Chapter 26: Gains and Losses (II)

The meeting place for Tuhufun was set in the main hall of the Turkic Khagan’s palace. Before the Tang army capturedSuiye, this place had always been where the Turkic Khagan received his confidants and handled military and political affairs. Thus, Tuhufun should be more familiar with this place than Li Kuo.

Unlike what Li Kuo had imagined, Tuhufun Tak did not have the traditional segmented braids of the Turks, nor was he wearing the deer-skin robe that was so characteristic of their culture. Instead, he wore a standard round-neck Tang shirt with a silk lining. However, being somewhat overweight and the shirt being fitted at the waist, he must have felt constrained and uncomfortable. In the end, Tuhufun Tak simply removed the tight jade belt around his waist. This made him feel much more comfortable, but the once graceful and “slim” young man instantly turned into an unattractive, burly Turkic man.

By dressing in this manner, Tuhufun surely intended to show Li Kuo his goodwill. Yet he ended up backfiring, wasting all the effort put into his elaborate attire…

Li Kuo held back his laughter for a long time. Once he calmed down slightly, he nodded slightly at Tuhufun and said, “You must be Tuhufun Tak. I am Li Kuo, the governor of Shule. I owe much of my success in the battle ofSuiye to your help.”

Whether Tuhufun was confused by Li Kuo’s amiable attitude or puzzled by the Tangs’ straightforwardness, he stood there stunned for several moments, not knowing what to say.

“Tak, please sit down!”

Li Kuo gestured with one arm toward the seating area nearby, inviting him to take a seat. It was then that Tuhufun finally reacted. He quickly brought one arm to his shoulder and greeted him in the traditional steppe manner, saying, “Honorable deputy governor, I, Tuhufun, prince of the Turkic people with the surname Hei, extend to you my most sincere greetings!”

Clearly, Tuhufun did not understand the Tang dynasty’s official hierarchy and confused the term “deputy governor” with another position. Yet despite the questionable usage of the term, Li Kuo was overjoyed. He could now be certain that this man was indeed Tuhufun Tak—after all, the noble bearing cultivated over years by the royal family was not something anyone could easily imitate.

“Tak, please come and sit!”

Li Kuo returned the gesture with a nod and spoke kindly.

Tuhufun sat down in the guest seat, beaming with joy, and praised, “Your arrival reminds me of the rising sun at dawn over the vast grasslands, casting its brilliant light upon all; it also reminds me of a shallow bend in the turbulent Charyn River, offering hope to those who cross it with its enchanting form!”
Li Kuo, who often dealt with the people of the grasslands, naturally understood their preference for using long sentences to express their feelings and found it nothing strange.
“The Eternal Heaven sent me to share joy with my friends.”
Li Kuo replied symbolically in Turkic, paused for a moment, and said, “Actually, I am here to thank Tuhufun Tak. Without the generous help of your people, we would never have been able to capture Charyn City so easily.”
Seeing that Li Kuo didn’t want to engage in further formalities, Tuhufun wisely nodded and said, “It’s a trivial matter, not worth mentioning! I have always admired the culture of the Tang Dynasty and hoped to serve as a guardian for the Emperor of Tang. But that wretch Moqizi not only opposes me at every turn but also tarnishes the reputation of the Heavenly Khan, which led to misunderstandings between some of my tribe’s ignorant warriors and the Tang Dynasty.”
Seeing that Li Kuo remained unmoved, Tuhufun continued, “However, most of my tribe still favors the Tang Dynasty. I had a dispute with Moqizi, and neither of us could persuade the other, which led to the subsequent conflicts.”
Tuhufun tried to present things in a favorable light to win more goodwill and support from Li Kuo. But this hope clearly failed—the young man wasn’t interested in the affairs of the Turkic tribes and shook his head, saying, “What happened in the past isn’t important. What the Emperor values is a person’s loyalty.”
Li Kuo stood up, walked to a square wall on the north side, lifted the brown curtain covering it, revealing a detailed map of the Charyn River region.
Last year, when Li Kuo disguised himself as part of the Xie Mi tribe on a mission to the River Region, he passed by Charyn City. At that time, he had sent people to record the terrain of the Charyn River region along the way, sketching everything from rivers and grasslands to towns and fortresses using charcoal. After returning to Shule City, he had his people organize these sketches and combine them with existing map materials to create this new and comprehensive map of the Charyn region.
Li Kuo had carried this map with him ever since, and it proved to be extremely useful during the final capture of Charyn. Bringing it to the Turkic palace was also a way for him to show Tuhufun his stance.
“The Eternal Heaven! Oh, Eternal Heaven!”
Tuhufun exclaimed in astonishment, deeply surprised. This man was so cunning—having already mapped the terrain of the Charyn River region! It seemed he had come prepared for this battle!

He possessed such abundant information that he could be said to know every detail about Suiye. Even without offering any help, it was only a matter of time before this man could seize Suiye City with his strength…
“Great Tang general, could you please make a copy of this map and share it with your Turkic friends?”
Although he knew it was unlikely the other party would agree, Tuhufen still tried his luck. The information contained in this map was too valuable to ignore. If he, Tuhufen, could have such a map, who else in the Suiye River region could oppose him?
“Of course!”
To his surprise, Li Kuo agreed to Tuhufen’s request. The young man pointed at the central area on the map: “When we arrived, the Emperor already issued an edict stating that if you assist us in capturing Suiye, he would appoint you as the Khan of Dingxi and keep Suiye City as the capital of the Turkic kingdom.”
Tuhufen never expected the Tang Emperor to be so generous, and his heart swelled with joy.
“Great, wise, and valiant Heavenly Khan, may Eternal Heaven be with you!”
Tuhufen, overcome with emotion, knelt down and kowtowed repeatedly in the direction of Chang’an to the east.
“Tuhufen Tak, don’t get excited. I haven’t finished speaking yet.”
Li Kuo smiled slightly at Tuhufen and continued, “To ensure the royal power of the Turkic people endures forever, the Emperor has issued a decree on the distribution of fiefs!”
“Oh, may I ask what this decree entails?”
Unexpecting further rewards, Tuhufen became interested and asked respectfully.
“After the decree is issued, not only can the eldest son of the khan inherit the throne, but all other sons can also receive a fief, called ‘yehu’. Below yehu are ‘teqin’, and below those are ‘quluchuo’, and so on, with the lowest rank being ‘sijin’. All members of the Turkic royal family can benefit from this decree, ensuring their hereditary rule and the permanence of the Turkic kingdom!” (Note 1)
……
Note 1: The terms mentioned above are Turkic titles used by Liuyun as fief titles. This decree on the distribution of fiefs is quite stringent.