We have fought to the Arctic Circle, and you want me to inherit the throne?

"A great discourse!"

The generals tried to dissuade him again, and several of his confidants were already choked with emotion.

Lu Dongzan's gaze swept over his subordinates who had followed him on his campaigns, his eyes filled with complex emotions.

He patted the shoulder of the veteran closest to him: "It's come to this, what's the use of panicking? What's coming will come."

After saying this, he stopped looking at the crowd, unfastened his sword and handed it to his subordinate, then walked on foot toward the familiar city gate.

“You shall set up camp here and discipline your men. No one shall cause trouble without my order.”

The city gate opened before him, revealing a gap just wide enough for one person to pass through.

The light from inside the city shone through, illuminating his snow-white hair.

Lu Dongzan stepped inside.

After he entered, the city gate behind him slowly closed with a muffled thud.

On the city wall, Chisang Yangdun stood with his hand on his sword, expressionless as he watched Lu Dongzan's figure disappear around the corner of the alley.

Then he whispered to his deputy, "Keep a close eye on the army outside the city, and report any unusual movements immediately."

"Also, immediately go and report to the king that the Great Master has entered the city."

"Here."

Watching Lu Dongzan's retreating figure, Chisang Yangdun revealed a cold smile.

After entering the city, Gar Tongtsen walked steadily toward the palace, showing no signs of defeat.

The soldiers guarding the route were all unfamiliar faces to him; they gripped their sword hilts and looked at Lu Dongzan with wary eyes.

Lu Dongzan ignored this.

Even in this predicament, he maintained his composure and was not intimidated by the threats of ordinary soldiers.

The young king stood waiting at the palace gates.

He wore formal robes, stood upright, and had a serious look in his eyes, trying to maintain the dignity of the king through his outward seriousness.

When he saw that familiar figure approaching, especially that striking snow-white hair, Zanpu's heart still skipped a beat.

All the determination and calculations that had been built up before were suddenly pierced by a crack caused by the unexpected sorrow.

Over the years, this man has been both a teacher and a father to me, helping me ascend the throne, teaching me political strategies, and suppressing other dissenting voices in the court.

It was also he who led Tibet to unprecedented prosperity.

The king feared his authority and resented his tyranny, yet he was grateful for his assistance.

But in any case, when he saw this head full of white hair, the sadness in the king's heart, though brief, was real.

However, that's all.

The young Zanpu quickly suppressed the inappropriate tenderness in his heart, and his eyes turned cold again.

The era of Lu Dongzan has passed.

He believed that Tibet would be better off without Gar Tongtsen under his leadership.

Gar Tongtsen stopped before the steps and bowed meticulously according to the most standard etiquette of a subject: "Your subject, Gar Tongtsen, pays respects to the Tsanpu (King).

His demeanor was impeccable; in matters of etiquette between ruler and subject, Lu Dongzan always performed admirably.

It was as if he were still the great statesman who held sway over the court, rather than a defeated figure with an uncertain future.

The king took a breath and his face softened: “Great Master, you must be tired from your journey. Please rise.”

The two walked side by side into the palace gate.

The king waved his hand, dismissing all his attendants, including his most trusted confidants.

In the empty hall, only the two of them remained.

This was his last act of courtesy to this old minister, and perhaps he also wanted to see with his own eyes how this powerful minister, who had always regarded him as a child, would react to his subversive actions.

Silence permeated the gilded and painted palace, making it difficult to breathe.

Finally, the young king couldn't hold back any longer and broke the silence first: "Great Master... don't you have any questions for me?"

Lu Dongzan slowly raised his eyes, his gaze calmly meeting that of the young monarch.

After a moment, he spoke: "I was going to ask why the king chose this time."

He paused, then continued, "But as I've come to realize this, you... have grown up, and have waited far too long."

A fierce glint flashed in the king's eyes, as if a sore spot had been touched: "So even you, Great Master, know how much you have pressured me in the past?"

Lu Dongzan shook his head, his white hair swaying gently with the movement: "No, I only regret that I didn't push you any further back then, otherwise things would have turned out this way."

These blunt words startled the king, who was then filled with rage: "Even now, does the Great Master still not know where he went wrong?!"

“Of course this old minister knows his mistake,” Lu Dong replied readily, even with some weariness. “The consequences of my actions are already laid bare before us. Because of my arrogance, Tibet has lost its land, its army, and its prestige.”

“And the consequences of your actions…” He looked at Zanpu, his eyes unfathomable, “are still to come.”

The king's chest heaved as he said coldly, "It's too early to draw conclusions about the outcome."

“Yes.” Lu Dongzan nodded, no longer dwelling on the matter, and instead asked, “So, how does the Zanpu intend to deal with the troops outside the city?”

The king had already prepared a plan, and slowly replied, "Generals loyal to you must be eliminated."

"As for the remaining soldiers, they are Tibetan warriors. Their defeat was not their fault, and I will take good care of them and not implicate them."

Lu Dongzan nodded slightly, seemingly unsurprised by the answer.

He then asked, "Tibet, what's the next step?"

"I have my own way."

Zamp's answer was brief, but full of confidence.

Lu Dongzan frowned; this was not the answer he wanted to hear.

He then pressed on, asking, "What about Daqing's army? How does the Zanpu intend to make them retreat?"

"I will send envoys to negotiate with the Emperor of Daqing," the Zanpu said, his tone confident.

Lu Dongzan finally showed a helpless expression on his face. He looked at the Zanpu and asked, "Are you... planning to submit to Daqing from now on?"

The king raised his chin: "Great Qing is powerful, and relying on the strong is the only way to survive. What's wrong with that?"

Lu Dongzan's lips moved slightly.

He wanted to say that Tibet's independence and strength were the foundation of its existence.

Without sovereignty, how can we talk about future rise?

But when the words came out, the thought of that invincible army in the East made all rebuttals seem pale and powerless.

The path to rise has been severed by his own defeat.

He remained silent for a moment, then finally nodded: "This...is also a path, I only hope that the Zanpu can..."

The king suddenly interrupted his sermon: "This is my country, and I will naturally do everything I can to govern it!"

Lu Dongzan stared at the Zanpu for a moment, then slowly uttered a single word: "Good."

"I've finished asking my questions."

The king suddenly leaned forward, staring intently at him: "You've asked the army, you've asked the country, you've asked Daqing... but don't you want to ask how I intend to deal with you?"

Upon hearing this, Lu Dongzan gave a faint, bitter smile.

He slowly shook his head: "What is there to ask when a defeated army has lost its land?"

"How to handle this matter is entirely up to the King. Your Majesty, I have nothing to say."

Seeing the person before him so calm, the emperor felt no pleasure as he had expected, but rather a strong sense of disappointment.

The Lu Dongzan he imagined would argue angrily, shed tears, and display the final ruthlessness of a powerful figure.

Instead, it's like burnt-out firewood, leaving only a handful of cold ashes.

The figure that he once looked up to, feared, and longed to surpass seems to have completely collapsed.

He's ruined.

Zanpu withdrew his gaze, erasing the last trace of complex emotion.

He stood up, no longer looking at Lu Dongzan, and gave the order towards the empty palace gate:

"Guards, escort the Grand Master back to his residence."

"From this day forward, without my decree, no one may step out of the mansion."

Gar Tongtsen slowly rose and once again performed a standard courtier's salute to the retreating figure of the Zanpu.

Then, under the watchful eyes of the resurging guards, he walked step by step toward the door that would be closed to him forever.

That marked the end of his political career and the close of an era.

. . . . . .

The young Zanpu did not have to wait long.

On the third day after Gar Tongtsen was placed under house arrest in his residence, the Qing army's envoys appeared outside Lhasa.

The procession was small, consisting of only about twenty riders, carrying a dragon flag with the character "庆" (qing) and the banners representing envoys.

The Tibetans along the way had already received the news and allowed them to pass without hindrance; no one dared to stop them.

The king received the weary envoys in the main hall of the palace with the same protocol a vassal king would show to an envoy from a superior nation.

The leading envoy was a civil official in his thirties, with a composed demeanor.

However, apart from wearing civil official robes, this person did not resemble a scholar at all.

With rough, dark skin and eyes as bright as an eagle's, he was a senior political commissar in the Qing Army.

The envoy presented Li Che's handwritten letter, which, while not particularly harsh in its language, was full of assertiveness.

Li Che outlined the mistakes of the Tibetan Empire in "unjustifiably launching military campaigns to harass the borders of the Celestial Empire," which led to the Royal Army "having no choice but to counterattack, repeatedly defeating their army, recovering lost territory, and rescuing the people from dire straits."

The Tibetan officials in the court were furious as they listened to Li Che's distorted words, their faces turning red with anger, but none of them dared to speak out.

Li Che finally proposed that, considering the Tibetan king's "young age and inexperience, or perhaps being misled by treacherous officials," if he could "repent, cease hostilities, capture and present the ringleaders, submit to the emperor, pay tribute, and become a permanent bulwark of the western frontier," then the Celestial Empire could "pardon his crimes and allow him to reform," and demarcate the borders, agreeing not to invade each other.

The Zanpu listened attentively as the Daqing envoy finished reading the letter of credence, his face remaining completely expressionless.

The officials below, however, all looked utterly dejected.

There was a time when they also sent such arrogant and domineering envoys to various small countries conquered by Tibet to show off their power.

Now that they are the ones being humiliated, they know how painful it is.

The king inquired about the envoy's official title and name, and politely inquired about his hardships on the journey.

He then stated in a mild manner that Tibet was willing to make peace with the Great Qing Kingdom, but the specific terms still needed to be discussed in detail.

He immediately appointed his trusted ministers to form an envoy, who carried his handwritten reply and gifts, and accompanied the envoy back to meet the Emperor of Daqing.

The envoy from Daqing was well aware that such an important matter could not be accomplished in one go.

He gave a perfunctory bow, indicating that he was waiting for the Tibetan delegation, and then left the main hall.

After the envoy left, the king held the letter of state in silence for a long time.

Then, he ordered someone to bring a fine wooden box and put the letter of state into it.

They then took it with them to the residence where Gar Tongtsen was under house arrest.