The film and television world begins with the battle for the throne in Kowloon

Chapter 909: The army marches south and forces its way to the Yellow River

Li Yan remained calm, as he had expected such a situation.

In fact, the Tang Dynasty will face such a situation sooner or later.

Even if Xueyantuo did not surrender, he could continue to attack Xueyantuo with heavy troops, force them to surrender or expel them, and then go south to attack the southern part of the desert.

If the Tang Dynasty sent troops, they would be led into the desert and dragged to death.

If you don't send troops, you can only watch yourself conquer the enemies on the grassland one by one, and eventually unify the entire grassland.

Later, they had to face powerful nomadic peoples. This was the disaster brought about by ignoring external enemies and focusing on development.

Being in Li Yan's position, it can be said that he has completely seized the strategic initiative, and it requires no technical skills, so basically anyone can do it.

The next chessboard can be used for attack or defense. Conquering the Central Plains is just a matter of thought.
After Li Yan came to the grassland, he did not bring any advanced ideas, nor did he improve their weapons, nor did he strengthen their ruling power. He just ruled the grassland little by little in the most primitive form according to the previous way of the grassland.

If the Tang Dynasty was still defeated despite this, it could only mean that there were problems with the Tang Dynasty's governance style, or at least there were huge flaws in its policy of defending against powerful enemies.

Li Yan's eyes flashed with thoughtful thoughts, and he asked in a deep voice: "I didn't expect that the current situation is in the hands of the Yi Nan leader. If Yi Nan surrenders to the Tang Dynasty and fights desperately, then our Turks will not be able to break through the Tang Dynasty's defense line;"

"If the Yinan chieftain surrenders to us, the Tang Dynasty will surely be defeated. The chieftain occupies such an important position that he can almost influence the situation in the world."

"He helped me win the world, so how can I repay him? Tur doesn't answer, tell me, what does Yi Nan want?"

Tur's eyes narrowed as he did not reply, and he secretly praised that this Right Wise King was not a simple-minded warrior. He understood what the Yi Nan chief wanted to express without him saying anything. He was also a man with great ideas!
"Hahaha"

"The chieftain of the Yinan tribe said that we are both tribes on the grassland, with the same blood and family. In the end, we are all one family. We are like ice and carbon in a different furnace, like water and fire, and we are naturally opposed to the Central Plains Dynasty."

An inexplicable smile flashed across Turbuda's face: "And the Right Wise King has the blood of the Central Plains, and he is the master of the grassland. He can be accepted by the people of both sides. When the time comes, it will be natural for him to rule the Central Plains and become the master of the world."

"In consideration of Chief Yinan's meritorious service, Right Wise King may appoint him as Khan of the Grassland. He will guard the grassland and the frontier forever for you."

Li Yan's face changed: "What, Yi Nan wants the entire grassland?"

"No, no, the Right Wise King misunderstood."

Tuer Bu Da quickly explained: "I, the great leader of Xueyantuo, do not have such great ambitions. I only want half of the grassland. I believe this is not too much for the Right Wise King who is rich in the whole world, right?"

"Of course, if the Right Wise King gives generous rewards, and the Western Regions are added, then the Great Chief will be even more grateful to the King?"

"Well, since Commander Yi Nan is so wise and has turned from evil to good, I will make the decision here about all the old grudges and put them all behind me."

Li Yan's eyes lit up. He didn't expect that Yi Nan had the ambition to annex the entire Western Regions.

A bold idea emerged in his mind. Li Yan stood up and said excitedly: "Turbu, you go back and tell Yi Nan that I accept his surrender. As long as we defeat the Tang Dynasty, I will make him the second Khan of the grassland, and his status will be second only to mine."

"Except for the original western grasslands of Xueyantuo, all the land west of Yumen Pass in the Tang Dynasty is his territory."

Turbuda stood up excitedly and knelt before Li Yanxing. He raised his head and said respectfully, "When the king accepted Xueyantuo, Commander Yi Nan and Turbuda became his subjects."

"Turbuda is here to pay his respects to the king. May the king live a long and healthy life and may his blessings last forever."

"Hahaha"

Li Yan laughed heartily, then his face turned serious and he ordered Gu Rentu: "Gu Rentu, you must immediately send a message to the army to move south tomorrow, approach the Yellow River, station at Yinshan, and force all the Tang army back to the south bank of the Yellow River."

"I can't wait to see Li Shimin trembling all over!"

Gu Rentu clasped his fists and accepted the order: "Yes, my king!"

"Your Majesty is wise!"

Tuer Buda looked like he had met a wise ruler, and said with emotion: "I never thought that I would meet such a wise ruler as Your Majesty in my life. I am about to witness the birth of the greatest monarch on the grassland. This is the honor and luck of all the subjects on the grassland."

"Your Majesty, if you send troops from the north, then I, Xueyantuo, will attack from the west, catching the Tang Dynasty off guard."

Seeing Li Yan happy, Tur did not answer and looked embarrassed: "It's just that the Yi Nan commander-in-chief is short of troops now. Your Majesty, please see if we can return the 100,000 troops captured earlier to Xueyantuo, so that we can live up to your trust in the west?" "Humph"

When Li Yan heard this, his smile faded, and he glanced at the other party with a meaningful look, and said proudly: "Tur doesn't answer, the war is imminent, and this king is the main force, and the Yi man is just playing a supporting role, why do we need so many people?"

"You go back and tell Yi Nan that after we defeat the Tang Dynasty, I will return these 100,000 men to him and give him more soldiers and horses so that he can fight the battle in front of him first."

Are you kidding? How can I give away the meat that’s already in my mouth?

All of Yi Nan's people are good fighters, braver than the soldiers on the grassland. They are especially good at surviving in the extreme weather of severe cold and heat in the northwest and the desert sand in the Gobi Desert. The northwest is exactly the target that Li Yan wants to conquer in the next stage.

These soldiers who were familiar with the situation in the west were the best vanguards. After a few days of reorganization, most of them were assigned to the team directly under Li Yan.

Seeing that Li Yan was really not willing to give in, Tur had no choice but to bow awkwardly and retreat with Gu Rentu.

After the two of them left, Hou Junji, who had been anxiously waiting beside them, could no longer sit still and asked anxiously, "Your Highness, what are you doing?"

Li Yan said nothing. He walked to the door of the big tent and said to Labutu who was guarding there, "No one is allowed within a hundred steps."

"Yes, Your Majesty!"

Without saying a word, Labutu waved his hand to take the guards at the door away, and at the same time dispatched hundreds of soldiers to surround the royal tent.

Originally the king's tent occupied a separate area, but now the guards retreated to the periphery, leaving only a large tent standing in the middle of the empty grassland.

Seeing that the others had been sent away, Hou Junji no longer had any scruples and could not wait to complain: "Your Highness, a million cavalrymen marching south will have a huge impact on Guanzhong. I am afraid that rumors will spread in Chang'an and the people will flee. Isn't this causing trouble for Your Majesty?"

"Humph!"

Li Yan returned to the top, his eyes turned cold, and he pointed at the throne in front of him: "If the person sitting in this position is not me, but Jie Li, or Shi Luodie, or someone else. Tell me, what kind of decision will they make in the face of the current situation?"

Well.
Hou Junji's face froze. He knew, of course, that if it were anyone else, even anyone with such a powerful military force and so many mouths to feed, would march south to attack the Central Plains, in order to increase their gains and relieve pressure.

It's almost a no-brainer.
"But, Your Highness, you are not from the grassland!"

Hou Junji looked embarrassed: "You are the crown prince of the Tang Dynasty. The country and people of the Tang Dynasty are also yours. The well-being of the people of the world also needs you to protect it."

Li Yan looked at Hou Junji indignantly: "But I am only a prince, not an emperor, and I am no different from other princes. I sacrificed myself to go on a diplomatic mission to the grassland, married Ashina Yun, and later served as a hostage to Xueyantuo. I have fulfilled the responsibilities of a prince."

"If I hadn't been lucky enough, I would have died on the grassland long ago. And what has Li Shimin been doing these years?"

When Hou Junji heard this, and saw that Li Yan had already called the emperor's name without any scruples, his eyes narrowed and he subconsciously looked around, only then did he realize that he was now on a grassland thousands of miles away.

Seeing that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince was out of control, he was also very embarrassed.

From a personal perspective, this is a matter between Li Shimin and his son. From a public perspective, the relationship between the emperor and the prince is also difficult for others to understand.

However, he was not an ordinary minister. As the father-in-law of the prince and Li Shimin's right-hand man, Hou Junji could still say something. He advised: "Your Highness has indeed fulfilled his responsibilities as the crown prince. In the past five or six years, Your Highness has been lost in the grasslands, and the emperor has repeatedly sent people to look for you."

"But it's really impossible to find it in the vast desert?"

"I can testify that after the Battle of Dingxiang, I lived in the Tuli tribe in the south of the desert and was in charge of this matter. The emperor also authorized me to mobilize the troops in Fengzhou, Jiuyuan, and Hedong at will. Together with the troops of the Tuli tribe, there were almost more than 200,000 people scattered in the desert."

"I don't know how many times I have plowed the battlefield, but to no avail. I really can't blame the emperor!"

Li Yan's expression eased a little when he heard this, but he immediately became angry again: "Even so, before I went on the diplomatic mission, my father said in person in the Liangyi Palace that if anything happened to me during the mission, he would appoint the son born by Haitang as the crown prince."

"Now Xiang'er is five years old, but why doesn't he fulfill his promise?"

Hou Junji was stunned, and his expression also revealed deep dissatisfaction. But Li Shimin was the emperor, and if he didn't mention it, who would dare to question him? Hou Junji wanted to muster up the courage countless times to make Li Shimin fulfill his promise, but he didn't dare to speak.

He had struggled to hold on for all these years, but not only did he not benefit from what Li Shimin had said, but he was also hated and attacked by other princes. Changsun Wuji retreated quietly, and he, a mere military man, had to handle the crisis alone.

How difficult it is
Hou Junji had no choice but to say, "Although the emperor did not make Xiang'er the crown prince, he did not drive Haitang and her son out of the East Palace. Xiang'er just lacks the title of crown prince. From this point of view, the emperor did not completely block the way."

(End of this chapter)