Nanzhao was a vassal state of the Tang Dynasty and had a relatively friendly relationship with the Tang Dynasty. At least, as far as the current situation was concerned, Nanzhao did not have the strength to fight against the Tang Dynasty. After Tibet was merged into the Tang Dynasty, Nanzhao could only develop itself better by clinging to the thigh of the Tang Dynasty. This was a consensus among the high-level officials of Nanzhao.
However, when Dongnu Province chose to merge into the Tang Dynasty, Nanzhao's north, east, southeast, and northwest all belonged to the Tang Dynasty. Nanzhao was almost embedded in the Tang Dynasty. This kind of geographical situation was not very good for Nanzhao. Once the relationship with the Tang Dynasty was broken, the east, north, northwest, and southwest would be attacked by the troops of the Tang Dynasty at the same time. It would be difficult to defend.
Therefore, Nanzhao naturally did not want Dongnu Province to merge into the Tang Dynasty, which was very unfavorable for the Kingdom of Nanzhao. In the territory of Dongnu Province, Nanzhao naturally had informants. They were also neighboring countries. Sending informants and diplomatic agencies was the most basic. Of course, these informants were not to be trifled with. After many years of operation, they had already penetrated the high-level officials of Dongnu Province. Even the Queen of Nanzhao had informants around her. Therefore, when Zhao Yefu asked to withdraw the title of the state and merge into the Tang Dynasty, Nanzhao immediately learned the news.
Dongnu Province's merging into the Tang Dynasty was originally a matter between Dongnu Province and the Tang Dynasty. It had nothing to do with the Kingdom of Nanzhao. However, Nanzhao naturally understood that once Dongnu Province was merged into the Tang Dynasty, the border between Nanzhao and the Tang Dynasty would be a little more, and the pressure they faced would be greater. Although they tried their best to maintain a friendly relationship with the Tang Dynasty and had been well-behaved as a vassal state, this kind of life of being at the mercy of others was really difficult. What if the Tang Empire asked them to take Dongnu Province as an example and voluntarily give up the title of the state and merge into the Tang Dynasty? Then, what should they do? Should they really do it? If they didn't agree, would the Tang Dynasty launch an attack in anger?
Although there were dangers in the mountains and rivers, the strength of the Tang Dynasty today was advancing rapidly. The so-called dangers in the mountains and rivers were no longer enough to stop the troops of the Tang Dynasty. In the face of the artillery of the Tang Dynasty, any mountain and river fortress would be smashed to pieces. Nanzhao naturally understood that they could not stop the attack of the troops of the Tang Dynasty. If they entered the mountains and rivers to conduct guerrilla warfare, they might be able to wear down the troops of the Tang Dynasty. However, that was not a life for humans. How could the high-level officials who were used to enjoying themselves bear such a burden? If they suffered so much, they might as well go to Chang 'an and be the Marquis of Guiyi, where they would be served with delicious food and beautiful women.
Any kingdom had a foundation that had been passed down for many years. As successors and vested interests, the high-level officials were naturally unwilling to give up this glory and merge with the Tang Dynasty. Of course, they were unwilling. Even if it could make the lives of the common people much better, they were still very reluctant. They cared more about their own interests and the foundation of their ancestors. They did not care about the feelings of the common people.
They originally thought that as long as they maintained a friendly relationship with the Tang Dynasty, they could always maintain their kingdom. However, if Dongnu Province set the precedent of voluntarily withdrawing its title and merging with the Tang Dynasty, then Nanzhao would be in danger. Once Dongnu Province set the precedent, the affiliated countries like Nanzhao would face the same pressure. Perhaps the voluntary merging of Dongnu Province would stimulate the ambition of the Tang Dynasty, which would make the other affiliated countries voluntarily withdraw their titles and merge with the Tang Dynasty.
Gelofeng, the King of Nanzhao, was restless about the danger signal sent by Dongnu Province. He knew very well what it would mean for Nanzhao if Dongnu Province voluntarily merged with the Tang Dynasty. Obviously, he was unwilling to accept his fate. He would do everything he could to prevent this from happening.
In the palace, Gelofeng looked worried. Dongnu Province suddenly merging with the Tang Dynasty was simply a bolt from the blue for him. Dongnu Province had made a very bad start, which made him very nervous. He was worried that the Tang Dynasty would also do the same to Nanzhao after tasting the benefits. If it really happened, then the foundation of Nanzhao would be gone.
Although the Tang Dynasty had always been friendly to Nanzhao, with the further increase of the gap between the two countries' national strength, it was hard to say whether this friendship could really be maintained. At least, Gelofeng was very worried.
Many years ago in the Land of Liangcun, he had already experienced the power of the Tang Army. At that time, the Tang Army was not very strong and was not equipped with powerful artillery. But in this way, the elite troops of Nanzhao were beaten to a pulp. If the Tang Army had not shown mercy, the 20,000 elite troops he led at that time would have all been wiped out.
It was because of this battle that his father, Piloge, was very dissatisfied with him and weakened his power. He gave one-third of the land of the Kingdom of Nanzhao to his younger brother, Yu Chengjie, and formed a force that could compete with him. Even if he ascended the throne of Nanzhao, he could not completely control the area that Yu Chengjie was in charge of. Thus, the strength of the Kingdom of Nanzhao was imperceptibly weakened.
Gelofeng naturally hated his younger brother, Yu Chengjie. If it were not for this younger brother, he would not have lost control of one-third of the land of the Kingdom of Nanzhao. Although Yu Chengjie appeared to be obedient to his elder brother and admitted that Gelofeng was the only king of Nanzhao, relying on the support of the Tang Empire, he insisted on putting forward many demands for autonomy. It was as if the Kingdom of Nanzhao was a country within a country. Because of the Tang Dynasty, Gelofeng and his younger brother had not interfered with each other for many years and did not send troops to suppress his brother. Nanzhao was peaceful.
However, Gelofeng knew very well that the peace of Nanzhao was only on the surface. Inside, there were already turbulent undercurrents. Yu Chengjie constantly sent his confidants to infiltrate the imperial court of Nanzhao. Of course, Gelofeng also placed his confidants around Yu Chengjie. An atmosphere of hostility always shrouded the interior of Nanzhao, making the peace on the surface seem quite fragile.
The internal problems had not been completely solved. Now, there was a request from Dongnu Province to give up the title of the Kingdom of Nanzhao and merge into the Tang Dynasty. This gave Gelofeng a big headache. After hearing this news, Gelofeng, who had not been sleeping well, had even more insomnia.
Next to Gelofeng stood his confidant, Duan Jianwei. He was also the most trusted minister of Gelofeng after he ascended the throne. Gelofeng had conferred him the title of Qingping Official, which meant that he was the Prime Minister of Nanzhao. In order to express the importance of the Duan Jianwei, Gelofeng even gave him the name Zhongguo, which meant that he was loyal to the country. It was almost the same origin as Yang Guozhong's name.
Many people might not know much about this Duan Jianwei, but his grandson, Duan Yu, was a household name. Of course, this was the Duan Yu in literature, but literature also came from reality.
Duan Jianwei's sixth grandson, Duan Siping, established the Dali Kingdom. Duan Yu and Duan Zhengchun in the novel were Duan Siping's descendants, which meant that they were Duan Jianwei's descendants.
At this moment, Duan Jianwei was also worried. The changes in Dongnu Province gave this capable Prime Minister a headache. He really could not understand why a good Dongnu Province would give up the title of the Kingdom of Nanzhao. The Tang Dynasty did not take any measures. Why did this happen?
In terms of ability, Duan Jianwei was definitely a first-class talent in Nanzhao. He was not only a military talent, but also a political talent. Unfortunately, Nanzhao, which he was loyal to, was relatively weak. Its strength was far less than that of the Tang Dynasty. Being a Prime Minister in a small country seemed to be a very high position, but in fact, it was very sullen and could not achieve great things. Even if he wanted to integrate the internal divisions, he had to act according to the will of the Tang Dynasty.
"Your Majesty, in my opinion, this must be the idea of Queen Dong herself and a few of her confidants. The ministers and nobles of Dongnu Province may not agree to be merged into the Tang Dynasty. Perhaps we can start with the internal affairs of Dongnu Province and let them unite to oppose Queen Dong's decision and prevent this from happening."
Duan Jianwei said.
This was the only way he could think of now. After all, the strength of the Nanzhao Kingdom was obvious. If they rashly intervened by force, it would give the Tang Dynasty an excuse to send troops. At that time, they would go for wool and come home shorn.
Geluofeng nodded. "Prime Minister's words are correct, and Yuan also feels that this is the case. However, I don't know how many of Queen East's trusted subordinates are supporting her merging with the Great Tang, whether these people can control the East Woman Kingdom, and whether we can change anything, such as …"
Although Gelofeng said it implicitly, his meaning was very clear. He wanted to kill some of the confidants who supported Queen Dong's revocation of the Tang Dynasty's title, especially the key figures. As long as the high-level officials who supported Queen Dong's decision were killed and the remaining high-level officials opposed merging into the Tang Dynasty, then the merging of Dongnu Province into the Tang Dynasty could be ruined.
Of course, this matter must be done in secret. If it was revealed that they were the instigators, the consequences would be serious.
"Prime Minister, who do you think is more reliable to send to Dongnu Province to carry out the task?"
Gelofeng asked.
Duan Jianwei thought for a moment and said, "Your Majesty, I think we should spend money to bribe the strong people in Dongnu Province and let them carry out the assassination. After the assassination, we will pay a high price. Of course, we can't tell them who the buyer is. We can just lie that it's an enemy."
There were many masters of martial arts in the Nanzhao army, but these masters could not guarantee that they could escape unscathed when carrying out the mission. If the assassination failed and they were captured alive, they might be able to find out something. Once they found out that it was the King of Nanzhao who did it, it would bring disaster to Nanzhao. Therefore, bribing the strong people in Dongnu Province was a good choice. It was enough to show that Duan Jianwei's political literacy was still very high and he knew how to avoid being contaminated.
Gelofeng nodded and said, "Prime Minister, you're right. I think it's very feasible. But we need to find out who supports Queen Dong as soon as possible. At the right time, we can also test the high-level people in Dongnu Province to see who opposes the integration into the Tang Dynasty. We need to fully support these people who oppose the integration into the Tang Dynasty and even support them to sit on the throne."
For his own benefit, Geluofeng had also gone crazy. He even had plans to kill Zhao Yefu, because as long as he killed this Queen of the East and fully supported the people who were obedient, then the policies of the East Woman Kingdom would be under his control in the future. Just thinking about it made him excited.
"Your Majesty, please rest assured that I will do it as soon as possible. If it doesn't work, I'm willing to go to Dongnu Province in person to do it better."
Duan Jianwei said.
"No, I can't leave you. I won't let you take the risk. Send someone else."
Gelofeng said.
He knew very well that Duan Jianwei's martial arts were excellent. If Duan Jianwei took action in person, the success rate of assassinating Queen Dong would be greatly increased. But the risk was too high. If Duan Jianwei was killed or captured, as the King of Nanzhao, he could not admit that Duan Jianwei was the Prime Minister of Nanzhao. He would even make up an excuse that Duan Jianwei had died of illness. There were not many talents like Duan Jianwei in Nanzhao. Gelofeng still hoped that Duan Jianwei could assist him well. How could he bear to let his Prime Minister take the risk?
"Yes, Your Majesty. I will send the most reliable confidant to do this."
Duan Jianwei said excitedly.
After discussing for a long time, Gelofeng's mood was finally better. But as long as the matter was not done, he was not sure. He felt that since Zhao Yefu dared to submit a letter to the Emperor of the Tang dynasty, it meant that this woman's control of Dongnu Province had reached a very mature level. Perhaps most of the nobles in Dongnu Province had agreed to withdraw the title. Otherwise, as the King, how could Zhao Yefu dare to submit a letter rashly? Wasn't she afraid that the nobles under her command would rebel? Thinking of this, Gelofeng's mood was heavy again. He always felt that this matter was not as easy to solve as he thought.
Different from Gelofeng's depressed mood, the Emperor of the Tang dynasty, Li Longji, was in a good mood at this time. Although King Qing had just passed away and the loss of his son made him very sad, it was not the first time that he had lost his son. After being sad for three days, he no longer felt the pain. At this time, the news that Zhao Yefu, Queen of the Tang dynasty, requested to withdraw the title of the country and merge it into the Tang dynasty really made him very excited. After thinking for a while, he made the decision to agree.
"Your Majesty, this is a great thing! This is a great blessing for Your Majesty. Congratulations, Your Majesty. "
The Right Prime Minister, Yang Guozhong, said excitedly.
"Haha! Guozhong! This matter really makes me happy for a long time. I haven't encountered such a happy thing for a long time. Hahaha. "
Li Longji said happily.
"Your Majesty, since King Guichang is willing to withdraw the title of the country and merge it into the Tang dynasty, we should send officials and troops as soon as possible to prevent any changes!"
Yang Guozhong said with a smile.
After being the Prime Minister for such a long time, Yang Guozhong also knew a lot about politics. Naturally, he knew that anything could only be considered complete when it was finally put in place. As long as there was a little problem in the middle, it would lead to the possibility of changes. Therefore, it was better to deal with this matter as soon as possible. The sooner it was dealt with, the safer it would be.
Li Longji naturally understood this more. He nodded and said, "Do you have a candidate?"
Yang Guozhong said with a smile, "Your Majesty, my son Yang Xuan has not made any contributions, but he is greedy for a high position. It is really difficult to convince the public. Why don't you give my son a chance to be a deputy in Dongnu Province and let him practice?"
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