Seeing Nishu's name on the memorial, Li Shimin's memory was pulled back to ten years ago.
In the third year of Wude, the world was initially settled, but there were still various factions that rebelled against the king and could not be called stable. At that time, Li Shimin was not yet the general of Tiance, and he only wanted to make achievements and share the worries of his father and brother.
In terms of military prowess in the world at that time, no one came out of the Eastern Turks. Jieli also succeeded to the throne that year, and he was arrogant and domineering. In order to smoothly proceed with the great cause of pacifying the Central Plains, Li Yuan had no choice but to compromise and give many gifts. However,
Unable to satisfy him, he repeatedly sent troops to invade the border.
In order to contain the Eastern Turks, Li Yuan secretly sent envoys to contact the Western Turks, hoping that the Western Turks could send troops to make the Eastern Turks afraid. At that time, the Western Turks had been recuperating for many years, and the Great Khan Tong Yehu was also considered a powerful ruler, and he wanted to
To avenge being driven out by the Eastern Turks. Seeing the envoy from the Tang Dynasty, he gladly accepted the agreement to join forces to fight against the Eastern Turks. In order to show his sincerity, he sent his nephew Ashina Nishu as an envoy to Chang'an.
To show respect, Li Yuan also ordered Li Shimin to receive Ni She.
The two met under such circumstances.
The same enemy, the same purpose, and the same age gave the two people a lot of topics to talk about. Nishu grew up in the Western Regions, and most of the things he had seen were things that Li Shimin had never seen. He told Li Shimin
Many things in the Western Regions, including camels, beauties, and mirages, all amazed Li Shimin. In return, Li Shimin also took Nishu to appreciate the scenery of Chang'an, the towering city walls, mottled ancient temples, customs, various delicacies, and especially the culture of the Central Plains.
His profound knowledge deeply impressed the Turkic young man and made him linger over it.
However, there is no such thing as a banquet that lasts forever. A month and a half passed in the blink of an eye, and Ashina Nishu had to leave for home. He shouldered the responsibility of an envoy and had to go back to report the progress of cooperation between the two countries.
Ashina Nishu knew in his heart that the Western Turks were more than a thousand miles away from Chang'an. After this separation, there might never be a chance to come back. Moreover, after spending one and a half months together, Nishu also developed a deep friendship with Li Shimin, so in
Before leaving, he proposed to become brothers with Li Shimin.
Li Shimin was only twenty-two years old at the time, and the city was still shallow. He had been with Nishu for a month and a half, and he respected his character very much. Nishu proposed to become brothers, and Li Shimin agreed without thinking. What's more, at that time, the Tang Dynasty
The situation was such that the Western Turks were in great need of foreign aid, and even if it was for the Tang Dynasty, he would not refuse to agree.
The next day, the two became brothers according to Turkic etiquette. Li Shimin took off the jade pendant from his waist and gave it to Nishu as a token, and Nishu gave Li Shimin a strong Turkic bow. Li Shimin always kept this strong bow with him until the Xuanwumen incident.
, Li Shimin also used it to shoot his brother Li Jiancheng to death.
Later, Li Shimin ascended the throne as emperor. But he could not face the strong bow that shot his brother to death, so in the second year of Zhenguan, when he was offering sacrifices to Li Jiancheng, he asked Eunuch Gao to secretly burn the bow.
After Nishu returned to the Western Turks, he tried his best to promote the reconciliation between the Western Turks and the Tang Dynasty. It was precisely because of the help of the Western Turks and the containment of the Eastern Turks that the Tang Dynasty was able to free up Shandong, go down to the south of the Yangtze River, and unify the Central Plains.
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When Li Shimin ascended the throne as emperor, he sent messages to all directions, and the Western Turks also received the news. Nishu also specially sent a letter to congratulate Li Shimin on becoming the emperor of the Tang Dynasty. However, Li Shimin did not reply to this letter. He was already
He is the emperor. He does not deny the sworn friendship he had when he was young, but he does not want to mention it either.
Moreover, this brotherly love made Li Shimin very painful in his heart. In any case, he killed his own brother. If a man who could kill his own brothers said that he cared about the bond of friendship, would the world believe it?
Li Shimin was an arrogant person. Since no one would believe it, he simply didn't mention it. From then on, he deliberately forgot about the matter. Then in order to prepare for revenge and profit, everyone in the Tang Dynasty became busy, and Li Shimin even wanted to share it with one person.
Even though I have been a few people, I have no time to think about it.
Unexpectedly, I received such news today.
The hero of the generation, Tongyehu Khan, died, and Nishu was elected as the Great Khan. However, Nishu refused and welcomed the son of Tongyehu Khan. To avenge Tongyehu Khan, he was killed.
Unfortunately, he fled to Yanqi country.
When Li Shimin heard the news, his heart was very complicated.
Although he deliberately downplayed his sworn relationship with Ni She, in his heart, he actually cared about it. Because he always believed that he was an emotional person. Killing his own brother was a last resort. But people in the world thought that he was a very emotional person.
He's cold-blooded and doesn't bother to explain.
Ni Shou is his sworn brother, and he feels that he should care about both emotions and reasons.
But then I thought about it, what can I do if I care? Not to mention that the Tang Dynasty had just destroyed the Eastern Turks and was in urgent need of recuperation and was unable to fight again. Even if it was possible, as the monarch of the Tang Dynasty, would it be necessary to raise weapons for a sworn brother of the Turks?
It should be noted that before the soldiers and horses move, food and grass go first. Now that the national treasury is empty, how can we raise food and grass?
Moreover, the Tang Dynasty is more than a thousand miles away from the Western Turks. Even if they want to help, are they going to ask the Tang Dynasty athletes to cross the desert to fight? The Western Turks are not a small country. Although its power is far away in the Western Regions, it has not had a strong enemy nearby for many years.
I am afraid that the power is no longer under the Eastern Turks. If we fight, can we win?
What will Datang do if it loses?
Many thoughts flashed through his mind, and Li Shimin had already made a decision. No matter what, he would not stand up for this sworn brother.
After making this decision, Li Shimin calmed down. He was thinking about the possible chain reactions after this incident happened.
In the Western Turks, Nishu has always been a "pro-Tang faction". This new Khan used Nishu to take revenge and consolidate his position, and then attacked him. His intention was probably not to reconcile with the Tang Dynasty.
This is not impossible. After the fall of the Eastern Turks, many Eastern Turkic tribes were unwilling to submit to the Tang Dynasty and were worried about the Tang Dynasty's conquest. Many of them went north to join Xue Yantuo, and some of them crossed the desert and joined the Western Turks.
The Turks are nomadic people, and their rule is to conquer and be conquered. Although these tribes originally belonged to the East Turks, they joined over, and the West Turks had no reason not to accept it. What's more, a hundred years ago, all Turks were one family.
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Li Shimin could imagine that these surrendered tribes must have spread the news of the destruction of the Eastern Turks and the capture of Jieli. A prerequisite for the reconciliation between the Western Turks and the Tang Dynasty is that the two have a common enemy. Now this enemy has been
The Tang Dynasty was resolved and the situation was reversed.
The Western Turks were originally driven away by the Eastern Turks. It is impossible for them not to covet the pastures left by the Eastern Turks. Especially in the Hetao area, the pastures are rich and fertile, which is where the royal tent of the Turkic Khanate is located. Both sides previously claimed that they were Turkic orthodox,
Now that the Eastern Turks have been destroyed and no one is fighting for it, the Western Turks are naturally the orthodox.
In the name of this orthodoxy, they also have to return to the Hetao.
The new Khan's attack on Nishu was probably the signal for the Eastern Expedition. He would first clear out the "pro-Tang faction" within the army, and then mobilize his troops for the Eastern Expedition. Thinking of the visit of Ju Wentai, the leader of the Gaochang Kingdom, Li Shimin became even more sure of himself
That's a guess. The first stop of the Western Turks' eastward expedition was Gaochang. Gaochang was a small country with few people and it was said that it only had 5,000 soldiers. How could it resist the rolling iron hooves of the Western Turks' cavalry?
In this way, it became clear that Ju Wentai's purpose of coming to Chang'an was to ask for help.
Li Shimin's eyes turned to the memorial again, with doubts in his eyes.
Since Ju Wentai came here to ask for help, why did he let the prince come to Chang'an one step ahead? And he kept it secret. If it weren't for a coincidence and Wang Zhongyuan discovered this, I'm afraid Ju Wentai wouldn't know about it when he arrived in Chang'an.
this matter.
Ju Wentai came to ask for help, so why did his son come to Chang'an?
make a sightseeing tour?
Li Shimin didn't believe it.
Tapping his fingers lightly on the table, several possibilities popped up in Li Shimin's mind. After eliminating the options that he felt were incorrect, the most likely possibility remained.
Ju Wentai was afraid that I would not agree, so he asked his son to take the first step and communicate with the important officials in the court to speak for them.
That must be it!
Li Shimin rubbed his swollen temples and fell into deep thought again.
The Eastern Turks were destroyed, and there were no strong enemies in the west and north of the Tang Dynasty. It was just a good time to recuperate and recuperate. Although it is now known that Xue Yantuo was eyeing him, but Xue Yantuo had been enslaved by the Turks before and had no good horses or good bows. There were also Turkic tribes integrated in, and internal integration was impossible.
It would take some time. Li Shimin concluded that within five years, Xue Yantuo would not be a serious problem. After five years, the Tang Dynasty would be recuperating, and if Xue Yantuo wanted to invade, he would be confident enough to defeat him.
But the Turks are different. The Western Turks have been operating in the Western Regions for decades. It is still unclear what their strength is. If they come over, they will not be able to compare with Xue Yantuo.
An Eastern Turk has just left, and a Western Turk has returned. The Tang Dynasty still cannot change the situation surrounded by powerful enemies, so there is no talk of recuperation.
"If it really comes, this battle will definitely be fought."
Li Shimin muttered.
The situation has been analyzed clearly, but should Gao Changguo be saved or not?
Li Shimin, however, had not made up his mind.
Now that the leader of the Gaochang Kingdom has the leisure to come to Chang'an for an audience, it shows that the Western Turks have not been pushed to a certain extent. If the Tang Dynasty sends troops to Gaochang at this time to face the Western Turks directly, I am afraid that it will give them a handle. The Western Turks can use this as an excuse to directly attack the Western Turks.
The Tang Dynasty started a war, which was exactly what they wanted.
But if you ignore it, it won’t work. Gaochang State is located in a strategic location. Although it is not well-armed, it is a key node for trade in the Western Regions. Businessmen from the Tang Dynasty want to go to the Western Regions, and Gaochang is the last supply station before entering the desert. And merchants from the Western Regions want to come to the Western Regions.
In the Tang Dynasty, after crossing the desert and running out of ammunition and food, Gaochang was indispensable for continued supplies. Gaochang collected business taxes from both sides and did business on both sides, making a lot of money.
If such a place were taken by the Western Turks, it would be tantamount to blocking the Tang Dynasty's road to the west, which would be a great disadvantage to the Tang Dynasty.
How can we think of a way to get the best of both worlds?
Li Shimin felt like his head was going to explode.
If it had been left to the past, Li Shimin must have sent someone to find Changsun Wuji at this time. After he discussed with Changsun Wuji, he would then pass on Fang Xuanling and Du Ruhui. After that, it would be Wang, Wei Zheng and others.
But since Changsun Wuji petitioned to build the Long Right Road, Li Shimin's words often flashed through his mind, and the more he thought about it, the more reasonable he became.
Changsun Wuji has a close relationship with him, and the Changsun family and the Li family share weal and woe. But none of these can change the fact that the eldest grandson is the eldest grandson, and the royal family is the royal family. No matter how loyal Changsun Wuji is, he will always consider the interests of the Changsun family first.
Still separated by one layer.
With this thought in his mind, Li Shimin no longer trusted Changsun Wuji as much as before. At the same time, he could also understand why Queen Changsun had always advocated not reusing relatives. This was not only to protect the royal family, but also a disguised way for the Changsun family.
Protection. If the power of the Changsun family is too great, disaster will cause Xiaoqiang in the future, and the Changsun family may not be able to survive.
After Li Shimin understood this truth, he secretly reflected many times that he was not as far-reaching as the queen on such a major matter. At the same time, he also secretly scolded Li Mu many times. Li Mu's seemingly unintentional words broke this window.
Paper. This is certainly a good thing, but for Li Shimin, it caused him to lose someone he could call a friend.
"Who can I trust without any defense in this world today?"
Li Shimin murmured to himself, suddenly thinking of Li Mu, a smile couldn't help but appear on his lips.
Changsun Wuji can no longer believe it, but Li Mu can still believe it. Maybe as he said, if he has a family in the future, he will also consider his family. But he doesn't have it now, he doesn't even have a son.
, being alone, he can be trusted now.
And he also thought about what happened with Nishu back then. When Nishu came to Chang'an, Li Yuan asked him to receive Nishu. First, considering his identity, Nishu was the nephew of the Turkic Khan, and he was the king of Qin, so the prince received him as a sign of his identity.
Secondly, considering their age, he is similar to Ni She, so they don’t have nothing to talk about.
Now that the Crown Prince of Gaochang has come to Chang'an, Li Shimin asked Li Mu to receive Ni She, which is exactly what happened back then. It is said that the Crown Prince of Gaochang is only in his twenties, and although Li Mu is only seventeen, he will not be left behind.
The Crown Prince of Gaochang and the Marquis of the Tang Dynasty did not treat him lightly.
The most important thing is that Li Shimin wanted to separate the prince of Gaochang from the civil and military officials of the Manchu Dynasty. No matter what the final decision was, Li Shimin did not want to see a situation where the civil and military officials of the Manchu Dynasty joined forces to force the palace after receiving bribes.
The Holy Emperor must act decisively!
This idea formed in his mind, and the more he thought about it, the more feasible it became. Li Shimin knocked on the table and said, "Here comes someone!"
Eunuch Gao went to the Chang'an County government office to deliver the decree. Naturally, there were others waiting on him. A eunuch entered the palace and bowed: "What are your orders, Your Majesty?"
"Go and call Marquis Zhulu, I have something to tell him."
"No!" the eunuch responded and withdrew.
As soon as the eunuch left, Eunuch Gao came back: "Your Majesty, Wang Zhongyuan, the magistrate of Chang'an County, has arrived. Please give orders outside the palace."
Li Shimin nodded and said, "Did you bring those two barbarians as well?"
"I brought it, and it's also outside the palace."
"Okay, let Wang Zhongyuan come in first. I'll see you later on those two barbarians."