Tiantang Splendid

Chapter 5056 War Crisis
Seeing Xiao Yu agreed immediately, Guo Guangjing felt relieved and couldn't help being complacent. He was originally very ashamed and angry to be "bullied" by Cheng Yaojin, but he turned around and "drove the tiger to swallow the wolf". He not only broke Cheng Yaojin's intimidation and coercion, but also broke the influence of the aristocratic families on Liangzhou, as well as the possible undermining of them in the future, and firmly sat in the position of Liangzhou Governor to show his talents.

How can we not be happy when a blessing in disguise comes out?

In the past, I was terrified and anxious about the post of Liangzhou Governor, but in the blink of an eye, I realized that Liangzhou Governor might just be the starting point of my official career, and it might be possible for me to enter the central government and become a prime minister in the future...

He was in a good mood, so he thought it was okay to reveal some non-confidential information. He drank a sip of tea and sighed, "It's more than unbearable. It's terrible! Although the two sides were in a standoff, there were constant small-scale conflicts. From Zishan Pass to the plateau more than a hundred miles below Luoshui City, one side wanted to cut off the enemy's food supply, while the other side fought back. The scouts and troops of both sides fought continuously, and the killing was endless. It can be said that there was blood everywhere and corpses everywhere."

Xiao Yu was also well versed in military affairs and understood immediately: "Is there a problem with Songtsen Gampo?"

Guo Guangjing nodded: "Last winter, Gongri Gongzan died tragically, and then Songtsen Gampo fell seriously ill and was unconscious for a time. There was a fierce internal struggle within Tubo over the right of succession. If it weren't for the Qinling troops at the gates of the city, I'm afraid there would have been a war."

Xiao Yu was somewhat puzzled: "As far as I know, Songtsen Gampo only has one son, Gongri Gongzan, and Gongri Gongzan has already given birth to an heir. The succession of the throne of the Zamp is orderly. How could there be an internal fight over the right of succession?"

"This is the strength of Lu Dongzan. Before Lunqinling raised his army, he had already sent his eldest son, Zanxiruo, to the rear of Luoshui City to contact the six tribes of Nachang and some other small tribes. After Gongri Gongzan died in the battle, he immediately said that Songtsen Gampo's grandson Songmang Songtsen was too young to act as a state official. He was afraid that there would be trouble from his foreign relatives, which would spread to Tubo. Therefore, they jointly forced Songtsen Gampo to re-elect a Zamp instead of passing the throne to Songmang Songtsen."

After all, Tubo was nothing more than a "tribal alliance". With his great prestige and skills, Songtsen Gampo could forcibly pass the throne to his son Gongri Gongzan. Even if the other tribes were dissatisfied, they dared not show it. Besides, Gongri Gongzan was young and promising, so he could also be recognized.

But if Songtsen Gampo died now, and everyone was asked to worship a baby as their common leader, who would be convinced?
In short, you have no son, so you have to give up the throne. If you still hold on to it, everyone will unite and rebel against you...

Xiao Yu sighed: "This strategy of forming alliances is really powerful! But the current chaos in Tubo started with the death of Gongri Gongzan. It stands to reason that Songtsen Gampo asked Gongri Gongzan to lead the army to attack Lun Qinling in order to increase his qualifications. He did not necessarily think that Gongri Gongzan could really annihilate Lun Qinling. Therefore, the protection of Gongri Gongzan should be extremely strict. How could Lun Qinling have such strength to kill him in one fell swoop in the chaos?"

If he really had the ability to kill the commander who was protected by tens of thousands of troops, he would not have been stuck in a stalemate outside the city of Lhasa and would have conquered the city and destroyed Tubo long ago.

Perhaps, Pei Xingjian was responsible for this?
The Grand Protector of Anxi left Jiaohe City to Xue Rengui, and had been in charge of Hexi for a long time. He had been living in seclusion and had not been heard from. However, no one dared to ignore this rising star who was guarding the important area of ​​the Western Regions at a young age.

Guo Guangjing was very secretive about this: "How could an outsider like me know the details? In short, up to now, all plans have been implemented quite smoothly, and the strategic vision formulated at the beginning has been initially realized."

This war against Tubo was almost entirely instigated by the Tang Dynasty, and Lu Dongzan had no choice.

The strategic goal of the Tang Dynasty was very clear, that is, Tubo must be divided. There must not be a unified and powerful country on the plateau that would threaten the border security of the Tang Dynasty in Hexi, the Western Regions, and even the entire Longyou Road and Jiannan Road.

Xiao Yu, who was once a prime minister, could not help but admire Pei Xingjian from the bottom of his heart: "While Pei Xingjian was guarding the Western Regions, he was also planning the war against Tubo. He was able to make clouds and rain with a flip of his hand. He already had the potential to be a famous general. It is only natural that he will be appointed as a prime minister one day."

To become a prime minister requires not only ability, but also seniority and merit. As long as this war with Tubo ends successfully, there will be no obstacles for Pei Xingjian to enter the center, and becoming prime minister is just around the corner.

But how old is this Wenxi Pei family disciple this year?
A prime minister in his thirties is rare throughout history.

Suddenly I realized that nowadays the officials in charge of key departments in the court seem to be getting younger. A large group of young officials headed by Fang Jun have outstanding abilities and outstanding achievements. While they are determined to make progress, they are constantly pushing the strength of the empire to one peak after another.

On the other hand, those officials who have risen to high positions by virtue of their merits and qualifications seem to be doing nothing and sitting on their laurels, unable to keep up with the times compared to the young people...

Guo Guangjing also sighed, raised his teacup, and said with emotion: "Young people are promising, and the younger generation is formidable. These young officials are indeed the future of our Tang Dynasty. With them, the empire will prosper and flourish, and it will dominate the world and unify the world! This humble official will use tea instead of wine to congratulate the empire!"

Xiao Yu also raised his glass and clinked it with his own: "Congratulations to the Empire!"

Compared with the powerful Tang Dynasty and its mighty military might that intimidates the world, what does this tiny conflict of interest matter?
When the country is strong, its people are prosperous.

You can earn profits all over the world at will, so why bother about it?
The pattern opens up and everything becomes clear.

*****
Inside Shandan City, Pei Xingjian was reviewing official documents at his desk when he saw Xue Rengui, a man in casual clothes and with a strong physique, striding in from the door. He then put down his brush, stood up to stretch his neck, took out a handkerchief from the basin beside him, wrung it dry and wiped his face.

The two sat down on the chairs in front of the window and the clerk brought them hot tea.

After taking a sip of tea, Pei Xingjian frowned and asked, "Is the situation very bad?"

Xue Rengui put down his teacup, nodded, and said in a heavy tone: "There is constant news coming from the Kingdom of Dashi. Muawiyah has now firmly established his position as the Caliph. He not only recruited soldiers, but also ordered the tribes in his country to send troops to Shancheng. He appointed his general Fahaili as the commander-in-chief, and trained the troops strictly. His purpose is probably that he is still determined to attack the Western Regions."

Shancheng is Damascus. People in the Western Regions generally call it Damascus, while the Tang Dynasty officials call it Shancheng...

Pei Xingjian nodded.

With the smooth flow of the Silk Road and the opening of sea routes, the trade between the East and the West has increased by more than ten times compared with the past. More and more goods from the Tang Dynasty were sold to the West, earning gold and platinum, and also giving the West the impression that the East was "mysterious and wealthy."

Those barbarians have been coveting the wealth of the East for a long time.

Before this, Muawiyah led his elite troops to invade the Western Regions, but was defeated by Fang Jun. However, he still had the determination to attack the Tang Dynasty.

He said disdainfully: "It's just a foolish dream. His main force was defeated by the Marshal in a battle in Suiye City, and his navy was sunk by Yang Zhou in the Persian Sea. He couldn't even leave the port of Shilafu, but he still dreams of conquering the Tang Dynasty with a scripture in one hand and a sword in the other... He really doesn't know how to write the word death."

Pei Xingjian didn't take it seriously, took a sip of tea, and asked again: "Is there any other situation?"

Given that the Anxi Army was well-equipped and had a long history of battles, Xue Rengui would not lose his composure even if he faced an enemy twice as large as his. He would not abandon the Anxi Army and sneak across to Hexi to meet him in person. There must have been some other emergency.

"Exactly!"

Xue Rengui whispered, "A spy reported back that an envoy from Lu Dongzan entered Muawiyah's palace in Shancheng."

"Lu Dongzan?"

Pei Xingjian was surprised: "Is the news confirmed?"

"It's true."

Xue Rengui affirmed.

Since Fang Jun took over the Ministry of War, he has invested huge manpower and material resources to survey the mountains and rivers of countries all over the world. At the same time, he has dispatched, instigated, and bribed people from various countries to work for the Tang Dynasty. They are responsible for collecting intelligence on various countries and ethnic groups. No matter how big or small, all are finally summarized in the secret room of the Ministry of War in Chang'an. Therefore, the Tang Dynasty is well aware of the situation of all countries in the world.

Pei Xingjian was a little worried. The topography of the entire Western Region emerged in his mind. After careful consideration, he worriedly said, "Could this old villain have formed an alliance with Muawiyah and planned to attack the Western Region openly and secretly, or even invade Hexi?"

Xue Rengui said: "I am also worried about this, so I came to see the Grand Protector. If Muawiyah really sends a large army to invade the Western Regions again, should I take the initiative to attack or defend firmly?"

Pei Xingjian pondered in silence.

He was well versed in military affairs and naturally understood what Xue Rengui meant.

The so-called proactive attack means concentrating all forces to deal a head-on blow to the invading enemy and try to keep the battlefield outside the borders of the Tang Dynasty. Otherwise, the war will spread to all parts of the Western Regions, causing panic among the ethnic groups that have surrendered, and thus leading to turmoil.

After all, the Western Regions are not the Tang Dynasty’s homeland, and the political environment there is extremely bad, so no loss is allowed.

The so-called solid defense means doing your best to deal with the enemy while ensuring your strength, not engaging in a decisive battle with the enemy, and leaving enough strength to take care of the rear at any time.

Behind the Western Regions is the Hexi Corridor and even the entire Longyou Road. What is there to take into account?
I was naturally worried about Lu Dongzan.

Obviously, the two of them thought of the same thing.

"Are you worried about Lu Dongzan too?"

"Logically speaking, the Gar family is currently facing off against Luoshui City at Zishankou with all its strength, and has no spare energy to threaten Hexi. But this old villain Lu Dongzan is cunning and treacherous, with outstanding wisdom and strategy, and he has a very high status and prestige in Tubo. It is very likely that he can borrow troops from other tribes. If our attention is all on the Western Regions and the invading Arab army, Lu Dongzan can send troops to wreak havoc in Hexi. He only needs to rush eastward to occupy Wushaoling and cut off the road from Guanzhong to Hexi for reinforcements, and the entire Hexi will be put on the defensive."

Xue Rengui analyzed the situation and said, "Fortunately, Liangzhou still has the Zuo Wuwei and You Xiaowei, but the Grand Protector must contact them in time to eliminate the trouble."

However, Pei Xingjian sighed repeatedly: "Cheng Yaojin... may not be reliable."