Chapter 263: Beiluo Shimen, the Hall of Heroes marches into Yulin Street

A burly man stood under the Jade Bodhi tree. He looked heroic, with a strong military aura between his eyebrows, looking majestic and resolute. The man's face was full of traces of time, and his eyes revealed the deepness and fatigue of vicissitudes of life.

The fallen leaves floated down from the jade bodhi tree and surrounded his feet, adding a solemn and sad atmosphere. The falling leaves seemed to symbolize the passing of time and the drifting of memories. Each leaf carried a story and a memory.

The man looked particularly lonely in the afterglow of the setting sun. He lowered his head, as if he was lost in deep thought. The branches and leaves of the jade bodhi tree swayed gently in the breeze, making a rustling sound, as if to comfort his inner pain.

The whole scene is quiet yet a little heavy, making people feel his inner depression and helplessness, as if at this moment, he is not only thinking about the tragic events of the past, but also silently bearing the burden of his heart.

The man stared ahead with a gloomy look, as if he could see through the scene in front of him endless past events and unforgettable family members. The coolness brought by the autumn wind made him shrink his shoulders slightly, but more than that, he seemed to feel cold inside. He raised his head and looked at the old Bodhi tree, as if looking for a trace of comfort and strength.

He stood there, lonely but strong, like an unyielding mountain, no matter how the wind and rain tore him apart, he still stood firm. Under the jade bodhi tree, leaves were falling, and the autumn was thick. The man's figure looked even heavier and lonelier in the sunset. He was in a low mood, but he also showed a hint of unwillingness and stubbornness.

"If one flower is a world, one leaf is a bodhi."

"Then where will I go? Why am I still attached to it?"

"Time seems to have slowed down. It's so quiet around me."

"I no longer ask for anything. I just want to stay like this for a while longer."

"I don't ask, is it a calamity or a fate!"

Underworld, North District, Hall of Heroes.

It was noon, and the golden crow was hanging high in the sky, emitting a scorching light, making people feel the hot summer atmosphere. Its light shone through the clouds and fell on the earth, illuminating everything. The sunlight passed through the gaps in the leaves, casting colorful spots of light, dyeing the earth golden.

The sky is clear and blue like a pool of sea water.

The golden sunlight penetrated the sparse clouds and sprinkled on the ground, adding a golden halo to the majestic black city. The outline of the city became clearer under the sunlight, and every stone brick seemed to be bathed in holy light.

This ancient city named Qun Ying City looked even more majestic and overbearing because of the golden light, like a black golden beast lying on the ground, quietly looking down at the earth, emitting a powerful aura that could not be ignored. Anyone who approached this city would involuntarily feel awe, as if what was in front of them was not a building, but a king who dominated the world.

On the pitch-black city wall that towered into the sky, pairs of organized ghost soldiers patrolled back and forth. These ghost soldiers were wearing armor, holding sharp blades, with stern faces and sharp eyes. They walked in unison and moved in a strict manner. Every movement revealed a meticulous military atmosphere. Their presence made the entire city wall like an insurmountable barrier, guarding the peace and majesty of the city.

Anyone who attempts to offend will feel unprecedented pressure and fear under the gaze of the ghost soldiers. Occasionally, one or two crows fly over the city wall, making shrill cries, as if adding a weird atmosphere to the mystery and majesty of the city.

The Heroes City stands like an unconquerable fortress on this land, showing its unparalleled power and majesty to the world. Every ray of golden sunlight and every step of the ghost soldiers are telling the domineering majesty and extraordinary military power of this city.

In the main hall of Qun Ying City.

The main seat on the long conference table was vacant, and the rest of the seats were occupied by Li Yunlong, Diao Lingyun and other elite members of the Hall of Heroes.

"The commander-in-chief just sent a message back, asking us to send elite troops to Yulin Street. He said there will be a big show there, and he wants us to send a strong enough force!"

Li Yunlong sat in the first position on the left and read the contents of Li Ye's spiritual letter to the key members of the Hall of Heroes present.

"In that case, I will lead the operation this time. Uncle Long, you and Shuwen should stay in Qun Ying City to stabilize the situation and make strategic plans!"

Diao Lingyun sat in the first seat on the right row, with her right hand resting on the table, and her slender white fingers tapping on the table top continuously.

"As it should be, I will announce the specific personnel arrangements next."

Li Yunlong nodded after hearing this, looked at Fang Shuwen, exchanged glances, and then said loudly:
"Diao Lingyun will lead this operation. In addition, Wu Suqin, Jia Xinglie, Ashina Tuoshe, Zhishi Tianyi, Qibi Huiyong, and Yuchi Lietang, the six of you will follow Deputy Commander Diao Lingyun to Yulin Street."

Ashina Tuoshe, Zhishi Tianyi and Qibi Huiyong are all high-level spirit hosts who came to Li Ye after Li Ye ascended to the top of the Hall of Heroes. The hell of the three is at the eighth level of Dajiaore, and the guardian spirits of the three are all top-level human martial spirits, Ashina Sher, Zhishi Sili and Qibi Heli.

Ashina She'er, from Yunzhong, Dingxiang, was a Turkic royal family member, a famous general in the Tang Dynasty, and the second son of Choro Khan.

Originally DTZ, he set up a tent in the northern desert, commanded the Tiele, Xueyantuo and other tribes, was defeated by Xueyantuo, led his troops to seize nearly half of the territory of Western Turkestan, and called himself Dubu Khan. He was defeated by Xueyantuo again and fled to Gaochang. In the ninth year of Zhenguan, he led his troops to surrender to the Tang Dynasty, was appointed as the General of the Left Guard, married Princess Hengyang, and was granted the title of the Duke of Bi. He followed Duke of Lu, Hou Junji, to pacify Gaochang, and was granted the title of Duke of Bi. He fought against Goguryeo and Xueyantuo and made many military achievements. In the twenty-first year of Zhenguan, he served as the General of Kunqiu Road, defeated Qiuci, and forced the King of Khotan to surrender. He was appointed as the General of the Right Guard and the General of the Zhenjun Army.

He died in the sixth year of Yonghui, and was posthumously awarded the title of General of the Auxiliary State and Grand Commander of Bingzhou, and was given the posthumous name of Yuan. He was buried in Zhaoling Mausoleum.

There are many military officials in history who are brave and outstanding, but few who are virtuous and encourage the people, let alone the barbarians! For example, Feng Ang was wise and brave and kept his integrity, She Yi was honest and prudent, Suni lost his favor, and Shi Zhong was honest and cautious. He used military force to defeat Tubo and Guhun, which was bravery; his heart was as hard as stone, which was loyalty; he did not understand Wan Jun’s official position, which was forgiveness; he stopped the relatives of Yantuo, which was wisdom; he saved Gao Tubo’s death, which was knowledge.

Li Shimin was loyal to Emperor Taizong of Tang. When Emperor Taizong passed away, he wanted to be buried alive with him, but was stopped by Li Zhi's order. Although he was a foreign general, he was also a top general of his generation.

Zhishisi Li, also known as Zhishi, was a Turkic general and son-in-law of Emperor Gaozu of Tang, Li Yuan.

He was originally the chief of the Zhishi tribe of DTZ. In the ninth year of Wude, he followed Jie Li Khan to attack Chang'an and signed the Weishui Alliance. After the fall of DTZ, he surrendered to the Tang Dynasty and escorted Empress Xiao of Emperor Yang of Sui back to China. He served as the General of the Left Guard and assisted in the palace guards. He married Princess Jiujiang, was appointed as the Duwei of the Imperial Concubine, and was granted the title of Duke of Anguo. He was ordered to recruit the Hun tribe, Husa and other tribes to surrender, and defeated Tuyuhun, Tubo and Xueyantuo with the army. In the fourth year of Yonghui, he was involved in the case of Fang Yiai's rebellion, but was spared from death and exiled to Yizhou. In the Longshuo period, he was reappointed as the governor of Guizhou and died in office. In the first year of Linde, he was posthumously awarded the title of General of the Left Guard and the Governor of Shengzhou, and was posthumously named Jing.

Ouyang Xiu et al.'s New Book of Tang: "The barbarians are honest and stubborn by nature. Those who know what is right are stubborn and unyielding. They lack cleverness but have more understanding. Looking at the history of Da Nai and others, they all serve the emperor with one mind and no expectations. They are able to achieve great achievements and are trusted by the emperor."

Qibi Heli, a member of the Tiele tribe, was the son of Moheduoter Qibi Ge and a general of the Tang Dynasty in China.

Qibi Heli was a hereditary chieftain, brave and good at fighting. In 632, he and his mother led more than a thousand families to Shazhou to return to the Tang Dynasty and were awarded the title of General of the Left Army. In 635, during the battle of Tuyuhun, he broke through the siege to rescue the front army, and led elite cavalry to pursue the tent of Tuyuhun King Murong Fuyun, killing many people. In 640, he followed the Minister of Personnel Hou Junji and others to defeat Gaochang. In 645, during the battle of Goguryeo, he served as the general of the front army, stepped into the battle, and defeated the Goguryeo soldiers. In 648, he served as the deputy general of the Kunqiu Road, and pacified Qiuci with the general general Ashina She'er. In 657, he was promoted to the general of the left guard and was granted the title of Duke of Qin. In 661, he led the army with Su Dingfang and others to attack Goguryeo in different ways, defeated the Goguryeo defenders, pursued for dozens of miles, and returned to the capital in accordance with the imperial edict. The following year, the nine tribes of Tiele in Mobei rebelled against the Tang Dynasty. He led light cavalry into the tribes of the nine tribes, persuaded their tribes, captured and killed the rebel chieftain, and the nine tribes were at peace. In 666, he was appointed as the deputy general commander of the Liaodong Road and attacked Goguryeo again. In 668, he joined forces with other armies to capture Pyongyang, and was promoted to the general of the Zhen Army and the general of the Zuowei Army, and was granted the title of Duke of Liang. In the second year of Yifeng, Qibi Heli died of illness, and was posthumously awarded the titles of general of the auxiliary state and the general governor of Bingzhou. He was buried in Zhaoling Mausoleum and was given the posthumous title of Yi.

As a general of a minority ethnic group, Qibiheli made important contributions to the unification of the Tang Dynasty and the unity of all ethnic groups. He fought for more than 40 years and was known in history as "calm, resolute, decisive, and talented in commanding". He played an important role in the battles with Tuyuhun, Gaochang, Xueyantuo, Goguryeo and others and never suffered a defeat.

He successively led his army to attack Tuyuhun, pacify Gaochang, defeat Qiuci, Xueyantuo and Western Turks, appease the nine clans of Tiele, and eliminate Goguryeo, making great contributions to maintaining the unity of the Tang Dynasty.

Li Shimin: "This man has a heart of iron and stone. He will never betray me."

Jia Yanzhong: "Qibi Heli was calm, resolute and decisive. Although he was quite cautious, he had the talent to lead."

Liu Xu et al., "Old Book of Tang": "To defeat Tubo and Guhun with military force is courage; to have a heart as strong as iron is loyalty; to not understand Wan Jun's position is forgiveness; to stop the relationship between Yantuo and Yantuo is wisdom; to spare Gao Tubo's death is knowledge. To achieve great merits, occupy an important position, and work hard day and night, how can one do this?"

Qibi Heli was loyal to the Tang Dynasty and to Li Shimin, and left behind a story about him cutting his ear to show his determination and vowing not to rebel against the Tang Dynasty.

In October of the 16th year of the Zhenguan reign, Emperor Taizong of Tang sent Qibi Heli back to Liangzhou to visit his relatives and to appease his tribe. At that time, the Xueyantuo were very powerful, and Qibi Heli's tribe wanted to submit to Xueyantuo. Qibi Heli was very surprised and said:
"The Emperor of the Tang Dynasty has treated us so well, why would we rebel?"

The people of the Qibi Heli tribe said:
"The old lady and the governor have already gone to Xueyantuo. Why don't you go there?"

Qibi Heli said:
"The monk is filial to the old man, but I want to be loyal to the emperor and I will never go with you."

The people of Qibi Heli's tribe tied him up and sent him to Xueyantuo, throwing him in front of the tent of Zhenzhu Khan Yishi Yinan. Qibi Heli stretched out his legs, drew his sword and shouted to the east:
"How can a loyal and brave man of the Tang Dynasty be insulted by you? The sun is shining brightly, I hope you can understand my true feelings."

So he cut off his left ear and vowed not to obey. Zhenzhu Khan wanted to kill him, but his wife persuaded him to give up.

When Emperor Taizong of Tang heard that Qibi Heli had defected, he said:
"It's definitely not Qibi Heli's intention."

People around me said:
"These Rongdi tribes have similar interests. Qibi Heli joined Xueyantuo and found it like a fish in water."

Emperor Taizong said: "No. Qibi's heart is as firm as a rock, he will definitely not betray me."

It happened that an envoy came back from Xueyantuo and told the truth in detail. After listening to it, Emperor Taizong burst into tears and said to those around him:
"What happened to Qibi Heli?"

He immediately ordered the Vice Minister of War, Cui Dunli, to hold a flag and inform the Xueyantuo that his daughter Princess Xinxing should be married to Zhenzhu Khan in exchange for Qibi Heli. As a result, Qibi Heli was able to return to the court and was appointed General of the Right Guard.

In June of the 17th year of Zhenguan, Princess Xinxing was about to go to Xueyantuo. Qibi Heli wrote to Emperor Taizong of Tang and said:

"You cannot intermarry with the Xueyantuo."

Emperor Taizong of Tang said:

"I have already promised them. How can I, as the Son of Heaven, go back on my word?"

Qibi Heli replied:
"I don't want Your Majesty to reject them immediately, but I hope to postpone this matter for the time being. I heard that there has been a wedding ceremony since ancient times. If Your Majesty orders Zhenzhu Khan to welcome the bride, even if he doesn't come to Chang'an, he must go to Lingzhou. Zhenzhu Khan will definitely not dare to come, so there is reason to reject him. Zhenzhu Khan has a strong and violent temperament. Since he cannot marry into the Tang Dynasty, his subordinates are also disloyal. He will die of illness in a year or two. His two sons will fight for the throne, and then Your Majesty can easily subdue them."

Emperor Taizong of Tang followed his advice and summoned Zhenzhu Khan to come to welcome the bride. Zhenzhu Khan feared that he was cheating, so he did not come to welcome the bride. Since then, Zhenzhu Khan was depressed and frustrated, and died of anger a year later.

During the expedition to Goguryeo, his bravery and broad-mindedness were fully displayed.

In May of the 19th year of the Zhenguan reign, Emperor Taizong of Tang went on an expedition to Goguryeo. Qibi Heli served as the commander of the front army and followed the army. When the Tang army was stationed in Baiya City, it was surrounded by the Goguryeo army. Goguryeo Wugucheng sent more than 10,000 soldiers to reinforce the Goguryeo army in Baiya City, and Qibi Heli sent 800 elite cavalry to stop them.

Qibi Heli charged forward with all his might and was stabbed in the waist by a spear. Xue Wanbei, the imperial charioteer, went to rescue him alone and rescued Qibi Heli from the crowd of thousands of people and returned to the Tang army. Qibi Heli became even more furious, bandaged his wound and went out to fight again. The cavalrymen who followed him fought bravely and defeated the Goguryeo army. They pursued the enemy for dozens of miles, killing more than a thousand people, and did not withdraw until dark.

At that time, Qibi Heli was seriously injured, and Emperor Taizong of Tang personally applied medicine to him to show his concern. Soon, Emperor Taizong found out and caught the man who stabbed Qibi Heli, Gao Tubo, and handed him over to Qibi Heli, asking Qibi Heli to kill him personally to avenge the spear. Qibi Heli reported to the emperor, saying: "He risked his life to stab me for his monarch. He is a loyal and brave man. I don't know him at all and I don't have any hatred against him." So he let him go.

Li Jing: Wan Che is not as good as Ashina She'er, Zhishishili and Qibi Heli, they are all foreign ministers who know military affairs well.

Li Jing spoke highly of these three foreign ministers and generals. These three indeed made great military achievements for the Tang Dynasty and were loyal to it. They even cried bitterly when Li Shimin passed away and wanted to be buried with him. If Li Shimin had not left a will not allowing them to be buried with him, they would probably have really followed Li Shimin.

(End of this chapter)