Liangcuan was the Jifu Province of the Tang Dynasty. Because the people there were tough and unyielding, most of the areas were governed by the barbarian chiefs. The Tang Dynasty would send officials to manage a small number of important areas.
However, it was not easy to manage Jifu Province. The barbarians were tough and unreasonable. It was not so easy to make them obey the rules. After many officials of the Tang Dynasty entered Cuandi, they angered the people of Cuandi because they did not understand the situation there and were beaten to death by the people. This also caused the officials of the Tang Dynasty to be unwilling to work in Cuandi and regarded it as demotion.
In order to intimidate the unruly people of Cuandi and open up the strategic passage between Jiannan and Lingnan provinces of the Tang Dynasty to better control the territory, the Emperor of the Tang Dynasty, Li Longji, ordered the construction of a city in Nanning Province in the east of Cuandi. He also sent Zhu Lingqian, the City Construction Commissioner, to be fully responsible for the construction of the city and promised that all the laborers involved in the construction would be paid double the wages.
However, this strategic move of the Tang Dynasty made the barbarians of Cuandi very nervous. They were worried that once the city was successfully built, the Tang Dynasty would inevitably station a large number of troops in Nanning Province. In this way, their living space would inevitably be squeezed, and they would not be able to do as they pleased in the future.
In this way, under the instigation of the secret emissary of Nanzhao, more than a dozen barbarians of Cuandi all joined forces and sent their troops to raid Nanning Province. They destroyed the city under construction and killed Zhu Lingqian, the City Construction Commissioner of the Tang Dynasty, which directly led to the Cuandi rebellion that shocked the imperial court of the Tang Dynasty.
The barbarians of Cuandi joined forces to rebel against the imperial court of the Tang Dynasty, which more or less caused chaos in the territory. Small groups of bandits took the opportunity to move around, causing great damage to the entire Cuandi and putting the barbarians in an abyss of suffering.
As the general of the Tang Dynasty in charge of quelling the rebellion in Cuandi, Ang Lee had to know everything about Cuandi, including the situation of these bandits, so that he could find the best solution to quell the rebellion.
"Commander, are these bandits barbarians or Tangs?"
Ang Lee asked seriously.
Zhangchou Jianqiong sighed softly. "Bandits are bandits, barbarians and Tangs. Most of them are barbarians, so most of the bandits should be barbarians."
Ang Lee nodded and looked at Zhangchou Jianqiong, "Commander, I think that these barbarians of Cuandi are worth roping in..... but these small groups of bandits who have done all kinds of evil must be wiped out. all...."
"wipe them all.
Zhangchou Jianqiong laughed and shook his head. "General Li is really inexperienced and naive. Cuandi is densely forested, and there are as many small groups of bandits as there are hairs on an ox. Let alone your three thousand men, even if you had thirty thousand men, you might not be able to wipe them all out in a lifetime. Bandits have been living in the mountains since ancient times. As long as there are mountains, there will be bandits."
Ang Lee smiled faintly and said confidently, "Commander is right. Since ancient times, as long as there are mountains, there may be bandits. The problem of bandits has been a headache for the imperial court since ancient times, and it is very difficult to cure. However, I will do my best to wipe out the bandits. I dare not say that I will wipe them all out, but I am confident that I can wipe out most of them."
"Haha, it is rare for General Li to be so confident. Then I will wait for General Li's report of victory. Come, I have prepared a banquet. Please."
Zhangchou Jianqiong warmly invited Ang Lee.
"Since Marshal Jie has invited me so warmly, it would be impolite for me to refuse."
"Haha, please come in. I still have many things to say to you."
"Commander, please."
After meeting Zhangchou Jianqiong this time, he had already settled the problem of food and pay for the three thousand soldiers. This made Ang Lee's heart calm down a lot. Training soldiers required enough logistical support. If the food and pay were not enough, the consequences would be very serious. Once this problem was solved, Ang Lee would have no worries and could start a big fight.
Because the troops were quite tired from the journey, there were already many sick people. Luzhou was still thousands of li away. In order to prevent further losses, Ang Lee decided to rest in Yizhou for three days and replenish the urgently needed supplies. Then they would set off for Luzhou.
####
In the palace of Taihe City in Nanzhao, the King of Yunnan, Pi Luo Ge, stood with his hands behind his back. Beside him was his confidant, Duan Jianming. In front of the two of them was a low-ranking official, reporting the situation with his head lowered.
This low-ranking official was Duan Jianming's brother, Duan Jianwei. He had just returned from Cuandi. Before returning home, he could not wait to go to the palace and report the situation to Pi Luo Ge.
After hearing about the good situation in Cuandi, Pi Luo Ge was very happy. He nodded repeatedly and praised Duan Jianming's ability. At the same time, he also praised Duan Jianming, making the two brothers very happy.
"Emperor, Cuandi's tyrants have killed the Tang Dynasty's officials one after another. They are already at odds with the Tang Dynasty's court. Now that the Tang Dynasty's court is delayed by the matters in the north, it is difficult to mobilize troops into Cuandi to quell the rebellion. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for our Nanzhao. Cuandi's customs are similar to our Nanzhao's, and the land is several times larger than our Nanzhao's. Only by obtaining Cuandi can we have a place in this world. Emperor, you must not miss this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity."
Duan Jianwei sincerely advised.
Pi Luo Ge took a few steps forward and nodded. "The current situation is very beneficial to our Nanzhao. It is indeed a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. However, I am worried about the attitude of the Tang Dynasty's Emperor. Without the decree of the Tang Dynasty's Emperor, Nanzhao will not be justified in quelling the rebellion. If we offend the Tang Dynasty, then the loss will outweigh the gain."
Duan Jianwei grinned. "Emperor, you are right. Nanzhao can't do without the help of the Tang Dynasty. However, I think that the Tang Dynasty's court will definitely agree with your suggestion. After all, the Tang Dynasty has no extra forces to invest in the south. Moreover, Cuandi is just a barren frontier for the Tang Dynasty, but for our Nanzhao, it is a fertile land. We value Cuandi very much, but the Tang Dynasty's court may not."
"Yes, Emperor, the Tang Dynasty's territory stretches for thousands of miles. Cuandi is just a small insignificant place. According to the current situation, the Tang Dynasty's court has no reason to refuse our good intentions."
Duan Jianming echoed.
Pi Luo Ge pondered for a moment and said, "Chengjie sent a message back some time ago, saying that everything went well and he did not disappoint me. However, my confidant sent a message back saying that the Tang Dynasty's Emperor sent another general to quell the rebellion in Cuandi and did not accept my request. I also want to know what is going on."
Duan Jianwei and Duan Jianming looked at each other in surprise. They had studied the situation of the Tang Dynasty's court very thoroughly. They had enough reasons to believe that the Tang Dynasty's court would accept Nanzhao's suggestion. However, from Pi Luo Ge's words, it seemed that something unexpected had happened and it was full of mysteries.
"Emperor, in my opinion, this matter can only be understood after the Second Prince returns. The two reports are not the same. There may be some misunderstanding."
Duan Jianming hurriedly said and bowed low. Pi Luo Ge had already received the report from his confidant and Yu Chengjie, but he had not told him about this situation until now. This seemed to show that Pi Luo Ge still had some reservations about his confidant and only told him about this situation after careful consideration.
Of course, Pi Luo Ge was the ruler of a country. It was impossible for him to tell his subordinates and officials in a hurry when he encountered a situation and ask for their opinions. He had to be as steady as Mount Tai. When he should ask his subordinates, he would ask them and when he should not, he would not say anything. He always had the initiative firmly in his hands. This way, he could better control his subordinates and make them feel threatened and work for him fearfully.
Duan Jianwei had just returned to Taihe City and did not feel like he was being controlled. However, he was confident that his judgment of the Tang Dynasty's court would not be wrong. He stubbornly believed that the Tang Dynasty's court would not send a large number of troops to Cuandi to quell the rebellion. In the end, the right to quell the rebellion in Cuandi would definitely belong to Nanzhao.
"Emperor, I believe in the Second Prince. Since the Second Prince has reported that everything is going well, it proves that the Tang Dynasty's court has indeed agreed to let Nanzhao be in charge of quelling the rebellion. It must be so. There is no mistake."
Pi Luo Ge stared at Duan Jianwei and said, "You mean that my confidant is lying? But he has been with me for more than ten years. He would not dare to lie to me."
"This …"
Duan Jianwei frowned.
Duan Jianming saw this and quickly said, "Emperor, there must be a misunderstanding. The Second Prince is fully in charge of the battle. There are some things that only he knows."
Pi Luo Ge nodded in agreement. He felt that Duan Jianming's words were very reasonable. Some things were really not convenient to be made public. In this way, his confidant would naturally not know.
"Emperor, this is a rare opportunity. Please make full preparations to quell the rebellion in Cuandi as soon as possible."
Duan Jianwei spoke again. Although he was only a subject, he had a strong belief in Nanzhao. He hoped that the Nanzhao Kingdom that he was loyal to would become stronger. Of course, this was also the same idea of all the loyal subjects. To expand the territory for the Emperor showed the loyalty of a loyal subject. However, Duan Jianwei had clearly forgotten that he was also a subject of the Tang Empire.
Pi Luo Ge thought for a moment and said slowly, "Chengjie should be back soon. Let's make a decision after he returns."
"Emperor, this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. As long as we take down Cuandi, Nanzhao's territory will expand several times. You cannot miss this opportunity, Emperor."
Duan Jianwei insisted.
Duan Jianming saw this and hurriedly waved his hand at Duan Jianwei, indicating that he should leave immediately.
Duan Jianwei also felt that he had been too rude. He bowed respectfully and slowly left.
"Emperor, do you have any other concerns?"
After Duan Jianwei left, Duan Jianming asked carefully.
Pi Luo Ge frowned and pondered for a moment, then said slowly, "My achievements today are inseparable from the help of the Tang Empire's Emperor. Liangcuandi is the Tang Empire's Jifu Province, but I am plotting to take over Cuandi. If I annoy the Tang Empire's Emperor, I'm afraid …"
Obviously, when he heard that the Tang Empire's Emperor was going to send another general to quell the rebellion, Pi Luo Ge panicked. He originally thought that the Tang Empire would easily hand over Cuandi's rebellion to him because of the war. He was also prepared to quell and annex Cuandi. However, the news from his confidant was not the result he wanted. He even suspected that his previous judgment of the Tang Empire's imperial court was wrong.
"Emperor, as long as Nanzhao is a vassal state of the Tang Empire, Cuandi will belong to Nanzhao. Isn't it still the territory of the Tang Empire? In this way, the Emperor of the Tang Empire will still have face."
Like his brother, Duan Jianming was unwilling to give up a great opportunity to annex Cuandi. After all, they had already experienced the joy and satisfaction of success in the process of the unification of the Six Emperors a few years ago. Moreover, they had also invested a lot of energy in the rebellion in Cuandi this time. They would definitely not be willing to give up just like that.
"I also don't want to miss this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. However, the attitude of the Tang Empire's Emperor is very important. If he agrees or tacitly approves of my Nanzhao quelling the rebellion in Cuandi, I can act without any scruples. However, if he opposes my Nanzhao going to Cuandi to quell the rebellion and I insist on sending troops to Cuandi, it is very likely to anger him. Although my Nanzhao has tens of thousands of troops, it is only a small piece of land. We still don't have the strength to fight against the Tang Empire."
Pi Luo Ge expressed his true concerns. He wanted to occupy the Tang Empire's Jipeng State and expand his own territory. At the same time, he was also afraid of angering the Emperor of the Tang Empire and bringing disaster to himself.
In other words, Pi Luo Ge was a schemer with lofty ideals. He was constantly observing and probing to speculate the bottom line of the Tang Empire's Emperor. He was also rubbing against the bottom line of the Tang Empire to obtain the greatest benefits for himself.
Duan Jianming knew of Pi Luo Ge's worries and said, "My Lord, since the Second Prince will soon return to Taihe City, we can't just wait here. We must make sufficient preparations. Once we confirm that the Emperor of the Tang Empire has no intention of opposing my Nanzhao quelling the rebellion, we can immediately take action."
Pi Luo Ge smiled slightly and said, "I have been preparing. The 5,000 elite infantry in the south have been secretly transferred to the east. They are waiting for my orders at any time."
"So my Lord has already made preparations. I have worried too much."
Even Duan Jianming, who was Pi Luo Ge's confidant, was completely unaware of the transfer of troops this time. This showed how secretive the transfer of troops was and how cautious Pi Luo Ge was.
Pi Luo Ge took a map of the Tang Empire and laid it flat on the table in front of him. After looking at it for a long time, he pointed at the land between the two mountains and said, "Duan Jianming, do you see it? In the territory of the Tang Empire, Cuan Land is only a small piece of land in the south. However, this small piece of land is several times larger than Nanzhao. I have always thought that Nanzhao is very big, but compared to the Tang Empire, it is only one-thousandth."
"My Lord, you are right. The Tang Empire's territory stretches for thousands of miles. It is indeed much bigger and richer than Nanzhao. Therefore, if the Tang Empire loses Cuan Land, it will only be a scratch on the surface. However, if Nanzhao obtains Cuan Land, it will be like adding wings to a tiger."
"Like adding wings to a tiger. That's right."
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