Tumeng: I am a national advisor in the Golden Family

After these people are released, they will form a deterrent, letting these Western countries know how powerful the Mongolian army is. Publicizing flying weapons can make the Western countries even more fearful, and even make them surrender without a fight.

Even if they did not surrender to him, they would be extremely afraid of his westward expedition army and would not dare to fight with him, because these Western monarchs and lords were not fools.

Faced with a weapon that flies and can attack you from the sky, they have no way to defend themselves.

At that time, he would express his intention to withdraw his troops and announce that the entire Ross region was under his protection. Then the strategic goal of this Western Expedition could be perfectly achieved.

By then, once we show our willingness for peace, these European monarchs will be eager to agree to peace talks, and may even let them pay some price for the peace talks in exchange for the Mongols not to invade them westward in the future.

"This is a good idea. If we let these people go, the Western monarchs will know our interests.

Then why don't you release the 30,000 prisoners together? If there are more people, it will be easier for people to believe what you say!" Cha Tuohua asked.

He knows these Western countries very well. If you ask them to pay money to redeem the nobles, these Western countries will pay without hesitation.

Even these noble families would pay themselves, and the king would also help some small nobles who could not afford to pay.

In a word, as long as you are a noble, you will receive preferential treatment.

But if you ask them to redeem these ordinary soldiers, that would be impossible during the war with Egypt a few years ago.

The ordinary French soldiers who were captured with the French king were left on that land permanently and forced to change their beliefs.

Therefore, these ordinary soldiers stayed here just to be serfs. After the construction of the city of Novgro was completed, they would be of no use to them.

Keeping them here would be a complete waste of food, so it would be better to let them play their final role and go back to spread the word about the power of the Daqian Empire.

"As long as they don't go to war with us and maintain peace, I will release the remaining 30,000 prisoners when we withdraw. I don't think it's appropriate to let them go now, as it will give them the feeling that I'm showing weakness." Zhang Dingguan said.

Letting these more than 3 Western European prisoners go back would have no impact on him at all, but it would be a bit embarrassing.

After all, he released these 30,000 people without paying any price. People who didn't know would think that he was afraid of those Western monarchs!

"You silly boy, you don't understand this! If your father Khan were here, Khan Zhang Yong would definitely let these people go, and unconditionally. There are many benefits to doing so." Cha Tuohua smiled, patted Zhang Dingguan on the shoulder, and spoke.

"Oh! Uncle Cha Tohua! Please help my nephew solve his doubts." Zhang Dingguan asked very humbly.

"Hahaha! You have to think about this matter yourself. Everything you do has its pros and cons. You have to weigh the pros and cons to consider which benefits outweigh the disadvantages. Think about it, if you let these 30,000 people go back, what will they say and what will they do?" Cha Tuohua asked with a smile.

There are some things you have to figure out for yourself. If someone else tells you something, you might forget it next time. So he hopes Zhang Dingguan can figure out the pros and cons of this matter. How many advantages and disadvantages are there?

After hearing what Cha Tuohua said, Zhang Dingguan touched his chin and began to think, if he released these people, would those Western monarchs really think that he was afraid? This was a negative answer.

He remembered something his father had said to him when he was teaching him.

Sometimes you have to look at some issues from the enemy's perspective. This time, we have powerfully defeated the Western coalition forces, and these people will definitely publicize this matter after they return.

Tell all the ordinary people about the terrible scenes they saw, the monsters flying in the sky, the explosions and flames falling from the sky, and the power of their Mongolian cavalry.

Moreover, releasing these people could also convey a message to ordinary civilians in Western countries, that is, the Mongolian army had no intention of launching another full-scale westward expedition to attack their lands.

If a lord or king forcibly conscripts soldiers, he will be unpopular. He can even use this opportunity to show his kindness and force the Pope of the West to re-recognize the identity of his father, King John.

"How is it? Crown Prince, have you figured it out? Why should I let you let these people go back?" Cha Tuohua asked.

"Uncle Cha Tuohua! I've figured it out. Letting these people go back will let the common people know how powerful we are. These people are from various countries, and many of them are even mercenaries.

They will tell the Western civilians about our terror, making them even more afraid of us.

After we announced that we had no intention of continuing the Western Expedition, these Western countries did not dare to oppose us at all." Zhang Dingguan slapped the table and said.

"That's right. Letting them go will not make these European monarchs think you are weak. On the contrary, it will make them think you are even more terrifying! We must make them not dare to confront us at all, and even take the initiative to submit to us.

This is what Khan Zhang Yong once taught us, and now I am passing it on to you." Cha Tuohua said, patting Zhang Dingguan on the shoulder.

If ordinary noble generals were sent back, they would only spread the information among the upper classes. If these Western monarchs were determined to resist the Mongolian invasion, they would definitely form a coalition and fight a war against them.

The common people at the bottom of society don’t know anything about this matter, but once these 30,000 people are released, these Western monarchs will not be able to control them!
All ordinary people and the public would know how strong the Mongol army that marched westward was. If you went against them, you would die.

"Well! Then I will let these people go now." Zhang Dingguan nodded and said.

"The last time we went to Xizhen, Khan Zhang Yong did the same thing. He gave all the captives three days of dry food and let them leave with hope. So you have to give them some dry food as well, so that when they leave, at least they have food to eat." Cha Tuohua said.

This was what he saw when he followed Zhang Yong to fight. According to their understanding, food should not be distributed to the prisoners who set off the cannons.

It would have been easier to just drive them away, but Zhang Yong gave them three days' worth of dry food.

Because these three days of dry food are their hope of survival and can allow these people to leave their management area.

"I've thought of this, Uncle Cha Tuohua. I need these people to spread the news for our country, so naturally we have to let them pass safely. I'll give them five days of dry food!
The border of Ross is still very long, and the weather is very cold. In addition, I will provide them with some old tents. "Zhang Dingguan said.

With five days' rations, plus some hunting they can do along the way, more than 30,000 people should be able to run back to their country. As long as they return to their own country, they will be able to find food.

After some discussion, Zhang Dingguan decided to send envoys to these Western countries first, and then demand ransom to redeem these noble officers.

After the noble officers left, these ordinary military slaves were released back.

While waiting for the Western envoys, Zhang Dingguan did not let these captives idle during these days. They began to rebuild the city of Novgorod together with some Russian captives.

The plan was just announced to enfeoff five Grand Dukes in the entire Northern Rus region, including the Novgorod region.
Confer the title of Grand Duke.

The land is relatively barren and the only city is Novgorod, so it is impossible to disperse.

The Vladimir region was divided into two pieces of land, one for the Grand Duke of Vladimir and the other for the Grand Duke of Moscow. Moscow was a newly emerging city.

Moscow is located on the tributaries of three rivers and has a very good geographical location. It has developed well in recent years and can serve as the capital of a grand duke.

Vladimir, which owns the most vast and fertile land in the entire Russian region, is fully capable of supporting the existence of two grand principalities from then on.

Moreover, some lands near Southern Ross can also be rewarded to the Grand Duke who has made great contributions this time.

The remaining two regions still retained their original land and enthroned two grand dukes.

Zhang Dingguan did not go to see the prisoner Grand Duke Vladimir, but directly ordered his execution.

As for his wives, they were given to the Western lords and were not invited to drink with him. After all, the two grand duchesses were over 40. These Russian women were very beautiful when they were between 15 and 20 years old.

But after the age of 20, the skin starts to age and the body hair becomes abundant. After the age of 30, the hair starts to grow horizontally and the body begins to become fat.

So Zhang Dingguan was not very interested in these Russian women. The hair on their bodies was too thick, even if he was interested.

I also came from the Southern Rus region. The girls in Southern Rus are relatively better. They live in a warmer environment and their body hair is not as luxuriant as that in the Northern Rus region. (Northern Rus is equivalent to the land of the Great Hair, while Southern Rus is equivalent to the land of the Small Wu. The appearance of the Wu women is better than that of the Great Hair.)
As for the royal bloodline of the Grand Duke of Ross, Zhang Dingguan showed no mercy. Even though they were still very young, they were still a huge threat, so Zhang Dingguan sent people to deal with all the descendants and offspring of the two grand dukes.

The bloodline of the first Grand Duke of Kievan Rus, the Russian royal family, was completely cut off. A few days later, Zhang Dingguan selected several senior generals who had performed outstandingly in this war and conferred titles on them.

The Grand Duke of Moscow, the Grand Duke of Vladimir, the Grand Duke of Novgorod, the Grand Duke of Galich, the Grand Duke of Roslava, and several other grand dukes.

He officially completed the sweep of the northern Ross region and divided all of Ross's land among the dukes under his command.

Some dukes collectively swore to respect the monarch of the East as their suzerain. All of them, when each generation of grand duke took office, had to send messengers to the East to inform them and offer tribute every year.

Their custodians and protectors were the Ögedei Khanate and the Kuleiman Khanate.

The grand princes of the Northern Rus region began to use these Western captives to rebuild the city walls for them and restore the city of Novgorod.

As for the cities of Vladimir and Moscow, they had been preserved intact because they had not encountered any resistance, and all they had to do was go and take them over.

The armies of Southern Ross, led by their respective grand dukes, began to return with rich spoils. There would be no fighting ahead, and if they stayed here they would consume food instead, so Zhang Dingguan directly let them return to the Southern Ross area.

Mongolian envoys have also set out to visit Western and Eastern European countries, including Sweden, Prussia, Poland, and Lithuania, to ask the monarchs of these countries to demand ransom for their noble officers.

The Northern Russia region resisted for less than a month before being completely defeated, and the news of its complete capture shocked the Nordic countries.

The Nordic countries became even more afraid of the Mongol army. They did not expect that such an elite army would not be able to protect the Northern Russia region.

Instead, the Mongols fought a war of annihilation. The army sent this time was almost completely wiped out, and they suffered heavy losses.

The monarchs of various countries began to summon their envoys and ministers to hold emergency meetings to discuss how to deal with the next matters.

Zhang Dingguan also moved into the city of Novgorod and began to wait for news from these Western monarchs.

A few days later, the Mongolian envoys returning from Hungary finally arrived at the place where the Western Expedition army was.

Zhang Dingguan immediately received his envoy.

"How is it? Has Queen Maria agreed to mediate for us? Is she okay?" Zhang Dingguan said.

“Reporting to the Crown Prince, Queen Maria is in very good condition, and his son, your brother, has successfully become the King of Hungary.

However, Queen Maria may be in some trouble now, and she needs your help. "The messenger knelt on the ground and spoke.

"Oh! Can you tell me what trouble Hungary encountered?" Zhang Dingguan said.

“Grand Prince! Queen Maria told me that the Grand Duke of Croatia, Duke Kalman, is very dissatisfied with your Majesty and Queen Maria’s son inheriting the throne of the King of Hungary.

He conspired with some old Hungarian nobles who were planning to launch a rebellion, and they already controlled more than 50% of the Hungarian army. "The messenger knelt on the ground and spoke.

"Wait, are you talking about Duke Kalman? The Grand Duke Kalman who once pledged allegiance to my father and said that he was loyal to our family?" Zhang Dingguan asked with a frown.

As soon as Grand Duke Kalman and his army of the Western Expedition set foot on the Qingcha grassland, he immediately sent someone to greet them, and his attitude was very well-behaved.

He even suggested that he could send troops from Croatia to provide assistance. Although the number of people was not too large, the gesture still made Zhang Dingguan quite satisfied.

Recently, he also sent several officers to his own army, saying that they wanted to learn the advanced skills of his Mongolian army.

In the past few days, the generals sent by Duke Kalman have been unusually obedient to him, and their words and deeds reveal a kind of admiration for him.

Zhang Dingguan really didn't expect that these people actually planned to rebel against his father!

"Your Highness, this matter is true. I have personally confirmed it, this Duke Kalman.

Originally, you were still loyal to the Hungarian royal family, but since your brother, the son of Your Majesty and Queen Maria, ascended the throne.

His attitude began to change, and even the entire Croatian region was preparing for war.

If you hadn't launched the Western Expedition this time, there might have been a civil war in the Kingdom of Hungary.

Moreover, Queen Maria sent envoys to Western countries to mediate, but these envoys were intercepted and killed. Fortunately, Queen Maria discovered it in time, otherwise the consequences would be disastrous.

These envoys all brought some very provocative letters, saying that we intend to launch a full-scale westward expedition. "The envoy said.

"Haha! This is something I didn't expect. It seems that my father has been gone for more than ten years, and those people he once conquered have started to make small moves and have new ideas." Zhang Dingguan said.

My father is right. You have to disrupt these Western countries and divide them into several factions.

Let them check and balance each other, and don't let them unite. Once they unite, they will unite to deal with you.

“Besides that, Grand Prince, the Eastern Roman Empire’s attitude towards us is not very friendly!
If another of your brothers comes here to rule the Bulgarian Empire in the future, the Eastern Roman Empire may not give up the land.”

“Can we just say no and not allow it?
My father conquered the Bulgarian Empire, and the Eastern Roman Empire did not send a single soldier to help us. "Zhang Dingguan said.

"Grand Prince, you'd better go to Hungary and bring the Mongolian army with you.

Queen Maria also hopes that you can send your Majesty's assassination troops to him for deployment, as many nobles in Hungary are ready to make a move." The messenger said.

"Well! You must immediately mobilize 300 assassins, prepare three horses for each of them, and then have them set out for Hungary immediately to obey the orders of the emperor.

My army will leave for Hungary as soon as we finish dealing with the affairs in the Northern Russia region," Zhang Dingguan said.

Queen Maria has a close relationship with her father, and she can even be said to be her stepmother in the West!
Before his Western Expedition, his father had clearly told him that he had two absolutely reliable allies in the West.

One is the Grand Duke of the Southern Ross region, and the other is Queen Maria.

This ally was not the Kingdom of Hungary, but Queen Maria, so the rule of Queen Maria and her brother must be consolidated.

Since these old nobles and the Croatian Grand Duke want to play some tricks, I will destroy them. (End of this chapter)