Chapter 17

"At least fifty thousand people..."

"And there must be catapults, scaling ladders..."

"Your three thousand cavalry won't do..."

Liang Shidu poked his head out from a notch in the city wall and said loudly.

"Yo yo yo..."

"The Prince of Liang is looking down on me..."

"How about I try... and see who among you dares to show your head!"

Su Liang, who was under the city wall, touched the Overlord Heaven-Splitting Bow in his hand and teased.

Liang Shidu looked at the Overlord Heaven-Splitting Bow in Su Liang's hand and instantly lost his nerve.

He immediately shrank his neck.

Su Liang then began to mock, "It is rumored that the Prince of Liang is defeated repeatedly; do you not even have the courage now?"

At this moment, Liang Shidu on the city wall was already trembling, and the soldiers protecting him had already been scared into wetting their pants.

It was really because Su Liang's five-hundred-meter range was too abnormal.

They had also heard of it long ago.

On the banks of the Wei River, at a distance of four or five hundred meters, he not only shot and killed Khan Jieli but also shot and killed many Turkic generals.

Seeing that Liang Shidu still did not dare to show his head, Su Liang continued to mock, "Little Liang... in this Prince's opinion, you should just call your barbarian father over."

"At least they have the courage to lead troops south!"

"They wouldn't be like you, shrinking in this turtle shell!"

"Hurry up and call your barbarian father over!"

Upon hearing this, Liang Shidu was suddenly furious, the veins on his forehead bulged, and he clenched his fists tightly, but he still did not dare to show his head.

Wang Xuance, who was to the side, saw this and said, "Young Master, why don't we attack the city?"

"The Young Master's archery is unparalleled in the world; you can shoot sharp arrows into the city wall, and then the White Robe Guards can easily climb the city wall."

"No need..."

Su Liang shook his head slightly.

He then said, "If I am not mistaken, someone will open the city and surrender. You send someone to notify General Li Jing and ask him to lead fifty thousand elite troops to come."

"On the Lingzhou side, you can send someone to notify General Zhang Gongjin, the defender of Xiaoguan, and ask him to divide ten thousand troops to garrison Lingzhou."

After all the instructions were given.

Su Liang then looked at the Shuofang city tower and said, "Those who surrender will not be killed. If you don't surrender by this time tomorrow, it will be as you said."

"Tomorrow, our Great Tang's fifty thousand troops will arrive, and we will definitely break into the city. At that time, we will definitely exterminate your Liang clan."

"Exterminate the Liang clan, those who surrender will not be killed!"

"Exterminate the Liang clan, those who surrender will not be killed!"

"Exterminate the Liang clan, those who surrender will not be killed!"

Suddenly, more than three thousand White Robe Guards shouted in unison.

The civil and military officials on the city tower were already silent as cicadas in winter.

A quarter of an hour later, Su Liang led his troops to retreat and set up camp two li outside the city.

A moment later, more than three thousand small single-person tents were set up.

Every hundred people took turns keeping watch at night.

The next morning.

Su Liang, who was still in his dreams, was woken up by Wang Xuance.

Su Liang stretched and said, "Did someone come to surrender?"

Wang Xuance laughed, "The Young Master's prediction was not off by a single bit; someone just came to surr..."

Su Liang immediately waved his hand to interrupt, "Is his name Liang Luoren?"

Wang Xuance was stunned upon hearing this, then said, "The Young Master is truly divine; the person who came is indeed named Liang Luoren!"

Su Liang immediately got up and walked out of the tent.

He saw dozens of people dressed as civil and military officials not far away.

Many of them were still covered in blood, and he immediately understood what was going on.

He then asked, "Who is Liang Luoren?"

A moment later, a man covered in blood slowly stepped forward.

After kneeling and saluting, he said, "Reporting to the Prince of Chu, I am he."

Su Liang hurriedly stepped forward to help him up and said, "Alright, no need for kneeling; our Great Tang doesn't have this rule. Since you are surrendering, there is even less of that here. From now on, you are all citizens of the Great Tang."

The people behind him also stood up gratefully; if it weren't for the Prince of Chu's mercy, they probably wouldn't be alive now.

Su Liang scanned them and saw that he was only about thirty years old, then said, "I ask you, why did you kill your cousin?"

Liang Luoren was stunned upon hearing this, then slowly said, "To protect the clan members, my cousin indeed deserved to die."

"Oh?"

Su Liang suddenly became interested.

He then rubbed his hands and asked, "Then tell me why he deserved to die?"

"As citizens of the Han race, my cousin should not have led the Hu south to invade the Great Tang, and even more so, he should not have recognized a thief as his father."

Liang Luoren blurted out.

Upon hearing this, Su Liang also shook his head slightly and chuckled.

He then said, "Alright, let's not mention these things. You have someone bring some mutton and mutton soup; the weather in the north is really a bit cold."

Half an hour later.

Liang Luoren also had people bring a lot of mutton soup and mutton, and even had people bring many tables.

He then looked at Su Liang and asked, "This official would like to ask a question; I wonder if it is convenient for the Prince of Chu."

Su Liang said lightly, "Speak freely."

Liang Luoren said, "Why didn't the Prince of Chu let the soldiers enter the city to eat, but instead let this official bring it?"

Su Liang said, "I just didn't want to disturb the people."

Upon hearing this, Liang Luoren immediately said, "I have long heard that the Prince of Chu loves the people like his own children; seeing you today, you are truly extraordinary."

Su Liang waved his hand to interrupt, "Alright, don't say things like flattering me."

Liang Luoren asked in confusion, "What is flattering?"

Su Liang was speechless and immediately said, "It means sycophancy."

Liang Luoren laughed awkwardly upon hearing this.

A quarter of an hour later, Su Liang had finished eating.

He immediately looked at Liang Luoren and asked, "Can you make decisions in this area now?"

"This official can make decisions; I wonder what the Prince of Chu's instructions are."

Liang Luoren asked.

Su Liang said, "Nothing..."

"It's just that the north is indeed a bit cold. Tomorrow, you send some people to He Lanshan in Lingzhou. Find someone named Er Hu and take some smokeless coal to the north."

Upon hearing this, Liang Luoren immediately asked, "Is it honeycomb coal?"

Su Liang said, "It is indeed honeycomb coal, but don't forget to bring some silver money when you go; the selling price must be the same as in Changancheng."

"I can give you a ten percent profit. Go get some brush, ink, paper, and inkstone; I will write a letter, and you can have someone bring it along."

Liang Luoren was overjoyed; there had long been rumors that the Prince of Chu was as rich as a nation.

The Taoyuan County he built was even comparable to a fairyland on earth.

Now that he could be treated like this by the Prince of Chu, this wave was not a loss.

Tang Wude Year 9, November 25th.

The Liang State regime, which had occupied the Hetao region for ten years, was completely destroyed.

At noon that day, Li Jing's army also arrived.

Seeing that the Liang State had surrendered, he was full of disbelief.

And it didn't cost a single soldier.

Moreover, by using both kindness and prestige, he completely won over the hearts of the people.

Just at this moment, a long-lost voice rang in Su Liang's mind.

"Ding: The system detected that the Ashina Sunishi tribe set fire to the mountain; because the fire was small, it has been extinguished."

"Ding: The system reminds the host that the Ashina Sunishi tribe has more than fifty thousand households, over one hundred thousand people, among whom there are thirty thousand Turkic soldiers."

"Ding: The system reminds the host that if the He Lanshan fire occurs, the Taixi coal can burn for a thousand years..."

"Ding: The system releases the latest mission; please have the host go to defeat the Ashina Sunishi tribe as soon as possible."

"Ding: Mission completion reward: Mohist Mechanism Art."

Su Liang immediately stood up, then looked at Wang Xuance and said, "Have the White Robe Guards assemble!"

He then found Li Jing and said, "Ashina Sunishi set fire to the mountain; the He Lanshan coal mine cannot have any accidents."

"We are going to Lingzhou and will continue north from the northwest direction of Lingzhou; I will leave the matters here to you."

Regarding this, Li Jing also patted his chest and guaranteed that there would be no trouble.

A quarter of an hour later.

Su Liang had already led the White Robe Guards toward Lingzhou.

The journey was eight hundred li, and they could arrive in more than a day.

November 27th, early morning.

Somewhere in He Lanshan.

Su Liang stood on a hillside and looked at the White Robe Guards and said, "Do you know why you are called the White Robe Guards?"

Tiankui blurted out, "Famous teachers and great generals should not be self-satisfied; thousands of troops and horses avoid the white robe."

"The White Robe Guards are named after this!"

Su Liang said upon hearing this, "Good... then tell me about the deeds of the White Robe Army."

Tiankui continued, "In the past, the Southern Liang general Chen Qingzhi led more than 7,000 White Robe soldiers to break the Northern Wei's army of five hundred thousand."

"They captured 32 cities in succession, experienced 47 battles, large and small, without a single defeat."

"Good... it's good that you know."

Su Liang shouted loudly.

He then said, "You were all carefully selected and have practiced martial arts since childhood."

"Now your warhorses, weapons, and armor are far superior to the original White Robe Army."

"Although you cannot fight a hundred, you are more than enough to fight ten."

"Now the Turkic barbarian Ashina Sunishi tribe intends to set fire to the mountain; they deserve to be destroyed."

"This place is only 50 units of distance away from the Ashina Sunishi tribe's military headquarters; everyone rest on the spot, and we will depart in two hours!"

"In the past, the Great Khan's three thousand elite guards faced the Xiongnu's army of one hundred and fifty thousand; they raided the camp and killed twenty thousand, pursued and killed twenty thousand along the way, chased to their lair and killed thirty thousand, and finally killed everyone they saw. They killed until the Northern Xiongnu King was dead, forcing the Xiongnu army to retreat thousands of units of distance, not daring to invade."

"Today, let's use the Turkic people to test the sharpness of our White Robe Guards' blades!"

"Anyone who dares to hold a sharp weapon will be killed!"

More than three hours later.

Five li southeast of the Ashina Sunishi tribe.

Su Liang and the others were watching from afar with telescopes.

Looking at this tribe with fifty thousand households...

The sentries along the way had already been cleared by the White Robe Guards.

A quarter of an hour later.

Su Liang said lightly, "The Ashina Sunishi tribe has more than fifty thousand households, over one hundred thousand people, among whom there are thirty thousand Turkic soldiers."

"However, among the thirty thousand, only nearly twenty thousand have combat effectiveness."

"The others are either children aged thirteen to fifteen or some old, weak, sick, and disabled soldiers."

In August of Tang Wude Year 9, the Eastern Turkic army of over two hundred thousand was buried in the Great Tang.

To ensure the rule over the Mobei grassland, the Ashina clan had everyone aged thirteen to fifteen enlist in the army; most of these people had no combat power.

Wang Xuance said upon hearing this, "Is the Young Master trying to use the fish formation to win a quick victory?"

Su Liang smiled lightly and then shouted loudly, "White Robe Guards, form the fish formation and strike directly at the Turkic military headquarters!"

They marched to 200 meters outside the military headquarters.

Su Liang held the Wandering Dragon Breaking Army Spear and shouted loudly, "Mo Dao, come out!"

Suddenly.

More than three thousand White Robe Guards all held one-zhang-long Mo Dao, standing with their waists horizontal!

The blade was seven chi long, pitch black all over.

The blade edge was three chi long, bright silver all over, with sharp cold light.

The soldiers of the Sunishi tribe were all shocked; the speed of the incoming army was so fast that they could no longer block it.

With the charge of the White Robe Guards, in just an instant, the Turkic army was shattered, both men and horses.

Flesh and blood were flying everywhere!

Before long.

The Sunishi tribe was already in chaos, with heavy casualties!

The Turkic people who escaped death fled north on horseback...

Family and children were no longer important.

What was important was being able to live!

Three hours later...

Su Liang said lightly, "How is the battle situation?"

Wang Xuance to the side said, "Of the thirty thousand Turkic troops, only a thousand or so fled north; the rest were all killed."

"We captured one hundred thousand Turkic people, and in addition, there are two hundred thousand sheep, fifty thousand cattle, one hundred thousand horses... gold and jewelry cannot be counted for the time being..."

Su Liang asked suspiciously, "Why so many?"

Wang Xuance also explained, "The water and grass around He Lanshan are lush, and the Ashina clan is the imperial family, so naturally there will be more."

Su Liang said lightly, "Alright, leave the rest to General Zhang Gongjin."

"You go rest first, and have someone slaughter some cattle and sheep."

An hour later.

Everyone was sitting around a hot pot eating meat.

Zhang Gongjin also leaned over to Su Liang and said, "Imperial Son-in-Law, can you let me see the Mo Dao of your White Robe Guards?"

"Hehe..."

Su Liang chuckled upon hearing this.

He thought that the discipline of the White Robe Army was still quite good.

He then looked at Wang Xuance and said, "Go get a Mo Dao and let General Zhang see it."

A moment later.

Zhang Gongjin was already holding the Mo Dao in his hand and examining it carefully.

Then he even waved it...

"This... this blade weighs 30 jin, but it is so light to wave; it is truly incredible."

Zhang Gongjin couldn't help but exclaim.

Seeing this, Su Liang also chuckled.

He then said, "General Zhang is joking..."

"General Zhang is a tiger general of this era; this 30-jin Mo Dao is naturally nothing to General Zhang."

"Even if it is waved lightly, it is difficult for most soldiers to master."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Gongjin also laughed awkwardly.

"Ding: Congratulations to the host for completing the latest mission; reward: Mohist Mechanism Art. Does the host want to start merging now?"

Su Liang said without hesitation, "Merge!"

Suddenly, tidal memories kept filling Su Liang's mind.

It took a full quarter of an hour to finish merging.

At this time, Su Liang was already stunned and could not calm down for a long time.

The Mohist Mechanism Art rewarded by the system must be the highest quality and also the most comprehensive.

There was too much knowledge about the Mohist Mechanism Art, and Su Liang also noticed the wooden ox and flowing horse, so he understood it carefully.

It was fine not to understand it, but after understanding it deeply, he felt it was incredible.

Even Zhuge Liang's wooden ox and flowing horse came from the hands of the Mohists!

A truly manpower-free wooden ox and flowing horse!

It can travel a hundred li a day!

The interior of the wooden ox and flowing horse has hundreds of large and small metal accessories, using the principle of leverage, with large and small gears cooperating with each other;

At the same time, it uses the principle of magnetic attraction and repulsion to drive the gears to rotate.

One hair moves the whole body.

Damn! Damn! Damn!

The Mohists have created a closed and independent system, realizing the conservation of energy!

To realize perpetual motion...

In addition, there is a mechanism in a hidden place outside the wooden ox and flowing horse.

The mechanism is set in a nine-square grid and must be in a certain order.

Otherwise, it cannot be started.

At the same time, it also introduces the reason why the Mohists disappeared completely in history.

To consolidate their position, feudal emperors exclusively respected Confucianism, and from then on, the hundred schools were dismissed.

The advanced ideas of the Mohists were not accepted by the world.

During the reign of Emperor Wu of Han, they were severely cracked down upon.

During the Three Kingdoms period, a branch of the Mohists presented the wooden ox and flowing horse to Zhuge Liang, intending to reappear in the world.

In the end, it ended in a bleak way...

The next morning.

Su Liang led the White Robe Guards to continue north, and along the way, he swept through dozens of tribes, large and small.

Anyone holding a sharp weapon was killed.

Zhang Gongjin completely became a tool man for cleaning up the battlefield.

At the same time, outside Changancheng.

"Eight-hundred-li urgent report!"

"Eight-hundred-li urgent report!"

A guard rode his horse into Changancheng and did not stop until he reached the front of Taiji Palace.

A moment later.

In the Ganlu Hall of Taiji Palace.

Li Shimin was discussing matters with the ministers.

After the guard saluted, he said, "Congratulations to the Emperor, the Liang State has returned to the Tang!"

He then respectfully handed over a battle report written by Li Jing.

Li Shimin took it and opened it, only to see a few large characters:

Liang State returns to Tang, kindness and prestige used together, completely conquered.

Followed by a detailed battle report.

The end also included Li Jing's thoughts and arrangements for using troops against the Turks.

November 30th.

Outside Changancheng.

"Eight-hundred-li urgent report! Great victory!"

"Eight-hundred-li urgent report! Great victory!"

In the Ganlu Hall of Taiji Palace.

The report of the destruction of the Ashina Sunishi tribe had already arrived.

Li Shimin and the ministers were even more joyful, dancing with joy.

There were more than three hundred thousand cattle, sheep, and horses, and the gold and silver treasures had not yet been counted.

Li Shimin immediately arranged for people to go and receive them.

Two hundred thousand livestock were coming to the Great Tang territory one after another.

And tens of thousands were moved directly to Changancheng.

Tang Wude Year 9.

December 5th, early morning.

Shuofang City, in Liang Luoren's mansion.

At this moment, in the meeting hall.

Su Liang was already sitting here, surrounded by Li Jing, Wang Xuance, Liang Luoren, and others.

Su Liang, who was sitting in the first seat, asked, "The news hasn't leaked out, has it?"

Liang Luoren said, "It hasn't leaked yet. This time, a total of more than fifty thousand people are distributed in the Shuofang County territory to search for Turkic people."

"After ten days of searching, there are no Turkic people in the territory, and all adult men have been beheaded."

"On the border, there are more than fifty thousand troops under General Li Jing guarding strictly."

Li Jing also said, "Is Su's arrangement this time to take the opportunity to raid Yinshan?"

Su Liang chuckled and said nothing; he was indeed worthy of being the Great Tang's God of War.

The current situation was clear at a glance.

That night, Su Liang led more than three thousand White Robe Guards to raid Yinshan at night.

Li Jing's army was distributed on the periphery, ready to support at any time.

Su Liang carried out a fire attack strategy.

For a time, the thousands of military headquarters in the Turkic Yinshan were ablaze with fire.

After a night of raiding and killing, more than thirty thousand Turkic people were executed.

More than one hundred thousand Turkic men and women were captured, and hundreds of thousands of livestock such as cattle, sheep, and horses were captured.

Like Zhang Gongjin.

Liang Luoren also became a tool man for cleaning up the battlefield.

In one night, the Turkic people surrendered one after another.

In this battle, Su Liang also personally beheaded Ashina Teqin and Ashina She'er.

These two participated in the planning and intended to murder Su Liang, so Su Liang naturally would not let them go.

It is a pity that Zhishi Sili ran away.

Su Liang was too lazy to ask about the Turkic people who had already surrendered.

In the end, Princess Yicheng was also captured alive.

With an order from Su Liang.

This Princess Yicheng, who married into the Turks for the stability of the Sui Dynasty border and married four Turkic father and son in succession, died!

According to Turkic customs, after the father and brother die, one can marry the father and brother's wife.

This is a kind of ancient marriage custom, called levirate marriage, commonly known as the widow remarriage system.

Traditional Han culture does not encourage levirate marriage, especially after the rise of Confucianism, public opinion believes this is a kind of incest and prohibits it by law.

Although it is a bad habit, it is repeatedly prohibited.

The widow remarriage system can avoid the loss of family financial resources and labor.

It was not until the Ming Dynasty that the law stipulated: those who marry the widows of fathers, uncles, or brothers will be sentenced to beheading, and those who marry the widows of brothers will be sentenced to hanging.

After Khan Qimin died, Khan Shibi married Princess Yicheng as his wife.

After Khan Shibi died, Khan Chuluo married Princess Yicheng as his wife.

Later, she disliked Khan Chuluo for his ugly appearance, so she took advantage of his illness to poison him with Five-Stone Powder and supported his younger brother, Khan Jieli.

During the Sui Dynasty, Princess Yicheng had repeatedly helped her cousin Yang Guang.

During the Tang Dynasty, she repeatedly instigated Khan Jieli to lead troops south.

December 6th, early morning.

Khan Jieli's former confidant general Kang Sumi brought Empress Xiao and her grandson Yang Zhengdao to surrender to the Tang.

At this moment.

Su Liang also saw the legendary Xiao Meiniang, who "married five emperors."

She was indeed a legendary woman of great beauty.

Now sixty-year-old Xiao Meiniang still had her charm.

Walking slowly, every smile and frown looked like Dongfang Bubai at the age of thirty in "The Smiling, Proud Wanderer."

Not only was she full of charm and changeable, but her 1.5-meter height was also petite and lovely.

It turns out that not only modern people like this.

Even the ancients were like this.

Tang Wude Year 9, December 10th.

When the good news reached Changancheng, the whole city was shocked.

At this time.

Taiji Palace, in the Liangyi Hall.

The ministers were all unbelievable, unable to imagine, and did not dare to think.

In just half a month, two countries were destroyed in succession.

They also raided thousands of li, capturing thirty thousand Turks and nearly a million cattle, sheep, and horses.

Relying only on 3,600 White Robe Guards, Li Jing's army mostly cooperated.

The most unacceptable thing is that none of the 3,600 White Robe Guards died!

Su Liang became a god in one battle!