Bai Song was no stranger to Gaochang.
After the Tang Dynasty pacified the Turks, the second big country it pacified was Gaochang.
But the launch of troops against Gaochang should be in the thirteenth year of Zhenguan.
It is only the ninth year of Zhenguan.
Moreover, the Tang Dynasty used troops against Gaochang because Gaochang formed an alliance with the Western Turks and cut off the trade routes between the Western Regions and the Tang Dynasty.
It is a passive sending of troops.
Why did Li Shimin make the decision to use troops against Gaochang now?
Bai Song was a little surprised. He had already felt the changes in history.
Historical changes actually happened early on.
But the changes that Bai Song felt before were generally still within a large framework, and even some small changes in history will be automatically repaired over time.
Today, a very important war in history is inexplicably advanced four years.
This is no small change.
In front of him was an eternal emperor and a famous historical official. They all looked at Bai Song blankly.
He seemed to feel the change in Bai Song's eyes, and there was a look of confusion on his face.
"Bai Song, what do you think?" Li Shimin asked proactively.
Bai Song came to his senses and asked hesitantly: "Your Majesty, does this have to be the case? Our army just experienced a war and many people died."
Li Shimin seemed very confident: "In the past, I would not have made such a radical decision. It's just that now I have strong troops in my hands. If I don't expand my territory, won't I miss a great opportunity?"
With strong soldiers in hand...
Bai Song realized who was pushing the war forward.
Divine cannon!
The emergence of the Shenwu Cannon greatly enhanced Li Shimin's self-confidence. Only with the Shenwu Cannon did Li Shimin have the idea of expanding his territory.
The Bai Song Dynasty made the Shenwu Cannon public to the public mainly to avoid war and to end the war faster.
Although the Shenwu Cannon pacified Chengdu and quickly conquered the small grassland countries, it also brought forward a larger-scale war.
Bai Song was not a saint, but his recent experiences had made him extremely tired of blood and fighting.
He saw the piles of corpses, saw the departure of friends and subordinates, and silently vowed to do everything in his power to defuse the war.
Now, a war is about to break out, and the emperor wants him to lead the army?
How can this be?
Bai Song's heart was instinctively repulsive.
"Your Majesty, I dare to retort, when will this war end? After the East Turks there will be the West Turks, after Gaochang there will be Tubo and the Western Regions, after the Western Regions there will be Europe and Africa... Expanding the territory can gain a temporary victory. If it is profitable, it will be difficult to achieve long-term peace and stability.”
Li Shimin frowned slightly: "Europe, Africa..."
"Your Majesty, this world is very big. The Tang Dynasty is still a drop in the ocean in the entire world. There are countless countries outside the Tang Dynasty that we have never seen before. If we want to establish a lasting hegemony, war alone is far from enough."
"If we don't rely on war, what can we rely on?"
"Culture, technology, faith, commerce... a strong country is not only reflected in its military, but also in its comprehensive strength. As long as the country itself is developed enough, even without a single soldier, it can intimidate the world and attract all nations to come to Korea."
"You are just talking about Confucianism on paper and cannot be trusted at all." Li Shimin felt that what Bai Song said was somewhat reasonable, but apart from wars, no country in the past dynasties was built with comprehensive national strength, which was not enough to convince him.
"If the emperor can believe me, please give me three years. Within three years, I will completely reduce Japan to a subsidiary of the Tang Dynasty. The people of Japan will have the same basic necessities, food, clothing, housing and transportation as those of the Tang Dynasty. All people in Japan will yearn for the Tang Dynasty." , let the Japanese royal family obey the orders of the Tang Dynasty."
"The one I want to fight is Gaochang. What do you mean by Japan?"
"I just want to prove to the emperor that everything I describe is not just talk on paper. In addition to war, there are other easier ways to pacify the world. Even if Gaochang has evil intentions, I can guarantee that within three years, Gaochang will never be defeated. Don’t dare to openly oppose Datang.”
Li Shimin and Li Jing looked at each other, and Bai Song's words were really unexpected.
The attack on Gaochang was indeed Li Shimin's impromptu idea. It was in the planning stage and was not officially mentioned in court.
The Shenwu Cannon really aroused Li Shimin's ambition. He always felt that since he had mastered such a powerful weapon, he had to do something.
When it comes to expanding territory, if given the choice, Li Shimin would first want to conquer Japan.
Because although they are now doing business with Japan and are relatively friendly on the surface, Li Shimin can't stand the self-righteousness of the Japanese people. They always have a condescending attitude, which makes people uncomfortable.
The reason why Japan is not attacked is because the two countries are separated by the sea, and even the Shenwu cannon may not be able to fire across it.
Now Bai Song said that Japan would be completely owned by the Tang Dynasty within three years, and it would even change Japan's food, clothing, housing and transportation to be the same as that of the Tang Dynasty.
Li Shimin found this interesting.
At the same time, this is the first time that Bai Song has taken the initiative to take over his life. Li Shimin hopes to have an opportunity to see what abilities Bai Song has in his heart.
This is definitely an opportunity.
I thought it was a simple conversation, but I didn't expect it to be an attempted task.
Li Shimin looked at Bai Song seriously: "Bai Song, there is no joke in front of me. Can you really do what you say?"
Bai Song didn't care much. This was something he wanted to do very much, not to mention preventing an early war. No matter what the reason was, Bai Song had no reason to shirk.
Bai Song became serious and raised his hand to Li Shimin: "I am willing to guarantee that the emperor will get a result within three years."
"Okay, as long as you can completely surrender Japan to the Tang Dynasty, I will agree to any request you have."
As he spoke, Li Shimin took out a stack of memorials from the table behind him and said with a chuckle: "These are all memorials written for you."
"Ah?" Bai Song was stunned, "I...I didn't do anything..."
"Because you invented the Shenwu Cannon, some people say that you have an invention in your mind that is more dangerous than the Shenwu Cannon. Keeping you in this world is the biggest threat to the Tang Dynasty. There are also people who use criticism from a few years ago to say that you It’s the reincarnation of a demon star that will bring chaos to the world.”
"..."
"Don't be nervous, I am not someone who repays kindness with hatred. You have made many great contributions to the Tang Dynasty, and I have not given you any decent rewards. Naturally, I will not take these memorials seriously."
After realizing this, Bai Song realized that if it had been in the past, his head might not have been saved. Thinking about it carefully, his back became wet.
Li Shimin looked at Bai Song and said seriously: "You are a special person. In these three years, if you need any support from me or the court, just ask, nothing will be a problem. In these three years, except for me, you You don’t have to listen to anyone’s orders. No matter what rank you hold or what title you hold, you must obey your orders.”
After that, Li Shimin took off his jade plaque and gave it to Bai Song.
