Guo Yuanzhen deployed his troops back to the city. After arriving at the mansion, he dismounted his horse, threw the whip to the horseman, and strode into the gate of the Protectorate with a stern face.
Two deputy generals followed closely behind, their expressions also not very relaxed.
Not long after, Lu Changshi's carriage also arrived. Hearing that the Grand Protector had entered the palace, he hurriedly got off the carriage and quickly followed him in.
When entering the door, I accidentally tripped over the threshold and almost fell down.
Just as he reached the door of the hall, he suddenly heard a loud noise, and then several pieces of porcelain flew to his feet. He was so scared that he quickly hid back.
"How dare Murong Shun, that brat, go back on his word!"
Murong Shun? Lu Changshi was startled and hurriedly stepped inside.
In the hall, Deputy Generals Wang and Di were trying to persuade him, but Guo Yuanzhen was still furious.
Lu Changshi came forward to pay his respects.
Guo Yuanzhen became even more angry when he saw him, pointing at him and cursing, "You did such a good thing!"
Lu Changshi quickly apologized, then asked, "Grand Protector, please calm down. I wonder what Murong Shun did to make the Grand Protector so unhappy?"
"You still have the nerve to ask? You were the one who colluded with that person, and you didn't even know it?" Guo Yuanzhen had nothing left to hit with, so he simply stepped forward and kicked Lu Changshi to the ground.
Lu Changshi cried out "Ouch" and immediately fell to the ground to confess his crime.
Guo Yuanzhen shuddered, his beard trembling as he railed, "You were the one who introduced this man to me, asking me to help him seize the throne so I could use him to contain Xiao Gu. I agreed, providing him with the men and weapons he needed, turning him from a bastard horse herder into the King of Tuyuhun. But now, look what you've done. All I've done is ask him to cause trouble for Xiao Gu, loosen up the border defenses west of the Yellow River, and help my men get through. But he's been making excuses and prevarications, showing no regard for me at all."
As he was about to kick again, Lu Changshi quickly curled himself up into a ball and said, "Grand Protector, please forgive me. It's all my fault for not judging people well. Please calm down and don't get yourself hurt by anger."
"Calm down? Do you know what good things this guy has done?"
"I... don't know."
"He has brought tribute through the pass and gone to Kyoto to pay homage to the Emperor."
Upon hearing this, Lu Changshi couldn't help but curse Murong Shun in his heart for being ungrateful and ungrateful, but he also quickly figured out the reason why Murong Shun did this.
Tuyuhun borders Hexi in the upper part, Tubo in the lower part, and the Anxi Army in the west.
Murong Shun had just ascended the throne and his power was not yet consolidated. His nephew was trying to seize power, and Tubo was eyeing him covetously. If he sent troops to Hexi at this time and offended Dasheng, the throne he had worked so hard to obtain would be overthrown in an instant.
On the contrary, if he obeyed Dasheng and got the support of the court, then neither his nephew nor Tubo would dare to act rashly, and he would be able to sit firmly on his throne.
He who knows the times is a hero. Sometimes, gratitude and righteousness are not worth mentioning in the face of pros and cons.
Lu Changshi waited for Guo Yuanzhen to stop cursing before he said tremblingly, "Grand Protector, if we cut off Tuyuhun's route, we can still try Tubo and Daxia. If that doesn't work, there's still... the Turks."
Guo Yuanzhen sneered, "We can't even control a tiny Tuyuhun, and you still want to go to Tubo through Xiao Gu and Murong Shun? The prince of Daxia is only three years old, and with the Queen Mother in power, how could he dare to offend Wei Chifei? Besides, Daxia is so far away from Beiting, you want me to fly over there?"
Guo Yuanzhen paced back and forth anxiously, continuing to curse: "As for those Turkic barbarians, they are greedy and ruthless. Do you think they are easy to deal with? Besides, we in Beiting have fought hundreds of battles with the Turks, big and small. If we want their help now, we have to sacrifice a layer of their skin!"
"The Grand Protector is overly concerned." Lu Changshi suddenly had a clue. "Xiao Gu and Wei Chi flew to the Great Wall to reinforce the garrison. This is precisely to prevent the Turks from taking advantage of the chaos to loot. With them in check, the Turks dare not act rashly."
Guo Yuanzhen stopped and looked at him coldly.
"Furthermore, times are different now. After the Turkic peoples split into the Eastern and Western kingdoms, their military strength has been weakened, and their combat effectiveness has been greatly reduced. The Western Turkic people who remain in the Western Regions are busy fighting for power within their court, and their various divisions and tribes are afraid to provoke foreign enemies. Instead, they are seeking foreign aid."
Lu Changshi swallowed and reminded, "Earlier, the falconry division of the Boluo tribe had secretly contacted us, asking us to help their prince ascend the throne, but you refused... ahem, you simply forgot."
Guo Yuanzhen looked down on the Turks and hated them.
When the Boluo tribe knew that he had helped Murong Shun seize power, they sent their falconer to deliver a message, asking him to help the fourth Turkic prince. However, after reading the letter, he sneered, tore it up with his claws, and threw it aside.
However, Lu Changshi was thinking about getting some money from the Turks, and also thinking about the falcon master's good reconnaissance skills, so he secretly exchanged letters with him several times, asking for a few carts of silver, or asking him to help escort some things to the old members of the Jiang family back to the capital.
Later, whether it was due to the blockade by Xiao Gu and Wei Chifei, or because he gave up without receiving a reply from Guo Yuanzhen, the two sides lost contact.
After he reminded him, Guo Yuanzhen remembered that this incident had indeed happened, but when he thought about asking the Turks for help, he felt uncomfortable.
His hatred for the Turks was no less than his hatred for the royal family.
Lu Changshi continued to discuss the current situation with him.
"Right now, not only the Turks, but also Xiao Gu and Wei Chifei are afraid to act rashly. Otherwise, they wouldn't have besieged us for nearly two months without sending troops. They know that if they attack us, the situation in the northern border will be in turmoil. Then, not only the Turks, but also Daxia, Dayuezhi, and Tubo will be restless and want to get a piece of the action. In addition, vassal states such as Wusun, Kucha, and Loulan, which have submitted to the imperial court, will also seize the opportunity to reclaim the royal power."
Guo Yuanzhen stared at him expressionlessly.
Lu Changshi said fiercely, "We will attack whatever they fear. As soon as chaos breaks out and they are overwhelmed, we can send troops under the pretext of suppressing the rebellion. We will be able to break through their blockade and contact the nobles in the capital, the former subordinates of Prince Pan, and the former members of the Jiang family. When internal and external troubles arise, we can take advantage of the chaos to wipe out Xiao Gu and Wei Chifei, and then march straight into the interior."
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