A Good Landlord in the Tang Dynasty: Starting from the Village Chief

Chapter 341 Liu Wuzhou Makes a Comeback

Baidaochuan.

Turkic Khanate

Liu Wuzhou gazed at the enormous golden wolf tent in the distance. Although the Khan resided in the city of Yadali, where palaces were built, several generations of Khans still preferred to live in the large tent.
Even in the freezing cold of January, it remains the same.

This enormous golden wolf tent could hold a thousand people. When Emperor Yang Guang toured the Turks in the north, he personally visited the golden tent of Qimin Khan. At that time, Liu Wuzhou was just a lowly soldier.

Yang Guang's entourage of over a thousand people, hundreds of musicians, and Turkic princes and nobles were all accommodated.

The tent top is made of a pure gold wolf head, with turquoise inlaid in the wolf's eyes.

The large tent was covered with double layers of cowhide, lined with sheepskin, and the tent doors were draped with curtains made of wolf teeth.

Three hundred imperial guards surround the Golden Wolf Tent, and they are not allowed to bring weapons into the tent.

Liu Wuzhou was once a distinguished guest in this tent.

But now they can only be kept outside, waiting anxiously for an audience.

At this moment, laughter and cheerful conversation filled the tent.

It was Wang Shichong, the emperor of Zheng in Luoyang, who was the brother of Grand Commandant and Prince of Qin, Wang Shiheng, who was feasting with Chuluo Khan and others in his tent.
But he could only stand there, starving.

In the center of the enormous golden tent was a golden wolf-head throne, the base of which was inlaid with precious stones from the Western Regions presented by the Hu tribe. Behind the throne stood nine white wolf-head banners.

Several copper basins containing burning butter were placed inside the tent.

On one side were the armor and weapons of Chuluo Khan, and on the other side was a huge sheepskin map showing the division of power among various central factions.

The floor was covered with a Persian carpet.

Chuluo Khan wore a golden wolf crown and a sable cloak over which he wore Persian chainmail.
The Khan was using a cleaver to pick meat off the lamb bones, his mouth greasy from eating.

Wang Shiheng, dressed in a purple robe, kept spouting flattering words. Beside him sat a young woman whose face was covered by a veil. The thin, sheer silk gauze vaguely revealed the youthful beauty of this princess of Zheng.

She was a member of the Zheng royal family, and Wang Shichong bestowed upon her the title of Princess Xingyang, sending her all the way from afar for a marriage alliance.

To show sincerity, and also because of the urgent need, they brought the people over directly.

Wang Shichong took the initiative to propose a marriage alliance with the Turks, offering to marry a princess in exchange for their support. The most important part of this was buying horses.

Wang Shichong was trapped in the Central Plains and desperately needed warhorses.

In the crucial battle where he defeated Li Mi, he could only muster two thousand elite cavalry.

Wang Shichong was willing to pay high prices for Turkic horses, exchanging them for gold, silk, or even women.

Chuluo Khan ate mutton and said, "I don't mind trading horses with Luoyang, but how should we trade? Should you come to the Turkic Khaganate to buy the horses, or should we deliver them to Luoyang?"

Wang Shiheng also knew that the Zheng Kingdom and the Turks were separated by the Hedong region of the Tang Dynasty, the Hebei region of Dou Jiande, and even the Youzhou region of the Tang Dynasty and the Huairong region of Gao Kaidao.

"If the Great Khan could send someone to escort the horses south to Luoyang, that would be best. Your Majesty is willing to add more travel expenses."

Chuluo Khan snorted.
"Wang Shichong is dreaming. We'll send him directly to Luoyang, but there's war raging everywhere in Hedong right now. What if the horses get stolen on the way? Whose loss will that be?"

Wang Shiheng offered very favorable terms for buying horses.
All the nobles in the Khanate wanted to do this business.

But Chuluo Khan was a man of great talent and ambition, and he did not aspire to be like those unambitious nobles who only thought about enjoying themselves.

He deliberately remained silent.

Wang Shiheng was a little anxious.

Luoyang, a battleground on all sides, had finally managed to defeat Li Mi, but Dou Jiande and Li Yuan were now flanking it from the east and west, making it hard for him to breathe. He was barely holding on, but he would be finished sooner or later.

Liu Wuzhou launched a major invasion of Hedong, advancing all the way to Jiangzhou. Wang Shichong was overjoyed, as the pressure on Guzhou and Huaizhou was greatly reduced. Even many of Li Mi's former subordinates to the south and east surrendered to him because Li Yuan was temporarily unable to attend to them.

Wang Shichong least wanted Liu Wuzhou to be defeated.
He would even prefer Liu Wuzhou to seize the entire Hedong region, so that Li Yuan could retreat to Guanzhong and he could seize Shaanxi and Guo, or even Shannan, and compete with Dou Jiande for Henan.

Wang Shiheng's gaze fell upon the several Dagans before Chuluo Khan.

Yilidagan, Huludagan, and other officials with these titles were mostly Sogdian Hu, whose status in the Khan's court was that of a close minister of the Khan, equivalent to a central government official, similar to the Six Ministers and Nine Ministers.

Compared to the major officials equivalent to the chief stewards of princes in the Central Plains, or the chiefs and vassals at the level of local governors, the Dagans were of lower rank, but they were close advisors to the Khan.

Before he arrived, Wang Shichong specifically instructed him to first present these Dagans with generous gifts.

Ethylene-Dry Opening
"Great Khan, I do have a way to ensure the long-term stability of this trade and prevent the horses from being stolen."

"tell me the story!"

"Liu Wuzhou of Mayi was bestowed the title of Dingyang Khan by the Great Khan. He had previously seized Bingzhou from the Tang state, but recently he has suffered some setbacks."

He hoped the Great Khan would support him with an army, and he wanted to attack the eastern route of Hedong and capture Luzhou.

I think this could be combined with the matter of Zheng buying horses.
Let Liu Wuzhou take Luzhou and Zheng Guo take Zezhou. In this way, they can cross the Great Wall from the Khan's court, pass through Yunzhong and Mayi, all the way to Yanmen and Taiyuan, and then to Changping in Shangdang, and reach Henan and Luoyang directly.

The roads for delivering horses will be clear, and we can buy as many horses as we want without any problem.

As soon as Yilida finished speaking,
Secret Service agents immediately objected.

The Turkic Tegin, who were members of the Khan's royal family, also had their own tribal forces. They wielded considerable influence within the Turkic Khaganate, though not as much as the Lesser Khan or the major regional governors, but they were, after all, members of the Ashina royal family.

"Great Khan, we Turks don't care about this Han emperor, that Tang emperor, that Zheng emperor, that Xia emperor, that Yan emperor, or that Liang emperor. In the Central Plains, we don't need to care whoever wants to be the emperor."
Their mutual attacks are their own business.

We can trade with anyone, as long as they are respectful to the Turks, pay tribute, and trade with us. We can support them, but it should only be by selling them horses.
"We shouldn't send troops directly, much less fight for them." "Yes, why should we, the Turks, fight for them?"

One stone stirs up a thousand waves.

The moment the topic of Yilidagan was raised, it immediately drew strong opposition from many nobles.

Accepting tribute and engaging in trade are acceptable, but supporting one side or sending troops to help it fight the other is not.

They only wanted to enjoy the wealth and beauty of the Central Plains, and did not want to lose their subordinates.

Of course, if the situation is good, it's acceptable to send some people along to loot, but it's absolutely not acceptable to actually fight and risk one's life.

Chu Luo frowned.

Put down the knife and wipe your hands clean.
The nobles voiced strong opposition, forcing him to reconsider.

Although he inherited the title of Great Khan, the Turkic system was completely different from that of the emperors in the Central Plains. It was not so centralized. The Lesser Khans and She were all enfeoffed and guarded, each with their own tribe. Even the Special Forces had their own tribes.

The nearby Tiele, Xi, and Khitan tribes, among others, had their own chieftains.

The Turkic Khaganate was a large tribal confederation.
For important matters, especially those requiring the mobilization of other subordinates, the Golden Horde meeting must be held; otherwise, even the Khan's golden arrows cannot mobilize people.

A group of short-sighted people
Even the Sui Dynasty knew to unite the weak and separate the strong, taking advantage of the Turkic infighting to prevent the Turks from unifying and becoming powerful. Now that the Sui Dynasty has finally fallen, instead of letting them continue their division and turmoil, the Turks are choosing to watch the strong grow stronger. If they do, the Central Plains will soon be unified again.
Will the Turks still have the good life they have now by then?
The meeting ended in a bad mood.

Chuluo Khan went to see Princess Yicheng.

This princess was the second Sui Dynasty princess that her father, Qimin Khan, married. Later, she was adopted by his elder brother and made Qatun.
Now that he has succeeded to the throne, he has, as is customary, taken over as Khatun.

“I have spoken with Liu Wuzhou. He hopes to get the support of the Turks and promised that after entering Guanzhong, he will cede the present-day Daibei, Bingzhou and the Hetao region to the Turks.”

If I can capture the Hetao region, Daibei, and Bingzhou, I am willing to escort the Sui King to Taiyuan to restore the country.

Princess Yicheng looked at Chuluo Khan. She had been on the grasslands for over twenty years and was quite familiar with Chuluo.

"Great Khan, I believe Liu Wuzhou is not destined for great things. Your support may not yield any results."

Chu Luo smiled and said, "Liu Wuzhou is capable, but ultimately he can't compare to Li Yuan. However, he is quite courageous to attack Li Yuan."

Whether he succeeds or fails, I won't lose out.

I am prepared to concede to Li She, commanding two thousand cavalry, to accompany Liu Wuzhou in his southern campaign against Luzhou.

"Does the Great Khan really intend to do this?"

"Yes, if Liu Wuzhou can take Luzhou, and then Wang Shichong takes Zezhou, we can also connect with Wang Shichong,"

What if he fails?

"Once Liu Wuzhou and Bu Lishe go south, I will send my son Yushe south to Mayi to supervise the troops and assist in the defense."

If Liu Wuzhou's army is defeated in the south, I will have Lun Teqin immediately stationed in Taiyuan.

At the very least, we must control Shiling Pass and bring the area north of Taiyuan directly under Turkic control.

"As long as I control Taiyuan, I will send Yang Zhengdao to Taiyuan to become emperor."

This suggestion tempted Princess Yicheng.

Although she knew in her heart that the Sui Dynasty was doomed, she still wanted to try again, even if there was only a sliver of a chance.

"Let Liu Wuzhou go through the fire to snatch chestnuts; I won't lose out no matter what," Chu Luo laughed.

Princess Yicheng nodded, "The Khan must remember what he said today."

Liu Wuzhou waited anxiously at the Khan's court for many days.

He finally saw the Khan and Khatun again and got the result he wanted, except for the ten thousand elite Turkic cavalry he desired.
In the end, it turned into two thousand cavalrymen of Bulishe, the younger brother of Chuluo Khan.

"Dingyang Khan, this is your last chance. Gather all the troops from Mayi, Yanmen, Taiyuan and other places, and give it your all."

If you can take Luzhou, your brother-in-law Song Jingang will be saved, and you might even be able to turn the tide of battle.

"You can leave the rear to Yuan Junzhang to guard. I will send my son Yu Sheshe with 10,000 infantry and cavalry to Mayi to assist in the defense."

Liu Wuzhou hoped that Chuluo Khan would allow Yusheshe to bring his 10,000 troops to join the southern attack on Luzhou, but unfortunately Chuluo Khan only gave him 2,000 troops.

But there is some good news: Wang Shichong will send troops from Hanoi across the Taihang Mountains to attack Zezhou, which will make his attack on Luzhou easier.

As for Taiyuan City
Chuluo Khan would send Lunteqin to assist in the defense, but as for Jiexiu, Chuluo didn't say, and Liu Wuzhou knew that he couldn't take care of it for the time being.

If they could capture Luzhou and open up the passage between Luzhou and Huizhou, Song Jingang would be saved, and might even have a chance to defeat the Tang army in the south. If they failed, Liu Wuzhou would lose Song Jingang's elite troops, and then what would be the point of talking about the ten thousand or so men in Jiexiu?

“Dingyang Khan, although you were appointed by my elder brother Shibi Khan, I still support you.”

However, this support consisted of only two thousand cavalry. After capturing Luzhou, as was customary, the city and land belonged to Liu Wuzhou, but the Turks were to take half of the people, money, and silk.

"I have another piece of good news for you. To make things easier for you, I will also send my younger brother, Moheduoshe, who is in the Hetao region, to the south to support Liang Shidu's attack on Tang and to distract and draw away some of the Tang army."

"Thank you, Khan!"

Chu Luo laughed heartily and patted him on the shoulder: "Just remember your promise to me."

(End of this chapter)