People in the early Tang Dynasty: I compete with Wu Zhao for the throne

Chapter 972 Yao Yi is a capable minister
Chang'an, Zichen Palace.

General Li Zhi placed the report on the imperial case, looked at the ministers in front of him and said: "The Battle of Wuhai has come to an end for the time being. We have lost more than a thousand soldiers, burned, attacked at night, and killed 8000 Tibetan cavalry head-on, including There are eight thousand Tubo cavalry and ten thousand Tuyuhun cavalry.”

"Congratulations to Your Majesty, you are blessed with great blessings and a prosperous military fortune." Headed by Liu Rengui and Hao Chujun, all ministers celebrated at the same time.

Li Zhi waved his hand carelessly and said: "Although it was a success, apart from the mountain fire attack, Wang Xiaojie used a thousand carefully selected cavalry to kill three thousand Tubo cavalry, which is not a great achievement."

The Tuyuhun cavalry are now increasingly looked down upon by Li Zhi.

The five thousand cavalrymen under Wang Xiaojie were elites carefully selected from tens of thousands of troops.

The strength is not inferior to that of the Tubo Guangjun. Five thousand defeated fifteen thousand, which is not a great victory.

"Lun Qinling mobilized [-] Tibetan cavalry to participate in the battle, and lost [-] in the battle. It was a great defeat." Liu Rengui looked up at the emperor.

"It's not a big defeat. He still has 2 troops in Baihai and the north bank of the Tongtian River behind him. In addition to the more than [-] people who retreated, there are still [-] troops. This battle still needs to be fought."

Li Zhi saw the situation very clearly. It was just a small victory now, and there was still a long way to go before the end of the war.

"In addition, the war in Xituyuhun has started again. If Qu Chongyu hadn't arrived in time, I'm afraid Golmud would have been lost again." Empress Wu couldn't help but shook her head. She was also very disappointed with the Murong family. She obviously looked full of fighting power, but Why, he is always vulnerable to a fight.

"The Tubo people didn't use all their strength." Li Zhi sighed and said, "Everyone is guarding the checkpoints, waiting for the arrival of autumn."

"Only the King of Nanchang is advancing to Guizhou." Empress Wu smiled softly.

Li Zhi waved his hand and said: "He is not going to Railzhou. He is clearly using Railzhou as a cover to attract the attention of Lun Qinling and cover for Wang Xiaojie to take action... When Wang Xiaojie really takes action, he will immediately go eastward. , heading to Zoige, that is his real destination.”

"Your Majesty, can you really kill him?" Empress Wu looked at Li Zhi with a concerned expression.

Li Zhi raised his head and looked at Liu Rengui: "Prime Minister Zuo, tell me."

"Your Majesty, the King of Nanchang didn't come up with this idea suddenly. In fact, before the war last year, the King of Nanchang had already discussed it with the old minister." Liu Rengui took a deep breath, cupped his hands and said, "At that time, he said: No The truth is that if Songtsen Gampo can fight back, we must stop."

"Yes, Songtsen Gampo first attacked Songzhou after defeating Tuyuhun, and then marched against the Yellow River to Zoige. Later, it was because of this battle that Lu Dongtsen began to contact the Dangxiang clan. After Feichuan, draw them all together." Li Zhi sighed lightly, he still remembered this incident.

"Your Majesty, if the King of Nanchang succeeds this time, the affairs of these Dangxiang people also need to be considered." Empress Wu suggested in a low voice.

"Are you afraid that the King of Nanchang will kill all the party leaders?" Li Zhi couldn't help laughing, then shook his head and said: "I don't know if I kill them all, but killing all the party leaders looks a bit like him." style."

Li Zhi's voice became deeper. He raised his head, looked at Hao Chujun and asked, "Hao Xiang, what should we do?"

"Confer the title of King Songzhou's pacification envoy to Nanchang and recruit party leaders to submit to the Tang Dynasty." Hao Chujun stepped forward and said, "Even if half of these party leaders are willing to submit, it will be extremely beneficial to the overall situation."

half.

Hao Chujun deliberately ignored the other half of the party leaders. Those people naturally died under Li Xuan's butcher's knife.

And this is what the emperor allows, or this is what the emperor wants to see.

If you betray the Tang Dynasty, you must accept the punishment of betrayal.

Li Zhi nodded lightly and asked, "When will the King of Nanchang arrive in Ruoergai?"

"It is estimated that it will take about one and a half months." Gao Kan, the Minister of Military Inspection and Military Affairs, took a step forward, cupped his hands and said: "It is difficult to go against the Yellow River, but there is a practical way.

Tubo's attention is now on Wuhai. The King of Nanchang has the cover to attack Guizhou. Even if Songzhou pays some attention, the army of Liangjun Gongjian's South Road is already distracted enough. "

After a slight pause, Gao Kan continued: "It takes more than half a month to travel a long distance of [-] miles and defeat the enemy. The real danger lies in the swampland with a radius of [-] miles in Zoige... lakes, grass swamps, muddy fields, mire swamps Waiting for a crisis will take at least nearly a month, and his logistics must keep up."

"With the Yellow River here, King Nanchang's logistics will not be a problem." Li Zhi waved his hand gently.

What Li Zhi is least worried about is Li Xuan's food supply.

The water truck transportation in Hezhou and Kuozhou has allowed Li Zhi to see Li Xuan's talent in water transportation.

Although the upper reaches of the Yellow River are still rugged, they are not as steep as those in Hezhou and Kuozhou.

"In this case, we should arrive in Songzhou in early May." Gao Kan handed over his hand and gave a positive answer.

Li Zhi nodded, sighed, and said: "By opening up Songzhou, Songzhou's grain and grass can be transported to Qinghai, and the grain and grass crisis can finally be alleviated."

"Although there is a slight drought in Youzhou this year, it is much lighter than last year. However, the King of Nanchang and the Crown Prince had predicted it in advance, so the transportation of grain from the south to the north has started for nearly two months."

Empress Wu turned to look at Li Xian who was standing on one side, nodded with satisfaction and said, "Erlang did a good job in this matter."

"This is the right path." Li Zhi looked sideways at Li Xian and said, "In the future, it is what you, the prince, should do to share your father's worries."

"It's Erlang who was stupid earlier." Li Xian bowed deeply.

In fact, within the East Palace, no one has suggested this approach.

Among them, Huangfu Zhengyi mainly advocated doing some heavy government affairs that took a long time and were not easy to see failure so quickly, so as to relieve the emperor's worries.

But Zhang Da'an, the concubine of Zuo, advocated writing books to become famous and win over scholars all over the world.

This is easy and will strengthen your foundation.

After all, the position of prince is Li Xian's basic base. If he is distracted, then someone will naturally do these things.

The hearts of scholars in the world will also be won over by those who are interested.

This caring person is of course talking about Ming Chongyan and a group of North Gate bachelors.

"Instructions have been sent to Duke Liang that the states in Jiannan Dao will use part of the tax revenue to offset military rations and transport them to Qinghai." Li Zhi turned to look at Li Jingxuan.Li Jingxuan immediately handed over his hand: "I accept the decree."

"With Jiannan Road responsible for part of the military food transportation, it will always be easier for the Northland." Empress Wu turned to look at Li Zhi.

Li Zhi nodded lightly. The grain and grass from the south no longer pass through Chang'an and are transferred to Qinghai. The loss in the middle can really save a lot.

"Once the King of Nanchang breaks through Songzhou, he will be able to invade the southeast of Tibet from Tangzhou, Weizhou, and Maozhou." Li Zhi's eyes flashed with a hint of ruthlessness.

There are two ways to go from Jiannan Road to Luoxue.

A road goes north to the Sea of ​​Bitterness, to the Black Sea, to the Baihai Sea, along the Yellow River, and to the Tongtian River.

Passed through Luding, Litang, and Batang, then attacked Linzhi, and finally arrived at Luoxue.

"With the passage of Songzhou, even if Wuhai falls again, we still have the possibility of recapturing it." Liu Rengui bowed and said: "Moreover, if Qinling cannot capture the east side, it will immediately be like a thorn in the back. This way As a result, even if you go to Dafeichuan, you will still worry about being cut off from your retreat."

"That's the matter of the King of Nanchang." Li Zhi smiled slightly and said: "The Dahuashi Gorge, Guizhou, plus Songzhou, all roads support it, and the King of Nanchang is stationed there, I can sit back and relax."

"Congratulations, Your Majesty!" The ministers once again raised their hands.

Li Zhi waved his hand again and said: "The front line is stable, but the drought in the country has once again contacted us, and we have ordered all states and ministers to inspect various roads this autumn, asking them to do a good job in water conservancy and river embankments to ensure that the people can live safely... For those high-priced Anyone who hoards grain without selling it will be severely punished, and anyone who takes the opportunity to annex the common people's land will be fined double the amount of confiscation if it exceeds fifty acres."

"Your Majesty is wise." The ministers bowed their heads.

"Also, how are things going in Western Turks?" Li Zhi asked about Pei Xingjian.

"Report to Your Majesty." Liu Rengui stepped forward and said: "Seven of the ten surnamed tribes in the Western Turks have surrendered to the Tang Dynasty. The remaining three surnames have retreated southward under the command of Lun Qinling's brother Xizanruo. The Western Region is vast and difficult to deal with for a while. There is a conclusion.”

"The key lies in Tuyuhun and Changzhou, especially Dafeichuan." Li Zhi looked solemn.

……

The ministers retreated, and only Empress Wu and Li Zhi were left in the Zichen Hall.

"Your Majesty." Empress Wu called softly, Li Zhi turned sideways, and Empress Wu asked: "The King of Nanchang is going to Songzhou, what about the governance of Changzhou?"

Li Zhi smiled and said, "Yao Yi is a capable minister."

Empress Wu was stunned for a moment, and then gave Li Zhi a helpless look. Although she was already in her fifties, she still had her charm.

But as she lowered her head, Empress Wu flashed a hint of sadness.

"The person who can be called a capable minister by Sanlang seems to be a prime minister." Empress Wu shook her head and said with a wry smile: "Cheng Chubi, for my own selfishness, I have delayed him for so many years."

When Empress Wu said this, Li Zhi couldn't say anything else. He waved his hands and said nonchalantly: "If it weren't for so many years of experience in Jinwu Guard, it would be difficult for ordinary people to have this talent. Cheng Qing actually did a good job."

Empress Wu breathed a sigh of relief, and then said: "Let Yao Qing practice in Changzhou for a few years and then transfer him back."

"No need." Li Zhi waved his hand directly and said: "I want him to be directly appointed as the governor of a state. The King of Nanchang wants to bring Ruoergai and other places directly under the rule of the Tang Dynasty and designate it as Panzhou, so I will let him be the governor of Panzhou. The governor should manage the affairs well, practice for two or three years, and then return to the Ministry of Household Affairs to serve as minister or minister, and then it will be the next thing."

Li Zhi had already planned for four or five years later. By that time, Yao Yi would already have the qualifications to become a minister.

As for the prime minister, that is a matter for the next emperor.

And it is not a good thing to get involved in the battle of prime ministers too early.

The foundation is unstable and the earth shakes. This is not something to be said casually.

"There are many party members in Panzhou. Even if they can move the people there, they won't be able to achieve anything." Empress Wu said with a trace of worry in her eyes.

Li Zhi shook his head and said, "Tubo always threatens control. Even if it defeats Lun Qinling, it will still be difficult for the Tang Dynasty to govern Tubo, but it can swallow it up step by step, starting from Panzhou and Changzhou, and bring it under its control step by step."

"This is the cannibalization strategy of King Nanchang." Empress Wu was shocked.

Li Xuan's strategy two years ago seems to be working now.

"Yes, from Tuyuhun and Changzhou to Tubo, you have to pass through Panzhou. The commercial convenience brought by this is Panzhou's opportunity for survival." Li Zhi said thoughtfully.

Empress Wu couldn't help but shook her head and said: "Except for the military situation in the past few years, Panzhou can still be useful. After these few years, Panzhou will always be difficult to prosper."

"Panzhou, there is land." Li Zhi's last words made Empress Wu shut up completely.

In the Tang Dynasty, there were very few Yongye fields, let alone Koufentian.

What Datang needs most now is land.

As for how to use it, that is Yao Yi's business.

If there is good development, more southwestern states will be developed in the future.

……

"By the way, what's the current situation in the Nanchang Palace?" Li Zhi turned his head, with a special interest in his eyes.

Empress Wu smiled and shook her head, and said: "Let the concubine be sent to the palace to be trained by the main concubine before she gets married. I also admire the King of Nanchang's skills."

"Those who manage their families well will always do well in politics." Li Zhi said softly, and Empress Wu lowered her head to think about it.

(End of this chapter)