When the caravan from the Tang Dynasty arrived in Gaochang, they were warmly received by the emperor and ministers of Gaochang.
King Qu Wentai of Gaochang also asked merchants to bring back his greetings, but there was not much movement. As the saying goes, a current official is not as good as a current manager. After all, the Gaochang Kingdom is under the jurisdiction of the Western Turkic King.
In addition, a few years ago, Ashina Nishu and other Turkic rebels fled eastward to Dunhuang. When passing by Gaochang, the Gaochang Kingdom did not intercept them, which made Tongyehu Khan very angry and severely reprimanded them.
After that, Qu Wentai sent many gifts to Suiyechuan to calm Tongyehu Khan's anger.
It can actually be seen from Gaochang's reaction that after Tong Yehu Khan succeeded to the throne, he was very wary of the emerging Tang Dynasty.
Because he already knew that Emperor Li Poqi of the Tang Dynasty came from Yunnei, had been on good terms with the Turkic royal court for many years, and had also married the daughter of the Turkic Khan Ashina Yang Huan.
What made him even more uneasy was that Li Po's concubine was Ashina Rongzhen, the daughter of Chuluo Khan, and he was the younger brother of Shegui Khan.
He was instrumental in driving away Chuluo Khan, and his hands were stained with the blood of Chuluo Khan's descendants. Although this is the custom of the Turks, who can easily forget those hatreds?
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In the end, the Turks failed to convince the cunning Tang people to play the role of pathfinders. To the Tang people, it was simply a joke.
At this stage, it is actually quite polite for the Tang Dynasty to sit back and watch the war between the East and West Turks. The reason why the dispatch of troops to Gaochang can still be discussed is because the Tang Dynasty is bound to get some spoils from this war.
No matter who wins or loses between the Eastern and Western Turks, the Tang Dynasty will get a share of the benefits. The Gaochang Kingdom to the west of Dunhuang is one of the spoils that the Tang Dynasty wants to obtain in this war about who will be the master of the Western Regions.
Just as the Tang officials said, Gaochang has been a vassal state in the Central Plains since ancient times, and it is time to take them home.
In fact, the historical deviations at this time were too great to be ignored.
The demise of Gaochang was caused by Qu Wentai's humiliation and arrogance of the Tang envoys. It should have happened in the next few years. After Gaochang was destroyed, the Tang Dynasty established the Anxi Protectorate in Gaochang, which was the prototype of the four Anxi towns.
Before that, Xuanzang went to Tianzhu to obtain scriptures and also passed by Gaochang. He was also entertained by Qu Wentai and other people in Gaochang. However, now that Xuanzang has changed his place to Xiangxiong, there are fewer interesting rumors in the world.
More than a thousand years later, it has become the inherent territory of China. Now, the saying that the spring breeze does not reach Yumen Pass is very correct. It is still not possible to let the people of the Western Regions bathe in the spring breeze of the Tang Dynasty.
At the request of the Turks, the Tang Dynasty sent troops to Gaochang, which was a good opportunity to intervene in the Western Regions.
Li Po did not intend to spend too much manpower and material resources on this matter. It was an easy journey from Liangzhou to Zhangye, and then from Zhangye to Yumen. It would be an incredibly expensive journey for a large army.
In fact, Central Asia is not a good place. Compared with the Central Plains, it can be called a poor place. The reason why it is so important actually lies in the Silk Road that makes the Central Plains people dream.
Why have all the dynasties never forgotten this? Because many people know that it is the passage to a vast world. Apart from the Central Plains, the grasslands in the north, the jungles in the south, and the sea in the east, the Western Region is the only way for the Central Plains to extend outward.
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And it has been proven a long time ago that there are many tribes there, which is very tempting to any powerful civilization.
It is a pity that the road to the Western Regions is so far away, and the west of the Western Regions is even more elusive. This makes the powerful Central Plains civilization, which has repeatedly made failed attempts, can only look back and sigh.
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There are other covenants in the covenant.
For example, the Tang people joined the covenant and respected the Turks under the leadership of the Turkic Khan Ashina Yang Huan. All Turkic officials appointed by the Khan received corresponding preferential treatment in the Tang Dynasty, etc.
This is Li Po's promise to Ashina Yang Huan, supporting her to establish the Turkic Khanate. After the Turks conquer the west, Ashina Yanghuan is likely to officially declare himself to be a Turkic Khan, and it will no longer be a temporary successor.
Sweat bit.
Then there is Ashina Duowen in Liaodong. Next year, the two countries will join forces to attack Liaodong City. After Ashina Duowen is eliminated, all the cities in Liaodong will be abandoned except for Liaodong City, which will be preserved. Liaodong City will be
As a commercial place jointly operated by the two countries.
Like the nature of Dingxiang County, it became a buffer zone between the Tang Dynasty and the Turks. The survival and residence of any tribe in Liaodong will be restricted by the two countries.
Any act of rebellion will be severely punished by both countries, etc.
There is also the fact that the Turks will release some people who fled north during the Sui Dynasty to return south. The number is not certain, and there are probably only a few important people, but it is a move that will make the Tang people happy.
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"We say goodbye today, but I don't know when we will see each other again?"
There was a hint of sadness in Ashina Yang Huan's words, and Li Po stood side by side with her on the grassland.
The alliance is over, and it's time to say goodbye.
Li Po doesn't have many emotions, and he can't tell whether the reluctance shown by the other person is true or false. People like them have reached the pinnacle of the world.
Their feelings will not be exposed easily. When they laugh, they may be burning with anger. When they are sad, they may be filled with joy. Who knows?
There were so many outstanding ministers trying to figure out their thoughts, but no one could truly enter the emperor's inner world, not even their wives and children, let alone their aunts and nephews?
Ashina's feelings for Yang Huan may be true now. After all, Li Po is the only person in this world who can be considered her relative and can help her. She can talk to her on an equal footing.
But Li Po believed that when important national affairs were placed in front of her, she would not take into account any family ties, just like when she married her daughter to her nephew, she was very reluctant.
Thinking of this, Li Po's mind twitched. Damn Asshi Tianxiang is his cousin? The blood relationship is quite close. Oh my god, luckily the child is a daughter...
With national affairs at the forefront, he had ignored this issue for a long time. Now that he thought about it, he was a little confused and sweat broke out behind his back.
It was a bit too exciting, but Li Po's face remained unmoved, "Aunt, please take care of your health. It won't be that difficult for us to meet each other in the future. When my aunt comes to the Western Regions, we will be together again. My nephew will congratulate my aunt in person for her great achievements."
Ashina Yang Huan nodded with a smile and said: "If you lend me your good words, if it comes true... it will be two or three years later. How about we meet here again then?"
Li Po laughed loudly, "My nephew dares to disobey? I just asked my aunt to move to another place. My nephew said before that he can only come out once every few years. Let's forget about revisiting his old place."
"Then why not go to the royal court as a guest?"
"My aunt is joking again. Wouldn't it be better if I invite you to Chang'an?"
Both of them are happy, and naturally they dare not go to the other's home base. However, the two big countries of the north and the south are now fighting fiercely, and the communication is becoming more and more smooth. It is not easy to choose a place on the border to meet.
It's not as difficult as it was in previous years.