Chapter 421 Tang Ting’s Decision

In Linde Hall, Zhang Huan walked slowly in the imperial study with his hands behind his back. The latest information from the shattered leaves was placed on his imperial case. Tang Jun found five thousand war knives in a big food caravan. After interrogation, these war knives were sent to the Gelulu people. This was not the first batch of weapons, but it would not be the last batch of weapons. The big food knives were already starting to arm the Gelulu people.

The colder climate is the reason why the Gelulu people went south. They were eager to return to the warm Saiye River Basin. It was no wonder that after the Battle of Talas, the Gelu people once controlled Saiye City.

But Zhang Huan was alert to the trend of Dashi. The Tang Dynasty and Dashi have been calm over the past three years. The Tang Dynasty did not continue to expand westward, and Dashi did not interfere with the development of the Shattered Leaf and the construction of the Golden Dragon Path. This is a tacit understanding between the two countries, but this tacit understanding seems to be quietly broken.

Perhaps the colder climate made the Gelulu people eager to go south and they asked for help from Dashi, but the matter of aiding the Gelu people itself reflected the intention of Dashi to change the status quo.

Zhang Huan slowly walked to the wall and stared at a huge map on the wall. This is a map of the entire Western Regions and even the Dashi. It extends from Anxi to the western Mediterranean. From the map, it can be seen that the black-coated land is the territory of Dashi, covering a vast area. A red area above Dashi is another great power, Byzantine Empire. To the west, there are Daqin and Frank, and some of the white-clothed Dashi remained. Three years ago, the Dashi Caliph died suddenly after he ascended the throne. His younger brother Rashid ascended the throne as the new caliph. Now two years have passed, can he finally be unable to hold on?

Zhang Huan's eyes turned to Shau Ye again. It should be said that Shau Ye was just the first link in his Western Regions strategy. Now with the improvement of the Golden Dragon Path, his first link has come to an end, just one final decisive step away.

Yes, the strategic position of Shauye is very important. It is close to the Daqing Pond, with a rich land and abundant water source, and it occupies an oasis of hundreds of miles of Shauye Valley. Not only that, it is also guarding the joints of Tochar and Zhaowu countries. It is a dagger inserted between the Tochar and the Zhaowu countries, and it is also a bone in the throat of Dashi. This nail must be pulled out. Similarly, the Tang Dynasty also needs to make this nail into a sharp blade. Now, the contest between the two sides has finally begun. The Geluo people are the first step of Dashi's chess. What about their own corresponding chess? Is it time to take action?

"Your Majesty, the Empress is here." An Zhongshun whispered and interrupted Zhang Huan's thoughts. He immediately smiled and said, "Please come in."

The queen is of course Pei Ying. Three years ago, Zhang Huan's son died young and had a thin descendant. At the strong request of the ministers, Zhang Huan accepted several more concubines, including Lin Pingping.

Now he has five sons. Concubine Yang Chunshui gave birth to a son for her, Empress Pei Ying gave birth to another son, Cui Xuezhu also gave birth to a son, and Cui Ning gave birth to a daughter last year, which was very healthy. Hua Jinxiu also gave birth to a daughter. In this way, with ordinary adopted daughters, he had four daughters in total, and five sons and four daughters were considered full of children. Although the children were still young, he began to look for the best teacher for them impatiently.

After a moment, Pei Ying walked in gracefully and said with a smile: "Get sick, are you okay with me?"

Pei Ying is twenty-seven years old this year, and she has been married to Zhang Huan for ten years. This is the time when she is most mature. She has a plump body and white skin. Her every move contains a calm and very moving solemn beauty.

She was the queen of the Tang Dynasty and the queen ruled. It was logical that she could not enter the emperor's imperial study room at will. Pei Ying knew this very well. In the past few years, she had never been to the imperial study room of Zichen Pavilion, and the study room of Linde Hall was also a few times when Zhang Huan was not there. Today, Zhang Huan specially invited her, and she was filled with joy.

"I want to ask you for something."

Zhang Huan personally moved his wisteria ring chair to her. Zhang Huan respected and loved his wife. After his son died young three years ago, each of them realized the preciousness of family affection and life. It was Pei Ying's persistence that made the ordinary people who had been obsessed with Zhang Huan for twenty years finally let go and married Zhang Huan. Every child was born with the shadow of Pei Ying working hard for him, which made Zhang Huan have no worries at all. This made Zhang Huan full of gratitude for her. As time passed, the relationship between them slowly evolved into a plain family affection, which was timeless and firm.

"I even brought my favorite chair to sit for me." Pei Ying smiled and joked, "It must not be a good thing."

Zhang Huan smiled embarrassedly and said, "That's right. I was considering the Uighurs' proposal to marry her. After discussing with the ministers, I decided to agree to the Uighur Khan's request. Tang and return to the two families to marry each other. But I don't know which family's daughter should be sent to, so I want to ask the queen to help me take into account this matter."

"So that's the case." Pei Ying nodded and said, "Okay! I went back and discussed with the Yuan Concubine. She knew more about the daughter of the royal family than me. She would draw up a list to let His Majesty make the final decision."

"This is the best!" Zhang Huan couldn't help but be overjoyed. He took Pei Ying's hand and smiled gratefully: "Then I'll ask you for this matter."

At this time, a burst of rapid footsteps came from outside the door, and An Zhongshun asked outside the door: "What's the matter?"

"Eunuch An, Master Cui asked for his Majesty if he had a major event, and he was waiting outside the palace now."

"I'll report to the emperor now."

Pei Ying hurriedly broke free from her husband's hand, "I am here, I will not disturb Your Majesty."

After pausing, she suddenly attached herself to Zhang Huan's ear and said, "Get sick, can you come to my place tonight?"

Zhang Huan nodded, "Okay, I'll go in a while."

Pei Ying smiled and walked out quickly. An Zhongshun quickly went to the side to make way for the queen, and only reported after she walked away: "Your Majesty, Master Cui Ge is asking for a meeting with you for a big deal."

"I understand, please come in!"

After a moment, the two guards carried Cui Yuan's seat into the imperial study. Although they were often in contact, Zhang Huan had not seen him in the past year. Seeing Cui Yuan as thin as a hair, his eyes were very dim, and there was signs of oil running out of the lamp. Zhang Huan sighed secretly, Cui Yuan might not have lived long.

"My minister Cui Yuan meets your Majesty!"

Cui Yuan bowed to Zhang Huan while sitting in the carriage and thanked him: "I would like to thank Your Majesty for visiting the old minister."

"The Yuanfei's health is not very good, otherwise I will let her stay by the elder's side for a few more days." When talking about Cui Ning, Zhang Huan felt a strong apology in his heart. The premature death of his son three years ago caused great harm to Cui Ning, and she almost died of illness. However, her state affairs were heavy and she had no energy to take care of her and comfort her. Thanks to her daily care by her side, she snatched her from the hands of the god of death. It was not until she gave birth to another daughter last year that she slowly walked out of the grief of losing her son.

But this feeling of guilt disappeared in an instant. Now it was the time for state affairs. He knew that there would be a big event when Cui Yuan came, and it was most likely to involve the Western Regions strategy of the Tang Dynasty. He wanted to hear the opinions of this veteran of the four dynasties.

Cui Yuan did not exchange much greetings. He took out the memorial and handed it to Zhang Huan, "Your Majesty, this is the memorial that Your Majesty has shown me. I have attached my opinion to the back. Please read it."

Zhang Huan took the letter and sat and read it. Cui Yuan's opinion on the Uighurs' proposal to marry was consistent with the court, and he also mentioned that the increase in troops in Beiting was consistent with the suggestions of Han Yu and Yuan Zai.

After reading it, Zhang Huan gently folded the memorial and said, "I will consider the opinions of the Master Ge. Pei Xiangguo also proposed to strictly prohibit the flow of iron, weapons, salt and other strategic materials to the Uighurs while relaxing the grain trade. This coincides with the Master Ge's idea."

Cui Yuan's suggestion ultimately strengthened Zhang Huan's determination. He could not show too much good to the Uighurs. Simply showing kindness will not only not make it grateful for the kindness of the Tang Dynasty, but will instead make it feel that the Tang Dynasty is weak and can be bullied. It must use both soft and hard. While lending it food and agreeing to the marriage, it must also warn it with force that at least the Tang Dynasty princess who married will not be wronged.

Seeing that Zhang Huan agreed with his opinion, Cui Yuan smiled and said, "I have another major event today, which can be said to be the killer weapon against the Huihe."

"Oh!" Zhang Huan sat up suddenly, with a strong interest in his eyes. The lackeys of the Geluo people were not scary. At worst, they could close the door and beat him up. But the Uighurs were different. If he also became an ally of the Great Hero, his powerful strength would become a great obstacle to the Tang Dynasty's strategy of advancing westward. However, if he could find a killer weapon to deal with the Uighurs, it would be equivalent to putting a wild horse on a bridle.

"Please speak out for yourself."

"Your Majesty, my Changsun Yao, on his way back from the Western Regions, accidentally rescued a pair of brothers and sisters who were chased by the Uighurs in Xianyang County. They turned out to be the eldest son and daughter of King Khagas, and were ordered to go to the Tang Dynasty."

There is no need to say much about the smart people. Cui Yuan only made a point at the key points, and Zhang Huan understood everything. He quickly walked to the map and saw a place controlled by the Khagas people at a glance. In the north of the Yibohai, the northwest corner of the Uighur Kingdom, while the Gelulu people were in the southwest of the Uighur Kingdom. Originally, the Khagas people and the Gelulu people were also connected by mountains and rivers, but three years ago, the power of the Uighur people arrived at the Yibohai, and separated the Khagas people and the Gelulu people.

He murmured twice. He knew that this was an extremely tenacious nation. He had resisted the Uighurs for nearly a hundred years. Zhang Huan nodded slowly. Cui Yuan was right. If used properly, this was indeed a killer weapon against the Uighurs.

"Where are their brothers and sisters now?" Zhang Huan turned around and smiled knowingly, "You won't be waiting for me to summon me outside the palace!"

Cui Yuan smiled awkwardly, "Your Majesty is indeed a wise man. Yes, the brother and sister are waiting outside the palace for His Majesty's summoning."

Speaking of this, Cui Yuan suddenly hesitated for a moment and then hesitated: "The eldest grandson of the old minister is also with them."

Zhang Huan looked at this old minister silently. He must have known that he had not had much time to come, so he began to arrange his funeral. The only thing he was concerned about was his eldest grandson, but he was worried that his grandson would not pass the imperial examination. When the family system had been cancelled, he could only use his little bit of his spare time to find a way out for his grandson.

Zhang Huan understood his painstaking efforts and nodded, "Cui Yao is the nephew of Concubine Yuan, that is, my nephew. Let's announce that he will meet with him!"

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After a while, Shi Muhua and Cui Yao were led to Linde Hall by the Yulin Army. Before entering Zhang Huan's imperial study, the Yulin Army conducted the strictest body search and supervision on them in turn, and even opened their mouths to check whether there were hidden weapons. Seeing that the Yulin Army was searching very carefully, Cui Yao turned around and said to Gu Dai, "You don't have to go in, just stay here, do you know?"

Gu Dai nodded obediently and stayed outside the hall accompanied by a palace maid. Shi Muhua and Cui Yao were taken to the door of the Imperial Study Room together. A Yulin Army quickly stepped in to report. At this time, Shi Muhua's heart was pounding. He whispered to Cui Yao: "Mr. Cui, will Your Majesty the Emperor be annoyed that we never pay tribute?"

"Don't worry!" Cui Yao comforted him softly, "Our Emperor is a pragmatic person. He will not value those false rituals too much. The key is that you must be sincere."

‘Sincerity!’ Shi Muhua nodded silently. He restrained his inner tension and waited for the summons of the Emperor of the Tang Dynasty. Soon, a little eunuch ran out and said, “Your Majesty will tell you to come in!”

The two of them quickly walked into the imperial study room. Shi Muhua saw Cui Yuan sitting next to him at a glance, and a man in his thirties sat in the middle of the room. His eyes were gentle, but there was a sharpness hidden behind the gentleness. He did not dare to look at it anymore, so he quickly stepped forward and knelt down and said, "Shi Muhua, a subject from the side country, bowed to His Majesty the Emperor of the Tang Dynasty, wishing you a long life!"

Cui Yao had no title, so he knelt down, "Cui Yao, a grass man, bowed to His Majesty the Emperor!"

Zhang Huan saw that Shi Muhua had red hair, blue eyes and black face. Although they were also a Turkic group, they were completely different from what they usually saw, not to mention that they claimed to be descendants of Han general Li Ling.

Zhang Huan waved his hand and ordered them to get up. He looked at Cui Yao first, turned to Cui Yuan and smiled: "I still remember the appearance of that little prodigy back then. I have grown so big after not seen him for a few years. I almost passed the Jinshi three years ago. The Yangtze River's Long-term Wave pushed the former Wave. Congratulations to the Cui family for having successors!"

"Your Majesty is too awarded." Cui Yuan bowed to thank him, and he said to Shi Muhua again: "Don't you take out the Ye Hu gold medal that I, Emperor Xuanzong, gave your grandfather?"

A eunuch came over with a gold plate. There was a gold medal with a brocade belt next to it. There was a gold box made of gold, which was inlaid with various precious jewelry. Shi Muhua hurriedly bowed and said, "Your Majesty, this is the Yehu gold medal left by my grandfather. In the gold box next to it is a hunter of the Kias obtained diamonds from the ten thousand years of ice in the extreme north. It has always been the treasure of the Kias royal family. My father presented it to His Majesty the Emperor."

The eunuch walked up and knelt down, lifted the golden plate high, Zhang Huan won the gold medal first, with the five words "Xiagas Yehu" on the front, and a line of small words on the back: The Emperor of the Kaiyuan Tianbao Shengwen Shenwu was given to the governor of Jiankun.

Zhang Huan nodded, then opened the golden box casually, and a faint blue light shot out from the box. This was a blue diamond the size of an egg, in a diamond shape, emitting a dazzling light.

"Thank you for your father's good intentions, I accept it."

Zhang Huan smiled faintly, covered the box, and asked him again: "You speak Chinese very well, but have you lived in the Tang Dynasty?"

"When I was a young man, I studied in Jiuyuan for several years. Master named me the Chinese name Muhua. I admire the culture of the Central Plains very much, and I am determined to marry a woman from the Tang Dynasty as my wife."

Seeing that he was eager to express his admiration for the Tang Dynasty, Zhang Huan interrupted him with a smile, "Your father gave up his envoy to the Tang Dynasty, do you have any letters?"

Shi Muhua hurriedly bowed and said, "Yes! The brocade in the golden box is just."

Zhang Huan was a little surprised. He opened the box again and took out a white brocade from it. After shaking it open, he was stunned. The whole brocade was densely covered with small words, which were written in blood. The book describes the bullying of the Uighurs against the Khagas. Now the Uighurs have expanded westward to the Yibohai, and the Khagas is facing the crisis of the destruction of the clan and the extermination. The book begged the Tang Dynasty to lend a helping hand. The Khagas was willing to regard the Tang Dynasty as his father. Zhang Huan frowned slightly. He did not like the extreme way of expressing emotions with blood books.

Shi Muhua kept watching the emperor's every move. At the moment when it was related to the life and death of Xiajias, his heart was almost jumping out. Seeing the emperor frowning, Shi Muhua fell to the ground and cried sadly: "Your Majesty, more than 60% of the cattle, sheep and horses raised by us in the Kias are to be handed over to the Uighurs every year. If there is a disaster year, they will collect them according to the standards of last year. If it is not enough, they will be captured as slaves. For a hundred years, we Kias people have been living in extreme hardships of lack of food and clothing.

I have resisted many times and been suppressed many times. My grandfather and two uncles died under the sword of the Uighurs. In recent years, the climate is cold and it is difficult to raise cattle and sheep. We rely on fishing on Yibohai for a living. But three years ago, the Uighurs expanded west to Yibohai and forced us to become increasingly forced to fish in the sea. Half a year ago, we were strictly prohibited from fishing in the sea, cutting off our life path, and forcing us to hand over a million cattle and sheep and 500,000 horses next year, otherwise we will slaughter all our tribe members. Your Majesty, please help us! We are really desperate."

At this time, Cui Yao finally couldn't help saying: "Your Majesty, the Caomin heard many merchants say that the Uighurs prohibited them from trading with the Kiagas people to exchange grain, and often sent cavalry patrols. Once seized, they would be killed without any attention."

"Sun son!" Cui Yuan cut off Cui Yao's jerk, "You are not allowed to talk too much in front of His Majesty."

Cui Yao was so scared that he was shocked and quickly lowered his head.

"Young Master Cui is chivalrous, not bad." Zhang Huan smiled, then stopped his smile, and said to Shi Muhua coldly: "Then what kind of aid do you want? Do you want the Tang Dynasty to provide food?"

"No!" Shi Muhua flatly denied, "We don't want food. If we want food, we can move to the West. We don't want to leave the land that has raised us for generations. We want swords. We ask the Tang Dynasty to help us weapons and armor. We will fight the Uighurs to fight to the death and never surrender to them."

"I understand." Zhang Huan nodded slowly, "In view of your sincerity, I agree with your request in principle, but it is not enough to just need swords. How can I have the strength to fight with the Uighurs without filling my stomach? I will order Sailye to provide you with weapons and food, but I also hope that you can keep your promise and regard me, the Tang Dynasty as your father."

Shi Muhua's tears surged out. He lay on the ground and cried bitterly. Zhang Huan said nothing. After his crying stopped, he smiled slightly and said, "Since you have completed your mission, you can rest in Chang'an for a while! I will discuss the details of this matter with the prime ministers. I will return to China after the spring begins. Go to Saiye first. I will send troops to escort you back to Jiankun."

"I thank the Emperor for his re-creation of my grace to me, Kias!" Shi Muhua knelt on the ground and kowtowed three times.

Zhang Huan glanced at Cui Yuan, and saw that he wanted to speak but stopped, he smiled at Cui Yao and said, "I know you want to take the imperial examination. After the exam, you will work harder and escort them back. If you can complete this mission, even if you fail the Jinshi exam, I will use you in an extraordinary way."

The guard took Shi Muhua and Cui Yuan down, and only Zhang Huan and Cui Yuan were left in the room. Cui Yuan suddenly sighed and said, "I'm afraid the old minister will not be able to repay His Majesty's kindness to me."

"The Master of Ge doesn't need to thank me. I just give him a chance. Whether he can become a pillar of the Tang Dynasty depends on his own ability. It's just that the Master of Ge must take good care of his health!" Zhang Huan said later, his tone became a little sad.

Cui Yuan smiled faintly and said, "Birth, old age, sickness and death are the rules of heaven and earth. I have enjoyed all the wealth and honor of the world, and I have no regrets."

After saying that, he changed his subject and asked again: "Have your Majesty ever considered joining the army to Satoye? The old minister always felt that 10,000 troops seemed to be a little less, and he could only protect himself. If he wanted to expand, it would not be enough."

Zhang Huan slowly walked to the map with his hands behind his back. He once again stared at Saiye deeply. Ge Lulu's ambition to go south was revealed. The tacit understanding between the Tang Dynasty and Dashi had been broken. It seemed that the most critical step in his Anxi strategy had indeed come true.

"I can tell the Pavilion Master that in the spring of next year, the Anxi Protectorate and Beiting Protectorate of our Tang Dynasty will be merged into the New Western Regions Protectorate, and the New Western Regions Protectorate will be moved to Saiye. At that time, Saiye will have 40,000 troops and can mobilize 100,000 troops east of the Pamir Mountains at any time."

In early November of the fourth year of Dazhi, as the land granting matter was coming to an end, the court officially issued a government military order to the whole country. Regardless of ethnicity, all men over 18 years old in the Tang Dynasty were obliged to be organized as government soldiers, serving in their original homes, serving as soldiers in wartime, and serving the people in their spare time. They would train for ten days a month. The required armored weapons and horses were provided by the court. In principle, the government soldiers from all over the country went to the border guards for one year every four years, and enjoyed military pay, and the farmland at home was planted by the local government. At the same time, the government order was issued. At the same time, the Long March athletes were recruited. For men who volunteered to serve in the border, the court would give special 30 acres of lifelong land on the basis of Yongye Field. Those who went to Anxi would also enjoy double pay, and six years was the service period, and they could return to their hometown after the service period, and they could be exempted from government military service for life.
Chapter completed!