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墨書 Inktalez
Chapter 244 Tuli
Due to the invasion by the Turkic, a large number of citizens flooded into Chang'an. The Turkic forces lacked provisions, so they resorted to pillaging, while the Tang Dynasty could only fortify its defenses.
To the nearby citizens, Chang'an was the safest place. They preferred to run further to reach Chang'an before stopping. Some officials suggested that the citizens be temporarily settled outside the city.
When the Turkic truly attacked, they could let them enter the city for refuge, which would prevent disruption to the order within.
However, the emperor still allowed them to enter the city and ordered officials to accommodate them, but the citizens continued to voice their grievances.
The food they brought was insufficient to last long, and they could not neglect their fields. If they delayed too long, even if the Turkic retreated, they would have no way to survive.
Thus, many young men sought jobs within the city, which led to conflicts with the local residents.
Fortunately, the emperor had prepared in advance by hiring young men with food to repair the city walls and roads. In his three years on the throne, he had pressed the Ministry of Civil Affairs and Ministry of Works not to conscript labor from the citizens in order to allow them to recuperate.
Over time, many areas in Chang'an were due for repairs.
This helped ease tensions; citizens were generally easy to satisfy as long as there was hope for work in the future and food available in the present.
At this moment, news arrived that Bingzhou troops had been ordered to strike north against the Turkic. The court officials were taken aback; His Majesty was becoming increasingly willful, now issuing orders directly without going through the Three Departments and Six Ministries.
Most critically, Bingzhou had acted upon these orders. Normally, such directives should be obeyed.
In earlier times, they would have argued vehemently with His Majesty until he acknowledged his mistake and promised never to do so again while severely punishing local generals.
But now, they merely observed coldly from the sidelines, with only Wei Zheng and a few others stepping forward to offer counsel.
Wei Zheng immediately said, "Your Majesty, you should not act this way, according to the system..."
Li Jian Cheng allowed them to offer their advice but did not respond, as this would be the norm.
However, to justify his actions, he planned to reform the official system after the war with the Turkic ended.
The conversation returned to the pressing issue at hand. The officials believed that the Emperor's order for the Bingzhou Troops to march north was intended to force Xieli to withdraw his troops.
This could not be considered a bad strategy, but it was not particularly good either. The Turkic forces were also stationed there, and with both sides having similar troop numbers, it was clear that the Turks, who occupied advantageous terrain and were resting, had a better chance of victory.
Councilor Liu Wenjing advised, "Perhaps it would be better to order the Bingzhou Troops to rush to aid Chang'an. With the Qin Wang and Hejian Wang's troops combined, they would be sufficient to intimidate the Turkic forces."
Li Jian Cheng couldn't help but think that everyone was counting on the Turkic forces to retreat. The Turks likely thought the same way, believing they had the initiative and could afford to retreat if necessary, which is why they dared to act so audaciously.
The Emperor shook his head: "I am the Son of Heaven, with the mandate of heaven in my mouth. How can I change my orders from morning till night? Li Hu Jun Gong will surely lead us to victory over the Turkic forces."
Many officials harbored doubts about this notion but immediately bowed respectfully: "My Emperor is wise!"
...
Li Shimin successfully passed through Xia Country. Under its Sovereign's humble pleas, he recruited several of their nephews and elite Hundred Riders.
The tragedy of small nations lies in their need to hedge their bets; otherwise, offending anyone could easily lead to their downfall. The news of Tang's siege on Pyongyang had already reached Xia Country, as well as other nations like Khitan and Mohe.
If Tang could destroy Goguryeo, they could easily do the same to them. The Turkic forces would likely seize this opportunity to invade and completely swallow them up.
As soon as Xi entered Turkic territory, those sent to meet him arrived quickly. After exchanging names, Li Shimin was quite surprised.
The one who arrived was Tuli Khan of the Turkic people, the son of Shibi Khan and Princess Yicheng, named Asena Shabbi.
Tuli was also surprised by the sheer number of troops from the Tang Dynasty, but soon felt exhilarated. According to their agreement, after eliminating Xieli's confidants, the Tang would support him as Khan, the sole Khan of the Eastern Turkic.
Li Shimin did not speak the Turkic language like Li Jian Cheng did, and Tuli was not very proficient in the language of the Central Plains either, so they had to rely on an interpreter in between.
Tuli was several years younger than Li Shimin and took the initiative to greet him, immediately proposing to exchange steeds as a gesture of goodwill.
"Prince Qin of the Tang Dynasty, I, Tuli Khan, pay my respects to you. Your troops are so formidable; our endeavor this time will surely succeed.
The steed I ride is a fine horse presented to me by the Khitan Sovereign. I hope to exchange it with your steed so that we may call each other brothers from now on!"
Li Shimin loved horses and hesitated for a moment, but he understood that creating any rift between them at this time would only jeopardize their important mission.
After Shibi Khan's death, although Xieli gained the support of most nobles and became the Turkic Khagan, Tuli had a more legitimate claim and could not be directly eliminated, leading to internal strife.
Thus, Xieli could only appoint Shibobi as a minor Khan to oversee the Khitan and Mohe tribes and establish yurts in the eastern Turkic region.
Li Shimin then jumped off his horse and even hung his sword on the saddle.
"Hahaha, of course! My elder brother, Son of Heaven from the Central Plains, Your Majesty of the Tang Dynasty, was a close friend of your father, Shibi Khan.
He has always cared for you and hopes that you can inherit the grasslands and become an eagle soaring over Turkic lands. I have come to help you deal with our common enemy!"
Tuli was overjoyed and similarly removed his dagger from his waist to hang it on his saddle. The two exchanged horses and rode for a while before drawing their swords to pledge their alliance.
Without hesitation, Tuli led over ten thousand troops straight towards Dali City, while Li Shimin divided his forces, personally commanding thirty thousand troops not far behind Tuli, with the rest of the army following slowly in the rear.
Although he could not find a reason for Tuli to abandon their alliance, Li Shimin had to remain cautious. He understood that his troops were the key to breaking the stalemate with his elder brother.
By splitting his forces and creating distance, they could support each other at any time, ensuring they would not be trapped. If anything went awry, they could retreat calmly and regroup.
Fortunately, Tuli seemed to have no ulterior motives. Every day, when they stopped to rest and prepare meals, he would specifically return to invite Li Shimin for food and drink.
Though somewhat impulsive, Tuli had a good nature and held an inexplicable admiration for Li Jian Cheng.
It was clear that Shibi Khan had spoken highly of Li Jian Cheng in front of his son, as in Shibi Khan's eyes, Li Jian Cheng was an object of envy.
Having grown up listening to these praises, Tuli naturally developed a favorable impression. Moreover, one could say that Li Jian Cheng was also his uncle by marriage.
With this in mind, Li Shimin gradually felt more at ease, gaining confidence in the battle ahead and formulating ideas about future control over the Turkic people.
Once this battle concluded, he planned to return to the capital and discuss matters in detail with his elder brother.
……………
(End of Chapter)
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