Li Jiangyao suddenly came to his senses: "The set of things in the struggle for imperial power is really understood by you." After finishing the drama between Xie Guang and King Huaiyang, now he wants to make a moth of the descendants of King Jin. If you don't mess up Shengtang, you will never be reconciled. ”

Ashina shook his head and said solemnly: "General Li, I am not the initiator of these infighting. On the contrary, it was all caused by you Saint Tang people themselves. ”

After that, he flicked the sleeves of his robe, as if he was chatting with an old friend for many years, and said eloquently: "When I was young, I admired the Shengtang culture very much. Whether it is the scriptures of your holy religion or all kinds of historical books, I have carefully studied them one by one. In the process, I found a very interesting question. The ideology of the Holy Religion is about benevolence, righteousness, loyalty, filial piety, and openness, but in your history, there has never been a shortage of great traitors and evildoers, all of whom were born as holy priests, who were rich in learning and full of wealth. Why is that? ”

Being in the core area of the confrontation between the two armies, Ashina suddenly talked about history and culture, Li Jiangyao couldn't help but shake his head and smile bitterly: "The greed for power and wealth should be indistinguishable between holy religion and non-holy religion." ”

"Definitely." Ashina sneered: "People do have greed. But under the protection of the aura of the Holy Religion, those primitive desires are covered, wrapped, and distorted by extreme decoration. Therefore, there will be betrayal and subversion again and again. The intensity of these struggles is far more brutal than the bloody slaughter of our Turks. ”

"If you Saint Tang people don't provoke civil strife themselves, how can I make good use of it?"

Li Jiangyao was silent for a moment and nodded lightly: "Maybe you're right, the strongest fortress can often only be broken from the inside. ”

Ashina's eyes lit up: "The strongest fortress can often only be attacked from the inside. Well, that's a really good sentence and full of philosophy. General Li, since you have seen all this through, of course you know that I was not alarmist just now. Li Bing came in an improper way, Li Binggui was a royal family, and the two of them fought in the ring, and Shengtang was bound to fall into a split situation again. At that time, do you still think that we Turks have no chance? ”

Li Jiangyao stared at the other party tightly, and said word by word: "I will never give you any chance!" Before the internal problems of the Holy Don can be completely resolved, the Turkic army must be wiped out! ”

"I just wanted to talk to you about that." Ashina said lightly: "Is there a possibility of cooperation between you and me?" ”

Li Jiangyao couldn't help but laugh and said, "What does Khan think? ”

Ashina Zhijin said very sincerely: "I think it's completely okay." ”

"Oh? I would like to hear about it. ”

"Everything still revolves around the ghost desert of Western Xinjiang." Ashina looked very confident: "Your Zhenjiang army is different from the traditional Shengtang army. Whether it was the Zhenjiang Protectorate, the Long Knife Legion, the Fierce Blade Legion, or the imperial court soldiers and horses in Li Bing's hands now, they all belong to the pure Saint Tang bloodline. As for the Zhenjiang Army, its roots are in the vast land of Western Xinjiang. As far as I know, at least seventy percent of the soldiers under your command are from Western Xinjiang, right? ”

Li Jiangyao nodded silently and did not answer.

Ashina continued: "We all understand a simple truth. The source of the army often represents their position, as well as the object of allegiance. An army composed mainly of the local children of Western Xinjiang, how could it be possible to have the position of the Holy Tang Emperor in their hearts? The person they admire, the person they are loyal to, is you, and you are the only one. ”

"What exactly do you want to say?" Li Jiangyao asked in a deep voice.

"What I want to say is very simple, I'm sure you already understand." Ashina smiled indifferently: "In the eyes of Li Binghe's imperial court, you are a prince with heavy troops and a division of one side; In the eyes of the soldiers of the Zhenjiang Army, you are their eternal commander and the holy king of Western Xinjiang. In this case, do you want to serve the saint Tang loyally? Haha, will Li Bing believe it? Will the Zhenjiang Army agree? When the imperial court does something unfavorable to Western Xinjiang, how will you correct your position? ”

Ashina's words were like a heavy hammer, smashing Li Jiangyao's heart. The other party is right, if one day the imperial court really makes unfair demands on Western Xinjiang, can he stay out of the matter and stand idly by?

In that case, how could he, Li Jiangyao, be worthy of thousands of comrades-in-arms in Western Xinjiang who were buried in the battlefield?

Seeing that Li Jiangyao's face was cloudy, Ashina knew that his strategy had taken effect, so he continued to strike while the iron was hot and said: "When I read "Historical Biography" before, I saw an interesting saying, which was also the first proposed by the Central Plains civilization, that is, 'raising self-respect'. I don't think I need to explain more to General Li. From the perspective of the Holy Tang, we are Kou, as long as we exist for a day, your position cannot be shaken, even if it is a high emperor, we must respect your opinions and obey your ideas. In this way, won't you be able to better protect the interests of the people of Western Xinjiang? ”

It was only at this time that Li Jiangyao really realized how powerful Ashina was. did not mention the safety and losses of the Turks, and only considered planning for Li Jiangyao everywhere, and suddenly grasped the problem he was most worried about, and gave a reason why he could not refuse.

Once the Turks are destroyed and the rebels are gone, the Shengtang will inevitably get back on track, and all the military generals will once again accept the control of the imperial court, either to increase the number of officials and enter the knighthood, or to disarm and return to the field, and all the troops and horses will definitely be unified and reorganized and transferred as needed.

At that time, even if Li Jiangyao was made a marquis and paid homage to the prime minister, it would be difficult to fundamentally safeguard the interests of the ghost desert in Western Xinjiang.

On the contrary, if the Turks and rebels persist for a long time, then the imperial court will have to continue to rely on these soldiers, and their power will be boundless.

After pondering for a long time, Li Jiangyao took a deep breath and said with a faint smile: "Khan, what you said is indeed very reasonable, Li has been taught." ”

Ashina Zhijin also smiled and said, "So, is the general willing to consider cooperation?" ”

"No, not only will we not cooperate, but we will destroy you faster!"

Li Jiangyao straightened his spine and said loudly: "In the vast Eastern Continent, it is not only the great dynasty of the Holy Tang. For thousands of years, when one dynasty falls, another dynasty rises, passing the torch from generation to generation. However, no matter how we divide and merge, it is our own family's business, and it has nothing to do with outsiders. You said that how the interests of Western Xinjiang should be coordinated with the imperial court is also our own business, so we don't bother with the Great Khan of the Turks. ”

Ashina's pupils gradually contracted. While he was quite surprised, there was also an indescribable fear in his heart.

At this moment, Ashina felt deeply that Li Jiangyao, who was sitting opposite him, was not only an invincible commander commanding hundreds of thousands of Zhenjiang troops, but also the history he had read in the books of the Holy Tang Dynasty.

In the magnificent and heart-wrenching historical records, there are indeed many traitorous ministers who disturb the country for personal gain, but more are countless people like Li Jiangyao.

Some of them are civil servants and scholars, some are military generals and heroes, some are ordinary peddlers and pawns, and some are gentle and delicate women.

And all of them have the same strong belief:

Do you want to bewitch me, incite me, make me turn my back on my own nation, betray my country?

Wish for the moon!

In the face of such a person, Ashina suddenly felt a deep sense of powerlessness in his heart.

He was silent for a long time, and sighed softly: "It seems that the general has made up his mind, and he must fight with me." ”

Li Jiangyao stood up: "Khan, my brother Xu Youchang, has already taken Huazhou at this time, and sent someone to spread the news out of Tongguan. It is believed that it will not be long before the Turkic armies will rush back to Guanzhong and try to reinforce and rescue the imperial capital. At that time, it will be the day of the decisive battle between you and me. Please cherish the Khan, so that he can do it for himself. ”

After that, he walked out of the tent without looking back, leaving Ashina Zhijin alone in place, slightly distracted.

-

The day after Li Jiangyao met with Ashina Zhijin, the main force of the Zhenjiang Army outside the city began to act.

The first batch of 50,000 heavy infantry approached the imperial capital in three directions, completely blocking the north, west and south sides of the city, leaving only the east road undefended.

Ashina knew in his heart that Li Jiangyao did it on purpose.

The so-called "besieging the city must be que", this is the essence of the art of war of the Holy Tang people. Leaving a way for the enemy to survive is not out of good intentions, but if you want to make the other party despair, you need to give the other party hope first.

The art of psychological warfare is incisive.

Looking at the bare plains in the east of the imperial capital, Ashina was indeed quite hesitant.

Take the opportunity to withdraw, not to mention giving up the imperial capital to Li Jiangyao in vain, and it is possible that he will be intercepted and ambushed by Xu Youchang in Huazhou on the way. But if you don't withdraw, you can only watch Li Jiangyao calmly deploy and wait for Ronia and them to run back and take the bait.

Although Ashina Zhijin had already sent heralds, the Prince of the Temple and other generals would not pay attention to themselves and concentrate on sweeping the vast territory of the Holy Tang. But he also knew that this order would most likely not work, because it was impossible for the Turkic army to watch the Great Khan besieged and die without saving him.

And when all the soldiers and horses rushed back to Guanzhong, the strategy he had planned in front of him fell short.

This Li Jiangyao is really amazing, why didn't I notice him in the morning?

Ashina sighed secretly, and ordered his subordinates to pass the order again. This time, he changed his original thinking: those troops who have to run back to rescue the driver can come back, but all of them are limited to Tongguan, and they will stay there for the time being, and when the troops are gathered to a certain extent, I will give you new orders. Do not act without authorization and blindly march westward, so as not to fall into the plan of the Zhenjiang army to encircle and send reinforcements.