Chapter 27 The twenty-seventh chapter of the Tang Dynasty set up four towns in Anxi

Li Shimin lived in the capital and had been following the wars in the Western Regions all the time. He didn't know anything about Wang Xuance's attack on Tianzhu.On this day, the battle report of the Western Regions came from the station. After reading it, Li Shimin couldn't help crying, and sighed: "Guo Xiaoke has been cautious all his life, how can he be so careless? He lost the city and died." On that day, Qibi Heli led the troops to pursue Helibu Shibi, Ashinasheer led the army to the south, and Guo Xiaoke led more than a thousand people into Qiuci to guard the capital.In order not to disturb the residents in the city, Guo Xiaoke set up camps outside the city.He arranged it in this way, and finally caused a disaster for himself.

Seeing Yibi Shekui Khan, Nali asked to rescue Kucha.When Li Shimin asked to cut Kucha and other places as betrothal gifts, Yipi Shekui Khan was very reluctant, because if he did so, his power would retreat thousands of miles westward.Now Qiuci is besieged by the Tang army. If it succeeds, it will continue to advance westward.In order to preserve his own power, Yibi Shekui Khan did not hesitate to turn his face against Datang, and immediately agreed to send more than ten thousand Turkic cavalry under the command of Guinali. Nali led more than 10,000 people and ran towards the capital of Kucha in the starry night. On the way, he learned that the king had abandoned the city and went west, and the city had fallen into the hands of the Tang army. He felt sad.He also heard that all the main forces of the Tang army had left, and only Guo Xiaoke led more than a thousand people guarding the capital.

Guo Xiaoke served as the guardian of Anxi for many years, and only a thousand soldiers under him took turns to change defenses, ensuring the safety of the three states and Yanqi.He knew very well that this was not due to his own ability, but because of the powerful national power behind it, the Western Turks did not dare to provoke easily.Now that Siyehu Khan's influence has gone west, Yipishekui Khan has been canonized and recognized by the Tang court, and he will never turn against Datang.He didn't expect that Yibi Shekui Khan would take risks in order to keep his original territory.

The movement of Nali's march was detected by some Kucha people, and one of them rushed to Guo Xiaoke to warn him.Guo Xiaoke didn't take it seriously, thinking that the Tang army had more than 100,000 people here, and before he led only a thousand people to guard, the Turkic people didn't dare to take risks, let alone now!He smiled and said: "Let them come, I'll wait here and see what he can do to me." He thought that the capital of Kucha had been lost, and Khalibu was besieged by Qibi Heli, so Nali Coming here is nothing more than a bluff. Nali sent people into the capital in advance to contact those loyal to Heli Bushibi, and asked them to try to close the city gate when the battle started, preventing Guo Xiaoke from retreating into the city.In this way, he encircled and wiped out the Tang army with ten times more troops, and his chances of winning were very high.

In the middle of the night, Nali led people quietly approaching Guo Xiaoke's camp.There was only the sound of Jie drums, and the Turkic people straddled their horses from all directions and rushed over in the Tang camp.Guo Xiaoke, who was unprepared, saw the Turkic people killing him, and deeply regretted that he was too careless at the beginning.In the light of the fire, he ordered the people around him to set up the flag and blow the horn. Although the well-trained Tang soldiers fell into chaos, after hearing this order, they immediately managed to gather under the flag.Holding a long sword in his hand, Guo Xiaoke shouted: "Everyone, fight and retreat, follow me into the city." Guo Xiaoke's intention is very clear, that is, to retreat into the city first and hold on to the city, and then send people to inform Ashina Sheer to come to help. Forgive the Turks for not daring to stay here for long.

The Tang soldiers hugged into a group, killed and retreated, and slowly arrived at the foot of Ximen City.Seeing Ximen at this moment, he heard the sound of clappers again, and suddenly figures appeared on the tower. Some of them were holding torches, and some were holding arrows and crossbows and aimed at Tang soldiers. Seeing this situation, Guo Xiaoke knew that the people in the city were cooperating with Na Lili, and they had put themselves in a dangerous situation.At this time, his subordinates were trapped in front of the city gate, there were people from Qiuci shooting arrows, and Turkic people outside were attacking ferociously. The wailing sound indicated that Tang soldiers fell to the ground one after another. In a blink of an eye, more than a hundred people were killed or injured.Seeing that the general situation was not good, Guo Xiaoke ordered everyone to rush south, in order to fight a bloody road and break out of the encirclement.

Guo Xiaoke sent out the order, and rushed forward with his own sword.At this time, a long arrow shot towards him with a loud sound, piercing straight through his neck, Guo Xiaoke fell to the ground without making a sound, and died immediately. The battle lasted for nearly two hours. Only 300 Tang soldiers escaped from the siege and fled to the south in the dark. The other 700 people followed Guo Xiaoke and died under the sword. When Nali saw Guo Xiaoke's body, he didn't dare to spoil it casually, so he sent someone to bury his body in a coffin and send it to Xizhou. Tang Bing, who had escaped from the siege, found Ashinasheer and cried to him the sad news of Guo Xiaoke's death.Ashinasheer heard the news, shed tears in a daze, and said: "It's my fault, Guo Duhu shouldn't be allowed to defend the city with a weak force." After he said this, he immediately ordered the whole army to retreat Head to the north, looking for revenge against Nali, and issued a strict order: "Go and see the enemy, no matter good or bad, behead them all, and don't take prisoners!"

Ashinasheer's cavalry quickly turned around and rushed towards the capital of Kucha.Ashinasheer was deeply afraid that Nali would retreat after he succeeded, and when he heard the news in the afternoon, he ordered his subordinates to run non-stop, and must encircle the people led by Nali tonight. It was also midnight, and Tang soldiers coming from all directions surrounded the capital of Kucha like an iron barrel.Each of them held a torch, illuminating the surrounding area like daylight.Ashinasheer immediately slashed his sword and shouted to the city: "Nari thief, come out quickly and accept surrender."

Nali never expected that Tang Jun would kill him so quickly. He was sleeping soundly after working for several days. After being woken up, he climbed up the city wall sleepily.Seeing the forest of Tang soldiers and numerous torches outside, he was stunned, not knowing how to answer Ashina Sheer's words. Seeing that Nali didn't answer, Ashinasheer continued to shout: "Nali thief, you are so bold that you even killed Guo Duhu. You surrender immediately, and maybe you can spare half of your life. If you refuse to surrender, there is only one dead end. I know that the food in your city will not last for three days, but if you are capable, let us spend it here!"

Nali didn't talk to Ashinasheer, he walked around the city wall and found that the surrounding area was surrounded by Tang soldiers holding torches, and the number of them was several times more than the tens of thousands of Turkic soldiers he had borrowed. .After Nali entered the city, he wanted to rest here for a whole day before going to rescue Khalibu Shibi, but Ashinasheer followed him.He knew that what Ashinasheer said was true, there was not much food in the city, and it was hard to consume it with Commander Tang. On the second day, Nali closed the gate of the city tightly and did not meet the Tang army under the city.Ashinasheer believed that he had a large number of men, enough food and grass, and the capital to besiege the city for a long time, so he didn't want to attack the city head-on to avoid casualties.He ordered the troops to retreat half a mile to set up camp, and sent 10,000 people around the city to guard and patrol, closely watching the movement in the city.In order to prevent them from breaking through, Ashinasheer ordered the rest of them not to take off their armor and keep their swords in their hands. If there is any enemy situation, they can call out at once, so as to prevent Nali from escaping from the city.

Nali didn't want to be trapped in the city, what he wanted was to break out of the encirclement.At sunset that day, he gave more than ten thousand Turkic people a full meal, and then stopped, waiting quietly to break through the city after midnight. After midnight, the west gate and the north gate were quietly opened. At this moment, they heard the sound of horseshoes, and the Turkic people rushed to the gate under the cover of night.They rushed to the Tang soldiers patrolling with torches on horseback, swiped their knives and immediately opened the gap, and they were about to rush into the darkness ahead. Suddenly, there was only a thunderous drumbeat, and before the drumbeat stopped, I saw the Tang army camp in front of me, first one or two fires ignited, then burned into pieces, and gradually connected into a line.Soon, the flames began to move, rushing towards the Turkic soldiers who broke out.When they got close, the people holding torches in the front row stood on horseback, and groups of people with knives and guns rushed up from behind. They broke into the Turkic crowd and hacked and killed them without any scruples. With a ratio of eight to one, Tang Jun is in an absolute advantage.In a blink of an eye, many Turkic people became ghosts under swords and guns. The battle ended from midnight to dawn. The Tang army took advantage of the chaos to rush into the city, searched and killed again, and the capital of Kucha fell into the hands of the Tang army again. Tang Jun checked the battlefield after dawn and found that the open space outside the city was full of corpses lying in disorder, most of them were Turkic people, about 7,000 people.Ashinasheer ordered to search for Nali's body, but he couldn't find it everywhere, thinking that he broke out while taking advantage of the chaos and escaped with his life. But at the end of the day, more than a dozen people from Kucha came to see Ashinasheer alone.The person being held was in ragged clothes, with a bruised nose and a swollen face. It was Nali who had fled.Thinking of Guo Xiaoke's death, Ashina Sheer couldn't help being filled with anger, and asked bitterly: "Na Li thief, do you know that today is here?" Nali looked up at Ashinasheer's livid face, and replied, "I am protecting the king, so what's wrong with bringing troops to rescue me?" "There is nothing wrong with you! The fault lies in your ignorance of current affairs, which has damaged a general in my dynasty. You will never be redeemed by death." Nali knew that he was bound to die, so he sneered with all his heart: "I heard that you used to be a Turkic, but I don't know how you feel when you killed thousands of people of your own clan? I don't regret my death, don't you have any anxiety in your heart? " "I'm a general of the Tang Dynasty, and I'm here to ask for it. Is there anything wrong with that? Don't say too much, just behead this thief, and take his head as a sacrifice to the souls of Guo Duhu." After this battle, Ashinasheer became more serious. He himself took charge of the capital of Kucha, and sent 60,000 soldiers and horses to divide the troops into two groups, and attacked the rest of the city of Kucha in the south.Within ten days, the four most important cities in Kucha were captured. At this time, Qibi Heli had captured the city of Diaohua, captured Helibu Shibi alive, and sent someone to transfer the text to the capital of Kucha.Ashina Sheer was overjoyed after reading it, and sent someone to urge Bi Heli to come to the capital of Kucha as soon as possible to discuss the plan for the next march. When Wang Xuance left for Chang'an, he wrote a memorial about his mission experience and sent it to Chang'an through various posts.After Li Zhi read this memorial, he sent it to Li Shimin. After watching it, his face showed no expression of joy or anger, and he turned to Li Zhi and said, "Wars are raging in the Western Regions. Unexpectedly, there is also a war in southern Xinjiang. Wang Xuance is reckless, but he is also loose." With the help of Zanganbu, this battle was a success. Wang Xuance is an emissary, and he fought across the border without my will. This is a blessing or a disaster, what do you think?" Li Zhi replied: "I think that Alona killed my envoy and took away my property, which is too rude, and should be punished. However, this matter is important. Wang Xuance launched it rashly without getting a word from the court. It is indeed a mistake. in comparison." "Well, after all, Wang Xuance is an official of the East Palace, and you are in charge of teaching. However, this person can command foreign soldiers and conquer the kingdoms of Tianzhu in one fell swoop. There is something to be admired for his courage and mind." "My son, I would like to obey my father's will." Qibi Heli returned to the capital of Kucha, and after discussing with Ashinasheer, he sent people to send Helibu Shibi and his family to Chang'an, asking Li Shimin to let him go.After completing these tasks, Ashinasheer left 10,000 people to guard the capital of Kucha, and Qibi Heli led the rest of the troops, and drove westward in a mighty manner. The spearhead was controlled by Yibi Shekui Khan Broken Leaf City. When the army reached Rehai, Khotan and Anguo sent people to reward the army with camels, horses, food and grass.It turned out that the battle of Kucha had greatly shocked the countries in the Western Regions, and they all waited and waited for the next move of the Tang army.Now seeing the Tang army moving to Suiye City, they are approaching Yipi Shekui Khan, and they come to reward the army to protect their own safety. Yibi Shekui Khan learned of the movement of the Tang army, and hurriedly sent his men to transport food and grass to reward the army, and made an appointment with Ashinasheer, asking the Tang army to stop advancing, and personally went to the bank of the hot sea to meet Ashina. Social meeting. Atami originated from Suiyechuan, with a radius of about 100 miles. To the south is the endless Tianshan Mountains. The black green mountains and snow caps are reflected on the calm lake. In addition, the lakeside is full of lush green trees. The scenery is very beautiful. beautiful.Yibi Shekui Khan chose this place to meet Ashinasher, which is considered a good place. Yibi Shekui Khan took 10,000 cavalry as guards, and walked to the bank of Rehai in full swing. Ashinasheer didn't care when he saw his movement, and sat in the tent unprepared.Among them, the back of the military tent is the surface of the hot sea, the breeze blows, and the coolness on the water surface is also blown into the tent. Ashinasheer and Qibi Heli sit in the tent and drink together, just like a leisure time. Hearing that Yibi Shekui Khan had arrived in front of the tent, Ashinasheer and Qibi Heli slowly got up to welcome him out of the tent and greeted him.Ashinasheer said: "The Khan sent people to reward the army with gifts, that's all. Why come here in person again? The last general is ashamed." Yibi Shekui Khan got close to Ashina Sheer, and said modestly: "Let's not say that the general consort is the commander of the Tang Dynasty. If people in the same clan talk about seniority, I am actually the younger generation. It is too late to welcome you now. I hope to beg for forgiveness." Ashinasheer is the son of Chuluo Khan, and Yibi Shekui Khan is indeed a junior.However, since the East and West Turks split, they have not communicated with each other and developed independently. Now Yibi Shekui Khan talks about seniority, which is actually a bit hypocritical. Ashinasheer bowed to welcome him into the account, and said: "The Khan dominates the Western Regions and is the monarch of a country. In the end, I dare not discuss seniority with the Khan. Please, please enter the account." After Yibi Shekui Khan sat down in the tent, he said: "The general consort has won a complete victory in attacking Kucha this time. I am very happy to hear this news. I will send some small gifts to the army. I will congratulate the general in person today." Datang sent troops this time to conquer Qiuci, and the target of the attack was actually Khan Yipi Shekui, which was well known to all parties.After hearing the words, Ashinasheer didn't reveal it, and said with a smile: "Before I set off on the expedition, the emperor earnestly warned me to get closer to Khan. If Khan does this, I will only be grateful." Yibi Shekui Khan asked again: "After the son-in-law general Keping Kucha, he raised his troops here recently. What is his intention? Seeing the beautiful scenery of Rehai, do you want to rest here for a while?" Seeing that Yibi Shekui Khan was getting to the point, Ashinasheer went straight to the point, and replied: "Before the final general went out to fight, the emperor asked me to ask Khan in my spare time. I remember that Khan asked the emperor to marry him. The emperor has agreed, but the dowry has not yet been implemented. The last general is here and is about to inquire about it." Li Shimin once proposed to Yibi Shekui Khan to cut off cities such as Kucha as a dowry.Now that Kucha has been pacified, and Khotan has also fallen to the Tang Dynasty, only the two cities of Shule and Suiye are still under the control of Yibi Shekui Khan.Yibishekui Khan weighed the situation in front of him, and if he relied on his own strength to fight Ashinasheer, he would not be Ashinasheer's opponent anyway.When he thought of this, he laughed and said, "Why should General Consort come to ask about such a trivial matter? I have already agreed on the matter of the four cities, and I am about to send people to Chang'an to report to the emperor in the next few days. If General Consort's trip is dedicated For this reason, these cities will be handed over to the general consort's jurisdiction from today onwards, and this will save me a lot of hands and feet." Ashinasheer did not expect Yibi Shekui Khan to be so forthright, and was immediately overjoyed. He stood up and thanked him sincerely: "The Khan is so forthright, the general is overjoyed." "Haha, after all, you and I are members of the same clan. How can I make things difficult for you when the emperor sends you to do something." Ashina Shelton changed his face, and called his subordinates to quickly prepare the banquet, and wanted to have a big drink with Yipi Shekui Khan.Qibi Heli saw that such a big matter had been done without any effort, and his intentions were very good. When he arrived at the banquet, he also made a toast to Yibi Shekui Khan one after another. When he was slightly drunk, Yibishekui Khan squinted his eyes and asked Ashinasheer, "General, we are all Turks, and General Qibi is also very close to me. Let me ask you, when respected father was in Luo Ke When Khan was in power, the Eastern and Western Turks were so powerful, why did they suddenly decline?" Ashinasheer has always blamed Jieli Khan for the collapse of the Eastern Turks, and immediately replied: "I don't know the reason for the decline of the Western Turks, but the reason for the decline of the Eastern Turks is all because of Jieli Khan's perverse actions." .” Yibi Shekui Khan shook his head and said, "No. I have reviewed the history of my tribe these days, and found that since Emperor Wen of the Sui Dynasty, China has always used its strategy of making friends from a distance and attacking from a distance, and separating from the strong and joining the weak. This hinders the unification and strength of the Turkic people. For example, at the beginning of Zhenguan, the emperor concentrated on dealing with the Eastern Turks, and adopted a friendly strategy towards the Western Turks. After the fall of the Eastern Turks, the emperor supported our people and rejected Siyehu Khan. Now Khan Yehu left, and the emperor began to pay attention to me again." Khan Yibi Shekui got drunk on his face, and began to speak without any scruples. Ashinasheer disagreed with Yibi Shekui Khan's statement, and retorted: "The Great Khan said that, it is one-sided. In fact, no matter what the outside is, the key lies in the inside. Regardless of the Eastern or Western Turks, internal disputes have continued for many years. The lack of integration with the people has become a mess. Looking at China again, it maintains the world with Confucianism. How can the Turks compare with it. Since Zhenguan, the emperor has treated the four realms with virtue, without distinction between Hua and Yi, so that the world Get along well, and everyone will return to their hearts, and this shows the difference." "Haha, you are the emperor's son-in-law, and you are the general who holds the military power trusted by the emperor. Of course you can say that. Suizhi is virtue? This is indeed the emperor's brilliance. However, this method can flourish for a while. If time After a long time, it is also a lie." "Why does Khan think so?" "Since ancient times, has it been possible to govern the world with virtue? The emperor is now revered as the 'Heavenly Khan' to make the barbarians obey. Is it because of 'virtue'? No! If there is no Tang Dynasty to rely on, it will be difficult. There is something to be done. Today I promised to take the four cities as a betrothal gift, General Consort, to be frank, if you hadn’t led the troops here, would I have readily agreed?” The Turkic people speak frankly and don't like to talk in a twisted way. When Yibi Shekui Khan said such words, Ashinasheer didn't think he was disobedient, and echoed: "What the Khan said is very true. But the general thinks that the emperor If you insist on taking these four cities, you can just send me to take them directly, why do you have to discuss with the Great Khan? The emperor actually doesn't want to use force to force people." "Don't use force to force people? There is no need for the emperor to do this. If I have the current national power of the Tang Dynasty, I will definitely not do this." "If the Great Khan has the power of the Tang Dynasty, how will he do it?" "If I have the power of the Tang Dynasty, I will definitely gather millions of cavalry, conquer the countries, make my Turkic people famous all over the world, and become the overlord of the world. Suizhi with virtue? I will never take such a weak strategy. General Consort, Looking at the world, we only use power to judge people, what is 'virtue'? Can it conquer the world?" Yibi Shekui Khan suddenly realized that he had lost his composure, and laughed at himself: "Look at me, today After drinking a little more wine, I actually uttered a lot of arrogant words. General Consort Ma and General Qibi, today I regard you as people who are close to me, so I uttered these presumptuous words. After you return to Beijing, please don’t ask the emperor Paraphrase this." Ashinasheer nodded in agreement, and said: "How can you take what you say after drinking seriously? Please rest assured, the sweat we are talking about today is limited to this account. After today, it will all be blown by the wind." After all, As a Turkic person, he has inherited a straightforward and calm personality. Today, he saw Yibi Shekui Khan expressing his feelings, and he was grateful in his heart, so he naturally agreed to keep it a secret. Since the emergence of Confucianism and Taoism in China, China has cultivated a self-contained, deeply self-restrained mind, and will not invade foreign nations.During the Han Dynasty, due to repeated invasions by the Huns and the emergence of a figure like Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, it was possible to open up the territory.In contrast, nomadic tribes live in no fixed place, have no attachments, and are not bound by Confucianism. They have the wildness to conquer the world after they become powerful.What Yibi Shekui Khan said after drinking today actually revealed the difference between China and nomadic tribes. Qibi Heli sat on one side silently, thinking that after Yibi Shekui Khan came to the throne, he would expand his military power and drive Siyehu Khan westward, and he would not hesitate to turn against Datang. What he said today is really true Its voice.It seems that he is actually a powerful character, which must be guarded against in the future. However, what Qibi Heli was thinking was really worrying. Yipi Shekui Khan's power was very limited, and he obediently gave up Suiye and other four cities to Datang, which showed that he could hardly stop the power of Datang from westward.From now on, Yibi Shekui Khan can only move in the west of Suiye City.Later, Ashina Helu, the governor of Yaochi, led his subordinates to encroach on the territory of Yibi Shekui Khan, greatly reducing its power. , and his full of ambitions will also be included in the underworld. Ashinasheer finished these things, and asked Qibi Heli to lead fifty horsemen to the capital of Khotan, and persuaded King Fujaxin of Khotan to return to Chang'an with him.He also found skilled craftsmen on the banks of Rehai, carved stones to record his achievements, and erected stone tablets in front of the tents of the Chinese army. The prisoner of war was captured by King Helibushibi of Kucha, and King Fujaxin of Yutian persuaded him to enter Beijing. Khan Yipishekui agreed to cede the four towns of Suiye as a dowry gift, which can be said to have fully achieved the purpose of the expedition.Ashinasheer led his men to leave Rehai to start a class division. On the eve of his departure, he wrote this record into a memorial and sent a fast horse to Chang'an. Li Shimin encountered embarrassing things these two days. Ashi Nasheer knew Li Shimin's love for sex. After he captured the capital of Kucha, he had people select several beautiful virgins in the city and sent them to Chang'an along with the memorial. When Li Shimin was reading the memorial, he couldn't help but look a few more times at the beautiful girls in the audience.Seeing their graceful bodies, their skin white as snow, and their blue eyes like sea water, made his heart tremble for a while.The eunuchs around him understood the emperor's intentions, and obediently led these women to live in the newly built Yingchun Palace, and let the maids bathe them, waiting for the emperor to come here at night. When night fell, Li Shimin entered the palace on foot, and went to the room of the tallest girl first. All the maids rejuvenated, bathed the woman, changed her into light pajamas, and put her on the embroidered couch.When Li Shimin entered the room, the woman thought it was because of the fatigue of the journey, she fell into a deep sleep.I saw a light shining on the girl's body, she pushed the embroidered quilt aside, took off the belt of the little red tube top, opened her arms, revealing two tall, white virgin breasts, underneath Surrounded by light green clothes, she showed a pair of thin, white feet.Seeing such a sleeping beauty made Li Shimin, who had experienced a lot of sex, move his heart.He motioned to the maids behind him to remove his clothes, then waved them out of the room, and stepped onto the couch by himself. The beauty had been awakened, her eyes were wide open, showing a look of panic, seeing that she was so exposed, she hurriedly pulled the embroidered quilt to cover her body.Li Shimin reached out and pulled the embroidered quilt, gently hugged the girl, and whispered: "Little beauty, take off the clothes." The beauty understood her mission on this trip, and saw Li Shimin again today, and knew that the man holding her was the current emperor, so she removed the tube top and Chang'er as she said, and showed her whole white body in front of Li Shimin. However, he didn't know whether it was the virgin's fear or shyness that could not cooperate well, or Li Shimin was too impatient, he tossed and tossed for a long time, after all, he couldn't get things done.He changed another beautiful woman, but it still didn't work, so he had to walk away in the end.He really wanted to spread the flames, so he called Xu Hui to serve him, but no matter how hard he tried, nothing good could happen. Li Shimin cast a wave of anger on those Kucha girls, and ordered them to be expelled from the palace and married as they wished.Even so, the fire in his heart is difficult to vent.He has indulged in fierce fighting all his life, how carefree he is, there is no time when he is so useless.In the past few days, because he couldn't indulge in sexual desire, his face was very ugly when he saw his ministers.It wasn't until he saw Ashinasheer's memorial that his face softened a bit. At this time, Li Shi handed over the affairs of Liaodong to Zhang Jian and Cheng Mingzhen, and had returned to the capital to preside over the affairs of the Ministry of War.He saw Li Shimin read Ashinasheer's memorial and said: "Your Majesty, during the First World War in the Western Regions, Khan Yipi Shekui took the initiative to cut off four cities as a dowry, and the affairs of the Western Regions are settled from then on." Ma Zhou also played aside: "Your Majesty has been paying attention to the affairs of the Western Regions since he conquered Xue Rengao in the first year of Wude. During this period, it has been 30 years since Keping Tuyuhun, Gaochang, and Yanqi. Now the east of Congling is all Tang soil. I think that our dynasty has achieved such achievements, and we have never exhausted our national strength and fought bloody battles, it is all due to His Majesty's careful consideration." Li Shimin nodded slightly, and said: "Because of the terrain, China has suffered from Xirong and Beidi for many years. Now that Beidi has been flattened, Xirong has given the leadership, and the border affairs have been cleared up since then. What Ma Qing said is my heart. , He did not hesitate to squander the savings of the treasury for many years, and how many men shed blood on the battlefield. I decided to set up the northern border, and only sent Li Jing to lead a surprise attack, no more than 200,000 people, and then conquered Tuyuhun, Gaochang, Yanqi, and even this time in Kucha. The number of people in the battle is no more than this number. It is unprecedented in ancient and modern times to achieve such a great achievement at a very small price. If Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty knew about it, would he be ashamed of it?" Li Shimin was delighted to win the great victory in the Western Regions. When the ministers complimented him, they couldn't help bragging. Ma Zhou played again: "Your Majesty's words are very true. Such a great achievement has been achieved at a very small price, which has never been seen in ancient and modern times. Emperor Qin and Han Wu used force to boast to the world, but they finally did not understand that making the four barbarians good and powerful is more effective. reason." During the Western Wei Dynasty in China, the Turkic tribes, which were originally the iron slaves of the Rouran tribe, gradually became stronger under the rule of the then leader Lingmen.It first joined forces with the Western Wei Dynasty to get rid of Rouran's jurisdiction and replace it.After that, the Turkic tribe chased Khitan in the east and merged with Qidan in the north to subdue the countries outside the Great Wall;In the early years of the Sui Dynasty, the territory of the Turks included the Liaohai Sea in the east, the West Sea in the west, the South Desert in the north, and the North Sea in the north. Its territory was larger than that of the Sui Dynasty.At that time, the Turkic Khanate was actually the world's first empire.However, such a huge empire was finally divided into Eastern Turks and Western Turks due to continuous internal disputes. In the process of confronting the Tang Dynasty, it was finally defeated by Li Shimin and destroyed. Since Li Shimin became the king of Qin, he has always regarded the Eastern and Western Turks as the biggest threat to the Tang Dynasty, and considered the affairs of the Siyi with this as the center.Looking back now, Li Shimin was committed to governing the country peacefully, and he was unwilling to spend a lot of manpower and material resources to confront the Turks head-on.This approach is really clever, and the praise of the officials is not in vain. Li Shimin thought of Guo Xiaoke's death again, and said with regret: "Xiaoke has been the guardian of Anxi for many years, and has always been cautious. Unexpectedly, he was careless this time and died. Such a good situation in the Western Regions is inseparable from Xiaoke's many years of management. It is a pity to die." He said here, thinking that the candidate for the post of Anxi Governor would have to hesitate a lot. Guo Xiaoke is well-organized and well-organized, and he is able to deal with the complicated situation in the Western Regions.It was a great loss to Datang that he was killed. Li Shizuo said: "Your Majesty, now that Yibi Shekui Khan handed over the four towns of Suiye, Qiuci, Shule, and Khotan to our dynasty, our territory in the Western Regions has expanded several times. These four towns are used as Is it under the jurisdiction of Zhengzhou, or is it under the jurisdiction of Jimi Prefecture? Your Majesty, please indicate." Li Shimin was silent for a moment, and then slowly said: "When Hou Junji first captured Gaochang, I decided to change Gaochang into Xizhou and bring it under the jurisdiction of Zhengzhou. Wei Zheng firmly opposed it at that time, thinking that it would be difficult to defend Zhengzhou here. They also spent money and food, and insisted that the son of Qu Wentai be the king of Gaochang, thinking that I would be a vassal. By the way, I remember that Suiliang also held the same opinion at that time, Suiliang, isn’t that the case?” Chu Suiliang wrote in the Shu at that time: "It is advisable to choose Gaochang who can be established, and call the leaders to return to the native land, and grow up to be a fan." After reading it, Li Shimin put it aside and ignored it.Chu Suiliang recalled the past now, bowed and replied: "At that time, I thought that if you want to govern the country quietly, you should not spend too much energy and money in the wilderness, because of this thought." Li Shimin said: "How can I not know your thoughts? However, the Western Regions have been Chinese territory since the Han Dynasty. If I didn't set up the three states of Yi, Xi, and Ting in the Western Regions as strongholds, how would I expand the territory of the Western Regions? Without this move at the beginning, I would have It is difficult to form today's situation. Compared with sending more than a thousand people to defend and spending some money and food, the income is really great. Now that Kucha, Khotan, Suiye, and Shule have returned to our country, Suiliang, I am determined to adopt you and Wei Zheng The original proposal: instead of setting up Zhengzhou, set up Jimi Prefecture." Compared with the three prefectures of Xi, Yi, and Ting, the four towns of Suiye have a territory several times larger, and the population is mixed.If these four towns are set as Zhengzhou, Datang will send many officials, and at least tens of thousands of soldiers will be needed, which will consume a lot of energy and money of Datang. Chu Suiliang praised: "Your Majesty's move made the Western Regions safe without endangering the peace of the country. It is really a blessing for the common people. I remember that His Majesty once appointed Ashina Helu as the governor of Yaochi, and brought these four towns under the jurisdiction of the governor's mansion of Yaochi. Next, is it appropriate?" Li Shimin shook his head and said, "No. It is not necessary to include Suiye Fourth Town into the Anxi Protectorate. Brother, what do you think of Ashina Helu?" Li Shi replied: "I think that Ashina Helu returned to the Tang Dynasty because of the general situation. His Majesty appointed him as the governor of Yaochi, the main purpose was to let him contain Yibi Shekui Khan. The human nature of the Western Turks is prone to repetition. When it is strong, it is easy to rebel. For example, Yibi Shekui Khan is an example. When he was weak, I gave a lot of love and care, and finally drove Siyehu Khan to the west. Now that he is strong, he does not listen to the call , completely forgot the benefits of my dynasty." Li Shimin nodded and said: "Brother Shi's words are reasonable. It seems that there is still a difference between the Eastern Turkic people and the Western Turkic people. Not to mention that Ashina Sheer and Zhi Shisili and others are loyal people to our dynasty, like Li Simo, Tuli Khan and others are also loyal to me. Ashina Helu is currently the governor of Yaochi, and it is difficult to guarantee that he will contact Siyehu Khan in private, so we have to guard against it." The four towns of Suiye, Khotan, Qiuci, and Shule have since come under the jurisdiction of the Anxi Protectorate, which is the famous "Anxi Four Towns".Li Shimin also ordered to move the governing office of Anxi Duhufu from Xizhou to the capital of Kucha, so that the center of gravity of Anxi Duhufu's jurisdiction moved westward.Since then, although China's western territory has advanced and retreated, it has been roughly fixed within this range. Wang Xuance led Alonashun and others back to the capital. Li Shimin learned the news of their return to Beijing from Gao Yanshou, and agreed to let them enter the West Nuan Pavilion of Taiji Hall to meet him. A Luo Nashun encountered bumps along the way, and Wang Xuance taunted him a lot, one can imagine his situation.Now he entered the hall timidly, and stood behind Wang Xuance, only to see that he was unshaven, his face was black and scorched, and he looked embarrassed.He numbly followed Gao Yanshou and Wang Xuance to bow to Li Shimin, his heart was agitated, he didn't know how the Emperor of Tang would send him. Li Shimin looked kindly, called them to be flat, and then said to Alona: "You are the little king of Tianzhu, Alona Shun?" The interpreter translated the words, and Alona bowed and replied, "If you answer your Majesty's words, it is the sinner." "Forget it, don't call yourself a sinner. At most, you don't know etiquette. When King Jieri was here, he and I exchanged messages, made friends with each other, and communicated endlessly. The Tang Dynasty admired the Buddhist kingdom of Tianzhu, and Master Xuanzang went to your country to seek Buddhism. , It is indeed a good story between the two countries. You should not be greedy for petty wealth and make the two countries enmity, it is unwise for you." Aronasun kept silent and dared not speak. "I ask you, do you want to go back to China or stay in Chang'an?" Seeing Alona's obedient manner, Li Shimin felt a little annoyed and didn't want to talk to him. Hearing that he could go back to the country, Alonashun's eyes lit up eagerly, and he hurriedly replied: "Your Majesty, sinners are willing to go back to the country." Wang Xuance interjected: "How can you return to the country? Zhong Tianzhu hates you to the bone because of how many families you have ruined. If you return to the country, they will definitely capture and kill you. Besides, they have a new king who can accommodate you Do you stand in the middle of the country?" Li Shimin reprimanded Wang Xuance: "I am talking to him, how can you interrupt? Whether to stay or not, he decides for himself, why force it?" Wang Xuance was so frightened that he dared not speak. Alona listened to Wang Xuance's words, thought about it, and felt that what Wang Xuance said was indeed reasonable, and if he returned to the country, he would definitely not have a good result.He was silent for a long time, and then he said to Ai Ai: "Your Majesty, what General Wang said is indeed for the benefit of the sinner. The sinner has made up his mind, and the sinner will just stay in Beijing from now on." Li Shimin turned to Gao Yanshou and said, "If that's the case, let Alonashun be the Great General of Youwuwei, and give him a house in Beijing to live in. Gao Qing, this matter is up to you." Gao Yanshou bowed to receive the decree, and Alona hurriedly thanked him after hearing the words. "You guys go back first, Wang Xuance stays here." Gao Yanshou led Alonashun out of the hall, leaving only Li Shimin, Li Zhi and his son, and Wang Xuance in the hall. Li Zhi recalled his father's words that day, looked slightly sideways, saw that his father was sitting there without any movement, so he turned to Wang Xuance and said, "Wang Xuance, I'm asking questions on behalf of the emperor, you must answer seriously." Since Wang Xuance left Tianzhu, he has been full of vigor along the way, always feeling that he has made great contributions, and the emperor will definitely reward him after returning to Beijing.Some time later, she was reprimanded by Princess Wencheng, but she didn't take it seriously, and was still happy.Today, when he entered the Golden Palace to face the saint, he didn't hear a word of praise from the emperor, and now he left himself alone. The atmosphere of watching the scene was a bit oppressive. He faintly felt that something was wrong, so he bowed and replied: "Your servant respectfully listens to the hadith." "In your memorial, it was said that Alona came here in obedience and robbed property. Is this true? Is it because of your arrogance that this change has been triggered?" "This matter is absolutely true. There were more than 30 people with me, and five of them died in Tianzhu. The rest were captured by Alonashun and rescued by my minister. This time, they returned to the country together. The prince will know the details when he asks." "Well, the envoy of a great country must not be arrogant and rude, and you are a member of the eastern bureaucracy, let alone dare to be domineering." “臣明白，臣出使之时，始终记着自己代表国家之颜面，不敢胡作非为。” “可你为何不向朝廷禀报，就擅自向吐蕃借兵，由此兴起一场战事呢？古语有言，将在外君命有所不受，你非为出征的将军，仅为一国钦使，谁给了你如此权力呢？”李治说到这里，脸色变得非常严肃起来。 李世民这时候也沉声说道：“王玄策，你当时激于一时之愤找吐蕃借兵，按说是在情理之中。然国与国之间不可妄动刀兵，须万般持重。中国与天竺相隔甚远，双方没有领土之争，只要殷勤通好也就罢了。阿罗那顺无礼，他终究也会明白这个道理。你却不事禀报，自行借兵，酿成一场血流成河的战事。你手下之兵固然是吐蕃人和泥婆罗人，然那些伤残的天竺人定会将所有罪愆怪罪到我朝头上，由此酿成更深的仇恨。阿罗那顺现在居住京中，可那千千万万的天竺人呢？他们会将你王玄策看成为救星吗？且天竺为佛国，讲究慈悲之心，你行杀戮之事，与其旨相违，其实更伤我朝之威仪。” 李世民和李治的一番训斥，早将王玄策心中的欢喜化成一团惶恐和懊丧。他“扑通”一声跪在地上，连连叩首道：“臣一时糊涂，未虑及其他，所以酿成一场祸事。臣现在知罪了，请皇上和太子重重责罚。” 李治看了一眼李世民，见他坐在那里毫无表示，遂说道：“罢了，你起来吧。皇上说了，你虽征战过程中未有闪失，终将阿罗那顺擒获，威震天竺诸国，还算有些功劳。如此将功抵过，对你不奖不罚，依旧在东宫办事吧。” 李世民微微点头，看得出来，他很赞赏李治如此说话。 王玄策闻言，再叩首道：“臣不知轻重，惹出祸端，敬谢皇上、太子不杀之恩。臣以为不奖不罚，待臣实在宽大一些，恳请再降级处罚。” 李世民这时看到王玄策比较有趣，失声笑道：“罢了，还降什么级？你借兵征讨天竺，天下庶民百姓皆以为我朝又出了一名大英雄，对你有许多赞誉，朕若再处罚你，他们会认为朕为一名不识人的昏君了。起来吧，就依太子之言，依旧回东宫好好办事吧。” 王玄策急忙再谢恩。 李世民又问道：“你在逻些之时，可曾拜见公主？” “臣返京之时，曾去拜见公主。臣不敢瞒陛下，公主对臣借兵伐天竺一事，很不以为然，并狠狠斥责了臣一番。” “嗯，文成毕竟为识大节之人。”李世民说到这里，脑海中浮现出文成公主离京前觐见自己的情景，遂叹道：“算来她入吐蕃，至今已六七年矣，她为何不回京省亲一次呢？王玄策，文成在逻些过得好吗？” “臣在逻些之时，感受到吐蕃臣民对公主极度爱戴，赞普也非常宠爱公主，公主在吐蕃的地位实在尊崇无比。” “嗯，这松赞干布确实尽了力。你去找他借兵，他想都没想就答应下来，大概他事先未与文成商量吧？文成这种态度，松赞干布肯定有所顾虑，也不会那么爽快借兵与你了。王玄策，你能顺利借兵，多亏文成事先不知道，实在透出侥幸。” 王玄策见场面气氛有所缓和，奏道：“皇上、太子，臣在天竺之时，得遇一名异人。此人养生有术，自言已活二百余岁。臣将之召到面前，见他鹤发童颜，果然奇异。细问其故，原来此人善炼丹药，服食后颇有功效。臣当时心想，此次归国无以为献，若能觅来长生之术献给陛下，可谓微功一件。臣当时大胆，就自作主张将此人带回国内。” 李世民听言后未有表示，李治闻言后心中大喜。原来李世民自辽东之战后，身体每况愈下，经御医百般调治后起色不大。这日王远知之徒刘道合入京，向李世民献上自己所炼的丹药，言说其药有延年益寿之功。李世民当初在洛阳围攻王世充之时，曾与房玄龄一起便装探访住在麻屯的道士王远知。这王远知确实识人，其一见李世民之面立刻猜出他是秦王，并赠给李世民一句话：“秦王方做太平天子，愿自惜也。”从那个时候开始，李世民认为天命所归，努力经营皇位，终于在玄武门之变中一举成功。其即位后，念起王远知的好处，邀请他入京设观居住。王远知却不同意入京，要求入山隐居，李世民遂其意为其建立道观，并为其度道士一百人。后来王远知年老身死，其弟子刘道合继为观主，李世民瞧在王远知的面子上，时常接见他。现在刘道合奉上丹药，李世民满怀疑惑，问道：“此丹以何物炼制，果然有用吗？” 李世民以前对方术炼丹之事持否定态度，多次讥笑秦始皇祈求神仙以图长生的荒唐，曾说过：“神仙事本虚妄，空有其名。秦始皇非分爱好，遂为方士所诈。”贞观十一年，其下诏曰：“夫生者天地之大德，寿者修短之常数。生有七尺之形，寿以百龄为限。含灵禀气，莫不同焉，皆得之于自然，不可以分外企也。虽复回天转日之力，尽妙穷神之智，生必有终，皆不能免。”其对人之生死有正确的认识，压根就不相信人能万寿无疆。 刘道合取出一瓷坛，真诚地说道：“贫道听说陛下龙体不适，特取钟乳、云母诸物，合成此丹，名为九转丹。此丹能够通气生骨、健胃养脾，久服之能够延年益寿。陛下可请太医署让人试用，若果然有效再请陛下服用。” 李世民近来被病所困，有了“病急乱投医”的心理，他与刘道合相识多年，知道他不敢蒙骗自己，遂对李治说道：“如此，治儿，你可将九转丹交给太医署，让其找人试用。若果然有效，朕再试用不迟。” 道士炼丹之初衷为求长生，多取世上珍奇之物以为原料。由于药性不一，且炼制方法因人而异，所以炼出之丹多半毒性甚大，人服之轻者伤残，重者身亡。然也有极少数丹药，由于选药正确，炼制得法，确有养生之功。后世的一些中药，因炼丹而成，即为例证。刘道合所献九转丹，其主要成分为钟乳，本身就有通气生胃的功能。太医署让人对症试用后，觉得有效果，遂请李世民服用。李世民的病根因在辽东之时饮食不那么如意，路上又感风寒，所以引起消化不良。其服用后，症状大为减轻，就对李治道：“治儿，看来我以前对丹药有偏见，丹药并非一无是处。我服用了刘道士的九转丹之后，感到还是挺有好处的。” 李治大喜，遂将刘道合召来，问他还有什么好丹药。刘道合说道：“贫道得师父秘方，其中一味药需用天台山灵草。因此物难觅，此药一直不能合成。师父曾说道，若能合成此丹药，人服用后定能长生。” 李治急忙道：“如此，我让台州刺史派人入天台山寻来灵草，以此入药。” 刘道合摇摇头，说道：“此物可遇不可求，且凡人难识此物。” 李治默然片刻，断然道：“这样吧，我让吏部授你为台州刺史，你在台州可以调集全州百姓入山寻药。若此丹早成，将其进呈父皇面前，即为你大功一件。” 让方士成为地方大员，且让其寻药炼丹，此举非常荒唐。然李世民得知李治此举，大赞李治仁孝，其心中也想让刘道合早日炼丹成功，他此时的心境与其贞观初年相比，实有天渊之别。 李治现在又听说此名天竺方士能活二百余岁，且有炼丹之术，急忙向李世民说道：“父皇，人活七十古来稀，此人能活二百余岁，定有非常之能。儿臣听说天竺向有炼药之能，王玄策能访来此人且将他带回京，实为奇功一件，就让此人入殿觐见如何？” 李世民点头答应。 那罗迩娑婆寐获准觐见，在太监带领下进入西暖阁。李世民和李治见此人鹤发童颜，仙风飘飘，心中大起好感。 人生世上，何人能活二百余岁而不死呢？这分明是骗人的鬼话，谁知李世民、李治和王玄策深信不疑。李世民因近年多病，感到身体状况一年不如一年，心中对死亡产生了无限恐惧之意，所以希冀长生，转对丹药方术变换了态度；李治小心侍候李世民，其年轻没有多少见识，得知有什么延年益寿之术立刻进呈父皇；王玄策则是一片奉迎之心，所以宁信其有，不信其无。 李治问道：“你果真已活二百余岁吗？” 那罗迩娑婆寐听通译翻成梵语，急忙眨动着小眼，躬身答道：“小人今年二百零三岁，不敢虚言。” “你以何法得以长生呢？” “小人身有秘术，能炼丹药，每三年吞食一次，所以能够长寿。” “你可身带此药？” “此药炼制太难，须采来奇药异石，再以一年时间闭门炼制，方能成药。” 李治得知他身边没有成药，脸上露出失望的神色，转对李世民道：“父皇，儿臣想让太医署派员佐此人由他在京炼丹药。” 李世民点头答应，说道：“可在金飙门内为他设立造药之场，由民部尚书崔敦礼主持，发使天下，采办奇药异石，由其炼造延年之药。”李世民如此急切，显示他已经相信了这名天竺人之能。 那罗迩娑婆寐见大唐皇帝如此礼敬自己，不由得喜色上脸，遂又躬身说道：“小人离国之时，曾将炼好的日常药携来一些，人若服用后很有功效。陛下若不弃，可以尝试服用。” 李治比较持重，将那罗迩娑婆寐所贡丹药交给太医署，让他们找人试用。二日后，太医令遵旨觐见李世民，禀报丹药的功效。 “陛下，臣派人试用此药后，身体未有异状，唯体内燥热，能提高房中之术数倍。” “如此说，此为春药了。其有延年益寿之功效吗？” “因试用时间太短，此功效难以看出。”太医令老老实实答道。 “嗯，只要此药对身体无害，定有延年益寿之功效。也罢，你将此药留下，下去吧。” 到了晚间，李世民将药服下，半个时辰后，腹内顿时热腾腾地升起一团热流，腰下之处也坚硬而起。是夕，李世民御一女后难畅其意，又召来一女侍寝。其酣畅淋漓，将多日的郁闷和恼火一泻而出。 想是因为王玄策引来天竺方士和献来丹药的缘故，李世民对王玄策大起好感。后数日，李世民让李治拟诏，授王玄策为朝散大夫，最终升了王玄策的官职。