Many people around felt that Prime Minister Mi Du was too pessimistic. That was because they were unable to analyze the problem from a global perspective. The information Prime Minister Mi Du knew was also something they could not know. Now, in addition to the army in Liangzhou City, according to reliable information they had received, the Tang Dynasty had sent another 20,000 soldiers to support.
On the other hand, on the Tuyuhun side, many tribes were destroyed, and even the Ronggong tribe suffered such a heavy loss. Even if the Khan wanted to gather a large army, he probably couldn't muster many people now. We have no other choice but to ask for peace in humiliation. Unless the Khan disregards the lives of the Tuyuhun people and desperately gathers a large army, then he is gambling on the fate of the country. Once he loses, Tuyuhun will no longer exist.
While everyone else was refuting Prime Minister Midu, Naruto didn't say a word. He was thinking about the current situation. If the fighting continued, he would really have no soldiers to send.
Every time a war came, he would mobilize troops from the Ronggong tribe and the Midu tribe. The number of troops sent by these two tribes was equal. But if he only mobilized the troops of the Midu tribe now, he believed that the Midu tribe would not send troops either. That would be equivalent to being cannon fodder on the battlefield. Once it came to that, he would have to mobilize the soldiers of the Wangting tribe, which was the last strength in his hands.
After discussing for a whole day, they still couldn't come to a conclusion. In the evening, Narut hosted a banquet to entertain Prime Minister Midu.
After three rounds of wine and five kinds of dishes, Prime Minister Midu was not very happy with his meal. He knew that the Khan had something to say.
"What kind of demands, in your opinion, will they make?"
Everyone in the tent had been evacuated. Except for two personal maids, there was no one else here, so Naruto stopped being reserved.
"In reply to the Khan, our people will definitely not be allowed to graze within 200 miles outside Liangzhou City. They also want to build a new city southwest of Liangzhou City, and they want us to open up trade routes. In addition, we have to go to Chang'an City to apologize. Although the Khan does not need to go, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince..."
Prime Minister Midu's estimate was almost right. He had been dealing with the Tang army all the time, so he knew what the Tang army wanted. Although these conditions were fatal to Tuyuhun, after agreeing to them, at least we could survive. If we didn't agree, then we would just have to wait to be displaced. The Tang Dynasty was determined this time.
"Everything else can be agreed to, but building a new city would have a huge impact on us Tuyuhun. From the new city as a center, they can spread out in all directions, posing a huge threat to our rule. It's like stabbing a sharp knife into Tuyuhun's chest and abdomen."
Narut was also an outstanding ruler. Although he was unwilling to agree to other conditions, those conditions were inevitable in order to preserve the Tuyuhun country. However, the only condition he could not agree to was building a new city.
"Great Khan, the Han Chinese have a saying: 'We are the fish and the sword is the chopping board.' This is exactly the situation we are in now. The sword is no longer in our hands. If we continue to resist, the conditions we will face in the future will be even more severe. I have made an estimate. If we were to fight a decisive battle now, our army would have to deploy at least 200,000 cavalry. Even if we were to win, we would have lost nearly 200,000 young men. Would such a victory be worthwhile?"
Prime Minister Midu said earnestly that there were only a few million young people in Tuyuhun all over the country. If 200,000 men were lost, then the country would have no hope.
"What's more, the Tibetans in the south will also take advantage of the situation to rob. According to the information I have received, Tibetan scout cavalry have appeared near the southern border."
While speaking, Prime Minister Midu took out a secret report from his hand. The Midu tribe lived in the south, so they were more familiar with the situation in the south.
"These damn Tibetans."
Narut gritted his teeth and cursed. What he feared most was this situation. Tuyuhun had always been trying to survive in the cracks. Whether it was the Tang Dynasty in the north or Tubo in the south, their comprehensive national strength was much stronger than Tuyuhun. Although Tuyuhun kept provoking the two major powers, the two major powers had various reasons and needed a natural barrier like Tuyuhun.
So their lives were pretty good, but if there was a big country that was determined to destroy them, Tuyuhun would really be unable to resist. Just like the current situation, Tuyuhun would face heavy losses for every extra day they held on.
"I understand. You will be in charge of the negotiations and try to gain living space for Tuyuhun. You will also have to bring them back."
When Naruto said this, Prime Minister Midu was dumbfounded. If they were to bring back just one person, he knew it would be the former Crown Prince Zat'erke, but now they were actually bringing back two. Could the legend be true? The rumors had been circulating throughout Tuyuhun for the past few days, saying that the eldest princess had been captured by the Tang army.
"Great Khan, could it be the Grand Princess?"
Prime Minister Midu said with some disbelief.
Others did not understand the Khan of Tuyuhun, but Prime Minister Midu had been his subject for a lifetime, so he naturally knew the importance of his two children to him. These were all his children born to his first wife, and they were also his favorite children.
"They should have fallen into the hands of the Tang army. Besides that, the two thousand-man teams were also completely wiped out during the search. My people have already found them and buried them all."
The Tuyuhun Khan drank the wine in the bowl in one gulp. This was good wine shipped from Chang'an. The spicy taste of the wine made him sober up instantly.
"Then we'll have to make bigger concessions."
Prime Minister Midu also drank a glass with them, but what he said made people feel uncomfortable. The Khan of Tuyuhun also understood that at this point, this could not be compensated by negotiation skills. The Tang army had already achieved such a great victory, and it was impossible to ask them to calm down.
"Go and inform our people in the Tang Dynasty, and tell them to stir up trouble at all costs."
The Tuyuhun Khan said desperately that they had sent many spies to the territory of the Tang Dynasty in recent years. They had to maintain the troops for a thousand days and use them for a moment. If they were not needed at this moment, what was the point of keeping them?
Prime Minister Midu also nodded. At this moment, in order to protect Tuyuhun, any method had to be used...
