The Xue Yantuo was a large tribe of the Turkic Khaganate. This tribe had originally belonged to the Tiele tribes, formed from the Xue and Yantuo tribes. During the reign of Emperor Taizong, the chief of this tribe had once, with the support of Li Shimin, established a Khaganate and fought for power with the Turks, contributing greatly to the spread of the Tang dynasty to the north.
Later on, when the Turks once more rose to power, the Xue Yantuo army was defeated and forced to surrender, once more under Turkic rule. At present, the territory of the Xue Yantuo tribe was located in the center of the Turkic lands. With the soldiers of the various tribes gathered here, it was guaranteed that the soldiers of the various tribes would arrive at the same time, so that there would not be a situation where the soldiers of the various tribes were waiting for the soldiers of one tribe to arrive late.
But this made things even more difficult for Yang Fan. He could not predict where the Turks would attack based on where they were gathering their soldiers, and thus he could first send a warning to the fortress. Thus, Yang Fan decided to infiltrate the Xue Yantuo tribe and act according to the circumstances.
Along the way, they continued to alternate between 'conscripted Turkic soldiers' and 'highwaymen'. When they encountered tribes that were easy to take down, they would pretend to be highwaymen and rob them of their goods. When they encountered powerful tribes, they would pretend to be the soldiers of some tribe rushing to meet up with Xue Yantuo and swagger past their tribe.
Halfway through the journey, Black Whirlwind felt that he was too far from his base and that it was time to turn back. He discussed this with Zhang Yi, but Zhang Yi insisted on continuing. However, Zhang Yi very straightforwardly agreed to Black Whirlwind's suggestion, and after splitting the spoils, the two groups split up.
This time, Zhang Yi's group had also obtained a lot of cattle and sheep. As they were getting closer and closer to the Xue Yantuo tribe, they could no longer pretend to be bandits to avoid being exposed, so they also needed food. The people of the steppe mainly ate livestock. Zhang Yi's group drove the cattle and sheep they had captured all the way to the Xue Yantuo tribe, so they did not have to worry about starving.
When the Turks went to war, soldiers and horses were conscripted from the various tribes, and the conscripted soldiers had to prepare their own weapons, horses, and rations. Although their rations included stir-fried noodles and dry biscuits, they mainly ate living animals, namely cattle and sheep. Every conscripted group was like this.
As long as they went out to battle, they would drive large herds of cattle and sheep, and when they were hungry, they would slaughter a few of them to fill their stomachs. In the wars between the Tang dynasty and the nomadic tribes, when they won, there was often a special section in the war reports to count the number of cattle and sheep seized from the battle. It wasn't that they fought their way into the enemy's tribe, but that once the enemy suffered a defeat, the three armies would retreat in disorder, and these cattle and sheep would become the spoils of war.
They didn't have any soldiers' pay. The Khaganate wouldn't care about this, and neither would the tribal chiefs. They had to prepare their own weapons, horses, and rations. Without soldiers' pay, they had to rely on the spoils of war they seized from the battlefield to make up for their losses. That was why they were braver than anyone else when they were winning. Once they won a battle, they would burn, kill, and loot, turning soldiers into bandits and causing great disasters to the land they occupied.
It was precisely for this reason that when they lost a battle, they would scatter faster than anyone else. If they died, their families would suffer, and they wouldn't even receive compensation. In this world where the strong preyed on the weak, they were likely to end up as slaves. Thus, when they lost a battle, they would often see the strange sight of the Great Khan only having a few people left to protect him. This was because their parents had died and their parents were married off, leaving them to fend for themselves.
Groups from other tribes gradually appeared on the road. Just like Yang Fan's group, they were also dressed in disarray, their armor and weapons all different. They were herding a herd of cattle and sheep, and those who didn't know them wouldn't even think that they were soldiers. They would think that they were a group of armed livestock peddlers.
Yang Fan's group easily blended into this group and headed for the Xue Yantuo tribe.
At noon, they finally arrived at the Xue Yantuo tribe. Worried that they would be interrogated, Yang Fan's group had intentionally stayed at the back, only sending a few Turks to follow the group to scout out the situation. However, they discovered that there was no one responsible for receiving these warriors from the various tribes.
When these warriors arrived, they would choose a place on the vast snowy plains that was warm and sunny to set up camp, erecting yurts and pens for livestock. Only then would the leader lead a few people into the territory of the Xue Yantuo tribe to pay respects to the commander-in-chief of the three armies.
Yang Fan relaxed upon seeing this, and they began to look for a place to set up camp. Since all the tribes had set up their tents in places that were warm and sunny, the tents were not densely packed. In the snowy region facing the sun and the wind, the tents of the tribes were lined up in rows, while the areas facing the sun and the wind were empty.
Thus, Yang Fan's group followed suit and set up camp on a slope facing the sun and away from the wind. They had come rather late in the first place, and now that they had deliberately made way, they set up camp on the outermost edge of the continuous line of camps. This way, if any accident occurred, they would be able to escape as quickly as possible.
Soon after, Yang Fan, Zhang Yi, Gao Sheji, Big Bear, and the others rode toward the Xue Yantuo tribe.
As a large tribe located in the center of the Turkic Khaganate and blessed by the heavens with a freshwater lake on its side, some of the residents of the tribe had gradually stopped their nomadic herding and turned to merchants. This stable lifestyle made this place no longer just a complex of yurts. Although it was still called a tribe, it had already begun to take the shape of a city.
The tribe was surrounded by yellow mud walls that were more than one zhang tall. The wind and rain had cracked the walls, making them look like an aged face. The city gate was a tall gate that was unguarded. The Turkic Khaganate still did not have a complete tax system, and if one had to pay a toll to enter the tribe, those fierce shepherds would pull out their sabers and fight to the death.
Upon entering the city, one could see that it was a chaotic scene. There were rows of shacks, mud houses, and yurts that were commonly seen on the steppe. The influx of foreigners had caused the peddlers to become more active, and the rows of shacks were covered in smoke as they sold all kinds of snacks and inferior wine.
The wine-loving warriors of the steppe were the largest customers here. Many of them did not even buy any appetizers, but instead bought leather bags of inferior wine that they drank with relish. Only the wealthier ones would sit down in the shacks, make a few pancakes, cut up a plate of beef, and drink to their heart's content.
Yang Fan, Zhang Yi, and the others were all dressed in Turkic robes and had Turkic hairstyles. Coupled with their fierce and dirty beards, they looked no different from ordinary black Turks. Just like everyone else, they had sheathless sabers sheathed on their belts and swaggered around as if no one else was around.
Yang Fan was walking forward when the Koshek chicken suddenly pulled him. Yang Fan turned his head and saw that the chicken was listening to a few people talking in a shabby wine shack. After listening for a while, the chicken suddenly turned to Yang Fan, and with a strange glint in his eyes, he whispered in Chinese: "That person is the Turkic spy that escaped from the Heyuan army!"
As he spoke, his eyes swept under the canopy. Yang Fan looked over and saw a dirty sheepskin carpet under the canopy. There was a small round table with a few grassland snacks and large wine bowls on it. Five or six big men with red faces and thick necks were sitting cross-legged there. The person indicated by the Kosho chicken was facing the outside of the canopy. He was talking animatedly with his tongue hanging out.
Yang Fan vigilantly looked left and right, then lowered his head and said in a low voice, "Let's go! Let's go in and drink! "
The old Turkic man was overjoyed to see more guests and hurriedly invited them in. Yang Fan and the others sat down on a relatively clean rug in the corner and ordered a few dishes of braised meat, dried tofu, and a jar of inferior wine. They pretended to drink.
The one drinking and bragging was Ye An. His cousin Dian Ci had died on the way, but he had actually managed to escape back to the Turks. It was precisely the intelligence he had sent that had prompted Moche to make up his mind to fight.
In truth, Khagan Gu Dulu was currently seriously ill and unfit for war, but Gu Dulu had still not appointed a successor. No one knew if he intended to pass the throne to his own son or to his younger brother, who had fought alongside him. Moche felt very uneasy. At present, he was acting as the representative of the Turkic state, and he wanted to fight a great victory to increase his influence among the tribes.
In this way, his elder brother would be forced by the circumstances to pass the throne to him. Thus, he was very keen on fighting this battle. To ensure victory, he mobilized the tribes and, for the first time, proposed that in this southern campaign, the tribes would not have to pay tribute to the Khagan and could divide the spoils among themselves.
Ye An had not been made a Dagan, but his position was not low either. Moche had personally appointed him as Helan. This Helan was not the Helan with a compound surname, but a military officer of the Turks. His status was a little lower than that of a Dagan. Moche had already said that if he succeeded in capturing a Tang city, he would be promoted to Dagan, and once he was promoted to Dagan, he would become a hereditary official.
When Ye An arrived at Xueyantuo, the warriors from his tribe and the neighboring tribes heard that he had been appointed an official. Some invited him to drink, and some invited him to eat. Thus, for several days, Ye An had an endless feast. Today, this group of people was from his tribe, and they had taken the initiative to invite him to drink. During the feast, Ye An could not help but brag about his heroic deeds to these people.
"Hey! Those Tang scouts were very stupid. With that kind of disguise, I saw through their flaws at a glance. Dianci and I brought people to set up an ambush halfway … "
Ye An talked non-stop. Every time he told a story these days, the story became more thrilling and exciting. If it continued to develop like this, he might become a storyteller.
In the corner of the tent, Zhang Yi, Big Bear, and the others pretended to drink and chat, listening to them. Yang Fan and the Gaoshe chicken whispered to each other, as if they were talking about something intimate. In fact, it was the Gaoshe chicken who was quickly translating Ye An's words. Among these people, only Yang Fan did not understand the Turkic language.
"You're bragging. You think you can escape from the Tang camp just like that?"
Ye An was provoked by that tribesman and could not help but say something. When Yang Fan, who was sitting in the corner, heard this, his eyes immediately shot out a frightening light!
…
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