"In my opinion, the court is driving away tigers through the front door and letting in wolves through the back door!" Wang Wenzuo said.
"Oh, what do you mean?"
"The Goguryeo people have moved away, and the space vacated will not be empty. The surrounding Mohe people, Khitan people, and Xi people will naturally fill in. If these people are not handled well, there will be endless troubles. And Silla, they have Pyongyang has been coveted for a long time, but the British did not take advantage of the gathering of troops to destroy it in one fell swoop. Once the imperial court has trouble in the west, the Silla people will definitely start revolting!"
"Yes!" Gao Kan sighed: "Now it seems that what you said is right. After Goguryeo disappeared, the court's attention indeed turned to the Tubo people in the west, and all the elite soldiers and generals were heading to Longyou and Anxi. Over there, Songzhou in Xichuan, Jiannan is also increasing its troops. If something happens here, we can only rely on ourselves!"
"Gao Duhu, do you think we should fight with the Tubo people?" Wang Wenzuo asked.
"Sooner or later!" Gao Kan's tone was extremely certain: "After the Tubo people destroyed Tuyuhun in the third year of Longshuo, there will be a war between the Tang Dynasty and Tibet. You must know that Tuyuhun Khan is the son-in-law of our Tang Dynasty and his official wife She is the daughter of the late emperor and my younger sister. How can the Tang Dynasty not care about this kind of thing?" At this point, he stroked his beard: "If you hadn't been fighting in Baekje at that time and couldn't spare your hands, you and the Tubo people would have fought a few years ago. A fight has begun. Now that the Tubo people occupy Qinghai, Anxi and Longyou are not at peace. Longyou is uneasy, let alone Guanzhong. Do you think we should fight this battle?"
"Yes!" Wang Wenzuo exhaled a long breath: "How can we allow others to sleep soundly next to the bed! This battle will indeed be fought sooner or later!"
"How can you allow others to sleep soundly next to the bed? Wonderful, Sanlang, you made a good analogy!" Gao Kan raised his hands and smiled and said: "Yes, Guanzhong is the bed, and Longyou is the edge of the bed. It is true that the Tubo people cannot be allowed to sleep soundly in Qinghai!"
"Then what does Governor Gao think about Datang's chances of winning?"
"What are the chances of winning?" Gao Kan laughed, his face full of pride: "Where are Turk, Xue Yantuo, Tiele, and Goguryeo now? Why did Sanlang ask this?"
As a time traveler, Wang Wenzuo certainly knew that Gao Kan's arrogance towards Tubo was wrong. Tubo and the Tang Dynasty could be said to love and kill each other, starting from the same end. Even Wang Wenzuo himself could not come up with a strategy to solve the Tang-Tu war. Wang Wenzuo had once taken a car to Jiuzhaigou before crossing. The steep terrain along the way left a deep impression on him. He could not imagine how he could launch an expedition from a low altitude area into the hinterland of the plateau with the technical conditions at that time, supply and The distance between these two devils would make any military operation extremely difficult.
Westerners have always regarded Hannibal and Napoleon's surprise attack on Italy across the Alps as a miracle in military history, and have praised it in countless literature and paintings. However, the highest peak in the Alps is only 4,810 meters above sea level. The height of the Great St. Bernard Pass that Napoleon crossed is It is only 2,466 meters above sea level. The Little St. Bernard Pass that Hannibal crossed is a little lower, only 2,185 meters above sea level. The lowest point of Jiuzhaigou Scenic Area is 1,900 meters above sea level. The road from Chengdu Plain to Aba Prefecture where Jiuzhaigou Valley is located (Songzhou, an important town in the Tang Dynasty, and Jinchuan and Jinchuan in the Qing Dynasty was also in this area) goes over a mountain pass with an altitude of more than 5,000 meters, and the journey is further. , higher altitude and colder climate.
What's even more terrifying is that when Hannibal crossed the Alps, he only had to face attacks from mountain tribes, at the cost of losing most of his war elephants and nearly two-thirds of his army; while the Tang army faced a powerful and unified army. In plateau countries, because the climate at that time was wetter and warmer than today, plateau agriculture and animal husbandry could support a larger population. The population of the Tubo country during Emperor Gaozong's time had exceeded 4 million. It is understandable how difficult it is to fight a war with such a country.
Wang Wenzuo has always believed that the most indispensable talent of a general is not courage or resourcefulness, which can be made up for by the talents of his subordinates, but judgment, especially the judgment of the feasibility of war plans, which cannot be replaced by others. . Once a war starts, countless wealth and hundreds of millions of lives will be invested. However, it is easy to start a war, but difficult to end it. As a general, the ability to judge whether a war can be won cannot be overemphasized.
"What's the matter, Sanlang, do you think the Tubo people are difficult to fight?" Seeing that Wang Wenzuo remained silent, Gao Kan asked.
"It's not a matter of whether it's easy to fight or not. To be honest, Goguryeo and Baekje are not easy to fight either. But what can be won is nothing more than the cost. And after they are defeated, as long as the Liao land is peaceful, there will be no foreign invasion in Hebei and Shandong, and the people will There is no pain of transfer, and trade has been beneficial to generations. The Tubo people are different. First of all, their roots are in a bitter and cold land. Even if they can win once or twice, they cannot be eradicated; secondly, we are Attack from behind, go higher and higher, it’s really not easy to hit!”
"Sanlang is right, but if the Tubo people gain a firm foothold in Qinghai, Longyou will be uneasy. This court will never tolerate it!"
"Yes!" Wang Wenzuo sighed: "Then can we negotiate peace with it? Let it develop in another direction?"
"What's the meaning?"
"As far as I know, the Tubo people are bordered by the Tang Dynasty to the east, north, and south, but they are bordered by the Shendu Kingdom to the west! Why not allow them to expand to the Shendu Kingdom?"
"Sanlang, your idea is quite interesting!" Gao Kan laughed: "But if the Tubo people succeed in plundering land to the west, wouldn't they be stronger? What if they turn around again?"
"That's not necessarily the case!" Wang Wenzuo said with a smile: "The fundamental land of the Tubo people is on the plateau. No matter which direction you go, the newly occupied land is richer than the original homeland. As far as I know, every piece of land occupied by the Tubo people In new lands, nobles with military merits will be enfeoffed there. Firstly, they can reward their merits, and secondly, they can strengthen their control over the new territory. But in this way, the nobles who occupy the new land will be more powerful than the old people who stayed in their hometown. Being rich and having a larger population will make you more powerful. What consequences will it have over time?"
"How long has it been?" Gao Kan frowned, and after a moment he asked in an uncertain tone: "Can the tail grow bigger?"
"Yes, if this happens for a long time, the balance of strength between the old and new nobles will change. Either the central government will be strong and the branches will be weak, or the border areas will rebel and attack the central government. By that time, it will be too late for the Tubo people to kill each other, and there will be no spare power to fight against the central government. Out!"
"That's true!" Gao Kan said with a smile: "But this shouldn't be a matter of one or two generations, right?"
"Yes, at least it will be two generations later!"
"Then we can't see it either!" Gao Kan said with a smile: "This is too far, isn't it? What's the point of saying this, Sanlang?"
"We can't see it, which doesn't mean that future generations can't see it. Besides, didn't you just say that if the Tubo people expand westward, they will become stronger? What I mean is that not necessarily, maybe the Tubo people will become stronger because of the newly expanded land. There are internal problems and you end up destroying yourself!”
"Sanlang, you also know that this is a possibility. If a generation of heroes emerge in Tubo, they can mix the old with the new and bring the country to a higher level?" Gao Kan asked: "Not to mention that the Tubo people may not accept your conditions. Expanding to the west instead of east, west and south is just wishful thinking on your part!"
Faced with Gao Kan's powerful rebuttal, Wang Wenzuo couldn't help but be speechless. He asked himself, in fact, the words he just said were just insincere excuses. There is actually only one reason why Wang Wenzuo was so negative about the Tang-Tubo war - from the perspective of a time traveler, this was a meaningless war.
From the perspective of the Tang and Tibetan people in the seventh century AD, what they competed for was control of the great Silk Road connecting the East and the West - originating from Chang'an, passing through the Western Regions, Central Asia, and West Asia to the Mediterranean, and finally reaching Rome and Constantinople. , and then connected most of Europe and part of North Asia through these two trade centers. This trade route turned south in Afghanistan and connected many ancient countries in the Indian subcontinent. This ancient great trade route covered almost most of the civilized areas of the entire Eurasian continent, and its tentacles even reached the Mediterranean coast of North Africa. Whoever controls this trade route can not only gain huge wealth brought by trade, but also gain wealth through trade. Communicate on the road and constantly acquire the latest technology and knowledge.
But in Wang Wenzuo’s view, with the increasing drought in Central Asia and the destruction of roads and irrigation networks by frequent wars, the prospects of this ancient trade route are becoming increasingly bleak, and due to its geographical advantages, the emerging Arab It was easier for people than the Tang Empire to gain dominance over the land Silk Road and thus eat the biggest piece of the cake. More importantly, the Tang Empire's own economic center of gravity is constantly shifting to the southeast. In the long run, even if the Anshi Rebellion does not break out, the cost of the Tang Empire's maintaining a military presence in the northwest will become increasingly high - even if it is located in Guanzhong Chang'an in the plains has to rely on food from Jianghuai and Hebei. How much food can it spend to maintain the armies in Longyou and Anxi?
So the answer is obvious. Instead of engaging in a protracted war of attrition with the Tubo people in Longyou over the grapes on the withered vines, it is better to use some resources to open up sea lanes, whether it is going south to Southeast Asia, India, Egypt, or north Controlling Japan, the Far East, and heading to North America are all wiser choices.
But these reasons cannot be made public. Whether it is the existence of the New World, new navigation technology, shipbuilding technology, climate change, etc., Wang Wenzuo can only hide it in his heart, at least until he has enough power. If a prophet who does not have enough power cannot learn to shut up, he will most likely end up miserable. Wang Wenzuo does not want this end for himself.
Seeing that Wang Wenzuo had remained silent, Gao Kan thought that his words just now were a bit harsh, so he smiled and said: "Actually, what Sanlang said is reasonable. It's not that you can't try, but you and I don't want to do anything if we are not in our position. After all, we are in the Anton Protectorate now!"
"That's what Gao Duhu said!" Wang Wenzuo couldn't understand what Gao Kan meant: "We'd better take care of our own affairs first!"
"Well, the first thing is to build the city!" Gao Kan said with a smile: "Xiangping or Xincheng? Which one do you think is better, Sanlang?"
"If I had to choose, this would be it!" Wang Wenzuo walked to the map, stretched out his finger and clicked on a certain place.
"Ping Guo? Did you choose this place?" Gao Kan frowned: "I remember there is only an abandoned city here that has been abandoned for hundreds of years, right? Tell me, why did you choose this place?"
"This is the mouth of the Liao River! By building a city here, you can not only contact the Xiongjin Governor's Office, Wa Kingdom, Shandong, and Hebei by sea, but also go upstream to connect with Xiangping City. If the port is allowed to open for business, In less than ten years, it will become an important town in Liaodong and one of the richest!"
"A wealthy party?" Gao Kan laughed: "I was really moved when I heard what you said, Sanlang. It's a pity that the duty of the Protectorate is to 'control the tribes, appease the conquerors, and narrate merits and punishments'. If According to the place you choose, it is equivalent to leaving your heart and soul to others!"
"Then choose the new city. The city walls and treasury are ready-made, and there are iron mines nearby. There will be no shortage of armored weapons!"
"New city?" Gao Kan looked at Wang Wenzuo with some surprise: "I thought you would choose Xiangping! I remember you said before that Goguryeo people who live in mountain cities instead of staying on the flat land are like rats?"
"Because the war is not over yet!" Wang Wenzuo said: "Xiangping can wait until the situation is calm before moving there, but now we must occupy the new city first, that is where we can use our force!"
"Sanlang, do you think there will be another war?" Gao Kan's expression became solemn.
"Yes, if I guessed correctly, it should be a matter of one or two years!"
"reason!"
"It's very simple. We won the conquest of Goguryeo this time too easily. Pyongyang surrendered after only a few battles. The Liao people are not convinced yet, but they are just temporarily surrendering due to the situation. Now the army has withdrawn. As long as there is a slight change, They may start another rebellion!"
"Many of the royal heroes of Goguryeo were moved away, so where was the culprit?"
"When the Qin Dynasty destroyed the Six Kingdoms, it also moved the heroic royal family to Xianyang, but it was Chen Sheng and Wu Guang who initiated the initiative. After General Su destroyed Baiji, he also moved all the heroic royal families in Sixi City. We all know what happened next. There are heroes in the wilderness, how can it be such a simple thing!"
"It makes sense for you to say that!" Gao Kan sighed: "To be honest, I also have a premonition of going to war, but I just can't give you so many reasons. What countermeasures do you have, Sanlang?"
"Countermeasures? The soldiers are just coming to cover up the water and the earth. There is nothing to be afraid of!" Wang Wenzuo said with a smile: "As long as we defeat them this time, there will be peace for at least twenty years. In fact, even if there is chaos, the soldiers and horses will definitely be there." The Goguryeo people are not as strong as before. All they need to do is guard against collusion with foreign aid. Then, after the chaos is put down, the leaders of the thieves must be killed and the remaining party should be pardoned. I don’t need to say more about these!"
During the conversation, Gao Kan was also infected by Wang Wenzuo's relaxation and calmness, and couldn't help but laugh: "What Sanlang said is that if we can destroy his country, we can naturally put down the chaos again. After all, we are people who have experienced hundreds of battles." , you and I, as partners, will definitely be able to deal with this land in the Eastern Kingdom!"
I didn’t get home until after one o’clock last night. This chapter is from yesterday and will be posted tonight.
I hope you all will continue to support me. It’s so tiring to write a book part-time!
(End of chapter)
