Chapter 515: Unspoken Understanding

“Please, sit down!”
Shang Xidongzan invited them to sit and then asked, “Since you are envoys from Persia, do you have any letters?”
“Yes!” Zharik took out Mansur’s letter and handed it over with both hands, saying, “This is an official letter from our Caliph to the general. Please take a look.”
Shang Xidongzan opened the letter. There was a Tibetan translation inside, which he could understand. Below it was also the Persian royal seal—this letter must be genuine. His mind became active. With the Tang army growing increasingly powerful and equipped with deadly weapons like fire and thunder, coupled with the death of the Tibetan king and low morale among the troops who longed to return home, Shang Xidongzan realized that, in terms of momentum, the Tibetan army had already lost. Unless something drastic changed, the Tibetan army was doomed to defeat in the battle against the Tang.
Shang Xidongzan had already given up hope, but the letter brought by the Persians gave him a glimmer of hope—that is, a drastic change. Alliance with the Persian army was indeed a chance to defeat the Tang.
Unable to contain his excitement, Shang Xidongzan quickly asked Zharik, “Your Caliph didn’t mention in the letter how we should form an alliance. I want to know the details.”
Zharik smiled. “General, the details are in our minds. If the Tibetan army agrees to ally with us, we will naturally share the details with you. If they refuse, writing it down would be pointless. Is that not the case?”
“I see. Then I want to know how we will divide Transoxiana after defeating the Tang.”
Zharik replied, “The Persians don’t want Transoxiana. They want Sindh and Punjab, as well as the region around Samarkand all the way to the Pamir Mountains. Tibet can have Transoxiana, as well as Anxi and Beiting. That is the Caliph’s bottom line.”
Shang Xidongzan frowned. The Persians had huge ambitions—they even wanted to occupy Ferghana. But he understood that Persians were not ordinary people; if they didn’t have such great ambitions, they wouldn’t be Persians.
In fact, Shang Xidongzan also knew that the Persians wouldn’t give Transoxiana to him. After they allied to defeat the Tang, it would be a war between Persia and Tibet. But for now, they shared a common interest in defeating the Tang first.
So Shang Xidongzan nodded, agreeing to Mansur’s proposal for cooperation. “Very well! I agree to cooperate with your Caliph to defeat the Tang together.”
Seeing that he had agreed, Zharik explained the details of the alliance. Ten days later, on a full moon night, the Persian army would cross the Amu Darya River and attack the Tang army from behind.
……

After accommodating the Arab envoy, Shang Xidongzan led a group of soldiers to Lan City, located a hundred miles away. Lan City was the stronghold of another Tibetan general, Shang Jiasu, with eighty thousand Tibetan troops stationed there. This was the matter that troubled Shang Xidongzan the most. Originally, the king had come with eighty thousand troops to provide support, but an unexpected assassination took the king’s life and split the Tibetan army.

Shang Jiasu was already a defeated foe of the Tang army; his fifty thousand troops were utterly annihilated in Qiemo City. He had no right to lead troops anymore. Yet, by some twist of fate, those eighty thousand people became his subordinates, which filled Shang Xidongzan with rage, though he could do nothing about it.

Originally, he had one hundred thousand troops and was stronger than Shang Jiasu, allowing him to use force to dominate him. But after forty thousand of his troops were wiped out in Bushi City, his confidence vanished, and he became the weaker party, forcing him to humbly seek talks with Shang Jiasu.

Upon entering Lan City and arriving in front of Shang Jiasu’s military headquarters, a soldier went in to report. Shang Xidongzan waited on the steps, but after waiting for half an hour, Shang Jiasu still refused to see him. Fuming, Shang Xidongzan turned to leave. After taking just a few steps, an officer came out and called out, “General Shang Xidongzan, my general invites you in!”

Shang Xidongzan had to suppress his anger and followed the officer into the headquarters. The officer explained with a smile, “My general is not feeling well and was treating himself. I’m sorry for making General Shang Xidongzan wait so long.”

Shang Xidongzan grunted heavily and remained silent. After walking a long distance, he still didn’t see Shang Jiasu’s room. Then he realized the building was actually a Han-style residence, with artificial hills, fish ponds, pavilions, and towers, all exquisitely designed. Flowers and plants covered every corner, creating a lush and beautiful scene.

Shang Xidongzan’s frown deepened. He found Shang Jiasu’s residence overly extravagant. After walking through a long corridor, he arrived at a grand hall. The scent of perfume filled the air. Just as he was about to enter, he stopped in shock at what he saw.

The room was lavishly decorated, leaving both of them astonished. Thick carpets covered the floor, colorful Shu brocade hung on the walls, there were rosewood chairs and screens, tables carved from ivory, and the tables and floors were filled with gold pots and silver bottles. Various exquisite jade and porcelain items were everywhere.

The table was laden with food and drinks. Shang Jiasu sat on a rosewood chair, surrounded by over a dozen gorgeous women. Some sat on his thighs, some leaned against him, some massaged his shoulders and back, and some poured him wine and fed him food. Shang Jiasu was surrounded by women, enjoying himself immensely.

A few musicians were also sitting nearby, playing music. Shang Xidongzan immediately felt rage surge within him. What was this? Was this still a Tubo soldier? The Tang army was lurking nearby, ready to launch an attack at any moment, yet this Shang Jiasu was still indulging in pleasure here, neglecting military affairs. No wonder his 50,000 troops couldn’t capture the city of Qiemo, which had only a few thousand defenders, and in the end, the entire army was wiped out.

He could no longer contain his anger and shouted, “Shang Jiasu! Is this how your commander should act?”

All the women were shocked and stood up immediately. The music stopped as well. Shang Jiasu, with a dark expression, drained the wine in his hand, waved his hand, and the women and musicians retreated.

Shang Xidongzan slowly walked into the room and said coldly, “With a great enemy at our gates, you should be studying military strategies at the map, not drinking and playing with women here.”

Shang Jiasu glanced at him coldly and said, “General Shang Xidongzan, are you trying to give me lessons?”

“I dare not give you lessons, but you should at least understand that now is not the time for indulgence.”

“Is that so?” A mocking smile appeared on Shang Jiasu’s face. “Although I eat better and live more comfortably, I still know my place. I know I’m just a general and shouldn’t live in the palace. I don’t know who has moved into the palace and considers themselves a king, yet still has the audacity to give me lessons.”

“You…” Shang Xidongzan was speechless. He indeed lived in the newly built palace in Ahuancheng, which was originally meant for the Zanpu. After the Zanpu died, Shang Xidongzan thought it a shame to leave the palace empty, so he moved in. But he didn’t indulge in pleasure there. He was busy with military affairs all day long, completely different from Shang Jiasu’s indulgent lifestyle.

“Although I live in the palace, I’m busy with military affairs, unlike you who indulges in pleasure.”

“Nonsense!”

Shang Jiasu smashed his wine cup on the ground, stood up, and shouted, “Shang Xidongzan, your poor defense led to the Zanpu’s tragic death. That’s one thing, but you also defied authority by living in the palace as a general. What’s that supposed to mean? Do you want to become the Zanpu? It makes us suspect there’s more to the Zanpu’s death.”

“You’re spreading lies and nonsense!”

Shang Xidongzan cursed, but he couldn’t find sufficient reasons to refute Shang Jiasu. No matter what he said, he still couldn’t justify living in the palace.

Shang Jiasu teased Shang Xidongzan like a dog, driving him crazy, while remaining calm himself. He sat down, poured himself another glass of wine, and said coldly, “What are you doing here?”

Only then did Shang Xi Dongzan remember the purpose of his visit: to persuade Shang Jiasu to join forces with him to confront the Tang army. Together, they would have 140,000 troops, enough to rival the Tang forces, and with the support of the Arab army as well, they should be able to defeat them. With this in mind, Shang Xi Dongzan’s tone softened, and he said, “General Shang Jiasu, I’ve come here hoping that the Tubo army and ours can unite to fight against the Tang army. Please consider this carefully.”

Shang Jiasu was extremely pleased, almost laughing out loud. When had Shang Xi Dongzan ever spoken in such a gentle tone? Even a few days ago, when he had 100,000 troops, he had been extremely arrogant. Now that he only had 60,000 troops, he became submissive—this was the power of strength! With his superior military force, Shang Xi Dongzan had no choice but to yield.

Shang Jiasu took a sip of wine and said leisurely, “If we want to unite, that’s fine. I have three conditions. If you agree to them, we can set aside our past differences and work together.”

Shang Xi Dongzan was overjoyed and quickly replied, “General Shang Jiasu, please state them!”

“The first condition is that I lack military provisions. I hope General Shang Xi Dongzan can deliver 200,000 bushels of grain to me within three days. That’s one. Second, I should take command of the Turfan forces, with you as my deputy. These are the first two conditions. I’ll tell you the third once I think of it.”

Shang Jiasu spoke casually, but Shang Xi Dongzan’s face turned dark. These weren’t conditions at all—they were outright attempts to annex his army. Although he spoke nicely about making him his deputy, once he seized control of his troops, the first thing he would likely do would be to kill him. Moreover, there was still a third condition—whatever he wanted could be imposed once he agreed.

Of course, Shang Xi Dongzan refused to agree. But wanting to make one last effort, he said solemnly, “General Shang Jiasu, if I’m to command your army, you probably won’t agree. Similarly, if you want to take control of my troops, I won’t agree either. So, let’s avoid this kind of forced cooperation and instead find another way to work together.”

Although Shang Jiasu hated Shang Xi Dongzan deeply and wished to kill him on the spot, he also knew that with a great enemy at hand, killing Shang Xi Dongzan would surely lead to internal strife among his own troops, ultimately giving an advantage to the Tang army. He suppressed his hatred and asked, “Then what kind of cooperation do you suggest?”

“I’ll give you 50,000 bushels of grain, enough for your army to last a month. Then we’ll coordinate with each other to attack the Tang army together.”

“Very good. When will we attack?”

“In ten days, on the night of the full moon.”