When he heard that Duan Jianwei had come to see him, Ang Lee was very happy. This meant that Nanzhao had been convinced. Since Duan Jianwei could come, it meant that they could use negotiation to solve the problem.
"General, Duan Jianwei is a strategist of Nanzhao Army. Since he came in person, it seems that Nanzhao has really been defeated. Hahaha."
"General, he must have come to surrender."
The soldiers were talking about the great defeat of the Nanzhao Army when Duan Jianwei suddenly came to visit. Naturally, they were very excited.
However, since Duan Jianwei had come, Ang Lee could not be rude and embarrass him. After all, the Tang dynasty and Nanzhao still had common interests. This attack on Nanzhao was just to warn Nanzhao that it was something he could get and something he could not. Only by obeying the will of the Tang dynasty could they have a good life.
"Open the city gate and welcome Duan Jianwei into the city."
On the one hand, this was for etiquette so that Duan Jianwei would not have to take the dangerous gondola into the city. On the other hand, it showed the confidence of the Tang Army. The reason why they dared to open the city gate was that they were not afraid of Nanzhao's attack.
After the order was passed to the city gate, the city gate slowly opened and welcomed Duan Jianwei into the city.
"Duan Jianwei, please come in."
Several Tang Army generals greeted Duan Jianwei outside the door with fake smiles.
Duan Jianwei's face darkened. He motioned for several guards to stay outside and walked in alone.
Seeing that Duan Jianwei's complexion was not very good when he entered the hall, Ang Lee was quite proud. However, on the surface, he was expressionless and looked coldly at Duan Jianwei.
After Duan Jianwei entered the hall, he looked at Ang Lee and many Tang Army generals on both sides. He took a deep breath and cupped his hands. "Duan Jianwei greets General Li."
"Have we really met before?"
Ang Lee cursed in his heart and smiled gently. "I've been waiting for a long time. Duan Jianwei, please take a seat."
Duan Jianwei raised his eyelids slightly and glanced at Ang Lee. He was in great pain, but he had to go to Ang Lee's seat, sit down gently, and look sideways at Ang Lee.
Ang Lee and Duan Jianwei looked at each other for a moment. Then, he said first, "This is the first time I've met Duan Jianwei. Presumably, it's also the first time Duan Jianwei has seen me. However, I've heard of Duan Jianwei's reputation. It's really a blessing for Nanzhao to have such a great talent like Duan Jianwei."
There was a hint of jealousy in his words. Duan Jianwei's face turned uglier after hearing this. He paused and sneered, "General Li, you're overpraising me. I'm insignificant, but General Li is brave and invincible. You've made countless contributions to the imperial court of the Tang dynasty. I admire you very much."
"Haha, Duan Jianwei, let's not be polite with each other. Let's talk about the situation in Cuandi."
Ang Lee brought the topic to the main point and said, "Since the turmoil in Cuandi, Nanzhao has been sharing the burden of the Tang dynasty. First, they persuaded the rich families in Cuandi to surrender to the Tang dynasty. For this reason, they did not hesitate to marry the two daughters of the Emperor into Cuandi. I admire them very much. Later, Cuan Chongdao, the Great Ghost Lord of Nanzhao Province in Cuandi, started a rebellion. Nanzhao also sent troops to participate in the suppression of the rebellion, which took a lot of pressure off our Tang Army. I'm very grateful for this. Later, His Majesty will definitely reward the King of Yunnan."
Obviously, Ang Lee made it easier for the Duan Jianwei to accept all the conspiracies of Nanzhao as loyalty to the Tang dynasty. Of course, the Duan Jianwei was not a fool. Ang Lee said this in order to not be seen through with Nanzhao. He said that the Tang Empire needed Nanzhao as a partner. He wanted Nanzhao to give up the ambition of annexing Cuandi. At the same time, he wanted Nanzhao to fight against Tibet together.
The Great Tang's request seemed a little overboard. However, the Cuan Land was Great Tang's territory. Fighting against Tibet together was also to protect Nanzhao from being invaded by Tibet. There was no harm to Nanzhao either. After all, the Great Tang's policies were much better than Nanzhao's. Nanzhao was also richer and more civilized. If Nanzhao followed the Great Tang, it would definitely be much better than following Tibet. In the later history, Nanzhao joined Tibet, but in the end, they couldn't bear the humiliation and chose to join the Great Tang once more, becoming a vassal state of the Great Tang.
Since Ang Lee had confirmed that Nanzhao had played an active role in the process of dealing with Cuandi, Duan Jianwei naturally could not refuse. After a pause, he respectfully said, "General Li, you are too polite. Nanzhao is a vassal state of the Tang dynasty. Moreover, the chaos in Cuandi will also have a great impact on Nanzhao. Whether it is for the sake of the Tang dynasty or for its own interests, Nanzhao must wholeheartedly maintain the stability of Cuandi. This is what Nanzhao should do. It is not a great contribution. On the other hand, the Tang army acted quickly. Within a day, they recovered four cities controlled by the rebel army, which made my Nanzhao Army feel inferior.
I admire you. "There was a hint of jealousy in his words. However, Ang Lee did not care about this. He said softly," It is all thanks to the Nanzhao Army holding back the main forces of the rebel army that my Tang Army was able to recover these four cities so easily. Nanzhao Army's contribution is still great. I will definitely report it to His Majesty as it is. Duan Jianwei, you can ask Nanzhao soldiers to wait for their reward. Haha. "
Ang Lee's words were very clear. He was telling Duan Jianwei that the cities in Cuandi all belonged to the Tang dynasty. He led the army to occupy these cities and recovered the lost land of the Tang dynasty. It was a reasonable and legal action. Nanzhao should not have any different opinions on this.
Duan Jianwei understood. As a general of the Tang dynasty, Ang Lee's words naturally represented the interests of the Tang dynasty. Ang Lee's expression was also very clear. Nanzhao must not have the idea of annexing Cuandi, not even a little bit. This was the bottom line of the Tang dynasty. There was no possibility of compromise on the issue of sovereignty.
"Hahaha. As a vassal state of the Tang dynasty, Nanzhao can share the worries of the imperial court of the Tang dynasty. It is really a matter of duty. It is not worth mentioning, not worth mentioning. However, in order to quell the rebellion in Cuandi, my Nanzhao Army has suffered great losses. We have to return to Taihe City as soon as possible to rest and reorganize. General, I will have to trouble you to clean up the mess in Cuandi."
Duan Jianwei decisively asked to leave Cuandi and give all of Cuandi to the Tang dynasty.
Ang Lee was overjoyed in his heart, but he remained calm on the surface. "Duan Jianwei is right. The Nanzhao Army has made great contributions to the Tang dynasty and suffered great losses. It is time to take a good rest. Oh, by the way, I have a lot of Jinchuang Ointment here. It is very effective. I will give you a carriage."
Duan Jianwei pretended to be happy. He cupped his hands and said, "Thank you, General Li. I still have to prepare. I will take my leave first."
Ang Lee nodded gently. Generals, please send Duan Jianwei off. "
Under the warm farewell of the Tang Army soldiers, Duan Jianwei left Kunzhou City with a helpless look. Unlike when he came, he left with a whole carriage of Jinchuang Ointment, which was prepared by Ang Lee from the moment he asked the eight small troops to leave the city.
The moment Duan Jianwei and his party left the city gate, eight small troops of the Tang Army, with a total of 400 people, brushed past Duan Jianwei and quickly entered Kunzhou City.
Seeing that the 400 Tang Army troops all returned to the city intact without even a single injured soldier, Duan Jianwei was desperate to the extreme. The elites of the Tang Army were far beyond his imagination. At this moment, he completely gave up the idea of taking revenge on the Tang Army in the future and decided not to seek Cuandi anymore.
"Big Brother, we're back."
"Big Brother, our eight troops came and went like ghosts. The Nanzhao Army couldn't fight back at all."
"This is all because of the General's good command. Our troops are all elites. They can come and go freely in the dark jungle. However, the Nanzhao Army can't even see us when they walk next to us. It's like they're blind."
"The General asked the soldiers to eat more pig liver. The soldiers can no longer see at night. Moreover, they can see more and more clearly at night. This is the key to our victory."
After the victorious soldiers returned to the city, they were all very excited.
Naturally, Ang Lee was even happier. He said softly, "Let the soldiers have a good rest. Tomorrow morning, watch the Nanzhao Army leave Cuandi."
"Yes, General."
The generals returned to their respective residences with excitement.
###
Five miles east of Kunzhou City, Duan Jianwei returned to Nanzhao's camp with a carriage full of Jinchuang Medicine with his guards. His expression was extremely lonely.
Of course, Gelofeng didn't rest. His army had suffered such a heavy blow. His trusted strategist, Duan Jianwei, was still with the Tang Army. He was so nervous that he couldn't sleep.
Gelofeng, who was meditating in the tent, heard the neighing of horses outside. Duan Jianwei was here. He quickly strode out of the tent and greeted him.
Duan Jianwei didn't say anything. He first bowed to Gelofeng.
"Well, Duan Jianwei, did things not go well? This carriage is …"
Gelofeng pointed to the carriage behind Duan Jianwei and asked seriously.
Duan Jianwei sighed and replied softly, "Your Highness, this is the Jinchuang Medicine sent to us by Ang Lee, and it was prepared a long time ago."
"They actually prepared the Jinchuang Medicine in advance. This is a humiliation to us, a great humiliation. It's really outrageous."
Gelofeng was very angry. The other side sent so many medicinal materials to treat wounds. It was clearly telling him that the Tang Army could not only shoot their soldiers, but also send them medicinal materials. Everything was under the control of the Tang Army, and they were played in the palm of their hand.
Duan Jianwei lowered his head, not knowing what to say. He looked helpless.
Gelofeng then asked, "What does Ang Lee mean? Can we get a piece of benefit after such a painstaking plan?"
Duan Jianwei quickly shook his head and said helplessly, "The Tang Dynasty has no intention of backing down. Moreover, in the future, they will station troops in Liangcuan to connect Jiao Province and Yizhou Province."
"So, we have completely failed."
Gelofeng was a little unwilling.
"Failed, completely failed. This is all my fault. After returning to Taihe City, I will ask for forgiveness from the Emperor and take all the blame."
This was all Duan Jianwei could do now. What else could he do except take the initiative to take the responsibility?
Gelofeng couldn't bear it and said softly, "This matter is not only related to you, but also Xiao Wang. How can one person take all the blame? Xiao Wang is willing to take the responsibility together with you."
Duan Jianwei hurriedly waved his hand and said, "Please don't. The First Prince is the hope of Nanzhao's future. If his prestige is damaged because of this matter, it will not be worth it. I am just a small person, and my death is not regrettable. Moreover, the Emperor may not really kill me. For the sake of my brother, he probably won't. As long as I am alive, I will continue to work for the First Prince and help him become the Emperor of Nanzhao."
Looking at the loyal Duan Jianwei, Gelofeng was quite moved. However, perhaps Duan Jianwei was right. He was the First Prince of Nanzhao and the hope of Nanzhao's future. His prestige could not be damaged. Otherwise, it would be a loss for the whole of Nanzhao. For this reason, he could only let Duan Jianwei take the blame.
There were many injured soldiers in the Nanzhao Army. The medicine they had in reserve was far from enough to meet the needs. However, Ang Lee's gift of a cart of medicine solved the urgent problem. The doctors in the Nanzhao Army applied the medicine to the wounds of the Nanzhao soldiers. Soon, the soldiers stopped moaning.
With this batch of medicine, the Nanzhao soldiers were all treated in time. The camp quickly regained its peace.
The next day, at dawn, the Nanzhao soldiers five miles east of Kunzhou City all got up. Under the orders of their generals, they threw away their Cuandi armor and changed into Nanzhao's unique rattan armor. All the flags in the army were also changed to Nanzhao's flag.
When the sun rose, the Nanzhao Army threw away all the Cuandi armor and flags. They gathered them in a few fixed places and burned them.
"First Prince, the army is ready. We can set off now."
Gelofeng looked around and nodded. "Let's go back to Taihe City."
More than ten thousand Nanzhao Army, under the leadership of Gelofeng, set off from the camp. They took a detour around Kunzhou City and set off towards Nanzhao.
This detour was only two miles away from Kunzhou City's city wall. Although there were scattered trees blocking the view, they could still see the Nanzhao Army moving forward.
At this moment, Ang Lee and his soldiers were standing on the city wall. They looked at the Nanzhao Army that was going around the city wall and chatted from time to time.
"General, Nanzhao has been working hard for more than a year, but in the end, it was all for the Tang dynasty. Piluoge must be very angry. Will he …"
Ang Lee smiled. "Of course not. After yesterday's battle, the Nanzhao soldiers are already terrified. They will definitely tell Piluoge the true strength of our army. I think with Piluoge's wisdom, he won't choose to use an egg to hit a rock. What we need to do is to stabilize the situation in Cuandi and pacify the people there. We need to let them accept the rule of the Tang dynasty with peace of mind. We need to make all the Cuandi provinces here become real provinces of the Tang dynasty."
"Yes, General, we will do our best to completely control Cuandi."
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