As soon as Ashina Zhijin finished speaking, there was a soft discussion in the big tent.
He raised his hand to stop everyone's whispers and continued to speak loudly: "Whenever the Shengtang ushered in an era of political stability and centralized imperial power, it would only take a short time for them to accumulate powerful power and begin to look for all kinds of seemingly just justice. , but actually ridiculous reasons and excuses, staring covetously and extending claws at the surrounding nations and countries. Especially those who have the ability to threaten them, Shengtang will never be soft-hearted, let alone be soft-hearted! Everyone, you Xijiang My ancestors throughout the generations probably feel the same way about this, right? Do you think I am telling any lies?"
The old king of Jingjue Kingdom was coughing and wheezing, and responded angrily: "The Great Khan is right! The eighth, eleventh, and twenty-third emperors of the Holy Tang Dynasty sent troops to Western Xinjiang three times, killing Deguimo has piles of corpses like a mountain and blood like a sea. The five ancestors of our Jingjue Kingdom all died under the sword of Shengtang! These accounts can be remembered clearly in the history books of Jingjue. It's clear! Speaking more closely, just over 20 years ago, the last emperor of the Holy Tang Dynasty, Li Chengwen, assembled an army of more than 400,000 tigers and wolves to execute the order of "slaughter of the country" and committed numerous atrocities in Western Xinjiang. I will always I can’t even forget it! I can’t forget it!”
When the Turkic ministers and generals heard this, they stood up one after another and shouted in unison: "The hatred of the country and the family will never be forgotten from generation to generation!"
Their expressions of indignation were as if the Shengtang army had killed not the Thirty-Six Kingdoms of Western Border, but the Turks.
Facing the slightly stunned kings of Western Xinjiang, Ashina waved his hands gently and said with a smile: "You should understand now, right? The reason why we mobilized troops to attack Shengtang is not to plunder land and wealth. , let alone create my own great achievements and leave a name in history. What I hope is to completely conquer that evil nation, so that they will no longer have the ability and opportunity to enslave and oppress weak countries; I hope that all people in this world can , From now on, you can live freely, and you will not be worried all day long because of Shengtang's ambition. Of course, this includes Xijiang."
Although this impassioned speech was not very inflammatory, it successfully aroused the resonance of the kings of Western Xinjiang because of the specious and sophistical examples. For them, the most serious problem of Shengtang is probably the interpretation of the word "conquer".
In the history of Ghost Desert in Western Xinjiang, there were not no other foreign invaders, and the Turks in front of us were also one of them. Before the Holy Tang Dynasty, the early Turkic Khanate ruled this land for hundreds of years.
Faced with powerful military conquest, every nation has its own way of coping. They can either stand up and resist and never give in; they can compromise and give in and play games in secret; or they can submit and be willing to be slaves.
Either way, it makes sense.
The true wisdom is what our ancestors constantly warned future generations: time is the best weapon.
History is a long river, a drop in the ocean. As long as the time comes, all those rulers sitting on their heads will disappear into thin air. The only difference is whether it is two years or two hundred years.
But no matter how long it takes, as long as you persist, you will win. Because, after all, you are still the same you, unchanged from generation to generation.
However, Shengtang's "conquest" broke this truth - as time passes, you may not be the same person you were before.
The people of Shengtang are indeed very kind, and sometimes even seem soft, but deep down in their hearts, they possess a kind of resilience and rigidity towards civilization.
Whether they are standing beside you or riding on your head, as time goes by, the splendid and splendid civilization of the Central Plains, which is soft on the outside and strong on the inside, will gradually assimilate the spiritual core of other nations, allowing you to blend in unconsciously. them, become them.
Although there are still differences in appearance and language, in the end there are only differences in appearance and language.
This amazing assimilation of civilization, coupled with strong national power and a sturdy army, has a substantial impact on various ethnic groups and vassal states, which is probably more brilliant and more terrifying than pure military conquest.
If you think about it carefully, from a small Jinhe tribe, it has developed into a huge empire with a vast territory. Not only has it remained standing for hundreds of thousands of years, but it has also become stronger and more arrogant. This is really not a fluke. It can be achieved.
Because of this, the Turkic Great Khan Ashina Zhijin was deeply wary of Shengtang and determined to conquer it completely, which was by no means aimless.
People can understand the reasons why he started the war from the perspective of their own habits. Conquest does mean endless land, wealth and glory. But at the same time, no one can deny that the powerful civilization represented by the Shengtang Dynasty has always been a terrifying existence for foreigners.
Conquering Shengtang by force and completely binding the hands and feet of Eastern civilization may be the most reassuring and most hoped-for result for all those who fear him.
The key question is, can Shengtang really be conquered by force?
The kings of Western Xinjiang sitting in the tent actually didn't care much about this issue. Whether the Turks conquer the Holy Tang or the Holy Tang defeats the Turks, this is a fight between gods. As little devils, they can't decide anything at all.
Of course, they have all heard the proverb: When gods fight, little devils suffer.
Choosing sides often means extremely high risks and huge costs. Western Xinjiang drives away the power of the Holy Tang Dynasty here and restores freedom, and Western Xinjiang follows the Turks to conquer the Holy Tang Dynasty. These are two completely different issues.
Where to go, we still need to think deeply.
The day after the banquet, Prince Ronia of the Temple summoned the kings of the Western Xinjiang countries to formally discuss the crusade against Shengtang. As allies, no one can stay out of the fight against a common enemy.
Alekjan and the others were all cunning and cunning characters, so no one was in a hurry to express their opinions. They just sat there quietly and listened to Roniya conveying the Turkic Khan's will and assigning tasks.
The first item is military expenditure and food and grass.
The Turks dispatched a total of seventeen legions this time, a total of 550,000 troops. It is a huge burden for people to eat horse chews. And this burden will fall directly on the Western Xinjiang Alliance.
When the Western Xinjiang rebellion broke out before, the two sides had already reached a secret agreement: as support, all the needs of the Turkic troops who came to participate in the war would be borne by the Western Xinjiang countries.
At that time, Alik Jiang, Tajik, Gerhan and others felt that the Turks had traveled thousands of miles and worked hard to help us conquer the Holy Tang. After that, they guarded the gate of Western Xinjiang like mythical beasts, resisted the Holy Tang's counterattack, and took care of food and housing. It's as it should be.
Therefore, the Western Xinjiang Alliance readily agreed without even thinking about the three legions of the North and South Camps, plus Duolun's Iron Pigeon Army, and 140,000 troops with food, drink and pay.
However, the current situation is very different. Because of the Eastern Expedition to the Holy Tang, Ronya suddenly increased the military expenditure by more than six times. The original pressure to supply only 140,000 troops has now directly increased to 550,000. This immediately caused The entire Xijiang Alliance feels a little breathless.
You know, these kings in front of you still owe a lot of debts outside!
Faced with the astronomical apportioned expenses, every king of Western Xinjiang felt bitter in his mouth and sour in his heart. However, no matter how entangled, no one dared to stand up and express opposition.
Not even a slight hum.
The reason is quite simple. The 550,000 Turkic army is standing outside. With this power, it is enough to shut up all living things in the world and let His Highness Ronya round them up and flatten them.
"Very good. Since your highnesses understand the righteousness so well and are all willing to fully support the great cause of the Eastern Expedition, then on behalf of the Khan and the Turkic soldiers, I would like to thank you all here in advance." Prince Ronya of the Temple said his thanks. , but there was no hint of gratitude in his tone. His demeanor was as if he were greeting his own servants, calm, indifferent and unpretentious.
Geerhan frowned slightly and was about to whisper a few words to the Tajik next to him to share his dissatisfaction. Unexpectedly, the old king of Shule coughed twice and lowered his voice: "Don't talk nonsense if you don't want to die!"
Geerhan was slightly startled, quickly straightened up, and looked at the Temple Prince sitting in the middle with the most respectful eyes again.
Just listen to Ronya continue: "Let's settle the issue of military expenditure and food and grass first. Later, we will ask His Highness Alekjiang to discuss it carefully with everyone to see how to implement it, come up with a specific plan, and submit it to the Khan. Yu Lan. In this way, let’s continue talking about the second matter.”
After asking for money and food, people are soon to be asked.
The second request made by the Turks was for the countries in Western Xinjiang to provide the manpower support needed for the Eastern Expedition.
Ronya pointed out that the Holy Tang Dynasty had a vast territory and a large population. Under full mobilization, it could easily recruit millions of soldiers. If it wanted to completely conquer it, it would inevitably involve repeated battles and countless casualties. In order to meet the combat needs of the Eastern Expedition Legion, a large number of civilian laborers are very necessary. They will be responsible for transporting supplies, building equipment, constructing fortifications and other auxiliary war tasks to ensure that the Turkic army can concentrate and exert its maximum combat power.
As for the concept of "huge quantity", what exactly does it mean?
Ronya gave a preliminary estimate: 800,000 people.
All the kings, including Alekjan, were dumbfounded on the spot. Eight hundred thousand young and middle-aged laborers from the Western Border countries left their hometowns to follow the Turks on an expedition to the Holy Tang Dynasty? Are you fucking kidding us?
Who knows, Temple Prince Ronya has not finished speaking yet.
In addition to a large number of civilians, the Turks believe that it is necessary to send another 200,000 to 250,000 troops to Western Xinjiang as friendly forces to cooperate with the main force of the Eastern Expedition.
At this moment, the big tent immediately exploded.
