On the twenty-eighth day of the fifth month of the seventh year of Yuanzhen, by the Jinhe River, the weather was sunny and windy.
Li Po led his accompanying ministers and escorted more than ten thousand people to form an alliance with the Turkic Khan Ashina Yanghuan.
In this day and age, it is rare to come from afar and attend appointments on time. It had been several days since the Turks came here, which made Li Po quite "ashamed".
The kings of the two countries met in an open place by the river. Li Po was the first to salute, "I've been late for a long time and made the Khan wait for many days. Please forgive me."
Ashina Yang Huan's smile was as warm as it was three years ago, "We don't have to be like this between you and me, right? It's normal to come all the way here, a few days early or a few days late.
What? Even if I blame you, can we still turn around and leave?"
Ashina Yang Huan is still so good at talking. When they met again three years later, they quickly closed the distance between them and eliminated the sense of strangeness.
The two looked at each other on horseback and smiled, then rode closer and stood side by side on the grassland.
…………
"I originally thought that the road from Chang'an to the north would be much closer, but I didn't expect that the road would be so difficult...and it's not far from Dali City. It's better to go to Dali City to meet."
Looking at the dark-faced Emperor of the Tang Dynasty, Ashina Yang Huan gave him an angry side glance, "It seems that you blame me for choosing a shortcut, but it made you suffer?"
Li Po smiled and shook his head, "How could it be? It's not easy for my nephew to come out for a trip. If we still walk on the same road as three years ago, where can we see different scenery?"
Ashina Yang Huan said: "Oh, the scenery on the grassland is the same. There is really nothing interesting to see. If I didn't want to see you, I wouldn't want to make such a long trip."
Li Po immediately hammered his chest, "It's a crime to worry about my aunt."
"It's good to know. When we talk about business later, please speak nicely and stop making trouble."
"We have already met once, and we are all familiar with each other. Don't worry about me. I will not tolerate anyone who disrespects my aunt.
You have to take good care of these Turks. They always like to show off their strength and fight, and they can't distinguish priorities. If someone deliberately offends me..."
Ashina Yang Huan's hands felt a little itchy and he couldn't help but flick his horse whip, "You... the two countries have been in contact with each other for so long, so you don't need to be clever anymore, right?"
Li Po chuckled, "What my aunt is saying is that our alliance is just to deepen the understanding between the two countries. Of course my aunt and I have nothing to say, but how could the people below know what's going on?"
When everyone knows what the other person is thinking, they will know how to tolerate each other, don’t you think?"
"I don't know if you're right or not. I just know that you are beating around the bush and trying to trick me again. When we met last time, you took advantage of me less? You must have brought some evil ideas this time...
…
Even if you are a relative, I will still get angry if you are always scheming."
"It is inevitable that there will be misunderstandings between relatives. Just resolve them. There is no need to act rashly and hurt the harmony. Whatever the aunt wants to do, the nephew will naturally try his best to fulfill it.
But my aunt should also be considerate. My nephew has national affairs on his shoulders and has the hope of the world. He can't make promises to others easily, lest everyone complains, right?"
The two talked in and out of words, and they had several confrontations, both vaguely expressing their attitudes and testing each other.
But in the eyes of outsiders, they were chatting and laughing, having a great time talking to each other, and seemed to be very private, so they set a relatively peaceful atmosphere for this alliance.
…………
With the precedent of the last alliance, everyone knows the rules.
The Tang people's camp was set up not far to the south of the Turks, also by the Jinhe River. It was also very convenient to get water. A large tent was built in the middle for the kings of the two countries to discuss important matters or have banquets and have fun.
It was almost the same as last time. Because the proposal for an alliance was initiated by the Turks, the final location for the alliance was chosen on the bank of the Jinshui River in the southwest of Yunzhong Grassland.
This is undoubtedly the territory of the Turks, and it is blocked by the Yellow River in the south. If the Turks are really malicious, the situation of the Tang people will be somewhat disadvantageous.
Therefore, large armies were stationed on the south bank of the Yellow River and in Mayi to the east, ready to respond at any time.
The Turks are also on guard. There are some tribes scattered on the Yunzhong Grassland. If something happens, their response will never be much slower than that of the Tang army.
The alliance started in a tense and lively atmosphere.
Li Po and Ashina Yang Huan discussed it and decided not to talk about business for now. The Turks arrived first and had been recuperating for a few days. They were ready to relax and wait for work. Naturally, the Tang people also had to rest and recuperate before they could talk about things.
.
Ashina Yang Huan generously said that he would not take advantage of this, and that it was the way to treat guests who came from afar to let them rest for two days.
Li Po said that this place used to be the place of Han people, and a Yunzhong City was built nearby. What traces did the Turks leave here?
Therefore, although the people of the Tang Dynasty traveled a long way, they actually did not leave their homes, so there was no way to talk about hospitality.
Ashina Yang Huan immediately said that the footprints of the Turks reach as far as the horizon. Does it mean that the places where the Turks' horses have walked belong to the Turks?
Li Po thought for a while and nodded affirmatively. As long as the Turks could produce written records, the Tang Dynasty would recognize the Turks' inherent territory.
Even before the alliance has really begun, they are already fighting to gain the upper hand.
One of the key points of this alliance is actually to divide the territories between the two countries again. Last time, the Turks' proposal was too much, and they wanted to use the Great Wall as the boundary. The Tang Dynasty argued hard and regained some of the former Sui territory.
I had to accept some conditions put forward by the Turks.
For example, most of the places where trade was conducted were outside the Great Wall.
Furthermore, areas outside the Great Wall such as Yulin serve as a buffer zone between the two countries and must not be militarized, that is, they cannot be turned into a horse breeding ground for the Tang Dynasty, etc.
Therefore, the Tang army has been stationed in Shuofang and the area south of Lingzhou in recent years. It has half of the jurisdiction over the fertile land near Hetao, but its control is very insufficient.
During the alliance three years ago, the Turks still made many small moves. The western tribes of the Turks went to the Bei Wuyuan area to graze, which made the Tang troops in Lingzhou and Shuofang very nervous.
Now three years have passed, both the Tang Dynasty and the Turks intend to redraw their borders. Who will take advantage and who will suffer more depends on how everyone talks.
Since ancient times, it is true that the Central Plains dynasties and the northern barbarians have discussed border matters, but it is rare for the emperor and the Khan to lead their people to negotiate face to face.
Peaceful negotiations are not popular these days to resolve disputes. Most of the time, the North and the South have to clash with each other to temporarily fix their territory.