Datang: What's wrong with my fief being a billion points larger?

Chapter 220: The strong prey on the weak, no kindness at all
Cen Wenben did not advise Li Yuanji at all. Besides the fact that Li Yuanji had created many miracles, it was also because coal did not cost much money. Compared with other things that cost money, this amount was already very small.

After Cen Wen finished writing, he felt a headache when he saw what he had to do, especially because he had to spend so much money.

Li Yuanji didn't know about Cen Wenben's headache, nor did he want to know. Now he called Xie Shufang to discuss the affairs of Tubo.

"Now that Tubo has become my fiefdom, it has become Fanzhou Prefecture and Zangzhou Prefecture, so I must take care of Yang Tong's affairs. This time when Songtsen Gampo returns, our army must also go with him. I plan to let you lead the army. Do you have the confidence to bring Niu Jinda back to me?"

Xie Shufang's eyes suddenly lit up.

"Don't worry, my king. I will capture Niu Jinda alive and bring him to you!"

Xie Shufang was so excited. Was he going to fight? Was there anything more exciting than this? Seeing that all the men of Su Dingfang had gone out to fight, and later Wei Yunqi and Feng Li had been arranged to go out, leaving only him, Xie Shufang was very worried.

Li Yuanji looked at Xie Shufang and smiled.

"I can see that you don't want to stay with me at all. Forget it, since you want to go out and fight, I will satisfy you this time.

I will give you 20,000 men, including 3,000 cavalry. After you go there this time, you will integrate the Tubo army and take Songtsen Gampo with you. Songtsen Gampo is a good person, so you should train him well.

In addition, you should bring Feng Zhixun with you. He has been training for so long, so there should be no major problem with his ability. After dealing with Yang Tong, let Feng Zhixun stay in Yangtong to take charge of the overall situation, and leave 10,000 troops for him.

This time, remember, if anyone in Tubo has any objection to being included in my fiefdom, you should let Songtsen Gampo destroy them all. Let Songtsen Gampo do it, and you should not do it.

When fighting with Yang Tong, you must remember that you must first integrate the Tibetan army and let them know that they now belong to me. Let Songtsen Gampo cooperate with you in this matter. "

Even if Songtsen Gampo has expressed his stance now, he only has the reputation of being righteous. There is still a lot to do to incorporate Tubo into his fiefdom, and those people in Tubo may not agree.

As for letting Songtsen Gampo do those things, Li Yuanji just didn't want Songtsen Gampo to have too high a voice there, otherwise, if Songtsen Gampo had other ideas at that time, then he would get a lot of support. He would need money and food to send troops to quell the rebellion, so he had to curb these in time.

As for the battle with Yang Tong, even with Niu Jinda, Li Yuanji was not overly worried. Xie Shufang's ability was not bad at all. He could not just deal with Niu Jinda alone. His strength and personal ability were above Niu Jinda. What else did he have to worry about?
Xie Shufang pondered for a while, and said solemnly: "Your Majesty, please rest assured that I will do the work. I know what to do. This time I will go, in fact, to deal with Yang Tong, but the most important thing is to completely integrate Tubo into Your Majesty.

Anyone who has any objections within Tubo will be killed, and Songtsen Gampo will do the work. I will be in charge of the overall situation in the past. After I take control of Tubo, I will fight with Yang Tong and Niu Jinda.

These generals all know that the purpose of the 20,000-strong army is also very clear to them, that is, to intimidate Tubo, and then to deal with Yang Tong's army.

My Lord, I understand correctly, don't I?"

Seeing Xie Shufang's confidence, Li Yuanji was sincerely relieved. What Xie Shufang said was indeed right. If it was just to deal with Yang Tong, he would not have let Xie Shufang lead an army of 20,000, including cavalry.

The combat effectiveness of his army now is not exaggerated by Li Yuanji. With the newly replaced armor, in a one-on-one battle, even Li Er’s Tang army cannot beat him, let alone Yang Tong?

"Yes, you are right. I feel relieved now. You must be careful on this trip. If you encounter any difficulties that you cannot solve, send me a pigeon message immediately. Don't try to be brave.

Tubo is very important to us. It is an important fulcrum for us to intervene in the affairs of the Western Regions, and it is also the most important place to expand our influence. Only by gaining a firm foothold there can we have more say in the Western Regions. "

Tubo is not a wealthy place, but Li Yuanji's influence can radiate to various countries in the Western Regions. It will also provide an excellent springboard for future expansion in the Western Regions. This is the important reason why Li Yuanji must take this opportunity to annex Tubo.

As for the Tubo helping him before? He returned the favor, and compared with this strategy, those were nothing. Moreover, this was something Songtsen Gampo had already agreed to, not something he, Li Yuanji, had sent troops to destroy.

This is how relations between countries work. If a country is strong, it can force others to surrender. If others are strong, they will also force it to surrender. If Tubo is strong this time, what Songtsen Gampo is facing today may be even worse for him than for Songtsen Gampo.

The strong prey on the weak, this is an eternal truth. He is powerful, and as long as there is a reason or an excuse, he will not let go of such an opportunity. As long as he can do it this time, his strategy of surrounding the Tang Dynasty with fiefdoms will take a big step forward.

Li Yuanji dared to say that with the current prosperity of Lingnan, as well as its business, commodities, etc., if he did not have this 300,000-strong army, Li Yuanji dared to guarantee that, let alone Li Er, the surrounding countries would directly tear their faces off to fight him.

Why didn't other dynasties come to attack him? Why didn't the surrounding small countries come to attack him? It was because he killed all those who had ideas about him. He not only had a large army to intimidate, but also destroyed several countries one after another, so that the surrounding small countries dared not move.

If he shows any signs of weakness, even the Pyu Kingdom, which is now obedient and has taken the initiative to send people to ask him to station troops and cede land, will definitely come to deal with him. The destroyed Zhenla will probably start to rebel. The stronger ones, such as Srivijaya, will also smell the scent and come, not to mention Li Er.

Therefore, he was determined to conquer Tubo!
At this time, Xie Shufang suddenly asked a question that even Li Yuanji was stunned for a moment.

"Your Majesty, what if Songtsen Gampo has other intentions or refuses to cooperate?"

Li Yuanji was stunned for a moment. He had never thought about this question. Now that Xie Shufang said it, Li Yuanji actually felt that there was some truth to it.

Now Songtsen Gampo agreed because he was frightened and had no choice but to stay in his territory. Once he returned to Tubo, would he have any ulterior motives?

In Li Yuanji's eyes, this possibility is very possible, especially since Songtsen Gampo himself is an ambitious person, and people with great ambitions are more likely to appear.

After thinking for a while, Li Yuanji made a decision.

"Shufang, this is a good question. After you go to Tubo, make a decision based on the situation. If Songtsen Gampo really has ulterior motives, then destroy him!

If Yang Tong comes to attack at that time, he only needs to occupy a place in Tubo. This is the most basic thing. He must conquer a place there!
In addition, I will arrange for some doctors to go with you, including the imperial physicians we brought from Chang'an. I will transfer two of them to go with you.

Tibet is a plateau, and most people may find it difficult to adapt to the place. They may vomit or even have difficulty breathing. When you go there, you must first adapt to the place and then start to do anything.

Remember, don't rush. First, make sure the army is normal and can maintain its combat effectiveness. As long as the army is there, they won't be able to cause any trouble. Do you understand?"

Speaking of this, Li Yuanji thought of altitude sickness. Although Xie Shufang knew about it, he couldn't help but remind him again. With the current physical condition of the soldiers, there would be no problem in adapting, but the previous period of time would definitely be very uncomfortable.

This period of time is also the time when people are most likely to get sick. Li Yuanji had no choice but to send two of the only three imperial physicians just to prevent any problems from happening to the army led by Xie Shufang.

As for Songtsen Gampo, Li Yuanji did admire him, but if he wanted to be his enemy, he would have to send Songtsen Gampo off first. Xie Shufang looked solemn. He also understood what Li Yuanji said very well, but it was just a little difficult and not enough to stop his army.

"Your Majesty, I know about this and will certainly pay attention to it."

Seeing that Xie Shufang agreed, Li Yuanji didn't say anything else. He had said everything he needed to say. The rest depended on Xie Shufang's own ability and execution.

"Okay, then go and prepare. We will break camp and set out in three days. Ask Jingren to prepare the necessary supplies."

After Xie Shufang left, Li Yuanji immediately called Feng Zhixun over.

"See you, Your Majesty."

"waived."

Looking at Feng Zhixun, Li Yuanji's eyes were filled with satisfaction. Feng Zhixun no longer looked immature. After so much experience, he became more stable and more like Feng Ang.

"Sit down. I called you here to arrange something for you. You will go to Tubo with Shufang next. You will be responsible for the governance of Tubo. At the same time, if we conquer Yangtong, you will also be responsible for the military and political affairs of Yangtong.

When the war there is settled, I will leave 10,000 troops for you. While you vigorously develop there, you must also maintain contact with the surrounding countries, especially Tuyuhun, and deepen trade with them. "

Li Yuanji then told Feng Zhixun about the affairs of Tubo so that he could have a clearer understanding of the situation of Tubo and Yangtong and know what to do when he went there.

When Feng Zhixun heard this, he was surprised. Their forces were about to reach the Western Regions? And they were going to take down Tubo and Yangtong in one fell swoop?

Although Yang Tong has Niu Jinda, Feng Zhixun, who is well aware of the strength of his army, knows that Niu Jinda is not strong enough to resist them, and it will only add a lot of trouble in the process.

Then Feng Zhixun looked at Li Yuanji with a heavy and solemn feeling.

"Your Majesty, I don't know much about ranching. I have never been involved in it before. Ranching is the most important thing there. I am worried that I can't do it well."

Feng Zhixun was really helpless. He knew that it was not a good thing to say this, but he knew even more clearly that if he didn't say it, once he took office, he would not be able to do these things well and would affect Li Yuanji, which would make him more guilty.

As a native of Lingnan, he had little exposure to these things and was not familiar with them. What he said was the truth.

Li Yuanji also frowned after hearing this. He still missed this issue, but there was nothing he could do. He didn't have a better candidate.

"Zhijun, you can learn about this matter slowly. You don't have to start right away when you get there. While Shufang is pacifying the country, you should ask more questions and learn more in Tubo.

A ranch is equivalent to arable land, where horses, cattle and sheep are grazing. You can just think of it as breeding. In addition, I have prepared some related books for you. Take them and study them carefully.

Don't deny yourself just because you haven't been there yet. If you can develop Nanzhou Prefecture, you can definitely do it there too.

You are very familiar with the development of military and political affairs. Now you have just changed the place and the environment. Learn more about it and start after you understand it. I believe you will have no problem.

If you encounter any difficulties there, just write to us in time. As long as the situation there is under control, that is the most important thing. "

Li Yuanji kept comforting Feng Zhixun. There was nothing he could do. The scarcity of talent meant that he could only use these few people. Feng Zhixun was already a relatively outstanding person, and he really couldn't find anyone better who was both civil and military.

After hearing this, Feng Zhixun no longer hesitated. Now that Li Yuanji had said this, he could not hesitate any longer. He had to go to Tibet.

"Your Majesty, I understand. When I arrive in Tubo, I will ask more questions, listen more, and observe more. After understanding the situation, I will govern according to the basic conditions there."

Li Yuanji nodded, very satisfied.

"That's right. I believe you will be fine. Go ahead and prepare yourself. You will set off with Xie Shufang in three days."

After arranging all these, Li Yuanji felt relieved and then began to think about other things.

Li Yuanji asked someone to bring paper, ink, brush and inkstone. He painted on the paper while thinking, adding words to explain from time to time. He did not stop until late at night.

"It's really tiring, but we finally got it done. Now it depends on whether they can get these out and how long it takes them to make them."

After putting it away, Li Yuanji felt sleepy, so he went to Yang Qingwan's room and lay down to rest.

Early in the morning, Li Yuanji called the people from the Firearms Bureau over.

"Take these and start researching as soon as possible. Don't be afraid of failure. Try it more. This is your absolute focus from now on. Manufacturing this is the top priority."

What Li Yuanji spent a long time drawing was the musket. As for the cannon, he did not draw it, because the cannon could be realized by enlarging the musket. The most important thing was the musket.

The manufacture of a musket can be said to be very simple, but at this time, it is very difficult, because no one has seen it, and no one has ever thought about it. Although he provided the drawings, Li Yuanji had no idea how long it would take to make it.

The man from the Firearms Bureau put away the blueprint and said, "Yes, Your Majesty, I will make it as soon as possible."

Li Yuanji didn't say anything else. Too much pressure is not a good thing.

Not long after the people from the Firearms Bureau left, Cen Wenben hurried in.

"Your Majesty, Yuanlin sent an urgent report that a Tang navy fleet was discovered near Baekje, with hundreds of ships!"

(End of this chapter)