Tiantang Splendid

Chapter 4724 Mu Xiu Yu Lin
Liu Li frowned, somewhat puzzled. "After listening to Minister Cui's words, he actually determined that Lu Dongzan's threat was greater than that of Luoshui City and Songtsen Gampo? Although Lu Dongzan is known as the wisest man in Tubo, Songtsen Gampo ascended the throne at the age of twelve, conquered Zhangzhung, quelled civil strife, promoted irrigation, established writing, promulgated Tubo laws, created administrative and military systems, set up official ranks, and unified the measurement and taxation systems. He was indeed a great leader. Not to mention that Songtsen Gampo occupied Luoshui City and was in a high position. Lu Dongzan was indeed a hero, but how could he be a greater threat to the Tang Dynasty than Songtsen Gampo?"

Cui Dunli said calmly: "As the saying goes, everyone has their own expertise. The Zhongshu Ling's understanding of Tubo and Songtsen Gampo is only superficial, and everyone knows his achievements. However, the Ministry of War's years of tireless and dauntless infiltration of Tubo is by no means superficial."

Superficial? Liu Li couldn't hold back his pride: "I'd like to hear more about it."

Cui Dunli took a long and thin stick made of red sandalwood and pointed at the top of Lhasa City. "The Tubo unified the plateau, Songtsen Gampo dominated Lhasa, with strong soldiers and horses and powerful fighting power. Many small states and tribes were intimidated and obeyed his orders. However, it had a most fatal weakness, that is, the plateau was short of supplies, and the places with abundant supplies were all in the border areas."

The stick left Luoshui City and landed in Qinghai Lake first: "The old land of Tuyuhun is rich in water and grass, and has a mild climate, but now it is under the control of the Gar family. Tubo has lost one arm."

Then Mugun came to the northwest of Lhasa City and said, "This is a country called 'Subi'. It is the richest. Half of the Tubo army, money and food come from it. Although Songtsen Gampo is the king, he is only the nominal leader of Tubo. Because of his strength, he can command the various Tubo tribes. But in fact, Tubo's ruling method is the alliance form. Everyone discusses things together. Normally, Songtsen Gampo is respected. No one dares to disobey the king's orders. But once the specific interests of the tribes are involved, the king's words may not work."

Fang Jun added: "Tibet is still a slave society, and a group of slave owners have united to rule the country."

Li Chengqian was at a loss: "Slave society?"

Fang Jun nodded: "Just like the Xia, Shang and Zhou dynasties."

Li Chengqian thought carefully about the social system of Xia, Shang and Zhou dynasties, and some of his thoughts suddenly dawned on him.

Cui Dunli continued, "So the internal harmony of Tubo is not harmonious. To put it simply, it is 'weak trunk and strong branches'. Maybe it was not a bad thing in the past, everyone could unite around Songtsen Gampo, and Songtsen Gampo also had the prestige and ability. But now it is different, because the Gar family's actions are tantamount to rebellion, and they have occupied Qinghai, a land of money, grain and livestock, so cracks are bound to grow within Tubo."

No matter how reluctant Liu Li was, he had to admit that the Ministry of War had done a great job.

"The Gar family is just a small tribe in Tibet, so why is it a greater threat than Luoshui City?"

Facing Liu Li's seemingly stubborn question, Cui Dunli remained calm: "Because of Qinghai Lake, this land is the former home of Tuyuhun, with abundant water and grass and many rivers. The Gar family only needs to reproduce for another 20 years, and they may become the next Tuyuhun. And the Zhongshu Ling probably hasn't forgotten the threat that Tuyuhun brought to the former Sui and Tang dynasties, right?"

Liu Li kept his mouth shut.

He discovered a fact that he was very reluctant to admit. It seemed that the government offices where Fang Jun had served as the chief officer, such as the Ministry of Works and the Ministry of War, were accustomed to doing their utmost to make all kinds of detailed preparations before doing anything. No matter what the cost, they tried to make every aspect as close to perfect as possible, so as to formulate the most complete and practical plan, and even change the plan calmly at a certain moment.

This makes the preparation work before doing each thing very cumbersome and wasteful, but once it starts, it is very easy.

Perhaps the Secretariat should also introduce such a method. This is a general trend...

Seeing that Liu Li remained silent, Cui Dunli continued, "The Tang Dynasty needs the Gar family to hold the key points to resist the Tibetan cavalry that may swoop down at any time, but we cannot allow the Gar family to become a hidden danger, so this battle is imperative."

Li Chengqian nodded, acknowledging the necessity of this war: "Then to what extent will this war be fought, or in other words, what is the intended strategic goal?"

Cui Dunli said: "The planned strategic goal is for the Gar family and Luoshui City to suffer losses. If the Gar family's losses reach half, it is acceptable."

Even if the Gar family only had half of its combat power left, it would be enough to resist the swift attack of the Tibetan cavalry when they swooped down from a high position. The Tang army stationed at the Qilian Mountain Pass and the four counties of Hexi would have plenty of time to complete the assembly, take advantage of the situation and strike hard at the Tibetan cavalry.

The tactics were not complicated. The Gar family assembled troops, received assistance from the Tang Dynasty, and then attacked the city of Lhasa from the bottom to the top along the ancient Tang-Tibet Road along the shore of Qinghai Lake. As long as they reached the Chawula Pass, they could mobilize the defense of the entire city of Lhasa. In the process, it was very likely to cause severe shocks within Tubo. After a great battle, it didn't matter who won or lost, as the strategic goal had been achieved.

Li Chengqian looked around and said, "Pei Qing will be in charge of this battle in Hexi and serve as the general manager of the Qinghai Road. The Ministry of War and various government offices will fully cooperate. If there are any major changes, they must be submitted to the Military Affairs Office for discussion and decision. Pei Qing will act accordingly for the rest."

The authority and power of the Ministry of War are too great and must be curbed. It is a bit inappropriate for Pei Xingjian to be in charge of this battle in his position as the deputy governor and chief secretary of the Anxi Protectorate, but it will be fine if he is given the title of "Qinghai Road Marching Commander".

Pei Xingjian knelt on one knee and said loudly: "Thank you, Your Majesty, for your grace! Your Majesty, rest assured, I will do my best to eliminate the hidden dangers on the border of the Tang Dynasty!"

Although the title of "Chief Military Governor" was only a temporary position and was abolished after the war, it was a kind of qualification. When Pei Xingjian returned to Beijing to take up his post in the future, it would be enough for him to serve as the Minister of Six Ministries or the Chief Minister of Nine Temples, which could be regarded as a quick promotion.

When the news spread, some people were bound to be envious, but not many people would question Pei Xingjian's ability.

As an outstanding figure among the top of the "Fang Jun faction", Pei Xingjian has changed many official positions over the years, but he has performed outstandingly every time and no one can find any fault with him.

Everyone knows that as long as he accumulates experience, he will surely become an important official of the empire in the future.

However, the opportunity to accumulate experience came so quickly that it might have exceeded many people's expectations...

……

The flower hall of Duke Liang's Mansion has long been a legend in Chang'an. It is said that this is the first flower hall with a multi-layer glass dome and curtain wall in the Tang Dynasty. With its unique heating system, the flowers transplanted from the south in the flower hall can grow normally and even bloom and bear fruit even in winter. Although many wealthy and powerful families have imitated it, they are far inferior in terms of the scale of the flower hall and the planting technology.

Being in it, it feels like being in the jungles of Lingnan or Nanzhao, with exotic flowers and plants appearing one after another, and flowers and fruit trees scattered in an orderly manner, but the humidity is very heavy...

Pei Xingjian had just returned from the dry and windy Western Xinjiang. He was not used to the humid environment. He started sweating after drinking a cup of tea. He wiped the sweat from his forehead and said with a wry smile, "If the Duke of Yue is dissatisfied with me, you can speak frankly. I will not complain even if you scold or whip me. Why make me feel so uncomfortable?"

Fang Jun put down his teacup and waved his folding fan. He looked more like a playboy than a senior official in the imperial court. He smiled and said, "You also know that what you did was wrong?"

Pei Xingjian straightened his clothes and sat upright, saying solemnly: "Whether it is right or wrong, Your Majesty is the Supreme Ruler and the Lord of the Empire. You have appointed me as the Grand Commander of the Qinghai Road Army. How can I disobey your order? Moreover, I believe that my merits and abilities are enough for the job. The only thing missing is my seniority. However, seniority is accumulated when you are entrusted with important tasks. If there is no important task, how can there be seniority?"

"Haha, the latter part is what you really think, right? Did you feel like you were not appreciated for your talent and your talent was lost in the dust?"

"I don't dare, my subordinates."

Fang Jun took a sip of tea, reached out and plucked a bright red flower from a peony beside him, and threw it on the coffee table: "Is it because Xue Rengui is the Grand Protector of Anxi and in charge of the Western Regions, and you can only be his deputy, so you feel dissatisfied?"

Pei Xingjian stared at the flower without saying anything.

Fang Jun sighed softly, "You and Xue Rengui are both my disciples. I have always treated you equally. How can I favor one over the other? Xue Rengui is the bravest among the three armies and has outstanding military tactics. He will definitely become a commander in the future, but that's all. He is not smooth enough and lacks political talent. This is a natural defect that cannot be made up. But you are different. Not only are you proficient in military tactics, but you have also been influenced by your family since childhood, which makes you have outstanding political talent. Your future is limitless."

At this point, he pointed to the flower on the coffee table and said, "But you must know that a tree that stands out in the forest will be destroyed by the wind. You don't have the ability and foundation to withstand the storm right now. If you are not careful, you will easily fall to the ground."

Pei Xingjian then raised his head, his face moved, and he said ashamedly: "I am too impatient, I will write to Your Majesty tomorrow morning to resign from the post of the Qinghai Road Marching Commander."

Children of aristocratic families who succeed at a young age are inevitably willful and arrogant, and even a favored child like Pei Xingjian is no exception. He has the same outstanding achievements and abilities as Xue Rengui, so how could he be willing to be inferior to others for a long time? With the opportunity in front of him, he naturally wanted to rise to the top and achieve success.

As for the hidden dangers behind it, they are not invisible, but we are confident that they will not cause too much trouble and harm.

But now Fang Jun pointed out that doing so might make him a target of public criticism and affect his future career, so he felt a little regretful.

Fang Jun personally poured him a cup of tea and said proudly, "If you had refused at that time, it would have been fine. That would have been called keeping a low profile and being modest, and others would have only praised you. But if you resign now, it would be a sign of guilt and cowardice, and you would be ridiculed! Now that things have come to this, if you don't want to do it, forget it. If you do it, you must do it to the best of your ability! Just go all out to fight this battle well and beautifully, and leave the rest of the obstacles to me. I will definitely clear them for you, and you won't have to worry about anything. Whoever dares to make trouble, I'll break his legs!"

Pei Xingjian burst into tears of gratitude and stood up and knelt on one knee.

There is nothing much to say, a gentleman will die for his friend.