"In the sixth month of the twenty-third year of the Holy Emperor's reign, the Beiting Protectorate mobilized against the Eastern Turks and lost more than seventy-nine thousand men. In the third month of the twenty-fourth year of the Holy Emperor's reign, the Andong Protectorate mobilized against the Xi and the Khitans and lost thirty-five thousand men. In the seventh month of the same year, they attacked the Goguryeo Empire and lost sixty thousand men. In the twenty-fifth year of the Holy Emperor's reign, at the beginning of spring, the Qixi Protectorate mobilized against the Ouzan and lost twenty-four thousand men. In the ninth month of the same year, they were ambushed by Dusong Mangpoje and lost more than fifty thousand men. In the twenty-sixth year of the Holy Emperor's reign, Annan Protector-General Zhangchou Jianqiong mobilized against the Ngari Royal Lineage of the Ouzan and lost forty-nine thousand men. In the seventh month of the same year, they were ambushed by Dusong Mangpoje and lost more than fifty thousand men.
"In this year's war of the southwest, more than one hundred and forty-three thousand men were killed or wounded. And now, not even a year has passed, yet another war has broken out at Talas.
"In just a few decades, there has never been a time when there has been no war! Your Majesty, it is time to stop!
"Talas is not the territory of the Tang Dynasty, but a barren land beyond civilization. Fighting on the border is one thing, but do you want your soldiers to die in a foreign land? Moreover, the people of the Western Regions are all Hu. In order to maintain the rule of the Tang Dynasty in the Western Regions, countless soldiers, money, and provisions are expended each year. It is a bottomless pit. But the Western Regions have offered very little to the Tang Dynasty. Is it grapes? Pomegranates? Or the Hu merchants who fill the capital? "
"Your Majesty, this lowly subject should not have spoken, but the war at Talas truly must stop!"
With these last words, the white-bearded old official beneath the crimson coiling dragon pillar respectfully bowed, his hands gripping his ceremonial tablet. Half of the Imperial Court was silent, all the civil officials looking at him with respect in their eyes.
Grand Scribe Yan Wenzhang participated in the drafting of the Imperial Court's documents and was responsible for recording historical events and compiling history books. The words and actions of all the nobles and officials, including the Imperial Princes, were drafted by Yan Wenzhang and recorded into the annals of history. In the entire Tang dynasty, Yan Wenzhang was the most special existence among the civil and military officials.
That was because, regardless of whether it was civil or military, if they said something inappropriate, it would be recorded in the annals of history by the Grand Scribe. It was very likely that they would go down in infamy for ten thousand years. No one wanted this to happen.
Similarly, if a civil official wanted to leave his or her name in the annals of history, no matter how well he or she did, he or she could not record it himself. Instead, it had to go through the hands of the Grand Scribe.
The Grand Scribe was the recorder of history, a bystander, and not a participant. Thus, he usually did not actively participate in the discussions of the Imperial Court. However, the Grand Scribe was still one of the hundreds of civil and military officials. When something important happened, the Grand Scribe would also participate in it and fulfill his duties as a courtier.
A Grand Scribe was not allowed to speak more than three times in his or her entire life. Otherwise, he or she would have to step down and let his or her successor take over. This was also to maintain the fairness and objectivity of the Grand Historian, so that the records in the history books would not be influenced by personal feelings.
This was only the second time in Yan Wenzhang's life that he had participated in court politics. The first time was when the late emperor passed away.
Throughout the ages, there had been disputes between civil and military officials, but it had rarely been this intense. It was clear that even the Grand Scribe had been alarmed.
The Grand Scribe was from the Confucian school. Everyone knew that the Confucian school emphasized the cultivation of one's moral character, governing the country, and bringing peace to the world. In the end, it was all about the word 'peace'. Yan Wenzhang was naturally a staunch anti-war. With his support, the words of the civil officials in the Imperial Court carried a completely different weight. As expected, the moment the Grand Scribe Yan Wenzhang's voice fell, the entire Imperial Court fell silent. All the military officials in the Imperial Court revealed expressions of dread.
'A civil official's pen can kill without leaving a trace.' If they 'offended' the Grand Scribe, it was very likely that they would be recorded in the annals of history and become a general who harmed the country. This was something that everyone had to consider.
"Hahaha …"
At this moment, a burst of laughter suddenly broke the silence. In the middle of the ranks, an old general in his fifties suddenly walked out.
"Teacher Yan, this old man is throwing caution to the wind. If you want to record it, then record it. This old man is not afraid of death, so why would I fear that your pen will go down in infamy for ten thousand years?"
"We military officials can't compare to you writers when it comes to the matters of the previous Imperial Court, but this old man still clearly remembers the matters of the current Imperial Court. In the twenty-third year of the reign of the Holy Emperor, the Eastern Turks repeatedly plundered the borders and slaughtered the common people, even venturing deep into the Guannei and Hedong Circuits. It was precisely to stop them that the war began. Although more than seventy-nine thousand people died in that battle, the Eastern Turkic Khaganate also lost more than one hundred and ten thousand elite soldiers. More importantly, after that battle, the Eastern Turkic Khaganate grew apprehensive and finally stopped advancing south.
"The deaths of more than seventy-nine thousand people were exchanged for twenty-some years of peace in the Guannei and Hedong Circuits, saving more than seventy-nine thousand people? This old man remembers that battle very clearly because this old man was there! "
Beacon General Jiang Yunrang sternly said.
Although he did not have a high position, Jiang Yunrang was a veteran of the army who had participated in many battles. At a time like this, when everyone feared Grand Scribe Yan Wenzhang, only a veteran like Jiang Yunrang would throw caution to the wind.
"… Why did our soldiers on the frontlines fight bloody battles and risk their lives? Was it so that you could censure them in the rear and condemn them? In the twenty-third year of the reign of the Holy Emperor, if not for that war, do you think that the number of casualties would have been so few?
"In the third month of the twenty-fourth year of the reign of the Holy Emperor, the Andong Protectorate mobilized soldiers against the Xi and the Khitans, suffering thirty-five thousand casualties. But do you know how many people the Tang Dynasty would have lost if not for that war? The Xi and the Khitans are warlike and fond of plundering, and they lack respect for the Tang Dynasty. Before that war, the Xi and the Khitans would frequently invade Youzhou, plundering women and children, killing and wounding the common people. Many of the people of Youzhou feared the Xi and the Khitans and fled into the interior. In ten years, the population of Youzhou fell from five hundred thousand to eighty thousand, and it was still dropping.
"If not for that war, Youzhou would have long since become the territory of the Hu, not to mention the ambitious Xi and the Khitans who secretly colluded with Goguryeo. Twenty-four years ago, they launched three raids into the interior, causing hundreds of thousands of casualties in Youzhou. But in the third month, the war with the Xi and the Khitans, and in the seventh month, the war with the Goguryeo Empire completely changed the balance of power in the northeast, breaking the alliance between the Xi, the Khitans, and Goguryeo, dispersing the attacks of all three, allowing the Tang Dynasty to firmly grasp the situation in the northeast. In addition, the common people were able to live and work in peace. In the following years, the common people multiplied, and the population of Youzhou increased from eighty thousand to the current eight hundred and seventy thousand, even more than before the war!
"As for the twenty-five and twenty-six years that followed, which war didn't break out because of time and events? Which war didn't bring lasting peace? "
Jiang Yunrang's expression was extremely agitated.
"That's right! And then there was the war of the southwest. The ambitious King of Mengshe Zhao, Gelofeng, secretly colluded with the Ouzan Great General Huoshu Huizang and Dalun Ruozan to form an alliance. If not for the Young Marquis and the Annam Protectorate's bloody struggle, do you know what would have happened to the hundreds of thousands of soldiers of the Mengshe – Ü-Tsang army marching north from the Erhai? The nearly one million people of the southwest would have already been massacred by the Mengshe – Ü-Tsang army. How could it possibly be as peaceful as it is now? Talas is in dire straits. The Young Marquis and Lord Gao Xianzhi did not retreat after their victory because they pursued the policy of 'resisting the enemy on the outside'. They did not wish for the people of the Tang Dynasty and the Western Regions to be threatened by the Arabs, Ouzan, and Western Turks. 'To benefit the country, one lives and dies, how can one avoid it because of misfortune or fortune?' This is a couplet that the Young Marquis has hung in his study. Who in the capital doesn't know of it? Could such a loyal subject and good general be one of those warlike warriors who disregard the lives of the common people that all of you speak of? "
"Speed is of the essence in war. There are still tens of thousands of Tang Dynasty soldiers waiting for reinforcements at Talas. This lowly subject requests that we immediately send reinforcements! "
The other generals couldn't help but get excited at Jiang Yunrang's words. Assistant Minister of War Cao Qianzong also stepped forward, his ceremonial tablet in hand.
So what if the Grand Scribe recorded his name in the annals of history and infamy for ten thousand years? If some words were not said today, they would never have a chance to be said in the future.
"This lowly subject agrees!"
"This lowly subject agrees!"
"This lowly subject agrees!"
… …
The generals in the court couldn't help but feel their blood boil at the words of Jiang Yunrang and Cao Qianzong. The civil officials did not love wealth and the generals did not fear death. Which one of the generals standing here did not love their country with every fiber of their being? The Battle of Talas seemed like a dispute over a corner, but in reality, it concerned the safety of the entire northwest and the Tang Dynasty. At a time like this, no one could truly remain uninvolved.
All the military officials stepped forward. Not to mention the Grand Scribe Yan Wenzhang, even the civil officials were stunned. From the time of the Holy Emperor's ascension to the present, and even back to Taizong's era, as long as the disputes of the Imperial Court involved civil and military officials, the vast majority of them would end with the generals backing down.
But no one had expected that the generals would be so resolute this time. Even with the Grand Scribe present, even though they knew that they would be labeled as' warmongers' and go down in the annals of history, or even be criticized by future generations, they still didn't back down.
"Your Majesty, this subject has something to say."
At this moment, a mellow voice resounded through the hall. Upon hearing this voice, all the civil and military officials, including the Grand Scribe Yan Wenzhang, instantly fell silent. They all turned to look at the figure, as if that person possessed some sort of invisible magic.
The Minister of War, Zhangchou Jianqiong, was also the previous Annan Protector-General. In the entire military, Zhangchou Jianqiong was one of the highest existences, and his words carried far more weight than anyone else's.
"In the twenty-sixth year of the Holy Emperor's reign, this lowly subject was still the Annan Protector-General. It was this lowly subject's idea to attack the Ouzan in the southwest, so this lowly subject has the right to speak on this matter."
Zhangchou Jianqiong, dressed in a violet court robe, walked out of the ranks. His head was lowered, his hand gripping his ceremonial tablet, and his expression was extremely solemn.
"Before this battle, this lowly subject's scouts reported that Dalun Ruozan and Huoshu Huizang had gathered a large number of soldiers on the plateau of the Ngari Royal Lineage, preparing to attack the Tang Dynasty. Ever since the reign of the previous emperor, the Ouzan has constantly invaded the border. In the sixteenth year of the late emperor, war broke out in the southwest, killing one hundred and thirty-seven thousand civilians. In the twenty-first year of Yuanwu, two hundred and ten thousand civilians were caught up in the war, suffering grievous casualties. In the twenty-ninth year, thirty-fifth year, all the way until the first few years of this lowly subject's command, all wars were like this. "
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