Of course, for Prince Li Hong, who was undergoing routine recuperation at the Lishan Hot Spring Palace, this result was a bit unexpected; in fact, as the main driving force behind this trip to Belus to restore the country, he did not expect Pei Xingjian to die. It was possible to achieve this level in Anxi with a single force.
And all he needs to give is some hints and encouragement; send people to inform and mobilize the wealthy Hu merchants among the people; call on this generation to fund, support or participate; and use the name of Concubine Pei to fight with them. This is just a way to convey a few well-drawn topographic maps.
We must know that as the old rivals of the Central Plains governments in the past, the ten surnames of the Western Turks in the Anxi Protectorate are only the remnants of the Eastern and Western Turks that collapsed one after another during the Taizong Dynasty; they were regional forces that repopulated in the Western Regions, but at any rate It is also known as having tens of thousands of tents and tens of thousands of strings.
The previous generation of khans were canonized and restrained by the Tang Dynasty, and came to pay tribute. In this way, thousands of Tang troops, plus some Yi Cong who assisted in the battle, together with limited local garrison troops and vassal troops, easily cleared the hole. This shows how far the Turks have declined in the past.
Although, in the vast area of Beiting, Anxi Road, there will still be nomadic tribes that are newly born or migrating from outside to fill the gaps in the neighboring areas, deserts, grasslands, and oases; or they may become new threats and internal troubles, but at least It can also be exchanged for several to ten years of relative peace.
And this extra window period has an important bonus to the balance of power between Tubo and the northwest of the Tang Dynasty. According to later historical records, the first Great Feichuan War that broke out before that almost mobilized the entire nation of Tibet shortly after its rebirth.
Although they finally won the victory by relying on their familiarity with the geography and military superiority, it was not a tragic victory against the Tubo Kingdom led by Lingqin, the Prime Minister of Tibet. Because after this battle, the troops originally used by Tubo to maintain and occupy the Western Regions for a long time were all drained by this battle.
It was only the year before last that the Khotan king Weichi Fuchaoxiong took the opportunity to raise his troops to kill the vassal envoy sent by Tubo; he took the lead in paying tribute to the Tang Dynasty in the Western Regions, reintroduced the Tang army into the Western Regions, and recovered the four towns of Anxi in one fell swoop. Historical events; but Tubo also attracted the Western Turks to contain it.
Therefore, this time the Tubo attack on the four states of Hehuang was ultimately fruitless; it may not be because it lost the control of the Western Regions and the ten surnames of the Western Turks; and it was difficult to support it alone and had to give up temporarily. But if this round of testing succeeds, then the next time it will be a larger-scale invasion.
For example, in another historical line, in August when autumn is high and horses are fertile; the Tibetan army invaded again from Longnan; they directly defeated Mi Gong and Danling counties in Diezhou (today's Diebu, Gansu), and plundered Niumatin's mouth. go. For this reason, Emperor Gaozong's planned trip to Mount Song in Zhongyue was canceled.
Then, the painful lessons learned from the two invaders in one year eventually evolved into the Tang Dynasty's retaliatory attack against Tibet two years later; this was the root cause of the Second Battle of Dafeichuan. However, in this time and space, everything seems to be accelerated, and the attack on Tubo is imminent.
"I can't think of it, I really can't think of it." Prince Li Hong, who had just taken a medicated bath and was a little bloody, was wearing a loose and comfortable wisteria-patterned satin brocade robe, and looked at the newly presented large sand table terrain with burning eyes. : "A mere remote barbarian can actually become a border nuisance for the rest of his life?"
"That's because the opponents that Datang has always attached great importance to are all the grassland tribes that have been troubled by the frontiers in the past, and they have formed a set of effective countermeasures and strategies." Jiang Tian, who was sitting on the edge of the sand table, habitually licked his paws and said : "It's natural to ignore this completely different new version."
"The King of Tubo is a small tribe deep in the plateau that has been isolated from the world for a long time and far away from the kings. By chance, they walked out of the mountains of Yalong and swallowed up most of the powerful neighbors with their small and big whales. They relied on What he has is his admiration for martial arts, his ability to keep making progress, and his ability to never stop learning.”
"So, when they met Xiangxiong, they learned from Xiangxiong; when they met Supi, they learned from Supi; and after annexing Tuyuhun, they learned the customs and systems of the Tuyuhun people; at the cost of retaining part of the original ruling class, they continued to reversely assimilate into them. Generations, maintained by the interests of conquest and expansion."
"It wasn't until Emperor Taizong came into contact with the Tang Dynasty that he did not hesitate to obtain a large number of ancient books and craftsmen from the Middle Kingdom in order to marry Princess Wencheng. Further establishment of laws and regulations was carried out in order to strengthen the power of internal suppression and external expansion. It is inevitable to have conflicts with the Tang Dynasty."
"This is the result of the rapid rise of Tubo, the numerous ethnic groups it annexed under its rule, the large differences in customs and systems in different regions, and the lack of congenital foundation. Therefore, behind every attempt for peace and goodwill by Tubo, there is a representative Aiming for a larger-scale invasion and decisive battle sooner or later;"
"Only by constantly breaking out of the plateaus with dangerous terrain and difficult environment can we obtain more people and trophies from the relatively warm and fertile lowlands and plains to meet the internal needs under the brutal military rule; to bribe and bridge the gap between people who are driven to war. Conflicts among nobles of various ethnic groups;”
"This is also the source of the irreconcilable contradiction between Tubo and the Tang Dynasty. However, compared with the ups and downs of the grassland powers in the past dynasties, Tubo naturally has the geographical convenience of the plateau; so that they can always invade Helong from a high position, but After being defeated, it will be difficult for the Tang Dynasty to plow the court and sweep the holes."
“Because the terrain of the plateau is really too difficult and dangerous; not only is the land along the way barren and the population sparse, but it is also difficult to obtain sufficient supplies, and it is necessary to maintain long and huge food transportation channels from the rear; and from low to high It is extremely difficult to attack a stronghold in the mountains."
"Even if a large number of their effective forces were successfully annihilated in one or more battles, as long as the Tubo people shrunk all the way, it would be difficult for the Tang army to be able to make an expedition, the fundamental place where they gathered; once they were allowed to recuperate for several years or ten Zai; has the strength and capital to make a comeback."
"So, the large-scale attack on the Tibetan hinterland is indeed a result that outweighs the gains." After hearing this, Prince Li Hong also carefully looked at the sand table representing the terrain of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, and nodded slightly: "What's more, there are also geography, Severe weakening due to climate, poor supplies.”
"In addition, Tubo mobilized all its troops to fight; as the saying goes, the time, place, and people are favorable, but most of them are not on our side; Manager Xue's defeat in Dafeichuan a few years ago was indeed a fair defeat! What happened a few years later? What kind of inside story and variables are involved in the second Great Feichuan defeat? Could you please give me some advice?"
"The origin of the second defeat of Dafeichuan was more of a man-made disaster caused by internal fighting in the court;" Jiang Tian glanced meaningfully, and the thoughtful prince Li Hong said: "The first defeat, It can also be said that the chain reaction was caused by General Guo Daifeng's ignorance of geography and his reckless advance of troops."
"But the second defeat came from sitting on the sidelines and doing nothing to save the troops. As a result, the commander-in-chief lost his army. At that time, he was the prime minister Li Jingxuan who was the governor of Shanzhou and the general manager of Taohe Road." Upon hearing this, Prince Li Hong said, But he couldn't help but whisper softly: "How could it be him, Li Shangshu of the Ministry of Personnel?"
You must know that Li Jingxuan, who was the Minister of the Ministry of Civil Affairs and the third rank of Tongzhongshu, was also one of the four prime ministers appointed by Emperor Gaozong to assist the prince in supervising the country. Although they are not particularly close to each other, they are still familiar with each other; it is difficult for Prince Li Hong to imagine that he, who is not good at military strategy, can lead troops.
"Mainly because he has always had political disagreements and bad relations with another important minister, Liu Rengui." Jiang Tian then wrote lightly: "In addition, he has been in charge of the official department for many years, and he has joined the Li family in Zhao County, and has been in the same clan for many years. The three wives were all from Shandong noble families, so they had great influence in the court."
"In fact, he had violated the emperor's father's taboos and heart problems. Therefore, when Liu Rengui, who was ordered to return to the court in front of the Liaodong Army, strongly recommended him to go out to Shanzhou to fight against Tibet while preparing for the war with Tibet; he also took advantage of the opportunity to obtain the present title. permission. Although he tried hard to refuse, he had no choice but to take office."
"..." Hearing this, Prince Li Hong suddenly lost his voice, and then said in a daze: "Father has his own strategies, which are based on the foresight of the court. As a son and minister alone, he cannot comment; but because of this, he died violently again. The thousands of soldiers in Dafeichuan are so innocent!"
"It's okay if you don't know, but if you know the relationship, how can you just sit idly by and ignore it!" Then his slightly confused expression became determined again; he turned to Jiang Tian and said with a sincere hand: "Compared to Li If you already know this section, do you have any solutions or ways to deal with it?"
"Actually, His Highness is a fan of the authorities. As for the subtle changes, they have already happened." Jiang Tian then raised his paw to signal him to calm down: "At least Silla has not surrendered yet. Liu Rengui is responsible for it. In a short time, It is impossible to return to the court, and it is difficult to recommend a leader."
"What's more, now that the Eastern Capital is about to use troops against Tubo, the generals gathered together will not easily use Li Tanglao, who is not good at military strategy and has difficulty in convincing the masses, to take charge of the overall situation. Even if he is inevitably in power in the end, is it possible? As deputy generals Liu (Shenli) from the Ministry of Industry and Wang (Xiaojie), there is nothing they can do?"
"What's more, whether it is the current deputy general Qili Hebei who is currently serving in the army, or the lieutenant general Hei Te Changzhi, they are both rare heroes in the world; getting one of them can save the situation along the way. If the two can work together and do their best, If you can, you may not have a chance to turn defeat into victory at the critical moment."
"The key is to see how much risk and involvement His Highness is willing to take, and to what extent are you willing to participate and interfere in order to change the original outcome?" When Jiang Tian said this, he looked at him with faint eyes and said: "After all, history is changing and the future is becoming more unpredictable."
"The fact that His Highness is still alive at this time is the biggest variable in the world! Not to mention the people whose fate and future have been completely changed because of His Highness's thoughts and words..."
