"We won! The Turks won! " Li Simo saw the grassland cavalry fleeing in all directions and couldn't help but roar to the sky. This was the most important battle for the Turks to return to the grassland. From now on, the Turks would truly gain a foothold in the grassland and eventually restore the former glory of the Turks.
The rest of the Turks also cheered. This victory not only gave them a place to live, but it was also the first step for the Turks to return to the overlord of the grassland.
"We lost miserably."
Zhangsun Chong looked at the cheering Tang Dynasty and Turks cavalry and felt bitter. The Tang Dynasty won, but he lost miserably. The performance of the Firearm Army in this battle was commendable. As a general, he was greedy for merit and rashly advanced, causing the Firearm Army to be heavily surrounded. Then, in order to save his life, he abandoned the army and fled. This time, his prestige in the hearts of the soldiers of the Firearm Army was gone.
"Thanks to the reinforcements General risked his life to invite, the Firearm Army survived." Sun Wukai shamelessly flattered and covered up the shame for Zhangsun Chong.
"Everything I did was for the Firearm Army." Zhangsun Chong shamelessly said. However, the bright armor on his body was in sharp contrast to the bloodstained armor on the soldiers of the Firearm Army. It was particularly ironic.
Many soldiers of the Firearm Army looked at him with disdain, especially the veterans of the Firearm Army. They even compared him with Mo Jiazi. When Mo Jiazi was besieged by the Turks in the 800-mile Immensity Sea, he didn't abandon the army and flee. Instead, he used the terrain to turn the situation into a victory. Comparing the two, it could be said that the winner was obvious.
However, Zhangsun Chong seemed to turn a blind eye to it. He began to shuttle among the wounded soldiers and asked about their well-being. He also gave generous rewards to the soldiers of the Firearm Army who died in the battle and made wishes to the soldiers of the Firearm Army who survived.
"Only by saving General Zhangsun Chong can we save the Firearm Army. If General Zhangsun Chong is framed by a villain and the Firearm Army becomes a defeated army, I'm afraid you will be ridiculed by the world." Sun Wukai scolded.
Driven by benefits and under the power of Zhangsun Chong, the soldiers of the Firearm Army helplessly lowered their heads.
Zhangsun Chong's corner of his mouth showed a trace of pride. As a playboy, he was the most adept at dealing with such things. This was also the reason why he dared to abandon the army and flee. Coupled with Zhangsun Chong's's power, he was confident that this matter matter matter would be covered...
However, this was still not enough. Zhangsun Chong cast his gaze towards Li Simo who had returned victorious, because Li Simo's subordinates had brought back tens of thousands of captives from the grassland tribes.
"What? Firearm Army killed killed 5,000 soldiers and captured?"
In the Tang Army's tent, Li Ji looked at the battle report sent by the Firearm Army and could not help but raise his eyebrows. The Firearm Army had sent seven distress signals in a row before he sent out the troops. The Firearm Army was already at the end of the road, but after Zhangsun Chong's beautification, they became the mainstay of this battle. With a weak force of 3,000 soldiers, they restrained 200,000 soldiers and finally turned the tide. They killed 5,000 Xue Yantuo's cavalrymen and cooperated with the Tang Army to defeat Xue Yantuo and capture tens of thousands of prisoners.
According to Zhangsun Chong's battle report, he deserved the most credit in this battle. With 3,000 soldiers of the Firearm Army against 200,000 grassland cavalrymen, it was even more amazing than Mo Jiazi's battle record.
"As far as I know, it was Xue Yantuo who besieged the Firearm Army, but the soldiers of the Firearm Army were captured by the grassland tribes. What's going on?" Li Ji questioned.
"This …" The deputy general hesitated.
"Buying and selling war merits is a crime. These playboys are really pests in the army." Li Ji snorted angrily. With his many years of experience in the army, he easily saw through Zhangsun Chong's trick.
The deputy general hurriedly stopped him and said, "General, please think twice! Previously, we used the Firearm Army as bait and sent it back to Chang 'an City. I'm afraid that the Zhangsun Family will be dissatisfied with us. If we refute Zhangsun Chong's battle report, I'm afraid that we will really offend the Zhangsun Family. "
Li Ji could not help but frown. As a childe, Zhangsun Chong racked his brains to come to the grassland to earn merits. His purpose was naturally to gild himself. If he broke Zhangsun Chong's golden body, he was afraid that he would really offend the Zhangsun Family. It should be known that the eldest son of any family was the successor of the family, and all the resources and efforts of the family were exhausted.
Li Ji sneered and said, "Then report according to Zhangsun Chong's military merits. If he can pass the trial of the military judge, it will be the Zhangsun Family's ability."
Li Ji was not as upright and outspoken as Wei Zheng and did not know how to be flexible. Otherwise, he would not support Wu Zhou in later generations. He would not wallow in the mire, but he would not be an isolated minister either. He could sit and watch Zhangsun Chong's Firearm Army being besieged, and he could also turn a blind eye to Zhangsun Chong's false military merits.
Moreover, he had a more important thing to do at the moment, and that was to deter the grassland tribes and establish decades of peace for the Tang dynasty.
"Where are the emissaries of the grassland tribes?" Li Ji shouted coldly.
The deputy general said proudly, "General, don't worry. The emissaries of the grassland tribes are already waiting outside the military tent."
The battle between the Turks and Xue Yantuo had ended. Xue Yantuo had suffered a crushing defeat, and the overlord of the grassland had changed positions. These fence-sitters naturally had to attach themselves to the winner. Although Xue Yantuo had fled to the north, the other tribes did not leave, but sent emissaries to surrender.
However, in this battle, the most outstanding ones were the Firearm Army of the Tang dynasty and Li Ji's cavalry of the Tang dynasty. If these emissaries wanted to surrender, they naturally had to surrender to the strongest. Therefore, they all came to Li Ji's military tent.
"We pay our respects to the Great General!"
In the military tent, Li Ji was wearing a full body armor. The emissaries of the grassland tribes were terrified and hurriedly saluted.
"The Heavenly Khan once issued an edict to let you guard the borders and not attack each other. However, you crossed the border without permission and attacked the Turks. How should you be punished?" Li Ji scolded.
The emissary of Huihe hurriedly protested, "General, please calm down. We were also held hostage by Xue Yantuo and had no choice. Otherwise, we would be the first to be exterminated."
"Yes, at that time, Xue Yantuo wanted us to attack the Tang Army, but we resolutely refused."
"Although we were held hostage by Xue Yantuo, we were still loyal to the Tang dynasty. We did not dare to attack the Tang dynasty. When the General's army arrived, we immediately retreated."
…
The emissaries of the grassland tribes cried out their grievances and pushed the blame to Xue Yantuo. For a moment, Xue Yantuo was beaten by thousands of people.
"Fortunately, you did not attack the Tang dynasty or the Tang dynasty. Otherwise, do you still have the life to stand in front of me?" Li Ji shouted. He naturally knew the style of these fence-sitters. However, when the Tang Army attacked, these grassland cavalries did retreat and pushed Xue Yantuo to the front. Otherwise, with the help of the grassland tribes, even if the Tang dynasty defeated Xue Yantuo, they would suffer heavy losses.
"General, please be merciful. We will follow the Tang dynasty's lead in the future." The emissary of Huihe understood and immediately surrendered.
For a long time, after the rise of Xue Yantuo, the Tang dynasty began to support Huihe to contain Xue Yantuo. The relationship between Huihe and the Tang dynasty had always been good. Therefore, they took the initiative to surrender.
"General, please be merciful. We will follow the Tang dynasty's lead in the future." The other emissaries of the grassland tribes also surrendered and expressed their goodwill to the Tang dynasty.
Li Ji nodded with satisfaction and said, "Since you sincerely repent, I am not an unreasonable person. In the future, if there are any tribes that do not obey the order of the Heaven Khan, don't blame the cavalry of the Tang dynasty for being merciless. Xue Yantuo is a lesson for you."
"We will obey the order of the Tang dynasty." The emissaries of the grassland tribes heaved a sigh of relief and bowed.
"But we have just offended the Turks. If the Turks retaliate against us!" The emissary of Khitan said cautiously. This time, Khitan had offended the Turks the most and the Turks had suffered heavy losses. If the Turks retaliated against the Turks, Khitan would only end up being exterminated.
Li Ji raised his eyebrows and said in a clear voice, "Didn't the Heaven Khan give the order that the grassland tribes should guard their borders and not attack each other?"
What the Tang dynasty wanted was not the unity of the grassland tribes. The grassland tribes were full of contradictions, which was beneficial to the Tang dynasty. Since they could no longer attack the Turks, the Turks naturally could no longer attack them.
The emissary of Khitan was overjoyed and said, "Thank you, Heaven Khan. Khitan will definitely pay tribute to the Heaven Khan every year in the future to show their loyalty."
The other emissaries also heaved a sigh of relief. With the guarantee of the Tang dynasty, they were not afraid of the Turks' retaliation. In this extremely dangerous battle for the overlord of the grassland, they had relied on their unique skill of being a fence-sitter to avoid a disaster.
"We have one more thing to ask. Previously, when we were held hostage by Xue Yantuo, many herdsmen were captured by the Heaven Dynasty's army. I wonder if the General can give them a way out and let them live." The Servant Bone Emissary pleaded.
The leaders of the other tribes also begged, and many people from almost all tribes were captured.
Li Ji pondered for a moment and said, "Each captive will be exchanged for two good horses. One hand for the horses, one hand for the people. "
"Yes!"
The leaders of the other tribes looked at each other and nodded. It must be known that every grassland warrior was both a warrior and a precious labor force, and they could not afford to lose them.
… … …
Outside the Tang dynasty's military camp, Li Simo led a group of Turks and looked at the emissaries who filed out of the camp. They could not help but feel embarrassed. They originally thought that after this battle, the Turks would definitely command the grassland tribes and regain the position of overlord.
However, the cruel reality gave them a heavy slap. The Turks had won, but the biggest victory was seized by the Tang dynasty, and that was the power to command the grassland. Now, the grassland tribes only recognized the Tang dynasty and did not recognize the Eastern Turks. Now, there was only one Khan in the grassland, and that was the Heaven Khan Li Shimin.
"What about Zhangsun Chong? He has received so many benefits from the Turks, so he won't just talk and not do anything! "A general of the Turks said discontentedly.
Li Simo shook his head and said, "This is the decision of the imperial court of the Tang dynasty. Zhangsun Chong can't do anything about it."
Hexan Chengji's heart was in extreme pain. In order to restore the glory of the Turks, he did not hesitate to risk his life. In the end, he almost died, but he found that there was still a mountain above the Turks, and that was their former backer — the Tang dynasty.
If the Turks wanted to regain the position of overlord, they must overthrow the mountain above them. However, when he thought of the power of the firearms army, he could not help but feel a chill in his heart. Today's Tang dynasty could no longer be defeated by force.
"There is only one way to eliminate the Tang dynasty's control over the grassland, and that is to cause internal strife in the Tang dynasty." Hexan Chengji secretly calculated in his heart. Every time there was chaos in the Central Plains, it was the time when the grassland tribes were most prominent. Although today's Tang dynasty was at its peak, it was not impossible for it to cause chaos. The simplest and most direct way was to fight for the throne.
If he wanted to get involved in the fight for the throne of the Tang dynasty and set off a bloody storm, he must return to Chang 'an City, the center of power of the Tang dynasty. Coincidentally, he had a stepping stone to return to Chang' an City, which was the evidence of Zhangsun Chong's greed for merit, his prematurely advancing, abandoning the army, fleeing, and trading military merits.
Hexan Chengji looked around and quietly buried this plan in his heart. For the Turks, he could sacrifice everything, including his own life.
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