According to normal etiquette, the rank of Tuyuhun Protector General is at most equal to that of General Huyan. If the two of them have something to discuss, they can stand and bow to each other, which is reasonable.
If Tuyuhun were an independent country, then Midu Khan would have the most face here, but now Tuyuhun has become a vassal state of the Tang Dynasty, so his status is not even as good as these two people.
In General Huyan's mind, Lu Dongzan was the Prime Minister of Tubo, so he was naturally higher in status than him, and higher than the Protector General of Tuyuhun. How could you bow to him? Even if you didn't kneel, you should have bent deeper.
"Didn't the Prime Minister just return to Tubo? Why are you back here again? It makes sense. Miss Changsun will be entering Tubo soon. Are you going to greet her? If so, I'll go and make some preparations."
It seemed as if Lord Zeng suddenly remembered that this was all an act. How could he not know why Lu Dongzan had returned? It was purely because he wanted to establish a peaceful border agreement with him, or perhaps to get his guarantee that the Tang army would not cross the border during this period. To put it bluntly, it was a non-aggression pact.
"Those are just trivial matters of love. As the Prime Minister of Tubo, how can I dwell on such matters every day? When Miss Changsun arrives here, it won't be too late for me to come and greet her. This time I'm in the border area purely for state affairs."
When Li Xiang heard Lu Dongzan's gentlemanly appearance, he felt ridiculed in his heart. You are not like that before. You were groveling like a dog outside Miss Changsun's tent, but you turned into a serious person in front of others. You should perform your face-changing skills on stage.
"I wonder what country this is?"
Lord Zeng said this in confusion, with an anxious look on his face. Lu Dongzan observed the old man carefully, but did not find any flaws on his face. It seemed that although some businessmen had returned, all they thought about was making money, and they were not willing to care about political affairs. The Tang court also did not know about the civil strife in Tubo.
"Last time, due to the friction between our country and Tuyuhun, a large number of troops were stationed in the border area. This is of no benefit to us, nor to Tuyuhun. I have come here on the orders of the Zamp to negotiate with you, the Tang Dynasty, to see if we can withdraw our respective troops, or even retreat a certain distance. We should avoid escalating tensions near the border, which is not good for all three of us."
Lu Dongzan's words impressed the general beside him. How could he be the prime minister? Why can I only be a general leading troops? This is the gap between me and others.
It is obvious that we are short of troops and have to transfer the army back to fight the rebels, but we have to give another reason, and at the same time we have to make you feel that it is beneficial to you. According to the intelligence they obtained, many officials in Chang'an City are unwilling to station troops on the grassland because this group of people costs a lot of money. Although Tuyuhun is responsible for this part of the money, they still feel like cutting their own flesh. It is better to let Tuyuhun send this part of the money to Chang'an City, and they can improve many things.
"Your Excellency, the Prime Minister truly cares about the people. Normally, I shouldn't have any other ideas and should withdraw my troops with you. However, I am merely the Protector General of Tuyuhun. I can still have a say here, but if I were to reach Chang'an, where would I have the opportunity to speak? So please, Your Excellency, give me some time. After I return, I will immediately write a letter and have it sent to the capital to see what the Emperor means."
Lord Zeng hesitated for a moment, then started to play Tai Chi. Anyway, the matter you mentioned is not a small matter, involving the issue of border garrisons. The power of the Tuyuhun Protector is also not small, but there is no way to decide this matter. I can only do things for you, but I can't give you any answer. Everything depends on the Holy Judgment.
Lu Dongzan was obviously dissatisfied with Mr. Zeng's answer, but he had thought about it in advance.
"Master Zeng is right. I came from Chang'an City, so I'm naturally familiar with your methods. However, the armies of our two countries often stay on the border, so friction is inevitable. Two people died a few days ago. Even if we don't withdraw, can we withdraw a little further into each other's territory? I think fifty miles will be enough."
Lu Dongzan raised another question. If they retreated fifty miles to the plateau, they would leave this open area. We don’t know what the situation is over there, but the Tuyuhun side is a flat grassland. Even if they retreated a hundred miles, you can still see it. It is obvious that Tuyuhun is at a disadvantage.
"Please forgive me, Your Excellency, Prime Minister. I truly do not have the ability to do this. The garrison obeys me in normal times, but when it comes to crucial matters like this, we must consult the Emperor's decree and the official document from the Ministry of War. Both are indispensable. I will immediately send a pigeon to deliver this letter, which is also very fast."
Lord Zeng insisted that I have no say in this matter. If you want to see the results, you must wait for our emperor's reply. No matter how fast it is, Lu Dongzan knows in his heart that it will take at least a month to go back and forth.
Lu Dongzan made some other explanations on this matter, but unfortunately Lord Zeng refused to give in and just said that he had no right to do so.
An agreement is not important. The most important thing is that your army withdraws, even if it is just 50 miles. It will give us time to prepare. But if you stay near the border, it will be like a hungry tiger staring at you all the time. If you relax a little, you may become food in the tiger's stomach.
But now the original requirements cannot be met at all, and Lu Dongzan can only settle for the second best, hoping to conclude an agreement with Lord Zeng, that is, both parties guarantee not to invade each other's territory and become brothers for eternity.
When Lu Dongzan said this, General Huyan felt a little humiliated.
Isn't this asking for peace?
This proves that the strength between our two sides is similar. In the past, we could threaten your existence, but now when we say this, it simply makes us feel inferior to you.
