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

Chapter 816 The First Year of Zhenguan
New Year's Eve.

The sixth year of the Wude era has finally come to an end.

The first year of the Zhenguan era began.

In the Qianyang Hall of Luoyang Palace, there were more foreign envoys from all directions who came to pay tribute than last year.

Turkic Khan Tuli personally led the six wise kings and six governors of the Eastern Turkic Khaganate, along with several hundred nobles, to Chang'an to pay homage to the emperor. They presented not only five thousand horses, one thousand cattle, and one thousand camels, but also ten thousand sheep.

And mink fur tofu sheets.

There are also many precious items such as gyrfalcons, ginseng, pearls, gold, and silver.

In addition to these livestock, furs, gold, and silver, the Eastern Turks also brought five hundred noblemen and more than one hundred noblewomen with them on this grand tribute mission.

These noble sons came to Chang'an to serve as guards in the Imperial Guard or to study at the Imperial Academy.

The woman, on the other hand, came to marry into a foreign power.

Some were selected to enter the emperor's harem, while the rest were bestowed upon princes and ministers in marriage.

Those noble sons who remain in the Tang Dynasty will be betrothed to daughters of Tang princes and nobles by the Tang emperor in the future.

He might even have the opportunity to marry a member of the royal family.

The Tongyagu Khan of the Western Turks also sent a delegation of several hundred people to Chang'an, presenting tributes such as the Kangju Ferghana horses, the Tiaozhi giant eggs, and Persian beauties.

Tongyabhu Khan sent envoys to request a marriage alliance, bringing up the matter again and hoping that the Tang Dynasty would send a princess to him.

This time, the Tang Dynasty agreed.

Led by several prime ministers, including Li Yi, Fang Xuanling, and Du Ruhui, the conditions for the marriage alliance were that the Western Turkic Khan, Tongyagu Khan, would accept investiture from the Tang Dynasty, and that the Anxi Protectorate would be established, with several governorates under it.

Tong Yabghu accepted the Khanate bestowed upon him by the Tang Dynasty, which granted him the titles of Prince, Pillar of State, and Grand Protector of Anxi.

While bestowing the title of Tongyabhu Khan, he also established the Kunling and Mengchi Protectorates, which were composed of ten tribes on the left and right wings of the Western Turkic Khaganate. He also bestowed the title of Yibiboluosi Yabhu, Mengchi Protectorate, Shangzhuguo, and Zuowei Dajiangjun upon Tongyabhu's son, Dili Teqin, and appointed him as the commander of the five Nushibi tribes on the right wing of the western Turkic Khaganate.

He bestowed upon his uncle, Mohedu, the Tongyehu, the title of Qulisibi Xiaokehan, Kunling Duhu, Shangzhuguo, and Youwei Dajiangjun, commanding the five Dulu tribes of the eastern left wing.

The delegation representing the Western Turks was led by Moheshe Ashina Nishu, the great-grandson of Datou Khan, who had previously been sent as an envoy to Chang'an.

Practice makes perfect.
When Li Shimin was still the Prince of Qin, he became acquainted with Ni Shu and they had a very good relationship, calling each other brothers.

When he returned, Li Shimin was already the Emperor of Tang.

When Nishu came to the Tang Dynasty, his mission was to form alliances with distant states while attacking nearby ones, and to unite with the Tang Dynasty to jointly attack the Eastern Turks.

Both sides wanted to destroy the Eastern Turks.

The Tang Dynasty had no choice but to retaliate because the Eastern Turks were taking advantage of it.

The Western Turks were once part of the Turkic Khaganate. When the founder of the Turkic Khaganate, Ilkhan, sent his brother Midianshi on a westward expedition, he conquered the Western Regions and then bestowed upon him the title of Lesser Khagan.

Later, internal strife broke out in the Khanate, with the five Khans vying for the throne.

The Western Turkic Khan had once seized the throne of the Great Khan. Later, the Western Turks simply established their own Khanate and no longer obeyed the orders of the Eastern Khanate.

After the Western Turkic Khan Chuluo was defeated by Emperor Yang of Sui and lured to court, he was detained. The Sui Dynasty supported Shekui Khan to take the throne. Shekui Khan was quite brave and during his reign, he vigorously expanded the territory and, together with the Sashan Persians, destroyed the Hephthalite Khanate.

From the Golden Mountain in the east to the Caspian Sea in the west, all the countries west of Yumen submitted to him. He established a Khanate at Sanmi Mountain north of Kucha and became an enemy of the Eastern Turks.

After his death, his brother succeeded him, and Tongyagu Khan became the next Khan. This man was brave, strategic, and skilled in warfare.

It annexed the Tiele in the north, resisted the Persians in the west, and bordered the Jibin in the south, all of which came under its control.

With hundreds of thousands of archers, they dominated the Western Regions and occupied the former lands of Wusun.

He moved the Khan's court to Qianquan in the northern kingdom of Shibei.

The kings of the various kingdoms of the Western Regions all granted Jielifa the title of official, and dispatched a Tutun to oversee and supervise his tax collection.
The strength of the Western Turks was unprecedented.

The basic strategy of the Western Turks under the rule of the brothers Shekui and Tongyabhu was to focus all their efforts on westward expansion. They first allied with the Sasanian Empire of Persia to destroy the White Huns and the Hephthalites, but later turned against them and seized the Tokharistan region from the Persians.

They also joined forces with the Byzantine Empire to attack Persia.

Their westward expansion strategy can be said to have been very successful. In the east, they temporarily abandoned their offensive against the Eastern Turks, and only attacked the Tiele several times.

The Xueyantuo were forced to migrate to the northern desert by the Western Turks, leading 70,000 tents of tribes to migrate eastward and become dependent on the Eastern Turks.

Although the two brothers always focused on the west, they also dreamed of returning to the northern and southern deserts, bringing the Eastern Turks under their control, and making their branch of the Western Turks the new overlords.

Both sides are well aware of this.

Therefore, Tongyabhu Khan gave the Tang Dynasty a lot of face, maintained friendly relations, and was even willing to send envoys to pay tribute and request marriage alliances.

The Tang Dynasty publicly claimed that the Western Turks had submitted to the Tang and paid tribute, but in reality, the Western Turks only sent envoys to pay tribute and did not actually submit to the Tang.

Whether it was the chief envoy, Moheshenishu, or the deputy envoy, Zhenzhutongsijin, they were both well aware that the Tang Dynasty's propaganda was problematic.

They didn't take it to heart; they protested but didn't correct anything, though they themselves would never admit to acknowledging submission and paying tribute.

Now, the Tang Dynasty proposed to confer the title of Tongyehu Khan on the Western Turks, establish the Anxi Protectorate, and bestow the title of Tongyehu Prince. This meant that the Western Turks were to become vassals and a tributary state, like Silla and Baekje.

Mud was originally intended to be refused.
But when Li Yi spoke with him privately, he and Ni Shu made a proposal that Ni Shu could not refuse.

Li Yi said that the court knew that the Western Turks had always wanted to send troops eastward to annex their former overlord, the Eastern Turks, as well as the Tiele in the northern desert.

Previously, Tong Yabghu had decisively defeated the Tiele, and powerful tribes such as the Xueyantuo and Qibi fled in disarray.

Some remnants of the Tiele tribes submitted once again.

Now that the Eastern Turks have submitted to the Tang Dynasty, the Western Turks want to annex the Eastern Turks, which would harm the interests of the Tang Dynasty.

However, Li Yi now proposes that as long as Tongyabgu Khan accepts the investiture from the Tang Dynasty, the Tang Dynasty will not only agree to a marriage alliance with Tongyabgu's son, but the emperor will also be willing to take Tongyabgu's daughter into the palace. Most importantly, the Tang Dynasty can tacitly allow the Western Turks to attack the Tiele tribes in the northern desert.

The Eastern Turks are now subjects of the Tang Dynasty. The Western Turks cannot be touched, but the Tiele tribes in the northern desert can be touched.

When Li Yi stated this condition
Muddy was somewhat surprised.

What he didn't know was that with the capture of Khagan Jieli and his arrival in Chang'an, and the ascension of Khagan Tuli, the Eastern Turkic Khaganate had become completely subservient to the Tang Dynasty.

Today, some of the Eastern Turkic tribes are even leaderless and confused. Tuli Khan lacks prestige and few people obey him.

But the leaders of the other departments were even less capable.

The Eastern Turks were as if they had been castrated; they suddenly became listless and disorganized.

The various tribes of the Tiele in the northern desert, who had long been under the rule of the Turks, inevitably harbored strange thoughts upon seeing their overlord in this state.

In particular, the attacks on the Tiele tribes by the Western Turkic leader Yabghu Khan had caused many Tiele tribes to migrate from the Western Regions to the northern desert, such as the Xueyantuo tribe, which migrated eastward with 70,000 tents.
While the Eastern Turkic Khaganate was weakening, the Tiele tribes in the northern desert were becoming stronger.

The master is weak and the servant is strong.

The Tiele people sought to establish their own khanate.

In fact, the powerful Tiele tribes such as Xueyantuo and Qibi established the Tiele Khanate in the Western Regions. The grandfather of Yinan, the current leader of Xueyantuo, was once a Khan, but he was defeated by Tong Yabghu and had no choice but to move east to join the Eastern Turks.

The Tiele tribe was not much weaker in number or strength than the Turks.

It was precisely for this reason that the Western Turks sought to take action against the Tiele tribes.

Now, the Tiele people are seeking to establish a kingdom in the northern desert, and they have also sent people to Chang'an to pay tribute, bringing cattle, horses, sheep, camels, gold, silver and jewels.

But the Tang Dynasty refused outright.

The emperor saw through the Tiele's ambition at a glance, and even more so, he saw the threat that would arise if they were allowed to occupy the northern desert and establish a kingdom.

But the emperor wouldn't allow it.
The Tiele people wouldn't actually obey.

However, sending troops to the northern deserts is neither timely nor feasible for the Tang Dynasty.

The Tang Dynasty can only barely keep the Eastern Turks in check these days.

Even if the various tribes of the Eastern Turks were asked to fight the Tiele people of the northern desert, they might not be willing, and given their current situation, they might not be able to win.

Therefore,
Shifting the blame eastward

Tacitly allowing the Western Turks to attack the northern desert is a brilliant strategy of using one enemy to devour another.

When two tigers fight, there must be one injury.

The Tang Dynasty simply sat on the mountain and watched the tigers fight.

The court was not worried that Tong Yabghu could annex the Tiele. Tong Yabghu was becoming arrogant and ruthless, and the Western Turks were actually on the decline.

Let the Western Turks and the Tiele of the northern deserts fight each other.
The Tang Dynasty was the biggest beneficiary; the other two were potential threats, even in Li Shimin's long-term plans.
The Tang Dynasty was destined to reclaim the Western Regions and the northern deserts, and sooner or later it would have to fight against the Western Turks and the Tiele.

Li Yi proposed a marriage alliance with the Western Turks, demanding 10,000 horses, 2,000 cattle, 2,000 camels, and 50,000 sheep.

Muddy agreed.

When he came to pay tribute this time, he brought with him five thousand horses and a gold belt inlaid with ten thousand jewels to present to the Tang emperor.

Although Tong Yabghu was arrogant, he maintained a clear head regarding the Central Plains dynasties, continuing his elder brother's consistent style. Back then, the Sui Dynasty of the Central Plains overthrew the Western Turkic Khan, Chuluo Khan, and even detained him in the Central Plains.
In the end, he died in the backyard of the provincial capital under the gate of Chang'an in the Tang Dynasty.

Without conquering the Tiele tribes in northern Mongolia and annexing the Eastern Turks, Tong Yabghu would not have gone to war with the Tang Dynasty.

The Western Turkic Khaganate's national policy was to unite with Byzantium in the west to deal with the Sassanid Persia, and with the Tang Dynasty in the east to deal with the Eastern Turks and the Tiele.

Befriend distant states while attacking nearby ones.

The two brothers, the Western Turkic chieftains and their chieftains, were masters of their craft.

The Tang emperors and their ministers were well aware of this situation, which is why they proposed such a solution.

Befriend distant states while attacking nearby ones, each getting what they need.

The Tang Dynasty promised only to confer titles and ranks upon Tongyabhu Khan and establish the Anxi Protectorate, but would not interfere with the Western Turks, nor would it send officials or troops.

The vast desert stretching over two hundred miles west of Dunhuang forms the border between the two sides, and neither side is allowed to cross it.

Li Yi said that the Tang Dynasty would gain face, the Western Turks would gain substance, and the two sides could also engage in mutual trade.

It may seem that the Tang Dynasty only wanted the Western Turks to submit and pay tribute, but in fact, there were already many hidden agendas.

However, the Tang Dynasty promised that it would tacitly allow the Western Turks to attack the Tiele, and even tacitly allow them to annex the northern desert. Not only would the Tang Dynasty not send troops to intervene, but it would also restrain the Turks from interfering.

This means that the Eastern Turks would be forced to abandon the northern desert region.

Mud could not refuse such a proposal.
In his view, since both the Tang Dynasty and the Eastern Turks had abandoned the northern desert, the Tiele tribes could not possibly fight against the Western Turks on their own.

They were able to defeat the Tiele tribes in the Western Regions, scattering them into pieces.
It still works today.

This deal is a great deal.

As for marrying a princess of the Tang Dynasty, which would require 10,000 horses, 2,000 cattle and camels, and 50,000 sheep, he felt that was equally worthwhile.

Yinan, the leader of the Xueyantuo in the northern desert, also sent his trusted confidants with a thousand horses to pay tribute, hoping to marry the princess and even to have the Tang Dynasty appoint him as Khan and help them establish the Tiele Khanate.

But little did they know,

They were placed on the dining table.
Li Yi and Ni Shu represent the Tang Dynasty and the Western Turks, respectively, thus directly dividing them up.

(End of this chapter)