Chapter 272 There is a way to die (Subscribe)

The Xueyantuo people were fully prepared for this raid.

Logically speaking, with such a large-scale raid, the Turks should have discovered the Xueyantuo people's traces long ago, if they were not fools.

But the fatal problem was that the Xueyantuo people's action was coordinated by someone.

As early as when Li Simo agreed to Li Tai's conditions in the court, it aroused dissatisfaction among some Turkic people.

In fact, they had always looked down on Li Simo. When the Tang Dynasty asked them to establish a vassal state in Dingxiang, they did not cooperate with Li Simo's work. What's more, Li Simo now agreed to such an excessive request from the Tang Dynasty.

These Turks actually did not want to come to Dingxiang, and they also refused to completely submit to the Tang Dynasty.

I was living well in Hetao before, why do I have to move?
However, compared to completely surrendering, they would rather stay in Dingxiang for the time being.

In their view, even if it was a little bit cold and bitter in the north, it was better than losing their Turkic customs and identity and completely integrating into the Tang Dynasty.

If they really remove the name of Turks, change to Han customs, and practice farming, within three generations, the Turks will completely disappear from the world, and will be replaced by the new Han people.

On the other hand, they do not want to give up their privileges.

Therefore, under the coordination of the Turkic leaders headed by Ashina Hongen, half of the tribes within the Turkic tribe who were unwilling to obey Li Simo were gathered together and sent envoys to the Xueyantuo's tent.

After learning about this matter, Ba Zhuo, who had always wanted to stir up trouble, hit it off with Ashina Hongen's faction.

The two sides immediately hit it off and reached an agreement on the surprise attack on Dingxiang.

The two sides agreed that the tribesmen who submitted to Ashina Hongen and assisted Xueyantuo would wear a scarf on their heads to cover their faces in order to distinguish between friend and foe.

The agreed time was exactly the period when Ashina Hongen was responsible for the security and defense of Dingxiang. This was also the reason why Xueyantuo was able to approach Dingxiang quietly.

If there is a mole, terminate the transaction.

Ba Zhuo took the lead and stood at the front of the team.

He looked at him with a deep gaze, still thinking about the unfinished business of his father Yinan.

In the 15th year of Zhenguan, when the Xueyantuo was at its peak, the Yi people became arrogant and wanted to annex the Turks.

Everything was going smoothly at the beginning, but the situation took a sharp turn for the worse after Li Shiji entered the battlefield with 3,000 cavalrymen, and the Xueyantuo people were defeated.

After this war, the rising and powerful Xueyantuo Khanate suffered a severe blow and its strength was greatly weakened. Yinan no longer dared to think about annexing the Turks, but hid in a corner and secretly licked his wounds.

The Xueyantuo people have always been brooding over this defeat.

The reason why they could not let it go was not only because their ambition to dominate the northern desert was shattered, but also because after reviewing the situation, the Xueyantuo people discovered their own mistakes.

Fighting against a behemoth like the Tang Dynasty alone is a recipe for death, and we must gather all the forces we can.

So, after learning these lessons, the Silla people came knocking on their door.

Ba Zhuo was not an honest man, so of course he would not refuse the invitation from the Silla people.

And under the guidance of such ideas, Bazhuo creatively thought of the Western Turks.

Ba Zhuo had naturally heard about the conflict between the Western Turks and the Tang Dynasty in the 16th year of Zhenguan, which was why he came to them.

As he expected, Ashina Helu also couldn't let go of the Anxi Protectorate.

Now that the alliance has been formed, Ba Zhuo's heart is filled with excitement.

Who can resist such an unbreakable alliance?
Even a behemoth like the Tang Dynasty would probably not be able to stop me from annexing the Turks and dominating the north, right?
He now has absolute confidence, after all, swallowing up the Turks is a foregone conclusion.

"Pass on my order!" Bazhuo shouted, "Capture Datushe, and don't care if he's dead or alive! I want to see him alive or dead! Whoever captures Datushe will be rewarded with 10,000 cattle and sheep!"

The reward for Ba Zhuo was passed on from beginning to end along with one message after another.

Faced with such a huge reward, the Xueyantuo soldiers cheered.

They were eager to capture Datushe and ask for a reward from the new Khan.

Ba Zhuo drew his bow and shot a whistling arrow towards the tent of Dingxiang City, and shouted, "All troops, listen up! Attack!"

Following Bazhuo's order, the Xueyantuo people began to attack Dingxiang City.

The moonlight was not very bright today, and under the cover of darkness, the Xueyantuo people rushed to the city of Dingxiang.

Ashina Hongen, who had already made preparations, opened the city gate, and the Xueyantuo people poured into Dingxiang City like a tide.

According to the agreement, the tents with felt hanging on them were the surrendered Turks. The Xueyantuo army abided by the agreement and did not attack these tents.

After the Xueyantuo people entered Dingxiang City, the Turks finally reacted.

But it was too late now, and they could not organize any effective resistance.

Ashina Moduo, who was close to Li Simo, saw that things were not going well, so he called Dadushe together and fled Dingxiang City in a hurry to seek refuge in the south.

There were more than 40,000 Turks and 30,000 elite soldiers stationed in Dingxiang City.

With the cooperation of Ashina Hongen, Xueyantuo occupied Dingxiang City without bloodshed and at the cost of less than a hundred casualties, thus fulfilling the long-cherished wish of the former Khan to annex the Turks.

Such a brilliant victory undoubtedly shocked everyone.

The Xueyantuo tribes were shocked, but also began to show their loyalty to the new Khan who had declared himself emperor.

People on the grassland all recognize the strong, just like they recognize Li Shimin, not because of the title of Heavenly Khan, but because Li Shimin has hundreds of thousands of elite Tang soldiers in his hands and is the strongest man within tens of thousands of miles.

Contrary to the stereotype in female movies, the great power of Tian Khan does not come from the title, but from his army that conquers the world.

The source of power is bottom-up, and the structure is top-down. Remember not to confuse the two.

The reason why Bazhuo was able to obtain the throne of the Xueyantuo was, firstly, the recognition of Yinan, and secondly, the three direct tribes and 60,000 soldiers under his command.

The fact that he captured Dingxiang without bloodshed proved his ability as Khan.

However, after taking Dingxiang, Ba Zhuo was in some trouble.

If he were asked to beat up the Turks, he would not only be very brave, but also very courageous.

But if he were asked to fight against the Tang Dynasty, it would be a bit confusing.

On the one hand, he would not be able to defeat the Tang Dynasty alone. Although he was a little arrogant, he had a clear understanding of the gap in strength between the Tang Dynasty and the Xueyantuo. On the other hand, according to his plan, he did want to fight with the Tang Dynasty, but definitely not now, but after the Tang army entered Silla.

If he went to war with the Tang Dynasty now, wouldn't that draw Tang's attention to him, Xueyantuo? At least he had to wait until the Western Turks or Silla fought with the Tang Dynasty, right?
However, Ba Zhuo did not hesitate for too long. He soon thought of a person who could help him solve his problems and was a young man as resourceful as Zhuge Liang.

He came to the Turkic tent in Dingxiang and sent someone to invite Mr. Huai.

Ba Zhuo knew that his IQ was not enough, at least two pounds less than Mr. Huai, so he specifically told the people who went to invite people to be respectful and have a good attitude.

Not long after, Mr. Huai came into the tent, followed by two people.

"Mr. Huai." Ba Zhuo bowed to Di Renjie.

He also knew the two people behind Di Renjie. They were the guards he recruited for Mr. Huai in the Han area.

Yes, these two people are Hegan Chengji and Zhang Sizheng.

Even though these two generals seem to be out of touch at ordinary times, they can always appear mysteriously at critical moments and complete their tasks successfully.

Some time ago, Ba Zhuo felt that it was not very convenient for Di Renjie to be alone in Xueyantuo without anyone to take care of his daily life. If he used Xueyantuo people... not only did they not understand Chinese, but they also had clumsy hands and feet and were simply unable to serve others.

After some thought, he sent people to Shuozhou in the south to ask for two Han guards.

This opportunity was seized, so Hegan Chengji and Zhang Sizheng naturally came to Di Renjie.

"Mr. Huai, Mr. Huai..."

The moment he saw Di Renjie, Ba Zhuo went up to him.

This is a sign of respect for people of great wisdom, and Bazhuo understands this quite well.

What do the Han people call this? To... courtesy... that virtuous lower class.

"Your Majesty the Khan." Di Renjie saluted with a smile.

"Sir, there is no need to be so polite. Please take a seat." Ba Zhuo first asked Di Renjie to sit down, and then he sat aside.

After everyone sat down, Di Renjie was the first to ask, "Why did the Khan invite me here in the middle of the night?"

"To be honest, sir, I do have something I want to ask you." Ba Zhuo said immediately.

"Oh? I don't deserve your advice. If Your Majesty has anything to say, please just ask me directly." Di Renjie still had that smiling face, and he looked very friendly, making it difficult for people to feel hostile.

"Now that Dingxiang City has been completely taken over by me, the remaining Turkic remnants are no longer a concern." Bazhuo organized his speech and said, "I still have doubts about what to do next."

"I know your Majesty Khan's concerns." Di Renjie nodded and smiled. "If we confront the Tang Dynasty head-on now, the Tang Dynasty will definitely put aside the Silla direction for the time being and focus on dealing with Xueyantuo. And the Khan means that he wants to wait until the Western Turks and Silla go to war, and then reap the benefits. Is that right?"

"Mr. Huai is indeed a man of great foresight. Nothing can be hidden from your eyes." Ba Zhuo said with his hand on his chest in admiration.

"Huai does have a question that I would like to ask His Majesty the Khan." Di Renjie asked with a smile.

"Mr. Huai, please speak." Ba Zhuo asked while sitting upright. He always took Di Renjie's questions seriously.

"I would like to ask His Majesty the Khan, are the enemies of Xueyantuo only the Turks or the Tang Dynasty?" Di Renjie asked.

Ba Zhuo thought for a moment, shook his head and said, "No, the Tang Dynasty also has many vassal states, and they are all enemies of Xueyantuo."

Di Renjie explained: "That's it. Just like in the 16th year of Zhenguan, under the call of the Tang Dynasty, the nine tribes of Turk, Tuyuhun, Huihe, Khitan, Mohe, Wuluohu, Adie, Bayegu, Pugu, Tongluo and Chile all joined the war against Xueyantuo. The Tang army plundered the rear, while other tribes plundered Xueyantuo in the front."

"Now that the Xueyantuo have annexed the Turks, they have in fact become enemies of the Tang Dynasty. It is only a matter of time before the Tang Dynasty launches a campaign against the Xueyantuo."

"Since we cannot attract the attention of the Tang Dynasty now, why don't you take the initiative to cut off the wings of the Tang Dynasty and strike the Huihe, Khitan and other tribes first, so as to prevent these tribes from harassing the Xueyantuo in the rear in the future war with the Tang Dynasty?"

"As the saying goes, start with the small and then the big, start with the easy and then the difficult. I think His Majesty the Khan will understand this principle." Di Renjie made the final decision.

If Ba Zhuo was a time traveler, he would definitely not believe what Di Renjie said.

After all, more than 700 years later, there was also a wise man who followed the advice of "starting with the small and then the big, starting with the easy and then the difficult". He first demoted the King of Zhou to a commoner, forced the King of Xiang to burn himself to death, and then found excuses to depose the three kings of Qi, Dai, and Min as commoners one after another.

Everyone knows the rest of the story. There was a Prince of Yan who had no choice but to march into Nanjing and seize the throne.

And that smart guy also started a fire in the palace, and his whereabouts became an eternal mystery.

But Bazhuo didn't know about this after all. After thinking about it carefully, he realized that... what Mr. Huai said really makes sense.

"Sir, your words have opened my eyes to the sun, and my mind has been enlightened!" Ba Zhuo suddenly realized, "Last time in Shuozhou, the Huihe and other tribes plundered my Xueyantuo, and this hatred has not yet been avenged. Now is the day for my Xueyantuo to take revenge!"

I have to say, after all this, I feel a bit like Lu Bu.

Di Renjie did not answer, but took a sip of Xueyantuo's special milk tea.

To be honest, even after staying in Xueyantuo for so long, Di Renjie still couldn't get used to the taste.

But it was good to have something to drink, so he didn't complain and drank the whole bowl of milk tea.

"Without further delay, I will pass on the order and have the army get ready." Ba Zhuo immediately stood up and said, "Thank you, sir, for your guidance."

"It's not really a matter of giving me advice, but your Excellency Khan, thank you for the compliment." Di Renjie also stood up to return the greeting.

After Bazhuo left, Di Renjie poured two more bowls of milk tea, one for Hegan Chengji and one for Zhang Sizheng.

"Thank you, Mr. Huai." The two responded.

Even though they were both fourth-rank officials, they still couldn't take on the big responsibility when facing Di Renjie, a talent valued by Crown Prince Li Xiang.

Besides, neither of them is the kind of person who judges others by their appearance. This is why Li Xiang likes them very much and finds them very convenient to use.

Of course, looking down on barbarians and beating up the Japanese envoys does not count as looking down on people.

In the Turkic tent, Di Renjie didn't say much, and the same went for the other two.

After all, when you live under someone else's roof, it's better to be cautious in everything you do.

Soon, Ba Zhuo sent someone into the tent.

"Mr. Huai, Khan wants you to come over."

"Yeah." Di Renjie nodded, glanced at Zhang Sizheng and Hegan Chengji, and the three of them walked out of the Turkic tent together.

(Ask for monthly ticket)

(End of this chapter)