I rode and slashed unparalleled in the Three Kingdoms

Chapter 962: Rise and Fall (5K)

"Oh no! This is bad! Look!"

Outside Yumen Pass, groups of more than twenty riders saw the cavalry rolling in towards the city from afar, and their originally relaxed expressions suddenly became tense.

One of the scout captains was so shocked that he choked when he saw through the dust that there were at least 6,000 cavalrymen coming:

"Could it be that the main force of the Han army has arrived?"

"How can this be?!"

"Has the rebellion in Liangzhou been quelled?"

The riders were suddenly horrified.

They were scouts sent out jointly by the various tribes in front and behind Cheshi. Although the six states of Cheshi after the split had their own dirty deeds, their geographical location that was the first to be affected determined that they were the ones who had to pay the most attention to the movements of the Han army.

So, they temporarily put aside their respective conflicts and squatted together not far from Yumen Pass, observing from afar.

When they saw the envoys from the Western Regions fleeing in embarrassment, they were still laughing inwardly, gloating over their misfortune.

But now, seeing that the Han army had marched out in large numbers in the blink of an eye and was heading straight towards him, he could no longer laugh.

"too fast!"

"We must report back to the king and his men immediately, and tell them to make preparations early!"

At the urging of an experienced scout captain, the scouts, who had just woken up from their dream, turned around and ran away.

The Han army's actions were much faster than their most severe expectations. If they were allowed to reach the city like this, it would be very disastrous.

Therefore, these scouts whipped their horses and galloped as fast as they could, hoping to deliver the message back as soon as possible.

Fortunately, compared with the Han people, they were more familiar with the terrain here, and the horses they rode were all top-quality scouts. As long as they could get to an outpost thirty miles away as quickly as possible and light the beacon, their mission would be accomplished, and they could then quickly escape.

However, they did not expect that when they rushed to the outpost, they found that the outpost, which should have been heavily guarded, was dead silent.

"What the hell, where are the people?!"

The scout captain of the Cheshihou State who arrived first cursed:
"Is this the quality of your frontline soldiers? They died before it got dark?"

"How can this be?!"

The former country's scout captain immediately retorted, looking at the scouts who had dismounted and rushed into the outpost shouting, and reminded them loudly:

"This is not right, be careful."

As soon as he finished speaking, there was a sound of bowstrings, and several arrows flew through the air, instantly turning the scouts in the front into hedgehogs!

"No! There's an ambush!"

"Get cover!"

The scout captain of the Cheshi Front State yelled, but this was complete nonsense.

Almost in the blink of an eye, everyone came to their senses. Where could they find cover here?
This outpost was built thirty miles northwest of Yumen Pass, beside the Shule River at the foot of Beishan Mountain.

The area around here is covered with endless yellow sand. It's not completely bare, but at most there are some low shrubs, which can't provide any cover at all.

The tall watchtower stood here, and the soldiers on it calmly shot arrows during the sneak attack. After another round of shooting, the panicked scouts immediately left behind several more corpses.

The scout captain of the Hou Kingdom, who had just been cursing, wanted to rely on his bravery to rush into the watchtower with a few soldiers to fight the attackers head-on. However, he was hacked to death after entering.

Before he died, he stared with bloodshot eyes, and when he saw that the attackers were actually a group of warriors wearing Han armor, there was only fear in his eyes.

Why did the Han army appear here ahead of them? No one could tell him the answer.

But their deaths were not in vain, as at least the dozen or so scouts left outside finally realized that this outpost was doomed and that staying here would mean death.

Those who had not dismounted their horses immediately pulled up their horses and ran away, while those who had dismounted their horses ran away in panic, jumped back on their horses and fled.

Pursued by whizzing arrows from behind, they ran all the way to the next outpost, hoping to pass on this fatal military intelligence.

But obviously, the well-prepared Raiders will not give these people any more chances.

Just when they had bypassed the distant watchtower and felt they were temporarily safe, dozens of knights suddenly rushed down the hillside ahead.

The first one was holding a spear, with a handsome face, a fierce belly and a wolf-like waist. It was none other than Ma Chao of Xiliang.

"It's over!"

"Heaven will kill me!"

"When did the Han people get behind us?!"

Ma Chao and his men attacked from high ground and were well prepared with plenty of horsepower. As soon as the scouts of the Cheshi State appeared, they gave a cry of despair.

"General, we have fulfilled our mission and the enemy's scouts have been completely wiped out!"

At dusk, Ma Chao and Yan Xing both clasped their fists in front of the outpost.

Under the bloody setting sun, the two men calmly reported to Su Yao.

"Once we take down these outposts, we will have the initiative in the attack." Jia Xu stroked his beard and praised.

If the Han army was not very familiar with the Tarim Basin area going west, then the roads to the northwest to Cheshi and to the southwest to Loulan had already been very familiar to the Han army.

Not to mention the Cheshi State, a forward outpost almost right in front of Yumen Pass.

So, when Su Yao met with envoys from various countries in the Western Regions at Yumen Pass and attracted countless eyes, he had already made secret arrangements. He arranged for Ma Chao and Yan Xing to lead a small group of elite cavalry one night in advance, cross the Shule River and detour to eliminate the outpost of the Cheshi Kingdom in order to catch all the scouts who had been monitoring them.

Next, Su Yao's army galloped all night long towards Jiaohe City (now the western suburbs of Turpan City), the capital of the former Cheshi Kingdom.

A few days later, in Jiaohe City, the capital of the former Cheshi State.

"Your Majesty, it's not good!"

"Scouts reported that this morning a cavalry of nearly 10,000 people suddenly attacked us and is now ten miles away from the east gate."

"They, they claim to be the generals of the Great Han Emperor Tang, and they ask us to open the gates to welcome him."

"What?! The Han army is coming?!"

An Siyan, the former king of Cheshi, suddenly stood up from the throne, his face turned pale in an instant, he tightly grasped the armrest, and screamed in fear:

"How could it be so fast?!"

"Are all the spies at Yumen Pass just there to eat and do nothing?!"

"Why do you wait until the enemy is at the gates before reporting back?!"

The ministers in the hall looked at each other, and no one dared to respond.

An Siyan paced back and forth anxiously, looking at a loss.

"Your Majesty, something terrible is happening."

Prime Minister Udru suggested in a trembling voice:
"The Han army is coming aggressively, and we are outnumbered. Why don't we open the city?"

"Open the city? No, no! Absolutely not!"

An Siyan turned around abruptly, his cloudy eyes showing stubbornness:

"That bastard Mohula has imprisoned the old king in Futu City. If we surrender without a fight, the old king will surely be killed by him!"

After hearing An Siyan's words, all the ministers fell silent.

Is An Siyan afraid that the old king will be killed?

How can it be!

What he was probably afraid of was that some old king would be released and lose his position.

Although the ministers were not very clear about the specific circumstances, there had always been rumors that An Siyan was behind the late king's defeat and capture.

This man is the nephew of the previous king, in charge of the imperial guards, and is not the legitimate heir to the throne at all.

However, taking advantage of the incident of the previous king's defeat and capture, An Siyan stirred up trouble in the country.

Not only did the king's legitimate son die suddenly and inexplicably, but the other major families with inheritance and claim rights were also affected and purged. Finally, after a dazzling series of operations, he ascended the throne himself and took charge of the country's affairs.

Now his only concern is the old king of the past. Apparently, Mohula, who is in power in the later kingdom, is well aware of this and often threatens and blackmails him, implicitly placing himself above the former orthodox kingdom.

Not long ago, Mohu Luo also sent an envoy to explain the pros and cons to him, saying that he was not in a legitimate position and should not dream of being a fence-sitter and joining the Han army. An Siyan also agreed with this.

It was common for the Han Dynasty to depose and enthrone kings in the Western Regions. He now had many opponents in the country. Once the Han army took control of the situation and deposed his throne, wouldn't all his decades of hard work be in vain?
Therefore, for the sake of the power in his hands, An Siyan immediately ordered the city gates to be closed and the entire city to be on alert. At the same time, he sent out fast horses to immediately report the news to Futu City and ask for urgent assistance.

"But, Your Majesty, distant water cannot quench one's thirst," an old minister hesitated, "The Han army is coming with great force, we are afraid..."

"Shut up!" An Siyan interrupted, "Although our Qian Kingdom is not big, we also have 5,000 elite soldiers. Ten thousand cavalry is just a mere 10,000. As long as we hold on firmly and wait for the reinforcements from the Hou Kingdom, Wusun and Xianbei to arrive, our army will surely win!"

"It seems that An Siyan is prepared to fight to the end?"

In the Han army camp, Su Yao heard the envoy's reply and a faint smile appeared on his face:

"So what do you think? Are you ready to go along with this fake king and perish together?"

When the messenger heard Su Yao calling his king a fake king, he immediately stretched his neck and refuted, having already prepared himself for death:

"You, General Han, you have no manners at all!"

"Your Majesty An Siyan is the legitimate king of our Cheshi State. How can you slander us like this? Our Cheshi warriors would rather die on the battlefield and perish with the city than..."

Before he could finish his words, a clear bell sound suddenly came from behind the curtain next to him.

As the curtain was lifted, a fragrant breeze blew in. At the same time, two extremely beautiful faces came into the envoy's sight. The envoy from Cheshi State was stunned, with his mouth wide open, unable to utter a single word.

However, what really shocked the envoy was the appearance of the two girls rather than their beauty.

"princess?"

"how come?"

The messenger opened his mouth tremblingly, as if he had seen a ghost:
"No, it's impossible! This is impossible! The princess should have died long ago!"

"Yes, my aunt died a long time ago. She was killed by that traitor who usurped the throne!" Alyssa answered through gritted teeth.

"aunt?"

The messenger came back to his senses and saw Alozo coming in next. He suddenly asked nervously:

"Who is it? Who are you?"

Everything that follows is simple.

Su Yao looked at everyone and recognized each other without saying a word.

Although the Hu sisters are not the bloodline and direct heirs of the previous king.

However, the Chesi family was the earliest royal family of the Cheshi Kingdom. Not only had they always intermarried with the former royal family, but also, whenever there was turmoil in the country in history, the Chesi family often had successful cases of restoration.

And coincidentally, nearly half of them are dominated by Hanting.

Whenever the current royal family of Cheshi was dishonest and colluded with foreign countries to cause trouble, the Han court, after gaining power, would march troops to the city, depose the old king, and then put someone from the Cheshi family on the throne, under the pretext of reviving the fallen and continuing the extinct, and then publicize it widely.

You know, according to the Han thought, reviving a country and continuing its extinction is the supreme merit, which is even greater than destroying a country and is something worth writing about.

The Analects of Confucius states: "Reviving destroyed states, continuing extinct generations, raising up the displaced, the people of the world will be loyal to him."

The Book of Han also mentions: "Since ancient times, the rulers who have received the mandate and restored the country must restore the destroyed and continue the extinct, repair the abandoned and promote the mediocre, and then the world will return to benevolence and the policies of the four directions will be implemented."

Even the later "New Book of Tang" said: "Since ancient times, the king who received the mandate must restore the destroyed and continue the extinct, honor virtue and reward merit. Therefore, saving a country is more important than saving a country from disaster; establishing a country's descendants is more important than enshrining a country's tomb."

It was under this kind of thinking that in the early and middle periods, even if dynasties changed, clans would not be wiped out. Instead, people from the former royal family would be found and given the title of king or prince, granted fiefdoms, and offered sacrifices to ancestral temples to show respect, demonstrate the inheritance of the current dynasty, and indicate the orthodox status. This is the traditional system of two kings and three officials.

Therefore, the matter of reviving the country and continuing the extinct is something that everyone who is deeply influenced by Han thought likes to do very much, in order to demonstrate their benevolence.

Thanks to the Han Dynasty's actions, the Chesi family had a high reputation in the Cheshi Kingdom, and even had a bit of divinity. Generally speaking, even if a usurper succeeded, no matter how jealous and angry they were, they would not dare to risk the opposition of the whole country and the anger of the Han Dynasty and exterminate the family. Instead, they chose to intermarry with the usurper.
In other words, in terms of bloodline and claim qualifications, these three descendants of the Ches family are far superior to the usurper who carried out the Great Purge.

Therefore, after An Siyan usurped the throne, he simply imprisoned the Hu sisters and others and took good care of them.

Finally, seeing that the Han Dynasty was completely doomed and the country was gradually stabilizing, he mustered up the courage to find a brave Sogdian slave caravan and quietly packed up and sold the three siblings, out of sight and out of mind.

As for why not kill him?

It can only be said that most people of this era are somewhat superstitious, or have a kind of awe. In the Cheshi Kingdom that advocates Buddhism, even An Siyan, who has killed countless people, is afraid that he will bring about some terrible curse after severing the bloodline of the previous king.

However, bloodline is only one aspect. What really shook the envoy was the princess he mentioned, the wife of the former king and the aunt of the Hu sisters.

That woman was once hailed as the most beautiful woman in Cheshi State. She was beautiful and kind-hearted. She did many good things in the country and was more popular among the people than the old king.

Unfortunately, she was so beautiful but had a tragic fate. Not only were her two children killed by An Siyan, but she herself was also imprisoned in the palace. It was said that she could not bear the humiliation and finally committed suicide by jumping into a well.

The envoy had once received the favor of the princess and sighed for a long time because of it. In the end, when everything was settled, he thought he had let it go.

However, the appearance of the Hu sisters obviously tore open the scars in his heart, and the bloody scenes in Jiaohe City in the past kept echoing in his mind.

An Siyan ascended the throne by killing almost all claimants, so his legitimacy itself was greatly flawed. Now that the Han Dynasty has brought back the people of the Che Si family, it is obvious that the foundation of his rule will be severely shaken.

After figuring all this out, the messenger turned against them.

"what?!"

"You said that the big man has found someone from the Che Si family?"

"They didn't die out?"

Jiaohe City, the Prime Minister’s residence.

Prime Minister Udru was stunned when he heard the news brought back by the messenger.

He was originally wondering why the messenger came to him after delivering the message, but he didn't expect that he brought him such explosive news.

"Yes, yes." The messenger knelt on the ground, his voice trembling, "The sisters look exactly like the princess, and the young man, judging from his eyebrows, must be a descendant of the Che Si family!"

Udru's face was uncertain as he paced back and forth in the hall.

Suddenly, he turned around and asked, "Who else knows about this?"

"Only... I am the only one." The messenger rested his forehead on the ground. "I know this is a serious matter, so I dare not speak out."

Udru took a deep breath and said, "Very good, you did a good job."

Obviously, the messenger saw that the prime minister was urging the king to open the city and surrender today, and knew that he was a surrenderist, so he immediately reported this fatal news to the prime minister.

Although Udru does not have much military power, he is a well-connected person in the country. He has been in a position second only to the emperor for more than ten years. With his help, they will be able to achieve twice the result with half the effort. If things go well, it is possible that the Han army will enter the city without bloodshed.

In this way, I can repay the princess' kindness in the past.

Just when the messenger was relieved, Udru clapped his hands and called two guards:
"Send our hero down to rest quickly."

A gleam of light flashed in Udru's eyes:
"Remember, let him rest well forever."

"what?!"

The messenger looked up in horror and was about to run away, but it was too late.

While the guards were holding him up on both sides, a dagger had silently stabbed into his back.

This loyal and affectionate messenger lost his life in the Prime Minister's residence, before he could deliver this great news.

Watching the limp body of the messenger being dragged away, Udru wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and muttered to himself: "Ches Family. Ches Family, you are really good at surviving."

Suddenly, Udru recalled the bloody night many years ago.

The messenger was still naive. He had been prime minister under An Siyan for more than ten years. How could he be a good person?
When An Siyan secretly killed members of the royal family and the Che Si family, he was the real mastermind behind the scenes.

Even the slave trader who sold Alyssa and her brother was found by him personally.

Until now, he could not forget the princess's last desperate look and the helpless cries of young Alyssa and her sisters.

He wanted to surrender, but if someone from the Ches family came back to take power, wouldn't he be doomed?

"No, we must report this to the king immediately!"

Udru hurriedly changed into court clothes and was about to go out when he saw the butler running over in a panic:

"Prime Minister! This is bad! Ashina, the East Gate Guardian, suddenly opened the city gate and let the Han army in!"

"what?!"

"Isn't Ashina a close confidant of His Majesty?!"

(End of this chapter)