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墨書 Inktalez
As the year draws to a close, the cold winds of the northwest begin to dry out. There is no snow, yet the chill is exceptionally biting, with the cold wind cutting like a blade.
In such weather, choosing to deploy troops to Khotan seems unwise. However, Qibi Helix and Asena Sher have no choice, as this climate also significantly impacts the enemy.
In the territory of Yutian Zhechongfu, various tribes gather to receive the hospitality of Yin Zong. The Son of Ahura, the General of the Guard from the Tang Empire, and Grand Minister Xu Zhen personally meet with the chieftains of these tribes.
Asena Sher indeed borrowed two thousand soldiers from the Tuguhun under the escort of Tuguhun's envoy. They are now nearing Khotan's border and have sent trusted aides back with news. Once the Department of Diplomatic Negotiation sends their troops, they will simultaneously launch an offensive against Khotan.
Winter warfare goes against military strategy, especially for tribes on the northwest grasslands. During the barren winter, they continuously deplete their food supplies and livestock. If they win, it might be manageable; perhaps winter will be easier. But if they lose, they will have no foundation to recover in the coming year.
However, upon hearing that this unification effort involves Xu Zhen, the leaders of these tribes quickly made their choice. Twelve or thirteen tribes managed to gather over two thousand cavalrymen. Along with several hundred troops from the Department of Diplomatic Negotiation, Xu Zhen now commands five thousand troops for the campaign against Khotan.
Do not underestimate these five thousand men; they are all cavalry and elite warriors who traverse the grasslands. Moreover, Khotan primarily focuses on agriculture due to its gem and jade mine exploitation; they are not a nomadic people and thus are at a significant disadvantage in mounted combat.
Additionally, being located in a desert environment means their transportation relies mainly on horses, camels, and donkeys—nowhere near as formidable as the steeds of steppe tribes.
Given this context, many tribal chieftains hold great confidence in this battle. They have been in the Department of Diplomatic Negotiation's territory for five days but have yet to see Xu Zhen mobilize her forces, leaving them puzzled.
Even Yin Zong is unaware of the reason. Qibi Helix asked Xu Zhen about it, but she merely smiled and said to wait a few more days for a surprise.
On the seventh day, shouts suddenly erupted outside the camp's Yuanmen. Many tribal chieftains thought there was a conflict among soldiers and hurried out to check, only to be left dumbfounded!
Outside Yuanmen was already crowded with people. Over their heads, they saw dozens of heavily armored giant elephants slowly approaching the camp, shaking the ground with their presence!
This group of elephants maintained an orderly formation, clearly well-trained. They were larger and stronger than ordinary elephants, with critical parts covered in armor plating. Their tusks were bound with sharp blades, and even their trunks were embedded with lethal edges—there were nearly forty war elephants!
"This... this is General Xu's war elephants! It's General Xu's war elephants!"
"This is the trophy we retrieved from India!"
"But why didn't the General bring them out when leaving the capital? Why wait until now? Could it be that the General had already predicted a battle with Khotan before departing?"
"Can such things really be predicted? Truly a remarkable person!"
In no time, various legends about the Xu Zhen spread throughout the camp. They had come with the reputation of the Xu Zhen, and now, seeing these War Elephants, their confidence grew even stronger!
As for why the War Elephants arrived only now, it was not because the Xu Zhen had foreseen a battle with Khotan; rather, it was a matter of necessity.
He had indeed wanted to bring all these War Elephants with him, but at the time of his departure from the capital, they were still held by the Ministry of Rites. Xu Jingzong was both suspicious and cunning; taking advantage of Taizong's state funeral, he sought to gain Li Zhi's favor by showcasing the thirty or so War Elephants belonging to the Xu Zhen as part of the ceremonial display to highlight Taizong's military achievements.
At that time, the Xu Zhen had not yet returned to Chang'an, and her brothers had been scattered across various regions and offices. Caesar, Zhang Suling, and Left Dark and Jewel had all gone to Tuguhun, while Yan Lide and Li Chunfeng were busy running errands for the Xu Zhen. There was no extra energy left to protect or reclaim these elephants.
Thus, these War Elephants were requisitioned by Xu Jingzong, the Minister of Rites. His strategy proved effective; initially, when Li Zhi welcomed the triumphant return of the Xu Zhen from India, her brothers had made quite an impression. At that moment, seeing these elephants being requisitioned brought a slight sense of satisfaction to Li Zhi, leading him to give Xu Jingzong a small nod of approval.
Later on, Xu Jingzong petitioned to demolish the Hongnong Lord Temple and hid its deity in a side chamber of the Imperial Ancestral Temple. Li Zhi complied, further convincing Xu Jingzong that he was on the right track.
These elephants were beloved by the Xu Zhen, especially the massive White Elephant King. How could she willingly allow herself to be bullied by Xu Jingzong? Although he was sent as an envoy to Tuguhun and held a prestigious position as a Tang envoy, in the eyes of his peers, he was no different from being exiled. After being away from court for a year and a half, with Li Zhi firmly established in his territory and all vacancies filled, what business did the Xu Zhen have?
It was precisely because she needed to keep a low profile that she temporarily abandoned her intention to bring out the War Elephants. As someone who had been sent away from court riding on the White Elephant King with a large group of War Elephants following behind, who would believe her?
With this in mind, the Xu Zhen could only ask Yan Lide to help her secretly send out the War Elephants after his departure. Although Yan Lide was a high-ranking official in the Ministry of Works, he had little interaction with the Ministry of Rites. Instead, his brother Yan Liben had already been promoted to Minister of Justice at this time; thus she requested his assistance.
Yan Liben was a renowned court painter in Tang Dynasty; he painted the portraits of the Twenty-Four Meritorious Officials displayed in Lingyan Pavilion. He was favored by Taizong and showed no interest in court intrigues; therefore, he continued his career path while enjoying Li Zhi's trust.
Logically speaking, since the Department of Punishment controlled penalties and was one of the most powerful departments among the six ministries, it should have been impossible for the Ministry of Rites to contend with it. As a Minister himself, if Yan Liben spoke up for her request, Xu Jingzong should have politely returned the War Elephants.
Xu Jingzong has boarded the pirate ship of Murong Hanzhu, deliberately suppressing Xu Zhen, and with Changsun Wuji, the current Grand Commandant, backing him, he naturally feels unrestrained and does not take Yan Liben seriously.
Yan Liben is a good-tempered person, unlike his brother Yan Lide, but he is still quite angered by Xu Jingzong's arrogant demeanor and returns to complain to Yan Lide.
Yan Lide did not expect Xu Jingzong to be so tough. After thinking it over, the only person he could turn to was Li Jue.
However, Li Jue is an old fox who understands the rules of the officialdom very well. After being reinstated, he has been unusually low-key and has already resigned to the Sovereign three times!
It would be difficult to ask this old fox for help, but Yan Lide knows how important these War Elephants are to Xu Zhen. Whether she can establish authority and prestige in Tuguhun relies on these War Elephants to maintain her image.
Thus, Yan Lide had no choice but to approach Li Jue. As expected, Li Jue refused to see him. This old fox feared attracting the Sovereign's suspicion and was also worried about being accused of forming cliques. Therefore, he imitated Wei Gong Li Jing from the Jingwu era by shutting his doors to guests. Yan Lide couldn't even see him and had to leave in frustration.
Just when Yan Lide was at his wit's end with nowhere to turn, Zhu Suiliang unexpectedly spoke out to impeach Xu Jingzong. As a trusted minister of Zhu Suiliang, although he could not rival Changsun Wuji's growing power, he still had the ability to intimidate Xu Jingzong. This was a rare opportunity for Xu Jingzong, who had just risen to power but lacked integrity and had engaged in corrupt practices behind the scenes. Fearing that Zhu Suiliang would find incriminating evidence against him, he returned the War Elephants to Xu Zhen.
However, Zhu Suiliang's actions quickly faced retaliation from Changsun Wuji and Murong Hanzhu. Cui Bailin, the Censoring Imperial Historian promoted by Murong Hanzhu, along with his colleague Wei Siqian, impeached Zhu Suiliang and Zhang Ruice, the Deputy Minister of Justice, for abusing their power and oppressing an official from the Central Secretariat while seizing land.
Wei Siqian is a graduate of the imperial examination and is known for his straightforwardness and integrity. His family has produced three prime ministers, which is a great honor; however, that is a story for another time.
With these two Censoring Imperial Historians speaking out against him, Zhu Suiliang found himself counter-attacked. Rumors began circulating within the court that perhaps after the new year, Zhu Suiliang would have to step down from his position.
He himself did not realize that stepping down this time would mark the end of his political career. He never expected that someone who had always looked down on military generals would inadvertently help Xu Zhen before losing power.
Yan Lide was overjoyed and did not want to deal with the dirty affairs of the court any longer; he quickly thought of ways to secretly send out these War Elephants.
However, as a Minister, he could not personally escort these elephants. Moreover, these were War Elephants whose temperaments were not as docile as those used for performances in town.
Just when he was in a dilemma, someone came to his residence—Zhou Cang, a loyal follower of Xu Zhen!
Zhang Jiunian and others were scattered among the military, while Xie Anting and Qin Guang also found their respective places. Xue Rengui remained a Colonel in the Imperial Guards, and Zhou Cang was initially serving in Luoyang as part of the Department of Diplomatic Negotiation under Guo Yi.
However, his superior often targeted him because he was a trusted aide of the Xu Zhen. Zhou Cang's reckless and impulsive nature, combined with his fondness for drinking, led to frequent provocations from his superior, who would scold him publicly every few days, causing him to lose face.
Before taking up his post, Zhou Cang had been instructed by Zhang Jiunian to avoid giving anyone leverage against the Xu Zhen, which would make things difficult for their Lord. Thus, Zhou Cang endured the humiliation, waiting for the Xu Zhen to regain her strength.
Although Zhou Cang was brash, he remained fiercely loyal to the Xu Zhen and managed to hold back his anger.
One day, however, that superior spoke ill of the Xu Zhen in front of Zhou Cang, mentioning her being sent away to Tuguhun as an envoy and mocking her lack of prospects. This made Zhou Cang's heart sink as he anticipated being expelled from the military.
Upon hearing that their Lord had been sent away and witnessing his superior's harsh words, Zhou Cang, who had been holding back for half a year, lost his temper and beat that superior into a pulp. He dramatically removed his military armor and threw it at the Deputy Commander's face, not forgetting to spit on him as well.
The Deputy Commander mobilized troops to deal with Zhou Cang and intended to report him to the Ministry of War. However, Zhou Cang was determined not to endure such humiliation any longer. Fearing retaliation against his family from Zhou Cang, the Deputy Commander ultimately decided to strip Zhou Cang of his military position instead.
Zhou Cang sought out Yan Lide, who was more than willing to have him escort a group of War Elephants to the northwest in search of the Xu Zhen.
Upon hearing commotion outside Yuanmen, the Xu Zhen realized that her War Elephants had arrived. She immediately went out to greet them. At the center of the War Elephants was her Golden Armored White Elephant King, and atop a leading black-armored War Elephant was none other than the fierce Tiger General—Zhou Cang himself!
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