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

"Your Majesty, this is our King's decision!"

"The Kingdom of Zhangzhung is arrogant and rude. They know perfectly well that our Zanpu has already sent our Tibetan Princess Samaga to the Tang Dynasty, where she will soon become the wife of the current Crown Prince of the Tang Dynasty."

"However, they dared to make the shameless demand that our princess marry into their country."

"Even if Tibet could agree to such an insult, His Highness the Crown Prince of the Great Tang Dynasty would absolutely not allow it. Our Zanpu has already decided to send troops to Xiangxiong, so we ask that even if the Nepalese Kingdom does not send troops to assist, it should at least remain on the sidelines."

The palace of the King of Niva.

Galdonzan's voice was loud and carried a hint of fanaticism that only he himself knew to be true or false.

Throughout the hall, the reasons for Tibet's strong declaration of war were announced.

Upon hearing this, all the high-ranking officials of the Mud Kingdom present exchanged bewildered glances.

Even the current king of the Niva Kingdom, Udaya Dewa, was now faced with this act, which was clearly a case of a fox borrowing the tiger's power, using the pretext of avenging the crown prince of the Tang Dynasty to maliciously try to annex Xiangxiong and expand its territory.

There really wasn't any reason to refute it.

"At the very least, His Highness the Crown Prince of the Tang Dynasty should be informed of this matter. Furthermore... does the King of Xiangxiong truly know that Princess Sujiga has married into the Tang Dynasty?"

Udaya voiced his doubts.

however.

It's clear that Gar Tongtsen isn't here today to debate right and wrong.

"Whether he knew it or not, he had offended the Crown Prince of the Tang Dynasty. We, the Tibetans, must fight to restore the dignity of His Highness the Crown Prince of the Tang Dynasty... As for how the King of Xiangxiong explains it himself."

“I think once we capture him alive and send him to Taiyuan Prefecture, he will have plenty of time to explain his crimes.”

Watching Gardonzan's departing figure.

Prince Narendra of the Kingdom of Niva had a solemn expression.

“Father, if Tibet annexes Xiangxiong, then it can use this as a pretext to take action against the surrounding tribes that it once separated from.”

As Nalingdeva spoke, not only he, but all the ministers present in the Kingdom of Niva could instantly think of a whole host of reasons to declare war.

"To hold the emperor hostage and use him to command the feudal lords..."

Udaya murmured a phrase, a Central Plains allusion he had recently learned from books about the Tang Dynasty.

If Tibet really manages to accomplish this...

Then Tibet could easily use the name of that prince of the Tang Dynasty to issue orders to those tribes.

Today we are going to sculpt a statue of His Highness the Crown Prince of the Tang Dynasty, and we need gold and jewels. We are asking those tribes to hand them over.

Refusing to pay would be disrespectful to the Tang Dynasty and to the Crown Prince of Tang...

Udaya Dewa believed that Songtsen Gampo, that scoundrel, was absolutely capable of such a despicable tactic.

“My son, we have prepared another batch of slaves. This time you will set off ahead of time, taking these slaves with you to trade with the Tang Dynasty while also informing His Highness the Crown Prince of the Tang Dynasty about this matter.”

“Tell him that Songtsen Gampo is tarnishing his reputation on the plateau, and that my Nepal Kingdom is willing to do anything for His Highness the Crown Prince of the Tang Dynasty…including declaring war on Tibet!”

When the war machine roared into action.

Moreover, the opponent they faced was both weak and wealthy.

As a nation that has won many battles, both the highest levels of government and ordinary citizens are so excited by the profits from war that they forget the so-called risks and consequences.

The Mud Kingdom of today is already showing signs of entering this state of frenzy.

Since joining the Harsha slave capture and trade, in just half a year, the national strength of the Harsha Dynasty has at least doubled.

however.

It wasn't just the high-ranking officials of the Nepalese Kingdom who realized Tibet's intentions.

As a country that has begun to embrace Central Plains culture in recent years, and even now has a large number of Buddhist monks from the Central Plains preaching within its borders.

Songtsen Gampo of Tibet also understood that this was a matter of acting first and reporting later.

The key point is that speed is of the essence in warfare.

Meanwhile, in the Kingdom of Niva, Prince Narendra led a procession carrying over 30,000 Harsha slaves, along with a personal letter from Udaya Deva, the king of Niva.

When they set off towards the Tang Dynasty.

The Tibetans have already launched a fierce attack on Xiangxiong.

Fifteen thousand elite cavalry, plus more than twenty-five thousand infantrymen equipped with Tang-style armor and weapons.

It can be said that this time, the goal was to take down Xiangxiong in one fell swoop.

Songtsen Gampo emptied his entire fortune.

No one expected that Tibet would be so decisive and launch such a powerful attack on the Xiangxiong Kingdom right from the start, resulting in the loss of a large area of ​​territory in just over ten days.

The few cities that had been built on the plateau were successively forcibly occupied by the Tibetan Empire.

"Kill! Charge in! The first to break into the city will be rewarded with fifty acres of fertile land and one hundred Tang gold coins!"

Xiangxiong Qiongbao Liufeng Mountain.

It was a vast city, or rather a settlement, comprised of the thirty-nine most elite tribes of the Xiangxiong.

Songtsen Gampo personally led the troops in the attack here.

To boost morale, he even personally led the charge.

Screams mingled with the frenzied shouts of the Tibetan soldiers as Songtsen Gampo successively captured several Zhangzhung tribes, and then, in front of all the soldiers, he fulfilled his promise on the spot.

Those who achieve military merit will be granted wealth and status.

Nalingdeva had only been away from Niva for about twenty days.

The Tibetan Empire then officially captured the largest "city" of the Xiangxiong Kingdom, and its troops were stationed at the capital city, Qionglong Silver City.

"Your Majesty Udaya, you are the closest brother our King has ever spoken of. Our King has told people more than once that when you two had not yet ascended the throne, you were surrounded by wolves in the wilderness."

"It was through your and our King's joint efforts that we defeated the wolves that plagued the plateau."

"These cruel wolves of Tibet are now right outside our capital, Xiangxiong. Why can't you send troops to rescue them... Have you forgotten the bond you formed with our King back then?!"

The envoy from Xiangxiong Kingdom wailed, tears mixed with snot.

Their pitiful appearance evoked sympathy.

However, although Udaya was also extremely heartbroken at this moment, they could send troops to assist Tibet or remain on the sidelines in the face of the banner raised by Tibet, but they did not have the option to help Xiangxiong.

"I regret that I would like to help him, but... your king Li Mixia has made a fatal mistake. His disrespect for the Tang Dynasty alone is enough to make Tibet send troops against you."

“We cannot send you a single soldier, but you can tell your king… my son Nalingdeva has already been sent as an envoy to the Tang Dynasty. They only need to hold out for another month, and the Tang Dynasty will send someone to stop Songtsen Gampo’s actions.”

I heard that we have to hold on for another month.

The envoy from Xiangxiong, whose face was already pale, became even more bloodless.

A month?

In just half a month, the Tibetan Empire had already dealt a heavy blow to their thirty-nine tribes.

The remnants of various tribes who have now fled to the Silver City of the Dome are filled with fear and unease.

Under these circumstances, how are they supposed to hold out against these damned Tibetan wolves for a month?

“Your Highness, it’s not that I’m being picky, nor is it that we’re afraid of any difficulties. Back when that damned Siyehu Ashina Dili was relentlessly pressing against our Left Wing tribe, our situation wasn’t much worse than that of the Tuyuhun, but…”

"The land that Tuyuhun has left is so barren that even grass struggles to grow!"

In Taiyuan Prefecture, Ashina Quli was on the verge of tears.

Tuyuhun was a tiny place.

The most fertile and abundant horse farms and Qinghai Lake have now fallen into the hands of the Tang Dynasty.

The remaining areas could be described as barren wastelands.

It's all Gobi Desert, what's the point of having it?

What will he be in charge of when he goes there to take up his post?

How do you deal with the excrement of wild animals like wolves and leopards on the plateau?

Li Chengqian sat in the carriage, arms crossed and eyes closed, resting. Outside the carriage, Ashina Quli rode alongside with a bitter expression.

"Your Highness, that place is truly a godforsaken place. Why don't you just transfer me to the Western Regions, or even to Baikal County? Give me an army, and I guarantee that within a year I will conquer a land a hundred times richer than that godforsaken place!"

When Ashina Quli's pleas failed, he began to pledge his own military commitment.

however.

Hearing these words, Li Chengqian, sitting in the carriage, felt an even stronger sense of helplessness.

In the Tang Dynasty today, there are plenty of people eager to expand its territory.

Taking it down would be easy, but what about after that?

Whether it's Baikal County or the area further west in the Western Regions that borders Sassanid Persia.

It was more than twice as far away as Tuyuhun.

For such a distant place, the railway is not expected to be operational for at least a few years.

"Your Highness, three times the size! Please let me go to the Western Regions, and I guarantee I'll conquer three times the size of the Tuyuhun, and bring back the head of that bastard Ashina Dieli for you..."

Ashina Quli's voice came again.

"parking!"

Wang De, who was in charge of driving the carriage, quickly stopped the carriage by the roadside.

Upon seeing this, Ashina Quli's face lit up with joy. He quickly dismounted and, seeing Li Chengqian about to get off the carriage, hurriedly went to help him.

He was glared at by Li Chengqian in an annoyed manner.

"Would you like me to carry you off the carriage?"

Ashina Quli looked embarrassed as he watched the prince jump off the carriage and head towards a small barbecue stall on the street. He quickly followed, and very astutely prepared his purse.

“Your Highness, it’s true. I’m not bragging, but I know the Western Regions very well. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have been able to lead hundreds of thousands of Turkic people to seek refuge with you.”

"Give me 20,000, no! 10,000 soldiers!"

"Give me 10,000 soldiers, and within a year, I will conquer a land even more prosperous than Tuyuhun. If I fail, you can take my head!"

Li Chengqian casually gave the shopkeeper a few instructions, ordered some skewers, and then sat down.

Listening to this guy's persistent rambling, I couldn't help but take a deep breath.

"Duke Du! Do you think I don't know that godforsaken place is ridiculously poor? But it's still land! Now those fools from Tuyuhun who want to move their heads are determined to fight to the death with my Great Tang. What can I do?"

“When Murong Fuyun was in power, we could easily collect hundreds of thousands of strings of cash in reparations every year. Now that the reparations are gone, and those guys have fled into the Gobi Desert, what if we let them secretly accumulate power?”

"Wouldn't this shake up the Qinghai Steed Breeding Farm of my Great Tang Dynasty, and the industry around Qinghai Lake?"

I saw the grilled chicken ribs that the shopkeeper had just brought over.

Li Chengqian shook his head helplessly and sighed.

"It's tasteless to eat, but a pity to throw away... Alas, I truly regret it now. Why didn't I treat that old bastard Murong Fuyun better?"

"A net profit of five or six hundred thousand strings of cash a year, how many barbecue meals could that buy..."

Ashina Quli: "..."

For a moment, the emperor and his minister fell into an eerie silence.

Just then, several Imperial Guards entered the hall amidst the shopkeeper's surprised and puzzled gazes, and came to Li Chengqian's table.

"Your Highness, Prince Nalingdeva of Nepal has sent an urgent report... The Tibetans have made their move on the plateau; they intend to annex Zhangzhung!"