While people in the capital were speculating about this matter, the four great chieftains also made their own decisions. The chieftain of Longchuan directly refused. It never made sense to ask the four great chieftains to go down the mountain at the same time. I don’t know if Li Xiang had a bubble in his head. If he hadn’t gained weight, how could he have made such an unreasonable request?
Tusi Adu had received Li Xiang's order long ago, and now everything between the two sides has been almost arranged. Li Xiang sent a total of more than a thousand people to Tusi Adu's stronghold, and another thousand people were scattered in the strongholds of other chieftains. There were people from Tusi Adu accompanying the other chieftains. Although they felt that these people were a little unfamiliar, they didn't say much. After all, there were so many people on the mountain, a total of more than one million. Do you know them all?
As for Chief Sama, he was the most angry. A large amount of salt appeared on the mountain, which directly impacted his business. The most important thing was that the quality of these things was much better than his, and the price was much cheaper than his. Although he also asked several chieftains to help track it down, they still couldn't find it.
Asking him to go down the mountain to pay respects to His Royal Highness the Crown Prince at this time, isn't this a joke? Even if he wanted to go down to pay his respects, he would never go there at this time. His whole mind is on finding the source of salt.
As for the fourth chieftain with the smallest power, this guy saw that the other three chieftains had expressed their opinions. Even if he was afraid that Li Xiang would want to go down the mountain to pay a visit, he could only listen obediently at this time. If he openly sang against the other three chieftains, he might be replaced by someone else tomorrow morning.
After giving Li Xiang a reply, everyone gathered at the Longchuan Tusi's official residence. He had his men prepare a table of wine and food, and even found a group of beautiful girls to dance with. They were ready to celebrate. It was nothing more than an order from the imperial court, so they didn't care. Even if it was Li Shimin's order, what difference would it make? Just because he ordered us to go to Chang'an to pay tribute, did we have to go down the mountain in unison?
"Chief Longchuan is truly courageous. On behalf of the other three of us, I'd like to toast you. We hesitated for a while about this matter, but it seems that as the eldest brother, you are the most capable. I'll drink first."
Chieftain Shama raised his wine glass. This guy's strength was not that great, but when it came to flattery, the other two chieftains couldn't compare to him. This guy was actually quite strong, but he was born cowardly, so when talking to other chieftains, he always put himself first. Of course, this was also one of the reasons why he had the best popularity.
The other two chieftains also raised their wine glasses. This time, it was indeed Chieftain Longchuan who walked ahead of them. If it were not for Chieftain Longchuan's tough statement, they would indeed be hesitant.
"Brothers, why are you being so polite? We live together in these mountains and have known each other for generations. There's no need to say such things. Those Han people down there have long wanted to rule us, but what have they brought us? They've also been slaughtering our people. We can't be fooled by them. In short, we must stick to one thing: no matter who comes, we can't leave the mountain."
Chief Longchuan drank the wine in his glass very generously. He had been in a bad mood these days, mainly because his old butler had disappeared. The old butler went with the second son in the family to pick up the goods. The goods and other things came back intact, but where did the old butler go?
At that time, the chieftain of Longchuan thought that the second brother was up to something, but except for the old butler and two followers, everyone else came back, and these people all said the same thing. Looking at the expressions on their faces, there was nothing fake. It was just that the old butler had something to do and left first.
The next day, rumors spread in the stronghold that the old butler was actually a spy sent by the Tang Dynasty, and that the Tang army was preparing to attack the stronghold, so the old butler ran away with his confidants.
Rumors like these could only fool fools. The others in the village certainly wouldn't believe them. The old steward's entire family was still up in the mountains, so how could they possibly be following Datang? Furthermore, given what the old steward had done, if he were truly a Datang supporter, he'd probably deserve ten deaths. He'd led his men down the mountain to rob countless people, including local officials. His hands were stained with countless blood.
"Big brother is right. We should follow you to have a good life. What does that so-called Crown Prince down there have to do with us? Never mind how he's conquering other places. If he wants our territory now, he can just dream on. Let's drink."
The chieftain of Longquan also raised the wine glass in his hand, although he was worried in his heart. After all, he was the weakest, and most of his territory was at the foot of the mountain. If the Tang army at the foot of the mountain attacked, then his territory might be the first to be attacked, and he would not be able to defend it with his own strength. So he came here today with an idea. As long as he could persuade the chieftain to form an alliance, he would be safe.
Of course, we haven't drunk enough wine yet. If you want to form a chieftain coalition, the time is not yet ripe. You have to wait until everyone has drunk a certain amount, and the Tang army takes action, then you can form a chieftain coalition. If you say it now, others will just say you are timid.
"Urgent news from the mountain..."
Just when these chieftains were drinking to their heart's content, a sound like this was heard outside, and the big drums around the village started beating.
The mountain also has its own system, especially at the outpost at the bottom of the mountain, where there are all kinds of flammable materials. When they are attacked, just like the beacon towers on the Great Wall, they must ignite these things as soon as possible to obtain support from the mountain.
Now, it was because the soldiers of the mountain stronghold saw the thick smoke around them and learned that their stronghold at the foot of the mountain was under attack. Everyone was drinking happily, but after hearing what these people said, they all became anxious in an instant. Did the Tang army attack without saying a word?
Although the Longchuan Tusi was the most powerful, he had not expected the Tang army to be so formidable. He had only sent a handwritten letter. "We haven't gone over yet, and they're already planning to attack? Didn't it take a long time to talk about it before? Now it's so efficient?"
