A few days later, Tusi Adu received a handwritten letter from Li Xiang. Qin Huaiyu was sitting outside in front with ill intentions. Twenty guards were already standing by. The meaning was very clear. Either you listen to our prince obediently, then we are still a family. If you disobey, what will happen next may be unpredictable.
"I'd say the environment up here in the mountains is truly terrible. It's damp everywhere in the mornings, and there's no telling what kind of venomous snakes or ferocious beasts might be around. If they were to get bitten, the adults here in this mountainous area with their lack of medical care and medicine might be able to make it, but these children probably wouldn't. Don't you rely on our Tang culture? Your Highness has specially brought in several instructors from the capital to teach your children. We'll definitely make them successful."
Qin Huaiyu knew that if Tusi Adu was unwilling to move his entire family down the mountain, it would be like putting his neck on someone else's table, and they could chop it off whenever they wanted. So Tusi Adu didn't say anything, but instead gritted his teeth hard.
Chief Adu is now feeling a little regretful. If he had known the result would be like this, he would never have cooperated with Li Xiang. He should have joined forces with several major chieftains in the mountains and jointly fought against the imperial court. This way, they might have been able to hold out longer. But it is no use saying this now.
The mountain has been turned into a mess. Longchuan Tusi is the biggest Tusi, but now he can't even defend his own stronghold. Although he has retreated to the second stronghold, it is good enough that he still has one-third of his strength left.
As for himself, he still has autonomy on the surface, but with the arrival of a large number of Tang Dynasty troops, his autonomy has become less and less. He doesn't even know how many Tang Dynasty troops are around his tent. There were only a few thousand people before, but now there are at least tens of thousands of them. They are distributed in various territories of Tusi Adu. Even if Tusi Adu wants to turn against him now, he probably doesn't have the qualifications.
Not to mention the other two chieftains, they regarded Chief Adu as a disgrace to the mountain. Although they had constant internal struggles, they had never colluded with the Han people down the mountain. Now that Chief Adu had done such a thing, it would take a hundred years to wash it off, let alone unite with them to fight against the court. There was no chance now. If there was a chance, the other two chieftains would chop off his head without hesitation.
"General Qin is right. The mountains are not a good place to live and work in peace and contentment. However, this is where we have lived for many years. I also want my sons to continue living here. I wonder if General Qin could put in a good word for His Highness so that I can choose a few of our descendants to stay?"
Tusi Adu was still unwilling to give up. As for the female relatives, he just wanted to send them down. In the eyes of heroes like them, female relatives were never family members. Even if they were killed, they could accept it. Only sons were the real descendants. If they were asked to go down the mountain now, how could they come back to the mountain in the future after enjoying the prosperity below the mountain?
"Look at what you're saying. Our Highness is just making a suggestion. The final decision is still in your hands. Your sons don't have to go down. It's all up to you. Why should I go and say a few good words to Your Highness? You are our agent on the mountain now. Don't act like a little wife."
Qin Huaiyu grinned, and the expression on his face was relatively sincere, but Tusi Adu felt cold all over. If what Qin Huaiyu said was true, Tusi Adu would not let any of his sons go down the mountain. All of them must stay in the mountain. But is this possible?
"Reporting to the Lord Chieftain, we have already discovered the actions of the Longchuan Chieftain..."
Just when the scene was in a stalemate, a soldier outside the door came in to report. Qin Huaiyu had a happy look on his face, but there was no smile on the face of Tusi Adu. Tusi Adu had now figured it out that the one who had gained the greatest benefit from the fight with Tusi Longchuan was not him, but the Han people living at the foot of the mountain.
In his heart, he even wanted to let Longchuan Tusi go. He also knew the hidden dangers of letting the tiger go back to the mountain, but if he killed them all, it might not be good for him.
"Didn't they say they went to Xijiang Village? Is there any new news?"
Before Tusi Adu could speak, Qin Huaiyu became interested first.
Seeing that Tusi Adu nodded, the soldier could only answer.
"In reply to General Qin, Xijiang Village is just a small village, and there's no way it could accommodate so many soldiers. After the Longchuan Tusi arrived with his men, a large number of soldiers fled the next day, and some even started a rebellion within the village. Therefore, the Longchuan Tusi had no choice but to leave despite being ill. Now Xijiang Village has been burned down, and the Longchuan Tusi is temporarily residing in a small village nearby..."
According to this soldier, it was really a case of "misfortunes never come alone". He had wanted to have a good rest in Xijiang Village, but his subordinates started a quarrel over the issue of food. No matter how the chieftain of Longchuan tried to suppress them, he could not bring these people down. After all, if they can't even eat, what's the use of your usual majesty?
What's more, in the eyes of many soldiers, the culprit for this result was the Longchuan chieftain. If you had not suppressed the second son so strongly, how could your two sons have fought? After the fight, you lost your composure and killed General Ronggong Qian Jia, cutting off the strongest combat force of your own stronghold for no reason.
If we continue to follow someone like you, let alone becoming successful in the future, it is hard to say whether we can even keep our lives. Xijiang Village is not the original mountain village, and there are simply not so many supplies. We can't even fill our stomachs if we follow you here.
The chieftain of Longchuan always kept his word, so how could he tolerate such contempt from his subordinates? So a conflict broke out between the two sides. Their conflict was not a big deal, but in the end, the fire burned down the entire mountain stronghold, and even such a small place was gone. The chieftain of Longchuan could only continue to move with the few remaining people under his command. As for the random soldiers under his command, they were now scattered all over the mountain.
"We have to keep chasing him, otherwise he might counterattack at any time. He has a strong foundation in the mountains. We must kill him and not give him any room to maneuver..."
