Gui Yijun, Dunhuang City, although it was only the first quarter of the unitary hour, that is, 5:15 in the afternoon, the six gates of the entire Dunhuang City were closed.
Not only were all the city gates in Luocheng and the inner city locked early, but even the vast Yangma City outside was prohibited from going out.
Closing the city gates so early brought great inconvenience to merchants passing through Dunhuang.
However, no one complained. They just wanted to get supplies quickly and leave here. Even the commercial market that was originally trading in Sheep and Horse City outside Dunhuang was moved to Shouchang Town in the southwest of Dunhuang.
Everyone agrees that something big is going to happen in Dunhuang.
Ever since the Guiyi Army's White Jade Pillar, Purple Golden Beam, Jiedu Envoy, and Tuoxi King Cao Yijin became ill and unable to get out of bed, the possibility of bloody conflicts in Dunhuang City has increased rapidly.
One of the parties involved in the potential bloody conflict was Cao Yuande, the eldest son of Cao Yijin's former wife Suo Shi, Cao Yuanshen, the second son, and Cao Yuanzhong, the third son of the Song family.
The Suo family and the Song family are both large clans of the Guiyi Army. Naturally, they represent the local faction of the Guiyi Army.
On the other side, Cao Yijin married Cao Yuantai, the fourth son born to Princess Li, the youngest daughter of Ganzhou Uighur Renmei Khan.
Zhang Zhao's father, Zhang Chengfeng, was defeated by the Ganzhou Uighurs and was forced to recognize Renmei Khan as his father, which caused great humiliation to the Guiyi army.
When the Cao family came to represent Zhang, Cao Yijin proposed marriage to Renmei Khan and married Renmei Khan's youngest daughter, Tianzhu Li, cleverly turning the humiliating father Khan into a father-in-law Khan.
But it was not without cost. After Tian Princess Li married, Cao Yijin's original wife Suo Shi was forced to give up her position, and Li became Cao Yijin's first wife.
At the same time, Renmei Khan married two teams of Ganzhou warriors as dowries. These Ganzhou warriors were brave warriors among the Uighurs. For more than ten years, they have been an important guarantee for Princess Li to maintain her status.
In addition, Guasha Prefecture and half of Suzhou, controlled by the rebel army, have been flooded with a large number of Shazhou Uighurs who came down from the Qilian Mountains in recent years.
The Guiyi Army Yamen was greedy for the taxes they paid and did not want to cause disputes with the Uighurs in Ganzhou, so they issued restrictions year by year.
As a result, now, there are only more than 200,000 Han and Sinicized Sogdians in the Guiyi Army, but there are 30,000 to 40,000 Shazhou Uighurs, nomadic in Guasha and Shazhou. Most of these people have been bribed by Princess Li.
Of course, the biggest price of marrying Tian Princess Li has only been revealed now.
Nowadays, Cao Yijin's time is running out. According to the rules, after Suo lost his status as the head wife, Cao Yuande lost the legal right to succeed to the throne.
But how could the Guiyi army allow the Uighur princess Li of Ganzhou and his son to succeed to the throne?
The two sides have had a bloody feud since Zhang Huaishen, the second-generation Jiedushi envoy of the Guiyi Army. They have been fighting each other for nearly a hundred years. They both signed an alliance under the city with each other, and almost destroyed the country.
Therefore, the natives who returned to the rebel army would rather Zhang Zhao come back to carry out a general liquidation than let Li's son Cao Yuantai succeed to the throne.
But Tian Princess Li has no way out. If she cannot get the inheritance rights of Gui Yijun, the mother and son will die sooner or later without a burial place.
Moreover, she had a strong desire for power, otherwise she would not have been selected by Ganzhou Renmei Khan to marry into the Guiyi Army.
Therefore, both sides are preparing for the possibility that once Cao Yijin dies, a bloody war will begin.
"Father, Liulang has sent a message, Aweng has just passed out!" In the Guiyi Army Office, Cao Yanjing, the second son of Cao Yuande, rushed in.
Cao Yuande's eldest son died young, and his second son Cao Yanjing was his de facto eldest son and the eldest of the third generation of the Cao family.
The Liulang mentioned by Cao Yanjing is Cao Liulang, Cao Yanlu, the eldest son of Cao Yuanzhong, the younger brother of Cao Sanniang, and the third son-in-law of Li Shengtian.
Now both sides have sent people to guard Cao Yijin closely, and a large number of people from both sides have been stationed outside Yongqing Palace, Cao Yijin's residence.
Especially Princess Li of Tian, who took advantage of her position as the head wife and effectively sealed off the inside and outside of Cao Yijin's bedroom.
Cao Yuande and others had very limited ways to obtain information about Cao Yijin's physical condition, and the most important one was through Cao Yanlu.
This is because Cao Yanlu’s wife, Princess Tiansheng, is Li Shengtian’s third daughter. She is accompanied by a hundred Khotanese warriors as dowry. In addition, the Jin Kingdom of Khotan is now powerful in Anxi and actually controls the western section of the Silk Road.
Therefore, Princess Li of Uighur Heaven in Ganzhou dared to isolate the inside and outside and detain the maids and servants sent by the three brothers Cao Yuande, but she absolutely did not dare to touch the Holy Princess of Khotan Heaven.
This princess from Khotan became the most important source of information for the Cao brothers.
When Cao Yuande heard this, he looked up to the sky and sighed, and a few turbid tears fell from his eyes.
"Isn't this a catastrophe? My father is seriously ill, and my fake mother is isolated from the inside and outside. Not to mention personally offering decoctions and medicines, I can't even see my father! It's not the way to be a son of man!"
"What a fake mother! Huh! That Uyghur woman has a heart of snakes and scorpions, and is far more vicious than the common people of Wei in the past! He is here to destroy our Cao family!"
Cao Yuanshen suddenly stood up from the bed, his beard and hair spread out, and his teeth gritted.
Back then, his mother, Suo Shi, was forced to give up her position as head wife to Princess Li, which brought a great sense of humiliation to the young Cao Yuanshen.
"Eldest brother, second brother, what should we do now? You should come up with an idea!
What if my father does something bad and we don’t even get to see him at his bedside? How could this be done by the Son of Man?”
Cao Yuanzhong was not as excited as his two brothers because his mother Song was not the official wife, but Cao Yuanzhong was still very concerned about being able to die at his father's bedside.
"huh huh huh huh!"
Just when a group of second and third generations of the Cao family in the house were extremely angry and yelled at Tian Princess Li, a very discordant cold snort sounded in the house.
Everyone followed the cold snort and saw a man dressed as a scholar wearing a moon-white round collar robe, sipping tea from a porcelain bowl.
The scholar did not wear a bun on his head, but simply covered it with a net scarf, which made him look elegant but not conventional.
In terms of appearance, this scholar should be quite handsome, with a small Chinese face, a straight nose, and a slender figure, but those eyes ruined his overall temperament.
These eyes are too aggressive and unscrupulous. When he looks at you, you will feel that he has already completed your value assessment in his heart.
When anyone sees these eyes, they will involuntarily think of the word sweet-mouthed and sword-loving, which means he looks like a treacherous minister!
The scholar didn't care at all about the angry expressions on everyone's faces, and was still sipping, as if the bowl of fragrant tea in his hand was a fine nectar, and his slender eyes were narrowed to look more cunning.
"What a brave bitch! I, the Cao family, treat you as a distinguished guest! How dare you insult me? Do you want to try Cao's sharp sword?"
Cao Yanjing was so angry that he suddenly jumped up and ran to the scholar to pull out the sword from his waist.
"Young Master, your life is in danger, why do you care about the insult? If you have the courage, go to the Uighurs and draw your sword, then you will be a good man!"
The scholar glanced at Cao Yanjing and didn't take him seriously at all.
"Obstacle! How dare you draw your sword here? Why don't you retreat!"
Cao Yuande, who was extremely annoyed, slammed his right hand on the bed and shouted angrily at Cao Yanjing.
"Humph!" Cao Yanjing glared at the scholar, and was pulled back to Cao Yuande angrily.
"Pei Sheren, I respect you as a descendant of Mr. Pei Wenzhong. You are a descendant of a famous family, and you are treated with great courtesy. Now that the Cao family is in trouble, you have not said a single word, but are here to look down on us. This is why I heard that the Pei family
As a courtesy?"
Cao Yuande suppressed his anger and said that he didn't want to see this Pei Sheren in the first place, because of his eyes, Cao Yuande didn't like it at first sight.
It's just that because he is from a famous family, and Shazhou is a remote area, it is rare for a scholar from the Central Plains to come here, so he is given preferential treatment, but he did not expect that this person would be so wild and rebellious!
Sheren and Langjun are the same honorific titles for men at this time, but Langjun is used more often, while Sheren is specially used for those sons of noble status or extraordinary family backgrounds.
Pei Wenzhonggong was Pei Du, the famous prime minister of the late Tang Dynasty who traveled to and from China and abroad for twenty years and was concerned about the safety of the country and the importance of time. Wenzhong was his posthumous title.
Although the Pei family of Wenxi is not the fifth surname of Qiwang, he is still one of the most wealthy families in the Tang Dynasty. I don't know how he, a son of a famous family, came all the way to Dunhuang, which was under the rule of the Guiyi Army.
"Forgive me! It's not an insult. It's because you didn't know that the disaster was coming. Now that the inside and outside are isolated, the king has actually fallen into the hands of the Uighurs. He is old, how long can he survive?
You didn't make a decision earlier, but you are still here with your mouth and tongue, and you insist on having a knife and ax on your body before you regret it?"
When the scholar heard Cao Yuande speak, he finally put down his tea bowl and raised his hand to Cao Yuande.
But even though he was explaining, his expression, no matter how he looked at it, made people think that he was still mocking people.
"Then according to Pei Sheren's opinion, what should we do?" Cao Yuanzhong, Cao Laosan, who was tired of everyone's indecision, sat up straight and asked.
"Of course you should go and gather the soldiers immediately. We will kill the generals in tonight and eradicate the Uighur princess and her heirs together!"
Pei Sheren stood up, a ruthless look suddenly filled his face. His right hand was in the shape of a knife. When he said to eradicate them all, he swung them fiercely, which made everyone tremble with fear.
"Pei Yuan! Pei Yuanying! After all, it's still the same thing about striking first." Cao Yuanshen couldn't listen anymore. He stood up and pointed his halberd at Pei Sheren.
"Did you know that the Uighurs were guarding outside the king's bedroom? People say that it is a tragedy for the human beings to ignore the corpses and attack each other. Do you want us to kill him in front of his father until the blood flows like a river?
?"
It turns out that Pei She's name is Pei Yuan. In this era, it is very disrespectful and even humiliating to call someone by his name, especially his name, without giving any face.
When Pei Yuan heard this, he immediately became furious. He snorted coldly and looked at Cao Yuanshen with disdain.
"I really doubt that your Shazhou Cao family is descended from the Cao family in Qiao County? Are you a descendant of Emperor Wu of Wei?
When did this happen? The Ganzhou Uighurs started mobilizing three months ago, and they will march westward as soon as the ice and snow subside a little. You are still here to pay attention to filial piety!
Is it possible that if you are all killed, your Majesty the Duke will be able to smile? Pedantry! Pedantry! Why, Cao Zhaobo is still a rich man. Isn’t the lesson enough?"
Cao Zhaobo was Cao Shuang, but he was still a rich man but was the laughingstock of the ages. These words were so vicious that Cao in the whole room was immediately furious.
What's more, because the Shazhou Cao family has included a large number of Sogdian Cao people in their genealogy, they are most taboo and afraid of others saying that they are not descendants of the Cao family in Qiao County. Pei Yuan's words hit the most sensitive part of their hearts.
At that moment, the angry three generations of the Cao family rushed up and were about to grab Pei Yuan and beat him.
But at this moment, a young lady wearing a light red pomegranate cotton robe kicked open the door with a bang and ran in.
The cotton robe on this little lady is not simple. It is a high-end product from Khotan. It is thin and warm. It is a good thing that cannot be exchanged for a lot of money in Dunhuang. Except for her, her mother Song, and her sister Sanniangzi, no one else
No.
"Nineteenth Mother, what are you doing here?" Cao Yuanzhong asked with a frown.
This young lady with a rosy face who ran away turned out to be Cao Yanxiang, Cao Yuanzhong's youngest daughter, Zhang Dawang's fiancée.
"Yeah! Sixth Brother asked me to tell you that there has been a change in Qingyuan Palace. Princess Tiansheng just wanted to enter, but she was stopped by those Uighur warriors!" Cao Yanxi said breathlessly.
"No!" Cao Yuande yelled, cold sweat dripped down his face, and the faces of Cao Cao all over the room turned pale.
There must be something wrong with King Linggong, or he may even have passed away, otherwise the Uighur princess would not dare to stop the Khotan princess from visiting.
"Your Majesty! The Cao family is in danger. It's not too late to summon the soldiers now!"
Pei Yuan jumped out with a cry, scolding the eighteen generations of Cao Yuande and others' ancestors in his heart.
He suggested several times that Cao Yuande should kill the Uighur Princess Li. If the Cao family was defeated, could he escape?
While speaking, Pei Yuan also glanced at the little girl who looked harmless. If Cao Yuande still didn't dare to make up his mind, he would hug Cao Jiuniang's thigh after a while.
Because Princess Uighur Tian dared to kill anyone, but she certainly didn’t dare to touch Cao Jiuniang, because her husband was the second husband of the Zhang family who was powerful in the Western Regions.
Fortunately, Pei Yuan no longer had to shamelessly hug a little girl's thigh. After the expression on Cao Yuande's face changed several times, he finally stamped his foot heavily.
"Yuan Shen, Yuan Zhong, go out immediately to greet the soldiers in the city, follow me into Qingyuan Palace, and rescue your great king!"
