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

Lord Tal immediately tensed up: "This matter was truly my own willful act, and has nothing to do with anyone else..."

Li Mao interrupted him: "Tomorrow, you will come with me to the Ta'er tribe. I will give your people a chance. If they are willing to surrender, I can show them leniency. Otherwise, I will use the blood of your people to seek justice for my subordinates."

In truth, these were just words. Li Mao knew Afu's character; he was loyal and righteous and wouldn't let innocent people pay for his life. Actually, Princess Aya had already executed several traitors, which was enough for Li Mao and Afu, enough to comfort their souls in heaven.

The reason I'm saying this to the old lord now is simply to make it easier to subdue the Tar tribe in the future.

Seeing that Li Mao's tone was gradually easing, the old lord breathed a sigh of relief. Although he knew that his journey was dangerous, he was most comforted that his people could be spared from disaster. He quickly bowed and thanked him, saying, "Thank you for your forgiveness, Prince Shou. Thank you for your forgiveness, Prince Shou."

The next morning, Li Mao led a team of elite soldiers and accompanied the old lord of Tar to the Tar tribe.

The news had already reached the Tal tribe through scouts. Upon learning that his father had gone to the Tang army alone, the young lord of Tal was extremely anxious and led everyone to wait outside early in the morning.

Upon seeing Li Mao and his entourage arrive, the young Tar Lord hurriedly stepped forward and said in a somewhat stiff tone, "Your Highness of Tang! You released my father. This matter has nothing to do with him. You cannot kill innocent people indiscriminately."

The old lord was surprised by his son's rudeness towards Li Mao from the start and immediately scolded him, "How dare you! How dare you be so disrespectful to His Highness Prince Shou! Erdumtu, apologize to His Highness Prince Shou right now!"

When Erdumtu heard that his father also disapproved of his actions, he became so anxious that he couldn't speak in Han Chinese and instead mumbled a bunch of words in his ethnic language.

"Young lord, there's no need to panic. Today's matter will be settled fairly." Li Mao didn't pay much attention to the father and son, but instead strode into the camp of the Tar tribe.

The people of the Tar tribe looked at each other, wondering what Li Mao was up to.

The old lord reacted the fastest, immediately giving his son a wink, signaling him to follow quickly.

"Father Khan, what does he mean by this? Will he harm us?" the young lord asked in a low voice.

The old lord said gravely, "Only sincere repentance can win a chance at survival."

Inside the main tent, Li Mao sat on a high seat, surveyed the crowd, and said in a stern tone, "Gentlemen of the Tar tribe, do you know your mistake?"

A moment of silence fell over the crowd. After a while, an older warrior spoke first: "We are willing to apologize to the Tang army for our previous mistakes and beg for the forgiveness of Prince Shou. We were blinded by greed and actually believed the words of those traitors, thinking of taking crooked paths to consolidate our tribe's territory. We were utterly foolish."

The old lord felt a surge of satisfaction; he was indeed a veteran general whom he had trained for many years.

The old lord then knelt on one knee and said, "This old minister is willing to submit to the Tang Dynasty and serve the Tang Dynasty from now on!"

Since the old lord had said so, other tribal members followed suit, expressing their willingness to pledge allegiance to the Tang Dynasty.

Unlike the Wolf Lord tribe, the Tar tribe was located in a remote area and was the smallest tribe near Yinshan. It was precisely because of this that they accepted deserters and, under the instigation of the deserters, committed an irreparable mistake.

Now that the lord has surrendered, there is no need for them to persist.

Looking at the scene before him, Li Mao's heart stirred slightly: "Alright, in that case, I will give you a chance, but you also need to accept supervision and reform. From now on, the Tar tribe will be a part of my Great Tang, and will no longer attempt to resist. As for the Wolf Lord, I will communicate with him and ask him not to invade you again in the future."

The old lord was so moved that tears streamed down his face, and he knelt down on the ground: "Thank you for your kindness, Prince Shou. We will certainly live up to your expectations."

That evening, to welcome Li Mao's arrival, the old lord specially announced that the bonfire party of the Tar tribe would be held ahead of schedule, and the blazing flames reflected on the apprehensive faces of the people.

They certainly didn't genuinely welcome Li Mao; they were forced to do so.

They did not admire Li Mao wholeheartedly, but rather feared him.

Li Mao sat on the high seat, looking around at the crowd below, pondering to himself.

—The fact that he subdued the Tar tribe without firing a single shot proves that the old chieftain of the Tar tribe had no opinions and no backbone. Therefore, the person who advocated killing Afu must have been someone else.

The person who has the mind and courage to start a rebellion in the Tang army camp is definitely not a spineless coward like the old lord.

So now, although everything appears harmonious on the surface, he knows there must be someone with ill intentions among them. But nothing ventured, nothing gained. Tonight, he's determined to see for himself who dares to be so audacious in this Tar tribe's camp!

As night fell, the bonfire party came to an end.

The warriors of the Tar tribe dispersed, leaving only a few patrolling near the camp.

The old lord said to Li Mao, "Since Your Highness wishes to stay overnight in our Tar tribe, why not make do in my tent? Although it doesn't have as many servants or as many supplies as the Tang army's tents, it's the most comfortable tent available."

Li Mao did not refuse the old lord's flattery. He lay down in the largest and most luxurious tent, and soon turned off the lights, seemingly falling into a deep sleep.

At that time, it was late at night, and you couldn't see your hand in front of your face.

A dark figure quietly slipped into Li Mao's tent.

This person was agile and quick-witted, clearly a well-trained expert.

He tiptoed to the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed), held a sharp dagger in his hand, and stabbed it fiercely at the human figure in the quilt.

Once, twice, three times!

The quilts on the kang (a heated brick bed) had been tied into a sieve shape, with the cotton wadding scattered everywhere.

However, there was no scream of pain as expected...

A cold snort came from the shadows, and the lights suddenly came on, illuminating a cold figure. Li Mao stood in the shadows, coldly watching everything. "Young Lord, do you really want to kill me?"

Dressed in black, with a ferocious expression and holding a dagger, Erdumutu paused for a moment, then revealed a ruthless smile: "Since you've discovered me, I have no choice but to play along to the end, and fight you to the death!"

As he spoke, he blew a whistle, and several burly men from the Tar tribe immediately rushed out from the shadows and surrounded Li Mao.

"kill!!!"

Erdum roared, and the group immediately pounced on Li Mao.

However, Li Mao was clearly prepared; several elite soldiers immediately emerged from behind him and swiftly met the assassins. Swords flashed, and the camp was filled with the sounds of battle.

Li Mao said sternly, "Young Lord, even now, are you still so stubborn?"