r18novel Page 363
Page 363
At this moment, Huo Qubing also stepped forward, cupped his hands, and said, "Welcome back General Li in triumph!"
Li Cunxiao chuckled, "I rushed day and night, but you still beat me to it."
Li Cunxiao was honored that Huo Qubing came to greet him.
The young general exclaimed excitedly, "No one in the world understands surprise attacks on foreign tribes better than me!"
"You're only three days later than me? I'm truly impressed!"
Li Cunxiao, a fierce and courageous general, patted Huo Qubing on the shoulder and said, "I accidentally got lost this time, which is why I'm three days later than you!"
"I'll definitely be faster than you next time!"
Huo Qubing believed it to be true, "So people with the surname Li are all prone to getting lost..."
Zhuge Liang took the hands of the two generals and said with great satisfaction, "Both of you are His Highness's right-hand men. With you two here, His Highness's great cause will surely succeed!"
"Let's go, His Highness has prepared a grand banquet to celebrate the victories of the two generals!"
The people of Shazhou along the way were packed with people, and their cheers echoed through the sky.
"The Iron Cavalry of Shazhou are invincible!"
"Welcome back General Li in triumph!"
"Long live Your Highness the Tang Emperor!"
Within three days, they went out of the city twice to welcome the army.
However, they had been bullied by foreign races for a long time and had been waiting for this day.
The people's worries that Li Chang'an couldn't withstand the pressure from Beiliang gradually subsided.
If they can slaughter even foreign tribes like this, what chance do they have against the mere Northern Liang?
After this bloody expedition, the 50,000 refugee cavalrymen have been completely transformed into a mighty army.
A few days later, twenty tribal chiefs were taken to the execution ground.
The once rampaging, unruly grassland warriors now fill their eyes with fear, completely devoid of any leader's spirit.
Because of these people, countless families in Shazhou have been destroyed and lives lost. Now, retribution has finally come.
Lingchi!
The cleaver fell one slice after another on these burly men, and the leaders who had initially been somewhat defiant eventually all became begging worms.
"Your Highness, please grant me a quick death!"
"We will never dare to harass Shazhou again!"
Screams and pleas for mercy filled the execution ground. Many people from the five prefectures came specifically to get a piece of the beasts' flesh.
Some of them had their wives and daughters taken away, some had their entire families killed, and some were enslaved by foreigners for many years.
Such deep-seated hatred found its release and catharsis in the screams of the alien leader.
They picked up pieces of flesh from the leaders' bodies, swallowed them with blood, but this still couldn't quell their hatred!
On this day, the Tang emperor issued an order from the depths of the Western Rong grasslands.
If any tribes have abducted the people of Shazhou, return and release them as soon as possible, or face annihilation by our iron cavalry!
The tribes that Li Cunxiao and Huo Qubing destroyed were only the tribes that had bullied Shazhou the most.
Deep in the grasslands, there are still many scattered tribes.
Three months later, more than 70,000 people from Shazhou were returned to their homes in various places.
These people settled down in the newly reclaimed Gaochang County, and many others volunteered to join the army to guard their new homeland.
Because those who were abducted were mostly young men and women, ten thousand new soldiers were formed from among them.
These new recruits are perfect for guarding Gaochang County, but no foreign tribes will dare to attack Li Chang'an in the short term.
In the past six months, the Northern Barbarians sent out small groups of troops to probe Shazhou, but they were all met with fierce resistance by Gu Dazu and his Mo Dao soldiers and refugee infantry.
Although the Northern Barbarians have a million-strong army, they are not currently in command of a unified force for war, so their forces are relatively dispersed.
Moreover, Li Chang'an's killing of Hong Jingyan and his group was a test by Northern Mang, as Shazhou was not a core interest of Northern Mang.
General Zhong Shentong was still consolidating his forces, intending to launch a large-scale attack on Shazhou to avenge his brothers.
However, the Northern Mang leadership had another opinion: they wanted to join forces with Shazhou to break through Northern Liang.
In their eyes, the 350,000-strong Northern Liang army was their most trusted confidant.
For a time, the two opinions were deadlocked, and no decision was made in a short period of time.
Meanwhile, some tribes at the border between the Western Rong and the Northern Mang were also in constant unease.
Some of them had looted Shazhou and were worried about Li Chang'an's retaliation.
There were also some weaker ones who had never plundered, but were still afraid of Li Chang'an's massacre.
After all, Li Chang'an has now become a demon on the grasslands.
The Huyan tribe is a weak tribe, and now they live in constant fear.
Because he not only had to face possible crackdowns in Shazhou, but also attacks from large tribes.
Just a few days ago, the large Pugu tribe attacked them and robbed them of many horses and women.
Because the grassland tribes dared not plunder the sandy areas, they could only devour each other.
The Pugu tribe declared that if the Huyan tribe handed over the grassland pearl, Huyan Guanyin, they would spare the Huyan tribe.
Chief Huyan Dashan was frowning all day long, not knowing how to break the deadlock, and he was unwilling to hand over his daughter no matter what.
Just then, his daughter, Huyan Guanyin, gave him an idea.
"Father, let your daughter go to Shazhou."
Huyan Guanyin was not her biological daughter, but an abandoned baby that Huyan Dashan found outside the tribe.
However, what he didn't know was that this woman possessed great fortune and was a descendant of the Northern Mang royal family.
Huyan Guanyin was extremely beautiful, with a graceful and enchanting figure, and was a famous beauty on the grassland.
In the original novel, the top five on the Rouge Ranking are: Nangong Pushe, Chen Yu, Jiang Si, Huyan Guanyin, and Pei Nanwei.
Huyan Dashan's eyes widened, wondering if he had misheard.
"Daughter, have you gone mad! What are you doing going to Shazhou? That's the territory of the great demon Li Chang'an!"
For these small tribes, Shazhou was a place teeming with skilled warriors, strong and well-equipped, and ruthless in their attacks.
Huyan Guanyin said, "Father, even if we offer me to the Pugu tribe, they cannot guarantee our safety."
“We have always made a living by herding horses and sheep. We have never plundered Shazhou and are not enemies of Shazhou.”
"Only by offering our daughters to the Tang king and making the tribe a loyal vassal of the Tang king can we truly guarantee the safety of our people."
Huyan Dashan said, "You've also heard about the hatred the people of Shazhou have for the grassland people. The Tang King even had twenty tribal leaders executed by slow slicing!"
"Moreover, I, Huyan Dashan, would never do something like selling my daughter for personal gain!"
Huyan Guanyin continued her analysis, “Father, it’s not that you’re selling your daughter for personal gain; this is my own decision.”
“If we don’t make a decision soon, our people will be killed or taken away by the big tribes, and our daughters will fall into their hands.”
"Instead of waiting to die, we should send our daughter to Shazhou to try. After all, the Tang King's targets of revenge are the tribes that have plundered Shazhou."
Huyan Dashan knew that Huyan Guanyin wanted to offer herself to the Tang Emperor in exchange for the protection of the tribe in Shazhou.
The people of the grasslands had all heard that the Tang emperor was surrounded by beautiful women.
"But... it seems that the Tang King does not accept women from the grasslands. Some small tribes have tried to do the same before, but the Tang King has rejected them all."
Huyan Guanyin said confidently, "Father, but your daughter is different."
Huyan Dashan knew that this daughter was indeed extraordinary, even more beautiful and charming than the women in the Northern Mang imperial palace.
He hesitated for a long time, but finally made up his mind.
“Daughter, I’ll go with you. That way, it will show our determination to submit.”
"If the Tang Emperor wants to kill me, as long as he is willing to protect our people, I will die without regret!"
After discussing the matter, the father and daughter led several hundred elite soldiers and rushed to Shazhou overnight to seek help and surrender.
To the surprise of Huyan Dashan and his daughter, Li Chang'an actually arranged a time to meet with them.
What they didn't know was that Li Chang'an valued luck extremely much, and now Jiang Si's luck was gradually being transferred to Li Chang'an.
This Huyan Guanyin is also blessed with great fortune, which can help Li Chang'an accelerate his cultivation. Moreover, she is a character on the Rouge List in the original novel.
Three days later, Qingniao led Huyan Guanyin and her father into the palace.
Huyan Dashan and Huyan Guanyin were extremely cautious and tense throughout the journey, keeping their eyes fixed straight ahead.
After all, they came to what's known as a dragon's den and a tiger's lair.
After passing through several corridors, the three saw a figure in white at a low doorway.
She was an exceptionally beautiful nun, with skin as white as porcelain, barefoot on the ground, and as beautiful as a fairy.
Although the white-robed nun was dressed in Tantric Buddhist attire, long, flowing black hair had already grown on her head.