"Well, actually, in my opinion, if we really lose to the Tubo people, maybe it would be better to wait a little longer?"
"Why do you say that?"
"It's very simple. If General Xue is defeated, the reputation of Tibet's general Qin Ling on the eastern front will definitely increase. His brother praises Nie Duobu as the Prime Minister of Tubo. The situation in Tubo will only become more serious if the monarch is weak and the ministers are strong. If I Fortunately, the Tang Dynasty forced troops to force each other. Even if there were rifts between the powerful enemies outside, the Tubo monarchs and ministers could still put it down and focus on dealing with the outside world. If the Tang Dynasty made peace and the external pressure was small, the Tubo Zanpu and Gar families would inevitably devour each other, not Zan. The general execution of ministers means that the ministers will kill their lord. No matter which family wins at that time, Tubo will definitely be severely damaged, and it will not be too late for me, the Tang Dynasty, to reap the benefits!"
"That's right. Did Sanlang report these to the emperor?" Cui Hongdu asked in surprise and joy.
"Hongdu, you are really stupid. Now that General Xue has not sent out troops, I am telling General Xue what to do after he loses the battle. Isn't this cursing General Xue for losing the battle?" Wang Wenzuo said with a smile: "Even if the emperor is magnanimous, he will not You argue with me, but it’s not good for other people in the DPRK to know!”
"Yes, yes!" Cui Hongdu's face changed drastically, and he said quickly: "Sanlang, please don't worry, I will never let a third person know about this matter!"
"That's good, it's getting late, let's go and rest first!"
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Qinghai, Fuqi City (the site is located in Tiebojia Village, Shinaihai Township, Gonghe County, Hainan Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture today, Qinghai Province), and the former capital of Tuyuhun.
"Brother, you want me to give up Fuqi City?" Qin Ling raised his head and looked at the envoy's face.
"Yes! This is actually Zanpu's request. The Tang people have assembled a large army in Longyou, claiming to send the original Tuyuhun King back to his hometown!" The envoy subconsciously turned his head to avoid looking at Qin Ling. He was particularly arrogant, with eyes like sharp arrows. Few people dared to look at him. His father Lu Dongzan once reprimanded him and did not allow him to look directly into the eyes of people whose status was higher than his own, so as not to irritate the other person for no reason and cause trouble. Disaster.
A sarcastic smile appeared on Qinling's lips. He walked to the window and looked out. The former royal city of Tuyuhun was actually not very big. It was only four miles long and three miles wide. There were no magnificent buildings in the city. In the past, The Tuyuhun king lived a nomadic life, living in pursuit of water and grass. He would only return to the city to spend the winter after it snowed every winter. But the superior geographical location still brings huge wealth to the city - the Qinghai Road, Henan Road, and the Tang-Tibet Ancient Road in the Silk Road intersect here. From here, you can reach Chengdu via Songzhou to the south; to the northwest, you can You can reach the Western Region. If you continue to the west, you will enter Central Asia, to the east is Longyou, and to the north is the homeland of the Turks. My father spent half his life to capture this place and wanted to turn it into a place for the Gar family, but his brother actually wanted to give it up just like that.
"What else did brother say?"
"The Prime Minister said that the people of the Tang Dynasty have a strong army and a strong country. If we compete with them, victory will lead to continuous military disasters, and failure will be punished by Zanpu, who will not support us. Fuqi City is located on the bank of Qinghai Lake, and the terrain is flat. It is easy to It's difficult to attack and defend. It's better to give it to the Tang people first. Tuyuhun's troops have been dispersed for a long time. Even if the Tang people send the old king back, they won't be able to compete with me!"
"Brother is still the same, talking about truth, but in the end he is still scared!" Qin Ling thought to himself. He did not speak, returned to his seat and sat down. The study was quiet, except for the crackling of dry wood in the stove. ring. The messenger stood tremblingly in front of the table. Sweat slipped from his cheeks and fell on his chest, soaking a large area.
"When you go back, tell your brother that although there are many sheep, they are no match for the lone wolf. Although there are many people from the Tang Dynasty, they are not as brave as the Tubo people. The land of Tuyuhun was won by my father who led his troops in hundreds of battles. How can you just rely on a few empty words from the Tang people?" Just give it up? Zanpu asked us to give up the city because he wanted to use the power of the Tang people to weaken our family. If I obey, then Zanpu will only get worse and press harder! In the end, we can’t even protect ourselves! What I said Do you remember it all?"
"I remember, little man!" The messenger's body trembled slightly: "I will definitely convey what you said to the Prime Minister without change!"
"Very good! Just hang around and rest. We'll hit the road tomorrow morning!"
"As you command!"
After the messenger left, Qin Ling walked to the map. His angular face looked like a stone sculpture. The firelight covered his skin with a layer of eerie orange, casting deep shadows at the bottom of his eye sockets. He knew very well the true meaning of his brother's message - if he went to war directly with the Tang people, he should not expect any support from the mainland. Needless to say, there is no need to talk about the power that is loyal to Zamp. Even the power of the Gar family on the snowy plateau cannot be drawn out too much. After all, the brother also needs enough power to suppress Zamp's fight for the government.
"So, we can't let the Tang people be fully prepared before fighting! Attack the Tang people's Longyou first?" Qinling shook his head. He knew the situation of the Tang people's Longyou army very well. As an important city to defend Guanzhong and defend the Hexi Corridor , Longyou may have been the most important town of the Tang Army during the reign of Emperor Gaozong, with a large concentration of elite soldiers and various fortresses dotted all over the place, and could receive support from the Tang Army in Guanzhong and Hexi at any time. A rash attack with his existing strength would only lead to heavy losses.
"The Tang army has many soldiers and well-equipped weapons. It is best to lead them to a desolate and waterless place, torture them with hunger and fatigue, and then fight them decisively!" Qin Ling thought while sliding his finger on the map: "But before the Tang army leads the army, He must be a veteran general. If you want him to penetrate deeply, you must make him feel that our army is empty and profitable, and then he will march straight in. So how can we make the Tang people feel that our army is empty?" Qin Ling frowned. The grooves on his forehead are as deep as canyons.
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Chang'an, Taishi Bureau, Lingtai.
The comet's tail streaked across the evening sky, like a wound in the dark red sky, bleeding over the Daming Palace.
Li Chunfeng stood alone on the top of the spiritual platform, which may be the highest point in Chang'an City. The north wind blowing from the Loess Plateau mixed with sand and slapped on the stone steps, making a rustling sound. A huge bronze instrument stood beside him, with ferocious coiling dragons surrounding it, and finally converging on the top of the instrument, seemingly guarding something. He has been working here for more than 40 years since he joined the army in the second year of Wude as the late emperor's secretary when he was still King of Qin. When he first came here, he was excited by these sophisticated instruments. As time goes by, he has become accustomed to it, and now he regards it as a part of his body, standing side by side, staring at the sky with anxiety.
Although he had been a Taoist priest and was familiar with yin and yang and Taoism, and was considered a master of divination by the world, in fact, Li Chunfeng did not believe much in the science of celestial symbols and omens. Instead, he spent his main energy on calendars, arithmetic, and climate. But at this age, Li Chunfeng has never seen such a bright comet, let alone such a terrifying color mixed with blood and sunset. He couldn't help but wonder whether the instrument beside him could be seen. After all, it had settled here before his arrival, and it would remain there forever after his death.
"Taishi, Taishi, Your Majesty is summoning you!" Ling Tailang's voice was timid. This young man was only twenty-two years old. It seemed that he was also frightened by this sinister celestial phenomenon. After all, even I am not far away from death. All the old men are like this. Li Chunfeng laughed at himself, what does this celestial phenomenon represent? Floods and droughts? Locust plague? earthquake? Local rebellion? Or lose the battle? He didn't know what this meant? He didn't even know how to answer the emperor's next question. When he thought of this, Li Chunfeng felt his mind was in chaos.
"Taishi, Your Majesty has summoned you. The people from the Daming Palace are waiting under the Lingtai!" Lingtai Lang's voice rose a bit. Maybe he thought that I, an old man, was deaf. Li Chunfeng turned around and turned his back to the sky. Wounded, he held the stone pillar next to him with one hand: "Come over and help me, my legs are a little weak!"
The young Lingtai Master supported Li Chunfeng and walked down the Lingtai. Li Chunfeng used to walk briskly when he was young, but time has long taken away his leg strength and turned him into a hobbling old man. In the past two years, his health has been getting worse and worse, and he has already submitted to the imperial court, but was persuaded by the emperor to keep him, but it seems that he can't hold on much longer.
"Taishi is old, so there is no need to be more polite. Please ask Li Taishi to enter the palace quickly and get on the shoulder carriage!" The chamberlain bowed his hands considerately and led the way. Li Chunfeng weakly got on the shoulder carriage and found that he didn't know when His hands were already covered with spots, and under the dry, paper-thin skin, dense blood vessels and dry bones could almost be seen. It must be the same on your own face, right? He smiled bitterly and shook his head. This should be the last time he meets the emperor, right?
Pass through the Xuanwu Gate and enter the Daming Palace. Li Chunfeng got off the carriage and entered the palace under the guidance of the chamberlain. The emperor and the empress were both there, and there was a person sitting at the bottom. Li Chunfeng recognized him as Liu Rengui, the prince's concubine who had just entered the political hall.
"Li Taishi is old, so I will give you a seat without any courtesy!" Li Zhi pointed to his right side and motioned for the other party to sit there. Without waiting for Li Chunfeng to thank him, he asked: "Li Weng, what do you mean by the comet in the sky?"
Li Chunfeng could feel Li Zhi's anxiety. The emperor in ancient China was called the Son of Heaven, and the only person he had to take responsibility for was God, and the celestial phenomena were God's warning to the Emperor, and could even be said to be a reprimand and blame. The emperor is superior to all the people, and God is also superior to the emperor. Facing God's warning, the emperor cannot escape, and all he can do is self-reflection and self-punishment.
"God's will is lofty and far-reaching, but the humble ministers are so stupid that it is difficult to recognize God's will. They only know that the comet is in the west, and what it should do should be in the west!" Li Chunfeng said.
"In the west?" Li Zhi was like a drowning man, clinging to any straw he could find and not letting go: "Is it the northwest or the southwest? Military disaster, flood, drought, or something else?"
"This -" Li Chunfeng faced the emperor's barrage of questions and didn't know how to answer for a while. Looking at Li Zhi's appearance, he was really confused. Seeing this, Empress Wu on the side said: "Jiu I heard that Li Weng is good at divination, so I would like to give it a try today!"
"I obey the order!" Li Chunfeng also calmed down at this time. He took out a handful of yarrow from his sleeve, then pulled one out, and then separated the remaining yarrow at will and held it in his left and right hands respectively. Then he plucked the yarrow in his hand and muttered something. Everyone else knew that he was doing calculations based on easy numbers, so they didn't dare to disturb them and waited for the results in silence. After about half a cup of tea, Li Chunfeng stopped doing the calculations. Calculate, his face is as solemn as water.
"Li Weng, how are you?" Liu Rengui asked.
"I don't know about Chaos, but there should be a disaster of war and fire!"
"Why do you say that?" Liu Rengui asked.
"There are many people in the statue, and they want to kill each other, so I feel that there is a disaster of war!" Li Chunfeng replied.
There was silence in the hall. Li Chunfeng's words were nonsense. At that time, the Tang Dynasty was in a hurry to expand its frontiers, and there were wars in almost all four directions. How could there be no disasters like wars and fires? This old man was obviously looking for an excuse at random, but at his age, he was not far away from being buried, so there was no point in punishing him. Thinking of this, Li Zhi coughed lowly: "Since there is a warning from heaven, I will naturally have to reflect on myself. Come and convey my will. Fast for three months and exempt the people of Guanzhong from two months of labor. I will be in peace with my body and mind." All peoples!”
"The holy virtues of the Holy One will surely move the heart of heaven and turn disaster into good luck!" Empress Wu and Liu Rengui hurriedly said.
"I will give Li Taishi twenty pieces of silk and send him out of the palace!" Li Zhi looked at Li Chunfeng and said: "A few days ago, Li Taishi reported that he was old and frail, and asked to retire and return to his hometown. I have accepted it today and will be given a permanent estate in my family. Fifteen hectares of farmland is used as a source of support for the elderly!”
"Thank you, Your Majesty!" Li Chunfeng hurriedly gathered his clothes and bowed down. Given his official position, this reward can be said to be exceptional.
After Li Chunfeng left, Li Zhi still looked gloomy. Obviously, the changes in the celestial phenomena were still lingering in his mind. Liu Rengui, who was on the side, could see Li Zhi's thoughts and said with a smile: "Your Majesty, God's will is high. We just need to act cautiously. There is no need to be too cautious." Don’t care!”
"Well!" Li Zhi nodded perfunctorily. Apparently he didn't take Liu Rengui's words to heart at all. The queen on the side said: "Your Majesty, I heard that there is a monk from the Western Regions in the White Horse Temple in Luoyang who is good at magic. Why not invite him?" Come and try?”
"Oh?" Li Zhi's attention was immediately attracted by the queen: "Spell, what spell can solve the misfortune of the poor?"
"It is said that the monk can do the method of Li Dai Tao Jian, that is, if the other person is in trouble, he will make another person take the trouble for the other person, and then the trouble will befall the other person, and the other person will be saved!"
Liu Rengui on the side heard this and frowned: "Your Majesty, there is no reason to escape from heaven's disaster? And you are the leader of all peoples and the son of heaven, who can suffer disaster on your behalf? Even if this method is true, I'm afraid It’s also difficult to take effect on you!”
"This -" Hearing what Liu Rengui said, Li Zhi immediately hesitated. The queen smiled and said: "Whether it's successful or not, you'll know once you try it? Anyway, even if it doesn't succeed, there's nothing to lose, don't you think so?" Liu Rengui said with a smile. Mr. Xian?"
Routinely asking for subscriptions, rewards, and votes! The big boss Qin Ling appears for the first time!
(End of chapter)
