Li Jiangyao first nodded at Xu Youchang and Situ Wushou, then turned to Samor and smiled: "Can we change the original plan a little bit? Now that the entire Ghost Desert in Western Xinjiang is controlled by the rebels, it can be said that it is full of dangers. And the enemy is very powerful and cannot be easily dealt with by us. No matter which tribe of Shenhua is willing to confront them, it will easily lead to the disaster of annihilation. If the entire Shenhua family is dragged in at once, not only each tribe will The leaders and elders of the tribe have concerns, and even I can’t bear it.”
He paused briefly and said in a consultative tone: "It would be better to do this. Let Chief Hassan and the others implement the election system, and we will help His Highness select the twelve most determined and powerful tribes to join the Metasequoia Garrison. In action. I think that as long as we make the right choice, we can not only get strong support, but also ensure that the vitality of the Shenhua family is too damaged."
Xu Youchang also agreed: "What Jiang Yao said makes sense. From the perspective of the overall strategic situation in Western Xinjiang, we actually don't need the Shenhua family to take huge risks and invest all their strength at once. After all, both the enemy and us It’s not yet time to truly launch a full-scale decisive battle. If the intelligence network and supplies alone are enough, as long as there are a few relatively strong tribes, they can play a key role, what do you think?”
Samor is an old man who has been engaged in politics and business for many years. Of course he understands the principle that soldiers are more valuable than more elites. He thought about it carefully and said happily: "I understand what you two adults said. Before, His Royal Highness the Prince and we really didn't think about it. At this level. If we follow Mr. Li's method, things will be much simpler. We can select those who are good at fighting, have more people and money, have abundant food and grass, and those who have been rooted in Loulan and Shule. The tribes of the Three Kingdoms of Chechi and Chechi will join the Metasequoia Army as the twelve personal guards to protect His Highness. In this way, we can completely achieve our previous goal! Sir, I will go back immediately and report to the young prince, and discuss it carefully first Let’s take a look at the list of tribes and fight with them tonight!”
-
Metasequoia City, the city guard mansion.
In the spacious government office, there was a high wooden platform, lanterns and colorful banners. Seventy-two colorful flags painted with different totem runes were erected around the meeting hall, creating a solemn scene.
The majestic metasequoia garrison officers, dressed in black armor and white cloaks, carrying long swords and powerful crossbows, were all over the key points inside and outside the city garrison and were on high alert.
Today, the succession ceremony of the prince of the Shenhua family will be held here.
The night before yesterday, Samour followed Li Jiangyao's suggestion and after discussing with the young prince of Shenhua, Kuliban, prepared a detailed plan to deal with the "election system" in advance, and clearly announced at the Elders' Meeting: The Shenhua family will firmly support The Metasequoia Garrison of the Zhenjiang Protectorate looks forward to the day when the Holy Tang Dynasty will regain Western Xinjiang!
Faced with Kuliban's determination, several tribal leaders, represented by Hassan, expressed their concerns and opposition on the spot. They each expressed their opinions and stated their interests, hoping that the prince's successor would consider the harm that would bring to the Shenhua family based on the interests of the entire family.
Kuriban looked resolute and refuted the leaders' doubts tit for tat. He told everyone that whether it is the Turkic Empire or the Western Xinjiang Alliance, their purpose is not to benefit the people of Western Xinjiang, but to enslave the people here forever, so that the thousands of miles of ghost deserts in Western Xinjiang can become their eastern invasion of the Holy Tang Dynasty. chips and springboard. As long as the Turks are around, the rule of expropriation and extortion will become intensified and endless. In the distant Western Continent, all places that have been invaded by Turks have the same painful experience without exception. And Western Xinjiang, the vast land where the Shenhua family has lived for generations, is about to experience all this.
Shouldn't we resist?
However, it is a pity that the tribal leaders did not listen to Kuliban's words at all. Because it is not the Turks who rule here now, but the Western Xinjiang Alliance. In the words of the leaders, the people of Xijiang will never be worse than Shengtang in governing Xijiang, and there is no need to rush out to resist.
Besides, do we have the capital to resist?
Hassan made an impassioned speech, believing that it was very unwise for the Shenhua family to actively intervene in the struggle between the two empires of the East and the West. Whether fighting for the Holy Tang, fighting for the Turks, or fighting for the Western Xinjiang Alliance, it is the family's own strength that is wasted, and those who die are Shenhua's own people. Doing so will bring a family that has been passed down for thousands of years into the abyss, which is extremely dangerous and meaningless.
Kuriban's face became increasingly ugly, and he was about to get angry and curse on the spot. Upon seeing this, Samor quickly stepped forward and once again made it clear to the leader of the opposition that His Royal Highness the Little Prince had made up his mind and would not change.
Hassan and others had no choice but to resort to a big move, threatening to use the power of election given to them by the family's "Divine Code" and temporarily interrupting contact with the prince to protect the fundamental interests of the Shenhua family.
Unexpectedly, as soon as they proposed this idea, His Highness Kuliban immediately nodded in agreement without any hesitation. Before Hassan and the others, who were slightly confused, could react, Samor smiled and handed out the list of twelve guard tribes that had been studied for a long time.
The list included the Black Mountain tribe, the Ekelun tribe and the Kazakh tribe, which were good at conquering and fighting, as well as the Duoqi tribe and the Helianmusi tribe, which had a large population and sufficient military resources. Especially the Duoqi tribe, most of which are hunters, are good at mining and forging iron, and are famous for producing archers, which play a very important role on the battlefield.
There are also three large and wealthy tribes who need money and food. The key is that they also have rich reserves of ore and medicinal materials, which can supplement the metasequoia needs.
Although the remaining five tribes do not have any particularly outstanding resources, they have all lived in Loulan, Shule, Chechi and other countries for a long time. After years of silent development, their tentacles have extended to every corner of these countries, from officials and generals to traffickers and pawns. There are even secret spies of their tribes in the royal palaces of these three countries.
Among them was Yudala, who firmly supported Shengtang.
Looking at this list, Chief Hassan and others couldn't help but look at each other.
Only now did they finally understand that although the young prince Kuliban was young, his methods were somewhat inconsistent with his sophistication. On the surface, His Highness unabashedly and deliberately revealed his inner position during the critical period when he was about to ascend the throne. In fact, he was forcing leaders like them to raise objections. When the two sides reached a stalemate, Hassan came up with the policy of severing contact for three years. When Fa made a threat, he took advantage of the loopholes in the "Divine Code" and took the most powerful tribes into his hands.
In this regard, everyone, including Hassan, felt dumbfounded.
They are not disloyal to the prince, they just hold different angles and views when examining the fundamental interests of the Shenhua family. Now that they saw that the young prince Kuliban actually knew how to play tricks, Hassan and others, instead of being really angry, felt like an old man seeing the progress and maturity of his younger generation, and they couldn't help but feel happy.
Moreover, thinking about it on the other hand, this may be the only feasible way at present. Sixty tribes were temporarily isolated from His Highness the Prince, while twelve tribes followed the Prince and went all out. In this way, it would not violate Kuliban's will to support Shengtang, but also protect the Shenhua family to the maximum extent, preventing everyone from getting involved in the situation, and ultimately ending up with the entire army being annihilated.
After thinking about this, Hassan and the others couldn't help but feel happy that such a shrewd and wise heir could appear in their family. At the same time, they all readily agreed with His Highness's arrangement.
After some discussion, the leaders of the seventy-two tribes unanimously agreed that the prince's succession ceremony and the family election ceremony should be held one after another. After Kuliban officially became the new generation of Shenhua Prince, he led the army to fight against the enemy, while the remaining sixty tribes lay dormant and hid until three years later before deciding the future direction of the family based on the situation.
Finally, Chief Hassan was still obsessed with another problem: His Highness is still young and has no heirs. The battlefield is dangerous and unpredictable, so he must consider how to continue the descendants of the Flower Goddess.
Kuliban comforted him with a smile: "Don't worry, Uncle Hassan. Mr. Samour has already identified seven or eight candidates for the princess for me. After three years, I promise to bring out a bunch of fat boys for you to see!"
-
Twelve huge copper trumpets blew a grand and melodious sound that resounded throughout the Metasequoia City Guards House.
"Suwu Lipo, Lulun Haliti... Mada Nunum... Renmir, Renmildili——"
Under the leadership of the high priest of the Shenhua family, six elders of the Holy Land and seventy-two tribal leaders knelt neatly in the small square of the city guard house, raised their hands high, and recited the sacrificial inscriptions of the "Divine Canon" at the same time, raising their heads to the sky. Pray loudly and ask for the blessing of the Nanjin Flower God.
On the high platform directly opposite them, Kuliban was sitting upright, wearing plain coarse linen clothes and a brocade wreath on his head.
As a special guest, Li Jiangyao sat on the left side of the platform, while Xu Youchang and other Metasequoia generals stood behind him.
At this time, Situ Wushou next to him was introducing Li Jiangyao in a low voice: "What is going on now is the prayer session. After the prayer is completed, as long as Kuliban pours the water from the copper pot on hand on everyone, it will be considered a ceremony. . Next, he will use the black crystal jade holy stone to stamp the blood alliance parchments of each tribe in turn, and accept the oath of allegiance from the tribe leader."
Li Jiangyao nodded and snickered: "Okay, the leaders didn't realize that it was a fake, right?"
Situ Wushou looked serious: "What did you say, sir? Leader Hassan and the others have personally confirmed it. Of course it is the family's sacred stone that has been passed down for thousands of years. How could it be fake?"
Li Jiangyao suppressed his laughter and was about to speak again when Lin Feng suddenly hurried in from outside and ran straight to him.
"Sir, according to reports from the Pegasus scouts, the 80,000-strong coalition forces from the Loulan Kingdom and the Cheshi Kingdom are approaching Metasequoia City!"
