Chapter 146: Prepare for the Alliance Ceremony
“Hahahahahaha!” Helian Bo laughed wildly, with a crazy light flashing in his one eye, “How does the hellfire of the Tiele tribe taste? I’m afraid Baishui Pass has been reduced to ashes by now!”
Ashina said anxiously: "Your Majesty, I will lead the Tuoba cavalry to support Baishui Pass! You..."
"No," Pei Yan's voice was as cold as iron, "I will go in person." He turned to his guards, "Take Helian Bo away and keep him under strict supervision!"
Helian Bo struggled and shouted: "Pei Yan! Do you think it's over after catching me? The great leader of Tiele, Kumo, has vowed to flatten the northern border of Wei! You..."
A heavy blow from a knife hit the side of his neck, and Helian Bo's voice stopped abruptly, and his strong body fell down like a rotten wood. Ashina withdrew his hand and nodded to Pei Yan: "He won't wake up for a while."
Pei Yan jumped on his horse and said, "Ashina, you take your troops to clean up the remaining enemies, and then follow me. The personal guard battalion will follow me to rush to Baishui Pass to help!"
Three thousand cavalrymen rushed towards Baishui Pass like arrows. The night wind was howling, but Pei Yan's heart was even more anxious than the wind. Mo Yuan must not make any mistakes.
Before getting close to the city, the heat wave was already hitting us. A large gap was blown open in the wall of the west gate of Baishui Pass, and a raging fire was burning in the gap. The flame was a strange green color and could not be extinguished by water. The shouts of killing were deafening inside the pass, and the Tiele cavalry were swarming in through the gap.
Pei Yan drew out the Dingkun Sword and pointed the tip of the sword at the enemy formation: "Kill!"
Three thousand elite soldiers rushed into the battlefield like a torrent, with Pei Yan leading the way. Wherever his sword flashed, the enemy chief surrendered. When the Wei defenders saw the emperor in person, their morale was greatly boosted and they shouted "Long live the emperor" one after another, and the counterattack became more fierce.
A squad of Tiele cavalry tried to intercept Pei Yan, but was instantly dispersed by the Royal Guard Battalion. Pei Yan searched for Mo Yuan in the chaotic army, and finally saw the familiar figure near the gap in the city wall - Mo Yuan's left arm was covered in blood, but he still stood as straight as a pine tree, directing the soldiers to use wet sand to extinguish the strange green flame.
"Mo Yuan," Pei Yan rode his horse to his side.
Mo Yuan turned around, his face was a mixture of black, gray and blood, but his eyes were filled with surprise: "Your Majesty! How could you...?"
"Are you okay?"
"fine."
"The Tiele people have used a new weapon, a kind of kerosene in a pottery jar, which will ignite when it comes into contact with air and cannot be extinguished by water." Mo Yuan reported quickly, "The west gate has been breached, but the Longxiang Army has been dispatched to plug the gap and stabilize the situation for the time being."
Pei Yan observed the battlefield situation and quickly made a judgment: "Although the Tiele cavalry are brave, they are not good at street fighting. Send an order to abandon the outer city, lure the enemy deep into the city, and annihilate them in the streets!"
The order was quickly passed down, and the Wei defenders pretended to retreat. The Tiele cavalry fell into the trap and rushed into the city with cheers. However, the narrow streets restricted the cavalry's maneuvers. The Wei archers ambushed on the roofs and alley entrances fired thousands of arrows, and the Tiele people were immediately thrown to the ground.
"Your Majesty, what a great idea!" Mo Yuan couldn't help but admire.
Pei Yan frowned and asked, "Where is the Tiele leader Kumo?"
As if to answer his question, a low horn sounded suddenly from outside the pass, a tune different from any previous grassland tribe's. Then, a group of heavy cavalrymen in full black armor appeared in the firelight. The leading knight was shaped like a tower, wearing a wolf-shaped iron helmet and holding a huge battle axe.
“Kumo! Mo Yuan took a breath of cold air,” The most elite Black Wolf Guard of the Tiele tribe. ”
The black-armored cavalry came like a tide, and wherever they passed, the Wei soldiers fell like wheat being cut. Every time Kumo swung his battle axe, it brought up a rain of blood, and no one could stop his edge.
Pei Yan tightly grasped the Dingkun Sword: "Capture the leader first. Mo Yuan, you take charge of the overall situation. I will go meet Kumo!"
"Your Majesty, you can't do that!" Mo Yuan said anxiously, "Kumo is known as the best warrior on the grassland. He has never been defeated in a single fight!"
Pei Yan raised his lips slightly: "Then today, his record should be broken."
Just as Pei Yan was preparing to charge, another horn suddenly sounded outside the pass - this time it was the Golden Wolf Horn of the Tuoba tribe! The reinforcements led by Ashina finally arrived and attacked the Tiele army from the flank and rear.
The situation on the battlefield reversed again. Cuomo found himself attacked from both sides and decisively ordered a retreat. The cavalry was well-trained and although they were defeated, they did not panic and quickly retreated out of the city.
"Chase!" Mo Yuan shouted.
"No!" Pei Yan stopped him. Don't chase the desperate enemy. Put out the fire and protect the people first! You should go find the imperial physician immediately. ”
As the sky gradually brightened, the fighting inside Baishui Pass finally subsided. The Tiele army retreated, leaving behind thousands of corpses, and the Wei side also suffered heavy casualties.
Pei Yan stood on the broken city wall, looking at the remnants of the Tiele army gathering in the distance, his brows furrowed.
Ashina came hurriedly, his face covered in soot: "Your Majesty, we have captured several Tiele generals. According to them, Kumo is only retreating temporarily. When the reinforcements from the Uighurs and Kyrgyz arrive, they will attack again."
Pei Yan nodded: "As expected, how are our casualties?"
"More than 2,000 people were killed and more than twice as many were injured," Mo Yuan reported. "The most troublesome thing is that the hellfire burned down the West City granary, and more than half of the stored grain was lost."
As they were talking, a soldier rushed up to the city: "Report! A large army was spotted in the northeast, and the flags... the flags are those of Xianbei and Tuoba!"
Ashina's face changed: "My father and Murong Chui?"
Pei Yan narrowed his eyes and said, "Order the entire army to be on alert, but no attack is allowed without my order."
On the distant horizon, a huge army slowly appeared, led by the Xianbei leader Murong Chui and the great leader Tuoba. Behind them were tens of thousands of allied forces, forming a mighty force.
Mo Yuan gripped the hilt of his sword tightly: "Your Majesty, prepare to fight."
To everyone's surprise, the coalition forces stopped three miles away from Baishui Pass. Murong Chui and Chief Tuoba only brought a few personal guards and walked towards Baishui City with flags held high.
"Is this a trick?" Mo Yuan asked warily.
Pei Yan pondered for a moment and said, "Open the city gate and let them in. I want to see what these two are up to."
A quarter of an hour later, the atmosphere in the meeting hall of Baishui Pass was as heavy as iron. Murong Chui and the great leader Tuoba put down their weapons and stood in the center of the hall. Pei Yan sat in the main seat, and Mo Yuan and Ashina stood on both sides.
"Your Majesty." Murong Chui was the first to salute, "The Xianbei tribe is willing to reconcile with the Great Wei and continue the trade agreement."
The Tuoba leader looked at Ashina, a complex expression flashed in his eyes, and then said to Pei Yan: "The Tuoba tribe is also willing to abide by the previous agreement and no longer be an enemy of the Wei Dynasty."
Ashina couldn't believe it: "...Father, you..."
"Shut up!" Chief Tuoba shouted, "I'll deal with you when we get back!"
Pei Yan raised his hand to stop him: "Great leader, Ashina has made contributions but no faults. If it weren't for his timely support, I might not be able to defeat Helian Bobo."
Chief Tuoba snorted and said no more.
Murong Chui continued, "Your Majesty, although Kumo of the Tiele tribe has temporarily retreated, he has sent people to gather more northern tribes. If the Wei Dynasty is willing to improve the terms of trade, the Xianbei and Tuoba are willing to act as mediators and persuade Kumo to withdraw his troops."
Pei Yan sneered: "Chief Murong, are you threatening me?"
"I dare not," Murong Chui waved his hands quickly, "I am just stating the facts. War is good for no one, but if Your Majesty can give each tribe a way out..."
Pei Yan interrupted him: "I have already proposed opening three places for mutual trade and allowing limited trading of ironware and salt. What else do you want?"
Murong Chui exchanged glances with the Tuoba leader, and then said carefully: "The tribes hope to increase the number of trades to five places, double the ironware trade volume, and allow the tribes to send their children to the Wei Dynasty to learn farming, medicine and other techniques."
There was silence in the meeting room. Mo Yuan couldn't help but speak out: "Your Majesty, this request is too much! Especially learning technology, what if they use it to deal with Wei..."
Pei Yan raised his hand to signal him to be quiet, with a thoughtful gleam in his eyes. After a long while, he slowly said, "Okay."
"Your Majesty!" Mo Yuan exclaimed.
Pei Yan continued, "But there are several conditions: First, each tribe must hand over all Hellfire formulas and stocks; second, no troops may be stationed within 50 miles of the trade; third, the children sent must be over 16 years old and must have lived in Wei for at least five years."
Murong Chui and Chief Tuoba discussed in a low voice for a moment, then nodded in unison: "We agree."
"Also," Pei Yan added, "a grand meeting will be held at Baishui Pass in three days. All tribal leaders must be present in person to sign the agreement, especially Kumo. If he doesn't come, everything will be invalid."
The two leaders looked embarrassed, but finally agreed: "We will try our best to convince Cuomo."
After the meeting, Ashina volunteered: "Your Majesty, let me go and persuade Kumo. The Tiele tribe and our Tuoba tribe are related by marriage, so maybe I can have some say."
Pei Yan gave him a deep look and said, "Are you sure? Kumo is very angry. It will be very dangerous to go there."
Ashina raised his broken left hand and grinned: "For the sake of peace, it's worth a try."
Pei Yan nodded, took off a jade pendant from his waist and handed it to Ashina: "Take this. If Kumo doesn't believe you, show him my token."
Ashina solemnly took the jade pendant, bowed, and then left with the two leaders.
Mo Yuan was worried: "Your Majesty, you trust these barbarians too much. What if they pretend to negotiate but actually gather more troops..."
"Mo Yuan," Pei Yan looked into the distance, "Do you remember what I said to you after the battle of Sunset Plain six years ago?"
Mo Yuan was stunned: "Your Majesty said... Military conquest can only win temporary submission, and cultural integration can achieve long-term peace."
"That's right," Pei Yan nodded. "Opening up trade is the first step, and letting them learn our technology and culture is the second step. Ten years later, when the children on the grassland are used to eating Wei's food, wearing Wei's cloth, and using Wei's tools, who would still want to fight?"
Mo Yuan thought for a moment: "So you agree to them sending their children to study..."
"The best way to conquer them is to make them voluntarily become part of us." Pei Yan patted Mo Yuan's shoulder, "Let's prepare for the alliance ceremony."
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