Chapter 178 Anne
"Jiancheng, your troops should be here by now."

Shibi Khan said with a hint of meaning: "Soon, we will make a big move. The envoys from Khitan, Shiwei, Tuyuhun and Gaochang will arrive in the next few days."

Obviously, after Yang Guang's display, Shibi also wanted to have a taste of the tribute from all nations. Recently, he has been very active in contacting various countries, not only asking for money and goods, but also requiring them to come to Dali City to pay tribute every year.

"Khan wants to attack Mayi?"

After passing Yanmen, you will reach Mayi, which is a place where trade between the Central Plains and the grasslands takes place. It has formed a major transportation artery connecting the Central Plains and the desert, as well as Central Asia and Europe, and has maintained an open traffic similar to the Silk Road.

Qin Shihuang's general Meng Tian drove the Huns northward outside Yanmen Pass, besieged the city and raised horses, and built Mayi. During the reign of Emperor Wu of Han, the Mayi conspiracy opened the curtain for the Western Han Dynasty's northern expedition against the Huns.

Therefore, it was not surprising that Shibi Khan wanted to capture this place. Moreover, according to Li Jiancheng, the emperor had already retreated to Jiangdu, and the counties of Mayi and Shuofang had long lost the ability to resist the Turkic army. If the main troops moved south, they would most likely win without fighting.

Therefore, Shibi Khan was only using this opportunity to urge Li Jiancheng to call up his troops so that he could completely absorb these 100,000 elite troops. Then he would have no worries when he went south.

Otherwise, if we send our troops south, these idiots might capture Dali City. Shibi Khan is too experienced. If the siege of Yanmen last time had dragged on for a few more days, something bad would have happened.

If the Central Plains had too many smart people, leading to the deterioration of the situation, then the grasslands had too many stupid people, holding it back.

Many times, these idiots who can't even read a single word will act without considering the consequences, and there is nothing they dare not do based on their courage.

That was why he treated Li Jiancheng in this way. He sincerely hoped to share the world with him. As long as the territory he occupied was larger and richer, it would be enough. The grassland and the Central Plains were such a vast place that it was not something that could be ruled by one family or one surname.

Shibi Khan nodded and said: "Jiancheng, when your troops arrive, we will first sweep across the northern border of the Sui Dynasty, then sit back and watch the world's disputes, wait for a good opportunity, capture the Central Plains and annex the Western Turks.

What a vast territory that would be! This is a feat that even the Qin Emperor and Han Wudi of you Han people could not accomplish. Your names will be engraved in the annals of history. As long as there are herdsmen on the grasslands and people in the Central Plains, no one will ever forget us!"

Li Jiancheng couldn't help but sigh that Shibi Khan's ambition was so great, and it was not blind. If the two of them really joined forces, they would have a chance to create a behemoth that would go down in history.

Even though it won't take long before it falls apart on its own, it will still be glorious enough to pass on to future generations.

But this was not what Li Jiancheng wanted. He had spent so much effort for so long not to be Shibi's younger brother, to create temporary glory and leave chaos to the world.

After more than ten years of turmoil by Yang Guang, the people of the Sui Dynasty have really reached their limit. What he is thinking about now is not what position he can occupy in history, he just wants to stabilize the world as soon as possible.

Coming to the Turks specifically was not just to avoid Yang Guang. The Central Plains and the grasslands have always been in a state of decline, and it takes time to reverse the strength.

Li Jiancheng did not want to fight against the Turks just after he had pacified the world. Not to mention victory or defeat, the people's lives would be extremely difficult. He wanted to fight for a chance for his people to recuperate.

Li Jiancheng said: "Khan, I have something to say now."

Shibi Khan was a little surprised, but still asked: "What's the matter? We are brothers, your wife is my biological sister, there is nothing we can't talk about." "I believe Khan regards me as his biological brother, but what I want to say today is about Khan's biological brother."

"They are my brothers, but in my eyes, you are more trustworthy than them, so you can speak frankly."

"His Highness Ashina Shilifushe secretly went to meet His Highness Ashina Duobi a few days ago. As for what they talked about, no one knows."

Li Jiancheng saw that Shibi Khan had a serious expression on his face and continued, "They are brothers, and Khan has never restricted them from meeting each other, but their behavior is very suspicious.

I heard that during the siege of Yanmen, the Tiele tribes were ready to make a move and were planning to gather their troops towards Dali City. The Tiele tribe lacked siege equipment, so how could they possibly capture such a mighty city with just their bravery? The wise men of the Tiele tribe could not have been unaware of this, but they still took the risk and gathered their troops.

Who gave them such courage? And who is qualified to make a solemn promise to the Tiele tribes? Khan, we Han people have a saying, that is, to resist foreign aggression, we must first stabilize the internal affairs. The chaos in the Central Plains will not be stopped for more than ten or twenty years, and the disaster behind you may erupt at any time. "

Shibi Khan lowered his head with a gloomy expression and asked, "Where did you get the news?"

Li Jiancheng said a few names without hesitation: "Khan, everyone fears you as if you were a god. Even if they are drunk, they dare not burp in front of you. But in front of me, they have nothing to worry about."

Li Jiancheng was not shooting at nothing. Ashina Shilifu was the Choro Khan of later generations, and Ashina Duobi was the Jieli Khan. These two took turns to be the Khan of the Turks after the death of Shibi Khan.

The three brothers also had one thing in common, that is, they all married their stepmother, Princess Yicheng.

The news about Li Jiancheng also came from Princess Yicheng. In the early years, these two people had tested her, but at that time Yicheng felt that Shibi still respected the Sui Dynasty more, so she did not interact with them.

But after the siege of Yanmen, Princess Yicheng hated Shi Bi for tearing off the emperor's last reputation and making the Yang family completely lose hope, so she started to contact those two people.

Moreover, preparations had already begun. The Turkic Khan's Khaganaten held a very respected position because he held certain real power. If Li Jiancheng had not stopped it, Shibi Khan would have inevitably died suddenly within a few years.

Shibi Khan did not say much, but just asked Li Jiancheng to go. In the next half month, the people mentioned by Li Jiancheng disappeared one after another, and then the Khan suddenly issued an order to his brothers to rush back to Dali City.

The two brothers, who had received the news of Princess Yicheng a long time ago, led their troops to flee to the Tiele tribe without hesitation. In the end, only the cowardly Ashina Bulishe and Ashina Chijishe came to Dali City.

Escape speaks louder than any real evidence. Shibi Khan was furious. He had doubts, but he never expected that his two younger brothers would have such thoughts.

So he personally led the troops to fight, but he did not forget to bring Li Jiancheng with him, obviously fearing that he would take the opportunity to escape.

Although Ashina Anar went to get angry with his brother, he could not change Shibi's decision.

...............

(End of this chapter)