Wang Zhaotang was stunned when he heard this, and immediately understood what Xue Rengui meant. Gong Ren could be used to make the Tibetans hesitate to attack, and Ashina Daozhen had no effect on the Tang army at this time. Although this decision was cruel, it was necessary.
"What? The Tibetan messenger said that if we agree to the exchange, they are willing to make an oath with us in front of the gods of mountains, rivers, heaven and earth, relieve the siege and let us leave?" Xue Rengui muttered: "What the hell, when did the Tubo people become so reasonable?"
"Is this a trap to lure us out of the camp and then eliminate us?" Wang Zhaotang asked.
"It's unlikely!" Xue Rengui shook his head: "The oath made in front of the gods of mountains, rivers, heaven and earth must be held in the open air. This cannot be hidden from so many eyes. Judging from the customs of the Tubo people, Qinling dare not openly Breaking the contract. And there is no need for him to do this. There are only a few thousand sick and weak soldiers in the camp. As long as the Tubo people attack from all sides, it is only a matter of time before they break the camp!"
"General manager, the camp is very strong and there are enough arrows and stones. Are you confident that you can hold it?"
"Can it be defended?" Xue Rengui laughed: "Wang Sima, your thinking is too simple. The art of war says: surround it ten times. The Tubo people are now ten times more than me. As long as people are willing to die, there is no camp that cannot be captured. As for how many people die, Qinling doesn't care at all. Anyway, he has a lot of flesh and blood in his hands!" He shook his head: "Come here, tell the Tibetan messenger that if the conditions of the oath are suitable, I agree to exchange ?”
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Songzhou.
The sun shines through the gaps between the branches and leaves, giving the grass a golden edge. The finest wool blanket was spread on the floor, with a tea stove and a low table placed on it. As the boiling water boiled, the aroma of tea and milk filled the air, subconsciously relaxing people's nerves.
"So, Qinling really just let Xue Rengui, Ashina Daozhen and the rest of the Tang army go?" Wang Wenzuo's eyes widened.
"Yes!" Lang Ri shook his head: "In front of hundreds of thousands of people, he made an oath of alliance to the God of Heaven, Earth, Mountains and Rivers and Xue Rengui, exchanged Ashina Daozhen for his son, and released the remaining troops of the Tang Army, while Xue Rengui Tuyuhun Khan who swore that Tang would recognize Tubo and support him!"
"Haha!" Wang Wenzuo laughed: "Qinling is not that stupid, right? This is tantamount to asking the Tang State to admit Tubo's annexation of Tuyuhun. Xue Rengui is no more than a guard general, how can he have this power? This is just a toothache curse. Go back The imperial court will definitely deal with him severely and will not recognize this oath!"
"Yeah, I'm also very surprised why Qin Ling did this!" Langri sighed: "Although the Tang State was defeated in this battle and suffered heavy losses, it will definitely not give up. Why not wipe out all the remaining enemies? Could it be that He thinks that the Tang people will accept such a small show of goodwill? Isn't it a joke to admit his occupation of Tuyuhun?"
"Qin Ling won't have only one son, right?" Wang Wenzuo asked.
"How is it possible!" Langri laughed: "That Gongren is indeed the best among his sons, but I don't think he would make such a big concession for his son. Given the situation at that time, he He can completely be trapped for half a month to a month, and then negotiate with the besieged Tang army. At that time, he can save his son at a small price!"
"Yes!" Wang Wenzuo sighed: "Listening to what you said, I was a little confused. He had a complete advantage at the time and there was no need to make such a big concession. But if there is a negotiation, it is still This is not the time for negotiation. After all, the Tang Dynasty has enough reserve troops in Guanzhong, Hedong, Henan, and Beiting. The Tuyuhun land is adjacent to Longyou and threatens Anxi. As long as the imperial court has spare power, it will not recognize the Tibetan occupation of Tuyuhun!"
"Does that mean we have to continue fighting?" Langri asked.
"Definitely, if my guess is correct, Xue Rengui and Ashina Daozhen will be imprisoned as soon as they return to Chang'an. The court will appoint new generals to guard Longyou, collect grain and mobilize troops, and they will be reorganized in two years at the latest. A war breaks out!"
"What about the defection of the Turks? Will it have any impact?"
"This won't be too big! The rebels are only a minority of the Turks, and they are not in the Turks' homeland. They can only take a detour through Beiting when they return to the homeland. As long as the Turks' homeland is not in chaos, there is nothing to worry about!"
"What if there is an uprising in the Turkic hometown?" Langri asked.
"Then the Huihe or Khitan people can be mobilized to suppress it. You can use Ashina Daozhen as your general. With his reputation, the Turks will surely surrender. Even if there are a few stubborn people, it will not be difficult to eliminate them!" Having said this, Wang Wenzuo sighed: "So this time the court punishes the crime, Ashina Daozhen still has a chance to turn over, but Xue Rengui will probably have a hard time!"
"Yes!" Lang Ri sighed. He had also been an overseas student in Chang'an, so he naturally understood what Wang Wenzuo meant. The Tang Empire implemented the principle of "divide and rule, and use the barbarians to control the barbarians" in the management of the grasslands. The Turks, the former overlords of the grasslands, kept the Ashina family, the most noble of blood and the highest status, in Chang'an, and gave them official titles and various preferential treatment, and they were in harmony with the Turks. The Li family of the Tang Dynasty married and once there was a rebellion in their homeland, they used him as a deputy general and the Turkic people's former enemies, such as the Huihe and Tiele tribes, as pioneers to lead the Tang army in the conquest. Since these upper-class nobles of the Ashina clan themselves have high prestige within the Turks, the rebels often disperse as soon as the banner arrives. Even if there are a few who resist desperately, it does not affect the final overall situation. Therefore, even if Ashina Daozhen is convicted, he will soon be sent to suppress the Turkic homeland, but Xue Rengui may not have such good luck.
"What impact does this have on you?" Wang Wenzuo asked.
"Us? Of course it's terrible!" Langri sighed: "Did you know? When the news of victory reached Luosuo, the threshold of the Gal family was trampled down by people who came to congratulate them. As for the gate of the palace, It was so deserted that there was no one in sight, Zanpu was frowning all day long, and he had to grit his teeth to give Qin Ling an official title!"
"Has it reached this point?" Wang Wenzuo showed a gloating smile: "Don't Qin Ling know a little about the way of being a minister? If it were me, I would definitely thank guests behind closed doors and attribute all the credit to Zamp's blessings and the soldiers' blessings. You work hard, but you don’t get any credit for it!”
"Hahaha!" Langri laughed at Wang Wenzuo's words. He shook his head and sighed: "Yes, you Tang people will indeed do this! High achievements will not be rewarded. Even if you have made great achievements, you must have a look of sincerity and fear. It's a pity that we Tubo people are not like this. They will only follow the strongest person. Even if you are Zanpu, as long as you are weak, you will be abandoned! Qinling has proven that he is a strong one, and that is enough! "
"Then what are your plans? No, I mean what are your plans for Zanpu?"
"What's wrong?" Langri asked, "Are you planning to help?"
"Why not? The enemy of your enemy is your friend. You must have heard this sentence, right?" Wang Wenzuo said with a smile.
"But you refused when I bought that thing from you!" Langri stretched out his right hand and made a trigger-pulling gesture: "Is this a friend?"
"The problem is that that thing can kill Qin Ling, and it can also kill others! And if you just want to kill one person, there are too many ways, such as a glass of poisoned wine, a half-cut saddle belt, a frightened horse, a A dagger, something that doesn’t require so much trouble at all!”
The thick grass absorbed the sound of footsteps, and the messenger walked almost silently to the blanket. He took out the letter and presented it with both hands. Cao Wenzong took the letter and handed it to Wang Wenzuo.
"Ashina Dao is really dead?" His voice was full of surprise.
"Dead? How is this possible? Didn't you just say that he would be revived soon?" Lang Ri asked in surprise.
"No, he was not executed by the emperor!" Wang Wenzuo handed the letter to Langri: "He died on the way back. To be precise, he fell ill soon after leaving the encirclement, and then died on the way soon. Got it!"
"This, this is too much of a coincidence, isn't it?" Langri sighed.
"Do you think this is a coincidence? I don't think so!" Wang Wenzuo sneered: "Ashina Daozhen died in the Tang army, there are too many articles that can be done here!"
Langri immediately heard the implication of Wang Wenzuo's words. According to what Langri had just said, Ashina Tao really formed an alliance with Gong after Qinling and the Tang people made an oath to the mountains, rivers, heaven and earth in front of hundreds of thousands of Tubos and Turks. In exchange of benevolence, he returned to the Tang army. In other words, many people saw with their own eyes that Ashina Daozhen returned to the Tang army intact, but he died a few days later. Would the Turks think that he died in the hands of the Tang people? The reason is simple - it was the defection of the Turks that led to the destruction of the Tang Dynasty's front army. In order to retaliate, the Tang Dynasty attacked their innocent Khan. This not only deprived the empire of the most useful bargaining chip in its hands, but also provided the most sufficient reason for the dissatisfied elements in the Turks to rebel.
"Are you saying that Qin Ling poisoned Ashina Daozhen before the exchange and then used his death to make a fuss about it?"
"This is the greatest possibility! If not, it is difficult to explain why he is willing to let the remnant army go and return Ashina Daozhen in exchange for his son!" Wang Wenzuo sneered: "He was not in exchange for his son from the beginning Son, it is to burn the war to the homeland of the Turks and make Tang Longyou vulnerable to enemies on both sides. This is his real purpose. Compared with this, releasing the thousands of remnant soldiers is really not a big deal! This is really terrible guy!"
"What should we do now?" Langri asked in a low voice.
"I don't know!" Wang Wenzuo sighed: "Really, everything is already a fait accompli! I estimate that rumors that the Khan was killed by the Tang people will soon spread in the Turkic headquarters. It is already summer, and the horses It’s already fat. The fire has been ignited and it’s impossible to stop the spread!”
"Then is there any way to stop the rumors, such as publishing the truth?"
"It's impossible. Ashina Daozhen was on his way back at that time, and his condition was progressing so rapidly. The body was either buried on the spot or cremated and brought back with ashes. What evidence do you think you have to refute the rumors? Besides, the Turkic hometown is already covered with hay. , even if a spark falls, it will spread quickly, not to mention this is a big torch!"
"If Qinling succeeds, the end of the Zanpu family will not be far away!" Langri sighed: "He is different from Lu Dongzan. Lu Dongzan was already old when he had power, but he was still very young. Being young, he has enough time to ascend to the throne and establish himself firmly! A man like him will never let the opportunity pass if it arises!"
"Then if Qin Ling succeeds, what will you do?" Wang Wenzuo asked.
"I don't know!" Langri sighed: "He will definitely kill me. I have done many things for Zamp against him and his family!"
"If you really have no way out, you can come to Datang! I can protect you!" Wang Wenzuo stretched out his right hand, and Lang Ri held it gratefully: "Thank you, I hope this won't be necessary!"
Wang Wenzuo smiled, stretched out his hand to call Cao Wenzong, and whispered a few words. Cao Wenzong nodded, turned and left. Soon he came back with a well-wrapped air gun. Wang Wenzuo reached out to take it and handed it to Langri: " There is an air rifle and a hundred rounds of lead bullets here, I hope you can use it well!"
Langri was stunned. He took the air gun in some confusion: "Why, why? Didn't you say there are too many ways to end a person's life?"
"Yes, but it takes time to try!" Wang Wenzuo sighed: "It is too dangerous to let Qin Ling continue to live. He has brought us too much trouble and we cannot let him continue to live! "
After seeing off Langri, Wang Wenzuo got on his horse with a gloomy expression. He pulled out his saber and looked down at the cold steel in his hand: "I'm afraid the situation will only get worse. Maybe I really have no choice. One day I will have to summon troops. Go to Tuyuhun and fight this guy to the death."
"Is it really going to get to that point?" Cao Wenzong asked.
"I hope not, but the world is not up to anyone!" Wang Wenzuo sighed: "It takes a lot of hard work to build an empire, but it is easy to destroy it. This Qinling is destroying the Tang Dynasty!"
"Destroy the Tang Dynasty? He shouldn't have the power, right?" Cao Wenzong asked in confusion.
"Wenzong, you don't understand!" Wang Wenzuo said: "In addition to Han people in Chang'an, we can also see Sogdians, Turks, Uighurs, and Tiele people. They can all live and work in peace and contentment in Chang'an and live a happy life. The Emperor of Chang'an regarded him as his own monarch. This was the reason why the Tang Dynasty was able to maintain such a large territory and be so prosperous. But this trust is very fragile, and once it is destroyed, it is difficult to repair. Ashina Daozhen has Ashina Daozhen in his body. The blood of the Shina family and the Li family clan, his life is a symbol of the harmony between the Tang Dynasty and the Turks. If he died in the hands of the Tang army, what do you think the Turks would think? What would other Tiele people, Uighurs, and Khitans think? how to think?"
"Yes, but it was the Turks who rebelled first?" Cao Wenzong asked.
(End of chapter)
