novelhk Chapter 213 The Attitude of the Uighurs
Chapter 213 The Attitude of the Uighurs
After witnessing the power of the flintlock rifle up close, everyone became more determined to follow the Tang Dynasty.
The massacre of the Tibetans lasted for more than half an hour.
Blood flowed like a river, heads rolled, body parts splattered, and the entire square was dyed red.
Everyone was shocked by the ruthlessness displayed by the Tang Dynasty.
The Tang Dynasty's style of doing things has changed, it has really changed.
It is no longer the Celestial Empire where you can receive preferential treatment as long as you surrender.
It became a country of tigers and wolves like Tubo and Huihe, where revenge is the only option and behavior is ruthless.
The transformation of the Tang Dynasty made these fence-sitters even more nervous, and they thought that they must never betray the Tang Dynasty.
Perhaps the Tang Dynasty is not as powerful as before, but these small countries are still vulnerable to the weakened Tang Dynasty.
As long as the Tang Dynasty once again set its sights on conquering the Western Regions, the Arab Empire in the west, the Tibetan Empire in the south, and the Uighurs who dominated the grasslands in the north would all have to kneel down and submit.
This is the remaining power of the Tang Empire. Even if it is weakened, it is still not something that the surrounding countries can contend with.
Li Chengqian had no time to watch all this. After leaving a hundred soldiers to Guo Xin as a force to stabilize the situation, he took the rest of the people on the journey to the south.
Outside the city, Guo Xin led more than 300 newly recruited Han soldiers and lined up in front of the Tang Dynasty soldiers.
He once again kowtowed three times and bowed nine times to Li Shimin and Li Chengqian.
He knew that this was their final farewell and they might never have the chance to meet again in their lifetime.
Guo Xin said solemnly: "Your Majesty and everyone else, please rest assured that I will guard Anxi, and the flag of the Tang Dynasty will always fly high in the land of the Western Regions!"
Li Shimin stepped forward and helped the old general up: "I have received your kindness, but you should not force me. As the saying goes, if you have green mountains, you will never run out of firewood.
In case you are unable to do so, the old general should never force a retreat.
The gain or loss of a city or a place cannot affect the overall situation, but the old general is indeed the backbone of Anxi and he must not be lost.
As long as the imperial court can receive the formula for gunpowder, the Tang Dynasty will be able to regain the Western Regions in no time. The old general should keep his useful body and continue to serve the country."
Guo Xin cupped his hands and said, "I will follow your Majesty's instructions."
Li Chengqian stepped forward and said, "Okay, time is urgent, so I won't say more. Tomorrow at noon, old general, remember to place the 100 soldiers I left behind in a hidden place, and don't let outsiders see them suddenly disappear."
Guo Xin nodded and took note of it, his face full of reluctance.
"I am reluctant to leave your Highness and the other soldiers. Will we have a chance to meet again?"
Facing Guo Xin's expectation, Li Chengqian sighed and said, "Maybe, we will meet again when the old general is young. I'm just afraid that the old general won't recognize us by then."
Guo Xin said solemnly: "Even if I don't recognize you, I am still a minister of the Tang Dynasty. I will definitely follow your majesty and your highness again. Wherever your swords point, I will not hesitate to die!"
After saying goodbye to Guo Xin, Li Shimin, Li Chengqian and others were silent.
They have experienced such separations many times, but each time they experience it, they still feel endless regrets.
But they belong to the Zhenguan era, and there are many things waiting for them to deal with in their own era. They are reluctant to give up, but they have to give up...
There are only 28 hours left. If we want to reach Weitouzhou in the southwest within this time, the time is very tight and we also have to cross a desert south of the Tarim River.
There are many uncertainties in the journey.
Mirage, quicksand, getting lost, desert storm, etc.
Marching in the desert was very difficult, but fortunately Guo Xin found two guides for them in Gumo Prefecture.
The journey may be difficult, but reaching Weitouzhou, which is not too far away, should not be a big problem.
It's just a matter of time whether we can catch up...
As for Pei Xingjian, Di Renjie and others who were sent to the grassland to contact the Uighurs, time was also very tight.
Sometimes Li Chengqian wants to question the system. Can’t he stay for a few more days?
But the system did not give any response. So far, no hidden task has appeared during this time travel. I’m so depressed!
Guo Xin watched Li Chengqian and his group leave.
The representatives of the Western Regions countries standing behind him thought that the Tang soldiers were just continuing their journey and wanted to completely eliminate the Tibetan forces in the Western Regions.
But with such a small number of people, can they defeat Tubo?
At this time, they thought of those firearms again!
There are also Tang Dynasty reinforcements that may arrive at any time in the rear.
Only the Huihe envoy was puzzled in his heart, wondering from which direction these Tang soldiers came, and he had not received any news from the grassland! ?
On the other side, Pei Xingjian and Di Renjie finally came into contact with the Uighur forces on the grassland after two days of traveling day and night.
After some twists and turns, they finally met the Uighur Khan.
They successfully used the power of gunpowder explosion to intimidate the Uighur Khan and force him to march south.
As for the Anxi veterans who were delivering the secret recipe for gunpowder to Chang'an, they were still on their way.
Because the gunpowder brought by Pei Xingjian caused a great shock to the Uighur high-ranking officials, the Anxi veterans were not intercepted along the way, but instead received support from major Uighur tribes.
Not only does it provide good meals, but it also offers horse-changing services and sleeping services, which is double the care!
Of course, the Anxi veteran did not reveal the purpose of his trip. He just used the excuse of delivering a message and passed through the grassland smoothly.
This is the shock that gunpowder could cause in the era of cold weapons, which made the Uighur leaders believe that the Tang Dynasty had already popularized such magical weapons.
In addition, the Tang Dynasty was still very powerful, so the Uighur leaders had to consider whether they would provoke revenge from the Tang Dynasty when the Tang Dynasty came to power.
After all, now that the Anshi Rebellion has subsided, the domestic situation in the Tang Dynasty has calmed down, and it seems to be returning to its peak.
The powerful image of the Tang Dynasty over the past hundred years gave these Uighur leaders an inherent impression that the Tang Dynasty would continue to be powerful.
They didn't believe that such a huge Central Plains empire would collapse just because of a civil strife.
Therefore, they did not dare to do anything wrong to Pei Xingjian and his men, nor did they dare to do anything wrong to the old soldiers from Anxi on the border.
Another reason is that the Uighurs had always coveted Tubo's interests in the Western Regions, but due to their own lack of strength, they did not dare to take action against Tubo.
At this time, the Tang Dynasty took the initiative to send envoys to communicate and expressed its willingness to give up part of its interests in the Western Regions.
With the power of gunpowder, the Uighurs finally made the decision to go south to the Hexi Corridor and west to the Western Regions.
The land in the Western Regions seemed to have a kind of magic for the Uighurs, as if it was the chosen land given to them by God.
All the people of the Huihe tribe wanted to enter this fertile land and live a stable and prosperous life.
Instead of grazing on the grassland like now, and having one meal and going hungry.
Although the living conditions in the Central Plains were more favorable, they did not dare to think that they might occupy the Central Plains, not at all.
Therefore, the Western Regions became their first choice...