Chapter 3 The third round Li Shimin accuses Wentai Hou Junji of going to Gaochang

Ashina Buzhen was afraid of Datang and did not dare to specialize in it. He pondered and said: "Your Majesty proposed to attack Yanqi, which is in line with the intention of the Great Khan. I dare to make the decision. If you attack Datang Yizhou, it is a very important matter, and you must invite the Great Khan Sweat shows it." Qu Wentai said anxiously: "Yizhou went nearly ten thousand miles to the capital of the Tang Dynasty, and its garrison strength is limited, so it is difficult to stop us from attacking together. If Ye Hu asks Da Khan for instructions again, it is inevitable that the news will be leaked, so that Yizhou will be prepared. Bad action."

Ashina really shook his head. The Great Tang destroyed the Eastern Turks and surrendered Tuyuhun, which greatly shocked the countries in the Western Regions.Over the years, the Western Turks have been in constant internal disputes, and various forces are competing to send people to Chang'an to seek Datang's support.Li Shimin finally decided to support Nishi Khan, greatly increasing his power, and drove Siyehu Khan westward.Siyehu Khan sent Ashina to advance eastward this time, with the intention of weakening Nishi Khan's power so as to gain a firm foothold and gradually expand his territory. He didn't want to be an enemy of Datang at all, let alone start a war between the two sides.Ashinabu really understood Siyehu Khan's intentions, he said he wanted to ask Da Khan for instructions, but he had no intention of attacking Yizhou at all.

Qu Wentai had no choice but to leave resentfully. Tang's eyes and ears spread all over the Western Regions, and Qu Wentai's every move was quickly detected, and the news was passed to Chang'an. Li Shimin was even more annoyed when he read this memorial.He had just received the envoy of Xue Yantuo Zhenzhu Khan Yinan, and what the envoy said was related to Qu Wentai. It turned out that Qu Wentai sent an envoy to Xue Yantuo, and the envoy relayed Qu Wentai's original words to Yi Nan: "Since the king is a khan, he is equal to the emperor of the Tang Dynasty. Why did he bow down to worship him when he saw the envoy of the Tang Dynasty?"

Xue Yantuo and other tribes respected Li Shimin as "Heavenly Khan". When envoys from the Tang Dynasty came to these tribes, leaders such as Yi Nan would burn incense to meet the envoys and kneel to listen to the envoys read the emperor's decree. When Qu Wentai said this, he obviously wanted to provoke the relationship between Datang and Xue Yantuo, and wanted to provoke Xue Yantuo to rebel against Tang and join him. Yi Nan was unmoved, and his envoy relayed his original words: "Slave accepts kindness, please send your troops as military guides to attack Gaochang." He expressed his willingness to be the pioneer of the Tang army and go to teach Gaochang a lesson.

Li Shimin felt Yi Nan's loyalty to Datang, so he comforted him with kind words, and asked Tang Jian to lead him to retreat first.After the two went down, Li Shimin felt angry when he thought of Qu Wentai doing things behind his back to sow dissension.After finally calming down, he saw the report that Qu Wentai and Ashina Buzhen teamed up to break through the Yanqi Kingdom, and then wanted to attack Yizhou again, and the anger in his heart rose again.He got up and paced around the palace, muttering: "Wen Tai has received so much grace from the country, why would you want to be my enemy? Wen Tai, do you want to kill yourself?"

At the court meeting on the second day, Tang Jian handed over to Li Shimin the petition written by Yanqi King Tuqizhi in the Kingdom of Kucha, which described the detailed process of Qu Wentai and Ashina Buzhen's joint efforts to break through their own country, and demanded that the Tang Dynasty Make up your own mind. Li Shimin already had an idea in mind to deal with Qu Wentai, he was not in a hurry to express his attitude, but let the officials discuss it first. Hou Junji took the lead in the class and said: "It is tolerable, which is unbearable! Qu Wentai has suffered from the state's favor, but he has made friends with Khan Siyehu in private. He first attacked Yanqi, and then discussed attacking Yizhou. Our court is an enemy. Your Majesty, I would like to lead the army to go out and capture Qu Wentai to Beijing, and the emperor will question him."

Xue Wanche also went out to play and said: "Your Majesty, I am willing to lead the army with Hou Shangshu." Li Shimin replied: "There is something wrong with the country. You are not afraid of risks and resolutely go to war. It is the true character of a military commander. The military officer said that, what do you civil servants have to say?" Fang Xuanling came out of the squadron and said: "I think that Hou Shangshu and General Xue are famous for leading troops out. Once the heavenly soldiers arrive, they will definitely wipe out this small country. In this way, the situation in the Western Regions can be stabilized, and I want to take the lead in the war. "

Wei Zheng came out of the squad and said: "Your Majesty, the minister and the house servant have roughly the same thoughts. Qu Wentai has suffered from the country's favor, and he does not want to repay it. Instead, he rebelled against the superior and committed suicide. In fact, if such a small country is suppressed by our soldiers, it will be destroyed. Fall is a short-lived thing. But Your Majesty has said many times before that diplomatic relations should not be based on force alone, but should be transformed by virtue. Qu Wentai is not benevolent, but our country cannot meet with swords and soldiers, and must be treated with kindness. If If he ignores it, it will not be too late for His Majesty to send the Heavenly Soldiers again."

Li Shimin nodded in praise and said, "Wei Qing knows my heart best. Qu Wentai was rude to us, and it didn't take a day's work. Tang Qing knows that Gaochang's tribute has gradually disappeared in recent years, and there is no courtesy for vassal officials. Then Qu Wentai is still right. The envoy of our country said: "The eagle flies in the sky, the pheasant lies in the wormwood, the cat swims in the hall, and the mouse dwells in the hole. Each has its own place. How can it not be evil?" Such words seem to blame me for oppressing him. From this point of view, the opposite The heart has been clear, and those who have become more serious recently are just thinking that there is a big tree like Siyehu Khan behind him. Hmph, Qu Wentai wants to attack Yizhou, but Siyehu Khan does not allow it. What does this mean? It means that Siyehu also It is difficult to overthrow the Great Tang Dynasty! You, Qu Wentai, overestimated your own strength and wanted to be a clown to destroy yourself, so you can’t blame anyone! Wei Qing is right, my court must have the demeanor of a great country, and those who are unrighteous to this will not be punished. You must caress him with benevolence. Hou Qing and Xue Qing must have a battle against Gaochang, but they are not busy here. I have made up my mind, I can let Honglu Temple send people to Gaochang to read my will to Qu Wentai, and let him Make amends and go to Beijing to plead guilty. If Qu Wentai had not come to Beijing to see me, I would have pardoned his crimes and let the past go, and the two countries will continue to have good relations."

Fang Xuanling said: "Your Majesty, I'm afraid Qu Wentai may not be willing to come." "If he refuses to come, he can make an apology. I know that with Qu Wentai's heart, he is afraid of going to Beijing as a pawn. If he makes an apology, I will not strictly ask for it." All the officials in the audience knew that Qu Wentai would not come, and he might not be able to plead guilty. If things continue like this, there will be a war between the two countries. Li Shimin also praised Yinan and said: "Xue Yantuo's power has been getting stronger these years. Yinan is not as arrogant and self-confident as Jieli, and he is quite loyal to me. Qu Wentai went to speak this time but was rejected, and Yinan was willing to fight for Gaochang. Exorcism is really rare. Tang Qing, you can go with Zhishisili to comfort the barbarians with gold and silk, and you can also negotiate a strategy to advance Gaochang."

Tang Jian and Zhi lost their minds and went out of class to bow and receive the decree. At this time, Li Jing came out of the class and said: "Your Majesty, the barbarian refused to accept Qu Wentai's intention. It is not because he is loyal to our dynasty, but because of the force of the situation." Now Li Jing stays behind closed doors all day long, except for the big court meeting, he doesn't interact with people easily. Li Shimin saw that Li Jing took the initiative to come out to speak today, he was very happy, said: "Brother Yao has something to say, it can't be wrong, I and all the gentlemen will listen carefully." "After the fourth year of Zhenguan to pacify the Eastern Turks, His Majesty adopted a strategy of confinement to the northern border. He used both grace and power to stabilize the northern border. This strategy has been used to date, and it has indeed achieved great results. However, Xue Yantuo and other tribes are far away from the border of our country, intimidated by the strength of our country. His Majesty is honored as the "Heavenly Khan", but his mind is uncertain. Like the refusal of Qu Wentai this time, he must have considered that if he joins forces with Gaochang, he will definitely become an enemy of our country. After losing Xue Yantuo, he will continue to discuss the affairs of the Western Regions. In this way, Yi Nan thought that joining forces with Gaochang was not in line with his interests, so he gained His Majesty's trust and expressed his willingness to be a pioneer in attacking Gaochang." "According to what senior brother Yao said, it's not because of his loyalty that Yi Nan doesn't join forces with Qu Wentai, but because it doesn't conform to his interests?" "This is what I think. The northern border is actually the source of chaos in China. If there is no general force, chaos will occur at every turn." "I understand what Brother Yao means. You mean that if you want peace in all directions, you must have national strength to suppress it. Wei Qing has said this before. However, I think that a strong country is the foundation of diplomatic relations. If you want peace in all directions, In the end, it is necessary to use morality to feel it, and this is the foundation of long-term stability." "What Your Majesty said is very true. However, the barbarians on the border have settled in their minds to change their minds. The culture of the Middle Earth has scattered into their hearts. The process is too slow, and it is difficult to change their thoughts of martial arts. According to Chen's estimation, the North Fifty years later, either the Turkic people or the Xueyantuo people will eventually cause trouble.” Li Shimin shook his head and said, "Brother Yao is far-sighted, it's really admirable. It's just that fifty years later, most of the people present here will be dead, and it's hard to see what happened in the northern border. Alright, senior brother Yao, I will chew on you slowly." These words are just a matter of urgency, we still have to find ways to deal with Qu Wentai's challenge." Li Jing understood that Li Shimin was not interested in what he said. Li Shimin spoke warmly to Li Jing again: "Brother Yao, I saw the official report the day before yesterday, saying that your Mrs. Zhang died of illness unfortunately. You should have been mourning at home these few days. It's rare for you to work hard for state affairs." Zhang Chuchen, the wife of Li Jing mentioned by Li Shimin, is Hong Fu Nu. Li Jing was touched by Li Shimin's questioning, he choked up and said, "Humble Jinglao, the emperor's inquiry, I know from the bottom, I must be very grateful." "Senior Brother Yao and his wife are very affectionate, and they are very famous in the capital. The reason I asked her is to praise her for helping Senior Brother Yao achieve a generation of achievements. Senior Brother Yao, I allow you to choose a cemetery within the Zhaoling Mausoleum. Has this been done?" "My minister bathed in the emperor's grace, and got His Majesty's intention to choose a cemetery in front of Zhaoling. This matter has been completed." "Well, the cemetery has been selected, and the general supervisor can speed up the repair. Brother Yao, you don't need to pay a penny for the cost of repairing the tomb, but it can all be collected from the inner government." Li Jing hurriedly kowtowed to thank him. "Yan Qing," Li Shimin called out the master craftsman Yan Lide, and instructed, "Before Mrs. Yao Shixiong's wife is buried, you have to draw a sketch of the Yin Mountain and the Jishi Mountain with your own hands, and then let the masons form the shape of the two mountains according to the picture. In front of the tomb, the tomb system is based on the stories of Wei Qing and Huo Qubing in the Han Dynasty, in order to honor the merits of the elder brother Yao who conquered the Eastern Turks and Tuyuhun." Yan Lide bowed to receive the order, and Li Jing thanked him again. Li Shimin looked at the officials again and said: "From now on, as long as there are civil servants and generals who have made great contributions to the court like Senior Brother Yao, they can be buried in Zhaoling, and they can also be engraved with stones to mark their achievements. That's why I have said so much to Senior Brother Yao today. Gai also for this." Li Shimin praised Li Jing's merits in court today, of course he felt that Li Jing's achievements were outstanding, and he really wanted to use this to inspire the officials to serve the court loyally.Especially at the border of Jing'an, let the generals follow Li Jing as an example, be brave and resourceful, and defeat the opponent in one fell swoop. In the afternoon of the same day, Honglu Temple sent a special envoy to Gaochang.The special envoy holds an imperial edict written by Li Shimin himself, in which Qu Wentai is accused, enumerating all kinds of bad deeds that he has committed against Datang, and ordered him to come to Beijing to apologize, as long as he corrects his mistakes, he can not be held accountable. When Datang's special envoy arrived in Gaochang, Qu Wentai didn't want to break up with Datang immediately, so he personally received the special envoy. The special envoy read out Li Shimin's imperial edict, and then said to Qu Wentai: "Your Majesty, even if you want to respect the king, you can understand it. As long as the king can make the roads in the Western Regions smooth, return to the old land of Yanqi, return the population, and then go to Chang'an to apologize, the emperor will be fine." let bygones be bygones." Qu Wentai said: "Wentai was confused for a while, and did something that made the emperor angry. Please rest assured, from now on, the passage to the Western Regions will be restored as before. As for the matter of Yanqi, it has nothing to do with Wentai, it is actually the Western Turkic Yehu Ashi What Buzhen did was that after he captured and plundered Yanqi, he now stationed troops in Khan Futu City." The special envoy did not expect that Qu Wentai would push the matter of attacking Yanqi so cleanly, and asked: "King Tuqizhi of Yanqi made a statement to the emperor, in which he said that the king and Ashina Buzhen joined forces to conquer his country." "Hey, when Tuqizhi was attacked by Ashina Buzhen, I sent people here to ask for help. I knew the principle of mutual dependence, so I sent troops to rescue them. Unexpectedly, the Western Turks were too powerful, and I couldn't rescue them, so I had to gather them. The scattered people should be settled properly. That Tuqizhi turned black and white and complained in front of the emperor. It's really annoying. Wang Zun will go around in the past few days to find out the truth of the matter, and come to the emperor for me Justify the injustice." When Qu Wentai said this, his expression became very agitated, as if he had really encountered a great injustice. The special envoy heard that Qu Wentai didn't intend to go to Beijing, and hurriedly asked: "Don't worry, the king. When I see the emperor, I will report what I heard and seen truthfully. If King Yanqi falsely accuses the king, as long as the king goes to Chang'an to meet the emperor." If the emperor hears the truth, then the truth will be revealed." Qu Wentai didn't answer, and turned to his son, Qu Zhisheng, and said, "The envoy must have been very tired after working all the way here. You entertain the envoy for your father today. First set up a feast to wash away the dust for him, and then choose some beauties. The bearded lady waits for him to rest." Gaochang State is the thoroughfare of the Western Regions. Many beauties from various countries in the Western Regions have gathered here. Most of them have high noses and deep eyes, fair complexion, and their appearance is very different from the daughters of the Middle Earth.When Gaochang Kingdom had a good relationship with the Tang Dynasty, Qu Wentai often chose the most beautiful Hu girl to present to the palace. When the Tang envoy came, he would also choose a Hu girl to wait on him, so that the envoy would not want to leave. Now that the special envoy heard that there was a maid waiting for him, his heart immediately blossomed with joy, so he bid farewell to Qu Wentai and left for pleasure. Qu Wentai arranged for the special envoy, and led several entourages to gallop towards the city of Khan Futu.He dismounted directly in front of Ashina Buzhen's account and asked to meet Ashina Buzhen. The first thing Qu Wentai said when he saw Ashina Bu was: "Ye Hu, the special envoy of the Tang Dynasty came to the country and reprimanded me for joining forces with Ye Hu. What should I do?" As mentioned earlier, Western Turkic Siyehu Khan was afraid of the forces of the Tang Dynasty and did not dare to confront the Tang Dynasty head-on.Ashina Buzhen also felt the same way. Hearing this, panic appeared on his face, and he hurriedly said: "Sure enough, something has happened! It seems that the news that you intend to attack Yizhou reached Chang'an, so I sent someone to question you." ?” Qu Wentai didn't take it seriously when he saw Ashina Buzhen panicked.Gaochang State was a vassal of the Western Turks in the early days, and later it was a vassal of the increasingly powerful Tang Dynasty. During this period, Qu Wentai witnessed the process of the Turkic Khanate from its prosperity to its decline.He has thought many times that if the Turks did not attack each other from within, it would be difficult for outsiders to shake the cornerstone of the Khanate.Take the Western Regions as an example. The forces of the Tang Dynasty gradually moved westward, and the Western Turks did not want to consolidate their territory. Khan Nishi and Khan Siyehu were still attacking here.When Qu Wentai thought of this, the words "sorry for his misfortune, anger for his indisputability" came to his mind, and he looked down on Ashina Buzhen in front of him a little bit. However, in order to deal with Datang, Qu Wentai knew that joining forces with this person in front of him was the only way.He gathered his mind and said: "Ye Hu, think about it, if Datang knew that we were joining forces to attack Yizhou, he should have sent troops to attack it. It's another way to make him never mention the matter of attacking Yizhou." Why?" "Why?" "The capital of the Tang Dynasty is nearly 10,000 miles away, and the road is difficult. The emperor of the Tang Dynasty sent envoys to comfort him because he knew that sending troops to attack the Western Regions is not an easy task, so he had no choice but to ask for the next best thing, and let me surrender." "So, Datang actually asked His Majesty?" "That's right, that's right. Li Shimin, the emperor of the Tang Dynasty, is famous for his bravery and skill in war. He can see his means by destroying the Eastern Turks and breaking through Tuyuhun. I have offended the Tang Dynasty a lot over the years. Why did Li Shimin swallow his anger and prefer to befriend him? Unless you don't want to raise troops, Gein has no chance of winning." "Your Majesty is right." "Ye Hu, the only one with the strongest power in the Western Regions is Si Yehu Khan. From now on, we will join hands to break through Yizhou first, to deter the Great Tang from going west; then we break through the countries of Kucha, and finally take down Nishi Khan. In this way, Siyehu Khan can dominate the Western Regions and stand against the Tang Dynasty." "Okay, Your Majesty's ambition is really admirable." Ashina Buzhen always thought that the Han people were tricky, and Qu Wentai's eloquent talk in front of him made him suddenly vigilant. Qu Wentai carefully observed Ashina Buzhen's expression, knowing that although he praised him, he definitely didn't take it seriously, so he asked: "Does Ye Hu think this proposal is feasible?" Ashina Buzhen pondered for a moment, and said slowly: "The Great Khan said that it is still feasible to attack the Kucha countries together. It's just that it is better to be cautious when attacking Yizhou now, before the time comes." Qu Wentai secretly scolded Ashinabu for being as cowardly as a mouse, but he said that he could join forces to attack Kucha, which can be regarded as a little gain, and it can be said that the trip was worthwhile. Qu Wentai thought that the special envoy of the Tang Dynasty was still in the country, so he hurriedly said goodbye and left. During the past few days, the special envoy cuddled up against the red and leaning on the green, enjoying the boundless beauty, and had long forgotten about urging Qu Wentai.On this day, Qu Wentai told the special envoy that he was ready to taste the newly planted grapes, and the special envoy reluctantly left his comfort zone. Qu Wentai pointed to a large plate of grapes that looked like mare's milk in front of him, and said: "There is nothing to offer in my country, only these freshly ripe grapes are still sweet, please taste it. When the envoy returns to Beijing, I would like to ask you Dedicate this to the emperor." Grapes are not widely planted in Chang'an, and there are only vineyards in the West Inner Garden. It is difficult to keep fresh during long-distance transportation, so it is difficult for idlers such as Chang'an to taste it. The special envoy has tasted the taste of exotic girls in the past few days, and Grape is much dull compared to them.He picked up a few pieces and stuffed them into his mouth, and still praised: "Gaochang grapes are famous all over the world, I have envied them for a long time, unexpectedly today my wish will be fulfilled." Qu Wentai laughed loudly, and said, "I never imagined that in this small country of mine, there are things that the envoy admires, which makes my face radiant." Hearing Qu Wentai's strange smile, the special envoy thought that he must be alluding to I can't help feeling guilty about my lewd activities these past few days. Qu Wentai pointed to the grapes and said: "In order to transfer these grapes so that the emperor can taste them early, I sent people to the top of Tianshan Mountain to collect ice to keep them fresh. It is estimated that these ice will be shipped tomorrow, my lord, can you escort them for me?" Do the grapes go first?" The special envoy was surprised and said: "The emperor sent me here to invite the king to go to Beijing with him. Listening to the king's voice, it seems that the king is not doing it?" "The emperor ordered me to return the Yanqi people. Although I have been wronged about this matter, it is better to send these people back to the old land after all. It will take several months to complete this matter, and the envoy has also seen it. , Zhisheng is young and talented, if I leave, it will be difficult for me to accomplish anything. In this case, I need to delay for a few months." Special envoy Ai Ai said: "This...how can I do this? If it is not possible to respect the king, I will not be able to do business when I see the emperor." Qu Wentai said firmly: "That's it! The emperor is extremely wise, and he will be considerate. By the way, when the envoy returns to the capital, if he finds those foreign women pleasing to the eye, he might as well bring him back to the capital." The special envoy shook his head again and again, it's okay to enjoy the good fortune here for a few days, if he brings those women back to Chang'an, he wouldn't dare to lend him a little more courage. On the second day, the special envoy escorted the grapes back to Beijing.When he came to the ground of Yizhou one day, the special envoy saw a majestic general standing on the road. After a closer look, he knew that this person was Li Daliang.It turned out that Li Shimin asked Li Daliang to lead 5,000 elite soldiers to strengthen the defense in order to prevent changes in Yizhou. While strengthening the defense, Li Daliang sent people around to detect the movements of Gaochang and Western Turks.He also knows a thing or two about what the special envoy did in Gaochang.After the two met, Li Daliang teased: "Look at the special envoy's expression, I think you must be very happy in Gaochang these days." The special envoy was ashamed, and said in a low voice, "Your official...in order to escort the grapes, it is not good for you to stay in Yizhou, so I will not accompany you." After speaking, he cupped his hands and left. Li Daliang later secretly reported the special envoy's absurd behavior in Gaochang State to Li Shimin, and the fate of this special envoy can be imagined. Li Shimin finished dealing with the matter of the special envoy that day, and then had a discussion with several courtiers around him. Ma Zhou said: "This special envoy is so daring, he clearly knows that Gaochang Kingdom is hostile to our country, yet he does such a dirty thing in disregard of the state's constitution." Cen Wenwen said: "Thinking of Su Wu's mission to the Huns, it is really admirable and deplorable. Su Wu ignored the Huns' threats to induce surrender, and would rather go to Beihai to herd sheep for 19 years. Li Shimin sighed: "Yes, human nature is unpredictable. How can this envoy compare with Su Wu? I have been promoting Qingming politics for all these years. I just want officials at all levels to reveal their hearts and not take money from others except official salaries." .Perhaps everyone has greed. When I encounter such a thing, I can’t reward my grandson Shunde to make him realize himself.” The grandson Shunde had passed away for many years at this time, and the incident Li Shimin mentioned was still an incident in the early years of Zhenguan.In the first year of Zhenguan, Changsun Shunde accepted a gift of silk from others and was reported to Li Shimin.Li Shimin sighed: "The number of Shunde is due to the country. The treasury of the country is actually shared by everyone. Why is he so greedy?" Dozens of brocade silks from Changsun Shunde.Changsun Shunde took the silk in his hand, understood the twists and turns, and retreated with shame on his face.Seeing how Li Shimin treated the elder Sun Shunde in this way, Dai Zhou, then Minister of Dali, was puzzled and asked Li Shimin, "Your Majesty, the elder Sun Shunde received money in violation of the law. His crime is unforgivable. How can I give you the silk again?" With human nature, the humiliation of obtaining silk is worse than being punished; if he does not feel ashamed after obtaining silk, he is no different from animals, so what is the use of killing!" Li Shimin now asked again: "Is the official salary too low to satisfy people's hearts?" Wei Zheng replied: "Your Majesty, people are born with a greedy heart. There is no way to do it. The way of a gentleman is to follow the trend, stop his greedy heart and become an aggressive heart. Everyone is like this. The same is true for the country. Therefore, Yao and Shun governed in a clear and clear manner, and they also followed the principles of Confucius and Mencius. They all use morality and the power of the country to suppress the viciousness of people and promote goodness. This envoy is still able to cultivate himself in the capital, follow the rules, and is respected by people outside the region. , so the heart of the beast is revealed. Like Su Wu, who does not change his integrity, after all, there are too few." "As Qing said, there are actually too few good people in the world." "If everyone in the world is like Su Wu, why do we need to use the strategy of education?" "Where is Qu Wentai? Can this person be educated?" "Whether profit is the trend, enlightenment is the second. Gaochang people are all Han people, and they want to stand in a corner and fight against our country, which is ignorant of the general trend." Li Shimin laughed, and turned to the others and said: "The reason why I love Wei Qing is that one loves him who dares to offend his face and make direct remonstrances, and his remonstrances are all carefully thought out; Qing, based on the current situation, do you think the only way to deal with Qu Wentai is to give Qu Wentai a thunderous blow?" "That's right, the subject's scheming has already been explained to His Majesty." "Okay, I sent someone to declare Qu Wentai's will, and he has agreed to go to Beijing to apologize, so let's wait patiently." Cen Wenwen said worriedly: "What if Qu Wentai just bluffed his gun and didn't come?" Li Shimin said grimly: "Qu Wentai insists on going his own way, which is to seek the way of self-destruction. He is a Han, and he does not want to belong to the imperial court. Instead, he takes the self-respect of outsiders and wants to split with China. He really miscalculated. In the past Han Wu, Gaochang, Qiuci and other places are all Han lands. How can I make them stay overseas for a long time? I have devoted myself to seeking prosperity in domestic agriculture and mulberry all these years. I have not yet sent a single soldier to open up the passage to the Western Regions. I only want to live in harmony with them Unexpectedly, these people think that my actions are to show weakness, hum, will I tolerate all your forces in the Western Regions to show off your power for a long time? One day, there will become our country's counties." Li Shimin inadvertently exposed his ambition to plot the Western Regions. At that time, it was the time when the people present were united in the same hatred. Wei Zheng and others did not understand the deep meaning of his words, so they did not discuss this topic in depth. Qu Wentai made up his mind not to come to Chang'an, and made Li Shimin wait for three months. On this day, Li Daliang sent someone to send a secret performance, in which it was said that Qu Wentai and Ashina were really sharpening their swords and were ready to attack Kucha.At the same time, Nishi Khan also sent people to Beijing, saying that Ashina Buzhen sent people to threaten and lure the tribes under his control. Thirty people had defected to Siyehu Khan, and their situation was extremely difficult. He begged Li Shimin for help. After reading these memorials, Li Shimin called his ministers to discuss for several days, and soon made a plan to attack Gaochang.Chu Suiliang complied with the decree and drafted the "Decree on Gaochang". In the edict, Qu Wentai's bad deeds over the past few years were listed, saying that he blocked the passage to the Western Regions, attacked Yanqi, handed over foreign tribes, bullied the people and imposed tyranny, and instigated other clansmen to fight with the Dalai Lama. Don relationship. After Li Shimin counted Qu Wentai's crimes, he still did not forget to show his generosity, saying that if Wen Tai bound the army's face and pleaded guilty, he would take his life. He sent people to send this edict to Gaochang, and then distributed it to the world, allowing all states and counties to post it at the gate of the city to inform the people. This edict was posted at every city gate in Chang'an, attracting many passers-by to watch it.This day, a group of people gathered in front of the Golden Light Gate. A man who looked like a scribe quietly recited aloud, while a group of people behind him began to talk about it. A rough man shouted: "King Qu Wentai of Gaochang is also a Han Chinese. He doesn't want to belong to the Turkic people instead. It's time to fight." A monk wearing a cassock beside him said, "Amitabha. The emperor has the virtue of loving life and is truly compassionate. According to the imperial edict, even if the heavenly soldiers arrive in Gaochang, as long as Qu Wentai asks for sin with his face bound, the army will stop and not kill. He was devastated. Amitabha, Amitabha, I hope Qu Wentai can be like this, hurry up and apologize." The rude man smiled and said: "This is Master's wishful thinking. If Master is willing to contribute, why not go to the Western Regions to meet Qu Wentai, and persuade him like this. Then turn hostility into jade, and the emperor will definitely repair the temple for you." Between his words, there was an obvious Laugh at this monk's pedantic speech. The scribe turned his head and said calmly: "The emperor's edict is the most clear. If Qu Wentai understood the reason, he should have come to the capital to apologize and stop the bloody disaster. It is stubborn, so it needs to be conquered by heavenly soldiers." It's just that the emperor is magnanimous, and he doesn't want to labor the people and raise the army, so that the country will lose peace, so there is such a grand theory." The bold man interjected: "The commander in chief of this battle is Hou Shangshu, he will not do such false things at all. When the army is struck by thunder, Qu Wentai raises his hand and surrenders, let's see what reason he can say then." Li Shimin's appointment of Hou Junji as the marching commander this time did not weigh him for a long time.He knew that this expedition to Gaochang had a 100% chance of winning.The only difference between him and Hou Junji was in the deployment of troops. Compared with Li Shimin, Hou Junji had a simpler view on this battle, thinking that leading 50,000 troops is enough. Li Shimin was more cautious and resolutely let Hou Junji lead a hundred thousand troops to set off. Li Shimin said solemnly: "If you want to break through Gaochang, 20,000 elite soldiers can do it. However, Qu Wentai has Siyehu Khan behind him, and Gaochang is nearly ten thousand miles away from the capital. If the army is not enough, it will take a lot of trouble to mobilize troops. One Gaochang City is nothing to say, but if we lose this battle, the Western Regions will be shaken and our dynasty will lose face, so we must win this battle completely." Hou Junji saw that Li Jing attacked the Eastern Turks with a surprise army, so he had long wanted to find an opportunity to show off and make a name for himself.He originally wanted to lead 50,000 soldiers and horses to attack Gaochang country long distance, and that's exactly what he was thinking about.It's just that when he came in front of Li Shimin, he had to bow and obey orders, and he didn't dare to insist on his own opinion. In the eleventh month of that year, Hou Junji, Xue Wanjun, and Zhi Sisili led one hundred thousand soldiers and horses, and marched to Gaochang State in a mighty way.