The author said: This line has come to an end, and the following plot will be even more exciting!
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After a great battle, it was already afternoon. Zheng Rong and Dali set up camp on Mantou Mountain, and ordered Wei Hu to send a few hundred soldiers down the mountain to clean up the battlefield. According to a rough estimate, Piximi lost more than 20,000 elite soldiers, more than 10,000 war horses, and countless weapons, leather armor, bows and arrows; while Dali lost nearly 500 cavalrymen; Zheng Rong lost 50 to 60 soldiers in the arrow camp, 400 to 500 were injured, 400 to 500 cavalrymen were injured, and none of the crossbows were damaged. With this calculation, it can be said that they won a complete victory.
When it came to distributing the spoils of war, Zheng Rong was quite generous because Youyan Road was a wealthy place. He only carefully selected 3,000 good horses and gave the rest of the money, food, and supplies to Dali, which made Dali very grateful.
However, after Pisimi rode a camel and disappeared into the vast snowfield, there was no trace of him. Dali sent elite cavalry to hunt him down several times, but to no avail. Zheng Rong knew that Pisimi led 30,000 troops on a long-distance raid, and Dali was unaware of it. How could he catch him alone now
When I returned to Hural City, it was night again, but it was different from the cold night with wind and snow. The bright moon was hanging high in the dark blue sky, and a Milky Way ran through the sky. It had been like this for millions of years. I wonder what they would feel when they see the tiny humans on earth wasting their precious lives for fleeting fame and fortune
Perhaps the losers will console themselves with this, but the most empty and useless thing in the world is the losers' contempt for the winners. The winners certainly don't care about the losers' contempt, they are too busy celebrating their short-lived success.
The city of Hural was no longer afraid of enemy attacks. Every household lit torches, illuminating the dark grassland sky as bright as day.
The meat was ready. The generous Pisamika brought countless horses to Ulinyala. If these horses were slaughtered under normal circumstances, people would not be willing to kill them even if they were starving to death. Today was a good opportunity to satisfy their appetite.
The wine is made by ourselves. Usually we drink milk wine fermented from mare's milk and goat's milk. The fine wine made from rare grains must be buried deep underground. Today, we dug it out and wanted to get drunk. With wine and meat, the herdsmen played the horse-head fiddle to play a cheerful rhythm, and the boys and girls danced to the rhythm around the campfire. What difference would it make if it was heaven
Dali Khan was already slightly tipsy. He toasted Zheng Rong, Zhongli Kuang, Cui Nan, Wei Hu several times, and even urged Qiu Yizhi to drink. Qiu Yizhi never drank, but she couldn't resist Dali's repeated urging, and Yiran's instigation. She was forced to take the wine glass and swallowed hard. Unexpectedly, this was an aged fine wine with a very strong alcohol. After taking a sip, Yizhi choked and coughed continuously. The meat residue in her mouth sprayed all over Dali, causing everyone to laugh.
Although they were having fun, they couldn't delay their business, and the next day Zhongli Kuang and Cai Wenchou began negotiations on the alliance treaty.
Cai Wenchou was a smart man. He planned to make unreasonable demands to establish a brotherly alliance with the Han Dynasty from the beginning, and then challenge the Han Dynasty step by step, and finally sign the most favorable covenant for himself. But he miscalculated Zhongli Kuang's temper. Zhongli Kuang was not an old woman bargaining for a cabbage in the market. He set the conditions of the covenant from the beginning, which was both the opening price and the bottom line, and could not be touched in the slightest.
No matter how Cai Wenchou tried to beat around the bush, he could not make Zhongli Kuang retreat. Cai Wenchou had no choice but to report the matter to Dali.
Seeing that Zhongli Kuang was unable to make a move, Dali went directly to Zheng Rong. Zheng Rong had already discussed and settled the matter with Zhongli Kuang. If they had not joined forces to annihilate the main force of Biximi when they came to Hural, they could have made some concessions. However, this time they relied on the strength of the Han army, which undoubtedly made Dali fully feel the strength of the Central Plains. Of course, there was no need to make concessions. Therefore, when Dali came to ask Zheng Rong to speak, Zheng Rong just evaded and said that it was a matter for scholars, so they should leave it to them. Dali knew that Zheng Rong was perfunctory, but he had no choice but to let Cai Wenchou try his best.
In the end, Zhongli Kuang softened his heart. It turned out that during the conversation, Zhongli Kuang knew Cai Wenchou's life experience.
Cai Wenchou's ancestors were also officials, but his great-grandfather opposed Emperor Xianzong's reforms while serving as the Minister of Revenue, and was deprived of his official position and fame by Emperor Xianzong, who also strictly ordered his descendants not to take the imperial examinations. It was a pity that although Cai Wenchou was well-read and full of strategies, he could not step into the government. So he was desperate and only wanted to be a Tao Zhugong as a merchant. By chance, he came to the grassland and was appreciated by Dali Khan, the head of the Wulin Yala clan, and was hired as a guest. Only then did he start to have a little ambition. Dali's move to unite the tribes to oppose Bishimi was planned by Cai Wenchou.
Wen Chou's experience deeply resonated with Zhong Likuang, who feared that he would not be able to explain himself to Dali, so he went to Zheng Rong to ask for some concessions on some minor matters. At this time, Zheng Rong also felt that there was no room for negotiation and that he seemed to lack the sincerity to form an alliance, so he agreed.
After several days of tug-of-war, the following agreement was finally reached:
1. If the Wulin Yala clan surrenders to the Han Dynasty, the name of the Bohai Kingdom can be restored;
2. Confer the title of the King of Loyalty and Submission to Dali Khan, with the same title as the Prince, and grant him robes and seals; the crown prince shall be conferred the title of the Prince of a County after confirmation by the Han Dynasty, and the title of the Prince of a County shall be hereditary;
3. Ulinyala paid tribute every three years;
Fourth, if the Han Dynasty does not give annual gifts, Wulin Yala can go to Youyan Road to trade all year round;
5. The two sides shall not invade each other. If they encounter an external enemy, they may send troops to assist each other upon request.
Although it was far from Dali's original idea of imitating the example of North Korea and South Korea and the Han Dynasty's wish of becoming uncle and nephew countries, the two concessions of princely title and year-round trade gave Dali real benefits in terms of face and practicality, and helped him find some balance.
So they built an altar on Mantou Mountain where they had achieved unprecedented victory, and chose an auspicious day to hold the alliance ceremony.
On that day, the sun was shining brightly and the breeze was blowing. Soldiers from the Han and Bohai countries stood on the north and south sides of the altar, looking majestic and heroic, with flags flying and drums and horns blaring. Zheng Rong and Dali walked up to the altar hand in hand, worshipped the heaven and earth, and then recited the oath in unison:
Each side guards its border, does not harass each other, there is no smoke and dust, and the homes are all safe. Old hatreds are wiped out, affection is long-lasting, no resentment arises, and joy never ends. Dear messengers, letters, precious treasures, and beautiful goods are passed on, and gifts are frequent. May the country be united forever and never rebel!
After reciting it, they worshipped heaven and earth, killed a white horse and a black ox to swear an oath of blood, exchanged oaths, and then walked down the altar hand in hand.
After the alliance was formed, there was another round of drinking. When they were having a good time, Dali clapped his hands and called a row of beautiful women from the grassland. He said to Zheng Miao and Yizhi with a smile on his face: "These are all women from good families in Wulin Yala who are willing to serve Prince Youyan. If the two princes don't mind, you can pick a few and take them back."
Zheng Miao saw that although those women were not stunning beauties, they were all healthy and well-proportioned, very different from the women in the Central Plains. He was very happy. He stole a glance and saw that his father was nodding slightly, so he boldly picked two. After thinking about it, he chose two older ones and said, "These are for my two brothers."
Dali, who was already the King of Loyalty and Submission of the Han Dynasty, laughed out loud while drunk. He praised Zheng Miao for being sensible and knowing the friendship between brothers. However, he saw that Yizhi was still hesitant to choose. He drank a sip of wine and said, "Heroes have always emerged from youth. The adopted son of the King of Youyan can come up with excellent strategies at such a young age. With time and guidance from the prince, he will surely become a famous general. Since he is a material for a famous general, he naturally disdains beauty. Although I don't have a precious camel like Vishimith, I have raised a few Ferghana horses, which just gave birth last month. I am willing to give you the newborn foals."
Seeing Yizhi still in a daze, Zheng Rong neither declined nor thanked him. He had already guessed Yizhi's intention and raised his wine glass and said, "Your daughter, Princess Yiran, has lived in Guangyang for more than a month. She is very much liked by me and is on good terms with my sons. I am willing to bring Yiran back to the Central Plains and teach her the teachings of a sage. This is in line with the friendship of the alliance. What do you think, King Zhongshun?"
Dali was shocked when he heard this. Zheng Rong wanted to take a hostage away, but he changed his mind and the dark clouds on his brows disappeared immediately. He said humbly: "Your Majesty, this is a good intention. I am lucky to have you. I hope Your Majesty will treat me as your own daughter."
Zheng Rong showed a rare cunning look, glanced at Yizhi, then looked at Dali and said: "In this case, I will toast to His Majesty. But His Majesty, please don't deny the promise to give Yizhi the Ferghana horse!"
After hearing this, Dali smiled and nodded in agreement, then drank the wine in one gulp.
A few days later, most of the Han soldiers had recovered from their injuries, and the horses and food had been fully allocated. Thinking that the grasslands and deserts were not a place to stay for long, Zheng Rong said goodbye to Dali, took the bodies of the fallen Han soldiers and the captured horses, and returned to Youyan.
Zheng Rong and Zhongli Kuang had talked about several trips to the desert when they were at ease. They had gained three things: the end was to sign an alliance with the Wulin Yala clan; the annihilation of the main force of Pisimi was a good choice; and the greatest gain was the discovery of Qiu Yizi's military talent.
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PS. The oath of the alliance was taken from the Tang-Tibetan Alliance Monument. The words are neat and beautiful, and the atmosphere is magnificent. After searching on Baidu, I found that "The Legend of Zhen Huan" also used this text. This is a coincidence between me and that author, so please don't accuse me of copyright infringement. (To be continued)