Tang Dynasty: Father, if you don't rebel, I will!

Langshan Prefecture.

On a lush grassland near the Hun River in north-central Turkic territory.

Ashina She'er's troops were resting here, while keeping watch for any disturbances in the surrounding area.

On the other hand, they quickly organized the herders to harvest the remaining grasslands and feed the cattle, sheep and horses.

Meanwhile, in Ashina She'er's tent.

Zheng Zhiye's gaze lingered briefly on the glass divine horse statue behind the other party, its front hooves raised, before he regained his composure.

"I am Zheng Zhiye, the Turkic Pacification Commissioner of Bingzhou Circuit of the Great Tang Dynasty, of the Zheng family of Xingyang, and I pay my respects to the Great Khan."

Ashina She'er's expression was cold and stern.

He is not yet twenty years old this year. At this age, in the current chaotic Eastern Turkic steppe, he is even much younger than Ashina Dieli, the son of the Western Turkic Khan.

However, because he made his fortune in the northern deserts, he had limited resources.

It could be said that among the four parts, the battles were fought in the most conservative and cowardly manner.

However, even so, the situation of the tribes under his command is now extremely bad.

"Turkic pacification envoy? What, does your Great Tang take advantage of the internal turmoil in our Turkic territory to abduct those Turkic people, and now you want me, the Khan, to submit to you as well?"

Ashina She'er spoke coldly, and Zheng Zhiye, despite being glared at by several Turkic generals in the tent beside him, was shocked.

However, he showed no sign of panic whatsoever.

Faced with Ashina She'er's questioning, he simply smiled calmly.

Nod slightly.

"Why is the Great Khan bluffing? The weakness of your tribe's horses, cattle, sheep, and these warriors cannot be concealed. Winter will officially arrive in at least half a month, and given the conditions of the Turkic steppe, snow will fall for thousands of miles..."

"The situation in the northern desert is probably even more difficult, isn't it?"

"Ashina Dili has no foothold in the Eastern Turkic Khaganate, so he can lead his troops back to the Western Turkic Khaganate."

"Both Tuli and Jieli's tribes still have some cattle and sheep. Although it is difficult, if they restrain each other, they can barely get through this winter."

"But what about you, Great Khan?"

"Before long, your tribe's cattle and sheep will starve to death, and your horses will surely lose their strength to gallop... Could it be that the Great Khan is planning to turn his soldiers into infantry to plunder the Jieli or Tuli in the snowy Turkic winter?"

Zheng Zhiye smiled and shrugged.

"Of course, you are very close to Lingzhou and Bingzhou of our dynasty, so you may go south to plunder our Great Tang."

"It was nothing more than a battle with Li Daozong, the governor of Lingzhou, or perhaps with His Highness the Crown Prince of our Great Tang..."

"It's about seeking life amidst death. In that case, I've come here somewhat unnecessaryly today."

As he said this, the faces of all the tribal leaders present, as well as Ashina She'er, instantly darkened.

"boom!"

"Tang envoy! How dare you mock us! Don't you know where you are?!"

Zheng Zhiye raised his head and smiled faintly.

"What place? It's nothing more than a Turkic tribe about to be covered by snow and surrounded by frozen, bluish-purple remains. Who would care about such a place?"

"Would the Great Khan have paid any attention to such a large tent in the past, especially during winter?"

Ashina She'er: "..."

Heavy breathing sounds emanated from the nasal cavity of everyone present.

Behind Zheng Zhiye, several elders of the Zheng clan rested their hands on the hilts of their swords. Although they were all white-haired, their arrogant aura, which they had shown when facing the Tang people, was now completely different in front of these Turkic barbarians.

They were not coerced by the other party in the slightest.

A tense atmosphere unfolded inside the tent.

After a long while, Ashina She'er, who had been silent all along, finally took a deep breath and calmed himself down.

"You want us to submit to the Tang Emperor? You should at least tell us what conditions your Emperor has in mind. What can he give us, and what does he require of us?"

Zheng Zhiye smiled slightly, then cupped his hands in the air towards Yanmen Pass.

"Your Majesty is mistaken! I am not here today on behalf of His Majesty the Emperor of the Great Tang Dynasty, but rather on behalf of His Highness the Crown Prince of the Great Tang Dynasty!"

Seeing that the other party was about to get angry, Zheng Zhiye smiled and waved his hand.

"Great Khan, please don't be so quick to anger. Why don't we sit down and talk things over?"

Ashina She'er waved to the generals standing to the side.

Zheng Zhiye immediately smiled and, as if no one else was around, had some things brought over.

The rich aroma of Sanlejiang wine spread throughout the tent as the mud seal on the wine jar was broken and the wine was poured into bowls. The generals who were about to leave the tent immediately froze in their tracks.

Their throats bobbed involuntarily.

People on the grasslands love alcohol, especially strong liquor.

As the strongest liquor on the market in the Tang Dynasty, Sanlejiang was considered a divine product by these Turkic tribal generals.

Zheng Zhiye smiled and downed a bowl of wine in front of everyone.

Some spilled wine rolled down his beard and onto his clothes.

This drew angry stares from several Turkic tribal generals.

"Great Khan and your generals, would you like some? We only brought three jars with us this time, so it's not much when divided among ourselves. Great Khan, you don't need to worry about it interfering with our business..."

Since Zheng Zhiye had already said so, Ashina She'er, who had originally wanted to hear about the conditions offered by the Tang Dynasty, didn't say anything more.

As a bowl of wine slid comfortably down the throats of everyone present, the rich aroma and the slight burning sensation it brought were palpable.

This immediately made the previously tense atmosphere in the tent much more harmonious.

"Hehe, since the Great Khan can read the characters of my Great Tang Dynasty, I have something here that the Great Khan may take a look at."

As Zheng Zhiye spoke, he mentioned what he had prepared long ago.

The copy of the "Datang Xinbao" newspaper, which he had purchased while passing through Taiyuan Prefecture, was placed in front of the other party.

When Ashina She'er saw the neatly arranged square Chinese characters printed on the thin sheet of paper in front of him, his eyes widened instantly.

By the light of the oil lamp beside him, he began to read it carefully.

"Your Majesty, this is a newspaper from nearly ten days ago. Under the promotion of the Bingzhou Road New Policy Reform Office, this kind of thing is printed and sold daily. It contains all the new policies that Bingzhou Road will soon implement, as well as some news related to Bingzhou Road's commerce."

Ashina She'er didn't speak, but his gaze had already fallen on one of them.

"A dual system of hired and contracted breeding will be implemented! The New Policies Reform Department of Bingzhou Circuit of the Great Tang Dynasty encourages newly joined Turkic peoples of the Great Tang Empire to raise cattle, sheep, and warhorses, and the Great Tang Imperial Family will purchase them according to market prices..."

Zheng Zhiye smiled faintly, clearly noticing the other party's focus.

He stroked his beard.

On the other hand, he spoke softly, uttering a sentence that sent a chill down the spines of everyone present.

"Today, in the Yanmen Pass breeding area of ​​my Great Tang Dynasty, there are more than 100,000 Turkic herders! There are at least 200,000 cattle and sheep, and the cattle and sheep I am referring to here all belong to the individual herders."

"Official documents issued and registered by the government are protected by the laws of the Great Tang Dynasty."

"Great Khan, how many tribes do you currently command? How many soldiers are ready to fight? And how many cattle, sheep, and warhorses do you have?"

Zheng Zhiye shook his head, and the smile on his face slowly faded.

"I estimate that we have less than ten thousand soldiers left capable of fighting, perhaps even... eight thousand?"

Ashina She'er's hand, which was holding the newspaper, suddenly trembled.

The old fellow in front of me, who claimed to be from a prestigious family in the Tang Dynasty, was truly insightful; he had guessed most of what was going on.

Zheng Zhiye tapped his fingers lightly on the table.

"Great Khan, your time is running out. If you wait until white feathers float on the grasslands, and then want to surrender to our Great Tang again, it won't be to seek a wise ruler... but rather to beg for help with your people."

"The Khan should understand the advantages and disadvantages of both."

"If you were to lead your troops to join our Great Tang and serve His Highness the Crown Prince, with the Khan's talent as a general and the bravery of the Turkic cavalry, you would surely be given important positions. Moreover, you would no longer have to wander in the snowy desert."

"Isn't it beautiful?"

As he spoke, Zheng Zhiye launched into a long, eloquent tale of how peaceful and prosperous the herdsmen of Yanmen Pass were today.

at last.

As Ashina Duer drank the wine in his bowl.

The three jars of wine that Zheng Zhiye brought were all empty. Ashina She'er finally took a deep breath and bowed slightly to Zheng Zhiye and the others in front of him.

"Please convey to His Highness the Crown Prince of the Great Tang Dynasty that I, Ashina She'er, am willing to offer the Eternal Heaven Divine Treasure Glazed Jewel with both hands, and humbly request His Highness to accept our people to serve him!"

It's done!

Zheng Zhiye and the other elders of the Zheng clan exchanged glances, a fleeting look of excitement in their eyes.

Having decided to join the Tang Dynasty, Ashina She'er seemed to have instantly let go of everything.

Taking one last, wistful look at the divine horse and its glazed treasure being slowly placed into the sealed box, it felt like an unreal dream.

After making a final reorganization of the tribe, he led his people to drive the cattle and sheep.

They traveled south along the way, heading towards Yanmen Pass.

until.....

"Great Khan, something terrible has happened! Jieli! That traitor Jieli is attacking!!!"

A tribal general, his expression drastically changed, returned with a troop of cavalry scouts.

Everyone's expression changed instantly.

"How many people have come?!"

"At least twenty thousand!"

"Hiss!!!" Ashina She'er's face turned pale instantly.

Even counting their cattle and sheep, they could barely muster 20,000 men, and now Jieli had brought 20,000 troops!?

We can't hold on!

Such a thing is out of the question, but now it seems like even escaping won't be easy for them.

Just then, Zheng Zhiye, who was also riding a horse, suddenly spoke in a cold voice.

"Great Khan, do you dare to fight? If we do our best to cover and block them, and send fast horses to Yanmen Pass for reinforcements, we can at least save the vast majority of the herdsmen!"

Upon hearing this, Ashina She'er looked at the several elders of the Zheng clan behind Zheng Zhiye, as well as the Zheng family members who had already picked up their swords after hearing that they were preparing for battle.

The doubt in his eyes vanished instantly, and he nodded heavily.

"Very well! We will do as the Tang envoy says!"

As Ashina She'er led his troops, along with a thousand men from the Zheng clan, charging towards the direction from which Jieli's army was coming, in less than half a day, a vast, dark cavalry force instantly converged on the horizon.

Zheng Zhiye roared.

White hair danced in the air, and clothes fluttered in the wind.

In an instant, he drew his longbow, nocked an arrow, and with fluid grace, two arrows shot out from the bowstring as if chasing the clouds and catching the moon.

next moment.

The two Turkic cavalrymen opposite him screamed in agony.

He fell off his horse.

"Hahahaha! I am sixty-seven years old, yet I can still kill you barbarians as easily as slaughtering dogs!"

Behind them, several elders of the Zheng clan shouted and urged their horses on, their bowstrings humming as they fired arrows, accurately shooting down distant cavalrymen.

Upon witnessing this scene, Ashina She'er couldn't help but admire the bravery of the Tang people.

however.

A bloody battle, and a major battle of this scale.

The presence of Zheng Zhiye and his group cannot have much impact on today's battle situation.

Even though all they did was try to buy time for the herders in the rear to evacuate.

As the two armies clashed.

Amidst screams, several members of the Zheng clan fell from their horses, but even the elders of the Zheng clan were now bloodthirsty.

"Kill! Keep killing! Those from the third branch, follow me to take that Jieli's head!!!"

"Hahaha! That's great!"

"I am Zheng Zhijie, the second son of the Zheng family of Xingyang! I could kill you barbarians during the Kaihuang era, I could kill you barbarians during the Daye era, and I can kill you as easily as slaughtering pigs and dogs during the Wude era!"

"Jiali, die!"

The madness of these elders of the Zheng family left not only Ashina She'er's tribe dumbfounded.

His crazed appearance instantly brought back some unpleasant memories for Jieli, who was already traumatized by Li Tang not long ago.

"Damn it! Ashina She'er, that cowardly coward, actually submitted to the Tang Dynasty! He has utterly disgraced the men of the Turkic people! Kill them all!"

A fierce battle unfolded on the grassland, accompanied by the clash of swords and the neighing of warhorses.

I do not know how long it has been.

Ashina She'er, who had suffered heavy losses, hurriedly pulled on the reins as he saw that most of the herdsmen had left.

"Retreat! Everyone, retreat to Yanmen Pass!"

the other side.

Zheng Zhiye, covered in blood and with two arrows stuck in his body, had bloodshot eyes.

Her crown was shattered, and her long, gray hair was scattered across her face.

Upon hearing Ashina She'er's order, Zheng Wuling, the eldest son of the Zheng family, hurriedly shouted, "Elder, it's time to retreat!"

however.

Zheng Zhiye gently shook his head, then suddenly reached out and patted the latter's horse. The warhorse neighed and instantly galloped away with Zheng Wuling.

"Zheng family members! All of you, get out of here! Leave now! Don't linger!"

"Tell His Highness the Crown Prince that Jieli has broken the alliance and intercepted and killed the Tang envoy! The Zheng family of Xingyang would rather die than surrender!"

Zheng Zhiye watched as his younger relatives gradually retreated into the distance amidst cries and wails.

His calloused hands gripped the lance, yet they trembled uncontrollably.

He couldn't help but give a bitter laugh: "I'm old, truly old... If I were ten years younger, I would have fought my way through this Turkic army today..."

"Haha, my elder brother always manages to be funny at times like this."

"Heh, Second Brother, all you've got is how loudly you've shouted. How many Turkic dogs have you killed? I've already killed more than thirteen, and several more have been trampled to death by my warhorse."

The eight riders of the Zheng family quietly watched the Turkic cavalry that had surrounded them.

Despite being covered in wounds and knife marks, with blood gushing from some places.

Yet not a single person dismounted and surrendered.

He simply watched quietly as Jieli was protected in the middle by several Turkic generals.

Are all you Chinese a bunch of lunatics?

Jieli gritted his teeth.

These eight old Tang bastards charged even more fiercely than Ashina She'er and his men; it wasn't like they were fighting, it was more like they were seeking death...

Zheng Zhiye sneered, but his gaze was fixed intently on Jieli's neck.

It was as if they were gazing at some priceless treasure.

A chill ran down Jieli's spine as he stared at him.

"Jieli, today my Xingyang Zheng family has received your great favor. From this day forward, we will surely rise to prominence. And you... your head is the treasure that my Xingyang Zheng family presents to His Highness the Crown Prince!"

Jieli was instantly enraged.

"Hmph, you want my head? I'll take your heads first!"

"Kill! Cut off their heads! If it weren't for these Tang people, our Turks wouldn't be in this situation!"

In an instant, several arrows pierced through Zheng Zhiye and eight others.

The second branch elder, Zheng Zhijie, swayed on his horse, his broadsword falling from his hand. He was covered in arrows, but he stared at Jieli's head with a sinister grin.

"Your head... I, the Zheng family... have already offered it up..."

"Cough cough cough... I've really hit the jackpot with my life!!!"

Looking at Zheng Zhijie, who was glaring with wide eyes and finally tumbling off his horse, Jieli felt a chill creep around him.

Suddenly, his body trembled.

Thinking back to the scene just now where Zheng Zhiye and the others could have left, but chose to stay and die.

"Aaaaaah! The Tang people are treacherous!"

Yanmen Pass.

"Woooooo~~~"

A deep horn sounded as the gates of Yanmen Pass slowly rose, pulled by chains.

Li Chengqian wore a suit of black iron armor, a golden-winged red-tasseled helmet, and rode a white-hoofed hawk bestowed upon him by the General of the Heavenly Strategy, wielding a bright silver Vajra spear.

behind him.

The heavy clatter of hooves accompanied Xue Wanche, the Six Generals of the Eastern Palace, Li Tai, the Prince of Yue of the Tang Dynasty, and Cheng Chumo, the Military Advisor of Yanmen Pass, as they rode out from the dark culvert of Yanmen Pass.

Further back.

The armor, crafted entirely according to the full-body armor of the Imperial Guards—the Iron Pagoda armor that became more widely known in later generations—was fitted onto the six thousand elite soldiers of the Eastern Palace's Six Guards.

Li Chengqian's gaze was fixed on the distant grasslands.

"All troops, attack! Annihilate the Turks!"