Neon Clothes and Iron Clothes

Chapter 517 Consumption

"It's not that you're being thoughtful or unreasonable!" Wang Wenzuo shook his head: "Since ancient times, there is no more righteous battle than Zhou Wu's defeat of Zhou, but even so, the rebellion of the third prison is indispensable. If I give me another ten years, Cultivate health and rest, work hard, naturally those are not problems. But this time I was transferred away, and the battle between the Tang Dynasty and Tubo cannot be resolved in a short time, and accidents in the east are inevitable!"

"Then what are your plans for Saburo?" Cui Hongdu asked.

"The main thing is to recruit soldiers!" Wang Wenzuo said: "If the imperial court asked me to go west to fight against the Tubo people, then I should command most of the soldiers from Longyou, Guanzhong, and Hedong, and then the cavalry from Tuyuhun, Turks, and Huihe. There is no kindness between them, and there must be a layer of separation between them. I plan to recruit some good archers from Wa Kingdom, Xiongjin Dudu Mansion, Mohe, etc. as righteous obedience, and it will be better when the time comes!"

"What the master said is true!" Sancho said: "If you don't have the party to accompany you, what's the difference from entering the battle naked? The villain will go back and pass on the master's meaning. At least two or three thousand horses will come!"

"It doesn't need that many!" Wang Wenzuo waved his hand: "500 people from the Japanese side, 500 people from the Xiongjin Governor's Mansion, and [-] people from the Mohe people, plus the Yaqiandu. The key is to be strong and brave. There are many good shooters in the army, but there are not many soldiers."

"Yes!" Cui Hongdu nodded: "I remember what Sanlang said!"

"In addition, there are selected generals, Ling Hei Chi Chang Zhi, Sha Zha Xiangru, Shoujun Dashi, Gao Sheji..." Wang Wenzuo read more than ten names in one breath, all of them were Baekje, Japanese, and Goguryeo generals under his command. , and finally mentioned: "There is also He Bayong, who came with the army. And I remember that Cao Sengnu is in Yangzhou now, right? Let him stay in Yangzhou, preside over the trade, and contact the local heroes at the same time!"

"Contact local heroes?" Cui Hongdu was stunned. Wang Wenzuo's last sentence was completely unexpected. What does this have to do with the Tubo war?
"You just ask him to do it! Some things have to be done first, and it will be too late to prepare if the matter is imminent!" Wang Wenzuo said.

"Yes, yes!" Cui Hongdu didn't dare to ask more questions, and carefully wrote down what Wang Wenzuo said just now. After Wang Wenzuo read it, he stamped his private seal, and after dawn, the messenger rushed to Yangzhou.

The subordinates all retreated. There was still more than an hour before dawn. Wang Wenzuo exhaled a long breath and went back to bed. He planned to take a short rest and accumulate some energy for the journey in the next few days.But with his eyes closed, he still couldn't fall asleep. For the sudden oracle, others saw the trust and reuse of the emperor and Wang Wenzuo's bright future. Almost everyone was equally optimistic about the upcoming war.

This can't be blamed on them. Since the first emperor ascended the throne, if one word sums up the Tang Dynasty's foreign wars - "win", if it is summed up in four words, it is "win and win". Goguryeo, which stubbornly resisted the two dynasties of the Sui and Tang Dynasties, and the three monarchs who attacked for more than half a century, was completely destroyed. As witnesses, how could they have any doubts about the outcome of future wars?
Wang Wenzuo often mentioned to them the tenacity of the Tubo people, the coldness of the plateau, and the steepness of the stone fortresses, but why were the Goguryeo and Baekje people not tenacious and good at fighting?The vastness of Liaoze, the mountains of southern Liaoning, and countless mountain cities on the Korean Peninsula are also steep and difficult to attack. Didn't they all succumb to their steel knives in the end?What Wang Wenzuo said was just the necessary caution as a general, and it did not affect the final outcome of the war.

Of course, the optimism of his subordinates could not be concealed from Wang Wenzuo's eyes. Regarding this, his mood was very contradictory, that is, he was gratified by the confidence and courage of his subordinates, but at the same time worried about the future war.In history, the war between Tang and Tubo was almost the same as that of the Tang Dynasty. Although both sides had their own victories and losses, the Tang army never entered the hinterland of the Tubo people on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. This is not accidental.In the history of mankind, there are not a single number of successful expeditions into the hinterland of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau from the outside. Each of them can be said to be a miracle in human logistics and military organization. The cold and changeable climate, high altitude, and steep terrain Napoleon and Hannibal's expedition across the Alps was nothing more than a joke compared to many factors that were on the side of the defender.

Of course, Wang Wenzuo did not think that this was a lost war. While the high-altitude terrain of the Tubo Empire gave her a commanding advantage, it also brought disadvantages such as barren land, small arable land, small population, and backward productivity. .Although the warm and humid climate at that time allowed the Tibetans to have a much larger population and wealth than other periods in history, they were still far behind the Tang Dynasty at the same time.So as long as the Tang army don’t want to drive straight in, destroy its lair in one battle, exterminate its race, and throw 10,000+ troops into the wilderness of Xikang in Qinghai to give away their heads; honestly build castles and garrison fields, send money and silk to win over the middle faction , choose several directions to engage in consumption strategies, and the failure of Tubo is a matter of time.

But it may be a problem of path dependence. What Tang Jun likes to do most in history is to drive straight in, go straight to the heart, and engage in field battles. Although the strategy of attrition turned the tide of the war, the Anshi Rebellion followed, and the Anxi Shuofang Army was transferred back to fight the civil war, so naturally there was no future.

"Hey, it would be great if the Duke of England was still alive!" Wang Wenzuo sighed. Although the emperor sent someone to send him a hand to call him to Luoyang, he was still very self-aware of his influence.Since the founding of the Tang Dynasty, decisive victory in field battles has been the main theme of the Tang army. Under this strategy, generations of Tang army generals have been trained, and these generals are also supporters of this strategy. The military system of Datang is also based on this strategy. .

For example, if the strategy of decisive victory in the field is adopted, the Tang army only needs to conscript the soldiers from Guanzhong and Longyou, as well as the Fan tribes of Huihe, Turks, and Tuyuhun. if you win).However, if Wang Wenzuo's attrition strategy is followed, the first thing to do is to build a fortress on the front line of Qinghai, then either recruit troops or replace soldiers from Guanzhong Longyou Mansion. Even ten years, not to mention the need for corresponding diplomatic strategies. To do all this, corresponding reforms must be made to the political, economic, and military systems of the empire. In other words, the interests of a large number of existing vested interests must be touched. , I am afraid that this is not something that a mere Wang Wenzuo can do.

In the final analysis, the issue of strategic choice is actually a matter of line, politics, and personnel. It is not enough for you to think that it makes sense. Any strategy is reasonable, but which one is used in the end is not justified, but Supporters on stage.In history, the only way for new strategies to be implemented is to "change people without changing ideas". If Li Ji is still alive, maybe he can be persuaded to get the emperor to adopt it. Now that Li Ji is dead, Wang Wenzuo has no ability to make the emperor adopt it. If you change people, you will naturally have no ability to make others change their minds.

The sound of the rooster brought Wang Wenzuo back from his thoughts to reality. He walked to the window and looked out, and a white fish maw appeared in the sky.He was lying on the bed thinking about things, and before he knew it, it was dawn.

"The only way to deal with it now is to see the trick!"

Luoyang Palace and Yiluan Palace in Ziwei City.

"Your Majesty, this is a tribute orange from Jiangxi!" Mrs. Wu picked up an orange from the table and peeled it off with a smile: "It's very sweet, why don't you eat some?"

Li Zhi nodded, he stretched out his hand to take a piece of orange handed by his wife, the sweet orange juice immediately filled his mouth, he nodded comfortably: "It's really sweet!"

"There are also orange trees in Chang'an, but unfortunately they are far worse than those in Jiangxi!" Mrs. Wu gave another piece of orange to her husband, and sighed regretfully.

"The water and the soil are different!" Li Zhi smiled and said, "Huainan is orange and Huaibei is orange! What's more, Guanzhong and Jiangxi are almost farther away!"

"It's not just water and soil!" Wu said with a smile: "Even if the tribute oranges are also sent from Jiangxi, there is a difference between those sent to Chang'an and those sent to Luoyang. The oranges that arrive in Chang'an are either rotten or dry. The inside is like rotten cotton wool, without any moisture at all!"

"Oh, there is still a section of waterway from Luoyang to Chang'an. The traffic is inconvenient and delays the time!" Li Zhi said with a smile: "If you want to eat, what's the problem? Let the palace use a fast horse to transport it from Luoyang to Chang'an!"

"Your Majesty, is this concubine greedy for oranges?" Wu said, "What I mean is why not move the capital to Luoyang. Luoyang is in the middle of the world, and tributes from all directions are here. Compared with Chang'an, it is far away. West, it's much more convenient!"

"Hehe!" Li Zhi laughed: "Meiniang, it's true in normal times, but if there is a war, Chang'an will be stronger than Luoyang. You only need to close the Tongguan Pass to defend yourself, and send troops from the west of the Guanxi to pacify the Quartet. The ancestors established the capital. Changan, it makes sense!"

"I don't think so!" Empress Wu retorted: "Nowadays, Guanzhong's household registration is increasing day by day, and the water transportation is less than a day away. Chang'an's soldiers and people will have no food. Even if there are millions of people, what's the use of having no food? If there are real wars everywhere. , Closing Tongguan and defending ourselves will definitely not work!"

Faced with his wife's rebuttal, Li Zhi's face became sour. In ancient Chinese political discourse, Han and Tang were usually referred to together. Scholars at that time also usually called themselves Han. It refers to the emperor of the Tang Dynasty. If you look closely, the "Han" in the population of the Tang Dynasty scholars actually refers to the Western Han Dynasty, because the Western Han Dynasty and Tang Dynasty both had their capitals in Chang'an, and both were based in Kansai. It is believed that the national power of the Western Han Dynasty is better than that of the Eastern Han Dynasty.

Many scholars even believe that Emperor Guangwu of the Han Dynasty established his capital in Luoyang instead of Chang'an because of the ruins of Guanzhong, which is an important reason why the Eastern Han Dynasty did not have the prosperity of the Western Han Dynasty. In connection, it is believed that Emperor Guangwu of the Han Dynasty established his capital in Luoyang because King Ping moved eastward and lost the land of Zong Zhou, and there is some kind of mystical connection.Of course Li Zhi also knew this, and when he heard Empress Wu's request to move the capital to Luoyang, he naturally didn't look too good-looking.

"In the land and sea of ​​Guanzhong, there are the people of Sichuan and Shu in the south, the benefits of Yuanma in the north, and the merchants of Longshang and Western Regions in the west, and they rule the world in the east. They are the foundation of the king and hegemony. How can we give up lightly?" Li Zhi's expression became dignified. Get up: "The matter of moving the capital, Mei Niang, you don't need to mention it again!"

Seeing her husband's rare seriousness in front of her, Wu could only lower her head and stop talking.After a while, Li Zhi felt that his tone just now might be too strong, so he smiled and said: "I also know that you like Luoyang better, after all, you have stayed here for so many years, why not like this, from now on we will be in Luoyang every year Live for half a year, live in Chang'an for half a year?"

"Thank you, Your Majesty!" Sensing the concession from her husband's words, Wu was delighted in her heart: "Actually, you don't need to live for as long as half a year, three or four months will be fine!"

"What's so difficult about it, I have been visiting Luoyang for three or four months every year!" Li Zhi said with a smile, "Actually, I don't know the benefits of Luoyang, but the war with Tubo is imminent, and it is much more convenient in Chang'an. When the fighting in Tubo subsides, it’s okay to come to Luoyang and stay longer!”

"The war in Tubo?" Wu Shi keenly grasped this key word: "Your Majesty plans to send a large-scale army?"

"Yeah!" Li Zhi nodded, "In August, Tubo sent troops to attack our cities in the Western Regions, and Anxi has already reported the emergency. The widow summoned Longyou Xue Rengui to play the right role. He strongly advocated sending troops to Qinghai when the Tubo troops left the Western Regions and Qinghai was empty. , Escort Tuyuhun Khan back to his original place, and then directly take Luosa (now Lhasa) strategy, the widow has agreed!"

"Luo Suo? Where is this?"

"It's the capital of Tubo!"

"Go straight to the capital of Tubo? Then Xue Rengui is really bold!"

"Yes! The general shot down Tianshan with three arrows, and the strong man entered Hanguan with a long song! Is it beyond the reach of others?" Li Zhi laughed, his words were full of preference for Xue Rengui.

"If there is only General Xue's first army, I'm afraid they will be outnumbered!"

"Of course it's not just him all the way!" Li Zhi said with a smile: "There is also Ashina Daozhen, and the widow also sent an envoy to invite Wang Wenzuo to come, and he should be arriving in Luoyang soon!"

"Wang Wenzuo?" Mrs. Wu laughed: "Didn't he go to Qinghe Cui's family to beg for marriage, but you called him here? Didn't it delay his good deed?"

"It's just the Cui family of Qinghe. If he can make more contributions this time, the widow will choose a good woman from the clan to adopt as an adopted daughter, and give him a marriage!" Li Zhi laughed: "Isn't it far better than a daughter of the Cui family? ?”

"That's true!" Wu said with a smile: "The crown prince values ​​him very much, so he is a family, brothers and sisters! By the way, His Majesty summoned Wang Wenzuo to let him obey Xue Rengui's orders?"

"No!" Li Zhi shook his head: "The widow intends to let him go to Jiannan Road!"

"Jiannan Road? Why did you go there?" Wu asked in confusion.

　Routinely ask for subscription, tickets, and rewards!The following Tubo War is really hard to write about, and it’s hard to find all kinds of information!

　　
　
(End of this chapter)