brush!
Upon hearing these words from Wusun Prime Minister Aihaiti, King Tibis, who was slumped on his throne, froze, a glint of shrewdness flashing in his eyes.
yes!
Now, the Tang Dynasty, disregarding military virtue and indiscriminately seeking justice, is determined to destroy my Wusun Kingdom.
For Tibis, the king of Wusun, what reason did he have to abide by the contents and terms of the letter of surrender he had submitted to Chen Huai'an, the founding emperor of the Tang Dynasty?
Since it was your Great Tang Dynasty that acted immorally first, don't blame my Wusun Kingdom for breaking its promises later!
In an instant, Tibbes, who had been slumped on the throne, suddenly stood up. Like a dying man experiencing a final burst of energy, he danced with excitement and was too excited to speak.
But after a short while, it deflated quickly, like a balloon that had been punctured.
Tibis said with a look of regret, "Prime Minister, I had already acted righteously and forcefully, expelling the Abbasid envoy, Batel, from Wusun, and even humiliating him to his face."
"Now, as a deposed king, I have come to the Abbasid Caliphate for refuge and aid. Can King Safah of the Abbasid Caliphate help me?"
It turns out that Batel, the son of Timur, the Khan of the fallen Turkic Khaganate, had visited Tibis several months earlier as a private envoy of King Safah of the Abbasid Caliphate (not only Tibis, but also the kings of the Western Regions were targets of Batel's visits and attempts to win them over).
However, at that time, the Tang Dynasty had just been established and was at its zenith. The Silk Road was also extremely prosperous, which allowed Wusun, one of the vassal states of the Tang Dynasty, to make a fortune from the prosperity of the Silk Road.
At that time, Tiberias would never have looked up to the envoy from the Abbasid Caliphate in the west, and he despised the so-called Arab Empire.
Regardless of whether the Abbasid Caliphate's power was truly real or merely the account of its envoy, Batel.
Even if what Bartel said is true, what does that have to do with Tibis?
What benefits could the Abbasid Caliphate bring to Tiberias and Wusun?
The answer is obvious—no!
As the saying goes, "All the world's hustle and bustle is for profit," and the relationships between countries and between people are not much different; they all boil down to the word "profit."
Therefore, Tibis, who had benefited greatly from the Tang Dynasty at that time, not only ignored Batel, but also humiliated him and kicked him out.
Now, the Wusun Kingdom and Tibis, having offended the Tang Dynasty on trumped-up charges, are prisoners facing the risk of national extinction. Would the Abbasid Caliphate, which they had once humiliated, agree to their return?
Tibis voiced his concerns, which played right into the hands of Prime Minister Aiheti.
After a moment's hesitation, Chancellor Aiheti knelt down abruptly before the unprepared King Tibis, and cried out, "Your Majesty, I am guilty—"
Um?
Tibis frowned slightly, looking at the Prime Minister Aiheti kneeling before him with a puzzled expression, and asked, "Prime Minister, what crime have you committed?"
Aihaiti wore a pained expression and said, "Your Majesty, after Your Majesty drove away the Abbasid Caliphate's envoy, Batel, I... I continued to maintain contact with him privately."
"Ever since the last time, when the Marquis of Anxi of the Great Tang, Lan Yu, clearly favored the Kingdom of Xiaowan in handling the conflict between my Wusun Kingdom and the Kingdom of Xiaowan;"
"Your Majesty, I was just being overly cautious, fearing that things would turn out this way..."
Next, Ai Haiti vividly recounted how he came into contact with Batel, how he saw through the Tang Dynasty and Anxi Marquis Lan Yu's constant suppression of the Wusun Kingdom, and so on.
The ultimate theme is that, as the prime minister of the Wusun Kingdom, Ai Haiti naturally has to consider the millions of Wusun subjects. The Tang Dynasty is unreliable, and Marquis Anxi Lan Yu is an even more wicked person.
He secretly contacted the Abbasid Caliphate's envoy in order to find another place for the Wusun Kingdom to go, given the current situation.
In fact, Aiheti had already been bribed by Batel with a large sum of money to cooperate with Batel in implementing the Abbasid Caliphate's eastern expedition and the Turkic Guli tribe's return to the northern desert.
Even the assassination attempt on Tibis by infiltrating the palace of Chigu City under the guise of an assassin from Xiaowan Kingdom was successfully carried out with the secret assistance of Aiheti.
A few days ago, before the Tang army besieged the city, this guy, with Batel's help, evacuated his entire family from Chigu City in preparation for the current situation.
Finally, with tears streaming down his face, Aihaiti said, "Your Majesty, I know that this action goes against Your Majesty's wishes, and contacting envoys from other countries without the royal decree is a capital offense."
"Your Majesty, I am willing to atone with my death!"
"but--"
Aihaiti changed the subject, saying, "Before I die, I wish to escort Your Majesty out of the city to the Abbasid Caliphate to meet with the special envoy Batel, so as to leave a glimmer of hope for the restoration of our Wusun Kingdom!"
"After I have done all this, I will hang myself to atone for my sins!"
"I beg, I beg Your Majesty to grant my request!"
Buzz!
After hearing what the prime minister Aiheti said, King Tibis's mind went blank!
There was so much information that King Tibbes needed time to process it properly.
Indeed, for any ruler, it is a major taboo for their subordinates to act against their will. No matter the reason, no monarch would like their ministers to have private contact with envoys from other countries.
To put it mildly, this goes against the will of the emperor;
To put it bluntly, this is tantamount to secretly colluding with the enemy!
However, upon learning the truth, King Tibis of Wusun was not enraged; his pale face showed no change in expression whatsoever.
He knew all too well that with the city and country on the verge of collapse, he, as king, no longer had the right to be arrogant and aloof.
Tibis even felt some gratitude towards the Prime Minister Aiheti.
It was precisely because of his private contact with the Abbasid Caliphate's envoys that he and the Wusun Kingdom had a glimmer of hope for restoration.
Finally, Tibis, having regained his senses, personally rose from his throne and helped the Prime Minister Aiheti, whose eyes were red from crying, to his feet. He solemnly declared, "It is truly a blessing for the Wusun Kingdom to have a Prime Minister, and a blessing for the millions of Wusun subjects!"
"Prime Minister, you have no need to blame yourself, nor are you guilty. Your actions have rendered an unparalleled service to the Wusun Kingdom!"
Tibis continued, making grand promises: "If the Wusun Kingdom can receive assistance from the Abbasid Dynasty on this trip, and when it is restored to its former glory, I will personally erect a prime minister statue for you in this Chigu City, to be revered by the people of Wusun for all eternity!"
"Prime Minister, I entrust the entire matter of breaking through to the Abbasid Caliphate to you!"
With that, Tibis clenched one fist and placed it in front of his chest, bowing solemnly to Prime Minister Aiheti.
The latter patted his chest and said, "Your Majesty, please rest assured, I will protect Your Majesty even at the cost of my life!"
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