Chapter 374: Imperial Contract (Part 2)

The Ghassa Khanate could only be regarded as an interlude in the meetings between the two great empires. Though it somewhat overshadowed the main events, it still brought Li Qing’an unexpected gains—he obtained the entire Yibohai region and ten thousand strong camels, which would provide strong logistical support for his battles in Turkestan.

When the first rays of dawn illuminated the grasslands, the Tang army finally appeared on the horizon visible from Artil City, resembling a long black line undulating as it advanced toward the city. Trumpet sounds rang out from the city walls—“Woo~ Woo—” The mournful trumpet tunes echoed in the wind. Constantine V and his entourage stepped onto the walls to gaze at the vast Tang army in the distance.

“This is the beginning of a new era!” Constantine V murmured to himself, watching the increasingly close and overwhelming Tang cavalry. He felt as though he was about to make history.

“Father is cooperating with a scoundrel!” Eirwen snapped angrily beside him.

For ten thousand bows and arrows, she had once again sacrificed her body. But the thought of having to serve this Eastern general for the next three years filled her with hatred. It should be the man who submitted to her, not the other way around.

“Dear princess, when you returned the day before yesterday, I heard you praise his generosity. Why are you dissatisfied now that he’s right before your eyes?” Constantine V asked, smiling at his fickle daughter.

Eirwen bit her lip and said, “If he were truly generous, he would give me the ten thousand bows and arrows instead of selling them to me.”

Realizing that her body had only earned her installment payments, her anger grew even more. She felt that Li Qing’an underestimated her greatly. He should have forgiven half of her debt—why wouldn’t he?

“My little nightingale, if you feel unable to afford ten thousand bows and arrows, your father is willing to share this costly expense with you.”

Constantine V understood his daughter’s feelings. As someone who had just inherited a large fortune, she was forced to part with a significant amount of money so soon after receiving it. He could understand her pain. He added with a smile, “I only hope that in the war against the Arabs, your archer cavalry can help me reclaim Cyprus first.”

With her father’s support, Eirwen was overjoyed. This meant she no longer had to fulfill the three-year contract with Li Qing’an. Though she was also interested in the terms of the contract, she absolutely refused to be bound by it.

“Father, 200,000 gold coins is too much for me. I hope you can share this burden with me. I will capture Cyprus as soon as possible.”
“Very well! I’ll cover this amount for you.”
After saying that, Constantine V’s gaze shifted to the Tang army’s cavalry, which was getting closer. His eyes were fixed on a red flagpole planted in the ground. He had already reached an agreement with the Tang Dynasty’s negotiators: the Tang army must not cross that flagpole, which served as a safety distance. Until a treaty was signed, both sides had to maintain a certain distance—not between him and Li Qing’an, but between their armies, or rather, the distance between each other’s troops.
The Byzantines placed great importance on contracts and believed in them, a trait stemming from their commercial-oriented society. But until the treaty was signed, he still did not trust Li Qing’an’s army. Therefore, whether the Tang army would cross that flagpole became an important way for him to test Li Qing’an’s loyalty to contracts.
As the Tang army drew closer to the flagpole, Constantine V grew anxious. Just then, the Tang cavalry began to slow down and finally stopped in front of the flagpole.
Constantine V breathed a sigh of relief and smiled. Li Qing’an had not disappointed him.
……
Li Qing’an held back his warhorse, his gaze also fixed on the flagpole—a three-zhang-long red pole standing alone in the grassland, visible from ten miles away. An ordinary person would never understand the significance of this flagpole, but Li Qing’an did. He had already received a report from Pei Yu, who had signed the agreement with the other side: the Tang army was not allowed to cross that flagpole.
Li Qing’an knew that this flagpole represented the Western concept of contractual integrity. It was not meant to insult him. Once a contract was made, both sides had to fulfill it faithfully. Otherwise, there would be no basis for cooperation, let alone a military alliance.
“General, by submitting to his terms like this, we may lose our advantage in the negotiations!” Li Guangbi, who was beside him, said anxiously. As a general, he felt that being blocked by a flagpole made the Tang army too passive.
“Guangbi, by signing this treaty, we can at least ensure peace in Anxi for a hundred years.”
“But our enemies are not only the Arabs but also the Uyghurs and Tibetans. What if…”

Li Guangbi wanted to say more, but was interrupted by Li Qingan, who waved his hand. “The struggle for supremacy in the world ultimately boils down to a struggle between great powers. Although the Uyghurs and Tibetans also have vast territories, they are both limited—one has a sparse population, the other faces harsh conditions. Without strong backing, they can never rival the Tang Empire. Just Anxi alone could destroy these two nations. But the Abbasid Caliphate is different; it is as powerful as our Tang Empire. It cannot be completely defeated in just one battle at Talas. Perhaps if I divert all the resources and troops from Anxi, it would take two or three years to defeat them, but then I would have no time to turn eastward. What if chaos breaks out within the Tang Empire? How can I respond?”
Li Guangbi nodded silently and said, “The general is right. Although a new emperor has ascended the throne, regional warlords still hold power. In the event of natural disasters or man-made crises, the Central Plains could fall into great chaos, and we would indeed be unable to attend to other matters. Our roots are in the Central Plains, which is our strategic goal.”
No matter whether it was historical generals like Li Guangbi, Li Siye, or Feng Changqing, or regardless of how close their personal relationships were with Li Qingan, they could not accept Li Qingan replacing the Tang Dynasty through rebellion. Not only they, but also countless soldiers from Anxi were unwilling to follow in a rebel’s footsteps. An Lushan was able to rebel because he replaced Han generals with non-Han generals; most of the soldiers and officers who joined him were non-Han, which allowed him to sweep through the Central Plains. Li Qingan understood this better than anyone, which is why he tried every means to prove his legitimate status. He was now the Prince of Zhao of the Tang Dynasty and officially recognized as a member of the imperial family, giving him the right to ascend the throne.
Even so, he still couldn’t act rashly. He had to wait for the right opportunity—when chaos erupted in the Central Plains—before he could send troops there.
Thus, Li Guangbi and the others agreed with this approach. They recognized Li Qingan’s right to ascend the throne of the Tang Dynasty, as it was in their own interest and for their future. This was also why Li Guangbi refused Guo Ziyi’s request to take up a position in Shuofang.

At that moment, a group of Byzantine cavalry rushed forward. Their appearance piqued the great interest of the Tang soldiers, who had indeed never seen such cavalry before. They wore golden helmets, golden chainmail, and carried golden spears and shields; even their warhorses were clad in golden armor. Under the sunlight, the cavalry looked dazzling and radiant. Li Qing’an had also heard from Eirwen that her father had a golden imperial guard of 30,000 men, whose armor and weapons were all gilded, but his most trusted 500 knights were true golden knights, with all their weapons and armor made of gold—just the gold used for these 500 men could buy a whole country.

In an instant, the group of golden knights arrived. A young and handsome officer saluted Li Qing’an from his horse and said in imperfect Turkic, “Honorable General Li, His Majesty welcomes the Tang army to Attila City. We have prepared a place for your troops to camp. Please follow us.”

Li Qing’an nodded, about to turn around and give orders to set off, when the officer added, “General Li, His Majesty has prepared a sumptuous breakfast for you to share. Please come with me; you may bring 300 guards.”

“No need. I’ll take him!” A knight rushed over from afar—it was Eirwen, the Byzantine princess.

She galloped forward and smiled at Li Qing’an, saying, “General Li, it’s always been me as your guest. Now, at last, I can show you hospitality as the host.”

“Then thank you!”

Li Qing’an turned to Li Guangbi and ordered, “Lead the troops to set up camp first. Send out scouts and stay vigilant.”

“I understand!” Li Guangbi nodded and then waved, saying, “The army, follow me!”

The main body of the Tang cavalry followed the golden knights westward, and soon only Li Qing’an and his 300 guards remained.

“Come with me!” Li Qing’an followed Eirwen, heading toward Attila City.

Eirwen suddenly slowed her horse and said with a smile, “Oh, I forgot to mention—my father has granted me Attila City. I am its lady now.”

“That’s great. From now on, we’ll be neighbors. We can visit each other often,” Li Qing’an said with a smile.

Eirwen understood the implication behind his words. She glared at him fiercely, then suddenly seemed to remember something and smiled sweetly, saying, “Perhaps I won’t have time to visit you. If I wish to, I’ll send someone to invite you to Attila City as a guest.”

“Why? Have you suddenly gotten rich?”

“Yes, I can pay for your goods in one lump sum and no longer be bound by that damned contract.”
Eleni bit her lips in fury—this bastard had no sense of romance at all, forcing her in such a business-like manner.
“I actually don’t want to do that either.”
Li Qing’an smiled faintly. “You don’t have to buy bows and arrows, or just half of them. In that case, you can completely refuse my terms. After all, it’s your own choice; I’m not forcing you, am I?”
Li Qing’an took out the ‘Lover’s Contract’ and handed it to Eleni, smiling. “Here it is! It still has your beautiful signature and seal, though its contents don’t quite suit your status. My apologies, Princess!”
Eleni took the contract with a red face and tucked it away before whispering, “Actually, if you hadn’t forced me, I might have considered it!”
“You don’t need to consider it anymore. I’m not in the mood for that. You can still pay in installments, but I’ve canceled the additional conditions.”
Suddenly, Li Qing’an lost all interest in this woman. Her desire for power was too strong—maintaining a close relationship with her wasn’t a wise move. Just as a Byzantine emperor needed to set a benchmark for himself, he too needed to set one for her.
Eleni was stunned. Having broken free from Li Qing’an’s control, she had planned to turn him into a kite in her hands, controlled by a string. But Li Qing’an cut through the chaos decisively, eliminating any possibility of her controlling him.
She stared at Li Qing’an for a long time until she saw no trace of that ambiguous gaze typical of men in his eyes. Only then did she believe he was telling the truth. She let out a soft sigh, feeling a hint of disappointment.
“Uuuu—”
A long horn sound echoed, and a group of golden knights rushed from afar. The leader, in his forties, had a thick beard that reached his chest. His gaze was deep. As soon as Li Qing’an saw the golden crown on his head, he knew who had arrived.
He spurred his horse forward and bowed, saying, “Your Majesty, Emperor of the Roman Empire. I am Anxi Li Qing’an. We finally meet.”
Constantine V wasn’t expecting Li Qing’an to be so young. If it weren’t for Li Qing’an’s self-introduction, he would have thought he was just his bodyguard. His armor was no different from that of ordinary Tang soldiers. He was stunned for a moment, then glanced at his daughter before suddenly laughing loudly. “I was rude. I didn’t expect General Li to be so young.”

Smiling, he stepped forward and affectionately shook Li Qing’an’s hand. “I’ve been looking forward to seeing you too. I came here specifically to thank you for the crossbow you sold me, which has enabled me to fight back against the Arabs.”
Constantine V’s honesty won Li Qing’an’s favor. He nodded slightly and smiled, saying, “Fighting the Arabs is our common goal. I hope that through this meeting, we can turn our shared aspirations into a written agreement.”
“Good! As you wish. General Li, please follow me to my tent.”
He turned his horse and gestured for him to follow. Li Qing’an nodded gladly. At that moment, Constantine V suddenly spurred his horse, which galloped away. He laughed loudly, saying, “General Li, I’ll go ahead. I’ll wait for you on the hill ahead.”
Li Qing’an hadn’t expected the mighty Constantine V to still have a childlike spirit. Unaware that this was a common tactic used by Byzantine nobles in business negotiations—racing to establish a psychological advantage through horsemanship before discussing terms—Li Qing’an, driven by his competitive spirit, also whipped his horse and chased after him. His horse was a famous Arab breed, one of the finest among Arab horses, with speeds as fast as lightning, and he quickly caught up to Constantine V.
Constantine V wasn’t prepared for Li Qing’an’s horse to be so fast. Panicked, he spurred his horse even harder to increase its speed. His horse was also a king among horses. The two horses raced side by side, reaching the hill at the same time.
They looked at each other and burst into laughter, clapping each other firmly on the back.