There were indeed many capable and warlike people in the Tang Dynasty during the Zhenguan period, but people on the grassland only knew General Li Jing. As for the other generals, they really didn't know them. After all, those people fought in civil wars and were not well-known among other countries.
But Li Xiang was different. He had made great achievements in the battlefield against foreign tribes. He first destroyed Tuyuhun and then destroyed Goguryeo.
The Xueyantuo country did not know much about Tuyuhun. After all, the two sides were too far apart. But they knew very well about Goguryeo and knew that Goguryeo was a small trouble. However, in just half a year, it was directly destroyed by Li Xiang's troops. Goguryeo was much stronger than their Xueyantuo.
As for these small Turkic kings, because they were vassal states of the Tang Dynasty, they had a better understanding of some of the situations in the Tang Dynasty. Naturally, they also knew how powerful Li Xiang had been over the years. So when they heard Li Xiang's name, these people all frowned. Some of the small Turkic kings even had other ideas in their minds. They had not officially turned against the Tang Dynasty yet. Should they go over and explain?
However, based on their understanding of Li Xiang, it would be useless to explain in the past. Li Xiang was a loyal man. When you started to betray the Tang Dynasty, there was no need to explain what happened next. The only thing that could be explained was your head.
"What should we do? We need to come up with a countermeasure. If we let him march straight in, I'm afraid Tuyuhun will suffer the same fate as us. He's very skilled in grassland warfare, and the Tuyuhun cavalry's combat capabilities are no worse than ours, yet he still slaughtered them in droves."
Some small Turkic kings have begun to panic. They had no choice but to betray the Tang Dynasty. If the King of Wu had not robbed their tribes, they would not have betrayed them. They did it purely to protect themselves. But betrayal is betrayal, and such things cannot be explained. Their hands are also stained with the blood of the Tang Dynasty. Even if they explain now, I am afraid there will be no good ending.
"Why are you panicking? Hasn't he arrived yet? It would take at least five or six days. In those five or six days, we could have dealt with his uncle. After dealing with his uncle, we could have immediately headed to Mobei. I really don't believe it. Could he have chased us all the way to Mobei? Does he think he's Huo Qubing?"
When Xueyantuo Khan said this, many small Turkic kings present were unhappy. They then realized Xueyantuo Khan's trick. He had sent people to contact them earlier, saying that they wanted to jointly resist the Tang Dynasty, but when the elite troops of the Tang Dynasty arrived, this guy just wanted to escape. We took our people and followed him to Mobei, which is his territory. Can we still have autonomy?
"What are you talking about, Khan? You once said you'd fight us to the bitter end, but now you're planning to flee north with us without even meeting the Tang Emperor's grandson. How can we still trust you?"
The Turkic King Xuetu said angrily that he was also the leader of these small Turkic kings. After the Dong Turkic Khan ran away, he took on this responsibility, but their fighting power was too weak. They had no autonomy when facing the Tang Dynasty. If they followed Xueyantuo Khan to Mobei, they would also have no autonomy.
"King Xiutu said, how could you do this to me? If that's the case, we will separate from you now."
The other Turkic kings also began to shout that this land was the land on which they depended for survival. If they left here, they would be a group of exiles. When they arrived in someone else's land, others would bully them as they pleased. Don't even think about making decisions for yourself.
When Xueyantuo Khan saw that his men were in internal turmoil, he was not anxious. Instead, he happily drank a sip of tea and then touched his iconic beard. "Are you still qualified to negotiate with me now?"
"Don't be ungrateful, you people. I was able to take you with me when I fled. This was already a great honor for you. If you don't want to go, then you can continue to stay. You all know the reputation of the Tang Dynasty's grandson. The entire country of Goguryeo has become a slave. Do you want to become a slave too? In his eyes, princes and grooms are the same. Don't think that just because you are a prince, he will look down on you."
Xueyantuo Khan sneered, but the Turkic kings below stopped clamoring. Indeed, what he said made sense.
A few days ago, they had received some battle reports from Goguryeo. At that time, they were still subordinates of the Tang Dynasty, so they knew more about the situation there. They even bought tens of thousands of young women from Goguryeo, who were sold to them at internal prices. Now when they think about it, they really were assholes.
If they could have sent someone to negotiate with the King of Wu, perhaps the result would not be what they saw now. Suddenly, they thought of another thing. The last time they fought against each other, the King of Wu had sworn to heaven that he did not kill any people in the tribe, but only took away some things. So who was the murderer?
When everyone thought of this problem, they felt a chill on their backs. Since the King of Wu dared to swear to heaven, it was definitely not the Tang army that killed people. There was a conflict between the two sides, and the one with the greatest interests involved was the Xueyantuo Khan. It seemed that the people who killed people should be his people.
Seeing someone about to speak up, the Turkic King Xutu immediately stopped him. He said that it was useless to raise these issues now. This guy would definitely not admit it if he said it in front of so many people. What's more, you have no evidence in your hands. If the conflict between the two sides becomes serious, it will not be good for everyone.
Xueyantuo Khan did not force them. He had already said what needed to be said. You are all smart people. As for your final choice, it is all in your hands. We will not stop you if you want to explain to the Tang Dynasty. During the process of your explanation, our Xueyantuo army will have time to escape.
Of course, if you want to escape with us, that's fine. We will leave you behind to cover our retreat. After all, this is your Turkic steppe. You can buy us time to retreat then. When your remnants reach the Xueyantuo steppe, our plan to dismantle you will begin. No matter how you look at it, we will win.
