Tang Dynasty: The Holy Prince, the Dragon that Reigns Over the World

Songtsen Gampo fled back to the capital city of Lhasa, immediately closed the gates and ordered martial law in the city. He also organized the people of the city to build city walls and strengthen fortifications to prevent attacks from the two tribes and the Tang army. Under the persuasion of the Tubo national teacher Dugu Wuwang, Songtsen Gampo sent envoys to the Tang army camp to request the Tang army to stop attacking the Tubo royal city.

The Tubo envoys came to the Tang camp to meet Zhuge Fu. Zhuge Fu was shocked when he learned the purpose of the Tubo envoys' visit. Didn't the Tang Dynasty and Tubo agree to stop the attack privately? Why did Tubo come with such a big fanfare?

Zhuge Fu thought about it for a moment and understood what Songtsen Gampo was thinking. Zhuge Fu sneered in his heart.

"The Tibetans' move was nothing more than to show that they were willing to keep their promises, to confirm the Tang Dynasty's promise not to attack them, and to sow discord between the two tribes and the Tang Dynasty. After all, the two tribes saw with their own eyes that the Tibetan envoys entered the Tang camp with great fanfare. In addition, when the Tibetans broke through the siege before, the Tang army did not move. Anyone who is not a fool can think that the Tibetans and the Tang Dynasty have reached a private agreement.

The two allied forces were openly trying to sow discord between the Tang Dynasty and the two allied forces. When the two allied forces saw the Tibetan envoys entering the camp and the Tang Dynasty did not move, they would be suspicious and even wary of the Tang Dynasty. The Tang Dynasty had previously privately agreed that if the Tibetans agreed to the Tang Dynasty's conditions, the Tang army would no longer attack the Tibetans. Now that the Tibetans openly sent envoys to seek peace, the Tang Dynasty could not refuse for the sake of its ultimate goal, so it had to agree. In this way, the Tang Dynasty's intention to use the Tibetans to consume the two allied forces was completely thwarted.

Furthermore, the Tibetan envoys did not go to Chang'an to see the sage and the prince, but instead came to the camp to see me, the commander-in-chief of the Anxi Army, who was in charge of hundreds of thousands of troops and the top military and political leader of the Western Region. His words were full of flattery, and he described himself as the number one person in the Western Regions, and that he had the final say in all matters in the Western Regions. The Tibetans asked for peace because they were afraid of me.

The Tibetan envoy's behavior and words were flattery, but in reality they were flattery. Inside and outside the big tent were the prince's direct line of troops and the Jinyiwei army. These people were all loyal to the prince. If he took credit for this and became proud, he would probably die without knowing how he died.

Especially the thousand-household Jinyiwei who follow the army. These people usually just provide intelligence and do not participate in military affairs. However, once there is a change in the army, these people will immediately turn into spies and assassins for the prince.

If he were not the prince's confidant, and the prince was a man of great generosity and sharp mind, then based on the Tibetan envoy's words, if he had a different master, Zhuge Fu would have been dismissed from office or even killed."

Zhuge Fu remained calm and smiled as he dealt with the envoys. After sending them off, Zhuge Fu sat in the big tent and sneered. At this time, Qin Huaiyu came into the tent to report that the weather was about to get cold, and asked the commander-in-chief to quickly send cotton clothes to keep warm in the winter. Zhuge Fu immediately wrote a letter and asked Xizhou to immediately send the army winter supplies.

When the two chatted, Qin Huaiyu curiously asked about the purpose of the Tibetan envoy's visit. Zhuge Fu did not hide it and told Qin Huaiyu the purpose of the Tibetan envoy's visit and his own analysis. Qin Huaiyu was shocked after hearing it.

"What a vicious mind! Songtsen Gampo is trying to sow discord between our army and the two allied forces. Once our two armies fall out, our army will be trapped. The worst thing is, if Dalang becomes suspicious of you, Zhici will have no way to survive, and our Tang Dynasty's strategy against Tubo will most likely fail."

"Haha, Huaiyu, don't panic. Humph, Songtsen Gampo is good at playing a conspiracy, but it's useless. Even if the two tribes go to war with the Tang army, do you think a flock of sheep can kill a tiger? The legions of the Prince's Mansion of the Great Tang Dynasty are not made of clay. Even if they are given the courage, they dare not rebel.

As for me personally, humph, I guess Tubo has arranged people to enter Chang'an to spread rumors that I am more powerful than my master and want to use my achievements to establish myself, otherwise I will look down on him. Tubo's mere counter-espionage plan, my master is such a person, he is the wisest man in the world, how can he not see through it? "Zhuge Fu laughed.

"Songtsen Gampo is just a kid, and he dares to show off his plan in front of my lord. But the person who came up with this plan is really intriguing and unexpected." Zhuge Fu said with a cold face, holding a secret report from the Jinyiwei in his hand.

After Qin Huaiyu said goodbye and left, Zhuge called the captain of the Jinyiwei army and said.

"Do you know what other positions Bendu has besides his official ones?"

"I know that before the Grand Commander came to Xizhou, the lord personally appointed him as the commander-in-chief of the Jinyiwei, who was fully responsible for all affairs of the Jinyiwei in the Western Regions and Tubo." The thousand-householder of the Jinyiwei replied with a fist salute.

"Yes, that's right. Send a pigeon immediately to inform the Lord that 'Hunter' may have rebelled." Zhuge Fu said coldly. 'Hunter' is Dugu Wuwang's code name.

"What? Impossible. There is actually someone in my guard who dares to rebel. Does the commander have any evidence?" The captain of the Jinyiwei army said in disbelief. He and Dugu Wuwang were both veteran soldiers from the Prince's Mansion. He really couldn't believe that Dugu Wuwang could betray the Prince.

"Well, take it and have a look." Zhuge Fu sighed and handed the message delivered by the Jinyiwei spy in the Tubo palace to the Jinyiwei cavalry captain. The Jinyiwei cavalry captain didn't care about etiquette and snatched it away. After reading it carefully, his face kept changing from disbelief to pain and sadness until his face became hideous. The Jinyiwei cavalry captain gritted his teeth and glared.

"Mo Wen, you bastard, you deserve to die, how dare you betray the lord. Without the lord, we would have starved to death in the streets, how could we have our wives and children well-fed and well-clothed today. Mo Wen, you have forgotten the oath that I swore to be loyal to the lord until death, you are not worthy of the title of the lord's old soldier. I will send a pigeon to send this letter." After saying this, the Jinyiwei followed the thousand-householder army and left the tent with murderous intent.

As Zhuge Fu expected, the two allied armies were in a state of confusion and stopped attacking Songtsen Gampo. The Jinyiwei reported that someone in Chang'an City was spreading rumors that Zhuge Fu's achievements were greater than his master's and he wanted to use his achievements to establish himself. For a time, the court and the public were discussing it, and even some ministers wrote a letter to impeach him and asked the crown prince to replace Zhuge Fu.

The generals of the Anxi Army were all shocked when they heard this, and they all asked to see Zhuge Fu, willing to jointly guarantee Zhuge Fu's position as the Grand Commander. Zhuge Fu smiled and thanked everyone, but politely rejected their letter, saying that the lord and I did not doubt each other, and the lord would not be fooled by such a clumsy counter-espionage plan.

Although Zhuge Fu was extremely confident, the morale of the army was still affected to a certain extent. On the other hand, in the Prince's Mansion, Li Chengqian was drinking tea with Chang Sun Chong in the study, and Chang Sun Chong looked ashamed. Li Chengqian held the tea bowl and looked at Chang Sun Chong through the mist and said jokingly.

"Hey, what happened today? In the past, when my cousin came to my house, he was always so arrogant that he wanted to walk sideways, but today he is acting like a young wife."

"Da Lang, please don't make fun of me anymore. I've made a mistake and I've come here to apologize." Chang Sun Chong lowered his head and said in shame.

"Oh? Apologizing? That's new. Tell me about it. Was your cousin caught by Changle for visiting a prostitute? Or did he get some girl pregnant and the people came to your house to beat him up? Or was it not you who took bribes and committed crimes? Give me some of the money you took and I'll speak well of you to Aye." Li Chengqian said with a smile.

"Da Lang, please stop teasing me. Am I that bad? You know that the Hunter might betray me." Chang Sun Chong said with a bitter face.

"You are talking about this matter? I thought it was some gossip about you. It's just a trivial matter, is it worth it for you to be like this?" Li Chengqian said listlessly.

"This is not a big deal. The 'Hunter' has rebelled. This will affect our entire plan." Chang Sun Chong jumped up and said.

"Don't worry, cousin. Human hearts are hard to predict. The Hunter lived with Songtsen Gampo day and night in Tubo for more than ten years. Songtsen Gampo treated him as a teacher for many years and entrusted him with important tasks and trusted him. Even if he rebelled, it was understandable. It was not your fault, so you don't have to blame yourself too much." Li Chengqian said with a smile.

"No matter what, it was someone from the Jinyiwei who betrayed us. The Jinyiwei has failed our lord's trust, so please punish us. I request permission to go to Tubo and persuade the 'hunter' to return to the right path. I dare not let your plan be ruined because of a traitor from the Jinyiwei." Chang Sun Chong clasped his fists.

"Nonsense, how can a Tubo be compared with the safety of my cousin's life. My Tang Dynasty has obtained one third of Tubo's territory, and the division of Tubo into three parts is a foregone conclusion. It can be said that the plan has been completed. Even if the 'Hunter' rebels, what can be changed? My cousin is my brother, how can he take risks lightly?" Li Chengqian put down the cup and said angrily.

"However, as for rewards and punishments, the Jinyiwei made a serious mistake in its internal management this time. The commander will be punished for one year, and the rest of the people will be punished for half a year. Are the Jinyiwei convinced?" Li Chengqian said.

"The Jinyiwei are willing to be punished."

While the two were chatting, Li Dejian and Cheng Huailiang walked in hurriedly and spoke loudly before entering the door.

"Da Lang, please don't believe the rumors and revoke Zhici's military power."

"Who told you that I was going to retreat to Cijunquan?" Li Chengqian was stunned and asked in confusion.

"There are rumors about Zhici outside. Now many officials have written to Dalang requesting him to replace Zhici and bring him back to Chang'an for interrogation. We haven't seen Dalang respond in the past few days. We are worried that Dalang has been deceived for a while, so we come here to plead for mercy." Cheng Huailiang said anxiously.

"Oh my god, you two have followed me through thick and thin for so many years, and you still don't know what kind of person I am? How could I be fooled by a mere counter-espionage plot? I didn't react because I wanted to see how many people would write letters to target Zhici, and then follow the clues to wipe out Tibet's intelligence network in my Chang'an, and then bring to justice all the officials who accepted bribes from Tibet." Li Chengqian said speechlessly.

"Hehe, that's what I said. Dalang is a wise man. How could he do something that would make his loved ones sad and his enemies happy?" Cheng Huailiang scratched his head and smiled foolishly.

"You two, one is the Duke of Tang County, the deputy commander of the Emperor's Palace Army, and the Grand Commandant of the Prince's Palace. The other is the Marquis of Tang County, and next year he will be the commander of the Winged Archer Cavalry. You don't have the energy to be steady at all.

However, my cousin can close the net now, otherwise it will have a huge impact on the morale of the Anxi Army. By the way, tomorrow I will meet with my father-in-law and go to Tubo to preside over the Three Kingdoms Peace Ceremony. My cousin, you and Dejian will accompany you, and the Prince's Sixth Guard will lead 2 soldiers to protect the emperor. "Li Chengqian said.

The three bowed and left. Zhuge Fu returned to the Jinyiwei and immediately ordered the net to be closed. The Jinyiwei was like a tiger out of a cage. The imperial guards went everywhere, holding the imperial edict, and arrested the Tibetan intelligence network in Chang'an and the officials who accepted bribes and put them in the prison of the Ministry of Justice. After a surprise interrogation, the evidence was obtained and presented to Li Shimin by Li Chengqian. Li Shimin waved his pen, announced the crimes, and executed them all.

After all the people were executed, Li Chengqian, as the regent prince, issued a statement that the Li royal family would never doubt those who were loyal to the Tang Dynasty and the royal family. Zhuge Fu had made great contributions to the Tang Dynasty, so he granted Zhuge Fu's ancestor the title of Marquis of Wuxiang.

After receiving the news, the Anxi army was overjoyed and congratulated their lord on his wisdom and the Grand Commander on his promotion to Marquis of Wuxiang. Zhuge Fu was so excited when he saw the edict of enthronement that he placed it on the table facing Chang'an, lit the incense burner, and kowtowed three times to express his gratitude.

Zhuge Fu looked at the imperial edict, tears streaming down his face with emotion, and he shouted to the sky.

"My lord has shown me great kindness. I have been serving you for a long time and I cannot repay you with anything but my death. I, Zhuge Fu, swear in the name of my ancestors that I will be loyal to you and die for you. If I break this promise, I will be hated by both humans and gods and I will not be allowed to enter my ancestral tomb after my death.

I am so lucky to be reborn and meet a wise ruler. My ancestors, my Zhuge family has another Marquis of Wuxiang. I hope that the ancestors in heaven will protect my ruler for thousands of years and protect the Tang Dynasty forever. "

When Zhuge Fu learned that Li Chengqian was coming to Tubo to preside over the Three Kingdoms Peace Ceremony, he hurriedly ordered the three armies and notified Songtsen Gampo and the two tribes to prepare to welcome the prince. When the Tang army heard that the prince was coming, they were overjoyed and full of expectations. The two tribes did not dare to neglect it and hurriedly made careful preparations. After Songtsen Gampo knew about it, although he was resentful, he had no choice but to order preparations.

On this day, a fast horse came to report that the prince's carriage was still one day away from the army's camp and would arrive at noon tomorrow. Although Li Chengqian, as the prince, was not qualified to use the emperor's carriage, Li Shimin could not bear his doting on the prince, so he issued an edict that the prince could use the emperor's full set of carriages to travel.

After Zhuge Fu received the news, he immediately led his army to wait for Li Chengqian's arrival. On the second day, Zhuge Fu and his men were anxiously waiting, only to see a magnificent and majestic team approaching with flags flying ahead. The carriage stopped when it saw the people ahead.

Zhuge Fu hurriedly led his generals forward a few steps, knelt on one knee, and spoke loudly and excitedly.

"I am the newly promoted Marquis of Wuxiang of the Great Tang Dynasty, the Chief Clerk of the Crown Prince's Office, the Grand Commander of the Anxi Army, the Grand Administrator of Longyou Road, and the Governor of Xizhou of the Great Tang Dynasty, Zhuge Fu, and I pay my respects to His Royal Highness the Crown Prince. May my Lord live a thousand years, and may the Great Tang Dynasty live ten thousand years."

The other generals and the Tang army behind them all congratulated loudly.

"I bow to His Royal Highness the Crown Prince/My Lord, Your Highness/May my Lord live a thousand years, and may the Tang Dynasty live forever."

"Haha, how are you, my Lord Wuxiang?" Li Chengqian, dressed in the crown prince's uniform, jumped out of the carriage as Li Ling'er lifted the curtain. He quickly walked to Zhuge Fu, helped him up, and laughed.

"I appreciate your concern, my lord. I am fine, but I miss you very much." Zhuge Fu said with a smile.

"Well, I miss Zhici very much, too. My Tang Dynasty warriors, please get up quickly. Thank you for your hard work." Li Chengqian said loudly.

"Long live the Tang Dynasty!" the three armies cheered. Li Chengqian walked up to Guo Xiaoke and said with a smile.

"The old general leads by example, and he is still as heroic as ever."

"This old minister has been deeply blessed by the Emperor. How dare I not die in service?" Guo Xiaoke said, bowing.

After Li Chengqian greeted the generals of the Prince's Mansion Army one by one, he walked through the three armies amid the cheers of the three armies. Every time he arrived at a place, the soldiers on both sides knelt on one knee and saluted, shouting: The Tang army is mighty, the prince is mighty. Li Chengqian smiled and waved to both sides.