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

Chapter 401 Tang Envoy Poisons the Khan
Zheng Yuanzhu wore a purple round-necked official robe, a gold and jade belt around his waist, a gold fish-shaped pouch, and a soft-brimmed turban on his head. Because it was cold in northern Dai in the twelfth lunar month, he also wore a fur coat.

Led by four loyal wolf guards, he entered the Golden Wolf tent.

Several stoves were burning inside the tent, making it very warm.

A group of Turkic shamans were dancing, while Princess Qatun Yicheng was whispering to a tall man.

Zheng Yuanzhu immediately recognized the man as Mohe Dushe Ashina Dubi, the son of Qimin Khan and the brother of Shibi Khan and Chuluo Khan. He originally had his headquarters in Henan, which is the Hetao region. At this time, he should be attacking Liangzhou.

The moment Zheng Yuanzhu saw Duobi, he had a bad feeling.

His gaze swept quickly across the tent, but he did not see Chuluo Khan's sons Yusheshe and Tuoshe, nor did he see Shibi Khan's sons Nibushe and Yugushe, nor even Chuluo's younger brother Bulishe.

I did see several of Duobi's sons there.

"Zheng Yuanzhu, I heard that you are also proficient in medicine, and even know acupuncture? I didn't know you had this skill. It just so happens that the Khan is not feeling well, so come and take a look at him."

Only then did Zheng Yuanzhu realize that Chuluo Khan was lying in the middle of the circle where the shamans were dancing.

The wolf guards shoved him forward.
"Quickly treat the Khan!"

Zheng Yuanzhu stepped forward, and the wizards made way for him.

Chuluo Khan lay there motionless.

"The Khan has been suffering from a headache, so he took some Five-Stone Powder. He's asleep now, so hurry up and take a look," Princess Yicheng said coldly.

Mohe Dushe stood to the side, coldly observing Zheng Yuanzhu. As a Tang official who had been sent as an envoy to the Turks several times, Zheng Yuanzhu was no stranger to Dubi, but he felt that it was strange for the father and sons to be here at this time.

Calm your mind,

Zheng Yuanzhu sized up Chuluo Khan.

With eyes closed, it was very quiet.

He first placed his fingers on Chuluo Khan's wrist to take his pulse; the touch was icy cold.

There was no pulse.

Zheng Yuanzhu stared wide-eyed, scrutinizing Chuluo Khan's face.
I still couldn't feel a pulse, only a cold sensation.

"Zheng Yuanzhu, didn't you say you were skilled in acupuncture? Hurry up and give the Great Khan acupuncture." Mo He said.

Zheng Yuanzhu swallowed hard, feeling his heart pounding. He observed carefully...

"Khedun, Mohedushe, the Great Khan is long gone."

"What did you say?"

"The Great Khan has passed away," Zheng Yuanzhu said. "If you don't believe me, try breathing!"

Chuluo Khan's body was already cold; he had been dead for some time.

Princess Yicheng suddenly stood up, pointed at Zheng Yuanzhu, and screamed: "Guards! Tang envoy Zheng Yuanzhu has poisoned the Great Khan!"

A group of loyal wolf guards rushed in.

Before Zheng Yuanzhu could explain, he was punched to the ground and quickly tied up.

"Gag him, drag him away and lock him up."

A cold wind howled outside the tent, while the atmosphere inside was grim.

Soon, a group of Turkic nobles, high-ranking officials, and some tribal chiefs who had accompanied the Great Khan on his southern expedition were summoned to Mayi.

Princess Yicheng wept bitterly over the body of Chuluo Khan.
Mohe Dushe then claimed to the crowd that the Tang envoy had secretly poisoned Chuluo Khan while treating him.

For a time,

Mayi is in complete chaos.

Some people shouted that they wanted to kill all the Tang people.
Some people believe that at this time, they should quickly go to Yanmen to invite Yusheshe, the son of Chuluo Khan, back to succeed him.

Some people felt that Yusheshe was too young and weak, and that the second son of Chuluo Khan, She'er, should return to inherit the Khanate.

"I believe it is time for Nibshe, the son of Shibi Khan, to succeed to the throne!"

"When the First Khan died, his sons, being of age, succeeded him in succession, with Silifushe succeeding him. Now that the Great Khan Chuluo has been killed, his sons, also of age, should succeed him in succession."

"Among the Chulu brothers, Mohe Dushe Dubi is the eldest and most like his father and elder brother. He is brave and resourceful; Mohe Dushe Dubi should be made the new Khan!"

A group of special agents, including Da Gansijin, were arguing incessantly.

At this point, everyone wants to support the person they have a good relationship with to take the position.

Compared to the other heirs, Mohedushe was in the most advantageous position, as the others were in the tent.

The eldest son of Shibi Khan, Nibushe Ashina Shibobi, the eldest son of Chuluo Khan, Yushe Ashina Momo, and the second son, Tuoshe Ashina She'er, are all deceased.

Moheduoshe stepped forward.

"Please let the Khatun speak. When my eldest brother, Shibi Khan, passed away, it was Khatun Princess Yicheng who led the way in recommending my second brother as Chuluo Khan."

Now, I hope that Princess Yicheng will still take the lead in making the recommendation.

"Regardless of who the Khatun chooses to succeed to the throne, as long as there are many supporters, I will resolutely support him."

These righteous and awe-inspiring words were spoken.
His supporters immediately cheered.

"Please recommend a Khatun!"

"Let Princess Yicheng speak!"

Although this Qatun was from the Central Plains and a princess sent to marry a Turkic ruler for political reasons, she had been married to the Turks for twenty-two years, first to Qimin Qatun, then to Shibi Qatun, and finally to Chuluo Qatun, completely following the Turkic custom of levirate marriage, marrying three men—a father and three sons. As a Qatun who had served three Khans,
She naturally wielded considerable influence within the Khan's court, especially among the Khan's close advisors and high-ranking officials, who now all obeyed the Khan.

Princess Yicheng stood up.

This woman, barely in her thirties, dressed in Han Chinese palace attire, stood out starkly from the Turkic nobles in the Golden Wolf Tent.

But standing there,
Everyone fell silent.

"In our Turkic tradition, succession is either from father to son or from brother to brother. The most important factor in choosing a new Khan is that he must be wise and powerful enough to lead the Turks to continue to prosper."

Previously, Shibi Khan died in Xia Prefecture. His eldest son, Shibobi, was too young to succeed him, so Shibi Khan's younger brother, Silifushexichun, was chosen as the new Khan.

Now, Luo Gang was eager to realize his ambitions, but he was murdered by the Tang people.

Chuluo Khan's eldest son, Yusheshe, was young and ugly, and his second son, Tuoshe, was also young; neither was suitable to succeed to the throne.

In these turbulent times...

The Turkic Khaganate needs an elder, a strong and wise elder, to lead us forward.

I believe that, according to the principle of succession by brother, Mohe Dushe Dubi should succeed to the throne of Khan.

As soon as the princess finished speaking,
Many people came forward to express their support, mostly Khatun and Mohetushe's people.

"Since there are many who support Dubi, I think we should not delay and should hold the enthronement ceremony now," the Khatun said again, arguing that this was wartime, and they were on the front lines; such a momentous event could not be postponed.
Just as when Shibi Khan died in Xia Prefecture last year, a ceremony should be held immediately after a new Khan is elected to avoid causing turmoil and chaos in the Khanate.

Some people also believe that the various designations such as Nibushe, Tuoshe, Yushe, and Bulishe should be recalled first for a formal discussion.

Princess Yicheng made the final decision, saying that they couldn't wait any longer.

On the same day,

Dubi was enthroned as the new Great Khan of the Turks, known as Jieli Khan.

The first thing Dubi did after succeeding to the throne as Great Khan was to announce that, in accordance with Turkic tradition, he would marry Princess Yicheng and continue to be the Turkic Khagan.

Khan Jieli then issued the Golden Wolf Command Arrow.

The attack on Tang was suspended, and all tribes withdrew to the grasslands. Nibulishina Shibobi, the son of the elder brother Shibi Khan, was appointed as the Tuli Lesser Khan, and was allowed to establish his headquarters north of Youzhou, ruling over the Xi, Khitan, Shiwei, Mohe and other tribes.

Meanwhile, Yusheshe, the eldest son of Chuluo Khan, was reassigned to Hetao Jianya, the original fiefdom of Jieli, and placed this fertile grassland and its myriad tents and troops under his command.

Chuluo's second son, She'er, was enfeoffed as Tuoshe, and Shibi Khan's second son was enfeoffed as Yugushe. The two established their headquarters in the northern desert and jointly ruled over the Tiele tribes.

He also appointed his uncle Sunishi as Shaboloshe, and ordered him to oversee the establishment of a military headquarters in the northwest of Lingzhou, with 50,000 tents.

He also appointed his two younger brothers, Yantuoshe, to be in charge of the Yantuo region, and Bulishe, to be in charge of the Xi region.

In addition, the Tongte Special Service Commander was the Sogdian Hu tribe, and the Hu Special Service Commander was the Hu Xue tribe.

With none of his brothers and nephews present, he hastily ascended to the throne and then arranged good positions for them as well.

One minor Khan, six officials, and two powerful secret agents.

"Send an envoy to Chang'an to inform the Tang Emperor that the Tang envoy Zheng Yuanzhu poisoned the Great Khan of Chuluo, and he must give an explanation to the Turkic Khaganate and to this Khan."
Otherwise, I will lead 400,000 iron cavalry into Guanzhong, ride my horse to his Taiji Palace's golden hall, and confront him directly!

After doing all this,
On that very day, Khagan Jieli and Princess Yicheng began preparing for Khagan Chuluo's funeral.
Keep everything simple.

Khan Jieli and Princess Yicheng led the Turks in Mayi to mourn Chuluo. To express his grief, Jieli cut his face with a knife.

Even Princess Yicheng, the Khatun Khan, cut her own ears. Both of her ears bear several scars, all left from the cuts made by her three previous Khan husbands.

Countless Turks,

He rode his horse around the golden tent where the coffin lay, weeping, disfiguring himself and cutting off his ears, wailing and crying blood.

This mourning ceremony usually lasts a long time, especially when the Great Khan dies. Not only his wives, concubines, children, and nephews come to mourn, but also his relatives, ministers, and tribal chiefs.

It usually needs to be maintained for a long time.

Cremation will be the last step, followed by the collection of ashes and a shaman choosing an auspicious day for burial.

Sometimes, the time from the time the body is laid in state to the time of burial can be as long as six months or even more than a year.

But now, Khagan Jieli cannot wait.

He led the mourning ceremony that day, disfigured himself and cut off his ears, and was cremated at dusk. The next day, he took his ashes back to the Khanate of Baidaochuan.

Before Chuluo's two sons, Yushe Ashina Momo and Tuoshe Ashina She'er, could return to see him one last time.

Chuluo Khan had painstakingly planned and schemed for a long time to launch a southern expedition against the Central Plains.

However, his life was cut short due to his sudden death.

When Li Shimin received this astonishing news
The people had just arrived in Shanzhou,
On the first day of the Lunar New Year,

Li Shimin was still instructing Fang Xuanling, Du Ruhui, and others to prepare mutton and wine for the soldiers, wanting to give the soldiers who were still fighting on the front lines a lively New Year and boost their morale.

"Chuluo Khan is dead?"

"Yes, he died in Mayi just a few days ago. The Turks say he was poisoned by our envoy Zheng Yuanzhu."
However, intelligence suggests that Chuluo Khan stayed in Mayi for almost a month and may have already fallen ill.

Some even claim that Princess Yicheng and Moheduoshe murdered him together. After Chuluo Khan's death, the Qatun installed Chuluo's brother, Moheduoshe, as the new Khan, known as Jieli Khan.

This series of news shocked Li Shimin.

But more than whether Chuluo died or how he died, he was more concerned about whether Jieli Khan would continue his southward campaign or withdraw his troops after succeeding to the throne.

(End of this chapter)