Pei Jie rode his horse around the corpses without making a sound. He saw that the corpses were all lying face down or on their sides, indicating that they had been hit from behind by something.
Having made a guess, Pei Jie simply dismounted and squatted down to examine the wounds on the corpses.
Some were on the back, some on the back of the head, all fatal spots. The back only had a bloody hole about the thickness of a finger, but the front was a gruesome sight. He racked his brains but couldn't figure out what kind of hidden weapon had such astonishing lethality.
Looking up and around, he saw that the only place he could hide from people was a small hill about three or four miles away with a few trees.
But at this distance, even a crossbow can only shoot this far, let alone internal force.
Pei Jie thought about the repeating crossbow, and something flashed through his mind. Since they could make a repeating crossbow, it wouldn't be surprising if they could make something even more advanced.
Besides admiration for Xie Yushu, he also felt a bit wary of her. This Princess Jingde was unfathomable!
Forty thousand people! And they were wiped out just like that. People like that either have to disappear or become friends. If he disappears, it seems Xie Yushu won't disappear either. He might as well just cling to her coattails!
Of course, it's too early to talk about these things now; it's more important to deal with the immediate issues first.
Seeing the Tatars obediently waiting for his question, Pei Jie didn't stand on ceremony and spoke.
"I, Pei Jie, am not one to kill innocent people indiscriminately. As long as you surrender, I will forgive and forget your past actions. But if anyone dares to resist, the Pei family army of the Great Qi is not to be trifled with!"
Anyone who can speak up, come out and say something!
As Pei Jie finished speaking, the leader who had raised the white flag timidly stepped forward and said...
“We surrender. Our king and other leaders have been punished by the heavens. We didn’t want to fight; it was them who insisted on fighting. We had no choice. Now we surrender, please spare us!”
Speaking of divine punishment, Pei Jie was extremely curious. What scheme did Xie Yushu use to wipe out 40,000 enemy troops so decisively?
But he couldn't ask these people; even if he did, they might not know. So he said...
"Since you have chosen to surrender, then elect a new leader, write a letter of surrender, and voluntarily become a vassal state of the Great Qi. In the future, the Great Qi will send troops and officials to assist you in managing the Tatars."
I can assure you that after you surrender, we will not only send troops to protect you, but also provide you with a fixed amount of grain every year. However, your grasslands must also send a fixed number of warhorses and cattle to the Great Qi every year.
Raise your hand if you agree.
Since things have come to this point, with them coming to our doorstep, what is there to disagree with? As soon as Pei Jie finished speaking, the Tatars all raised their hands.
The people in front raised their hands, and those behind, though still unsure what was happening, followed suit.
Ordinary people usually don't have their own opinions and mostly follow the crowd, let alone in a life-or-death situation like this.
So, seeing that the people in front of him were raising their hands, he followed suit.
All they care about now is living peacefully. They don't care who's in charge, as long as they can continue herding sheep on this grassland.
As a result, Pei Jie took over the Tatar capital very smoothly, and directly appointed the minor leader who raised the white flag as the new leader of the Tatars.
They went to the royal tent to write a letter of surrender and a letter of allegiance, and affixed the royal seal.
Then the people of Daqi confiscated most of the Tatars' weapons.
Only a small number were left to protect themselves and deal with external enemies, such as the Rouran and the Northern Yan.
They also ordered the Tatar troops to be dispersed and inserted into the garrison left behind by the Great Qi.
The remaining people then opened the horse pen, sheep pen, and cattle pen, and divided the horses, cattle, and sheep equally among them.
Once they each have their own "industries," their focus will gradually shift to those industries.
Although the six herdsmen took some with them when they left, there are still quite a few left. Horses, cattle, and sheep on the grasslands are as plentiful as crops in the Central Plains.
However, these are just ordinary horses. The warhorses that have been tamed are now Xie Yushu and her companions' mounts, and they are carrying them back home!
Xie Yushu and her group arrived quietly, but left in a grand and dramatic fashion.
They captured the Tatar capital with zero casualties, avenged their defeat, and even gained several thousand warhorses, so it was a triumphant return.
However, their triumph was destined to be kept secret from the world.
But it doesn't matter, since they're not after that empty fame anyway, as long as they've done what they believe in.
Victory always brings joy, so Xie Yushu and her companions mounted their horses and began a horsemanship contest on the vast grassland. As they ran, the herd of horses behind them followed suit, creating a spectacular scene of thousands of horses galloping.
Just as they were running around having a blast, they ran into the Third Prince and his entourage, who were being held back by Pei Jie.
From a distance, they couldn't see who was coming, but they saw a group of horses galloping towards them with great momentum. The men following the Third Prince thought they had encountered grassland cavalry and immediately took a fighting stance.
They've even set up their crossbows!
Fortunately, Qingfeng recognized the Third Prince and reminded Xie Yushu to slow down, revealing the insignia of the Divine Eagle Guard.
The Third Prince was also on high alert, preparing for a major battle, when he saw the insignia of the Divine Eagle Guard and hurriedly ordered his men to withdraw the repeating crossbows.
When Qingfeng and the others ran closer, they saw Xie Yushu there and asked in surprise.
"Why is Princess Jingde here too?"
What are you doing here?
Xie Yushu said jokingly
"Greetings, Third Prince. I brought some men here to practice their horsemanship. What a coincidence, the Third Prince is also here on the grasslands for some fresh air!"
The Third Prince was taught to be a gentleman by the palace teachers. Although he knew that Xie Yushu had not answered his question properly, he did not know how to refute her for a moment. She was not like this when he spoke to Xie Yushu in the capital last time!
Xie Yushu didn't care what he thought, nor did she want to argue with him any longer. She was afraid that if she argued for a while, the warhorse would have to be handed over to the authorities again, and if everything was handed over to the authorities, wouldn't all her efforts have been in vain?
So he laughed it off.
"Your Highness, please enjoy yourself. We have other matters to attend to, so we'll take our leave now!"
Then he led a group of men and disappeared without a trace.
The Third Prince was completely confused about what they had come for.
He doesn't suspect that Xie Yushu's horse herd was stolen, since with Xuanyuan Che's wealth, he could afford to keep such a herd of horses. Now that the Divine Eagle Guards are with Xie Yushu, it's possible that Xuanyuan Che's assets have been given to Xie Yushu.
Although he envied it, he never thought of coveting it. His eighteenth uncle's things were all distributed by his grandfather when he was alive, and his eighteenth uncle distributed them himself. Even his father was afraid of being criticized, so he did not interfere. He could not possibly covet them.
However, it was the Empress Dowager who took the initiative to return the fiefdom to Prince Xiaoyao.
The other industries, still managed by the Divine Eagle Guard, were probably transferred to Xie Yushu as well.
It seems he was right not to antagonize Xie Yushu; this Xie Yushu is becoming increasingly unapproachable.
As for Xie Yushu's claim that she came to walk the horses, he would never believe her. Judging from the direction she came from, it seemed to be the place Pei Jie had gone.
Could it be that Xie Yushu has secretly brought the Divine Eagle Guards to avenge Uncle Eighteen?
With doubts swirling in his mind, the Third Prince also ordered his men to hurry to the Tatar capital to meet up with Pei Jie, just in case Pei Jie knew what was going on.
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