Tang Dynasty: To win Yang Guifei, they asked Emperor Xuanzong to die.

Upon hearing this, Small let out another cold laugh.

A hint of hatred flashed in his eyes: "That old bastard, I really overestimated him!"

"Since that's the case, what do I have to worry about? As long as the Tang Dynasty supports me as the new Khan, I can promise not to attack the Tang Dynasty again. In addition, I will pay tribute to the Tang Dynasty with precious resources produced on my grasslands every year as a sign of sincerity."

When he said the last four words, his tone became noticeably calmer, clearly indicating that he was prepared to serve as a vassal state of the Tang Dynasty in the future.

Li Mao nodded slightly, but his tone still held some uncertainty: "This is a serious matter. You need to write a letter now to keep as evidence. Otherwise, if the Tang Dynasty supports you but you refuse to pay tribute, we will be the ones who suffer in the end."

Why is this Tang prince so petty, like a street vendor?

Despite his own thoughts, Small agreed nonetheless.

Soon, he wrote a written commitment in Turkic on the prepared parchment.

He then handed it to Li Mao, saying, "You can show this promise to anyone who understands Turkic; they will all understand my sincerity. Your Highness of Tang, I hope you will keep your word and not disappoint me."

After saying that, Small turned and left.

Guo Ziyi picked up the parchment and showed it to Li Guangbi.

After receiving confirmation from Li Guangbi, who understood Turkic, Guo Ziyi couldn't help but smile.

Your Highness has a truly brilliant plan...

He could hardly imagine the interesting expression on the Turkic Khan's face when he saw the letter of commitment!

Back in the tent, he gave instructions to the soldiers guarding him. A short while later, the Turkic Khan was brought before the three men.

After looking at his reflection in the parchment, his eyes widened in fury, and he roared, "You unfilial son, what exactly does he want to do?!"

He'd rather agree to let his tribe submit to the Tang Dynasty, become a vassal state, and pay annual tribute of gold and silver, than let his father lose his position as Khan and put his father to death. This bastard, has he lost his mind?

The Khan was unaware that, in Smo's eyes, he was the one who betrayed the tribe.

"You treacherous wretch!" The old Khan's voice was hoarse, almost dripping with blood, as he said to Li Mao, "Your Highness, Prince of the Great Tang, please help me reclaim everything that belongs to me. Once I regain my title as Khan, not only will our tribe become your vassal state, paying tribute with treasures from the grasslands every year, but I will also personally come to court every year to express my gratitude to the Tang Emperor. In addition, the grasslands will offer ten tribute women every year for the enjoyment of the Tang Emperor and his princes."

Faced with the plea of ​​this former eagle of the grasslands, Li Mao already had a plan in mind.

He said, "In that case, I will report the dispute between you and your father to the Emperor and let him make a decision. It will take about half a month for the correspondence to go back and forth, so just wait."

The old Khan was certainly unwilling to wait half a month.

—He's been in the Shuofang army for half a month, and his concubine is probably pregnant with his son!

But now he knew he was not in a position to negotiate with the Tang Dynasty, so he could only close his eyes and nod: "Then I'll have to trouble Your Highness Prince Shou."

From this moment forward, there will be no more disputes between the Turkic tribes on the border between the Tang Dynasty and Shuofang.

The only dispute lies between Small and his son, the old Khan.

"Your Highness, with this arrangement, we have completely gained the upper hand." Guo Ziyi followed Li Mao out of the cell where the old Khan was imprisoned, praising the arrangement. He added, "Your Highness can now proceed to Yinshan with peace of mind. Leave the rest to Guangbi and me; we will certainly give you a satisfactory answer. From now on, the Turks within Shuofang will be quiet for a long time, and we can focus all our efforts on fighting the other border forces."

The other enemy was the Tibetans.

However, the Tibetans were not as impulsive as the Turks and had not made a move yet. Since the enemy wouldn't move, Li Mao could now leave with peace of mind.

The next morning, Li Mao packed his belongings and prepared to head to Yinshan.

As he stepped out of the tent, he saw Jiang Caiyue rushing over, her eyes filled with tears.

"Your Highness, are you really leaving?" Jiang Caiyue's voice trembled slightly, as if silently reminding Li Mao not to forget the promise he had made to this woman.

Li Mao naturally remembered, and said gently, "Miss Jiang, going to Yinshan is something I must do now. But I promise you, when I come back next time, I will definitely take you to Chang'an with me to find your sister's whereabouts."

When her sister was mentioned, Jiang Caiyue's eyes lit up instantly.

She nodded vigorously: "I will definitely wait for Your Highness to return!"

Li Mao nodded and gave Jiang Caiyue a few more instructions, telling her to rely on and trust Li Guangbi and Guo Ziyi, especially Li Guangbi, who was straightforward, sharp-tongued but kind-hearted, and actually quite easy to get along with.

Suddenly, the bushes rustled slightly, and a figure flashed by and disappeared.

—That was Li Guangbi.

Li Guangbi watched this scene from afar, unable to hear the conversation between Li Mao and Jiang Caiyue, but naturally assumed it was a tender farewell between lovers.

A wave of sorrow welled up in his heart.

He knew that although he was also a general in the Shuofang army, he was only a deputy commander. Moreover, he had grown up in the army since childhood and was a big, burly man. In Jiang Caiyue's heart, he could never compare to the elegant and dashing Li Mao...

"Never mind, I don't want to think about it anymore," Li Guangbi muttered to himself, then turned and left.

He knew that there was a huge gap between his status and Li Mao's, so he could only bury his feelings for Jiang Caiyue deep in his heart.

In the early morning, a thick fog filled the campsite.

Li Mao stood in front of the tent and bid farewell to Guo Ziyi and Li Guangbi one last time.

"Your Highness, please take care on your journey and return soon. Then we can go to Lingzhou City to celebrate!" Guo Ziyi always said this, showing great confidence in Li Mao, as if Li Mao was not going to Yinshan, which was hundreds or thousands of miles away, but was just going out for a walk.

Li Guangbi looked at Li Mao, his heart filled with complex emotions, but he tried his best not to let his jealousy show: "Your Highness, please take care! Guo Jieshi and I will do our best to ensure the safety of the Shuofang area. We will also be able to give a satisfactory result regarding the matter of the Turkic Khan and the Turkic Special Forces."

Li Mao smiled and patted the two of them on the shoulders.

He then mounted his horse and led five hundred elite warriors on their journey.

Ten more days passed, and after a long journey, Li Mao and his party finally arrived at Yinshan.

By this time, it was already dark, and a night breeze was blowing, bringing a touch of coolness.

As soon as Li Mao entered the camp, he saw the person who had been waiting for him—Li Jingqing.

"Jingqing, you've worked hard!" Li Mao greeted him with a smile, feeling incredibly warm and kin to Li Jingqing.

He already felt bad about leaving Li Jingqing here alone, and seeing Li Jingqing's messy stubble and noticeably thinner figure filled him with even more emotion.

However, Li Jingqing did not show much joy when he saw Li Mao.