Tang Dynasty: Father, if you don't rebel, I will!

"Rumble..."

Tens of thousands of cavalrymen marched in a mighty procession from the west.

However, in the past, upon seeing the Tuyuhun cavalry launching a large-scale attack, Shanzhou Governor Li Xuanyun would have chosen to close the city gates in order to minimize losses.

They urgently requested reinforcements from the garrisons in Liangzhou and Lingzhou, which are located in the surrounding area.

But now.

"Damn it! These guys really think they can just treat my Shanzhou like a playground, coming and going as they please?"

They looked loose and disorganized, not like an army at all, but rather like a mixed group of cavalry from several tribes, a large and imposing Tuyuhun cavalry force.

A murderous intent flashed in Li Xuanyun's eyes.

His gaze fell upon Xue Wanche and the others, whose expressions were strange.

"General Xue, is it possible to defeat all these guys? Oh, by the way, if possible, it would be best to keep those horses. Although those warhorses are not as good as the precious Qinghai Cong of Tuyuhun, they are still rare and excellent horses."

"I have always wanted to switch from defense to offense, but the cavalry in the city is simply not up to the task."

"And then there are these Tuyuhun people. Several wells in Shanzhou City have recently dried up and need to be dug. Shanzhou is poor, and I cannot bear to make the people do this labor..."

"General, you need not worry about the warrant. I will write to His Majesty and ensure that you will not be held responsible."

As Li Xuanyun spoke, he opened his arms and helped his wife put on his armor.

On the other hand, she looked at Xue Wanche with hopeful eyes.

however.

Xue Wanche looked him up and down with a strange expression, then suddenly asked.

"I've heard that Governor Li is also from a distinguished family?"

Li Xuanyun was puzzled, but still bowed slightly and said, "I come from the eldest branch of the Guzang Li family."

Xue Wanche nodded, then seemed to feel a little regretful and gave a meaningful chuckle.

"If His Highness the Crown Prince were to meet Governor Li, based solely on these few words from the governor, he would surely appoint you to an important position."

Without waiting for the other person's reaction, he turned his head and revealed a sinister smile.

"Pass down the order! The newcomers are nothing but a mere ten thousand Tuyuhun cavalry. We are three thousand elite troops from the Crown Prince's six commands. If any of them embarrass this general on the battlefield, they may find a place to bury themselves!"

"Yes!!!"

Those who could serve as the prefect of a prefecture on the border of the Tang Dynasty, such as Shanzhou, must have been truly capable people, and Li Xuanyun was able to hold this position for several years.

This is also inseparable from the fact that he himself was a capable official who was skilled in both literature and military affairs.

"drive!"

"General Xue, if we are to invade Tuyuhun territory and seize horse breeds, we must act quickly. If the Tuyuhun people react, it will be difficult for us to take those Qinghai steeds with us!"

Li Xuanyun, clad in bronze armor, rode a warhorse, his horsemanship no less impressive than that of the Six Guards of the Eastern Palace.

Upon hearing this, Xue Wanche gave a cold laugh.

The moment the city gates of Shanzhou opened wide, the six heavy cavalrymen of the Eastern Palace, who had already surged forward, charged out fiercely.

"kill!!!"

There was no wasted time or effort, and no prior reconnaissance or tactical planning.

These Tuyuhun cavalrymen were no match for the Turkic wolf cavalry at Yanmen Pass today, let alone the Turkic cavalry under Jieli who fought against them last year.

They are all much stronger than these guys.

Amidst the thunderous roar of the galloping train.

The six cavalrymen of the Eastern Palace, each riding a fine Turkic horse, gradually closed the distance between the two sides. The Tuyuhun cavalry on the other side were clearly flustered by their appearance.

It was as if they were telepathically connected.

With a whoosh, a short crossbow was pulled out from the side of the horse.

Under Li Xuanyun's astonished and uncertain gaze, only a faint "hiss" sound was heard.

Puffs of smoke, accompanied by sparks, rose from the tip of the crossbow bolt.

"put!!!"

"Whoosh whoosh whoosh..."

A low-flying parabola flew from the hands of three thousand Eastern Palace cavalry.

next moment.

"Boom boom boom boom..."

A violent explosion, accompanied by a terrifying shockwave and screams, instantly filled the Tuyuhun cavalrymen in front of Li Xuanyun.

The already chaotic Tuyuhun cavalry were instantly thrown into chaos, with men and horses falling to the ground or being blown into the air on the spot.

Even during the Lunar New Year, the production of explosive crossbow bolts for the Thunder God Crossbow never stopped, and it continues to this day.

The deployment of firearms finally made Li Chengqian's heavy cavalry a unique force in this era.

"kill!"

Xue Wanche let out a sinister laugh, charging forward with terrifying momentum.

In an instant, the six troops of the Eastern Palace surged forth like a black torrent, crashing into the collapsing Tuyuhun cavalry.

"My horse! My old horse!!!"

Xue Wanche and Donggong Liu were thoroughly enjoying themselves. As they charged through the ranks of the Tuyuhun cavalry, the blades of their lances were stained with blood.

However, this was heartbreaking for Li Xuanyun, who had already regarded these spoils of war as the foundation for Shanzhou's future shift from defense to offense.

He wielded a long, slender sword, resembling a Tang dynasty ceremonial sword, its cold light leaving afterimages as it was swung.

"Chop! Chop with a knife! Don't fucking waste good stuff, you spendthrifts!!!"

"Pfft!"

A restless man, speaking in Tuyuhun language, seemed to be a tribal general among the Tuyuhun cavalry. His words were overheard by Li Xuanyun, who was charging over.

"You sons of bitches, trying to run away? You're all staying here as slaves! No one is allowed to escape!"

The galloping warhorse, with its immense power, allowed Li Xuanyun's longsword to sweep past it with only a light touch.

The head that was just shouting and babbling suddenly flew up.

It collapses at the first touch!

Faced with three thousand heavy cavalrymen equipped with firearms and crossbows, the Tuyuhun cavalry, who could at most be called scattered and disorganized soldiers, were defeated in no more than ten minutes.

It had already completely collapsed.

The Tuyuhun cavalrymen who attempted to flee were accurately shot from behind by heavy cavalrymen wielding short crossbows.

He let out a wail and fell off his horse.

"Chase after it! Don't let the horse get away!"

Li Xuanyun, like a poor, uncultured boy, stared at the warhorses dragging the bodies of the Tuyuhun cavalry as they galloped away in panic.

He shouted in anguish.

However, Xue Wanche hurriedly stopped him.

"Alright! Our current objective should be the Qinghai Cong of Tuyuhun. One Qinghai Cong is worth at least five or six warhorses like it!"

Only then did Li Xuanyun finally calm down, but he still hurriedly summoned the garrison troops of Shanzhou City to go out of the city and clean up the battlefield.

In addition, scout cavalrymen from within the city were dispatched to pursue the scattered warhorses.

Xue Wanche watched as Li Xuanyun, having finished arranging everything, rode back onto his warhorse.

His lips twitched involuntarily.

"It's truly a waste of your talents for you to sit in this position of Prefect of Shanzhou..."

"General, let's not waste any more time. The grazing area of ​​the Qinghai Steeds is at least 500 li away from us. We should hurry up!"

Xue Wanche was taken aback and pointed at Li Xuanyun, who had already turned his horse around and was preparing to set off.

He opened his mouth, but ultimately did not utter the vulgar words that came from the Crown Prince.

the other side.

Right here in Shanzhou, Li Xuanyun and Xue Wanche launched a westward attack, defeating the invading Tuyuhun cavalry and advancing their forces directly towards Dafeichuan, located west of Qinghai, where Tuyuhun was situated.

Liangzhou.

Ashina She'er was already leading 15,000 Turkic wolf riders, divided into several groups of cavalry.

They invaded Tuyuhun territory from the northeast.

They advanced southwestward, heading straight for the source of the Chishui River.

Both places are Tuyuhun treasure lands, which are not high in altitude but are rich in water and grass.

However, apart from the cavalry forces of Xue Wanche and Ashina She'er.

Within the territory of Tuyuhun.

The dozen or so people dressed like Tuyuhun herdsmen were almost indistinguishable from each other, and even their appearances were so realistic thanks to the disguise technique that they were indistinguishable from the real thing.

They were secretly observing something around Fusi City.

Qian Lou, the deputy commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard and father of Qian Yingying, had been active in the Turkic and Tuyuhun regions almost all the time since Li Chengqian officially moved into Yangcheng Palace.

"Boss, we've already transported over a dozen truckloads of supplies in, and we've even tried driving the cattle and sheep away. The guards no longer suspect us."

This Jinyiwei, who was originally a member of Li Shimin's Hundred Cavalry Division, was now speaking not only the language of Tuyuhun.

As he spoke, his hands moved with practiced ease as he tidied up the sheep pen.

There was no indication at all that they were genuine Han Chinese.

Qianlou looked at the sky.

They then looked at a cellar in the corner of the sheepfold, covered with hay, a place known only to them.

"Alright! Notify our people that the operation will take place tonight. I'll be in charge of Murong Fuyun's side, and you... will be responsible for delivering gifts to His Highness Prince Wei!"

"Yes!!!"

......

The night was hazy.

Compared to the Central Plains, the defense of Fusi City was not terrible, but it was practically nonexistent.

At least from the perspective of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, it was like tying up a dozen or so dogs at the city gate.

It's better than having these Tuyuhun soldiers guarding this place.

"Hahaha, Larum, it's you guys again. Come on in, come on in. Seeing you all makes me feel much better standing here..."

This wasn't the first time he had greeted and chatted with the soldiers guarding the city like this.

Qian Lou, using the alias "Larum," easily infiltrated the city with a dozen or so Imperial Guards.

Following the previous procedure, the hay loaded on the truck was delivered smoothly to the designated location.

then.

"Puff! Puff! Puff!"

Amidst the sounds of daggers piercing throats, the Tuyuhun officials responsible for liaising with Qianlou and his group had caused them countless difficulties and even nearly exposed them.

He was killed instantly with a single stab.

The body was dragged into the haystacks that had been brought in over the past ten days and buried deep inside.

After disposing of the body on one side, the Imperial Guards on the other side had already disguised the scene.

One by one, square objects, seemingly wrapped in burlap, were dug out of the hay from the carriage by the Imperial Guards.

Twelve in total.

As soon as Qianlou gave the order, everyone immediately followed the route that had been scouted and investigated for more than ten days and headed towards some places in Fusi City.

Near the granary, armory, forge, and residences of several important figures of the Tuyuhun...

Qianlou, on the other hand, moved with the speed and agility of a ghost, quickly and nimbly infiltrating the Khan's palace in Fusi City.

There were almost no obstacles along the way.

They easily arrived at the place where Murong Fuyun was resting.

They carefully observed the surrounding patrols and calculated the approximate time.

"Whoosh whoosh whoosh..."

Three darts coated with deadly poison flew out instantly, killing the three guards standing at the door at the same time.

Qianlou rushed over quickly.

They silently propped up the three people's bodies with the spears in their hands.

Quietly stepping into the hall.

He gently placed a letter and a blood-stained dagger beside Murong Fuyun.

They then swiftly withdrew from the palace as if they were ghosts.

At midnight.

A firework burst into the night sky.

"Boom boom boom..."

The terrifying explosion, accompanied by a violent tremor, instantly threw the already poorly constructed city of Fusi into chaos.

"Ahhhh!"

"Khan!"

The explosion instantly woke Murong Fuyun from his sleep.

Just as he was about to get up, the chill on his neck made the hairs on his neck stand up instantly. When he reached out to touch it, a stinging sensation immediately came from his hand.

"Clang!"

When the patrolling guards arrived, they immediately realized something was wrong when they saw the three corpses propped up with spears at the entrance.

As soon as they rushed in.

But then, to everyone's surprise, a bloodstained dagger slid off Murong Fuyun's body.

drop on the floor.

Murong Fuyun was still somewhat shaken and hadn't even figured out what was going on before him.

Outside, from one direction of Fusi City, another terrifying explosion, like the roar of a thunder god, resounded.

Instantly, he was so startled that his body trembled.

"What's happening outside? Where is that thunder?!"

Ignoring the injury in his hand, he quickly got up and only then noticed the envelope with Chinese characters on it beside his pillow.

An ominous premonition suddenly gripped my heart.

"Respectfully presented by Tuyuhun Butabo Khan, Murong Fuyun..."

His hands trembled as he tore open the envelope.

A blank sheet of paper with only one line of text on it.

Murong Fuyun knew him.

Those who understand the times are wise.

Murong Fuyun: "..."

Outside, the sound of galloping horses could be heard, accompanied by hoarse, panicked voices.

Murong Fuyun instantly felt as if an invisible hand had gripped his throat tightly.

"Great Khan, something terrible has happened! All the granaries, armories, and our supply depots in Fusi City have been struck by lightning!"

And at almost the same time.

Inside Fusi City, there were several generals and ministers of the Tuyuhun Kingdom.

He stared blankly at his yard, which was almost completely razed to the ground, his face covered in dust and dirt, yet he couldn't hide his paleness.

Dafeichuan.

After a difficult journey, a vast grassland appeared, with herds of cattle, sheep and horses stretching as far as the eye could see.

Li Xuanyun's eyes seemed to glow green.

"I've made it! I've made it!"