In my dream of returning to the Tang Dynasty, I snatched Wu Zetian from my lap.

On the hillside littered with corpses and broken blades, a Xueyantuo team of only ten men stood on the mountain path, just a safe distance away from the bows and arrows.

"Who goes there?" Li Yuanchang shouted, his voice booming with power.

Rows of Tang soldiers peeked out, their numbers dense and their armor neatly arranged.

This was intentional on Li Yuanchang's part, to create the illusion that the Tang army was still powerful.

Upon seeing this, the Xueyantuo people exchanged glances, all frowning, having been successfully deceived.

"May I ask if the person above is His Highness the Prince of Han of the Great Tang Dynasty?" a middle-aged man called out. His attire was clearly not that of a soldier, but rather more like that of a secret envoy.

Li Yuanchang's expression immediately changed.

"Who told you that the Emperor Han of the Tang Dynasty was here?"

"Hehe, Your Highness, we not only know it's you, but we also know a lot of information."

Li Yuanchang's face darkened. The exposure of his identity would likely only embolden the Xueyantuo people to become even more ruthless.

If one can obtain oneself as a hostage, it will be a significant bargaining chip on the main battlefield.

"You need not be afraid. I, Ban Suo, am here on the orders of Da Du She to show the King of Han a clear path. I have no intention of killing him."

Dadushe was the eldest son of the current Xueyantuo Khan, and the commander of 200,000 iron cavalry, who was facing off against Li Ji.

Li Yuanchang sneered, already knowing almost what the other party was going to say, but he didn't directly confront them, instead choosing to stall for time.

"Oh? Minglu, what Minglu?"

Bansuo laughed and said, "The King of Han of the Great Tang Dynasty has made great contributions to the Great Tang in Tuyuhun and Liangzhou, yet he is relegated to a small escort team."

"Even we, his battlefield adversaries, feel sorry for the King of Han!"

"In my opinion, given the King of Han's military leadership and prestige, he would be more than qualified to be the commander-in-chief of the Tang army."

"But the Great Khan of the Tang Dynasty is poor at judging people. He only knows his confidants and not his brothers. In the end, he still suspects that His Highness the Prince of Han has troops."

Li Yuanchang asked, "What exactly are you trying to say?"

Banso paused briefly, then stepped forward.

"Your Highness, why don't you surrender to the Xueyantuo? My lord said he would bestow upon you immense wealth and make you second only to the emperor."

"We don't need to worry about anyone's opinion, and we promise we will never kill a single soldier among your men!"

"presumptuous!"

"fart!"

"You bastard, you're asking for it!"

The sound of Tang soldiers cursing came from the mountain.

Ban Suo, acting as the persuader, remained expressionless and said, "His Highness the Prince of Han is now trapped in Dingyuan Mountain, his food supplies have run out, and he has nowhere to go. Meanwhile, the main force of the Tang army is deeply mired in the southern desert."

"Does Your Highness really want to be wiped out? You should know that with so few of you, even if we don't attack, you'll be trapped and die."

"And even if you did manage to get back alive, what then?"

"Doesn't the Prince of Han feel ashamed of being a mere escort officer?"

"As far as I know, the internal strife within your royal family is also fierce. Why doesn't the Prince of Han seek a way out for himself?"

The Tang army continued to hurl insults, feeling humiliated.

"Old man, go down and reorganize your troops, then come up and fight your Grandpa Cheng to the death!"

"Your Highness will never surrender!"

"That's right!"

"How could the King of Tang surrender to barbarians like the Xueyantuo? That would be a betrayal of the Heavenly Gang!!"

Faced with all sorts of insults, the Xueyantuo people below also turned pale.

But Banso kept his eyes fixed on the blurry figure, ignoring the shouts of the others.

Li Yuanchang remained silent, standing there quietly.

It must be said that the Xueyantuo were very well-informed; they knew about the internal power struggles within the Tang Dynasty's royal family, that Emperor Taizong wanted to perform the Fengshan ceremony, and that they themselves were the Prince of Han.

This can also be said to be some of the drawbacks brought about by the integration of Han and non-Han peoples. Since the Zhengu period of the Tang Dynasty, there have been many rebellions by non-Han generals and non-Han generals.

But this integration of Han and non-Han cultures led to the flourishing of the Tang Dynasty.

a long time.

"King Han, how is it?"

"One step further, and you're plunged into an abyss."

"Take a step back, and the world will be a better place."

"Whether to continue resisting to the bitter end or to die in the wilderness, it all depends on Your Highness's decision." Banso's patience seemed to have run out.

Li Yuanchang blurted out, "I need some time to consider this."

Upon hearing this, the Tang soldiers all changed color.

"Your Highness!!"

"Big brother!!"

Cheng Chuliang and Yuchi Baoqi's expressions changed the most; in their view, Li Yuanchang was unlikely to surrender.

Moreover, even they knew that doing so was a bottomless abyss from which there was no turning back.

Li Yuanchang extended a hand, silencing everyone.

Upon hearing this, Banso's face lit up with joy—there was hope!

But then he frowned, looking slightly hesitant: "Your Highness, is there anything else to consider?"

"The Tang Dynasty can't save you now. We can attack anytime we want."

"Submit now and return with us to the southern desert, and you will immediately be on equal footing with Dadushe."

"The Dadushe might even report to the Khan and arrange for the princess to marry you, then you'll be family."

"The entire grassland will be Your Highness's support, and even the Great Khan of the Tang Dynasty will not dare to do anything to you."

Li Yuanchang smiled upon hearing this.

This pie in the sky is bigger than Li Shimin himself.

"I have said that I must consider such a big matter. If you force me, then let us fight to the death. When I am defeated, that will be the time to punish you with my sword!" Li Yuanchang said firmly.

If the Xueyantuo could really attack at any time, there would be no need to persuade them to surrender. To put it bluntly, the Xueyantuo had already suffered heavy losses from their several attacks.

Banso frowned and called out, "How long will it take you?"

I will give you an answer tomorrow.

"No, that's too long," Banso refused outright.

"If you won't even give me this much time, how can I believe in your sincerity?" Li Yuanchang retorted.

"If Your Highness drags this out, how can we believe in Your Highness's sincerity? I do believe it, but the thousands of Shatuo soldiers don't have that much patience."

"Bring your head back, and you'll still get a reward."

"Your Highness sent me down; surely you must be able to give the army an explanation?" Banso was eloquent and extremely cautious.

Li Yuanchang hesitated and remained silent.

He then asked, "How about I give you an answer before midnight?"

Banso clearly still felt it had been too long.

At this moment, Li Yuanchang said directly, "If not, then come and take my head."

"I still have three hundred elite troops here. Outlasting your thousand men is no problem!"

Both sides are bluffing and exaggerating their figures.

But Bansuo was clearly the one who was fooled. He didn't know the specifics, but the Shatuo army had suffered more than half of its casualties, so he had to believe it!

Bansuo turned his head and exchanged glances with the Xueyantuo man beside him, seemingly discussing something.

Finally, he looked up.

"Alright, then let's wait until midnight tonight."

"but!"