Tan Li, one of the four garrison commanders of Anxi and the military advisor of Yanqi City, was a loyal and courageous man.
His willingness to risk his own life to vouch for the garrison commander of Shule City and the western border forces earned him some respect from Chen Huai'an.
But Chen Huai'an was determined to get Shule City no matter what.
This time, he personally led a large army to conquer the Western Regions. His purpose was not only to conquer the thirty-six kingdoms of the Western Regions, led by the Uyghurs, but also to win over the hearts and minds of the people along the Four Garrisons of Anxi and the Silk Road, in order to prepare for his future ascension to the throne.
Tan Li kept his word. To avoid infighting and killing among the Anxi border troops, he risked being shot by a stray arrow and went alone to the city of Shule again.
This time, he was neither wearing armor nor carrying a sword.
Dressed in coarse linen clothes, he walked with his head held high to the city gate of Shule.
Surprisingly, Deng Yucheng, the commander of the defending army on the city wall, did not order the shooting of the unarmed Tan Li. Instead, he opened the city gate and let him into the city.
That night, at the General's Mansion.
Deng Yucheng, the commander of the Shule City garrison, unprecedentedly ordered the kitchen to prepare a sumptuous banquet and invited Tan Li, the garrison commander of Yanqi City who had come to the city alone to persuade others, to join him for the banquet.
Looking at the lavish spread of food and wine on the table, Tan Li said with a hint of mockery, "General Deng, are you planning to invite me to my last meal before I'm beheaded?"
snort!
Deng Yucheng snorted coldly and said, "General Tan, as long as you don't talk about making me submit to the traitor Chen Huai'an tonight, I guarantee your life will be safe."
"Come, take your seats!"
With that, Deng Yucheng gestured for Tan Li to take his seat.
He added, "General Tan, it's been two years since we last met in Chang'an, hasn't it?"
Tan Li laughed and said, "Yes, it's been two whole years."
Deng Yucheng said, "Come on, let's drink. Tonight we'll only talk about the past, not national affairs!"
"Dry!"
"Dry!"
As they spoke, the two began to drink together at the table.
Tan Li indeed complied with Deng Yucheng's request and never mentioned the matter of him leading the border troops of Shule City to surrender to Prince Chen Huai'an of Jin.
But he also knew perfectly well that Tan Li's invitation to the banquet was for a deeper purpose.
After several rounds of drinks and five courses of food,
Deng Yucheng also became noticeably more talkative.
He spoke as if to Tan Li, yet also as if to himself: "I, Deng Yucheng, joined the late emperor's uprising at the age of fifteen, rising from a stable boy in the imperial guards to a third-rank military officer in the court."
"It took us thirty years to walk this road!"
"A full thirty years!"
With that, Deng Yucheng downed the strong liquor in his cup in one gulp.
Still not satisfied, he simply picked up the wine jar in front of him, tilted his head back, and gulped down more than half of the wine.
Under the influence of alcohol, Deng Yucheng's face turned red, and he continued, hiccuping, "The world only knows me, Deng Yucheng, as a former member of the Crown Prince's faction and a staunch lackey of Emperor Jian'an."
"But no one knows that during the Battle of Hulao Pass, if it weren't for His Highness the Crown Prince risking his life to save him, Commander Deng Yucheng would have been trampled into a pile of mangled flesh by the iron hooves of the Turks' warhorses. There would be no Deng Yucheng, the third-rank military officer of the court today."
"In that battle, His Highness the Crown Prince was wounded by two arrows from the Turks for the sake of me, an unknown commander in the Imperial Guard whose presence or absence would not make a difference. One of the arrows came within half an inch of the Crown Prince's heart; had it been just a fraction of an inch off, the Crown Prince would have died on the spot."
hehe!
As he spoke, Deng Yucheng gave a bitter laugh and said, "I admit that after the Crown Prince ascended the throne, he became obsessed with women and favored treacherous officials, which caused many loyal officials from the previous dynasty to suffer. This is a fact."
"But isn't this also the art of controlling people used by emperors throughout history?"
"A new emperor brings a new court; this is a matter of course, an unchanging truth since ancient times!"
Coo coo coo!
Deng Yucheng picked up the wine jar again and gulped down several large mouthfuls.
Tan Li, who was accompanying Deng Yucheng, seemed to have realized what was about to happen. He silently picked up the wine jar next to him and gulped down several mouthfuls of wine with Deng Yucheng, letting the alcohol burn his internal organs.
Deng Yucheng, seemingly oblivious to others, said, "The traitorous minister Chen Huai'an, starting with 8,000 Polu soldiers in his fiefdom of Longcheng, first annihilated 300,000 Yunhui soldiers; then destroyed the Turkic royal court; and subsequently, with over 10,000 cavalry, he launched a thousand-mile raid, decisively defeating Emperor Jian'an's personally led army of over 200,000 at Tumu Fortress."
"It must be said that this son's military talent far surpasses that of his father, Chen Polu."
"He also implemented benevolent policies in the occupied areas, exempting all taxes for five years and halving taxes for ten years, which is enough to show Chen Huai'an's extraordinary talent."
"Eh—"
Deng Yucheng sighed and said, "To be frank, it won't take three years for the dynasty to change its surname from Zhao to Chen."
At this moment, Tan Li, who was standing to the side, finally seized the opportunity and interjected, "General Deng, may I have a word to say?"
Shh!
Deng Yucheng put his finger to his lips, gesturing for silence, and muttered to himself, "Chen Huai'an might be a good emperor."
"This general also fully believes that he has the ability to completely subjugate the Western Regions to the Han people, ensuring that for a hundred, or even three hundred years, they will not dare to invade our Han borders or slaughter our Han people."
"but--"
Deng Yucheng changed the subject, saying helplessly but unwillingly, "All of this has nothing to do with me, Deng Yucheng, and this general does not want to have anything to do with him."
"In my opinion, no matter whether Chen Huai'an becomes a great emperor comparable to Qin Shi Huang and Emperor Wu of Han, or a hypocrite who is two-faced, it will not change the fact that he murdered his emperor and betrayed his country."
"Later historians will not record in their books that Chen Huai'an's throne was obtained legitimately!"
Clang!
Suddenly, Deng Yucheng yanked a ring-pommel sword off the wall of the room and threw it in front of Tan Li.
The cold blade struck the floor with a series of clanging echoes.
Clang!
In the blink of an eye, Deng Yucheng drew another short sword and gripped it tightly in his hand.
Then, the sword was pointed directly at Tan Li, whose expression was solemn, and he said sternly, "Tan Li, pick up the sword, defeat this general, and the Anxi border army in Shule City will all be under your command!"
"If you are unfortunate enough to die a tragic death by my sword, then this meal will be my special treat for you!"
In this situation, even if Tan Li were foolish, he could understand Deng Yucheng's intentions.
With tears in his eyes, he finally picked up the ring-pommel sword from the ground and, clinging to a sliver of hope, asked, "General Deng, is this really the way it is?"
"Enough talk, take this!"
Before he finished speaking, Deng Yucheng drew his sword and lunged at Tan Li, slashing and stabbing fiercely, each move deadly.
Tan Li could only react instinctively, raising his knife to parry and deflect Deng Yucheng's deadly attacks one by one.
But he knew very well that Deng Yucheng had not used his full strength; he was clearly seeking death.
Otherwise, why would Deng Yucheng, who was skilled with short swords, voluntarily abandon the ring-pommel sword and choose a short sword to duel with himself?
puff--
The next moment, the sound of a sharp blade piercing flesh rang out.
Deng Yucheng, who was holding his short sword high and about to strike Tan Li hard, suddenly slipped and bumped into the blade in Tan Li's hand.
The sharp ring-pommel sword pierced through Deng Yucheng's body in an instant.
Due to inertia, Deng Yucheng fell headfirst onto Tan Li.
He leaned close to his ear and said with a smile, "If this general doesn't die, none of the soldiers of the Anxi Border Army in Shule City will survive!"
Promise me you will treat them well!
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