Taiping Inn

Li Xuandu began to calculate the time for his return to the Central Plains. This trip to the Golden Tent can be said to have gained a lot. In public terms, he not only witnessed the death of the old Khan, but also promoted the internal strife of the Golden Tent, which has far exceeded what Zhao Zheng said "to explore the truth". In private terms, Li Xuandu got the "relic" of the national teacher, the immortal stone, by chance, and learned the "Xiaoyao Liuxu Jie" of the earth master, successfully entering the realm of heaven and man. At his current age, he is expected to repeat the old path of Tan Taiyun and step into the realm of immortality at the age of forty. He has more advantages than Tan Taiyun because he will use the "Taiping Qingling Sutra", a method of the Xuanmen righteous way, step by step, and there will be no hidden dangers.

Moreover, Li Xuandu also has a bold idea. He can't always learn from the old learning of his predecessors. At this level, he must always integrate the strengths of various schools and have something of his own. Looking at the masters of the time, Xu Wugui created the "Xiaoyao Liuxu Jie", Li Daoxu improved the "Beidou Thirty-six Swordsmanship", Zhang Jingxiu and Tan Taiyun should also have similar methods, but they have never shown them to others. Li Xuandu does not have to create his own skills, he can also improve the existing skills like his master Li Daoxu and make them better. Don't underestimate the word "improvement". Xu Wugui's self-created "Xiaoyao Liuxu Jie" is high, but it is difficult to pass it on to disciples, and it is not of much benefit to the Yin-Yang Sect. If Li Xuandu had not learned it by chance, it would have been lost when Xu Wugui passed away. On the other hand, Li Daoxu improved the "36 Swords of the Big Dipper", which can be learned by everyone, from the 36 hall masters and 72 island masters to ordinary registered disciples. The difference lies in how much they learn, which greatly increased the strength of the Qingwei Sect. From the Qingwei Sect that was driven out of Taiping Mountain by the Taiping Sect to the Qingwei Sect that is now on equal footing with the Zhengyi Sect, it is certainly due to the hard work of the ancestors of all generations, but Li Daoxu is definitely the most critical person, and the "36 Swords of the Big Dipper" improved by him is even more important.

Li Xuandu already has a rough idea, but he has to wait until he returns to the Central Plains to put it into practice.

As for the battlefield of the Golden Tent, leave it to the Earth Master and the Saint King. This battle can be seen as a follow-up to the battle in Xijing, and the Central Plains righteousness has almost no foundation in the royal court, so there is no way to intervene. In other words, whether Tan Taiyun can really beat his teacher depends on the battle of the Golden Tent.

Li Xuandu calculated the itinerary. If he left now, he could return to Liaodong before the fifteenth day of the first lunar month and catch up with the Lantern Festival. However, Li Xuandu decided to stay for a few more days to wait and see the situation.

In the next few days, as Li Xuandu expected, Shigan Khan and Batu Khan decided to join forces under the matchmaking of the geomancer. As for Ili Khan's previous proposal that the person who avenged the old Khan was the new Khan, it was naturally no longer recognized by Batu Khan. As for how the geomancer persuaded the two, the key lies in a child named Wulien. The child was originally in the hands of Tan Taiyun, but the geomancer took him away when Tan Taiyun was fighting with the national teacher.

At the same time, Xiao Yanshi also successfully persuaded Da Yanshi. Although the specific process is unknown, some rumors have leaked out. It is said that the families of the two Yanshi came forward to mediate, and the younger Yanshi was good at acting. When she went to see the elder Yanshi, she knelt down to apologize before entering the door. With Ili Khan explaining the pros and cons, the elder Yanshi was finally persuaded and dismissed her attendants, leaving only the two sisters alone. The final result was that the two Yanshi hugged each other and cried bitterly. The younger Yanshi promised the elder Yanshi that if Yamuhu Khan became the new Khan, he would let Mingli Khan replace Batu Khan and guard the west, Ili Khan would still guard the east, and Yamuhu Khan would sit in the royal court.

The reason why Batu Khan dared to think about the position of Khan was that he had enough troops. If the army of the Golden Horde was divided into ten equal parts, Batu Khan would control two points, Ili Khan would control two points, the old Khan would control two points, the rest of the kings would divide two points, and the Nayans would divide two points. Now that the old Khan is dead, his guards are divided and inherited by Shigan Khan and Mingli Khan respectively. Shigan Khan is in alliance with Batu Khan, so the two have one-third of the troops. Now Ili Khan and Da Yanshi have agreed to form an alliance, and Xiao Yanshi has the support of the kings. The troops in her hands are almost close to one-fifth, which has exceeded Batu Khan and has formed an advantage in total troops over Batu Khan. As for the rest, most of them will wait until the two sides decide the winner before supporting the new Khan, and will not rashly participate in the war.

Therefore, Xiao Yanshi's promise is also very sincere. Let Mingli Khan replace Batu Khan, which is equivalent to handing one-fifth of the royal court's troops to Mingli Khan, ensuring that Mingli Khan has enough power to protect himself. Even if the new Khan wants to settle accounts later, he dare not act rashly.

However, things on the battlefield are not necessarily won by having more troops. Xiao Yanshi's troops are nominally large, but they are still far from the royal court. It takes time for the kings to gather their troops, especially the army under Ili Khan. In order to guard against the Liaodong cavalry, they are still stationed at the border and cannot move lightly. However, the border bordering the Northwest Zhou has been peaceful for a long time, and Batu Khan is well prepared. His army has already set out for the royal court. In this case, Batu Khan can form a large force against a small force in a short period of time. If Xiao Yanshi and Ili Khan are not careful, they will suffer losses and the strength will change in just one battle.

For this reason, Ili Khan made the decision to abandon the royal court and retreat to the territories of Zixuebie Khan and Yuejibie Khan. In this process, he gathered his troops and waited until all the troops were assembled before fighting a decisive battle with Batu Khan. However, this would create hidden dangers for both sides. Behind Batu Khan was the northwest, and behind Ili Khan was Liaodong. When the two sides fought, they might both be attacked from both sides.

Of course, this is not absolute. Although Tan Taiyun has mastered Xijing, the time is too short. The geomancer has been working in the northwest for many years and has many potential followers. These people dare not disobey orders openly, but it is not difficult to delay one or two. The opportunity for war is fleeting, and a short delay is enough. As for Liaodong, their sights are not on the Golden Tent, but on the interior of the country. Moreover, Liaodong has risen for too short a time, and there is no sufficient preparation for the expedition to the Golden Tent. Whether it is the manpower or the logistics and food, it cannot support the Liaodong army to enter the unfamiliar grassland for a long time.

Thinking of this, Li Xuan felt a little regretful. If the Central Plains was a strong empire at this time, then he could take the opportunity to launch an expedition and completely solve this long-term worry. Unfortunately, the current Central Plains court is too weak, so weak that it is already unable to maintain the rule of the Central Plains. Such a large empire is crumbling. Even if the enemy is fighting internally, it can only take a breath for the time being, and has no spare energy to launch a counterattack.

Finally, Li Xuandu met with Ili Khan again and told him about Yesi. Because of the death of the old Khan, Yesi was unwilling to stay in the royal court. He thought he was not a good official. Without the protection of the old Khan, it would be difficult for him to be the second captain of the Qiexue Army, so he decided to follow Li Xuandu to the Central Plains to see the rivers and lakes of the Central Plains. Ili Khan did not object, nor was he surprised. He seemed to have expected this.

This time he also met Ili Khan's wife, a Central Plains woman named Xiao.

Li Xuandu had heard Ning Yi talk about this Madam Xiao, but he didn't feel much, because there were too many miserable people in the world. Not to mention the innocent people who starved to death, Zhou Shuning, who was beside him, had both his parents killed, and died in front of him. Isn't it more pitiful than Madam Xiao? Besides, Li Xuandu didn't even know who his parents were. Madam Xiao had at least more than ten years to enjoy her parents' lap, which was even more incomparable. In the final analysis, people in troubled times will gradually become numb after seeing all kinds of tragic things. Ordinary people, who don't know why they are born, and don't know why they die, are left with nothing but confusion. Although Li Xuandu is not an ordinary person, he doesn't have much sympathy left.

This Madam Xiao seemed to be very interested in Li Xuandu and asked many questions about the Central Plains. Li Xuandu answered them one by one for the sake of Ili Khan. However, when Madam Xiao brought the topic to the Li and Qin families in Donghai, Li Xuandu became alert and replied: "If the grassland war is over, I hope Ili Khan and Madam will not hesitate to come and drink my wedding wine."

Ili Khan did not comment, and Madam Xiao smiled like a flower, "Definitely."