Chapter 28 Fighting the Turks Again!

This time he was summoned by Emperor Tang and came to the Tai Chi Hall to meet the saint.

In the Battle of Uzang, although only thirty crossbows were used to intimidate Uzang and directly lay the foundation for victory, Li Taiyi knew that this victory was only due to the surprise of using the crossbow for the first time.

Not to mention, in the subsequent war with Uzang, Li Taiyi fully realized the shortcomings of the Tang Dynasty having too few troops.

So after returning to Beijing in triumph, Li Taiyi immediately posted a brochure about the training of the Tang Dynasty's arms, suggesting that the military generals express their ideas for training new arms to supplement the deficiencies of the Tang Dynasty's arms.

Unexpectedly, after the zhezi was delivered to Emperor Tang, he received great attention from Emperor Tang. This visit to Tai Chi Hall was related to this matter.

"Shouldn't he have left long ago? Why didn't he come out until now?"

Li Taiyi thought to himself, frowning deeply.

Ever since he got the news that the eldest prince had returned to the capital, he had been thinking about it and deliberately avoiding it. According to his calculations, under normal circumstances, after the eldest prince Li Xuantu entered the palace and met Emperor Tang, he should leave soon.

Even if he was summoned by Emperor Tang, they would miss each other.

But for some reason, the eldest prince seemed to be delayed by something, delaying his departure from the palace, which led to the current situation.

"Are they Li Chengyi and Li Longfan?"

Li Taiyi's heart skipped a beat, remembering that he vaguely saw Li Chengyi and Li Longfan leaving the middle door. In an instant, a deep gloom passed between Li Taiyi's brows.

It was obviously not a good thing for those two people to show up at that time.

However, Li Taiyi had no time to think because the Crown Prince of Tang Dynasty was already walking towards him.

"Third brother."

Contrary to expectations, the first person to speak up and break the calm was not Li Taiyi, but the eldest prince who came towards the White Jade Danchi.

His expression was indifferent, with no expression visible, but a pair of sharp eyes carefully looked at Li Taiyi as he spoke, seeming to want to see through his internal organs.

From the eldest prince's eyes, Li Taiyi immediately felt a faint hostility, and his heart suddenly froze, and a faint sense of crisis arose.

My performance in Longxi,

Coupled with the embarrassment of the second prince and the fourth prince, I am afraid that it has attracted the attention of the eldest brother.

"See the Great Emperor Brother."

Li Taiyi quickly bowed and saluted, his expression was calm and generous, and there was nothing rude about him.

At present, he is still young, and he only has a few subordinates, Wang Haibing and Wang Jiuling. In contrast, the eldest prince is at the peak of his power, and it is far from the time for him to have a head-on conflict with him.

Li Taiyi hadn't noticed anything yet, but on the steps opposite, Li Xuantu's face was calm, but his eyes fluctuated slightly.

My third brother has always been stubborn in the palace, even in front of his father. When did he become so respectful?

Is this still the same Prince Xuan who killed people in the street, raped women, and gathered people to gamble?

Almost subconsciously, Li Xuantu looked down at Li Taiyi and looked at him carefully.

The Li Taiyi in front of him was wearing a black narrow-sleeved python robe with auspicious clouds embroidered with gold thread on the edge, jade hanging around his waist, and a purple crown on his head.

Although his appearance has not changed, compared with the previous impression, he is more stable and less arrogant, as if he is a completely different person from before.

In an instant, a deep gloom flashed across Li Xuantu's eyes.

He originally didn't care about the Longxi incident, because in the past dynasties, princes like this have come to the border to gain military exploits. This kind of thing is 30% true and 70% false.

He originally thought that Longxi General Guo Dingguo was bragging on behalf of the third prince and placing his own credit on the third prince, but now it seems that everything is not as simple as he thought.

Li Xuantu said nothing, but the sense of crisis in Li Taiyi's heart rose sharply. He could clearly feel the eldest prince's careful gaze on him.

In front of this legendary elder brother, Li Taiyi felt a huge pressure as heavy as a mountain.

Regardless of his cultivation, status, power, party members, or reputation in the government and the public, the eldest brother in front of him was far better than himself now.

"Your Majesty, you must have met your father, right? It's thousands of miles away from the Turks to the capital. Your Majesty is so tired from traveling and traveling, so I won't delay my brother's rest."

Li Taiyi said calmly.

At this time, he was not willing to have too much contact with his eldest brother.

"Um."

Li Xuantu nodded slightly and quickly withdrew his gaze:

"Go ahead, my father is still waiting inside."

Li Xuantu flicked his sleeves, seemingly not paying attention to Li Taiyi, and soon walked down the White Jade Danqi with Li Taiyi.

The moment Li Xuantu walked by, Li Taiyi remained calm on the surface, but he breathed a long sigh of relief in his heart.

Anyway, I finally passed this level.

"Third brother——"

Unexpectedly, at this moment, Li Xuantu's voice suddenly came from behind:

"In the future, please don't come too diligently to the Tai Chi Palace. The art of war, tactics, and training methods... are not things you should get involved in right now!"

Li Xuantu's voice was calm, as if he was describing something insignificant, but Li Taiyi was suddenly shaken, and cold sweat dripped down his face.

The fold in his hand!

Although he had closed the fold and tried his best to cover it up, at that moment, the eldest prince Li Xuantu seemed to have seen clearly without any comment.

"call!"

The air flow surged, and a sound broke through the air. It was not heard by Li Taiyi. After saying this, Li Xuantu quickly disappeared in the direction behind him.

Li Taiyi stood there in shock, speechless for a long time.

"well!"

With a sigh, Li Taiyi's eyes flashed with a heavy look, and he quickly stepped into the Tai Chi Hall.

And in the distance, in the dark way, not many people noticed, a figure had been watching all this silently. When he saw the two people leaving, a proud smile appeared on the corner of the man's mouth, and he quickly left in the direction of the second prince's mansion.

…

Just a moment later.

Hanyang Palace, the palace of the second prince.

"Second brother, I just received the news. There is sudden movement on the eldest brother's side. His people collected a lot of information about the third brother and sent them all to the East Palace."

The fourth prince Li Longfan suddenly opened the palace door excitedly and barged in.

"good!"

Behind the desk, Li Chengyi stood up abruptly, an astonishing light bursting out of his eyes:

"It seems that everything is pretty much what we expected. Brother Huang finally started to take him seriously!"

In terms of power, among all the royal family members, no one can surpass the prince. As long as the prince can be induced to take action, Li Taiyi will inevitably fall into an extremely disadvantageous passive position.

When two tigers are fighting each other, Hanyang Palace will naturally reap the benefits.

"But second brother, the eldest brother has always been aloof and arrogant. Why was he suddenly persuaded by us this time to attack the third brother?"

Li Longfan suddenly spoke.

The eldest prince Li Xuantu has a sharp gaze and is definitely not the kind of person they can manipulate. Before this, they actually had no confidence at all.

"Hehe, the beauty of the wood will be destroyed by Lin Feng. The third brother has always wanted to hide his clumsiness, but can he hide it? As for the eldest brother, as long as anyone threatens his status, the eldest brother cannot sit idly by and ignore it. , we are like this, how can our third brother be an exception?"

"There will be some good shows to watch next."

Li Chengyi said with a sinister smile.

…

Time passed slowly, and two consecutive victories brought peace to the capital. However, for Li Taiyi, there was no time for him to enjoy peace.

Because he knew that it was not long before the fateful battle between the Tang Dynasty and the Turks!

Whether it was training new troops or expanding the chariot and crossbow troops, everything was carried out in an orderly manner under Li Taiyi's arrangements.

Under normal circumstances, Li Taiyi would soon be able to obtain the powerful army he wanted and transform Datang step by step.

Unfortunately, this calm did not last long.

"Report!"

Just after noon, a Jade Dragon Palace guard rushed in:

"Sorry, Your Highness, I just received the news that the Turks have invaded the border again!"

"Buzz!"

In the main hall, Li Taiyi and Wang Haibin were checking various news about recruit training. When they heard the report, their eyelids twitched and they both raised their heads.

"What's going on? Didn't the eldest prince already calm down the Turkic unrest in the north when he went on an expedition? Why did the Turks come back again?"

Wang Haibin frowned, looking puzzled.

"According to the information received, due to the previous defeat, there seemed to be a mutiny on the Turkic prairie. The original Turkic Khan was killed. The Turkic Wolf Lord, who had been entrenched in the north, colluded with the Loulan people and the Great Cannibal, and suddenly intervened in this The war has now completely taken over the Turkic steppes!”

The Jade Dragon Palace guard knelt on one knee and said respectfully.

Li Taiyi on the side frowned slightly, but quickly returned to normal.

This is not the first time that the Turks have invaded the borders. Although this time the Loulan people and the Great Cannibals have intervened, but according to past situations, the Loulan people control the most troops in the Western Regions, while the Great Cannibals rarely send troops to enter. Eastern World.

Moreover, the Tang Dynasty still had troops in the north. It would not be too difficult to defeat the Turks, at least there would be no problem in defense.

"It seems that the eldest brother has to go to war again!"

Li Taiyi thought to himself.

According to past practice, the northern Turks belonged to the "sphere of influence" of the eldest brother Li Xuantu. Now that something happened in the north, the father should soon send the eldest prince.

But that wasn't what really concerned him.

"What happened that you couldn't tell me just now?"

Li Taiyi frowned.

Under normal circumstances, if something happened in the north or the Turks invaded, it would have little to do with him, and it would not be his turn to care about it.

Li Taiyi always felt that this matter was not that simple.

"Your Highness, there is news from Mr. Wang Jiuling that during the Taihe Palace meeting, the second prince Li Chengyi came out and gave advice to Your Majesty, and actively recommended His Majesty to lead the army to quell this Turkic rebellion!"

His Highness's bodyguard said solemnly:

"The eldest prince has also agreed!"

"What?!"

After hearing the last sentence, Li Taiyi and Wang Haibin both changed their expressions.

Although it is surprising that Li Chengyi would recommend Li Taiyi for the expedition, considering his usual style, it is not surprising.

Li Taiyi originally thought that the eldest prince would definitely veto such a thing. After all, it was his territory, and as the prince, he had the right to participate in political affairs after returning to Beijing. When the incident happened, he must be in the Hall of Supreme Harmony. .

But Li Taiyi never expected that the eldest prince would agree.

"this--"

On the side, Wang Haibin was also stunned:

"It seems that the eldest prince and the second prince have united and reached an agreement on dealing with His Highness!"

Any tree that is beautiful in the forest will be destroyed by the wind!

The current situation is extremely unfavorable for the third prince.

The eldest prince and the second prince are both the most outstanding princes in the royal family. They have extremely high status and high reputation among the officials. They all have the power to participate in political affairs.

The two people reached an agreement, and I am afraid that Li Taiyi's expedition has been finalized.

And everything was as expected. In just two days, the court made a decision - the eldest prince had just returned from the north, and the third prince was ordered to lead the army to the north and temporarily take charge of the overall situation against the Turks on behalf of the eldest prince.

Time was tight, and Li Taiyi didn't have much time to prepare. Three days later, the northern school field will be held.

"Your Highness, this expedition is very dangerous. Please take care of yourself."

Gao Lishi stood on the school ground, looking at the third prince Li Taiyi in front of him, reluctant to leave.

"Your Highness, is there really no way to turn things around?"

Wang Haibin, dressed in military uniform, said with the last trace of hope.

"It is hard to violate the sacred order. The imperial court has reached an agreement."

Li Taiyi said calmly.

"The north is the eldest prince's territory. All soldiers and generals are loyal to the eldest prince. I'm afraid it will be difficult for us to get there!"

Wang Haibin said in a deep voice.

The Turks were different from the Us Tibetans. They had more numbers, stronger soldiers and horses, and were more aggressive. They also knew much more about the Tang Dynasty than the Us Tibetans.

This is not the same thing as the battle in Longxi, not to mention that the eldest prince Li Xuantu has been operating in the north for many years and has left behind a large number of trusted soldiers. These people must be a constraint on Li Taiyi and others.

"Internal and external troubles", under such circumstances, it is not easy to defeat the Turks approaching from the northern army.

Wang Haibin could even imagine that the East Palace had been keeping a close eye on them. As long as everyone failed here, the eldest prince Li Xuantu would go into battle again and go to the north.

As a result, the reputation and image that the third prince had managed to establish in Longxi would immediately be wiped out.

Even Emperor Tang probably no longer has the same trust in the third prince as before.

Li Taiyi's efforts so far will be in vain.

"Oh, don't worry. The soldiers will cover up the water and the earth. No matter what, we will definitely win."

Unexpectedly, Li Taiyi patted Wang Haibin on the shoulder and said with a smile.

Not only could there be no heaviness on his body, but he looked relaxed.

Crisis Crisis is danger, but also comes with opportunity.

Although this trip to the northern Turks is full of challenges, if he succeeds, he will be able to rise completely and truly gain the attention of the Tang Emperor and his courtiers.

——The Turks were the biggest threat to the Tang Dynasty, and they were also the best place to build military exploits.

The eldest prince's current status is inseparable from this.

The most important thing is that for Li Taiyi, the next step in his plan was to go to the northern Turkic border.

Although the eldest prince and the second prince's attack was sudden, on the other hand, it saved him the trouble of recommending himself to the Turks.

"Lord Wang, I'll thank you for traveling with me this time."

Li Taiyi turned around and looked at Wang Jiuling beside him.

"Um."

The latter didn't say much, just nodded.

What was different from the previous one was that this time when he went to conquer the northern Turks, Li Taiyi specifically asked the Emperor of Tang for orders to transfer Wang Jiuling to accompany him on the expedition.

Although he was a civil servant, Wang Jiuling had an astonishing talent in the art of war. In this aspect, he was even better than Wang Haibin.

This is also the reason why Li Taiyi specially brought him with him in this operation.

Time was running out, and an army of tens of thousands, under the expectation of everyone, set out quickly.

Compared with the first time, Li Taiyi's chariots and crossbows were much larger in number, and even the newly trained troops - lancers, archers, heavy cavalry, etc. also went out with the army.

And as the army went out, all eyes inside and outside the court, including the surrounding countries, fell on Li Taiyi and the northern border of Datang.

However, this war was far more tragic than many people imagined, and its duration and scale far exceeded any previous war.

…