Early Tang Dynasty: forge ahead

Chapter 186 The ambition is so great that it’s terrifying

This is why Chen Qingsi chose to make an exception at this time.

Chen Qingsi knows how to be an official.

Transgression is a sin that is said to be very great but said to be small is very small.

It will not only make you lose your life, but also make your superiors laugh at you.

Li Zhi did say that he could comment on government affairs at will and not be held accountable for his speech.

But Chen Qingsi knew that Li Zhi was not Li Shimin, and that Li Xiaojiu was petty and wanted to do what Wei Zheng did as he said.If you say something too much, you will make a mistake. If something offends this person, it is okay if it is within the scope of authority. If it is not within the authority, dismissal will be a light matter.

So even though Li Zhi had this request, Chen Qingsi couldn't do it.

Talking too much, even if what you say is correct, is not necessarily a good thing. Instead, it gives people a flashy feeling of showing off and being pushy.

On the contrary, people who usually don't talk suddenly say a lot, and they make a lot of sense, which gives people a different feeling.

What Chen Qingsi wants is this effect. He is hypnotizing Li Zhi and giving Li Zhi a feeling. Chen Qingsi usually does not overstep his words. Once he does, it means something big will happen.

That's it this time.

Tubo was fully prepared to attack Tuyuhun.

Why no offense?
The reason is simple.

afraid!
The Tang Dynasty's Western Expedition army gathered on the front line of Liangzhou, and Su Dingfang, Li Jing's direct disciple, had already demonstrated a combat effectiveness that was no less than that of his mentor.

Tuyuhun was a vassal state established by the Tang Dynasty. If Tubo dared to invade Tuyuhun at this time, it would be like lighting a lamp in a latrine and looking for shit.

Not to mention that the Qinling Mausoleum on the Tubo Army God has not yet been fully formed, so what if it is fully formed?

Can he really beat Su Dingfang who is relying on Datang?

As long as the Western Expeditionary Army postpones its conquest of the Western Turks, it can immediately reach Qinghai Lake within a month.

Tubo is waiting, waiting for the Tang Dynasty to conquer the east and west, and when the Tang Dynasty invests its troops and financial resources in the Western Regions and the battlefields of the East and the East, it will be the best time for them to attack Tuyuhun.

This was the case in history. Su Dingfang was busy stabilizing the Western Regions, while Cheng Mingzhen and Xue Rengui were already at war with Goguryeo in the Northeast.

Strategic materials gathered in Hebei.

At this time, the Tang Dynasty, which had been conquering for many years, had no spare power to fight on the third front. It could only sit back and watch as the Tibetans destroyed Tuyuhun and seized the geomantic treasure of Qinghai Lake.

Tubo also relied on Qinghai Lake to develop into a formidable power that conquered the Tang Dynasty in the east and conquered food in the west.

Chen Qingsi's report-writing skills were extraordinary. Li Zhi just read the beginning and felt that Songtsen Gampo, the Tubo Zampo, was really great, and then Tubo developed step by step.How to use war and diplomacy to unify the plateau until all signs point to Tuyuhun.

"Are all the sources of information in the Memorial to Your Love reliable?"

Li Zhi did not ask whether Chen Qingsi's analysis was true, but whether the source of the information was reliable.

Chen Qingsi's analysis is too detailed. It may not have the writing style of Jia Yi's "On the Passage of Qin", but it vividly explains why Tubo rose and how it conquered and strengthened, step by step.

Unless the source of the information is false, Li Zhi has no reason to doubt Chen Qingsi's analysis of Tibet.

"At the Zhengdan dinner, I unexpectedly heard that the Prince of Tucharo was slightly dissatisfied with Tubo. He said that Tubo was far beyond my knowledge, which made me think something about it. In the past few days, I have made many inquiries from Tubo, Tuyuhun, and students and businessmen from the Western Regions. My subordinates will The things they described about their hometown were gathered together from here and there. Some of the details may be false, but the general outline is correct."

Chen Qingsi made a loud statement.If others said this, Li Zhi would sneer, but it would be different when it came out of Chen Qingsi's mouth.He had seen Chen Qingsi analyze the overall situation of the Haidong Peninsula through just a few words.

This ability, among other things, was beyond the reach of Li Ji, the number one military officer in the Tang Dynasty.

Li Zhi pondered for a moment and said: "Ai Qing, please wait a moment!"

He said to the chamberlain beside him: "Go and invite Li Sikong."

Chen Qingsi waited patiently.

Li Zhi frowned, a little upset.

Because Li Ji was old, he was not on duty in the imperial city. Instead, he was idle at home. When something happened, he would send someone to summon him.

So the waiting time is longer.

During this period, Li Zhi said nothing and repeatedly looked at the "On the Enemy" in his hand. The more he looked at it, the more he felt that Tibet was a great threat, and the more he looked at it, the more upset he became.

Li Zhi was unwilling to be talked about by future generations, so he said that he was the son of Emperor Taizong Wen and Li Shimin. His biggest wish was to accomplish what his father failed to do.

In order to pacify Haidong, he had been planning for a long time. Now a Tubo appeared. After reading the analysis in "On Enemies", he was waiting for his eastward expedition to seize the opportunity to capture Tuyuhun.

As the emperor of the Tang Dynasty, Li Zhi knew the economic situation of the Tang Dynasty best.

After years of fighting, it was indeed difficult to make ends meet, and fighting on two fronts was already barely possible. If Tubo really took the opportunity to send troops to Tuyuhun, it would be equivalent to seven inches of its own power.

How come Tubo has such a leading figure?
Li Ji arrived late.

He saw Li Zhi and Chen Qingsi both looking solemn, holding their breath and concentrating, and followed them with a solemn salute.

After Li Zhi waited for Li Ji to take his seat, he passed "On the Enemy" to him.

Li Ji read "On the Enemy" once, with a look of shock in his eyes. He glanced at Chen Qingsi and continued to look down at the memorial in his hand. He analyzed it word by word and paragraph by paragraph. He read it several times in a row before bowing: "Your Majesty, I am ashamed and deserve to die.”

Li Ji is indeed strong, but not that strong.

Li Ji is a late-blooming general. He suffered many defeats in his early years. In the Battle of Weizhou, he could not withstand Dou Jiande's attack. In the Battle of Mingzhou, he was only spared by Liu Heitai. However, as his experience increased, he used his troops to cross the border. He became more and more sophisticated, marching and setting up formations, making moves at the first glance, and becoming one of the most outstanding generals at that time.

But after all, he is not Li Shimin or Li Jing, and he lacks strategic foresight.

Generally speaking, at this stage, the Tang Dynasty was tactically invincible and invincible in every attack, but strategically it could only be described as "failure."

For the Haidong Peninsula, a place where dogs do not poop and birds do not lay eggs, we lost the vassal state of Tuyuhun and allowed Tubo to become powerful.

The key Haidong Peninsula also allowed Silla to make a move, but suffered a hidden loss and failed to achieve full success.

Either they underestimated the enemy and underestimated Tubo, or they did not realize how much of a threat the newly rising Tubo was, or both.

But no matter what, Li Ji, as the top leader of the military, must bear the main responsibility.

Li Zhi said: "So, Sikong also agrees with Chen Aiqing's judgment?"

Li Ji still looked ashamed and said: "I have more information than Mr. Chen, and I also know a little bit about the Tubo conquest. I just feel that they are so respectful and humble to us, so they must not dare to become enemies of our dynasty. It's just that they are so respectful and humble to us." In order to take advantage of it, Tuyuhun is no longer as respectful to our court as before, so it would be better for him to suffer a little loss. But after Mr. Chen’s detailed analysis, he was shocked to find that Tubo’s ambition was so huge that it was horrifying.”

(End of this chapter)