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

The Mobei grassland is like an endless green carpet, stretching towards the horizon.

The vast expanse of heaven and earth has always been a place where horses gallop freely and shepherds sing to their heart's content.

The wind of freedom blows across this land all year round, bringing with it the wildness and unruliness unique to the grassland.

However, at this moment, the harmony and leisure of the past have long disappeared, replaced by a tense and depressing atmosphere.

It's like a thick dark cloud weighing heavily on everyone's heart, making it hard to breathe.

As the Tang army's iron-barrel-like encirclement continued to shrink, the area where the Xueyantuo tribe could move was becoming smaller and smaller at a desperate rate.

They were like a group of prey trapped in an invisible yet extremely tough net. No matter how they struggled, their originally vast living space was disappearing bit by bit.

Zhenzhu Khan Yinan was riding on a tall horse, his face as gloomy as the sky before a storm, and his deep eyes were full of haze.

He led his 120,000 fierce cavalry and galloped back and forth on the grassland, trying to find even the slightest chance to break through.

The horse's hooves dug the ground frantically, raising clouds of dust that flew behind it, as if it was about to break through the suffocating encirclement at any moment.

But beneath this seemingly majestic appearance, it was difficult to conceal the burning anxiety and uneasiness in his heart. Every time the horse's hooves landed, it seemed to hit his uneasy heart.

"Father Khan, the Tang army has too many people!"

Datushe's face was full of anxiety, and his tightly furrowed brows were almost twisted into a knot, as if they could pinch a fly to death.

Beads of sweat the size of beans kept rolling down his forehead, mixing with the dust on his face, leaving muddy marks on his cheeks.

He urged his horse hard to follow Zhenzhu Khan, shouting at the top of his lungs, his voice revealing uncontrollable despair.

"Wherever we go, there are Tang troops! We have nowhere else to go, Father Khan!"

The shouting sounded a little thin amid the sound of horse hooves, but it carried a hint of sadness.

When these words reached Zhenzhu Khan's ears, they were like sharp thorns piercing his heart and making him upset.

The already irritable mood was like a lit powder keg, ready to explode in an instant.

Zhenzhu Khan's expression became increasingly ugly. His face, which originally exuded majesty, now seemed to be completely covered by a thick layer of haze. It was dark and gloomy, and exuded a chilling aura.

He turned his head sharply, his eyes full of anger, and yelled at his eldest son.

"Shut up!"

This roar seemed to carry with it a tremendous force.

"We still have 120,000 brave warriors in our headquarters! What are we afraid of?"

While roaring angrily, he waved the whip in his hand vigorously. The whip made a crisp "pa pa" sound in the air, as if he was cheering himself up, or as if he was demonstrating to the invisible but omnipresent Tang army.

"Li Shimin is dead! The one on the throne now is just his son! There's nothing to be afraid of! Got it?"

There was a stubborn unwillingness in his eyes, as if his gaze could penetrate the current predicament and reach the unreachable victory.

"We live on the grasslands! They can't find us! We're not afraid of fighting guerrilla warfare against the Tang army. We can't afford to outlast their large army!"

Zhenzhu Khan was like a gambler who had lost his temper. Even though he knew that the situation was extremely unfavorable to him, he still had a hope.

He was unwilling to give up the tiny chance of winning, his face full of reluctance and determination, as if as long as his will was strong enough, he could turn around this desperate situation.

He really couldn't understand it. At first, he just wanted to plunder the border of the Tang Dynasty and bring back some property and people.

How could making the tribe live a more prosperous life attract so many Tang troops to surround and kill them?

The Tang army was like a tide emerging from all directions, wave after wave, continuously rushing towards them.

They were forced step by step into this desperate situation, without giving them any chance to breathe.

What frightened him the most was not the fact that he was surrounded by the Tang army, but the fact that he had completely lost all sources of information since some time ago.

It was as if he had suddenly become blind and deaf, knowing nothing about the situation outside. This unknown fear was like a ghost in the dark, lingering in his heart all the time and could not be shaken off.

You know, there are many tribes on the Mobei grassland, and the relationships between the tribes are as complicated as a tangled mess.

Cut constantly, the rationale is still chaotic.

Today, one tribe might fight with another tribe over a dispute over pasture or livestock, with both sides killing each other fiercely.

But tomorrow, they might put aside their past grudges, reconcile as before, and then attack other tribes together. Such fickleness has become the norm.

There are countless tribes scattered across the grassland, and the news these small tribes conveyed in the past was an important source of information for Zhenzhu Khan Yinan.

At the beginning, he was able to establish the Xueyantuo Khanate on the Mobei grassland, and the contribution of these small tribes in transmitting information could not be ignored.

Relying on those pieces of information, whether true or false, scattered but extremely crucial, he could always know the enemy's movements in advance.

Either he cleverly avoided the enemy's attack, or he set up an ambush in advance and caught the enemy off guard. This is why the Tang army failed to find him at the beginning.

But now, those tribes that usually chatter and release news all the time seem to have suddenly become silent, and no news has come from them anymore.

The Saker Falcon he sent out circled in the sky again and again. Its agile figure looked particularly lonely under the blue sky and white clouds, and its sharp eyes kept scanning the grassland below.

He tried to find familiar contact signs or tribesmen who could pass on messages, but each time he came back empty-handed.

It could only wail alone in the air, and its shrill cries seemed to express helplessness and sadness. In the end, it could only fly back to its owner helplessly, fold its wings, and stand aside dejectedly.

Besides, the Tang army has always been very martial.

If they wanted to attack the Xueyantuo tribe, they would only target the Xueyantuo tribe. During the march and battle, they would be extremely careful to avoid causing losses to other tribes.

Military generals repeatedly forbade soldiers to harass innocent tribes.

If other tribes were accidentally implicated in this war, even if only a few cattle and sheep were scared away or a tent was destroyed, the Tang Dynasty would generously provide compensation.

It was precisely because the Tang Dynasty showed benevolence and righteousness to the grassland tribes that Li Shimin became the Heavenly Khan trusted by all the tribes. His reputation was like a bright star, shining in the night sky of the grassland, making people from all tribes feel awe and admiration.

"But, if no tribes have replied to my message, it's impossible that all tribes have submitted to the Tang Dynasty. There must be a few rebellious tribes, right?"

Zhenzhu Khan kept muttering to himself.

The doubts and anxieties in my heart grew wildly like weeds.

"But there's no news at all. What's going on? The one sitting in Chang'an now isn't the Heavenly Khan, but his son. The Tang Dynasty's attitude towards our tribes seems to depend solely on the Tang Emperor."

Thinking of this, Zhenzhu Khan couldn't help but feel a chill in his heart, and even a terrible idea popped up in his mind.

Is the Tang Dynasty going to destroy all the tribes on the grassland?

Once this thought appeared, it was like the whisper of a devil, constantly echoing in his ears. The more he thought about it, the colder his back felt. Cold sweat soaked his clothes on the back and stuck to his body.

However, he couldn't think of any good way to deal with the current predicament, and could only continue to struggle in anxiety and fear.

……

In the Tang army's central tent, the atmosphere was equally solemn yet exuded a unique majesty.

Li Shimin was dressed in black armor, which shone with a cold luster under the candlelight in the tent.

Each armor leaf seems to be silently telling the glorious achievements on the battlefield in the past. There may still be traces of the blood of former enemies on it, witnessing one thrilling battle after another.

He sat upright in the command seat in the middle, his posture as straight as a pine tree.

Although he is no longer young and the years have left some marks on his face, the kingly aura he exudes is still as strong as before, making people dare not look directly at him.

Three fierce generals, Yuchi Jingde, Cheng Yaojin and Li Ji, stood beside him majestically.

Their armor clanked, their eyes were firm and sharp, revealing the calmness and dominance of veterans who had been on the battlefield for a long time, which was intimidating.

Below, there was a Turkic Khan, Li Simo, sitting on the ground. He was watching everything in the tent quietly, with a look of caution and respect on his face, and a complex look occasionally flashed in his eyes.

He seemed to be thinking about the impact of this change in the situation on his tribe.

In the middle of the big tent, seven people had their hands and feet tied by the Tang army.

The rope was specially made of thick hemp rope and was tightly tied around their wrists and ankles, leaving deep red marks.

In some places, the skin was even worn off and blood was seeping out.

They knelt on the ground obediently and tremblingly, with their heads lowered, not daring to look up at all.

His body was still shaking slightly uncontrollably, as if he had sensed the impending doom. The trembling became more and more intense as time went by, like sifting chaff.

Li Shimin's eyes were like lightning, and he looked coldly at the seven people below, his eyes full of disappointment.

It was like an ice knife in the dead of winter, sharp and cold, stabbing straight at those people, making them feel uneasy, as if the deepest secrets in their hearts were seen through.

He spoke slowly, with a hint of suppressed anger in his voice. The voice was low and deep, but it revealed unquestionable majesty.

"Is this how you will protect the Tang Dynasty after I die?"

As soon as these words came out, the air in the entire tent seemed to freeze instantly. It was so quiet that only the sounds of everyone's nervous or heavy breathing could be heard.

The breathing sound seemed particularly clear in the silent atmosphere, as if it was setting the rhythm for the depressing atmosphere.

The Khan of the Qiyan tribe knelt on the ground with a look of grievance on his face. His originally dark and rough face now looked even more distorted due to fear and tension.

The veins on his forehead bulged, his lips trembled constantly, and he shouted in a crying voice.

"Tian Khan, it's not that we don't want to protect the Tang Dynasty, but that Yinan founded the Xueyantuo Khanate, which is truly a powerful and influential country! We simply can't resist it."

As he spoke, he kowtowed continuously, his forehead hitting the hard ground again and again, making loud "bang bang" noises. After a while, his forehead became red and swollen, and the red and swollen area was stained with dust from the ground, making him look miserable.

After hearing this, Li Shimin slammed the chopping board. The chopping board was made of thick solid wood, and when he slammed it hard, a loud "bang" sound was heard.

Some soldiers who were close to them were even frightened and trembled.

"Then can you send troops to assist the Xueyantuo in plundering the border of the Tang Dynasty?"

His voice rose a few degrees, carrying an unquestionable question, and the sound echoed in the big tent for a long time.