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Previously, Li Daozong sought to retain his daughter, Li Wushuang, by petitioning the court for military action against Tuguhun. However, Li Wushuang approached Zhang Suling, offering to vindicate Zhang Yungu in exchange for assistance in infiltrating Xu Zhen's Elite Guards, which left Xu Zhen feeling quite troubled.
While unsure of how to manage these two women, Xu Zhen sensed that she was being watched and felt a chill down her spine. She instinctively glanced over and saw Left Guard General Niu Jinda, the Chief of Military Operations for the Kuo Shui Dao, smiling at her meaningfully, which made Xu Zhenxin feel distressed; he could only respond with a smile.
Initially, Xu Zhen was unaware of Niu Jinda's background. She had only heard Li Zhi subtly warn her that Niu Jinda had been promoted by Changsun Wuji. After pondering for a long time without recalling any historical figure, she heard Zhang Suling pronounce his name in a somewhat awkward Tang dialect, reminiscent of the tales of You Jun Da from various stories.
When she inquired about Niu Jinda's history, she found it surprisingly similar to You Jun Da's. Thus, she became convinced that Niu Jinda must be the same character from many embellished tales of the Tang Dynasty.
Niu Jinda was indeed a well-known figure from Pingyin in Shandong Province. He was the leader of the Green Forest bandits in Shandong and was nicknamed the Iron-faced Judge. Initially, he collaborated with Cheng Zhijie (Cheng Yaojin) to rob the imperial treasury but was captured. He was later rescued by numerous heroes and joined the Wagang Army.
Niu Jinda was restless by nature; seeing that Wagang couldn't accommodate him and recognizing that Li Mi, despite his cleverness, had a narrow mind and would not succeed, he persuaded Qin Shubao and Cheng Zhijie to leave Wagang. Before they could act on this plan, however, the Wagang Army suffered a crushing defeat and surrendered to Wang Shichong.
Although Wang Shichong treated his subordinates generously, Niu Jinda found him deceitful. In the second year of Martial Virtue, when Wang Shichong invaded Guzhou (a place in Henan), Niu Jinda led troops alongside Qin Shubao and Cheng Zhijie. They rode out with dozens of trusted men and dismounted to pay their respects to Wang Shichong, stating:
"Your Excellency has treated us very well and we wish to repay your kindness. However, your nature is suspicious and you are surrounded by many instigators; this is not a place for us. We respectfully take our leave!"
Thus, he joined the Tang army along with Shubao and others, leaving Wang Shichong astonished and unwilling to pursue them.
After joining the Tang Dynasty, Niu Jinda remained with Cheng Zhijie and Qin Shubao at Qin Wangfu, becoming a trusted general of Sovereign Li Shimin. Many achieved great feats; Qin Shubao and Cheng Zhijie received significant rewards for their military accomplishments. Although Niu Jinda entered officialdom, he struggled to shed his bandit reputation and thus remained underutilized for a long time.
It wasn't until the seventh year of Zhenguan that Niu Jinda was appointed commander of Hanjiang Prefecture. He quelled rebellions in Jia and Ling states and secretly allied with civil officials like Changsun Wuji. He often provided valuable intelligence to the Sage, which led to his increased prominence.
Xu Zhen's rapid rise within the military had become a remarkable tale among soldiers. Feeling envious due to his own slow promotion, Niu Jinda harbored resentment towards her. Under Changsun Wuji's instructions, he decided not to go easy on her and plotted with Li Daozong to bring her under his command.
Though lacking the martial prowess of Cheng Zhijie or Qin Shubao, Niu Jinda was not weak; having spent years in the Green Forest fighting battles made him formidable enough. To repay Changsun Wuji’s favor, he aimed to place Xu Zhen at the forefront as he led his troops swiftly toward Songzhou.
At this moment at Songzhou City stood a middle-aged scholar gazing proudly at the fertile lands of Tang Territory stretching before him. With long whiskers blowing in the wind and fine lines around his eyes showing age, he wore a black robe over white fabric that fluttered lightly as he stood with hands clasped behind his back—this man was none other than Murong Hanzhu from the once-prominent Cui Clan of the Sui Dynasty who had since changed his surname!
Beside him stood a spirited young man dressed in red and yellow attire of the Tubo Royal Family—this was none other than Qizong Nongsan, the new king of Tubo!
Qizong Nongsan faced numerous rebellions among various tribes but remained ambitious. He united them through strategic leadership while employing both diplomacy and military might against enemies like Hou Junji during years of conflict. As a result, he managed to consolidate much of Tuguhun under his rule.
Despite being young, he did not easily trust others; aware that many old ministers were deceitful yet possessing keen insight beyond his years. Initially meeting Murong Hanzhu privately to discuss grand plans while inciting Nuohebo against Tang Dynasty led to significant victories for Tuguhun despite losses on other fronts.
Unfortunately for Nuohebo, he only received a title as Prince of Qinghe from the Tang Emperor while losing even his title as Tuguhun Wang—leaving him cornered with no power.
This young ruler who once went by Song Zan had crossed paths with Xu Zhen before; he admired Tang's productivity and etiquette while seeing in Murong Hanzhu a possibility—not needing to bow before Tang but instead aspiring through him to transform Tuguhun into a powerful kingdom akin to Tang!
He looked at Murong Hanzhu's back, feeling as if he were gazing into a deep, bottomless sea, or perhaps the starry night sky, something that ordinary people could not fathom.
He couldn't help but think of the young soldier from the Tang Dynasty who had chased after Murong Hanzhu and Princess Guanghua alone, wondering what kind of land could nurture such brave and resolute men!
Murong Hanzhu paid no attention to Songzan Ganbu beside him, a calm smile on his lips as he gazed into the distance. His fingers lightly tapped a rhythm behind him, as if playing an invisible qin, reminiscent of the high mountains and flowing water that no one else could appreciate.
Perhaps there was only one person in this world who could understand his intentions, and that person was currently seated in Fushi City, the city that Murong Hanzhu had once promised and ultimately gifted to her!
If anyone knew, they would surely regard Murong Hanzhu as a celestial being. Ordinary people thought he intended to give Guanghua one or two cities, likely border strongholds like Ganyiang or Zhangye. Little did they know that in Murong Hanzhu's heart, only Fushi City was worthy of Guanghua.
Fushi means "City of Kings" in Xianbei language, and perhaps even Fushi City might not be worthy of Guanghua!
Thus, he continued to gaze toward the east, looking at the capital of the Tang Dynasty—Chang'an!
Guanghua sat serenely on the throne. After marrying into the Tuguhun, she had once been close to this throne. But today, there was no Tuguhun Wang; there was only her, Princess Guanghua!
No one could stop her from returning home because Murong Hanzhu was her phoenix carriage, the spring breeze that would carry her back to Sui Kingdom. No matter how many troops stood before her, as long as she wore this white robe, no one could obstruct her steps!
Murong Hanzhu understood that Guanghua had but one wish in this life; how could he not fulfill it with sincerity?
"Zanpu, my connections have already sent back intelligence. Within two days, the Tang army will surely arrive. What is the foundation of a strategist? It is information! I, Murong Hanzhu, have cultivated many hidden lines within Tang Territory for thirty or forty years, just waiting for this moment!"
"I hope Zanpu will arrange for troops to secure Songzhou Pass tightly. We should stockpile rolling stones and ironwood on the mountain and set up archer formations. No matter how many come from the enemy side, they will perish in the mountain pass!"
Qizong Nongsan felt great joy and quickly issued orders. Numerous soldiers moved like flowing water to guard all routes leading to Songzhou, waiting for the Tang army to walk into their trap!
From the city wall, Qizong Nongsan chuckled lightly and asked himself: "I wonder if that soldier from the Tang army would dare to come alone again?"
Just as he found it amusing, he heard alarms from the forward outpost reporting that an envoy from the Tang army had come to negotiate surrender. Murong Hanzhu and Qizong Nongsan exchanged smiles; this was something they had anticipated. They ordered all outposts to let them pass.
On the eastern horizon, the sun rose like a golden wheel revealing half its head. A Tang envoy bearing a fluttering flag dressed in red armor approached with a long knife at his side; hoofbeats echoed across the land—truly a lone hero!
Qizong Nongsan felt an inexplicable tension in his heart as he faced the rising sun and could not see the envoy's face clearly. However, as the figure drew nearer, he recognized that red armor—it was none other than that Tang soldier who had pursued Murong Hanzhu and Guanghua alone!
The Xu Zhen secretly lamented; Niu Jinda truly was a cunning old fox who knew how to manipulate people's thoughts with extreme cunning.
If they simply launched a surprise attack on Songzhou, they might fall into the enemy's trap. Thus, sending an envoy under the pretext of negotiation allowed them to observe the terrain and enemy arrangements along the way. Moreover, since the Tang Dynasty was known as Heavenly Kingdom and had always educated various tribes with propriety and law, their principle of courtesy before military action could not be discarded.
Who could be a more suitable candidate for the envoy than the Xu Zhen?
Sending one or two sharp-tongued representatives from the Free Spirit Sect would not demonstrate the Tang Dynasty's importance to Tuguhun. The generals in the army cannot be easily moved, and although the Xu Zhen holds the title of Loyal Martial General, she is ultimately just a Shangfu Negotiation Commander leading twelve hundred troops, making her the most fitting choice for this role.
Moreover, the Tubo People are unrefined and warlike, not concerned with superficial formalities. If the Xu Zhen makes even a slight misstep, she could very well be executed by them!
In this way, Niu Jinda can also settle his own concerns, as it would be a way to repay Changsun Wuji's recommendation. After returning, he might even receive further rewards!
The Xu Zhen initially wanted to decline, but with only the Red Armored Fourteen Guards by her side and her soldiers under the control of Zhou Cang and his fourteen guards, there was a lack of loyalty towards her. If it came to battle, they would not be united in purpose, and how could she trust them with her life?
Furthermore, Niu Jinda is a man of the world; if he sees her backing down this time, it would only make him laugh at her. She would not know how to handle him in the future. This motivated the Xu Zhen to disregard Zhang Jiunian and others' strong objections, obtain the documents, and set off alone towards Songzhou City!
Along the way, she indeed encountered numerous outposts. Songzhou was fortified by the Tubo Army like an iron barrel; not only was it difficult for surprise attacks to succeed, but even scouts trying to sneak in to gather intelligence found it challenging!
Such a well-planned arrangement could not possibly have been devised by the Tubo People who rely on raising horses and farming barley. Remembering that day when Murong Hanzhu and Guanghua were taken away by Qizong Nongsan, the Xu Zhen seemed to glimpse some of Murong Hanzhu's strategies and was astonished.
At this moment, that White-Clad Cold Scholar stood proudly atop Songzhou City, looking down at the Xu Zhen like a hawk surveying ants!
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