Da Tang Si Zi: My Six Super Rich Little Nuggets!

Chapter 207 The Snow and Ice War Song of Mei Xiaosi and Wolf King Gutulu

In the first month of the first year of the reign of Emperor Yanzai, the north wind swept across the southern grasslands with snowflakes, and the withered reeds trembled under the flagpole of the Turkic king's tent.

The death of Kutlug Khan was like a scimitar cleaving the sky of the Khanate. The once mighty ruler who shattered the evening clouds with his iron cavalry and measured the mountains and rivers with his whip ultimately turned into a handful of cold ashes under the golden wolf-head banner.

In the camel and horse market west of Suyab, two figures wrapped in sheepskin coats huddled on the stone steps. Xiao Si suddenly tugged at Yu Zhanmo's robe, his eyes gleaming with the firelight of a merchant's campfire: "Can you smell blood? The sandalwood in the Khan's tent can't mask the rust of blades. I've heard that when Gutulu Khan was alive, the arrows of the Turkic warriors could chase the sun—"

“Of course.” Yu Zhanmo breathed out white puffs of air and rubbed his hands together, the ice crystals that had formed between his knuckles falling away. “The ‘Dulu’ in his name means ‘heavenly music’ in ancient Turkic. Isn’t he a lucky star sent by the Eternal Heaven? Back then, the Tang people’s border drums were beating all the way to the foot of Yinshan Mountain, but he led his people to fight their way out.”

Xiao Si gazed at the fading sunset in the distance, then suddenly lowered his voice: "But now the Golden Wolf Banner is commanded by the Mochuo Special Forces. Did you see the Eagle Riders who crossed the border the other day? Those silver-inlaid stirrups were stained with the blood of Tang border troops."

Yu Zhanmo's sheepskin water pouch hung in mid-air, its brown mare's milk wine solidified into icicles: "The Greedy Wolf Star is about to offend the Purple Star. Historically, as soon as Lady Wu changed the banner of the Li Tang to the Great Zhou, wolves from all corners of the world came smelling blood."

Deep within the Luoyang palace, Mei Xiaosi was gazing intently at the map of the northern frontier, its surface cracked like a tortoise shell.

When the urgent report of Liangzhou's fall shattered the morning bell of Hanyuan Hall, the Empress's vermilion brush left bloodstains on the two characters "Lingzhou".

The night the news of Xu Qinming's capture arrived, the copper bells on the eaves of Taichu Palace rang incessantly in the north wind, as if countless wronged souls were questioning the nine-layered palace.

"Summon Xue Huaiyi!" The Empress's decree startled the crows. "Have Wang Xiaojie lead the Shuofang Army to Daibei and build the Great Wall and beacon towers into an iron wall for me!" The officials below the steps bowed their heads and held their breath, watching the robe embroidered with the sun, moon, mountains and rivers in gold thread sweep across the white jade steps, casting a sword-like shadow on the palace gate.

Little Si looked up and saw a squirrel dart out from between the treetops in a panic, looking like a little fluffy ball that had been launched. Before it could even stand still, it shouted at the top of its lungs, "Report! That Silver Wolf is scratching at Walnut Gate again!" The shout startled the leaves around it, making them tremble.

On a high platform not far away, the Golden Peacock Queen was elegantly writing a decree with ink dipped in her magnificent tail feathers. Upon hearing the news, she couldn't help but sigh, her sigh seemingly filled with a thousand kinds of helplessness: "Let the raccoon smear the honey from the west side onto the north wall first. He really doesn't give me any peace of mind." Her voice was melodious, yet it revealed an undeniable majesty.

At that moment, the massive polar bear steward was carrying a huge honey pot, walking hurriedly. The honey pot rolled around in his arms like a mischievous child. He looked anxious and muttered, "But this honey is for..." Before he could finish speaking, he was interrupted by a sudden commotion.

"Wow! Sweetie!" A wasp messenger suddenly poked its head out of the window like a small cannonball, excitedly shouting. Its small body trembled with excitement, and its antennae swayed happily, instantly breaking the slightly tense atmosphere.

Amidst this turbulent and out-of-control situation, a mysterious entity quietly entered people's field of vision: the little rhinoceros. The little rhinoceros was agile and exuded an innate spirituality.

It originally lived in a peaceful mountain forest, but due to the spread of war, it was forced to embark on a journey of wandering.

In September of the first year of the Wansui Tongtian era, news arrived that the Khitan and Xi tribes had launched a rebellion against the Tang Dynasty and had inflicted a major defeat on the Tang army. Mo Chuo then conceived a new plan.

He sent someone to Mei Xiaosi to express his willingness to pledge allegiance to Mei Xiaosi, and on the condition that his daughter be offered in marriage and that all surrendered Turkic households be returned to the Tang court, he requested to lead the campaign against the Khitan.

Mei Xiaosi, deeply worried about the troubles on the northeastern border, grasped at this news as if it were a lifeline. He immediately dispatched an envoy to bestow upon Mo Chuo the titles of Left Guard General and Qian Shan Khan. In October, after Mo Chuo's victorious attack on the Khitan Songmo Prefecture, Mei Xiaosi further bestowed upon him the titles of Jie Die Li Shi Great Chanyu and Meritorious Service Khan. However, Mo Chuo's ambitions extended far beyond this.

In the first month of the first year of the Shen Gong era, Mo Chuo started acting up again, leading his troops towards Lingzhou and Shengzhou, with a rather intimidating air: "Wherever I set my sights on, I'll plant a flag!"

When An Daomai, the deputy commander of the Pingdi army, saw this, he realized it wouldn't do and quickly led his soldiers to rise up in resistance, acting as protectors and forcefully suppressing the Turkic army's "invasion wave"!

Hey, Ke Mo Chuo has a higher firepower value. How could he give up so easily? He was as unconvinced as a child who didn't get the toy he wanted.

By March, Mo Chuo was up to his old tricks again, sending an envoy to Mei Xiaosi. He immediately demanded the surrender of the six prefectures of Feng, Sheng, Ling, Xia, Shuo, and Dai, as well as the land of the Shanyu Protectorate, and also supplies like grain and iron! Mei Xiaosi thought to himself, "This is quite an appetite; it's almost like they're going to take the entire Tang Dynasty's wealth!"

Li Qiao, the Junior Supervisor of the Imperial Library, knew perfectly well that the Turks were greedy and insatiable and could not be trusted at all. So he hurriedly ran to advise Mei Xiaosi, his anxious appearance as if to say, "Your Majesty, please don't fall for this. This is a huge trap. We must strengthen our military defenses and guard against them!"

But Mei Xiaosi also had a headache. The border troubles with the Khitan had not been resolved, and the internal situation was not very stable. Like a parent who was overwhelmed with all kinds of troubles, he really had no energy to deal with the Turks. In the end, he could only grit his teeth and give Mochuo several thousand households of surrendered households from six prefectures, as well as a lot of grain seeds, miscellaneous items, agricultural tools, iron and the like. He even agreed to his marriage proposal. This was really a helpless move.

In June of the first year of the Shengli era, Mei Xiaosi arranged for Huaiyang Prince Yanxiu and others to go to the Turks, intending to marry Mochuo's daughter as his queen.

Two months later, Wu Yanxiu and her group finally arrived at Heisha, the southern court of the Turks. They thought it would be a happy marriage alliance, but Mo Chuo turned his back on them and changed his mind! He made up an excuse, saying that the Eastern Turks had been indebted to the Tang Dynasty for generations, and that his daughter had to marry into the Li family. Then he detained Yanxiu. Wasn't this ridiculous?!

Mei Xiaosi is increasingly understanding how difficult it is to be an empress. Despite her seemingly supreme status, any minor leader from the Western Regions could easily destroy her.

Not only that, Mo Chuo was also very arrogant. Shouting the slogan "Feng Fa", he led more than 100,000 cavalrymen to charge around and attacked several border garrisons. Then he invaded Gui, Tan and other states, which are the Sixteen States of Yanyun, also known as the Sixteen States of Youji, which are sixteen states in the north centered on Youzhou (Beijing) and Yunzhou (Datong, Shanxi).

Along their journey of burning, killing, and looting, the people suffered greatly wherever they went, leaving Hebei in a state of utter devastation, as if it had been baptized by a calamity.

Mei Xiaosi was caught off guard and had no choice but to appoint Prince Li Xian of Luling as crown prince in an attempt to appease the Turks and stop them from causing trouble.

At the same time, Li Xian was appointed as the Grand Marshal of the Hebei Road Army, and Di Renjie, the Nayan (a high-ranking official), was appointed as the Deputy Grand Marshal, leading a large army to attack the Turks.

When Mo Chuo heard that the Tang army had arrived, he cruelly massacred more than 10,000 men and women who had been plundered in Zhao and Ding prefectures, and then fled north.

Di Renjie led an army of 100,000 men, traveling day and night. This tense and exciting chase was all for naught, and in the end, he still failed to catch up. He could only watch helplessly as Mo Chuo escaped, bringing the story to an abrupt end.

Amidst the smoke of war, the little rhinoceros also experienced much. It witnessed the suffering of the people and its heart was filled with compassion. With its wisdom and courage, it helped some people escape the war and find safe places.

On one occasion, it discovered a group of civilians being chased by Turkic cavalry. Without hesitation, the little rhinoceros rushed forward and used its strong body to block the cavalry's path.

The Turkic cavalry were stunned by the sudden appearance of the monster and were momentarily at a loss. The people seized the opportunity to flee into the nearby mountains and forests, escaping the calamity. However, whether as "Little Rhinoceros with Eyebrows" or "Little Rhinoceros," this was all she could do…

After returning to the northern desert, Mochuo commanded an army of over 400,000 and controlled a vast territory. The various ethnic minorities in the west and north all submitted to the Eastern Turks. His power was at its zenith, and he increasingly despised the dynasty led by Mei Xiaosi. In December of the first year of the Jiushi era, he once again launched a southern invasion of Longyou, plundering over 10,000 horses from the Tang's pastoral administrations.

What the little rhinoceros is more familiar with is that vibrant space where flowers bloom in abundance, and peonies are in full bloom—the animal kingdom that nature, like a mischievous old man, has meticulously created.

Queen Peacock lives here. The golden phoenix crown on her head, good heavens, the jewels on it are so dazzling that it's hard to open your eyes. It's as if the stars have come to life and are perched on her head, exuding a noble aura that makes you want to shout "Long live the Queen" at first glance.

Her tail was even more incredible; at crucial moments, it could transform into a hundred thousand light arrows in a flash, like fireworks, protecting the forest. However, every time she was happily preening her feathers, three dark shadows would always be lurking at the edge of the forest, like three sneaky thieves, plotting something wicked.

Far, far away in the snowy northern plains, the Silver Wolf King, Mo Chuo, roamed with impunity. The winds there were as fiery as chili peppers, but with the Silver Wolf King around, even the wind would cower in the corner. This wolf's body was as strong and solid as a rock-hard block of ice in Northeast China. Every night, he would howl at the top of his lungs: "Woo-wooo!" That howl was enough to make the ice and snow tremble, and even the moon would have to bundle up in a thick coat. It was as if he were shouting to the whole world, "In this land, I am the boss, and you all better behave!"

The autumn wind howled, and the leaves flew everywhere like a bunch of mischievous imps. The Golden Peacock Queen was holding her little beak, counting the 108th diamond one by one, her earnestness as if she were counting her own beautiful feathers. These diamonds were her treasures; maintaining order in the forest depended entirely on them. She had originally planned to use these treasures to tame the naughty, prickly rose bushes and bring peace and quiet to the forest.

As fate would have it, a pack of wolves, like a black mudslide, stormed through the glittering crystal walls of the North, sending ice shards flying like a crazy ice party. But this party was a little scary; the flames of war were ignited in an instant.

"Oh my god, quick! Summon the honey badger army in their golden armor right now!" The Golden Pheasant Prime Minister was so anxious he was almost crying. His wings flapped like crazy little fans, each flap filled with anxiety.

But those brave little honey badger warriors had just gone through one battle after another. They had outwitted and outfought the bubble-spitting octopus in the west, finally managing to drive it away; then they had fought a swarm of buzzing wasps under the peach tree, and now they were all exhausted, like little dolls with their muscles pulled out, their armor covered with "souvenirs" from the battles.

The little rhinoceros stood aside, watching the chaotic melee. In its eyes, this was like the game that the Tang Dynasty played with Tibet and the Western Turks in the past, with each side vying for power and every battle being a contest of desire and authority.

Frost, like a sneaky little thief, stealthily climbed onto the peony petals, casting a melancholy veil over this beautiful sea of ​​flowers. The Silver Wolf King, Mo Chuo, swung his massive, meteor-hammer-like tail, laughing so hard he almost fell over: "Haha! Your defenses are like a tattered fishing net, full of holes!"

With each step he took, the sound of his footsteps was like the beating of a gong and drum. The once lush green wheat field turned into an ice sculpture in an instant, and the white flock of sheep disappeared like tiny parachutes of dandelions under his invasion.

Upon seeing this, the Golden Peacock Queen quickly used her magic, gathering sycamore leaves and transforming them into swift warhorses. However, the newly mended cloud armor was soon riddled with holes again under the Silver Wolf King's icy attacks, each crack a testament to the difficulty of the battle.

The katydids in the forest toiled day and night to protect their home. Delicate threads flowed from their mouths, the "clack-clack" sound like a lively concert. They had only one thought in their minds: today they must weave three hundred bolts of silk, enough to buy a sturdy suit of armor, to protect the forest that sustained them.

The little field mice carefully held the last few grains of wheat and said to Queen Golden Peacock with worried faces, "Your Majesty, our cellar is so empty you can hear the echoes. We can't get out a single grain of food!"

This battle between the north wind and the spring sunshine lasted for a full twenty-two years. During these long days, every little creature in the forest struggled desperately to survive.

Until one morning, the first ray of sunlight, like a mischievous little elf, skipped and hopped through the clouds, sprinkling onto this land that had endured so much.

Hey, Silver Wolf King Mochuo, like a master of hide-and-seek, suddenly vanished into the white snow mist. It turns out his magic came from the mysterious ice crystals on the far side of the moon. At that moment, Little Sizi, transformed into a little girl, rode a majestic fire unicorn, returning triumphantly from the distant East like a superhero…

Only the clever little rhinoceros understood all these twists and turns. In its mind, wasn't this the prelude to Emperor Xuanzong's ascension to the throne and the beginning of the Kaiyuan era of prosperity?