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

Chapter 621 The Three Sworn Brothers in the Clouds

Dismounting from the horse on the back of a Khitan warrior.

Tuli handed the riding whip to his subordinate wolf guard. He looked at the fortified pass in front of him and carefully straightened his robes.

The sable fur cloak is incredibly luxurious, providing warmth and showcasing status.

He looked down at his boots, which were a bit dirty, so he beckoned a Xi soldier to clean them for him carefully until they shone brightly. Only then did he proceed toward the pass with satisfaction.

In the north wind,
The red flag on the fortress was very conspicuous.

This was the 23rd day of the twelfth lunar month in the fifth year of the Wude era, a day when the Tang people celebrated the Kitchen God Festival and the Little New Year.

The fortress in front of us is Niupi Pass, located east of Yunzhou City, built on Niupi Ridge.

This cowhide fortress is located right on Qingpo Road.

Qingpo Road and Yinshan Bai Road are both famous military routes leading to the northern frontier.

Tuli was no stranger to the clouds.
This area was formerly Yunzhong County during the Sui Dynasty, where the Sui Dynasty established the Heng'an Garrison. Liu Wuzhou once occupied Mayi and Yunzhong.

But now this place belongs entirely to the Tang Dynasty.
Earlier this month, the Tang Dynasty divided the Yunzhong Prefecture of the Sui Dynasty into two parts, and established Beiheng Prefecture from Yunzhou.

It was well past noon.
The sun was still obscured by thick clouds.

Before Niupi Pass, there were still many caravans waiting to pass through. They led camels and drove cattle, sheep and horses. The camels were loaded with goods, mostly furs and medicinal herbs.

Most of these merchants came from the eastern part of the Turkic territory under Tuli's jurisdiction. They included Turkic merchants, Sogdian merchants, and Xi and Khitan merchants.

Mixed among these Hu merchants were some Han merchants, but the Han merchants enjoyed special privileges. The Tang soldiers maintaining order at the pass opened a separate passage for them, so they didn't have to wait in such a long queue.
No need to stand here in the cold wind for so long.

However, these merchants, whether they were Turks, Sogdians, Tiele, Khitans, Xi, or Xi, did not show any dissatisfaction.

Everyone lined up obediently, and no one even made a loud noise.

Surrounded by his loyal wolf guards, Tuli Khan walked over, his boots gleaming from fresh polishing.
Many businessmen recognized this VIP with his impressive entourage.

He was secretly surprised to find out how he had gotten there.

After all, the Tang Dynasty and the Turks were still at war.
However, some merchants who were familiar with Tuli's camp knew that Tuli, the young Khan, had been doing business with the Tang people, and that they even had to get many in-demand Han goods from Tuli's merchants.

Tuli put on a stern face.

He walked past the group of merchants with a blank expression.

The merchants whispered among themselves, and soon they all knew his identity. So they all stood up straight, turned around and bowed to him.

Tuli did not respond to them.

Continue walking towards the fortified city.

The guards at the gate also noticed this group of people.

Fortunately, several Tang cavalrymen stepped forward, showed their military badges, and said, "Please report to General Pilou of the pass that Little Khan Tuli has arrived."

The gatekeeper glanced over there. He didn't know why the Turkic Khan was there, but since he only had about a hundred guards with him, and they were brought by Tang cavalry, he was definitely not there to attack the city.

So he nodded and said, "Please wait a moment, brother, I'll go and report."

Inside Niupiguan,

The general stationed at this pass was Pilou Wuche, whose name alone indicates he was a Xianbei. In fact, Pilou Wuche's ancestors were quite distinguished.

His family was a prominent family in northern China, a family of generals for generations.

Pi Louwu Che's grandfather was enfeoffed as a king of a different surname during the Northern Qi Dynasty and served under three dynasties. His father inherited the title of Prince of Guang'an and later served as Yingyang Langjiang during the Sui Dynasty.

Pi Louwu Che is quite young, but he comes from the Qin King's treasury and is now a General of the Cavalry, guarding Niupi Pass.

The true direct descendants of the King of Qin.

Since the recapture of Yunshuo, the King of Qin has quickly deployed troops in Daibei, stationing them in key locations. The old and weak members of Yuan Junzhang's original troops were dismissed, and the rest were scattered and incorporated into various armies.

He has completely taken control of the entire Daibei region. Now, Yuchi Gong, the General Manager of Shuozhou, is in charge of the military affairs of the five prefectures of Yun, Shuo, Wei, Ying, and Beiheng.

Liu Heita, the governor of Beiheng Prefecture, along with Su Dingfang, the governor of Ying Prefecture, and Li Cunxiao, the governor of Wei Prefecture, were known as the three vanguard generals under Li Sikong. Following Li Sikong, their official positions rose steadily, eventually reaching the rank of governor.

Pi Louwu, the General of the Cavalry of the Prince of Qin, although from a prestigious family and a direct descendant of the Prince of Qin, has not achieved the same merits as Liu Heita, a surrendered general from Hebei. He is currently only the garrison commander of Yunzhong, guarding Niupi Pass.

However, Pilou Wuche did admire Liu Heita quite a bit, as he was a man of real skill, and martial artists admire those with real skills.

He believed in his own abilities.
Having secured this position as a guard in the clouds, there's definitely a chance to make a contribution.

Liu Heita, a surrendered general from a humble background, has risen through the ranks to become a fourth-rank prefect thanks to his fighting prowess and the fact that he followed the right person.
He himself was a fourth-rank general, not much different in rank; what he lacked now was just an opportunity.

The Pilou family was a family of generals for generations. His grandfather, Pilou Ruina, was enfeoffed as a king of a different surname based on his military achievements, becoming one of the eight kings of different surnames in the court at that time.

When the soldiers came to report that Tuli the Young Khan had arrived...
Pilou Wuche wasn't surprised at all. "I understand."

He responded and went to the gate, personally welcoming the young Khan Ashina Shibobi into the city.

Tuli's 200 light cavalry were ordered to remain outside the pass, and were only allowed to bring 10 attendants with them.

"Row."

Tuli readily agreed, made some simple arrangements, and then followed Pilou Wuche into the pass.

Are the King of Qin and the King of Wu'an in Mayi now?

"The King of Qin instructed that as soon as the young Khan arrives, I should take you to meet him."

Pilou Wuche didn't reveal much information, simply selecting a troop of light cavalry and leading him south out of the pass. Niupi Pass wasn't far from Yunzhong City.

About an hour later,
They then arrived at Cloud City.

When they arrived, Yun Shiduan, the governor of Yunzhou, was waiting at the city gate.

"Tuli Khan, please come with me."

Tuli was a little curious as to how he knew he had arrived. He glanced at Pilou Wuche and guessed that the man had sent a fast horse to inform him in advance.

Upon entering Cloud City,
They were led all the way to the governor's mansion.

"King Wu'an is waiting for the Khan inside."

Tuli stood at the doorway, glancing at his boots, which were now covered in mud from the journey.

Seeing Yun Shiduan and Pilou Wuche take off their boots, he followed suit and took off his boots as well, and even took off the knife from his waist.

Push the door open and enter.

It was warm inside.

Inside the spacious and warm room, two people were playing chess.

One of them was his sworn brother, Li Yi, the Prince of Wu'an of the Tang Dynasty and the Grand General of Bingzhou.

The other one, whom Tuli also recognized, was Li Shimin, the Prince of Qin and General of the Heavenly Strategy of the Tang Dynasty.

Li Yi turned his head and waved to Tu Li, who was coming in.
"Second brother, come quickly."

Tuli was still a little unaccustomed to this title. He paused for a moment, then stepped forward and bowed to the two men, saying, "Shibobi greets His Highness Prince Qin and Prince Wu'an."

"Second brother, there are no outsiders here, so why be so formal? And why use titles?"

All three were young people in their early twenties.

Once you sit down, there aren't many rules to follow.

"Your Majesty, during the Battle of Haozhou, Shibobi and I became sworn brothers after a fight."

Li Shimin smiled and nodded to Tuli, then took out a yellow silk edict and gave it to him.

"His Majesty's edict bestows upon you the titles of Grand Pillar of State of the Great Tang, Prince of Beiping, and Left Wise King of the Turks, and grants you the imperial surname of the Great Tang, Li, and lists your name in the register of officials."

Tuli stood there, stunned.

Li Yi laughed and said, "What are you still standing there for? From now on, we are no longer sworn brothers, but both members of the Li family of the Tang Dynasty's royal family."
In terms of seniority, you are the emperor's nephew, the same generation as me, so we are brothers.

You, like me, must address the King of Qin as "Brother King."

Li Shimin looked at Tuli with a smile.

This left Tuli somewhat bewildered. He, Ashina Shibobi, was now called Li Shibobi and had become Li Yuan's nephew and Li Shimin's younger brother.
"Your Majesty, His Majesty has bestowed upon him the imperial surname, but not a given name. The name Li Shibobi doesn't sound quite right either. Why don't you give him a name, Your Majesty?"

"How are Shibobi and Shizhong?" Li Shimin asked.

Shimin and Shizhong
That's quite an interesting name.

Tuli was still in a daze when the Tang emperor bestowed upon him the title of Prince of the Great Tang and also appointed him as the Left Wise King of the Turks.

They were even granted the imperial surname and placed under the jurisdiction of the Imperial Clan Court.

Now Li Shimin has given him the name Li Shizhong.
too suddenly.

Although he had come to Yunzhou to see Li Yi with some preparation, it was all because his uncle, the Khan, had recently become desperate and wanted to take action against him.

“Second brother, from now on the three of us will address each other as brothers. In terms of age, the King of Qin is the eldest, so he will be the eldest brother. I am slightly younger, so I am the second brother. You are the youngest, so you will be the third brother.”

Li Shimin nodded, "Yes, we are all members of the Tang Dynasty royal family, so from now on we will address each other as brothers."

Tuli looked at the edict, hesitating.

Li Shimin poured him a cup of tea. "I heard that Jieli has recently lost all prestige on the grasslands and is somewhat deserted by his followers. Yet he still favors the Hu people and wants to establish some kind of centralized power on your grasslands, and to send out Tutun, commanders of ten thousand, and commanders of a thousand in various places to divide your power."

They also want to unify the tax system and prohibit your right to engage in foreign trade.
You've been targeted by Jieli as his first enemy, so your situation is rather precarious.

Wu Yi had sworn brotherhood with you and knew that you were in a precarious situation. He specially suggested to the court that they support you, which is why His Majesty bestowed upon you the imperial surname, conferred upon you the title of Prince, and even proposed to support you as the Left Wise King of the Turks.

"Jieli wants to harm you, but don't be afraid. We support you, the Tang Dynasty supports you."

Li Yi also took the opportunity to chime in, "Your grandfather was Qimin Khan, and your father was Shibi Khan. After Shibi Khan passed away, it should have been your turn to succeed him."

However, Princess Yang of Yicheng interfered, insisting that you were too young to shoulder this heavy responsibility and instead had your uncle, Chuluo Khan, succeed you as Great Khan.

After Chuluo died, it should have been your turn, but she joined forces with Jieli and seized the Khanate that should have belonged to you.

You are the eldest grandson of Qimin Khan and the eldest son of your father, Shibi Khan. Whether according to your Turkic tradition or our Central Plains tradition, the Khanate should belong to you.

Your grandfather, Qimin Khan, was the Lesser Khan of Tuli before being supported and enfeoffed as Great Khan by the Sui Dynasty. Now you are also a Lesser Khan of Tuli. Back then, your grandfather dared to stand up against Dulan Khan. Don't you have the courage to rebel against Jieli now?
Are you just going to sit and wait to die, waiting for Jieli to lead his troops to capture you and bring you back to the Khan's court to be imprisoned, or even executed?
Or are you willing to hand over your military power, wealth, and even your trading rights to Jieli?

Tuli was naturally unwilling; otherwise, he wouldn't have risked coming to Yunzhou in such a cold winter at this crucial juncture.

"Third brother, with your elder brothers supporting you, what are you afraid of?"

"You are perfectly capable of replacing Jieli and becoming the new Great Khan of the Turks!"

(End of this chapter)