Supreme Golden Palace

Chapter 80 Purple River
However, to Lü Shang's surprise, after the red glow dissipated, the sky was as clear as a mirror, and the strange phenomenon did not reappear for a long time. Although Lü Shang was puzzled, he could not stay in this dangerous place for long, so he urged the army to speed up.

After two days of nothing happening, Lü Shang finally led his army across the White Path and arrived at the White Path River. After entering the White Path River, Lü Shang looked around and saw endless flat fields, lush green grass swaying in the wind.

He pulled the reins, and the purple lightning and frost under his crotch snorted loudly in the knee-high grass.

Kang Le rode forward and said, "General, fifty miles to the southeast is the Purple River Ya tent of Shaboluo Khan."

Lu Shang gently squeezed the horse's belly, driving Zi Dian Han Shuang slowly forward, saying: "Purple River Ya Tent,"

Shabolue fought with Datou and Apo several times, and was defeated every time. After continuous failures, his power was greatly reduced. Now only Baidaochuan and Mo Nan are still in Shabolue's hands, while the rest, such as Mobei, Western Regions, and Shiwei, have fallen into the hands of Datou and Apo.

"Let's go to Zihe Yazhang,"

Lu Shang squeezed his horse's belly, and Zi Dian Han Shuang raised his hooves and charged forward. The soldiers behind him also surged like a wave towards the southeast.

When they were halfway there, they suddenly saw dust and smoke rolling ahead. After a while, they saw a group of Turkic light cavalry coming towards the Sui army.

"stop,"

Lu Shang suddenly raised his hand, and the army stopped immediately.

This group of Turkic light cavalry numbered 120 men. The leading Turkic knight was a burly figure, wearing an animal-skin helmet and black leather armor. The bone-wielding spear in his hand gleamed coldly in the sunlight.

Upon seeing the Sui army's flag, the Turkic knight immediately stepped forward and asked in stilted Chinese, "But, are these the troops of Lü Shang, the vanguard of the Great Sui Dynasty?"

Lü Shang spurred his horse forward a few steps and shouted, "It is Lü Shang's troops."

The leader looked Lu Shang up and down and asked hesitantly, "Excuse me, General, are you Lu Shang, the official vanguard?"

Lu Shang sat steadily on the Purple Lightning Frost and said in a clear voice: "I am Lu Shang."

When the Turkic knights heard this, they immediately became agitated and began to whisper to each other.

"Mang Gusi!"

"Is that Lu Shang? He doesn't look vicious at all, unlike Manggusi. Can he really smash Bayegu's head?"

Bayegu was a famous warrior of the Turks. He was born into the Ashina royal family and studied under a shaman master. He was very famous among the Turks, so his death in battle directly alarmed the khans of both sides.

The leading Turkic knight took a deep breath, clasped his fists, and said, "General Lu, we have long heard of your great name. We are here to welcome you by order of Shaboluo Khan. The Khan was overjoyed to hear of your arrival and ordered us, the guards, to lead you to the Purple River Tent."

Kang Le, who was beside Lu Shang, heard that they were the Khan's guards, so he hurried forward and whispered in Lu Shang's ear the origins of these guards.

The Turkic cavalry was generally composed of three parts: the guards, the bowmen, and the Zhejie. The guards, also called Fuli, which means wolf in Turkic, were the Khan's personal guards and the elite of the Turkic cavalry, generally requiring great courage and strength.

Shabolue sent his own Fuli to support Lu Shang, obviously he valued Lu Shang's Sui army very much.

Lu Shang nodded and said, "In that case, please lead the way."

Upon hearing this, the Turkic knights immediately turned their horses and led the way.

"Order all the troops to follow,"

Lü Shang waved his hand, signaling the army to continue forward. Following the Turkic light cavalry, the Sui army marched towards the Zihe Yazhang. Along the way, Lü Shang quietly observed the terrain. The Baidaochuan terrain was relatively flat, offering a wide field of view.

This kind of terrain is most suitable for "joint battle".

When we walked not far from the Ziheya tent, we could see a tall tent in the distance.

Flags fluttered around the tent. As the distance got closer, the soldiers could see the structure of the tent clearly. The huge felt tent was supported by thick wooden poles, and the top of the tent was decorated with exquisite animal skin patterns.

When the Sui army arrived in front of the tent, the Turkic guards were lined up on both sides with spears in hand.

The leading Turkic knight dismounted, walked up to Lü Shang, and said respectfully, "General Lü, we have arrived at the tent. Please dismount."

Upon hearing this, Lu Shang dismounted, handed the reins of Zi Dian Han Shuang to the personal guard beside him, and strode towards the yamen. Wei Cheng, Shang Silang, Xin Yongfeng and other generals followed closely behind him.

As soon as I stepped into the tent, I felt a strong fishy smell hitting me in the face.

Lu Shang's expression remained unchanged. After quietly instructing Xiao Ji and other lieutenants to lead the troops outside the tent, he took Wei Cheng and the other two and headed towards the Khan's golden tent.

In front of the golden tent in the center of the ivory tent, under the golden wolf banner, Shabolue and his Kehadun Yuwen stood on a high platform covered with luxurious animal skins. Shabolue was tall and strong, wearing a thick black cloak embroidered with golden wolf patterns, while Kehadun Yuwen wore a phoenix crown and a long brocade skirt.

When Lü Shang approached the Golden Tent, he stopped. He first exchanged glances with Shabolue, then bowed slightly and said, "Lü Shang, the official vanguard of the Great Sui Dynasty, greets Shabolue Khan and Princess Dayi."

When the Khe Dun Yuwen of Shabolue saw Lü Shang addressing her as Princess Dayi, her brows furrowed slightly, and she said with an indescribable sense of melancholy, "General Lü, you must have come so far to bear the hardship."

Princess Dayi was given the title by Emperor Yang Jian of the Sui Dynasty. Yang Jian wiped out the entire Yuwen clan. The word "Dayi" sounded more like a bitter irony to her. The corners of her mouth twitched slightly, and she felt bitter.

"General Lu, thank you for your hard work. Please enter the Golden Tent."

Although Shabolue was slightly angry about Lu Shang's title, he was at a disadvantage and suppressed his dissatisfaction.

He still had deep feelings for Yuwen, his former aunt and now his wife. If it weren't for his true feelings, he wouldn't have attacked Sui Dynasty in the second year of Kaihuang under Yuwen's instigation.

The reason why he was in such a difficult situation now was because of that battle, when the Sui general Daxi Changru led only 2,000 elite soldiers to defeat Shabolue's 100,000 men, completely shaking the foundation of Shabolue's rule.

The Turks were inherently fond of the strong. Even though Shabolue had an army of 100,000, he was defeated by Daxi Changru's 2,000 men. This made many Turks see Shabolue's incompetence. A man without the wolf spirit could not become the Great Khan of the Turks.

"This is just an order, so why bother?"

Lu Shang stepped into the golden tent. The floor inside the tent was covered with thick wool carpets and a row of cushions were placed on both sides. He found a cushion and sat cross-legged. Wei Cheng and the other two also sat next to Lu Shang.

Shaboluo Khan pulled up a faint smile at the corner of his mouth, stepped into the golden tent, and slowly sat down in the main seat. His eyes were like a hawk, sweeping over Lu Shang and others one by one.

Princess Dayi Yuwen, who was sitting beside him, also took a seat. When she looked at Lu Shang, her eyes were a little cold.

"General Lu, I've long heard of the might of the Great Sui Army and its numerous experts. Seeing them in person today, I can see their reputation is truly well-deserved."

Shabolue spoke first, his voice deep and rich, with the unique heroism of the Hu people.

(End of this chapter)