Early Tang Dynasty: forge ahead

Chapter 444 A Red Line

When Chen Qingsi said this, Li Zhi, Xu Jingzong and Dou Deyuan all looked solemn.

They are all top figures in the Tang Dynasty, and the information resources they have access to are unknown to ordinary people.

As the Tang Dynasty strengthened its control over the Western Regions, it also gained a certain understanding of the countries further west.

Li Zhi, Xu Jingzong and Dou Deyuan all had a rough idea of ​​the power of the Arab Empire. They knew that the enemy's overall strength was far greater than all the enemies they had encountered before.

However, because they were too far apart from each other, no one took it seriously.

Judging from Chen Qingsi's tone, it seems that there will be a war between the Tang Dynasty and the Arabs.

This is no small matter.

If someone else said this, it would inevitably be questioned and regarded as alarmist.

But coming from Chen Qingsi's mouth, it carries enough weight.

After all, Chen Qingsi has never made any mistakes in strategy.

That’s not right. Something unexpected happened this time.

He was the one who said before that we don't need to be too concerned about the Arab Empire, but now he has changed his tune...

Chen Qingsi was influenced by his memories of later life and invisibly stepped into the maze he had set.

Chen Qingsi's greatest reliance in this world is his far-sighted vision. He has insight into some crucial events and knows the direction of historical context. He can find the right path according to the direction of world development, so as not to cross the river by feeling the stones.

But from the moment he appeared, the butterfly effect had already occurred. The more and bigger things he intervened in, the more changes he brought about.

Some of the things he knows are bound to happen will deviate from his cognition.

Just like the impression of the Arab Empire...

As far as Chen Qingsi knows, the first confrontation between the Arab Empire and the Tang Dynasty was during the Tianbao period, when Gao Xianzhi from the Western Regions led the Anxi Army to fight a great battle with the Arab Empire in Talas.

This battle ended with Gao Xianzhi's defeat...

Putting aside the feelings, Gao Xianzhi's defeat was not unfair. He was a famous general, but it was not unfair for him to be backstabbed for what he did in the Western Regions.

The Tang Dynasty had the privilege of abolishing and enthroning small countries, but that was no reason for Gao Xianzhi to act recklessly and destroy other countries, slaughter their royal families, and plunder their wealth, which completely ruined the reputation of the Tang Dynasty that had been operating in the Western Regions for many years.

Influenced by this memory, Chen Qingsi concluded that the Arabs would not be enemies with the Tang Dynasty because they had many soft targets to pick on and there was no need to challenge the giant Tang Dynasty at this time.

Here Chen Qingsi overlooked a key point. The Tang Dynasty in history was indeed powerful, but its internal fatigue was already evident, and it was far from being as strong as it is today.

Therefore, in history, after the Arab Empire joined forces with Tubo to destroy Persia, it was determined that the influence of the Tang Dynasty was limited to the Western Regions and did not penetrate deep into Central Asia to threaten their existence.

Only then did he feel at ease to pick on the weak ones around him, and beat up all the enemies on all sides, including India, the Byzantine Kingdom, the Visigothic Kingdom, and the Frankish Empire...

It was not until yesterday, when Chen Qingsi heard the King of Tocharistan speak of the brutality of the Arab Empire and beg the court to send troops to help, that he realized that the current Tang Dynasty has far greater control over the Western Regions than at the same period, and its culture has begun to penetrate into Central Asia.

Chen Qingsi no longer blindly believed in his memory, but had his own insights.

Now the influence of the Tang Dynasty has radiated to Central Asia...

Chen Qingsi knew that the Tang Dynasty had no intention of expanding westwards. The Chinese people were always able to fight and dare to fight, but they were not good at fighting...

Every war must have its own purpose. It will not be carried out simply for the sake of killing and conquering, to completely destroy a country or a nation.
Compared with the conquest of the West, the Easterners pay more attention to gradual progress, prefer to promote benevolence and pay attention to ethnic integration compared to force. They will only resort to force when reason fails.

Without actually transforming the Western Regions into part of China's territory, the Tang Dynasty expanded aimlessly and without any intention.

But it is obvious that the West does not understand this truth.

They would not think that the Tang Dynasty had no intention of expansion, but that the Tang Dynasty had already reached out to the lands they had conquered. The existence of the Tang Dynasty had already threatened their living environment...

Under such circumstances, how could the Arab Empire be able to confidently send its troops in all directions to bully the Indians and Romans as it did in history?

They will definitely leave an army to guard against the Tang Dynasty...

The Tang Dynasty will not remain indifferent to this.

It is impossible for the two sides to stall for a long time. If it really comes to that, even if the top leaders of the two countries do not want to fight, accidental shootings will happen on the border sooner or later.

Thinking of this, Chen Qingsi explained his reasons to Li Zhi.

He was worried that Li Zhi might not understand, so he made a vivid analogy: "Your Majesty, just like the court and Goguryeo, the late emperor's arduous expedition to the east was really to avenge the former Sui Dynasty?"

Li Zhi actually already understood it, and now with the comparison, he understood it even more thoroughly.

Goguryeo in Haidong has nothing to do with the core interests of the Tang Dynasty.

The core of the Tang Dynasty is in Guanzhong and Central Plains, and the future of the Tang Dynasty lies in the west. The bitter and cold land of the Northeast will not affect any development of the court.

But if we don't attack Goguryeo, once they unify the Haedong Peninsula, it would be like having an extra tiger behind our butts. Who can sleep well with that?

The size of the Tang Dynasty is not comparable to that of Goguryeo...

The imperial court was so wary of Goguryeo that it was determined to destroy it by sending troops far and wide.

Now that the Arab Empire is facing the same problem, it goes without saying what they will do.

Li Zhi took off his dragon robe and tightened and loosened it, revealing the complex emotions of the owner of the hand.

The Arab Empire is a truly powerful rival.

If I defeat them, wouldn't my status be just like my father's?
But Li Zhi also knew his family's situation. After he ascended the throne, he had fought wars in the south and the north with little rest, so much so that riots broke out in the south. He had restrained himself a little in recent years and had saved a lot of money, but he had almost squandered it all on this Fengshan ceremony.

The financial pressure that going to war with the Arabs at this time put on the imperial court was incalculable.

To fight against the Arabs, the four towns in the Western Regions were not enough, and elite troops had to be transferred from Guanzhong. The cost of supplies from Guanzhong to the Western Regions and then from the Western Regions to the Wuhu River was an astronomical figure.

If we fail to win quickly and the war turns into a war of attrition, the situation will be even more worrying.

I might end up like Yang Guang...

Xu Jingzong didn't dare to speak for a moment. He could guess Li Zhi's current mood. When he was unsure of the answer, he would not speak easily.

Dou Deyuan couldn't help but say, "This is not the time to start a war. If we can avoid it, it's better to avoid it."

Li Zhi frowned but said nothing. He didn't want to retreat, but the court's current situation did not have enough financial resources to support a war with a powerful enemy like the Arab Empire.

Chen Qingsi said: "It is useless to give in to the Arab Empire. Westerners have always bullied the weak. They will be in awe of your strength and will not be soft-handed because of your weakness. The Western Region is also a piece of fat meat for them. If we become timid, there is no guarantee that they will not make further advances."

"Then we have no choice but to fight?" Li Zhi frowned. Chen Qingsi said, "This war will be fought sooner or later, it is inevitable. But we can postpone it... I think that we don't want to fight, and they don't want to fight either. Your Majesty, don't forget that the way their new king succeeded to the throne was not glorious, and there are bound to be some problems within the country. What they need most now is to prove that they are the chosen ones through victory. They are the successors of the Arab law established by their only true god, Allah."

"I have great confidence in your majesty's wisdom and the bravery and wisdom of our Tang generals and soldiers."

"I don't believe they would choose the Tang Dynasty to prove themselves. Even if they were given ten guts, they wouldn't dare to do so."

"If we lose, the worst that can happen is that we retreat to the Western Regions and give up the outer areas of the Western Regions. If they lose, the entire country will be overthrown."

Chen Qingsi still has some historical knowledge. Where did the Sunni and Shiite factions that have troubled the Middle East and Arab world for thousands of years begin?

It's now……

The Shiites did not recognize the current monarch Muawiyah's right of succession, thus giving rise to the Arab-Islamic faction.

The White Caliphate was also overthrown by the Shi'ite faction, and it was the Black Caliphate that later fought a great battle with the Tang Dynasty in Talas.

Chen Qingsi's words specifically praised Li Zhi.

Li Zhi's brows relaxed, and he felt that what Chen Qingsi said made sense: What was there for him to be afraid of?

When the Tang Dynasty prospered, all nations came to congratulate it.

How dare a mere Arab country resort to war so easily?
Chen Qingsi continued, "The key to the relationship between the two countries now lies in Persia. Persia's actions will put both of us in an awkward position. How to delay the war between the two countries depends on how to deal with Persia."

"I estimate that they came here to investigate the court's true intentions and to express their own attitudes."

Li Zhi nodded slightly, agreeing with Chen Qingsi's statement.

Xu Jingzong interrupted and said, "That's easy. The Arabs don't want to be enemies with the imperial court at this time, and the imperial court has no time to care about other things. Why not let Persia and Tocharia test the Arabs' strength first? If they don't plan to send troops on their own, then let them do it."

"If we win, it means that the Arabs are nothing but chickens and dogs, so there is no need to worry. If we lose, the imperial court will mediate and ask both sides to stop fighting. The upper and lower reaches of the Wuhu River will be the boundary, and we will not invade each other."

Xu Jingzong didn't want Chen Qingsi to steal the limelight, so he followed Chen Qingsi's ideas and provided a solution.

Chen Qingsi did not care and said, "That is what I mean. Since Persia and Tocharia have their own considerations and are unwilling to follow our advice, let them pay a certain price. Let them know that if they want to restore their country and enjoy peace, obedience is the key."

"Your Majesty, do you have a map? You can draw a line at the Wuhu River as the bottom line for the negotiations."

"Crossing the red line means declaring war on the imperial court..."

Li Zhi found it interesting and asked someone to find a map.

He would not draw a red line at random. After consulting Chen Qingsi's advice, he also went to discuss with Li Ji. After that, he drew a red line and asked the Ministry of Rites to negotiate with the envoys of the Arab Empire.

Chen Qingsi was somewhat curious about the negotiation between the two parties. Was it gentle and easy-going, or was it "gentle and easy-going" enough that he even applied for the qualification to sit in on the discussion.

But after going there only once, Chen Qingsi backed out.

The imagined "elegant and easy-going" intense situation did not happen. On the contrary, it was extremely boring.

Because the core of the spread of Chinese culture was in the Western Regions, it covered the surrounding Persia.

Persia has its own civilization, but true scholars and wise men will not reject the advanced knowledge of other countries. Therefore, in Persia, some scholars understand Chinese culture by understanding the Western Regions, and some people study Chinese culture and can speak Chinese.

But the impact on the Arab Empire was zero. Similarly, there were scholars in the Tang Dynasty who studied Persian culture and were proficient in Persian, but their influence on the Arab Empire's culture was also zero...

Neither side had anyone who was proficient in the other's language, so negotiations were all done through false translation by Western merchants or scholars.

These words, conveyed through the middleman, completely lost their meaning as insults, as well as that refreshing feeling.

The two sides had difficult communication and boring arguments time and time again.

Chen Qingsi was overwhelmed after hearing this and didn't dare to go again. He just waited for news.

This is the Ministry of Rites' business and has nothing to do with the Ministry of War.

Chen Qingsi just took the time to spend time with his wife and children, playing at the foot of Mount Tai.

In order to celebrate the success of the Fengshan ceremony, Li Zhi will stay at the foot of the mountain for fifteen days and have fun with the people during these fifteen days.

For dozens of miles around Mount Tai, there was dancing and music, and all kinds of acrobatics and entertainment programs were everywhere.

You can not only enjoy the most solemn rituals and music of the palace, but also see the graceful figure of Ji Hu.

Polo matches and sumo wrestling are of course indispensable.

Compared to the crowded Chang'an and Luoyang, it was Jingjing's first time to travel on the flat Qilu Plain. He rode his pony and followed his father to enjoy the different scenery.

Xiao Miaochen is a strict mother who has high hopes for her eldest son. She hopes that he will become a successful person in the future and be able to support the Chen family. She pays close attention to his studies.

Chen Qingsi chose to play the role of a loving father so that his children could combine work and rest.

He also hopes that his child can be successful, but he doesn't want to see Jingjing shoulder too much at such a young age.

Chen Qingsi and Xiao Miaochen had a tacit understanding with each other, alternating between looseness and tightness, and not interfering with each other.

After three days of debate, the Tang Dynasty and the Arabs reached a conclusion.

Both sides took a step back...

After all, as Chen Qingsi analyzed, the Tang Dynasty was unwilling to fight because it was not fully prepared, Goguryeo had not yet been destroyed, the court's strategic focus had not yet shifted westward, and the economy could not bear it.

The Arabs had the advantage of being the main battlefield, as they were closer. But they were full of internal conflicts, especially the Shi faction that supported Ali, who were not convinced of their defeat.

Facing the Tang Dynasty, the Arabs had no absolute chance of winning.

They cannot afford a large-scale defeat. If they really fight the Tang Dynasty, how can they just do a small fight?

Both sides are unwilling to fight, so the outcome will naturally not be too bad.

However, it was beyond Chen Qingsi's expectation that the argument could last for three days.

After learning a little about the negotiation process, Chen Qingsi discovered that the Arab Empire was very determined to stick to its bottom line, and the agreed result was close to the red line drawn by Li Zhi.

I think there are capable people in the other side's delegation who can see the court's unwillingness to use force and strive for the greatest benefit.

The more this happens, the more it means that both sides will prepare for a future war.

A hint of joy flashed in Chen Qingsi's eyes. This situation would be of great benefit to him both publicly and privately.

(End of this chapter)