Tang Dynasty: Father, if you don't rebel, I will!

"Gardon Tsen, I never expected that in less than three months you would bring me such good news..."

Yangcheng Palace, Shougong Hall.

Not long after Li Chengqian issued an order to summon the envoy from Tibet the next day.

A familiar face who had previously served as an envoy to the Tang Dynasty, Gar Tongtsen, the future Grand Minister of Tibet, arrived at this place as quickly as possible, making no attempt to conceal his eagerness.

Although the Crown Prince of the Tang Dynasty before me had a warm smile and a sunny disposition, resembling a handsome young gentleman, which made him very likable.

However, what Gardonzan felt more was the joy of a master seeing his hunting dog bring back prey.

Despite his resentment, Galdonzan remained remarkably rational, displaying sufficient respect and awe.

He knelt obediently on the ground and performed the full kowtow to Li Chengqian.

"Your Highness, it is an honor for Gar Tongtsen that you still remember me... Your Highness's majesty is even more awe-inspiring than it was a few months ago..."

Li Chengqian smiled faintly and waved.

Immediately, Sun Yi, the personal eunuch standing beside him, handed him a booklet containing information about the "goods" brought by the Tibetan delegation.

Gardonzan bowed his head and spoke respectfully.

"Following the intelligence and support provided by His Highness the Crown Prince, and following the route you described, our Zanpu successfully entered the Harsha Dynasty and plundered three or four cities on their border..."

"Hehe, isn't that amazing?" Li Chengqian interrupted him with a laugh.

At this moment, the roster lists 12,000 able-bodied labor slaves, along with gold and jewelry worth at least 200,000 strings of cash. In the eyes of the Tibetans, this is a windfall they never dared to dream of.

But for Li Chengqian, who knew the situation in India...

These were just a light drizzle.

He even felt a pang of regret in his heart regarding the current weakness of Songtsen Gampo of Tibet.

If the enemy had more troops, they might be able to plunder more slaves and wealth.

Gardonzan looked up in brief surprise, then quickly lowered his head again.

"Hehe, no need to be nervous. I do know the situation on the side of the Harsha Dynasty. Their army can no longer be described as useless. Their army is not even as good as some bandits in the mountains within our Great Tang territory."

"To you Tibetans, they're probably just a bunch of useless trash with no fighting ability, so you should be able to plunder this wealth very easily..."

Gardonzan lowered his head and swallowed.

He had originally intended to mention the price they had paid and try to negotiate a better deal, but he quickly suppressed that thought.

"Your Highness, your insight is truly remarkable! This humble subject is in awe!"

"Hehe, you use Central Plains idioms quite well... Tell me, what are you planning to exchange this time?"

"Armor! Weapons...and medicine!"

Gardonzan looked up instantly.

Li Chengqian flipped through the booklet in his hand, and at the very end, he saw that the Tibetan side was requesting supplies.

"5000 swords, 5000 sets of armor, and enough medicine to sustain a 10,000-strong army for a month of fighting."

Li Chengqian merely glanced at it.

He chuckled and shook his head slightly.

“Gardonzan, you are a smart man, you should understand that this has exceeded our original price.”

Galdonzan hurriedly spoke up: "Your Highness, in terms of slaves alone, perhaps it's not enough to cover the value of these things, but we also brought back so much gold and jewels..."

Li Chengqian shook his head with a cold laugh.

"Unfortunately, the Tang Dynasty today has no shortage of these... In fact, if you are unwilling to trade, I can allow you to take those yellow or colored stones back to your plateau."

Gardonzan: "..."

Li Chengqian propped his head up with one hand and leaned back in his seat.

His gaze seemed to casually sweep over the other person from head to toe.

"The land over there in the Harsha Empire is fertile, and the climate is much more comfortable than that godforsaken place like Tibet. Otherwise, it wouldn't have produced so many useless Harsha Empire people... If your Zanpu isn't a fool, he must have been thinking of completely taking over the area, right?"

Gardonzan's face twitched involuntarily.

Li Chengqian smiled enigmatically: "Between your Tibet and the Harsha Dynasty lies the Kingdom of Niva... Tsk tsk tsk, you want more weapons, just in case?"

Gardonzan: "..."

He looked somewhat embarrassed; the feeling that he couldn't hide anything from the other party left Galdonzan completely at a loss for how to deal with it.

So much so that even though Songtsen Gampo called him a wise man at this moment...

My mind went completely blank.

Despite Li Chengqian's words about "unexpected needs,"

But that cold, mocking tone clearly indicated that they, the Tibetans, had definitely set their sights on the Kingdom of Nepal.

Seeing that the other person was stunned for a moment, kneeling there.

Li Chengqian gently shook his head.

A finger tapped the wall on the table a few times.

"I can prepay you for an extra batch of armor and weapons..."

Gardonzan looked up in surprise, but the next moment...

“However, your Tibet cannot wage war against the Kingdom of Nepal! The Kingdom of Nepal has a connection with me, and I do not want them to be threatened! Otherwise... I would not mind sending the Imperial Guards to talk to the tribal leaders such as Yang Tong or Su Pi.”

Gardonzan's expression changed.

Seeing the undisguised cunning and treachery in Li Chengqian's eyes, a chill ran down his spine.

This was only the first time they had returned from a hunting trip as Tibetans.

This crown prince of the Tang Dynasty essentially put a dog leash on Tibet...

Is there a connection between them and the Mud Buddha Kingdom?

Throughout the entire country of Nipo, it's unlikely that you could find more than a few people who could speak Chinese.

Furthermore, the Kingdom of Nepal has historically had little interaction with the Tang Dynasty or even the Central Plains. This prince clearly intends to use the power of the Kingdom of Nepal to restrict Tibet.

This meant that the Tibetan Empire could only plunder slaves and wealth from the Harsha Dynasty like hunting dogs, but could not truly escape the harsh and desolate Tibetan Plateau...

"Your Highness, how many soldiers and armor can you support my Tubo?" Gar Tongtsen asked, taking a deep breath.

Li Chengqian's one finger.

"Ten thousand! You want five thousand, I'll just give you double that!"

Before Galdonzan could react with the ecstatic look in his eyes and the muscles in his face, Li Chengqian tapped the booklet in his hand with his finger.

"I will give you ten thousand soldiers and weapons, but... three months from now, I want you to send me at least fifty thousand slaves!"

“Five… Hiss, this…” Galdonzan’s smile froze instantly.

"Your Highness, it took us considerable effort and resources to borrow passage from the Kingdom of Nepal for these twelve thousand slaves. If it were fifty thousand..."

"That's your business!" Li Chengqian interrupted with a sneer.

"You want soldiers and armor, I'll give them to you, but if you can't provide the slaves I want... then I'll have no choice but to lead my troops to Tibet to capture them!"

Gardonzan's expression froze again.

Li Chengqian was just about to wave to signal the guests to leave.

Amidst the sound of footsteps, Wang De strode into the hall.

"Your Highness, an envoy from the Kingdom of Gaochang requests an audience!"

Gaochang Kingdom...

Galdonzan, kneeling on the ground, had a sudden thought.

Li Chengqian narrowed his eyes. His grandfather had already gone to Yanmen County, while Li Jing was there familiarizing himself with the weapons and tactics of the new army.

They were making preparations in advance for their subsequent military campaign against Gaochang.

Now, the Kingdom of Gaochang sent an envoy the day after he returned to Taiyuan Prefecture. It seems that the Tang Dynasty is making a big show of its military campaign and is not hiding its intentions at all.

Finally, these not-so-bright guys have become a little smarter.

"Let him in."

soon.

Two figures appeared in the Shougong Hall.

"Your humble servant Qu Changhe pays respects to His Highness the Crown Prince of the Great Tang Dynasty..."

"Prince Qu Zhisheng of Gaochang greets His Highness the Crown Prince of the Great Tang Dynasty. May Your Highness be well!"

Li Chengqian narrowed his eyes, looking at the man in front of him who looked to be in his late twenties or early thirties. He hadn't expected that the Kingdom of Gaochang would even send a prince this time.

He nodded slightly.

"How has Gaochang Kingdom considered the matter of switching from grain to cotton?"

"Will you plant them obediently on your own, or will I make you plant them obediently?"

Li Chengqian's blunt manner of speaking was clearly unexpected by Qu Zhisheng, the prince of Gaochang.

He couldn't help but glance at Qu Changhe, the foreign envoy of Gaochang, beside him. After seeing the latter shake his head nervously, he took a deep breath and cupped his hands in greeting to Li Chengqian.

"Your Highness, my father is willing to plant the white berries, and will do so on a large scale as Your Highness wishes. However, abandoning grain cultivation is ultimately not appropriate..."

He was a little nervous, and even bent over carefully.

“Your Highness, my father means that I wonder if Your Highness could be lenient and give Gaochang a chance... Since the Great Tang needs white berries, Gaochang is willing to cultivate them in large quantities. You only need to specify the quantity, and Gaochang is willing to pay tribute every year.”

Li Chengqian had just thought the other party was a smart person, but his slightly raised eyebrows immediately drooped down again.

Sneered.

"The King of Gaochang does have a way with things..."

Qu Zhisheng smiled ingratiatingly, but the next moment...

Li Chengqian's eyes instantly turned cold.

"Since your Gaochang Kingdom desires an opportunity, then fine! I will grant you one..."

Li Chengqian waved his hand, and Sun Yi pushed over a signboard with a geomantic map hanging on it.

"In two months at most, the Tang Dynasty's army will arrive in Gaochang on its westward expedition against the Turks! At that time, your Gaochang Kingdom will defend, and our Tang Dynasty will attack! Let's agree to start from your Gaochang Kingdom's border town of Dazhen East!"

"Weren't the four cities of Dongzhen, Yancheng, Dujin, and Liupo fortified by your Gaochang Kingdom under the instruction of the Western Turks, specifically to defend against my Central Plains army?"

"If my Tang army cannot capture your four cities within a month, I will grant you the title of King of Gaochang!"

"If I were to capture him in a month..."

Li Chengqian stared at Qu Changhe and Qu Zhisheng with an aggressive gaze, his greed as fierce as a wolf's, their faces now trembling with shock.

"Then from now on, there will be no more Gaochang in this world!"

On the side, Galdonzan remained kneeling on the ground from beginning to end.

Seeing this scene, I felt a strange sense of sorrow, like the plight of a rabbit mourning the death of a fox.

The prince of Gaochang's expression changed drastically: "Your Highness, our Gaochang Kingdom absolutely did not mean that. I... everything can be discussed, we..."

"Discuss? Ha!"

Li Chengqian scoffed.

Suddenly, his gaze fell indifferently on Galdonzan, who was kneeling there to the side.

"Garden Tsen, tell me, what mistake has the King of Gaochang made before me?"

Gardonzan lowered his head and glanced in the direction of Qu Zhisheng and the other man.

He gritted his teeth.

Despite feeling extremely humiliated and resentful, he still had to take a deep breath and speak loudly.

"Negotiation is an exchange that only those who stand tall are qualified to engage in... Those who kneel cannot demand that those who stand tall negotiate with them!"

Li Chengqian nodded in satisfaction, looking at Qu Zhisheng and the other man with a mocking and disdainful gaze.

But he asked the question to Galdonzan, who was kneeling on the ground.

"The matter I entrusted to you..."

"Three months from now! Tibet will definitely offer at least 50,000 slaves!"