Chapter 5256 The trapped beast still fights
Chapter 5256 The trapped beast still fights
Before I knew it, snowflakes began to fall from the sky again, covering the ground in the courtyard with a thin layer. The rooftops of the palaces not far away were piled up in silver, and the whole place was covered in white.
Li Chengqian sighed, seemingly speaking to Li Junxian, but more like talking to himself: "This is the imperial family. No matter how close the blood ties are, they can't withstand all this suspicion. The ultimate power means the ultimate benefit, but the benefits in the world are finite. When there are more people, there will be fewer people. In the end, a person's life is all about constantly fighting for benefits."
Regardless of whether he intended to kill the Prince of Jin, everyone believed he did.
Since it is believed that he has it, then regardless of whether he actually does or not, the life and safety of the Prince of Jin will be severely tested.
After all, everyone believed that he intended to kill the Prince of Jin, so once the Prince of Jin died, it would be because he, the emperor, would kill his own brother to eliminate future troubles.
Even Li You thinks so, let alone others?
Behind him, Li Junxian lowered his head, his heart filled with deep weariness.
The closer one gets to the imperial family, the more one understands the filth and corruption that arises from the struggle for power and interests. It is common for fathers and sons to distrust each other and for brothers to be wary of each other. Even the struggles within the harem are accompanied by sword fights and life-or-death battles, no less intense than those in the imperial court.
It can easily drag everyone into a bottomless abyss, where they will be shattered to pieces and never recover.
Even if a true man dies, he should be wrapped in horsehide, with all his wounds on his chest as he falls on the road of battle. What would it mean if he were to perish in some dark, unspeakable place?
But at this moment, Li Junxian didn't dare to say a word.
Li Chengqian turned around, ignoring the preoccupied Li Junxian, and went straight to the imperial desk, throwing the dossier into the charcoal brazier in the corner: "Go back and erase all traces of this matter, and do not let a single word of it circulate."
"Here."
Li Junxian understood His Majesty's intentions, but hesitated for a moment before whispering, "However, last night, all the princes gathered, and they all heard what Prince Qi said..."
All files and records can be destroyed, and all the "Hundred Cavalry" personnel involved can be silenced, but what if the princes present spread this matter?
He didn't want to end up being unfairly blamed.
Li Chengqian said, "I will send someone to warn them, especially Li You!"
Others might think he couldn't control himself, but how could his own brother have such thoughts?
This bastard!
"Here!"
Li Junxian said no more, and seeing that His Majesty had no further instructions, he took his leave.
Stepping out of the Imperial Study and walking through the snow-covered courtyard of the Forbidden City, with the black tiles on the red walls around him covered in white snow, Li Junxian let out a soft breath.
He knew that His Majesty would not let him leave now. As the eyes and ears of the emperor, the "Hundred Cavalry Division" could not be completely trusted by His Majesty if anyone other than him were to lead it.
The trust of a monarch is like a double-edged sword, granting him immense power and status while also confining him to a small space.
It seems we must train a successor as soon as possible.
*****
As is well known, the Silk Road is divided into North and South.
The northern route traverses Central Asia, crossing the Tian Shan Mountains from Gumo, passing Khotan, and circling the Pamir Mountains northward to Zhizhi City in Kangju, or crossing the Pamir Mountains from Shule to Dayuan, Kangju, and Yancai. From Yancai, it arrives at Pantikapian, a city in the northern Black Sea, which is a transshipment and distribution center for goods between the East and the West.
The southern route was more distant and circuitous. It started from Shache, went south through Tashkur, exited the Mintegai Pass, entered Wakhan, passed through Lanshi City to Mullu City, then went south from Mullu City to Bactria, then west to "Baimen City", then continued west to Hemo City, then southwest again, passing through Habadan, to Tasifon and Seleucia on the banks of the Tigris River.
From there, the road splits into two, one heading northwest to Ando, and the other southwest to Damascus.
Located west of the Pamir Plateau, Mulv is like a pearl embedded in the desert, facing the Persian Plateau across the desert. It was the most important supply point on the Silk Road and gradually developed into one of the most important transit stations, with an extremely high strategic position.
Heavy snow has fallen for several days, covering the entire Mare Oasis under a blanket of white snow, blending seamlessly with the distant desert.
Inside the city lord's mansion, Ye Qide, with his unshaven beard and sunken eyes, downed a mouthful of strong liquor. His bloodshot eyes glared at Xie He, the "host envoy," and his tone was extremely stern: "No matter what, you must seize all the grain and weapons in the city for the army's use, or I will punish you according to military law!"
Merv was the capital of Greater Khorasan, a major military and economic center, and now a bridgehead for the Arab Empire to attack Transoxiana and even the distant Tang Dynasty. It was guarded by the Empire's "Eastern Envoy," a short, fat, and greasy Sheikh.
Upon hearing Ye Qide's words, Xie He's fat face almost scrunched up in a troubled expression. His cotton-padded coat made his bulky body look like a silkworm cocoon as he earnestly advised, "Your Highness, you mustn't! The recent heavy snow and icy roads have prevented the merchants gathered in the city from dispersing in time. Now, with the Tang army arriving outside the city, there's widespread panic within. If we forcibly requisition grain and weapons at this time, it will inevitably plunge the city into chaos. You must understand that various ethnic groups now live together in Mulu City. The imperial subjects may obey your orders, but the other ethnic groups may not! Once chaos erupts in the city, wouldn't that give the Tang army outside the city an opportunity to take advantage?"
As a node on the Silk Road and a center where East and West meet, the city of Merv had a permanent population of over 100,000, plus tens of thousands of transient residents, making it one of the largest cities in the entire Western world.
This led to the mixing of various ethnic groups within the city, forming numerous factions that were united by ethnicity, which even the Arabs, with their strong will, could not subdue one by one.
Forcibly confiscating grain, fodder and weapons would inevitably lead to chaos in the city before the battle even begins, which would be a path to defeat and destruction.
Ye Qide's face was gloomy. Although he knew that Xie He's words made sense, he couldn't care less about that now: "We have been retreating all the way from Kesan City. The Tang army is like a leech, relentlessly pursuing us. We have fought several battles but have not won a single one. Our army has suffered heavy losses, and countless supplies of food and provisions have been abandoned or destroyed. If we cannot replenish them in time, how can we hold Mulu and repel the powerful enemy?"
Leaving aside the punishment they would face if they retreated all the way back to Damascus, the heavy snow and icy roads meant that being chased by the Tang army's light cavalry in the desert after leaving Mulu City would only result in the annihilation of the entire army.
At this point, he had no way out but to fight to the death.
Sheikh was sweating profusely. He loosened his collar to catch his breath and suggested, "There are still some provisions and weapons left in the city. I will take them out and distribute them to the army immediately. Then, I will have doctors treat the wounded and mobilize merchants in the city to donate some supplies... If we can stabilize the morale of the army, we may be able to fight."
Faced with Sheikh's insistence on his position, Ye Qide was also quite helpless. He couldn't very well kill this man, could he?
The other party, as the "host envoy," is already a high-ranking official of the empire and a regional governor. His family is very powerful in Damascus. Killing him would immediately cause chaos in the entire city of Merv, and the defending troops might mutini in an instant...
He could only suppress his anger and urge, "Then hurry up! The Tang army is extremely fierce. Even this heavy snow probably won't be able to slow down their attack. They might launch an attack on Mulu City first thing tomorrow morning!"
After the crushing defeat at Sancheng, his courage had been shattered by the Tang Dynasty, and his heart was filled with fear.
Who would have thought that even when the Abbasid Caliphate army was still numbering over 100,000 after its defeat, the Tang army, which was outnumbered, would still dare to split into two groups and pursue them separately?
He didn't care about the lives of Auf, Maslama, and others, but his deliberate division of troops failed to attract the main force of the Tang army to pursue and kill them. His strategy was a complete failure, which led to him being chased by Xue Rengui all the way and in a sorry state.
He was utterly defeated, both in terms of strategy and combat strength.
Sheikh dismissed Ye Qide's concerns, assuming that the relentless pursuit had terrified him: "Prince, rest assured, Mulu City has high walls and ample troops. The outcome of a battle in the open field is uncertain, but holding the city in this winter is a sure thing. No matter how arrogant and fierce the Tang people are, they can only stop at the gates of Mulu City!"
Ye Qide warned, "The Tang army's gunpowder is incredibly powerful; even the sturdy city walls can't stop them!"
He trembled at the mere thought of the walls of Kesan City reduced to rubble and broken tiles by cannon fire, and the roar of dozens or even hundreds of cannons.
Xie He disagreed: "I have already received the battle reports from the front, but I do not believe that gunpowder is truly indestructible. The reason why San City was breached is simply because the city walls were not thick enough. As long as the city walls are high and thick enough, the Tang army's gunpowder is like scratching an itch through a boot, not worth mentioning."
Where in the world can there be anything truly indestructible?
Every weapon has a critical point. For example, steel swords and spears can pierce through leather armor as if it were nothing, but they are powerless against steel armor.
He believed that Mulu City was like that suit of fine steel armor.
Ye Qide recovered his senses and thought about it. He also felt that Xie He's words made some sense: "Moreover, the Tang army's light cavalry pursued and advanced rapidly, so their logistics and supplies could not keep up. Other things were fine, but the gunpowder would definitely not be replenished in time."
With insufficient gunpowder and outdated artillery, judging solely from the soldiers' combat strength, they might not have suffered repeated defeats.
*****
At this moment, behind Mulu City, countless military camps were stationed on the sunny side of a hillside. Banners fluttered in the cold wind and snow. Soldiers dressed in cotton-padded clothes rode back and forth outside the camp, occasionally glancing to the south at the outline of the great city hidden in the wind and snow.
Inside the military tent, Xue Rengui, having removed his armor and wearing only a cotton coat, sat before the stove, looking down at the map spread out on his shoulder.
In fact, there is no need to examine it closely. The reason why Mulu City has such a high strategic position is simply because its geographical location is superior, while its terrain is completely indefensible.
However, according to intelligence, the city of Mulu was high and its walls were thick, making it extremely difficult to capture.
"Report! Commander, Wang Xiaojie's troops are coming to join us!"
