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

The Tang Dynasty has made it clear that it wants to start a war, so even Mohedu Khan, who is at odds with the Right Wing Fourth Khan, has no choice but to have someone keep an eye on Zheng Wuhe and his group for the time being.

Immediately send a fast horse to contact the Four-Yagu Khan.

Regardless of whether the Tang Dynasty launched the war under the pretext of avenging the other party's father, Tongyabhu Khan.

Or perhaps the Tang Dynasty should directly wage war against the Western Turks. Mohedu Khan felt that this matter absolutely could not be left to the tribes on the left flank to bear alone.

Meanwhile, the high-ranking officials in the Western Turkic Khaganate took urgent action.

They even began to mobilize troops to guard against the Tang Dynasty, just in case.

now.

The Tang army, on its westward expedition, had already swept through the territory of the Gaochang Kingdom with overwhelming force.

Dongzhen City, Liupo City, Yancheng, and Dujin City were four important military strongholds in the eyes of the Gaochang Kingdom.

Under the fierce bombardment of the Tang army's artillery battalion.

None of them could even last a single day.

On the very day the Tang army arrived at the city, they changed the flags displayed on the city walls.

The capital of Gaochang.

"Reporting! To Your Majesty!"

"Liu Po ​​City! Liu Po ​​City has also fallen!"

"The Tang army of 100,000 has been divided into three routes and is heading towards Yongchang, Wuban, and Shichang respectively. They will reach the capital in two days at most!"

Two days?

In the palace hall.

He was a well-known local tycoon on the trade routes of the Western Regions.

After the Qu family came to power, the Gaochang Kingdom, having experienced the invasion and occupation by the Sui Dynasty, greatly integrated into the Central Plains cultural sphere in terms of culture and national system.

Take, for example, the royal palace hall right now.

Compared to the so-called grand halls or tents of the Turks, it can only be described as a celestial palace.

It's just a shame.

At this moment, inside this "celestial palace," the nobles of Gaochang Kingdom, still dressed in fine silks and satins, all had extremely pale faces.

Everyone looked completely lost and bewildered.

They reached the capital in two days?

Does the messenger think that all these princes and nobles are fools?

The Tang infantry army might be a little slower.

However, they had a combined force of nearly 40,000 cavalry, including the Turkic wolf cavalry and the Chang'an iron cavalry.

Where do they have two days left?

"Your Majesty! We cannot fight! Dongzhen, Liupo, Yancheng, and Dujin are all large cities built during the Sui Dynasty, and the generals defending them are truly capable generals of Gaochang."

Even so, all four cities were breached by the Tang Dynasty in a single day, and we...

King Qu Wentai of Gaochang had a gloomy face, which could even be described as somewhat distorted.

"Surrender? How?"

"Did I not send any messengers? I even sent the prince!"

"I have retreated again and again! I have endured again and again! But the Crown Prince of the Great Tang is pressing me harder and harder!"

"How do you expect me to surrender now?!"

Qu Wentai angrily cursed, and his gaze swept across the room, taking in the heads of the various departments present, including the Ministry of Personnel, the Ministry of Rites, the Ministry of Treasury, the Ministry of Warehouses, the Ministry of State Affairs, and the Ministry of Rites. His eyes darkened.

As a chill ran down my spine, my hands began to tremble uncontrollably.

Back then, that Tang Dynasty crown prince wanted to completely seize Gaochang from the hands of the Qu family, like controlling a puppet.

They refused to give up, refused to agree, and bargained.

However, a year has passed.

The Tang Dynasty had already dispatched troops...

Even more tragically, the Tang Dynasty's goal was never solely Gaochang; Gaochang was merely an add-on to the Tang's western expedition.

Qu Wentai sat weakly on the throne.

It's over...

He knew his fate almost without even thinking.

The Qu family must perish!

Even if the Tang Dynasty didn't come, the nobles and high-ranking officials of Gaochang in the palace would certainly not tolerate him.

He looked at his restless subordinates and took a deep breath.

He gritted his teeth.

"I had already sent envoys to the Khan's camp before this, and also sent people to Kucha and Yanqi to borrow troops. We only need to hold out for a few more days until the reinforcements arrive, and we will definitely be able to resist the Tang army."

"Don't forget, the Tang Dynasty blatantly plundered the wealth of my Gaochang along the way."

"You might be able to save yourselves with my head now. But..."

"Will the Tang Dynasty really accept your surrender, or will it leave your property untouched?"

A moment of silence fell over everyone again.

An overwhelming sense of pessimism arose as the Tang Dynasty easily conquered county towns and townships in Gaochang, much like toppling dominoes.

It began to spread throughout the capital of Gaochang.

Large numbers of foreign merchants began to flee, either to the Turks or towards Kucha and Yanqi.

Some foreign merchants who might have had trade relations with the Tang Dynasty simply took the initiative to head in the direction from which the Tang army was coming.

It was as if they were welcoming a royal army.

Unlike the pessimism in the capital of Gaochang.

At this moment, the territory of Gaochang Kingdom, which had been captured by the Tang army, had become a party scene for the Tang people to celebrate.

The Tang Dynasty merchant guilds, which had gradually grown to a certain size and formed alliances with each other, lined up their carriages in long queues, following behind the Tang army.

Every time they acquire a territory, they will engage in fierce commercial competition.

"A Grade A villa in Zone 3, including two small hills to the west, with a 100-year property right!"

"Starting bid: 40,000 guan! Each bid must be at least 1,000 guan..."

"The Shanzhou Chamber of Commerce has offered 45,000 strings of cash!"

"The Chang'an Jimin Chamber of Commerce has offered 48,000 strings of cash!"

"Hongnong Chamber of Commerce, offers 50,000 strings of cash!"

"The Taiyuan Chamber of Commerce of Bingzhou has offered 60,000 strings of cash!"

"..."

The auction was held in what was originally the county government office of this small county town of Gaochang.

However, this small county government office was so crowded at the moment that it seemed to be under attack by some kind of mob. Groups of wealthy merchants from the Tang Dynasty, dressed in fine clothes and adorned with jade or gold, were talking to their companions.

While watching nervously, an official, who was currently on a platform, was speaking eloquently to a map showing the location and size of land.

"The Jiannan Shu Region Chamber of Commerce has offered 82,000 strings of cash! Is there a higher offer?"

"Under the leadership of the Retired Emperor, the mighty army of our Great Tang will surely defeat the Western Turks with ease. In the future, cattle, sheep, slaves, and a large number of goods from the Western Regions will all pass through this place. Moreover, this place is open and flat, making it most suitable for building an official road. Once the official road is built, in the future..."

"The Liu Clan Chamber of Commerce of Hedong! Offer: 83,000 strings of cash!"

"The Jiannan Shu Chamber of Commerce has bid again... 85,000 strings of cash! Is there anyone bidding higher?"

"A hundred-year development and usage right, and a priority right to renew the contract at the same price after a hundred years. If any chamber of commerce intends to focus on business in the Western Regions in the future, this place is an excellent location to set up its headquarters."

"The land is large enough; if conditions permit, we could even build a town or village here..."

"Liangzhou Li Clan Chamber of Commerce! Offer: 89,000 strings of cash!"

"..."

In a pavilion on one side of the county government office, Li Yuan leisurely sipped his tea.

Before him, Pei Ji's face was full of excited smiles, and the deep frown that had been on his brow since the start of the campaign had completely relaxed.

aside.

Xiao Yu also had a big smile on his face.

"Excellent! Your Highness's method is truly ingenious. The army fights and conquers cities and territories at the front, and then the local powerful families that the Embroidered Uniform Guard has won over, as well as the merchants of our Great Tang, clean up the battlefield and stabilize the rear."

"The soldiers can immediately exchange any rewards and spoils they receive for money, and the Royal Military Post Office can send the money to their families... Great! There's absolutely no worry about the future!"

Pei Ji was still busy typing away on his abacus.

"It's rich! It's rich!"

Li Yuan was afraid that his old friend would get too excited and suddenly roll his eyes back to report to the King of Hell.

He handed the ginseng tea to the other person.

"Your Majesty, we've struck it rich! So far, we've only auctioned off some land and mansions within Zhen Dong City, a few mountains outside the city, some fields, and government slaves, and we've already raised 1.8 million strings of cash, and there's still a lot more that hasn't been tallied..."

Li Yuan smiled faintly, his slightly trembling hand silently placed under the table.

"Hehe, Xuanzhen, calm down! As long as our Tang army is invincible, as the Crown Prince said, the accumulation of wealth will only grow bigger and bigger, like a snowball rolling downhill!"

He took a deep breath.

These days, they have led their large army to capture one city after another.

This retired emperor finally experienced the joy of being a "General of Heavenly Strategy".

He even felt that the happiness he was experiencing at that moment was something that his rebellious second son, Li Shimin, could never understand.

After all, back then they conquered the Central Plains and took control of the world.

We must not plunder the local people and powerful families; we must even treat them with courtesy.

In contrast, what about them now?

Li Yuan glanced at the thick stacks of documents at his feet.

On the cover, a line of words, clearly jet black but seemingly faintly tinged with red, caught the eye.

"Gaochang Slave Register (100 registers of male slaves from Shichang County who do not work on the land)"

That's right!

It's cruel!

The Tang Dynasty directly classified all the people of the conquered cities of Gaochang as slaves.

At first, he was somewhat resistant and even wanted to have a proper talk with the Crown Prince.

However, after seeing the Crown Prince's prepared package of policies for the next few years, including the "Vegetable Project," "Education Popularization Project," "Higher Education Project," and "Promoting Childbirth Project," the Zhenguan policies were implemented.

He hesitated.

But now that they have truly witnessed the bloody profits involved...

As the founding emperor of the Tang Dynasty, he also hardened his heart completely.

It's just a few insults. In the present Tang Dynasty, who has the guts to curse Li Yuan, or his crown prince and grandson?

“Xuanzhen, we need to act quickly here. That guy, the King of Gaochang, has definitely sent people to seek support from neighboring countries.”

"If we can defeat these reckless fools, our Great Tang will have an extra batch of strong young laborers for farming, and that boy Chengqian will definitely be happy..."

Bingzhou Circuit, Taiyuan Prefecture.

Outside the city, a place resembling a market has been specially set up.

However, the things sold here are a little different.

Carrying a bag of eggs laid by his family's hens and a bag of flour ground by himself, he arrived at the Zhao family in Taiyuan Prefecture.

I just got off the merchant guild carriage that I had taken along the way.

He was stunned by what he saw.

When the slave trader saw Old Zhao and his family standing there, he immediately greeted them warmly.

"Old man, do you still need labor for your fields? Come and see, these are all top-quality slaves brought from the Harsha Empire. They work hard without complaint and won't resist... Look, they are all strong men, given food all day, working from morning till night..."

Old Zhao: "......"

Slave, slave?

Ordinary people like us can now use slaves?!