Chapter 166:

Chapter 166:

As Bayegu Zhang’s words settled, the interior of the royal tent fell into silence. After a while, heavy breathing broke the silence. The leader of the Tongluo tribe struggled to speak, “I’ve heard that the commander of the Tang army has an intense aura of bloodlust. Even if we’re willing to surrender, would he accept it?”

Upon hearing this, Bayegu Zhang couldn’t help but chuckle. He had been gathering information about Su Li during this time. At this moment, he could confidently say that no one understood Su Li better than himself in this massive camp of a million people.

“Uncles may not be aware, but Su Li isn’t originally from a military background. His original identity is the consort of the eldest princess of the Tang,” Bayegu Zhang explained.

Suddenly, the others displayed expressions of disbelief. Bayegu Zhang continued slowly, “Aside from being a consort in the Great Tang, Su Li is also known as the Poet Saint...”

As he spoke, Bayegu Zhang couldn’t help but feel a sense of wonder once again. Whenever he thought about Su Li’s various identities and recalled the ferocious and ruthless warrior who could kill as easily as mowing grass on the battlefield, he struggled to reconcile the stark contrast.

“It’s said that Tubo previously sent envoys to the Great Tang seeking a marriage alliance. The Emperor of the Tang was originally inclined to agree, but Su Li vigorously objected on valid grounds. The Emperor then dispatched him to lead troops into battle. According to reports from our envoys in Changan, Princess Changle is about to give birth, and this consort is undoubtedly eager to return by now.”

“Su Li was originally a scholar and didn’t willingly take up arms or lead troops into battle. He may not regard this million-strong coalition of Western Regions as a significant threat. However, if we can surrender to him at a critical moment, causing chaos among the coalition before the actual battle, why would he not accept it?” Bayegu Zhang was full of confidence, smiling as he spoke. The other tribal leaders nodded in agreement. What Bayegu Zhang had mentioned was indeed a common human inclination.

However, they soon thought of another problem. The leader of the Qi tribe asked, “Even if Su Li is willing to accept our surrender, handing over our territories would make us mere pawns for the Great Tang. We would be at the mercy of others, with our fate controlled by a single thought. The risk is too great...”

Bayegu Zhang chuckled softly and said, “The Central Plains have always emphasized ethics and would not tarnish their reputation in such matters. As long as they are willing to accept us, our days in the future might be even better than now.”

As he spoke, the leaders of the Nine Tribes of the Iron Arrow gradually abandoned their previous stance. Finally, they unanimously agreed to surrender and submit to his last words.

In just five more days, the coalition forces received news that the Tang army had indeed advanced towards the Kunlun Mountains and had positioned themselves on the plain less than twenty miles away from their camp. Scouts reported that the Tang army descending from the plateau numbered less than twenty thousand, all mounted on light cavalry.

Upon hearing this, the leaders of various tribal nations were eager to engage and ready to make a significant move. With a massive numerical advantage of one million against twenty thousand, their confidence soared, reminiscent of the confidence displayed by Lu Dongzan Zanpu and Songtsan Gampo in the past. They believed they held the upper hand.

Similar to the previous battle on the plateau, after just one night of preparations, both sides decided to engage in a decisive battle on the following morning on the Plain of Kunlun Mountains. The leaders of the various nations spent the entire night without sleep. As the second day dawned, they ordered the preparation of meals and readied the entire army for an assault. However, as they arranged their formations and prepared to march out of the camp, they made a startling discovery.

The Nine Tribes of the Iron Arrow, who had eagerly volunteered to take the vanguard position, had disappeared overnight. The troops meant to be at the forefront of the attack had betrayed the coalition forces and abandoned the camp. They had switched sides during the night and joined the enemy ranks. This sudden betrayal left the leaders of the coalition nations furious.

While the Nine Tribes of the Iron Arrow might not have been the most formidable among the coalition forces individually, combined, they could muster nearly two hundred thousand mounted cavalry. On the eve of battle, this treacherous betrayal sent shockwaves through the coalition forces. The news quickly spread throughout the camp, causing morale to plummet among the troops. The soldiers who were about to engage in battle became agitated and uneasy.

As a result, when the Tang army saw the coalition’s force of over eight hundred thousand soldiers, they witnessed a peculiar scene. The once-unified formation of the coalition forces was now scattered and divided, with each nation distrusting the others. There was no elaborate maneuvering this time.

The twenty thousand Tang soldiers formed their formation in the shape of an arrowhead. The Tang forces charged forward, led by Su Li and supported by the three prominent generals Cheng Yaojin, Wei Chigong, and Su Dingfang. Behind them, the remaining twenty thousand Tang soldiers followed suit, creating an imposing sight as they surged towards the enemy lines. Thus, in this atmosphere of mutual suspicion and chaos among the coalition forces, the largest battle ever seen in the history of the Western Regions began unexpectedly.