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

Yanmen Pass.

On the towering city walls of the pass.

Hou Junji stood quietly to the side, watching his prince, who had traveled day and night from Taiyuan Prefecture to Yanmen Pass, using that thing called a monocular telescope.

Looking at the breeding area that seemed to stretch almost to the horizon.

More than half an hour passed before Hou Junji finally spoke, after Li Chengqian put down his binoculars.

"Your Highness, the construction and layout of the breeding farm here, as well as the treatment of the grassland outside the city, are all in accordance with Elder Mo's and the others' wishes. I am only responsible for coordinating."

Li Chengqian nodded slightly.

At this moment, the breeding area is neat and orderly, and there are already cement roads connecting them as main roads.

It extends further north.

From Li Chengqian's vantage point, one can clearly see horse-drawn carriages speeding along the cement road.

The wagons carried wool, cow dung, slaughtered mutton, fresh milk, and hay...

Looking at the fodder, Li Chengqian suddenly spoke.

"Are we prepared enough silage? Winter is just around the corner."

Hou Junji nodded hurriedly.

"Your Highness, rest assured, silage is simply amazing. According to your method, pasture that should have been gone by winter can be stored for several months after processing."

“Not only are there three large silage storage warehouses in the breeding area, but each herder’s home also has its own storage warehouse.”

"In addition, I also had several warehouses inside Yanmen Pass that were originally used to store miscellaneous items converted into silage storage warehouses."

Upon hearing this, Li Chengqian nodded in satisfaction.

To be honest, the longer he inspected Yanmen Pass, the more satisfied he became with Hou Junji's ability to get things done.

Beside him, Hou Junji seemed to have thought of something, and a sly smile appeared on his face.

"Your Highness, winter is approaching, and the grasslands are mostly unusable. However, the various Turkic tribes remain at odds. Because we have non-aggression pacts with all sides, and under the protection of our Tang cavalry patrols, our herdsmen are harvesting pastures in large quantities..."

"Hehe, these days, in all the tribes of the grasslands, let alone cattle and sheep, even feeding horses will soon become a problem..."

"boom!!!"

Jieli's tent.

Jieli was furious, but also stared in disbelief with wide eyes. He so angry that he threw the lamb leg in his hand at the tribal general who had come to report.

"What did you say?"

"Gone? What's gone?!"

The general looked panicked: "Great Khan, the tribes have no surplus grain to supply us right now. Not only that, winter is coming, and our cattle and sheep are still so thin and weak."

"If we don't come up with a solution quickly, we might not make it through this winter!"

Jieli stared wide-eyed in astonishment for a long while before gritting his teeth.

Why not graze the livestock?

He regretted asking the question as soon as he asked it.

They fought many battles, causing widespread fear among the herders, and some tribes frequently had to migrate collectively.

Let alone herding, if any tribe were to be found by the cavalry of another "Great Khan" without careful precautions, they would have a hard time surviving.

however.

To Jieli's surprise, when the general heard the question, he pointed outside with a face full of grief and indignation.

"Great Khan, our most fertile pastures were all harvested prematurely by those damned Tang people, along with those traitorous Turks, when the grass was at its most lush!"

"What?! All of them?!"

Jieli's mind went completely blank for a moment.

He could understand the herders harvesting hay.

Harvesting the freshest pastures is only natural, but...

This is a damn grassland!

You tell me, the Tang people have harvested all the good pastures?

Jieli didn't believe it, so he hurriedly led his men to inspect the grasslands near their tribe.

However, upon closer inspection, his expression grew increasingly grim and terrifying.

till the end.

The moment he looked at the barren grassland, a cold wind blew and slapped against Jieli's face.

It felt like a series of slaps.

His eyes instantly turned bloodshot.

"Damn Tang people! Treacherous Tang people! Despicable! Shameless! Vulgar!"

He cursed and swore, wishing he could curse Li Shimin's entire family and ancestors for eighteen generations right there on the spot.

however.

Let alone cursing eighteen generations of ancestors, even if he cursed nineteen generations of the Li Tang imperial family ancestors, he still had to quickly come up with a way to help his tribe survive the winter.

Jieli's face was gloomy.

Today, various tribes are buying up necessities such as weapons, medicines, and refined salt from the Tang people.

The number of cattle and sheep has decreased sharply.

With the pastures too wet to graze in time, there's only one last option left.

grab!

Thinking of this, Jieli's ugly face became even more furious, like that of a demon.

Suddenly, he let out a furious roar.

"I want the Tang people dead!!!"

Fell into a trap!

Even though he had realized it from the beginning, the entire Turkic Khaganate was like a rolling sea, and he couldn't stop it just because he wanted to.

In recent days, he has also proposed peace talks to the other three parties.

however.

Without a doubt, the title of "Lord of the Grasslands" has blinded everyone.

at the same time.

Ashina Dili, who had the support of the Eastern Turks and no herdsmen under the rule of the Western Turks, was not in a major problem.

leftover.

Whether it was Ashina Duer in the northern desert or Tuli Yazhang east of the Eastern Turks.

They all realized that this problem could almost cost them all their lives.

Turkic military camp.

"Your Majesty, we can no longer purchase weapons from the Tang Dynasty. We need cattle and sheep, and we need grain."

"Yes, Great Khan, we really can't fight anymore. If we continue, by winter, all our tribes will be wiped out, and the Turkic Khaganate will truly be finished..."

The crowd urged them on with great enthusiasm.

Seeing this, Tuli's gaze briefly drifted towards the magnificent, glass-like eagle, but he quickly looked away through gritted teeth.

"By order of the Great Khan, from this day forward, all tribes of the Tuliya tribe are forbidden from selling any cattle, sheep, or furs to the Tang Dynasty!"

"In addition, tell the merchants of the Tang Dynasty that we need grain and can trade it for gold and silver."

Yanmen Pass.

Li Chengqian let out a cold laugh.

"Buy grain? Great! Sell it to them! But remember, it's still cash on delivery, I don't want any IOUs!"

Li Tai watched as the official in charge of business dealings with the Turks walked away quickly.

He looked at his elder brother with some confusion.

"Brother, shouldn't we raise the price now, or simply refuse to sell?"

Li Chengqian smiled faintly.

"No rush. This winter is going to be very long. They previously bought our Tang Dynasty's outdated weapons and armor, and our Tang Dynasty made more than 120 million strings of cash. This has almost emptied the Turks' coffers."

"Even if they still have some savings, how long can they sustain themselves if I don't raise the price of their grain?"

Li Chengqian turned his gaze slightly to Cheng Chumo, who stood to the side with his head bowed and eyes lowered.

"Chumo, during this period, you must manage the livestock area well. My requirements are not high. I must ensure that these herdsmen who have submitted to my Great Tang live well, and I must make them understand deeply that... the cattle and sheep belong to them!"

"He's not some tribal chief or a Khan!"

Li Chengqian looked out the window at the gray grassland sky; a cold front was approaching.

"Hiss!!!" Li Tai and Cheng Chumo suddenly realized something and gasped sharply.

"Brother, you're putting these Turkic herders in the breeding area on the hot seat of the fire!"

Cheng Chumo looked like he had seen a ghost, trembling.

"No wonder Your Highness has been at Yanmen Pass for four or five days, and not only have you not summoned or trained those Turkic cavalry, but you have also ordered them to return to their families... Are you waiting for the Turks to send troops to attack them!"

Li Chengqian remained noncommittal.

The Turks have entered a state of slow death.

Jieli and Tuli were as anxious as ants on a hot pan, but Li Chengqian was not worried at all.

Instead, he stayed at Yanmen Pass temporarily, and official business was delivered here by express horse so that he could handle it.

And it was under such circumstances.

Zheng Wuyang and Lu Wenhu, the two aristocratic scions who were the first to accept Li Chengqian's teachings, finally received the post of "Great Tang Grassland Pacification Envoy" at Yanmen Pass.

They followed the Tang Dynasty caravan into the grasslands.

"Gentlemen, these are the herdsmen who are going to join our Great Tang. Their cattle and sheep have been robbed by Jieli's men. Without our help, they will definitely not survive this winter."

Zheng Wuyang looked at the ragged, disheveled Turkic herdsmen in front of him.

Swallowed.

Perhaps because the people he had seen in Bingzhou were living better lives, they were momentarily stunned to see someone in such a sorry state.

Only after repeated reminders from a merchant who understood Turkic did he finally come to his senses.

"My lords, the Turkic people are currently in turmoil, and these people are considered shameful traitors by the Turks... Please take care."

Hear the words.

Zheng Wuyang and Lu Wenhu exchanged a glance and took a deep breath.

"Second brother, you're even better at fighting. You'll lead a few men as scouts. If you encounter Turkic cavalry, try to avoid them if possible. If you can't..."

Lu Wenhu snorted coldly: "Then let these barbarians taste the sharpness of my steel blade!"

Zheng Wuyang's forehead instantly broke out in a sweat, and he hurriedly waved his hand.

"No! We can't do it!"

"If we were to fight the Turkic steppes and the Turkic cavalry, even ten times the number of people wouldn't be enough to fill the gap!"

"Outsmart us! Second Brother! Don't forget, we are both officials of the Tang Dynasty now..."

Looking at the other person's puzzled gaze, Zheng Wuyang felt weary and sighed.

"I will lead these Turkic herdsmen. You will stay at a distance, at a point where you can leave at any time. Make sure you can identify the enemy. If they make a move, you will immediately lead your men back to Yanmen Pass."

Lu Wenhu was taken aback: "Then you're finished?"

Zheng Wuyang took a deep breath: "So, Second Brother... we're at the gambling table right now!"

The gloomy sky gradually spread across the grassland as the chill of winter air descended.

As Zheng Wuyang and his group entered the grassland, they began to brush with death time and time again.

They risked their lives to escort displaced Turkic herders, who longed to return to the Tang Dynasty, to the breeding area outside Yanmen Pass, a journey that took them more than half a month.

The group of Zheng family members from Xingyang, led by eight elders of the Zheng clan, finally arrived at Yanmen Pass.

Looking at the densely packed breeding area, which seemed to stretch as far as the eye could see.

The architectural style and structure of the buildings, which seemed completely different from those in the Central Plains, made the Zheng family elders, who had imagined this place countless times along the way, gasp in astonishment.

"There are at least 100,000 Turkic herders here... Such a size is a huge force on the Turkic steppe."

Zheng Zhiye's face was solemn as he paced around, looking at the surrounding farms and the cattle and sheep being raised by the Turkic herders.

Meanwhile, he subtly observed the expressions on the faces of the Turkic herders.

Upon seeing this, the expressions of the eight elders of the Zheng family became even more solemn.

"As expected! It seems our Crown Prince has already decided to annex the Turks this winter!"

In sight.

These Turkic herders, who had submitted to the Tang Dynasty, all had rosy complexions, clearly indicating that they had been living a peaceful and happy life there for some time.

Moreover, judging from their clothing...

Many of the animal skin garments that can be seen are clearly newly sewn.

It should be understood that, according to the customs of the Turkic steppe and the scarcity of resources, ordinary Turkic herders like them were not much different from tenant farmers in the Central Plains.

They don't have cattle or sheep that truly belong to them.

Even though they were responsible for herding livestock, they still had to be mindful of the mood of the headman and chief if they wanted to eat meat.

After some investigation by the Zheng family members...

When Zheng Zhiye learned that the Crown Prince had not only not forcibly taken away the cattle and sheep here, but had even distributed them to the herders in accordance with the law, entrusting them with raising them.

The Bingzhou New Policy Reform Office then purchased cattle, sheep, wool, fresh milk, and other products...

Standing to the side, Zheng Wuling, the eldest son of the Zheng family, listened to the report from his clansman and also looked shocked.

"Elder, if this is the case, wouldn't these herdsmen be completely devoted to our Great Tang and His Highness the Crown Prince?"

Zheng Zhiye nodded: "Let alone being completely devoted, these herdsmen would tear anyone who dares to harm His Highness the Crown Prince at Yanmen Pass now!"

suddenly.

Zheng Zhiye took a deep breath, as if he had thought of something.

He looked solemnly at the Zheng clan members around him.

"Gentlemen, perhaps we need to change our plan. Simply gathering groups of herders one by one is not only inefficient but also risky in the current situation."

He looked toward the Turks and said, "If we can gather one or two of the four tribes for Your Highness and bring them into our Great Tang, our achievements today will be unmatched by the Wang family of Taiyuan!"

Hedong Road.

In a very little-known village near Boling County.

As a burly figure stepped back into his home, he suddenly seemed to realize something and took a step forward.

next moment.

Two steel knives were suddenly placed against his neck.

"do not move!"

The cold voice, coupled with the majestic and aloof flying fish robes illuminated by the moonlight, caused Cui Xiaoguo's body to stiffen instantly.

"Jinyiwei?"

Li Ke slowly walked out of a door, and behind him, a woman was holding her child in a panic.

"Hidden in these remote mountain valleys, you still know the name of my Embroidered Uniform Guard, Cui Xiaoguo. Should I say that the Cui family is well-informed, or... that you, this almost forgotten son of the Cui family, still have the desire for fame and fortune?"