Chapter 149: The Tide Cannot Be Turned, Unification of the Realm (Combined Chapter, Begging for Monthly Votes)

The whole realm, winds stirring from all four directions.

Li Tang's prestige had not faded with the passage of time.

On the contrary—

Beneath this rolling tide of fortune, Li Tang's prestige rose gradually across the Nine Provinces like a morning sun.

Every heart yearned for unification.

It was a shared vision born by the people of the Nine Provinces after years of devastation.

Who could stand in its way?

There was no need for Li Shimin to march out again; one after another, the regional lords came to surrender, hoping to trade the act for future wealth and glory.

This too was the ripple effect of Li Yuan's decision not to execute Dou Jiande and Wang Shichong.

That move had indeed given many people hope.

When seizing the realm was utterly hopeless, securing a lifetime of wealth and rank was itself a choice.

But for every man who surrendered, there was one who wished to fight to the last.

Yet what good would that do?

Could they hold back the Tang army with its towering prestige, or stem this rolling, overwhelming tide?

In truth, the ending had long been sealed.

The moment these men gave Li Tang the chance to consolidate its lands, the overall situation could no longer be altered.

Unless some great trouble arose within the Great Tang itself.

But before the realm was wholly unified, every problem would be pressed down beneath all of this.

It was in the sixth year of Wu De, after all territories had been fully secured.

Li Yuan at last dispatched Li Shimin once more.

Sounding the final knell of the war to unify the realm.

In fact, there was an interlude in between: someone advised Li Yuan to split the forces and send them out in several columns, letting Li Yuanji and even Crown Prince Li Jiancheng take part.

That's right, the struggle within the Tang court had already fully begun.

Still, Li Yuan ultimately refused.

This was likely the final decisive battle; Li Yuan did not want any mishaps.

This was Li Yuan's way.

Though at times he seemed to lack any will of his own, needing a push from others no matter what he did.

At the critical moment, he was still exceedingly wise.

Within the entire Great Tang, who could surpass the present Li Shimin?

Once this matter was firmly settled.

The whole Tang Ting sprang into rapid motion; from top to bottom, all hearts were united, making the final preparations for the unification of the realm.

The fourth month;

Li Shimin led two hundred thousand troops out of Guanzhong once more.

The news spread;

—The four seas boiled over!

Unlike in the past, when the realm was in chaos and the people felt only despair.

This time, wherever the great Tang army passed.

The common folk supported them with astonishing fervor.

This was naturally inseparable from the various prophecies and the Gu family's aid; the people of every region had waited far too long for a true age of prosperity.

The present Great Tang had given them hope anew.

This was the influence of the Gu family.

Through generations of restraint and effort, the Gu family had, without anyone noticing, bound itself to the rise and fall of the Nine Provinces, and severed itself from any single dynasty.

Though the Gu family had paid no small price for it.

But measured against the Gu family's dream of an enduring legacy for ten thousand generations, this could indeed be called a milestone of progress.

In Gu Yi's eyes, in fact.

The Gu family had gradually come to carry a flavor of representing the "Mandate of Heaven."

The Mandate of Heaven is the hearts of the people.

The Gu family's influence over these several hundred years had left far, far too many legends in the hearts of the Nine Provinces' people.

This was both a good thing and a bad thing.

The rise of the Gu family had indeed let the whole of the Nine Provinces avoid one sinking of the Shenzhou road, but judging by later developments, the crises ahead were no fewer.

This was something the Gu family had to bear; even he could not change it.

All things have their cause and effect.

Having enjoyed the blessings brought by these halos, having avoided one troubled age after another, one must also bear the other effects they bring; this too was unavoidable for the Gu family.

Li Shimin had only two objectives on this campaign.

One was Yuwen Huaji.

This was something Li Tang had to do at present.

As for the regional lords on all sides, Li Tang could in fact fully pardon them to display the court's grace.

But not Yuwen Huaji.

The reason was equally simple: Yuwen Huaji had slain his sovereign.

No matter what sort of man Yang Guang was, he was still the emperor of a unified dynasty; if Yuwen Huaji were let go, the consequences such an act could bring in the future were beyond reckoning.

Regardless, Yu Wenhuaji must be eliminated.

As for the second, it is Liang Shidu.

Indeed, Liang Shidu did not choose to surrender to Tang.

He placed his hopes on the Turkic Khaganate, promising the Turkic Khagan great rewards, hoping the Khagan would aid him in resisting the Tang army.

In this battle, Li Shimin's target is them.

He truly wishes to become Tang's "Ten Directions Crossing Sovereign," and has already regarded these two campaigns as his final barrier.

Even under Tang's current momentum, Li Shimin showed not the slightest slack.

He does not merely want to win!

He also wants to win the hearts of all under heaven!

Regarding Yu Wenhuaji.

Li Shimin, along with General Gu Quan and others, discussed and ultimately settled on a strategy to break the enemy's morale.

Indeed, it is morale-breaking.

Yu Wenhuaji's current subordinates are in fact former generals of Yang Guang, and these men have long yearned to return home.

Why did Yang Guang provoke a mutiny in the first place?

Not merely because of his cruelty, but most crucially because the soldiers felt no hope.

That was ultimately what triggered the mutiny.

Yu Wenhuaji naturally learned from Yang Guang's lesson; he made no effort to conceal his desire to march toward the Central Plains.

But unfortunately, he cannot achieve it.

In the current situation, he has become no different from Yang Guang, who had long lost all will to fight.

The so-called mutiny is now only one spark away.

Li Shimin naturally would not miss this opportunity; upon the advice of Gu Quan and other generals, he stationed his troops along the riverbank without showing any intention to cross.

He then sent men to bring the families and elders of the Xiangguo soldiers.

Simultaneously, he dispatched agents to secretly place floating barrels in the Yangtze, spreading prophecies such as "The Li clan holds Heaven's Mandate; a glorious age is coming."

——This is an absolute killing move.

In many cases, seemingly gentle methods are far more effective than direct assault.

In truth, Yu Wenhuaji did learn from Yang Guang's lesson.

For these remnants of the Xiangguo troops, he employed every means to pacify them.

He not only improved their treatment.

He also publicly proclaimed his determination to lead them back to the Central Plains, and additionally granted them widows and unmarried women from Jiangdu, under the guise of imperial favor, forcibly anchoring them to the land.

But these measures could not stop the prophecies.

Nor could they suppress the soldiers' longing for a glorious age or their yearning for family.

As the families and elders of the Xiangguo remnants gradually appeared along the riverbank, the situation within Jiangdu became utterly uncontrollable.

Subsequently, Li Shimin further spread the phrase: "The elders of Guanzhong await their sons' return."

This was not a prophecy—it was the plain truth.

Who would not miss their own family?

Folk songs from all over rang continuously along the Yangtze's shore, each melody possessing a kind of magic that endlessly tugged at the Xiangguo soldiers' homesickness.

In the end—

Li Shimin even had men help the soldiers' families voice their hearts, then cast the messages into the Yangtze.

Each recorded detailed addresses and names.

Naturally, this could not reach everyone.

But that did not matter.

As long as one person received it, the impact would spread to countless hearts.

Faced with Li Shimin's tactics, Yu Wenhuaji was utterly bewildered.

Compared to this, he would rather Li Shimin launch a direct attack, for long before this he had already prepared every defense for the city.

This soft blade was something he could not control at all!

He dared not restrict his soldiers' actions.

If he did, a mutiny would surely erupt, and he, this so-called emperor, would die at the hands of his own men.

But what could he do?

Yu Wenhuaji had indeed considered surrendering.

For him, merely becoming emperor was enough—but Tang would not grant him this chance; all blame for regicide had fallen solely upon him.

He could only keep fighting.

To stabilize morale, he could only offer greater rewards and tighten surveillance.

But what good would that do?

He could restrain his soldiers' actions, but not their hearts.

Beneath thick nightfall.

Within Jiangdu City.

Squad Leader Liu Kui received the mission to scout the enemy camp, but no matter how he assembled them, his normal fifty-man unit always fell several men short.

"Could there be more deserters?"

Liu Kui immediately frowned, a sense of unease rising in his chest.

Yu Wenhuaji had issued a decree.

If a deserter appeared under his command, these men would have to be punished one rank at a time.

Thinking of this, Liu Kui did not dare hesitate any longer, and hurriedly led his men toward the tents of those few people.

The atmosphere within the military camp was not good.

Liu Kui had already fully adapted to this atmosphere. He strode in with great steps, and the moment he pulled open the tent, he saw several human figures sitting inside.

"What are you doing?"

He immediately frowned, but his heart settled down at once.

As long as there were no deserters, all was well.

Then he would not have to be punished.

Yuwen Huaji had given very good treatment to these most basic officers in the army.

Take this Liu Kui, for example.

Although he was only a minor squad leader, with only fifty men under his command.

Yet here in Jiangdu, even he already had three wives, and his days were not bad at all. In the past, this would have been something he would never have dared imagine.

This truly greatly eased the homesickness of these military officers.

Likewise, this was also the most important reason Yuwen Huaji was able to hold his army together.

The Xiaoguo Army had extremely deep bonds between superior and subordinate.

Besides many fellow townsmen, there was also the friendship accumulated over years of fighting together. Controlling these people well was enough to avoid a great deal of trouble.

This was where Yuwen Huaji was clever.

As Liu Kui spoke, he walked toward the few men, wanting to give them a verbal reprimand as usual.

But just at this moment.

Those few men all turned to look at him.

In the firelight, their eyes were blood-red, and tears streamed down continuously from their gazes.

They looked at Liu Kui just like that.

The youngest among them, a fellow, opened his mouth and said: "Brother, I miss home."

In an instant, Liu Kui was stunned.

"My father died in the chaos of war. Now at home only my mother and sister are left. If I don't go back, they—they won't be able to survive either."

Rolling tears kept falling, and this fellow's hands were trembling nonstop.

This was Liu Kui's fellow townsman.

The two had known each other since childhood, which was why he addressed Liu Kui as brother.

Liu Kui remembered his parents and sister, and in his mind their faces, along with those of his own hometown's kin, flashed unbidden before him.

"Squad leader. Why do we still have to keep fighting? Didn't we agree from the start that we would go home? Can't we go home now?"

"My mother said the Gu clan has already come down from the mountains, the good days for the common folk of the realm are coming. If I don't go back, the fields at home will all go to waste."

"."

The men spoke one after another, their gazes fixed on Liu Kui the whole time.

Their voices were not loud, each one laced with the sound of weeping.

But every one of those words stabbed straight into Liu Kui's heart like a knife.

Countless memories flashed through Liu Kui at this moment. Looking at the few men before him and the brothers behind him falling silent one by one, he suddenly felt that the days in Jiangdu did not seem so wonderful after all.

He did not dare imagine what would become of his own family if he did not go back.

All his anger vanished in an instant.

Liu Kui was silent for a long while, then swept his gaze over all the brothers present. Looking at the expressions on every one of their faces, he sighed and said: "Do you all... want to go home?"

"Yes!"

"Want to go home!"

"."

The responses rang out one after another like arrows loosed from the string.

Looking at those pairs of eyes faintly lighting up, Liu Kui could not help but clench his fists, take a deep breath, and, as if he had made some decision, remain silent for a long while before speaking again:

"Let's go. I'll take my brothers home!"

This scene replayed again and again throughout the entire Jiangdu military camp.

Perhaps this is the trait of the people of Huaxia.

Home—

Is always a harbor beyond compare with anything else.

Twenty-three days!

It took only twenty-three days!

May had not even passed yet, and the entire interior of Jiangdu had completely split apart.

Yuwen Huaji exhausted every means at his disposal, yet could not turn back the hearts of men, could not reverse the overwhelming tide that came rolling in.

Li Shimin did not even need to lift a hand.

In the end, he died at the hands of his own subordinate generals.

Some brought his head to trade for wealth and rank.

To this, Li Shimin did not care in the slightest.

Watching the scene of Xiaoguo Army soldiers coming one after another to find their families and then weeping in each other's arms, he appeared utterly silent, showing not the slightest joy at having pacified another regional lord.

"What is Your Highness thinking about?"

Beside him, Gu Quan was also watching this scene and asked softly.

The people suffer terribly.

Li Shimin fell silent for a moment, then spoke slowly, "What is called Heaven's Mandate, in my view, is the people's heart."

"If my Li Tang can always win the support of all under heaven, why fear failing to unify the realm?"

His voice was utterly candid.

Upon hearing this, Gu Quan nodded in agreement.

"Ziyuan," Li Shimin turned his head slightly toward Gu Quan: "Do you truly believe I can, like Marquis Zhaolie, forge an era of peace so profound that all under heaven may rest?"

Gu Quan did not hesitate, speaking with solemn conviction: "Your Highness, I believe in you."

A faint smile touched Li Shimin's lips; he said nothing, turning his gaze once more to all that unfolded by the river, as if lost in thought.

He was still too young.

And with his ambition so unyielding, every sight stirred within him countless thoughts.

Dusk spread across the horizon, crushing the last sliver of sunset into the glinting river.

Li Shimin suddenly straightened his spine; the dark flame in his eyes was tempered by dusk into a blade, and his voice, fueled by the scorching blood in his chest, erupted: "I believe in myself!"

A heron took flight, slicing through the stagnant air.

He whirled to face Gu Quan and spoke slowly, each word weighing a thousand catties: "But now—"

"I shall wield my long spear and sweep clean the eight directions! When Shanhe is wholly restored to Tang Tu, I shall bring the Ten Thousand Crossings Envoys back to life!"

The river wind carried these words across the reed beds, startling flocks of white herons into flight; their wingbeats mingled with distant sobs, swallowed by the churning waves.

Amid the crash of tides, he stood with hands clasped behind his back, dusk outlining his figure in a sharp golden edge.

The wind lifted the strands of hair before his brow, revealing the scar across his brow—still unhealed.

It was the wound he bore from the Battle of Hulao Pass.

Blood and sunset mirrored each other.

At this very moment, the scar seemed like a divine omen, radiating an inexplicable glory before the eyes of the myriad people.

Li Shimin did not personally journey to Jiangdu.

He entrusted all matters to those he trusted, then turned his army once more toward Diaoyin City.

Though he was still himself.

But now Li Shimin had truly forged an invincible heart, his unwavering ambition guiding him ever forward on the right path.

Liang Shidu meant nothing to him.

Even if the Turks came to aid him, what then?

To Li Shimin, no one—no one at all—could stand in the way of his resolve to forge a golden age!

The army marched swiftly onward.

And with it spread the news of the Jiangdu conflict.

No, this could not be called the Battle of Jiangdu.

For from start to finish, the Tang army had remained stationed along the Yangtze, never lifting a weapon.

Yet precisely because of this, the shock it delivered to the world was unimaginable.

Aside from "Heaven's Mandate," no one knew how else to explain it to themselves.

Though Yuwen Huaji could never match the might of today's Great Tang, he was still an emperor of a realm.

And yet this man—

Even without a single clash with the Tang army, he collapsed utterly.

What else could this be but Heaven's Mandate?

The prestige of the entire Li Tang reached its zenith under these omens, especially after word spread that Li Shimin had done nothing to the surrendered soldiers, nor demanded they forcibly enlist.

The atmosphere across all Nine Provinces had changed utterly.

Everyone felt, faintly but surely, that a "golden age" was slowly descending.

At this moment, Diaoyin City.

Liang Shidu was utterly despairing.

He never imagined Yuwen Huaji could be so worthless—in just twenty-three days, he had not even fought the Tang army, yet lost everything.

Because of this, facing the rolling tide of the Tang army, he had lost all hope.

If only he could—

Liang Shidu now truly wished to surrender to Great Tang.

But unfortunately, he had already sought aid from the Turks, paying heavy prices and revealing how deeply the Turks feared the fall of the Nine Provinces to Tang Tu.

He had not even mentioned Li Yuan—only Li Shimin's ambition.

—The Ten Thousand Crossings Envoys.

Even after all these years, this title still rang terrifyingly loud among the barbarian tribes.

Gu Chen had once shattered all the barbarian tribes!

Though to the Turks, Gu Chen had no special title among them.

But the reason was—

For back then, they were still pitifully weak, unworthy even of Gu Chen's notice—how could they have earned a name for him?

Yet among the Turks, tales of Gu Chen were no fewer.

For the Xiongnu and Rouran, whom they once served, had been broken by Gu Chen.

Naturally, they had suffered greatly from the impact.

Added to this were Li Shimin's growing fame and the Gu clan's support—forcing the Turkic Khagan to take notice.

Now that he wished to surrender, how could he possibly?

At that time, talk of wealth and honor would be meaningless.

The Turks would swallow him whole.

At this point, he has no choice but to face the Tang army head-on.

Li Shimin has truly changed.

He no longer fixes all his attention solely on unifying the realm; for this coming battle, his plan is to crush Liang Shidu into surrender through sheer force.

This is not arrogance.

It is the confidence granted to him by the situation.

In fact, this plan was initially proceeding very smoothly.

Facing the overwhelming might of the Tang army, no one dared resist along its path—cities opened their gates and surrendered one after another.

Though some loyalists remained.

Unwilling to bear the stigma of betraying their lord, they sought to make a last stand.

But the tide of popular sentiment was too terrifying; in areas the Tang army passed through, even civilians killed their own officials before surrendering to Great Tang.

Yet as the Tang army drew closer to Diaoyin City,

this situation gradually changed.

Because Turkic forces arrived and took control of these soldiers' families.

Refuse to resist, and their families would be executed.

This was, in fact, a hallmark of feudal times.

Using soldiers' families to indirectly control the entire army, forcing them to resist the Tang.

It did work—it slowed the Tang army's advance.

Of course, such tactics were bound to be futile.

If Li Shimin wished, he could simply lead his main force to crush them; Liang Shidu's troops alone could never stand against today's Tang army.

Yet unexpectedly—

Li Shimin halted his advance. After capturing several cities, he ordered the Tang army to halt and take up stationary positions.

Tang army encampment.

"Your Highness, why do you wish to meet the Turkic Khagan?"

"He is openly declaring war against Great Tang! He had a prior agreement with Your Majesty, yet over these years they have repeatedly broken it—they are a pack of insatiable wolves!"

"Exactly! Are they mocking Great Tang's lack of men? How dare they?"

"."

One after another, angry shouts rose up.

Regarding Li Shimin's plan to send envoys to meet the Turkic Khagan, the officers were all highly agitated.

Not only for the sake of glory, but also out of confusion.

They did not believe the Turks could stop the Tang army.

Looking at these furious officers before him, Li Shimin's expression remained calm; he shook his head and said, "They are all sons of Jiuzhou. If not necessary, why should we kill each other?"

True, the realm has not yet been fully unified.

But Li Shimin now regards all these people as subjects of Great Tang.

This is not feminine softness.

It is a sliver of mercy Li Shimin holds for the common people, after witnessing too much of their blood and tears.

Jiuzhou truly needs rest and recovery now.

Every battle avoided means less blood and tears for the people.

This is the true reason Li Shimin wishes to meet the Turkic Khagan.

Hearing this, the officers fell silent, yet the fire in their eyes remained undimmed.

But at that moment—

Gu Quan suddenly stepped forward, bowed to Li Shimin, and declared loudly, "Your Highness is wise. If the people of the realm knew, they would surely cherish Your Highness's benevolence."

Instantly, all officers lowered their heads.

If both Li Shimin and Gu Quan supported the strategy, there could be no further change.

What more could they say?

Li Shimin paid no mind to the officers' complex expressions; he turned to Gu Quan: "Ziyuan, will you accompany me?"

The Gu clan's influence among foreign peoples is unmatched by any other.

"I am willing to go," Gu Quan said without hesitation, immediately bowing.

The news spread instantly.

Jiali Khagan did not hesitate—he immediately agreed.

To him, he truly did not believe Li Shimin could replicate the achievements of Gu Chen of old.

This was normal.

Throughout all of history, how many have ever reached Gu Chen's level?

He himself wished to see this young man whose prestige now shook Jiuzhou—just what manner of man he was.

Under these circumstances, both sides definitively settled the matter—in a strangely unspoken accord.

—Li Shimin would bring only a hundred horsemen.

Yes, only a hundred horsemen.

For both sides, bringing too many troops would render this meeting meaningless.

Even Jiali Khagan, upon seeing this, was momentarily stunned.

He instantly formed some judgment about Li Shimin in his heart.

This guy's nerve is terrifyingly bold!

These mere hundred cavalry could never protect Li Shimin; if he wished, he could easily detain Li Shimin at any moment.

But even so.

Li Shimin showed not the slightest fear, calmly walking into the tent with Gu Quan.

"The Qin Wang arrives with a hundred cavalry—do you not fear I'll keep you as a guest?"

Jiali Khan looked at these two young men with sharp features and resolute eyes, and suddenly curled his lips, speaking with a threatening tone.

He still spoke Han Chinese.

This too was a change brought about by all that Gu Ye's generation had done.

Though it failed to alter the rise of the Tujue, it did spread the culture of the Nine Provinces outward.

"If the Khan wishes to keep guests, why wait until today?"

Li Shimin's expression remained unchanged; he smiled at Jiali Khan: "Had I not allied with the Khan in days past, how could the Li clan have reached today?"

The tent fell silent instantly.

But Li Shimin paid no heed, sitting down beside them right before everyone's eyes, then continuing: "Why has the Khan repeatedly broken our alliance and harassed my Great Tang?"

No diplomacy. No maneuvering.

Li Shimin's first words struck straight to the heart of the matter.

"Hmph!" Jiali Khan sneered coldly: "I only promised to let your Li clan rise. Now you've seized half the Nine Provinces—how can that old pact still hold?"

—In plain terms, the payment was insufficient.

Interest has always been the core of every dispute.

Li Shimin seemed to have anticipated all this already; he smiled again: "If so, why not wait until the Great Tang unifies all under heaven?"

"Hm?" Jiali Khan immediately frowned.

Li Shimin then began recounting the trade routes built by Gu Ye, while Gu Quan beside him filled in the gaps.

Though the realm has fallen into chaos once more,

these regions have all been affected.

But the influence of this trade route remains, and the value it has generated is no secret.

Li Shimin's idea was simple.

That is, to use future gains to avoid this war and swiftly unify all under heaven.

And this move would benefit the people of the Nine Provinces as well—truly a win-win strategy.

Jiali Khan listened intently.

He never expected Li Shimin would speak of these things to him.

In truth, for him,

this was indeed a good thing. The Tujue had risen, yet still could not escape the fatal weakness of nomadic peoples.

—Severely insufficient productivity.

If the Nine Provinces stabilized and trade could begin, it would indeed be beneficial.

He naturally would be tempted.

But a disguised negotiation could hardly end so quickly?

When Li Shimin finished, Jiali Khan sneered dismissively: "A mere royal clansman—what audacity to discuss such matters with me?"

He clearly knew Li Shimin's identity.

At this, Li Shimin immediately dropped his smile, gazing steadily at Jiali Khan: "And what if I am a royal clansman?"

"If one day I become the Ten Directions Crossing Commander, could I secure this agreement?"

—Ten Directions Crossing Commander!

These five simple characters instantly drew every eye.

Even Jiali Khan's expression grew slightly more serious, yet he still sneered: "Ten Directions Crossing Commander? Does the Qin Wang think he can rival the ancient Wolf That Chased the Sun?"

He paused slightly.

Then slowly raised his hand, his entire demeanor turning colder: "You're just a child—how dare you be so arrogant?"

The moment he finished speaking,

several soldiers burst into the tent, all wielding weapons.

Gu Quan did not hesitate—he stepped directly in front of Li Shimin.

But Li Shimin never changed expression; he glanced at the soldiers, then at Jiali Khan, and spoke again: "You may refuse to believe me, but this will become fact."

"Do you truly believe you can protect Liang Shidu?"

He did not believe Jiali Khan was unaware of the changes in the Nine Provinces.

The tide of the Nine Provinces had already arrived—no one could stop it.

This was Li Shimin's greatest confidence in coming here.

With military might as leverage, and profit as bait;

a man as greedy as Jiali Khan could not help but be tempted.

Indeed, as soon as Li Shimin spoke these words, Jiali Khan's expression shifted slightly again; he studied Li Shimin carefully and said: "Do you truly not fear I'll kill you today?"

"A true man dies as he must—this is what Marquis Zhaolie once said." Li Shimin rose slowly, meeting Jiali Khan's gaze: "You may kill me today."

"But I am certain,"

"if you kill me today, you will never have another chance!"

—After laying out the benefits, the threat must follow.

Li Shimin thoroughly understood the art of negotiation.

The atmosphere inside the tent grew increasingly tense.

Jilie Khan fixed his gaze on Li Shimin, as if weighing options in his mind, while Li Shimin said nothing more, only gripping the hilt of his waist sword.

Time passed slowly.

Gu Quan stood always before Li Shimin, his eyes unwavering, as if ready to strike at any moment.

Thus passed a moment.

Jilie Khan finally seemed to make his decision; his gaze slowly turned to Gu Quan, and a faint smile appeared on his face: "This mighty warrior is extraordinary—where are you from?"

Though he did not directly agree, his sudden shift in tone had already revealed his stance.

"Gu family, Gu Ziyuan." Gu Quan did not even look at him as he spoke.

——Gu family!

Upon hearing those two words, Jilie Khan's expression changed instantly; he studied Gu Quan intently, then waved his hand to order the soldiers away.

The atmosphere inside the tent instantly softened.

"Truly, heroes emerge in youth," Jilie Khan said with a smile, looking at Li Shimin and Gu Quan. "I accept this matter."

"But—"

He changed tack: "The things Liang Shidu promised me, I shall take with me."

"Agreed," Li Shimin said without concern.

At this, Jilie Khan's smile deepened.

Without anyone noticing, Liang Shidu, that so-called emperor, had already been completely sold out.

Though no special ceremony took place, the two reaffirmed their alliance.

And immediately after the alliance was sealed,

Jilie Khan showed no hesitation, leading his troops away at once.

And this was exactly as Li Shimin, Gu Quan, and the others had expected.

He emptied Liang Shidu's treasury entirely, revealing his greed in full.

When Li Shimin led his army into Diaoyin City, some soldiers still asked whether it had been worth it.

After all, in many minds,

had they simply stormed the city, all these riches might have become Tang's by force.

Li Shimin's gaze burned like fire, his expression utterly calm; he spoke with unwavering clarity: "Gold, silver, and treasures are but external things; grain and supplies are merely ordinary reserves."

He paused slightly, his words carrying undeniable resolve: "Yet in exchange for these meager goods, we secure the survival of tens of thousands of soldiers and spare hundreds of thousands of commoners from slaughter—how could such a balance be doubted?"

"Worth or not—none of you have the right to judge!"

A simple sentence, with not a trace of hesitation.

(Ps: Two chapters in one—begging for monthly votes, brothers, please support me! Yu is deeply grateful and will work hard to update, never letting you down!!!)

(End of Chapter)