Chapter 6 The sixth chapter Qu Wen Taiwen was shocked to death Hou Junji performed all the rituals and drums

Li Daliang heard that Hou Junji's army was approaching, so he asked people to bring food and grass to meet him in person at Qikou.When Xin Liaoer led the vanguard team to meet them, Li Daliang saw that their troops were exhausted, with a tired expression on their faces, and looked around and said: "The troops of the Western Expedition have not met the enemy so far, but they have already experienced a lot of hard work." On the left front of Qikou, there is a sweet water well.Li Daliang had ordered well water to be stored in stone troughs in advance for the men and horses on the western expedition to drink and wash their faces.The soldiers were walking through the Gobi Desert these days and suffered from hunger and thirst. At this time, they heard that they could drink clear water to their heart's content, and they burst into cheers.They flocked to the stone trough and had a good drink. Some of them removed the hoods from their heads and used them to pour water on themselves and their mounts.The people in front stayed in front of the stone trough and did not want to leave, while the people behind couldn't get in front of the stone trough, seeing the water in front of them, they couldn't help being anxious, gradually yelling and cursing loudly, pushing forward one after another, the scene was chaotic.

Hou Junji was walking at the center of the army, and when he saw the marching team suddenly stop, he hurriedly asked what happened.When he heard that the front was in chaos due to water competition, he couldn't help being furious. He took out the command flag and sent someone to the front to issue an order: "Everyone line up on the spot, and no water is allowed. Anyone who violates the order will be executed." The Tang army had strict discipline. After hearing this order, everyone left the water intake in a panic and lined up at the designated place. The scene gradually became orderly.The follow-up team can move forward slowly, and then stand in formation.

Seeing that Li Daliang was here to greet him, Hou Junji hurriedly got off his horse to greet him.Li Daliang said: "Hou Shangshu led the troops toiled all the way, and Daliang Jian prepared some food and grass to work for the army. It is not far from Gaochang. I hope the army will be refreshed and conquer Gaochang in one fell swoop, so that we will not lose our prestige." Hou Junji said modestly: "Yizhou is far away in the west, and it is difficult to transport food and grass. Why does General Li do this? We have only traveled all the way for a few months. Unlike General Li who has been guarding the border for a long time, the difficulties are beyond words." Li Da Liang is an all-round talent in both civil and military affairs, and made frequent military exploits. People in the government and the public admire him very much, and Li Shimin also relies on him very much. Although Hou Junji has an arrogant temperament, when he saw Li Daliang, he was very polite in his words.

At this time, Xue Wanjun also came over, and Hou Junji ordered: "General Xue, you came just in time. This group of people was in a state of chaos fighting for water just now, you go and let them line up to fetch water without stopping." Li Daliang looked at the men and horses fetching water, and sighed: "It's too far to go to the capital, and it's too difficult for the army to get here. In addition, the emperor doesn't want to raise troops easily, so a villain like Qu Wentai dares to be rude. Hou Shangshu, I wish you success , Immediate success." Hou Junji said: "Surrendering such villains is nothing! General Li, to tell you the truth, the emperor is very serious about this expedition, and he must let me bring a hundred thousand troops. When I arrived at Yumen Pass, I sent the fifty thousand soldiers The horses stayed there and brought only 50,000 horses, heck, to deal with such a small country, 30,000 horses are actually enough.”

Li Daliang said solemnly: "It is said that 30,000 soldiers and horses are enough to deal with Qu Wentai. However, the emperor has his own reasons for being so cautious. According to my subordinates, the battle of Gaochang is very important to the overall situation of the Western Regions. There is a glitch, this is one; two, Qu Wentai has the support of the Western Turks behind him, Gaochang and Khan Futu City are each other's horns, Hou Shangshu is going to attack Gaochang, and the Western Turks must be guarded against." Hou Junji felt that he and Li Daliang were not congenial, and he didn't want to talk too much, so he laughed and said: "Yes, I will keep this in mind. General Li, with 50,000 troops rushing into the city of Yizhou, I am afraid that the city will be destroyed. Let them break through and let them camp outside the city. The food and grass brought by the army is not too much to worry about, but the clear water needs to be properly supplied by General Li."

"The lower officials heard that the army is here, and they have already prepared to stop. Please don't worry about Hou Shangshu. The city has prepared residences for Hou Shangshu, General Xue and others. How about please enter the city now?" "Okay, let's go. General Li, do you know if there are any grapes here? The emperor gives grapes to his subjects to taste every year as usual. After all, there are too few. Before I left Beijing, I thought that this trip to the Western Regions would definitely satisfy my grape addiction. Haha, it's time to fulfill your wish."

"Of course, besides the green raisins, there are also fresh grapes stored in the cellar. Hou Shangshu is free to eat them." The Western Expeditionary Army took a short rest in Yizhou, and then continued westward. Not far ahead, there was a small town named Liugu, which was the territory controlled by Gaochang. Qu Wentai was terrified when he heard that the Tang army came to beg for it. However, he still had a strong face. He said to his courtiers today: "The capital of the Tang Dynasty is seven thousand miles away from our country, and the sand moraine Gobi occupies two thousand miles. Above the Gobi, The land has no water and grass, the cold wind is like a knife, and the hot wind is like burning. How can I march a large army? When I went to Chang'an, I saw that the cities in the north of Qin and Long were depressed, and they were much more dilapidated than in the Sui Dynasty. If you send more troops, there will be no food and grass; if you send less than 30,000 troops, will you be my opponent?" He said this, just to cheer up his subordinates.

In order to guard against the attack, Qu Wentai mobilized the whole country's troops to fortify the east, and did not hesitate to empty the west.He stood on the city wall that day, pointing to the east and said: "If the Tang army comes to the city, we will not leave. In less than twenty days, the Tang army will eat up and retreat. At this time, we will open the city gate and pursue the victory, and we will surely win." Complete victory. Look at your faces, why are you frowning?" When Gaochang's officials heard that the Tang army was coming to beg, they were all full of fear, and they put a lot of worry on their faces, unlike Qu Wentai who could force himself to be calm.

After a few days, a nursery rhyme spread all over the country. The words said: "Gaochang soldiers and horses are like frost and snow, Han soldiers and horses are like the sun and the moon. The sun and the moon shine on the frost and snow, and they will disappear when they look back." This nursery rhyme gradually spread to the palace. Gradually, it spread to Qu Wentai's ears. Qu Wentai was furious when he heard this nursery rhyme. He summoned his ministers and shouted angrily: "Check, check, find out who made this phrase! Exterminate the nine clans." In those few days, all government offices in Gaochang Kingdom stopped handling political affairs, and the wolf-like officials led their servants to track down the nursery rhyme creators all over the country.Within a few days, the prison was overcrowded, and they were all suspects.

Qu Wentai's move made the domestic situation worse. In Chang'an, Li Shimin appeased the people to be quiet, lightly taxed and promoted Qingming politics; Qu Wentai in Gaochang was not the same.The people of the country have had long-standing grievances, and now they hear that the Tang Dynasty is attacking, and they are all happy in private. The appearance of this nursery rhyme shows that the people of Gaochang are eager to be unified by the Tang Dynasty as soon as possible and break away from the rule of the Qu Dynasty. However, it is said that the Gaochang officials are desperate to ask for the rumored person, the prison is full, and the newly obtained person has nowhere to be detained.Minister Qu Yong felt that there was nothing to do, so he asked Qu Wentai for instructions on how to deal with this group of people.

Qu Wentai asked: "Have you found the real master of the rumor?" Qu Yong replied: "After the ministers caught the person who sent the message, they used severe torture to force him to tell the person who was on the line. Some people couldn't stand it anymore and had to confess. We followed the clues and hoped that we could find the person who sent the message quickly. But Ah, things are getting more and more difficult, and the ministers can't stand it." "Everyone of them seems to be the envoy of the master, but none of them is the envoy of the master. It is really difficult to find out. Now the prison is overcrowded, and new arrests are being sent in an endless stream. How to deal with it?" "Hmph, the enemy is in front of me, how can I bother with this kind of thing? Forget it, choose a group of people and kill them in the street, and see who dares to talk nonsense!" Qu Wentai couldn't help showing fierceness in his eyes. Light. "A batch? How many people are going to be killed?" "Kill half of the people in the prison! The rest will be punished fifty times!" On the second day, on the main street of the twenty-second city of Gaochang State, the head of the cell escorted the prisoners in this case to the street for execution. At 3:00 noon, the executioner swung his sword, and more than 300 people across the country were beheaded. Gaochang State has a total population of 17,700 people, more than 300 people were beheaded, and they are related to almost every household.In those few days, every household closed their doors and wept with their heads in their arms, mourners wailed all over the field, and there was an unspeakable tragic scene in the world. Qu Wentai used this high-handed method to control the people of the country into silence.Seeing that the country was quiet, he set off for the Khan Futu City, intending to discuss a plan with Ashina Buzhen. Qu Wentai repeated the same old tune when he came up, saying that the Tang army would not invade the country with large troops. He wanted to comfort Ashina's sincere heart, and finally said softly: "Wentai came here to discuss with Ye Hu. If the Tang army really raises troops to attack , It has become a tired army after entering Gaochang territory. At this time, if Ye Huruo joins forces with our country to attack, we will surely win a big victory. We will drive him eastward and capture Yizhou, thus taking the Tang Dynasty's foothold in the Western Regions. Fundamentally. From then on, the Tang Dynasty did not dare to commit crimes in the west easily." Ashina Bu was really at a loss: "Since Your Majesty said that the Tang Dynasty did not dare to raise troops to attack, why did you want me to join forces to attack? Isn't this troublesome?" "In order to be safe, we must be well-planned. The Tang army may not attack because of the difficult road, but it will not be long before they attack East Turkic and Tuyuhun. If they do attack, we must guard against it!" Ashina Buzhen showed a frightened look on his face, and said in a trembling voice: "Is the Tang army really coming to attack? If so, I will report to the Great Khan so that I can stop walking." Seeing Ashina Buzhen's expression, Qu Wentai understood his state of mind at this time, so he hurriedly said: "I think Ye Hu didn't know that Khan had solemnly made an appointment with me at the beginning, and if the Tang army came to attack, he would definitely help. " "Really? Why haven't I heard of it?" Siyehu Khan's attitude towards Datang can be described as both respect and hatred.What I respect is that the Tang Dynasty is prosperous, so I always put myself in a subordinate position and insist on making friends with Datang; what I hate is that Datang finally abandoned himself and turned to support Nishi Khan, which greatly weakened his power , had no choice but to retreat westward, and give up the territory east of the Tianshan Mountains to Nishi Khan.He is now beginning to expand his power to the east, recruiting the Chuyue and Chumi tribes who belonged to the Nisha Khan, and let Ashina Buzhen garrison the Khan Futu City, and join forces with Qu Wentai to break the Yanqi Kingdom. It is to weaken Nishi Khan's power to attract Datang's attention, and wants Datang to abandon Nishi Khan and support himself.From this point of view, Siyehu Khan never thought of openly confronting Datang.Si Yehu Khan had promised Qu Wentai to help him when the Tang army attacked him, but if he did not mean it, he coaxed Qu Wentai to work with him to weaken the Nishi Khan's power, and it was only an expedient measure. It's a pity that Qu Wentai couldn't weigh the situation. Ever since Gaochang Kingdom made good friends with the Tang Dynasty and took advantage of its geographical advantage in trade, it gradually formed a respected position among the countries in the Western Regions.As time went by, Qu Wentai's psychology gradually changed, thinking that his status was very important, and that Datang and Western Turks would try their best to win him over.As everyone knows, Gaochang Kingdom is only in a subordinate position in Li Shimin's heart, and Li Shimin is most concerned about Western Turks, not Gaochang.Therefore, Li Shimin can ignore Qu Wentai's feelings, decide to support Nishi Khan, and allow Nishi Khan's vassal Yanqi to open another passage to the Western Regions, breaking Gaochang's monopoly position.In doing this, Li Shimin actually wanted to use his canonized Nishi Khan to control the situation in the Western Regions, so as to indirectly maintain the relative calm of the Western Regions without sending troops.Unexpectedly, Siyehu Khan marched eastward and joined hands with Gao Chang to greatly weaken the power of Nishi Khan and force Li Shimin to send troops to deal with the changes in the Western Regions.From this point of view, although Li Shimin sent troops this time to crusade against Gaochang, his real target was directed at Siyehu Khan.When his plan to indirectly control the situation in the Western Regions failed, Li Shimin sent troops to the Western Regions, obviously wanting to directly control it. Qu Wentai saw that Ashina's expression was in a trance, he couldn't help becoming anxious, and said hastily: "Ye Hu, there is a saying in Han people called 'the lips are dead and the teeth are cold'." At this point, he moved his lips with his hands to reveal the teeth inside, "Look, Ye Hu, if the lips are broken, the teeth will be exposed. Now Ye Hu and I are just like the lips and teeth. If one is lost, the other is hard to keep. If the Tang army attacks, we must take two measures: one , split up the troops and attack Ye Hu and me at the same time; the two will focus on one family, and after they are defeated, they will attack the other. Ye Hu, do you understand this principle?" Ashina Buzhen shook his head, as if he was at a loss. Afterwards, Ren Qu Wentai broke his throat, but Ashina Buzhen didn't respond with a single word.Qu Wentai was angry, and thought angrily: "The Turkic Khanate was so powerful in the past, and it finally fell apart. What makes it difficult to achieve great things is because of your internal mess. At a critical moment like now, shirking blame is not the material for great things." See When he arrived at Ashina's dazed look, Qu Wentai thought of an ancient saying: "Zizi is not enough!" Then he said calmly: "In this case, please ask Ye Hu to return to Khan and make preparations to fight against the Tang army." It is better to be prepared. After all, when the Tang army comes to attack, we are closely related, and we must be united with sincerity." Ashina Buzhen just replied straightforwardly: "Please rest assured, Your Majesty, I will send someone to see the Great Khan immediately today." Qu Wentai left sadly. He returned to his capital, while paying attention to the movement of the Tang army in the east, while sending people to inquire about Si Yehu Khan's attitude towards him. That night, Qu Wentai did not call Shi Ji to sleep alone.In a trance, I arrived at a dark place, surrounded by lush forests, behind the forest was a circle of dark steep slopes, and further up was a lonely vertical cliff, night crawled gloomyly between the forest and the cliffs, like the king of Hades That horrible face.Qu Wentai looked back and found that there was no follower around him, and he was filled with endless fear, and he shouted: "Come quickly." The voice passed through the forest hollowly, and no one answered.Suddenly, he heard the sound of people walking around, and looked around hastily, only to see countless figures walking indistinctly from among the tree trunks.Qu Wentai was overjoyed when he thought that his followers had responded, and scolded: "Good slave, why didn't you respond earlier?" The people around were still silent, which made him very puzzled.Soon, this group of people gathered together and surrounded Qu Wentai.Qu Wentai watched through a glimmer of light, and found that this group of people consisted of men and women, without any clothes on their bodies. Looking up, it turned out that they were all headless people, which shocked him.Suddenly, this group of people could speak in their stomachs, their voices were indistinct and mixed into a loud voice: "Qu Wentai, you cut off our heads for no reason, take your life quickly." Qu Wentai woke up with a yell, thinking back to his dream, the group of people who wanted their lives seemed to be the more than 300 people who were beheaded a few days ago. Qu Wentai asked the lady-in-waiting what time it is now. "Your Majesty, the hour has just passed the third watch." The maid replied. Qu Wentai stared out the window, only to see it was pitch black outside. "These damned things, they won't let me sleep well after they die." Seeing that it was still early, Qu Wentai asked the maid to remove the candles, and then went back to sleep. Unexpectedly, after falling asleep this time, he came to the black forest again immediately, and the group of headless people still held him and died.At this time, Qu Wentai saw many black shadows slowly approaching among the bushes. He knew in his heart that since he came to power, he had killed many people from his country. Not long ago, he cooperated with Ashina Buzhen to attack the Yanqi Kingdom and injured many lives. .These dark shadows walking slowly are obviously these wronged souls. Suddenly, all the headless people around him stretched out their hands and forced Qu Wentai, and the black shadow behind them also rushed towards him. Qu Wentai woke up again. Afterwards, when Qu Wentai closed his eyes, he saw these ghosts coming and demanding their lives, which made him unable to fall asleep. At any rate, until dawn, Qu Wentai got up to wash up, and felt a splitting headache and boredom in his heart.He suddenly remembered Ashina Buzhen's face again, and couldn't help spitting: "Unlucky!" Qu Wentai didn't have a good rest at night, so he planned to rest in the hall as before, but just after breakfast, he saw Qu Yong outside the hall waiting to be summoned, he hurriedly finished his meal, and summoned Qu Yong to enter the hall. Qu Yong's face was gloomy, Qu Wentai glanced at it, his heart sank, his headache seemed to get worse, he expected that Qu Yong would not bring any good news.Sure enough, Qu Yong brought a big bad news: "Your Majesty, the people who went to the west came back last night. They said that Khan Siyehu's tooth tent had been moved to the west a few days ago, and they didn't know what to make of it. " "Move to the west? What is the exact location?" "They sneaked into the Turkic crowd to inquire, and heard from many people that the Khan wanted to move the tooth tent thousands of miles to the west." Qu Wentai stood up abruptly, slapped the back of the chair heavily, and said angrily, "Hmph, Tang Jun hasn't arrived yet, these cowardly Turkic people have oiled the soles of their feet and ran away! Grandma, you swore at the beginning, What kind of thing is that?" In desperation, Qu Wentai couldn't help yelling at Si Yehu Khan. "Your Majesty calm down, Khan is not necessarily afraid of Tang Jun when he goes west. Tang Jun is the future after all. Besides, Khan will not leave Ye Hu here, right?" "Did Ashina step really not move?" "No, he is still in Khan Futu." Qu Wentai thought about it, and immediately understood Siyehu Khan's idea, and couldn't help yelling: "This bastard, he wants to repeat the old trick again. Ashina Buzhen leads only a thousand people in the headquarters, and the others are all from the office. People from the Ministry of the Moon and the Ministry of Secrets. This bastard is hiding far away in the west. He wants to watch the movement on this side. If the Tang army comes, Gaochang and Khan Futu City will be destroyed, and the loss will not be great; , he will come back again to find a ready-made advantage." In the midst of his rage, he could still carefully calculate Siyehu Khan's thoughts, which was really not easy. Qu Yong saw that Qu Wentai's face was flushed and he was furious there, so he said timidly: "Your Majesty, to be safe, we might as well go out of the city to take shelter, and come back after the limelight passes." Qu Wentai stared fiercely at Qu Yong, and asked, "What? Do you want to follow this bastard too?" "Don't dare, dare not. I just said it casually." Seeing that the situation was not good, Qu Yong knelt on the ground with a "plop", kowtowed to beg for mercy.Qu Wentai gave him a sideways look, and then said harshly: "If it's an outsider, I won't cut off some of his heads!" next of kin. Qu Wentai slowly sat back on the chair, and said, "Get up, and quickly send someone to monitor Ashina Buzhen's movements. Hmph, these Turkic people look rough, but their courage is like a bird's." Great. Li Shimin will never send troops here after traveling nearly ten thousand miles to Chang'an, look at how scary they are." Qu Yong stood up and bowed to leave. Seeing Qu Yong slowly stepping out of the palace door, Qu Wentai supported the back of the chair with both hands, trying to adjust his sitting posture.Suddenly, he felt that his left hand seemed to be out of control, and he had no strength to support his hand on the back of the chair. He turned his face and called the maid behind him: "Come here quickly and help me up." When he spoke, he felt his brain heat up again. Two palace maids came to help Qu Wentai. At this moment, Qu Yong led a man running in. Qu Yong said out of breath, "Your Majesty, disaster has happened. The Tang army has already advanced to Qikou." Qu Wentai struggled and said, "Nonsense...nonsense, what... what Tang Jun?" The accompanying person fell to the ground and said: "Your Majesty, Li Daliang led the troops to meet the soldiers of the Tang army when they approached Qikou. The villain has seen it with his own eyes, so he dare not make a false report." These words were like thunder in a sunny day, shaking Qu Wentai speechless.Suddenly, his eyes were blank, and he slumped down from the chair. Seeing this, the two maids of honor and Qu Yong were shocked, and hurriedly stood up to help each other.But Qu Wentai's body was fat and limp, so it was really hard to support him.They fiddled for a long time, finally helped him to the chair and lay down, his head drooped to one side, Qu Yong stretched out his hand to straighten his head, and saw a circle of white foam from the corner of his mouth. Qu Yong was quite experienced, he stretched out his hand to check Qu Wentai's breath, and said, "Your Majesty is in heaven." Hearing the news that Tang soldiers were approaching Qikou, Qu Wentai died suddenly in fear. When Hou Junji heard that Qu Wentai was dead, he was at a loss. He sighed, "Qu Wentai is dead? Alas, this guy is very smart. He will go to heaven without me doing it. It seems that this battle is difficult to complete. After conquering Gaochang, capture Qu Wentai to Beijing, let him parade in the car along the way, people along the way can take a good look at his dignity, and let the emperor taunt him after entering Beijing. In this way, the ambition It's hard to do." "Hou Shangshu, Gao Changguo is going to mourn Qu Wentai, which is an opportunity for our army," said forward Xin Liaoer. "what chance?" "On the day of Qu Wentai's funeral, his domestic ministers will gather in the capital. From now on, our army will put down our flags and drums, and advance in different ways, so as not to let the other party know our whereabouts, and quietly hide by the side of his capital. When he is in mourning, we suddenly Go out and hit them unexpectedly, and the big thing will be done." After listening, all the generals agreed with Xin Liaoer's idea.Xue Wanjun said: "This is a good idea. We brought many heavy crash cars, just to take Gaochang quickly. There is this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity in front of us. If I can take advantage of it, God will help me." Qibi Heli and Ashinasheer obviously agreed, and Ashinasheer said: "Sun Tzu said: 'Soldiers are deceitful.' As long as this battle can be won, no matter what method is used, as long as it is effective You can do it firmly.” After everyone finished speaking, they turned their gazes to Hou Junji and waited quietly for the commander to make a decision. Hou Junji stared at the front and said firmly: "No! Have you forgotten why the emperor wanted to conquer Gaochang?" Hou Junji didn't wait for everyone's answer, and continued: "The emperor's treatment of Gaochang was the utmost benevolence. Gaochang was rude to our country, and the emperor sent several envoys to persuade him, so he didn't use his sword easily. It's just that Qu Wentai was insane and ignored the emperor's kindness , the emperor just sent troops to question the crime." The generals nodded after hearing the words. Hou Junji said again: "I led the teacher who questioned the sinner to challenge Gaochang, and the four barbarians believed that this was a just move. If Qu Wentai was in mourning now, and sneaked up on him, outsiders would say that we are also rude teachers. There is no difference between Wentai and Wentai. Even if this battle is won, it will be greatly discounted, and the emperor will not get any benefits." Everyone nodded again, and Qibi Heli said: "Hou Shangshu, you are right, so I will do as you say." Hou Junji nodded and said resolutely: "As the commander of the army, I already have a chance of winning. Taking Gaochang is a sure thing. Xin Liaoer, gather all the big drums of the whole army, and send someone to beat the drums as a forerunner. Let the sound of the drums tell the people of Gaochang: The heavenly soldiers are here, and it is an act of justice, let them prepare for the battle." Hou Junji raised his whip and pointed to the west, with a rather high-spirited demeanor. The generals responded enthusiastically, and the army began to advance with the sound of drums shaking the sky. What Hou Junji said in his mouth was high-sounding, but in the secret of his heart, there was another layer of consideration.Li Shimin often relied heavily on Li Jing as the coach in the past.It was not easy for Li Jing to report his illness and return home. Hou Junji got the chance to be the commander in chief, and he wanted to show it fully.When Tubo invaded the border, Hou Junji led the troops to fight for it, but abandoned his family to praise him, but he voluntarily retreated, so Hou Junji had no chance to show himself.At any rate, this battle of Gaochang happened again, which made Hou Junji gear up and make up his mind to make a name for himself in the world. He wanted everyone to know that after Li Jing, I, Hou Junji, was the number one master of war in the Tang Dynasty. The army marched for more than 20 li and arrived at Tiancheng, which is the easternmost city of Gaochang Kingdom.There are more than 7,000 residents in the city and more than 2,000 defenders.Because this is the first gate to enter Gaochang, the city wall is very strong, and the gates on all sides are made of thick wood pierced with copper nails. When Xin Liaoer arrived at the city wall, he saw that the wooden door was closed tightly and the defenders on the wall were waiting, so he hurriedly asked Hou Junji whether to attack the city. Hou Junji looked at the fading sunset and said, "Everyone has traveled a lot today, so we should rest overnight and gather enough energy to attack tomorrow. Xin Liaoer, you can send four teams with big drums to four Beat the door for a while, and then find someone with a loud voice to read the emperor's edict. You can tell them clearly that our army will stop attacking today and let them surrender. If they don't surrender, they will start tomorrow morning. We're going to attack the city." Xin Liaoer took the order to go to make arrangements. After a while, drums sounded from the four gates of Tiancheng, and when the drums stopped, one person from each began to proclaim the imperial edict. The people in the city listened attentively, but there was no reply. As night fell, the cold air gradually permeated the earth.The Tang army camped outside Tiancheng. They knew that there were only 2,000 defenders in the city, and they did not pose any threat to their safety, so they went to sleep with confidence.Some people couldn't bear the cold, so they looked for some firewood and lit bonfires to keep warm. Gradually, more and more bonfires burned, and their light illuminated the city wall.Hearing the noise of the Tang army outside the city, the people in the city did not dare to sleep peacefully, and spent a sleepless night in fear. The east gradually revealed the color of a fish belly, and soon, a round of red sun jumped out of the ground where it connected to the earth, so the hazy earth showed its original color, and gradually began to add warmth. Standing on the high slope outside the east gate, Hou Junji called Xin Liaoer, Xue Wanjun, Ashina Sheer, Qibi Heli, and asked, "Have the soldiers had a full meal?" Xin Liaoer replied: "The soldiers had a good rest last night, and they had a good meal this morning. They are gathering up all their energy and waiting for Hou Shangshu's order to start the war." "Okay, four of you, each of you has a door, and no one is allowed to escape. These ignorant things, toasting and not eating and drinking, can they be taken as prisoners? Today, in order to reduce casualties, you can attack the city." Let the nest chariot take the lead, and then attack sequentially. Hey, this chariot was built by the company and has not been used yet. Let’s use it for a small trial today, and let the Qu family see it when we attack Gaochang City.” Everyone coaxed to agree. The twelve nest carts are divided into four groups, and there are three at each city gate.Amidst the deafening roar, the ten-foot-tall nest cart lumberingly approached the city gate.The defenders in the city had never seen such a thing before. They were stunned for a long time, and then under the strict order of the leader, they opened their bows and shot arrows.Arrow feathers flew towards the nest cart like rain, and when they touched the huge baffle on the cart, they fell one after another, unable to stop the nest cart at all. Before noon, all four gates were broken through, and the wolf-like Tang army rushed into the city and captured all the defenders. The more than 7,000 male and female residents in the city did not panic. Some people took the initiative to go out and bring clear water and a kind of food made of noodles to the Tang army, which the locals called "nang".I think they have been oppressed by the Koji family for a long time, and now they feel that they have finally been liberated, so they rejoice. Hou Junji was still standing on the high slope outside the east gate, witnessing the entire siege process.Seeing how miraculous the nest cart was, he laughed loudly, and summoned him to do his own way: "You are worthy of being a skilled craftsman of our dynasty. I begged the emperor to bring you this time, and it really worked wonders. This time, you are the first to attack Gaochang Kingdom." .” Doing the original way: "The daily work of the general prison is mainly to build palaces. This time I went out with Hou Shangshu and used my ordinary skills in the battle. I am deeply honored. It is the wish of every Chinese to make contributions to the country. This time I Being able to show off his skills is all thanks to Hou Shangshu's support. Before Hou Shangshu went to the expedition, he planned the details of the battle clearly one by one, and he hit it with one blow, which fully proves that Hou Shangshu is a master of military art, and I really admire it." Hou Junji's heart was touched by the words of the true version, and he couldn't help being elated, and said: "Well, for your contribution, I will write a book report to the emperor today, so that everyone in the world will know your contribution .Young craftsman, today is a small test, you have to maintain the equipment so that there is no fault, and when you arrive in Gaochang City, you have to show your skills." The Tang army was unstoppable from then on, and there were no enemy troops to harass along the way, and they arrived under the capital of Gaochang in a few days. Qu Zhisheng saw that the Tang army surrounded the city like an iron barrel, and he had no choice but to close the city gates, trying to use the city's solid walls and thick walls to fight against the Tang army.While Hou Junji was arranging the siege, he wrote a book and shot it into the city. The wording in the book was harsh, declaring that Qu Zhisheng must open the city and surrender. Qu Zhisheng also sent back a letter to shoot at the city. The words in it were pitiful, and he begged: "Those who offended the Son of Heaven were the former kings, and they were punished by heaven, so they died. Zhisheng took the throne not long ago, but the Minister has pity on him!" It also stated that from now on, he is willing to be the vassal state of the Tang Dynasty, paying tribute every year, clearing up trade routes, and asking Hou Junji to withdraw his troops and return to the country. After reading the book, Hou Junji smiled and said, "Where is such a cheap thing in the world? The heavenly soldiers have come here after untold hardships, and they can't even sit in the city, so they just returned so easily? Is Qu Wentai dead? But what he did is not your share? I am a three-year-old boy, can I be so easy to be coaxed? Come, write another book and shoot it into the city. Tell Qu Zhisheng that if you want to truly repent, you must Plead guilty in front of the gate of the army. If you don’t come before sunrise tomorrow, I will attack the city.” Qu Zhisheng originally fancied that if he agreed to pay tribute to the Tang Dynasty, the Tang army could disperse.Seeing Hou Junji's ultimatum, he knew it was not that simple.How decent would it be for the subjects to see themselves tied up in the army to plead guilty.At this time, Qu Yong repeated Qu Wentai's old tune, saying that the Tang army was exhausted from a long distance, and the food and grass were not available, so it was difficult to persist in the city for a long time, so it is better to hold on for a while.Qu Zhisheng was faced with a major event at this time, and he had no idea in his heart, so he listened to Qu Yong's words and ignored Hou Junji. The next day was another sunny day, the sun was rising three poles, the cold dew had disappeared, and the brigade of Tang soldiers in high spirits began to move at the four gates.A moat was dug around Gaochang City, and teams of Tang soldiers carried stones and sand on their shoulders to fill up the ditch. It took more than two hours to fill in several passages on the river.Qu Zhisheng ordered to shoot arrows, but the distance was too far, and Tang soldiers raised their shields to protect them, so there was no harm to the people who filled the soil. The sun began to shift westward at noon, and the Tang army began to attack the city aggressively.Amidst the rumbling sound, the huge nest cart approached the city wall.The Gaochang defenders were all dumbfounded when they saw this ten-foot-tall thing driving towards them, unable to figure out what the Tang army was up to.However, when the meteor-like flying hammer of the nest cart slammed into the city wall, and when the swirling boulders fell on top of their heads like celestial maidens scattered flowers, they ran away in panic and couldn't care less about what it was. Compared with Tiancheng, Gaochang City is much stronger after all.The Tang army attacked aggressively, and the Gaochang defenders defended tenaciously. At sunset, the Tang army did not take a step into Gaochang City.Seeing that the night was getting dark, Tang Jun had no choice but to stop attacking.For fear that the enemy would come out to rob the camp, half of the Tang army could not sleep that night, and they had to strengthen their guards in front of the nest car. In Pingming the next day, the Tang army began to attack again.From dawn to dusk, Tang Jun didn't rest for a moment, and even used up four of the nest cars.Seeing that the city was so fortified and the nest car damaged, Hou Junji was very worried.He knew that if the time dragged on for a long time, it would be very bad for him.The immediate situation is to strengthen the offensive, but the damaged nest car is difficult to repair in the short term, and there is no material to rebuild a new car. What can be used to break the city wall? The city wall stood there majestically under the twilight, and its uprightness appeared extremely vast in the cold wind.Hou Junji stared at the city wall, helpless. Remembering that when Luo Shixin was guarding Mingshui City, Liu Heita dug a tunnel to collapse the city wall, Hou Junji wanted to try this method, but he quickly shook his head.You must know that digging a tunnel is not a one-day job. What's more, the soil quality here is very different from that of the middle soil. The soil here is mainly sand and stone, and there is very little clay. If you dig a tunnel, it will easily collapse. Hou Junji was thinking hard here, when he suddenly saw Xin Liaoer running over excitedly, he yelled, "Hou Shangshu, Hou Shangshu, Qu Zhisheng opened the door and came out." Hou Junji raised his eyes to look at the city gate, and saw that the city gate had been opened, and a group of people came out from it. Seeing that the Tang army was attacking fiercely, Qu Zhisheng happened to be returning from the people who had gone to Khan Futu City to seek help from Ashina Buzhen at this time. He said that Ashina Buzhen would not accept the door, and his illusion of counting on the Turkic rescue was completely shattered.Qu Zhisheng asked a group of stunned courtiers beside him for advice, but they couldn't think of any good ideas.Seeing this, Qu Zhisheng said, "The Tang army is attacking fiercely, and we may not be able to sustain it until tomorrow. Instead of destroying the city and destroying the people, it is better to surrender now." The ministers looked at each other in blank dismay, they all thought of the plan for the present, and there was really no other way but to leave the city and surrender, so they agreed coquettishly. Tang Jun then entered the city to accept surrender. It was night, and Hou Jun gathered in Gaochang Palace.Gaochang has fertile land and rich products, and it is deeply benefited by merchants. In addition, the Qu Dynasty increased taxes, and its treasury was very abundant.Gaochang Palace combines Eastern and Western architectural features, and the entire royal family is magnificently built with great charm.In the dormitory where Hou Junji lived, there was a bathtub in the side room. After months of running around, he wanted to take a good bath, so he went straight to the bathroom after entering the hall.As soon as he entered the door, two maids in tulle came forward to change his clothes.Then help it into the hot spring pool with vanilla flowers.Smelling the rich fragrance of flowers in the room, and surrounded by a beautiful girl bathing him, at this moment, Hou Junji felt that he had become an emperor too.He cuddled with the red and leaned against the green at night, and felt that the fatigue of the past few months had dissipated. On the second day, Li Daliang sent someone from Khan Futu City to deliver a book to Hou Junji, which said that Ashina Buzhen heard about the Tang army's westward expedition, and saw that the Tang army was watching from the side, so he also opened the city gates. Li Daliang surrendered. Hou Junji handed the future book to Qu Zhisheng to read, and said: "He who knows the current affairs is a hero! That Si Yehu Khan heard that the heavenly soldiers came here, and took the initiative to retreat westward for more than a thousand miles. Ashinabu really did not give up and stubbornly resisted. Insightful. This is better than you, and you have cost me a few more days of talking." Qu Zhisheng bowed his head and remained silent. At that moment, he truly experienced the feeling of subjugation. In the next few days, Hou Junji asked Qu Zhisheng and his ministers to lead the way, and asked Xue Wanjun to lead the Tang soldiers to take over the cities and people of Gaochang Kingdom one by one, and captured the twenty-two cities of Gaochang Kingdom without bloodshed. When Qu Zhisheng and Hou Junji were together alone, Qu Zhisheng was worried about his future status, and anxiously listened to Hou Junji's tone.侯君集也很爽快，说道：“我来讨伐，专为战事，不管其他。待我班师之时，你与大臣须同我一起到京城里走一遭。你今后到底如何，须皇上金口来定。想来也不会差了吧，吐谷浑慕容伏允兵败身死，其子还被皇上立为吐谷浑王，依旧统辖旧地。” 麴智盛满怀感激，唤人从库房里取来数件宝贝赠给侯君集。孰料侯君集对拿来的宝物看都不看，冷冷说道：“我听说你们祖孙数代搜刮了不少宝贝，如何仅有这几件？你的宝库在何处，领我去开开眼。” 麴智盛心想自己已成俘虏，还用吝惜什么宝贝？他诚惶诚恐领着侯君集到府库，打开库门让其观看。 侯君集入门之后，只见宽阔的库房里面，堆满了各色宝物。打开放在地上的箱子，只见里面盛满了马蹄金、夜明珠、祖母绿、翡翠、玉器、琥珀、金银器等；临墙的阁子里，放有各种名贵香料、珊瑚树、汉白玉带等；在一个角落里，象牙和犀牛角竟然有人一样高的两堆。侯君集逐个翻检，看得眼睛都直了。 麴智盛立在门前，瞪视着满屋的珍宝，心想这是祖辈的多年积累，也许从此再也不姓麴了。 侯君集在珍宝堆里直转悠了一个多时辰，方搓着手回到门前，他微笑着对麴智盛说道：“你们麴家挺有能耐，竟然搜罗来如此多的珍宝，京城大内恐怕也没有如此多的收集。” 麴智盛还想作最后的努力，说道：“库房中的许多东西，其实都是隋唐二朝的皇上赐给麴家的。为感圣恩，我家专门辟房供奉。” “哼，你说得好听。多少年来，你们在这里阻绝商旅，劫夺西域诸国去长安的朝贡之物，分明是不义之财，怎么又扯上是皇上的赏赐了？” 麴智盛吓得不敢再吭声。 侯君集让麴智盛将库房锁上，然后将钥匙要过来，说道：“城内人员混杂，这里须派人看守。从今日起，我代皇上看守此库，不许你们麴家再入此门。” 侯君集在房内观看财宝的时候，心想如此多的东西若原封不动送给李世民，岂不太傻？他于是起了私取之心思。要想私取，须先管理此库，然后让心腹之人从中取出一部分，神不知鬼不觉地偷偷运回京城家中，独自享用。至于剩下的珍宝，还是要上交国库的。因为高昌富庶是朝野皆知的事情，若全部私自昧下，动静颇大，且会弄巧成拙。 可惜在运宝的过程中，这个消息还是泄露了出去。将士知之，或明火执仗劫夺，或私自盗窃，弄得高昌百姓愤愤满腔。侯君集为了不使局面失控，出面禁止了几回，但不能服众，毫无用处。 薛万均也在职权范围内赚了一些便宜。他见侯君集宿在王宫内偎红倚翠，不免眼热，于是专注于搜寻高昌美貌少妇和少女，采用威逼利诱，成就好事。