Da Tang: Father, can I resign?

Chapter 318 Thank you for the gift of nature
South of Jiaozhou?
Is there any south side of Jiaozhou?
His Majesty Li Ming's thinking was indeed wild, and it immediately touched upon the blind spots of Fang Xuanling and Changsun Wuji's thinking.

"Your Majesty, are you talking about...Linyi Kingdom?"

Fang Xuanling wasn't so sure.

The Linyi Kingdom was located in the central and southern part of present-day Vietnam and was the southern neighbor of the Jiaozhou Military Governorate of the Tang Dynasty.

As top prime ministers in history, Lao Fang and Changsun were knowledgeable and of course knew that Jiaozhou was not the end of the world and there was still land to the south.

However, that place is basically not within the scope of "the world" in the minds of the Chinese people.

During the Han Dynasty, that place originally belonged to Rinan County, and has been independent since the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty.

After the establishment of the Tang Dynasty, apart from occasionally paying tribute, it had no sense of existence.

After all, even Jiaozhou in Lingnan Road is full of barbarians. Linyi is located in the central and southern part of the Indochina Peninsula, further south than Jiaozhou, and has a more humid and hot climate.

Is that still where people live?
In other words, are the people living in that place still considered human beings?

Therefore, in international games, the Linyi Kingdom is generally excluded by default.

The adults were fighting for supremacy, and the children were sitting obediently at the children's table.

Therefore, when Emperor Li Ming suddenly mentioned the ghost place "Linyi" in a whimsical way, Fang Xuanling and Changsun Wuji were caught off guard.

"Your Majesty, do you want to form an alliance with Linyi... No, do you want to enslave the natives of Linyi?"

Changsun Wuji couldn't even utter the word "alliance".

He felt that comparing the Ming Dynasty with Linyi was a humiliation to human civilization!

"No, Your Majesty... Why did you think of Linyi?" Fang Xuanling's expressionless face showed obvious fluctuations, full of surprise and confusion.

He thought he could keep up with His Majesty Li Ming's pace.

But it turned out that he still underestimated His Majesty's imagination.

In the game between great powers, why did a country with no sense of existence and absolutely no use come up?

Let’s not talk about what role Linyi can play. First of all, how did that ghost place come into the mind of His Majesty Li Ming?
"Because everything is universally connected, a butterfly flapping its wings in Linyi may cause a storm in Chang'an." Li Ming pretended to be profound as he expounded on the philosophical truth.

He would never say that in the timeline he was originally in, Jiaozhou and Linyi had already merged into a country called "Vietnam".

So when he mentioned Jiaozhou, he naturally thought of Linyi.

This is exactly the blind spot of the Tang Dynasty people's thinking——

What does the Jiaozhou Military Governor's Office of our Tang Dynasty have to do with those monkeys in Linyi?
"Universal connection..."

Lao Fang muttered something in a trance, shook his head, and got out of Xiao Li's verbal trap:

"Let's not talk about that for now. Your Majesty, how do you plan to use Linyi?"

"How else can we use them? Of course we can provide them with military assistance and let those Cham natives take advantage of the situation for us," said Li Ming.

Changsun Wuji touched his chin. He felt that he could not keep up with Emperor Li Ming's thinking.

"You have already formed an alliance with the natives of Jiaozhou, why do you want to support and aid the Linyi people?"

He didn't understand why His Majesty wanted to spend money everywhere, especially on the heads of foreign natives.

If you have too much money to spend, you can consider developing the people's livelihood in China. The herders in the west are still eating grass...

"The natives of Jiaozhou are unreliable. They obviously just want to take the money without doing any work."

Li Ming said:

"It's not that we can't afford the price they asked. But I won't let them get away with such a last-minute price hike.

"The barbarians think that we need their help and want to blackmail me?

"I want to let them know that it's not so easy to take advantage of me, Li Ming!"

Li Ming has some emotions in it.

He rejected the proposal to directly intervene in Jiaozhou, but this did not mean that he would give up punishing the other party for breaking the contract.

After all, His Majesty Li Ming is very vindictive.

How can a great country like ours just swallow its anger?

"Your Majesty, are you thinking..." Changsun Wuji began to understand his leader's thinking.

"Want to instigate the Linyi natives to attack Jiaozhou?"

The Ming Dynasty cannot afford to get stuck in the mud and wrestle with the Jiaozhou natives.

That would be tantamount to lowering oneself to the same level as the natives, and then being defeated by them using their rich experience.

However, the Ming Dynasty could drive other natives to fight against the Jiaozhou people.

Linyi is this handy hammer.

"Linyi and Jiaozhou are adjacent to each other, which is comparable to the border between Wu and Yue. The natives of Jiaozhou live in the miasma jungle. We Chinese may not be able to adapt to it, but the natives of Linyi are happy with it.

"So, the natives of Jiaozhou and Linyi are natural rivals. It's either you die or I die."

Li Ming knocked on the table:

"Give them the aid and they will know what to do."

Using the relationship between the States of Wu and Yue during the Spring and Autumn Period as an example, the two prime ministers understood it immediately.

"But what good will it bring to our Ming Dynasty if we start a war between Linyi and Jiaozhou?" Fang Xuanling held up the teacup and asked slowly:

“If this is just to let Your Majesty vent his dissatisfaction with the natives of Jiaozhou, then I have nothing to say.

"To waste public funds just to vent personal grudges is not what a wise ruler would do."

"The Linyi people may not be able to bring direct benefits to our Ming Dynasty." Li Ming smiled slightly:
"But it can bring endless troubles to the Tang Dynasty.

"Don't forget, Jiaozhou is still the territory of the Tang Dynasty."

After he made this suggestion, the two of them immediately understood.

"Yes, Jiaozhou still bears the name of the Governor's Office, and nominally it is still the territory of the Tang Dynasty!"

Changsun Wuji suddenly realized.

Fang Xuanling still had a calm expression, but he stroked his goatee more frequently:
"Should the Tang Dynasty just let it go, or go to war with Linyi for Jiaozhou..."

If the Tang Dynasty chose to go to war with Linyi, the effect would be similar to the rebellion of the natives of Jiaozhou.

They could drag the Tang army into the hot, humid and miasma-filled jungle and bleed them.

And it would be even better if the Tang Dynasty let it go.

There were eighty or ninety vassal governorates like Jiaozhou in the Tang Dynasty.

They are all watching from the sidelines.

If the imperial court did not help Jiaozhou, what would the barbarian chieftains in other vassal states think?
Doesn’t this indicate that the Tang Dynasty’s ability to control its borders has declined?
Doesn't this mean that the promising young, middle-aged and elderly barbarian chiefs can boldly stir up trouble, break away from the Tang Dynasty and establish themselves as kings?

Losing Jiaozhou might not cause much trouble for the Tang Dynasty, but if a series of vassal states were out of control, the Tang Dynasty would definitely suffer serious consequences.

Jiaozhou is the first domino to fall!
"My father and brother, should they sit back and watch their vast territory fall apart, or should they hold their noses and fight side by side with the rebellious natives of Jiaozhou...

"Hahahaha, I really want to see their expressions."

Li Ming made no secret of his evil thoughts.

Jiaozhou is a good target, because they have just rebelled there and have proved their traitorous nature.

For the sake of national interests, the Tang Dynasty court had to guard the rebels' homes and so on... Just thinking about it made Li Ming clap his hands in joy.

His Majesty the Naughty Boy is so scary... This thought flashed through Fang Xuanling and Changsun Wuji's minds at the same time.

After Li Ming helped them to think, they finally figured out His Majesty's thinking and discovered the logic behind this seemingly nonsensical strategy.

That is to use geographical relations to instigate the Linyi natives, whom he had never met before, to invade Jiaozhou and beat up his former allies.

Not only did it put the Tang Dynasty into a dilemma of not being able to support or not support, but it also disgusted them and forced them to unite with the traitorous natives.

Not only does it consume their physical strength, but it can also cause critical damage to their spirit.

I can only say that your majesty's strategy is truly terrifying.

Not only is it despicable and shameless, but it also reveals a unique kind of mischief and bad taste.

Fang Xuanling and Zhangsun Wuji felt somewhat fortunate in addition to their feelings.

That’s great. I’m on the side of the Ming Dynasty and don’t have to deal with a despicable and stubborn opponent like His Majesty Li Ming.

I wonder how many layers of scalp the Tang Dynasty's counselors must have scratched and how much hair they must have lost...

Just thinking about it made the two of them laugh out loud with sadness in their hearts.

"Then Your Majesty, I will prepare to draft the text of the alliance with Linyi." Fang Xuanling said.

After confirming that His Majesty Li Ming's wild ideas were indeed useful, he immediately burst out with great enthusiasm for work.

It was definitely not because he wanted to give his colleagues on the other side a little surprise.

As for the Ming Dynasty's lack of face and associating with the likes of Linyi, it was not a big deal at all.

What’s the use of face? Can it be eaten?

Back then, the Tang Dynasty was once a vassal of the Eastern Turks. Did that influence the Li family's beating up of the Turks?
Your Majesty is wise. It would be foolish to save face and suffer in vain.

"Forming an alliance with Linyi or something... Oh, forget it. Even if you and I don't mind the shame, the people of the Ming Dynasty may not be happy about it. Don't they have any dignity?"

Li Ming shook his head repeatedly, his face full of resistance.

"There's no need to get too entangled with those barbarians. Just hand the aid to them. They know what to do."

Zhang Sun Wuji raised his eyebrows:
"Your Majesty, are you sure... that we don't need to constrain them with a treaty?"

"No, no." Li Ming said with a look of disdain:

"There are practical geopolitical interests driving them. We don't need to issue orders. The Cham people will naturally attack northwards with their equipment." On the contrary, if there are no practical interests, what does it matter if we sign a treaty? It's just a piece of toilet paper. We can tear it up if we want."

After hearing this, the two of them nodded heavily.

Your Majesty is wise. Our Ming Dynasty is the Celestial Empire. How can we damage the dignity of a great country?

What this protects is not the international reputation of the Ming Dynasty, but the face of the people of the world!

…………

The southernmost border of the Tang Dynasty, Jiaozhou.

The long summer of the 16th year of Zhenguan has ended, but autumn has not yet arrived in this southern land.

It was still hot and humid, full of snakes, insects, rats and ants, and filled with miasma.

At the harbor outside the city, Nguyen Phu Chun looked at the sails on the ocean, feeling extremely proud.

There was a big Chinese character "Ming" hanging on the sailboat, indicating that it was the ship of the Ming envoys.

Nguyen Phu Xuan was from the Nguyen clan of Aizhou and was the leader of the local natives.

A few months ago, a group of northerners who called themselves "envoys of the Ming Dynasty" came to Jiaozhou on such a large sailing ship, named him "King of Jiaozhou", and rewarded him with a lot of money, food and armor.

As a restless and promising middle-aged man, Nguyen Phu Chun had long wanted to break away from the shackles of the Tang Dynasty and set up his own business.

In the past, with Tian Khan in charge, he didn't dare to have any unreasonable thoughts.

But after Tian Khan abdicated, the Tang Dynasty was in turmoil and the new emperor was unable to control the situation.

Ruan Fuchun's ambitions began to stir again.

So, he hit it off with the Ming envoy and agreed to rise up against the Tang.

until--

"Fortunately, I was well-informed and learned in time that Li Shimin had regained control of the army."

After Li Shimin and Li Ming had fought a large-scale battle that swept across the entire Central Plains, Nguyen Phu Chun finally learned the news that Li Shimin had led his troops out again.

But this was a blessing in disguise.

Because Li Shimin had already returned from the Central Plains and was on his way south to deal with him.

He just pulled back in time.

Even though Li Shimin was already very old, his influence was still there, and his pressure was enough to prevent many villains from showing up.

At least not easily.

"If we fight against the Heavenly Khan, many people will die.

"You have to pay more!"

Ruan Fuchun looked at the Ming ships gradually approaching the coastline, and the corners of his mouth curled up more and more.

After Li Shimin abdicated, he had already been planning to break off relations with the Tang Dynasty.

The Ming Dynasty's alliance was just a catalyst. Even if he had not been contacted, Nguyen Phu Chun would have rebelled sooner or later.

In other words, the large amount of equipment and funds supported by the Ming Dynasty, as well as the throne of "King of Jiaozhou", were equivalent to free stuff.

However, for the greedy Ruan Fuchun, since he could get more for free by using Li Shimin's name, why not?
"I'll accept the gift first. As for whether or not to continue to fight against the Tang Dynasty... it depends on the situation."

Ruan Fuchun was thinking happily.

"Oh, as long as the money is in my hands, how I act is still entirely up to me. Can that Ming Dynasty order me around?
"Covenant? How much is a covenant worth? It's just a piece of paper. Why should I accept it just because I signed it?

"The so-called Ming Dynasty is so naive to fall into such a trap."

Ruan Fuchun felt that he had made a fortune.

On the one hand, he accepted gifts from the Ming Dynasty, and on the other hand, he pretended to be friendly with the Tang Dynasty.

Anyway, Li Shimin is already seriously ill, and I heard that he may not live long.

It would not only be safer to wait until Li Shimin was dead before starting a rebellion against the Tang Dynasty, but the Ming Dynasty would not even be able to accuse Nguyen Phu Chun of betrayal.

You gain both face and benefits, a win-win situation!

"what?"

Ruan Fuchun looked and found the problem.

The Ming Dynasty's ships did not dock in Jiaozhou, but continued to sail south.

"Hey! You've gone too far, over here!"

Ruan Fuxuan was anxious.

Those envoys from the Ming Dynasty are rare good money-givers!

I was still hoping to extort some money from them again!

The people on the boat also saw the Jiaozhou natives waving their arms wildly on the shore.

Then, he decisively chose to ignore it and continued sailing south.

…………

The central part of the Indochina Peninsula, further south than Jiaozhou, was the territory of the Linyi Kingdom.

"Linyi" is the name given to this regime by the Chinese, while the local main ethnic group, the Cham people, call their country "Champa".

This place was briefly ruled by the Han Dynasty, but has been independent since the end of the Han Dynasty, leading a peaceful life.

They were also forced to live in peace with the world.

Because there is the sea to the east and south of Linyi, and the Kingdom of Zhenla (Cambodia) to the west is hotter, more humid, and has more lush jungles than Linyi.

Unless they are mentally ill, they will not attack westward.

From a geographical perspective, the only direction the Cham people can expand is the north.

Jiaozhou, the neighbor to the north, had a cooler climate and more fertile land than Linyi, but overall it was not too different from Linyi so that the people of Linyi would not feel uncomfortable.

This would have been a perfect direction for expansion.

However, Jiaozhou in the north belonged to the Tang Dynasty.

The Tang Dynasty had a very terrible monarch named "Li Shimin".

Are the Cham people tired of living, so they want to provoke the invincible Khan?
It would be better for them to wait until the Emperor of the Tang Dynasty dies and the world changes drastically before they start to think of bad ideas.

And they don't have to wait long for this opportunity.

Because Li Shimin had abdicated, and the new Tang emperor who succeeded him seemed unable to control the border, the Ruan family in Jiaozhou had already started a rebellion.

Should we take advantage of the turmoil in Jiaozhou and the fact that the Tang Dynasty is in a period of transition and rush north to make some money?

Linyi King Fan Fanzhi was thinking about this problem seriously.

Let’s fight. If Tian Khan slaps him back, Lin Yi’s small body won’t be able to withstand it.

Don't fight, this is a great opportunity, it will be gone in a flash...

Just when Fan Fanzhi was hesitating.

The message came:

"Your Majesty, several large ships from the north have arrived!"

Fan Fanzhi stood up at once, his heart pounding:

"Is it His Majesty the Heavenly Khan who has come to call for punishment?"

This is really weird. Does His Majesty Li Shimin know witchcraft? He was thousands of miles away and had the slightest rebellious thoughts, and His Majesty came to call him to task?
"It's not the Tang Dynasty, it's the Ming Dynasty." the messenger replied.

"Ming Dynasty? What is that?" Fan Fanzhi was totally confused.

"I don't know, it seems to be another big country that is opposed to the Tang Dynasty." The messenger replied.

How could a country that I have never heard of be in opposition to the Tang Dynasty?
Fan Fanzhi was full of curiosity about the "Ming Dynasty" that rose overnight.

"What are they here for? What do they want?" Fan Fanzhi asked anxiously, his heart pounding.

As the king of Linyi, Fan Fanzhi sent envoys to Chang'an to pay tribute several times.

In other words, in theory, Linyi Kingdom could be considered a vassal state of the Tang Dynasty.

As an enemy of the Tang Dynasty, the Ming Dynasty would not have hated Linyi and had evil intentions towards Linyi, right?
Linyi can't afford to provoke a big country that can compete with the Tang Dynasty...

"Uh... they didn't do anything. They just left behind a lot of armor, weapons and copper coins and left." The messenger's face also showed a very confused look.

"Huh? What?"

Fan Fanzhi widened his eyes in surprise.

"How much equipment did they leave behind? Is it all for us?"

"A lot, a lot..." The messenger's voice trembled slightly, still immersed in shock.

Fan Fanzhi was stunned by the sudden huge windfall.

After a long while, he asked tremblingly:
"Didn't they... make any requests to our country? For example, to assist in sending troops..."

The herald shook his head:

"No, the Ming envoy even left a message."

Fan Fanzhi sat on the throne in a daze.

He didn't know what to do.

He just wanted to thank nature for its gift.

(End of this chapter)