Under Jieli Khan’s words, Li Shimin put away his bow and arrow, staring as he said: “This time, I’ll give Jieli Khan face, but there won’t be a next time!”

Seeing the arrow aimed at him disappear, Zhishisili breathed a long sigh of relief, but after that incident, he dared not speak again and slunk back behind Jieli Khan.

“If the Tang Emperor has no objections, this Khan will now order withdrawal and swear a blood oath with the Tang Emperor to never again set foot in the Central Plains!”

Li Shimin stared at him without saying a word. Jieli Khan understood that the former was dissatisfied with his words. Suppressing his anger, he said: “How about this Khan hands over Li Jiancheng and the other to the Tang Emperor for disposal?”

Liu Hongji glanced at Li Shimin and declared loudly: “Li Jiancheng and the other are criminals of our Great Tang and should rightfully be handed over to our Great Tang. However, how should we settle the account for Jieli Khan’s massacre of Yanmen Pass civilians and forceful assault on Chang’an?”

Facing Liu Hongji’s uncompromising stance, Jieli Khan’s teeth itched with hatred, but helplessly, his position was now weaker, so he had to patiently ask: “Then what does Master Liu have in mind?”

“I know the Khan has captured many Great Tang citizens. First, I want the Khan to immediately release them without harm.”

This wasn’t much of a problem. Jieli Khan replied without hesitation: “No problem. This Khan will order their release right now.”

“Second, contribute three thousand horses, ten thousand sheep, and henceforth respect the Great Tang as the supreme state, paying tribute annually and coming to court yearly!” Before Liu Hongji finished speaking, Jieli Khan had already shouted sternly: “Impossible!”

Liu Hongji showed no surprise at his answer, saying calmly: “If that’s the case, then there’s nothing to discuss.”

Seeing the situation reach an impasse, a general beside Jieli Khan whispered: “Great Khan, in the current situation, once war breaks out, it will be very disadvantageous for us. Perhaps… you should reconsider?”

Jieli Khan gritted his teeth in silence. He had always been the one to plunder others – now it was reversed. How could he swallow this humiliation? But… as that general said, they were now in a weak position. If they really fought, their chances of winning were less than thirty percent, not counting the various reinforcements from the Great Tang that could arrive at any time.

Gritting his iron teeth again and again, just when they were about to be crushed, he finally spoke: “Fine, this Khan agrees to your demands. As soon as I return to the Turks, I’ll immediately have them sent!”

His yielding brought a slight smile to Liu Hongji’s face. “Third…”

Hearing there was a “third,” Jieli Khan’s face turned iron-blue, saying darkly: “Liu Hongji, don’t push your luck!”

“Great Khan, please remain calm. The third demand is merely a small matter for you.” Seeing him say this, Jieli Khan’s expression lightened slightly, and he said coldly: “Speak!”

“Please have Jieli Khan return Empress Xiao!” Hearing this request, Jieli Khan’s brows furrowed, then relaxed, and he readily agreed: “Fine, as soon as this Khan returns to the Turks, I’ll immediately send someone to escort her back to the Great Tang.”

After he inherited the Khan’s position, Empress Xiao had become his woman. Although Empress Xiao was fifty years old, she still looked like a woman in her twenties or thirties, bright and beautiful, truly a rare beauty. No wonder Yang Guang had been infatuated with her back then. Whether it was him or the former Shibi and Chuluo, all had coveted Empress Xiao, wanting to possess this beauty. Unfortunately, she resisted to the death, never yielding. Over these years, he had tried every persuasion, but couldn’t make her submit. A beauty he could see but not touch held little meaning for him.

Liu Hongji smiled slightly and bowed: “Then Liu thanks the Khan in advance.”

Seeing he didn’t raise a fourth or even fifth demand, Jieli Khan secretly breathed a sigh of relief. What followed was simple – both sides killed a white horse and swore an oath, establishing a non-aggression pact. But both knew in their hearts that such oaths could only restrain them temporarily – there would inevitably be another moment of military confrontation!

After the oath ceremony, Jieli Khan said to Zhishisili beside him: “Go bring Li Jiancheng and the other!”

“Yes.” Zhishisili responded and quickly left. After a while, he returned with a panicked expression, followed by a Turkic soldier, but Li Jiancheng and the other were nowhere to be seen. This scene made Li Shimin’s heart sink.

Sure enough, Zhishisili said urgently: “Reporting to the Khan, Li Jiancheng and the other have disappeared!”

Hearing this, Jieli Khan’s face immediately changed dramatically: “What did you say? Disappeared? How is that possible?”

“This subordinate just went to the tent where they were imprisoned and found the guard soldiers unconscious on the ground, with no one inside the tent – only some broken rope pieces and a shattered bowl. They must have used the porcelain shards to cut the rope, then escaped during the chaos of our siege!”

As soon as he finished speaking, the Turkic soldier who came with him fell to his knees with a “thud” on the ground full of gravel, saying with a terror-stricken face: “Great Khan, spare my life! Great Khan, spare my life!”

Jieli Khan said through gritted teeth: “What exactly happened?”

The Turkic soldier swallowed hard and said in panic: “Not long after the Khan left last night, they kept shouting in the tent, saying they were thirsty. This subordinate saw them speaking pitifully and gave them a bowl of water. Because it was hailing at the time, so… so this subordinate didn’t go take the bowl back, never expecting to give them an opportunity. When the Khan led troops to assault the city, they knocked this subordinate unconscious and escaped. It wasn’t until Chief Zhishisili came that this subordinate regained consciousness!” At this point, he kept kowtowing: “This subordinate was careless for a moment and fell for their scheme. I beg the Khan for mercy, give this subordinate one chance!”

“Useless, a bunch of useless fools who can’t even watch two people!” Jieli Khan roared uncontrollably in anger, his riding whip lashing viciously at that soldier. Facing the burning pain, the soldier dared not dodge, only gritting his teeth and enduring.

After whipping for a full dozen lashes, Jieli Khan’s anger finally subsided somewhat, and he said to Zhishisili: “Immediately send people to search – we must capture them!”

Zhishisili quickly replied: “This subordinate has already sent people to search everywhere. They shouldn’t have gotten far.”

Jieli Khan took a deep breath and said to Li Shimin: “The Tang Emperor heard everything. It’s not that this Khan won’t hand them over, but they escaped on their own. However, rest assured, this Khan will definitely capture them for you!”

After whispering a few words with Liu Hongji, Li Shimin said: “Since they’ve escaped, there’s no need to trouble the Khan. We’ll search for them ourselves. Please!”

Seeing him so unceremoniously issuing an eviction order, Jieli Khan felt indescribable frustration. He wanted to make a few sarcastic remarks to regain some face, but when the words reached his lips, they became: “Farewell!”

Facing the Tang army with their bright banners and gleaming armor, he ultimately lacked confidence. No matter how frustrated or unhappy he was, he could only keep it in his heart, then wait for the day when he could collect both principal and interest!

Watching the Turkic army organize their formation and slowly depart, Du Ruhui breathed a long sigh of relief: “This battle is finally over!”