Chapter 4808 Imperial Ambition
All in all, the best situation for the Tang Dynasty now is that Tubo will win without victory and the Gar tribe will be defeated without defeat.
Li Ji also had some worries: "I know a lot about Qin Ling. It is no exaggeration to say that he is 'amazingly talented'. He is especially good at strategy and preparation. He has such fierce generals as Bo Lun Zan Ren under his command. There are elite warriors from the Gar tribe, and now they have received support from the Tang Dynasty in terms of weapons, equipment, food and supplies. If there is a little more luck, it is not impossible to capture Luoshou City. "
Everyone knows that Tubo appears to be powerful, but in fact internal strife is extremely serious. Once Qin Ling's troops approach the city, it is very likely to cause unpredictable changes, and anything can happen...
Fang Jun had foreseen this: "Don't worry, Mr. Ying, I will stop it at the critical moment."
Li Ji glanced at him and said calmly: "The eagle that survives will bite its master, and the running dog will bark. Don't be arrogant, let alone underestimate anyone."
Fang Jun pondered for a while, nodded and said: "I have learned a lesson."
Li Ji was slightly startled. Although Fang Jun was a generation behind him and he was qualified to teach him a few words, Fang Jun's status today had already surpassed the limitations of his seniority. He was a person who could stand shoulder to shoulder with him and be on equal footing with him. At this moment, he said The word "taught" shows his broad mind and deep city.
He is clearly a dandy who was fooling around and fighting dogs a few years ago, and has grown up to be so mature in the blink of an eye. This kind of progress cannot be achieved by teaching. I can only sigh that maybe this is a natural talent...
So he smiled slightly: "It's just an old man nagging a few words. If you are willing to listen, just listen. Don't teach me anything."
Zheng Rentai, Pei Huaijie, Liu Rengui and others couldn't help but shake their heads when they saw that there was no barrier between them and they cared about each other. During the last meeting, they were still very quarrelsome. They neither saw Li Ji "loving the young" nor Fang Jun "respecting the elderly". , both of them wish they could punch each other and knock them down with one punch...
The reform of the military system involves too many and too deep areas. The recruitment and adjustment of troop sources, the improvement and improvement of logistics, etc. are no longer a matter of the military alone. Financial coordination, legal support, and even ordnance, war horses, equipment, etc. Tactics and even food are an extremely large and meticulous systematic project. After being drafted, it must be handed over to the entire army for discussion and improvement. It cannot be completed overnight.
Therefore, in every meeting, each "committee" will propose an issue, and then everyone will make arguments, add opinions, and improve it bit by bit.
The result was constant disputes in the "meeting room" set up in the Ministry of War Yamen. Once their respective interests were involved, they would not back down and quarrel endlessly. They would often argue and become red-faced. Fortunately, the door was closed tightly every time there was a meeting. Otherwise, it would be unseemly to be seen by outsiders...
……
The Ministry of War now has great power and sufficient funds, and the food in the lunch hall is very good. Although these "committees" are big bosses in the court and the army, they are still greedy for the food of the Ministry of War, so they will stay at the Ministry of War after every meeting. Have a meal and then leave one after another.
Fang Jun and Li Ji had dinner together, and just as they were about to go home respectively, the palace servant came to deliver the message, saying that His Majesty had summoned him...
The two people hurriedly left the Ministry of War yamen without riding in the car. Surrounded by their own soldiers, they rode out of the imperial city and arrived at Chengtian Gate. Without any notification, they were led into the palace by the chamberlain and arrived at the Imperial Study Room of Wude Hall. .
After the monarch and his ministers recited the rituals, they sat down.
Li Chengqian had probably just had lunch and was drinking water from a teacup, asking the servant to serve tea to the two of them. However, he asked: "The battle in Tubo is fierce. Although Qinling captured Naluyi and gained the strategic initiative, after all, the Gar The tribe is weak and may not be able to withstand the Tibetan counterattack. Should we increase our support? ”
When he said this, Li and Fang understood what he meant.
Fang Jun asked tentatively: "What level of support does your Majesty mean by support?"
Li Chengqian pondered for a moment, thinking that there was no need to be secretive in the past two days, so he spoke bluntly: "Why don't you just let Pei Xingjian lead his army to Naluyi and help Lunqinling guard the Ela Pass? What do you think?"
Regarding Qinling's extraordinary force and its lightning-fast attack on Nalu Station, the first strategic location on the way to Luosu City, it gave him the feeling that "Tubo is vulnerable", and that the ragtag group of Yigaer tribe could defeat the enemy. , what if it were replaced by the Tang Army, which was better equipped and more powerful?
Will it be pushed all the way from Dafeichuanping to Luoche City?
Will the Tibetan army collapse at a stroke and become vulnerable?
No wonder Li Chengqian had the idea that the king was already the master of the world and was rich all over the world. As long as he had any pursuit, he would only compete on two things, one "civilian governance" and the other "martial arts".
It has been three generations since the founding of the Tang Dynasty. Emperor Gaozu rose up in the chaos of the late Sui Dynasty and summoned the heroes of the world to establish the enduring foundation of the Tang Dynasty. Emperor Taizong even destroyed the Eastern and Western Turks, Xue Yantuo, Goguryeo, Tuyuhun, and the country. There are countless emperors in the prosperous age of Zhenguan, who are both civil and military, and are only one step away from being "one emperor through the ages".
Li Chengqian believed that he was not as good as those two people, and made up his mind to manage domestic affairs honestly. Even if he could not be remembered in history and intimidate the present generation like his father and ancestors, he should still be able to accumulate a substantial family fortune like the two emperors Wen and Jing, and he should also have amazing talents among his children and grandchildren. With this, an extremely beautiful person can achieve unparalleled achievements, and when the time comes, the history books will surely praise him as the master of success.
But now he suddenly saw an opportunity to achieve a feat that was not inferior to that of his father and ancestors, and that was to destroy Tubo.
When Xue Yantuo in the north of the Great Wall, Turks in the Mobei, Goguryeo in the east of Liaodong, and Tuyuhun in the south of the Qilian Mountains, these neighboring powerful countries were destroyed one by one and disappeared into thin air. The huge territory of the Tang Dynasty stretched vertically and horizontally and was vast. Boundless, if Tubo on the plateau could also be destroyed and included in the territory, the Tang Dynasty could accomplish a feat that even the Qin Emperor and Han Dynasty had never achieved - the true unification of the geographical area.
Just imagine, when Mobei, Liaodong, Western Regions, Tubo, etc. are all included in the territory of the Tang Dynasty, how vast and powerful will it be?
No emperor can resist this temptation.
Fang Jun and Li Ji looked at each other, and immediately interrupted Li Chengqian's dream: "Your Majesty, you must not! The most important thing about this strategy against Tubo is that the Tang Dynasty should stay out of the matter, so that it can calmly arrange things from the outside. Even if Tubo knew that the Tang Dynasty was funding and supporting the Gar tribe, but there was nothing they could do because they did not dare to go to war with the Tang Dynasty. Once the Tang Dynasty personally sent troops to participate, Tubo would be forced to declare war on the Tang Dynasty. The advantage of Tubo in occupying the plateau was an insurmountable barrier for the Tang army. Don't be fooled by the current results of Qinling. If Pei Xingjian personally commanded the Tang army, he might not be able to achieve such a record."
For soldiers who were born in the plains, altitude sickness cannot be offset by willpower. If you just walk on the plateau, you will be out of breath, let alone trekking long distances to fight on the battlefield?
Obviously, Li Chengqian, who grew up in the palace, did not realize the real dangers and difficulties of altitude sickness.
Li Ji also said: "The Tang Dynasty is now in a period of reform, both internally and militarily. It requires the whole country's cooperation and participation, both inside and outside the court. This is a once-in-a-century opportunity. Once this step is taken, the empire's national strength will become If it doubles, what will Tubo do? What? The old minister is willing to personally attack the plateau to capture Songtsen Gampo and present it to His Majesty. But now if he is dragged into a quagmire of war by Tibet, it will consume a lot of national power and lead to the temporary suspension of various reforms, even if it is eventually destroyed. Tubo also lost more than it gained. ”
Tubo was indeed powerful and posed a great threat to the empire's western frontier. It had to deploy more than 100,000 troops in the four towns of Wushaoling and Hexi, spending countless money on food and supplies. However, compared with the empire's political, economic, and military innovations, it was Not worth mentioning.
In Fang Jun’s words, this is called “iteration”.
This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. There are no strong external enemies, the military environment is relatively stable, and you can focus on domestic affairs. Although there were civil and military conflicts internally, all of them, including Liu Ji, were far-sighted people who were willing to eliminate officialdom, develop internal affairs, boost the economy, and encourage business.
Everyone in the empire is working hard to establish meritorious deeds.
The most important thing is that the king is wise and not strong. This is the best soil for change.
Generally speaking, weak monarchs are mostly ignorant and have no independent opinions. They cannot stick to the established path and will easily change their tune at the slightest disturbance. However, wise monarchs are mostly strong and cannot tolerate their subordinates "meddling" with the monarchy. They have strong opinions and want to consolidate everything. Kingship is paramount.
Once the "iteration" is completed, the empire will jump to a higher level, which will be a "dimensionality reduction blow" to all countries in the world.
Compared with this, what's the harm in enduring Tibet for more than ten or twenty years?
Li Chengqian was a person who listened to persuasion, and after hearing this, he understood that he had extravagant hopes, but he did not hide his disappointment in front of these two people, and even said sincerely: "It's not that I am so happy about my achievements, but for me, the achievement of overthrowing Tubo is too great." Too tempting. When I was still the crown prince, I suffered from the world. Questioning, although I usually behave calmly, I still care about it in my heart. I don’t dare to compare myself to Gaozu and Taizong, but I have to have some achievements to make those people shut up, right? I am an emperor and an ordinary person. I also want to be recognized by the people of the world.”
Since he ascended the throne, there has not been a beauty added to the palace. Is it because he is not a womanizer? Of course not. Ordinary officials and businessmen all yearn for three wives and four concubines to enjoy the blessings of everyone, let alone him, the emperor?
But he knew what he wanted. Compared with beauty, he wanted an honest and wise evaluation. He desperately needs recognition, now and in the future, alive and dead.