never breaking your promise? I don't believe a word you say! Your intentions are truly despicable!

Li Ji almost wanted to jump up on the spot and smash that guy's skull with one mace!

He was barely holding back when he suddenly heard a cold snort from the hall. Immediately afterward, a guard behind an official stepped forward, lifted his helmet, and said, "You're dreaming! Look who I am!"

The Crown Prince Yehu stared intently, as if seeing a ghost, and exclaimed, "Impossible!"

It turned out that the person who appeared was none other than Yi Di Jian!

Immediately, Kenichi waved his hand and said, "This fellow plotted rebellion in the past and was lucky to escape death. Now he dares to come back and disrupt the meeting—cut them all down!"

With a whoosh, the surrounding guards rushed out, including some adults and their protectors, and surrounded Prince Yehu and his entourage.

Princess Ningguo was completely bewildered and asked Li Ji in a low voice, "What's going on?"

Li Ji gritted his teeth: "This is a scheme to lure the snake out of its hole!"

It seems my earlier concerns were correct. Dunmohedagan was "physically in Cao's camp but his heart was with Han"... no, he was using a double agent; he was actually in league with Yidijian! While thwarting the assassination plot of the Crown Prince of Yabghu would allow Yidijian to smoothly ascend the Khan's throne, the Crown Prince's exile remained a significant threat. Therefore, the feigned assassination attempt—whether a double was used or Dunmohedagan deceived the Crown Prince—was a mystery—to lure the Crown Prince out, and then publicly expose his crimes and execute him!