July 17th, the first year of the Zhaowu reign of the Tang Dynasty.
Emperor Zhaowu, Chen Huai'an, issued an edict of self-reproach in the imperial palace in Youzhou City to quell the aftermath of the "Youyun Mutiny" and give an explanation to the people and officials.
"I have heard that the Mandate of Heaven is not constant, but only virtue can assist it; the key to a ruler's good governance lies in self-reflection; now I have personally witnessed the upheaval in the court, with war breaking out on all sides and the state in turmoil, which is truly my fault; in my deepest sorrow and remorse, I hereby issue this edict of self-reproach to inform the world and to atone for the suffering of the people—"
"Since ascending the throne, although I have wished to govern diligently..."
The people of the Sixteen Prefectures of Youyun were the first to receive the edict of self-reproach issued by Emperor Zhaowu, Chen Huai'an.
Along with the edict of self-reproach, the 100,000 soldiers from various prefectures of Youyun who participated in the Youyun Mutiny were also ordered by Emperor Zhaowu to be discharged from the army and return to their hometowns to live out their retirement.
Only then did the families of the Youyun soldiers who participated in the mutiny learn that their sons and husbands had committed such heinous crimes.
In his grief and indignation, he was deeply grateful for the boundless grace of the current emperor, Emperor Zhaowu of the Tang Dynasty, Chen Huai'an, which spared his entire clan from extermination. He resolved to spend the rest of his life as a slave to repay Emperor Zhaowu's kindness and to serve the Tang Dynasty forever.
As for Liu Ziyu, the main culprit who launched the Youyun Mutiny, after being stripped of his royal title by imperial decree, he was executed along with his entire clan in accordance with the laws of the Tang Dynasty. Other accomplices, such as Deputy General Li Meng and Dong Tianbao, were also executed, and their entire clans were exterminated.
It is worth mentioning that after the court assembly on the day of the Ghost Festival, Prince Zhao Liu Xinwu publicly declared that he was severing his father-son relationship with Liu Ziyu, which can be considered as preserving his reputation in his later years.
With the principal offenders and accomplices executed according to the law, and the 100,000 soldiers who participated in the mutiny returning to their fields, the Youyun mutiny farce, which lasted for a month and a half, finally came to an end.
This can be considered a test and trial, however small, that Emperor Zhaowu Chen Huai'an underwent on his path to becoming a great emperor for all time!
For Chen Huai'an, his final attitude toward the Youyun mutiny may not have satisfied all parties.
But at least this was a decision made in accordance with his true feelings, and at least he did not have a guilty conscience.
After suppressing the Youyun Rebellion, Emperor Zhaowu Chen Huai'an, who personally led the expedition, continued his westward campaign. The soldiers of the Anxi Protectorate, who were holding out in the Western Regions and awaiting reinforcements, were still anxiously waiting for reinforcements from the imperial court.
The Tang Dynasty's western expeditionary army split into two routes after reaching Yunzhou;
One route, led by Zhao Zilong, the commander of the Imperial Guard, consisted of 50,000 elite cavalry. They marched north from Yunzhou, through Shuobei, into the northern grasslands, and then westward into the desert. Their main objective was to wipe out the remnants of the Turkic forces that had resurfaced and made a comeback. Finally, they joined forces at Harabalgas, the capital of the Uyghur Khanate.
The other route was led by Emperor Zhaowu of the Tang Dynasty, Chen Huai'an, who continued through Longcheng, Chang'an, and Yumenguan, before joining the Tang garrison at Shule City (the northern prefecture).
After the western expeditionary army arrived in Chang'an, Chen Huai'an rested briefly in Chang'an before leaving all 300,000 troops in Chang'an for use by Pang Xianchu, the Duke of Jin, who was in charge of selecting a site for the relocation of the capital of the Tang Dynasty.
He himself led a small force of over a thousand cavalrymen from the Tang Dynasty's Golden Guard, heading straight for the Western Regions.
Before departing, Chen Huai'an personally instructed Duke Pang Xianchu of Jin: "Xianchu, regarding the several alternative locations for the court to move the capital north, I personally prefer Chang'an Prefecture. Let's decide on this today; Chang'an Prefecture will henceforth serve as the capital of the Tang Dynasty."
"As for the specific matters of constructing the imperial city and reorganizing Chang'an Prefecture, I will leave those to you to oversee on my behalf."
"Furthermore, of the 300,000 troops of the imperial army that led this western expedition, apart from the Imperial Guards who accompanied me, I will leave the remaining 300,000 soldiers to serve you!"
As he spoke, Chen Huai'an patted Pang Xianchu heavily on the shoulder and said meaningfully, "Xianchu, this time you bear a heavy responsibility. I hope you will not let me down, and even more so, you will not let down the expectations of the people of the Tang Dynasty."
"The relocation of the capital to Chang'an is a great achievement for the present and a benefit for future generations. It cannot tolerate the slightest mistake, do you understand?"
"Please rest assured, Your Majesty—"
Duke Pang Xianchu of Jin immediately patted his chest and assured the emperor, "Your Majesty, I will certainly not disappoint you, but..."
Pang Xianchu hesitated for a moment, but finally gritted his teeth and stamped his foot, expressing his concerns: "Your Majesty, this journey to the Western Regions is thousands of miles long, and Your Majesty only has a little over a thousand Imperial Guards by your side. I am worried about Your Majesty's safety!"
Hahaha!
Upon hearing this, Chen Huai'an burst into laughter: "Pang Xianchu, Pang Xianchu, has the fact that I'm wearing this dragon robe made you forget how I seized the world?"
"Your Majesty, I dare not!"
Pang Xianchu hurriedly explained, "However, I am only worried that the Abbasid Caliphate has amassed a large army in the Western Regions and is continuously sending reinforcements there."
"I also read the urgent dispatch from the Anxi Protectorate a few days ago. Since the Battle of Talas, the Abbasid Caliphate has been continuously sending troops across the Pamir Plateau to reinforce the Western Regions. Currently, the number of troops stationed in the Western Regions is probably as large as one million."
"And most of the fence-sitters among the thirty-six kingdoms of the Western Regions have already declared their secession from the Tang Dynasty and submitted to the Abbasid Caliphate."
"I am concerned that the forces of the Anxi Protectorate and the Imperial Guards around His Majesty alone..."
Before Pang Xianchu could finish speaking, Chen Huai'an interrupted him.
Chen Huai'an laughed and said, "Are you worried that I will die far from home or in battle in the Western Regions?"
Hahaha!
He laughed loudly again, "Don't worry, looking across the whole world, the one who could take my life is probably still in the womb!"
"To deal with the mere Abbasid Caliphate and a bunch of petty scoundrels from the Western Regions, my thousand Imperial Guards are more than enough!"
After saying that, Chen Huai'an waved his hand domineeringly and said, "Alright, that's settled. You can now focus on building the imperial city for me in Chang'an with these 300,000 troops!"
"Xiao Po—"
"Your subordinate is here!"
Chen Huai'an ordered, "Pass down the order: the Imperial Guards shall assemble and depart to accompany me on my western expedition!"
"Your subordinate obeys!"
......
The Western Regions, the capital of the Wusun Kingdom, Chigu City.
At this time, the capital city of Chiku had become the command center for the Arab Empire's eastern expeditionary army, and the magnificent royal palace had become the camp of Turhun, the Abbasid Caliphate's general in the eastern expedition.
As a result, King Tibith, who originally thought that he could regain control of the Wusun Kingdom and sit back on the throne after ending his exile, could only confine himself to a side hall and obey Turhong's orders every day. He no longer resembled a king at all, but was clearly a servant boy behind Turhong, the great general of the Arab Empire's eastern expedition.
News of the Turkic leader Batel's failed eastward advance into the Tang Dynasty had already reached the Abbasid Caliphate's eastern expeditionary army half a month earlier.
After learning of this, General Turhong did not blame Batel for returning to Chigu City in disgrace.
In any case, none of the 30,000 Turkic cavalrymen who died in battle or were captured were soldiers from the Arab Empire's eastward expeditionary force under Turhong's command. Their defeat in advancing eastward into the Tang Dynasty was simply a defeat.
Caliph Safah's order to him was simply to drive the Han Chinese from the Tang Dynasty out of the Western Regions; he did not say that the vast Tang Dynasty had to be incorporated into the Abbasid Caliphate's territory.
Caliph Safah did not have such great ambitions, and Turgun was well aware that he did not have the military strength to achieve them.
Therefore, his focus was never on seizing Tang territory, but on wresting control of the Western Regions from the Tang army.
The failure of the eastward advance into the Tang Dynasty was merely wishful thinking on Batel's part!
However, Turhong was quite impressed by how Emperor Zhaowu of the Tang Dynasty, Chen Huai'an, handled the Youyun Mutiny. The emperor's magnanimity was quite unexpected.
At the same time, it also gave Turhong a preliminary impression of Emperor Zhaowu Chen Huai'an—that he should be a kind-hearted and soft-hearted person who is not good at leading troops or governing the country.
"Report—"
"Reporting to the General, urgent military intelligence—"
On this day, just as Turhong was considering sending troops to the Uyghur Khanate, he suddenly received an urgent military report, which was delivered by a spy in Chang'an Prefecture with the fastest courier service.
The messenger reported, "Reporting to the General, news from Chang'an Prefecture indicates that the Tang Dynasty's western expeditionary force has set off from Chang'an City and will arrive at the Tang Anxi Protectorate within a month at most!"
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