The appearance of Batel, the son of Timur, the Great Khan of the fallen Turkic Khaganate, was nothing short of a catalyst for Liu Ziyu, the Earl of Wuyi, to add a touch of "ambition" to his extravagant and decadent lifestyle. However, to the entire Tang Dynasty and Emperor Zhaowu Chen Huai'an, he was an insignificant figure.
Since Chen Huai'an, the Prince of Jin, single-handedly subjugated the thirty-six kingdoms of the Western Regions, countless caravans from the Western Regions traveled to and from the Central Plains every day along the Silk Road. These people looked and dressed almost exactly like Batel.
Therefore, Batel dared to infiltrate the Western Regions caravan and, all alone, fearlessly went to Wuzhou City to visit Liu Ziyu, who was "disappointed in his official career." Under the lure of profit, he reached an agreement with the latter that concealed an unspeakable secret.
After Batel left Wuzhou City, Liu Ziyu, who used to spend his days drinking and making merry at the Earl's mansion, surprisingly stopped visiting guests and went to the army every day to personally supervise the army's daily drills and combat readiness.
Liu Ziyu's unusual behavior was interpreted by the civil and military officials in the Youyun region as a result of the Tang Dynasty's expedition against Goguryeo, which inspired him to be ashamed and determined to make new contributions to the Tang Dynasty.
Liu Ziyu simply laughed it off, offering neither comment nor response.
Only he himself knows that everything he is doing now is in preparation for his future.
At the same time, he was also very curious about how Nabatel and the Abbasid Caliphate, which he mentioned, located outside the Western Regions, would cause Lan Yu, the fierce general of the Tang Dynasty who guarded Anxi, to suffer a setback.
Days passed by, and Emperor Zhaowu Chen Huai'an, far away in the imperial city of Jinling, was unaware that the powerful Arab Empire, which was rising in strength outside the Western Regions, had set its next strategic focus on the Western Regions states that had submitted to the newly established Tang Dynasty.
His mind was still focused on conquering the Goguryeo Peninsula and dealing with domestic issues such as the imperial examination reform, economic development, and the completion of the Grand Canal.
Little did they know, a conspiracy targeting Lan Yu, the Marquis of Anxi of the Tang Dynasty, was quietly unfolding.
In the first year of the Zhaowu reign of the Tang Dynasty, on the fifth day of the fifth month.
Shule City was the location of the Anxi Governor-General's Office (Northern Prefecture) of the Tang Dynasty.
Since the founding ceremony of the Tang Dynasty, when he was conferred his title, Marquis Lan Yu of Anxi had returned to the Anxi Protectorate from Jinling City without stopping, less than a month ago.
Although Lan Yu was somewhat arrogant, he was a man of real ability. During his time guarding the Western Regions, he managed the Tang Dynasty's Silk Road in an orderly manner.
Normally, when there are any conflicts between the kingdoms of the Western Regions, Lan Yu is the one who mediates, and there are usually no major problems.
Yutian, more than a thousand miles away from Shule City, was the Western Regions Protectorate (Southern Prefecture) of the Tang Dynasty, which was led by Huo Qubing, the champion marquis of the Tang Dynasty who had led the troops to relieve the siege of Yutian.
One in the south and one in the north, they supported each other and supervised each other, becoming the left and right arms of Emperor Zhaowu Chen Huai'an in governing the Western Regions.
On this day, in the Anxi Marquis's residence in Shule City, Lan Yu, the Marquis of Anxi of the Tang Dynasty, was reviewing the tax records of caravans from various countries along the Silk Road over the past three months when he suddenly received an urgent report from his deputy general, Tan Li: "General, something terrible has happened!"
As they spoke, Tan Li, clad in armor but without a sword, hurriedly approached Lan Yu, bowing as he said, "General, we have just received a report from an envoy of Xiaowan Kingdom (one of the thirty-six kingdoms of the Western Regions)—"
"Ten days ago, King Tibis of Wusun personally led an army of 50,000 and captured Gubi, the capital of Xiaowan, overnight, slaughtering King Maimaiti of Xiaowan and more than 300 members of the royal family."
"The Kingdom of Xiaowan has now been completely annexed by the Kingdom of Wusun!"
Tan Li continued with a furrowed brow: "The envoy of Xiaowan Kingdom, Bas, carrying the dying wish of King Maimaiti, risked his life to escape from the capital, Gubi, and pleaded with our Great Tang Dynasty to uphold justice for Xiaowan Kingdom, which was tragically destroyed by Wusun!"
"What?"
After hearing the report from his deputy general Tan Li, Lan Yuteng jumped up from his chair and roared furiously, "Damn it, that King Tibis of Wusun has lost his mind!"
"Not only do you disregard this general, but you also disregard the Great Tang Dynasty!"
Lan Yu was furious, and his usually imposing face showed a rare ferocious expression.
Lan Yu had heard about the conflict between the Wusun Kingdom and the Xiaowan Kingdom, and when the conflict first broke out between the two countries a few months ago, he personally wrote a letter to the kings of both countries to mediate the conflict.
After that incident, the two countries indeed ceased hostilities and did not engage in warfare.
Who would have thought that only a few months had passed, and less than a month after Lan Yu was conferred the title of Marquis of Anxi by the Tang Dynasty and returned to the Protectorate of the Western Regions, the King of Wusun suddenly took action and destroyed Xiaowan overnight.
This is not only a slap in the face to Marquis Anxi Lan Yu, but also a slap in the face to the newly established Tang Dynasty!
If the Emperor were to find out that someone dared to openly raise an army and destroy another country on the Silk Road in the Western Regions so early in the Tang Dynasty, wouldn't he be furious and reprimand Lan Yu for his dereliction of duty?
This is intolerable!
You can slap my face, Lan Yu, but you openly slap the face of the Tang Dynasty? This is outrageous!
If we don't subdue the Wusun Kingdom this time, won't all the other kingdoms in the Western Regions follow suit? Then the Silk Road of the Tang Dynasty will never be peaceful.
Lan Yu angrily said, "Deputy General Tan, immediately convey my order to dispatch 50,000 Guan Ning cavalry to attack Wusun. I will personally crush Tibis's arrogance!"
"Doesn't Tibis like to annex other countries? Then this general will make the Wusun Kingdom taste the pain of annihilation!"
Upon hearing that Lan Yu was going to lead his troops in a personal expedition and destroy the Wusun Kingdom, Deputy General Tan Li immediately advised, "General, isn't it a bit too rash to send troops to conquer the Wusun Kingdom?"
snort!
"Arbitrary?"
Lan Yu sneered, "Tibis has already destroyed the Kingdom of Xiaowan and slaughtered all three hundred members of the Xiaowan King Maimaiti's family. Is his behavior arbitrary?"
"Deputy General Tan, do you still remember when you accompanied the Emperor on his campaign against the Western Regions, and the Emperor accepted the surrender documents from the envoys of the thirty-six kingdoms of the Western Regions at the city of Harabalga, the capital of the Uyghur Khanate? What did the Emperor say?"
Tan Li hesitated for a moment, then said, "Reporting to the General, His Majesty once said that he wished the Western Regions and the Silk Road to be as close as one family, with no more war!"
"That's right!"
Lan Yu waved his hand and said sternly, "That's exactly what His Majesty said back then—May the Western Regions and the Silk Road be as close as one family, with no more war!"
"What the Emperor says is law!"
Then, Lan Yu changed the subject, saying, "But King Tibis of the Wusun Kingdom openly defied the Emperor's will, stirring up trouble in the Western Regions and annexing other countries."
"Shouldn't such scoundrels receive the punishment they deserve?"
After a pause, Lan Yu continued, "If our Great Tang Dynasty doesn't use an iron fist to suppress the Wusun Kingdom this time, other kingdoms in the Western Regions will follow suit and rise up in rebellion."
"By then, will our Great Tang Dynasty's land-based Silk Road still have any peace?"
"General Tan, carry out my orders!"
"Your subordinate obeys!"
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