novelSusiti Chapter 73: The Turkic army of 3 marches south, begging for the return of Shibi Khan.
Chapter 73: The Turkic army of 3 marches south, begging for the return of Shibi Khan.
Yanmen Pass.
The dull sound of war drums suddenly exploded, like thunder rolling over the city walls.
Upon hearing the sound, the soldiers guarding the city sprang into action, their armor clanging and their gleaming swords being drawn.
Outside the Great Wall, a massive army of 300,000 Turks stretched out like a dark cloud swallowing the heavens and the earth.
Banners fluttered in the wind, and the dull thud of horses' hooves could be faintly heard.
Strangely, this massive army, capable of crushing Yanmen Pass, remained stationary despite being arrayed here.
They neither challenged the enemy nor attacked the city; they simply remained quietly stationed outside the pass.
"What does this mean? What does it mean?"
Prefect Wang Rengong wiped the sweat from his forehead.
Looking at the dark, imposing army outside the pass, I felt as if a huge boulder was pressing on my chest, making it hard to breathe.
He has sent messengers to Luoyang three times to request the court to send reinforcements immediately.
If the Turkic army launches an offensive, this formidable pass will likely not last more than three days.
Even more terrifying is that, given the brutality of the Turks, tens of thousands of people within the Great Wall will likely perish.
"Prefect, reinforcements have arrived!"
A general strode up the city wall, his voice filled with barely suppressed excitement.
"Let's go take a look."
Wang Rengong withdrew his gaze and moved away.
Upon reaching the south, they saw a cavalry force approaching, their banner bearing the character "Li".
"Whoa!"
Li Yuan rode on his horse, with his sons still following him.
Behind him were the cavalry he had trained in Taiyuan over the years.
"Wang Rengong, Prefect of Yanmen, pays his respects to the Duke of Tang."
Upon seeing the visitor, Wang Rengong stepped forward and bowed.
"Prefect, there's no need for such formalities. The Turks are marching south, and I've come specifically to assist them."
Li Yuan returned the greeting from his horse but made no move to dismount.
In recent days, rumors have been circulating about Emperor Yang Guang being attacked during his northern tour.
There are even rumors that Yang Guang has died, but there has been no definite news.
Now the Turks dare to march south so aggressively, their army reaching the gates of Yanmen Pass.
In Li Yuan's view, this undoubtedly confirmed the rumors that Yang Guang was dead.
Otherwise, even if the Turks had ten times the courage, they wouldn't dare to be so arrogant.
Not long ago, he still had to be obsequious and cautious towards Yang Guang, for fear of offending the emperor.
But in the blink of an eye, what if Yang Guang really died?
Then this world… A barely perceptible smile appeared on Li Yuan’s lips.
The mountain that had been pressing down on him collapsed with a roar, and from then on, he no longer had to depend on others.
"Your Excellency, please follow me to the city walls for a look around." Wang Ren respectfully stepped aside to lead the way.
Li Yuan nodded in agreement, dismounted, and climbed the city wall side by side with Wang Rengong.
When he saw the endless Turkic camps beyond the pass with his own eyes, his pupils suddenly contracted and he gasped.
"So many troops!"
Li Yuan muttered to himself, a hint of barely perceptible shock in his voice.
This is probably the largest Turkic invasion since the establishment of the Sui Dynasty.
The tens of thousands of troops guarding Yanmen Pass were like ants trying to shake a tree in the face of such a massive force.
Li Yuan composed himself, turned to Wang Rengong beside him, and asked in a deep voice:
"The Turks have been here for several days. Have they sent anyone to negotiate? Or have they put forward any conditions?"
"They did not come to negotiate, and even when we sent envoys, they were refused an audience. We really don't know what the Turks' intentions are."
Wang Rengong also couldn't figure out what the Turks were up to.
If you want money or food, you have to ask for it, right?
Upon hearing this, Li Yuan nodded slowly, fell into deep thought, and then said nothing more.
His gaze once again fell upon the Turkic camp outside the pass, his mind filled with doubts.
The Turks' behavior was highly unusual.
As night quietly falls, lights begin to twinkle inside and outside Yanmen Pass.
In Li Yuan's tent, the candlelight flickered.
Li Jiancheng, Li Shimin, Li Yuanji, and others sat around, each with a different expression.
"Father, the Turks have marched south; Yang Guang must truly be dead!"
Li Yuanji had never shown any respect for Yang Guang, and now that he was surrounded by his own people, he became even more unscrupulous.
"That's very strange, Shimin. What do you think?"
In the end, Li Yuan inquired about his second son.
Li Shimin shook his head slightly. He couldn't figure out the Turks' intentions either, especially since they had kept the news under wraps.
The people they sent to gather information have not yet returned, otherwise there would be no need to speculate here.
"Father, we must win over the Turks."
Seeing that Li Shimin remained silent, Li Jiancheng immediately spoke up.
With Yang Guang's fate now unknown, the court is in complete chaos.
The powerful clans and a group of veteran officials led by Yang Lin were arguing fiercely over the issue of establishing a new emperor.
The imperial court was in chaos, and the various regions of the Sui Dynasty were also unstable.
Before long, chaos will ensue.
The Li family has lived in Taiyuan for many years and is quite wealthy.
If we can recruit the Turks to our side, we can establish our own independent regime.
When the time is right, it's not impossible to compete for the world.
"Jiancheng is right. Tomorrow, I will personally go to negotiate with the Turks."
Li Yuan knew the Turks were formidable and had long wanted to befriend them.
As for whether it would lead to trouble, that's not currently on his mind.
As long as he could quell the Turkic invasion, Li Yuan would be a savior to the people of Bingzhou.
He who wins the hearts of the people wins the world. The hearts of the people that Yang Guang lost should be won back by Li Yuan.
A night passed, and Li Yuan arrived at Wang Rengong's place early.
When Wang Rengong learned that Li Yuan was to act as an envoy to negotiate with the Turks, he was deeply moved by Li Yuan's noble intentions.
"Prefect, there's no need to see me off. Just wait for my good news."
Li Yuan, riding on his horse, was secretly pleased.
Before winning the hearts of the people of Bingzhou, it would be a good move to first win over the hearts of the officials in Yanmen.
A moment later, Li Yuan, accompanied only by two attendants, sped off towards the Turkic camp outside the pass.
"We admire the Duke of Tang's righteousness!"
Wang Rengong led a group of Yanmen officials, standing on the city wall, watching Li Yuan's figure disappear from sight.
Whether the Turkic army could retreat and whether Yanmen could be preserved depended entirely on Li Yuan.
Meanwhile, a meeting was also taking place inside the central command tent of the Turks.
However, unlike the usual Turkic discussions, this was different.
The person sitting in the main seat was not the Turkic Khan or a tribal chief, but a woman dressed in Sui Dynasty palace attire.
Her phoenix eyes were slightly raised, her expression was calm, and she exuded an air of authority that came from someone who had long held a high position.
On either side of her, dozens of leaders of various Turkic tribes sat with their heads bowed, their expressions respectful, even somewhat fearful.
The atmosphere inside the tent was oppressive; you could hear a pin drop.
"Princess, when should we send someone to Yanmen to negotiate?"
An elderly Turkic leader couldn't help but ask the question.
The princess he mentioned was none other than Princess Yicheng, who was sent by the Sui Dynasty to marry into the Turkic Khaganate.
Shibi Khan was captured by Lü Xiao, leaving the Turkic Khaganate leaderless, with no tribal leader capable of taking on the great responsibility.
Ultimately, they could only turn to this Sui Dynasty princess with a special status for help.
After all, Princess Yicheng was a relative of the Sui Dynasty emperor.
If she were to plead with Yang Guang on his behalf, she might be able to save Shibi Khan.