Wen Junyou groaned: "If King Yue is not in a hurry to go to war, I have a candidate to send an envoy to Dingxiang City." ”

Yang Chongxi said: "The head of the family has a unique vision, and he must be a different character. ”

Wen Junyou said slowly: "The original Huaiyang guarded Zhao Tuo, he had a good relationship with the Xiao family, and he was deeply trusted by Yang Guang, the Son of Heaven. After Li Mi's defeat, Zhao Tuo did not take refuge in Wang Shichong, but took advantage of the chaos to flee back to Hebei and lived in seclusion at his home in Dingzhou. ”

Yang Chong nodded and said, "No problem, Song Jingang's subordinates are short of people, and Zhao Tuo can serve as the deputy driver of the Daizhou Assassin History Department." ”

This official position has no real power, but the level is not low, it is very suitable for a newcomer like Zhao Tuo who has rich experience and has just defected, Wen Junyou is no longer hypocritical, and asked Yang Chong for a letter and went to Boling County. Zhao Tuo had been idle for a long time, knowing that Yang Chong had the highest possibility of unifying the world, and after gladly accepting the official position, he went to Beiping to meet Yang Chong, Xu Shiji, and Song Jingang, and then arrived in Dingxiang City with Yang Chong's letters and gifts.

Dingxiang City seems to be the territory of the Turks, the streets are full of Turkic soldiers and nobles who show off their might, and the troops under the banner of the Sui army do not play any role in Dingxiang City except for patrolling outside the city and standing guard at the city gate. The street market is cold, and most of the shops are Hu people, only the post house looks like a thing, and there are shops on the cross streets, and when I ask the officials of the post house, I know that it is the business of several powerful families such as Yang Shanjing and the Xiao family, and the Turks still give this face.

Zhao Tuo submitted the official document according to the rules, explaining his intentions, and learned that Yang Chong, the king of Yue, proposed that Empress Xiao return to Chang'an, and the officials of the Ministry of Rites did not dare to delay and immediately sent the official document to the palace. Dingxiang City is so big, and the officials of the small imperial court usually have nothing to do, so it didn't take long for Empress Xiao and the others to know, and Yang Shanjing and others arrived one after another.

Empress Xiao and others were looking forward to returning to Chang'an day and night, Yang Chongzhen sent a messenger to ask them to go back with Yang Zhengdao, but Empress Xiao hesitated, arranged for Zhao Tuo to stay in the post house, and hurriedly invited Princess Yicheng and others to discuss. Too many people have suffered Yang Chong's losses, and the two-page letter made Yang Shanjing and others hesitate for a long time; As an important minister of the Turks, it is impossible for Yang Shanjing to follow him to Chang'an, if it is just Empress Xiao and a few people who go back, it will be self-defeating, not to mention that the Turks may not agree.

Pei Ju stood up first, and said without impatience: "Don't worry about it, now that Yang Chongtun is in Beiping, we can do the article in the west, let the Liang division move a little, attract the attention of Huaiyuan and Yincheng, and then ask the Turkic army to pass through the desert and attack Wuwei and Jiuquan." Wuwei has food and population, Jiuquan is Yang Chong's private industrial city, there are good things such as steel and thunder, if you rob it, how many people in the world will clap your hands. ”

Yang Shanjing understood the feasibility of Pei Ju's words, Yang Chong's army was in Beiping, and the first thing he wanted to find for revenge was Tuli around him, which was in line with Jieli Khan's intentions. As for Yang Chong's stay in Hexi, Wei Chigong, Xifeng Changshan and others, they belong to the inferior figures, as long as they are kept secret, the Turks are really likely to succeed. Procrastinating the reply is also a good means, at least to limit Yang Chong's next move.

Zhao Deyan, the representative of Jieli Khan, interjected and said: "Lord Pei, this matter is not appropriate, unless the army is not discovered until it reaches the city of Jiuquan, otherwise, the Hexi army has time to destroy everything in Jiuquan." As for the food population, according to our relationship with Chang'an, we can get it without plundering. Master Pei, you can't treat us Turks as children, let us and Yang Chong fight to the death, form a mortal enemy, but get nothing, if you want us to contribute, you must always talk about some benefits. ”

Princess Yicheng's face was pale, if it was really as Zhao Deyan said, Pei Ju's intentions were worth scrutinizing. Pei Ju stroked his gray beard and said: "Is it possible for the Turks and Yang Chong to reconcile, you are just waiting for an opportunity to defeat each other, once Li Tang is destroyed, the Turks will have one less friend." Even if Jiuquan can't get something, wouldn't it be a good thing to destroy an industrial base in Yang Chong. ”

Princess Yicheng bowed her head and said: "You can take Zhuhu in the Western Regions as the mainstay, and then transfer 10,000 people from Ya Tent and Tiele to make an army of 50,000." Master Pei, the Turks and Dingxiang City are now short of financial resources, and you need to raise military salaries. ”

Princess Yicheng meant that Li Shimin wanted to pay money, and even if the Turks ran empty, at least there would not be much financial loss; Pei Ju said confidently: "The princess is reasonable, King Yan has just received a large amount of sponsorship from the Maitreya Sect, and he will definitely not disappoint the princess and the khan." ”

The King of Yan in Pei Ju's mouth is Li Shimin, and Li Shimin still holds the title of King of Qin of Li Tang in Youzhou, but in Dingxiang City, Yang Zhengdao named Li Shimin as the King of Yan, and Pei Ju still has to do something superficial. After Song Zixian's death, Li Shimin, as a disciple of Song Zixian, vigorously recruited Maitreya disciples, and the three golden Buddhas more than two meters high and millions of gold and silver jewelry that Song Zixian transported to Yuyang in advance all fell into the hands of Li Shimin.

If you have money, you can do things, Princess Yicheng agreed: "I'll discuss it with the Khan." ”

Empress Xiao's brother-in-law Wang Gon and nephew Xiao Siye and others secretly complained about Pei Ju, hindering an opportunity to step down with dignity; Yang Zhengdao's small court is also a puppet in Dingxiang City, and any Turkic commander can shout at these important ministers. Yang Chong originally paid tribute every month, more than half of which was robbed by the Turks, Wang Gon, Xiao Siye and others lived as well as a minor official in Taiyuan; Both of them have been to Taiyuan, Yang Chong is stronger than the Turks, and the average official is very well-off.

After the dispersal of the dynasty, as soon as Wang Gon came out of the palace gate, he met an official from the post house, and the official saluted and said: "Wang Shilang, Lord Zhao from Chang'an invited you to come over, saying that he brought a gift to the Empress Dowager Xiao." ”

Wang Gon and the officials all knew that every time people came to Chang'an, they were generous, saying that it was a gift to the Empress Dowager Xiao, and Wang Gon would never be missing, and the officials who ran errands would also have a reasonable errand fee. Wang Gon was a waiter in the Ministry of Rites, and it was his duty to meet with envoys from all walks of life, so he smiled and happily followed the officials to the post house; Zhao Tuo had already booked a banquet, and set the whole sheep banquet in the outer building of the largest restaurant in Xiangcheng, with twenty-eight dishes, and set the table in the post house slowly.

Zhao Tuo was talking with a member of the Ministry of Rites, and when he saw Wang Gon arriving, he got up to greet the two and sit down, and Wang Gon said in embarrassment: "Lord Zhao, it's not good to spread the money like this." ”

"Hey." Zhao Tuo poured a full wine for Wang Gon and said: "Lord Wang, you and I are officials in the same dynasty, and it is rare to have the opportunity to get close, before this departure, King Yue can say, you are welcome to follow Xiao Hou back to Chang'an to serve, and in the future, the next official will be in the locality, and I hope that Lord Wang will support you more in the center." ”

(End of chapter)