Li Shimin angrily rebuked, "This is the reason for your rebellion. I have never treated the Turks lightly. Instead, I have rewarded them generously. If the Turks and the Tang dynasty are united, both sides will benefit. If the Turks are separated, both sides will suffer. I treat the people of the Turks better than the people of the Tang dynasty. The Turks don't have to endure the cold, hunger, and disease when they go south. What's wrong with that?"
He originally wanted to put the Ashina Society on trial as a warning to others. However, he did not expect that the Ashina Society would openly encourage the Turks to oppose the Tang dynasty.
"So what? You still want us Turks to fight for the Tang dynasty. "The Ashina Society sneered.
Li Shimin sighed in his heart. He knew that once the assassination happened, both the Tang dynasty and the Turks would have a thorn in their hearts. They would never be able to return to the close cooperation they had before. And the instigator of all this was the Ashina Society.
"The Ashina Society maliciously destroyed the peace between the two races and plotted to assassinate the monarch. This is a heinous crime. His property will be confiscated and he will be executed," Li Shimin said coldly.
The Turks were relieved when they heard Li Shimin's sentence. Li Shimin only executed the Ashina Society and did not implicate them. It could be said that he was being lenient.
According to the laws of the Tang dynasty, assassinating the monarch was a heinous crime. However, the Ashina Society was a member of the Ashina Family and was the leader of the Turks. Once his entire family was implicated, not many of the Turks present would be able to stay out of it.
"Hahaha, so what if you kill me? The Turks will never live under someone else's roof. We Turks will return to the grasslands one day."
Immediately, several guards took Ashina Society Leader away. However, Ashina Society Leader was still very arrogant. He loudly tried to drive a wedge between the Turks and the Tang dynasty.
However, although the Ashina Society was the mastermind, his position was not important. The Turks were concerned about another person, and that was the unlucky Heluugu. He Luohe had always been a pitiful and pathetic person. He was obsessed with the position of Khan, but he had no power. The uncle he relied on turned out to be the real murderer of his father. From the beginning to the end, he was just using him.
"Heluohe, you conspired to assassinate the Emperor. You should've been hacked into pieces. But since you were used by others and your father Tuli has rendered meritorious service to the Tang dynasty, I'll spare your life today. I'll strip you of your Khan position and exile you to Lingnan." Li Shimin looked at the group of Turkic generals. In the end, he did not kill them and let Heluohe go.
"Father, your son is unfilial!" When Heluhe heard that Li Shimin had pardoned him, he did not show any joy. Instead, he became even more disheartened. Not only was he deceived by his father's murderer, but he had also used his father's meritorious service to escape death. He was truly ashamed of his father.
The reason why Li Shimin spared Heluhe was not because Heluhe was used by others or because of Tuli's meritorious service. These were not worth mentioning compared to the crime of assassinating the Emperor. The real reason why Heluhe escaped death was the group of Turks. Li Shimin wanted to use sparing Heluhe's life to win the hearts of the Turks.
"Thank you, Heavenly Khan, for your grace!" The group of Turks were moved to tears.
"All of you have been frightened for an entire day. Go back and rest!" Li Shimin waved his hand and returned to the palace.
The ministers looked at each other and could not help but sigh. His Majesty treated the Turks like his own hands and feet. However, the Turks had stabbed Li Shimin in the back. One could imagine the impact this had on Li Shimin.
The group of Turks left with guilt. However, many of the Han ministers stayed behind.
Although the Ashina Society deserved to die, there was one point that was not wrong. The conflict between the Turks and the Han had reached a point where it had to be resolved. Especially after the assassination, not only were the Turks affected, but the people of the Tang dynasty were also agitated.
"Reporting to Your Majesty, this subject believes that the conflict between the Turks and the Han has reached a point where it has to be resolved." Wei Zheng advised.
"Dear ministers, what do you mean by this? Let's just let this matter pass. "Li Shimin was surprised when he saw the arrival of the ministers. Wei Zheng shook his head.
Wei Zheng shook his head and said, "Your Majesty's thinking is too simple. This humble subject has once advised against the Turks moving inwards. Today's matter has coincidentally confirmed this humble subject's worries. The Ashina Society is definitely not the only one. Presumably, there are many Turks who wish to return to the grasslands. In the long run, there will be disasters and chaos, and even the crisis of the Five Barbarians' rebellion will reappear. It is time for the Turks to return to the grasslands north of the Great Wall."
Li Shimin frowned. If it was before, Li Shimin would definitely think that Wei Zheng was exaggerating to scare him. However, the Ashina Society actually wanted to encourage Tuli to rebel when the Turks were moving inwards. Fortunately, Tuli did not listen. Otherwise, with Tuli's reputation, he would definitely gather all the Turks to rebel within the Tang dynasty and cause fatal damage to the Tang dynasty.
However, Li Ji shook his head and said, "This subject opposes. Letting the Turks return to the grasslands is like letting the tigers return to the mountains. Have you all forgotten how powerful the Turks were in the past?"
From the military's point of view, Li Ji firmly opposed letting the Turks return to the grasslands. Otherwise, once the Turks became powerful again, he was afraid that the northern border of the Tang dynasty would no longer be stable.
Li Shimin's expression changed. The Wei River Alliance in the past was the shame of his life. In the end, he defeated the Turks with the help of the entire country to wash away the shame. But now, he had to let the Turks go back. This was something that Li Shimin could not do. Moreover, the wolf-like nature of the Ashina Society just now had frightened Li Shimin even more.
"The Turks originally belonged to the grasslands. Now that they have moved to the south of the Yellow River, they will naturally miss their homeland. Sooner or later, there will be a change." The civil official strongly supported the release of the Turks back to the grasslands.
"No, the Turks are good at war. They are the most elite fighting force of the Tang dynasty. We must not let them go." The Turks were the most elite cavalry, and they were an important part of the Tang dynasty's military. The military was naturally unwilling to let go of this elite fighting force.
For a moment, the civil and military sides were arguing.
"Alright, I have treated the Turks so well. Could it be that I still can't make them submit?" Li Shimin had experienced the founding war and naturally knew the importance of the Turks. Naturally, he was unwilling to let go of this force so easily.
Zhangsun Wuji smiled bitterly and said, "Your Majesty might not know this, but the Turks are not as good as before. I'm afraid that they have long been complaining. This gave the Ashina Society the chance to gather so many traitors. "
"Why do you say so, Minister Zhangsun?" Li Shimin was puzzled.
Zhangsun Wuji turned around and looked at Mo Jiazi. He smiled bitterly and said, "I'm afraid this matter has to be explained from the rise of the Turks. Before this, the Turks were very content with their lives south of the Yellow River. Naturally, no one was willing to rebel. Even with Tuli's prestige and reputation, he was powerless. This is probably the reason why Tuli knows his place."
Everyone nodded slowly. He did not believe that Tuli was truly loyal to the Tang dynasty. It was just that he did not have the chance.
Zhangsun Wuji continued, "However, after the rise of the Mohist, they first used strong liquor to exchange for cattle and horses. The Turks were naturally the first to bear the brunt. The herdsmen loved alcohol and used their livestock to exchange for liquor. This caused the livestock of the Tang dynasty to flow out, and the lives of the Turks decreased greatly. However, this was not the most fatal thing. The real reason why the Turks were so angry was the production of the Mohist's wooden horses and cattle. The tricycles and bicycles sold well all over the Tang dynasty, causing the prices of cattle and horses to decrease greatly. The Turks suffered heavy losses and complaints were heard everywhere. "
Li Shimin finally understood. It turned out that the Turks were greedy for good wine and the Mohist's village used strong liquor to exchange for a large number of cattle and horses. Unfortunately, the prices of cattle and horses decreased greatly, causing the Turks to suffer for a short period of time. This caused the Turks to complain everywhere.
"Meton, how do you explain this matter?"
Upon hearing this, Li Shimin could not help but glare at Meton. He realized that Mo Jiazi, this catfish, would cause a catfish effect wherever he went. Even the Turks in the far north could not escape from Mo Jiazi's evil hands.
"What Lord Zhangsun said is indeed the truth." Upon hearing this, Meton smiled bitterly and admitted. Suddenly, he changed the topic and said, "However, the Minister believes that the root cause of the Turks' problems lies with themselves."
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