Chapter 798 Ambush
Chapter 798 Ambush
The Tuoba Xianbei did have a "rebel party" and they staged a big drama just one month before Shao Xun's spring plowing.
The joy of the first month of the year is extremely cold.
A strong wind blew, and the remaining snow fluttered in the air, just like tiny pieces of paper money.
The birch forest rustled and its branches bared their teeth and claws like the arms of the devil.
The wind was strong and people's faces were cold - cold and indifferent.
After the Tuoba clan moved west from the Great Xianbei Mountains, they continued the old Xiongnu customs and began to offer sacrifices to heaven.
In the tribal era, the time and place of offering sacrifices to the sky were relatively random.
After Tuoba Yilu founded the country, he began to hold two sacrifices in spring and autumn, namely in the first month and the ninth month.
The court has been discussing this recently. Perhaps the three sacrifices can be held on January 1, May and September, or the spring sacrifice can be moved to April. It may seem a bit chaotic, but it is actually a sign that the country's rules and regulations are being improved and solidified step by step.
The Tuoba Xianbei regarded the heaven and earth, the sun, the moon, and the stars as gods. The sacrifices they offered in the first month of the year were to the gods in heaven, and the place chosen was the west of Shengle City, which is the so-called "Western Suburbs Sacrifice to Heaven".
The altar has been set up, with seven wooden carved and painted deities on it.
There are steps next to the altar and an earthen wall outside with four doors of different colors (green in the east, red in the south, white in the west and black in the north). There is a white cow, a white sheep and a yellow horse placed on the wall.
The shaman stood on the east side of the altar, shaking the drum in her hand vigorously and chanting blessings repeatedly.
Seven young noblemen from the Dugu, Helan and other tribes stood solemnly in the wind, holding wine vessels in their hands. The number seven represents the seven tribes with the closest blood relationship and political alliance to them, except for the Tuoba clan. The tribal leaders do not necessarily need to be present in person, but representatives must be sent, usually close nephews or nephews.
"In spring, the grass grows luxuriantly." The witch climbed up a step and sang loudly in Xianbei language.
A large group of people knelt down outside the earthen wall of the altar.
Led by Madam Qi and King of Dai Tuoba Yulu, as well as all the civil and military officials, they all prostrated themselves on the ground with pious looks.
Mrs. Qi was still mumbling something, but no one knew what she was saying.
After Tuoba Yulu and Queen Wang bowed together, they slowly stood up.
Unlike the "Book of Zhou" in the Western Han Dynasty which prohibited the harem from participating in sacrifices, there were many remnants of the Xianbei matriarchal society, and noble ladies like Qi and Wang were allowed to participate in the sacrifices to heaven, and even stand very close to the front.
Tuoba Yulu's face was calm at this time, but Wang subconsciously felt a little uneasy, and her eyes involuntarily glanced at Qi.
"There is no frost on the Yinshan Mountains in June." The witch climbed up the second step and chanted again.
Everyone bowed again and stood up.
Madam Qi stopped talking and her face became a little cold.
Although she was wearing a fur coat, Wang still shivered subconsciously.
She was sensitive and attentive, and she always felt that something was wrong today. Looking at the gloomy sky, the howling north wind, and the hideous branches, she became more and more frightened.
"In autumn, all livestock are fat." The witch climbed up the third step.
Everyone knelt for the third time, and did this seven times in total, corresponding to the seven steps and seven parts of the blessing.
After it was over, everyone took a short break.
The young man holding the wine poured the wine onto the altar.
Tuoba Yulu came to the sidelines, surrounded by dozens of tribal nobles and dignitaries, all of whom were his confidants.
"It's really cold today." A gust of wind blew, and Tuoba Yulu felt the cold wind blowing into his neck. He subconsciously tightened his fur coat, but his neck still felt cold.
The ministers moved their hands and feet and talked in low voices, talking about nothing more than the Jin delegation returning south, the Liangzhou delegation paying tribute, the Xiongnu envoys sending envoys to make peace, and whether they should go south again next year.
As men, they either talk about women or military and national affairs.
Wang came to a tent nearby, and soon Qi also came in surrounded by the crowd.
Since the other party was an elder, Wang immediately stood up and saluted.
Qi nodded expressionlessly, feeling somewhat disgusted.
This Wang was clearly born in the grassland, but her manners are the same as those of a Jin woman. Why is she pretending?
The nobles behind Qi looked at Wang with different expressions, as if they were sizing up prey.
There were also some guards beside Wang, glaring at her.
The new party and the old factions have always disliked each other, and it is normal for them to argue with each other on a daily basis.
Wang didn't say anything, but she felt that the atmosphere today was a little weird, and she was panicking.
She began to worry about her three-year-old son Shi Yijian.
She only had this one child, whom she cherished very much after giving birth to him two years ago. Today, after leaving the palace for a while, she missed him a little.
Thinking of this, I felt a little uneasy, and I couldn't tell why.
As for Tuoba Yulu, it is well known that he had seven children.
The eldest son Tuoba Yihuai lived in the Helan tribe with his uncle, Helan Aitou, the leader of the Helan tribe.
The second son is Tuoba Shiyijian, born to Concubine Wang of Dai, and currently lives in Shengle.
The third son Tuoba Qu and the fourth son Tuoba Gu are younger and are also in Shengle.
Among the three daughters, the eldest married Liu Lugu.
The second daughter married into the Helan tribe two years ago.
The third daughter married last year to Yuwen Qiu Buqin, the leader of the Yuwen tribe - an old man who was almost fifty years old.
The seven children were all relatively young. The eldest son was only in his teens, and the third and fourth sons were not even one year old.
The three daughters were all married when they were just thirteen years old (in lunar age).
The wind was blowing harder outside.
Qi sat down and closed his eyes to rest.
Wang secretly glanced at her a few times and forced herself to suppress her inner uneasiness.
Tuoba Yulu and others have already changed into military uniforms and are preparing to mount their horses and circle the altar - military uniforms are not armor, but just a kind of battle robe worn by warriors, and the military uniforms of high-ranking warriors are even more ceremonial attire.
According to the Xianbei custom, one would run around the altar after offering sacrifice to heaven.
Tuoba Yulu walked around three circles, and officials walked around seven circles. This custom came from the Xiongnu.
After completing the preparations, everyone mounted their horses and rode away.
The process went very smoothly and was completed very quickly. The horn gradually sounded, signaling the return of the grand music.
Wang stood up, bowed to Qi, and then left the tent.
The carriage came over and the guards respectfully invited the princess to get on.
"Where is the king?" Wang asked softly.
"He left first with the nobles and generals." The guard replied.
Wang nodded, got in the car and left.
******
On the other side, Tuoba Yulu's carriage had entered Shengle and was moving on the bluestone slabs.
At this moment, a horn sounded suddenly in my ears.
Tuoba Yulu, who was dozing in the car, suddenly opened his eyes. He subconsciously lifted the curtain. At this moment, dense arrows were shot from the roofs on both sides of the street.
The burly archers drew their strong bows and used all their strength to shoot the long, thick and heavy arrows.
The arrows came at a very fast speed and with incredible power. In an instant, the carriage had been hit by more than a hundred arrows.
Tuoba Yulu was hit in the shoulder by an arrow and was immediately brought to the ground.
"Kill him!" Countless soldiers rushed in from inside and outside the city gate, roaring and rushing towards Tuoba Yulu's carriage.
The guards fought desperately, but there were too many arrows. They fell to the ground one after another, screaming.
The tribal nobles and ministers were in formal attire, with no coverings at all. Under the dense rain of arrows, they suffered more casualties than the guards.
Someone tried to use a carriage to hide, but there were archers all around him. How could he hide?
Some people pulled up Tuoba Yulu who had fallen to the ground and was injured, and tried to take shelter in the houses on both sides.
The houses were blown open and a large number of soldiers poured out, hacking down anyone they saw.
Tuoba Yulu was in despair.
At the critical moment of life and death, he suddenly realized: such a large-scale siege involved a lot of people, but the news did not leak out. It was obvious that he had been collectively betrayed by the upper echelons of Shengle.
"Haha!" He laughed sadly.
The grassland really doesn't need cowards!
If a monarch who lacks prestige suffers a defeat in battle, there is only one outcome: death.
"Swoosh! Whoosh!" Another dense volley of arrows shot over, and Tuoba Yulu was hit by several arrows and fell to the ground with a bang.
"Puff! Puff!" The soldiers who came to surround and kill quickly knocked down the accompanying officials to the ground, then cut off Tuoba Yulu's head and sent it to Madam Qi outside the city.
West of the city.
Just when Wang was halfway there, someone came on horseback to report.
She felt dizzy and almost collapsed.
"Please make a quick decision, Yanshi."
"Khatun, go to Dai County."
"Princess, it's not too late to leave now."
Those who were guarding the imperial carriage were either Tuoba Yulu's personal soldiers or generals from the Wang family who were from Dai County, and they all pleaded.
Indeed, according to grassland rules, Wang would be fine, because women were not killed—"tribes fight to kill fathers and brothers, but not mothers."
But nothing is absolute. It was obviously Madam Qi who ordered the action. Would she break the rules and kill Wang? No one dared to guarantee it.
Wang's tears streamed down her face and she bit her lips so hard that they bled.
She pinched her thigh again, so hard that her hands trembled.
After a moment, she finally calmed down and said in a trembling voice: "Bendai County, take Shi Yijian with you, he is still in the city."
"Yes, sir." Immediately, a family general rode away on horseback.
The carriage turned on the spot and headed eastward under the escort of more than a hundred soldiers.
I can’t care less!
Tuoba Yihuai was in the Helan tribe and mostly had nothing to do.
Tuoba Qu and Tuoba Gu each had their own maternal clan. If their uncles did not find a way to rescue them and they were killed by Qi, then she would have no choice - Wang had no doubt that Qi would find a way to kill Yu Lu's four sons.
Now she only wanted to save Shi Yijian and take him back to Dai County, so that no one could deal with her and her son.
As for what the future of Tuoba Dai Kingdom will be like, she doesn't care, and she has no right to care.
The vicious woman Qi will most likely make her second son He Li the king, but He Li is cowardly by nature. Can he really win the support of the people?
Destroy it!
Wang shed tears again.
The King of Dai has been feeling uneasy recently, saying that many nobles have been disrespectful to him and even embarrassed him in person. This is because last year's southern expedition was fruitless and costly.
He once tried to ease the relationship with Madam Qi's party, but now it seems to be useless.
The evil woman won't be able to be proud for long.
The man in the south is preparing for war and may head north at any time.
I heard that he was born a soldier and slave, but he has created the current situation. How can such a person be easy to deal with?
He is ruthless, determined, and has a great vision, trying to conquer everything.
When he is ready, he will certainly launch a large-scale northern expedition. Then we will have to see how this vicious woman and her cowardly son will respond.
The carriage gradually went away, and just as the guards and family generals had guessed, no one came to chase it.
A few days later, when they reached Chanhebi, a family general finally caught up with them and handed Tuoba Shiyijian, wrapped in a blanket, to Wang.
They also brought Sheng Le's news: in the ambush that day, countless guards were killed, and more than fifty people, including leaders of various departments and officials in the court, were killed.
The Qi family appointed Tuoba Heli as the King of Dai and announced it to the whole country, stating that only Tuoba Yulu's family was punished and no one else was implicated, and the country was peaceful and prosperous.
Tuoba Qu and Tuoba Gu were both taken away by their mother's clan and assisted in escaping from Shengle to their own tribes.
Qi was furious and sent troops to hunt down Tuoba Qu, Tuoba Gu and Tuoba Shiyijian, and demanded that the Helan tribe hand over Tuoba Yihuai.
No one is sure how the various tribes will react. The country is undercurrent and full of dangers.
Maybe everyone is waiting and watching.
Which of Tuoba Yilu, Tuoba Liuxiu, Tuoba Pugen, Tuoba Shisheng, and Tuoba Yulu died a normal death? Everyone is used to it, so let's wait and see.
(End of this chapter)