Chapter 194 Li Xuan's reputation, stopping the war

At the Hexi Jiedushi Mansion, after Li Xuan discussed matters with his subordinates, he left Yan Zhenqing alone.

He wanted to ask about what Doulujun and Kang Jiahong had said.

"General Li, according to my investigation, not only the Yumen Pass and Yangguan Guards, but also the former Doulu Army Commander Lin Chaocheng accepted huge bribes from the Hu merchants, allowing the Hu merchants to take Han slaves, abducted Han women and children out of Yumen Pass and Yangguan."

Yan Zhenqing replied to Li Xuan.

Before this, Li Xuan had escorted Lin Chaocheng, the commander of the Doulu Army, and the commanders of Yangguan and Yumenguan, to Guzang City in Hexi and interrogated them by Yan Zhenqing.

At first they refused to admit it.

But after Yan Zhenqing's efforts and interrogation of the Doulu soldiers who divided the spoils, they confessed when there was irrefutable evidence.

"They are so inhumane that they are unworthy of being soldiers and Chinese. I will skin them alive!"

Li Xuan paused for a moment and asked angrily, "How much gold and jewelry did they collect in total?"

"Reporting to General Li, the gold and jewels they obtained are worth more than four hundred gold."

Yan Zhenqing replied.

"Have we captured the evil Hu merchants in Tang territory?"

Li Xuan asked again.

He fought desperately to recapture Jiuqu and was rewarded with five hundred gold coins.

These defenders dared to swallow up 400 gold in a few years, and their mouths were full of grease.

It seems that Tang female slaves are indeed very popular among the nobles in the Arab world.

"According to the portrait, three suspected caravans were arrested in various places. These evil caravans entered Yumen Pass and Yangguan Pass, and should be in the Hexi Corridor, but my subordinates are incompetent and have not caught a single evil Hu merchant so far."

Yan Zhenqing replied to Li Xuan that he was very ashamed for not having done this matter well for such a long time.

Every group of Hu merchants who entered Yumen Pass and Yangguan were registered.

When you leave Yumen Pass and Yangguan Pass, the registration will be cancelled.

If they did not leave for a long time, they would either settle in the Tang Dynasty or be blackmailed by the powerful.

If a criminal is caught and executed by the government, Yumen Pass and Yangguan will get the news and delete the information.

Those human traffickers generally do not leave the Hexi Corridor.

They would not even come to a prosperous area like Wuwei, where there are too many people and eyes, and once they are exposed, they will be hunted down by the government.

"They won't go north to the desert and travel thousands of miles to escape, right?"

Li Xuan frowned.

There were many Tang Dynasty garrisons in the north, and it was estimated that they were captured as spies by Tang cavalry before they even left the desert.

"I suspect someone is sheltering them."

Yan Zhenqing expressed his doubts.

With a caravan of dozens or even hundreds of people, and so many camels, carriages and horses, how easy would it be to disappear in the Tang Dynasty?
What’s more, it is the narrow Hexi Corridor!
This is the only explanation!
Only with enough power can we protect them.

"Is there anyone you suspect?"

Li Xuan nodded slightly.

"It is said that the governor of Dunhuang County, Sheng Yuliang, was also involved in this matter, but I have no right to hold him accountable."

Yan Zhenqing glanced at Li Xuan.

Not only did he have no power, but if Li Xuan did not take up the post of envoy to Hexi, he would also have no power to deal with a county governor.

At most, the Zhidu, Yantie and other departments would find fault with him, scold him and impeach him.

With the title of envoy and the identity of Jiedushi, he can send troops to investigate any governor within his jurisdiction.

Whether it is the "envoy" of Jiedushi or the "envoy" of Fangchashi, they are all sent by the emperor.

"Yumen Pass and Yangguan Pass can be properly arranged so that no one who shouldn't go out will be allowed out!"

If Yumen Pass and Yangguan are corrupted by money again and let the evil villains Hu Shang go, it would be a slap in the face.

"Now the two passes are guarded by the Yumen Army. Not only have I sent several shogunate officials to temporarily supervise them, I have also posted portraits at Yumen Pass and Yangguan Pass, and asked the Hu merchants and local people to report them. Many of them offer a reward of 20 taels. Once they show up, they will definitely be captured."

Yan Zhenqing made full arrangements.

"After I deal with the rebellion of Moli Tuyuhun, I will go to Dunhuang in person. Judge Yan, bring a prosecutor and two inspectors with me tomorrow."

Li Xuan nodded. An Yuanzhen, the commander of the Yumen Army, was a fierce general.

He had just returned from Jixin Valley, and Li Xuan believed that An Yuanzhen would not do anything irrational.

All the main generals of Helong knew how Lin Chaocheng was dismissed.

"As ordered!"

Yan Zhenqing bowed and stepped back.

Li Xuan stayed in Guzang City for only one night and set out for Jinchang the next day.

One man and three horses, with little rest, took only five days to reach the Styx River (now Shule River) in Jinchang County and prepare to cross the Styx.

The desert is solitary and straight, and the long river falls into the sun.

The magnificent mountain and river scenery is reflected here.

The River Styx flows into the Great Lake, and its upper reaches are the horse grazing areas of Moli Tuyuhun.

After Li Xuan crossed the river, he received news from scouts that all the Moli Tuyuhun, including men, women, and children, had left the Ming River and followed the army.

At this time, the Jiankang army had not yet arrived in Jinchang County.

Their marching speed could not catch up with Li Xuan's three horses.

After Tuyuhun cut off the Hexi Corridor and besieged Jinchang City, they did not attack the city.

Jinchang City, the county seat, was guarded by 5,000 Moli troops, fully equipped with armor and powerful crossbows.

The Tuyuhun team consisted of only two thousand cavalrymen, and the rest of the infantry ranged from fifty to fifteen years old, so their combat effectiveness was hard to describe.

If he hadn't had any concerns, Liu Zhiru, the commander of the Moli army, would have surely launched an attack and caused a great defeat.

Liu Zhiru once served as An Bozhu's deputy general during the Battle of Yuhai.

After returning from the great victory of the Battle of Yuhai, Liu Zhiru was promoted to the commander of the Moli Army because of his key role.

Those who also participated in the Battle of Yuhai in the first year of Tianbao included Li Guangchen, Li Zhushi, An Yuanzhen, Wu Huaiyuan, Zhang Renxian, Geshu Han and others.

But Geshu Han was more miserable because his position was too low and he had no military merit, so he had to be promoted by Li Xuan.

Liu Zhiru was a Confucian general. He was very good at figuring out Li Xuan's thoughts and knew that Li Xuan did not like wars with too many casualties, as that would mean a defeat even if he won.

Moreover, the Tuyuhun tribe had their reasons for rebelling, and they were just besieging them without attacking, so Liu Zhiru notified Li Xuan while watching the situation.

As a result, after Li Feishouyu approached the Tuyuhun army, he did not take the initiative to attack, but instead set up camp ten miles away from the Tuyuhun army.

The Mo Li Army and the Doulu Army in the city supported each other.

If Tuyuhun attacked the city, the Doulu army would attack.

If Tuyuhun attacks the Doulu army, the Moli army will leave the city.

When the Jiankang army arrives, they will detour to the south of the Tuyuhun army.

By then, Tuyuhun would have nowhere to escape or retreat.

Even if we go west, the Yumen Army will be waiting there.

Tuyuhun had to either fight or surrender.

Before Li Feishouyu could wait for the arrival of the Jiankang army, he received the news that Li Xuan had traveled a long distance.

Before he could go to greet them, Li Xuan led the Shen Ce Guards into the camp of the Doulu Army.

"Meeting General Li!"

Li Feishouyu and his deputy envoy paid their respects to Li Xuan.

"No need to be polite. What's the battle situation?"

After Li Xuan dismounted and asked them to excuse themselves, he asked Li Fei Shouyu.

"Reporting to General Li, after seeing our army coming, the Tuyuhun soldiers dared not to surround Jinchang City anymore, and only set up camp ten miles away from our army. Two thousand cavalrymen are on the side."

Li Fei Shouyu replied to Li Xuan.

"Have you figured out the reason for Tuyuhun's rebellion?"

Li Xuan then asked Li Fei Shouyu.

Whether it was facing Wang Zhongsi, the governor of four towns in history, or facing Li Xuan, Moli Tuyuhun's rebellion now, it all seemed extremely foolish.

Logically speaking, if the Silk Road was blocked and the county seat was surrounded, the rebellion would be confirmed and killed without mercy. Li Xuan did not need to come and could directly order Li Feishouyu, Liu Zhiru and other generals to annihilate them.

But if Li Xuan doesn't come, he won't be Li Xuan anymore.

"Replying to General Li, it is said that the Tuyuhun tribe wanted to ask the governor of Jinchang County for a person, who seemed to be the deputy governor of Jinchang County, but the governor disagreed, so he cut off the Silk Road and besieged the county seat."

Li Fei Shouyu told Li Xuan what he knew: "I don't know the specific details."

"The Biejia is the second most important person in the county. How can they just have him whenever they want?"

Li Xuan was displeased.

In terms of rank, the prefect of the county was the chief official, the Beijia was the second-in-command, and the Changshi was the third-in-command.

Because Beijia was an official who was transferred from the county magistrate.

Li Xuan did not have a deputy driver under his command, so the chief secretary was in charge of county affairs.

It's not just Li Xuan, all the large military governorships are headed by the chief secretary.

However, the Beijia was responsible for inspection and often commanded the county troops. For example, when Wang Zhongsi was Beijia, he often led troops out of the border.

The Moli Tuyuhun tribe was just one of the many subordinate Hu tribes of the Tang Dynasty. They had a high degree of autonomy, and although they chose their own leader, he needed to be canonized by the emperor.

Under normal circumstances, one only needs to pay taxes and abide by the law to gain recognition from the Tang Dynasty.

Even if the deputy governor of Jinchang County breaks the law, it is not Tuyuhun's turn to intervene!
"Select two thousand cavalrymen and follow me to the Tuyuhun tribe."

Li Xuan gave instructions to Li Fei Shouyu.

He also sent a message to one of his personal guards: "Tell General Liu from Jinchang City to send cavalry out of the city."

He didn't care about the old and weak soldiers that Tuyuhun had put together. "Yes, sir!"

After receiving the order, Li Feishouyu immediately ordered his two thousand cavalrymen to leave the camp.

After Li Xuan's Shen Ce Guards fed the horses, they escorted Li Xuan out of the camp.

"Rumble..."

Such a close cavalry charge naturally alarmed the Tuyuhun cavalry, and they all mounted their horses to respond.

When the Tuyuhun cavalry approached and saw the flag in front of the Tang cavalry, their faces turned pale in an instant.

"That's Marshal Li's banner! There are also government flags around it..."

"Go and inform the leader..."

"If Li Shuai comes in person, we're doomed."

"We just received money from the government, and now we are going to war. Why is that?"

"What should I do? Li Shuai is coming..."

Many Tuyuhun cavalry had seen Li Xuan, and even fought side by side with Li Xuan at Baitinghai, and stopped in Hehuang to eat fresh mutton and drink mellow wine.

These Tuyuhun cavalry were unwilling and dared not to be enemies with Li Xuan.

He was afraid of Li Xuan's reputation from the bottom of his heart and knew he would surely die in the battle.

No one thought that he was more ferocious than the soldiers of the Turks, Uighurs, and Tibetans.

The Tubo, Uighur, and Turkic tribes all suffered a crushing defeat at the hands of Li Xuan.

The Tuyuhun cavalry retreated and wanted to ask the chief for advice.

"Xu..."

When Li Xuan was five miles away from the Tuyuhun camp, he reined in his horse and stretched out his hand.

The cavalry led by the Shen Ce Guards and Li Fei Shouyu stopped one after another.

Li Xuan did not start a war immediately, but was waiting for Tuyuhun to give him an explanation.

What kind of thing could make someone dare to do such a heinous act?
In Jinchang City, after Liu Zhiru, the commander of the Moli Army, received the military order from Li Xuan, he immediately ordered 1,500 cavalrymen to leave the city to respond to Li Xuan.

Moli Tuyuhun only had two thousand cavalrymen in total.

When the Tuyuhun infantry learned of Li Xuan's arrival, they were also very frightened.

They never thought there would be such consequences.

Endless fear soon spread throughout Moli Tuyuhun.

When Helian Chengying, the chieftain of the Tuyuhun tribe, learned of Li Xuan's arrival, he regretted his decision.

In fact, he regretted it the moment he cut off the Silk Road.

He knew that they could not capture Jinchang City with their own strength, but they had already embarked on a road of no return. To the north were deserts and mountains, to the south were mountains, to the west were the Yumen Army, and to the east were the Doulu Army.

There is no way to heaven and no way to earth!
"Chief, General Li stopped his horse and did not advance. He is waiting for your explanation. General Li is kind and righteous. He did not charge directly at us, which means he has room for maneuver. You need to personally go and apologize to General Li and explain the reason!"

When Helian Chengying was hesitant, a tribal elder persuaded him.

"Alas! That's all I can do!"

Helian Chengying sighed.

As soon as Li Xuan arrived, the entire army lost its morale and did not want to continue to put up a pointless resistance and suffer vain casualties.

Then, Helian Chengying took off his clothes and hat, and ran towards Li Xuan alone with his upper body naked.

From a distance, Li Xuan saw Helian Chengying approaching. His personal guards stepped forward to stop him and brought Helian Chengying to Li Xuan.

When Helian Chengying saw Li Xuan, he immediately dismounted and bowed, saying, "The Tuyuhun Helian tribes jointly elected Chief Helian Chengying to greet General Li!"

"Such beautiful silk, you cut it in half, do you still need to pay me a visit?"

Li Xuan jumped off his horse, walked to Helian Chengying and spoke lightly.

What were you doing earlier? Why are you asking for forgiveness now?
The Silk Road has been blocked for more than ten days. The Tang Dynasty will face huge losses and will also have a great impact.

How is it possible to erase past mistakes with just a word of forgiveness?

"I was confused for a moment, please forgive me, Marshal Li. I was wronged, so I did such a foolish thing."

Helian Chengying kept kowtowing to Li Xuan, hoping to get Li Xuan's forgiveness.

"Injustice? In the past, there were also bad people in your Moli Tuyuhun tribes. After they committed crimes, they fled back to their tribes to seek refuge. Do you think you have not caused injustice? With sharp weapons, you will naturally want to kill. Those Han people who were bullied by the Tuyuhun people just didn't have the same weapons as you. If they did, could your Tuyuhun tribe still be saved?"

"Later, when I arrived in Hexi, you handed over the offending tribesmen to the government, and I had forgiven you. But you didn't realize it. Those Hu merchants in Hexi came to my government office to file a complaint after being wronged. There are 40,000 Moli Tuyuhun people, don't you think there is a horse that can run to Huangshui City?"

"Chief Helian, do you think I can't be as fair as Ban Chao? Or will I treat you as a military merit like Wang Jun did?"

"When have I ever relied on China's prosperity to bully the weak and seek temporary success?"

"Or do you feel that I am not satisfied with the reward you received in the last battle?"

Li Xuan asked Helian Chengying questions again and again, and every word was heart-wrenching.

It seems that as Gao Shi said, Moli Tuyuhun raised an army in anger without considering the consequences.

This kind of pleasure in revenge is also a characteristic of many Hu tribes.

They are short-sighted and lack thinking, only caring about momentary mood and momentary interests.

"I am confused..."

After hearing what Li Xuan said, Helian Chengying felt even more ashamed and almost buried his head in the ground.

He knew that he had made a serious mistake due to his momentary impulse and brought his people into an irretrievable situation, so he drew the knife at his waist and wanted to commit suicide to make amends.

"Qiang!"

"clang!"

Before Helian Chengying put his knife to his neck, Li Xuan drew out his sword to block it.

The Shen Ce Guards thought that Helian Chengying was going to assassinate Li Xuan, and they all drew their swords.

"It is easy for the rebels to die when they are convicted by the saints, but what about your people?"

Li Xuan lightly poked it, and Helian Chengying's sword flew out of his hand.

The precious sword danced in the air for a few circles and then stuck into the ground three feet away.

Li Xuan slowly put the sword into the scabbard at his waist and stared at Helian Chengying.

Li Xuan would never have stopped such an impulsive person if Tuyuhun and the Hu tribes in Hexi were not of great use to him.

"This matter has nothing to do with the tribe. It is my fault alone."

Helian Chengying cried and begged for mercy.

"Aren't there any members of your clan among those besieging Jinchang City?"

Rebellion is the greatest crime under the feudal dynasty's system of hereditary rule.

Of course, some rebellions have room for maneuver.

For example, during the rebellion of Hushu and Guli Peiluo, they killed Wang Jun, the governor of Hexi, and fled to the Turks.

In the end, Li Longji pardoned the Hexi Uighurs and asked Guli Peiluo's brother Fudi Nandang to be the chief to appease them.

"I admit my guilt... Please, Marshal Li, forgive my people..."

Helian Chengying was so ashamed of what Li Xuan said.

"Tell me, Marshal, why did you cut off the Silk Road and besiege Jinchang?"

Li Xuan then asked Helian Chengying the reason for his rebellion.

"Because Xu Zhi, the deputy governor of Jinchang, led his men to kill more than 20 people from my clan, including one of my sons, I lost my mind and surrounded Jinchang in anger, cutting off the Silk Road."

Helian Chengying replied to Li Xuan that he was now calm and no longer as angry as before.

Only the pain of losing a parent or child can make people do anything.

But Helian Chengying was awakened by Li Xuan's opening words.

In Hexi, Han and Hu people lived together, and the people were fierce. In the past, when Tuyuhun people committed murders in Hexi, they often ran back to their tribe for shelter.

The government generally did not dare to fight to the death with the Hu tribe.

After all, when the Hu people become ferocious, they are much more fierce than the powerful.

But ever since Li Xuan came and killed a number of powerful people with a single blow, the Hu tribe no longer dared to protect their people.

They knew that Li Xuan really dared to attack the Hu tribe in Hexi.

"Speaking requires evidence. How do you know it was done by Jinchang Beijia?"

Li Xuan frowned.

Officials generally do not provoke powerful people or Hu tribes, so killing more than twenty Moli Tuyuhun Hu people at once was somewhat puzzling.

Li Xuan was the governor of Hexi and also the envoy of Helong Barbarians. So such a big matter should be reported to him.

But he just learned the news!

"One of my tribesmen passed by there and saw with his own eyes that it was Xu Zhi, the deputy governor of Jinchang, who led more than a hundred county soldiers to hunt down my son. He hid in the bushes and watched my son being killed by the knights under Xu Zhi..."

Helian Chengying stated this to Li Xuan in tears.

In the eyes of the Hu people, this was conclusive evidence and enough to be used as evidence to take revenge.

But in Li Xuan's view, this is just one-sided statement.

Even though he somewhat believed that this matter was related to the Jinchang County Beijia.

"Is the body there?"

Li Xuan asked this key question.

"My people saw the county soldiers kill someone and take the body away. I guess they wanted to destroy the body."

Helian Chengying has not seen the bodies of more than twenty clansmen and his son to this day.

If the murder process had not been witnessed by the tribe members, it would have been like many other murders in the world, with the living person disappearing from the face of the earth...

(End of this chapter)