Dramatic changes in the movies and TV shows

Chapter 1277 Sitting on the mountain and watching the tiger fight

"Grand Commander, we've arrived. This is Her Highness the Princess's residence!" Du Wenguang said in a low voice, his face showing both excitement and a hint of exhaustion.
"Please allow me to inform them first."

Lin Hao nodded, stopped and looked around, comparing what he had seen along the way with Du Wenguang's intelligence, and continued to refine his plan.

Not long after, Du Wenguang went in and came out again, nodding slightly to Lin Hao.

Lin Hao straightened his robes and strode into the Tang-style tent palace located deep within the Uyghur royal tent.

The tent was simply furnished yet elegant, with a faint scent of sandalwood burning, which dispelled some of the pungent smell of the grassland.

Behind the table at the head of the table sat a woman, none other than Princess Xian'an of the Tang Dynasty.

She was not dressed in elaborate palace attire, but rather in a modified Hu-style dress that allowed for easy movement. Her hair was neatly tied up, adorned only with a plain jade hairpin.

Although her brows betrayed the weariness of a long-distance marriage and living in a foreign land, they also exuded an undeniable air of heroism.

Lin Hao's heart stirred. This was completely different from the weak and obedient princesses he had seen in other worlds when he was an emperor.

From Princess Pingyang Zhao, who raised an army to help Li Yuan establish his dynasty, to later princesses like Princess Taiping and Princess Anle, whose actions were subject to varying opinions, it seems that they all had an inner blood that refused to submit to fate.

Princess Xian'an before us clearly inherited this trait, and even intends to carve out a place for the Tang Dynasty in this wolf's den far from Chang'an.

This made him feel a sense of respect and also reminded him of modern independent and capable women.

Of course, Lin Hao wasn't referring to those boxers.

"Your subject, Lin Hao, Grand General of the Western Regions, pays respects to Your Highness the Princess!" Lin Hao said politely, bowing with his hands clasped.

"Grand Commander, there's no need for such formalities!" Princess Xian'an praised with a clear voice and a smile on her face.
"While I was in the Uyghur Khaganate, I had long admired the great names of Prince Guo, Protector-General Yang, and Governor-General Lin!"

"You, isolated beyond the Great Wall, have steadfastly held fast to the banners of our Tang Dynasty, and have even managed to turn the tide and restore the prestige of the Western Regions. This is an unparalleled achievement!"

"On behalf of the Great Tang Dynasty and my father, I thank all the loyal ministers and generals!" Princess Xian'an said, rising to give Lin Hao a slight bow.

This gesture greatly increased Lin Hao's goodwill towards her. The princess spoke sincerely and, despite her high position, showed no arrogance, which immediately won Lin Hao's favor.

Lin Hao then stepped aside to avoid him, thanking him as he did so.

"Your Highness is too kind! This is our duty. It is Your Highness who has gone to a foreign land to pacify the northern frontier for our Great Tang Dynasty. The hardships you have endured are a hundred times greater than those of us!"

In fact, Lin Hao quite disliked this kind of marriage alliance, which was ostensibly a marriage of convenience but in reality a means of seeking peace, and which caused ordinary Chinese people to suffer calamities.

This practice of marrying off one's own princess to barbarian tribes and bringing advanced technology and productivity to these foreign tribes, thereby narrowing the technological gap between the foreign tribes and the Tang Dynasty, ultimately resulted in the Tang Dynasty being bullied and slaughtered by the foreign tribes.

These thoughts flashed through his mind, but he quickly came back to his senses. After all, this kind of thing has its advantages and disadvantages, and it's not something he can solve right now, since it's just a movie world.

The two sat down again, and Princess Xian'an sighed softly, then smiled and said:
"It is truly a blessing for our Great Tang that the Grand Commander, along with Prince Guo and Protector Yang, have been able to achieve successive victories in the Western Regions."

"With the motherland strong and prosperous, I can stand taller here," Princess Xian'an said with some emotion.

Her words were not unfounded. Since the news of the victory in Anxi and Beiting came, the hostile gazes of the Uyghurs towards the Tang Dynasty had indeed diminished considerably, and more tribal leaders had come to curry favor with her.

After all, the fate of a princess sent to a foreign land for a political marriage was always closely related to the strength of her motherland.

After exchanging pleasantries, the conversation quickly turned to the main topic: the situation within the Uyghur territory and strategies for dealing with it.

Lin Hao then explained in detail to Princess Xian'an the strategy of "showing weakness to the enemy and letting the snipe and the clam fight" that he had discussed with Du Wenguang on the way.

The princess listened intently, her slender fingers unconsciously tracing patterns on the table, clearly deep in thought.

After Lin Hao finished speaking, she pondered for a moment, then slowly nodded and said:

"The Grand Commander's plan is in line with the essentials of military strategy. If we can get Princess Ye and Jieyujias to fight each other first, regardless of who wins or loses, it will be the best situation for me!"

"But...!" A lingering worry remained between her brows as she spoke.
"The governor may have overestimated Princess Ye's courage and underestimated Jieyugas's current power."

"You and Jieyujias previously defeated the Tubo, and now he has returned with the glory of a great victory. This is the moment when his military might is at its peak."

"Although Princess Ye is ruthless enough to poison the loyal Khan, she may not dare to make the first move given the absolute disparity in strength."

"It is more likely that she will choose to endure for the time being, or even seek a compromise. If she does not dare to fight, or if her will to fight is not firm, this plan may not be effective!"

Lin Hao had anticipated this; in fact, as long as he was willing, it didn't matter whether others were willing or not.

A slight smile played on his lips as he spoke with unwavering confidence:

"Your Highness's concerns are indeed crucial. Therefore, for this plan to succeed, the first priority is to help Princess Ye make up her mind, forcing her to fight, and she must fight with all her might against Jieyugas!"

"Oh?" Princess Xian'an's gaze sharpened, and she asked with some surprise, "How does the Governor intend to 'help' her?"

"It's very simple!" Lin Hao said, a cold glint in his eyes.
"Between her and Jieyugas, a fire that cannot be extinguished is lit, making both sides believe that the other has already struck first and there is no room for maneuver."

Princess Xian'an stared at Lin Hao for a moment, secretly wondering what method Lin Hao would use to ignite the war between the two.

However, seeing that Lin Hao didn't say much, and knowing that things were done in secret and would be ruined if revealed, she didn't ask any more questions. She simply nodded solemnly and said:
“Very well! In that case, I will follow the governor’s plan. Inside the royal tent, I will try to stabilize the situation and observe the developments.”

"As for how to start the fire, I'll leave that entirely to the Governor!"

"Your subject will not fail in his mission!" Lin Hao stood up and solemnly agreed.

The two met briefly but reached a strategic consensus. Lin Hao knew that there must be many spies around Princess Xian'an's residence, so it was not advisable to stay for long.

Guided by Du Wenguang, he quickly left and disappeared once again into the chaotic yurts and crowds of the royal tent, arriving at a tent near the royal tent.

“Governor, this man is Qibi Amai, a trusted confidant of Jieyugas in the royal tent.”

Du Wenguang pointed outside the tent and said to a Uyghur nobleman with a shrewd face and sinister eyes:

"He is a descendant of the Tiele Qibi tribe. His ancestor was Qibi Heli, a famous general of the Tang Dynasty. After the An Lushan Rebellion, his tribe migrated north and submitted to the Uyghurs."

"This man enjoys the deep trust of Jieyugas and is specifically responsible for gathering information and eliminating dissidents within the royal tent. This is his daily routine, preferences, and the places where his subordinates gather!"

Lin Hao took a close look at the person, used his mental marking ability, and then nodded to indicate that he had remembered the person.

The descendants of Qibi Heli became the henchmen of Jieyuqis, which made him feel a little emotional, but this was also normal, as the entire Hu tribe was like this.

And this person was the "ignition" tool he had chosen.

As night fell, Lin Hao changed into an inconspicuous Uyghur herdsman's outfit and, like a ghost, blended into the shadows of the royal tent. Using his mental marking ability, he arrived outside a noisy tavern.

Qibi Amai, accompanied by several guards, staggered out of the tavern, clearly having just finished a joyous feast.

Lin Hao patiently followed them until they entered a secluded alley. Lin Hao then used his illusion skill to disrupt the minds of the guards and block their perception of the outside world.

The guards walked around as usual, but Qibi Amai sensed something was wrong. Unfortunately, before she could react, Lin Hao knocked her unconscious.

Lin Hao then put it into the living space and used the illusion skill to directly disguise it as Qibi Amai.

The guards, who paid no attention to him, did not notice anything amiss. Lin Hao then called out loudly and swaggered out of the alley, heading straight for the camp where the Qibi tribe's men were gathered.

"Get up! There's an emergency!" he shouted, mimicking Qibi Amai's voice and tone.

When the warriors in the camp saw their leader return late at night with a solemn expression, they dared not be negligent and quickly assembled dozens of capable men.

"Follow me! The Grand Minister has a secret order!"

Lin Hao didn't explain much. Leading his completely unaware subordinates, they stealthily made their way towards Princess Ye's residence under the cover of night. Princess Ye's residence was heavily guarded, but "Qibi Amai's" face and his understanding of the internal patrol patterns allowed him to easily penetrate the outer defenses even without using any skills.

As they approached the brightly lit main tent at the center, with success seemingly within reach, a cold glint flashed in Lin Hao's eyes.

With a flick of his finger, a small pebble shot through the air and struck the scabbard of a patrolling guard with a crisp "clang"!
"Assassin!" The sound was like a thunderclap in the silent night. Instantly, sirens blared, and countless guards surged out from the shadows!
"Charge out!" Lin Hao shouted sharply, impersonating Qibi Amai, and then charged ahead, brandishing his sword at the onrushing guards.

He deliberately controlled his strength, and in the flash of his blade, several guards fell to the ground, but he did not kill them; he merely created chaos.

His men were not so lucky; they immediately clashed with Princess Ye's guards, creating a chaotic scene.

While "fighting fiercely," Lin Hao kept an eye on the movements in the main tent.

Upon seeing figures appear at the entrance of the main tent, and confirming that Princess Ye and her brother, Protector Ye, had been alerted, he knew the time was right.

He feinted with his sword, forcing back the guards in front of him, and shouted in a low voice, "Retreat!" Then he led his remaining men in a "retreat" in the direction they had come from.

During the escape, Lin Hao deliberately lagged behind, found a tent in a blind spot, and quickly took out Qibi Amai's body from his spatial equipment.

Then stab him several times and position him as if he were dead from serious injury.

Having done all this, he vanished from the spot like flowing water blending into the shadows, leaving behind only a corpse that was so lifelike it could be mistaken for a real one.

Princess Ye's guards gave chase for a while but failed to capture "Qibi Amai" and had to retreat to clean up the scene.

When the commander of the guards counted the casualties and brought the body of "Qibi Amai" to the front of the main tent, Princess Ye and Pugu Yehu, who came out of the tent, were both stunned.

"Young Khatun (a respectful title for Princess Ye in Uyghur, because her mother was once Khatun), assassin~, the assassin is a man of the Great Minister Jieyugas!"

"The leader was Qibi Amai! He has been killed by us!" the guard commander reported, forcing himself to be brave.

"What?! Qibi Amai?!" Princess Ye's face turned deathly pale instantly.

She had considered that Jieyugas would be hostile to her after his return, but she did not expect him to act so quickly, ruthlessly, and directly!
"It really was him!" Pugu Yehu roared furiously, veins bulging on his forehead.

"I've said it before: the betrayal of the Karluk tribe and the great defeat against Tibet last time were both inextricably linked to him!"

"Now that you've only won one battle by luck with the help of the Tang people, are you already so eager to usurp the Khanate?" Jieyuqis's victory put him under immense pressure.

Princess Ye still had a lingering doubt. If it was truly an assassination meticulously planned by Jieyujias, why was it so easily repelled, with even her trusted confidant Qibi Amai losing his life here?

But the bloody corpses before them and the fierce battle they had just fought were real.

The death of Qibi Amai was like a spark thrown into a pot of oil, instantly igniting the pent-up conflicts.

"Whether it's his whole plan or not, it's too late now!" Princess Ye's eyes turned fierce.

At this point, discussing right and wrong is meaningless.

She was a ruthless character who dared to poison the Khan, and now that she was cornered, her ferocity was aroused.

“The matter has escalated, and the other tribes in the royal tent will soon find out. We must act first and eliminate Jieyuqis’s influence within the royal tent.”

"While he hasn't returned yet, let's immediately concentrate all our forces and keep him outside the royal tent!"

"That's right!" Pugu Yehu roared, "Take action immediately and wipe out all of Jieyuqis's henchmen left in the royal tent!"

The order was issued swiftly, and Princess Ye's faction sprang into action like a swarm of bees startled. Messengers were dispatched in all directions, and flashes of swords and spears began to appear throughout the royal tent.

At this point, someone asked for instructions on how to treat Princess Xian'an.

Princess Ye exchanged a glance with her brother and quickly made a decision:
"Our primary enemy right now is Jieyujiasi. As long as that Tang princess behaves herself, we should leave her alone for the time being and just keep her under close surveillance! We can deal with everything else after we've dealt with Jieyujiasi!"

Hidden in the shadows, Lin Hao felt a weight lifted from his heart upon hearing the decision. He had done all he could, realizing that when two birds fight, a third can reap the benefits.

After thinking it over, he felt that he needed to add fuel to the fire, to make the conflict burn even brighter, and to completely eliminate any possibility of reconciliation between the two sides.

He acted again, quietly finding several other gathering points of the Jieyugas tribe within the royal tent.

Disguised as remnants of Qibi Amai's forces who had narrowly escaped, they frantically spread the news:

"This is terrible! Princess Ye and the others were prepared! Commander Qibi has been killed! They are now hunting down our people everywhere, saying they want to purge all of the Grand Chancellor's subordinates!"

Panic spread like a plague, throwing the previously hesitant Jieyugas forces into chaos.

At this moment, the instinct for survival overwhelmed everything, and some people chose to fight to the death to break out of the royal tent and report to Jieyugas, who was on his way.

Those who reacted slower or were unable to break through were caught in a bloody melee with Princess Ye's forces.

That night, the Uyghur royal tent was filled with the sounds of battle and flickering firelight. By the time dawn broke, Princess Ye's side had basically taken control of the interior of the royal tent.

Meanwhile, Jieyujias's forces suffered heavy losses, but the messengers who broke through the encirclement had already brought out the news that "Princess Ye launched the first purge and Qibi Amai was killed."

The development of the situation was entirely within Lin Hao's expectations.

Using the name of the Khan under her control, Princess Ye quickly declared Jieyuqis a traitor and ordered all Uyghur tribes to jointly punish him.

She began to fully integrate the forces of the Pugu tribe and built a defensive line around the royal tent in preparation for the battle against Jieyuqis.

Princess Xian'an, on the other hand, demonstrated superb political skills. She neither explicitly agreed to Princess Ye's attempts to win her over, nor did she outright refuse. Instead, she said she needed time to consider it and emphasized that the Tang Dynasty was unwilling to interfere in the internal affairs of the Uyghurs.

This gesture temporarily lulled Princess Ye into a false sense of security, making her believe that Princess Xian'an would at least not side with Jieyujias, thus temporarily lowering her guard against her.

Therefore, Princess Xian'an was able to remain uninvolved and observe the struggle between the two sides with a detached eye.

Two hundred miles outside the royal tent, Jieyuqis, who was accelerating his march, received devastating news from his defeated subordinates.

He was first incredulous, then erupted in uncontrollable rage:

“How dare that lowly woman from the Pugu family do such a thing!” Jieyujias gritted his teeth and roared angrily.

His original plan was to return to the royal tent, eliminate Princess Ye and the usurper Khan with swift and decisive action, install the young ruler, and seize sole power.

But to his utter surprise, the other party dared to strike first and even killed his trusted confidant who was left behind!
Enraged, Jieyuqis no longer hesitated. He drew his scimitar, pointed it towards the royal tent, and roared at his soldiers, whose morale was high:
"Advance at full speed, raze the royal tent to the ground, and whoever seizes the Pugu tribe's gold, silver, women, pastures, cattle, and sheep shall have them!"

The promise of a great reward always attracts brave men, and the army's morale was ignited as they roared and charged toward the royal tent.

A major battle to determine the succession to the Uyghur Khanate is now inevitable.

On the edge of the chaotic royal tent, in that secluded little tribe, Du Wenguang excitedly reported the latest developments to Lin Hao.

"Grand Commander, just as you predicted, Princess Ye and Jieyujias are both blinded by rage, and a great battle is imminent. We only need to wait for the right opportunity!"

Lin Hao stood at the tent entrance, gazing at the faint commotion visible in the direction of the royal tent, and calmly said:
"Tell Your Highness that a small act of impatience can ruin a great plan. We must remain calm now, keep our people in check, and absolutely not get involved prematurely."

"In addition, we should closely monitor the battle situation, especially the troop losses on both sides."

"Governor, what's next?" Du Wenguang asked.

"The fire is already lit, there's no need for us to add anything unnecessary!" A cold smile appeared on Lin Hao's lips.

"Especially at this time, our people must be extra careful and absolutely must not get involved!"

"Just let the fire burn even more fiercely when they want to stop, to ensure their sustainability is mutually destructive!"

(End of this chapter)