I rode and slashed unparalleled in the Three Kingdoms

Chapter 984 Discordant Sounds
"Clean house."

Upon hearing Su Yao's words, the King of Wusun's pupils suddenly contracted, and a hint of pain flashed in his eyes, but he quickly returned to calm.

He knew in his heart that he was no longer in control of his own destiny. He had made his choice, and the rest of the journey was up to the Wusun people to walk.

So, after making some polite remarks about showing mercy, Gui Shemi turned his attention to another area.

"Your Highness, I have another request."

Despite her frail health, Gui Shemi made her final request.

“King of Wusun, please speak freely.”

Gui Shemi looked westward and cautioned, "The Wusun have a long-standing feud with Kangju and Dayuan. Now that our country is weak, I'm afraid..."

Su Yao smiled knowingly: "Now that Wusun has submitted, it is a vassal state of our Great Han. Anyone who dares to take advantage of our misfortune is an enemy of our Great Han."

Gui Shemi breathed a sigh of relief and bowed solemnly: "Thank you, King Tang."

Once this matter was settled, Su Yao immediately instructed Zhou Yu to inform Da Lu, the prime minister of Wusun, to spread the news of the Wusun king's surrender throughout the country.

Drafted by Zhou Yu, this proclamation, in order to prevent unnecessary rebellion within Wusun, did not mention much about the Han Dynasty's handling of Wusun. It only stated that the Wusun king had realized his mistake, the two countries had reached a reconciliation, Wusun would once again be restored to its status as a vassal state of the Han Dynasty, and all armies were required to cease resistance, and all tribal leaders were to come to the capital for an audience.

At the same time, Su Yao also sent messengers to the Han armies on both the north and south routes, instructing them to cease their attacks, increase vigilance, and await further instructions.

As for the King of Wusun himself, Su Yao did not make things difficult for him anymore. In addition to continuing to allow Ashley to take care of him personally, he also sent Hong'er to help him meet all his reasonable requests as much as possible. Even the captured members of the Wusun royal family were all released from house arrest and resumed their normal lives in the palace.

Of course, all of this is on the premise that the Wusun royal palace is now under the control of the Han Dynasty, all the Wusun Imperial Guards have withdrawn, and the defense of Chigu City has been handed over to the Han army.

Thus, with the formal surrender of the Wusun king, Su Yao's central army achieved a great victory, accomplishing all its predetermined objectives, and this sudden war finally came to an end.

A day later, a grand surrender ceremony was held at the South Gate Square of Chigu City.

The Wusun king, dressed in his finest attire, personally presented the letter of surrender to Su Yao, accompanied by his minister, Dalu Saru, and other high-ranking officials.

Tens of thousands of Wusun people and soldiers witnessed this moment in the square. Although many had tears in their eyes, there was more relief than anything else—the war was over, and they could finally return to a peaceful life.

Su Yao accepted the surrender document and loudly read out the edict of the Great Han Empire.

On behalf of the King of Tang of the Great Han Dynasty, General, and Protector-General of the Western Regions, Su Yao formally declared that Wusun had become a vassal state of the Great Han Dynasty, and that the two countries would forever be allied.

In this unpleasant conflict between the two sides, the blame was basically shifted to the deceased Right General, whose entire family was exterminated without exception.

Also punished was Xiang Dalu Saru, who, as Xiang Dalu, failed to fulfill his duty to advise others and watched as war broke out. However, considering his sincere repentance and active efforts to persuade others to make peace, he was ultimately spared death and was only dismissed from his post, allowed to return home, and continue to serve as the local tribal chief.

As for the position of Xiang Dalu, it was abolished after this incident, and replaced by the positions of Left and Right Prime Ministers, respectively held by people from the Han and Wu kingdoms. The highest-ranking Left Prime Minister was naturally appointed by the Han, while the second-highest position, Right Prime Minister, fell to the old chieftain of the Tuk tribe as a reward for his early submission.

As for the extravagance of the Wusun king, Su Yao declared that although he had made mistakes, he was able to realize them in time, surrendered voluntarily, and was exempted from punishment, retaining his throne.

At the same time, to demonstrate the benevolence of the Han Dynasty, the King of Wusun was granted permission to enter the capital to meet the Emperor and receive investiture.

This arrangement both preserved the face of the Wusun king and achieved actual control.

When the Wusun soldiers and civilians in the square heard that the throne had been preserved, although they still felt bitter about the defeat and their eyes were still filled with tears, under the leadership of some people, the square gradually began to shout various "Long live the king" slogans, and their resistance to the Han army lessened considerably.

After the ceremony, Su Yao immediately set about reorganizing the Wusun military and political affairs. He ordered Ma Chao to lead 1,000 Han cavalry and 3,000 Wusun imperial guards north with the Wusun king's edict to take over border defenses; Yan Xing, on the other hand, led troops south to pacify various tribes and join forces with the main southern force.

As for Zhou Yu, he stayed behind with Su Yao and the remaining thousand cavalry to guard Chigu City, temporarily taking over the position of Left Chancellor and handling government affairs.

The benefits of Su Yao's efforts to win over the King of Wusun quickly became apparent.

As a powerful king who reigned for nearly thirty years, Guishemi's legitimacy within the Wusun Kingdom was unparalleled. With his personal cooperation, resistance throughout the Wusun Kingdom was quickly quelled, and one after another, the leaders of the surrounding tribes led their people to the capital to observe the situation after receiving the notification.

Su Yao personally oversaw operations in the capital, receiving the leaders of various tribes in the main hall of the Chigu City Royal Palace.

Here, Su Yao first ordered his men to hang the heads of the entire Right General's clan on the city gate to deter those with ill intentions; at the same time, he also generously rewarded the tribes that were the first to surrender.

In addition to taking out treasures from the national treasury, Su Yao also made grand promises, stating that he would bestow upon him corresponding treasures from Han China, such as silk and tea, once the trade routes were open.

"As long as you all sincerely submit, our Great Han will treat you with sincerity." Su Yao sat on the throne and looked around at the tribal leaders in the hall. "From now on, the Wusun tribes can enjoy the benefits of the border market. The two tribes will exchange goods and become friends forever."

After Su Yao used a combination of kindness and threats, the leaders of the various Wusun tribes submitted their petitions of submission.

"The situation is excellent, the situation is excellent!"

At a later court assembly, old Tolig stepped forward with a smile and respectfully presented the parchment scroll:
"Your Highness, this is a joint oath signed by the twelve tribes of Tianshan. They all express their willingness to follow the Great Han for eternity!"

The Twelve Tribes of Tianshan were powerful tribes located on the northern slopes of the Tianshan Mountains in the southern part of the Wusun Kingdom. Their submission signified the overall pacification of the southern part of the Wusun Kingdom.

The second prince of Wusun, who was overseeing the battle in the south and confronting Cao Cao and the allied forces of the Western Regions, was unwilling to accept the situation, but he knew that the situation was hopeless. So he had no choice but to obediently order his troops to surrender and return to the capital in the north under the escort of Yan Xing and others.

Next, while the tribes of Tianshan expressed their stance, the six major tribes of Rehu and the tribes of the Ili River Valley also submitted their petitions one after another. The situation in Wusun was very good. On Su Yao's strategic map, the large areas of deep red coloring that had once been painted quickly faded and turned into the light green of the vassal states. The submission of the entire Wusun territory was just around the corner.

However, it is clear that there are always some people in this world who are out of touch with reality, and ambitious people and those blinded by the desire for power also exist in the Wusun Kingdom.

Just as the Wusun people were surrendering one after another, a discordant note arose on the banks of the Ili River to the north of Wusun.

(End of this chapter)