The nobles on the grassland felt that this Tang prince was different from others. Others continued with the old ways, and after the Tang army left, they could act tyrannically on the grassland again. However, this Tang prince wanted to change the ideas of the common people on the grassland, which shook their foundation.
For thousands of years, the grasslands have continued to live in this traditional way: the master is the master, the slave is the slave, and no one has any other ideas. Even if someone wants to stand up and challenge, it can only be a matter of a few people. Now the people of the Tang Dynasty are advocating a fair life. If these herdsmen really learn it, the lives of these masters will be difficult.
If it were in the past, if anyone dared to spread heretical doctrines here, they would have simply raised their sabers and killed those people. But now they are all losers, and there are not many soldiers in the tribe. Most of the soldiers are under the control of the Tang Dynasty army, and some have been sent directly to Chang'an City to be beheaded. Those are bloody heads, and no one wants to think that they will be among the next batch.
Although they had realized that the Tang army might overthrow their rule, or at least change their rule, none of these people dared to stand up and resist. This was mainly because Li Xiang had swung his sword so fiercely a while ago that it directly cut off these people's courage.
Now they hate Xueyantuo to death. If we hadn't followed Xueyantuo's people to cause trouble, why would we have ended up like this?
Just as they were cursing Xueyantuo Khan, in a tent further north, Xueyantuo Khan sneezed violently, wondering who was thinking of him.
This place is not far from what the Han people call the North Sea. You can imagine what the weather is like here. The temperature on Li Xiang's side is about minus 15 degrees Celsius, and the temperature here has reached minus 30 degrees Celsius. It can almost be said that a breath can freeze. There are no moving objects outside, and the air is foggy.
Xueyantuo Khan was in his warm tent. His tent was different from others. It was made of precious furs, and there were several braziers inside, so he didn't feel cold even if he drank with his bare chest inside. But it was not the same for the soldiers outside. Many of them were frostbitten, but they had escaped from the south this time. Many things were lost on the way, and they had nothing left after returning.
The nomadic people in the north are so poor that they may only have one belonging. When you lose it, you can only endure it even if you return to the base camp.
Take many soldiers who went to war for example. They wore fur clothes, but when they came back, they threw them everywhere. Now they have no winter clothes. Some people's hands and feet are already frozen black. Their companions next to them are sharpening knives. These frozen black areas must be cut off. If they are left on, they will spread to the whole body.
Every winter, they live a worse life than the people on the Turkic steppes because they are located further north, which means they have less stored food and more livestock freeze to death.
"Pour the wine, pour it for me quickly."
Ever since Xueyantuo Khan came back, he has been drinking in his tent. He couldn't believe his miserable defeat. Although he escaped alive this time, he lost 20,000 of his most elite troops on the Xiongnu grassland. That was the foundation of his survival. Fortunately, all the tribes have been weakened now. If he was the only one who suffered losses, the leaders of the tribes would have come to force him to abdicate.
"Khan, you've already drunk quite a bit."
A beautiful woman next to her had just said something when she was kicked aside by Xueyantuo Khan.
This was his most favored concubine, but at this moment he had lost his mind. No matter who stopped him from drinking, he would be punished. He was the one who had killed his guards a few days ago. Everyone around him felt that the Khan had lost his mind.
"Even you think I'm no longer capable, right? It's just a defeat, isn't it? Victory and defeat are common in the military. When spring arrives next year, I'll lead you all to attack Chang'an."
The Khan could no longer stand, but he still kept pouring wine into his mouth. If he wasn't drunk, he would see the brothers who followed him to the war when he closed his eyes. Only by getting himself drunk every day could he not remember the tragic events of that day.
As for the idea of marching towards Chang'an, not only would the people here not believe it, even the animals at the gate wouldn't believe it. Do you know how far it is from here to Chang'an? Do you know how many Tang troops are along the way?
Hearing that the Khan had collapsed, the ministers outside breathed a sigh of relief and prepared to go back. The Khan would call them together every day, saying that he wanted to discuss countermeasures, but they did nothing but drink.
If there hadn't been this damn blizzard, they would still be able to organize an army of tens of thousands. If they could launch a few sneak attacks on the grassland, they would still have a chance of winning. After all, this is their hometown. No matter how brave and good at fighting the Tang army is, it is still somewhat inappropriate on the grassland.
But after this snowstorm, all ideas are useless. People can't even open their eyes in the blizzard, let alone attack others. If you want to attack others in such weather, you will probably be frozen to death on the road.
The Xueyantuo desperately needed a victory. The atmosphere of failure permeated the entire society. Many people had even said that when the Tang army arrived in the spring of next year, they would surrender without hesitation to save their lives. As for the so-called grassland honor, it had nothing to do with them. If they had lost their lives, what was the point of honor?
"Oh no, Khan. Something has happened, Khan."
Xueyantuo Khan had already fallen asleep, but an urgent report came from outside, which made everyone's heart rise to their throat. Could it be that the Tang army was coming? In such weather, would the Tang army dare to attack?
"Are you trying to kill yourself? Don't you know where this is?"
Someone broke in yesterday, so the Khan's personal guards were killed. Today, the personal guard grabbed the man and he didn't want to be killed again.
"Get out of here! Go and tell the Khan that the Left Grand Commandant and his men have defected to the Tang Dynasty."
When these words were spoken, the Khan's guards loosened their grip unnaturally. This...