First Minister of the Tang Dynasty

...

Seeing that Li Shimin started to bring the topic to the point, Gao Chong immediately became serious, with a hint of suspicion flashing in his eyes, he asked directly: "But has the border area changed?"

As early as when he met Gao Shilian and his dignified expression outside the Jiafu Gate, Gao Chong already had some guesses in his heart.

Gao Shilian and Changsun Wuji worshiped the crown prince and left the concubine respectively, and now they are actually in charge of government affairs, in charge of the East Palace and the left and right Chunfang.

To put it bluntly, they are the left and right ministers under the crown prince's command. The two of them entered the palace early in the morning, and it must not be as simple as accompanying Li Shimin to have breakfast.

Li Shimin sighed solemnly: "It seems that you guessed it, the aggressive old thief has already begun to test it out", while speaking, he took out a secret letter from under the desk and handed it to Gao Chong.

"I was worried about the impact, so I followed the advice of the auxiliary machine and kept it secret, but people with insight will eventually see the clues from the current situation. For example, you, I want to hear your opinion on how to arrange it to ensure the enthronement ceremony It will be carried out smoothly to ensure that adverse effects are minimized."

Gao Chong opened the secret letter with a heavy heart, and after reading it, he said sullenly: "How can Dudu Lin be so unwise? The Turkic people are good at field battles and stick to the city. They should be invincible and occupy righteousness. He This... he is simply dizzy."

Li Shimin sighed, turned his eyes to the screen on one side, and looked up, only to see that a corner of the screen was missing.

"I chopped it off," Li Shimin frowned, and said wearily, "I've lost my temper, but things have already happened, and they have to be resolved after all.

Lin Jian is impulsive and irritable, not a good general, I will deal with it myself, what should I do in the current situation? "

Gao Chong's heart trembled, Brother Erfeng's temper is still not small, but fortunately he can calm down and analyze the problem in time.

Looking down at the secret letter, Gao Chong only felt restless.

It turned out that five days ago, Jieli Khan ordered his generals to attack the Tang army with the strength of losing their minds.

Zhishisili is the chief of the Eastern Turkic Zhishi tribe, calm and resourceful, while Daizhou Linjian is brave and good at fighting, but he has a violent personality and takes the initiative to go out of the city to fight. In the end, he was defeated and fled the city.

"There are not as many Lin Jian as his brother," Gao Chong sighed after reading the battle report carefully.

Lin Jian's brother is Lin Xingcan who Gao Chong once fought side by side.

The Lin family in Linfen is a well-known gentry family in the Three Jin Dynasties, with a long history lasting thousands of years.

Duke Xian of Jin named his youngest son Ji Chengshi in Quwo, Linfen, and called him Uncle Quwo Heng.

Han Wan, the son of Uncle Qu Woheng, feudalized South Korea because of his meritorious service. His title was Viscount, Han Wuzi.

Lin Jian came from the Wanbi Hall of the Lin family in Linfen. The name of this hall can be known as soon as you hear it. It was taken from the famous allusion after Lin Xiangru, the Shangqing of Zhao State in the Warring States Period.

Until the reign of Wude, the Lin family was still a famous family in the Sanjin area, second only to the first-class families such as the Pei family and the Xue family.

Lin Jian is the governor of Daizhou, Lin Guo is the governor of Shangyao, Lin Fugui is the general of Youwuwei, Lin Renji is the governor of Bingzhou, and Lin Xingcan is now the governor of Lanzhou.

Back then, Lin Xingcan served as the general of Hussars, and as one of the eight generals, he followed Li Shimin to conquer Xue Ju.

According to the original trajectory, Lin Xingcan should have died in battle with Hussar General Murong Luohu and others in Qianshuiyuan, but due to the appearance of Gao Chong, the two fought side by side. Dagong is now the governor of Lanzhou, so Lin Xingcan and Gao Chong have a good friendship.

"The auxiliary machine's approach is correct. At this critical moment, it is best not to release the news of the defeat, but since the old thief Xieli has already used troops, we must respond quickly," Gao Chong said slowly: "Now it is not only necessary to guard against the Turks, but also to guard against Shuozhou, which is adjacent to Daizhou, that is, Yuan Junzhang."

When mentioning Yuan Junzhang, Li Shimin's face was gloomy, "This thief is capricious, I will kill him."

"No", Gao Chong shook his head and said, "Your Highness not only can't kill him, but also promise him a high official and rich salary."

Li Shimin's expression froze, he understood what Gao Chong meant, but he still felt uncomfortable.

Yuan Junzhang was a native of Shuozhou. He was born in a wealthy family and was brave and good at fighting. His father Yuan Kan was an official in the former Sui Dynasty.

After Liu Wuzhou's defeat, Yuan Junkuo separatized Shuozhou, attached himself to the Turks, and recruited Gao Manzheng, the former subordinate of Liu Wuzhou.

Gao Manzheng, famous Qing, was born in Bohai Gao family, according to his seniority, he was Gao Chong's uncle. Gao Manzheng was the commander of the army under Liu Wuzhou's command. After Liu Wuzhou died, he could not hide until Yuan Junkuo separated Shuozhou. To recruit the former Ministry of Handong King, Gao Manzheng heard the news and went to defect.

The two of Yuan Gao joined forces and repeatedly invaded the prefectures and counties. Li Yuan had no choice but to send envoys to appease him. , to return to Tang."

Helplessly, Yuan Junkuo refused to obey, Gao Manzheng won the hearts of the people, and in the sixth year of Wude, he raised his troops and returned to the Tang Dynasty.

After Gao Manzheng successfully captured Shuozhou and donated the land to the Tang Dynasty, Li Yuan greatly praised him, worshiped him as the governor of Shuozhou, and was named Rong Guogong.

Later, Yuan Junzhang asked for help from Jieli Khan and led the army to attack Shuozhou. Gao Manzheng gave a head-on blow in the La River Valley, and the Tang army won a big victory.

Three months later, the unwilling Yuan Junzhang once again borrowed troops to attack Mayi. At that time, the guard of Mayi was Li Gaoqian, Duke of Jiangxia.

Li Gaoqian was afraid of the Turkic front, so he abandoned the city and fled. The poor Rong Guo Gong Gao Manzheng rushed to the rescue of Mayi, trapped the isolated city, and after holding on for half a month, his subordinate You Yuhou led Du Shiyuan to rebel, killed Gao Manzheng, and surrendered in Kaesong Turks.

After Gao Manzheng's death, his eldest son Gao Xuanji inherited the title of Duke of Rongguo, and his second son Gao Xingyan later conferred the title of Shangzhu Kingdom.

After Gao Manzheng's death, Shuozhou, which had not long returned to the Tang Dynasty, fell into the hands of Yuan Junzhang again. However, Gao Manzheng was quite prestigious in Liu Wuzhou's old department, and Gao Manzheng's death dealt a great blow to Liu Wuzhou's old department.

Moreover, most of Yuan Junzhang's subordinates are from Hedong and Sanjin. These people living in the border areas have been plundered and harassed by the Turks. One after another left Yuan Junzhang, or retired to the folk, or Nantou Datang.

Yuan Junzhang showed signs of rebellion, and was horrified, so he asked to join the Tang Dynasty. He asked himself to guard the North, and he was attached to the Tang Dynasty in name. In fact, he was still semi-independent, and he was listening to the tune and not listening to the announcement.

At this time, the land of Jianghuai in the Tang Dynasty was full of wars, and the troops were concentrated in Jianghuai to fight against the chaos of Fugong Er. Li Yuan had no choice but to agree with Yuan Junkuo, to be named the governor of Shuozhou, and to send an envoy Yuan Pu to Shuozhou to announce the decree.

Jieli Khan was furious after hearing the news, and also sent envoys to question Yuan Junzhang. Yuan Junzhang was terrified and hesitant. There were Turks in the north and Tang Dynasty in the south, and he could not afford to provoke any of them.

Yuan Xiaozheng, the son of Yuan Junzhang, was well versed in literature and history, and admonished with tears in his eyes: "My father sent an envoy back to the Tang Dynasty, and now he is second to Jieli Khan. If you don't make a timely decision, you may cause disaster, and Xiaozheng really can't bear to see such a disaster."

Hearing his son's words, Yuan Junzhang thought it made sense, but at this time his subordinate Guo Ziwei retorted: "My hometown, Heng'an, has a prominent terrain, a strong city, and a Turkic army with millions of armies. , it is really inappropriate to abandon the king's career and ignore it, and be controlled by others."

Heng'an City is only a small border town, but they don't know that the general trend is over. It is useless to occupy Chang'an, Luoyang and other world-famous cities. Faced with such a clumsy plan, Yuan Junzhang was moved. He arrested the Tang envoy Yuan Pu and gave it to the Turks. To show loyalty.

After hearing Yuan Junzhang's actions, his subordinates were shocked and cursed in private. Someone wrote blood on the cloth: "If you don't return to Tang soon, father and son will be destroyed", and then wrapped the cloth with stones and threw it into Yuan Junzhang in the dark. home.

Yuan Xiaozheng was shocked and fled overnight, but was caught up by Yuan Junzhang and detained at home.

Gao Chong is not familiar with the details, but Gao Chong vaguely remembers that Yuan Junzhang finally returned to Tang Dynasty, which is why he persuaded Li Shimin.

Gao Chong still agrees with Li Yuan's policies in the early Tang Dynasty. For example, Du Fuwei, Hu Dayen, Luo Yi and others all gave high-ranking officials rich salary to recruit them.

It would be great if he could be appeased by a high-ranking official with a generous salary, without having to start a war. The cost of a war is far higher than that of those salary towns, and one imperial decree can appease him. For the court, it is even more important. Helps increase prestige.

Hearing Gao Chong's words, Li Shimin was silent for a long time, and finally took a deep breath, "If he surrenders sincerely, I can accept him, but how is it possible for a person like him...".

"Nothing is impossible, he is a typical speculator."

Gao Chong said firmly: "And this kind of person's vision is very vicious. He knows His Highness's reputation and the general trend of the world. His Highness can write a handwritten letter with powerful analysis. I believe he can make his own decisions."

Seeing doubts on Li Shimin's face, Gao Chong continued: "Comparing the two sides, although the Turkic army is strong now, while our people's livelihood in the Tang Dynasty is in decline, the Tang Dynasty's monarchs are wise and capable, and they can quickly restore their national strength.

On the other hand, the Turks, in recent years, have become more and more powerful. You need to know that the past is hard and easy to break. Jieli Tuli's uncle and nephew have a very similar personality. The slaves who were plundered and expropriated year after year, and many tribes that belonged to the Turks are already in dire straits. Under such an environment of long-term high-pressure exploitation, some people are bound to resist.

At that time, a single spark can start a prairie fire, and the huge Turkic Khanate seems to be strong, but in fact it will fall apart only overnight."

While talking, Gao Chong stood up, feeling filled with righteous indignation and burning in his chest, took off his cloak, and walked towards the screen behind Li Shimin.

Li Shimin has a habit of hanging a complete map of the Tang Dynasty on one side of the screen in front of him, and official positions and corresponding names on the other side.

Gao Chong pointed to the northeast corner of the whole map of the Tang Dynasty: "I'm not exaggerating, this winter, there must be changes in the eastern part of the grassland, and this kind of change is bound to sweep the entire grassland.

Starting from the Mohe, Khitan, and Xi tribes in the east, and gradually heading west, Xueyantuo, Tiele, Huihe, Bayegu and other tribes count as one, but those who are bloody will not be able to bear the exploitation of the Turks. At that time, it was me During the Northern Expedition of Tang Dynasty.

Now that I have finished speaking, do you still feel that the Turks are strong and the Tang Dynasty is weak, Your Highness? "

Li Shimin was dumbfounded, his eyes wandered up and down the grassland in the north of the map, and he slowly saw Gao Chong's body, his throat rolled, and he said with some difficulty: "Your words...seem to be shocking."

This is not because Li Shimin's mentality is unstable. In fact, Gao Chong's words are too shocking. After all, Turkic is so powerful now, controlling millions of strings. It is Turkic prosperity that has never been seen since ancient times. Gao Chong has historical foresight. It has long been known that the Turkic Khanate is about to collapse, but others don't know.

It's like someone said in the first year of Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty that the Tang Dynasty would soon be in chaos. Who would believe it?
However, Li Shimin calmed down and slowly pondered Gao Chong's words. It seemed reasonable, and it was hard to refute. According to reliable sources, the oppression and exploitation of grassland tribes by Jieli Tuli and his nephew really existed.

In fact, as Gao Chong said, although Ashina Dubi, who inherited his father and brother's foundation, was a man of great talent and mighty power over the grasslands, he prided himself on being the greatest khan of the Turkic Khanate, with the widest territory and the largest number of soldiers, and he never regarded other The tribes were treated as courtiers and whipped at will as slaves.

According to the original trajectory, Li Shimin ascended the throne in the first year of Zhenguan. It seems that God blesses the Tang Dynasty. The weather in the Tang Dynasty is smooth, but the grassland is hit by a blizzard that has been rare for decades, and various tribes are severely affected. However, the exploitation of Jieli Khan remains the same.

Xue Yantuo, who lived in the Tula River Basin in Mobei, couldn't bear it anymore, and took the lead in rebelling, and then Huihe, Bayegu and other tribes rose up one after another. Jieli Khan ordered Tuli Khan to lead his troops to crusade, but Tuli was defeated. Li was furious, imprisoned Tuli and whipped him in public, which was a key step in forcing Tuli to rebel.

Later, with the fall of Tuli to the Tang Dynasty, the Eastern Turks gradually fell apart until they perished.

Seeing that Li Shimin was a little startled, Gao Chong smiled lightly, went back to the desk and sat down, "Does your Highness think it makes sense?"

"A single spark can start a prairie fire, so it makes sense." Li Shimin's eyes glowed brightly, "As you said, the emperor and the people of the Tang Dynasty are of one mind, but Xieli does the opposite. The destiny is mine, not Beidi."

Since the Five Hus entered the Central Plains and proclaimed themselves emperors in turn, the world dare not underestimate Hu Yi.

If at the end of the Han Dynasty, you said that the Hu people would take over the Central Plains and proclaim themselves emperor, others would think you were out of your mind.

But now, this statement will not cause people to laugh, because this is what has actually happened. The Xiongnu, Xianbei, Jie, Di, Qiang, etc., have entered the Central Plains one after another and proclaimed themselves kings and emperors.

Even at the end of the Sui Dynasty, the Turks supported Liu Wuzhou, Xue Ju, Li Gui, Liang Shidu and other separatist forces, and they did not have this intention.

Some people say that the Turkic people just plundered property, and they just gave it to him, but in fact they didn't just covet property, they were more like imitating the Hu Yi ancestors and entering the Central Plains, and the clues can be seen only from the annual wars.

Just take the Wude period as an example, and select a representative conflict every year.

In the first year of Wude, the Turks attacked Pingliang, and Zhang Changxun, the former prefect of Wuyuan in the Sui Dynasty, repelled them.

In the second year of Wude, the Turks captured Yulin.

In the third year of Wude, the Turks attacked Yanmen, and Li Dayen, the king of Dingxiang County, repelled it.

In the fourth year of Wude, the Turks attacked Xinzhou, and Li Gaoqian, the general of Zuowuwei, repelled it.

In the fifth year of Wude, the Turks attacked Hongzhou, and Yang Shidao, the governor of Lingzhou, repelled it.

In the sixth year of Wude, the Turks attacked Daizhou, and Lin Jian, the governor of Daizhou, repelled it.

……