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

Songtsen Gampo took advantage of the inky night and slipped away quietly like a ghost.

The sound of horse hooves gradually faded away, and the "clack clack" sound gradually dissipated in the night wind, until it completely disappeared in the vast night, leaving only dead silence.

Qin Ruzhao looked at the direction where Songtsen Gampo left, his brows furrowed, his heart full of disappointment, and his eyes revealed a deep unwillingness.

He clenched his fists so tightly that his nails dug into his palms. He knew full well that this charge was a golden opportunity. If he could successfully kill Songtsen Gampo, the war would be over as quickly as fallen leaves swept away by the autumn wind.

The battlefield was filled with blood and smoke, and the pungent smell was nauseating.

His warhorse was exhausted, foaming at the mouth. The foam kept dripping from the horse's mouth, and its once agile limbs were trembling slightly. Every tremor seemed to be telling of its weakness, and it was no longer able to chase.

Qin Ruzhao patted the horse's neck lovingly and sighed helplessly.

Fortunately, however, the strategic goal was finally achieved.

The Tibetan army retreated temporarily like a tide, and the retreating troops were in chaos, with soldiers pushing and shouting at each other.

The ground was littered with corpses, including those of Tibetan soldiers and Tang Dynasty defenders. Their blood dyed the land dark red, making it look like hell on earth.

Songzhou, a city that has been baptized by war, has dilapidated city walls. The soldiers on the city walls look at the Tibetan army going away, feeling tired but with a hint of relief.

Finally, they held on. Once the army arrived, the offensive and defensive situation would be completely changed, and the dawn of victory seemed to be just around the corner.

Qin Ruzhao looked into the distance and seemed to see the flags of the reinforcements fluttering in the wind.

In the distant Mobei grassland, the Xueyantuo army was being badly beaten by the Tang army.

The clatter of horses' hooves and the cries of killing were deafening. Fires were blazing everywhere in the Xueyantuo camp, and thick black smoke billowed into the sky.

The Tang army was omnipresent like heavenly soldiers and generals. They had light cavalry that moved as fast as the wind. They rode their horses and shuttled through the enemy army like lightning, and the enemies fell wherever they went.

There is also the famous and feared Black Armor Army, who are like a black steel torrent.

They galloped across the Mobei grasslands as if they were in an empty space. Their neat formations and powerful momentum made the enemy feel terrified.

A spy from the Xueyantuo tribe once accidentally witnessed the majesty of the Black Armor Army. The shiny black armor gleamed coldly in the sunlight, as dazzling as ice spikes in winter.

The sharp weapon in his hand reflected a deadly light in the sunlight, which frightened the spy to death.

He didn't dare to breathe or fart, his body was shaking like a frightened mouse, and his eyes were full of fear.

He sneaked back to the camp, being careful along the way, for fear of being discovered by the Tang army. After returning to the camp, he rushed into the tent and reported the terrible situation to Zhenzhu Khan Yinan.

"Khan, something terrible has happened! The Tang army's Black Armor Army has appeared, they are so terrible!" the spy said breathlessly.

Yi Nan was horrified. "What? The Black Armor Army is coming? What should we do?"

That night, the Xueyantuo tribe set out in panic.

Everyone moved forward in a panic, the team was in disarray.

They tried to stay away from the Black Armor Army, but the further they walked, the closer they felt to danger, as if an invisible hand was pushing them into a trap.

Over the past two months, their range of activities has become smaller and smaller, and the areas originally rich in water and grass have been firmly guarded by the Tang army.

The Tang soldiers held weapons and looked alert.

The Xueyantuo tribe was like a trapped beast, not daring to act rashly for fear of alerting the Tang army. Every slight movement made their hearts beat faster.

Inside the Xueyantuo tent, the candlelight flickered, and the wick occasionally emitted a slight "crackling" sound, reflecting Yinan's face full of worry.

His brows were furrowed, his eyes were full of confusion and fear, and his gaze was wandering.

"Da Tushe, what do you think our Xueyantuo tribe should do now?"

Yi Nan's voice was a little hoarse and full of helplessness, and every word seemed to be squeezed out with difficulty from the depths of his throat.

Datushe is Yinan's eldest son. Looking at his father, he could only smile bitterly, and that smile was full of bitterness.

"Father Khan, the Tang army is everywhere now, and we, the Xueyantuo tribe, only have two options left."

He paused, took a deep breath, and continued, "One option is to surrender to the Tang army, and the other is to advance westward."

Upon hearing this, Yinan slowly closed his eyes, gently shook his head, and murmured, "It's difficult! This is truly a difficult decision! If we surrender, where will our Xueyantuo dignity be? We will become the laughing stock of the grasslands. Going west, the road ahead is unknown, and there are many difficulties and obstacles. How can it be easy?"

Dadushe frowned and said, "Father Khan, we don't have much time to consider. If we hesitate any longer, we may face the disaster of extermination of our clan."

Before Yinan could recover from his tangled emotions, a loud noise suddenly came from outside.

There was the sound of weapons clashing, shouting, and hurried footsteps.

Yinan was shocked and was about to get up to check, but he was horrified to find that his entire tent was surrounded.

He subconsciously looked at Datushe, with a hint of distrust in his eyes, as if questioning whether his son had betrayed him, but he found that his eldest son was also panicked and his face turned pale.

For a moment, Yinan's heart became even more panicked, as if he had fallen into a bottomless abyss, and the chill ran from the soles of his feet to his heart.

"Who is outside?" Yinan bravely shouted outside the tent, his voice trembling a little. However, no one outside responded. There was only the chilling silence. The silence was like an invisible big hand, tightly strangling his throat.

Yinan and Dadushe looked at each other in the tent, cold sweat unconsciously oozing from their foreheads and sliding down their cheeks.

"Yinan, why don't you come out and see me quickly? What are you waiting for?"

A familiar and majestic voice broke the silence. That voice was like a heavy hammer, hitting Yinan's heart hard.

Hearing this voice, Yi Nan was struck by lightning, his body shook violently, and he crawled out of the tent, almost falling down along the way.

Outside the tent, all the Xueyantuo warriors knelt on one knee, with their heads lowered, their eyes full of fear, and they dared not breathe.

The Black Armor Army kept wandering around, and their neat footsteps made a "dong dong dong" sound, as if every step was stepping on people's hearts, and their majestic momentum seemed to be able to crush people's souls.

The Tang army was guarding everywhere. They had serious expressions and were ready for battle. The strict formation made those who didn't know think this was the Xueyantuo military camp.

Yinan looked at the familiar face in front of him, his legs went weak, and he fell to his knees with a plop.

Cold sweat kept dripping from his forehead, soaking his clothes. His lips trembled as he said, "Heaven, Heaven Khan, are you not dead?"

His son Datushe had just walked out of the tent and saw his father kneeling on the ground. Just as he was about to ask, Yinan stared at him with a sharp look that was full of warnings.

"Kneel down and kowtow to the Khan!" Yinan shouted in a low voice. Dadushe looked at Li Shimin, then at the Tang army surrounding him, and then looked back at the reactions of his own soldiers. He knew in his heart that the Xueyantuo tribe had surrendered.

So he knelt down on the ground obediently and kowtowed to Li Shimin respectfully. His forehead touched the ground, making a slight sound.

"Yinan, do you still recognize me as the Heavenly Khan?"

Li Shimin looked at him dimly, with majesty and questioning in his eyes. Those eyes were like two sharp swords, piercing straight at Yi Nan.

Yinan quickly responded with a solemn oath: "Of course I do. You are the eternal Heavenly Khan of our grasslands, and the Xueyantuo soldiers are the soldiers of the Heavenly Khan."

"Then why did you lead troops to attack the Tang Dynasty again and again?" Li Shimin's voice rose a few degrees, revealing anger. The voice echoed in the air like thunder.

Hearing Li Shimin's question, Yinan looked at him with pleading eyes and tears welling up in his eyes: "Heavenly Khan, this year our Xueyantuo tribe has almost no food reserves and cannot survive this cold winter. That's why we are greedy and want to borrow some food from the Tang Dynasty. Please spare my life, Heavenly Khan!"

Li Shimin looked at the kneeling Yi Nan, his eyes filled with rage. He stepped forward and kicked Yi Nan to the ground. "Spare my life? How can you expect me to spare your life? You want to take advantage of my death to plunder the Tang Dynasty?"

Li Shimin roared, his face flushed with anger, "You still want me to let you go? Then how about the people of the Tang Dynasty you killed? Their wronged souls are crying out to me. Do you know your guilt?"

"Yuchi Jingde!" Li Shimin shouted loudly, his voice as loud as a bell.

"I'm here!" Yuchi Jingde responded immediately in a loud and firm voice.

"Eradicate Xueyantuo Khan and his entire clan." Li Shimin's voice was cold and ruthless.

"Yes, Your Majesty!" Yuchi Jingde accepted the order, a hint of determination flashing in his eyes.

Datushe hardly resisted. When he was taken away, he gave their Xueyantuo general Kazamu a calm look, and there was some deep meaning in that look.

Then, he willingly died at the hands of the Tang army without any complaints.

Because Kazamu surrendered to the Tang army, Li Shimin spared him and let him lead the Xueyantuo tribe and join the migrant worker brigade in the Mobei grassland.

As night falls, the grassland is silent, with only the rustling sound of the wind blowing through the grass.

Kazamu sat alone in the tent, surrounded by darkness, with only a single lamp emitting a faint light.

Only then did he dare to cry secretly, tears streaming down his cheeks.

All of this was a plan set up by Dadu.

He recalled his previous conversation with Datushe.

"Kazamu, my father Khan's move will put us Xueyantuo in a desperate situation. I can't just watch our tribe perish." Datushe said with a firm look in his eyes.

Kazam said worriedly, "What can you do? This is a serious matter."

Dadushe took a deep breath. "I have a plan that might keep the tribe safe, but I need your cooperation. We have to think about the future of the tribe."

He knew that his father Khan was old and had become stubborn, and even wanted to fight against the Tang Dynasty.

Dadushe had sent people to investigate the new emperor in detail, and found that he was a cruel and ruthless person.

However, Yinan couldn't see the situation clearly at all and was overwhelmed by the predicament he faced.

The new emperor sent so many troops, definitely not just to recapture the Xueyantuo, he wanted to recapture the entire grassland.

Dadushe had seen all of this clearly a long time ago. Furthermore, the new emperor's attitude towards the aristocratic families might be the same as his attitude towards them.

The aristocratic families cannot be touched easily, but their tribes can be touched.

That night, when Dadu imagined that the new Tang emperor might destroy the Xueyantuo tribe, he tossed and turned and couldn't sleep, constantly thinking of countermeasures in his mind.

So he found the general of the Xueyantuo tribe, Kazamu, and set up this surrender plan.

The new emperor is soft-hearted and will not tolerate toughness. He can't just hit someone who smiles at him, right?

Unexpectedly, before it could be used on the new emperor, the Heavenly Khan was lured out first.

However, no matter what the outcome, Datu's strategy allowed the entire Xueyantuo tribe to survive.

What was sacrificed was nothing more than the Khan of the Xueyantuo Khanate, but Datushe didn't care about that at all. In his heart, the survival of the tribe was the most important thing.

In the Liangyi Hall in Chang'an, Li Chengqian sat on the dragon throne, which was exquisitely carved.

He carefully read the battle report sent by Li Ji from the front line, the corners of his mouth curled up slightly. His face was filled with joy, he was in a good mood, and his eyes were shining with excitement.

Most of the Mobei grasslands had been recovered. Li Ji's report mentioned a general who suggested, "Your Majesty, don't kill all the tribesmen in the Mobei grasslands. It would be a pity. They are strong and healthy. We should use them as laborers in Mobei to build the houses needed by the Tang Dynasty. This would not only utilize their labor, but also demonstrate the benevolence of the Tang Dynasty and avoid wasting their labor."

Li Chengqian approved the proposal on the spot and wrote in his memorial: "This is a very good plan. My dear minister, what you said is absolutely right."

It was a suggestion made by a general, and Li Chengqian understood it immediately. Wasn't he referring to himself as the father of General Tiance? He smiled slightly and thought: This little bit of face must be given to the old man. Until he learned that the old man was still alive, Li Chengqian was still feeling relieved.

He was glad that he did not kill Changsun Wuji and Qingque. Otherwise, the relationship between father and son would probably be like that between him and Li Yuan, stuck in an irreconcilable and irreconcilable deadlock, and even unable to reconcile until death. That would be a terrible tragedy.

What he was thinking at the time was that in history, when he rebelled, Li Shimin did not kill him, but only demoted him to a commoner. So he could naturally demote his brother and uncle to commoners, and put them under house arrest, which could be regarded as a repayment for Li Er's grace of not killing him in history. He hoped to maintain the harmony and stability of the family in this way.