Chapter 889 Jie Li Khan is very talented in dancing, the Winter Turks are dead
At the end of the third year of Zhenguan, south of the Yin Mountains, the mountains were continuous and the grasslands were barren, like an eternal wasteland.
The sun has set, but the moon has not risen. The entire grassland seems to be immersed in endless darkness, and the gloomy coldness shrouds the vast grassland for thousands of miles.
The Yinshan Mountains are like a dragon, and the night is like a curtain, both of which are extremely bleak. However, the sounds of fierce fighting echo between heaven and earth. The generals of the Tang Dynasty hold the Tang military flag high, with lances and bows and crossbows in their hands.
The grassland was littered with corpses, the low-lying areas were filled with blood, and the ground was trampled into mud under the horses' hooves. Outside the tents, there were armor and weapons scattered on the ground, and faces were filled with fear and disbelief.
There is also confusion that comes from nowhere.
The wind on the grassland never stops, unable to blow away the blood, only making it thick, black and sticky. Amid countless screams, countless corpses gathered into a mountain!
Luo Xuanyun rode on a fine warhorse, stepped over a slightly black pit of blood, looked at the dust on the ground mixed with muddy blood, and rushed to Li Jing, Li Ji and others, stuck the horse lance that was still dripping with blood on the side of the warhorse, and asked loudly: "General Manager, the bandit leader Jie Li has escaped, should we continue to chase him?"
Li Jing looked at the tens of thousands of people who surrendered and shook his head. "Jie Li has been able to reorganize his army and is now on high alert. If we chase him now, he will probably flee to the northern desert and join the tribes of the northern grasslands. We should give him a chance to ask for peace, keep him in the southern desert first, and then wait for an opportunity to annihilate him."
Li Jing knew how to play with the hearts of gamblers. He gave Jie Li a hope of a comeback, so that Jie Li would have a lucky mentality instead of just giving up.
…
After Jie Li fled all the way, he gathered his own people along the way and once again had tens of thousands of people. After retreating to the foot of Yinshan Mountain, he immediately summoned the nobles of the royal court and said angrily: "It is impossible to fight the Tang army again now. When we invaded the Tang Dynasty in the past, we always retreated. Now this Khan has decided to send an envoy to the Tang Dynasty to apologize to the emperor of the Tang Dynasty. He said that we Turks are willing to submit to the Tang Dynasty and dare not invade the Tang Dynasty again. We ask the emperor of the Tang Dynasty to forgive this Khan's mistakes."
If you can win, you will tremble; if you can't win, you will shrink. This has always been the rule on the grassland. If you don't admit defeat now, you don't know how badly you will be beaten. No one has any objection to Jie Li's surrender. Besides, the Turks have surrendered to the Sui Dynasty before, and now it is just another time.
Jie Li said angrily: "This defeat is only because we did not expect that the Tang general would directly raid the royal court of the Khan's Yazhang. When the Great Turkic army is strong next year, we must get back at the Tang Dynasty. The Khan still has Mobei in his hands, and the Tiele tribes still obey the Yazhang, which is enough to fight the Tang Dynasty again."
Although the south of the desert is fertile and has a better climate, the north of the desert is the foundation of the grassland. As long as the north of the desert is in hand, the comeback of the Turks will not be a problem.
When Li Jing heard that Jie Li had sent a letter to Chang'an requesting surrender, his eyes turned and he had an idea in his mind.
…
After receiving the report in Chang'an, Li Shimin was relieved immediately. The war had fought to this point, and with his vision, how could he not know that the situation had completely tilted towards the Tang Dynasty? The only outcome would be a big victory, a medium victory, or a small victory.
He thought for a moment and said, "Honglu Minister Tang Jian is good at sending envoys, so send Tang Jian to pacify the Turks, and Li Jing will lead the army to support them."
This was not the first time that Tang Jian had been sent on a diplomatic mission. He made many contributions to the establishment of the Tang Dynasty. After being appointed by Li Shimin, he went directly to the tent of Jie Li of the Turkic Khanate with his staff. Accompanying him was Luo Xuanyun, who had volunteered to go.
When they were on the road, Tang Jian was a very talkative person. He knew that Luo Xuanyun was Luo Xuanye's biological brother, and that the Luo family had a good relationship with him.
Although Luo Xuanyun held a relatively low official position, anyone could see that he was about to rise to great heights. Tang Jian was not arrogant and did not ask Luo Xuanyun whether he was married.
Luo Xuanyun smiled and said, "My brothers are looking for someone for me. I don't have a marriage contract yet. I'd like to trouble Lord Tang to take care of me."
The several brothers mentioned by Luo Xuanyun were more remarkable than the other. Tang Jian knew it very well. The families who wanted to marry Luo Xuanyun would probably fill up Suzaku Street. It was just that no one had been chosen yet.
Tang Jian shook the imperial seal in his hand and said with a little emotion: "When the Turks invaded our Tang Dynasty many times, I really didn't expect that the Turks would submit a letter of credence to our Tang Dynasty so soon and pledge their loyalty to our Tang Dynasty. This time, I will let the Turks know the majesty of our Tang Dynasty and wipe out our Tang Dynasty's previous shame. This is also the expectation of your majesty."
Seeing this, Luo Xuanyun hesitated to speak. He knew Li Jing quite well. He was an outstanding commander. Moreover, he had obtained the consent of Luo Xuanye and Luo Xuanchen before volunteering, because this was really a rather dangerous thing to do.
From the moment he entered the Turkic tent, Luo Xuanyun paid close attention, observing the surrounding areas for possible escape routes.
Tang Jian and Luo Xuanyun met the Turkic Khan Jie Li. He looked a little haggard. The failure in the war made it difficult for him to sleep and made him feel ashamed.
In the yamen, Tang Jian discovered that Luo Xuanyun had changed his usual behavior. In Tang Jian's influence, although Luo Xuanyun was not as unapproachable as Prince Zhou Luo Xuanye, who was like a cold-faced Shura, he could at least be described as relatively silent, and was very similar to General Zuo Qianniuwei and Duke of Yong Luo Xuanling.
But after entering the tent, Luo Xuanyun became very talkative.
"Khan, Your Majesty did not want to be an enemy of the Turks. We had no choice but to send troops this time. Now that the Khan is willing to submit to us, it is a blessing that the Turks and the Tang Dynasty have reconciled and avoided war."
"Khan, Chang'an is extremely prosperous, with a population of hundreds of thousands and numerous goods. After Khan sends envoys to the court, he can let the envoys buy as much as they want in Chang'an."
Seeing such things, Jie Li Khan smiled happily.
He raised his wine cup high and said, "This Khan pays homage to His Majesty the Emperor of the Great Tang. His Majesty treats this Khan sincerely, which makes this Khan very moved. In the future, I will serve the Emperor of the Great Tang sincerely."
Jie Li Khan spoke a lot of nice words, but for a man like him, words once spoken are like water spilled, which will dry up in the sun.
As the saying goes, there must be something wrong when things are abnormal. From Luo Xuanyun's attitude, Tang Jian felt a great sense of crisis. This was not the Luo Xuanyun he knew. Something was wrong, very wrong.
Something is wrong.
…
Just as the two entered the Turkic tent, Li Ji and Li Jing decided without any hesitation that they would take advantage of Tang Jian's diplomatic mission to the Turks and the Turks' unpreparedness to raid the tent again, capture Jie Li Khan, and achieve their goal in one battle.
Li Jing and Li Ji, the two old men, didn't care about Tang Jian, but the deputy general Zhang Gongjin was still an honest man. He asked, "General Manager, the Minister of Rites Tang Jian is still in the Turkic tent. Wouldn't this make the Minister of Rites..."
Li Jing waved his hand and said without hesitation: "People like Tang Jian are of no use to the Tang Dynasty. It is enough for him to contribute to the conquest of the Winter Turks."
Zhang Gongjin heard this and said, "General Manager, it's still not possible. Luo Xuanyun is still with the Minister of Rites. He is the younger brother of Prince Zhou. If he dies in the Turkic tent, even if Prince Zhou doesn't say anything for the time being, if there is a reckoning in the future, we will all be in trouble."
Zhang Gongjin's name was not wrong, he was really cautious. He was not the kind of person who would act impulsively for the sake of temporary achievements. He would rather not achieve any merit now than offend Luo Xuanye.
But Li Jing is not!
He was well-versed in history books and knew that there were only a few families in history that could remain rich and prosperous for many years. A new emperor appointed new ministers, and there was no guarantee that all the descendants would be successful. If they were involved in a major case and met a mean and ungrateful monarch, the family would fall into decline in an instant.
Instead of thinking about the future, Li Jing believes that achieving his own career is the most important thing.
Defeating the Turks, leaving a name in history, and becoming one of the greatest commanders in the history of China. There is nothing more important in the world than this.
and.
Li Jing said generously: "Luo Xuanyun followed Tang Jian to the Turkic yamen, why didn't Prince Zhou and the Minister of Personnel stop him?
Don’t you know Luo Xuanyun’s character yet?
He knew what would happen when he went to the Turkic tent. He might have been waiting for our army to arrive, and then he would take advantage of the chaos to capture Jie Li Khan and accomplish his goal.
This is how the Luo family is, they are always willing to make sacrifices before they are willing to gain a position.
Tang Jian is a mediocre person and is of little use to the country, but he has his current status, so he should dedicate himself to the Tang Dynasty.
If he survives, it will be a blessing from God.
Those of us who charge into the battlefield all hold our heads on our waists. When our 3,000 light cavalry charge into Dingxiang, do we know that we will definitely win?
We can die, so why can't these civil servants die?
Don't say these words anymore. Capture and kill Jie Li and report to Your Majesty. This is what a general should do. As for the cost, that is not what we are thinking about.
Not to mention Tang Jian and Luo Xuanyun, even if the Duke of Zhou is in Jie Li's camp, I will rush into the Turkic camp today!"
Li Jing's voice echoed in the tent. Zhang Gongjin and Li Ji were both a little shocked, but both of them could feel Li Jing's determination. No one could deny his decision.
Li Jing was indeed smart, and he said exactly what Luo Xuanyun was thinking.
Luo Xuanye knew Li Jing's character very well and knew that he would take advantage of the Turks' carelessness to launch a surprise attack. Only Tang Jian was kept in the dark and didn't know that Li Jing, the sixth brother, had prepared to use him as bait.
"Follow the order of the Grand Steward!"
Military orders are as heavy as mountains. As the chief military commander, the orders issued by Li Jing are like imperial decrees on the battlefield, Zhang Gongjin and Li Ji said in unison.
…
A huge bonfire was lit in the Turkic tent. Not only in the tent, but also in other tents, the Turkic soldiers were all warming themselves around the bonfire.
Snowflakes fell from the sky and were extinguished instantly when they landed on the bonfire. In the night, the rustling of the snowflakes had a strange beauty, and those snowflakes felt a little cold as they fell.
Tang Jian was a cultured man. Looking at the snowflakes, he wanted to recite a poem, but when he thought that no one would respond to him, he shut up.
The reason why Jie Li Khan was so indulgent was naturally not because he believed in the credit of the Tang Dynasty, but because of the weather. He did not think that anyone could march and launch an attack in such weather. As for him, he would definitely not go to war in such weather.
Jie Li Khan invited Luo Xuanyun and Tang Jian to join in dancing around the bonfire.
Dancing was a very common entertainment activity in this era. It was not only dancers who could dance, but even high-ranking officials in the court often danced in the court.
Li Shimin also often danced war dance with Luo Xuanye and others in the Taiji Hall.
Luo Xuanye praised sincerely: "The Khan's dancing posture should be the best among the Turks. Even in the Tang Dynasty, it can be called heroic and majestic."
The snow was getting heavier and heavier, and even a thick fog rose. Jie Li ordered all the troops to return to the camp. It was getting colder and colder outside, and even the campfire could not provide warmth, and there was a possibility that it would be covered and extinguished by the snow.
In the wind and snow, a small army was marching in the cold wind and heavy snow. The war horses had their hooves wrapped and held gags in their mouths. Hundreds of vanguard light cavalry were moving across the grassland like sharp blades. As the horses galloped, the already extremely biting wind and snow blew on their faces like a real knife, causing them to feel cold and painful.
The leading general was Su Dingfang, a general Li Jing was very optimistic about, so he gave him the important task of being the vanguard.
Su Dingfang led the two hundred men and rushed a few miles outside the military camp before they were discovered by the scouts on duty. However, a few miles was too late for the cavalry.
Not to mention how long it would take to send the message back, even if the message could be sent back immediately, it would take a lot of time just to pass the general order to tens of thousands of people.
After being discovered, Su Dingfang did not panic at all. Instead, he shouted loudly: "My fellow Tang people, the Turkic tent is just ahead. Follow me and capture the Turkic Khan Jie Li alive!"
The Tang Dynasty light cavalry, which had previously been restrained for fear of being discovered, almost immediately burst out at an extremely fast speed. The Turkic cavalry who discovered Su Dingfang fled in all directions and did not dare to resist at all. Su Dingfang drove straight into the tent.
In war, especially in a night raid, it is not the number of people that matters, but whether you can cause panic.
The discipline of the Turks was already poor, and now they were facing the cavalry carefully selected by Li Jing. Although they were light cavalry selected for long-distance raids and only had light armor, compared with those Turkic soldiers who were neither on horses nor holding weapons, and were even still asleep, the fully armed Tang army was like a killing god.
The Turks scattered in panic. Su Dingfang rushed straight to the camp, passing through countless tents along the way, just like a person walking into the grass and waking up countless insects. The Turks fled in all directions in a panic.
Jie Li woke up in shock from his dying dream and suddenly realized that he would be the prisoner!
In this situation where your teeth have been directly penetrated, what should you do? Should you resist?
wrong!
Just run away!
As long as the green mountains remain, there will be no shortage of firewood, Jie Li comforted himself, and then decisively led his guards to flee again in a hurry. He and his guards' horses were all the best steeds, so there would be absolutely no problem in escaping.
The tents of Luo Xuanyun and Tang Jian were not far from Jie Li. When he was about to run away, he thought of the two of them and became angry and anxious, so he quickly sent people to kill them. Luo Xuanyun had been waiting for this day, and as soon as he heard the voice, he immediately understood that Li Jing had done this.
The Turkic army was already in chaos. He hurriedly woke Tang Jian up and only had time to say, "Minister Honglu, Li Jing has raided the Turkic camp. We, you should leave quickly."
Halfway through his speech, he looked at the Turkic people surrounding him and said slowly, "It seems that it will be difficult to leave. Minister of Rites, you can only wish you good luck. I am going to chase Jie Li Khan."
When Luo Xuanyun put on the helmet, Tang Jian realized that Luo Xuanyun had put on armor without knowing when. Although it was not the kind of armor that covered the whole body, it protected all the necessary parts. At least he didn't have to worry about being shot by a hidden arrow and falling to the ground and dying.
Tang Jian himself was still wearing an official uniform of an envoy.
What's even worse is that as soon as Luo Xuanyun rode away on his horse, ten people in the delegation immediately followed him away. There were not many people in the delegation to begin with, and Tang Jian was exhausted. He could only take the remaining people and quickly fight his way out in the chaos. It was impossible for these Turks to follow him and kill him all the time.
Luo Xuanyun had been observing Jie Li Khan's movements. He knew that Jie Li would definitely run away. He also knew that it was basically impossible for Li Jing to catch Jie Li, so he had to stay inside the tent. Each of the ten people around him was a real elite who could shoot arrows on horseback and use horse lances to kill the enemy.
Su Dingfang was the vanguard, and Li Jing led a large army to follow behind him. The chaos caused by two hundred people was completely under control after ten thousand people entered the battlefield.
"Those who surrender will be spared!"
Li Jing was so excited that even with his calmness he couldn't help shaking. This battle truly defeated the Winter Turks. Now Jie Li Khan's base was almost wiped out. If he fled to Mobei now, he would have to consider whether he would be killed by the people of Mobei.
Moreover, even within the Turks, Tuli Khan would not let him go. The rift between the two was so deep and the hatred so great that it far exceeded the hatred between the Turks and the Tang Dynasty.
…
Jie Li Khan fled all the way, and the anger in his heart was simply indescribable. He was defeated twice with the same mistake and the same tactics.
twice!
He was really going to be mad, especially when he saw himself running for his life like a dog. He even began to doubt his life. Just three years ago, he had extorted a large amount of money from the Tang Dynasty in a ostentatious manner.
It was clear that just ten years ago, he was able to take whatever he wanted from the separatist princes in the South, and everyone had to depend on him for survival. What went wrong that led to the current situation?
What exactly happened that led to the Great Turkic Kingdom’s defeat?
Jie Li didn't know that it was impossible for him to find the problem in himself. He would only blame others, such as the generals who betrayed him, such as Tuli Khan who was unwilling to submit to him, such as those people, such as these people.
During his escape, people continued to surrender to the Tang Dynasty, which made him even more like a frightened bird.
“Puff!”
When the sound of arrows appeared, Jie Li became extremely panicked. He turned around and found that Luo Xuanyun was leading a small team to catch up with him. He originally wanted to fight back, but when he saw that Luo Xuanyun and others were wearing armor, the most important thing was that although there were few people, their archery skills were excellent, and they could almost kill one person with one arrow.
He immediately gave up the idea of fighting with Luo Xuanyun. Swords and spears are blind, not to mention bows and arrows. If Luo Xuanyun shot him dead with an arrow, his death would be too unfair.
He was a dignified Turkic Khan, possessing vast territories and millions of followers. He was a man favored by heaven, as noble as the Son of Heaven often mentioned in the South and Central Plains.
When Luo Xuanyun saw Jie Li Khan, he said loudly: "Jie Li, surrender. You have nowhere to escape. Surrender and you will live."
Jie Li replied loudly: "Luo Xuanyun, you only have ten people, aren't you worried that this Khan will perish with you?
You'd better not chase her. This will be better for both you and the Khan."
Luo Xuanyun laughed and said, "Khan, your dancing is very beautiful. I, the Emperor of the Tang Dynasty, would like to invite you to Chang'an to show off your dancing skills. I wonder if you are willing."
I wish your mother!
Jie Li was really about to curse. If he could do it again, Jie Li would pull out Luo Xuanyun's tongue, dig out his eyes, and then humiliate him severely the moment Luo Xuanyun entered the tent.
Jie Li smiled slightly unconsciously, because he had already cooked up Luo Xuanyun countless times in his mind, and the spiritual victory brought some comfort to his heart that was wounded by the defeat.
Luo Xuanyun kept humiliating Jie Li, hoping to anger Jie Li and make him stop. Once he stopped, he would no longer have a chance to escape.
Jie Li had more than two hundred elite soldiers around him, but the reason why Luo Xuanyun dared to catch up with him with only ten people was because in cavalry combat, more than two hundred people are not necessarily stronger than ten people. The key is to see who shoots more accurately and who can withstand more arrows.
Jie Li's men had no time to put on armor and were basically killed by one arrow, while Luo Xuanyun's men could withstand more hits, which resulted in the combat effectiveness of both sides being similar.
But there is always a trade-off. Wearing armor is safe, but its speed will be affected. That's why Luo Xuanyun wanted to anger Jie Li in order to delay his escape.
But he underestimated the extent to which Jie Li was weak inside. Jie Li had been showing off his might before, relying entirely on his powerful strength. Once he lost his strength, all he wanted to do was escape, and he had no intention of fighting with Luo Xuanyun at all.
Where could Jie Li Khan escape to?
In fact, there was only one way, and that was to the west. Li Jing led his army to block his way to the north to escape into the desert. To the east, not to mention Tuli Khan who had conflicts with him, Li Jing also arranged two marching generals in the east, waiting for him to escape to Liaodong or Yanyun.
But to the west.
Luo Xuanling had already defeated Jie Li Khan's nephew, Sunishi of the Ashina royal family, and had encircled him from the west, waiting for Jie Li Khan to fall into his trap. It could be said that Jie Li Khan had already been trapped in a jar, with nowhere to escape.
His only chance is to escape from the gap between the west and the north, but with only a few people around him, how can he cross the vast uninhabited desert?
When Jie Li Khan learned that his nephew had been defeated by the Tang army, he fell into true despair.
Looking around, he saw that the grassland was so vast, but there was no place for him to stay.
A few months ago, he was still the Khan who ruled over thousands of miles of grassland, and countless people prostrated themselves at his feet. But in just a few months, he was left with only a few guards around him.
This huge gap made him feel dazed, and he still couldn't believe it.
"This must be a dream. Ben Khan has not woken up yet. Once he wakes up, everything will be over. Ben Khan will still be the supreme ruler.
Surrounded by the sun and the moon, chosen by the heavens, the master of all grassland tribes, the master of all people who draw bows, even the southern kingdoms must submit to this Khan. "
The horse under his crotch was still galloping without stopping for a moment. The barren grassland on both sides was full of desolation and loneliness.
The cold wind blew on his face, making him feel a biting pain. This was the case during the day when the sun was shining, and it was even more so at night.
He wanted to stop.
But every time he stopped, the sound of Luo Xuanyun's horse hooves would be heard, forcing him to drag his tired body forward to escape. Until now, he still did not have the courage to fight Luo Xuanyun to the death.
He could only let his soldiers stop Luo Xuanyun and delay his speed.
But he would be caught up in the end, because Jie Li, who lived a life of luxury, would always rest for a while longer, and Luo Xuanyun would use this rest time to hurry on his journey.
The fewer people were around him, the less likely Jie Li was to fight with Luo Xuanyun, because he believed that he had lost the qualifications to do so, even though many people around him were now wearing light armor.
But the anger in his heart had dissipated.
Luo Xuanyun, who had been following behind him, knew Jie Li's condition best. He watched Jie Li's resistance becoming weaker and weaker, and he knew that he had made the right bet.
The great achievement of capturing the Turkic Khan with personal hands will really fall into my hands.
How far did you chase along the way?
One thousand miles or two thousand miles?
Luo Xuanyun couldn't even count them, he only knew that the sun set and rose again, and more than one horse died.
Now is the time to blossom and bear fruit.
Luo Xuanyun held a lance in his hand and pointed at Jie Li. He took off his helmet, and the holy scar on his forehead shone brightly. Under the moonlight, it hurt Jie Li's eyes. "Jie Li, let me introduce myself again. I am Luo Xuanyun of the Great Tang. I am here by order of the Son of Heaven to bring you to Chang'an to see the Emperor!"
His voice boomed, and Jie Li was in a trance. A few days ago, Luo Xuanyun smiled and said to him, "Khan, I am Luo Xuanyun of the Great Tang. I am here to make friends with the Khan by order of my emperor."
This situation.
Jie Li could no longer speak.
Winter Turks are dead!
————
The war in which the Tang Dynasty conquered the Dong Turks was the first time that the Tang Dynasty showed its fangs to the outside world after its establishment. Li Jing's outstanding military talent was fully demonstrated in this battle. The Tang Dynasty used a not-so-large army, like a surgical operation, to cleanly and neatly deal with one of the biggest external threats to the Central Plains dynasty since ancient times.
When everyone in the Tang Dynasty thought that this was an unrepeatable military miracle, we, the people of later generations, knew that this was only the beginning of a glorious era.
…
"The sword of the Tang Dynasty was extremely sharp and also extremely cold. When it was swung, it was like slaughtering, cleanly and neatly cutting off the skin and bones. When it was retrieved, there was only a drop of blood on the sharp sword, slowly dripping from the tip of the sword. A country fell in front of the Tang Dynasty, with only reluctance and regret on its face, but no one mourned for it, because no one remembered it from then on." - "History of the Rise and Fall of the Tang Empire"
(End of this chapter)
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