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

Click!

No sooner had the words left his mouth than a crisp cracking sound rang out.

That was Adagulie's scimitar, which had been cleaved in two, and fragments had splintered at the crack.

Li Yuanchang's sword was a gift from Emperor Taizong of Tang, a masterpiece of Tang Dynasty craftsmanship, while Adagulie's scimitar was at best a mere blade.

In the midst of numerous attacks, it was overwhelmed and shattered.

The shards grazed Adagulie's cheek, and he instinctively closed his eyes. When he opened them again, he was met with a cold glint.

It was fast, too fast, almost instantaneous.

puff! !

The knife slashed from Adagulie's shoulder blade all the way down to his thigh. Although he was protected by armor, it was not enough to protect his entire body.

"Ah!" Adagu screamed in agony, falling off his warhorse with a loud crash.

Li Yuanchang tightened the reins and pointed his knife at the man: "You've lost."

"I didn't lose, let's do it again!" Adagulie was in excruciating pain, his face covered in cold sweat, and he was extremely unwilling to accept defeat.

"it is good."

Adagulie was stunned for a moment, not expecting Li Yuanchang to be so decisive.

Li Yuanchang sheathed his sword, then rode away, truly intending to let him go this time.

Adagulie gritted his teeth and stood up, ready to fight again.

But as Li Yuanchang was leaving, he suddenly raised a hand.

In an instant, the swarms of warhorses all around suddenly became restless.

Adagulie sensed something was wrong and looked around uneasily: "What...what do you mean?"

"If you survive, you can leave." Li Yuanchang didn't turn his head and pressed his arm down.

This is a signal.

"Rush!"

A cavalryman roared and led the way.

"Giddy up, giddy up, giddy up!!"

In an instant, the army roared, countless hooves took off, charging forward, their hooves shaking the ground.

"No!!"

Ada's fierce and piercing cries and his desperate features were instantly overwhelmed by the charge of thousands of troops.

Bang bang bang!

His body was kicked around by warhorses until it disintegrated, then mixed with the mud, and trampled to death by the cavalry.

He paid a heavy price for his disloyal and unfilial behavior.

Betraying one's own people and killing one's father are heinous crimes, whether in the Central Plains or the grasslands.

Li Yuanchang gave him no chance and sent him to the underworld in the most brutal way.

Qi Senluge witnessed the death of his enemy, and tears streamed down his face.

Ada is dead, but her father and brother will never come back.

She kept sobbing, her shoulders shaking.

Until Li Yuanchang came to her and lifted her from her horse onto his own.

"Let's go back."

Qisenluge nestled in his arms, weeping even more deeply.

"..."

Within half an hour of Ada's execution, another 125 people were executed by the Tang army.

They were Ada's trusted subordinates and the main participants in the defection to Xueyantuo. They were all beheaded, and none escaped.

As for the remaining members of the Qimeng tribe, they lived in peace and gradually returned to their camps to accept the garrisoning of the Tang army.

Two hours later, another piece of good news arrived.

"Report!!"

"Your Highness, our spies spread false information, luring the entire Xueyantuo cavalry into a surprise attack in the southern grasslands, resulting in a great victory!"

"Eight hundred rangers charged into battle, tripped by their reins, and pinned down by arrows; the entire army was mangled beyond recognition!"

"Captain Yuchi Baoqi slays the enemy general!"

"Our army suffered only seventy wounded, while wiping out eight hundred enemy soldiers!"

The news was met with cheers from the entire army.

"good!"

"My second brother is invincible!" Li Yuanchang shouted, and stood up abruptly.

The original four-person group, ranked by age, had Yu Chi Baoqi as the eldest, Cheng Chuliang as the second, Li Chongzhen as the third, and Tang Meng as the fourth.

After Li Yuanchang joined, their order was moved down one position.

Inside the camp, the rescued elders of the Qimeng tribe were all shocked and looked at each other in disbelief.

The Xueyantuo cavalry, whom they considered invincible killing gods, were actually crushed like this!

They slaughtered eight hundred rangers without losing a single life.

You should know that these eight hundred rangers could easily wipe out the entire Mongol tribe.

Is this the Tang Dynasty?

Is this the King of Han?

"Order Kou Zhu and Bao Qi to quickly clean up the battlefield, seize all usable supplies from Xueyantuo, and station themselves at the ranch to await further orders."

"Furthermore, the women and wealth that the Xueyantuo people took from the Mongol tribes must all be returned and cannot be kept as spoils of war."

"yes!!"

Upon hearing this, more than a dozen elders from the Qimeng tribe who had resisted Adagul and been imprisoned burst into tears and knelt down with a thud.

"We are very grateful for Your Highness's mercy!"

"We are extremely grateful for Your Highness's mercy!!"

Some of them even burst into tears.

On the grasslands, women were considered spoils of war. Once the Tang army destroyed the Xueyantuo, they could possess this "resource."

But Li Yuanchang returned them; they were all their daughters and wives.

This is also where Li Yuanchang's brilliance lies. He knew that he could not achieve great things by resorting to ruthless extortion. To truly win over the various tribes of the grasslands to resist Xueyantuo, he needed to "distribute resources reasonably so that everyone could get something."

"Please rise, everyone."

"Luge is my savior. Without her, I would have died long ago."

"It's nothing, it's the least I can do."

"I think the most urgent task is to deal with the aftermath and the future of the tribe," Li Yuanchang said.

Upon hearing this, the dozen or so people, covered in wounds, all looked troubled.

The chieftain is dead, the successor is dead, and those who could handle things have been killed by Ada, leaving only these old bones.

The tribe still has three thousand members; what should they do?

In particular, the Xueyantuo are now certain that they can no longer tolerate the Qimeng tribe, something that they all understand.

Their eyes began to turn to Li Yuanchang.

Li Yuanchang seized the opportunity and said, "Lu Ge is my benefactor, and her affairs are my affairs."

"Why don't you all discuss with your clansmen and decide to submit to the Tang Dynasty?"

"The Tang Dynasty will provide the tribe with both military and political protection. The tribe only needs to send three hundred people to symbolically fight alongside the Tang army."

"I, on behalf of the Tang Dynasty, promise that every time we win a victory, we will share a portion with the Mongol tribes, unlike the Xueyantuo who plundered."

This condition is already quite generous, equivalent to the "king taking you to new heights" of later generations.

Most importantly, the Mongol tribes had no other choice; without the protection of the Tang Dynasty, they would face retaliation from the Xueyantuo.

Even without revenge, losing their leader means being swallowed up by other tribes. The grasslands are cruel; your woman today could be taken away by someone else tomorrow.

This is the law of survival.

"I agree!" Qi Senluge was the first to stand up and voice his support.

"I believe in the King of Han!"

She glanced at Li Yuanchang, her eyes full of trust.

Once she took the lead, the other dozen or so elders followed suit, saying, "We are willing to follow the Tang Dynasty and await your command."

"We are willing to follow the Great Tang Dynasty and await your command..."

Seeing this, Li Yuanchang grinned.

First goal achieved!

"good!"

"Then please help me appease the tribespeople and explain the advantages and disadvantages to avoid creating any discord."

"A tribe cannot be without a leader for even a day. You can choose a new leader yourselves, and I will not interfere further."

His magnanimity and respect earned him the trust of these older generations.

"yes!"

"..."