This time the envoys from the Qiemo Kingdom came here not only to apologize to Li Ke, but also brought a large amount of gold. The last time Nuo Qiang Jiang went to Hu Lai, he probably brought nearly a ton to Li Ke. of gold, and this time Qiemo had been inherited longer than Nuqiang. They were afraid that the Tang army would be disadvantageous to them. Qiemo alone brought 2.2 tons of gold to Li Ke this time.
To be honest, Li Ke was really surprised. Each of these countries in the Western Regions was small in area, but they were quite wealthy unexpectedly. But when he thought about it again, many of these countries in the Western Regions had existed since the Han Dynasty, because they were related to each other. The distance between them is too far, and it is impossible to conquer each other, so the inheritance of these countries is longer than imagined.
At that time, the Silk Road was the southern route that was first popular, so the Western Region countries around Tulunchuan left a lot of wealth. Li Ke felt that this was because he told Yang Cheng and the others that he only liked gold. Otherwise, Li Ke would Ke feels that these people will also bring other large amounts of wealth.
But even so, Li Ke now has more than 9 tons of gold in his hands! Although 9 tons of gold is actually not that big, after all, there are 19 tons of gold in 1 meter square, and the volume of Li Ke's 9 tons of gold is just that small.
To be honest, Li Ke was drooling. These countries alone had so much gold. If all the thirty-six countries in the Western Region were robbed, the amount of gold would probably be hundreds of tons or more? After all, Qiemo Nuqiang and other countries are all small countries, and other larger countries in the Western Regions will definitely gain more wealth.
For example, the Kingdom of Khotan is a Buddhist country. As we all know, the ability of this kind of religious country to collect money is even more terrifying. And the Kingdom of Khotan has also been a country that has been inherited for hundreds of years. There must be a lot of gold gathered in them.
Li Ke is now thinking about whether to let Murong Shun take over.
However, Li Ke still held back. Now was not the time. The main target now was Tubo. If Tubo could be captured, it would mean that Datang had a springboard to cross the Himalayas!
By then, the entire Indian peninsula will be within the radius of the Tang Dynasty's iron cavalry. Even if that place is too difficult to manage because of the poor race, it is still a good place to fight eastward!
Moreover, the geographical location of Tubo actually had a great impact on the Tang Dynasty. If Tubo was captured, it would mean that due to the existence of the Himalayas, the entire southwest would only need to guard a few entrances to the south, and then it could be completely ignored!
Unlike now, a large number of troops need to be stationed on the border between Datang and Tubo. When these troops are saved, they can either go directly westward into Central Asia, and the rest can be directly turned eastward. At present, Yunnan and other regions are in poor mountains and rivers, but these If the place comes down from the Tibetan area, it will not be difficult to capture it.
Datang's territory will gradually become complete.
In fact, the places in Yunnan in later generations can actually be left alone. These places are ethnic minorities, and many of these ethnic minorities were primitive tribes at this period. They were self-sufficient in the mountains and would not affect the situation of the Tang Dynasty too much.
The location of Tubo actually poses the greatest threat to the Tang Dynasty, because the Tubo people are accustomed to plateaus, but the Tang Dynasty is not. The natural environment is even worse than that of Qinghai, allowing them to advance and attack, retreat and defend. They don’t even have to defend, they just need to withdraw. Far enough away, it would be very difficult for Datang to attack.
But those countries in the Western Region are not a concern.
After the Qiemo Kingdom's envoys handed over the gold, Li Ke dismissed them casually, but Li Ke still made them sign an unequal treaty, that is, if any Tang businessmen went to Qiemo Kingdom to do business, No taxes are allowed.
If you don't want anything, it will be even more wrong, leaving you with an excuse so that you can find an excuse if you want to make trouble in the future.
After sending away the envoy from Qiemo Kingdom, Li Ke called Yang Cheng and Wang Zheng over.
"The two of you will form a mission and then go to Tubo." Li Ke looked at them and said.
"Your Highness, is it still the same strategy as before?" Yang Cheng asked.
"No, when I went to Tubo this time, I asked Songtsen Gampo a question. Did he deliberately shield Murong Shun because Tang Dynasty did not agree to his request to marry the princess? And he massacred all the traitors against Murong Shun near the Tubo border. Shun Tuyuhun tribe?!"
"Tell him that it is the territory of the Tang Dynasty now, and those tribes are the subjects of the Tang Dynasty! Let him give me an explanation. If he doesn't give an explanation! The army of the Tang Dynasty does not mind continuing to fight!" Li Ke said directly He spoke. "By the way, there is something else you need to know. Murong Shun has now wiped out all the Tubo nobles north of the Kunlun Mountains. If nothing else happens, most of the herdsmen from the Tubo tribe will move into our Tang Dynasty."
Most of the herdsmen who went out to spread the news in the past few days have returned. Only some of the herdsmen who went to the border with Tubo have not returned. Xue Wanche, Xue Wanjun, and Niu Jinda have each led 5,000 cavalry to three important positions where they will hand over to Tibet. , such as Tanggula Pass and the location of Tongtian River.
These locations were originally Tubo territory, but Xue Wanche and the others would track them directly under the pretext of tracking Murong Shun. When Yang Cheng and his delegation went to question Songtsen Gampo, if he wanted to fight, then Xue Wanche and the others would have already Occupied a favorable position.
If Songtsan Gampo didn't want to fight, then Songtsan Gampo would have no choice but to break his teeth and swallow the territories occupied by Xue Wanche and others. He would not dare to ask Li Ke to take back these territories anyway.
During this period, these nomadic countries actually had very weak control over their borders. If Murong Shun's execution went smoothly, he would have killed all the nobles along the way. Songtsen Gampo might have just learned the news when Yang Cheng's envoys arrived.
The trip to Luosue (pronounced laSa in the Tang Dynasty, later lUOXie) was about two thousand miles. Yang Cheng and his delegation could not move quickly, and the road was difficult to walk. It would take at least more than a month, so the round trip would take close to two months. This time is enough for Li Ke to make many arrangements.
Luosuo, also known as Womatang in the Tang Dynasty. If it were not for Li Ke, after Princess Wencheng entered Tibet, Songtsen Gampo built the Potala Palace, the Lesser and Lesser Zhao Temple in Lhasa today, and the place would eventually be renamed Luosuo. (lUOSUO).
In fact, places such as the Potala Palace in Lhasa in later generations are still deserted.
"Yes!" Yang Cheng and Wang Zheng both bowed and saluted.
The two of them did not ask the reason, but Li Daozong next to them hesitated: "Your Highness, isn't this good? If Tubo really makes trouble, wouldn't we have to fight Tubo directly?"
"According to the progress of Tubo, the war will definitely not start this year. It is already mid-July. By the time Yangcheng and others arrive, it will be mid-August. By the time Songtsen Gampo makes a decision and organizes the army, it will already be in Winter. The Kunlun Mountains are not that easy to cross, so Songtsen Gampo knows this very well. It is not just us who cannot stand fighting in winter, but also the Tibetan people."
"And if he doesn't take action this winter, he will have no chance when he can take action tomorrow." Li Ke sneered. One winter was enough for Li Ke to completely absorb Xizhou's power.
