At the bottom of the note, Prime Minister Midu left a message saying that if he did not receive a reply from the Khan within three days, it would mean that the Khan agreed. This would also save a bit of face for their Khan so that the Khan would not have to personally order the signing of this humiliating peace treaty.
The moods of both sides were different at the dinner. The soldiers of the Tang Dynasty were very relaxed because they had won the battle. But for the Tuyuhun people, they found it difficult to swallow the delicious food.
When the army was approaching Liangzhou City, some people within Tuyuhun predicted that they should never use force against the Tang Dynasty, as this would put them in a dangerous situation. However, no one in Tuyuhun paid attention to this at the time. They always thought that it would be the same as before, and they would win by blackmail. However, they did not expect that this time the Tang Dynasty would change its attack method, which brought a huge disaster to the entire grassland.
Somewhere in Liangzhou City.
"Isn't this celebratory sound harsh?"
Zatlk was treated quite well. Since he and Li Xiang established a cooperative relationship, Li Xiang had not treated him unfairly. All supplies were provided according to the level of a lieutenant general. So after the eldest princess was sent here, she lived a good life. Except that she could not leave the door, there were no other restrictions, and the maids were also sent back.
"I just don't understand why we were defeated so miserably? We weren't as strong as the Tang Dynasty before, but we won the vast majority of our battles against them. But now..."
The eldest princess looked at her brother with tears in her eyes. Although Zatlk stood on Li Xiang's side, he could not be happy in his heart when he saw that his nation and country had failed. Although he hated his father and brother, when facing the entire Tuyuhun, he still hoped deep down in his heart that Tuyuhun could win. Unfortunately, this was impossible.
"I came from Chang'an, so I naturally know how we failed. It was all because of that monster."
Others may attribute it to the gap between the Tang Dynasty and Tuyuhun, or the determination of the Tang Dynasty's ruling class, but Zatlk did not see that. All his attention was focused on Li Xiang. He believed that Tuyuhun's current defeat was directly related to Li Xiang.
"But how could the power of one person have such a huge impact?"
The eldest princess also knew that Li Xiang was very powerful. After all, she was captured by Li Xiang. However, if it were placed at the level of a war between the two countries, Li Xiang's role would be extremely limited.
"Of all the Tuyuhun people, I probably know this guy best. Besides, I've never seen anything like his amazing armies in the Tang Dynasty. This time, it was his army that caused the greatest losses to our grasslands. If it weren't for him, we might have failed, but the Tang Dynasty definitely wouldn't have won so easily."
Zatlk drank the wine in his glass. This was not a celebratory wine, but a bitter wine. He had learned from the guards that Li Xiang had gone out of the city to negotiate with General Qin Qiong. According to the current battlefield situation, the negotiation should be concluded in half a month at most. Tuyuhun would lose a large area of grassland in the north, and from now on, they could only rely on the Tang Dynasty.
After Zakerk finished speaking, the eldest princess was also thinking about the army she had seen that day. She had indeed never seen it before, especially when attacking the Ronggong tribe. The thing that could bloom and explode was really too powerful. The cavalry of the Ronggong tribe had never organized a threatening charge.
After the third largest tribe on the grassland suffered a crushing defeat, the entire grassland was gloomy and sad, and even some small tribes had lost the will to resist. In their view, even the Ronggong tribe was defeated like this, let alone them. If the Khan forced them to go to war, then this part of the people might surrender to the Tang Dynasty in advance, and then the rule of the entire grassland would collapse.
"Is it possible that this negotiation will fail? Or perhaps the conditions they proposed are too harsh and we will reject the negotiation again."
The eldest princess was unwilling to give up. It was extremely difficult for Tuyuhun to survive in the gap between the two empires. They had finally got everything they had now. If they lost it, a weak country would probably have no chance to get it back. Strong countries had plenty of opportunities, but weak countries only had a few.
"Prime Minister Midu is a wise man. He knows how to weigh the pros and cons. This is Tuyuhun's last chance to seek peace. If Tuyuhun gives up this opportunity, the Tang Dynasty will only march south. If that happens, the entire Tuyuhun population will suffer. The fate of the Turks will serve as a model for us."
Zatlk said very bitterly that he had met the Turkic Khan and princes when he was in Chang'an City. After the war was lost, all the people were brought to Chang'an. Although Li Shimin did not abuse them, he kept them under extremely strict supervision. Except for their own guild halls, they were not allowed to go anywhere in Chang'an City. If Tuyuhun had been defeated, perhaps their lives would have been the rest of our lives.
"Then brother, you..."
The eldest princess hesitated for a long time, but finally decided to ask clearly. In fact, ever since she was sent here, the eldest princess had all kinds of questions in her mind. After all, she was a prisoner of war on the road. Although Li Xiang did not do anything excessive, the eldest princess's treatment was not very good, and it was basically the same as other prisoners.
But after arriving at this villa, not only were all the maids assigned here, but the daily supply of three meals was also quite good. Of course, it couldn't be compared with the past, but compared with other prisoners of war, this life was already heavenly. The eldest princess was also a smart person. She did not make any form of compromise with Li Xiang, so only her brother had to compromise.
"I am not a warrior on the grassland. When my father Khan gave up on me, I had to live for myself. For more than ten years, I lived in Chang'an and did so much for Tuyuhun, but in the end, what did I get in return? Everyone betrayed me. So no matter what choice I make, no one can blame me."
Zat'elk spoke very firmly. Deep down, he knew he was a traitor, but he had to stand firm in his convictions, using these words to tell others, and himself, that what he was doing was right...
