The court was shaken.
Chang 'an was speechless.
Li Shi Min made a prompt decision to delay the Crown Prince's discussion and barely ended this turmoil.
However…
The prince rebelled, and the king of Wei was disfigured and crippled.
Such a thing had happened overnight. Even though he was an existence comparable to an ancient emperor, he was growing thinner day by day and endless guilt rose in his heart.
……
……
The Turks.
Jie Li Khan hid in his tent, frowning.
It was only September.
The Turkic steppe was already in a state of turmoil.
Wherever the wind and frost passed, the vegetation withered and the weather froze.
This was the greatest disaster the Turks had encountered in a decade!
Who knew how many grassland men would freeze to death in this blizzard.
Thinking of this…
Jie Li Khagan felt his heart twitch.
Suddenly!
A middle-aged man who was clearly Han but dressed like a Turkic rushed into the tent and shouted at him,"Great Khan, this is a heaven-sent opportunity!"
This person was called Zhao Deyan, from the end of the Sui Dynasty and the beginning of the Tang Dynasty.
The Central Plains was in chaos, and he defected to the Turks.
He was appointed to the post of Minister of Foreign Affairs by the Khan.
Originally, the Turkic customs were simple, and governance was simple.
Jie Li Khan listened to Zhao Deyan's suggestion and strengthened the power of the Khan. The laws were harsh, causing the leaders of the Turkic tribes to be dissatisfied.
"When the white wind blows, the entire grassland will be covered in ice and snow. Who knows how many grassland people will starve to death.
At this time, what kind of heaven-sent opportunity could there be?”
Jie Li Khagan raised his eyes and glanced at him, still dispirited.
"Great Khan, this is definitely a godsend opportunity!" Zhao Deyan said, not annoyed.”
After saying that, he took out a secret letter and said,"This is a report from our Turkic spies.
The Great Tang had undergone a major change, and it was likely that its internal stability would be unstable!”
Jie Li Khagan's brows jumped, his face revealing joy.
He still remembered that a few years ago, the Turkic cavalry had approached the Wei River and forced the emperor of the south to sign a contract.
That time.
The Turks had earned a lot, and the entire steppe had no shortage of food for three years.
"What drastic change? Tell me quickly!"
Jie Li Khagan sat up straight with an anxious expression.
Zhao Deyan revealed the news of Li Ke killing the Wang Clan's Patriarch, then working together with Li Shimin to wipe out the thousand-year-old Wang Clan.
"Great Khan, the Tang Emperor has allowed his son to act recklessly, which has caused the internal instability of those aristocratic families. Isn't this a godsend for the Turks?"”
Khan Jie Li nodded, his face revealing an excited expression.
"Not bad! It's indeed a heaven-sent opportunity!"
But soon, his face was filled with distress.
"But now that the white hair wind is blowing, and the information of the tribes is blocked, it is not possible to unite the tribes and send troops in a short time!”
A look of disdain flashed across Zhao Deyan's eyes as he bowed and said,""Great Khan, there is no need to worry. We can first send people to contact the major tribes to prepare to send troops. At the same time, we can also send messengers to the Tang Empire with golden sabers to ask the Tang people to pay tribute.
The Tang are unstable internally and will most likely submit, so we can take the opportunity to extort a fortune.
If the Tang refuse, our Turkic cavalry will have already gathered and we can directly pillage the south!”
Khan Jie Li's eyes lit up.
"The state preceptor is indeed a wise man of the Central Plains! This plan is feasible!"
Without any hesitation.
Jie Li Khan sent an envoy with a golden knife token from the grassland.
In just three days.
Soon, they arrived in Chang 'an.
Political Affairs Hall.
Zai Fu's face was heavy, and Li Shi Min's eyes were filled with killing intent.
"Xuanling, take a guess. The Turks suddenly sent an envoy to the court.”
Li Shi Min's face twitched as he rubbed his forehead.
He had yet to recover from the massive blow, and now the Turks had appeared again.
Fang Xuanling smiled bitterly.
Almost everyone knows about this, so why do I have to guess?
"Your Majesty," he shook his head,"the Turks must have heard of the recent changes in the court."
Jie Li has Zhao De said this person to plan, presumably sent into the court, is to take advantage of the situation.”
Li Shi Min nodded solemnly.
"That's right, I think so too. Do you have any ideas?”
A way?
What could he do?
Right now, everyone was focusing all their energy on guarding against the aristocratic families.
The various aristocratic families and clans frequently colluded with each other. The army must not be moved recklessly. Otherwise, who knew what tricks those aristocratic families and clans would play.
What if they imitated Li Shimin's Black Tortoise Sect coup and launched a palace coup, killing Li Shimin and pushing the three or four-year-old Prince of Jin, Li Zhi, to the throne?
There were too many variables, and the Great Tang and the Turks could not start a war until they had resolved their internal problems!
Zai Fu and the others were silent.
Li Shi Min sighed.
Internal and external troubles.
"Can we only compromise this time?"
He looked down.
Zai Fu and the others remained silent.
Although the Great Tang was calm, no one knew what those clans were plotting behind the scenes.
After a while, Zhangsun Wuji said,""Your Majesty! The Great Tang and the Turks were bound to fight, but they could not fight now!”
Li Shi Min nodded.
He was also very clear about the current situation.
"But I'm not willing!"
Li Shi Min raised his head, his eyes slightly red.
"In the battle of the Wei River, I bowed to the Turks once.
In the past few years, whenever he thought of those humiliations, his heart felt as if it was being gnawed on by thousands of insects.”
Wei Zheng sighed.
"Your Majesty, please put the country first!”
On the other side.
"Your Majesty, there is still time," said Gao Shilian after a moment of silence.
I will find a way to contact the Cui family of Qinghe, the Lu family of Fanyang, and see if I can get a promise from them.”
Li Shi Min nodded indifferently.
Now.
He was in an awkward position.
They either had to bow to the Turks or to the great clans.
However…
He didn't want to lower his head to either side!
"This is the only way!"
He sighed, feeling helpless.
……
……
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