"I'm afraid it's not that simple!" Princess Pu'an's expression became serious. She waved her hand, and all the servants and maids in the room retreated, leaving only the two sisters.
"I also heard people who came back from the Anxi military town say that although the Tubo people are barbarians, they are very different from the Turks and Tieles: first of all, their armor is strong and powerful, no less than that of China; secondly, the soldiers are strong, simple and dare to fight, and they are good at fighting. He has long spears but despises bows and crossbows; his third general is well-trained, brave and disciplined. How can such a powerful enemy be intimidated by a few lies? Besides, there were only three or four thousand tribesmen who followed you and your wife to Liangzhou, right? Even if If the Tubo people really return their pastureland, can you make the Tuyuhun people obey your orders after you go back? Don't ask the emperor to send troops to protect you again!"
"What my sister said is as if our couple has implicated the Tang Dynasty!" Princess Xiping said with an angry face: "Don't forget, when I married Tuyuhun, it was for the Tang Dynasty. Otherwise, who would want to go to a ghost place like Hehuang? Among our sisters, the ones who were really favored by the late emperor, like Gaoyang, Xiangcheng, and Changle, were all married to the children of meritorious officials and stayed in Chang'an. It was only those like you and me who were loved by no one who were married to barbarians and went to the barbaric wilderness. Land. To be honest, if I follow my heart, I would like to stay in Chang'an forever like you now, even in Liangzhou. When our couple returned to the land of Hehuang, Datang would have an extra layer of barrier, otherwise In a few years, the Tubo people will have another elite cavalry, and it won’t be me who is upset in the end!”
Princess Pu'an was speechless for a moment by Princess Xiping's words. It turned out that Emperor Taizong Li Shimin of the Tang Dynasty had many children, but he did not have a "bowl of water" attitude towards all his children. , Generally speaking, Li Shimin showed a rare warmth in the royal family towards the children born to Queen Changsun, such as Li Zhi, Li Tai, Li Chengqian, Princess Changle, Princess Xincheng, etc., while he was relatively indifferent to other children born from concubines. There are many, and the treatment of Princess Pu'an and Princess Xiping is relatively low among concubine daughters, and they are both used as tools for political marriage. Princess Pu'an is better. She has spent most of her time in Chang'an over the years. Princess Xiping is miserable. She is more than one round younger than Princess Pu'an, but it seems that Princess Pu'an is much younger than her. , obviously this is all thanks to the northwest wind and flying sand.
As Princess Xiping said, she repeatedly asked the Tang Dynasty to send troops to take back the pastureland in Hehuang and the Tuyuhun tribe for her husband, not just for the sake of the couple. Due to the short size of the horses on the plateau, the Tubo cavalry had average combat effectiveness. What was more powerful was the stoic and brave heavy armored infantry. Therefore, whenever the Tubo defeated a certain nomad, they would include it under their command as a servant army. If the Tang Dynasty had just sat idly by and waited until Tubo had integrated the local Tuyuhun people in Hehuang, its cavalry strength would have grown rapidly, and in the end it would have been the Tang Dynasty itself that was unlucky.
"What you say makes sense, let's do this! Tomorrow I will enter the palace to congratulate the emperor. You can come with me then. How about we sisters talk to the emperor together?"
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In the afternoon of the next day, Tai Chi Palace and Ganlu Palace.
""Now my sleep is not as good as before! "Li Zhi yawned, with a sleepy look on his face: "When I was a kid, I would play with my brothers all night long, and I would still be energetic the next day, unlike now. I went to bed a little late to deal with the memorial last night, and this is how I am now. "While speaking, Li Zhi's eyelids drooped, as if he was about to fall asleep again.
Li Zhi, Princess Pu'an, and Princess Xiping were sitting in the pavilion. The maids presented them with biscuits, buttermilk, soup cakes, mutton soup, pickled garlic, and boiled eggs: "A memorial came from Henan two days ago. The floods have wiped out the summer grain harvests in more than ten counties, so I have to live a simple diet!"
"Your Majesty always has the heart of a parent and treats the common people as if they were innocent children. My little sister admires you!" Princess Pu'an said hurriedly.
"You don't have to be so polite to my family!" Li Zhi said with a smile: "Ninth sister, seventeenth sister, you should also eat some together!"
The two princesses responded. Princess Pu'an reached out and picked up an egg. She peeled the shell and said with a smile: "Your Majesty, my little sister dreamed of the late emperor last night. She was so confused in the dream that she couldn't remember it after she woke up. What are you dreaming about? I only remember that the late emperor was very happy!"
"Oh?" Li Zhi laughed with interest: "Yes, after the late emperor withdrew from Goguryeo, he often regretted this. If he knew about it underground, he would definitely be very happy!"
"Now that Goguryeo is destroyed, the eastern border of the Tang Dynasty will be at peace, right?" Princess Xiping couldn't hold back her temper and interjected.
"I can't say peace, but there are indeed many things missing!" Li Zhi smoothed his beard under his chin, and his eyes stayed on Princess Xiping: "Seventeenth sister, why do you talk about this?"
"Seventeenth sister is also the daughter of the late emperor. It's not surprising to think of this!" Princess Pu'an exclaimed secretly. She knew that although her brother, the emperor, was kind-hearted on the outside, he was most taboo on the clan's interference in government affairs. Every two or three years, one or two rebellion cases will break out, and several descendants of the Tian family will always be involved. In fact, there are so many blind clans who want to rebel. It can be said that they are the emperor's hawks. They periodically eliminate outstanding talents in the clan who arouse suspicion.
"Ninth sister, I'm asking the seventeenth sister, you don't have to answer for her!" Li Zhi's voice was as soft as usual, but Princess Pu'an felt a chill running down her back, and she lowered her head and did not dare to speak.
"Ninth Sister, you don't have to worry about me!" Princess Xiping was not afraid: "Your Majesty, I am still doing the same old thing. Now that Goguryeo is gone, the east side of the Tang Dynasty can be free to send troops to send our couple back to Hehuang. In fact, I am not doing it for my own family. After all, Tuyuhun is in the hands of our couple, and it is also a shield for the Anxi Military Town of the Tang Dynasty. Otherwise, if this delay continues, the Tubo people will gain a foothold in Hehuang, and those Tuyuhun people will become slaves. The hawks and dogs of the Tang Dynasty have become the outposts of the Tibetans!"
Li Zhi picked up an egg and tapped the table twice. The shell of the cooked egg showed cracks. He opened the egg shell to reveal the smooth white inside. After a while, he put the peeled eggs on the table: "Jiu Mei, for the sake of the late emperor, let's forget about today's matter. From now on, you must be cautious in your words and deeds, and be a model for the clan!"
"Yes, yes!" Upon hearing Li Zhi's words, Princess Pu'an felt as if she had received an amnesty. She hurriedly gathered her clothes and bowed down: "From now on, I will definitely stay behind closed doors, think about my mistakes with all my heart, and live up to Your Majesty's painstaking efforts! "
Li Zhi nodded: "You two should go back!"
Princess Pu'an hurriedly kowtowed again, then bowed twice to Princess Xiping and exited the palace. After leaving the Manna Palace, she took a long breath and complained to Princess Xiping: "Seventeenth sister, why are you doing this? To speak like this in front of His Majesty, if you and I were not women, I would have lost a hundred lives today! "
"Hmph, you are afraid of death but I am not!"
"Is this a matter of fear of death?" Princess Pu'an sighed: "Forget it, I didn't think it through well, but you heard what His Majesty just said. You said it for me and for you. You hear me, from now on you and I must be careful in our words and deeds, otherwise Gao Yang and the others will be a lesson to us!"
In the Manlu Hall, Li Zhi was sitting at the table. The peeled egg just now was still on the table. A layer of white grease had solidified on the mutton soup on the side, and it was not moved. The maids and chamberlains on both sides did not dare to express their anger. He didn't dare to step forward to deal with it after taking a sip, he just breathed and concentrated, lest he make any noise and cause unexpected disasters.
In fact, Li Zhi was not angered by Princess Xiping. What he did just now was more of a beating than a punishment. He knew very well that what Princess Xiping said was true: Tuyuhun and the Gansu-Qinghai region where it was located played a crucial role in the game between the two empires of Tubo and Tang. A very important reason why the Tubo Dynasty was able to compete with the Tang Dynasty for more than two hundred years and almost the same time as the Tang Dynasty was the geographical location of the Tubo Dynasty.
The Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, where the Tubo Dynasty arose, is an extremely closed geographical unit. It is bounded by the Himalayas to the southwest, the Kunlun Mountains and the Pamir Plateau to the northwest, the Tanggula Mountains to the north, the Hengduan Mountains to the east and the Gaoligong Mountains and Nushan Mountains. , Yunling Mountain, Yulong Snow Mountain and the parallel Nujiang River, Lancang River, Jinsha River and other series of high mountain canyons that gradually turn from east to west to north to south. The canyon area of the Eastern Tibet Plateau.
It is not difficult to see that it is extremely difficult for the Tang army to enter the hinterland of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau whether from the Guanzhong Plain, Sichuan or the Western Regions. But on the other hand, it is also very difficult for the Tubo people to project military power outwards. If we must say that there is A more convenient way out is the northeast direction - first cross the valley between Tanggula Mountain and Hengduan Mountain, enter the Hehuang Valley, and conquer Tuyuhun.
Then the Tubo people have many choices: to the west they can compete with the Tang army for the Western Region, to the northeast they can cut off the Hexi Corridor, and unite with the Turks and Uighurs on the grassland to attack Beiting of the Tang Dynasty. To the east they can directly go down to Long and attack the Guanzhong Plain. The heartland of the Tang Empire. Therefore, Tuyuhun and the Hehuang Valley where it is located are crucial to this war. If the Tubo people are allowed to gain a foothold in Hehuang, the Tang army will have to fortify on three sides, and they will not be able to care about each other; and if it can ensure that the Tuyuhun people are in Due to the loyalty of the Tang Dynasty, no matter how powerful the Tubo people were, they would only be a minor border trouble.
When Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty ordered Li Jing to lead troops to defeat Tuyuhun, he married his daughter to Wudi Yeba Qindou Khan of the Tuyuhun people, and the two children they gave birth to were married to Tang Jincheng County Lord and Jinming County Lord respectively. Apparently, he hoped to pass through the generations through generations. The marriage completely tied the Tuyuhun people to the chariot of the Tang Empire and became the loyal pawns of the Tang Dynasty. Although Princess Xiping was rude in words and deeds just now, she was worthy of being a good daughter of Emperor Taizong and dedicated her whole life to the Tang Dynasty.
In the third year of Longshuo (AD 663), when Wang Wenzuo was beating up the Baekje rebels and Japanese coalition forces in Baekje, the Tubo people sent troops to defeat the Tuyuhun people and occupied the land of Hehuang. Princess Xiping and his wife led thousands of people to flee back. Liangzhou (now Wuwei, Gansu Province) of the Tang Dynasty was protected by the Tang Dynasty, while the remaining Tuyuhun tribes scattered in all directions. At that time, Li Zhi was concentrating his efforts on dealing with Tiele's rebellion and the war in Liaodong, so he could not spare many troops.
He had no choice but to send people to deliver cattle and horses to his sisters and brothers-in-law who had fled back to their own side, and to set aside cultivated land and pastures so that the tribesmen would not disperse. At the same time, he sent envoys to Tibet to accuse them and order them to withdraw from the Hehuang Valley and return the annexed tribesmen. Naturally, the Tubo people would not be intimidated by Datang's weak accusation, and time passed in a constant tug-of-war between the two sides. The Tubo people were concentrating on recruiting people, arranging immigrants, building fortresses, and turning it into their new expedition base; while the Tang Dynasty was collecting intelligence, hoarding food, training troops, and planning to eliminate Goguryeo, preparing to finally "show you a good look" ". Both sides believed that it was not the time to start a war yet, and they were restraining their subordinates. As a result, the past five years have been the quietest five years in the area.
"Xi Ping is right. It's really time to show the Tubo people some shame!" Li Zhi stood up and walked to the window: "But who should we choose as the general?"
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Pyongyang.
"According to the decree of the imperial court, one person must be retained as the Protector of the Andong Protectorate to rule over the homeland of Goguryeo!" Li Ji said solemnly. Compared to a few months ago, he looked surprisingly old. His hair, which was still gray, had turned completely white. His flabby cheeks looked a little scary. This old man reminded Wang Wenzuo of a candle that was about to burn out.
"The British Lord's time is really running out!" Xue Rengui's voice came from the side: "I'm afraid it will be difficult to enter Chang'an City again!"
Wang Wenzuo turned his head helplessly, pretending not to hear. These days, he finally understood what kind of person Xue Rengui was. To put it nicely, he was outspoken, but to put it badly, he spoke regardless of the occasion. Yes, Li Ji is indeed very old these days, but as a subordinate, is it appropriate to talk about his boss openly like this?
"Sanlang, who do you think will be the Governor of Anton, you, me, or Governor Gao?" Xue Rengui seemed not to notice Wang Wenzuo's alienation, and asked directly: "I think we should choose from the three of us. Although Bi Heli is older than us, he is still too old. He will probably go back to Chang'an to retire after this battle. Originally, it was me and Governor Gao, but this time, Sanlang, your contribution is too great, and you are qualified! "
Wang Wenzuo was upset by Xue Rengui's nagging. He was thinking about how to shut up the other party when he heard Li Ji say from above: "The imperial court issued a decree yesterday, ordering General Xue to return to Beijing overnight. The imperial court has other orders." !”
"The general obeys the order!" Xue Rengui stood up. Wang Wenzuo was stunned. He did not expect that Xue Rengui would go back so soon. While he was thinking about it, he suddenly heard that Li Ji started coughing violently. Li Jingye, who was standing next to him, hurriedly called the doctor. He didn't stop the coughing after treating him for a long time, so he had to help him to rest. As soon as Li Ji left, the atmosphere in the room suddenly became lively. Someone smiled at Xue Rengui and said, "General Xue, the court has summoned you urgently. It must be useful for something else. Congratulations!"
