hsntnovel Chapter 2377 Welcoming the Army
Chapter 2377 Welcoming the Army
Li Shen frowned after hearing this. He knew that what Wang Xuance said made sense, but he just couldn't swallow this anger.
"What about the excuse that I, the king, used for violating military regulations?"
Li Shen found a reason.
"Your Majesty, our Tang Army doesn't have clear military regulations yet, and he is completely unaware of this matter.
This commander was a member of the Uighur Khan family. If the prince killed him directly, the impact would be huge.
It will also make the Uighurs even more divided.
Your Highness is a man of great righteousness, and he must always prioritize the overall situation."
Wang Xuance used both coaxing and deceiving methods, fearing that Prince Ji would ruin the court's affairs in a moment of impulse.
This concerns the situation of the entire northern Tiele tribes.
Li Shen slammed the table unwillingly.
"Your Majesty is also confused. He insists on having all nations come to pay tribute and the title of Heavenly Khan. If it were up to me, I would either make them surrender completely or kill them all.
Why have so many concerns?"
"Your Majesty, be careful with your words. A son should not speak of his father's faults, and a minister should not expose his king's faults. Your Majesty has your reasons for doing so."
As soon as Li Shen finished speaking, Wang Xuance hurriedly stopped Li Shen from saying anything else, saying that this was a great act of treason.
Li Shen curled his lips. Isn't it just for the title of Heavenly Khan? At least that's what Li Shen thought.
My father just loves face, fame and reputation, and likes to be sought after by others.
But he is my father after all, I can’t say it so excessively, otherwise it would be the same as talking about myself.
"Okay, let's go over there first. Don't worry, I won't act impulsively. We'll act according to the situation."
Li Shen waved his hand and said no more. After everything was ready, Li Shen got on a carriage and took more than 10,000 people and many Xizhou officials to the outside of the city.
Behind the team were thousands of cattle and sheep.
~~~~~~~~Ten miles outside the west city
There is no Shili Pavilion here, only a vast expanse of white.
Xue Rengui estimated that this place was ten miles away, so Li Shen waited here.
The soldiers had built a fire here, and a group of officials gathered around to keep warm.
Li Shen was sitting in the carriage, drinking hot tea and roasting food on the charcoal stove.
He not only represents Xizhou Prefecture, but also represents his father, the emperor.
"Xuan Ce, get in the carriage and warm up." Li Shen shouted outside.
"Thank you, Your Majesty. I'm waiting outside. He should be here soon."
Wang Xuance was standing next to the carriage, and there were two female relatives, Chunxiang and Dongmei, inside. Wang Xuance would definitely not get on.
Outside the car, he could also act as an agent and speak to others on behalf of King Ji.
Li Shen didn't force it. He drank his tea and looked into the distance through the window.
From time to time, scouts came back to report the location of the main force.
Just when Li Shen and others were getting impatient, a large group of people appeared in the distance.
"Prince, he's here." Wang Xuance's voice rang out.
Without being reminded, Li Shen also noticed the team in the distance.
The earth was shaking, and a dark crowd appeared on the white horizon.
As the saying goes, if there are more than 10,000 people, there will be no end to them. If there are more than 100,000 people, the earth will be connected to the sky.
Li Shen walked out of the carriage and stood on the shaft. At a glance, he could not see the end of the world.
The barbarian soldiers were all cavalry, and they were very powerful. It was the first time that Li Shen had seen such a scene.
Soon the vanguard stopped one mile away from Li Shen, and several war horses rushed out from the team.
Coming towards Li Shen.
Only when they got closer did Li Shen see clearly that the people coming were Ashina She'er, accompanied by Qibi Heli, Guo Xiaoke and others.
"Your humble servant, Ashina She'er, pays respects to His Royal Highness Prince Ji."
"See His Highness Prince Ji."
When they arrived at Li Shen, the people in front of him dismounted and saluted Li Shen from a distance.
There is a rule for taking off armor when meeting the king, but it also depends on the time. Now we are not in the city, so not only can we not take off our armor, we cannot also withdraw our soldiers.
Li Shen's identity was special, and his carriage was surrounded by personal guards. If he wanted to go forward, he had to disarm.
That's why Ashina She'er saluted from a distance.
Of course, if it were Li Shimin, he would not have so many concerns and would have withdrawn his troops directly.
Li Shen jumped off the carriage and came in front of everyone with a smile on his face.
"Duke Bi, there's no need to be so polite. According to seniority, I should call you uncle. We are all family."
Li Shen lifted Ashina She'er up with both hands. Then he said to the others kindly:
"You guys are excused too."
"Thank you, Your Highness Prince Ji." Everyone expressed their gratitude.
Li Shen took a look and found that there were indeed some unfamiliar faces in the crowd, as well as some northern barbarian faces.
Ashina She'er and Li Shen had known each other for a long time and had met more than once. Ashina She'er had attended several of his father's gatherings.
The most important thing is that Li Shen’s fourteenth aunt, Princess Hengyang, married Ashina She’er.
"General Ashina, thank you for your hard work on the journey." Li Shen held Ashina She'er's hand and thanked him for his hard work.
"Thank you, Your Highness Prince Ji. I have lived up to your majesty's trust and have already conquered Yanqi, Kucha, Suiye, Chuyue, Chumi, Shule, and Khotan."
Ashina She'er also smiled and said, "Being able to have a good relationship with King Ji will only benefit the Ashina tribe."
Like Ashina Zhong, he was a member of the Turkic royal family. Originally, his tribe was much stronger than Ashina Zhong's.
Back then, he was the one who conquered half of the Turkic territory and was in charge of 100,000 tribes.
Unexpectedly, in just a few years, Ashina Zhong's tribe caught up with the others. With a population of nearly 200,000, it became one of the most powerful Turkic tribes in the north.
Everyone in the Ashina tribe knew that it was because of the help from Prince Ji's Mansion, but they had no way to do anything.
Although Ashina Zhong married a county lady, she was the half-sister of Prince Ji. No matter what, he was Prince Ji's brother-in-law.
The leaders of these tribes could not compare with him.
But Ashina She'er was different. He married your Majesty's half-sister, a princess and the aunt of Prince Ji.
There is also a chance to get help from King Ji.
"Hahaha, good, General Ashina is indeed brave and good at fighting. Come here."
Li Shen laughed and praised, then waved to the back.
Shi Tou came over with a tray with more than ten wine glasses on it.
Li Shen picked up a cup and handed it to Ashina She'er personally, and then at Li Shen's signal, Shi Tou distributed it to others.
After distributing the wine, Li Shen raised his glass and said loudly:
"Come, this first cup, I will toast to you all on behalf of His Majesty. You are all the pillars of our Great Tang. Congratulations on your triumphant return."
"Thank you, Your Majesty!" Everyone raised their glasses to express their gratitude.
They were not speaking to Li Shen, but to His Majesty, whom Li Shen represented.
No one would doubt or criticize Li Shen for exceeding his authority.
The fact that Prince Ji was sent to Xizhou and took charge of the Anxi Protectorate has already demonstrated Your Majesty's attitude.
His Majesty wanted to tell them that even if he could not go to the battlefield with them, his son would be with them.
Guarding the rear for them, ensuring they have no worries in the front.
(A son should not speak of his father's faults, and a minister should not expose his ruler's faults. I always thought this sentence was a famous saying from some ancient book, such as the Analects of Confucius, the Spring and Autumn Annals, and the Book of History.
I stumbled upon this today and discovered it's from Investiture of the Gods.)