Li Shimin faked his death? Then I will be powerful enough to conquer the world!

"Zanpu, hurry up, that guy is following us again!"

Lu Dongzan's voice became hoarse due to anxiety. In just three months, most of his hair turned white.

Every white hair seems to carry the sorrow of losing a child.

It pierced his heart again and again, making it almost impossible for him to breathe.

For three whole days, they had been running for their lives, and the Tang cavalry behind them were chasing them tightly as if they were out to take their lives.

Even the usually resolute Songtsen Gampo was a little desperate at this time.

In the great battle three months ago, Li Jing was like a military god descending to earth, and he wiped out a full 100,000 young and strong men in one battle.

They were the elite of Tubo, their hope and pride. On the battlefield, blood dyed the earth red, and the screams and sounds of fighting seemed to still echo in my ears.

The fall of those 100,000 young and strong men was like pulling out the backbone of Tubo, making the entire country shaky.

Songtsen Gampo fled the battlefield in disgrace with the remaining defeated troops.

They lost their former prestige and fled like stray dogs.

But this blow was undoubtedly devastating to Tubo.

A full 100,000 young and strong men, that’s almost all the young and strong men in Tubo.

With such a huge loss at once, the country's production and defense were paralyzed.

Even if the Tang army ignored them at this time, Tubo would have perished on its own over time due to lack of labor and weak military strength.

After returning from a crushing defeat, Songtsen Gampo had no time to catch his breath.

The people below hurried to report that the Tang army's cavalry had arrived!

This news once again hit their already fragile hearts hard.

At this point, they were no longer able to fight and could only rely on their familiarity with the land to engage in a pursuit battle with the Three Thousand Battalion.

This plateau was the home of the Tibetans, who had lived here for hundreds of years.

The thin air and harsh climate are a natural barrier for outsiders.

In the past, the Tibetans took advantage of the plateau to take the initiative and invade the borders of the Tang Dynasty.

But this time, they were being chased in their hometown. This was an unprecedented humiliation and fear.

……

Qin Ruzhao led the 3,000-strong army that had taken off its armor and pursued Songtsen Gampo's deserters.

They have only one belief in their hearts.

I will never give up until I bring back Songtsen Gampo's head.

The entire Three Thousand Battalion held their breath for this expedition.

When they learned that they were going to march into the Tibetan mainland, the soldiers signed up enthusiastically, and those who could not adapt to the plateau environment were replaced.

The 3,000-man battalion pursued Songtsen Gampo for three days. During those three days, they slept in the open air, traveled day and night, and their only focus was on the fleeing enemy ahead.

In order to escape, Songtsen Gampo kept leaving behind his men and horses, trying to slow down the Tang army's pursuit.

The Tibetan soldiers who were left behind knew that they would die, but they also tried their best to delay the pace of the 3,000-man battalion so that their Zamp could run away a little further.

Even if they risked their lives, they would not be able to stop the advance of the Three Thousand Battalion.

Every fallen Tibetan soldier eventually became a stepping stone for the Three Thousand Battalion's advance.

"Zanpu, we can't escape. Let's surrender."

Lu Dongzan said with a sad and angry look on his face, tears flashing in his eyes, an expression of helplessness and pain.

He looked at the Tang army in the distance, which seemed like he could never get rid of it, and his heart was filled with bitterness.

Songtsen Gampo looked at his own portrait and saw the despair and pleading in his eyes.

He stretched out his hand and gently patted Lu Dongzan's shoulder, his action full of powerlessness.

"Your son died at their hands. Can you really surrender to the Tang army?"

His voice was low and hoarse, with a hint of unwillingness.

Lu Dongzan sighed, and that breath seemed to let out all the pain and helplessness in his heart.

"If we don't surrender to the Tang Dynasty now, then Tubo will really have no chance of survival."

"At least if I surrender, I might be able to save my life. Then I can rely on the support of the Tang Dynasty and develop slowly, waiting for the right time!"

"If I can't save my life, at least my Tibetan bloodline will be passed down to the world! Otherwise, our nation will be destroyed."

After hearing Lu Dongzan's words, Songtsen Gampo closed his eyes and remained silent for a long time.

He seemed to see the former glory of Tubo and the people galloping freely on the grassland.

But now, all of this is gradually disappearing in the flames of war. He sighed deeply, and the sound seemed particularly heavy in this silent plateau.

"Then surrender!" His voice carried a helpless compromise with fate.

.........

"Unfortunately, his opponent is Li Jing."

The news of the entire Tubo nation's surrender was passed on to the main army by the Three Thousand Camp, and suddenly the entire camp was in an uproar.

The cheers were like waves, one after another, deafening.

"Long live your Majesty!"

"Long live the Tang Dynasty!"

The soldiers shouted excitedly, waving their weapons, their faces filled with the joy of victory.

The joy is a celebration of the victory in the war, a comfort to the dead brothers, and a pride in the glory of the Tang Dynasty.

There was a gleam in their eyes, the gleam of victory after finally experiencing countless hardships and obstacles.

……

Only Qin Ruzhao was unhappy.

He sat alone in the tent, his brow furrowed, his eyes filled with complex emotions.

His heart was filled with guilt for his dead brothers. Those familiar faces kept appearing in his mind. Every smile and every training scene pierced his heart like a knife.

Li Jing saw what he was thinking and came to talk to him. The battle-hardened veteran walked into the tent with a steady pace. He looked at Qin Ruzhao with eyes full of understanding and concern.

"Ruzhao, I know that many of your brothers in the Three Thousand Battalion died, but you also saved the people of Songzhou City and Yizhou City."

"If we really let those Tibetans take control of Songzhou, this war will not be so easy to fight."

Li Jing's voice was gentle and steady as he tried to comfort Qin Ruzhao.

Qin Ruzhao glanced at Li Jing, a hint of anger flashing in his eyes.

"General, could it be that those Tibetans invaded our Tang territory, burning, killing, and looting?"

"Now, they say they don't want to fight anymore? How can such a good thing happen in the world?"

His words were filled with resentment towards the Tibetans. He could not accept letting them go so easily.

Li Jing looked at Qin Ruzhao and smiled, with a hint of vicissitudes in his smile.

"Of course there's no such thing as a good thing in this world. Everything must be done according to the rules. Since Songtsen Gampo has surrendered, it proves that he has decided to abide by the rules."

What rules?"

Qin Ruzhao looked at Li Jing with some curiosity. He didn't understand what rules there were in this war.

"Since they have surrendered, we are ready to destroy the country and, according to the rules, leave some of their Tibetan bloodline behind."

Li Jing said slowly.

"Come here, push the wheels over for General Qin to see."

The Kunlun slave beside Li Jing immediately obeyed the order.

"promise!"

A wheel half a person's height was pushed in, and the wheel looked particularly out of place in the tent.

"Ru Zhao, you see, Tibet is now under the control of our Tang army."

"You only need to take this wheel with you to Tubo."

"Anyone taller than the wheel can be killed. Those children who are shorter than the wheel can be left to fend for themselves."

Li Jing's voice remained calm, but the content shocked Qin Ruzhao.

Qin Ruzhao frowned when he heard Li Jing's words. He couldn't understand this seemingly kind but cruel practice.

He opened his mouth, wanting to retort, but didn't know what to say.

"Let your Three Thousand Battalion handle this matter!"

Li Jing glanced at Qin Ruzhao.

"Yes, old general."

Qin Ruzhao responded helplessly, his heart full of contradictions.

On the way back, Qin Ruzhao rode his horse, his mind racing. He gazed at the plateau in the distance, his mind becoming increasingly confused.

Why did the Tang Dynasty have to abide by the rules with Tubo?

Did Tubo and the Tang Dynasty agree on the rules?

They burned, killed, looted, and committed all kinds of evil on the land of the Tang Dynasty. Was there ever a trace of mercy?

How can we repay the suffering of those people who were killed by them and those who lost their homes?

Did they let the children of the Tang Dynasty go?

Their hands are also stained with blood. Why should their children be spared even though they lost?

If we let them continue to stay, aren't we afraid that they will provoke war again when they grow up?

Even if they didn't surrender, Qin Ruzhao was confident that he could lead his three thousand troops to destroy their country and exterminate their race.

At this time, he felt a little regretful in his heart. He was the one who captured Songtsen Gampo. He originally just wanted to bring him back and execute them all in front of the army, and then completely wipe out Tubo from this land, and that would be the end of it.

He didn't expect that the other party would have so many twists and turns in their surrender. At this time, he already felt a little regretful for bringing them back.