Late Tang Dynasty Floating Life

Chapter 1667 Talking must be a talk

After a whole day, the peace talks hadn't gotten to the point, which made Elbrus and Tam a little depressed.

However, the Supreme Emperor was more enthusiastic, and kept them drinking tea and eating, and continued to chat after eating.

It wasn't until it was too late that they were sent out of the palace and returned to Yirenfang Paradise.

After a brief discussion with Elbrus about the gains and losses of the day, Tamm returned to his room and started writing regardless of his fatigue.

"Constantinople heard from the Oghuzes about the five-year war, and perhaps someone added to it, that the Romans mistook the Supreme Emperor for 'John the Elder.' This is nonsense and absurd. Perhaps they are afraid of the rise of the Creator's forces, and subconsciously want to find helpers in the east."

"The Supreme Emperor is the most powerful monarch in the world. Elder John cannot match his identity at all. Even the Caliph of Baghdad may not be as great as him—whether it is greatness, nobility, wisdom or bravery, nothing can be compared. But the Supreme Emperor does not believe in the Creator, which is harmful and not beneficial."

"The supreme emperor even inspired many Persians, Sogdians, and big cannibals to join his country. I have been thinking why these people have to go through many storms to get what the Creator never gave them. Elbrus said It was the poverty of their hometown or the greed caused by vanity that prompted them to leave their homes and come to Xia. I think this is probably not the main reason. The real situation is that the glory of the supreme emperor made these people go to such a rich and powerful country one after another. They even settled here for a long time, even denying the existence of the Creator and turning their backs on their own country.”

"The Supreme Emperor was born only for victory and triumph. He is a passionate, aggressive, and majestic person, unlike traditional Chinese emperors who wrap themselves in layers of divinity and keep people away. His Officials are not like traditional officials—in order to avoid doubts, I will mention the records in ancient Chinese books. These officials must read books to teach them to be "cold, and walk leisurely like an arrogant beast". Supreme Emperor Officials are very pragmatic, they deal with the incident very quickly, and they don’t care too much about their own dignity, because they think that the failure to get things done is the most detrimental to their dignity.”

……

After writing a paragraph, Tam put the manuscript away.

He is a little confused now.

I originally thought that the Supreme Emperor had one image, but after getting in touch with it more, it became another image, but after a year, I felt that it was not accurate.

He was at a loss for what to do, and there was only one thing he could be sure of: no matter which image he had, he was so great.

But he knew that he was upright.

He will not betray his duty, and when it is time to fight for the interests of Bukhara, he will not shrink back, or even argue with reason.

Elbrus thought it would be possible to start with the Supreme Emperor's desire to build a unique palace and make him compromise on other aspects.

Tam thought this was correct, though Elbrus backed down after the Emperor's threat of war.

Well, maybe the difference in behavior due to the different responsibilities of the two men is not surprising.Elbrus has a huge responsibility on his shoulders, and he doesn't have much wiggle room.

In two days, the Supreme Emperor will summon them again. At that time, the negotiations will enter a new stage, instead of just testing each other like today.

Tam took out another piece of paper, carefully listed the precautions, and planned to have a serious discussion with Elbrus and other members of the mission tomorrow.

******
"Your Majesty, you won't really..." The sky was snowing again. On the terrace on the second floor of Hehuan Hall, Shao Shude was drinking hot tea leisurely. Jian, Lu Siye and others stood by, and finally Zhao Guangfeng asked the question.

"Do I look like that kind of person?" Shao Shude asked back.

Zhao Guangfeng was at a loss for words.

According to the style of the saint in the past, it really doesn't look like it, but as he gets older, it's inevitable...

Well, he only dared to slander in his stomach, but he didn't dare to say it out loud.

"Yang Liang went out again this year, and he didn't grab much." Shao Shude said: "After being plowed for so many years, at least half of the sweat can't get oil out of it. This year's Xilue is not a loss, but it is also Didn't make any money."

The Persians are not stupid, they have been screwed for a few years, no matter how stupid they are, they will know how to guard against death, and they will fortify the wall and clear the country.I heard that they have imposed a "autumn prevention tax" in their country to hire soldiers to go to Juzhanti, Turmgan, and Hajistan to resist the looting of the Xia army.

Don't look at the Persians shouting happily, the front line will not lie.

At first, Xia Jun was going to fight when he left the Alai Valley.Now after leaving the valley, the road is smooth, and it takes ten days and a half months to go west to meet the enemy.

In the eastern half of Bahan, the city is dilapidated and the countryside is deserted.It's not entirely because they were robbed. The main reason is that the people couldn't stand the endless war and ran away by themselves.And the Turkic and Yangmo tribes that were incorporated are more brutal. This kind of dog leg is more ruthless than the Xia army, and the Persians hate it the most.

The Persians attacked northward this year, and the male camel king suffered a bit and spit out the city of Julan.However, it can be seen from the course of the war that last year's battle in the Alai Valley left them a little injured. The private soldiers of the nobles in the area outside the river were completely lost, and it was impossible to replenish them within a few years. They could only rely on the court Gulam and mercenaries And the noble army in the Khorasan area supported the field.

But these people came from afar, and they were not necessarily willing to do their best for the Dihkans in the beyond-the-hehe area, so that was it.

In history, they did not completely wipe out Kara Khan and let them revive. This time and space is even more difficult.

The only good news for the Persians is that after several years of inspiration, a lot of jihadists came from other "fan towns" in Dashi. The total number is about 2. , the fighting will is still tenacious, at least it is a battleable division.

This may be the advantage of a religious society, which is good at bringing together believers from different regions and different nationalities, and using external human resources to fight a war of attrition with the enemy.

This is true of the Creator, and so is the one to the west, although they looted Eastern Rome, and their military discipline is not flattering.

"But—" Shao Shude put down the teacup suddenly, and asked with a smile, "If I really build such a palace..."

"Your Majesty, be careful." Zhao Guangfeng hastily remonstrated.

"No, Your Majesty." Xiao Yun also discouraged with sweat on his forehead.

Others chimed in.

"Forget it." Shao Shude said: "Building a palace is a waste of time and money, so what if it is a school building?"

The same waste of money!Zhao Guangfeng almost blurted out, but he stopped.

It's really not nice to say that the emperor built a pleasure palace.As a prime minister, if he does not persuade him, he will definitely be listed as a "traitor" in the history books-the best result is an evaluation of "doing nothing".

But if it's a school, most people can't swear.

Ordinary people may scold, because whether it is a palace for pleasure or a school for cultivating talents, it is a burden to them, but they have no right to speak.

The right to speak is in the hands of scholars, and they have the final say.

Will scholars scold the academy?It's a bit hard to swear.

But as a prime minister, Zhao Guangfeng felt that the cost was still a bit high, unless——unless His Majesty was willing to negotiate a peace and truce with Persia.

"What if the construction process of this school lasts for decades?" Shao Shude asked again: "Is the burden very low?"

decades?Zhao Guangfeng was a little surprised. In that case, a lot of wood would be rotten, right?What was originally built should cost money to repair.

"Forget it, we will discuss this matter later." Shao Shude said with a smile, "Looking at you, do you really think I am like Sui Yang?"

"I have no such intention." Everyone said one after another.

Shao Shude waved his hand, and said, "You guys have some understanding of the situation in Persia. Let's talk about it, how should we talk about this peace negotiation."

Zhao Guangfeng thought about Shao Shude's recent attitude, organized his words, and said: "Your Majesty, Persia is solid and clear, and the army has nothing to plunder. If the fight continues, it will be a waste of food and grass. Today the Western Regions are full of waste, and money is used for food. There are so many things, it’s better to return to the imperial court. In this way, Anxi Dao doesn’t need to spend so much money and food, and the people of Hexi and Longyou Dao can breathe a sigh of relief.”

When someone starts, others can talk easily.

Xiao Yun was the second to remonstrate, and he only heard him say: "Your Majesty, this year there are people absconding from Weizhou, Minzhou, Lanzhou and other places in Longyou Dao. If we are still fighting, there will be no end to the suppression of such fugitive masters. Your Majesty has always loved the people, if the flags and drums can be silenced, the people of Longyou will never rebel."

"Your Majesty's Western Expeditions, all the barbarians conquered, and the martial arts are terrific. Persia has suffered defeats, and already knows the power of the Great Xia, and will not dare to covet Shule, Suiye and other places. I heard that the Persian mission brought Samani. This time Liao is the leader of the Shule mutiny and the Persian clan. If he can come to Luoyang, the Persian monarchs and ministers must have regarded him as an abandoned son and handed him over. You can see his ambition. Your Majesty may as well accept it as soon as you see it, and send someone to Bukhara , After admonishing, this matter will be over, and the frontier will be safe for a hundred years." Secretary Supervisor Lu Siye said slowly.

"However—" At this point, he turned around a bit: "If your majesty thinks that eliminating evil must be done, I agree with it."

Zhao Guangfeng and Xiao Yun glanced at Lu Siye at the same time.

After talking for a long time, it was equivalent to saying nothing!

"Wang Qing, what do you think?" Shao Shude asked.

"Return to Your Majesty." Wang Yong said: "I think that if Persia can be honored as a minister and pay tribute, His Majesty will allow it to rehabilitate."

"Han Qing?"

"Your Majesty, Persia is troubled internally and externally. Why give them a chance to breathe?" Han Jian said, "Even if they can't occupy the country, it would be good to rush into Bukhara and plunder it."

"Du Qing?"

"Wang Qing?"

……

Shao Shude asked everyone for their opinions one by one.

In the end, he determined that most of the prime ministers did not want to fight, because they felt that there was no benefit.

This way of thinking made him want to laugh. In the 19 years since the founding of the country, the prime ministers have been led astray by him. Now they are used to thinking about problems in terms of "interests". This is very "martial arts".

"My will has been decided!" Shao Shude raised his voice.

The others listened solemnly.

"Talk must be discussed. I also intend to discuss peace with Persia, and I don't want to fight." Shao Shude said: "But my conditions must be met. If not, we will use war to promote peace."

"In addition, Longyou and Hexi will be given two years to reassure the people."

"I will summon the Persian envoy here tomorrow."

(End of this chapter)