Chapter 702: Internal Strife Among the Turks

“No one wants to travel with a loser.”
This is an undeniable truth, and Shi Siming understood it all too well. After his defeat and withdrawal from Hebei, the Turks who once regarded him as a god and called him the “Second Sage” immediately changed their attitude. Each tribe presented long lists of demands—asking him to return their cattle and sheep, to provide compensation for the families of fallen Turkic soldiers, and to pay war reparations. In short, they wanted him to fulfill all the wonderful promises he had made earlier.

Rich people have distant relatives, but the poor in crowded cities are ignored. In such a desperate state, like a stray dog, Shi Siming was forced into a miserable situation by the Turks. He tried to flee north to the Uyghurs, but no one wanted to follow him. The three major tribes—Puguo, Tongluo, and Sijie—each with their own tribes, all had their own reasons and difficulties. They argued on the grasslands outside Youzhou for half a month. Finally, upon hearing that the Tang army was advancing north, they were terrified and followed Shi Siming in their flight. But after traveling hundreds of miles, conflicts grew deeper. The Tongluo and Sijie tribes refused to join the Uyghurs, and the fleeing group split. One group, consisting of the Tongluo and Sijie tribes and hundreds of thousands of people, stayed at Jiǔjiǔquán, hoping to return to their former lives under the protection of the Tang Dynasty and live freely.

Only the Puguo tribe urged Shi Siming to continue northward. His army, once numbering 100,000, had been reduced by half, leaving 50,000 soldiers. Together with the Puguo tribe’s 40,000 troops, they still had 90,000 men. The group continued northward and finally stopped at Nuozhen Shuicheng. One reason was to wait for a team sent to Heicheng to purchase tea and salt, while the Puguo tribe also had its own plans.

Inside the main tent, the Puguo tribe’s chief, Puguo Lie, and his son Puguo Adosi were discussing their next move. The Puguo tribe did not support Shi Siming without reason; they did so under the orders of Uyghur Khan Geler. In fact, they were acting as agents for the Uyghurs.

During this northern escape, the Puguo tribe was the most determined to cross the Yin Mountains and enter the grassland interior to escape the Tang army’s pursuit and ensure safety. However, the Sijie and Tongluo tribes saw through Puguo’s true intentions and refused to head north.

Now, Shi Siming seemed hesitant as well, which worried Puguo Lie. If Shi Siming refused to go north, how could he explain himself to Khan Geler?

“Did you really hear that clearly?” Puguo Lie asked again.

Pugu Adosi nodded. “The child indeed heard clearly. Several of Shi Siming’s key generals don’t want to head north. They’re going west. It is said that there aren’t many troops in Anxi and Beiting, so they intend to take control of those areas and develop there.”
Pugu Lie walked a few steps around the tent with his hands behind his back. Of course, he couldn’t let Shi Siming escape westward, but Shi Siming had more troops than him. Especially Pugu Yao, who was skilled in warfare. Although he was also from the Pugu tribe, he didn’t obey them. Shi Siming and he were always colluding, and he still couldn’t use force to make Shi Siming submit.
“Father, I think Shi Siming will head north. His son is still in the Khan’s hands. The key lies in his several top generals, especially Pugu Yao, who refuses to submit to us and keeps inciting the other generals. Why not take action first and kill Pugu Yao?”
Pugu Lie shook his head. “Don’t rush. Things won’t be that bad.”
“But they’re already discussing their route!” Pugu Adosi urged anxiously.
“Don’t worry! They’re just talking.”
A scornful smile appeared on Pugu Lie’s face. “Most of the cattle and sheep are in our hands. If they go west, what will they eat along the way? Without provisions, they can only dream.”
Pugu Adosi sighed inwardly. His father was truly cunning—far surpassing him!
“Then when shall we set off?”
“We’ll set off once the tea and salt arrive. We already have very little tea, and salt is especially scarce. Without salt, no one will have the strength to march. Go and continue monitoring Shi Siming. Report to me immediately if anything happens.”
Pugu Adosi replied and left. Pugu Lie’s brows furrowed. What worried him most now wasn’t Shi Siming, but the Uyghur army. There was no news at all—where exactly were they?
…
While Pugu Lie and his son were discussing the situation in the tent, Shi Siming was also consulting with Pugu Yao about their strategy. Shi Siming still had 50,000 troops under his command, 20,000 of whom were Pugu Yao’s tribal troops, and 30,000 were Turks from Hebei who didn’t belong to any tribe and thus stayed with him. Despite his defeat in Hebei, Shi Siming wasn’t willing to give up. He was determined to make a comeback.
Allying with the Uyghurs was one of his strategies—just one of them. He had many other options. Of course, no matter which option he chose, one principle remained fundamental: he would never become a vassal of any force, nor would he let himself be consumed by others.

He actually harbored deep suspicion toward the Uyghurs. Shi Siming was by no means foolish; on the contrary, he was more cunning than a fox and more ferocious than a wolf. Of course, they knew the purpose behind the Uyghurs’ willingness to accept him—Khalid Khan wanted to devour him—but didn’t he also want to use the Uyghurs? He would let the Uyghurs attack the Tang Dynasty while he watched from the sidelines, then reap the benefits, devouring whoever lost.

Deep down, Shi Siming hoped the Uyghurs would fail so that he could take their place as the ruler of the steppes. To make the Uyghurs trust him, he was even willing to leave his son as a hostage with them.

“General Puguo, where do you think the Uyghur army should be? I think they’ve already crossed the Yin Mountains and are to our east. What do you say?”

Shi Siming glanced at Puguo Yao. Seeing him deep in thought, he smiled and didn’t interrupt him.

Puguo Yao was the son of Puguo Huaien and was over thirty years old. He had joined the army at fifteen and had spent over a decade in military service, developing exceptional martial skills and courage. In the Shuofang army, he was highly regarded by Wang Zhongsì and Guo Ziyi. But because his father, Puguo Huaien, was forced by Li Qing’an to flee back to the Uyghurs and become their chieftain, he had no choice but to leave the Tang army and return to the Uyghurs.

Over the years, Puguo Yao had achieved numerous feats, but what he was proudest of was killing Li Siyeh, the Tang Dynasty’s most formidable general, with a single arrow. Even if he died, he would die satisfied.

Although he was the son of Puguo Huaien, the chieftain of the Puguo tribe, the tribe split after his father’s death, and neither faction recognized him as their chieftain. Since he refused to submit to the Uyghurs, he led his people south with Puguo Lie. It was then that he realized Puguo Lie was also a lackey of the Uyghurs, one utterly devoted to them.

Puguo Yao began to consider his future. His true desire was to go to Beiting, as his father, Puguo Huaien, had been forced to leave there. Until his death, his father could not bear this humiliation. Now that he was allied with Shi Siming, he would rather serve Shi Siming than submit to the Uyghurs. His father had been killed by Khalid Khan—how could he ever serve his father’s murderer?

After pondering for a long time, he said, “General, I think we should head to Anxi. I know Anxi is extremely prosperous. Li Qing’an has ruled there for ten years, and it has everything—population, food, ironware, gold, and silver. More importantly, Beiting only has 15,000 troops stationed there. This is a golden opportunity, General. We must not miss it!”

It wasn’t just Pugu Yao who suggested going to Beiting. Several of Shi Siming’s top generals also put forward this idea, and Shi Siming himself was tempted by it, so going to Beiting was also one of his alternative plans, ranked second. By capturing Beiting and then expanding northward and westward, they could even advance eastward into Hexi—a vast region. But Shi Siming still wanted to carry out his first strategy: provoking a fierce battle between the Tang army and the Uyghur army, so he could reap the benefits before considering Beiting. Moreover, Li Guangbi had already sent troops from Hebei, and his strategy was on the verge of success.

“I understand your thoughts. In fact, I agree too, but let’s wait. Let’s wait until the Uyghurs and the Tang army are slaughtering each other, until we’ve gathered enough loot, and then we’ll go to Beiting. Otherwise, we won’t even have enough food on the road—how can we reach Beiting? General Pugu, do you understand what I mean?”

Pugu Yao nodded. Shi Siming was right. Without food, how could they travel thousands of miles? They simply couldn’t reach Beiting. At that moment, a cruel smile appeared in his eyes. “General, I have a way to get rich quickly.”

Shi Siming perked up. This was exactly what he wanted to hear. “Hurry up and tell me—what’s this way to get rich?”

Pugu Yao narrowed his eyes and slowly said, “With the Uyghur army marching south, Han’erduo Bali must be deserted. Why not take the opportunity to attack the Uyghurs’ stronghold? There, we’ll have people, cattle, sheep—everything. Then, wherever we want to go, we can.”

Shi Siming’s eyes lit up. He slapped his forehead. Good heavens! How had he not thought of this? It was truly a brilliant plan!

Seeing that Shi Siming was interested, Pugu Yao immediately volunteered, “Commander, let me lead my troops to Han’erduo Bali! I’ll make you laugh so much you won’t be able to sleep at night.”

Shi Siming pondered for a moment. Pugu Yao was indeed the most suitable candidate. He had a personal vendetta against the Uyghurs and would never show mercy. More importantly, he would only lead his own troops—his hundred thousand tribesmen were still under his control. He surely wouldn’t dare have any ulterior motives.

“Good! I’ll give you ten thousand more cavalry. Take thirty thousand men to launch a surprise attack on the Uyghurs’ stronghold. I’ll hold off the Uyghur army here. Once we succeed, we’ll head for Beiting!”

The two exchanged glances, both wearing smug smiles…

Half an hour later, news spread through the camp that Pugu Yao and Shi Siming had quarreled over unfair distribution of military rations. Shi Siming drew his sword, ready to kill Pugu Yao—their relationship had broken down. Soon after, news came that Pugu Yao had led twenty thousand of his men westward in flight, too panicked to even care about his tribe. Shi Siming was furious. He immediately ordered General Zhu Xicai to lead ten thousand troops in pursuit of Pugu Yao, giving strict orders: if Pugu Yao wasn’t killed, Zhu Xicai would have to bring his head back.

The internal strife between Pugu Rong and Shi Siming caused panic in Shi Siming’s camp. Just then, a soldier reported to Shi Siming that the team sent to purchase tea and salt had returned.