Xu Fenglei shook his head.
"Your Majesty, you are like a frog in the well this time, and you have underestimated the Tubo Kingdom."
He said seriously,
"Tubo is not a small country, on the contrary, it is a powerful country that is rising on the plateau!"
"Their leader, Songtsen Gampo, is a wise monarch among the many. Although he is a bit less interesting than you, he is still a level lower than you. He can be said to be a hero!"
This is not to flatter Li Er.
After all, Li Shimin has done extremely well in the six fields of politics, economy, people's livelihood, military, diplomacy, and culture. He can be said to be a hexagonal warrior.
Songtsen Gampo was an unparalleled wise king in Tibet, but compared with Li Er, he was indeed lacking.
"oh?"
Li Shimin said in surprise,
"Hero? Real or fake...Listen, you know a lot about Tubo?"
All the ministers also looked at Xu Fenglei.
In fact, they are also quite curious... Why can Xu Fenglei understand the surrounding countries so well?
Japan, not many people in the Tang Dynasty knew about this island country, and he was familiar with it and could make friends and talk eloquently.
He also knows a little about the Western Regions and Tianzhu.
Now this Tubo, he seems to know...
How come you know everything?
"know a little."
Xu Fenglei smiled and said,
"Tubo and Tuyuhun are neighbors. Tubo is located in the plateau area further northwest. It is a bitter cold land with few resources, so naturally it cannot develop into a big country."
"It's just that since the Sui Dynasty, the climate has gradually warmed up, and the harsh environment in Tubo has been greatly alleviated. Naturally, the ethnic groups have flourished and the country has developed steadily."
"Has your Majesty felt that the past few years have been good and the harvest has been plentiful?"
Li Shimin nodded.
"That's true. Since the fifth year of Zhenguan, there have been no major disasters. The weather has been smooth. It was really difficult before."
Li Er responded,
"In fact, national development also depends on the sky."
"As long as God gives him face and the climate is just a little better, the country can take advantage of the situation and develop! The national strength will increase all of a sudden!"
Today's Datang can be said to be thriving and getting stronger every day!
From the Tang Dynasty, head towards the Great Tang Dynasty!
This is naturally due to the wise monarch and the good government and people, but the good environment and climate are also a big help.
If droughts, floods, snowstorms, and locust plagues come every day, it will be useless no matter how awesome the monarch is! At most, it can only stabilize the people's lives and lead a miserable life. It is impossible to seek development.
"That's right, Datang has developed very well in the past few years."
Xu Fenglei smiled and said,
"But at the same time, other countries are also developing."
"Especially a country where the king is wise and the people are united, they will definitely make great progress!"
"As far as the surrounding areas of the Tang Dynasty are concerned, Tubo is such a country, and its national power is also rising! Especially the population, because of its national characteristics, as long as there are enough resources, the population will skyrocket faster than ours!"
Li Shimin was shocked.
The other ministers also calmed down and their expressions became serious.
Listen to what Xu Fenglei said... This Tubo has great potential!
"What characteristics?"
Changsun Wuji couldn't help but ask,
"Nowadays, our Tang Dynasty encourages childbirth, and the rate of childbirth has been very fast! On average, each couple can have four or five children. For those who can have children, seven or eight are common!"
"This... can they be more fertile than us?"
The current fertility rate in the Tang Dynasty is already impressive, can Tubo be even stronger?
Are they animals?
"Haha, we young couples in the Tang Dynasty have worked very hard, but if Tubo people don't get married and just sow seeds and have children at will, how should you deal with it?"
Xu Fenglei spread his hands and said,
"The habits of nomadic people are much more open than ours. They don't care about chastity or marriage. What they want is people! As long as they can have children, they don't care about red tape!"
"I took the prince to play in the Turkic grassland before. The herdsmen there were very hospitable. Do you know how hospitable they are? They just let their daughter get under the prince's bed! Your Highness the prince is so embarrassed!"
"Ha ha ha ha……"
When he mentioned Li Chengqian's interesting stories, the officials immediately laughed, and the atmosphere in the political hall was full of joy.
Of course, one person couldn't laugh.
Li Shimin's face became a little uneasy. He knocked on the table with a dark face and spat,
"Quiet, quiet! Why are you laughing!"
"If you talk about Tubo, just talk about Tubo. What are you doing with Cheng Qian?"
Xu Fenglei's big mouth really... exposed all this!
Cheng Qian's body now has a bit of rosy news, and it will probably become the talk of the people in Chang'an after dinner.
"Okay, okay, let's not go too far, let's give an example, give an example..."
Xu Fenglei smiled and said,
"When I give this example, I actually mean that the nomadic people are not as particular as we are. They are very casual."
"When a stranger comes, the enthusiastic ones will directly offer their wives, daughters, and even female elders!"
Ministers: "..."
"Hiss...this is too sad!"
"Yes, I can still understand if you want to talk about daughter, wife? Elder? This... this is too inhumane!"
"Inhuman, inhuman!"
All the ministers felt a chill and looked a little uncomfortable.
Li Shimin also looked a little ugly.
"How could they do this? Barbarians, barbarians are so uncivilized!"
He couldn't help scolding,
"The wife who loves each other, the daughter who has been raised by one hand, and the female elders in the family..."
"How can you be so dirty! Do you really have no sense of shame or filial piety?"
Xu Fenglei shrugged.
"They have never studied Confucianism, how can they know etiquette, justice, integrity and shame?"
he responded.
Li Shimin shook his head.
"Then at least...you have to have a conscience!"
He said displeasedly,
"It's so unconscionable to do such a thing!"
Xu Fenglei said:
"Your Majesty has put himself into it, so naturally he finds it unacceptable. If we use the ideas of our agricultural civilization to understand the nomadic civilization, we will definitely not be able to understand it."
"The environment in grasslands and plateaus is very harsh, and children are more likely to die young. If ten babies here can live five or six, they can only live two or three. The gap is huge."
"If we don't work hard and live casually, there will be problems with the survival of the ethnic group. How can we care about etiquette, justice and shame? The only important thing is to increase the population! Whether it is an individual or a tribe, people are The more, the better! The more people in the family, the less likely they will be bullied, and the more people in the tribe, the more resources they will get! At the same time, people are also the most precious resource!"
Li Shimin remained silent, but nodded.
In fact, it was the same in the Tang Dynasty. Farmers also worked hard to cultivate land and water sources.
What to rely on to rob? Don’t you have to rely on people?
No matter what dynasty or country.
People are the most precious.
"Nomadic groups are not as stable as our farming community. They have no fixed settlement and many accidents."
Xu Fenglei said again,
"So, they must replenish their strength! It is precisely for this reason that they are more casual about gender matters."
"In other words, as long as the baby can be born and the baby can do things at home, it doesn't matter whose father it is!"
"This is just like the Tian family back then. Tian Chang did not prohibit guests from entering the backyard, but instead allowed them to come and go as they pleased. As long as his concubine is pregnant, he will regard him as his son."
"In just a few decades, he had more than seventy sons! Regardless of whether they are his sons or not, they are all named Tian, and they all help the Tian family! This clan has become prosperous in no time!"
"The nomadic tribes use similar methods...so when the climate is suitable, they must be more fertile! We in Tang Dynasty give birth to four or five people, and they give birth to seven or eight!"
When the ministers heard this, they suddenly realized.
In this way, it is not only the barbarians who do this, but also the ancestors who are like this?
The land of Qilu was the birthplace of Confucianism back then!
"Another point is that there is actually a reason why women at home are allowed to sleep with stranger guests."
Xu Fenglei said again,
"When the ethnic group develops to a certain scale, everyone is almost related by blood, just like our villages with the same surname in the Tang Dynasty."
"Within the same clan, close relatives cannot marry, so outsiders need to sow seeds. But on the grassland, it is difficult to see strangers, so every time they meet, they are treated as if they are treasures, and naturally they want to borrow seeds. "
Changsun Wuji couldn't help laughing when he heard this.
"Hearing what the Grand Master said, I almost want to go for a walk on the grassland."
He leads the narrow road,
"It sounds quite pleasant."
As soon as this statement came out, everyone laughed.
When you're done playing, just leave. You don't have to take responsibility. People still have to thank you.
Isn't this a beautiful thing?
"nonsense!"
Li Shimin frowned and spat,
"As the Prime Minister of the Tang Dynasty, how can you say such frivolous and rogue words?"
"Dian Zhongcheng, record the fault once for Changsun Wuji!"
Swish!
Changsun Wuji's name was recorded in the notebook, which made him shut up instantly and not dare to talk nonsense anymore.
"Listening to what you said, I was wrong. They have their own customs, and they have some weird habits out of necessity."
Li Shimin turned to look at Xu Fenglei and said in a deep voice,
"Although I still can't understand it, I have to face it."
"According to your inference, the population of Tubo will grow faster than the Tang Dynasty? Their national power will also grow faster than the Tang Dynasty?"
Xu Fenglei nodded.
"Your Majesty used the word 'weird' very well."
He said seriously,
"Tubo is very strange. It has the characteristics of a nomadic people, but it also has the nature of a farming people."
"It can be said that they are a combination of farming and nomadicism. In the current climate environment, this is obviously more advanced. They have become powerful. In the next few decades or even hundreds of years, they may be a threat and opponent to our Datang. .”
Historically, Tubo and Tang Dynasty seemed to grow together.
As the Tang Dynasty prospered, Tubo also became stronger.
After the Tang Dynasty fell, Tubo also weakened, and Tubo eventually collapsed.
It seems that God saw that the Tang Dynasty was too strong and deliberately arranged an opponent.
In fact, it is not so metaphysical. In the final analysis, it is just two words - climate.
It rises due to the warm and humid climate and declines due to the cold climate.
Li Shimin nodded slightly.
"I know, I shouldn't be contemptuous..."
He sighed,
"If you hadn't told me, I wouldn't have known that such a country had quietly arisen around the Tang Dynasty."
"Then, in my opinion, how should we deal with the proposal of the Lord of Tubo?"
At this moment, Li Er had already cheered up and faced Tubo squarely.
This is a country with war potential, and according to Xu Fenglei's description, it is stronger than Tuyuhun!
Then their monarch's proposal cannot be ignored.
At least, the priority is above that of the traitor Murong and his son.
"That depends on His Majesty's plans for the future."
Xu Fenglei said in a deep voice,
"If the Tang Dynasty is allowed to spread its hands and feet, then the surrounding small countries will be destroyed. If the Tang Dynasty is destroyed by Tuyuhun, then it will be bordering Tubo."
"At that time, there will inevitably be friction between the two countries. Even if there is a marriage, you will not be able to avoid it if you become the father-in-law of Songtsen Gampo. Geographical conflicts are always the most realistic conflicts."
Li Shimin nodded.
"If there is a border, there will definitely be a fight."
He responded,
"I do have a grand plan in my heart. At the very least, I want to clean up the surroundings so that future generations will have no worries."
These words shocked both Li Jing and Li Ji and they looked at each other.
It seems... they still have a chance to make great achievements!
"Then you mean to refuse the proposal?"
Li Shimin asked.
Xu Fenglei hesitated for a moment.
"Assuming that there will be a war between the Tang Dynasty and Tubo, let alone peace, we should think about how to weaken Tubo at the moment."
He said,
"I do have an idea, but it's not very authentic and I might get scolded."
Li Shimin raised his eyebrows.
"You can just say it, but it doesn't have to be implemented anyway. It doesn't hurt to listen."
Li Er raised his hand.
Xu Fenglei pondered for a moment and then said:
"That's right...I believe that whether a country is strong or not depends largely on whether its monarch is wise."
"The Sui Dynasty is an example. If Yang Jian is wise, the Sui Dynasty will be strong; if Yang Guang is ignorant, the Sui Dynasty will perish."
"For Tubo, its leader Songtsen Gampo is a master of great talent and strategy, and is an extremely important link on the road to its growth and prosperity!"
"If Songtsen Gampo can be wiped out and Tubo is left without a leader, then its development process will definitely stagnate! It may even fall into civil strife!"
Li Shimin looked stern.
"You think long-term!"
He murmured,
"Then what you mean is..."
Xu Fenglei was silent for a moment and asked:
"Your Majesty should know how King Chu Huai died, right?"
"If you can...do you understand?"
He said it very cryptically, but everyone here is a person who has read poetry and books, and they immediately understood what Xu Fenglei meant!
King Huai of Chu made an alliance with King Zhaoxiang of Qin, but was detained by the State of Qin, and eventually died as a guest of the State of Qin!
The Grand Master wants His Majesty to imitate the King of Qin and bring Songtsen Gampo from Tubo to the Tang Dynasty, trapping him to death! This will greatly weaken the national power of Tubo!
I have to say that this is indeed a bit unethical, a bit of a dirty trick and a third-party method.
The Qin State did this back then, but it was criticized both verbally and writtenly!
Is it possible that the Tang Dynasty also has to do this kind of thing? !
(End of chapter)
