The Long Ballad Episode 21 Recap
> The Long Ballad Recap
Li Shimin faced the powerful troops of Asher’s Tribe without the slightest fear. He was full of confidence and willing to give Asher's Tribe one last chance. At noon tomorrow, on both sides of the Wei River, if Asher's Tribe still intends to initiate war, he will fight back. But if Asher's Tribe wants to restore peace, he is also willing to sign an alliance. Asher's Tribe couldn't grasp the full strength of the Tang army.
Seeing the firm confidence of Li Shimin, the Great Khan hesitated, fearing that tens of thousands of prairie warriors would die in a foreign land. Asher Sun found Changge and saw that she was wearing Tang army attire. Without a word, he brought her back to the camp. Just then, the Great Khan and Sheer arrived, and Changge quickly hid. The Great Khan revealed his plan to Sheer and Asher Sun.
Knowing he could not defeat Li Shimin on the battlefield, he decided to use a cunning trick—he would pretend to negotiate peace with Li Shimin. When the alliance was signed, the Xiongnu and Eagle Divisions would hide their most elite archers in ambush, ready to shoot Li Shimin as soon as the alliance wine was finished. Although Asher Sun hadn’t expected such a tactic from the Great Khan, he had no choice but to comply.
This assassination had to be carried out. Changge was devoted to the Tang Dynasty, and Asher Sun feared she would do something reckless the next day, so he ordered her to be locked in the camp and not allowed to leave. Leyan headed south with the team. The little beggar Xiao Wu, who had previously stolen her purse, was also among them. Though he spoke harshly to Leyan, he still kindly shared his grilled mushrooms with her.
Xiao Wu was stubborn but soft-hearted—after all, he was just a child. Leyan didn’t take the past to heart and instead cared about his cold. While eating, Leyan learned about Xiao Wu's past and felt deeply sorry for him. As they chatted, a burly man Leyan had previously offended approached them. Xiao Wu quickly pulled Leyan to run, but they couldn’t outrun the man. To protect Xiao Wu, Leyan took a hit from the man's stick.
Xiao Wu immediately knelt and begged for mercy. The man kept beating Xiao Wu, and Leyan couldn’t bear to see him suffer, so she also knelt to plead. The man finally let them go, but Xiao Wu was in bad shape and developed a fever and fell unconscious the next day. Leyan was deeply worried. The next day, the Tang and Asher's troops gathered on both sides of the Wei River. Today was a critical moment for the Tang.
Li Shimin remained anxious and, before leaving, instructed Wei Zheng and the others: if something happened to him, they must do their utmost to assist the Crown Prince. In Asher’s camp, Changge woke to find the troops had already departed. Without hesitation, she broke free from her restraints and sneaked out. She disguised herself as a soldier from the Wolf Army and slipped into the archer squad.
She fired her arrow a moment earlier than the others, shooting straight into Li Shimin’s alliance wine cup, warning the Tang army. She was caught by Asher's people. Asher Sun realized what Changge had done, but he was too late and could only watch her being taken away. Asher’s Tribe had used a hidden arrow to harm, and the Tang army sternly questioned the Great Khan about his true intentions.
The Great Khan, wary of the Tang forces, first apologized to Li Shimin and then reluctantly agreed to retreat ninety miles. Although the Great Khan ordered a retreat, the Xibi Tribe refused to comply, thinking this was the best opportunity for a sneak attack. Seeing the restless Xibi and the motionless Sheer, Asher Sun acted first, shooting the Xibi leader with an arrow to boost morale among the Eagle Division.
He ordered the entire team to retreat ninety miles and set up camp to await the Great Khan’s return. Li Shimin escaped danger but knew someone had secretly helped him. For someone ten miles away to shoot his wine cup meant they had great skill. He didn’t want to believe it was Changge who took the risk, so he sent someone to investigate in Asher’s camp. There, Changge, dressed in Wolf Army attire, was brought forth.
The Wolf Army belonged to Sheer. The Great Khan became angry at Sheer. Sheer slapped Changge and demanded to know why she impersonated one of his soldiers. Changge claimed to be a subordinate of the Wolf Army and said she had acted rashly out of a desire for revenge—her whole family had died at Li Shimin’s hands. She pleaded for another chance. Sheer was focused on proving that Changge had framed him.
Changge sneered—had she succeeded in killing Li Shimin, how could Sheer still deny her affiliation with the Wolf Army? Her words aroused the Great Khan’s suspicions. The military advisor also reported that Sheer had remained idle during the Xibi rebellion, and it was Asher Sun who had calmed the army with a decisive arrow. Thus, the Great Khan trusted Asher Sun and blamed Sheer.
When he wanted to reward Asher Sun, Asher, thinking of the bigger picture, persuaded the Great Khan to spare Changge. The Great Khan ordered Sheer to take Changge away and never show up again. Xiao Wu was already weak, and now his fever wouldn’t subside. Leyan stayed by his side and even got separated from the group for him.
When Xiao Wu woke up, he blamed Leyan for being silly—if they got separated now, they might never reach Luoyang, and she couldn’t possibly handle the dangers alone. Yet Leyan refused to leave him alone. To catch up with the group, Xiao Wu forced himself to walk despite his illness. Asher Sun and the Eagle Division were clearly concerned about Changge. Sheer guessed there was something between them and threatened Asher Sun, saying he had ways to make Changge talk.
Meanwhile, Li Shimin kept thinking about the archer. Learning that Changge had visited Asher’s camp before the alliance signing made him more convinced she was the one who helped.
