Seeking Truth with a Sword-Chapter 565 - 508 Rescue
"Figure out a way to rescue the leader of an enemy kingdom we’ve been at odds with for over a hundred years." Sounded... rather like a dark joke.
There were no eternal enemies, only eternal interests. Healing the Turkic Khan for the sake of Yu Country wasn’t a big deal.
Li Ang pondered for a moment and asked, "Why not use a formal envoy?"
"We’re afraid if we send a formal envoy, once the news gets out, Prime Minister Ashide Keluo will secretly kill the comatose Old Khan," explained Minister of the Secretariat Dongfang Lu, his voice grave. "Ashide Keluo has held the power of Prime Minister for over thirty years; in the Turkic Royal Court, he is second to only one and above tens of thousands. According to Turkic tradition, the Khanate is controlled alternately by the Ashide and Ashina clans, who intermarry to ensure peace between them. The Ashina Clan has been in power for too long, and the Old Khan’s wish to pass the throne to his own offspring violates this tradition. Therefore, Ashide Keluo can not only garner the overwhelming support of his own clan but also win the backing of many Turkic tribes that adhere to tradition."
"The Turkic organization differs from that of the Zhou Kingdom and Yu Country; it’s loose, with each tribe functioning as an independent small state," stated Minister of the Secretariat Xue Ji. "Their Cultivators prioritize loyalty to their own tribe first, then to the Khanate as a whole. This means that Ashide Keluo, having secured the support of various tribes, essentially commands the majority of the Cultivators. Furthermore, faith is a significant factor. While the Turkic People generally worship Eternal Heaven, they also revere Haotian. According to our spies, Ashide Keluo has recently gathered many guards from Taihao Mountain. We believe these visitors from Taihao Mountain assisted the Prime Minister in persuading the various tribes and, crucially, the Wolf Garden.
"All things considered, the tribes and Cultivators supporting Ashide Keluo versus those backing the Old Khan’s faction are at a strength ratio of roughly six to four.
"The problem is that Ashide Keluo seized the opportunity of the Winter Solstice Assembly to first take control of the Old Khan’s tent and detain several of the Ashina Clan’s highest-ranking successors. This has forced the Ashina Clan to hesitate, afraid to act rashly and risk mutual destruction."
"I see." Li Ang rubbed his temples. No wonder the Emperor used the word ’infiltrate’ earlier.
Yu Country had already acknowledged that proceeding through regular diplomatic channels was impossible. For instance, they couldn’t send a Yu Country’s envoy, including Li Ang himself, to rush overnight to the Turkic Royal Court and heal the Khan in front of all the Turkic tribes.
"If we send people openly, Ashide Keluo might kill the Old Khan directly or interfere during the treatment, making it appear the Khan died from medical causes, thereby blaming us," said Garrison Commander Lin Hongbo. "He could use this as a pretext to start a war. Therefore, we must infiltrate secretly."
"How feasible is it?" Li Ang asked. "Ashide Keluo, for the sake of his reputation and a smooth future reign, will undoubtedly try to make the Khan’s death seem due to a prolonged illness, not foul play. His informants are all over the Khan’s encampment. How can we get close to the Khan?"
Considering the worst-case scenario, with top masters stationed both inside and outside the Khan’s tent, even if I used Mo Si to try to infiltrate, it would be very difficult to succeed.
"That can be solved," Emperor Yu said. "You’re quite acquainted with Ashina Galuo, aren’t you?"
Li Ang was taken aback, but then he saw Emperor Yu pointing to the Nearby Worm on the table. "The garrison’s spies have already made contact with Ashina Galuo. She is the Khan’s grandniece and holds a certain status within the Ashina Clan. She will help you get close to the Khan’s encampment."
Before he finished speaking, the Nearby Worm vibrated its wings with a soft BUZZ.
Li Ang glanced at Emperor Yu’s expression, and after confirming that he could proceed, he answered the device, "Hello?"
"Li Ang?" From the other end of the Nearby Worm came Galuo’s familiar voice. "Is it really you?"
"It’s really me," Li Ang replied with a bitter smile, the sigh in his words perfectly reproduced by the Nearby Worm.
He stood in the Immortal Residence Hall of the Great Ming Palace in Chang’an City, under the watchful eyes of Emperor Yu, the Crown Prince, the Prime Minister, the Academic Palace Sacrificial Official, and others, as he spoke on the device with a young girl thousands of miles away.
The fate of two countries, the lives and deaths of hundreds of millions of common people, hung on this line of communication.
"I haven’t heard your voice in a long time." Galuo also smiled bitterly, knowing the importance of the call. Suppressing her turbulent emotions, she quickly said, "Did the Emperor of Yu tell you about the situation at the Royal Court? Ashide Keluo has framed us. He claims that the sons and nephews of the Ashina Clan—my uncles and cousins—were so desperate to inherit the Khan’s position that they heartlessly plotted against the Khan, causing his critical illness. He has used this to exclude our Ashina people from the Khan’s camp.
"He has stationed his own people, along with visitors from Taihao Mountain, around the camp.
"If you are to come to the Royal Court, you must not come directly. You also cannot have someone like a Candle Cloud Sword Cultivator fly you to the Royal Court. The Cultivators from Taihao Mountain have activated a Mutated Object similar to your Yu Country’s ’Chang’an Micro-View,’ which can detect the Spiritual Energy fluctuations of the Candle Cloud Realm.
"If you fly from the border between our countries and get too close to the Royal Court, you will undoubtedly be discovered in advance, intercepted, or even ambushed and killed. They won’t even need an excuse; they can simply claim you intend to harm the Khan.
"I suggest you disguise yourselves as a merchant caravan and find a way to enter Turkic territory first. I will send someone to meet you."
More than a year had passed. The young girl who had once gotten drunk at Li Ang’s house and spoken nonsense had now become composed and reliable.
"Okay." Li Ang felt a pang of emotion in his heart, but without time for more reflection, he gravely said, "I need to know the cause and condition of the Khan’s illness."
"I haven’t seen it with my own eyes; this is only what I’ve heard from others," Galuo said. "At the Winter Solstice Banquet, after drinking wine presented by his fourth son—who is my cousin—the Khan started bleeding from his eyes and trembling all over. He then fell from his chair, unconscious. This is also a significant part of Ashide Keluo’s pretext for framing the Ashina Clan. As for the current situation of the Khan, we of the Ashina Clan are still trying to gather information."
Bleeding from the eyes, trembling all over? High blood pressure? Intracranial disease? Poisoning?
The information is too vague; I can’t draw any conclusions, Li Ang thought, then said, "We will hurry there as fast as we can."
"You should move even quicker," Galuo said. "We don’t have much time. There are spies of Ashide Keluo lurking around my camp; I can’t use the Nearby Worm for too long. Let’s stop here for now, and we will contact you next time."
Whether the Khan dies of illness, Ashide Keluo assassinates him, or Ashide Keluo ascends to the Khan’s position with the support of Taihao Mountain—any of these outcomes would mean the Turkic people will join the hostile alliance against Yu Country and participate in the war against us.
After the communication ended, Li Ang looked around the room at the various expressions of those present and said solemnly, "We need a plan."
A plan to save the Khan.
