Li Chengqian of the Tang Dynasty: Please say long live His Majesty

Chapter 711 War Breaks Out, Killing Intent Runs Wide (One update today)
Inside the main hall of the Anxi Protectorate.

Du Fengju sat in the central seat.

On the left are Luo Hongyi, Governor of Anxi; Lai Ji, Governor of Tingzhou; and Wang Xuance, Chief Secretary of the Anxi Protectorate and General of the Imperial Guard.

On the right are Guo Daizhao, General of the Left Imperial Guard; Pei Xingjian, General of the Left Guard; and Wang Fangyi, General of the Left Thousand Ox Guard.

Du Fengju placed a letter on the table and looked at the people on both sides, saying, "Ashina Buzhenju accuses Ashina Misha of plotting a rebellion, saying that the current chaos in the Western Turks is being manipulated by Ashina Misha behind the scenes. What do you all think?"

Du Fengju's voice was very gentle. Among the people in the hall, apart from Luo Hongyi who had no background, Lai Ji was a former prime minister; Wang Xuance was the Imperial Guard General, granted special permission by the emperor; Guo Daizhao was Guo Xiaoke's eldest son, trusted by the emperor; Pei Xingjian and Wang Fangyi were even more so, both being the emperor's confidants.

Of course, Du Fengju was no less capable; Du Fengju was responsible for the emperor's early plans in Xichang Prefecture.

Luo Hongyi was the first to shake his head and say, "It's just a case of the thief crying 'stop thief!'"

“It’s not just that.” Laiji shook his head and said, “Once we take action against Ashina Misha, the entire Western Turkic Ten Tribes on both sides might turn against the Tang, and then the whole situation will be completely ruined.”

"That depends on His Majesty's intentions." Wang Xuance paused slightly and said, "It depends on whether His Majesty wants us to eliminate Ashina Misha and Ashina Buzhen at the same time?"

Ashina Misha and Ashina Buzhen are both currently minor Khans of the Western Turks, and also obstacles for the Tang Dynasty to completely control the Western Turks.

Only by eliminating those two could the Tang Dynasty truly control the Western Turks.

Du Fengju turned to look at Guo Daizhao, while Wang Fangyi and Pei Xingjian asked, "What do you three think?"

Guo Daizhao cupped his hands and said, "Although it is Ashina Buzhen who is now making the accusation, and his intentions are not good, we still need to investigate Ashina Misha's matter in detail."

If the person is guilty, it is acceptable to execute them, but if they are innocent, it would be unwise for Your Majesty to kill them arbitrarily.

Du Fengju nodded, then looked at Wang Fangyi.

Wang Fangyi looked up seriously and said, "Although there are many dissenting voices around Ashina Misha, he has not done anything out of line since he served as the Protector of Kunling. So it is better not to kill him without cause."

Du Fengju then looked at Pei Xingjian.

Pei Xingjian shook his head and said, "It's better to keep him. Right now, Ashina Buzhen is accusing Ashina Misha, but in reality, it's the intention of the entire Right Wing Five Crossbowmen tribe. Keeping him around will make it easier to control the Right Wing from the Left Wing in the future, and besides..."

Pei Xingjian looked at Wang Xuance and said, "Although Your Majesty wants to completely control the entire Western Turkic Ten Tribes, in reality, given the Western Turks' recognition of the Tang Dynasty, it is far from being completely ruled. Acting recklessly will only increase the burden on the Anxi Protectorate."

"Good!" Du Fengju nodded in agreement. If the entire Western Turkic Ten Tribes were directly governed, the conflict would likely shift directly to the Western Turks and the Tang Dynasty.

"Then let's do it this way." Lai Ji looked up at Du Fengju.

Du Fengju nodded and said, "The matter is settled then. So, here is the current situation of the Kunling and Mengchi Protectorates. A few days ago, due to several conflicts, two Guoyi Captains were killed, four Guoyi Captains were expelled, and four Guoyi Captains are still in office. What do you all think?"

Wang Xuance stepped forward, cupped his hands, and said, "All ten Zhechong Prefectures in Kunling and Mengchi are under the jurisdiction of the Imperial Guard. Upon investigation, of the five Zhechong Prefectures of the Right Wing Nushibi Tribe, two of the Guoyi Captains have been killed, one has been expelled, and the other two, although still in office, have probably completely surrendered to the Western Turkic nobles. The situation is not optimistic."

“Ashina Buzhen is purging.” Laiji looked at Du Fengju and said, “The Nushibi tribe is fighting against the Tang Dynasty with all its might. They hope to bring the Wudulu tribe up to fight against the Tang Dynasty as well, so they hope that we will kill Ashina Misha.”

“Three of the three brave captains of the Mengchi Protectorate have been expelled, while two have remained in their posts.” Wang Xuance paused slightly before saying, “The two who remained have firmly established themselves, so whether Ashina Misha remains or not will not affect the Tang Dynasty’s control over the Mengchi Protectorate.”

“That’s not how it works,” Pei Xingjian shook his head and said, “Not keeping him only temporarily does not affect the Tang Dynasty’s control over the Mengchi Protectorate, but in the long run, it will bury hatred deep in people’s hearts. Even if it is temporarily suppressed due to pressure, there will probably be future troubles. Not to mention that he will definitely rebel again in the future, he will have to pay a higher price for all his actions in the future.”

People remember when you bully others.

Even if they reluctantly submit, their future outward compliance but inward resistance will only increase the governance costs of the Tang Dynasty.

Or to put it more directly, it increases the governance costs of the Anxi Protectorate.

Du Fengju raised his hand and said, "Let's do it this way. Ashina Misha cannot be killed. Xuan Ce, I know you are in a bad mood because your subordinates were killed, but you still have to consider the overall situation of the court."

"Yes!" Wang Xuance bowed respectfully, his expression solemn.

"Tell me, if we were to mobilize troops, what should we do?" Du Fengju continued to look at Wang Xuance.

Wang Xuanze pondered for a moment and said, "We will divide our forces into two routes. One route will go to Tingzhou and then to Kunling Protectorate, directly attacking the Wudulu tribe on the left flank. We will recall the three exiled Guoyi Captains and then attack the right flank. The other route will go to Daxueshan, Shiguo, and Kangguo to attack the Wunushibi tribe on the right flank."

"Hmm!" Du Fengju nodded slightly.

“But there are some problems.” Wang Xuance sighed and said, “Protector, things are easy for me here, but those exiled Guoyi Captains will likely seek revenge when they return to their posts. The Mengchi Protectorate is relatively easy to deal with; killing them is sufficient. But the Kunling Protectorate has deep-seated conflicts with the tribal nobles. If Ashina Misha protects them…”

"What are you protecting?" Lai Ji, seated above, spoke calmly, "Those tribal chiefs and nobles who are willing to follow the Tang Dynasty to annihilate the Wunushibi tribe, let them lead the vanguard, with your men acting as supervisors. If they are unwilling..."

If you're willing, become cannon fodder; if not, eliminate on the spot.

Wang Xuance, somewhat surprised and delighted, cupped his hands in thanks to Lai Ji and said, "Thank you, Lord Lai."

"So be it. The Chief Clerk will still be in charge of the affairs of the garrison." Du Fengju nodded indifferently, and then said, "But this time it is different. There is trouble in the Western Turks, and at the same time, the Western Tuyuhun is also making moves. Allocate manpower, who will go to the Western Turks and who will go to Tuyuhun."

The generals raised an eyebrow, then fell silent.

The Western Turks are now under the control of the Tang Dynasty, and in the end, it is nothing more than suppressing a rebellion. But if we go to Tuyuhun and fight against the Tibetans, it will be an external war, and the military achievements will be different.

Not to mention that he might directly participate in the war that destroyed Tibet, which would be a feat of conquering a country.

There are three generals in the tent now: Guo Daizhao, Wang Fangyi, and Pei Xingjian.

Of the three, two went to the Western Turks and one went to the Tuyuhun.

It's easy to allocate resources if you say so, but it's really difficult to allocate them if you say so.

If things escalate, it will be troublesome.

"This humble general will go to Mengchi and attack the Wunushibi tribe from the south." Guo Daizhao stood up, cupped his hands and said, "This humble general is quite familiar with that place."

Du Fengju nodded and looked at the remaining two.

Wang Fangyi thought for a moment, then stood up and said, "This humble general is going to the Kunling Protectorate. This humble general is also quite familiar with the Wudulu tribe."

Wang Fangyi was originally from Songzhou, and he was more familiar with Songzhou than with Xichangzhou and the Eastern and Western Tuyuhun.

“Then I will go to Xituyuhun. I have been there before.” Pei Xingjian stood up, cupped his hands to Wang Fangyi and Guo Daizhao and said, “Thank you both.”

Wang Fangyi and Guo Daizhao simultaneously bowed politely.

"No need to be so polite, it's all for the sake of the Tang Dynasty." Du Fengju sat above and said with a smile, "Besides, although we can't make it in time for this battle, we still need to transfer troops from the Western Turks to destroy the Tibetan Empire later, so we might be able to make it in time."

"Yes!" Guo Daizhao, Wang Fangyi, and Pei Xingjian bowed in unison.

Du Fengju's expression turned serious again, and he said, "Since it's decided, then we should concentrate our efforts on the Western Turks. This time, when we go to the Wudulu tribe, those who obey will be kept, and those who do not obey will be thrown into the vanguard or beheaded directly. But as for the Wunushibi tribe, kill as many as you can."

It would be best to slaughter them until the blood flowed like a river.

"Yes!" Everyone stood up and respectfully bowed.

……

Qugou, the governor's office of Xichang Prefecture.

Xin Liao'er, dressed in black clothes and black armor, sat in the main hall, with her sword placed horizontally on a table to the side.

Chief Secretary Wang Zhong stepped into the main hall, cupped his hands to Xin Liao'er, and said, "Commander, the granary is ready."

"Alright!" Xin Liao'er came to her senses, stood up and said, "Let's go. The Eastern and Western Tuyuhun are stirring up trouble now, and something might happen at any time. We must do everything we can to ensure the safety of the granary."

"Yes!" Wang Zhong cupped his hands in greeting, then stepped aside and waited for Xin Liao'er to descend from above before following him out of the Governor's Mansion.

Many of the officials under the Governor's Office will accompany Xin Liao'er to inspect the granary today; they are already waiting at the Governor's Office.

Xin Liao'er left the governor's mansion and then walked along the long street on the west side towards the granary.

The long street had been completely blocked off, with hundreds of soldiers on both sides on guard, and a team of fully armored soldiers escorting them from the front and back.

They arrived at the granary safely.

The military advisor and the granary manager, along with the deputy manager, were already waiting outside the granary with their men.

As soon as Xin Liao'er stopped, everyone immediately cupped their hands and said, "Greetings, Governor Xin."

"No need for formalities." Xin Liao'er waved her hand and looked at everyone, asking, "Have all the granaries been inspected? How are the reserves?"

The military advisor stepped forward, cupped his hands, and said, "Reporting to the Commander-in-Chief, all the figures have been verified and are sufficient for the army for half a year."

“Very good.” Xin Liao’er nodded, looked at the open granary door, and waved to the back.

The next moment, two squads of over a hundred soldiers, armed with swords, shields, crossbows, and long spears, stormed into the granary.

The military advisor and others standing nearby looked somewhat surprised.

Weren't we supposed to be inspecting the granaries? Why are soldiers being sent in?
According to regulations, inspecting granaries was a matter for the Governor-General's Office and had nothing to do with the military.

Could it be that there's a problem with the grain in the granary?

The expressions on everyone's faces changed in an instant.

At this moment, Xin Liao'er spoke calmly: "Are you all wondering why I am not inspecting the granary according to the rules?"

Cang Cao Canjun stepped forward and bowed respectfully, saying, "The Commander-in-Chief has his reasons for acting, and we will obey his orders."

"I am the deputy governor, not the governor. The Duke of Dai has returned to the capital, and I am merely acting as his deputy." Xin Liao'er glanced at the military advisor in charge of the granary, smiled, and then looked at the entire granary, saying, "With the army about to go to war, food supplies are naturally of paramount importance, so I sent people to keep an eye on the granary half a month in advance."

"Half a month?" The deputy manager of the granary couldn't help but look up, his surprised face showing a hint of fear.

The deputy head of the granary was a former Tuyuhun person who became a Tang citizen after Xichang Prefecture came under the control of the Tang Dynasty.

Tuyuhun was not entirely a pastoral area; there were also large areas in the Xinghai region in the southeast where grain could be grown.

Many of them were Tuyuhun people.

To facilitate administration, the Tang Dynasty recruited many of these people to work in various departments such as the Household Affairs Department, the Legal Affairs Department, and the Granary Department.

However, it was not his turn to ask a question at this moment, so when he uttered a single sentence, everyone couldn't help but look at him.

“Yes.” Xin Liao’er gave him a deep look, then said with a cold laugh, “However, no one expected that there would be a secret passage here, in the granary, one of the most important places in Xichang Prefecture. Someone has been gradually sneaking in and hiding here since ten days ago.”

"Ten days?" The military advisor frowned immediately. "Well hidden, and someone even brought food." Xin Liao'er looked into the granary.

Everyone's eyes couldn't help but follow it.

Just then, a furious shout suddenly came from deep within the granary: "Kill!"

Shouts of battle erupted.

The faint sounds of knives and spears piercing human bodies could be heard, and for some reason, many people couldn't help but shudder.

At this moment, Xin Liao'er turned to the deputy head of the granary and calmly asked, "Now can you tell me what exactly happened?"

Xin Liao'er's words made the deputy head of the granary about to erupt in anger, but at that moment, two soldiers in full armor silently squeezed to his side from behind.

The two men collided forcefully, and instantly, the deputy head of the grain depot felt as if his body had been broken apart.

At the same time, a pair of large hands grabbed the back of the deputy head of the granary's clothes and ripped them open.

The silver fish-scale armor, the dagger hidden at the lower back, and the crossbow in the sleeve were all exposed in an instant.

Two soldiers on either side stomped hard on his knees at the same time, and with a "bang," the deputy granary manager fell to his knees.

His head was also shoved hard to the ground, leaving him in a disheveled state.

Xin Liao'er glanced at him with disgust, then turned to the side and said, "I've long heard that someone wanted to start by assassinating me and then stir up trouble in the entire Xichang Prefecture. I didn't expect you to be so incompetent."

"How did you know? How did you know? How could you possibly know?" The deputy head of the grain depot shouted angrily, ignoring his headache.

He was terrified. How could their plan have been discovered? How could it have been?
A series of hurried footsteps came from deep within the granary, and then a captain walked out with a nervous expression, cupping his fists and saying, "Commander, all the water used for fire extinguishing in the granary has been replaced with tung oil. They are trying to burn down the entire granary."

As soon as the captain finished speaking, the two Tuyuhun tribesmen standing behind him couldn't help but turn around and try to escape.

Two long arrows suddenly pierced the sky and struck the two men in the chest with perfect accuracy.

"Kill!" Shouts of killing rang out simultaneously from more than a dozen places throughout Qugou City, accompanied by plumes of black smoke.

"So, you were planning to burn down the entire Qugou." Xin Liao'er looked at the deputy head of the granary and shook her head in disbelief.

"We must burn this place down!" The deputy head of the granary strained his head, gritted his teeth, and roared angrily, "This place was originally our old capital. Why should it become a prefecture city of your Great Tang? Why? Why?"

“So you’re former nobles of Tuyuhun.” Xin Liao’er glanced at the deputy head of the granary, then looked at the others and said, “Ordinary people can’t even read, how would they know about any old capital… It seems that the Tang Dynasty has been too good to you all these years.”

"This place originally belonged to us, why should you take it from us?" The deputy manager of the granary struggled violently, wishing he could bite Xin Liao'er.

Xin Liao'er shook her head gently, then lightly traced a line across her neck.

In an instant, a long knife appeared at the jaw of the deputy head of the granary, cleanly slicing open his throat.

Blood gushed out immediately, and the deputy head of the granary was filled with shock and disbelief, with anger still lingering in his eyes.

Xin Liao'er didn't look at him anymore, but looked at the captain in front of her and said, "Clear a space in the granary, burn some useless things, and make a cloud of smoke."

"Yes!" The captain bowed and then turned and entered the granary.

In a very short time, a thick plume of smoke shot directly into the sky above the granary.

Just then, a rapid sound of horses' hooves suddenly came from outside the city, rushing madly toward the city gate.

But at that moment, just before the sound of horses' hooves arrived, the city gates were completely closed.

This effectively blocked thousands of cavalrymen who were trying to rush into the city gates.

The sounds of fighting continued to echo through the city, but it was unclear whether they were real or not.

The people outside couldn't resist and began to attack the city, but unfortunately, they didn't bring any siege equipment.

The siege is making little progress.

Time passes unconsciously.

It was dusk.

In the Governor's Mansion, Xin Liao'er, fully armored, sat in the center of the courtyard, surrounded by hundreds of guards standing at attention.

Chief Secretary Wang Zhong stood calmly to one side, looking up at the sunset sky, and said, "Commander, it's getting dark."

"When will the support from Lanzhou arrive?" Xin Liao'er asked, looking up.

"Probably tomorrow morning," Wang Zhong said earnestly, bowing slightly.

“Alright, it seems they won’t get any credit for today.” Xin Liao’er stood up and said, “Send the order: the moment night falls, charge out of the city.”

"Yes, sir!" Wang Zhong bowed respectfully.

Xin Liao'er strode out of the mansion.

Before the gate stood his warhorse and his long spear, its blade icy cold.

"kill!"

……

The night was deep, and the Great River flowed freely.

A figure was moving slightly in the quiet military camp.

Suddenly, the rapid sound of horses' hooves came simultaneously from the mountain road of Maji Snow Mountain in the south and from Fusi City, the capital of Tuyuhun Kingdom, in the north.

Before the camp could react, the two cavalry groups charged into the camp simultaneously.

However, the shouts of battle stopped almost as soon as they began, because there was nothing in the military camp.

Danzeng Zhaxi, dressed in dark red leather armor, led his men into the military camp on horseback.

In the firelight, behind him stood a densely packed array of Tibetan cavalry.

It's impossible to tell how many there are.

Even so, a large number of cavalrymen still charged down the mountain road and spread throughout the entire Dafeichuan region.

More scouts have ventured into the deepest parts of the night to explore distant areas.

Tenzin Tashi stopped his warhorse and looked at the empty military camp and the straw figures hanging from the long beams. His face darkened instantly.

“Vice Prime Minister.” A Tuyuhun general stepped forward from among the Tuyuhun cavalry, cupped his hands and said, “This humble general, Lü Dan, greets the Vice Prime Minister.”

Danzeng Zhaxi looked up at Lü Dan and frowned, saying, "Why is it you who came? Where are the people from the Murong clan? Why didn't any of them come?"

“The royal family did not wish to be involved in these matters, so they were imprisoned by this humble general in the royal palace of Fusi City.” Lü Dan bowed slightly.

Tenzin Tashi raised an eyebrow, then sneered, "What a clever escape plan! They're afraid I'll be defeated!"

Lü Dan gently leaned down and said, "No one wants Tibet to win more than the royal family."

"Hmph!" Danzeng Zhaxi couldn't help but sneer. What the Murong clan hoped for most was for the Tang Dynasty and Tibet to fight to the death, so that they could eventually unify Tuyuhun and thus gain a foothold between the Tang Dynasty and Tibet.

That was true then, and it is true now.

When the Tang Dynasty was strong, they secretly contacted Tibet; when Tibet was strong, they became very close to the Tang Dynasty.

However, the Tuyuhun people were the weakest of the three kingdoms. Even when the Tang Dynasty and Tibet were at their weakest, they were still able to easily defeat the Tuyuhun people.

Pulling himself back to reality, Danzeng Zhaxi looked at Lü Dan and asked, "What's going on here? Shouldn't there be 10,000 Tang cavalry stationed here? Why is there no one here now? And what about Qugou and Xituyuhun?"

"Ten thousand cavalry have already surrounded and attacked Qugou. I will lead ten thousand cavalry to join the Vice Minister." After a slight pause, Lü Dan looked to the west and said, "As for the Western Tuyuhun, the Western Turks have already dispatched twenty thousand cavalry to attack Golmud. The Tang army there should not be able to escape."

"You can mobilize 30,000 cavalry, what about the other 10,000?" Tenzin Tashi frowned.

Lü Dan lowered his head and said, "There are still 10,000 cavalrymen guarding Delingha, blocking the Tang people's retreat."

Tenzin Tashi immediately understood, and then snorted disdainfully, saying, "You're not guarding against the Tang people, you're guarding against the Western Tuyuhun people."

The Eastern and Western Tuyuhun had been enemies for many years. Even when they were forced to join forces under pressure from the Tang Dynasty, they never relaxed their vigilance against each other.

Who knows if the 20,000 cavalry of Xituyuhun will march directly to Fusi City after dealing with the Tang Dynasty.

If they really don't take precautions, and the capital is lost, they'll have nowhere to turn for help.

Lü Dan lowered his head and remained silent.

Danzeng Zhaxi waved his hand dismissively and said, “The Tang people have stationed 10,000 cavalry in Dafeichuan, 10,000 in Qugou, 5,000 in Xinghai, and 5,000 in Golmud. Now the 10,000 cavalry in Dafeichuan have disappeared. No matter where they go, it could lead to the situation getting out of control.”

"Yes!" Lü Dan's expression turned solemn. Suddenly, as if he had thought of something, he asked, "Vice Prime Minister, what about Li Junxian? Li Junxian's troops at Tongtian River, and three thousand cavalry."

“They’ve withdrawn.” Tenzin Tashi’s breathing became heavy as he said, “They probably noticed it all along. Last night at dusk, when we crossed the Tongtian River, they decisively withdrew from the hidden dock downstream. Of the three thousand men, half were by boat, and the other half were two horses each. They were so fast that the Tanguts didn’t even have time to react.”

Lu Dan bowed slightly, his head lowered, his eyes terrifyingly gloomy.

"What are you worried about?" Tenzin Tashi asked directly.

Lu Dan remained silent for a moment before finally asking, "Vice Prime Minister, something feels off right now. Could it be that the Tang people have already discovered everything, and that all of this is a trap set by the Tang? Should we withdraw?"

The reason why the Tibetans suffered a great defeat in Eastern Tuyuhun was because they thought that Li Shimin would abdicate and Li Chengqian would ascend the throne, so the Tang Dynasty would inevitably be in chaos. Therefore, they wanted to take advantage of that opportunity to completely occupy Tuyuhun and maintain stability in Tibet after Songtsen Gampo's death.

Unfortunately, he was a trap.

The chaos in Chang'an was a trap.

And what about now?

(End of this chapter)