The Khan of Western Turkic Khaganate was heartbroken at this moment. Using these people's heads to stop the rumors was too high a price to pay. But thinking about Li Xiang's expression just now, he had to do this. If he didn't, it might bring war to the Turkic Khaganate. Could the Turkic Khaganate now withstand the attack of the Tang Dynasty?
As for General Kang Ying, the Western Turkic Khan had received secret reports long ago that General Kang Ying had close contacts with the Tang army generals. Perhaps there were some other things going on between the two sides, but this was not certain.
In addition to what Li Xiang said just now, General Kang Ying is very likely his man. The army led by this guy is the elite of the entire Western Turkestan. If he really became Li Xiang's man, the Western Turkestan would have been defeated before the war even started.
"Is His Royal Highness the Crown Prince satisfied?"
After hearing what Abalasha said, the Western Turkic Khan wanted to slap him in the face. Look at you, you dog slave. Who is your master?
But he didn't dare to do so now. After all, Abalasha bowed her head for him. You were too arrogant just now and almost plunged the entire Turkic Empire into war. Now I will pretend to be your grandson to help you smooth things over. If you still want to punish me, who will work for you in the future? I'm afraid there will be no second person in the entire Western Turkic Empire who can do that.
"That's all for now. Now let's get on with the second thing. You Western Turks can't station so many troops around Gaochang. If you do, we'll have to station more troops accordingly. If there's a conflict between the two sides, who can stop it?"
After hearing what Li Xiang said, Abalasha was confused for a moment. He originally thought that what they were going to discuss today was the matter of King Qi Li You, but how come the garrison in the border area suddenly arrived?
"Your Highness, aren't we here today to discuss this palace matter? As for the border issues, how about we discuss them another day..."
Some things had plans, so he, as the prime minister, could make the decision. But there were no plans for border affairs, so how could he make the decision casually? Moreover, the Western Turkic Khan had no way of conveying his message to him with just a few simple gestures. If he misunderstood his meaning, he might be guilty of a capital crime.
"The Khan and the Prime Minister are both here. Why should we postpone this? It would be in all our interests to settle this matter today. What do you think, Khan?"
Li Xiang took the edict and placed it in front of the Western Turkic Khan. This edict is of no use until you use the seal.
The Western Turkic Khan never expected that Li Xiang would actually turn back. He originally thought that this guy would acquiesce to the current situation. He and Abalasha discussed in the yard outside, and the Western Turkic Khan listened in the yard inside. He really didn't expect that Li Xiang would not play by the rules.
"Your Highness is right. The border area is not suitable for having so many troops, but we also have to ensure the security of the border area, so I plan to withdraw 20,000 cavalry."
The Western Turkic Khan knew that this negotiation opportunity was hard to come by, and that stationing so many people in the border area would cost a lot of money every month. General Kang Ying was no longer trusted, so withdrawing the 20,000 royal cavalry could be considered as getting back a trump card.
"Or you should withdraw more. You Western Turks have a total of 80,000 troops in the border area. If you are worried about our Tang army, then keep your 20,000 most elite royal cavalry. As for the rest of the troops, I think it would be better to withdraw them all. If they are all in the border area, the monthly expenses you spend will not be small."
Li Xiang had long seen clearly what the Western Turkic Khan was thinking, so he had already made preparations for you. Your elite troops cannot be withdrawn. They must be within the guns of our Tang Dynasty. As long as we keep an eye on your most elite troops, the rest of these people will not be able to make any waves.
"Your Highness the Crown Prince..."
The Western Turkic Khan was very angry. "Are you telling me what to do? I am the Khan of the Western Turkic Khanate and one of the most powerful people in the entire Western Regions. Now you are doing this. Do you really treat us Western Turks like dirt?"
"I'm doing this for the safety of both sides. If there are too many troops on the border, it will be difficult for us to maintain peace. More people means more conflicts. One today, another tomorrow. When people die, there will be hatred. Then no one will have a good life."
Li Xiang's words were full of danger, but the Western Turkic Khan really believed it, fearing that if he did not agree to Li Xiang's request, a state of war would be launched. They had just started a war because of a matter involving Prince Li You of Qi, and now it was the border garrison that was involved. It was difficult to guarantee that Li Xiang would not start a war.
"Your Highness is right. To maintain peace on the border, this Khan will leave behind 20,000 elite Royal Court cavalrymen, and all remaining personnel will be withdrawn."
The Western Turkic Khan gritted his teeth and said that his most elite army was under the threat of the Tang army, but General Kang Ying was able to bring back the rest of the army. Those people were the elite under General Kang Ying and had followed him for quite some time. If there was a conflict between the Western Turkic Khan and General Kang Ying, those people would stand by General Kang Ying without hesitation.
Abalasha also discovered that Li Xiang was indeed a capable guy. With just a few words, he had planted an unstable factor in the Western Turkestan. This unstable factor might plunge the Western Turkestan into civil war at any time.
Under such circumstances, the Khan would certainly no longer trust General Kang Ying, and the friendship between the two in their early years would be of no use. The Khan would certainly be suspicious of General Kang Ying and would further divide the power in General Kang Ying's hands.
But General Kang Ying also comes from a very large tribe, and the internal forces are very powerful. You want to disperse his subordinates. Do you think this is possible?
Nowadays, no one is a fool, and no one wants to be divided smaller and smaller. Although the Western Turks are ruled by the Khan, the tribes are the closest to each other.
This is the way of ruling on the grassland. In normal times, the Khan does not need to care about the lives of the tribes. He only needs to recruit soldiers from their tribes during wartime. However, there must be a prerequisite, that is, your royal court tribe must be the strongest. This is somewhat similar to the Tuyuhun grassland. What Li Xiang has to do now is to provoke internal turmoil among you.