bookrandom Chapter 179 It's time to talk about the marriage alliance.
Chapter 179 It's time to talk about the marriage alliance.
Erdumtu gritted his teeth: "You cunning Tang people, you actually tricked me into this trap! How could I grovel at the feet of you despicable Tang people like an ant?"
Li Mao sneered: "If you weren't determined to kill me, how could I have discovered you? How could you say you were part of the scheme?"
As they were talking, a warrior from the Tar tribe fell into a pool of blood. Erdumtu, seeing this, became even more enraged and charged madly at Li Mao, brandishing his weapon.
"Stop!" Suddenly, a loud shout rang out, and the old lord of Tar, limping alone, stood in front of Li Mao. "Erdumtu, I've already said that we now submit to the Tang Dynasty, submit to His Highness Prince Shou. You...you're trying to rebel?!"
Erdumtu stopped what he was doing, looked at his father, his eyes filled with resentment and despair: "Father, there's no turning back now! Either you kill me, or you join me in the rebellion!"
A flicker of pain crossed the old lord's eyes as he trembled and said, "Son, have you really thought things through? You're only plunging the entire tribe into annihilation!"
“We are all warriors of the wolf clan. If we eke out a living under the feet of the Han people, what kind of warriors are we? For us, what is more terrifying than death is having no backbone, becoming ants under the feet of others!” Erdumtu gritted his teeth and refused to listen to the old lord.
No sooner had he finished speaking than several more soldiers joined the battle, making the situation even more chaotic.
Upon seeing this, Li Mao narrowed his eyes slightly.
Some people will never surrender, even at the cost of their lives.
Since that's the case, I can't blame myself for being ruthless.
After saying that, Li Mao gave a wink to one of the elite soldiers beside him.
The elite soldiers immediately understood, and taking advantage of the moment when no one was paying attention, they climbed out of the tent and launched a signal into the sky. Almost instantly, flames lit up the sky outside the camp, and the sounds of horns and battle cries rang out. Then, a group of men on tall horses surrounded the camp.
It was the wolf army led by Princess Aya and the Tang army led by Li Jingqing!
The three teams, from the inside out, gradually forced Erdumtu and his men into a desperate situation.
Erdumtu brandished his weapon and fought back fiercely, but in the end he was outnumbered.
"Father, I'm sorry..."
Erdumtu sighed to the old lord at the last moment, then collapsed, his fate unknown.
The old lord looked at his son lying on the ground, tears streaming down his face. He knelt down, weeping bitterly, but still pleaded with Li Mao: "Your Highness Prince Shou, Erdumtu is already like this, he can no longer cause trouble. Please spare my people, they are all innocent."
Li Mao stared at the scene before him, his expression slightly relaxed.
"Old lord, rest assured, I will not make things difficult for your people. But I hope you will remember this lesson."
Just as the old lord was about to speak again, a series of hurried footsteps approached.
Li Jingqing led several soldiers into the tent and breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that Li Mao was safe and sound.
Then Li Jingqing coldly looked at the old lord: "How dare you! His Highness gave you face by coming to your Taer tribe, and this is how you treat him? Who knows if you old bastard and your son conspired to have your son take advantage of His Highness's unpreparedness to commit violence?"
The old lord cried out that he was wronged, and looked particularly miserable and pitiful.
Li Mao slowly said, "Jing Qing, this probably wasn't his intention. Don't get too agitated. Send the best military doctor to examine Erdumtu and see if there's any hope for him."
When the old lord heard Li Mao's words, he could hardly believe his ears.
He knelt down and repeatedly expressed his gratitude: "Your Highness, you are so kind! Erdumtu has committed such a grave mistake, yet you not only do not punish him, but are also willing to treat him. I have no way to repay you..."
Li Mao waved his hand dismissively, indicating that he didn't need to say anything more: "I don't need your gratitude. The best reward for me is for the Tar tribe to refrain from further uprisings."
Seeing this, Li Jingqing, though still dissatisfied, knew that things had come to this point and further argument would be pointless. He quickly arranged for several military doctors to come forward and examine the unconscious Erdumtu's injuries.
The old lord gripped his son's hand tightly, tears welling up in his eyes again: "Silly child, why are you doing this? If anything happens to you, what meaning will my old bones hold?"
The Tang army's medics were highly skilled. After examining the young lord, they said to the old lord and Li Mao, "Although the young lord's injuries are serious, his life is not in danger. He should be able to recover with proper rest."
Li Mao nodded slightly and selected two elite soldiers to guard Erdumtu.
"Yes, Your Highness!" the two elite soldiers replied in unison.
I was so busy that it was already early the next morning.
As soon as the first rays of dawn appeared on the horizon, Li Mao ordered Princess Aya to lead the wolf army to take over the Ta'er tribe.
Upon seeing Princess Aya, the old lord immediately bowed in greeting.
Princess Aya looked at him calmly and said, "You have already submitted to His Highness Prince Shou and will henceforth be under the jurisdiction of the Wolf Lord's tribe. We will monitor your daily lives to ensure there are no further acts of rebellion. His Highness Prince Shou is benevolent and has not placed your tribe under any of the Tang Dynasty's vassal states. From now on, we are merely friendly nations, not vassals."
Li Mao knew that the tribes in Yinshan were different from the Turks in Shuofang. They had faith and a large population. If they were to submit to the Tang Dynasty, they would be difficult to manage. It would be better to cooperate amicably for the long term.
The old lord nodded repeatedly, his gratitude evident in his words: "Thank you, Your Highness Prince Shou and the Princess, for your mercy. We will never dare to have any disloyal thoughts again."
At this moment, a military doctor reported: "Erdum has vomited and woken up."
The old lord quickly turned and walked toward his son's tent, where he saw that although his son was still weak, he was in much better spirits.
"Son, how are you feeling?" the old lord asked with concern.
Erdum sighed softly: "Am I still alive? How ironic..."
The old lord sighed: "Erdumtu, you should understand now, right? It's better to accept reality than to resist. It's better for everyone. His Highness Prince Shou has already shown mercy and allowed us to be integrated with the Wolf Lord's tribe from now on, without directly ordering us to belong to a vassal state."
“I know.” Erdumtu closed his eyes. “I only hope that my people can get through this calamity safely. I don’t want anything else.”
The relationship between the father and son surprised Li Mao.
—Since he transmigrated, he had never felt any family affection. First, there was the mutual suspicion and distrust between himself and Li Longji; then there was Shi Siming's unruly son, Shi Chaoyi, who ran naked and embarrassed his father; and finally, there was the irreconcilable conflict between the Turkic Khan and his son.