RPAGF Chapter 59 Li Chengqian: Qingque, you are truly outstanding!
Chapter 59 Li Chengqian: Qingque, you are truly outstanding!
"Li Shimin killed even his own brothers, and he didn't even spare his nephews. How can we let it go so easily after we killed so many people on the border of the Tang Dynasty?"
If you submit to the Tang Dynasty, you will have to go to the capital to pay tribute. Once you arrive in Chang'an, they will arrest you. At that time, you will be helpless and unable to get help from heaven or earth.
"If you don't heed my advice and insist on surrendering to the Tang Dynasty, then your fate may be even worse than those I mentioned earlier," said King Tianzhu.
Upon hearing this, Fuyun Khan felt a chill run down his spine and asked, "Then, according to you, what should I do?"
"Khan, in my humble opinion, you should take advantage of their unpreparedness and capture Su Wan and the two people who came with her. Then, send troops to surround Li Chengqian's camp and kill Li Chengqian to avenge your deceased grandson."
From this day forward, we will fight against the Li Tang dynasty to the very end.
"So, do you think we can be a match for Li Tang?"
King Tianzhu shook his head and slowly said, "Back then, the Eastern Wu army had only tens of thousands of troops, yet it was still able to fight against Cao Cao's 830,000-strong army. Our current army is much larger than the Eastern Wu army at that time. The Tang army has just fought against the Eastern Turks and was severely weakened. Their army is definitely not as large as Cao Cao's back then."
Moreover, our terrain here is treacherous and the roads are rugged. If the Tang army dares to attack us, we will ambush them at strategic points and ensure they never return.
"I'm afraid this won't work," Fu Yun Khan shook his head.
"What are you worried about?"
"Murong Nuohebo is still in Li Chengqian's hands. If we push them too far, won't they try to poison him?"
King Tianzhu thought for a moment and said, "If the Khan is not at ease, then capture the three Tang envoys first, and then use them to exchange for your grandson. Once Murong Nuohebo returns, we will kill Li Chengqian and the others."
Fuyun Khan remained hesitant and could not make a decision for a long time.
King Tianzhu urged from the side, "Khan, it's almost the fourth watch of the night. In a little while, it will be dawn. You should make your decision quickly."
Khan Fuyun asked, "If I were to entrust this task to you, are you confident in your abilities?"
"Khan, rest assured, I am 100% confident that even if there are 300 people, let alone 30, they will not escape my grasp." King Tianzhu was full of confidence.
"Alright, then go and make the arrangements. Remember, capture those three envoys and Li Chengqian alive." Fuyun Khan slammed his fist on the table, finally making up his mind.
"Your humble servant will obey the Khan's decree!"
Just then, King Tianzhu suddenly heard the sound of someone stepping on cracking tiles above him. He quickly jumped out of the door and looked up at the roof: "Who's there?"
However, after looking for a long time, he did not see anyone, but saw a big cat jump down from the roof.
Fuyun Khan followed him out and asked, "Was someone on the roof just now?"
"No, Khan, it's a cat," said King Tianzhu.
"I see. I was worried that someone had overheard our conversation. It's good that no one did."
"This humble servant takes his leave. I will now lead men to capture those three messengers."
"Okay, you must be careful."
"Please rest assured, Khan!" This was not the first time King Tianzhu had done something like this.
However, to Tianzhu Wang's surprise, when he gathered a thousand armored soldiers and rushed to the post station, there was no trace of Su Wan, Su Gui and Du He.
It turned out that someone had indeed been eavesdropping on the conversation between Khan Fuyun, Murong Shun, and King Tianzhu from the rooftop. This person was none other than Su Gui.
During the day, Su Wan noticed that Khan Fuyun was unwilling to sign the agreement immediately, so she suspected something might be wrong. Therefore, at night, she sent Su Gui to eavesdrop.
As Su Wan had predicted, the Heavenly Pillar King slandered Fu Yun Khan.
Fuyun Khan, however, listened to one side and agreed to Tianzhu King's proposal.
After hearing this, Su Gui quickly left. Inadvertently, he stepped on a piece of tile and released a cat he had brought with him, which bewitched King Tianzhu.
King Tianzhu was furious: "I told you long ago that those three children were no ordinary people, they were cunning and treacherous, but the Khan didn't believe me. See? I told you so, they actually ran away!"
Murong Zhong said, "Your Majesty is wise!"
Murong Zhong was Murong Shun's cousin and had a good relationship with Tianzhu King.
"Reinforce the military training ground with another four thousand cavalry. We must catch up with them immediately and capture Li Chengqian alive!"
"promise!"
Murong Zhong agreed and rushed to the military training ground to mobilize troops.
Li Chengqian's main tent.
Li Chengqian was sleeping in his tent.
Su Wan rushed in from outside and hurriedly shouted, "Your Highness, wake up! The Tuyuhun army is here!"
Li Chengqian heard Su Wan calling him, but he didn't know what had happened.
He rubbed his eyes: "Wan'er, why are you back so soon?"
Su Wan was thirsty, so she picked up her teacup, took two sips, and then briefly recounted the events to Li Chengqian.
"King Tianzhu is indeed a scoundrel. The Tuyuhun cavalry are right behind us, they'll be here soon. Hurry up and get dressed, let's run!"
Li Chengqian thought to himself, "Now that things have come to this, there's no other way."
After quickly getting dressed, he ordered Su Gui to prepare the troops and set off.
However, they had only gone less than two miles when they saw banners obscuring the sun and dust billowing behind them. It turned out that they had been surrounded by the cavalry brought by the Heavenly Pillar King, and it was too late to escape.
King Tianzhu, mounted on horseback and standing on a high place, shouted loudly, "Where is Li Chengqian? Come out and speak with me!"
Seeing this situation, Li Chengqian knew he couldn't avoid it any longer.
He spurred his horse forward a few steps, then reined it in. Steady and composed, his voice booming, he declared, "I am Li Chengqian, the Crown Prince of the Great Tang! Who are you?"
"I am the Heavenly Pillar King. Since you have come to Tuyuhun on a diplomatic mission, why have you left without saying goodbye?"
"I just received a message from Chang'an that I have urgent business to attend to and must return immediately. I did not have time to say goodbye."
Upon hearing this, King Tianzhu sneered: "Li Chengqian, you can only fool a three-year-old child with your words. You can't fool this old man."
Li Chengqian was furious when he heard the man address him by his given name and refer to himself as "this old man": "King Tianzhu, since you know I am the Crown Prince of the Great Tang, why have you brought troops here? What is your intention?"
"I have come to invite you to Fusi City to meet our Khan."
"Are you making such a big fuss to invite me?"
As a subject of Tuyuhun, you advised Khan Fuyun to make peace with our Tang Dynasty and not invade each other's territory. However, you slandered us to Khan Fuyun, instigating him to send troops to invade our Tang border more than 20 times. You took our Tang Dynasty's tolerance as weakness and vulnerability. So, let me tell you, people's patience has its limits. Please do not challenge our bottom line any further.
My purpose in coming here is to reach an agreement with Khan Fuyun so that our two countries can live in harmony and trade with each other from now on.
But you then spread rumors before Khan Fuyun and dared to lead troops to arrest our Tang Dynasty's envoy. What is the reason for this?
"Li Chengqian, I never expected you to be so good at sophistry at such a young age!"
Your purpose in this westward journey is to divide and weaken the alliance between our Tuyuhun and Dangxiang, so that we can defeat them one by one. How malicious your intentions are!
Do you think I can't see through your schemes and tricks?
Your sweet talk can only fool people like Murong Shun!
Today, enough with the nonsense, just surrender immediately and that's it.
"If you dare to resist, don't blame me for being impolite! Archers, prepare!"
At the command of the Heavenly Pillar King, thousands of archers swiftly advanced, nocked their arrows, and aimed at Li Chengqian and his men.
Su Gui, Mu Jishe, Feng Jishe, and Shui Jishe immediately stood in front of Li Chengqian to protect him.
Su Wan realized that things had already developed to this point, and nothing she said would make a difference.
She said to Li Chengqian, "Your Highness, it's pointless to reason with this kind of person. As the saying goes, to catch the thief, you must first catch the king. Why not let Su Gui capture and kill him?"
Li Chengqian shook his head: "No, there are too many of them. Doing that would be too risky."
At this moment, Fatong walked over and whispered, "Your Highness, please take me as a hostage; perhaps this will ensure your safety."
Li Chengqian thought about it and realized that this was a good idea: "Then I'll have to trouble you."
"As long as His Highness and everyone else are safe, my death is nothing."
Li Chengqian gave Su Gui a wink, and Su Gui understood. He immediately reached out and pulled Fatong onto his horse, drew his sword, held it to Fatong's neck, and shouted, "King Tianzhu, look who he is!"
Upon hearing this, King Tianzhu glanced at the monk and recognized him as Murong Nuohebo.
King Tianzhu thought to himself that Murong Nuohebo was Murong Shun's son and his opponent, so he might as well take this opportunity to kill him.
So King Tianzhu pretended not to know: "What does a wild monk have to do with us? Archers, prepare to fire!"
Murong Zhong, who was beside him, urged his horse forward. He was Murong Nuohebo's uncle and quickly stopped him, saying, "Your Majesty, that monk is none other than Murong Shun's son, Murong Nuohebo. Please, Your Majesty, rescind your order!"
If we fire an arrow now, pushing the enemy to their limit, it will surely injure Murong Nuohebo.
King Tianzhu didn't want to save Murong Nuohebo, but he couldn't say it in front of everyone: "If we can't capture them today, we may never have another chance."
"The Khan ordered that Li Chengqian be captured alive, but he did not say that he should be killed."
However, we must ensure the safety of Murong Nuohebo.
Given the current situation, even if we go back and report the truth, I don't think the Khan will blame us.
Besides, Li Chengqian is the crown prince of the Tang Dynasty. If we really kill him, how could Li Shimin let us off so easily?
"If that happens, our Tuyuhun will have forged a blood feud with the Tang Dynasty, one that can never be resolved. Wouldn't that just attract the Tang army?"
King Tianzhu remained silent.
Murong Zhong pointed to the opposite side and said, "Your Majesty, please look. They still have seven hundred soldiers under their command. From my observation, these people are not ordinary. Among them are many sharpshooters. Moreover, have you noticed that the crossbows they are carrying are very special, different from ours, and their power should not be underestimated?"
If pushed too far, a fight could break out, and the outcome is uncertain.
Upon hearing this, King Tianzhu felt that what he said made sense, so he had no choice but to order, "Make way and let Li Chengqian and the others pass."
Li Chengqian clasped his hands in a fist and said, "King Tianzhu, thank you. However, before I leave, I would like to give you a few words of advice. As the saying goes, those who do many unrighteous deeds will surely perish!"
I hope you will go back and persuade Khan Fuyun to sign the agreement and send it to Chang'an.
From this day forward, you shall never again invade the borders of the Tang Dynasty. I will plead your case before my father, the Emperor, and you shall not be attacked.
If you ignore my good advice and insist on your own way, then even if I wanted to save you, I'm afraid I would be powerless to do so.
"Li Chengqian, are you threatening me?"
Let me tell you, I am not easily intimidated.
If your Great Tang Dynasty is confident in its military strength, then you may send troops over.
We Tuyuhun people have no cowards.
Muji said, "Your Highness, there's no point in talking to this kind of person. Watch me shoot an arrow through his horse's left eye and let him know how powerful we are."
As they were talking, there was a "whoosh" sound. Mujishe shot an arrow that hit the left eye of the horse under Tianzhuwang's horse. Because he used too much force, the arrowhead was also very penetrating. It actually pierced the horse's skull, and the horse fell to the ground and died on the spot.
King Tianzhu was also thrown off his horse.
Upon seeing this, Murong Zhong quickly jumped off his horse and helped him up from the ground: "Your Majesty, are you alright?"
After standing up, King Tianzhu, still shaken, touched his head and asked Murong Zhong, "Am I still alive?"
Upon hearing this, Murong Zhong dared not laugh even though he wanted to: "Your Majesty, you are alright, but your horse is dead."
"Their archery skills are truly remarkable! They managed to hit the target even at a distance of about two hundred paces!"
"Yes, Your Majesty, it's fortunate that he only said he would shoot your horse in the left eye. If he had shot it at your left eye, would you have been able to dodge it?"
"You are absolutely right. Send the order to retreat immediately!" King Tianzhu quickly changed to a different horse.
Then, Murong Zhong shouted loudly, "The King has ordered us to retreat!"
Li Chengqian then said to Tianzhu Wang, "After you go back, have a good talk with Fuyun Khan. The Dangxiang have already surrendered to the Tang Dynasty. Tell him not to cause any more trouble for the Dangxiang."
Upon hearing this, King Tianzhu realized that the Dangxiang had indeed surrendered to the Tang Dynasty. Therefore, he led his men back to Fusi City.
Li Chengqian and his entourage then headed to the Dangxiang.
On the way, Su Wan said to Li Chengqian, "Khan Fuyun is easily swayed by others. He is being instigated by Tianzhu King. It is absolutely impossible for him to surrender to the Tang Dynasty. They will definitely invade the borders of the Tang Dynasty again. The only way to deal with them is by force."
Li Chengqian thought to himself, just as Su Wan had said, that Fuyun Khan had a deep-seated prejudice against the Tang Dynasty, and that Tianzhu Wang was a stubborn person, so it would be almost impossible to change their attitude.
"Khan Fuyun didn't sign the agreement. When we arrive in Tangut, the leaders of the seven tribes will ask us about this. How should we answer them?"
"I have already had Xue'er forge an agreement, saying that the Dangxiang voluntarily surrendered to the Tang Dynasty, which is their right, and the Tuyuhun will not interfere. Moreover, the Tuyuhun also intends to surrender to the Tang Dynasty." Su Wan said, taking out an agreement from her bosom and handing it to Li Chengqian.
Li Chengqian opened it and saw that it was stamped with the seal of Tuyuhun.
"Where did you get this large seal?"
"Xue'er carved it with a radish."
"Ah? I didn't expect Miss Xue'er to be such a talented person," Li Chengqian praised.
"Didn't I tell you? She knows a lot of things." Su Wan's lips curled up.
"However, this agreement is fake, and I'm afraid it's inappropriate."
Why do you always do things in such a conventional way?
With this agreement in place, the seven leaders of the Tangut tribes had nothing to worry about.
They would unite and force Tuoba Chici to surrender to the Tang Dynasty.
Tuoba Chici was powerless to resist the Tang Dynasty; even if he wanted to, he had no choice but to surrender.
Once they surrender to the Tang Dynasty, we can reorganize their army and replace key positions with our own people. Even if they discover that the agreement is fake, by then, the deed is done, and they won't be able to go back on their word.
All they want are official positions and salaries; as long as they are promoted and given higher ranks, I guarantee they won't complain.
After hearing what she said, Li Chengqian thought it made some sense.
With this fake agreement, how many fewer people will die? Am I a bit outdated in my thinking? In any case, let's get the Tanguts to surrender first.
The land of the river bend.
As Li Chengqian led his troops into the territory of the Tanguts, they saw a group of people waiting for them ahead.
As he drew closer, Li Chengqian discovered that the person who came to greet him was none other than Li Tai.
Behind Li Tai stood Tuoba Chici and the leaders of the other seven tribes.
Li Tai stepped forward and bowed, saying, "Brother, how have you been? I greet you."
Li Chengqian was very puzzled and exchanged a glance with Su Wan.
"Li Tai, what are you doing here?"
"Replying to Your Majesty, I learned that you have been on a mission to the Tanguts for quite some time now, and I have not heard from you. I am very worried that something might have happened to you."
Therefore, the younger brother asked the father for permission to lead the two thousand imperial guards that Jingyao had brought back to meet you, and also to persuade the Dangxiang to surrender.
Furthermore, I heard that Your Majesty took away the five hundred guards I brought last time. Since Your Majesty has returned safely, please return those five hundred guards to me as well.
Upon hearing this, Su Wan's almond-shaped eyes widened and her eyebrows shot up. She thought to herself, "Li Tai, you are truly shameless. Last time you came to the Dangxiang, you abandoned five hundred guards and rode back alone on a heavenly horse. Now, I hear that we have almost reached an agreement with the Dangxiang, but you took the opportunity to interfere and persuade the Dangxiang to surrender so that you can curry favor with your father. Is there such a good thing in the world?"
What the hell are you?
And Li Shimin is the same. Last time he gave Li Tai five hundred guards, and this time he gave him two thousand imperial guards. Did you give Li Chengqian a single soldier?
That's really biased.
Su Wan became increasingly angry and was about to explode.
Li Chengqian gestured with his eyes to stop her.
"I see. Thank you for your concern. I am safe and sound."
Now that you've won over the Tanguts, this is a great thing that benefits the people of both countries. Well done!
"The five hundred guards were originally your subordinates, so naturally they should be returned to you," Li Chengqian said, then turned and called out, "Su Gui!"
"Your subordinate is here!" Su Gui replied.
"Immediately, transfer those five hundred guards to the King of Yue."
"This—." Su Gui hesitated for a moment and looked at Li Chengqian.
"Why are you looking at me like that? Didn't you hear what I said?"
"promise!"