The next day dawn broke, and the morning glow stained half of the sky. The palace of Nanhanting glowed dazzlingly under the gorgeous colorful clouds.
In a side hall of the palace, Shibi Khan was discussing matters with Ashina Zhebie, Ashina Zheluo, Ashina Fuyuan, Ashina Wentuo and other senior ministers. The young civil and military officers included Kang Sheoli and Qibi. Ge, Guduolu, and Li Shirun, whom Kang Sheoli secretly brought from Luoyang, were also lucky enough to participate in such military meetings.
In addition, there is a pair of Han brothers, the elder brother is named Guo Zihe and the younger brother is named Guo Zizheng. The Guo brothers are from the Li family in Longxi. Guo Zihe is an official worshiper of Wuyuan County. Most of the forbidden items of the Li family in Longxi passed through this place. People go through customs clearance procedures. When the major crime broke out, the brothers immediately fled to Turks with their families and property; they also donated 20,000 sets of weapons and equipment in the treasury to Shibi Khan as a way to advance to the army.
At the beginning, Khan obtained 20,000 sets of sophisticated equipment out of thin air, and Dayue consecrated Guo Zihe as Emperor Pingyang. However, Guo Zihe did not dare to use either of the two titles "Pingyang" and "Khan". After accepting it, the Khan changed his title to Wulishe and Guo Zizheng to Teller.
Everyone was very tired after not sleeping all night. Shibi Khan was worried about the war these days and couldn't sleep well every day. At this time, his eyes were red and his voice became a little hoarse: "Everyone, please wait until Lefushu The biggest disadvantage is that the number of elite divisions is limited. Although the current progress is amazing, he has lost more than 20,000 elite soldiers in the previous battles, and the supply route is too long, making it about to be at the end of the war. As long as Ashina Simo To confront him, if we send a few elite thousand-man troops to harass his supply line, he will retreat on his own; if he does not retreat, his army will be in chaos without food, which will give us the opportunity to defeat him in one fell swoop. But with our As we know about Zilifash, he must have returned to the northern Khan's court to recuperate. We don't need to take Zilifash too seriously."
"As for the despicable Tiele Alliance, it seems to be menacing and wants to fight us to the death, but it is actually opportunistic. If they really want to occupy the Kent Mountain Valley grassland, why have they been wandering in the northern part of the grassland?"
Shibi Khan is a rare generation of heroes among the nomadic people. He has a vision that is difficult for ordinary people to see and sees problems very thoroughly. It was in his hands that the Eastern Turks in history became the overlord who played tricks on the late Sui and early Tang Dynasties; when it comes to wisdom , he is definitely higher than Chuluo, and compared with Jieli who single-handedly ruined the Eastern Turks, it is even more incomprehensible.
Looking around for a week, Shibi Khan continued to say firmly: "I think Xue Xecang knew that they were unable to occupy the entire grassland, and he was also worried that he would lose too much and cause other Tiele tribes to threaten his status as the great chief. So he It was a pretense to show the Sui Dynasty that they supported their allies. Of course, it was also to grab some women, children, livestock, and property."
Everyone nodded silently.
Kent Mountain Valley Grassland is a vast grassland located between Yudujin Mountain and Kent Mountain. It is irrigated by two major water systems, Saling Water and Egen Water. It is the richest grassland in the prairie. Speaking of which, apart from Baidaochuan, only the Great Lakes region in the north can rival it.
However, the Tiele Alliance army with many soldiers only wandered and plundered in the northern part of the grassland during the initial and final battles. This shows that they did not want to interfere too much in the civil war between the Ashina brothers. Otherwise, they would have taken advantage of their strength. Emptiness took over them all. From this point of view, they are just as the Great Khan said: first, they are making gestures to the Sui Dynasty, and second, they are seeking wealth.
"Chijishe has now led 30,000 elite troops to rescue the Kent Mountains, valleys and grasslands. Although his military strength is not as good as the enemy's, it is actually far easier to deal with this kind of loose alliance and ragtag group of people who only seek wealth than Chilifushe." When Bi Khan said this, he let out a long sigh and said with a deep frown: "However, Chi Jishe is relatively indecisive and lacks the experience of being on his own. In a real fight, I am afraid that he will not be the opponent of Xue Xucang and other battlefield veterans. .”
Chijishe's character flaws were well known to the Turks present. The reason why he was asked to lead the army to rescue the river valley grassland was not because Shibi Khan had misemployed people, but because he was originally ordered to go to Ashina Simo's command; when the Tiele Alliance army marched south brazenly, the 30,000 elite troops he led He was the army closest to the river valley grassland. In order to avoid greater trauma, he had no choice but to let him rescue and intimidate the Tiele coalition forces.
In this move, Chijishe's own character flaws became the biggest and most fatal crisis for that elite division.
The gray-haired Ashina Zhebie finally couldn't help but said: "Great Khan, as soon as possible, the generals who can fight against the factions should take over the army, otherwise things will change if it is too late."
"Ashinafuyuan and Qibige, you two will immediately lead your troops northward to scold Jishe on your behalf; Guo Wulishe and Mr. Li, you two will serve as marching strategists and staff officers." Shibi Khan took out a A golden arrow with a wolf's head was handed to Ashina Fuyuan.
Ashina Fuyuan took the golden arrow and said solemnly: "Follow the order of the Great Khan."
"It won't be too late, we'll set off immediately!" Shibi Khan warned again: "There must be no loss of these 30,000 elites; everything must be discussed."
"As you command!"
"I will obey your orders!"
Ashina Fuyuan, Qibige, Guo Zihe, and Li Shirun did not dare to neglect. The four of them bowed to Shibi and immediately left the side hall.
After the three people left, Ashina Jebe said again: "Great Khan, although the follow-up of Zilifushe is weak and cannot last long, such repeated battles and repeated harassment will do too much harm to our entire Turks; I think We should concentrate on annihilating the Qilifash and unifying the Turks before the civil strife in the Sui Dynasty ends. If we continue to have a long-term stalemate and fight without breaking it, we will definitely be more miserable this winter, and many people will freeze to death and starve to death."
As he spoke, he looked at the beginning and the end, and said in a solemn tone: "But what is most worrying is not the heavy snowfall or snow disaster in winter, but the Sui Dynasty that has freed up its hands!"
Shibi Khan pondered for a long time, let out a long sigh, and reluctantly said goodbye to Ashina Zhe: "Uncle, this is also my most anxious and troublesome problem, and it is also the most unsolvable thing for us at present."
Next to him, Ashina Wentuo frowned and thought for a long time, bowed and saluted: "Great Khan, I think whether it is the snow disaster in winter or the Sui Dynasty, that is something to consider later! The most important thing now is Before winter comes, annihilate the weak Tilifushe. As long as he is annihilated, the Tiele coalition will retreat, and the Sui army will not come to fight in the ice and snow, right? Even if the men and horses can bear it, how will the food be provided? "
After hearing this, Shibi Khan's eyes suddenly lit up, he patted his forehead, and said regretfully and excitedly: "Uncle is right, uncle is so right, I thought too much, Worrying too much caused me to fall into a miasma. Uncle continued."
"Follow the order of the Great Khan!" Ashina Wentuo bowed and said: "According to our previous deployment, Ashina Simo's army plus Chi Jishe's 30,000 elite troops can defeat the Qilifu If we let a general who is good at fighting lead 30,000 elite troops to fight northward, would it be possible to annihilate Qilifushe?"
Shibi Khan stared blankly after hearing this, and said with a bitter expression: "We only have 20,000 elites, but this army is used to prevent the Sui army, and it cannot move at all. How can there be 30,000 elites at this time?"
Ashina Wentuo wanted to say, "Duh Bi," but when he thought of the distant and ambiguous relationship between the two brothers, he swallowed his words.
Just because he didn't say it didn't mean that no one said it. Te Qin Gu Duo Lu's eyes flickered, he smiled and saluted: "Great Khan, Jieli Khan has many soldiers, so it's not a big deal to bring out 30,000 elites." Yi Mo The general saw that it was better to let Jieli Khan lead an army of 30,000 to the north. Moreover, his tents were located southwest of the southern Khan's court and southeast of the northern Khan's court. If he led his army northward, the Sui Dynasty's frontier troops, who thought they had a plan, also thought It is against us, not against Lephesheth."
The expression on Shibi Khan's face remained unchanged, but there was a wave of turmoil in his heart.
He and his uncles called Jie Li by his given name "Du Bi" at all times, as did the elders of his generation, and those younger than Jie Li were called elder brothers. Duo Lu actually kept calling him "Jieli Khan".
What does this mean? It shows that this confidant has become a Jieli person. At this time, it is called habit.
After taking a look at Kang Sheoli, whom he had inserted into Jieli's forces, and seeing his subtle nod, Shibi Khan already knew what he was doing, but he couldn't help but feel the murderous intention.
At this moment, a follower came to the door and said: "Great Khan, please see me in the south."
"Invite him to come in!" Shibi said, and then said to everyone: "Let's all go back and rest! Gu Duolu and Kang Sheoli can just stay."
"Yes!" Everyone stood up, bowed, and left the side hall together.
After a moment, Jieli Khan quickly entered the side hall, stepped forward and bowed deeply: "See the Great Khan."
"Brother, there is no need to be polite." Shibi Khan said very intimately: "Sit down wherever you want!"
"Yes!" Jieli Khan found a seat and sat down and said, "I'm here to see the Great Khan. I have a question I want to ask."
Shibi Khan said: "If you have any questions, just ask them."
"Great Khan, I have been in the Khan's court for a while. If things go on like this, the Sui army will definitely notice it, which will ruin our big plan. I plan to go to Nan Ya Zhang today." As he said this, Jieli Khan became emotional. Looking at his brother, he said in a trembling voice: "I don't know when we will see each other again after we say goodbye, so I would like to invite the Great Khan and some uncles to have a few drinks. Is that okay?"
"Drinking? Yes! But my uncles and I have stayed up all night and need to take a rest. Let's drink again at noon!" Shibi Khan's eyes flashed and he motioned Kang Sheoli to step forward and pour a bowl for Jieli Khan After seeing the milk tea, Jieli Khan took a big sip and said with a smile: "Doubi, you came just in time. You also know that our elite army is seriously lacking. Just now, Guduulu made a suggestion, that is, let you send 30,000 elite troops northward." .”
He glanced at Du Bi and continued: "Both the Sui Dynasty and Qili Fushe now think that we have parted ways. If your 30,000 troops go north under the banner of attacking the southern Khan Court, they will not have any doubts, and you When this army reaches the halfway point, it will turn west and suddenly attack the west where Lever has set up his army. It will definitely achieve unexpected results. What do you think?"
Jieli Khan was secretly happy. This was a plan he made based on Shibi Khan's lack of support. The purpose was to gain the trust of Shibi Khan and allow these 30,000 troops to quickly control the southern Khan's court and bribe him. Gu Duolu, who came over, proposed, and Kang Sheoli agreed.
He suppressed the excitement in his heart and said with a smile: "The Great Khan has an order, and I do everything I can, but I'm afraid 30,000 is not enough..."
Pretending to ponder for a long time, he suggested: "It would be better to add 20,000 string control men. If these 50,000 troops suddenly join the battlefield, they will definitely annihilate Qi Lifushe in one fell swoop."
At the end of the day, Khan was overjoyed and said, stroking his palms: "Very good, very good!"
"The war can't be dragged on any longer. It will be a long night with many dreams. I plan to ask Kang Sheoli and Gu Duulu to immediately go to Yazhang with my golden arrows to gather the army. What does the Great Khan think?" Jieli Khan wanted to make Shibi Khan not do it. Be on guard, and then gave up the commander-in-chief to Shibi's "confidant".
"What, what!" Shibi Khan nodded repeatedly and laughed loudly: "That's it, you can arrange it quickly."
"Yes!" Jieli Khan responded respectfully, took out a wolf-headed golden arrow and handed it to Kang Sheoli.
Kang Sheoli glanced at Shibi Khan and saw him smiling and nodding, so he stepped forward with a respectful gesture. The moment Jieli Khan handed over the golden arrow, he suddenly pulled it out from his waist. The short knife stabbed into the unsuspecting Jie Li's chest. Jie Li screamed and blood spurted out.
Kang Sheaoli knew that Jieli was extremely brave, so he immediately pulled out his dagger, slashed his throat with the horizontal edge, and then stabbed him several times. Jieli's eyes bulged, he staggered back a few steps and fell to the ground.
Gu Duolu said in horror: "Great Khan, this, this is..."
"Do you really think I don't know your plan? Do you really think there are no people of mine among those chiefs? Go to hell!" Shibi Khan quickly took out a secretly loaded crossbow from under the case, and fired A poisonous arrow shot through Gu Duolu's chest.
Gu Duolu foamed at the mouth, staggered and fell on Jieli's body.
Kang Shenli returned the sword to its sheath, wiped the blood from his face, and asked: "Great Khan, what will the general do now?"
Shibi Khan said without hesitation: "Take the wolf-headed golden arrows and immediately mobilize all the elite troops of Du Bi. Attack Qilifu directly and set up an army, be quick!"
"Yes!" Kang Sheoli responded and then asked: "Great Khan, where is General Ashina Simo? I need to inform him to avoid misunderstanding."
Shibi Khan nodded and said: "Of course, I will arrange things well, don't worry. Go!"
"Yes!" Kang Sheoli saluted and hurriedly left the side hall.
Shibi Khan ignored the soldiers who came after hearing the screams. He moved to the door and looked at the gorgeous clouds in the sky with laughter. He only felt that the sky today was more beautiful than ever. Beautiful, beautiful.
Jieli is dead. As long as his army attacks Qilifu's army again and annihilates it, no one in the Eastern Turks will be his opponent.
After a long time, he stopped laughing and ordered: "Invite all the nobles and chiefs to me."
A Fuli leader responded and asked casually: "Great Khan, do you want to send someone to collect the corpses in the south?"
"No need! I just want everyone to see." Shibi Khan waved his hand and snorted coldly: "Only when they see Duo Bi die with their own eyes can they serve me with peace of mind."
The Turks respect the strong and believe in the supremacy of strength, but the concept of loyalty to the emperor and patriotism does not work here. Even if someone is loyal and someone dies, they must support a weak young master, but that is an extremely rare "thing".
Those who supported Ashina's aggressive seizure of power, seeing that their "lord" was dead, would naturally continue to follow Shibi Khan honestly.
