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

Over the next three days, the Qimeng tribe gradually stabilized.

Li Yuanchang helped them rescue many of their daughters and wives, and even returned their pastures, which made the entire clan deeply grateful.

With the help of Senluge, the entire tribe quickly became friendly with Tang.

Furthermore, the dispatch of 300 troops to jointly attack Xueyantuo proceeded exceptionally smoothly.

On their journey through the harsh winter, Li Yuanchang made a fortune at their first stop. Kou Zhu and his men reported that they had captured about 1,700 warhorses, along with a large amount of supplies.

In particular, 90% of the supplies belonging to the 800 rangers were obtained intact.

This means that Li Yuanchang has more leverage to form an alliance and attract smaller tribes to join.

Late January.

Despite the continued snow and wind, the living environment of the Qimeng tribe began to stabilize significantly with the intervention of the Tang Dynasty.

At night, Li Yuanchang stayed in his military tent, writing military reports by lamplight to report the situation to the western front headquarters.

Suddenly, footsteps could be heard outside, along with the sounds of Lu Ge and Guo Chao talking.

Li Yuanchang looked up and she came in, dressed in traditional grassland attire. Her snow-white cotton-padded jacket did not look bulky at all, and paired with her natural freckles on her cheeks, she looked elegant and possessed a beauty unique to the grasslands.

To the average Han Chinese of that era, this was considered unattractive, but to Li Yuanchang, it was a sign of sophistication.

"Your Highness, I noticed you weren't asleep yet, so I brought you some hot soup." She placed it gently on the table, not daring to get too close.

Qi Senlu shook her head, slightly shy as a young girl: "Yes, really?"

"have."

Li Yuanchang came to the table and lifted the lid.

This is a pot of brown soup. I don't know what's in it, but it's quite clean, unlike the "gluttonous blood food" that's popular on the grasslands.

"Oh, by the way, Your Highness, these are some gifts from my uncles that I asked you to give to you."

"They said they have selected four people and would like Your Highness to take a look."

Li Yuanchang raised an eyebrow, referring to the new tribal leader.

He didn't answer: "I promised that I wouldn't interfere in the internal affairs of the tribe. They can choose for themselves."

Qisenluge said with difficulty, "Your Highness, our clan uncles have already chosen four people. Whoever they choose is the will of the Qimeng tribe."

"But they were unsure who to choose, and since they were loyal to the Tang Dynasty, they naturally had to listen to the Tang Dynasty's opinion."

"My father didn't listen to you back then, and that's why..."

When she talked about her sad moments, she became sad again.

Li Yuanchang patted her on the shoulder to comfort her.

"So, who do you think is better among these four?"

Luge looked at him; his eyelashes were long and fluttered.

"Speak boldly." Li Yuanchang tentatively took a sip of the soup. It tasted pretty good. He wanted to ask what kind of soup it was, but he didn't get a chance.

"I...I think..."

She hesitated, then blurted out, "Zato!"

"You mean that boy who helped you release me back then?"

Lu Ge nodded repeatedly: "He is my childhood friend. We know each other well and trust each other deeply. Although he is thin, he is very brave. Although he is not talkative, he is very strong. Although he is not on the list, he is very loyal."

"Even when he was interrogated about who let you go, and had his leg broken and was locked in the snow, he didn't betray me."

Upon hearing this, Li Yuanchang said, "That's good."

For the Tang Dynasty, such a person was needed; for Li Yuanchang, this relationship meant more reliable diplomatic support.

"Okay, then it's him."

"However, it's not appropriate for me to bring this up. You can bring it up tomorrow, and I'll secretly lend my support."

"Huh?" Luge asked in surprise, then lacked confidence: "This... tribe women can't..."

"Hey, women can hold up half the sky. If I say you can, then you can. But if I suggest otherwise, wouldn't that be changing my mind all the time?"

"It's best if you bring it up, after all, you're the old leader's daughter," Li Yuanchang said.

Lu Ge felt like he was dreaming; he thought Li Yuanchang wouldn't accept his suggestion.

"Well... alright, thank you, Your Highness!" She smiled.

There's no need for thanks between us.

"Sit down."

Li Yuanchang gestured as he drank his soup.

Lu Ge slowly sat down, unable to resist looking at his face.

"Oh, right."

Li Yuanchang felt that she was dodging again.

"Are there any other tribes in this Genna grassland?" He suddenly remembered his important matter.

Once the Qimeng tribe stabilizes, he will have to explore his second and third targets; otherwise, with only a few hundred men in the allied forces, it will be very difficult to pose a hindrance to the Xueyantuo.

They might not even be able to recover their initial investment.

Lu Ge paused for a moment, then said seriously, "Yes!"

"There are two or three small tribes on the Gena Grassland. I've heard there are many more tribes beyond the Shahe River, but I've never been there. I only know about the three small tribes on the Gena Grassland."

"Tell me the situation," Li Yuanchang said, adhering to the principle that even a small fly is still meat.

If the tribe becomes too large, and it really comes down to establishing diplomatic relations, it won't be his turn anymore.

"Your Highness, they are the Wujin Tribe, the Juan Tribe, and the Gaoshan Tribe."

"They are smaller than the Qimeng tribe. The largest tribe is the Wujin tribe, with less than a thousand people, while the smallest mountain tribe has less than two hundred people."

Li Yuanchang frowned. "It's okay if it's small, but it's too small."

There are at most a thousand people. This number has to be reduced by the elderly, women and children. The minimum number is one-third to represent the young and middle-aged adults.

"However, this mountain tribe is the most powerful group in the entire Gena Grassland. They rely on hunting tigers and black bears as a coming-of-age ceremony for each individual!"

Ge Lu's next words captivated the eagle-like Li Yuanchang, whose eyes flashed with surprise.

"What the heck?"

"A solo tiger hunt?"

"Is it a coming-of-age ceremony?"

"Yes, this is a tradition of the mountain tribes. Every child must hunt a tiger or a black bear alone in order to complete their coming-of-age ceremony." Luge was clearly not a girl who would lie.

Li Yuanchang was stunned.

He had killed tigers before, but luck and the aid of weapons played a significant role. Moreover, the tigers he hunted were not children, but animals with Li Yuanchang's physical abilities and 21st-century encyclopedic knowledge.

These are clearly not conditions that mountain tribes can possess.

But this mountain tribe actually uses hunting tigers as a coming-of-age ceremony, and it's done by a single person... Is this some kind of witchcraft practice?

"Are you sure it's a tiger, not a cub?"

Are you sure it's just you alone?

Luge nodded, extremely seriously: "Your Highness, it's true. I saw them once when I was a child, when the tribes were exchanging goods."

"They carried tiger carcasses; they were frighteningly tall, even stronger than His Highness's men, and very dark-skinned. They had been hunting in the mountains since childhood, living alongside wild beasts."

Li Yuanchang was slightly surprised upon hearing this, his eyes revealing strong interest!

Where are they?

"Your Highness, they live in the mountains behind the sacred mountain, which is a forbidden area of ​​the Gena Grassland. Apart from the high mountain tribes, no one else dares to approach that place."