"Reporting to Khagan: although Fomonlința is not present, there is an extremely formidable Tang people youth in Wushang's City of Steel called Wang Chong. He pretended to leave Qixi to lure the Black Wolf Yabgu into a trap. He was the one who ambushed us, killed Yabgu, and captured the Fourth Prince! "
A Turkic warrior who had luckily escaped from the Qixi Armory kneeled on the ground, his face as white as paper and sweat pouring down his face as he stared at the furious Ishbara Khagan. They had immediately returned to this place after escaping from Qixi. A Yabgu had been killed and the Fourth Prince had been captured. This was no small matter, and it was not something they could bear the responsibility for.
"City of Steel?"
Upon hearing this name, the tall and burly Turkic man in the golden tent, his eyes widened and his anger subsided. "You're a demon god. You're a demon god. You're a demon god, and you're a demon god.
"Isn't that the youth of the Tang Dynasty who defeated the Karluks and Dalun Ruozan in the war of the southwest? I had the Black Wolf Yabgu kill him, but he still hasn't finished his task? "
"Lord Yabgu did want to act, but when he realized that the Ouzan had acted before him, His Lordship wanted to borrow the hands of the Ouzan to kill him, so he gave up on the idea. But he didn't expect that the Ouzan Empire's Dayan Mangpoje would die at the hands of Wang Chong at the battle of the triangular gap. Thus, His Lordship delayed until he was ambushed by that Wang Chong and killed in Qixi. "
The Turkic warrior who had returned to report the news kneeled on the ground and whispered.
"What? Such a thing happened! "
Ishbara Khagan's pupils constricted, and he finally calmed down. In the Western Regions, the Western Turks had two enemies. One was the Tang Dynasty, but they had always been on the defensive. Moreover, their supply lines were long and their mobility poor, so they posed little threat. The real enemy was the Ouzan people on the opposite plateau.
Even though they were separated by the Tang dynasty's Qixi, the Western Turks and the Ouzan had fought several times over the leadership of the Western Regions. The Turks actually had a better understanding of the generals on the Ouzan Plateau.
Ishbara Khagan had some understanding of Dayan Mangpoje. He had once led Ouzan's forces around Qixi and launched sneak attacks on the Turkic steppe, inflicting heavy losses on the Turkic army twice in a row. This was a madman with extraordinary combat prowess. He was a Brigadier General.
Ishbara Khagan lived far away on Mount Sanmi. He had never paid much attention to this kind of regional war. He had never imagined that one of the top figures of the Western Turkic Khaganate would die at the hands of the seemingly unremarkable Wang Chong. If everything was true, he would have to re-evaluate this Wang Chong.
"Khagan, at a time like this, you're still concerned about something like this? Is our Hu-er's life not important? "
While Ishbara Khagan was still in the middle of his interrogation, the voice of a woman came from the side, brimming with worry.
"No matter who that Wang Chong is, the urgent task at hand is to rescue my son!"
A Turkic woman dressed in luxurious clothes and exuding a noble aura walked out from behind Ishbara Khagan.
"Khatun!"
The sight of this woman made the Turkic warrior on the ground shiver and lower his head even further. In all the Western Turks, only the mother of the Fourth Prince, Khatun, could enter the golden tent at any time and interrupt Ishbara Khagan's words.
"Why have you come?"
Ishbara Khagan hurriedly stepped forward and took the woman's hand, a look of doting affection on his face. Ishbara Khagan had experienced many women in his life, but only this woman before him was the one he respected the most and doted on the most.
The reason was very simple. Back when Ishbara was still a prince, if not for the assistance of this woman, he would not have been able to ascend to the throne amidst the chaos.
Not only that, although this woman was over forty and had already given birth to several children, the Khatun had always taken good care of herself. Her skin and figure were like that of a girl in her twenties, not at all like that of someone in their forties.
"Hmph, if I didn't come, would I really have to watch Hu-er die at the hands of those Tang people of Qixi? Hu-er's life is hanging by a thread. Khagan, tell me, will you save Hu-er's life or not? "
The Khatun sternly said.
"Save, save, save! Hu-er is my own flesh and blood. I love him dearly, so how could I not save him? Come, come, hurry! Send someone to Wushang's City of Steel! No matter what price we have to pay, we have to save the Fourth Prince! "
Ishbara Khagan's voice resounded over Mount Sanmi.
… …
"Marquis! There's a Turkic emissary outside requesting an audience. He says that he wishes to negotiate with us regarding the captured Fourth Prince. "
Several days later, in Wushang's City of Steel, Wang Chong was standing in front of his desk, reading through a report he had gathered. Suddenly, a scout hurriedly barged in and bowed.
"I won't see him!"
Wang Chong didn't even raise his head, his eyes still focused on the report in his hand, his face expressionless.
"Ah!"
The scout froze, his face filled with shock, but he quickly regained his composure.
"Yes! Marquis! "
With these words, he quickly left.
"Haha, Marquis, was I wrong? Ishbara Khagan and the Khatun are getting anxious. It's only been a few days, and they've already sent an emissary. As long as we don't agree for now and refuse them a few times, they'll get even more anxious. Milord will also be able to obtain even more benefits from the Fourth Prince. In this aspect, no one understands them better than I do. "
Once the scout left, Hulayeg heartily laughed and immediately approached, his eyes shining.
"In the future, I'll leave this matter to you, including the Turkic emissaries. But Hulayeg, you'd better think this through. I've investigated a few things. When Agudu Lan raided your estate, the Fourth Prince was also involved. "
Wang Chong finally raised his head from the letter and faintly smiled at Hulayeg.
The Turkic steppe was vast and sparsely populated, and not even Wang Chong had the ability to investigate. But the nearby Western Regions was the best place to gather information. The Hu, Turks, and Arabs gathered there, so Wang Chong didn't need to expend much effort to obtain the information he wanted.
"Haha, what does that matter? I can take back all the things I lost. And even if he knows that I sold horses to you, I have a way to make him trust me and get Ishbara Khagan and the Khatun to pay the price we want. "
Hulayeg looked at Wang Chong said, a crafty light in his eyes.
Although the Turks revered bravery, Hulayeg was no warrior, but a shrewd merchant, and the number one horse merchant of the Turkic steppe.
When it came to business, he was completely different from others.
"Haha, that's even better."
Wang Chong chuckled as he lowered his head and continued to read the news.
… …
While the emissaries of the Western Turkic Ishbara Khagan were running into a wall in Wushang's City of Steel, in the distant capital of the Tang Dynasty, the debate over the next Qixi Protector-General had reached a fever pitch.
"Your Majesty, this subject recommends Black Tiger General Zhang Yi!"
"Your Majesty, this subject recommends Crouching Wave General Duan Xuan!"
"Your Majesty, this subject recommends Frontier General Li Zhi!"
… …
In the short span of a few days, the number of candidates for Qixi Protector-General had increased from ten-some to more than two hundred. There were all sorts of reasons for their recommendations. Some had rich experience, some had experience leading the Hu, some had made rapid progress in strength, and some had performed exceptionally well in the last few years …
Even though the vast majority of people didn't meet the requirements, the people who had recommended them all gave the same reason.
Let them try. If they didn't try, how would they know that it wouldn't work?
"Haaah!"
In the hall, the first row of civil and military officials was next to a scarlet pillar with a coiling dragon. The King of Song, dressed in his imperial robe, leaned against the coiling dragon pillar. As he listened to the voices in his ears, he couldn't help but give a long sigh.
Seven or eight days had passed, and not only had the debate over the Qixi Protector-General not died down, it had only intensified. Everyone had their own goals, recommending the candidate that they felt was the most suitable for them.
But truthfully speaking, even though there were more than two hundred people, in The King of Song's mind, there was not a single one that was suitable. Whether it was his own recommendation of Wang Yan or King Qi's recommendation of Yao Guang Yi, in The King of Song's mind, they were both barely satisfactory.
Matters of state were no trifling matter. Thus, in this period of time, not even Wang Yan and The King of Song had been recommending much.
"A country can't go a day without a sovereign, and the border can't go a day without a general. Just who can replace Fomonlința to oversee the border and protect Qixi?"
The King of Song raised his head to the majestic ceiling of the hall, his mind in turmoil. In truth, he didn't care about the arguments of the officials. What he cared about was the most suitable candidate.
But finding a suitable candidate was easier said than done. The entire Tang dynasty only had a few Great Generals, and all of them were already in their respective positions. Finding another Great General was not difficult, but simply impossible. This was the true reason why the problem of Qixi had still not been resolved.
"In the vast Great Tang, could it be that you really can't find a suitable candidate?"
The King of Song couldn't help but deeply furrow his brow.
This was an unsolvable conundrum. The problem of Qixi was far too complex. The Turks, the Ouzan, the Arabs, Charax Spasinu … and there was also the problem of the foreigners and the Han within the Qixi Protectorate. It was basically impossible to find someone who could satisfy all these conditions.
This was what troubled The King of Song the most.
The arguments in the hall were getting more and more intense. These arguments had been going on for several days, and just when The King of Song was about to leave in a huff, hurried footsteps came from outside the hall.
"Reporting!"
"Victory in Qixi! Four days ago, the Black Wolf Yabgu of the Western Turkic Khaganate launched a night raid on the Qixi Armory and was ambushed by Wushang's Young Marquis Wang Chong and his soldiers. Four thousand five hundred and sixty-eight Turkic elites were slain, including the Black Wolf Yabgu Agudu Lan!"
A Golden Insignia Guard held a golden ancient halberd in one hand and a report in the other as he respectfully knelt on the ground, not moving an inch.
Rumble!
The news brought by the Chamberlain of Imperial Insignia caused a huge uproar in the hall. Although not many people knew of the name 'Agudu Lan', they all knew of the name 'Yabgu'.
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