Supreme Golden Palace

Chapter 75 Bai Daochuan (Part )
A night of silence,
The next day, at daybreak, voices began to rise in the camp. The spring air was chilly and the morning mist had not yet dissipated. After the troops had rolled their troops, Lü Shang led his troops out of Shuozhou and into the Hengshan Mountains.

The Hengshan Mountains span the Taihang Mountains in the east, Yanmen Pass in the west, Shanxi Province in the south, and overlook the frontier in the north. The mountains are steep and rugged, with ridges as sharp as blades, many cliffs and canyons, and are famous for their steepness and grandeur.

There are many dangerous paths in the mountains, such as Buyun Road and Hufengkou. The paths are extremely narrow, like being on the edge of an abyss. You need to climb stone steps when walking, which is thrilling.

Although the troops had Kang Le as their guide, they still had to be extremely careful while treading these dangerous paths; a single misstep could mean death. After two difficult days of marching, they finally reached Shanyang Ridge.

After arriving at Shanyang Ridge, Kang Le reported to Lü Shang, saying, "General, this is Shanyang Ridge. From Shanyang Ridge to Baidaochuan, you will pass through some mountain roads and river valleys, and then go north along the Baidao River, and you will reach Baidaochuan."

"Baidao, Baidaochuan!" Lu Shang whispered to himself. Baidao is an important transportation route north of Yinshan Mountain. In those days, King Wuling of Zhao, Wei Qing, Huo Qubing and others all went north from Baidao to conquer the Hu people. Tuoba Gui of the Northern Wei Dynasty also went south from Baidao.

Lu Shang looked out into the distance. The mountains surrounding Shanyang Ridge rose and fell, and morning mist lingered in the valleys. He took a deep breath and said, "Pass the order down. The entire army will rest for half an hour, check their equipment, and then continue their advance."

"promise,"

After hearing the order, the soldiers found a place to sit down, some wiped their weapons, and some packed their bags. Although they had traveled a long distance, none of them were tired.

Half an hour passed in a flash, and with the sound of the horn, the soldiers quickly stood up and lined up in an orderly manner.

"Set off,"

At Lu Shang's command, the troops continued to march towards Baidaochuan.

Just as Lu Shang led his troops onto the Baidao, north of Yinshan Mountain, in the Western Turkic tent, a thin man slowly opened his eyes. His bright eyes, like the wolf star in the cold night, were sharp and frightening.

"Sui people?"

Thinking about the secret just now, the thin man pondered for a moment, and said to the hunchback servant beside him: "You, go and call Bayegu to me."

The hunchbacked servant took the order, and after a while, a man in a wolfskin cloak strode into the tent.

The big man was burly and strong, like a blazing volcano, spewing heat waves. The ground shook slightly with every step he took. He had long black hair tied behind his head and bronze skin, which glowed faintly in the dim light inside the tent.

"Master,"

The big man knelt on one knee and said, "You called me here, what do you want me to do?"

Ashina Kokozhen looked at this disciple whom he treated like his own son and whispered, "Bayegu, I have seen a divine message: Sui troops are about to enter Baidaochuan to support Shetu. You must immediately lead your troops to Wugongba and destroy this Sui army before Baidaochuan."

Wugongba is the only way for the Baidao to enter Sichuan. It is a "throat passage" that military strategists must fight for, and it is also a good location for setting an ambush.

"Yes, Master, I will definitely make Centipede Dam the burial place of the Sui people."

Bayegu said bitterly, "And Shetu, this coward! He's the Khan of the Great Turkic people, yet he actually surrendered to the Sui emperor. He has no courage of a Turkic man. He's not worthy of being the Great Khan of the Turkic people. He's a disgrace to my Ashina family."

Shetu is Shabolue's real name, and Shabolue is Shetu's Khan title.

There was great controversy within the Turkic community about Shabolue's submission to Yang Jian. Some small Turkic khans regarded Shabolue as a traitor and despised him.

"Master, I am going."

After saying this, Bayegu stood up and left the tent, his wolfskin cloak fluttering in the cold wind. Looking at Bayegu's back, Kokozhen sighed softly, "Alas, Tuoba, my brother, you have been wise all your life, but why are you so foolish just before you leave? You will bring disaster to future generations!"

The current chaotic situation of the Turks has a lot to do with the fourth Khan of the Turks, Tubo Khan. The root of the problem lies in the confusion of succession.

With the exception of the first Khan, Ili Khan, who laid the foundation for the succession, the succession of the Khans of the Great Turkic Khanate was always from elder brother to younger brother. The second Khan, Yisiji Khan, died young, and was succeeded by his younger brother, Mugan Khan. After Mugan Khan died of illness, his younger brother, Tuoba Khan, succeeded him.

Originally, Mugan Khan could have passed the throne to his son, but he passed it to his brother instead of his son, and passed it to Tuoba Khan. This deeply moved Tuoba Khan, so when Tuoba Khan was dying, he ordered that his brother Mugan Khan's son Daluo be enthroned.

However, after Tuoba Khan's death, the Turkic nobles, led by Yisij Khan's son Shetu, suddenly rose up in rebellion and, on the grounds that Daluben's mother was of humble origin, supported Tuoba Khan's son Anlu as Khan.

Shetu even declared that if Anluo was supported, he would lead his brothers in serving him. If Daluo was supported, he would defend the border and fight the Great Khan. Since Shetu was older and more courageous, the people dared not oppose him and had no choice but to let Anluo succeed him.

After Shetu's disturbance, Daluo failed to become Khan. He was even more dissatisfied with Anluo's becoming Khan and often sent people to insult Anluo. Anluo had no choice but to give up the Khanship to Shetu, who is now Shaboluo Khan.

After Shabolue Khan came to power, in order to balance all parties, he appointed Dalu as Apo Khan and Anlu as the second Khan, forming a situation of multiple khans coexisting, which directly accelerated the division of the Turks.

"I hope this farce will end soon. If the Turks continue to cause chaos, it will only benefit the Sui people."

"When the north prospers, the south declines; when the south prospers, the north declines. The Sui army is becoming increasingly powerful."

Kokozhen frowned, observing the Turkic dragon energy with his Dharma eye. The division between East and West had damaged the Turkic people's foundation. Looking at Baidaochuan again, he could vaguely see two beams of Buddha light rising from the direction of Zihe. Within the Buddha light, the sound of heavenly dragon chanting lingered for a long time.

"These two big monks are really annoying,"

Seeing the Buddha's light, Kuo Kuozhen gritted his teeth secretly.

Yang Jian, the Buddha-hearted Son of Heaven and the Holy King of the Wheel of Heaven, were not called that for nothing. The Buddhist sects of Central Earth had placed a heavy bet on him. While the various sects of Central Earth could not openly violate the Heavenly Laws, if Yang Jian had any requests, they would do so within their means.

Therefore, at this very moment, two great monks of the arhat level traveled thousands of miles from the Central Plains to Baidaochuan to preach to the Turkic Khan.

------

"Master Ye Hu,"

In the Western Turkic camp, Bayegu summoned his troops.

Thousands of cavalrymen arrived at the call, the clatter of horse hooves echoing through the camp, raising clouds of dust.

Yehu was Bayegu's official position in the Turkic empire. He was the head of a tribal branch and his status was second only to the Khans.

Bayegu held his spear high in his hand and shouted, "Warriors, the Sui people have entered our territory. Follow me and let them see the might of our Turkic cavalry!"

"Kill! Kill! Kill!"

The cavalrymen shouted in unison and followed Bayegu closely. Thousands of cavalrymen marched towards Baidao like a surging black tide.

(End of this chapter)