Zellis is not young in himself. He is almost sixty this year, which is considered a long life among the Turks. After serving as a khan for several years, Zellis' health is getting worse and worse.
"Lidor, come here." Zheli said in a weak tone.
"Father." Lidor approached Zhelishi and said sadly.
"I can't do it anymore. After I die, you can lead the tribe with your mother and family and take refuge in the Tang Dynasty." Zelishu said softly.
"Father...why?" Lidor was stunned for a moment and asked with some confusion.
"There is no reason. There is no need for the Western Turks to exist now. The population of our tribe has been declining, and many small tribes have directly taken refuge in Ashina Shilu, but in fact Ashina Shilu is just a big It’s just a chess piece of the Tang Emperor.”
"There is no shame in being chess pieces. In fact, we are just chess pieces of the Tang Dynasty. If it were not for the support of the Tang Dynasty, we would have been wiped out by Yi Bi Du Lu."
"We can only have a few days because the Tang Dynasty needs us. But now that I am dead, you cannot control the entire Turks. Each big tribe has its own ideas. No matter what their ideas are, they will not listen to you. , and the power in your hands does not have an absolute advantage."
"Although you were born on the grassland, and although you are not afraid of fighting, you are not good at fighting either."
"So, go ahead and surrender to the Tang Dynasty. With your current achievements and status, the Tang Dynasty will give you a good status and position, just like Xue Yantuo's Zhenzhu Khan."
"Although you don't get that much, life in Chang'an is far more comfortable than on the grassland, and you don't have to worry about more things."
"As a father, I have not brought you a higher status, nor have I brought you more people, but when you go to Chang'an, you may find a different life."
Zheli's tone was very weak, and he had to stop and let himself take a breath.
"Father, don't say that. Children on the grassland are accustomed to winning more property by themselves. Your order... I don't know whether I should obey it or not." Lidor's face was blank.
He really hadn't thought about this option.
"Go, listen to me. Now the Western Turks are already old wolves. It seems that they still have power, but their bones have long been soft. Even the meat of the prey can break an old tooth. And the Tang Dynasty went down the mountain. Tigers have no rivals on the grassland."
"The situation in the Tang Dynasty has been stabilized. If Datang wants to continue to develop in the next step, it can only go west, and we are the weakest."
"Today's Turks have a vast territory but only old bodies. We are no longer able to protect such a vast grassland."
"If you had stayed, not to mention the Tang Dynasty, various tribes would end up having disputes with you, and the outcome would probably not be easy to predict." Zhelishi said softly.
"Ashina Shilu could actually annex us a long time ago, but maybe it's because of the relationship between the Tang Dynasty and us. I once took refuge in the Tang Dynasty, so they didn't do anything to us. There are even many relationships with us. trade.”
"But after I die, this kind of thing will probably not happen. As long as Ashina Shilu sends troops, many tribes will surrender immediately." Zelishi looked at him softly and said.
Lidor was silent for a moment, and then said softly: "I understand, father, I will lead the Western Turks to submit to the Tang Dynasty."
"Well, you can figure it out. Before joining the Tang Dynasty, take advantage of my funeral to call the leaders of each tribe to discuss it together. I believe they will all agree. This will also be of the greatest benefit to you." Lost his voice.
"It's...father."
After Elishui finished explaining what he had to explain, Elishui returned to the embrace of Changshengtian that night. After Elishui died, Lidoer thought for a long time on the way to summon the leaders of various tribes, and finally decided Decided to listen to Zheli's words.
Within three days, the main tribal leaders of the Western Turks arrived here. After they held a funeral for Zhelishi, Lidor convened a meeting with them.
"Everyone, I am ready to lead the Western Turks to surrender to the Tang Dynasty and become part of the Tang Dynasty." Lidor did not hesitate, but spoke directly at the meeting.
Lidor's words stunned the dozen tribe leaders who came over, but after they were stunned, they fell silent again. Soon, a leader bowed his hand to Lidor and said: "Khan has passed away, you As the eldest son of the Khan, you are our new Khan."
"Now that you have made your decision, Khan, we all agree."
"Yes, we all agree with your decision Khan."
When these leaders all responded to Lidor, he suddenly understood why his father told him this, because these people might have already thought of surrendering to the Tang Dynasty.
People in the grasslands admire the strong, and today the Tang Dynasty is the most powerful person in the entire grassland. It extends to the land of the Arctic Icefield in the north and the land of Yongxia in the south. It spans tens of thousands of miles from north to south and from east to west.
Of course, they all want to join such a country, especially those who have gained unprecedented benefits. Naturally, they want to join it too.
"Since everyone thinks so, let's take advantage of this winter migration and head towards the Ashina Shilu Department, towards the Datang Tianshan Mountains and the Yili River Valley. There is a place for us to spend the winter there, and we can do the same. Contact Datang." Lidor didn't think much about it.
Prairie people don't have much sense of family and country. For them, surviving is the most practical thing, so now that the decision has been made, Lidor is not going to hesitate.
Migration is a very long matter, but as the successor khan of the Turks, Lidor sent envoys to the Ashina tribe first, and then prepared to send it to the Tang Dynasty at the same time.
In November of the 26th year of the Tang Dynasty, Chang'an had begun to get cold. Although it had not yet reached subzero, it was already time to wear thick clothes. However, Li Ke, who had just made arrangements for Tianzhu and others, received intelligence from the Chinese theater. .
The West Turkic Ashina Shilu and the West Turkic Zhelishi tribe, or the Lidoer tribe, decided to all submit to the Tang Dynasty and become part of the Tang Dynasty.
Li Ke was stunned for a moment after receiving the news. He was not ready to take action against the Western Turks yet. Are the Western Turks about to surrender? Although it was a vassal state before, being a vassal state and completely surrendering are two different concepts.
Li Ke also knew from the information sent that the Western Turkic Khan Zheli Shi was dead, and now he was his son Lidor.
