Noticing the abnormality, the Turkic warriors rushed into the tent. Seeing the appearance of the two, they could not help but be stunned.
These two Khitan envoys have been searched and their weapons have been confiscated. The Khitan proof they carried is also real. How did they suddenly become generals of the Wuzhou court?
By now, Moche has calmed down and sternly ordered: "All of you, leave!"
The tent is still full of discussion. Moche frowned and said to them: "Quiet!"
Silent Silence stopped the crowd and turned his head to look at the two of them. He saw that the two of them were very young, but one was dressed in scarlet and the other in green. He knew that the one dressed in scarlet was of a higher rank. He looked at him and asked, "Are you from Zhou?"
Yang Fan smiled and said, "You must be Khan Moqie? I did not expect Khan to be so fluent in Chinese. "
Moche coldly snorted: "Why did you come all the way to my Khan's tent?"
Maqiao knows that in terms of knowledge and ability, he is far inferior to Yang Fan. Therefore, he firmly remembered his brother's words and only did as he was told: "Just be the same as usual. It is better to be more ostentatious than usual!"
Just as Moche finished speaking, he glared at them and said in a rough voice: "I heard that Khan Moche is a great hero of the Turkic steppe. How can you be so petty? We braved the wind and snow to come here and you did not even invite us to a bowl of wine and a few pieces of meat to warm ourselves? Throughout our journey, even a lone herdsman stationed in the wilderness wouldn't be so rude to his guests! "
"Insolence! How dare you speak to our Khan like this! " Immediately, the leaders of several small tribes on both sides jumped up to show their loyalty, pulling out their swords with a 'clang'.
Maqiao did not hesitate either. He glared at them and puffed out his stomach. The rhinoceros embroidered on his waist arched up and assumed a fighting stance.
Moche laughed loudly: "Give them a seat and serve the wine!"
Immediately, someone came forward and set up a table for Yang Fan and Moche. They brought two bowls of wine and a plate of steaming roast lamb. Ma Qiao smelled it greedily, grabbed a piece, and without caring about how hot it was, he wolfed it down.
Yang Fan sat beside him and drank a mouthful of wine. Disliking the taste, he slightly frowned and put it down. He took a knife from the plate and cut a piece of meat, dipped it in salt and placed it in his mouth. He chewed slowly and looked at Moche.
Moche was sitting cross-legged behind the table with one hand supporting his chin. He was looking at them with interest. Seeing him raise his head, he smiled and said: "There is no hurry. Let us eat first."
Yang Fan said, "Just now when I was outside the tent, I heard the incessant chatter and laughter in the tent. There are many bold people on the prairie who do not like to eat quietly. When in Rome, do as the Romans do."
The Moche said: "Good! Then, can you answer this Khan's question now? "
Yang Fan said: "The one beside me is Maqiao, the commander of the Longwu Guards!"
Maqiao puffed up his cheeks and chewed on a mouthful of lamb. He nodded at Moche with grease dripping from the corner of his mouth.
Yang Fan said: "As for me, I am the commandant of the Yulin Guards, Gu Zhuting!"
Although Yang Fan was not a very prestigious figure in the bureaucracy of the Central Plains, he had done a few big things. He did not know if these Turks knew who he was and did not dare to take the risk. So he used Gu Zhuting's name. It's just that the 'ting' character was removed from the 'woman' character.
Moche's eyes flickered and he asked: "Why are you two here? Whose orders are you here on?"
Maqiao stuttered and interrupted: "Great General Li Duozuo sent us here to urge Khan to follow the agreement with my country and send troops to cut off the Khitans' retreat."
Moche immediately replied: "To tell you the truth, I braved the heavy snow to summon all the chiefs here today to discuss with them how to follow the agreement with your country to send troops to attack the Khitans. But because the weather is cold and marching is not easy, everything needs to be prepared, so there is no conclusion for now. "
At this point, Moche pretended to be surprised and asked with concern: "Why did your country's Great General Li send you here in such a hurry? Did you suffer a great loss at the hands of the Khitans?"
Moche said boldly: "I am discussing a marriage alliance with your country's royal family and we will soon become in-laws. We will soon be one family. I originally planned to send twenty thousand cavalry into Hebei to participate in the war, but if the situation of the war changes and the Khitans become too powerful, then … I might have to send tens of thousands more to help your esteemed country successfully quell the rebellion. "
Yang Fan secretly cursed the old fox. He exchanged a glance with Maqiao and suddenly burst into laughter. After Moche finished speaking, the tent fell silent. All the chiefs pricked up their ears and carefully listened to what they were saying. Unexpectedly, the two did not refute or admit it, but laughed in unison. All the chiefs could not help but be stunned.
Moche also felt it was strange. He frowned slightly and said with displeasure: "I have good intentions, what is so funny?"
Yang Fan waved his hand and said: "Khan, do not misunderstand. We are not making fun of you. We are just listening to you talk about the situation of the Khitans and laughed."
Moche's expression tensed up and he hurriedly asked: "What is so funny?"
Yang Fan said: "I am ashamed to say this. When our imperial army sent out troops to suppress the rebellion, because we underestimated the Khitans, we fell into their trap and suffered several defeats. Later on, the imperial court learned from this painful experience and sent Li Duozuo, Lou Shide, Shachi Zhongyi and other experienced generals to command the battle. Now the war situation has been reversed and the Khitans are on the brink of destruction!"
Li Duozuo was stationed in the capital and did not know much about the Turks. However, Lou Shide and Shachi Zhongyi had fought with them for most of their lives. With the two of them guarding Helong, the Turks had never gained any advantage against them. Naturally, they believed in their abilities and were eighty percent convinced when they heard this.
This news had a great impact on the Turks and there was another uproar in the tent.
Mu En sneered: "Is that true? If your country has already won a great battle, why did you send all of you here to urge us to send troops? "
Mu En's question made a lot of sense. The Khitan leaders immediately quieted down and listened to Yang Fan's explanation.
Yang Fan glanced at Mu En and felt that he looked familiar. After taking a closer look, he suddenly felt guilty: "So it's my cheap father-in-law!"
Looking at Mu En, Yang Fan thought of Mu Heyue and the charming scene in the carriage. Yang Fan didn't dare to continue thinking about it. He hurriedly coughed and revealed a spurious smile. "If the imperial court's army hadn't taken control of the situation in Hebei Province, frankly speaking, our General Li wouldn't have urged you to dispatch your troops!"
Mu En frowned and asked: "Why is that?"
The corner of Yang Fan's lips curled into a sneer and he did not speak. The Turk leaders gradually understood and their faces revealed embarrassed and angry expressions.
Ma Qiao was still afraid that they didn't understand, so he grabbed another piece of lamb and drank a mouthful of the delicious gravy before saying, "What? Can't you keep your face? Our Commandant Gu was right, right? Heh! If we do not have the strength to retaliate, how would we dare to ask you to send troops? Wolves at the front door and tigers at the back door, it will not be comfortable! "
Seljuq slammed the table heavily, causing a bowl of wine to jump up and spill onto the table: "Bastards! Are you tired of living? Do you think we Turks will not dare to send troops to teach you a lesson? "
Moke waved his hand to stop him and his eyes were fixed on Yang Fan. He asked: "Envoy, please explain. What is the situation in Hebei now? If you have really defeated the Khitans, why do you still want me to send troops? "
Yang Fan nimbly spun a piece of golden roasted meat with a knife, dipped it in salt, and stuffed it into his mouth. After chewing for a while, he picked up the bowl of wine and took a sip. When Chebekri and the others were getting impatient, he slowly said: "Our army set up an ambush in Horse City and defeated the Khitan army. We lost nearly half of their men and horses. In this battle, even the Khitan Khan, Li Jinzhong, was killed in action!"
As soon as these words came out, everyone was shocked. For a long time, there was not the slightest sound coming from the tent.
Yang Fan dared to say this because he had fully analyzed the mentality of the Khitan people.
The Khitans first kept Li Jinzhong's death a secret until Sun Wanrong defeated the Zhou army in the Eastern Gorge and stabilized his position among the Khitans. Only then did they inform all the generals.
They had to report it. The Khitan chief was not like the Emperor of the Central Plains. If he was locked in the palace by his close officials and did not see them for a year or so, no one would be too suspicious. However, the Khitan chief usually interacted too often with his people and did not show his face for a long time. His people were bound to become suspicious and discover the truth.
So Sun Wanrong used the momentum of his great victory to announce the truth of Li Jinzhong's death to them. It was also the best opportunity. However, they did not announce it to the outside world. They needed to continue suppressing Wuzhou in terms of momentum.
Then what about the Turks?
The Khitans and Turks were both wolves. Even if one was stronger and the other weaker, they were both wolves. They needed to cooperate but also be on guard against each other.
In order to prevent the insatiable Turks from demanding too much from them, the Khitans needed to create a strong image of themselves. Thus, they could not tell the Turks about Li Jinzhong's death.
By the same logic, they could not tell them about the Khitans' great defeat at Horse City. As the battle of Horse City took place not too long ago and happened in the coastal region of eastern Hebei, the Turks could not possibly know about it.
Therefore, Yang Fan said it, and he was the first to say it.
If he said it first, then even if it was a lie, it would be impossible for the Khitan envoy to verify it. The Khitans' previous concealment would cause the Turk generals to completely lose trust in them. No matter what they said, it would not be able to dispel the Turks' suspicions. With these words, the Khitan envoy, who was still unaware of the truth, was already at a disadvantage.
Silently asking a few more questions, Yang Fan answered them fluently. Xiao Mumu was still doubtful and asked again, "Since the remaining Khitan troops have been surrounded by you, why do you still need us to send troops? Why did you come here so sneakily and sneakily disguised as Khitans? "
Yang Fan said proudly, "The situation in the north has always been well understood by our court. The people at the borders of our country have always been at odds with each other. There have been many fights and grievances between us. If we openly came as Zhou envoys, the tribes at the borders of your country would probably find trouble with us, right? Changing our appearance is just to pass through unimpeded. As for why we still need you to send troops since we have already won … "
Maqiao seemed to be full. Just as Yang Fan said this, he wiped his oily hands, rubbed his belly, burped and lazily continued …
…
You've already exceeded your reading limit for today. If you want to read more, please log in.
Login
Select text and click 'Report' to let us know about any bad translation.
