Early Tang Dynasty: forge ahead

Chapter 518 Mu Qiang Dancing
Seeing Chimalo's smiling face and her quick and clear responses, Chen Qingsi knew that she had truly made her choice.

The situation in Tubo kept changing, and Chen Qingsi originally planned to just take over the strategic location of Wuhai and then withdraw.

But then he discovered that Wang Xiaojie was unexpectedly elected as the Tibetan king, which gave him a new idea.

If Wang Xiaojie could be supported to control Tibet, wouldn't Tibet be in the Tang Dynasty's pocket?
If we want to completely conquer Tubo on the plateau, this is definitely the only chance within a hundred years.

The geographical advantage occupied by Tubo is too great. Even if there is no decent force, even if the Tibetans become like the Indians, anyone can be bullied and it is not easy to tame them.

Because Tubo has its own economic culture, their culture is inherited from the Bon religion of Zhangzhung, and then they absorbed the cultural essence of the East and the West to form their own unique cultural characteristics. It is extremely difficult for a country with its own culture to completely conquer them.

Places with different cultures and inconvenient to conquer, unless the imperial court mobilizes a large number of troops and keeps them there for a long time regardless of cost, once the army retreats, the same situation will remain the same.

The final result is either giving up or repeatedly entangled and stuck in the quagmire of war.

At this moment, the plateau does not have the strategic value to be worth doing so.

Now there is a Zamp who is extremely pro-Tang, and the situation is different. Just like Tuyuhun, the whole country worships Chinese culture and throws its own dregs into the trash.

Adults talk about Confucius and Mencius, and children talk about discourse.

It won't take many years for everyone to be happy as they share the same culture, roots and origins.

Chen Qingsi didn't want to miss this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

But there is a serious problem now. Chen family keeps a very strict eye on Wang Xiaojie.

Their people were only some of the two-faced Tuyuhun nobles whom Murong Wuyi knew. They did not have the trust of the Chen family at all and could not contact Wang Xiaojie.

The only solution Chen Qingsi could think of was Chimaluo. It was true that the Lu family had declined without him, but a lean camel was bigger than a horse, and the connections accumulated over the years still existed. It was just that the family had declined and lacked the strength to mobilize these connections. The current Chimaluo was backed by the Tang Dynasty. With the Tang Dynasty as its backing, Chimaluo had the confidence to call on the connections left by the family.

But Chen Qingsi was not at ease with Chimalo. This guy's legendary experience was no less than that of Empress Wu. He would not dare to use him in a big way unless he could make her completely convinced.

Wang Xiaojie's affairs were so confidential and important that they could subvert the entire Tubo.

If Chimalo still had a bit of goodwill towards Tubo, Chen Qingsi would not risk telling her the news.

This is a big deal.

At this time, the Tibetan king Pumangsongmangtsen arrived.

This miserable Zanpu has lost the value of existence...

The Nan clan supported the Little Zamp and did not need him. The Chen clan had Wang Xiaojie, who was more like the real Zamp and more obedient and easier to deal with, and also did not need him. As a result, he had nowhere to go and no one to trust.

The key point is that Mangsong Mangzan didn’t know all this, and still wanted to use his identity as the Zamp to negotiate terms with Chen Qingsi.

Chen Qingsi didn't even want to let him die with a clear conscience. After achieving his goal, he was escorted to Chang'an to dance for Li Zhi.

In the present Tubo, there is no Lu family, and no real Zanpu. There is only a group of powerful people who only care about their own interests, and a fake Zanpu...

Is this the Tubo that Chimalo cares about?
"I need to contact the fake Zanpu in Chen's hands and support him to firmly take the position of Zanpu of Tubo. He is not a puppet of Chen, nor is he a puppet of Nan. He controls Tubo."

Chimalo was completely confused.

Is this a charity event?

Chima Luo couldn't help but ask, "Is the fake Zanpu the benefactor of the chief steward?"

Chen Qingsi looked at Chimaluo and said, "He is Wang Xiaojie!"

Chima Luo stood up in shock and asked, "How is it possible?"

Chen Qingsi said: "The world is so big that nothing is impossible. If the facts were not right in front of me, I would not believe that there would be such a coincidence and such a similar person in the world. But the facts are right in front of me, otherwise why do you think Mangsong Mangzan would surrender to our Tang Dynasty? Why would Chen prefer to hold a fake Zamp instead of turning this fake into the real one? It is because the fake in his hand is so real. The real one is hard to control, but the fake one is easy to manipulate. In this situation, who would want the real one?"

Chimalo looked at Chen Qingsi with eyes filled with fear. If he really succeeded and allowed a Tang Dynasty man to become the king of Tubo, the consequences would be unimaginable.

Chen Qingsi asked, "Mrs. Zhuo, are you willing to help me with this?"

Chima Luo stared at Chen Qingsi in a daze, the fear in his eyes not diminishing, and shook his head and laughed at himself: "Can I refuse?"

"No!" Chen Qingsi said resolutely, and said solemnly: "Now that you know the truth, you have no right to refuse."

Chima Luo smiled again and said in a sweet voice, "Why are you so serious, Grand Steward? I was just joking. Most of my people have left the snowy plateau, and now the Zamp has been escorted to Chang'an by the Grand Steward. What is there worth remembering? Why not work hard for the Grand Steward and seek benefits for our Meilu family? What do you think?"

There was a hint of coquettishness in her words.

Chen Qingsi smiled and said cooperatively: "That's great. If you are good and I am good, then everyone will be good. If anyone is not good, the only result is that he will not even be qualified to be bad."

There was something ambiguous in Chen Qingsi's words, which were full of threats.

Wang Xiaojie's matter is of great importance to the world and concerns the ownership of this snowy plateau.

At the moment, only Chimalo has the power to contact Wang Xiaojie, so Chen Qingsi can only use her.

This uncontrollable force, if anything goes wrong, will lead to the destruction of national policy. If this is true, Chen Qingsi will never be polite to Chimalo, and no one in the Lu family can survive without him.

Chima Luo was so smart that he understood the hidden meaning, but he pretended not to know and started bargaining, saying, "If this goes through, I want to stay here and not go back to Chang'an."

Chen Qingsi asked: "Where is this place?"

He asked again: "Hequ? Qinghai? Or the plateau?"

Chima Luo said: "For now, we are in Hequ, and we may go to the plateau in the future. If the general manager succeeds in this plan, Tubo will definitely be like Tuyuhun, with Tang culture as the main focus. Wang Xiaojie is a rough man, how can he understand these things? Lu Shi still has some connections on the plateau, and can assist Wang Xiaojie and complete the general manager's mission together."

She said with a pitiful look, "The Lu family is a prominent family in the plateau after all. Once upon a time, it was second only to the Zamp family. Now that we have fallen to such a state, it is not too much to think more about our people since we have such an opportunity to make meritorious contributions."

Chen Qingsi smiled without hesitation and said, "That's not too much. No matter who it is, if they have made contributions to the court, they will be rewarded. I can still make the decision on this matter."

Letting Chimalo return to Tubo would definitely involve some risks. But if you want the horse to run, you have to feed it. Promise her first, and we can talk about the future later.

Chima Luo was delighted, he stood up and bowed, saying: "Zhuoma Luo has no way to repay the great steward's kindness."

She used a self-chosen Chinese name to refer to herself.

Before Chen Qingsi could speak, Chima Luo said, "I know a man who is the perfect candidate. Master Marba Wangren is a highly respected master of the Bon religion and has great prestige in Tubo. If he can stand on the side of the Chen family, he can win over many nobles to work for him. The Chen family will definitely be grateful to Master Marba Wangren and allow him to meet Wang Xiaojie."

Chimalo patiently talked about some minor details of the plateau.

Galdongzan's way of controlling Tubo was comprehensive, as he controlled military, political, and religious power.

Gardongzan only respected Bon religion and used it to control people's hearts. In order not to be completely isolated, Mangsong Mangtsen believed in Buddhism and encouraged the people to believe in Buddhism. Therefore, the Bon master Marba Wangren was not familiar with Mangsong Mangtsen, and the two sides did not have any contact.

Since the two were not familiar with each other, Chen would not suspect that they were colluding, nor would he worry about being discovered.

After listening to Chimalo's arrangement, Chen Qingsi couldn't help but nod in agreement. Letting Chimalo be in charge of this matter would indeed involve certain risks, but she did have the ability to do a better job.

"I have found the right person to leave this matter to Madam Zhuo."

Chen Qingsi said sincerely.

Chimaluo's brows were beaming with joy, and a faint blush appeared on his face for some reason, as if receiving Chen Qingsi's praise was a very happy thing.

"Leave it to me!"

Chimaro suppressed his inexplicable emotions and left the hall.

She stood at the gate of the Governor's Mansion, looked up at the blue sky, thinking about the unbearable Mangsong Mangtsen, and Chen Qingsi, who was so meticulous in his planning and able to win battles thousands of miles away, and even Galdongzan had been defeated by him. She shook her head. There was no comparison at all. Suddenly, an idea came to her mind: How great it would be if my future husband was someone like Chen Qingsi.

Women like Chimalo have one characteristic: they admire the strong.

Her fear of Chen Qingsi and her control over him made her feel extremely secure once a cooperative relationship was formed. It was because Chen Qingsi was strong enough at the moment.

At the same time, a group of elite soldiers escorted Mangsong Mangzan and Zanpo to Chang'an.

Along the way, Mangsong Mangzan was wondering, why?
Why is that?
He couldn't understand why he, the Tibetan king, was of any use.

Why did Chen want a fake Zanpu instead of a real Zanpu?

Why could Chen Qingsi remain indifferent in the face of such a humiliating compromise?

Why is that?
I can’t figure it out, I really can’t figure it out.

Even when they arrived in Chang'an, Mangsong Mangzan still couldn't figure it out.

The identity of Mangsong Mangtsen needs to be kept secret. After all, if people knew that the real Mangsong Mangtsen appeared in Chang'an, then the Mangsong Mangtsen on the plateau would naturally be in doubt.

This is not conducive to the future policy of the Tang court, which needs Wang Xiaojie, Mangsong Mangzan, to fully support the Tang Dynasty.

Therefore, all handovers were carried out in secret, and Li Zhi only learned about such a tortuous and bizarre scene after receiving secret reports from Chen Qingsi.

Looking at Chen Qingsi's secret report, Li Zhi was amazed. He hated Wang Xiaojie deeply. If he hadn't acted recklessly, there would have been no such defeat. Fortunately, the Tang Dynasty still had Chen Qingsi, who could turn decay into magic.

However, in just over half a year, brilliant results had been achieved, and Tubo was defeated in one battle.

We also gained nearly 50,000 more laborers...

Chen Qingsi showed no mercy to the Tibetan captives. He dispersed them all and forced them to atone for their sins through labor.

Now the Tang Dynasty is fighting against the Arab Empire in the Western Regions.

The Tang Dynasty gathered 50,000 troops, the Western Regions countries sent 30,000 troops, and the Turks, Tiele, Uighurs, Karluk and other tribes sent 50,000 troops, a total of 130,000 troops on the front line.

The Arab Empire has even entered a mode of mass military expansion. Their believers are the soldiers. The Arab Empire has raised the banner of holy war. For the sake of their faith, believers have rushed to the battlefield one after another. The army has as many as 200,000 soldiers and can still be increased.

This was the first time that the Tang Dynasty encountered such an opponent.

A confrontation of this scale cannot be resolved by the outcome of a few battles.

Now both sides have won and lost, and there is no turning point to reverse the situation.

The imperial court now needs labor to deliver supplies to the Western Regions. It needs labor.

Fifty thousand laborers who could be exploited reduced a lot of pressure on the imperial court.

Li Zhi finished reading Chen Qingsi's secret report, thought for a moment, and said, "Come here, go and invite Minister Xu, Duke Lu, Minister Le, and Minister Sun to the palace for the banquet."

Wealth and honor do not return to their hometown, just like walking in brocade at night.

Chen Qingsi captured the Tibetan king and brought him to Chang'an. Since he could not show off in a big way, Li Zhi decided to show off a little and chose the people he trusted the most and who were the most tight-lipped to attend the banquet.

The protagonist of the banquet was naturally Mangsong Mangzan.

This banquet was specially held for Mangsong Mangzan.

Mangsong Mangzan has recovered his energy and blood. Although the Tang army escorting him did not know Mangsong Mangzan's identity during the secret escort, they could tell that he was of an important status. The food he received along the way was not bad, which helped him recover a lot of energy and his sunken cheeks became rounder.

The same is true for Zanpo...

When the two men saw that Li Zhi's hospitality was so cold, they did not feel humiliated, but instead wondered why.

No matter what, Mangsong Mangtsen was the king of Tubo. When the two countries clashed and captured each other's monarch alive, it was a major event worthy of national celebration.

How could it be so secret?

"For special reasons, we cannot hold a banquet for the Zanpu. Please don't blame me, Zanpu!"

Li Zhi was very amiable and had a good attitude, without any of the majesty of a Tang Empire emperor.

Mangsong Mangzan secretly felt that there was a chance. If he could convince the Emperor of the Tang Dynasty in front of him to help him restore his country, what would be the use even if Chen Qingsi disagreed?
The Emperor of Tang is so easy to talk to, he must be easy to fool.

Mangsong Mangzan said hurriedly: "I dare not. I am an outsider who does not know my own abilities. How dare I accept the honor from His Majesty the Emperor of the Tang Dynasty?"

Li Zhi did not mention any grudges, but only asked about some of the customs and practices of Tibet, appearing to be very interested in it.

Mangsong Mangzan also spoke freely about everything he knew, and became more and more excited as he spoke.

Only a few people who were attending the banquet were looking at Mangsong Mangzan as if they were fools.

They were all Li Zhi's close ministers and confidants, and they knew the character of the Tang Emperor very well.

Speaking of the Tibetans' love of dancing, Li Zhi's eyes lit up and he said, "I have seen many dances, but I have never seen Tibetan dance. Zamp might as well dance a song to liven up the banquet."

This is Li Zhi, and this is also his ultimate goal.

Li Zhi has suffered a lot from Tubo in these years. Galdongzan's strategic vision is too strong, and going down to the plateau for no reason is the most uncomfortable thing for the court.

Now that there is an opportunity for revenge, even if Li Zhi does not have the conditions, he has to create the conditions to vent his anger.

(End of this chapter)