Qimin Khan was running out of gas. When he succeeded in banishing his most restless second son, his tense heartstrings relaxed. He endured it in a daze for two days, but finally couldn't survive it and died of illness in Baicheng. In the palace.
He was worried about turmoil in the Eastern Turks and worried that the Eastern Turks would be attacked by surrounding enemies. Before his death, he not only strictly ordered his eldest son to keep the funeral secret, but also asked the eldest son to win the canonization of the Sui Dynasty; otherwise, it would be "incorrect access to the throne." The aliens will be hostile and attacked by surrounding forces.
Ashina Duji has designated his Khan as Shibi Khan. His loyalty, gratitude, and awe to the Sui Dynasty are far less than those of his father. When he heard his father's last words asking him to seek canonization, he felt a little disapproving. , but he also knew that the surrounding forces all regarded the Sui Dynasty as their suzerainty, and they all looked covetously at the pastures occupied by the Eastern Turks. In the past, everyone was a subordinate of the Sui Dynasty and had equal status, so all parties lacked reasons and excuses to join forces to attack the Eastern Turks. If they were not canonized by the Sui Dynasty, the Eastern Turks would be an anomaly; at that time, various forces would surely send out troops to attack them in a high-sounding manner under the banner of "disrespecting the Sui Dynasty".
For this reason and due to the situation, Shibi Khan Ashina Duji kept his father's confession in mind. At the same time, he also strictly guarded the news of his father's death, declaring that his father needed a quiet rest and would not allow anyone to visit him. disturb. However, there are only those who commit a thief for a thousand days in the world, so how can one guard against a thief for a thousand days? What's more, Ashina Qilifushe had already deployed a large number of people in the palace. Qimin Khan only died a few hours before someone passed the news to Ashina Qilifushe.
After receiving the information, Ashina Qilifushu openly said that his father died strangely, accused Ashina Duji of patricide, and refused to recognize Ashina Duji as Shibi Khan, and then led his troops northward. He established himself as Chuluo Khan, and invited various Turkic tribes to form alliances to discuss plans to punish the traitors and traitors.
Ashina Dubi, who has retreated to his own tent, is also silently accumulating power, and his attitude towards Ashina Duji has become ambiguous. Although he did not participate in the fight between the two brothers, he He also had the posture of sitting on a mountain and watching the fight between tigers and tigers. Ashina Duji was forced by the situation and had no choice but to title him Ye Hu and, against his father's orders, give him the title of Jieli Khan.
The surrounding Xue Yantuo, Xue Hu tribe alliance, Uighur tribe alliance, Nan Shiwei, and Beishi Wei were originally ready to move because of the death of Qimin Khan. When they saw the Ashina family reappearing as Datou Khan, Dulan Khan, and Apo Khan was so strong that he withdrew all his troops. He planned to wait until the Ashina brothers were both injured in the fight, and then come out to enjoy the victory.
For a time, the grassland was turbulent and war clouds were gathering. The tension between the Ashina brothers made the Eastern Turkic civil war imminent.
. . . . . .
In Ziwei City Palace Renshou, Yang Guang was sitting on the throne, looking at the more than ten important ministers below, and felt a burning pain on his face.
A few years ago, he was in this hall discussing the lifting of the ban with these important ministers. At that time, Yang Ji suggested that the court should also impose appropriate punishment on buyers who purchased weapons from illegal traders. Then Yang Guangda waved his hand and came. A "crime of buying and selling the country." In fact, all the important officials, including Yang Ji, said it was inappropriate: everyone agreed that unscrupulous traders put profits first. As long as the buyer offers a price that is far beyond their psychological expectations, some people will definitely take risks driven by huge profits, and reselling prohibited items will be severely punished. There is no problem with illegal traders, but the Sui Dynasty cannot launch a war to destroy the country for hundreds or thousands of knives, right? If the buyer who bought hundreds or even thousands of knives was thousands of miles away and was still poor and poor, should you fight or not?
Yang Guang didn't believe it. He felt that the surrounding foreigners were afraid of Sui Ruhu, and the Great Sui Dynasty also established the rule of "buying and selling are the same crime." Once the foreigners could purchase goods from "regular channels" at low prices, there was no reason to risk the destruction of the country and buy goods from "scalpers" at high prices. Party" hands to buy.
What fool would be willing to do such a stupid and uneconomical business? So it was decided against all the odds. However, Yang Guang ignored that connections were priceless. Some people were willing to spend all their wealth in order to make friends with dignitaries, let alone between two countries? According to Shi Chaoan's confession, the Turks' purpose in doing this business was to make friends with the Li family of Longxi, who was powerful all over the world. With this big handle in hand, the Turks could make the Li family of Longxi obediently provide them with information and do things for them.
Facing the Turks as a buyer, Yang Guang doesn't want to fight for the time being. His national policy is to focus on rectifying the internal situation before expanding externally. No one had mentioned it before, and he was blissfully confused. But this morning at court, a minister who didn't know whether he was upright or stupid actually mentioned the rule of "buying and selling are the same crime" in public, and asked Yang Guang if he wanted to go to conquer the Turks.
Yang Guang was speechless for a moment, embarrassed and unable to sheath his sword. He was so strategizing and high-spirited before, but he was so embarrassed and ashamed in the early morning. After arriving in Jurong, we discussed the matter again, and then hurriedly announced that the court had dispersed. Looking back, he called these important ministers to discuss countermeasures.
Seeing Yang Guang's ugly face, the senior officials of the Sui Dynasty also felt a little solemn. The Turks were not only slapping Yang Guang in the face, but also the face of the entire Sui Dynasty. Once this matter was revealed, the court must make a decision that convinced everyone. Otherwise, how can we govern the world? How could a foreign race attach itself to the Sui Dynasty?
"Let's talk about it, how to solve this problem?" Yang Guang did not blame the courtier. After all, this was a hidden matter, and it couldn't be kept secret for long. Even if the courtier didn't say anything, someone would jump out and say it. Instead of letting people fan the flames , causing trouble, it is better to solve it as soon as possible.
"Sage, according to what I have seen, I, the Sui Dynasty, can pay tribute to the soldiers first." Although Gao Jiong was old and frail and his energy was not as good as before, he was unambiguous on issues concerning the honor, disgrace and dignity of the Sui Dynasty. Seeing that everyone was silent, he stood up and said: "The courtesy is to send an envoy north and let Qimin Khan give an explanation; if his compensation and the heads he surrenders satisfy me, the Sui Dynasty, and make the surrounding foreigners convinced and fearful, Let this matter go. Otherwise, we will send troops. As for the extent of the killing, everything will be decided by the soldiers at the front. In short, the Sui Dynasty cannot be humiliated. Anyone who dares to offend our Sui Dynasty will be killed!"
Yang Guang pondered for a long time, raised his eyes and asked, "Everyone, what do you think of this method?"
"Sage, I have no objections!" Pei Ju stood up and saluted Yang Guang, and said in a comment-like manner: "If I, the Sui Dynasty, had bowed before me, I would not only have moved the problem to the Turks, but it would also have demonstrated my Sui Dynasty's truthful and trustworthy demeanor; If we launch troops because the Turks fail to give satisfactory explanations, the surrounding foreign tribes will also think that our Sui Dynasty has done its best to benevolent and righteous, and all the fault lies with the Turks, not our Sui Dynasty's domineering and bullying."
"It makes sense." Yang Guang also agreed with Gao Jiong's strategy of courtesy first and then fighting. He nodded and looked at Yang Ji habitually: "King Wei?"
"Prime Minister Gao and Prime Minister Pei are right, I have no objection." This was Yang Ji's sincere words, and there was nothing to add. However, for some reason, Yang Guang and the important ministers present always felt that he was perfunctory and had no intention at all.
Yang Guang looked at Yang Ji doubtfully and asked again: "Really?"
"It's true! In fact, I also have something to say, but Prime Minister Gao and Prime Minister Pei said everything I wanted to say, so what can I do?" Yang Ji said helplessly: "But in terms of 'rear soldiers', I have A small addition, that is, when using troops, our Sui Dynasty ordered the major forces in the grassland in the name of the suzerainty to send troops to fight dogs. This can not only reduce the casualties of our Sui Dynasty, but also weaken dogs and dogs, and also It can deepen the conflicts and hatred between each other.”
"Then let them fight on their own. And war consumes the most national power. As long as they fight for three to five years and the national power is exhausted; if I, the Sui Dynasty, intervene again, they will definitely be far more obedient than they are now."
Everyone was speechless: "..."
The first sentence was left to Gao Jiong and Pei Ju to finish, but then came this method of driving away wolves and devouring tigers at the expense of others. How dare you say that you "have no objections"?
"Sage, hurry up for eight hundred miles!" At this moment, Zhige General Dugu Lingyun broke into the hall, and the two guards behind him half supported and half hugged a messenger who was covered in mud.
The eight-hundred-mile expedited operation represents a very important matter. The messenger who delivers this kind of information and the people who receive him can break into the palace without notification. The guards can only guard against and guard against them, but cannot stop them. Therefore, Dugu Lingyun and others are not rude, but are responsible. When Yang Guang heard this, he was shocked and asked quickly: "What happened?"
"Reporting to the saint, Dingxiang Prefect and General Manager Yang Xuangan sent an envoy to report that Qimin Khan is dead. This is an urgent report from Prefect Yang." Dugu Lingyun said as he strode forward and handed over a letter. To Yang Guang.
After hearing what Dugu Lingping said, everyone was suddenly surprised and happy. Qimin Khan was the one who supported the collapse of the building and connected the previous and the following. To the Turkic "dynasty", he was equivalent to Liu Xiu and Liu Bei of the Han Dynasty. He was also a powerful figure that the emperors and officials of the Sui Dynasty paid great attention to. Now he is dead?
Yang Guang did not open the letter immediately and asked the messenger: "When did Qimin Khan pass away?"
The messenger hurriedly saluted and replied: "Sage Qimin, Qimin Khan passed away in the Baicheng Palace about ten days ago. However, the Turks blocked the news very severely, and it took a few days for Governor Yang to get the news."
"What's the current situation of the Turks? Do you know?" Yang Guang asked again.
"Sage, you know a thing or two about humble positions!" The messenger said: "It is said that three days before his death, Qimin Khan first gave up the throne to his eldest son Ashina Duji, named Shibi Khan, and then gave up his throne to his second son Ashina Duji. Ashina Qilifushe was exiled to the northwest, that is, the Great Lakes area, where he met Xue Yantuo and Qi Gu. When Qimin Khan died, Ashina Qilifushe said that Shibi Khan had killed his father, and then He established himself as Chuluo Khan, summoned the Turks to kill Shibi Khan, and Shibi Khan named his third brother Ashina Dubi as Jieli Khan."
Yang Guang continued to ask: "Is there anything else?"
The messenger said rather uneasily: "Please forgive me, saint. This is all I know from my humble position."
"Okay!" Yang Guang nodded and ordered Dugu Lingping: "Take him down and have a good rest."
"General, I obey!" Dugu Lingping responded and left with a few others.
Yang Guang opened the urgent letter and read it, raised his head and said to everyone: "The content of the letter is very similar to what the messenger said. The extra content is that the three Ashina brothers have sent envoys to our Sui Dynasty. All the princes have some opinions on this. What do you think?"
Yang Ji also didn't expect that the Shibi Khan, Chuluo Khan, and Jieli Khan of the Eastern Turks would appear at the same time. Hearing this, he said: "Saint! During the Turkic Khanate period, there were many big and small khans. , each of them claimed that he was the Great Khan, and each incorporated and annexed other tribes in the name of the Great Khan. Some tribes did not know who the Great Khan was, so they unknowingly paid allegiance to the nearby "Great Khan". In the later period of the Turkic Khanate, the real great khan did not have much power. Qimin Khan learned the profound lessons of his predecessors and canceled the honorary title of the big and small khans, thus making the title of 'Khan' a unique and supreme existence. , and at the same time regard this rule as an ancestral system that cannot be violated."
"Duo Ji is a far-sighted man. It is impossible for him not to know the dangers of enfeoffing khans, but he still canonized Du Bi as Jieli Khan, which shows that he is worried that Duo Bi will follow suit or respond to Qili Fushe."
"A further inference is that although Duoji was the Great Khan designated by Qimin Khan, he lacked prestige and strength, and various ministries had doubts about Qimin Khan's death, so he simply did not have the strength and confidence to fight. It was difficult to get enough money, so I had to use poison to quench my thirst and raise tigers to make troubles."
The emperors and ministers of the Sui Dynasty were amazed when they heard this. Yang Ji could infer reasonable truths based only on those few answers. His accumulation of Turkic knowledge and his quick response were really convincing. Zhang Heng pondered for a moment, then raised his hand to Yang Ji and asked: "According to what the king sees, what will be the future of the Eastern Turks?"
After hearing this, some important ministers who were drooping their eyelids and seemed to be sleeping but were actually listening and analyzing immediately opened their eyes and stared at Yang Ji with burning eyes.
"After Duji succeeded the Turkic Great Khan, the trend of Turkic split has become obvious." Yang Ji gave a definition and said unhurriedly: "Because although Duoji is the legitimate Great Khan, but including The grassland forces, including the Turks, do not believe in this. Their tradition is that the strong is respected and the winner is king: if the person who ascends to the throne does not have the strength to exercise the power of the Great Khan, he will not be able to live long. He was overthrown by other people by force. However, if he gave up his position of knowledge to the strong, the vast majority of strong people would not only not deal with him, but would give him a better life and more property. Therefore, a brother dies to a younger brother, and an uncle dies to a nephew. There are many inheritances inherited from step-nephews and deceased uncles.”
"Some people preach that brothers and sisters are respectful to each other, and fathers are kind and sons are filial, but this is not the case. The real reason is that the power gap is too big, and the person who inherits the throne has to give up, otherwise he will die. And the person who wins the big position will accept his affection. However, seeing that the person who gave up the throne did not have the strength to counterattack him, he was happy to show his generosity and magnanimity. Over time, a tradition was formed."
Everyone nodded silently. They all grasped the two key points of "strength" and "the gap in strength is too big".
Yang Ji continued: "Duo Ji's orthodox status can certainly allow him to win over many nobles and forces, but his strength was almost the same as Qi Liveshe before. He can win over people now, but Qi Liveshe goes first All the ministries were summoned to resist. Since the power of both of them is growing, the strength gap between the two has not changed much. This has caused both sides to lose the basis for willingly handing over power and surrendering."
"Duoji is a legitimate Great Khan, but if he wants to become a real Great Khan with great power, he has to cut down the vassal vassal and cut off Qili Fushe. And Qili Fushe is eyeing the position of Great Khan. And since he has the strength in hand, he will naturally not be captured without any help, so there must be a battle between the two of them."
After Yang Ji's analysis one by one, the emperors and ministers of the Sui Dynasty were extremely excited: everyone had planned many times in order to split the Eastern Turks again. However, Qimin Khan was the founding king of the Eastern Turks after all. He had unparalleled power and prestige in the Eastern Turks. In addition, Chang Sun Sheng's "diplomacy with distant and close enemies, separation of the strong and alliance with the weak, use of barbarians to control barbarians, and division of Turks" The strategic policy made the Turks suffer a lot. Therefore, the Turkic nobles did not dare to go against Qimin Khan, but they were also wary of the Sui Dynasty. As a result, the Sui Dynasty's strategy of interfering in the internal affairs of the Turks and attempting to cause division had little effect.
Unexpectedly, as soon as Qimin Khan died, the Turks immediately showed signs of falling apart. Now the three Ashina brothers sent envoys south, giving them the opportunity to intervene in the Turks!
Is there such a good thing in the world?
Shi Xiang, the minister of Honglu Temple, hesitated for a long time, bowed his hand to Yang Ji, and asked: "Your Majesty, this is indeed a great opportunity to intervene and split the Turks, but how can I, the Sui Dynasty, interfere? Is it to directly send troops to help General Lifushe seize the throne?" Or should we let the three brothers kill each other?"
Yang Ji said: "The fragmentation of the Eastern Turks will be of great benefit to us in the Sui Dynasty. If we directly send troops to help Lifushu seize the throne, the Eastern Turks will be unified in his hands. This will be of great benefit to the Sui Dynasty." It won’t do any good at all, so we just add fuel to the flames.”
"What the king said is very true. Letting the Turks divide and restrain each other meets the needs of our Sui Dynasty." Shi Xiang nodded, and then said: "But I don't know where I, the Sui Dynasty, will start?"
In addition to being the minister of Honglu Temple, Shi Xiang was also a Turkic envoy. He knew that his "business" was about to come, so he asked more questions in order to deal with the incoming envoys of the three Ashina brothers.
"The opportunity to get started is the 'same crime of buying and selling' that we discussed before." Yang Ji said with a smile: "Youdao is the father's debt and the son repays it. Since Duo Ji has inherited the throne of Qimin Khan, then what is included in the 'same crime of buying and selling' The seller is naturally him, and he must bear all the culpability. If we cannot be satisfied, we will directly order Zili Fushe and Du Bi to deal with him."
Speaking of this, Yang Ji emphasized: "The three Ashina brothers all sent envoys south, indicating that they all hope that I, the Sui Dynasty, will support them as the Great Khan. If we order Qili Fushe and Du Bi to attack Du Ji, They can march with the momentum of the Great Sui Dynasty, and I think they are very willing to obey orders. If they are unwilling, let Tiele's tribes destroy Duji first, and then deal with them."
After speaking, Yang Ji asked Yang Guang: "Sage, what I said above is my personal opinion. What do you think?"
"I think it's okay!" Yang Guang smiled and turned to Shi Xiang and said, "I'll leave the envoys of the three Ashina brothers to you. In short, on the premise that the Turks cannot be unified, try to find a way for them to do so." I am the Sui Dynasty to capture the maximum benefit."
"I obey!" Shi Xiang responded with his hands in hand.
