Neon Clothes and Iron Clothes

Chapter 875 Conflict
"What Mr. Pei said is true!" Hu Liang smiled: "It's not too late to neutralize his energy first!"

"Then what are you going to do with this Gan Doujiu?" Pei Xingjian asked: "I have been dealing with Qin Ling for several years. Although he looks after his relatives, to him he is just a cousin. It’s nothing!”

"I know this too!" Hu Liang said: "Quan should stay as a backup. If we need to communicate with Qin Ling in the future, this person can be put back as a messenger!"

"Communicate with Qin Ling?" Pei Xingjian frowned: "What do you mean?"

"Before leaving Chang'an, my father once gave me the strategy of conquering Tubo!" Hu Liang said: "My father once said: Since the death of Songtsan Gampo, the heroic leader of Tubo, the two consecutive Zangpu were mediocre lords, and the real power fell to him. Lu Dongzan and his son Lu Dongzan of the Gar family completely conquered Tuyuhun and annexed the land of Qinghai. After Lu Dongzan's death, his eldest son Zan Xiruo stayed in the local capital and became the prime minister and managed the government; his second son Qin Ling. Staying in Tuyuhun all year round will not last long, so my father plans to start from here!"

"These are all the preparations your father made when he was an official in Jiannan, right? He is indeed far-sighted!" Pei Xingjian sighed: "But I'm afraid things are not as simple as you think. Do you know? According to the information we have carefully researched in front, all Song Mangbojie’s physical condition is already very bad, and he doesn’t even know whether he is dead or alive!”

"What?" Hu Liang was surprised: "Then why didn't my father tell me when I was in Chang'an?"

"Because he didn't know it at the time!" Pei Xingjian said with a wry smile: "This news was just obtained a month ago. Once it is confirmed and sent back to Chang'an, you will already be on your way to Long!"

"So that's it!" Hu Liang sighed, just as Pei Xingjian said: Wang Wenzuo's strategy was to provoke the relationship between the Tibetan monarchs and ministers, so as to achieve twice the result with half the effort. But now we don’t know whether Dusong Mangbojie (Mangsong Mangzan’s son) is dead or alive, and there is no one in the center. How can we provoke a conflict between Ludongzan and the Tubo monarch?
"From what I've seen, it's better to think twice before sending troops to Qinghai!" Pei Xingjian sighed: "Soldiers, it's a major matter for the country, so you can't be careless!"

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Luosuo (the capital of Tubo, today's Lhasa), Zanpu Palace.

He passed through the secret passage at the bottom of the Hongshan Palace, just like he had done thousands of times before. The cold eyes of the Zamp statues on the wall looked at him as he passed by. The monsters and monsters trampled by the Zamps twisted their necks and opened their mouths. It seemed to be yelling at him. Finally, he came to his father's resting place, next to his mother's.

"Promise me!" the stone statue of my father said softly: "Like my father, I will rule this country with my own hands!"

Dusong Mangbojie sat up in shock, his heart pounding. His white arms and blankets entangled his arms, binding him tightly to the bed.

"Damn it, why is this a dream again!" Dusong Mangbojie cursed silently. The room was pitch dark. Even so, he still did not dare to make a sound. Legend has it that the stone walls of this palace have ears. Not to mention that the woman who is sleeping with him is from the Gar family. In this palace, nothing can be hidden from the great Xiang Xiruo.

"Zamp, Zamp!" There was a knock on the door.

"What's the matter?" Dusong Mangbojie asked.

"Emergency military situation!"

Dusong Mangboje wrapped his body tightly in a blanket and rolled out of bed. He felt that his body was very weak and staggered to the door. When he opened the door, he saw his palace steward, holding a candlestick in his hand, and the light shone on his face. Up, eerie.

"Tell me!" Dusong Mangbojie asked in a low voice, "What happened?"

"There are two pieces of news, one good and one bad!" The palace steward's face was like a slate, showing neither joy nor anger. Dusong Mangbojie liked this about him: "What good news?"

"The Prime Minister defeated the Tang people in Anxi and captured Kucha City!"

Dusong Mangbojie let out a long breath: "What about the bad news?"

"General Zanpo died in the battle in Hexi!"

"Ah?" Dusong Mangbojie was stunned when he heard the words, and the corners of his mouth turned up, as if he was about to smile, but in an instant he lowered the corners of his mouth again, and his face became sad: "How could this happen? Is it possible? Wrong!"

"Impossible!" the palace manager said firmly: "General Zanpo was defeated by the Tang people. He rushed into the reeds by the river and was ambushed by the Tang people. Almost all his accompanying guards were shot to death by the Tang people! "

"This is really sad news!" The palace steward said, "Do you have anything to tell me?"

"Don't worry yet!" Dusong Mangbojie said: "We still need to listen to their own family's opinions on this kind of matter! What about the corpse?"

"I heard it is in the hands of the Tang Dynasty!"

"I understand, please step back first!"

"Yes!" The palace steward withdrew. Dusong Mangbojie breathed a sigh of relief and returned to bed. He wrapped his head with a blanket and fell into complete darkness. Regarding this bad news, Dusong Mangbojie felt extremely happy. Lu Dongzan had five sons in total, and they controlled the government and military affairs tightly. On the surface, Dusong Mangbojie is the Zanpu of Tubo, but in fact the government has completely fallen into the hands of the five Qinling brothers. Now that one of them is dead, can he at least breathe a sigh of relief? He took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and soon fell into a sweet dream.

The next morning, when Dusong Mangbojie got up, he felt that his whole body was full of energy. He had not felt so good for a long time. He asked the palace manager to be summoned and asked: "When is the oath taking place this year?"

"Oath?" The palace steward was stunned. According to Tibetan custom, every year the nobles had to swear an oath of allegiance to the Zamp in front of the gods and Buddhas. However, as the power of the Gar family grew, this oath became more and more of a formality.

"It should be more than a month away, right?" the palace manager replied in an uncertain tone.

"Then make it earlier!" Dusong Mangbojie said: "Change it to fifteen days later!" "Fifteen days later?" The palace manager was surprised: "How is this possible? The Prime Minister and General Qinling He’s not in the capital, so he definitely won’t be able to make it in time!”

"That doesn't matter! It'll be the next time for the two of them!" Dusong Mangbojie said: "This is not without precedent. Their father had been in Qinghai for many years, and didn't they come back to participate in the oath?"

"Zanpu, isn't this inappropriate?" the palace manager admonished with a wry smile: "The Prime Minister and General Qinling did have precedents of leading troops abroad and not having time to participate in the oath of alliance, but at least one of them stayed in the capital. Like this This is the first time that both of them are absent. Can you wait? The Prime Minister is already on his way back, and he will definitely be able to make it within a month!"

"Just obey the orders!" Dusong Mangbojie said: "I received a revelation from the gods and Buddha last night. I must make the oath as soon as possible, otherwise something bad will happen!"

"Okay!" The palace manager lowered his head helplessly.

Dusong Mangboje's order immediately caused ripples in Luosuo (the capital of Tubo, today's Lhasa). According to old Tubo customs, any major political or military decisions must be made in the presence of gods and Buddhas to be effective. Therefore, this kind of annual oath gathering of nobles often also discusses major political decisions. Over the years, the main members of the Gar family have never been absent from this oath, and Zanpu openly excluded the main members of the Gar family. What did he want to do?
There are whispers hidden behind every door of Luosuo City. People are anxiously thinking about it. Some people even recall the days before the great Songtsen Gampo. At that time, the great Zanpu was actually just a local leader in the Yalong area in Shannan. There were many leaders like him on the snowy plateau. They either allied with each other or attacked each other. The people were displaced and miserable. And these kings themselves are unable to protect themselves. Not only will they be killed by external enemies, they will also die from daggers and poison from behind. It was the great Songtsen Gampo who quelled the rebellion, moved the capital to Luoso, surrendered Supi, and personally conquered Yangtong. He finally completed the great cause of unifying the snowy plateau and brought peace and tranquility to this land. When Songtsen Gampo died, the people thought that war was about to happen again. It was Prime Minister Lu Dongtsen who restored peace. But this time, there was a dispute between the descendants of Songtsen Gampo and the descendants of Prime Minister Lu Dongtsen. Are the troubled times about to begin again?
Red Mountain Palace.

Fires burned brightly in the symmetrical fireplaces at both ends of the living room, filling the room with a gloomy red light. The heat in the room was suffocating. More than a dozen nobles were standing or sitting, all looking worried, as if they were in imminent disaster.

"Have you sent an envoy to inform the Prime Minister?" asked an old man with a goatee.

"It's been sent out, it's been sent out! You've already asked for the third time!" The answer was a young man, his tone was full of impatience: "What's the use of this? Everyone knows that even if we get along well, Knowing the news, it’s impossible to catch up with the oath! It’s clear that Zan Pu deliberately excluded the Prime Minister!”

"Stop talking!" the old man shouted: "This is Hongshan Palace!"

"So what?" The young man sneered: "Zanpu has forgotten who put him on the throne, and who his father put him on the throne. If it weren't for his grandfather's loyalty and hard work, Songtsen Gampo would have died. Then a civil war will break out and the whole country will fall apart and return to the way it was in the past. Yes, Tubo was founded by Zampu, but it was also maintained by my grandfather!”

"Yes, that's right!"

"If it weren't for the efforts of Lu Dongzan, Prime Minister and General Qinling, Tubo would never be where it is today!"

"Yes, if Ludongzan had had different intentions at the time, Songtsen Gampo's descendants would have been cut off long ago. But now Zanpu is suspicious of Ludongzan's descendants and excludes them from the oath. How can he get gods and Buddhas? ’s blessing!”

"Yes! General Qinling fought with the Tang people in Hexi, the Prime Minister fought with the Tang people in Anxi, and General Zanpo died in the battle, but Zanpu is doing these little tricks in Luosuo. He is really worthy of being a descendant of Songtsen Gampo!"

These Tibetan nobles in the reception room were either members of the Gar family or their supporters, and were naturally deeply dissatisfied with Dusong Mangboje's actions.

The footsteps outside the door interrupted everyone's conversation. People stood up, lowered their heads, and paid respect to Dusong Mangbojie who came in. Dusong Mangbojie sat down in the middle and made a gesture. Everyone sat down one after another, and the room fell into a deathly silence.

"Are you here today about the oath?" Dusong Mangbojie asked directly.

"That's right!" The old man with the goatee stood up: "The Prime Minister is your arm and your most noble right hand. How can you not let him take part in the oath?"

"I have already told you the reason for the oath in advance!" Dusong Mangbojie said: "The gods and Buddhas appeared in my dream, and I cannot ignore the requests of the gods and Buddhas!"

"Things in dreams are vague and difficult to interpret!" The old man replied: "Sometimes it is like this, sometimes it is like that. Why not ask a monk to interpret your dream and then make a decision?"

Dusong Mangbojie frowned. This old guy made him very bored, but he still suppressed the anger in his chest: "No need, the dream was very clear. The gods and Buddhas asked me to make an oath in advance!"

"Gods and Buddhas? I'm afraid you want to make an oath in advance, right?" The young man just now couldn't hold it in any longer and said loudly: "We can't confirm it in your dream anyway, can we?"

Dusong Mangbojie's face showed anger: "Are you accusing me of lying?"

"Don't dare!" the young man replied angrily: "But Zanpu, you should know that people who pretend to be gods and Buddhas will have their tongues rotten, and will fall into hell after death, and they will never be able to leave!"

"You——!" Dusong Mangbojie was furious. He shouted loudly: "Come here, arrest this guy!"

Following Dusong Mangbojie's shout, four fully armed guards rushed in. The young man did not resist, but looked at Dusong Mangbojie coldly. Seeing this, others hurriedly begged Dusong Mangboje: "This child is dizzy. Please be kind to Zanpu and spare him this time!"

"Yes, for the sake of his father! Spare him this time!"

"You bastard, why don't you quickly apologize to Zamp and beg him to reduce your sins!"

Dusong Mangbojie looked at the young man who was pushed to the ground. He had suppressed his anger, stepped forward and asked, "How is it? Do you want to take back what you just said?"

The young man glanced at Dusong Mangbojie: "As long as you take back what you said before, I will also take back what I just said!"

Dusong Mangbojie was so angry that he laughed: "Okay, very good, someone will take him down. When the Prime Minister comes back, I will let him punish you!"

This episode did not change Dusong Mangbojie's plan. Fifteen days after that night, he summoned the Tubo nobles around the capital and held the oath-taking ceremony of that year. During the oath-taking ceremony, the Tubo nobles once again asked the capital Songmang Boje showed his loyalty. Lu Dongzan's sons were excluded from the oath. This was the first time since Lu Dongzan's death.