"I'll go down and gather the troops."
Yuchi Baolin knew that the northwest was unstable, and the reason why Li Xiang transferred him here was because something might happen, but he didn't expect that this thing would happen so soon.
Li Xiang nodded. It was indeed inappropriate for Yuchi Baolin to be here. After all, this was related to a royal scandal. No matter what kind of words were spread in the future, Yuchi Baolin would be suspected. Going out to assemble the team at this time was also a way to avoid suspicion.
When the King of Qi left, Li Xiang told him that our current goal is not to actually fight a war, but to let the countries in the Western Regions see the toughness of our Tang Dynasty while he is causing trouble, and to gain certain benefits without fighting.
In theory, there is nothing wrong with Li Xiang's strategy. If we look at the whole thing, King Li You of Qi has done a good job. But it is not meant to be done this way. If the news is blocked, it is still relatively good. But if it gets out, the reputation of the Tang Dynasty will be ruined.
"Something that is not enough to accomplish anything, but more than enough to cause trouble."
Li Xiang also felt a headache. Western Turkestan was the largest country in the entire Western Regions. Now their prince's wife was being toyed with. If they didn't show any reaction, that would be really weird.
"Is your prince's safety safe?"
Although Li You is a good-for-nothing, he is a prince of the Tang Dynasty after all. Li Xiang is in charge of affairs in the Western Regions now. No matter what this guy did, if he died here, it would be difficult for Li Xiang to explain it. In the eyes of some conspirators, it might be that Li Xiang deliberately killed Li You.
"Your Highness, after this incident, General Niu sent people to protect our prince. We didn't dare live in the city anymore, and everyone went to the military camp outside the city. But the Western Turks actually sent out a large army to surround us, and they wouldn't allow us to leave the 30-li area of the Western Turkic capital."
The follower no longer dared to hide anything and told Li Xiang everything at once. If Li Xiang was not informed of the local difficulties, how could he send troops to rescue them?
After hearing this, Li Xiang breathed a sigh of relief. As long as he was still in his own military camp, Niu Jinda was not a fool. The troops under his command were very powerful. They could not take down the capital of the Western Turks, but they could still escort them back.
"Go and get some rest. Shut your mouth! If even a single word gets out, not only will your prince's life be in danger, but your entire family will be wiped out as well."
When Li Xiang was speaking, a guard followed this guy behind him. In the future, this guy would be monitored 24 hours a day.
Lord Zhao had been sent back to rest, but who knew that he was brought back again. He heard that someone from the Western Regions had returned on horseback, and Lord Zhao also wanted to know what was going on. After all, Lord Zhao was also one of the persons in charge here. If something really happened, Lord Zhao would be to blame.
"This is ridiculous! This is absolutely ridiculous! He has completely disgraced the Tang Dynasty."
What Lord Zhao said was a bit of an insult to his superiors. He was just a minister of the Tang Dynasty, while the King of Qi was the emperor's son. However, the King of Qi did such a disgusting thing, which was unacceptable to anyone, especially since Lord Zhao was a Taoist scholar.
"Who said it wasn't? I thought my fifth uncle had his eyes on a princess from some other country. Even if something happened, we could just marry her. But I didn't expect he had his eyes on someone else's princess. If something like this happens, it's definitely not as simple as just getting her back."
Li Xiang also felt the thorny nature of this matter. If the Western Turks turned against the Tang Dynasty because of this matter, at least half of the other countries would follow the Western Turks. It’s not that the army under Li Xiang’s command was afraid to fight, but casualties would definitely increase. The most important thing was that after the battle, we didn’t have enough troops to occupy the entire Western Regions. Wouldn’t that be a waste of effort?
"Master Zhao, this is a serious matter. It seems I have to go on a long journey, otherwise they won't release it."
Li Xiang thought about it and decided that he had to take action himself. If it was dragged on like this, according to the way that idiot did things, it was very likely that the matter would get worse. Before serious consequences occurred, Li Xiang had to cut the Gordian knot and resolve the matter quickly.
"Your Highness, you must not go there now. Many people in Western Turkestan know about this matter. If they really want revenge, then Your Highness, the Prince of Qi, will definitely have no chance of survival. Losing a prince is still acceptable to our Tang Dynasty, but if anything happens to you, the court..."
Lord Zhao was telling the truth. Although Prince Li You of Qi was the emperor's son, this guy's presence has always been low. Even if he died in the Western Regions, at most we would be reprimanded, and at worst we would be demoted or even stripped of our official hats. But we can bear all these consequences.
But what if Li Xiang went there himself and something happened? Who would he cry to? You have to know that Li Xiang was now the crown prince of the Tang Empire, the third-generation heir. Countless people hoped that Li Xiang would die, so he couldn't risk his life.
"I absolutely have to go. Regardless of who dies, this will have a profound impact on our relationship. Didn't we discuss this before? We're like a powerful wolf, but the other side is a massive elephant. We can only scare them, but we can't kill them. The overall situation can't change."
Li Xiang was at his wit's end. Now all places were recovering rapidly. If he had another year, Li Xiang would be able to mobilize a large number of troops to occupy the Western Regions. But that was not possible now. He had to stabilize the countries in the Western Regions and maintain the current diplomatic situation, putting pressure on them without going to war.
This is like walking on a tightrope. If you don't walk it well, you may fall at any time. Lord Zhao thought about it again and again and there is no other way to solve the problem. Although he can also go through it, it is not enough. Who made Li You do such excessive things? He even dared to seduce someone else's princess. This is something no man can tolerate. It is already quite good that he was not killed on the spot.