Chapter 677 This is the place I want!
Ashina Zhuxie remained calm and simply lowered his head.
Lady Jiayuan, standing behind Shali Khan, gave him a cold look, a sharp glint in her eyes.
At this moment, the tent flap behind them was pushed open again, and a low groan was heard. Everyone turned around and saw General Pasha, who had just returned defeated yesterday, slowly walking in from outside. His face was pale and covered in sweat. With each step he took, his face twitched, as if he was enduring great pain.
Finally, he walked to the center of the royal tent and bowed down to Ashina Shali, saying, "Khan."
As soon as he knelt down, Prince Iasu, who was standing beside him, saw his back.
His broad, thick back was covered in bloody whip marks, some of which were even torn open, a gruesome sight. Prince Iasu's eyes widened in shock, and he immediately asked, "General Pasha—what happened?"
Pasha lowered his head and didn't say anything.
Ashina Shali looked at him coldly and said, "These hundred lashes are punishment for losing Taiyuan, losing 50,000 troops, and becoming a prisoner of the enemy!"
Iasu gasped.
As the most beloved son of the Shali Khan, and protected by his favored mother, he lived a carefree life on the grasslands. Even when he met Liang Shide in Luoyang, Lei Yu, whom he couldn't forget after just a fleeting glance, was begged to become his wife. In the short span of his life, he rarely participated in bloody battles. But the Turks were born on horseback, and even if they hadn't participated in battles, they had witnessed countless battles and carnage.
Therefore, he knew very well how incredible it was that 50,000 people had become prisoners of the enemy.
This shows that when the Sheng army attacked the city, General Pasha, as the commander-in-chief, organized almost no effective resistance and fled immediately, which caused the morale of the 50,000 soldiers to collapse so quickly and eventually surrender to the enemy.
Iasu glanced at General Pasha, a hint of resentment and reproach showing in his pure and innocent eyes.
But he still said, "Father, a hundred lashes are too harsh."
It should be noted that the whips of the Turks were different from those of other people. Not only were they covered with barbs, but they were also dipped in water when used for execution, making the blows more painful than being cut by a knife or axe. Therefore, even a strong general like Pasha was almost crippled after receiving a hundred lashes.
Shali Khan sneered and said, "That's right, a hundred lashes is too heavy."
As he spoke, he coldly glanced at the figure in the corner and said, "He only needs to take fifty lashes for losing the city; the other fifty lashes are for someone else!"
Upon hearing this, the entire royal tent fell silent.
All eyes were focused on Ashina Zhuxie, who had been standing silently in the corner. Even Prince Yiasu, who had initially seemed a little confused, immediately snapped out of it. He glanced back at his brother, as if he wanted to defend him, but before he could open his mouth, Lady Jiayuan, who was standing behind Shali Khan, immediately said, "Yasu, you don't understand the war in Taiyuan, so don't say anything."
"Can--"
Iasu was about to say something when Lady Jiayuan glared at him fiercely.
Iasu bit her lip and could only keep her mouth shut.
Under the intense gaze of these eyes, Ashina Zhuxie felt as if he were being pricked by needles. He took a deep breath, finally stepped forward, and said in a deep voice, "Your subject knows his crime."
A smile immediately appeared on Lady Jiayuan's lips.
Shali Khan said, "It's good that you know your crime."
"..."
"But simply acknowledging guilt is not enough."
"..."
"Although we have lost Taiyuan, we cannot just sit here and wait to die. Otherwise, when Yuwen Ye gathers a large army and marches north again, we will not even be able to hold onto this grassland!"
Upon hearing this, Ashina Zhuxie and Yiasu both looked up, especially Prince Yiasu, who stared at him with wide eyes in surprise: "Father Khan, do you mean we should continue—"
Shali Khan narrowed his eyes and gritted his teeth, saying, "I will not let this go!"
At this moment, a minister stood up, bowed to him, and said, "But Khan, since the enemy has sent so many troops to retake Taiyuan this time, they will definitely strengthen their defenses. If we want to attack Taiyuan again, I'm afraid it won't be as easy as before."
Another minister chimed in, "Indeed, the Wang brothers have suffered a defeat this time, and I'm afraid they will find it difficult to rise again."
The other ministers echoed, "That's right."
"Taiyuan is inherently easy to defend and difficult to attack. Previously, we had the advantage of favorable timing, location, and popular support, as well as the assistance of the Wang brothers. But this time, it won't be so easy."
"Shengjun has recaptured Taiyuan; it won't be so easy for them to lose it again."
"Taiyuan, let's forget about it."
...
Ashina Shali watched them silently, without saying a word, until everyone felt the eerie silence and quieted down, each one looking at him cautiously. A cunning glint appeared in Ashina Shali's eyes, followed by a more ferocious look.
He said, "Who said I was going to attack Taiyuan again?"
"...!?"
Upon hearing this, everyone's eyes widened in surprise.
Ashina Zhuxie looked up at him, and suddenly seemed to sense something. His thick eyebrows furrowed, and his aura deepened.
Prince Iasu asked in surprise, "Father Khan, what do you mean—"
Ashina Shali did not speak, but raised his hand and waved. Immediately, two guards stepped forward and carried a wooden frame to the center of the royal tent. On the frame hung a huge map, which depicted the terrain from the Cangtou River Valley beneath their feet all the way to the Central Plains.
Ashina Shali slowly stood up and walked to the map.
His steps were somewhat unsteady. Old age, injuries, and the loss of only one eye had long since made him lose the imposing and powerful presence he had when he besieged the Daye Dynasty's emperor and his ministers at Yanmen Pass. But even so, he was still unwilling to give up. His only remaining eye stared fiercely at the map, as if he wanted to see right through it!
He let out a deep breath and slammed one hand heavily on the map.
It was in the Cangtou River Valley where they were.
No one spoke, but they all instinctively held their breath, their intense gazes fixed on his fingertips. His thick fingers slowly slid down a line along the river valley, and just as he was about to reach Taiyuan, he suddenly veered westward—
"...!"
Everyone was taken aback.
But then his fingers suddenly circled around Shangjun, and then plunged down heavily, cutting through Jingchuan with unstoppable force!
In an instant, the atmosphere inside the royal tent became tense, even suffocating.
Ashina Zhuxie stared intently at the mountains and rivers on the map, his eyes slightly red. Although he was furthest from the map, he was the most familiar with it. After passing Jingchuan, the capital of the newly established Dasheng Dynasty was right before his eyes.
That is to say—
Chang'an City!
Ashina Shali said, word by word, "What I want is this place!"
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