As the commander of the Tibetan army on the southern front, Yang Jin was undoubtedly a Gar Party member. But Langri believed Yang Jin's excuse for those two failures - they were just two encounters and were not of decisive significance. The reason is simple. He has been to Chang'an and seen the Tang army - well-equipped and disciplined, composed of countless archers, crossbowmen, spearmen, shield bearers, light cavalry, and heavy cavalry. They absorbed every enemy advantages, and then incorporate them into his invincible army, making it stronger with every victory. The generals of the Tang Dynasty were proficient in strategy and building fortifications, but they were even better at using machinery to siege city fortresses. The more Langri learned about the Tang Dynasty, the more he marveled at the power of the Tang army.
But it is precisely because of this that Langri is also very aware of the weaknesses of the Tang army - compared with the same number of Tubo troops, the actions of the Tang army are much slower. The Tubo soldiers are almost completely self-sufficient, relying on what they carry with them. With tsampa, dried meat, water, yak milk driven by the accompanying slaves and a small amount of supplies looted from everywhere, marching and camping in the open air, the Tubo people could continue to march and fight for a month or two. In the most difficult times, they even relied on grass rats and grass roots. They survived with only a small number of non-combat casualties. If the Tang people's army lacks supplies, a large number of soldiers will soon fall ill. Even weather changes, water shortages, long-distance marches, etc. will cause a sharp decline in combat effectiveness. Therefore, the Tang people's army is usually followed by a large army several times the number of soldiers. The baggage train was fine in a plain area with a large population and convenient roads. In the mountains of northern Sichuan with rugged terrain, snow-capped mountains and deep valleys, Langri did not believe that the Tang Army could launch a large-scale attack. The facts also proved Yang Jin's judgment - after the victory, the Tang Army Instead of pursuing and fighting fiercely, they sent people to ask for the exchange of prisoners. This was in sharp contrast to the frequent mobilization of the Tang army in Longyou.
But facts are one thing and politics are another. Langri came to Dajianlu this time to shoulder an important mission - to weaken the power of the Gar family. Yes, it was Lu Dongtsan who helped Mangsong Mangtsen Tsanpu ascend to the throne, but that was already nineteen years ago. Now Mangsong Mangtsen Tsanpu is thirty-two years old and has been in charge of the government for several years. A large part of the power is still in the hands of Ludongzan's two sons. For Mansong Mantsen Zampu, the most important thing is to weaken the power of the Gar family and concentrate power in his own hands. Therefore, Yang Jin is bound to become a victim.
The sound outside the window interrupted Langri's thoughts. He stood up. A crow flapped its wings and stopped on the window sill. The bird looked at him with beady black eyes, flapped its wings, and made an ominous croaking sound.
Langri looked at this bold bird with great interest. Instead of driving it away, he opened the window and let the crow fly into the house. This was a good conversation partner - after all, the crow would not listen here. Tell Yang Jin what he found.
"Zanpu hopes to take back power from the two brothers of the Gar family, but not too quickly. After all, since the death of the great Songtsen Gampo, Ludongtsen has become the pillar of the country. After Ludongtsen's death, he His two sons, Zan Xiruo and Qin Ling, have mastered the government and military power respectively. If they act rashly, it will arouse the resistance of the two brothers. Even if they succeed, the country will collapse because of the loss of support! The best way is to start from The Gal family takes away part of the power and then gives it to another person. When the Gal family's power is weakened to an appropriate level, it will be very simple, don't you think so? Birdie?"
Guagua!
The crow crowed twice, flapped its wings twice, flew to the ground, and began to peck at the crumbs of cake on the ground. Langri smiled, picked up a piece of shortbread, crushed it and sprinkled it on the ground, and said with a smile: "But neither Zan Xiruo nor Qinling are fools, especially Qinling. In recent years, he has continuously attacked Tuyuhun and the Western Regions, The spoils of war were distributed to those who supported him, and more and more young Tubo people joined him, hoping to get more land and slaves. To be honest, if I hadn't stayed in Chang'an for several years, I would probably be a The Gar Party. Yes, Qinling can make Tubo stronger, but no matter how powerful the Gar Party is, they are still ministers. The Zanpu family are the monarchs blessed by the gods. People cannot surpass the gods, and ministers cannot overpower the monarch. , if Qinling is allowed to continue like this, sooner or later Tubo will fall apart and eventually be destroyed."
As if tired of Lang Ri's preaching, the crow raised its head and croaked with hostility. Langri smiled and shook his head: "Okay, okay, I am an annoying guy to tell you such boring things. These pine nut lunch boxes should be regarded as a thank you gift to express my apology!" , Langri sprinkled a handful of pine nuts in the golden plate on the table on the ground. The crow looked at Langri warily, lowered his head and started to eat. Suddenly, the bird was nailed to the ground with a golden-handled dagger, beating its wings violently and making a sharp chirping sound.
"Sorry, although you are just a crow, you still know too much!" Langri whispered.
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It's freezing outside. Cao Wenzong was wrapped in a heavy fur coat and while putting on gloves, he nodded to the stiff and unfortunate man standing guard in the corridor outside the door. He stepped forward, as fast as he could, across the courtyard toward the stone building beyond. His boots broke through the ice in the courtyard, the snow crunched under his feet, and his breath frosted before his eyes like a flag. He crossed his arms across his chest and walked faster, praying that the busboy would not forget to refill the brazier in his room.
The snow-capped mountains behind the stone building sparkled in the moonlight, huge and mysterious. Cao Wenzong had seen cities a hundred times larger than Dajian Lu, but this was the first time that he was located under the snow-capped mountains like this. He couldn't help but stop. Not caring about the stinging pain from the cold.
Suddenly, a strange thought flashed through his mind. He wanted to climb over the snowy mountain and see what was on the other side of the mountain. Was it the end of the world? He subconsciously quickened his pace and walked towards the stone building.
The door of the building opened, and the Tibetan people who greeted him nodded to Cao Wenzong and made a "please" gesture. The stairs in the stone building were steep and narrow. He didn't know why the Tubo people wanted to live in such a ghost place. Cao Wenzong Wenzong climbed up the stairs, and through the narrow window, he could see the bare yard, narrow streets, dilapidated houses, and the boundless desolation outside the city.
"Please come in, the general is waiting for you inside!" The Tubo guard's voice was thick. The heavy wooden door was pushed open. The warmth that hit his face made Cao Wenzong feel soft all over. He subconsciously exhaled a long breath and paused. My feet felt a little numb.
"Sit! Drink tea!" Yang Jin pointed to a few tables on the side. Although tea drinking in Tubo was far less prosperous than it would be later, generals like Xiang Yangjin who guarded the border had already learned to enjoy this "Tang style" When the drink was ready, he poured boiling hot water into the bowl with tea powder, then milk, and said with a smile: "Mr. Cao, this is the tea from Yazhou (Ya'an) in the Tang Dynasty. It is not easy to drink here!"
"Thank you!" Cao Wenzong bowed his hand, picked up the tea bowl and took a sip. Although the quality of the tea was very average, after eating dried meat tsampa for more than ten days, he could have a bowl of tea soup to relieve his tiredness. Cao Wenzong couldn't help but let out a sigh of satisfaction. The sigh.
"How is it? Not bad, right?" Yang Jin noticed Cao Wenzong's reaction. He pointed to the teapot on the side: "I don't want to hide it from Mr. Cao. I can't live without this tea for a day now. If I don't drink it, I can’t even eat a bowl of rice! You Tang people drink tea every day, right?”
"That's not true!" Cao Wenzong said with a smile: "But the food of the Tang people is different from that of the Tubo people. If it were the same as the food of the Tubo people, they would probably have to drink tea every day!"
"Yes!" Yang Jin nodded and stroked his beard: "Mr. Cao, I have a question about the prisoner exchange you mentioned last time. Aren't you afraid that I will attack you after I exchange the prisoners?"
"General! Before departure, Governor Wang once said that we can win without being arrogant. He pitied the captured people, so he proposed to exchange prisoners so that the husband could be reunited with his wife and children; the son could see his parents again. This is what the gods love. Good deeds will definitely be blessed by the gods. If you send troops to attack and violate your oath first, you will definitely not get the blessings of the gods and can only rely on your own force. No matter how powerful you are, what do you have to fear?"
At that time, the Tubo people generally believed in gods. Regardless of whether they were gathering together to raise troops, they would first sacrifice to the gods, then make a covenant and swear an oath in front of the gods, and then send out troops. Cao Wenzong's words were neither humble nor arrogant, and pointed out that Yang Jin's actions were not for the gods. Favorite fact. Yang Jin was immediately speechless and forced a smile: "I was just joking. If I agree to exchange prisoners with you, I will naturally not send troops to attack you again!"
"If this is the case, it will be a blessing for both countries, as well as the general and the royal governor!"
"I understand that you say it's a blessing for both countries, but the Governor Wang and I are both generals. Only by performing military exploits can we get rewards, territories, and slaves. If we don't fight, we have nothing. How can we say that it's a blessing for both of us? ?”
"The general is wrong. In fact, peace between the two countries also benefits from the general!"
"Oh? How do you say this?"
"General, what are we drinking now? Does your country have any products?"
"It's tea. We don't have it in our country. It's imported from your country!"
"Is this tea good?"
"Of course it's a good thing, I can't live without it now!"
"That's right, tea is a good thing. The general cannot leave it for a day, and your country does not produce it. If the two countries do not go to war, they can trade. Tea will be imported from the Tang Dynasty and sold to your country. The general will make arrow furnaces here. If you set up a card in the middle to collect taxes, you can collect wealth, isn't it far better than risking your life against others?"
Yang Jin's ferocious face showed joy. Just when he was about to speak, the attendant on the side interrupted: "General, be careful, don't fall into the trap of the Tang people!"
"A trap?" Yang Jin looked at Lang Ri in astonishment and said, "What kind of trap?"
"We in Tubo are lacking in products, but we drink tea every day. If everyone in the country drinks tea, how can we exchange so much money with the Tang people? Over time, wouldn't we become slaves of the Tang people?"
"Yes, yes!" Yang Jin also reacted at this time, and said to Cao Wenzong angrily: "You Tang people are so cunning, you actually came up with such a cunning plan, how abominable!"
Cao Wenzong looked at the attendant in surprise. He didn't notice him at all at first. The words he said were also taught to him by Wang Wenzuo before setting off. He suddenly heard an unexpected rebuttal and didn't know what to do for a moment. answer. Seeing this, Yang Jin became even more angry. He pulled out a short meat-cutting knife and stabbed Cao Wenzong's case hard: "What's wrong, you don't dare to speak after being exposed? Speak, otherwise I won't be polite!"
When Cao Wenzong saw the short knife, an idea flashed in his mind. Without answering, he pulled out the meat cleaver. This knife was a foot long and half a finger's width wide. It was used to cut meat. He held the handle of the knife with one hand. The other hand stretched out two fingers to clamp the tip of the knife, rolled the knife like a piece of parchment, and then put it back on Yang Jin's desk: "If your weapon is also made of this kind of iron, , then you can’t be rude?”
Yang Jin picked up the rolled meat cleaver in surprise and remained silent. He had never seen it before, no, I should say he had never imagined it could have such strength, and he felt uneasy.
"I swear to the Bodhisattva, you have a pair of iron hands!" Langri sighed.
"Yes!" The arrogance on Yang Jin's face has disappeared: "Your hands are harder than iron, and the knife in your hand is as if it is made of wax! And it's effortless!"
"It's nothing!" Cao Wenzong smiled calmly: "Under the command of the King, I'm not the only one who can do it!"
Cao Wenzong's performance completely changed the atmosphere in the room. Yang Jin talked to Cao Wenzong in an attitude that could even be said to be looking up to. In fact, this is not surprising. For all nations that have just entered civilized society, a strong body itself represents nobility, such as those demigod heroes in ancient Greek mythology and those heroes who can shoot down the sun in ancient Indian epics. For the Tang people, Cao Wenzong's strength and martial arts could only arouse a moment of awe, but for the Tubo people, it reminded them of those legendary gods, and they even thought that the man in front of them might be the reincarnation of a certain god or something. projection.
"I will seriously consider your proposal!" Yang Jin respectfully sent Cao Wenzong downstairs and did not go back until the other party walked through the yard. After entering the room, he sighed to Lang Ri: "I never expected to see such a hero. By the way, Lang Ri, is what he said true? Have you seen such a hero in Chang'an?"
"He's bragging!" Lang Ri sneered: "Whether it's Chang'an or Luoyang, I've never seen a Tang Dynasty person with his strength, and I don't believe there is a second person like him under that Governor Wang! "
"Really? I feel the same way, but if such a hero can work for him, the King Governor is really a great man!" Yang Jin sighed.
"Maybe!" Lang Ri nodded reluctantly. He was silent for a while, and finally said: "I want to see that King Governor!"
"What's the meaning?"
"I want to go to the Tang Army and meet with the King Commander in person!"
(End of chapter)
