Seeing the army retreating, General Kang Ying felt relieved. At least the war could be avoided. But when General Kang Ying returned to the tent and saw the people in front of him, he felt a little sad again.
These people are all the general's trusted subordinates, and now they all have troubled expressions on their faces. They are afraid that they will be in great danger after returning this time. Now there are rumors flying around in the royal city, saying that the general has surrendered to the Tang Dynasty and is very likely to be the second Wadahan.
This troop movement was enough to prove that the suspicions above had reached a substantive stage. All the troops of General Kang Ying were mobilized back to the rear, and 20,000 royal cavalry remained in the border area.
Originally, this was a good thing for the general. He could lead his army home and let his brothers and family meet. However, the Khan came with another decree, which was to let General Kang Ying stay in the border area to command 20,000 royal cavalry.
This meant separating the general and his tribal cavalry. This would seemingly increase the burden on the general's shoulders and potentially weaken the 20,000 imperial cavalry. But what would become of his men once they returned to the royal city? The Khan would certainly not allow them to remain together, as this would set the stage for disintegration, ultimately costing the general his life.
"What are you all still standing there for? Your army has already set off. Do you still want to wait here? According to our agreement with the Tang Dynasty, you must leave before sunset today. Don't waste your time here. When you return, do your job well and obey the Khan's orders."
The general tried his best to keep his voice calm so as not to let his subordinates see that he was dissatisfied. If his subordinates saw it, they would probably not want to go back. Now they were in a critical situation. If any more gossip came out, the general's life would be even more difficult.
"General, don't you see it? You've sent all of us back, leaving you behind. This is an attempt to divide and disintegrate us. The Khan's tactics are far from clever. He's stayed in the royal city, listened to some rumors, and is now planning to use us as his prey. How can this work?"
Now is the last moment. If these words are not said, there may not be a chance to say them in the future. These generals have fought bloody battles for the Western Turks, but now when they go back, they may have to be separated from their own army. The Khan will not allow them to have these armies because these people are not trusted.
"What nonsense are you talking about? Who gave you the right to speak like that? Have you forgotten? Our entire Turkic people belong to the Khan. Don't think that the army under your command is your own. If you have such thoughts, I will chop you down first to prevent you from causing trouble when you return to the royal city."
What General Kang Ying was most worried about happened. He was still loyal to the Turks, but he didn't want any deviation, such as a war with the Tang Dynasty. If a war really broke out, according to current estimates, the Western Turks had no chance of winning, so he deliberately helped the Tang Dynasty. But now the situation is different, and the superiors are full of suspicion towards him.
"General, don't you see? We're not causing trouble. Let's not even talk about the life we've been through on the front lines. We're living in fear every day, with our heads on the line. But what good is that? The higher-ups still don't trust us. The current deployment says it all. We all need to be prepared."
The men spoke bitterly, saying that besides worrying about the general, they were also worried about their own lives. If they returned to the Khan's service, how could he possibly treat them well? He would definitely deprive them of their military power first. If they showed any dissatisfaction, the Khan's army would probably come to their door.
"Bullshit! Who told you to take action? Do you know what the situation is like now? We have just concluded peace talks with the Tang Dynasty. The entire country is in an extremely dangerous situation. If you mobilize your troops at will, then we Turks will give the Tang Dynasty an opportunity."
General Kang Ying slammed the table. The thing he was most worried about happened. He could see clearly that the danger facing the Turks now was not an internal problem, but a dangerous external cause.
The reason why the Tang army did not take action this time was because their strength was not strong enough. However, if the Turks experienced a civil strife, then the strength of the Turks would drop significantly. At that time, the Tang Dynasty would have an opportunity. At that time, no one could stop Li Xiang, and he would most likely sweep across the entire Turks.
"That being said, are we just going to sit back and watch the Khan weaken us? I have quite a few friends in the Royal City. The Khan has been summoning people from below one after another these days just to divide us."
There are still some people who refuse to give up. They fantasize that General Kang Ying will stand up and lead them to rebel against the Khan. Although they don't want to cause internal division, they must let the Khan know how powerful we are. If we don't let the Khan know how powerful we are, he will continue to do so.
"All of you, shut up! Don't discuss this matter anymore. Just remember that we are a Turkic people. Everything we have is brought by the Khan. Then you will be worthy of me. No matter what happens in the future, no one can resist the Khan, otherwise I will kill him with the first blow."
General Kang Ying is a person who takes the overall situation into consideration. He certainly knows the current specific situation. If he does not do this, the future situation will probably make them very passive. What the Tang Dynasty needs now is an opportunity. He thought that the Khan would be aware of this, but he did not expect that the Khan would do anything for the power in his hands.
General Kang Ying also wanted to go back and scold him to wake him up, but the Khan did not give him the chance at all. He asked him to continue to stay at the front line and reduce the army to 20,000 people. In this way, the Tang Dynasty would not pursue him. Moreover, these people were not the core troops under General Kang Ying, and they would not listen to Kang Ying.
Under the general's insistence, his men had no choice but to mount their warhorses. As for what they were thinking, only they themselves knew. Their morale was broken...