Early Tang Dynasty: forge ahead

Chapter 392: Move bigger

Wei Yuanzhong blushed and said in disbelief, "Is Empress Wu really so bold?"

Zhang Jianzhi was silent for a while and then said: "It's just a guess. Whether it is true or not depends on the development of the situation."

Zhang Jianzhi was in Dali Temple, in charge of the trial of prison cases, and was closely related to people's livelihood. He was Chen Qingsi's confidant in the Qing school, and was the core of the poetry line of the prosperous Tang Dynasty. He had far more resources than Wei Yuanzhong.

Zhang Jianzhi can be said to be Chen Qingsi's spy in Gyeonggi Province, and all changes in the temple are under his control.

Ever since Empress Wu came to Luoyang, she specially wrote the "Commandment to Wife Relatives" to advise the lawless Wu family in Chang'an to change their style, and she took it seriously. Not only did they discover that Empress Wu had close contacts with Xu Jingzong, but Renyu, the Minister of War, was directly her person.

With the cooperation of Xu Jingzong and the assistance of Fang Renyu, Queen Wu has gathered considerable strength.

Wei Yuanzhong had this feeling after communicating with him this time and combining it with the information he had.

But he wasn't sure. After all, this matter was so big that it was so big that people would find it unbelievable just to hear it.

I said it this time because I wanted to gather the wisdom of the two of them to determine the authenticity.

Of the six Zen enshrinements in history, there is no doubt that Li Zhi’s was the largest in scale and had the highest political significance.

Wei Yuanzhong said: "I strongly recommend Feng Chan and invite names. I really want to unite, but there is such a suspicion. But I still can't believe that Empress Wu has such intention... maybe it is an accident?"

How to be more qualified than the future Song Zhenzong who lowered Feng Chan's grade.

It was already half a month later when Chen Qingsi received the letter from home.

With them as benchmarks, ordinary excellent emperors would never dare to think of it if they were thin-skinned.

It's just summer and spring plowing is over.

In fact, in Chen Qingsi's view, Li Zhi is still much inferior to the top three, but with the rich inheritance Li Shimin left him, he is still qualified...

Zhang Jianzhi was also unsure. Although everything seemed reasonable, from the perspective of the entire system, it was extremely unreasonable.

In this male-dominated era, Empress Wu's idea is indeed unconventional, and even if she guesses the answer, it is hard to believe.

A simple sentence also shows how important sacrifice is in China, even before the war.

The palace has truly been opened by the nine heavens, and the clothes and hats of all nations have been worshiped...

Chen Qingsi looked at the letter in his hand and recalled this period of history.

Respect heaven and earth and respect our ancestors.

"The major event of the country lies in the sacrifice and the army."

Taishan Fengchan is the grandest and most solemn ceremony to worship heaven in ancient times. Only in the era of Haiyanheqing and the peak of martial arts, can it be qualified to perform Fengchan.

Zhang Jianzhi returned home, thought about it, and decided to write down his conjecture and send someone to the Chen family's residence. The Chen family would send the news in batches in the form of family letters.

In the end, neither of them came up with a reasonable answer.

There are two candidates for one emperor through the ages. Among the emperors of China for thousands of years, they have fought for one to protect the other three. Emperor Guangwu of the Han Dynasty is also known as the most perfect emperor candidate.

Chen Qingsi muttered something.

In addition to the civil and military officials, the retinue and ceremonial guards, and the Empress Wu and her domestic and foreign concubines, they were also accompanied by envoys and chiefs from the Turks, Khotan, Persia, India, Japan, Silla, Baekje, Goguryeo and other countries.

So far, only three emperors have ascended Mount Tai to enshrine Zen: Emperor Zulong, Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty who made great achievements in the Han Dynasty, and Emperor Guangwu of the Han Dynasty who regained the power of the Han family.

In addition to greatly increasing the emperor's prestige, Empress Wu's operations also blinded the eyes of all the accompanying civil and military ministers.

She used the idea of ​​filial piety to persuade Li Zhi to take charge of the Yaxian Festival. She officially stood on the stage of history in front of civil and military officials and princes from all parties, confirmed her political status, and won an extraordinary position for herself. political capital.

The emperor and the empress, and the two saints sharing the same court, began to become a matter of course.

Whenever Chen Qingsi related to this period of history in later generations, he couldn't help but sigh. Wu Zetian did dare to do and think. She, the veritable first empress of China, was indeed very capable.

Now looking at the letter in his hand, Chen Qingsi realized that Queen Wu's plan for Feng Chan was so early.

The biggest problem of Empress Wu is the "poor and cold land" written by King Luo Bin.

As a talented person of the late emperor, he was charming in appearance and did not have the magnanimity of a mother to respect the world.

Not to mention anything else, just appearance, Queen Wu is not qualified.

This was also the key to the original opposition of hundreds of officials. Even when she was the queen, she made some achievements but failed to receive too much praise.

But after the conferment of Zen, no one in the civil and military dynasties questioned the identity of Queen Wu...

If she hadn't bullied her son and behaved against her after Li Zhi's death, no one would have brought up her scandal.

The title of Zen was a hurdle. Once it was passed, Empress Wu's political status would be stable.

The right hand holding the letter couldn't help but exert a little force. Chen Qingsi never denied the power of Queen Wu.

It is truly remarkable that a woman could achieve such an achievement in the patriarchal feudal era.

It's just that she is not the emperor's best choice...

Chen Qingsi found the fire fold, lit the letter in his hand, and looked at the paper that turned into black ash as the flames dissipated, his eyes burning.

This time, I can’t let you become a blockbuster.

Chen Qingsi thought about it carefully, then started writing, intending to write an article "Broken Goguryeo".

Chen Qingsi did not write about how to send troops to attack Goguryeo or how to defeat Goguryeo militarily. Instead, he wrote about how to deal with the current Goguryeo in terms of military harassment, economic blockade, diplomatic division, and public opinion incitement.

Goguryeo had two major advantages. First, the city was high and dangerous. Goguryeo's cities were built on mountains, supplemented by city-building techniques and defensive techniques learned from China, making them easy to defend and difficult to attack. Secondly, they ruled the Northeast for four hundred years and established deep friendships with the Xianbei, Hui, Mohe and other tribes in the Northeast. They often assisted Goguryeo in their battles as allies of Goguryeo. These fishing and hunting tribes living in the mountains and forests are all born warriors. They often appeared on the Tang Army's supply lines, increasing the pressure on the Tang Army.

It was precisely because of these two advantages that Li Shimin retreated...

But in comparison, Goguryeo also had many weaknesses.

The first is the regicide regent of Da Moli Zhiyuan Gaisu Wen. Although he successfully resisted the Tang army and became a hero of Goguryeo, he could not change the sequelae of his iron-fisted rule on Goguryeo. Especially now, the Tang army forced Goguryeo's economy to collapse and the people to live in dire straits by blocking, harassing, and destroying Goguryeo's internal economy.

Faced with such a bad situation, heroes will gradually become sinners.

If Pyongyang City is difficult to attack, there is no need to attack it.

First use all available political means, and finally harvest the remaining ones. No matter how strong the city of Pyongyang is, it is nothing more than a city.

Chen Qingsi wrote hard and fast, and when he was halfway through writing, Liu Rengui asked to see him.

"Grand Governor!"

Liu Rengui bowed and saluted.

"You came just in time. I have something to ask you for. Let me tell you about you first..."

Liu Rengui: "It's like this. Seeing the rapid development of our maritime transportation, Silla has also started to think about it. They want to take the Liaodong route like us and transport Silla's excess supplies to Liaodong."

Chen Qingsi said: "This is a good thing."

Liu Rengui: "The governor-general doesn't know something. Baekje and Silla are both located on the Haidong Peninsula, and they share resources with each other. What you have, I have, and what I have, you have too, just like tea! Let them join in, This will affect Baekje. Baekje's development is not as good as that of Silla, and it may not be able to compete after the war. "

"It doesn't matter!" Chen Qingsi thought for a while and said: "We can't be so short-sighted. Silla's submission has both advantages and disadvantages to the court."

Silla's cooperation was tantamount to announcing that Goguryeo's death was imminent.

Encirclement on three sides would make it easier for the Tang army to eliminate this serious threat in the northeast, and save a lot of soldiers, horses and strategic materials.

But Tang Jun also lost the opportunity to pass through Haidong...

The Tang Dynasty was a great country, and it was the suzerain state to which all nations surrendered.

This big country has a big country's way of playing, and when enjoying the benefits of the suzerain country, it also has to pay something.

Just like a small country can ignore integrity and rebel at will without being bound by morality. But big countries can't do that. If you destroy a vassal country that is loyal to you just for a small profit, you will definitely not be able to survive as a suzerain country.

This was also Jin Yuxin's last plot for Silla. He was afraid that he had noticed Chen Qingsi's intentions, so he directly acted and used morality to defeat Chen Qingsi's army.

Let Chen Qingsi find no reason to destroy Silla...

As for the future, if the Tang Dynasty remains strong and Silla continues to surrender, once the Tang Dynasty suffers great changes, Silla will still have a chance to bring Haidong under its control.

Chen Qingsi knew Jin Yuxin's thoughts, but he didn't think Silla could survive until that time.

The idea is nice, but the reality may not be.

As long as Goguryeo is destroyed, Haidong will enter a peaceful era.

Peace means development, and Silla cannot do without the Central Plains.

Unless Silla has the ability to trade with the Americas across the sea, the economic lifeline will have to be in the hands of the Tang army.

The deeper the contact with each other, the deeper the impact of cultural exchange...

It’s obvious who can’t live without who.

Now that Silla wants to take advantage of Datang's maritime trade channels, it is a good start.

Liu Rengui knew what Chen Qingsi was thinking and said, "Would this be too advantageous for them? If there is no internal discount, I'm afraid it will also cause controversy."

Chen Qingsi said: "That makes sense. In this way, we can collect a symbolic additional trade tax on trade between the two countries."

Liu Rengui: "That's good." He then asked: "What are the orders from the Governor?"

Chen Qingsi asked Lu Zhaolin to serve tea to Liu Rengui and said, "You can sit down while I finish writing."

Liu Rengui didn't rush him, just sipped tea and closed his eyes to rest.

Chen Qingsi finished writing "Broken Goguryeo", handed it to Liu Rengui, and said, "Just take a look!"

Liu Rengui became energetic when he read the five words "Broken Goguryeo". He read each word carefully and couldn't help but pat his thigh at the key points.

"Every word is precious and every sentence makes sense."

Liu Rengui first said eight words of emotion, and then said: "The sanctions written by the governor in this book can be said to hit the Achilles' heel of Goguryeo. If it can be achieved, Goguryeo will not be far from destruction."

He paused and then said: "Just how to divide Goguryeo's allies? Xianbei is easy to say. It is easy to say that it is the leader and the rat. All it takes is coercion and inducement. But Huiqi and Mohe, they have been friends with Goguryeo for hundreds of years and have a very close relationship. A certain I remember that during the Taizong period, some people also tried to talk about demotion, but failed. "

Chen Qingsi said: "This is why I came to find you. I heard that profits can make people crazy. 10% profit can make people excited, 20% profit can make people happy, and 50% profit can make people flock to you." A 10% profit can make people take risks. If the profit is 10% or 100%, do you think someone will take the risk of beheading? "

Liu Rengui: "There are probably some, and there are quite a few. When I was released as an official, I arrested many such people."

Chen Qingsi said: "I think so too! So in our Baekje, as well as Silla, and even Liaodong. There must be desperate smugglers. They disobey our orders and secretly do business with Goguryeo. The tighter we blockade, the more The greater the benefits, the more people can’t resist the temptation.”

Liu Rengui asked: "Does the Governor want to put an end to this kind of situation?"

"No!" Chen Qingsi's eyes flashed and she said: "On the contrary, I plan to use smuggling to divide the relationship between Goguryeo and Gu Guli and Mohe. There are many treasures in the old forests of Montenegro in the northeast, such as mink skin, Ganoderma lucidum, Haidong Qingzhi , aged old ginseng and other rare things. These things are extremely rare in other places. Now because of the blockade, the price must have increased by dozens or even hundreds of times. If there is a shortage of resources in Goguryeo, we can contact them. In exchange for mink skins, Ganoderma lucidum, sea greens, old ginseng and other items, do you think they will exchange them?”

A glimmer of understanding flashed in Liu Rengui's eyes, and he smiled: "It goes without saying, of course I have to change."

Chen Qingsi knew that he had understood what he meant and said with a smile: "Goguryeo does not have many of these materials. The ones who really master them are the Hui and Mohe in the old forests of Montenegro. As long as a few orders of business are made and mutual trust is achieved, Goguryeo will let Hui We mixed in the mink, ganoderma, and ginseng to ensure that there were enough supplies. When the quantity was large, we cut off this road so that Goguryeo could not afford to pay for the mink skin, lingzhi, sea green ginseng, and old ginseng. I want to see if they can remain united and remain completely indifferent to the clan's interests."

Liu Rengui: "The choice of this smuggler is very important. Yeon Gae Su Wen is a powerful figure in the world and will not fall into the trap easily."

Chen Qing nodded and said: "So I need you to secretly send an envoy to Silla and ask the King of Silla to cooperate with us to complete this matter. Smugglers cannot come from our territory in the Tang Dynasty, and the Silla nobles are the best choice. Now they have domestic supplies Scarcity is when supplies are most needed, and they have no other choice..."

Liu Rengui said: "I understand, arrange things around you and leave immediately."

Chen Qingsi was extremely confident about Liu Rengui's ability.

Chen Qingsi looked at the book "Breaking Goguryeo" in his hand, thinking about the situation in Beijing, and muttered to himself: "My actions must be bigger."

(End of this chapter)