Early Tang Dynasty: forge ahead

Chapter 299 Qinghai Cong

With the arrival of the Tibetan envoys, the most angry people were the officials in the Ministry of War.

The court did not announce the details of the battle with Tubo. After all, the victory in this battle was not pretty. In terms of battle loss ratio, they were even inferior to the opponent. It was all due to Chen Qingsi's prediction of the enemy, and it was all due to Su Dingfang's superb performance that turned the situation around.

But as the Ministry of War, as the military staff of this era, it also has to be responsible for rewards, pensions and other aftermath work. The specific situation cannot be hidden from them.

how to say!

In the battle to rescue Tuyuhun, the Ministry of War's reaction and planning were completely manipulated by Tubo, and in the end they relied on someone who was not from the Ministry of War to reverse the situation.

Facing Chen Qingsi, not only Ren Yaxiang and Jiang Ke were embarrassed, but everyone in the Ministry of War felt like they were giving a layman a slap in the face.

With Chen Qingsi's airborne landing, this feeling has dissipated a lot. After all, he has changed from an outsider to an expert.

Chen Qingsi is dealing with matters at the Ministry of War.

Compared with the leisure time he had in the Imperial College and the Prince's Mansion, the work of the Ministry of War was much more complicated.

There are all kinds of chores to deal with every day, and there is almost no free time.

Especially when he took over the position, he was faced with the problems of rewards and pensions after the war, as well as the land problems of military households, and there were so many things.

Fortunately, Chen Qingsi took over the Ministry of War extremely smoothly.

Now Chen Qingsi is no longer a small shrimp in the temple. He will not be targeted by the old man when he parachuted into the Ministry of Civil Affairs and took over as the examiner of the imperial examination.

Now he has made great achievements in civil and military affairs, won the respect of Emperor Li Zhi, and has become the leader of a party.

Just like a powerful dragon crossing the river, no one will feel that he is threatening them because of his airborne landing, and even if they are, they will not dare to show it.

No one could get in the way, and Chen Qingsi had extraordinary ability to deal with things, so he got started with the work of the Ministry of War very quickly.

"Shilang Chen!"

News of the Tibetan envoy's arrival in Beijing reached the Ministry of War, and people immediately flocked to Chen Qingsi's office.

Chen Qingsi looked at the people in front of him. The leader was Zhang Ming, the head of the Ministry of War Department. On his left was Guo Rui, the head of the Staff Department. On the right was Lu Zi, the head of the Treasury Department. Headed by these three people, he followed behind them. There are also subordinate officials from each department, including Lingshi, Shulingshi, Zhishulingshi, Jiakulingshi, Zhanggu, etc., a total of ten people.

Zhang Ming said angrily: "It's too irritating. Those people from the Ministry of Rites should be killed. They accept everything. If we really want to have peace talks with Tubo and make an alliance or something with their help, then what shame do we have?" Facing Qinghai, those tens of thousands of Tang army soldiers whose bones are still cold?"

Zhang Ming's eyes seemed to be on fire, and he spoke very aggressively and rudely. He even rushed to the Ministry of Rites to pull out the official of the Ministry of Rites who had approved the entry of the Tibetan envoys and beat him up.

Zhang Ming's grandfather was Zhang Liang, Duke of Yun, one of the twenty-four heroes of Lingyan Pavilion. As long as he didn't do anything rebellious, it didn't really matter if he beat someone up.

Shi Luying, the bookmaker, also had a fiery temper and cursed: "Speaking of the imperial court's financial difficulties, instead of building a protective palace in Qinghai and stationing troops, it would be better to take advantage of Tubo's opportunity to seek peace and surrender, make an alliance with it, and open an extra trade agreement." Road. Insufficient finances, isn’t it because they are incompetent? Why should the soldiers be held responsible for their incompetence?”

The Tang Dynasty favored martial arts, and many of the civil servants in the court were military generals who had performed meritorious service, and there were more such people in the Ministry of War.

Lu Ying followed Li Ji to conquer Xue Yantuo, served as his clerk, and joined the Ministry of War for his merit.

People who have been on the battlefield still have a hot temper even if they have a civilian job.

Immediately after you said something, I started talking, my voice getting louder and louder, and I even had the urge to roll up my sleeves and go to the etiquette department to fight.

Chen Qingsi looked at everyone with a smile and said nothing. For a long time, the real master did not speak.

Zhang Ming was a little anxious and couldn't help but said: "Shilang Chen! Please say something!"

Chen Qingsi put down the official document in his hand and said, "What do you want me to say? Lead you to the Ministry of Etiquette to fight with them? There is no use asking me for this matter."

He pointed to the considerable muscles hidden in his sleeves and said, "With my thin arms and legs, who can I beat?"

Guo Rui said anxiously: "What time has it been? Please stop joking with us, Minister. You have His Majesty's trust the most. No matter what, we ask you to tell His Majesty our thoughts. We can't chill the hearts of the soldiers..."

Seeing that they were really anxious, Chen Qingsi put away his smile and said, "Okay, let's all go down. Don't stick here one by one. You must believe in Your Majesty. Your Majesty will not let the sacrifices of the soldiers in Qinghai be in vain."

Chen Qingsi did not answer this question directly, but expressed her attitude tactfully.

The ability of the Tubo envoys to cross the border and come to the capital was a matter for the Ministry of Rites, and the Ministry of War had no right to interfere.

The directions of consideration are different, and the results are also different.

Although Chen Qingsi was also unhappy, she also understood the importance.

Regarding the dangers of Tubo, he had written clearly in his policy statement. Although Li Zhi had many flaws in his character, he was a wise leader and would not be so stupid as to listen to Tubo's lies again.

He could conclude that this would not happen.

Lu Zi, the head of the Treasury Department, was the calmest. Hearing this, he breathed a sigh of relief and said, "This way, we can feel at ease."

Everyone bowed one after another, then said goodbye and left.

More than ten people, including Zhang Ming, Guo Rui, and Lu Zi, walked out of Chen Qingsi's office and happened to meet Jiang Ke, the Minister of War.

The Ministry of War is honored by the Minister of War, and Jiang Ke's office is located in the main hall of the Ministry of War. As the deputy chief, Chen Qingsi's office is just to the right of Jiang Ke.

Looking at Jiang Ke, the three of them were startled, and then felt guilty as a thief, and they all saluted and said hello.

Many other officials and officials behind him couldn't help but shrink their heads. After receiving Chen Qingsi's hint, they were in a better mood. They were talking and laughing, but they all shut up when they saw this.

Without saying a word, Jiang Ke waved his hand, as if to shoo away flies, signaling them to get out of here.

Zhang Ming, Guo Rui, Lu Zi and others were relieved and ran away.

Jiang Ke glanced in the direction of Chen Qingsi and walked into his office with a long sigh. Looking at the desk at the top, he felt that although his surname was Jiang, he felt that he was already surnamed Chen.

Jiang Ke scratched his head helplessly and thought to himself: "Take one step and count it as one!"

In fact, Jiang Ke wanted Chen Qingsi to succeed at a young age, dissatisfied with his superior, and confront him, so that he could legitimately fight back and suppress him by relying on his advantages as a superior officer and connections in the army.

But Chen Qingsi did not do this. Instead, she respected him as her boss and did not act in any way, leaving him unable to find fault.

Jiang Ke asked himself that he did not have the ability to take the initiative to find trouble with the emperor and the former celebrity, and could only coexist peacefully with them.

But the most powerful thing is this peaceful coexistence...

Chen Qingsi's abilities and methods are outstanding. He has both civil and martial arts skills. He is also a popular person in front of today's people. He is also supplemented by the connections left by Lai Ji.

Chen Qingsi has too much brilliance that attracts people to follow him. Just like the Yellow River and the Yangtze River, the path he chooses to flow will eventually attract thousands of tributaries to converge. Just like what happened today, in the past, if such a big thing happened, people from Yi Zong should come to him to discuss it together.

Now he has gone to Chen Qingsi...

But what could he say?

Although I am a minister, if I want to see the emperor alone, I have to pass several passes and pass the news up step by step. I really want to find him, but there is one more person to worry about.

If the other party can directly hear from heaven, it means that he is favored by Biyi, has the Sacred Heart, and can speak in front of the emperor.

Jiang Ke felt like a frog in warm water, jumping slowly.

Hearing that there was silence outside, Chen Qingsi rubbed his hands and felt the heat coming from his palms. The Ministry of Rites did not intend to do a good thing this time.

The current Minister of Rites is Lu Chengqing, who was transferred to Beijing from Yangzhou not long ago. He has always advocated the use of diplomacy to eliminate troubles in order to achieve the goal of defeating others without fighting.

This time the Tibetan envoy was able to enter Beijing, and this person contributed a lot.

Chen Qingsi's sources of information were much more accurate than those of Zhang Ming, Guo Rui, and Lu Zi. He already knew the Tibetan envoys when they were on the way.

He was inevitably a little indignant, but he also knew that the benefits of Tubo's trip outweighed the disadvantages.

When Tubo came to sue for peace with the imperial court, who was the most panicked?

It's definitely not Tang Ting.

It is not easy for Tuyuhun to ask for money from his pocket to support the Tang army. Tuyuhun Khan Murong Nuohebo is just stupid, but not stupid, and will not give in easily.

Chen Qingsi has been holding back, just to force Tuyuhun to lose his composure and act first...

In any negotiation and transaction, the person being asked for is invincible, and the person asking for it compromises first, except of course Wanyan Gou.

Now wait for Tuyuhun's reaction.

Tuyuhun's reaction was faster and more out of control than Chen Qingsi expected.

On the same day, when Chen Qingsi returned home, the housekeeper Jiang Chen handed the arranged invitations to Chen Qingsi.

Murong Tai's name was included in the invitation.

Murong Min was the second son of Murong Nuohebo. He grew up in Chang'an and received education from the Imperial College here. He later settled in Chang'an and served as the envoy of the Tuyuhun Seiyi Pavilion, working on Tuyuhun's affairs.

Chen Qingsi handed Murong Tao's greeting card to Jiang Chen and said, "Let him visit at this time tomorrow."

When it was time to make the appointment, Chen Qingsi looked at Murong Tao in front of him, a little surprised that his age, in his early twenties, was almost the same as hers.

"Shilang Chen, a BMW is a gift to a hero. How can a hero like you, who is both talented in both civil and military affairs, not be worthy of a good horse? I am here to visit you today, and I would like to take this thousand-mile horse as a gift. I hope you will accept it."

Chen Qingsi looked at the horse on Murong Tao's finger, and a flash of splendor flashed in her eyes. She was attracted by the straight and dazzling word "1".

It was a divine horse that was almost completely black. The black body was shining brightly. The strips of muscles on the long and strong limbs seemed to be made of steel bars. The smooth and energetic skin was as bright and bright as the dark fire of hell. In the strong wind, The black mane swaying in the wind is like thousands of black snakes flying, fluttering in the wind.

In the middle of the horse's head, from the forehead past the eyes to the top of the nose, there are fine white hairs without any variegation, standing straight to the bottom, which is very distinctive.

Chen Qingsi didn't know much about horses, but even if he didn't, he could still tell how extraordinary this horse was.

Chen Qingsi praised: "The book says: Qinghai is more than a thousand miles away, and there are hills in the sea. Every winter after the ice closes, good female horses are placed on this mountain, and in the spring they are harvested. The horses are all pregnant, and the resulting foals are called There must be many kinds of dragons. Tuyuhun tasted Persian straw horses and put them into the sea. They gave birth to horses that can travel thousands of miles in a day. It is said that the Qinghai horses are the ones from generation to generation. Could this be the Qinghai horses?"

Murong Tao said: "Shilang Chen is very knowledgeable and admirable."

He spoke sincerely, lowered his head, and added: "My Tuyuhun is indeed rich in good horses, but the divine horse presented to you today is rare even among the many good horses in my Tuyuhun."

Chen Qingsi's eyes were shining, and she couldn't put it down, and said, "I particularly like this great gift from Mr. Murong, so I refuse it disrespectfully."

"Come! Mr. Murong, please. I have some good tea from the south of the Yangtze River in my house. Let's go inside and talk."

As if he had gained a beloved treasure, he enthusiastically invited Murong Tao into the living room.

In order to show his sincerity, he personally made tea for Murong Tao.

Murong Tai had lived in Chang'an since he was a child and knew the customs of Chang'an very well. He waited quietly while the host played with various tea sets.

Then he drank the tea soup with ginger and oil and was full of praise.

Chen Qingsi was very satisfied with Murong Tao's performance and said straight to the point: "Murong Langjun came to visit with heavy gifts, not just for this cup of tea."

Murong Tao straightened his body and bowed to the ground: "Servant Mingjian, I am here to ask you to ask for an explanation for the countless heroes of the Tang Dynasty who died heroically in Tuyuhun. Minister, Tubo is a group of greedy hungry people." Wolf. They will never be satisfied with the status quo. When Songtsan Gampo was in power, they used the same method. They kept showing goodwill to us, sending people to constantly send gifts, and then created friction with friendly tribes, thus driving a wedge between the two parties. Each other. Their hearts can be killed, their hearts can be killed!"

He was so angry that he kept hitting the ground with his hands.

Tubo used the method of far-reaching and close-attacking to its advantage, and Tuyuhun suffered greatly from it.

In the northeast of Subi State and the northwest of Tuyuhun, that is, in the northern part of Qinghai, there is a tribe called Bailanqiang, which is a legacy of the Qiang people during the Eastern Han Dynasty.

The Bailanqiang are few in number, but they are brave and good at fighting, and have a good relationship with Tuyuhun.

Tubo was not strong enough to deal with Bai Lanqiang and Tuyuhun, so he gave gifts to Tuyuhun, so that everyone in Tuyuhun would regard Tubo as an ally.

Then Tubo kept creating conflicts with Bai Lanqiang, putting Tuyuhun in a dilemma, and never caused Tuyuhun and Bailanqiang to alienate each other.

In the end, Tubo raised an army of 100,000 to destroy Bailanqiang and took Bailanqiang's warriors for his own use, while Tuyuhun watched from the sidelines.

Now reap the consequences.

"Servant, Tubo cannot be trusted!"

"How could I not know?"

Chen Qingsi slammed the teacup in her hand onto the ground, causing it to shatter into pieces.

Murong Tao was even shocked.

Chen Qingsi looked at Murong Tao with burning eyes and said: "Murong Langjun, I know as much about Tubo as you do. I know the virtues of Tubo very clearly. You and I have exactly the same attitude and view towards Tubo. Tubo is what it is. The insatiable beast cannot give up Qinghai. I just wish I could immediately set up a Protectorate in Qinghai and block Tibet on the plateau so that it will never come down..."

Murong Tao's eyes sparkled when he learned that Chen Qingsi had written three times to establish the Protectorate in Qinghai.

(End of this chapter)