My father, Li Shimin, requests Your Majesty to become the Retired Emperor.

Because Ashina Simo had captured Zhang Shigui's four sons, Zhang Zhilong, Zhang Zhihu, Zhang Zhibiao, and Zhang Zhibao,

therefore,

Zhang Shigui harbored deep hatred for the Turks.

He advocated for the execution of all 20,000 to 30,000 Turkic prisoners.

Moreover, their attitude was extremely tough.

Li Daozong was Li Shimin's cousin. He was ordered to garrison Luoyang and held great power.

Li Daozong did not advocate killing all the Turkic prisoners.

However, Zhang Shigui was, after all, his father-in-law.

So, he was in a bit of a dilemma.

Li Chengan waved his hand: "General Zhang, you are wrong."

Our Tang army's repeated victories were by no means accidental.

One of the main reasons is that we treated prisoners of war well.

We can't follow Xiang Yu's example. Was Xiang Yu's defeat unrelated to his massacre of 20 Qin soldiers?

Killing prisoners of war is the most unlucky thing in the world.

This will only provoke Ashina Simo, making them more determined to fight against our Tang Dynasty to the end.

The remaining Turkic forces number over 100,000. If they fight us to the bitter end, that would be a very troublesome situation.

Everyone agreed that Li Chenggan's analysis made sense.

"Then what do you suggest we do?" Zhang Shigui was very unconvinced.

Li Chengan stood up, put his hands behind his back, and paced back and forth in the hall. He slowly said, "Back then, Han Xin defeated the Zhao state with a small force, captured King Xie of Zhao, and killed the general Chen Yu."

Han Xin then consulted Li Zuoche on how to conquer the Yan state.

At that time, the State of Yan was also very powerful, located in the north.

Even if Han Xin led his troops to attack, they might not be able to take it down.

Li Zuoche advised Han Xin: "You don't need to rush to attack the Yan state. You only need to write a letter to the King of Yan, explaining the situation with reason and emotion. Relying on your prestige as General Han Xin, and the momentum you have just gained from defeating the Zhao state..."

The King of Yan will surrender.

Han Xin knew that Li Zuoche was no ordinary person.

If King Zhao had heeded Li Zuoche's advice, Han Xin would likely have already become King Zhao's prisoner.

So Han Xin did as Li Zuoche said.

As expected, the King of Yan surrendered.

From then on, Han Xin's generals held Li Zuoche in high esteem.

Upon hearing this, everyone seemed to be deep in thought and had gained some understanding.

Li Chengan raised his voice: "Then, isn't our current situation somewhat similar to that of Han Xin forcing the Yan state to surrender back then?"

After hearing this, the crowd whispered among themselves, discussing the matter amongst themselves.

Li Chengqian looked at everyone and continued, "There's another point: the Turks of today are just like the Xiongnu of yesteryear."

They fled to the desert and grasslands, making it difficult to find their main force.

This was also one of the main reasons why the Han army was unable to completely defeat the Xiongnu back then.

Even if you occasionally encounter them, the Xiongnu are mainly cavalry, highly mobile and cunning.

It would be difficult to completely eliminate them, and we might even fall into their trap.

Emperor Wu of Han once asked his ministers whether they should fight the Xiongnu or continue the peace treaty with them through marriage.

Han Anguo gave three reasons: First, he couldn't find it;

Secondly, they can't win;

Thirdly, it's not worth it.

Because the Han people were an agricultural people, their lifestyle was such that they found it hard to leave their homeland.

Even if you conquer a desert area, you can't grow crops there, so it's very difficult to hold onto it.

Agricultural societies are different from nomadic societies. For nomadic peoples, wherever they go is home, as long as they carry a tent.

Therefore, my intention is to ask my uncle to write a letter to Ashina Simo, persuading him to surrender to the Tang Dynasty and stop fighting like a cornered beast.

The only way out for the remaining Turkic forces is to completely surrender to our Great Tang.

Everyone thought Li Chengqian's idea was pretty good and worth a try.

Li Daozong waved his hand: "Your Highness, you should write this letter yourself."

The Yangtze River's waters surge and the new waves push the old aside; a new generation replaces the old. I, the king, am no longer as powerful as I once was.

Your reputation is growing daily; it would be more appropriate for you to write this.

Songtsen Gampo also said, "Your Highness, if I tell you to write, then write. Don't refuse anymore."

"If Ashina Simo is ungrateful and refuses to surrender, we will fight. This time, we will completely wipe out the remaining forces of the Turks. Our five-nation allied forces will all be under your command."

"Yes, yes, Your Highness, just give the order, and we will go through fire and water without hesitation."

Tuoba Chici, Murong Shun, Shanbei Daxiong Wang, and Fuyu Fengzhang all expressed their opinions.

Seeing that he couldn't refuse, Li Chengan had no choice but to nod in agreement.

Li Daozong ordered his men to bring the Four Treasures of the Study (writing brush, ink stick, inkstone, and paper).

Li Chengan rolled up his sleeves, picked up his pen, and quickly wrote a letter.

But then another problem arose.

Who should deliver this letter?

Everyone looked at each other, lowered their heads, and the air froze.

Everyone knows that Ashina Simo is highly skilled in martial arts and commands a large army. If he were to deliver a message and it was misinterpreted, he would lose his life. This is no joke.

Later, Ashina Jieshe said, "Your Highness, Your Majesty, if you trust me, I am willing to deliver this letter."

Besides, I am a Turk, so finding them should be easier.

Zhang Shigui sneered: "What if you go back and never come back?"

"After all, you are a member of the Turkic royal family. By keeping you here, we can use you as a hostage."

Zhang Shizheng stroked his beard and said, "Your Highness, Your Highness, if you are still worried, I will accompany Hegan Chengji and Ashina Jieshe to the Turkic Khaganate to persuade Ashina Simo to surrender with his people. What do you think?"

Zhang Shigui retorted, "You three assassins didn't all run away together, did you?"

These words were very offensive.

Li Chengan waved his hand: "General Zhang, you don't need to worry. I trust them."

Let's do as Zhang Shizheng says.

Ashina Jieshe said solemnly, "Your Highness, Your Majesty, no matter what, you must not kill those prisoners."

I know Ashina Simo very well; he didn't care about fame or fortune, but he valued loyalty and friendship highly.

If he were a person who coveted fame and fortune, he wouldn't have returned the Khanate to Qimin Khan in the first place.

Li Chengan, supporting the document with his hand, nodded slightly: "Ashina Jieshelu, you can go with peace of mind."

"I can guarantee that we will properly settle those surrendered Turkic prisoners and will not harm a single one."

"Your Highness, I am relieved to hear you say that."

"Without further ado, let's set off now."

Ashina Jieshe, Zhang Shizheng, and Hegan Chengji bid farewell to everyone, mounted their horses, and left Luoyang.

The group continued drinking.

Zhang Shigui, observing Li Daozong's expression, felt the time was right. He put down his wine cup and said, "There are three things I need to discuss with you."

Li Daozong then asked, "Father-in-law, what are the three things?"

"Firstly, as Xue Rengui just made it very clear, he only rescued Qin Ying."

My four unfilial sons, as well as Ashina Jieshe, were all saved by He Zongxian.

Furthermore, He Zongxian killed dozens of Turkic soldiers; you must truthfully report this achievement to the court.

Upon hearing this, Li Daozong frowned: "When did He Zongxian kill dozens of Turkic soldiers? How come I didn't know?"

"It's not on the list of achievements."

"Don't you even believe what I say? I say it exists, so it exists." Zhang Shigui was very displeased.

Li Daozong nodded: "Alright then, what's the second thing?"

"The New Year is almost here, and a martial arts examination will be held in Chang'an on the Lantern Festival. He Zongxian and Zhang Zhilong plan to participate in this examination. Please arrange this for them."

"This—." Li Daozong was troubled again, because he had already seen that Zhang Zhilong's martial arts skills were really mediocre. With his martial arts skills, how could he win fame and fortune?

That's simply impossible.

However, Zhang Shigui is his father-in-law. If he doesn't agree, Zhang Meiren will probably have to sleep in a separate bed from him again. What should he do?

Just as Li Daozong was in a dilemma, Li Chengan said loudly, "General Zhang, since your son and son-in-law want to participate in the martial arts examination, that's fine!"

This is a good thing.

The purpose of the imperial court in holding this martial arts examination is to foster friendships through martial arts and to encourage the people of our Tang Dynasty to embrace martial arts and improve their physical health.

If someone is willing to join the army in the future, they can defend against foreign enemies and protect their homeland.

Li Chengan paused here, looked at He Zongxian and Zhang Zhilong, and asked, "Are you two willing to participate in the martial arts examination?"

He Zongxian and Zhang Zhilong nodded and said, "Yes, we are willing!"

"Since that's the case, I don't think there's anything wrong with this matter. However, once on stage..."

If you don't get a ranking or get injured, you can't blame anyone else.

"That's natural," Ho Tsung-hsien said.

"I will discuss this matter with Cheng Yaojin and the other examiners. You can prepare to take the exam now."

"Thank you, Your Highness."

Zhang Shigui hadn't expected Li Chengan to be so agreeable this time.

Zhang Shigui was also a military officer, so he naturally knew that he might get injured in a duel, which was a normal occurrence.

Zhang Shigui laughed and said, "I'll leave their participation in the martial arts exam to Your Highness. If they can't beat the others, it's only because they're not skilled enough."

At this moment, Qin Ying suddenly stood up, waving his fist: "Zhang Shigui, why wait until the martial arts exam?"

Today is a great opportunity, since everyone's free time anyway.

"Let's have a drawing contest now. Let He Zongxian and Zhang Zhilong draw with me. No need for that, let them both come at me!"

Upon hearing this, He Zongxian and Zhang Zhilong realized that Qin Ying was clearly looking down on them.

The two men rolled up their sleeves, ready to fight on the spot.

Li Chengan dismissed Qin Ying: "The Lantern Festival is coming soon, and the martial arts exam will officially begin. Can't you wait? Sit down!"

Seeing that Li Chengan had spoken, Qin Ying could only suppress her anger and sit down again.

Zhang Shigui glared at Qin Ying, thinking to himself, "You, Qin Ying, have repeatedly gone against us. It seems you're looking for trouble. Sooner or later, we'll settle this score with you."

Zhang Shigui continued, "The third matter is that I also led 2000 troops in this battle against the Turkic army. How should the spoils of war be distributed?"

Li Daozong said, "All the spoils of war belong to the imperial court. What's there to say about that?"

"Of course it should be handed over to the national treasury."

Zhang Shigui, however, said: "What you said makes some sense."

However, our two thousand soldiers were not without casualties.

We also lost warhorses, therefore I request that two thousand warhorses, two thousand bows, and one hundred thousand arrows be allocated from the spoils of war.

Two thousand spears, two thousand shields, two thousand suits of armor, and two hundred chariots were given as compensation.

Zhang Shigui was just that arrogant. In front of everyone, he made an outrageous demand, even making Li Daozong feel ashamed. He thought to himself, "Father-in-law, what are you doing? Are you trying to take advantage of my misfortune?"

Don't you know that Li Chengqian and the leaders of the five kingdoms are all present?

What you're saying is utterly disrespectful. How could you make such an unreasonable request in public?

Besides, the two thousand men you brought are not your private property; they belong to the imperial army.

What am I supposed to do?

Li Chengan could also see that Zhang Shigui was taking advantage of his seniority and was shameless.

but,

We definitely can't agree to these demands he made; he has ulterior motives.

Because he had secretly recruited 30,000 strong men in Hedong without reporting it, they were short of horses, weapons, armor, and shields.

Li Daozong forced a smile and asked Li Chengan, "Your Highness, what do you think is the best way to handle this matter?"

Upon hearing this,

Li Chenggan thought to himself that Li Daozong was quite cunning; this was called passing the buck, and he had passed the ball back to him.

Li Chengan pondered for a moment and said, "I think this matter is also easy to handle."

According to the laws of our Great Tang Dynasty, the spoils of war obtained through war belong to the imperial court, and no one may embezzle, seize, or misappropriate them.

In other words, although we achieved victory and reaped great rewards, those spoils did not belong to any one individual.

First, please have the Imperial Uncle truthfully report the spoils of war to the court;

Secondly, I will report Zhang Shigui's request to my father. If he agrees, what objection could I possibly have?

Upon hearing this, Li Daozong realized that Li Chengan was no ordinary person; what he said made perfect sense.

but,

If all the spoils of war were actually written down and reported to the court, how easy would it be to get them allocated to Zhang Shigui?

Because Zhang Shigui's demands were unreasonable to begin with.

Li Daozong, of course, understood the reasoning behind it: "Your Highness is absolutely right."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Shigui realized that his wishful thinking had once again failed.

Several days later, Ashina Simo indeed led tens of thousands of Turkic troops to surrender.

Li Chenggan did not accept Ashina Simo's surrender.

Instead, they sent Li Daozong.

Li Chengqian's intention was clear: he wanted to attribute this credit to Li Daozong.

Because Li Shimin had initially sent Li Daozong to lead the army to wipe out the remaining forces of the Turks, Li Chenggan did not want to usurp the throne.

Of course,

In this battle between the Tang army and the Turkic army,

Without the help of Songtsen Gampo, Tuoba Chici, Murong Shun, Fuyu Fengzhang, the Great King of Shanbei, the three assassins, and Xue Rengui, Li Daozong would not have been able to subdue Ashina Simo.

Ashina Simo put forward two conditions when he surrendered:

First, it was required that his army not be reorganized, that the independence of the Turkic army be maintained, and that the prisoners captured in the previous operation not be killed.

Secondly, he only accepted Li Chengqian's leadership and command; otherwise, he would rather die in battle than surrender.

Upon hearing this, Li Daozong felt that the matter was somewhat tricky and dared not make a decision on his own. Therefore, he wrote a memorial and submitted it to the court.