Yang Fan narrowed his eyes and said: "I have indeed thought of a solution and waited for you to discuss it with you. However, I still have two doubts. If I cannot confirm it, I do not know if my solution will work. "
Shen Mu picked up a mouthful of boiled spinach and dipped it in the chili oil made from dogwood. He chewed with relish while looking at Yang Fan. Yang Fan said: "This winter, the Turks suddenly launched an all-out attack on our court in Hebei and Longyou. Such a large-scale war is unprecedented.
Almost at the same time, the Turks also deployed their troops and began secret operations in Sichuan and Shaanxi. Are the Turks and the Turks communicating with each other? Is this a joint operation? If not, why is there such tacit understanding between them? If so, why did the Turks make their move earlier while the Turks are so slow? "
Shen Mu asked: "What's the second reason?"
Yang Fan said: "If the Turks intend to ally with the Turks and take advantage of the fact that our capital has just moved to the west and has yet to gain a firm foothold, why would the Turks send an envoy to our court to request for a peace marriage? That Tubo envoy is still staying in the Four Quarters Embassy and refuses to leave. Every day he pesters us, showing his sincerity.
But ever since the news of the Turks invading our court, he has become quiet. This is not in line with their usual practice. At this time, the Turks did not take advantage of the situation and added more conditions. Instead, they are being reasonable. This is also the reason why I suspect that the two countries are plotting something. "
Shen Mu quietly pondered for a moment and slowly said: "The last place I went to was Longyou. On the way back, it was snowing heavily and the journey was difficult. This winter, not only Chang 'an, but the Turks also experienced heavy snow. Little Flying Arrow Zhang Yi is active in the Turks' territory this winter. He received news that the Turks are not only active in Sichuan and Shaanxi but are also secretly deploying their troops in Kangning. "
Yang Fan's eyes narrowed as he blurted out: "You are saying that it is true that Tubo and the Turks have joined hands to send their troops, and the reason why Tubo did not cooperate with the Turks in time was not because they did not want to, but because of the heavy snowfall, which slowed their movements and delayed their journey?"
Shen Mu said: "It is highly possible! Today's snowfall was too heavy. It was rare to see such snowfall in more than ten years. And on this point, if the Turks and the Tufan were conspiring, they would not have been able to predict it, so that the Tufan would not have been able to send their troops in time, unable to coordinate with the Turks from afar, otherwise our court would have been attacked from two sides. "
Yang Fan slowly raised his cup and pondered: "But what is the purpose of the Tubo peace marriage? They have offered two thousand good horses and two thousand taels of gold as tribute, plus a bushel of pearls and several carriages of beautiful women to entertain the ministers of our court. Since the Tubo people are determined to fight with our court, why would they bother with this superfluous action? "
Shen Mu said, "I came from the northwest and heard of something."
Yang Fan glanced at him and said, "Can you finish it all at once?"
Shen Mu smiled and slowly took a sip of the wine, carefully savoring it before finishing it in one gulp. He leisurely replied, "The Tu Jue have also sent a marriage envoy to our court. They want to marry Moduo's youngest daughter to our Great Zhou's Imperial Grandson."
Yang Fan frowned and said, "They are still doing it? The last time they said they wanted to marry off their daughter, but in the end they tricked Wu Yanxiu to go to the Tu Jue and have not released her until now. Now they want to trick the Imperial Grandson too? "
Shen Mu said, "If they use the same trick again, naturally our court will not be fooled again. But this time their conditions are very relaxed. If our Emperor agrees to the marriage, they will release Wu Yanxiu back to our court. At the same time, the Imperial Grandson need not personally go to the Tu Jue to escort the bride, he can only welcome the Tu Jue Princess at the border of the two countries. "
Shen Mu winked at Yang Fan and said with a smile, "You see, they are very sincere!"
Yang Fan was stunned.
Shen Mu said, "The Tubo people first use courtesy before using force. On one hand they sent an envoy to make peace, on the other hand they are mobilizing their troops. On the other hand, the Tu Jue people first use force before using courtesy. They first sent their troops to invade our court, and then 'full of sincerity' they sent an envoy to make peace with our court. Don't you think this is somewhat illogical? "
Yang Fan's heart vaguely grasped something, but for the time being he could not understand it clearly. He put down his chopsticks and quietly pondered. After a long while, Yang Fan suddenly raised his eyes and met Shen Mu's smiling eyes. Shen Mu leisurely asked, "You have thought of something?"
Yang Fan said, "If I am the Tubo King, you are the Tu Jue Khan! The Wu Zhou Emperor suddenly moved the capital to Chang 'an, and Chang' an is closer to the Tubo and Tu Jue than Luoyang. Once the Wu Zhou Emperor moves the capital to Chang 'an, he will inevitably increase the military strength of Guanzhong and Longyou. Next to his bed, a fierce tiger is lurking, it makes people uneasy! "
Shen Mu said, "That's right! Therefore, I came to discuss with you and decided to join hands to attack Wu Zhou while the Wu Zhou Emperor is still unstable. Based on the military strength of our two countries, it is impossible to destroy Wu Zhou. But if everything goes well, we can drive the Wu Zhou Emperor back to Luoyang. If we are lucky, we can also occupy a large piece of land in Longyou, Hebei, Kangning, Sichuan and Shaanxi. "
Yang Fan frowned and said, "War is a matter of great importance to a country. It is a matter of life and death, a matter of survival. We must be careful. What if the operation fails? If the Wu Zhou Emperor wins, not only will Wu Zhou gain a firm foothold in Guanzhong, its prestige will also soar. At that time, you and I will not be able to eat or sleep in peace! "
Shen Mu said, "That's why before we think about victory, we must first think about defeat. We must have a backup plan. If we can win, we will fight. If we can't, we will make peace through marriage."
Yang Fan said, "Of course the purpose of making peace through marriage is not to become relatives."
Shen Mu said, "That is natural. If we can't win, we can just pat our butts and leave. The Wu Zhou Emperor does not have the strength to chase into our country. Why should we make an unnecessary move to become relatives?"
Yang Fan said, "Then we must think carefully about who to make peace with. Between the Crown Prince and the Prince of Xiang, only the Prince of Xiang still has a daughter to marry. Why don't I appoint the Prince of Xiang as my father-in-law and marry one of his daughters? "
Shen Mu said, "Aiya, you beat me to it. Then I can only suffer a loss and choose a daughter to marry to their Imperial Grandson. "
Yang Fan said, "If we join forces, the Wu Zhou Emperor will definitely have a headache. If we want to stop fighting and make peace through marriage, she will be more than happy. At that time, I will be His Highness the Prince of Xiang's son-in-law and you will be the Imperial Grandson's father-in-law. We will 'wholeheartedly' help our relatives and Wu Zhou will become lively! "
Shen Mu said, "Great! With our help, the more we help, the better it will be. When the time comes, the brothers will fall out. What we cannot achieve through war, perhaps we can achieve without bloodshed through our personal soldiers! "
Yang Fan said, "But what if the Crown Prince and the Prince of Xiang don't need our help?"
Shen Mu said seriously, "How can that be? As a father-in-law, I will stand up for my daughter and future grandson. I am in the right. Who would dare to stop me? "
Yang Fan nodded and said, "That makes sense! Then as a son-in-law, it is perfectly justifiable for me to stand up for my father-in-law and brother-in-law. "
The two looked at each other and suddenly laughed at the same time.
With a clear 'dang', the two drank another cup of wine.
Yang Fan said, "Fortunately, this heavy snow has caused a setback to the joint operation of the Turks and Tubo. The Tubo was unable to respond to the Turks in time. Our troops can still be mobilized. Although the Turks are launching an all-out attack in Hebei and Longyou, our court has not mobilized the elite troops stationed in the Guanzhong area. At present, the troops from the east and south have been gathered and can be sent north at any time."
Shen Mu said, "But although the Tubo troops have been delayed by the heavy snow, they will come sooner or later. Although we are prepared and won't let them take advantage of us, chaos is inevitable. At that time, if they bring up the marriage, the Emperor will definitely agree. If the Turks and Tubo interfere with our internal affairs, they will become a big problem! "
Yang Fan said, "If we fight back when the troops come, even if we repel the invading enemy, the marriage will inevitably happen in the end, giving them an excuse to interfere with our internal affairs. To repel the invading enemy and prevent the Emperor from agreeing to the marriage, there is only one way. To have the two countries withdraw their troops of their own accord! "
Shen Mu said, "To have them take the initiative of their own accord … the only way is to take drastic measures."
Yang Fan nodded and said, "That's exactly what I'm thinking. With your support, the chief of the Tuqishi Tribe, Wuzhile, has already replaced Huseruo as the Khagan of the Ten Tribes of the Western Turks. If you can have him stab a knife into the heart of the Turks, do you think the Turks will retreat? "
Shen Mu thought for a few moments before slowly replying, "Although I can influence Wuzhile to a certain extent, mobilizing the soldiers of the Ten Tribes to attack the Eastern Turks is a huge matter. Even if Wuzhile is willing to agree, he may not be able to convince the chiefs of the Ten Tribes. Without sufficient benefits, they will not mobilize their troops …"
Yang Fan said, "With the strength of the Hidden Sect alone, they might not be able to bring about a war between the Eastern and Western Turkic Khaganate. However, what if His Majesty also sends an envoy to reward the ten tribes and request for them to send troops to attack Moche, setting the southwest corner of the Turkic Khaganate on fire?"
Shen Mu slowly nodded. "If the Imperial Court is bewitching us in the open and the Hidden Sect is instigating us in the shadows, this matter will succeed. But what about the Tubo side? "
Yang Fan raised his cup with a smile and said, "Let me burn the fire in the backyard of the Tubo Empire!"
"You?"
Shen Mu was a little surprised, but he quickly understood. "You intend to light this fire in the southeast of Tubo?"
Yang Fan smiled. "Brother Shen has been managing the north and west for many years. It is not good for this brother to interfere, so I can only develop elsewhere."
The Western Regions had been the territory of the Hidden Sect for many years, and after Shen Mu had been 'sent' to Xinluo, the Hidden Sect had rapidly expanded its influence in the north. Moreover, that region had been the foundation of the Seven Sects and Five Families, so the two could easily become one. If Yang Fan did not want to have any conflict of interest with the Hidden Sect, he could only take another route. From what Shen Mu said, not only the south, but even the east had become his sphere of influence.
Shen Mu knew that when Yang Fan had quelled the chaos in the six paths of the southeast, he had established an extremely close relationship with many tribal chieftains in the south border and had even become sworn brothers with a few important tribal chieftains. With such a foundation, in addition to the formidable strength of the Hidden Sect, it was easy to infiltrate his influence into the south border.
However, other than Japan, the east was a vast ocean. Shen Mu had no idea how the Hidden Sect established themselves in the east and how they expanded their strength. Other than admiration, he couldn't help but be curious about Yang Fan's methods. However, he also knew that this was related to the Hidden Sect's secrets, and Yang Fan would not reveal the whole story to him.
Shen Mu raised his cup and said, "Since that is the case, let's light these two fires and see who can burn more vigorously!"
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