Traveling through Du He, Li Chengqian's rebellion begins

Du He walked to the center of the hall and bowed to Li Shimin.

"See Your Majesty."

"Sit down." Li Shimin smiled and waved his hand, then said: "Now that everyone is here, let's start today's meeting."

Li Shimin then briefed Gao Shilian, Ma Zhou, Chu Suiliang and others about the military operations against the Western Regions and Indian countries.

After the introduction.

Li Shimin's eyes swept over Changsun Wuji, Fang Xuanling, Li Jing and others, then he pointed at Changsun Wuji and spoke softly.

"Wuji, you speak first."

Zhang Sun Wuji cupped his hands and said, "Then I will throw out some ideas to stimulate discussion."

Then Changsun Wuji took out the battle plan he had written, walked to the marching map on the side, and introduced it aloud to everyone.

Because this time a more detailed battle plan was written, in addition to the marching route, it also included content such as diplomacy and political intrigue.

Half an hour passed before Changsun Wuji finished speaking.

Then Fang Xuanling, Li Jing, Hou Junji, Li Ji, Cheng Yaojin and others also successively spoke out their respective battle plans.

In general, apart from some slight differences in the specific battle arrangements, the overall combat plan is not much different.

The battle plan they formulated was relatively conservative.

The Western Regions and India were opened up in batches within 15 to 20 years.

Don't mention prisoners of war at all.

When it was Du He's turn to speak, he brought a different idea.

"Everyone, I still have the same battle plan as last time. The war will be divided into two steps."

"The first step is to drive the Tubo, Eastern Turks, Xueyantuo and other countries to attack the Western Turks and Tianzhu countries with their entire national strength."

"The second step is to split the Tang army into two groups, one to open up the Western Regions, and the other to clean up the mess."

"The key point is, don't take prisoners, just keep moving forward."

Then Du He explained in detail the battle plan he had formulated.

According to Du He's plan, Tubo and Western Turkestan were the bridgeheads of the Tang army.

By defeating Tibet and Western Turkestan, the Tang army would have a foothold and a safe place to store its logistical supplies.

What makes Duheti different is that he doesn't want prisoners of war.

Moreover, the purpose of conquering these new territories was not to set up protectorates on them, but to make them completely Han territories.

As for the route of advance, it is similar to what the others said.

Du He's battle plan also mentioned the non-cooperation of Tubo, Eastern Turks and Xueyantuo.

According to Du He's solution, it would be to spend a year to completely conquer these vassal states, and then to explore the Western Regions and Indian countries.

More than half an hour later.

Under everyone's astonished gaze, Du He slowly returned to his original seat and sat down.

People like Ma Zhou, Gao Shilian and Chu Suiliang, who were joining the debate on this issue for the first time, looked at Du He with complicated eyes.

Li Shimin's deep gaze swept over everyone, and then he spoke slowly.

"Everyone, among the eight battle plans mentioned by Zhangsun Wuji, Du He and others, please decide which one you want to choose."

"We pick a battle plan and then refine it to a final plan that can be executed."

A moment of silence.

Gao Shilian stood up and said, "Your Majesty, I agree with the battle plan of Li Ji, Duke of Ying. It is mainly about taking each step carefully, and also using extraordinary tactics to make a quick breakthrough."

Chu Suiliang followed closely behind: "Your Majesty, I agree with Changsun Zuo Pushe's battle plan. It is steady and cautious, and we are not afraid of shaking the foundation of the Tang Dynasty."

The two of them originally did not support this war, after all, war requires a lot of national strength.

Once the war breaks out, the people will have no chance to rest and recuperate.

However, His Majesty and a group of important ministers all wanted to expand the territory, and the two of them could not stop them at all.

Ma Zhou said, "I think that if we want to expand the Western Regions, only Minister Du's battle plan can achieve the goal once and for all."

"Otherwise, the Tang Dynasty would have been at war for more than ten years, and its national strength would have been dragged down, and it would have been attacked by these countries."

"Besides this, the vast territory conquered by the Tang Dynasty will eventually become a disaster for future generations."

Ma Zhou then quoted from classics and analyzed how different dynasties dealt with ethnic minorities.

Ma Zhou shared the same view as Du He, believing that these foreign tribes would only submit to the Central Plains dynasty temporarily and would make a comeback in the future.

Once the Central Plains dynasty declined and these foreign races became powerful, the Central Plains dynasty would be in danger of being destroyed.

To the end.

Ma Zhou said in a clear voice: "In attacking the three vassal states of Goguryeo, Baekje and Silla, we adopted the method of Du Shangshu that no prisoners were taken."

"Now these vast territories have completely become our Han territory."

After Ma Zhou finished speaking, the hall fell silent again.

The different battle plans supported by these three people show that everyone’s opinions are not consistent.

Li Shimin frowned slightly and asked Li Ke and Li Zhi.

"King of Chu, King of Jin, what do you think?"

As Li Shimin finished speaking, everyone's eyes fell on Li Ke and Li Zhi.

It was already abnormal that His Majesty asked the two of them to attend such a meeting.

Now that His Majesty has asked them to express their opinions, this is even more intriguing.

Li Ke was the first to stand up and said, "Father, I agree with the Duke of Ying's battle plan."

"The premise of our expansion into the Western Regions is that we should not harm the people of other countries. This is what a country of etiquette should be like."

"If there is too much killing, it may affect the fate of the Tang Dynasty!"

As Duke Yingguo Li Ji was the Chief Secretary of the Chu Palace, Li Ke naturally had to do his best to support his Chief Secretary.

If he could get Li Ji's full support, he would be able to compete for the throne.

Li Ji and the Wagang series of generals behind him were the most powerful force in the army, far surpassing the power of any other party.

Even Zhangsun Wuji and the Guanlong family behind him are not as powerful as the generals of the Wagang series.

As for the generals under the prince, their influence in the army is still quite lacking.

After Li Ke finished speaking, Li Zhi supported his uncle Changsun Wuji's battle plan without any surprise.

What he said was similar to what Li Ke said, that is, the killing should not be increased too much.

Li Zhi also said: "Father, I think your illness is probably related to the massacres caused by the army in Goguryeo and Baekje."

"If we continue to use the strategy of massacring cities in the Western Regions and the Indian states, I'm afraid it will really reduce the fortunes of the Tang Dynasty."

hum~

After hearing Li Zhi's words, a low voice of discussion suddenly rang out in the hall.

It was obvious that Li Zhi's words were directed at Li Chengqian and Du He.

If Your Majesty believes his slander, won't you blame the Crown Prince?

What a vicious intention!

Prince Jin seems like such an honest man, but I didn't expect him to have such a vicious heart. It's true that you can never judge a person by his appearance.

Facing the gazes of the crowd, Li Chengqian and Du He looked indifferent.

Li Shimin frowned slightly. He first stared at Li Zhi, and then asked Li Chengqian.

"Prince, do you have any different opinions?"