The soldiers of the Khan's Court were indeed elites. Even though they were ambushed and ambushed, they still managed to drag the half-dead Ashina Musi into Xue Yantuo City.
When these bloodied and wounded soldiers fled into Xue Yantuo City, they first aroused the ridicule of the warriors of the other tribes. People like them, who were not of the Khan's lineage, had always been looked down upon and despised by the Khan's lineage tribes. Now that the warriors of the Khan's Court had ended up like this, they naturally gloated.
At this time, they thought that the people of the Khan's Court had encountered the horse bandits. They could only think so. Otherwise, what enemy could they have here? In the end, when the red-eyed Xiao Mumu led the soldiers of the Ashina Tribe and charged into Xue Yantuo City, they realized that something was wrong.
Some tribes that leaned towards the Ashina Tribe and the Ashina Tribe, or those that belonged to the two major factions, immediately became nervous. The stragglers who were wandering around returned to their encampments and told their leaders about this matter. After an urgent discussion, the tribes that had close relations with each other immediately pulled out their tents.
The various tribes that had been mixed together were now clearly separated. The camps of the Ashids and their vassal tribes occupied one corner of Xueyantuo City, while the camps of the Ashina and their vassal tribes occupied the other corner. Fortunately, there were still many neutral tribes that had gathered at a third place outside Xueyantuo City, equidistant from both sides to show their neutrality.
The camp that Zhang Yi had just set up also followed the chaotic tents and chose a new encampment. In this way, he was surrounded by large and small tribes that maintained their neutrality, which made him even less conspicuous.
The scuffle spread into Xue Yantuo City. Great Qi Bagu of the Xue Yantuo Tribe and Great Ye Protector Mu En of the Muaha Tribe, who had already arrived, worked together to stop the riot. They ordered the soldiers of the Ashina Tribe to withdraw from the city and set up their encampments. Only then did the matter come to an end.
Later, Great Ye Protector Zhu Tu of the Ashina Tribe rushed to Xue Yantuo City in a threatening manner. When Mu En questioned why his tribe had attacked Ashina Musi, Zhu Tu instead pursued the matter of Ashina Musi pretending to be a horse bandit and plundering their tribe. Zhu Tu also brought many witnesses from the victim tribes. These people were not only from the Ashid Tribe, but there were also people from other tribes.
At this time, Zhu Tu finally realized that something was wrong. The quarrel between the three sides was naturally fruitless because Ashina Musi was still injured. Even if she wanted to defend herself, she wouldn't be able to do anything. In order to prevent the situation from escalating, Zhu Tu had no choice but to cooperate with Baku to suppress the matter.
Over the next few days, some tribes came to complain about Ashina Musi's atrocities. Even though Ashina's own tribes were also attacked by the horse bandits, because these tribes were already close to Xue Yantuo tribe, they were not harmed as much. How could Zhu Tu believe their words? He only thought that this was Ashina Musi's craftiness. In order to hide her identity, she was only putting on an act against her own tribe.
Seeing that the various tribes were in a heated argument, the Great Leaf Protector of the Munn Kingdom ordered his horse to report to Mu Mo, hoping that the Great Leaf Protector could personally resolve this matter. On the other hand, some tribes that were originally neutral but received news from their tribesmen that they were robbed by Ashina Musi all joined the Ashid Tribe's camp. Both sides were at daggers drawn and the situation was on the verge of breaking out.
Seeing this situation, Yang Fan felt that if this situation continued to develop, it would cause a huge battle between both sides. This would inevitably cause their southern expedition to become a bubble. Thus, he patiently stayed in the neutral camp.
It wasn't that Yang Fan didn't think of taking a risk and launching an attack on one of the camps to incite a war between both sides. However, the tribes were still fine during the day. Once night fell, they would be facing a great enemy. Moreover, the surroundings were boundless plains, especially the snowy plains. No matter how dark the night was, there was a kind of white misty light that made it impossible for people to hide.
As long as they made a move, they would immediately attract the attention of the surrounding tribes. Moreover, the strictly guarded Ashina and Ashid Tribes had already placed their sentries 30 miles away. It was impossible for a sneak attack to succeed. Not only would their lone army be completely annihilated, but their plan to incite discord would also be seen through. Therefore, it was better not to make a move. Regardless of whether this matter could be resolved peacefully, it could still plant the seeds of suspicion between the two major tribes.
As the days passed, the southern expedition plan was delayed indefinitely. Although the cattle and sheep brought by the various tribes were enough to eat, these cattle and sheep were originally estimated to be consumed during the southern expedition. If this continued, it would definitely not be enough. On top of the original quarrel, the various tribes had an additional layer of worry. Many tribes wanted to retreat.
At this moment, Mu Mo sent someone over.
Mu Mo had his own considerations for insisting on sending troops to the south while his brother was critically ill. Other than building a huge military contribution, he also had the purpose of using external military affairs to reduce internal resistance. This was to make the process of his succession more peaceful. It had to be said that this time, he did not have much of the main force under his command. The main force was made up of the troops from the other tribes. Even if their leaders wanted to support Gu Dulu's son, they would have to hesitate. Once he offered sacrifices to the gods and formally inherited the throne, everything would be settled.
Therefore, he did not want the southern expedition plan to come to a premature end, nor could he leave the Khagan's court at this critical moment. He had sent Ah Xianshi, an old and highly respected minister of the Turkic Khaganate. Because he had predicted that the delay would cause the various tribes to run out of food, he had also generously sent over tens of thousands of cattle and sheep to be distributed to the various tribes for free to replenish the needs of the three armies.
'Si' was an official position, second only to the Khagan and Yabgu. Ah Xianshi was almost eighty years old. He was a fair and gentle man who rarely participated in the disputes of the various tribes. He had a friendly relationship with the various tribes and enjoyed a high reputation among the Turkic tribes.
Most importantly, he had just celebrated his seventy-eighth birthday. At the time, Mu Mo had sent two nephews to celebrate his birthday, and one of them happened to be Ashina Musi. Although Ashina Musi had not gone to celebrate the birthday at the same time that the southern tribes had been attacked by the 'bandits', in terms of geography, even if Ashina Musi had traveled day and night, she would not have been able to reach the southern border and pretend to be a bandit to plunder the wealth.
Old Ah Xian, travel-worn, rushed to Xue Yantuo from the northernmost land. He summoned the leaders of all the tribes, big and small, and swore an oath in the name of God, using Old Ah Xian's lifelong reputation to prove to them that Ashina Musi had gone to congratulate him on his birthday, and told them the time when Ashina Musi left his tribe.
It had to be known that the first person to say that he had recognized him was Xiao Mumu. Even if he had traveled day and night from Old Ah Xianshi's tribe to Xiao Mumu's, he would not have been able to reach the southern border so quickly, and in this era, the fastest means of transportation was the horse.
The bitter and hateful Ashid leaders could not deny what they had seen, but Old Ah Xianshi's prestige was simply too high, especially at the age of eighty. Someone who had always stood aloof from worldly affairs would not be able to join in and give false testimony. For a moment, the truth was so confusing that no one could make heads or tails of it.
Soon after, Mu Mo's envoy issued a strict order that Zhu Tu, Mu En, and Ashina Musi would still be the commander-in-chief. The three of them were to formulate a plan for the southern campaign as soon as possible and move out within a time limit. If they had any objections to Ashina Musi pretending to be a bandit, they would have to wait until the southern campaign was over.
It wasn't that Mu Mo didn't want to replace his unfortunate son, but he had to act tough at this time. If he replaced Ashina Musi, the Ashid leaders, who had never trusted Old Ah Xianshi's promise, would definitely think that he had a guilty conscience, which would lead to endless trouble in the future.
When Yang Fan heard this news, he couldn't help but be disappointed.
On the day that he had kidnapped Ye An, Xue Yantuo City had been thrown into turmoil by the chaotic battle between the two tribes. This had actually provided him with a cover. Ye An and the wine-shop owner, Moqi Qingyuan, had disappeared for no reason, and no one had the time to pay attention to or search for them. He had mingled in the enemy camp, free and at ease, without the slightest danger.
But his goal in coming here had been to stir up conflict among the Turkic tribes, gather intelligence on them, and then send a message to his stronghold on the frontier. Although he had accidentally captured Ye An, the witness who could prove that Qiu Shenji was up to no good, he had failed to accomplish these two important tasks.
Instigating the conflict between the two tribes only delayed their actions and bought time for the border army to deploy troops and reinforce the city's defenses. However, this period of time was not enough to ensure the safety of the frontier fortress. It would have been better if Old Ah Xian had been delayed for a month. When the flowers bloomed in spring, it would be the most important period of the year for the nomadic tribes to produce and live. If Moche wanted to send troops at that time, it would definitely cause the opposition of all the tribes.
As Yang Fan digested the intelligence he had gathered, he began to think of a countermeasure.
The conflict between the Ashid and Ashina tribes had already dragged on for some time, and Mu Mo had even issued an 'order to hasten the battle'. Once the three commanders decided on a target, they would probably immediately move out and do their best to delay the battle. If this was the case, even if they could send the news back before the Turkic army arrived, they would only be able to do so three to five days ahead of the rest of the Turkic army. This would only make the defenders of the stronghold more vigilant, and the reinforcements from the rear would not be able to arrive in time.
But, was there a better way?
It seemed impossible to stop the movement of such a large army. Could it be that after taking so many risks to sneak into the desert, they would return empty-handed?
This was not fair!
This was really not fair!
Yang Fan gave a long sigh. He turned his head and saw Big Bear sitting at the entrance of the tent, happily chatting with a Kosher chicken. Ever since this guy had been nourished by a woman, his personality had become much more cheerful.
Seeing how happy he was, Yang Fan was furious. He glared at him and said, "Go away, don't disturb my thoughts!"
Yang Fan's original position was not much higher than his, but Yang Fan was from Luojing, so his status was slightly higher than his. However, in the past month in Mo Bei, Yang Fan had actually been the commander of these two thousand people, and his authority had unknowingly accumulated.
Big Bear didn't dare to retort. He chuckled good-naturedly, then lifted his butt and walked away.
Yang Fan was amused and annoyed at the same time. He shook his head and said, "I really can't stand this bear!"
Zhang Yi chuckled and said, "From what Ye An said, this woman seems to be a little too casual. But look at how Big Bear is with her, the two of them are like honey mixed with oil. That woman seems to have become a good wife and loving mother. Hei! Fate is a strange thing. It's useless if others don't like it! If he thinks it's good, then it's really good! "
"If he thinks it's good …"
Yang Fan repeated with a smile. He was halfway through his sentence when he suddenly stopped, he seemed to have thought of something …
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