Love Affairs in Chang'an - Chapter 473

Chapter 473 Battle of the Vast World
The next day, the 15th day of the 2nd month, coincided with the Shuowang Dynasty. Early in the morning, the Martial Arts Hall’s court meeting.

Civilian and military officials, Qi Xun slightly wait for long live after the mountain call, around the cloth column. Li Shimin’s dragon-robed Gun Mian sat on the dragon throne and said loudly, “Today, I am looking forward to the Imperial Court meeting to discuss national affairs. I have important matters to discuss with the people.”

Everyone’s hearts tightened when they heard this, and they thought to themselves that it was most likely related to the Tibetan war. Not long ago, there was a commotion in the western border of Gaer Qinling, and the entire world shook. Is there anything bigger in front of us than this?

“The war between the Great Tang and Tibet has lasted for many years. Since the Martial Dynasties, there has been no end to it. Although I have the intention to form an alliance between the two countries, Tibet refuses to let me marry and kill my envoys. They also sent troops to attack the border and kill our feudal officials. Now, they are disturbing our prefecture and county to kill and massacre the people. This hatred is unsworthy.” Li Shimin said loudly, his voice revealing his might. “Now, Qin Mubai, the general manager of the Kansai Road army, has led his troops to successive victories. In the Illusory Moon Valley, Dafeichuan, and Yumen Pass, they have destroyed more than a hundred thousand Tibetans, seriously injuring their Yuan Qi. I believe that we must take advantage of this opportunity to pursue them, just like we did in the past when we annihilated the Turkic Khilated them.”

Speaking of this, Li Shimin paused for a moment and said, “I, the army, have fought for half my life under the heavens. I know very well that those who know soldiers are not easy to fight.” War was ultimately a weapon that could injure the enemy and injure oneself, so one had to use it as a last resort. Today, most of the important officials and royal relatives are present, and I just want to ask you what you mean. Is it feasible for me to launch this Battle of the Vast World? ”

As soon as Li Shimin finished speaking, the entire court fell silent. Everyone could tell that the emperor had acted against the rules today. In the past, when it came to deciding on major issues, the emperor would make the final decision. Today, however, it was the other way around. The Emperor first shook out his baggage and revealed his thoughts, allowing the officials to express their opinions.

Li Shimin’s handling of this matter was a bit “unkind”. After all, not every official dared to easily reject the Emperor’s opinion. This was too much of a test of courage and courage. But at the same time, this also meant that the Emperor seemed to be “determined to obtain it” today. He had probably already made up his mind to fight this battle. The so-called taking it out for public discussion was just trying to escape a headstrong reputation.

Therefore, no one came out to express their opinions at this moment.

“What, all of you have nothing to say about such an important national policy? Are you going to force me to send out pen and ink to serve you like last time?” Li Shimin said.

“Your Majesty, I have something to say.”

Everyone saw that it was Xiao Yu.

Xiao Yu was a knowledgeable and talented Great Confucian. The descendants of the nobles of the former Sui Dynasty had noble bloodlines and were highly valued by their ancestors. Although Li Shimin did not abandon him after he ascended the throne, his important position had long been replaced by Li Shimin’s direct descendant, Fang Xuanling. This person’s greatest characteristic was his uprightness, which made him sound a little “ignorant”. He was at odds with Fang Xuanling and the others, and he often directly advised them to offend Long Yan, but he never compromised and showed weakness. He only knew how to fight back, so his official career rose several times. Not long after he was demoted to the position of foreign official, he was recruited back. In the Imperial Court, people called him “Old Niu Xiao”, which meant that he was stubborn.

“What do you think of Xiao Te entering?” Li Shimin said. Special advancement was Xiao Yu’s official name. Wen San Guan did not have a real post, but his official rank was very high and he was an honorary title. Generally speaking, he was occupied by people of high moral standing and dignity.

“This old official is speaking in vain. Since His Majesty is well aware of the principle that those who know soldiers are not easy to fight, he must remember that even though the country is large, it is bound to perish if one likes to fight.” Xiao Yu said, “In recent years, our Great Tang has been fighting endlessly. The White Bone Pillow in Jiang Ye has seen a bottomless waste in our country. The soldiers’ robes have been stained with blood, causing the people to suffer unspeakably. This old official dares to ask His Majesty, is our Great Tang still following the path of benevolent government to help the world recover its people, or has it embarked on the path of tyranny?”

“The Tang Empire is ruled by benevolence and filial piety. Naturally, it is ruled by kings.” Li Shimin replied indifferently.

Xiao Yu was about to argue when Fang Xuanling stood up and said, “Your Majesty, I have something to say.”

“Speak.”

Fang Xuanling bowed and turned to look at Xiao Yu. He said, “Xiao Te Jin just said it out of context. Sima Fa is like a cloud. Although the country is battling, it will perish. Although the world is peaceful, forgetting to fight is dangerous. Since His Majesty ascended the throne more than ten years ago, the Great Tang has never taken the initiative to start a war. Fang Xuanling asked Xiao Te Jin what should we do when facing the enemy invaders?”

“This” Xiao Yu was stunned for a moment before he said, “Whether it’s Wang Dao or tyrannical, he will fight back.”

“Then is it an act of kingship or tyranny to fight back?” Fang Xuanling asked again.

Xiao Yu was stunned and glared at Fang Xuanling angrily, “Husband Fang, are you going to set me up?”

Fang Xuanling smiled, followed by the civil and military chuckles.

Li Shimin also laughed. He waved his hand and said, “Xiao Te Jin, I know that you have good intentions and loyalty for the country. But at this moment, please don’t say any more useless principles. What I want to discuss today is the rationality and feasibility of using troops against Tibet. The ministers will only discuss whether it is necessary and worthwhile to win this battle.”

Fang Xuanling cupped his hands. “His Majesty just said that there was a core word in his words, and that was the word’cost-effective ‘.”

“That’s right, not only I, but also the people of the Manchu Empire and all over the world will think about this question.” Li Shimin said, “Everyone knows that Tibet is located on the plateau, which is icy and barren. Not only is it not easy to use troops, but also the people of the Central Plains are not adapted to the living environment there. This is the difference between Tibet and the Turks of the past. Can our army fight on the plateau? If we win, this is the first big question to be decided.”

“Your Majesty, this lowly official thinks that this big question should be asked to the front-line general, not to the officials in the court.” Fang Xuanling said, “Because none of the people present have been to the Tibet Plateau, no one knows the real situation there, and no one knows the battle situation on the frontlines. We are here to discuss, no matter what the outcome is, it is only natural. This lowly official secretly thinks that we are actually irresponsible for the war and unfair to the soldiers on the frontlines.”

“That makes sense” Li Shimin nodded deeply. “What do you think?”

Before Xiao Yu could retreat, he hurriedly said, “Your Majesty said just now that we need to discuss the necessity of starting this war. Now, why is it that we need to discuss the outcome of this war? Is Your Majesty playing tricks on the officials? Since Your Majesty has already decided to fight, why should we discuss it?”

When everyone heard that Xiao Yu was complaining about the Emperor, they scolded him in their hearts for being ignorant of the times and began to pinch cold sweat for him.

Li Shimin was rather patient and did not get angry today. He said, “Of course I am not teasing you. The necessity of this war depends largely on the outcome in the future. If you know that you will lose, who will go to war? Xiao Te Jin, do you think I will do such a foolish thing?”

The officials laughed again, and Xiao Yu’s expression became even uglier. He could only clasp his hands and say, “This old minister has misspoken.” Then, he obediently retreated.

Fang Xuanling said, “Your Majesty, the current situation is like this. War is inevitable.” It’s not that my Great Tang is fond of fighting, but that Tibet is too much of a force to be reckoned with. Not long ago, more than ten counties in the Western Xinjiang were deeply poisoned by it, and the displacement of the people was unspeakable. This bitterness was even greater than the bitterness of a battle. –I secretly believe that the struggle between the Great Tang and Tibet originated from the natural opposition between the human nature of the people of the Central Plains who lived in peace and contentment and the human nature of the nomadic people who lived by looting. This difference and contradiction were simply irreconcilable. Therefore, such as with the pro-alliance, such a national policy, can only be meticulous peace. Therefore, the Central Plains and the Hu Clan were either fighting to the death or fighting with pro-war, war and the death cycle of pro-war. This lowly official has thought many times, could the peace and prosperity of an empire only be built on women? “Then what are the men of this empire for?”

As soon as these words were spoken, the entire court hissed in shock.

The reason for that was because all the men present were men from the Tang Empire.

Fang Xuanling remained unmoved. He looked at his nose and heart and loudly said, “This lowly official thinks that the great war between the Great Tang and Tibet has arrived.” The Kansai soldiers threw their heads and sprayed blood. Lianzhan Lianjie, Jingjie, and the sharpness of the enemy army are the blessings that Cang Tianci has bestowed upon our Great Tang! If he did not take advantage of this opportunity to eliminate future troubles, there would be a day of regret! Your Majesty is our minister, and we should plan for a hundred years, not just focus on the present. It was true that this battle would be very bitter, and it would consume countless amounts of money and grain, causing many soldiers to bury their bones in the snowy plains. However, in order to plan for the future, we should pacify Tibet and eliminate future troubles forever! ”

Fang Xuanling and Jie Wenru were not young anymore, but these words were like a valiant martial artist, full of passion and heroism!

Li Shimin’s blood boiled in his heart. He almost jumped down from Jin Luan Zhan’s house and shouted, “My confidant, the pillar of the country.”

But at this moment, he maintained his calm and said, “I heard Fang Aiqing say that the key lies in the word’long-term ‘.” Actually, I would like to say that Fang Aiqing has always been strongly opposed to the war. Because he has always been in charge of the income and expenditure of the entire country, and is the butler of our Great Tang. No one knows better than him about the family background of the Great Tang, and no one knows better than him about the losses caused by a war. Now, even Fang Xuanling was fighting with such strength, did that really mean that this battle was what everyone wanted? “All of you, don’t just listen. All of you, come and express your opinions.”

Actually, 99% of the people knew that this battle was inevitable.

At this moment, Eldest Sun Wuji stood up and said, “Your Majesty, this lowly official has said that Husband Fang believes that this battle must be fought as well. However, how to fight and who to send is more important than anything else.”

Everyone, including Li Shimin, woke up. The core topic of today was revealed by the core person!

That’s right. The key to this battle is not only to determine the rise and fall of the two dynasties, but also to determine the future pattern of the Great Tang. At the same time, it would also determine the future court officials of the Great Tang Dynasty.

At this time, Changsun Wuji would no longer sit idly by and watch Leng Mingzhe protect himself. He had to take the initiative. Otherwise, what awaited him would be a downfall.

“Good question.” Li Shimin nodded in praise and said, “Actually, what we need to discuss today is this important matter of the military country. Who should I send to lead the fight against Tibet? Just like back then, I sent Li Jing. But now, Li Jing is too old and sickly. Who should I send?”

As soon as the Emperor finished speaking, Fang Xuanling said, “This lowly official thought that in conquering Tibet, there must be a general. I have many generals, but not many who are truly familiar with Tibet and adapt to the army. Commander Guanxi Army, Qin Mubai, succeeds his father, Yilie, who has won many victories over Tibet in Kansai for a long time.”

Only then did the fool object. Because there was really no one more suitable to fight Tibet than Qin Mubai. Li Ji had a high reputation and ability, but he was busy dealing with Xue Yantuo in the grasslands!

“This lowly official once again echoes what Fang Xianggong said. The one leading the conquest of Tibet is none other than Qin Mubai.” Changsun Wuji cupped his hands and suddenly changed the topic. “However, Qin Mubai is still a little young to shoulder such a heavy responsibility in the country war. I suggest that His Majesty choose experienced veteran generals as his auxiliary wings. At the same time, the Imperial Court must dispatch important officials to serve as the Commander-in-Chief of the Imperial Army!”

Hearing the words “Commander Xing Shi”, everyone’s hearts trembled. Wasn’t the Imperial Court sending a supervisor to keep an eye on Qin Mubai? What he meant was that he was telling Qin Mubai to disobediently send someone to guide him to fight this battle according to the Emperor’s will, or was he saying that Qin Mubai had ambitions and needed to be on guard? !

Back then, when Li Jing annihilated the Turks, he didn’t send such a person! They were all famous officials and generals. They obediently listened to Li Jing’s unified command. Li Jing was given full authority to act on behalf of the emperor. Even a prince like Li Daozong didn’t dare to say anything!

“Commander of the Imperial Court?” Li Shimin slowly repeated. He knitted his brows and said, “Situ, who do you think should be sent?”

Everyone was shocked once again. The Emperor’s words were so round that he directly asked “who should be sent?” Instead of saying “is there a need for this?” The Emperor actually agreed!

It seemed that only Changsun Wuji could appreciate the Emperor’s intentions!

“This lowly official thinks that this battle is related to the lifeline of the country and the rise and fall of the clan. If not for the Son of Heaven leading the army, we would have to send a prince to suppress the army and order the world to inspire the three armies!” Eldest Sun Wuji cupped his brows and bowed. “King Wei, Li Tai, and De Wangsu are people’s hearts and minds. They are talented and well-behaved, and they are worthy of being able to withstand the hardships of the army. They are the most suitable candidates!”

These words were like a heavy pound bomb, causing everyone’s hearts to pound!