Tang Dynasty, my wife Wu Zetian

Chapter 135: Deterrence
On May 5th, the Dragon Boat Festival, all officials took a holiday and only one official was on duty in the Secretariat.

Unexpectedly, early in the morning, the official received a memorial, which was submitted by Lady Ji Yuchi of Zhou State.

Ji Xian presented a memorial to the emperor, reporting the fact that Ji Sizhong had accepted bribes and requesting that his brother be severely punished.

The news quickly spread throughout Chang'an, causing great disappointment to many court officials.

The Ministry of Personnel is different from the Ministry of Revenue. Although it is only a department of the Secretariat, it affects the court and the country, and even the prefectures and counties.

Although many officials do not belong to the Ministry of Personnel, their performance appraisals have been raised over the years due to the favoritism of an official in the Ministry of Personnel.

Therefore, every time an official from the Ministry of Personnel was investigated, it affected a large group of officials who had been evaluated by him.

These officials do not hold high positions, most of them are middle-level officials, but they also have connections and there are high-ranking officials in their families.

For example, Ji Sizhong was just a small official, but his sister was a first-rank lady of the Zhou Kingdom.

The connections of so many people combined form an extremely powerful force.

It was the secret obstruction of this force that made every step of Liu Rengui's investigation extremely difficult.

It’s more difficult than investigating the Ministry of Household Affairs.

Today is the Dragon Boat Festival. These officials had planned to unite and take advantage of the Dragon Boat Festival banquet to plead with the emperor.

As a result, Ji Xian's memorial completely blocked their way.

Even the saint's wet nurse sacrificed her own family for the sake of justice. If they went to plead for mercy at this time, not only would the emperor be furious, but their reputation would also be greatly damaged.

It's okay to do a favor and plead for a friend of the same ethnic group, but if it involves your own personal interests, you can only say sorry.

At the Dragon Boat Festival banquet in the evening, no one mentioned the Ministry of Personnel again.

Early the next morning, many officials surrendered themselves to the Censorate in the hope of having their charges reduced.

In an instant, the undercurrent that had been brewing for a long time beneath the surface of Chang'an City dissipated silently.

To rectify the administration of officials is to cultivate internal strength. Although the process is difficult, the result is invisible, making Chang'an City more stable.

Outside the city of Chang'an, on the northwest battlefield, because the leaders of the ten Turkic clans had not yet come to the court, the Tang Dynasty was still suppressing the Turkic tribes in the Western Regions.

Only the Tiele tribe in the north suddenly retreated to the vicinity of Tianshan Mountains and stopped attacking the Western Turks.

Because Qibi Heli and Runpo had already returned to Tiele.

Qibi Heli first found Runpo and questioned her, leaving Runpo confused.

Runpo was only concerned with leading the Uighur cavalry to participate in the war, and had no idea about the other eight tribes, and actually did such a thing without telling him.

The two returned to the Tianshan tent together.

Runpo was the deputy protector of Yanran appointed by the Tang Dynasty, in charge of the nine Tiele clans. He immediately issued a summons to gather the leaders of the other eight clans.

A few days later, the leaders of the eight Tiele clans also arrived.

Inside the ivory tent, a fire was blazing. Qibi Heli and Runpo sat on the north side, one on the left and one on the right, while the other eight people sat in a fan shape.

Although Qibi Heli was an envoy sent by the Tang Dynasty, a strong guest should not suppress the host.

He didn't say anything and gave the initiative to Runpo.

Runpo started scolding the other chiefs.

"How dare you, hiding this from me, secretly planning something like this? Have you all been blinded by greed?"

A chieftain smiled and said, "Great Chieftain, aren't we trying to help the Great Tang Khan?"

Runpo angrily said, "You bastard, you still dare to quibble? Do you think your tricks can deceive the Khan of Heaven? When the time comes, I will rain down the might of thunder, and you will not regret it!"

Another chief snorted, "The Khan can't take all the benefits for himself. He eats meat, can't he let us have a sip of soup?"

"Fu Kun, don't be rude to my uncle!" a young man shouted.

The man standing behind Runpo is Runpo's nephew Bilidu. He is very strong and is known as the bravest warrior of the Uighurs.

The chief named Fukun seemed to be afraid of Bilidu. He lowered his head to drink and dared not say a word.

Another older chief said, "Great Chief, we have been severely oppressed by the Turks and want to retaliate against them. Since the Tang Dynasty does not allow it, we will withdraw our troops."

Qibi Heli said in a deep voice: "You can keep half of the looted people, cattle and sheep, and the remaining half must be handed over to the Tang Dynasty."

Fu Kun was furious and was about to speak when Bi Lidu glared at him and said, "The envoy is willing to leave half for us. That's already fair. Don't be greedy."

Fu Kun fell silent.

Grandma Chun looked at her nephew, very satisfied, and said with a smile: "Since you have no objections, the matter is resolved. Let's drink and eat meat to celebrate the destruction of the Western Turks!"

After the fire banquet, late at night, in a forest a mile away from the tent.

Bi Li Du was sitting on a big rock with his upper body naked. The moonlight shone on his strong muscles, reflecting a metallic luster.

A gray cat squatted on his broad shoulders, licking its fur docilely.

This cat, larger than an ordinary cat but smaller than a leopard, was classified as a leopard in the Tang Dynasty and also called "flying on the grass," which is exactly what we know as the lynx in later generations. The nobles in the northwest region of the Tang Dynasty all liked to domesticate lynxes, and this custom also influenced the Tiele people.

A gust of wind blew, and the lynx smelled the scent in the wind. It suddenly raised its head and stared at a dark area.

Not long after, six people came out of the darkness. They were the six chiefs of the nine Turkic clans.

Fu Kun walked in front and called out from a distance, "Prince Bili, why did you try to stop me in the tent just now?"

Bi Li Du said: "If I don't stop you, do you want to go to war with the Tang Dynasty?"

Fu Kun snorted and said, "Aren't the Tang people preparing to attack Tubo? Or maybe Goguryeo? What's there to be afraid of?"

Bi Li Du said, "Before they took action, were you sure they weren't targeting us?"

Another chief said, "That's right. Before the Tang Dynasty takes action, it's best not to provoke them for now and continue to develop our strength."

Another chief said, "It's a pity that Prince Bili is not our chief. Runpo is too weak and unworthy of being the chief!"

Fu Kun said, "Prince Bili, everyone supports you. Why don't you kill Runpo and take the position of the chieftain?"

Bi Li Du narrowed his eyes and said, "If we kill Runpo now, will the Tang Dynasty just sit back and watch? Don't worry, first win over the remaining two clans. The position of the chieftain will be in my hands."

The situation of the Tang Dynasty's attack on Helu was watched closely not only by the countries in the Western Regions, but also by the countries in Liaodong.

In the eyes of all the countries surrounding the Tang Dynasty, the Tang Dynasty was a warlike country that would either attack this country or that country.

When the Tang Dynasty ended a war, every country would feel uneasy, worried about becoming the next target of the Tang Dynasty.

Goguryeo, Pyongyang.

A majestic and burly old man was shooting at a target.

He had shot nine arrows, all of which missed the target. His face was so gloomy that it seemed as if water was about to drip from it.

Everyone around him knelt on the ground, not daring to breathe, because the old man was none other than Molizhi of Goguryeo, Quan Gaisuwen.

"Whoosh!"

The last arrow still missed the target, but it seemed to hit the heart of every attendant around.

Everyone knew how terrifying Mo Lizhi was when he got angry, so they all held their breath and remained motionless, for fear of angering Mo Lizhi.

Quan Gaisuwen suddenly sighed, walked to a chair and sat down, shaking his head and said, "I'm old, after all."

When everyone heard his sigh, they seemed to come alive, and maids handed him fruits and vegetables to serve him.

Just then, two young men in yellow clothes walked down the corridor together.

Both of them are Quan Gaisuwen's sons. The older one is called Quan Nanshou and the younger one is called Quan Nanchan.

"Father, Baekje has withdrawn its troops," said Quan Nansheng.

Quan Gaisuwen said calmly, "I've already guessed it. The Tang Dynasty has quelled the civil unrest in the west and will definitely turn its attention to attacking Liaodong. The King of Baekje probably can't even sleep well right now, right?"

At the end of last year, the Goguryeo army attacked Silla, but ended up being defeated.

Later, Silla fought back, but was also beaten back by Goguryeo. Baekje took advantage of the opportunity and invaded the heartland of Silla.

In February of this year, Japan also launched a surprise attack from the sea and attacked the southern part of Silla. Seeing this, Quan Gaisuwen also sent troops to attack Silla.

For a time, the three kingdoms attacked Silla at the same time.

Silla failed to obtain reinforcements from the Tang Dynasty, so it retreated to the east, put up a tenacious resistance, and managed to hold on.

Now that the war with the Tang Dynasty is over, the four countries all agree that the Tang Dynasty will definitely send troops to Liaodong.

Quan Gaisuwen was under the greatest pressure and was the first to withdraw his troops in preparation for the fierce attack from the Tang Dynasty. He even ordered several fortresses in the north to adopt a strategy of building strong defenses and clearing the countryside, destroying all the surrounding villages.

Quan Gaisu Wen knew the Tang Dynasty's combat strength best. Fighting head-on would be courting death.

The only way is to fortify the city walls, clear the fields, defend the city to the death, and delay until the Tang Dynasty feels that it is not cost-effective to continue the attack and withdraws its troops.

Although Baekje did not directly border the Tang Dynasty, it was across the sea from it, and the Tang Dynasty's navy was extremely powerful.

Therefore, the King of Baekje faced the same problem as him and naturally had to withdraw his troops to guard against the invasion of the Tang Dynasty.

Izumi Nanchan suddenly said, "Father, Japan hasn't withdrawn its troops yet. Don't let them take advantage of you."

Quan Gaisuwen sneered and said, "It doesn't matter. Even if Silla is weak, it can still deal with a barbarian island nation."

Quan Nansheng said, "Father, the Tang army's attack this time will surely be fierce. Should we send envoys to contact Baekje and join forces with them?"

Quan Gaisuwen said, "That's good. Although we can withstand the Tang people, they don't have that ability. We need to spread the news to prevent them from being destroyed by the Tang Dynasty and causing us to be attacked from all sides."

Quan Nanchan rushed to say, "Father, I'll go in person. That way it will show my sincerity."

Quan Gaisuwen smiled and said, "Yes, you know how to share your father's worries. Well, then, you go there yourself. The King of Baekje is lustful, so bring him some beautiful women."

Quan Nanchan smiled and said, "I understand, my child."

(End of this chapter)