The various Khitan troops gradually gathered together and began marching east. At noon, the large group stopped in a mess. After lunch, they were about to continue on their way when Sun Wanrong suddenly issued a general order. Thus, only about ten thousand soldiers who had suffered minor injuries in the previous battles were allowed to stay. The rest of the troops were separated from the main group.
Yang Fan sat in the carriage and saw countless cavalry rolling south. As the army galloped past, the dust they stirred up was like a dark cloud that filled the sky.
Yang Fan revealed a slightly alarmed expression and subconsciously asked, "What happened?"
Fei Mo chuckled, his face revealing a cunning expression that contrasted with his rough and honest appearance. "The Grand Marshal has led the troops south to attack Ji Province."
"What?"
Yang Fan's heart skipped a beat. "Aren't we returning to the mountains?"
Fei Mo said lazily, "The Khan suffered a heat stroke and has been feeling unwell ever since. This time, he's leading us to escort the rations back to the mountains. As for the Grand Marshal … Do you think there aren't a few spies from the imperial court in such a huge Zhuolu City? The Khan deliberately spread the news of his return to the mountains to confuse the soldiers. "
Yang Fan was speechless for a moment before saying, "With the main force heading south and only a small force to escort the Khan back to the mountains, aren't you afraid that the imperial court's army will intercept you while escorting so many supplies?"
Fei Mo laughed out loud. "Haha! If they really chase after us, we can just abandon the rations and leave. We can then take down another city and raid their homes. However, do you really think that Wu Youyi will send troops? If he has the guts, he would have long come in the few days we stayed in Zhuolu. Hahaha … "
Although the one leading the troops was Wu Youyi, as a member of the court, when Yang Fan heard Fei Mo's impudent and contemptuous smile, he couldn't help but feel ashamed.
Tens of thousands of Khitan cavalrymen belonging to different tribes immediately left their ranks the moment the word 'south' was given. It appeared to be a complete mess. However, the Khitan cavalrymen did not need to form up like the Han cavalrymen, using banners and drums to organize themselves. Through their training in hunting and encirclement since they were young, it was almost as if it was instinctive for them. Amidst the chaos, they naturally regrouped and lined up according to the banners of the various tribes, forming a very effective marching formation.
In the evening, they stopped by a small river.
Sun Wanrong rode a large horse and stood at the very front of the formation, quietly watching his army.
The magnificent army slowly quietened down in front of him, like a towering mountain, a heavy and majestic aura rushing towards him.
Sun Wanrong nodded in satisfaction and shouted, "I will pretend to return to the mountain to deceive the Tang army. The Tang will not be on guard! Today, the entire army will only carry two days' rations and travel day and night straight to Ji Zhou. Even if the Tang have cavalry scouts, we will let them chase behind us and see our Blue Wolf War Flag planted on top of Ji Zhou's city wall! "
His hand slowly reached to his waist and suddenly pulled out a slightly curved Turkic long saber with a clang. He gently kicked the horse's abdomen with both legs, and the warhorse ran horizontally in front of the neat formation like a wall. "We must take Jizhou, there is nothing we cannot conquer!"
"We must take Ji Zhou, there is nothing we can't conquer!"
"We must take Ji Zhou, there is nothing we can't conquer!"
Tens of thousands of Khitan cavalrymen shouted in unison. The gathered sound waves were earth-shattering and earth-shattering. In a distant birch forest, countless birds flew up in fright and circled in the sunset sky.
Sun Wanrong suddenly turned his horse and slashed his long saber towards the south. He shouted with all his might, "Continue forward!"
The magnificent army was like a raging tide bursting through a dam, crushing the small river in front of them and rolling south!
To the south, to the south, continue south! Under the southern sky, the sunset was dyed red like blood. The cavalry that covered the sky and covered the sky quickly merged with the dark red sunset …
…
In the evening in Luoyang, there were not many pedestrians on the long streets because it was almost time to close the doors. Occasionally, there were some pedestrians who returned home late but they were also in a hurry.
On the side of the Tianjin Bridge, a group of people slowly approached.
The surrounding guards were the Featherwood Guards, who were clad in bright armor and looked extremely formidable. The group in the middle were the Turks with curly hair and sharp noses. The Warden of the Chamberlain of Dependencies, Liu Ruoyu, had a wooden and expressionless face as she silently accompanied the Turks forward. Only when they reached the guest house of the Turks did she turn her head and lightly say, "Envoy, please return to the guest house to rest. If you have any needs, you can bring them up to the guest house official!"
The Turk envoy was a short and burly man in his early forties. He had a crooked beard and an arrogant expression on his face, but his eyes were shrewd and crafty. In the face of Liu Ruoyu's disrespectful attitude, the Turk envoy was not offended in the slightest. He only smiled faintly and replied in Han with a foreign accent, "Thank you for your trouble, Dianke Liu. We do not have any other needs. We only hope that your esteemed Emperor can give us an answer as soon as possible. Our Khagan's patience is not very good!"
Liu Ruoyu's expression changed. With a heavy snort, she turned her horse around and galloped away.
The Turk envoy smiled proudly and dismounted. He walked towards the post house with legs that were a little worn out from riding.
In the Hall of Martial Accomplishment, the prime ministers and several important officials of the court were still seated and had yet to leave the palace.
Wu Zetian's face was filled with fatigue, but her extreme anger caused her aged face to be filled with dignity. "Preposterous! This is preposterous! Silk, farming tools, seeds, steel, medicinal herbs, agricultural books, medical books … and that's not all. He even wants the surrendered families of the Six Prefectures and the Chanyu Protectorate. This Moche is truly audacious. I haven't even settled the score with him for the invasion and he dares to be so greedy! "
The Qilin Pavilion Junior Supervisor Li Jiao solemnly said, "Your Majesty! If we agree to the Turks' conditions, Moche will be able to obtain the manpower, farmland and agricultural resources. The Turks will become even more powerful. Furthermore, the Turks are greedy and untrustworthy. Even if we give them these conditions, they will not be able to obtain peace. I believe that we should strengthen our military to prevent their attacks! "
Li Jiao was also a member of the faction that protected the heir to the throne. He supported the current Crown Prince, Li Dan. Thus, when Wei Yuanzhong and Yao Chong became prime ministers, he was immediately pulled into the political circle.
His words were naturally the intentions of Wei Yuanzhong and Yao Chong. The current situation was still unclear. Although the Emperor was furious, his true intentions were still uncertain. It was best for him to make the first move.
Wu Zetian appointed Crown Prince Li Dan as the Marshal and Di Renjie as the Deputy Marshal. She sent troops to the Western Region to suppress the Turks. When the Turks heard that the imperial court had sent more troops, and that it was the highly respected Di Renjie who was the Commander, they raised the banner of Crown Prince Li Dan and received the support of their people. Their morale was extremely high, and they were worried that they would be at a disadvantage, so they immediately retreated.
Di Renjie could not catch up to them and did not have the confidence to fight a battle. Thus, he only stationed his troops at the border to prevent a counterattack from the Turks. At the same time, he helped the affected people rebuild their homes. The two sides were in a stalemate.
At this time, the Tubo Empire was in chaos and the kings were fighting for power. The Turks had lost an ally and were unwilling to fight a battle with the Imperial Court. However, Moche was unwilling to give up this good opportunity. Thus, he sent an envoy to the capital to propose a peace treaty with the Empress.
His conditions were that he would recognize Wu Zetian as his adoptive mother and was willing to marry his daughters to the kings of the Imperial Court, forming a father-son relationship with the Imperial Court. At the same time, he also asked for a large amount of silk, farming tools, seeds, ironware and even medical books and herbs from the Imperial Court. Not only that, he also asked for the Turks who surrendered to the Tang dynasty in the Hequ Six Provinces and the territory of the Chanyu Protectorate.
There were more than eight thousand households in the Hequ Six Provinces. A household had about five to six people, which meant that there were about forty to fifty thousand people in each household. Each household had at least one strong man, which meant that there were almost ten thousand warriors who were skilled in horsemanship and archery.
Most importantly, these Khitans surrendered to the Imperial Court of their own accord. If they were pushed to Moche, how would the people of the world view the Great Zhou? There were more than one or two such dependent tribes!
The Chanyu Protectorate was one of the six most important protectorates established during the Tang dynasty. It belonged to the Guannei Road and its territory was between the Great Desert to the north and the Yellow River to the south. If he really agreed, the Turks would be able to graze sheep right under Wu Zetian's nose.
Wu Zetian looked at Yang Zaisi and asked, "Yang Zaisi, what do you think?"
Yang Zaisi hurriedly said, "Er … I think that Moche is willing to give his son to his mother and marry his daughter to the kings of the dynasty. He is very respectful towards Your Majesty. However, they want the Six Provinces to surrender, the Chanyu Protectorate and the Great Zhou to abandon their people. Such a request is simply … "
The words' forfeiting sovereignty and humiliating the country 'were at the tip of his tongue, but he swallowed them back down and swiftly changed them to' They are simply insatiably greedy. This subject believes that if we agree, it will only encourage the ambitions of the Turks. We should sternly refuse! '
Yao Chong heard his ambiguous words and could not help but angrily said, "Not only should we not allow them to abandon their people, we should also not allow them to give us silk, seeds, farming tools, ironware, agricultural books and medical books! This is giving money to the enemy! The Turks have taken advantage of the unrest in the north to invade our borders and kill our people. Now, we are talking about peace and not punishing them, but the court wants to give them so many resources. How can there be such a reason in the world? "
Nayan Lujie worriedly said, "What Prime Minister Yao says is reasonable, but although Master Di's troops seem strong, they are mostly untrained recruits. Master Di himself has never led an army in battle and lacks battle experience. If Moche decides to invade the east again, with the Khitan bandits running rampant and the smoke of war rising in the northwest, I'm afraid …"
Hearing this, Wu Zetian could not help but frown. She somewhat regretted listening to Zhou Xing's words and killing Hei Chi Changzhi. Hei Chi Changzhi had never suffered a defeat against the Turks and the Turks feared him the most. If he was still alive, Moche would not have dared to demand such an exorbitant price and the 160,000 soldiers would not have been wiped out by the Yellow Deer.
But that hateful Wu Youyi only defended his city in the north and did not dare to fight the enemy, watching as the Khitans rampaged through Hebei and caused trouble everywhere. Otherwise, he could have transferred troops from the north to join the Helong Corps. At that time, Moche would not have dared to take advantage of the situation and the court would not have been forced to let the Turks extort them.
After thinking for a long time, Wu Zetian's anger subsided and she deeply sighed, saying, "Let's first stabilize the Turkic envoys and delay for time. Quickly send an edict to Wu Youyi and have him send troops to fight the enemy and eliminate the Khitan rebels as soon as possible! "
…
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