On November 20th, a cold wind suddenly came and the sky was filled with dust.
Outside the Gaochang Palace, sand particles fluttered against the windows with an astonishing force.
Everyone in the room has long been used to all this. Who among those who grew up in the Western Regions has never eaten sand? It’s a big surprise.
"Your Majesty, the Great Khan sent me here to make peace." The envoy sent by Ogurchak is quite interesting. His name is Altay, his status is not low, and I heard that he is somewhat related to the Khan family and is very trusted.
Shao Shude sat behind the royal eucalyptus and drank tea quietly.
Qilang brought a lot of supplies from Luoyang, the most irreplaceable of which were various top-quality teas. Shao Shude only kept a small part for himself, and the rest was either given to accompanying officials, generals, tribal leaders, or given as rewards
To the brave men who performed well in training.
The same is true for other kinds of materials. After the reward, the officials were fine, but the morale of the army was boosted. You have never seen the tea that the emperor often drinks, let alone in the Western Regions where tea is the farthest place.
It is definitely the best commendation for personal bravery.
Also present were Yang Yao, the director of the Lifan Academy, Zhao Kuangning, Xu Hao, deputy envoys to the Privy Council of Beiya, Taichang Cheng Li Shouxin, Guanglu Cheng Yang Zhao, secretary Lang Cuimiao, living room official Liu Qu and other Han officials, as well as Yuan Yuanzhu
, Lianyou, Ahchu, Aligu, Huoshannu, Pugudabeinu, Abusi, Mochui, Longsi are the same officials.
They also drank tea in silence and thought secretly.
"How old is Dunyu? How is his character?" Shao Shude put down his tea bowl and asked.
"At twenty years old, with extraordinary bravery, erudition and elegance, he is indeed a good match for the princess." Upon hearing this, Altai felt that something was wrong and said immediately.
"I heard that Ogulchak is nearly sixty years old, how come his eldest son is only twenty years old?" Shao Shude asked curiously.
Altai was a little embarrassed.
Ogulchak Khan's wives were all snatched away by the Persians. They were born later, and of course they were not very old. But - how should I say this?
So he looked at the lake for a while and said: "The Great Khan spent his whole life as a soldier, aiming to defeat the Persian enemy, so he gave birth to children very late."
"That's it." Shao Shude nodded and then stopped talking.
Yang Yao knew it was time for him to play, so he cleared his throat and asked: "I heard that your eldest son is named Satuk. Is this the heir to the throne of Khan?"
"This noble man doesn't know something." Altai immediately said: "Satuk is actually the nephew of the Great Khan. According to the Central Plains, he is a stepson, not the eldest son."
"The envoy was joking." Yang Yao's face straightened and he said: "A stepson or adopted son from the Central Plains can inherit the throne as long as he is entered into the family tree. Even if he is not entered into the family tree, it is not impossible to compete for it. Grassland customs,
I also know something about it. Not to mention nephews, nephews all have the right to inherit. What is the status of Princess Daxia, a golden branch and jade leaf? When you marry, you have to be a dun. If dunyu can't inherit the Khan, then let this matter go.
.”
Altai was a little anxious and said: "Why are you so aggressive? Before I went on the mission, the Great Khan had made it clear that he wanted to pass the throne to Dunyu. How could he have wronged the princess?"
"Has your Khan ever summoned the nobles from various tribes to make an announcement in public?" Yang Yao asked.
Altai choked.
Yang Yao wanted to say more, but Shao Shude coughed and said: "The messenger has come from afar, and we are tired from traveling and traveling. Let's rest first. I will give you a banquet in the evening. I still have some things to be busy with."
After saying that, he got up and left.
Altai subconsciously stretched out his hand, as if to retain it, but then put it down slumped.
The officials were whispering to each other and looking at Altai from time to time. There was a lot of dissatisfaction in their expressions, which made Altai feel on pins and needles.
He sighed heavily.
The evening banquet was held in the palace, and the attendees were the same as during the day.
The food is rich, the singing and dancing are also very good, but the food in Altai is tasteless and unsatisfactory.
After it was over, Altai thought about it and finally approached Yang Yao and said in a low voice: "Mr. Yang, about the marriage..."
Yang Yao glanced at the surroundings from the corner of his eyes. Seeing that no one was paying attention, he also whispered: "To be honest, the saint is still willing to marry a girl. Now the only issue of inheritance rights... If it can be solved, the saint will be relieved and will not marry again."
There’s a problem.”
Altai nodded silently.
To be honest, people's concerns are very reasonable and their requests are very legitimate.
The Central Plains is a big country, and the princess must be a coward when she marries there. Is there any problem with this?
What is not authentic is the Great Uighur Kingdom. This is true.
"Don't worry about it, Mr. Yang." After Altai figured it out, he immediately said: "If it is convenient, the Great Xia Sage can send a confidant to follow me back to Shule and meet the Khan together. If there is an envoy, it must be the Khan.
It takes away a lot of worries.”
When Yang Yao heard this, he was secretly happy. This is your invitation, we haven't taken the initiative to propose it yet.
I saw that he deliberately thought for a long time, and under Altai's expectant eyes, he finally nodded slowly and said: "This matter needs to be reported to the saint. However, I don't think there will be a problem. The envoy may wish to stay at the post for a few more days and wait for good news.
.”
"Thank you, Master Yang." Altai said sincerely.
Yang Yao gently stroked his beard and smiled without saying a word.
******
Shao Shude did not attend the banquet, but went to the Manihu Temple in the city to meet with Bassakkan and Sunong who came from Rehai.
The attitude towards them is very friendly.
Shao Shude gave many greeting gifts, such as tea, brocade, etc., and even gave him a hundred whale oil candles, which are rare and rare things in the grassland.
"It's been more than a hundred years in a flash." Looking at several Turks, Shao Shude said with a smile: "Your ancestors surrendered to the Tang Dynasty, guarded the country's borders, and left a name in history. Now that you have come to join us, it can be said that you have continued the good story.
"
"We are also very happy to be able to be Daxia's vassal." Basseqian said.
"This is the wisest choice you have ever made in your life." Shao Shude said: "You also know what the Uighurs are like. Are they really reliable?"
"And the Persians are not good birds. You should know better than me what they do. The Manichaeans will definitely be regarded as a thorn in their side and a thorn in their flesh."
"The Turks who surrendered to Persia were recruited by them and thrown into the battlefield on the Western Front, fighting life and death for the interests of the Persians. In the end, what can you get?"
"Daxia does not need your land. Rehai is still your farm, pasture, and your home. As a national vassal, you can still get many rewards. What the Persians can give, Daxia can also give, even
More."
"However, you first need to show sincerity and prove your worth."
Shao Shude talked about it eloquently, and they were all very realistic things.
Moreover, his words did not include the Uighurs at all, and he seemed to have completely forgotten it.
This is reasonable and normal. Because as far as the current situation is concerned, the Uighurs have not shown anything worthy of respect. Twenty years ago, they were defeated miserably by the Gaochang Uighurs and lost their troops in the east. More than twenty
In recent years, it has been repeatedly defeated by Persia and lost large areas of land in the west.
This country is like a rat in a bellows, taking advantage of both sides. It's a shame.
In other words, the Gaochang Uighurs only have a population of 300,000, their national strength is seriously insufficient, and they have expanded to the limit. If they don't continue to cause trouble for them, the capital Shule may not be able to be saved.
In other words, Persia's center of gravity is in the west, and in the east it adopts a defensive or even conciliatory approach towards the nomadic peoples of Central Asia as a whole, otherwise the land in the west cannot be preserved either.
What reasons do people have to be loyal to such a country?
If he hadn't been able to come up with some money, and Turks had always had a tradition of being mercenaries, no one would have paid any attention to him.
"Your Majesty is right." Mi Zhida also supported: "A country as powerful as the Gaochang Uighurs was defeated in a few months. When you entered the city today, you also saw the troops training outside the city.
How does it feel?"
After Ba Saiqian, Sun and Nong looked at each other and said in unison: "The military power of Daxia is unmatched by anyone."
The route the Turks took into the city was of course strictly planned.
They saw the solemn and solemn killing of the Forbidden Army infantry when they lined up, saw the fierceness of the army's cavalry when they charged, and even saw the armored cavalry that people could not look at directly.
To be honest, the Great Uighur Kingdom cannot produce such an army. Maybe a few elite troops can match it, but the overall situation is still far behind.
They are similar to the nomadic tribes on the grasslands. Most of the soldiers are temporarily recruited. Perhaps they have been fighting for many years and have rich experience. Due to the living environment, they are generally martial arts, but compared to professional warriors who have been fighting for their whole lives, they are not even a bit worse -
Being a professional martial artist does not necessarily mean that he is strong, because there may be situations like Wen Tian's martial arts, but what if he is a professional martial artist who has been fighting?
"With the protection of a country as powerful as Daxia, the threat from the Persians is nothing to worry about." Mizhida said: "I heard that Persian monks traveled eastward and were active secretly. You are really stupid, they are all spies.
.In the future, when the Persian army marches eastward, these people will secretly provide information and betray you. I don’t know how they will die by then!"
After hearing this, Sunong and Nong were surprised and confused.
Shao Shude did not interrupt Mi Zhida's words.
What is the purpose of people working so hard to help you? It’s not their own interests.
Persia is at its peak in Western Asia, and you have to help him with his affairs.
There is a term in later generations called "projection ability." Daxia's projection ability in the Western Regions and Central Asia is seriously insufficient, so it is necessary to unite all forces that can be united to jointly resist Persia and safeguard their own interests.
Mizhida is very useful now, because he is well known in Central Asia, and the power he has been operating for many years has not been completely destroyed. This is his value.
For those who have the value of united front, Shao Shude never minds sharing the benefits.
"Kill those Persians when you get back." Bassegan said with indignation.
"They must be killed." Sunong also said: "Tie them to the tail of a horse and drag them to the Gobi Desert, so that everyone can see the fate of spies."
Shao Shude smiled slightly.
There is an element of acting between these two people, but so what?
Performance itself expresses an attitude, and that is enough.
He doesn’t want to get too involved in the muddy waters of Central Asia. But if the benefits are delivered to his door, he won’t push them out.
In the former Tang Dynasty, a bunch of Jifu prefectures were set up west of Congling, covering almost all of Central Asia, and even reached the Aral Sea in the west.
Were they really the ones who conquered all these places? Of course not.
With the rise of the Great Eclipse in the west, various forces in Central Asia and even Persia felt a huge crisis and had to find a place to rely on. The Tang Dynasty was just in time to fill this gap.
Moreover, their interest is very strong. After the Battle of Talos, they were even actively raising troops and supplies to prepare to move west again and restore the old sphere of influence, which fully satisfied the security needs of various local princes.
A place like Central Asia is originally a competition between you and me. The local forces are caught in the middle and have no choice but to choose a strong neighbor to join.
Now that Dashi has basically collapsed, although Persia has risen, its strength is only that much. Adding in the control area of Jisui, it is estimated that it has a population of only tens of thousands. Its biggest advantage is that it is close, has convenient supplies, and has better projection capabilities than you, Shao Shude
Don't deny this.
Anyway, he doesn't have much ambition now, he just takes it one step at a time.
First eat the old land of the Gaochang Uighurs, and then find a way to destroy the Great Uighur Kingdom.
After the Great Uighur Kingdom is over, its jurisdiction will inevitably be shattered into pieces. By then, you can get as much benefit as you can. If you can't get it, give up for the time being, silently digest the benefits you have obtained, and then move forward - this is the most sensible thing.
practice.
Today, the two largest tribal leaders of the Rehai Turks came to vote, and the first step is almost completed.
How the next step will be carried out depends on how the situation develops in the Uighur Kingdom. As for this matter, he has already seen a glimmer of light, and the opportunity is still very good.
After returning to the palace, he read the summary of the junior high school situation that Tingwang Si had just sent over.
After he left, the situation in the world was generally calm.
Liaodong, which was originally judged to be the most likely to cause chaos, is in a strangely calm state. No, it may not be difficult to understand that more than 50,000 soldiers will spontaneously maintain local order for their own benefit.
They are local troops who do not receive military pay and are very useful.
There were local rebellions in Yunnan, mainly in Quzhou and Tonghai Dudufu. The troops that originally conquered Yunnan were gradually withdrawn, and now new people were appointed to guard it. Shao Mingyi and Li Tangbin were still in charge of the overall military and political situation. The rebellion was quickly put down, and another wave of rebellion was created.
A group of slaves.
There was some turmoil in Weibo. In fact, the place never really calmed down because the court was always semi-forcing local people to emigrate.
Other than that, everything was calm, especially after the news of the attack on the Gaochang Uighurs was sent back - victory is the greatest stabilizer.
Seeing this, Shao Shude was deeply gratified. Next year, he can concentrate on ending the war with the Great Uighur Kingdom once and for all: cross the Congling Mountains and pursue death in the north.