Chapter 245 Success
Tuli started to encounter ambushes two days after his rapid march. How could Jie Li not keep a backup plan to guard against this wolf cub Tuli when he went on the expedition?

More than 20,000 cavalrymen are indeed enough to deal with Tuli. After all, he is young and is restricted and attacked by Jie Li everywhere. But Tuli has Li Shimin's 30,000 elite troops behind him.

Therefore, Tuli led his troops to engage in battle with the enemy, while Li Shimin watched under the escort of several cavalrymen, and did not rush to lead his troops forward just because Tuli was at a disadvantage.

It was not until the two armies were tightly entangled that he ordered Yuchi Jingde to lead the troops. The sudden appearance of 30,000 cavalry scared the soldiers who came to capture Tuli.

But how could they easily escape when the two armies were fighting? And Yuchi Jingde would not let go of the meat at his fingertips, so he led his troops to attack.

The Turks also had many cavalry generals, but it was rare to find one as fierce and brave as Yuchi Jingde. Wherever he went, there was almost no enemy that could match him.

Qin Wang Li Shimin was not a fan of generals commanding from the rear. Seeing that Yuchi Jingde was so brave and good at fighting, he also began to fight hard.

But the guards beside him did not give him any chance, so he could only abandon his spear and shoot with the bow. The arrows were like flying stars, and those who were hit fell instantly.

Soon the enemy army fled. Li Shimin ordered his generals not to pursue them, but Tuli refused to let go of this opportunity. He led his troops in pursuit for a long distance, killing hundreds of people before returning.

After cleaning up the battlefield, Tuli found Li Shimin and said, "This is definitely not going to be concealed anymore. I'm afraid Jie Li's troops will return from Yinshan."

Li Shimin comforted him, "Don't worry, Your Majesty has already ordered the Bingzhou troops to march north. They must have already started fighting by now, so it's impossible for them to withdraw so easily."

The key is still Dali City. If all of Jie Li's confidants are killed there, Tuli and Princess Yicheng can directly command the Turks.

He could also directly cross the grassland to cut off Jie Li's retreat and trap the Turkic Khans from the east and west to death in the territory of the Tang Dynasty.

The Tang army's morale was boosted by the great victory. Li Shimin gave the captured prisoners and most of the horses to Tuli, and all the gold and silver jewelry that could be carried were rewarded to the soldiers.

Of course, what is more important is the promise of rewards. There has never been a problem in this regard since Li Jiancheng took command of the troops. He always does what he says and does not allow the generals to withhold money.

After distributing the spoils, they headed towards Dali City again. Although Li Shimin also brought a guide, he still had to rely on the guidance of the Turks to find the right road on the vast grassland.

Along the way, there were often small groups of cavalry invading, but no one dared to attack them. However, there were often messengers going to see Tuli, probably to persuade him to abandon darkness and join the light, and not betray his own bloodline.

But although Tuli was young, he was extremely determined, but it was probably not because of hatred for his uncle, but because of a desire for Turkic power.

So they successfully arrived at the city of Dali, a city built by craftsmen sent by the Sui Dynasty for Qimin Khan. Although it was not as magnificent as Chang'an and Luoyang.

But it can be compared with the county cities in the Central Plains. It is not easy to attack, and the troops gathered in Dali City are no less than theirs.

It is unrealistic to rely on a brute force attack, so now it depends on Tuli and Princess Yicheng.

The power of the Turks has always been relatively dispersed, and the Khan was only the biggest leader. It was not long before Jie Li inherited the Khan's power and truly controlled the troops.

Hundreds of thousands of troops followed him south, and another 100,000 were dispatched to the border to provide support, but they were all held back by the Tang army, and the remaining troops were not enough to maintain Jie Li's power.

Li Shimin allowed Tuli to contact the leaders of the various Turkic tribes and the nobles in Dali City, but he did not wait, but took the initiative to meet the Turkic troops who came to help and ordered an attack on the city. In Dali City, Princess Yicheng was also talking to the nobles, promising that if they supported her son as Khan, the Tang army would retreat, they would not be harmed, and they would get more pastures, herdsmen and livestock.

A few days later, the originally unbreakable city gate was actually opened. Li Shimin ordered Yuchi Jingde to lead the troops in, and he personally led the troops to wait for support to prevent an ambush inside.

But it went surprisingly smoothly. After the Tang army completely controlled one side of the city wall and gate, Li Shimin continued to send troops until Princess Yicheng had roughly control of the situation.

Li Shimin wanted to meet Princess Yicheng, but the princess was unwilling to see him. It was obvious that she was worried that the Tang Dynasty would kill her and her son as well.

Looking back, they saw that Lian Tuli was gone. Princess Yicheng asked them to kill some of the stubborn Jie Li loyalists, and then asked them to withdraw from Dali City.

This was obviously different from the original agreement. Yuchi Jingde said, "Your Highness, the King of Qin, we have already occupied a city gate. We can attack or defend. Why should we listen to them? In my opinion, we can talk after we can no longer kill them!"

Li Shimin was naturally tempted, but he still restrained himself: "Not to mention that it is difficult to accomplish, even if Yicheng and Tuli are killed, it will only benefit other Turks.

The most urgent task is to follow the plan and kill Jie Li. As for the other things, we can deal with them slowly later."

Two days later, Tuli appeared again, but this time his attire was obviously more luxurious, and he was no longer as warm to Li Shimin as before.

In Li Shimin's eyes, Tuli's pretending to be majestic was extremely ridiculous, but he still flattered him a few words before asking him to go with him to rob and kill Jie Li as agreed.

Without the leadership of the Turks, let alone whether they would go astray, the entire route was filled with Turkic tribes, and fighting and stopping all the time would definitely lead to delays.

But Tuli actually said: "Dali City is still unstable. My troops are going to eliminate Jie Li's confidants in various tribes, so I can only send you a guide and my token."

Li Shimin looked at Tuli deeply and said, "Khan, don't forget that Jie Li is our common enemy."

Tuli smiled and said, "So I believe he will not come back alive. Please thank His Majesty the Emperor of the Tang Dynasty on my behalf."

Li Shimin also laughed: "I wonder if Shibi Khan has ever told you how kind and generous my brother is. Perhaps if Jie Li Khan takes the initiative to ask for forgiveness, Your Majesty may forgive him."

Tuli's face changed, and he turned his head subconsciously. Li Shimin looked at the man and said, "Princess, you should know that if you don't abide by the agreement, then we can change the plan, and Jie Li Khan doesn't have to die.

In comparison, perhaps the Turkic people, who are in the midst of endless civil war, are more in line with the interests of our Tang Dynasty."

The man dressed as a servant turned around and left. Tuli Khan was at a loss. Facing Li Shimin's sharp oppression, he could only agree to send soldiers as guides to clear the way as agreed.

He would also summon the troops that were ready to escort Jie Li back to the grassland to retreat immediately.

………………

(End of this chapter)