"According to the order."
The corners of Xu Fenglei's mouth raised slightly.
With the emperor's authorization, he could also take the opportunity to arrange some private work for Xuanzang.
The treasures of the Western Regions can be summed up in more than just a “map of the Western Regions”!
"Listen, when it comes to expansion, I have great ambitions and don't want Datang's territory to be limited to this..."
Li Shimin sighed,
"The Western Region is still relatively far away after all."
"Right now, the Turks are our serious concern. I am also wondering in my heart, should we raise more troops? Can the Tang Dynasty withstand this war?"
"I'm so confused... Let's keep this in private. Can you analyze it carefully for me?"
The decisive decision made at the meeting was also filled with enthusiasm, and I wanted to beat him!
But calm down and think about it...
What Xiao Yu, Wei Zheng and others said is not unreasonable.
Things like war affect the whole body. No famous general dares to say that he can completely control the situation of the war! The situation is favorable or unfavorable, all in an instant!
Therefore, at this moment, he urgently needed Xu Fenglei's comprehensive analysis.
Soldiers are important matters of the country, the place of life and death, the way of survival and death, they should not be taken lightly...
"Your Majesty is a military expert, so he naturally knows the art of war."
Xu Fenglei smiled and said,
"Do you still remember what I quoted from "The Art of War" when we defeated the Turks in Binzhou?"
"The first step is to attack the enemy, then the second step is to attack the enemy, the second step is to attack the army, and the third step is to attack the city."
"Sun Wu is really a sage of war. These sixteen words can be applied to any situation! It's the same now."
"Just like the current national affairs environment, there is a lot of room for diplomatic maneuvers!"
Li Shimin touched his chin.
"You mean...to communicate with Khitan, Xueyantuo, Uihe and other countries?"
He whispered,
"Is that what you mean?"
Xu Fenglei nodded.
"right."
He analyzed,
"The Turks have a vast territory, but within their country there are many tribes, and they frequently attack each other."
"For example, there are about forty tribes with the nine surnames Tiele, among which the more powerful ones are the Xue Yantuo, Uihe and other tribes."
"When the grassland resources were abundant and the Turks were powerful, they were naturally as obedient as sheep, obediently bowing their heads and serving as dogs to Jieli Khan. But what about now?"
Xu Fenglei paused for a moment, then threw a piece of young bamboo shoot into his mouth, chewing it and said:
"Since the first year of Zhenguan, the Turkic climate has continued to be extreme, with constant blizzards and storms, and the resources on the grasslands have been drastically reduced! The balance of good, good, good, and good for everyone has been broken. Everyone has to tighten their belts to live a life, and they suffer from friction. avoid."
"Jieli Khan's conquests against Xue Yantuo, Uighur, Khitan and other tribes were essentially caused by the uneven distribution of resources. To sum it up in one word, it is benefit!"
Li Shimin listened with great interest, and before he knew it, he stuffed a few pieces of fat mutton into his mouth.
"Hey Hey hey!"
Changsun Wuguo glared and said,
"It's almost done. If you eat any more, I'll take the plate away!"
Li Shimin came back to his senses, felt the greasy lubrication in his mouth, and couldn't help but sneered:
"Don't blame me, I got distracted, I got distracted..."
As he said this, he hurriedly stuffed a few mouthfuls of vegetables into his mouth to show off to the queen.
"snort."
Changsun Wugu rolled his eyes at him and then said,
"I hear you continue, I'm not interested in fighting or anything like that, but I also like to hear these war situation analyses, diplomacy, and stuff like that."
This time it was Li Shimin's turn to hum.
"Hmph! Do you understand?" He curled his lips and said, "Even I know a little about state affairs and diplomacy! You'd better eat two more bites of meat and take good care of the baby in your belly!"
When Xu Fenglei heard this, he couldn't help but smile.
"Your Majesty's words are wrong. In my eyes, your Majesty is also an outstanding politician. How could you not understand?"
He responded,
"In fact, if we want to say that the most powerful diplomat in the Tang Dynasty is currently the most powerful diplomat, I would recommend the Queen!"
Changsun Wugou's expression changed, and he was a little surprised.
"Well……"
Being praised like this by Xu Fenglei, she felt a little at a loss.
"Ah? The most powerful diplomat in the Tang Dynasty is the Queen?"
Li Shimin frowned and said,
"Listen clearly, you don't have to do this to flatter Guanyin, right? I'm almost embarrassed after hearing this..."
What a joke!
However, Xu Fenglei shook his head.
"This is by no means a boast. Your Majesty, you can think about it. When you were fighting outside and Prince Yin and Prince La were maliciously slandering you in front of the Supreme Emperor, who was the one circling the harem?"
Xu Fenglei said seriously,
"Who is doing diplomacy on your behalf, clarifying rumors, and restoring your image?"
"If it weren't for the empress's excellent diplomacy, you would have been disgusted by the emperor long ago and had your military power and merits taken back. How would you have any chance later?"
Li Shimin suddenly realized.
"Oh, that's right...I forgot about this!"
He continued,
"Guanyin Maid doesn't talk about it much. Now that I think about it, Guanyin Maid went to flatter people like Zhang Jieyu and Yin Defei for me, and repeatedly clarified it for me in front of my father. It was really hard for you..."
"If it were me, I wouldn't want to!"
"Hmm... I am able to obtain this honorable position because of the Queen's diplomacy!"
Changsun Wugou rolled his eyes.
"What a flattery, it's so unpleasant to say."
She pouted and said,
"It is my duty as a princess to serve my father and the concubines."
"No matter how bad Zhang Jieyu and Concubine Yin are, their status is always there, and so is my father's favor. They have always been at odds with you. If I don't say soft words and good words, they will not be allowed to brag in front of my father. Did the wind blow you to death from your pillow?"
"You only know a little bit about fighting. When it comes to dealing with interpersonal relationships, I think you don't understand it at all!"
Li Shimin nodded repeatedly and laughed.
"Yes, yes, I don't understand. Doesn't this make you a powerful wife?"
He joked,
"Really, great diplomat?"
"Then tell me, follow Ting Ming's words, what should we do?"
Changsun Wugu raised his eyebrows.
"What's so hard about this?"
She responded,
"A war broke out between the Khitans, Uighurs, Xue Yantuo and the Turks due to uneven distribution of benefits. Originally, this was a great opportunity for Jieli Khan to suppress the various tribes. As long as he could win, with the temperament of the grassland barbarians, he would definitely continue to crawl under his control. Feet."
"It's a pity that he lost the fight."
"This has brought the grassland tribes back to their senses... You Turks are nothing more than that! You Jieli Khan is just a sick tiger, there is nothing to be afraid of!"
"Therefore, after these defeats, the grassland will enter a greater degree and more serious division and struggle."
"The era when the Turkic Khans spoke with absolute precision has passed! Just like at the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty, when Emperor Xian of the Han Dynasty spoke, it was no longer easy for him to speak in the eyes of the princes!"
There was a hint of playfulness in Changsun Wugou's words.
But this analysis surprised Li Shimin.
"Guanyin Maid, where did you learn this?"
He couldn't help but said,
"You... are very good at analyzing it! You know it better than me!"
"To be honest, are you secretly reading the military manual?"
Changsun Wugou smiled disdainfully.
"It's very simple. I can do it without reading the military manual. As for you, you can't..."
She shrugged and said,
"That's why you're stupid!"
Li Shimin: "#￥%...&@!!!"
Now it’s better, I was completely ridiculed by my wife!
"The Empress does not read military books, but has a keen international vision."
Xu Fenglei gave a thumbs up and said,
"As the queen said - Khan, times have changed!"
"Now is not the time when Jieli can make the grassland tribes pinch their noses and suffer injustice with just one word."
"Whether it's the Khitan, Xue Yantuo, or Uighur, they will all rebel! To seize more resources and tear more meat from the Turks' mouths!"
"And this is our opportunity."
Li Shimin was shocked.
He knows, getting to the point!
"Master Mencius said that those who have attained the Dao will receive much help, while those who have lost the Dao will receive little help."
Xu Fenglei said in a deep voice,
"To put it bluntly, at this stage, we need to make more friends and make fewer enemies, and concentrate our efforts on the Turks!"
"In other words, the Khitan, Uihe, Xue Yantuo and other tribes can be our targets. We can establish diplomatic relations with them, establish friendly relations with them, and accept them as our subordinates!"
"Your Majesty, you can imagine that after establishing this diplomatic circle, what will happen to the Turks once we start a war?"
Li Shimin closed his eyes slightly, then quickly opened them again.
"There are enemies everywhere!"
He said a little excitedly,
"All my former subordinates have turned against each other and become enemies! Open the way for the Tang army and cheer for us!"
"All the former allies have switched sides to fight! The Turks are surrounded by enemies on all sides and are isolated and helpless!"
"Okay, what a good date!"
"What you said is very correct. We must make many friends and few enemies, and concentrate our efforts on doing big things! Although this is simple and straightforward, it contains the truth!"
The corners of Xu Fenglei's mouth raised slightly.
That's natural.
Don’t even look at whose famous quote it is.
During this conversation, an eunuch held an envelope in his hand and walked quickly to Li Shimin.
"Your Majesty, this is the news from the Beiqiao scouts. Jieli Khan has made a big move."
The eunuch whispered as he handed the envelope to Li Shimin.
"oh?"
Li Shimin's mind moved and he quickly opened the envelope, took out the letter paper and started reading.
“This cumin mutton is cooked well.”
Xu Fenglei naturally said no more, picked up a piece of mutton leg meat, put it into his mouth, and recommended to Changsun Wugao,
"Empress, you should try this more often to replenish your health!"
"No." Changsun Wuguo shook his head and said, "Master Sun checked it out last time and said that I have been suffering from a strong stomach fire recently and a weak temper. I can't digest this fat, sweet and thick food, so it's better to eat less."
Xu Fenglei smacked his lips twice, said it was a pity, and immediately ate happily.
"This Jieli Khan got kicked in the head by a donkey?"
On the other side, Li Er suddenly burst into laughter, holding the letter in his hand and saying,
"Ha ha ha ha……"
"Listen clearly, look at it, look at it, I really can't understand what he's doing!"
Xu Fenglei did not take the letter, but tilted his head and said:
"For His Majesty to say this... let me guess what kind of pig-nosing operation this Jieli did."
"Well……"
"Could he have moved his tent to our border?"
boom!
Li Shimin slammed the table.
"Yes! Hahaha..."
He was overjoyed and said,
"You are also a god, you can guess that."
"Is this Jieli tired of living? Does he think that I don't dare to poke him in the ass?"
"Hahaha……"
He didn't know the word "buttocks" before, and he completely learned it from Xu Fenglei.
However, at this moment, using this word to describe the posture of the Tang Dynasty and the Turks couldn't be more appropriate!
"Let me see."
Xu Fenglei chewed the leg of lamb, took the military report, read it, and read,
"Jieli Khan moved his tent and set it up in the south of Yinshan Mountain, in the land of Dingxiang."
"Ha... If we, the Tang Dynasty, mobilize two armies and send troops from Shengzhou and Shuofang to attack, it will really rub this old boy in the ass. Your Majesty's word is so clever!"
"Hahaha……"
The two looked at each other and laughed.
"I believe that Jieli is afraid because of his continuous defeats in foreign battles!"
Xu Fenglei said again,
"He is afraid of a fierce battle with Xue Yantuo and Khitan, and he is also afraid of being attacked from both sides. The Tang Dynasty suddenly sent out a partial force to attack Huanglong!"
"Therefore, sitting in Dingxiang can be considered as maintaining a buffer zone with the rebels, and at the same time, it can also prevent the Tang Dynasty from sneak attacks."
"It's just that he doesn't know that this decision will be the stupidest decision in his life, bar none!"
In order to prevent a sneak attack, I decided to sleep next to you.
You can just stab me with a knife, there's no need for a sneak attack.
This is really... heartwarming.
"yes……"
Li Shimin rubbed his hands and said,
"When he did this, I couldn't help but want to stab him..."
"Ahem...restraint, be restrained."
"Put diplomacy on the agenda in advance, and then contact the rebels."
Even though he felt itchy in his heart, Li Er's basic military qualities were still there.
Don’t fight a battle that you are not prepared for and that you are not sure of.
"I heard that the Khitan leader has a good personal relationship with Tuli Khan."
Xu Fenglei offered advice,
"Tuli Khan can be put in the middle to communicate. This will not only maintain our posture of being a great power in the Tang Dynasty, but also provide a bridge for communication between the two sides."
Li Shimin stroked his chin.
"But, let's leave this matter to Tang Jian. I can rest assured that he will come forward to negotiate."
He responded,
“After diplomacy, comes military deployment.”
Li Shimin's eyes flashed, and he muttered:
"I am willing to attack it with the strength of the whole country and defeat it with one drum! Listen, who do you think is worthy of commanding the army?"
Xu Fenglei was silent for this.
"how?"
Li Er said doubtfully,
"You haven't thought about it?"
Xu Fenglei shook his head.
"It's not that I haven't thought about it, but there's no need to think about it."
He said,
"There are only two and a half people in the Tang Dynasty who can control the overall situation and fight this war."
Li Shimin raised his eyebrows.
"Really? Tell me."
He said with a smile,
"Which two half-men are they?"
"Li Jing counts as one, and Li Ji counts as half." Xu Fenglei said casually, "The other one is Your Majesty, but Your Majesty cannot lead the expedition in person, so one of Li Jing and Li Ji will be selected as the commander."
Li Shimin smiled broadly.
He was very satisfied with this wave.
This kid has not forgotten how awesome his Tiance Admiral is.
"If this war is not started, it will be a war. Once it is started, it will be a war to destroy the country!"
Xu Fenglei said seriously,
"A lion fights a rabbit with all his strength, let alone destroying a country?"
"Therefore, even if Your Majesty has concerns, using Li Jing is the best choice! Li Ji can be the deputy commander and lead the partial division to stop the attack!"
"I wonder if your Majesty's choice is the same as yours?"
(End of chapter)
